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Yeah I do, I think because it's always ready and there. I feel lazy a lot of the times. I hate cooking, but the only time I do kind of like to cook is dinner. But I did make a really yummy protein smoothie. Fairlife milk 13g protein, 17g of protein in the yogurt which of course makes it a 30 gram smoothie. But I also tried a another yogurt before I buy a big container of it and it has 25 grams of protein in it. It just sucks that I couldn't drink it all. Anyways, I also think we have this stuff (the processed foods) because it's cheaper than the healthy foods. It sucks and gotta do what we gotta do to get by. But yes I get that the money we spend on the processed foods, we could put towards healthy foods. Healthy foods don't last long which also sucks. 🤔 always can meal prep and freeze it. There's 6 people here and one who never eats what I make. So ill have to make sure that there are 5 of everything for the 5 people. Sorry just rambling

Thanks for the elaborating the entire journey! A big massive congratulations on your success that has been inspiring... That was a brilliant read and it mirrored my journey too to a large extent. I'm now 6 months post op and I have lost about 29kg or 64lbs in total. I feel like a different person altogether! I have more energy and my knee pain is virtually nonexistent. I have another 36lbs to go and I'm not bothered about how soon this happens or it happens at all! I chose mini gastric bypass for the same reason that you mentioned and I have no food intolerances or dumping. I don't get these contemptuous looks when I go to the gym or a yoga class anymore... I'm not self conscious when I go clothes shopping either. I don't really feel like I've had a surgery on many occasions as I have had little or no issues post op.

Hi I am 3 months out and I am experiencing hair loss, but honestly, even people that do Keto or Code Red where you basically only eat protein (btw hard on the kidneys) lose hair, so I think it's unavoidable. Things will get much easier once you can eat actual food (you'll learn by trial and error what works for you.)

No there is no norm or standard plan for before or after surgery. Much like there is no standard for how you will recover, how much weight you’ll lose, what ‘fun’ side effects you’ll experience, etc. There’s just generalisations & averages. There will be similarities across plans & differences. Like in the pre surgery eating plan. Some don’t have any. Some do three shakes a day while others do two shakes & one meal. Me I had to do keto. Same with the post surgery stages. Differences can be around how long each stage is or even what foods you can or can’t have at each stage. For example potatoes are allowed on many plans but were a big no in my plan. I do know my surgeon adjusts his plan depending on the individual patient & their specific needs & situation. My friend who saw him was on the 2 shakes one meal plan. Her friend, also same surgeon was all shakes. Our ages, starting weight & general health were different. It’s why we say it’s always best to follow the plan you were given and if you are having difficulties to contact your team to see if & how you can tweak it to better suit you & your needs & experiences.

Hi! I am almost 1 year out from VSG surgery. I am a little over 100 lbs down. It is getting really really hard to stay between 900-1200 calories a day. I am 6ft tall and have a large frame. Staying under 1200 calories has me starving. Lol. It is so hard not to eat at least to 1500. Any tips and tricks? Foods that fill but don't have much calorie wise? Please help!!!! My doc and nutritionist haven't been much help. They don't see how I am as hungry as I tell them I am.

I'm 3 months out from Gastric Sleeve surgery and have the same issue. I had constant hunger before and that never really left. The difference is now my stomach has a governor in place and will fight me if I give in. The 3rd week stall was discouraging but it passed and I lost 15 more pounds before hitting another stall now. I'm trying to change up my diet some and try some new foods, in case I'm deficient in some sort of nutrient and my body is craving it. I did eat some Korean food, sort of a low carb bibimbap type thing, and it seemed to get rid of my head-hunger and my stall broke when I was eating it more frequently, but that lasted about 3 weeks before returning. For some reason I'm really craving beef right now, but my iron levels are actually too high. I find myself constantly wanting to graze while working at my desk, I'm guessing more out of a stress relieving habit rather than true hunger, but it feels real. When I get that urge to graze after a meal, I'm making myself drink a 16oz bottle of water and chew some very flavorful gum to distract from it. It's not a cure, but instead of constant cravings, it seems to buy me 2-3 hours. Good luck, and congrats on your surgery and your progress! Definitely share with us if you find a way to curb the head-hunger feelings.

