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Yeah, I either had to have drinks very cold and icy, or very warm...nothing in between. It was interesting and I was super grateful for my thermal cups. I got in a lot of decaf tea, broth, and iced flavored water. I couldn't stomach any protein other than milk for the first two weeks, but after that, the first protein I was able to get in was a clear protein water. I went with MyProtein Sour Watermelon clear whey mix because it is cheaper than SEEQ but tastes very similar. MUCH better than the bottled protein waters I tried! And I was able to water it down so the taste wasn't so strong. They sell sample packs on their site, never buy their tubs at full price, you can usually get them 40% off! Anything sweet for me had to have a sour component or I couldn't get it down. It took almost a month before I could drink a regular protein shake, and even then it sat heavy and was best thinned with milk. I couldn't get down the Unjury protein broths. I still have containers of them in my pantry!

Congrats! Sounds like you are making some good progress if you've gone through that many clothes! I can relate to both of you. I feel like I haven't made the progress I should be, but Long Covid has hurt my exercise efforts and constant brain fog is frustrating. I also hit a 6 week long stall that really brought me down. Thankfully that finally broke the last two weeks for me, but I still dont' have my strength back. A 2 mile walk pretty much drains me still, even though I was doing 4-5 miles at a time 4 weeks post-op before Covid. EDIT: Based on continuing conversation in this thread, I just wanted to say I realize I have made good progress, but was trying to emphasize that I still have a mental block that, for some reason, prevents me from appreciating it. I've lost more weight than I was ever able to on my own, but at the same time feel physically weaker than any other point in my life despite trying to exercise. Also my start weight of 352 was from my highest ever weight in 2021, and not my pre-op diet weight of 321. Not trying to be dishonest, just trying to remind myself how bad off I was 2-3 years ago.

i know several people (including myself*) who have used Ozempic and/or Mounjaro, all with great results (read: all lost probably an average of 10-15 lbs with little reported effort. From an observers point of view, it *looks* like most slowly gain weight back when discontinuing use. but some seem to keep the weight off (but it's early still so time will tell). *i seem to be part of the latter group. i took my mom's leftover Ozempic for a month in April last year (shes a diabetic and takes less than she's prescribed cuz she doesn't like how it makes her hate food...and yes i know i shouldn't be taking someone elses meds! dont judge me! it was in the name of science, ok??? 😂 ) i lost about 7 lbs by the end of it, and gained back 2-3 lbs a couple months later. to clarify, i was 122 when i stated in April, 4 weeks later i was 115, and i've hovered between 114-118 since then to today. long story short, the stuff WORKS. but you will likely experience regain without significant lifestyle changes when u stop. or not. who knows? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hey guys... I just wanted to check in.. I am going next week for my 3 month post op appointment and for some reason I am feeling really down.. I don't feel like I have done enough, lost enough , or working out enough. I am going to buckle down a little more this week.. I have some meal planning to do and hope that I might lose a little bit more before this appointment.. On a good note.. I am now on bag number 3 of donation clothes, most of my closet is pretty cleaned out. looking at super cut summer clothes. I went shopping last night bought a new pair of jeans. I have gone from a size 26-24 2xl-3xl to an 18 pants, xl shirt. so excited for cloths shopping.. I hope everyone else is doing good...

I'm on day 5 post-op and hot decaf tea and bone broth are by far the winners. I struggled all day yesterday with water and felt bloated the whole time, but got 16oz of hot bone broth down with little trouble. Today, I filled a 32oz thermal cup with hot tea and a dash of milk and finished it off in three hours without even noticing. It only got harder to drink at the last few ounces when it had cooled to lukewarm. I opted for warm chicken soup protein "shakes" today too because the sweet, cold ones sounded awful. I did have some luck with the Celebrate brand CLR protein water (pink lemonade flavor), although the taste is kind of intense and the price is shocking. But I bought 8 of them with the hope they might help in this early stage, and they do.

^^^. another idea - when my mother-in-law died a few weeks ago, we took a bunch of her stuff to St. Vincent de Paul (it's sort of like Goodwill), including her home scale. After we dropped the donations off, we went inside so I could get an idea of what all this stuff would sell for (for tax deduction purposes). I was shocked to see probably 30 scales in there! So that's another idea - as long as they work!

It can take a week if not longer for the first BM - there's not a lot in there because you haven't eaten solid food in a while. But that first one can be a doozy, so it might not be a bad idea to start taking a stool softener - or as NickelChip suggested, maybe some Benefiber. and as ms.sss said, for many of us, constipation becomes a chronic issue. I've been taking a capful of Miralax every morning for almost nine years to keep on top of it.

