Search the Community

Glad you're doing better! My hysterectomy was by far way worse than my bypass (was in the hospital for two weeks) so I understand the issues one can have from removing lady plumbing! You're on the backside now and things are looking up for you! Take care of yourself, looking good!

I always liked making smoothies. I used 1 bottle of Propel electrolyte water (different flavors), 1 scoop of collagen, 1 scoop of greens, 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 4 packets of monk fruit sweetener, 1-2 cups of whatever fruit I wanted (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc), and avocado. I would also add ground flax seeds, ground chia seeds, and shredded coconut. I loved them. I did them from about 6 weeks through the first year. Then I just kind of got out of making them. Maybe I'll start doing them again.....

If you don't want to stay off the scale for a week, which I'll admit I can't do either, just remind yourself each day that the number does not define you and that it isn't the end of your weight loss journey. Plateaus and small upward movements are common and normal throughout the process. It's temporary. You're still eating too little for it not to be. You're only 6 months in, so you have at least another 6 months ahead of you to lose those last few pounds. It will probably get harder, but it will happen! And you've done an amazing job in such a short period of time.

How are you feeling now? It's been a while since you posted and I'm hoping you're doing better. You should be...what...about 5 weeks post op now. Have things improved?

I had surgery May 1st, 2024, I lost 14 lbs the first week, but as soon as I started drinking and eating protein, I’ve stopped losing weight. I’m assuming it’s because I’m assuming it’s the protein intake, and not being able to eat veggies. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyone experience this?

No this isn't my experience. If I stuck to a low calorie diet (VLCD) I invariably lost weight. I've done that numerous times since my teens. What I could not do was keep that weight off. I regained it all plus more, every time. WLS seems to have changed that for me (so far - 2+ years post op). Can you give us a little more info? What diet were you sticking to, when and for how long?? I think it would be very unusual not to lose ANYTHING ever on a low calorie diet? Far more common to lose a bit, stall, lose a bit more...etc etc

Thanks everyone for the messages! Hopefully someone will find message when they run into the same situation and help ease their mind as well. I did get a call today from my doctor. They also said they like my B12 to be over 1000. If I don’t feel well because of it I can take my B12 3-4 times a week. They assure me everything else that is showing red is fine, because of surgery and my body is recovering. My wounds are still healing etc…That’s why they don’t do blood work till 3 months after. It just so I needed blood work done for other reasons and it freaked me out.

Good Morning: I am currently on day 9 since my revision surgery. For some really strange reason I am no longer having any issues like I did on day 1. No pain, no stomach spasms, very minimal nausea. I am now craving something with substance. Contacted my surgeon today and he advised that if I am tolerating liquids...move to the next stage-puree. If in a week I tolerate this well...move to soft foods, then the next stage and so on. It almost feels surreal. Every clinics website states two week for every stage. I wonder since I was a band patient previously that my stomach is accustomed to the sleeve diet. I was very fortunate to loose 150lbs total with that gastric band and good food choices. It seems revision patients have it a little different...we know what is going to happen.

Ugh. I’m defeated. I’m 3 years post op and have been sick for the last 7 or 8 months. Vomiting constantly, nauseous all the time, dropped down to 92 pounds. I got up to 96 or 98 before I finally broke down and called my surgeon. My husband had been on me to call and I just didn’t want to be a bother to anyone and felt awful about myself. I looked terrible. Nothing but bones. Long story short , they got me in the next day and had bloodwork scheduled for the next day and an endoscopy scheduled for the day after that. I had a major stricture at the opening of the small intestine. They were surprised that fluids were even making it through, it was so bad. I’ve had it stretched 3 times and have been put on TPN. It was 18 hours a day and they’ve backed it down to 14 and upped my calories to 1294. I’m up to 111 pounds as of yesterday but am still getting sick on anything that isn’t mush. I feel like a complete failure and so stupid for not calling and getting help sooner. Like, this whole bout of tpn could have been avoided had I not been so stubborn. The surgeon wants me to gain at least 20 pounds. has anyone else been through anything similar and If so were you on tpn and for how long?