I am three years post op and I can drink while eating but I don’t recommend it. For one, I’m pretty confident my pouch was left bigger than most since I was always able to eat more than expected from day one. For two, I gained my weight back and this could have contributed. I am thinking I am doing a revision and the PA reminded me I should be doing all those things such as the 30:30:30 (30 before and after with no water and take at least 30 minutes to eat your meal). They haven’t checked it yet but if it is possible to stretch the sleeve in any way, I worry that I have stretched mine. Regardless, he explained that the purpose of not doing both even once you have room is because the liquid flushes the food through your system quicker so you don’t feel full as long. In terms of the size bites you can take they will gradually increase BUT, ideally you will still stay with “normal” sized bites but with time in between so that full signal can get to your brain. Hopefully others can Learn from my mistakes. Apparently they make these rules for a reason 😔

So far it has been ok I guess. The surgery was “text book” according to the Dr. I had no pain after and I started back to the gym for treadmill and low weight machines on week 3. I followed the plan. The last two weeks since I started soft foods has been hard. I’m 5 weeks out today. I am down 28 pounds since surgery. HW - 412 SW - 362 CW - 334 I have hit a stall. No loss in a week. I have had a couple of “slips” but nothing I can’t come back from. I unfortunately am not as restricted as I thought I would be. I was able to eat a whole filet of fish sandwich with no problem. Why I ate it is because I am still an emotional eater unfortunately. The good thing is I could only eat the one and now the huge chunk of food I use to. hopefully as the weather gets better I can be out more but I need to work on my “out of the house” food plans. I got my little cooler I just have to work on the best stuff to put in it. I can’t wait to go back to fishing !! here is my picture about one year a part. A total of 75 pounds difference

I had my final pre-op appointment with my surgeon today. Nothing really to report as it was very routine. I weighed in about 3lbs down from 3 weeks ago. That was nice, but I'll admit I have not been too strict the past week about my food. I start my 2 week liquid diet in 2 weeks and that'll be plenty strict so I've stopped for fast food once and had some chocolate when I normally wouldn't. I see the nutritionist next Thursday and then it's just a countdown to Feb 21!

Also, as long as you aren't using oils and sauces or dips on them, you can always eat more vegetables with your meals. The fiber will fill you up nicely without adding a lot of extra calories. Speaking only for myself and my own psychology, I would avoid adding regular snack times or anything that looks like snack food, even "healthier" versions of snack foods. Personally I fear I would find it triggering, and it would be too easy to go from healthy snacks to not so healthy ones, "just this once" which of course turns into more than once so easily...

Just really wanted to reach out because I’ve had a tough day. I was supposed to return to work today but I have a very physically demanding job. I had a rough two days with food and abdomen pain, so I decided to not return just yet. I’m feeling like I may be better suited going back to a desk job both for healing and the ability to have a more consistent schedule working the same hours each week, as I’m concerned I’ll struggle with maintaining my new routines at my current job. Particularly the time to eat and drink as often as needed. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

Thank you, this is helpful. It is definitely not head hunger....I know the difference between that and genuine hunger. I know not to eat anything solid. I'm finding that something a little thicker helps a bit. I'm on Pepcid. Guess I'll really be looking forward to the soft food stage! I'm mostly relieved to find that it's not abnormal!

Thank you for sharing! I'm dealing with a stricture now. I've had 3 bsloon procedures but the camera still won't go all the way through. My surgeon described it as a funnel where he has been able to open some at the top but not go through. I've been trying to transition from a feeding tube to eating but can't keep water or food down and everything makes me nauseous. This is my story so far: I had surgery 6/13/24 for revision to RNY. I had 2 emergency surgeries 3 days later. I had a leak and had 7liters of toxic fluids cleaned out of me then ICU 6 days and hospital until the end of July. It has been 10 months + with wound vac, Gtube, and now a stricture that I've had 3 balloon procedures and still not halfway there. Total of 6 hospital stays, 4 ER visits, 7 surgeries since June 2023. I'm getting better. Feeding tube helps but also causes alot of pain and granulated tissue which has to be burned off. I have found 4 people who have talked about the same issues. A leak like this and a stricture is very uncommon. Most people with leaks end up dying. It's why you don't hear about them. I'm not sure why anyone would require a feeding tube other than a major stricture or leak. Maybe due to already having so much scar tissue. They think that is why I had a leak but nobody knows. For reference. I had lapband 2008. Lapband Removal 2019 due to Gerd. RNY 2023. I was 238lbs 5'6 at the time. I'm 170 now.