Hello. I had a conversion from the gastric sleeve (2017) to the bypass on 1/8/24. I should start regular foods this week, however, I am at the pureed thin phase as once I incorporate foods with any weight or texture, such as oatmeal, scrambled eggs, finely blended chicken (not pureed), the food feels stuck in my esophagus and I am vomiting froth and mucous (not the food). Has anyone else experienced this? I have contacted my surgeon, seeing her Wednesday as she was on vacation last week, I have spoken with my dietitian and the center for weight loss and they believe that my esophagus is having spasms. Has anyone else experienced this? I have simply gone back to full liquids as I had no problems with that.

I know this isn’t what this post is about , but I was taking capsules because I can’t the taste of chewable vitamins but now my stomach can’t handle it. I haven’t taken anything in a week due to fear of everything g coming up. Any brand suggestions? I’m one month post op.

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)

I agree here. I also had the reaction to the surgical glue. The incisions were red, swollen, warm to the touch and itchy. Best to discuss with doctor and have them take a look. My bruising were minimal tho. Doctor advise to hydrocortisone 1%, but it wasn’t helping much, then I tried mometasome after knowing it might work, but both not working well. The itch comes and goes for me and it took me 4 weeks for it to be gone.

I can tell you what I was told. My dietitian came to visit and she said to try and get into protein shakes a day over the next seven days. She said if I can only get one that’s OK but two is definitely preferred. And then it’s very important to get minimum of 48 ounces of water a day. That’s where I’m struggling with the water. I am not allowed to have anything tea or citrus flavored. Before the way I got my water in was with a mixture of decaf tea crystal light and lemonade crystal light. I have some other flavors of crystal light and I’m trying to like them, along with just plain water. In the hospital they had me on the second day doing, 1 ounce of water every 15 minutes before graduating me to a shake and Jell-O. But basically for this week the crucial things were a minimum of 48 ounces of water and two shakes a day. Jell-O, putting, Popsicles, watered down cream of wheat, and yogurt are all OK I have also according to my doctor.

yep, i sorta became an exercise fiend at around 3 months. i tried my hand at many things to see what i liked...i ended up sticking with yoga, zumba, dance class and running. i also did some strength training, but only the bare minimum cuz i hate it lol. i'm 5+ years out now and while i don't run 5K every day like i used to (AND go to 4-5 classes a week), i still run 1-2 times a week, go to pilates 2-3 times a week, and i have a weekly tap class. low calorie intake. hands down.

I owned a home scale, but for the first 18 months or so I was too large for it. I did have monthly follow-ups with my surgeon, so I weighed in there. At my follow-ups the topic of my weight / weight loss was never brought up unless I brought it up, since there were more important things to talk about. The things my Doc paid attention to were how I felt physically and mentally, if I was having any issues or concerns, did anything significant change. The things I also paid attention to was how my clothes fit, my stamina, was I happy. Once I could fit on the home scale I almost lived on it for a couple weeks, as the novelty of it was just too much. Then the novelty wore off. Since then I only weigh at medical appointments when they ask me to do it. One does not need a scale to succeed at weight loss. Home scales can be had pretty inexpensively, I see one on Amazon for $16. If it's a matter of dire circumstances I'm sure your Surgeon or PCP or any of your other medical professionals wouldn't mind if you stopped by for a weigh in. Most department stores that sell home scales would allow 'testing' the scale before you buy or don't buy. Good luck, Tek

well, i *thought* i was in menopause before I had my surgery (i hadn't had period in about 1-2 years). a few weeks after surgery i got my period and it came like clockwork every month for the next 2-3 years (i guess it wasn't menopause and i was just fat? or maybe the estrogen release from my diminishing fat stores that re-activated my period? i dunno.) Anyway, a couple years ago when i was at maybe 3 years post op, my period disappeared again, and i haven't had it since (except for a singe errant period when i was on vacaiton of all places last year). im 5+ years post op now and i guess to answer your question i was both perimenopausal and menopausal AND post-menopausal before, during and after the entire experience. i don't know if being in that state affected my weight loss in any way as i have nothing to compare to, but i can tell you i reached goal by 7 months post op (lost 108 lbs by goal date) and was down a total of 126 lbs by 1 year post op (i was 235 lbs 2 wks before surgery). like i said above, i'm 5+ years post op now and am still down 120-ish lbs today.

Hello to all my surgery buddies, I've read some really amazing posts on here and just want to say thank you to all of you that show support to each other. It can be a very scary time, specially for those of us who are alone in our process to recovery. I had my gastric sleeve surgery on February 8th, I am 17 days post op as of this post. I still struggle a bit to consume even liquids. I burp a lot, and feel bloated all the time. I also have a constant feeling like everything slowly creeps up in my esophagus and just sits there. My pain levels are actually quite low, and my surgery incisions are healing quite well. I'm just worried about my stomach, my doctor wanted me to start introducing some solids slowly, but I told him no way I can barely tolerate liquids. So he has me on liquids for another week. I hope I am not one of the unfortunate few where the surgery will have long lasting complications and although I will lose the weight, my quality of life will be lowered because of all this discomfort. Thanks for reading, I wish everyone here a speedy recovery.

