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While I absolutely do not agree that it’s likely you will GAiN weight on 800 calories, 800 Calories can be a pretty good amount of food depending on what you eat. for example this is 757 calories and it’s 100 g of protein. breakfast: Caramel “Proffee” made from a premiere protein caramel shake with iced coffee mixed in. (It’s really good and filling with the protein btw). lunch: three eggs omelette with 2% cheese (1 ounce) and tomatoes and onion (1/2 cup). dinner: grilled chicken breast (3 ounce) and zucchini and onion (1/2 cup). snack: oikos triple zero yogurt I use the Baritastic app and I always have the same breakfast but then before I have lunch I plug in my plan and an idea for dinner to make certain it’s okay macro wise. I do pay some attention to calories but protein, added sugars and fat are more important. I also pay attention to my carbs because on some days my exercise is higher and I actually need to increase them a bit. If your dietician is not asking about your activity and your food choices and inky giving you a cookie cutter plan without real guidance I would be asking more questions. These plans need to be tailored to you specifically. if you are having a difficult time finding foods you like that meet the criteria you are definitely not alone. I had to do a ton of research and trial and error with recipes to find a couple weeks worth of meals that I enjoy and I was doing 900ish calories. I scoured the web and found low calorie recipes and also ways to cut calories from things I knew I enjoyed. Basically type “healthy” in front of anything you like and you should find ways to make a more bariatric friendly version. Some days you may need to reduce calories further by having two shakes or egg whites instead to budget for a higher calorie dinner. I don’t love to cook so I make double batches of things and freeze them in individual portions. this has been my lifesaver. For the 800 calories you may have to do a lot of lower calorie lean meat and veggie type dinners unless you cut calories during lunch. For instance instead of 3 eggs you could do five 5 whites and you could even omit the cheese if you need to cut calories further. i would imagine you could still lose on a little higher calorie budget and you have more flexibility in your menu but it may not be as fast as you would like. Either way, check out Baritastic (or another calorie tracking app). It’s very helpful to see exactly what’s in different food and to play around with these meal ideas on an app because you can add and delete and adjust the measurements to figure out how to make things work to fit your plan.

You are not a failure, obesity is a complex disease. It often requires many tools to tame. There’s no shame in that. As a person who has had both VSG and RNY, I can tell you first hand that If you are relying on further restrictions to help you *may* not get that. Almost always the pylorus is bypassed so no there will sphincter holding food in your sleeve creating that classic VSG full sensation. However there are a lot of behind the scenes biological changes that *may* happen but you won’t know how you will respond until after surgery. The new class of obesity med may help immediately (if you can afford them). They are spectacular. In the time it will take you to go through referrals, appointments, testing and waiting for a date, you may lose the weight. They work that fast. Of course there are risks, some who cannot tolerate them or are very slow responders but the beauty is you can decide week by week if it’s worth it. If not, nothing permanent has been done. That’s the other issue. These are permanent use meds just like HRT or TRT. Maintenance doses are still being fiddled with by individuals so what permanent use looks like may not be weekly. Do a ton of research and ask your Bari/weight management team (if you still have one) what they think. Good Luck!