My sugery was 11/29.. as of this morning I am 32lbs down.. I started back into the gym on Monday, 8 weeks post op. I have not really had a weight stall yet, I am noticing that my hair loss has picked up so I am getting it cut on Tuesday. I am off all my food restrictions so I am excited about trying out all kinds of food. Going clothes shopping this weekend to pick up a few things as my clothes are falling off me.. This has been a fun, stressful and frustrating journey but I am here for it...

Happy Birthday!!! I was also very complainant in the early stages post op. I looked through my archived photos and I can’t find any evidence of a food related birthday (and I take pics of everything). I definitely hung out with friends and family but there was no food was around. Weird. These were also during the times I would carry a spare protein shake in my bag just incase I needed one so I’m not surprised. I’m willing to bet a made an iced coffee with a protein shake. I still generally prefer non food based events/parties/celebrations because I can always eat before or after.

Hello all o/ I am hoping some of you can help me with some questions about life post SADI. I had RNY in 2013, and on 6/2023 I had it converted to SADI. This is a new procedure at my doctor’s office. They’ve never done duodenal switch procedures and I was one of the first people to have SADI. The Dietary information given to me was the same they give for RNY/Sleeve patients. There isn’t anyone for me to really talk to at the support group about it and while my nurses try to be helpful, it’s not the same as getting info from people who have lived through this. Ever since surgery I have been extremely hungry. I haven’t had any kind of restrictive feeling you would have with the original RNY surgery. My doctor said part of it was because when she reversed my RNY she left me with a bigger stomach than normal (to help prevent pressure on the suture lines and leaks). When people were eating 2oz of yogurt I was able to eat a whole cup, and my doctor told me it was fine, she wanted me to eat more with this surgery. The problem is she has never said how much is too much. She said just meet my protein goals (80 -100grams) and everything else will follow naturally. As the months have passed and I have been trying to eat more normal food, I have noticed that I am already slipping up. I am constantly hungry and find I am just watching the clock for when I can eat again, and I am overeating. And eating the wrong things. The amount of gas I have been experiencing is unbearable. I am having a hard time pin pointing exactly what is making me this way (the only two things I know with out a doubt seem to be potatoes and Onions… two of my favorite vegetables ) I was sick for 3 days after Thanksgiving from eating stuffing and mashed potatoes. I am so grateful that I work from home right now because I don’t know how I can be around people like this. I am ok until around 3pm, then the bloating starts, and the gas keeps me up all night. It’s not gentle, it sounds like warfare. The tiniest poop might come out with gale winds force. I can’t go in public. No amount of Gas X or Beano seems to work. I need to get a handle on this. I am taking my vitamins/calcium religiously. I am eating about 60-80 grams of protein a day, but found I am eating larger portions than I think I should be, snacking, and eating too much carbs. Just basically I’m off the rails. I am still losing weight, but probably not what I could be. I do plan on talking to the dietician again but would like to hear from people who have lived this life first. Can some of you share your experiences with me? Are there certain foods you must avoid because of the gas? Is there a certain number of carbs/fats/protein you’re aiming for each day? Does it get better? Can you eventually eat friend onions with your fajitas again? Did you struggle with hunger? I would love to hear everyones experiences and what has/has not worked for them. Thanks for the support!

Baritastic is a great app for tracking your food and it is made especially for bariatric patients!! It will track your fat for you as long as you enter everything you eat for the day! And it even has recipes in the app you can try...

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! Yes I feel hungry sometimes after 30-60mins of a meal. So I drink water or protein shake. I do take PPI, that could be a possibility of why I still feel hungry. Most of the time it’s my head hunger craving for certain food. Also my tummy does rumble but don’t really feel hungry. I’ve been able to tell what type of hunger I am feeling. when I drink liquid, I literally sit there and drink with small sips through out the hours….when my tummy feel full from it, I come back to it later. I can feel the liquid traveling down when I drink. Yesterday was my first day being able to reach 60oz of liquid, but at night I didn’t feel well. Had my dinner at 6pm, went to sleep 11pm. I woke up feeling something up my chest and when trying to get up, I vomited. Sorry if TMI. It’s was all slimy mucus. No food. I was shivering, chills, migraine. I vomited a few times then vomited foamy bubbles… well after that I felt so much better. In search to see what is going on with me, it seems many bariatric patients go through this, but usually right after eating if they didn’t chew well or had too much food. I have tofu last night tho. It’s soft and should be easy to break down. On the bright side, It seems I am breaking my stall. From 241.6, I am now 240.6 lbs. even it’s only a little bit I am happy, because I am on this stall since 2 weeks ago, only 1 week after surgery.