I had the menopause in my very early 40's and this surgery at 62. The only things that I have noticed a difference are - My hair had already thinned so I got really worried at one stage and had to cut it really short, I can notice my scalp with wet hair but hide it after styling. - My skin is a mess. I lost elasticity after menopause. I have decided to not have the surgery. It looks too brutal and having to pay myself it would be out of my reach for all the work I would need. I have lost a huge amount of weight and mostly without exercise or having a busy work life. I had a lot of long stalls but I tried not to compare myself with others who were storming along. You will get there in the end, Have a chat with your team. I found it useful.

you won't always show loss every week. In fact, most people experience occasional stalls when they won't lose anything for 1-3 weeks, even though they're sticking to their plan 100%. If and when you hit those, just make sure you're following your plan and stay off the scale for a few days. The stall WILL break as long as you're following all the rules. I had bypass, not sleeve, but I was post-menopausal. I lost over 200 lbs.

I have a very physical job as well and understand how hard it is. I've been out of work for 6 weeks already and due to complications and needing a lot of Iv infusions I'm going to be out another 3 weeks. Hang in there

This isn’t uncommon. Our tastebuds & sometimes sense of smell changes after surgery while we’re healing & our tummy is very sensitive. It is temporary usually about two months which is about how long it takes you to fully heal from the surgery. Unfortunately though it can make finding foods & drinks we can tolerate challenging. You may find something you easily ate yesterday you can’t face today. Don’t give up on that food. Just avoid it for a few days & then try it again. Some foods seem extra sweet or salty. Textures can be off putting too. Sometimes a food or flavour you didn’t enjoy before tastes delicious during this time. Add to that our loss of appetite &/or interest in eating & it can feel like a nightmare & you’ll never be able to eat again. In a few weeks you’ll find you are enjoying flavours, textures & foods more. If you’re lucky your loss of hunger & interest in eating will last a 6-12 months +/- which helps with your weight loss but they too will pass. Actually after they return you often wish they hadn’t & you still weren’t hungry. I embraced things tasting exceedingly sweet at this time. I gave up sweet foods - never reintroduced them. So no cakes, biscuits, desserts, lollies, flavoured carbonated drinks, etc. except on very odd special occasion. Very little added sugar (<5g a day) & avoid artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives where I can. I ate a lot of soup, yoghurt & extra milky scrambled eggs & extra milky instant rolled oats during purée. During soft foods I ate a lot of minced meat dishes (meat balls, savoury mince bolognese, …) with sauces & slow cooked stews/casseroles. Give your self time to heal & recover & your tummy to be less fussy & sensitive. I used to say my tummy was like a petulant temper throwing 2 year old during that time.

My hunger or interest in eating didn’t really return for around a year. I found eating to a routine very helpful. In fact I still eat this way. I started doing it to establish good/better eating behaviours (been a meal skipper for most of my life in an attempt to control my weight) & also to ensure I was getting in calories & necessary nutrients. Not a food tracker either. Wasn't required to in my program. I do random checks for my own curiosity, to ensure I wasn’t slipping or getting complacent & to check new foods/ingredients or recipes. I more often checked portions. I know my calorie intake was low compared to others (barely 900 at 6 months & my goal) but at least I was eating regularly & nutritiously. I still have times I don’t feel hungry. Usually just a day or two but went through a period of a couple of months recently which saw me reduce my intake a little. Went from 4 meals & 3 or 4 snacks to 3 meals & same snacks. On the days or times I didn’t feel as hungry I chose something lighter to eat like yoghurt, soup or just ate some protein & didn’t care if I didn’t eat all my portion. Oh & I still take 30-45 minutes to eat most meals - used to take up to an hour. I’m also a meal repeater. I have favourites & there’s nothing wrong with that. Know how much I can have as a portion & the protein content. I used to eat scrambled eggs or rolled oats for breakfast. Now I just eat rolled oats. Similarity at lunch - 3 or 4 options I rotated through currently two options. Dinner is repeats too mostly because of left overs. I still cook much as I did before 😁. Eat that meal for 2 or 3 days & freeze the remaining portions for those nights I don’t feel like cooking (love my freezer & microwave - little reheat & sometimes cook vegetables - 5 mins total). I usually cook pretty simply too: protein & vegetables so I can easily check what I’m eating & getting nutritionally. I never had those signals many speak of regarding fullness. No sneezing, no runny nose, etc. Just my restriction if I went too far or if something sat more heavily than expected. It’s why I started asking myself if I really needed the next bite or just wanted it. It’s not unusual for me to put food on my fork & then put it down again to maybe eat a couple of minutes later. I remember the first time I felt hungry after surgery. I was about 7 months, had a busy day & then went to a function. Hadn’t eaten much & there’s was nothing suitable at the event. Was home & in bed when I realised I was vey restless. Something was wrong but didn’t know what. It took some time to realise I was hungry. I realised this was my real hunger signal. Didn’t want a specific food, flavour or texture. There was a logical reason I was hungry - I hadn’t really eaten for most of the day. Took another 3 months before I felt it again. One of the things I’ve learnt along the way is you have to do what works best for you. Because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Whether that is tracking or not tracking your food, how many meals or snacks you have, how much activity you do, what foods you choose to eat, eat occasionally, or generally avoid, etc. Use other people’s experiences & routines as suggestions of things you could try if you’re stuck but if they’re wrong for you, try something else. So after a long way of getting to it, my two suggestions based on my experiences if you want to try them, are: Track your calorie intake & nutrients for a few days just to ensure you’re on track & not missing anything. Then only check new foods you introduce &/or do random checks. Try eating to a routine. Doesn’t have to be a full meal but at least something that is nutritionally dense & protein focused. Oh, yes stalls happen. Mine were short. A few days only. I tracked my weight daily which is how I saw when they occured.