First, congratulations on your surgery. No, it’s not uncommon to start having doubts, worries, be a bit emotional about things. This is a big thing. Something you have never gone edits so and have absolutely nothing to base these new experiences and emotional reactions you’re having upon. With a sleeve, about 75% of your tummy is removed. This differs person to person & depends upon the size of your tummy. Larger tummy, more is removed. I actually got an internal photo of my tummy being removed (it’s not framed up on my wall 😄). It is impossible for you to regain if you’re following your plan and the volume of food/calories you’re consuming. A very common occurrence, which almost every one experiences, is called the three week stall. Around the three week mark (could be earlier or later than then) your weight loss will stall. It may last from 1-3 weeks. It’s very normal & just your body taking a moment to adjust to the changes and reassess your new needs (metabolic rate, digestive hormones, etc.). You will start losing again. Because there is no hard and fast rule as to your rate of loss, surgeons don’t tend to set weight loss goals - interim or final. There are just lots of averages around how much you may lose and how long it may take. Your surgeon may have spoken to you about how much weight you may lose by a certain time but it’s no guarantee of what will happen but just an idea of what might happen. They may ask how much you’d like to lose and then advise if it is possible or not. Whether it is possible or not is based on stats (averages). Don’t worry about not meeting your fluid or protein goals in the first weeks. It’s not easy in the beginning. As long as you’re making an effort and aren’t too far off. You’ll notice you get closer and closer and some days will be easier & others will be a real struggle. A quarter cup of food seems like nothing to begin but is again not unusual. My advice was 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée to about a cup at 6 months. If you’re struggling eating soft food you may need to go back a stage for a few days & that ‘s okay. Sometimes we’re ( our tummies) just aren’t ready & healed enough yet to tolerate the more & more dense food as you progress to each new stage. Often weeks 3 & 4 are purées and then soft foods in weeks 5 & 6 but plans do differ. Trust me, it does get better and easier in time.

Double check with your team before incorporating any weights. My team said no intense exercise till 6 weeks and 8’weeks for any weights. I am a month out and called today and asked if it was okay to go up to an hour walking around the neighborhood (which I actually did last night but then read about waiting until six weeks and got scared). She said one hour collectively is fine but she would rather see me break that into two or three shorter walks so today I did 15 minutes in the morning and planned to do 30 tonight but I judged it wrong and it was 45. It’s a leisurely walk though. Not at all fast so I think it’s fine. in terms of the drinking an eating, some peoples pouches are more inflamed and it takes a little longer for the swelling to go down. You will be able to drink and eat bigger sips and bites eventually. Never the same as before but bigger. It can feel like a bit of a full time job to get In all the vitamins, protein and fluids for a while but it gets easier. As long as you are not drinking or eating past when you feel full, it sounds like you are doing fine!! And tell your husband he is awesome too for walking with you!! Mine encourages me, and like tonight he made my Salmon on the grill while I was gone but he never offered to actually go with me.

Hellooooooo So I'm one week shy of being 7 months post op, and for those 7 months I have avoided sugar like the plague except for some rare occasions where I was traveling and the European country I was in was famous for desserts that I would order and only have a miniscule bite of. On one occasion I got excited and had 3 bites and thought I was fine. 10 minutes later I started feeling extremely nauseous that I was almost dry heaving, I started walking back to the hotel and after 1 kilometer I felt much better so I guessed that was dumping! Not fun Yikes! So fast forward this week, and it is that time of the month and I was craving some chocolate, so I picked a 72% dark chocolate square which I had with a few roasted cashews (to manage the blood sugar spike) and guess what? 10 minutes later I am extremely nauseous and queasy that my skin was crawling. I was at my desk and got up and walked back and forth but to no success. It lasted a good half an hour/40 minutes and it only fully subsided midway through my Pilates class. Does this happen to anyone? The chocolate square barely had any sugar! Will I ever be able to have a little fun? A tiny slice of cake for my birthday? Ice cream? Anything? I don't crave sugar anymore but I like to taste things and take bites here and there especially when I'm travelling/out for a nice meal (which is often).