Thank everyone for posting their experiences keep them coming it really does help to get it out there sometimes! Thank fully i only dealt with the headaches for days 1-2 then poof! I usually get migraines very easy so I thought initially i was going to be in hell for this diet but i guess because everything is balanced? My body is handling it well. I am officially 1 week away today and omg i am so tired of this lol. Ive been getting a sore throat since i started this thread ( may be totally unrelated but thought id mention it ). I miss food like i mean real food ( not processed things etc ) im actually looking forward to the moment im on mushed food after surgery lol i will treat that baby food like gold! The one thing that is saving me is the broth goodness just having that bit of flavor is a like saver, plus i was a soup person before this so seeing broth on the list was a gift. I made one of my sons ramen and another a grilled cheese yesterday let me tell you my stomach did flips i literally ran from the them after i sat their food on the table! Thankfully feeding my 1 year old is easier when shes eating baby food, i dont have to worry about the aromas etc. But when she eats food food her dad has to do it. Its one thing to make the food which is getting harder for me. But to sit there and handle it watching someone else eat it noooo buddy i cant do it at this stage.

Newbie here, first post! That said I have done my fair share of reading and creeping and have come to understand the 3 week stall is pretty common. That said... Tomorrow marks the 4th week post op and this entire week has had 0 loss. I have now lost 13 pounds post op bringing me to 17.4 in the last 30 days, and I feel like the surgery and the recovery was it worth 13 pounds? I feel stuck, I feel discouraged living like this during the holidays and not able to eat all the treats and food around. Now with the rant done, I am looking for a good puree to soft solids daily menu with food ratios that anyone can point me too? I am good at following a plan but suck at just making something up in a pinch, I have been planning but you know how it goes, sometimes you just don't feel like the things you made previously. I guess I just needed to vent, and in a space where others maybe have dealt with this themselves..

It’s day 5 post op and feeling much better. Just have to get used to sipping my liquids slower. Although, watching the NFL playoff games and seeing all the tasty food commercials has me wanting to start chewing again. Can’t wait for my first real food meal, no matter how small the portion size might be in the beginning.

I won't lie, this is hard. After the first couple of days, I was doing okay, but today was a challenge. I've been freezing all day and I keep thinking of favorite foods, just randomly popping into my head. Not even unhealthy things, just things I can't have. Which is basically everything right now. Next Wednesday can't come fast enough! I hit 229.4 on the scale this morning, which is the first time I've made it below 230 in over a year. Just have to stay focused on why I'm doing this!

I'm 6wks out now and I still have nausea and stomach pain everyday. I can do maybe 24oz of water/gatorade zero a day at most. The nausea isn't limited to food, it affects my water and vitamins too. The most I've been able to eat at 1 time is 1.5 greek yogurt cups, the least is like 3 small bites of food the entire day. I'm back in the hospital because my potassium was critically low, they checked to see if my gallbladder was the issue and it's not. They did say recovery is different for everyone but that it is still abnormal that I am having this much trouble eating. It's especially weird bc other than the pain and nausea I feel okay, despite how low my labs have been at each followup. I guess I was too ambitious in trying to hit water, protein, and vitamin goals all at once. But of the 3 you'd say hydration should be the priority over vitamins? I wish someone had tips on how to deal with the stomach pain. I am taking gas x, hyoscyamine, omeprazole, and ondansetron religiously at least 2 times a day. Not to mention reheating a hot water bottle during the day and sleeping with it at night. All of that just so I can get out of bed and walk around.

I saw it as an opportunity to refocus away from food, and I took my pup for an extra long walk that day 🐾

why yes, i do know! lol. i was/am one of those "diligent" trackers so i have over 5 yrs of food log data to statisticize, ha! on AVERAGE: weeks 1-2: 400 cals a WEEK...this was a weird time. week 3 to about 3 mnths: 400-500 cals A DAY. months 4-6: 600-700 cals a day month 7: 800-ish cals a day at this point made efforts to increase cals and by 9 months i was at about 1700-1800 cals a day. 2-3 years post-op was 2300+ a day cuz i was exercising heavily. today im at 1800-ish a day with moderate exercise (been at this calorie level for 2-ish yrs now)