The blood thinner shot does sting the first few times it's injected. It also leaves some pretty good bruising in the area of the injections. I did have some itching, but it wasn't abnormal. I was supposed to be on a 2 week post op liquid diet as well. But I was having issues with constipation, in part because of fiber not being in my diet. Even with taking Mirilax daily. So, they said I could start the puree'/soft food. I did eggs for a couple days with well mixed fat free refried beans for the fiber. Then I've been adding steamed carrots, broccoli (no stems) and a small amount of sweet potato. I'm not having an issue now. About 1 to 1 1/4 measuring cup full of food is all I can handle. To get my protein, I've been mixing Premier protein powder with a 1/2 cup of Chobani plain zero sugar yogurt.

Applesauce? Are you not on a liquid diet for 2 weeks? Did it hurt? That is a little low but honestly mine is usually about that low normally so I wouldn’t be super worried about it being that low. Are y’all having to do the Blood thinner shot? That thing is a *itch!! It burns….does it for y’all?

Your first week postop when you’re on the liquid diet, what does it feel like when you’ve had enough? I didn’t picture it feeling like this, but usually my first sip is OK, and then my second one hurts. Like right between my breasts, it hurts going down and then it’s like it tries to come back up and it hurts. Is that what feeling full is going to feel like now?

TL/DR: Worried about losing weight by not eating enough. | Looking for tips to reach protein/calorie goals when not hungry. | Looking for others' experiences with lack of hunger this far out in WL Journey. ------------------------- I meet with my nutritionist for check-ins about every 3 months. For this last one, my 9-month, she told me not to be upset if I hadn't lost, as a stall was expected. Yet, I had lost just as much as I had been. We went over what I had been eating & she wasn't concerned about content but suggested increasing variety. [I'm a meal repeater 🤷‍♀️] Though, she again warned me that it is now especially likely that I would stall since I hadn't yet. Since that appointment, I've still been losing weight. I know it might appear strange to worry about meeting the goals we are here to meet, but my nutritionist is big on trying to relearn the natural cues of the body. So, as they are absent, you can notice pressure in your stomach, sighing, or a runny nose as indications of fullness. As indications of hunger return, you can utilize them to increase portions within the parameters of slow eating and not exceeding controlled sizes. The thing is, I don't know that the initial increase after, you know, the literal wounds healed, I have really expanded much more. I don't really get hungry until 'early-bird dinner' time. So eating during the day is purely done out of obligation. [& if I'm being truthful, there are times when I forget entirely until after work.] So obviously, that leads me to try to have all of my calories in one 'meal' in the day, which I have to eat over a couple hours [even if it is small] if I don't want to get nauseous or actually regurgitate. [The regurgitation has improved slightly over the last couple of months. I had a very reactive stomach that required me to prolong my dependence on protein shakes. Pre-surgery, I don't think I came even close to needing to vomit since pre-school 🙁.] To be fully upfront, I have not counted a single macro or calorie or weighed a single food item during my entire journey. I've tried tracking before in my weight-loss journey, and it was not healthy mentally for me. I realize that I may be under goals rather than over them, but straightforward counting of calories is just not something that would be part of a successful journey for me. So, all of this is a longwinded way to say: - Is anyone else struggling to eat enough this far out? - What helps you to reach your protein/calorie goals when you don't really want to eat? - Any other tips/tricks/specific brand or meal suggestions?