So prior to surgery I tasked myself with writing a letter to the "future me". I wrote this letter and then sealed it up so that I could open it 6 months post-op and reflect. I thought I'd share it with you all to give some inspo, and just because I value being open about my journey with you all ❤️ I wrote this letter on the 20th December 2023, with my surgery scheduled for the 14th May 2024. Some of this letter may be triggering for others (mentions of sexual assault/abuse), so please don't read on if you aren't able to. I also highly recommend for people to do the same pre-surgery. Reading this letter has been really cathartic for me, especially at a time where my weight loss is slowing down a little. So, here it is, my letter to myself: To me, I hope that you have found your own form of genuine happiness. To try and picture how life is for you now is impossible. I'm currently at work, my back is in pain, I am overly conscious of my body - my stomach and chin in particular. I hope that you aren't worrying about any of those things anymore. Remember feeling so painfully aware of your body, about how nothing quite fits you anymore? I pray life is better for you now. I want you to have a whole new quality of life. No more holding yourself back. Say yes to things that scare you. Go on a paddle boat. Go to go-ape. Do something terrifying. I hope that your mental wounds are beginning to heal. All those times you were cheated on and mentally & physically abused by your ex because of your weight. You didn't deserve that. Not one bit. Your worth is not, and never was, defined by how much you weigh. Please don't get stuck on the numbers. I know this has probably been one of the hardest experiences for you, and I know you have probably had to re-learn everything, but you deserve this. You are so, so deserving. Reflect back on the past: Nan calling you 'podgy' in a top you was excited to wear when you was 13, but you never wore it again after that. Growing fast and being bigger than most people in school. Always yo-yoing from diet to diet. None of it worked. Punishing yourself didn't work. But now look at what you have achieved. YOU did this. No one else. Be proud. I hope, more than anything else, that you have finally found out who you are. That girl inside, behind all the weight, waiting for freedom. I can't wait to meet her x

I think you need non-eating another hobby while you waiting the result, for me it is calisthenic and sewing. My callisthenic skill go fast because my bodyweight is less. I like resizing my old clothes and measure every single part on my body, only resize one look every 2 weeks.

I remember doing my first surgery, it was for 2 weeks. For my revision 5-7 days. Obviously, I chose 5 days lol I'm not sure why revisions seem to need less of a pre-op diet. But I remember seeing other people only need 48 or 72 hours of fasting before the surgery. I think it just depends on the surgeon and surgery.

If there is a discord, I'll join it. So, I'm staying between 225-228 lbs. I dropped to 221 a couple days ago. Only because I had a colonscopy and I was on a liquid diet for nearly 36 hrs. Otherwise, my weight hasn't moved in more than a month. Edit* Hit the send to fast 😃 To finish what I was writing, I shouldn't be at a maintenance weight, which is what it feels like since ive been in this weight range for 6 weeks or more. If I ate less than I do now, I don't think it would be sustainable. I have my 6 month post op appointments next month. Hopefully by then the scale moves a bit more. I was hoping to be at 200 lbs. Or less by the time I have knee surgery in October.

I have been overweight my whole life. My highest weight was 284 back in October of 2022. I have tried many weightloss directions including keto, fasting, tracking calories, appetite suppressing drugs, and even weight watchers. I start off good and end up just spiraling downward and stop. I really think this tool is going to be my key to success.

Had this happen to me quite often. A year ago I picked up a brand new pair of Jennifer Lopez jeans size 16 at a rummage sale, thinking I'll put away for a future time. Got home and curiously tried them on and they fit!! Buttoned.. zipped up and comfortable to wear. Fast forward to now, I bought a new pair of Old Navy shorts size 8 in Goodwill, In my mind I doubted they would fit but did. Amazing feeling and it's been many many years since I wore a size 8. Oh and today I put on a XX boho style shirt and wore it as a dress. 😎 I remember thinking this same thing but it was usually weight loss after any food centered holiday. That's never happened to me ..eva. Glamping at the lake every weekend doesn't seem to have much effect on my weight loss either. I'm very thankful.

Agree with Summer. I went thru sizes so fast there were some items of clothing I barely had a chance to wear before having to bag it up and take to Goodwill. This is probably one of the funnest parts of my weight loss journey for me. Buying smaller sizes, then being able to fit into them in a few short weeks. Also, not having to hang dry clothes so they wouldn't shrink up on me to intentionally putting them in the dryer so they would shrink up for me. So I could wear them longer. LOL