I slept in a recliner for a little over 2 weeks, and then got a wedge pillow for my bed to transition. I also slept with a pillow next to me for a while to discourage rolling in my most-common direction. XD Like others have said, your taste buds can be really all over the place after the surgery. I found a brand on Amazon called ProtiDiet -- their chicken protein soup was a godsend in my early weeks. I still like it now tbh. My team allowed sugarfree puddings during my liquid stage, and stirring some unflavoured protein powder into the pudding (after it was already set! wait until it sets!) got me through some rougher moments. See if you can find smaller samples of protein shakes (premade or powdered) until you find one you can keep down. After my surgery, anything with stevia caused me to vomit, and erythritol made me nauseous but not nearly as bad. Even now, I can really only handle sucralose/splenda and aspartame sweeteners (or monk fruit in low doses). You might be reacting to the sweetening agent in your protein shake. Also, most care programs I've seen seem to prefer whey protein to all others (for good reasons!), but some people develop lactose intolerance Post-OP -- so something else to maybe look into? I'm lactose intolerant and had trouble with whey at first but my body got used to it after about a week. We're buds now.

Used to take me 3 days to eat 2 scrambled eggs so I get it. It’s so strange to not want more than that. The portions slowly get larger though it took about 4 years to almost be able to eat 2 scrambled eggs & no sides. Lol!

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! Here's some motivation: In my first six months post-surgery, I lost weight steadily: Month 1 - 15 lbs, Month 2 - 12 lbs, Month 3 - 10 lbs, Month 4 - 8 lbs, Month 5 - 7 lbs, and Month 6 - 6 lbs. Remember, everyone's journey is unique, but staying positive and committed will bring you closer to your goals. You've got this! Keep focusing on your health and well-being.

When I first met with my dietitian she told me I would need to start my LSD 2 weeks prior to surgery but that it might be changing. When I had my last appointment and got my updated instructions, i don't have to start my diet until 8/13, 4 days before surgery. I have 2 days of protien shakes, broth based soup for dinner and two days of clears. I've started stockpiling things like bone broth and they had a sale on Snack Packs (sugar free pudding) at Kroger so I bought a BUNCH of those. I don't want to overbuy so I'm trying to be smart about what I get.

My insurance approved me in 1 day. I have pre-op 3/7 and surgery 3/14. First follow up is 4/1.

I don’t think it has anything to do with surgery but since I have had to get up super early for all these tests I have wacked out my sleep schedule and like a baby I have my days and nights mixed up. I tried to fight it by staying awake and I only slept for 3 hours two nights in a row then last night I fell asleep early but I forgot to set alarm and I slept for 16 hours. My friend suggested that I try melatonin and I just bought some but when I asked the pharmacists about taking it with my other meds she said to start with the lowest dose because some research suggests that it may wack out the way your body naturally produces it. Has anyone used this as a temporary thing to just get back on track or does it cause even more issues.

That is crazy. I just had to pay about €80 for the year to join the once a week class. If you haven't checked them out yet on YouTube you should look at Meredith Shirk of Svelte Training in case there are some exercises they have that you might like. They do lots, free to view, and a lot of them can be modified depending on aches and pains like knees, back etc. some are seated or on the bed - https://www.youtube.com/@MeredithShirkandSvelteTraining

That's fantastic progress, congratulations on your 7.5lb loss this week! It's great to hear you're noticing positive changes and feeling motivated. The idea of "shopping in your wardrobe" sounds like a fun and rewarding way to track your progress. Best of luck with your upcoming appointments and navigating the dietary changes. For decaf tea, Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips both do good decaf versions in the UK. Keep up the great work and stay positive—you're doing amazing! For natural supplements thenaturemeds is guarantee solution to all health problem.

Just wanted to pop by and give my experience! I am about 3 months post-op, and I was asking exactly the same thing in my very early days. I remember reading so much on here about people having high restriction, and feeling full after a few mouthfuls, and I just wasn't feeling that whilst I was on the liquid/puree stages! I had to ask my bariatric nurse if this is normal 🤣She told me that because the 'food' I was having was still essentially a liquid, it passes through the new stomach easily, hence why you don't really get a feeling of fullness. It made sense to me! So don't worry if you aren't feeling any full signals just yet. It is only once I started eating more solid foods that I was like...wow...okay, so this is what restriction feels like! As others have said, it can vary from person to person, but I definitely feel a tightness in my tummy/chest, sometimes I get little hiccups and generally just feel a bit bloated. I still use my FitBit to time 1 minute between every bite, just so I know I am taking it slow, and I have found this works for me! Best of luck on your journey

I was out of town the past two days and had to navigate 4 restaurant meals. I think I did okay! For lunch the first day I ordered the cup of tomato soup and a half dijon chicken salad sandwich. I ate all the chicken but left the bread, and had about 5 bites of soup before handing it off to my daughter to finish. I shared a burrito bowl with chicken for dinner, out of which I took about 4 strips of chicken and dipped it in guacamole and little bit of sour cream, I ate one tortilla chip and it was lovely. For breakfast the next morning, I ordered the oatmeal with fresh fruit and a Greek yogurt. It was enough to feed 100 people (but cost under $10, so a bargain compared to the rest of the menu). I ate maybe 1/3 of the yogurt with 1/2 the fruit and then had a few bites of oatmeal (I mainly ordered it because they didn't have just fruit on the menu). For lunch, I had sashimi and miso soup. I was pleasantly surprised at how moist the chicken was both times. I had some concerns that it would be dry, but it was perfect. Feeling much more confident about my week-long vacation this summer.