Our surgeons did their very best to educate us in a manner that would be easy for a broad population to understand but sadly WLS is not as simple as restriction driving weight loss. Check out these excerpts from a review on the Endocrinology of the Gut and the Regulation of Body Weight and Metabolism and also a study that tried to predict outcomes of various WLS on (hedonic) hunger and weight loss : The mechanisms behind the success of bariatric/metabolic surgeries remain to be fully elucidated but post-surgical changes in gut-derived hormonal peptides, bile acids (BA), gut microbiota, and vagal tone are suggested to be involved (13, 14). Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556470/ Bariatric surgery engenders weight loss through a number of biological changes, which alter eating behavior and thereby result in a reduced energy intake, which is the main driver for sustained weight loss. Gut hormones, metabolically active polypeptides secreted along the GI tract in response to fasting and eating, act upon CNS centers involved in appetite regulation and generate either orexigenic or anorectic responses. Following bariatric surgery, gut hormone secretion profiles change as a result of the anatomical changes from the surgery. Altered gut hormone secretion profiles are thought to be key mediators for weight loss following RYGB and SG. RYGB results in a marked rise in meal-stimulated circulating levels of anorectic hormones peptide YY 36 (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1); these changes are also seen post-SG but to a lesser extent. SG, in contrast, leads to a significant reduction in the orexigenic hormone ghrelin, by means of removing most of the ghrelin-producing cell population from the stomach. Ghrelin and PYY/GLP-1 act on appetite-regulating areas of the CNS in an opposing manner, stimulating orexigenic or anorectic responses, respectively [16]. Read more here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11739-022-03063-0#:~:text=A reduced energy intake%2C as,weight loss following bariatric surgery.

Yep, I'm 9 months post-op and may or may not just be coming out of about a 3-week stall. It's very normal and expected to start slowing down, stalling, and having small weight gains at this point. I hit a low of 170.2 toward the end of October, immediately bounced up a pound, and didn't drop below that low point until 3 days ago. Personally, I find that whenever I hit a new low after a little bit of a stall, especially if it involves a large one-day drop (I went from 170.8 to 169.0 in a day), I'll usually bounce around a little before seeing any steady declines. Most people continue losing weight until at least 12 months, and sometimes a little bit more until 18 or 24 months. But with a lot more stalls, especially the closer you get to a "normal" BMI. (I'm about 14 pounds away from not being considered overweight by the medical charts). The important thing is to develop a healthy eating and exercise routine that is sustainable no matter what the scale says. If you're doing what is reasonable and recommended, keep doing it. There's no need to change what isn't broken. On the other hand, if you know you've been straying from your good habits, focus on getting back to where you know you should be. Eating healthy foods in the correct portions on a regular schedule, moving your body throughout the week, getting the right amount of protein, taking vitamins, and drinking water are all things you will be doing for the rest of your life, even though at some point the scale will stop going down. The advice I am giving myself these days is to try to separate those good things I am doing from the number on the scale. Because for me, if I start seeing weight loss as a "reward" for "being good", it makes it harder to continue the good lifelong habits when that "reward" inevitably goes away. It also won't do you any favors in the long run if you try to introduce a bunch of things you know you will never be able to maintain just to get the scale moving faster. I might be able to drop a few pounds really fast if I went back to 500 calories per day or re-did my 2 week liquid diet, but I can't live like that forever, so it's a false victory. I think we all have to find the right balance of habits we can maintain fairly steadily for a lifetime and a healthy weight we can maintain without torturing ourselves. And remember that just because you hit the 12-month mark doesn't mean the game is over. You can always introduce improvements to your nutrition or your exercise that will result in slow and steady changes over time. You don't have to workout 5 days a week for 2 hours a day if that isn't your thing, but if you add some resistance training a few times per week or an extra walk after dinner, you will see those results down the road.

My best advice is to be prepared to put yourself first for around a month. It didn’t take that long for the pain to get better but it does take a little while to get your stamina back and get into a groove with all the vitamins, protein and water and then each of the stages are a little adjustment. Take your time and allow your body the rest that it needs and prioritize yourself and your recovery for the time you need. The good news is that you should also see a pretty big drop on the scale as in your measurements. Which leads to my second suggestion which is to take photos and measurements as well as recording your weight beginning preop. They will help keep you motivated later down The road when the scale stalls. The third thing I would suggest is to check out an App that allows you to record your progress. The Baritastic App lets you record everything from food and water to vitamins, exercise, measurements, weight, and even your bowel movements which will become something that you think about more than ever post surgery haha 😆 and it is fairly easy to figure out. I wish I had started before my preop or my surgery. Also, make sure that you have whatever stool softeners, laxatives or soluble fiber your team suggests on hand and begin whatever preventative measures they set for you immediately post op. When you are in the hospital don’t hesitate to tell them if you are in pain. And Walk ALOT. Especially if you are in pain. It doesn’t matter how fast you go, it’s just the movement. I promise you that passing gas is your biggest goal in terms of relieving pain and the walking helps with that.

I had bypass, but from illustrations posted on here it looks like the stomach gets smaller in the switch operations too. There is a healing phase which takes a while. It seems to take a 2-3 week longer process if you’re a person with reflux issues. Some of that process is testing what your body can tolerate at different stages. I had a hard time getting eggs or chicken down. I still have trouble with turkey 3 years out but it may be a sensitivity at this point. Mostly all foods are fine now. The funniest/cute thing is the regurgitation is like a baby burp. The new stomach is so small! Seriously, a baby burp that’s quick and fast and tiny. The yuckiest for me was a communion wafer. It’s made of wheat. It’s hard and dry, and Covid was still on so no sharing the wine. I still hold it in my mouth until it’s thoroughly wet, then swallow. It got stuck and I had the “foamies” which is basically like dry heaving for a long length of time and it was painful. The whole problem of foamies can be avoided by taking small bites, chew thoroughly and try to use some sauce type thing to help food slide down. Stick to the stages and extend them a week or two if you’re worried, but talk to your team about it first.

you are fine. Most people seem to lose somewhere in the 7 - 11 kg (or 15-25 lb) during the first MONTH, and you've lost 10 kg in six weeks, so you're absolutely in the normal range. I lost 16 lbs (7 kg) the first month, so I was probably exactly where you are at six weeks out. I went on to lose over 90 kg (200 lbs). (you will always find people who lose less or more than the range I stated, but they're either outliers, or they started out at MUCH higher BMI's than most of us have - such as the people on shows like "My 600 lb Life"). Your nurse and doctor are fools. I had a resident tell me the same thing when I was a few weeks out, and I wish that jerk could see me now!! I'm sure I lost much more weight than most, if not all, of the people who went through the program when I did! rule #1 with this is; don't compare yourself to others! Your rate of weight loss depends on so many things, only a couple of which you have much control over. Age, gender, metabolic rate, what percentage of your body weight is muscle, genetics, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, diet, and activity rate are all factors. How much you're eating and how active you are are really the only things you have control over. Do well with those, and the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. But don't forget - 10 kg is six weeks is completely normal. Just carry on and don't listen to foolish crap like this. EDITED to add: I lost weight for 20 lbs. Yes the first month tends to produce more loss than following months, but just like with regular diets, that's because some of it is water weight. One kg a week is pretty normal after the first month - but that'll gradually drop as you approach a normal BMI.

it's common - but not inevitable - for women of child-bearing age. It's because estrogen is stored in fat cells, and it's released during fast weight loss. People report mood swings and screwed up menstrual cycles because of it. But it's temporary.

Well, it was a liter and a half of fluid and I started the day before. I had to get down 3/4 of it that day and evening. Save a 1/4 of it for the next morning and drink the rest. I had to get up at 4 am in order to finish that 1/4 of it since my procedure was at 9 am. I had to stop drinking fluids by 6 am. I've not had any issues with liquids, so I'm not a good gauge on that. I typically get 96 ounces or more a day. So, I really didn't have any issues. Though, the taste was odd but they had a lime powder pack i could add. Which didn't help much. The last time I had colonoscopy I was given a choice between having to drink more liquid and it being cheaper in cost, or I could take the 32 oz stuff that cost A lot more but not as much to drink. However the other drawback is that it was super charged how fast and violent everything moved. But this time I didn't have that option.

I feel I am losing way too much weight very fast. I am quite worried now.