So, I'm almost 3 months out from having my RNY gastric bypass. The surgery itself is very safe, but the first few months after can be rough. You don't eat a lot, and you may feel sick and probably exhausted, too. But by 3 months, your tummy is pretty well healed and you've learned to chew thoroughly, slow down, and take small bites. You may have identified a few trigger foods that you really have no desire to eat again (hello, scrambled eggs). At my appointment last week I was cleared to basically eat any type of food I wanted. I was warned a very tough steak or woody/fibrous vegetable and fruit (asparagus stems, pineapple), could still cause issues, but as long as you're reasonable about choices, it's fine. I'm thrilled to be allowed to have raw veg again. And I enjoy food. I just enjoy it on plates the size of a saucer instead of a big dinner plate, and I find I don't want more than a bite or two of unhealthy stuff. Except ice cream, which is why I don't keep that in the house! At restaurants, I either take home enough for 2-3 more meals, or I order an appetizer. And I skip the bread, pasta, and other fillers. It'll be a long time before I feel like I can handle a slice of pizza, for sure. But that's okay. My family ordered a pizza the other day and it smelled delicious, but I literally did not want it. Not even a taste. I never thought that would happen to me because I adore pizza, and it made me glad because saying no to it was no big deal. I can tell you that as a slow loser, I will probably never end up "thin" from this surgery. But it's made a huge difference for me already. The day I left the hospital, I was already off blood pressure meds, which I had been taking for a decade. My joints don't hurt anymore. My inflammation is down. I can walk longer and faster. I feel better. And I like the way I look more now too. I'm already able to buy some clothing that isn't specifically from the "plus" department, and I look forward to that being the norm. I'm 50 and I haven't been this low in weight since I was 29. But, it is an adjustment. It's a challenge. And if you love food, you will probably have to do a lot of mental work about that. Like, why are you eating? Are you hungry, or is it a self-soothing mechanism. And if the latter, is there a better way to deal with your emotions when you physically can't reach for food? I ask myself this a lot. My brother had VSG 15 years ago. If you didn't know him back then, you would think today he's an average weight guy (not skinny) with a slightly smaller than average appetite. We were at a wedding when I was still pre-surgery and he out ate me at dinner. So the "half a happy meal" thing is short term. Only you probably won't want to eat those after surgery because they might not sound appetizing anymore.

once you get that far out, you have to play around with different calorie ranges to figure out about how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight, and how many to lose. That range really varies for everyone depending on sex, age, activity level, metabolic level, how muscular you are, what weight you'd like to be at, etc (e.g., you can eat more if you're fine with weighing 180 lbs as opposed to 130 lbs). I can maintain my current weight by eating about 1600 calories - although I can eat a bit more if I'm exercising a lot. To lose, I have to go below 1600. And since I'm pretty close to a normal BMI, I'd have to eat quite a bit less than 1600 to lose a somewhat noticeable amount each week (otherwise, I'm losing just a couple of ounces - and it's hard to distinguish that from normal fluctuations). There are some women on here who can eat 2000 calories to maintain, and others who can only eat 1200. It's really sort of trial and error given how far you're out from surgery. Maybe start with a range - like 1300-1500 and do that for a couple of weeks. If your weight isn't budging, drop the range down by 100 calories. Rinse and repeat until you start losing weight again. P.S. if. you're losing inches but gaining weight, it could be that you're putting on muscle. Or if you've recently started doing more and/or heavier lifting, it could be that your muscles are holding on to more water (since they need water to repair themselves). If that's what's going on, once your muscles are used to that level, your weight should start dropping again.

I thought I was so ready to get the fluids in before surgery, but it is a lot harder than I thought! Getting easier. Today is the best I’ve felt in 2 weeks.

No matter how discouraging this is know that it will pass. Mine lasted 2 weeks. I just kept on doing the deal and it eventually passed with a 2.5 pass.

Them tests and being off PPi’s for a week do not sound like fun. Hopefully all that is a means to an end, though and you get scheduled for your revision very soon.