A sip isn’t a mouthful. Think about 1/2oz (15ml or about a tablespoon). As your body is able, you’ll be able to taking larger sips. How much & when is individual. Some can take several mouthfuls at a time in a couple of months. Me I’m 5 years out and two swallows is it for me. Your body will tell you if you’re drinking too much or too fast but certainly in that 8 week healing period best to keep to sipping. They insert a breathing tube which can cause swelling which hinders breathing & swallowing. It usually passes after a couple of days. Keep trying to do some slow deep breaths throughout the day. It will help you breathe out the surgical gas. Watch not being able to not breathe deeply especially if you have heart palpitations, chest pains or coughing. If you have that as well go to your nearest medical centre as it may be a clot. Try some biotin for your dry mouth/thirst. I found green tea soothing & refreshing. Any warm or hot drink can help too like herbal tea & soups & broths. Try warm water though some say cold water is easier.

I actually think maybe it’s because that test is more commonly done to diagnose delayed gastric emptying the more I read about it. So im sure mine was fast compared to people with that issue. I just wanted to think the tech was on to something and it was a possible answer to my struggle with weight and it would hopefully be an easier fix.

Sorry you have Covid but so glad to hear you had a good trip. I bet your cats missed you too. Wow 25,000 for multiple days good for you. I have been doing like 10-15k average just around the house and neighborhood and the one day I did almost 20 and boy oh boy my dogs were barking as my Dad used to say. I am so looking forward to being a little further out and being able to truly do whatever I want in terms of activity. Told my husband I’d like to do a trip when I reach my goal weight and if he been asking people for suggestions. I don’t want anywhere hot. Someone suggested Iceland. I’ve gotta research that. After my sleeve, alcohol was the exact same for me. I used to drink the flavored rums with my Coke Zero so I tried it post surgery with crystal light and margaritaville mixes and it tasted okay-ish but I was expecting this super fast buzz that everyone talked about and it did the opposite. Tried it a few more times over the years and even two or three in a night and I still felt nothing. I decided it’s a waste of calories and money for me and I haven’t drank since. I mean I never did it to get trashed but the point usually was a little bit of a buzz at a party or occasion. Your poor boyfriend who gained a few. Tell him he was taking it for the team, lol Seems like men usually can drop a small amount of weight pretty quick if they really want to 🤞. For future you may want to remind yourself that when you’re in a situation like that it is okay to waste a bit of food. I know it’s hard wired into some of us that we shouldn’t and I have been freezing things and having leftover nights at home to try and avoid it but it is okay if you don’t even have a refrigerator to put it in. It’s better than you or someone else having to overindulge. Now if he was secretly was looking forward to your leftovers that’s a different story. 😉 I hope you feel better really soon!!

I am only 6months out and I eat more than the average sleever..so my doc told me. I also workout 6 days a week and am active. I cannot eat 1.5C of food. if I want to add a veg or carb to a meal then I will eat 2C of protein and then some veggies and if I have room like 1-2 TBLS of carbs. I eat around 1200-1300 calories but my protein is around 130-150g. I fear that I have stretched out my sleeve but I never eat to being full. ok ok maybe once or twice. but I don't feel sick or miserable just like I might eaten too fast. Anywho, For lunch today I made a jalapeno chicken salad with bacon bits and I was able to eat 4oz of that with 1/2 bag of quest chips. and I am good for about 2-3hours. So I think that equates to .5C? its a constant worry I think for all of us to not mess this up. I know for me I fear that I will wake up and be 300lbs again and that fear makes me stop eating shi&&y. I think my comment mightve been a tangent...Ill get off my soap box LOL

Hmm, that is true actually! It feels as though we have skipped Summer here 😅 I shall hold off from buying anything just yet, as I am conscious of how fast the weight loss is right now! I think I am suffering a bit from imposter syndrome right now - I feel like a fraud if I were to buy smaller sizes if that makes sense! Like my body won't actually ever fit into them (which I know is insane, given that I am and have lost weight) but my brain hasn't caught up yet. I have heard nothing but good things about M&S - I may create a holiday wishlist on there! I admit I have never even worn those kinds of trousers before! But I think that was just due to me not feeling like they'd suit my shape!