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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?

This is completely normal, I didn't go for over 2 weeks, you need to try drink as much as possible , keeping hydrated will help

It is, I guess I worry to much because the scales are not showing weight loss each week.

Hey Bariatric family!! I’m four weeks post op and the thought of food makes me sick. Protein and water are my best friend. I have had some puréed stuff and a tiny piece of white fish. Once I eat something and put it up for “later” the thought of it disgust me. Will this go away?? Any food ideals?? Besides chili and fish?? The thought of chicken makes me want to pass out. I’m feeling good and everything is going well , just scared that this will not go away. Thanks in advance for all replies . These forums have gotten me through some of the hardest times of my life after vsg surgery.

I crushed my thyroid pill and emptied the omeprazole and ursodiol capsules into a little bowl and mixed all three with 2 Tbsp of applesauce. It took about 10 minutes to get that down. I'm going to need to check with my primary care doctor because my blood pressure the morning I left the hospital was 92/54, so I have not been taking my blood pressure med since they told me to stop it the day before surgery. I need to go check it at one of those machines at the drug store later today.

So this could be your body’s set point. The weight your body is happiest at & will continue to gravitate to this weight despite your efforts to lose more. Remember if you reduce your calories & increase your activity to lose more weight, you will have to continue to eat fewer calories & be more active than you are now to maintain the lower weight. And this isn’t sustainable as you’re already experiencing & your body will fight you the whole time. This becomes a head issue. You’ve lost about 100lbs. That’s an achievement. Plus you’ve built muscle which weighs more than fat too. Look back on how you were before there surgery - general health & status of your cop morbidities, mobility, ability to do the things you wanted to, self confidence, etc. What have you gained or regained with this weight loss. Don’t fear your appointment. Take in your tracked food intake (there could be something you’re missing) & your activity. Ask what else you can do. Ask if this is it for you? Ask what else you can do. Maybe raise whether the GLP-1medications would be of benefit. Do you see a dietician? Because of your intense weight training, you may need to be consuming more & by reducing your calories you have put your body into starvation mode. Even with all this, don’t give up yet. Many of us continued to lose well into our second year albeit very slowly like grams not kilograms a week or month (ounces not pounds). All the best.

hi i start my optifast on 11th March for two weeks i am sleeved and having a mini bypass due to major reflux. when I did the optifast pre op diet before I also had soups, deserts and bars. it made it easier following the diet with a variety good luck with your journey

I have a protein malabsorption issue too (mine began after my gall was removed). I was prescribed Creons. They’re pancreatic enzymes which help with absorption. Maybe ask her doctor about those. Does she have a dietician? (Way more qualified than a nutritionalist.) They could help review your mum’s diet & make suggestions on what she could be adding or pick up if she is missing something. They may be able to offer suggestions on the vitamins she is taking too (quality, quantity, other brand suggestions, etc.) Does she track all her food? If not maybe do it for a few weeks so she has it for the dietician to review. Tracking may be a lifetime behaviour so she can keep on top of the nutrients she is consuming & ensure she’s not accidentally missing something. Many continue to track in the long term to keep themselves honest & help them maintain. Wishing your mother all the best & hope you get some advice & guidance on a definitive path forward.

In another weight loss attempt I went on an all liquid diet for 4 months (yup months). The first week is the hardest. After that the routine was kind of set. I found it very helpful to keep busy. It was especially important to keep my hands busy. Hobbies, like playing solitaire or crochet, and physical activities that you cannot eat while doing were helpful. I also focused on just counting down the days. Reminding myself that I only had "X" number of days to go helped me focus on the end game. And water. Lots of water. Best wishes!

Cheers 🍻! That first couple of days home is rough. I was cleared to go back to work after 2 weeks, but I'm on a 20lb weight restriction for 4 weeks. Just make sure your getting up and moving and keep sipping that water!

Just got a call from the surgery center I’m having mine done at. It had to be pushed back two weeks to March 26th due to a scheduling conflict. Frustrating!!

My mom had gastric bypass a few months ago. Her doctor wanted her to have it because she was Type 2 diabetic and in danger of a lot of other health issues that would be solved by losing weight. She is 69 years old. Things were going well at first - she felt well, she was able to eat as needed, and was losing the weight. She is about 5'5" and I'm not sure about her current weight, but she's lost quite a bit and can now fit into like size large in women's (she was at a 2XL or 3XL before). But recently she has become very weak and has fallen several times (which is dangerous at her age). She went in to the doctor and they were initially convinced based on scans and blood work that she she had fatty liver that had advanced to cirrhosis, and they said it was Stage 3 cirrhosis (and that her only hope for survival would be a liver transplant). The doctor also told her that she was severely malnourished, comparing her to starving kids in other countries. He said that was the cause of her weakness, along with the liver issues. A biopsy was done on her liver and she's Stage 1 of fatty liver, which means she can turn it around with diet and exercise, and we're all very happy about that. However, she is still extremely malnourished. The doctor's solution was that she eat more protein. She has been focused on doing so ever since her surgery; now she is trying to up her intake even further. And despite trying to get as much protein as she can, her last blood work showed that her protein is at a 2, which is apparently really bad. So a couple of questions for you - Have you heard of anyone going through something similar to this? What did they do to improve their nutrition and overall health? (Because at this point the doctor is now recommending undoing the surgery so that she can absorb protein better, but I don't want my elderly mother to undergo surgery again.) How can she up her protein? She is already eating large amounts of protein at every meal and snacking on it throughout the day. She is also eating plenty of vegetables. I know you're not supposed to get your protein from drinking, but would that be helpful here? Just to make sure that she's getting enough? And how many grams of protein should she be eating a day? What kind of vitamins should she be taking, and at what dosage? She is very low on like Vitamin D and B, and assures me that she's taking OTC vitamins that her doctor recommended. I know that's not good enough if you have absorption issues and gastric bypass, and I also know that doctors' recommendations (especially those who don't focus on bariatrics) often recommend way below what is needed. (Her vitamin levels are bad enough that the doctor wrote her a prescription for vitamins to take once a week.) She told me she takes the Fusion brand Multivitamin every day (designed for bariatric patients) and a calcium/Vitamin D that is 1000iu twice a day. Looking at the label for the multivitamin, it seems low to me. Any and all advice/help/suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you!

Congratulations on the surgery and improving your health! Sounds like you are doing well! Just a heads up, you're approaching the dreaded Week 3 Stall, as its known, but don't get discouraged. Everyone hits a wall for about 2-4 weeks around that point, but that's just your body recalibrating itself to deal with the rapid weight loss. It will retain water and try to hold on to fat because its panicking from sudden change. Keep the same diet and stay the course, and it will release that fat once it realizes its safe. Expect the same temporary plateau around the Month #3 and Month #6 marks as well. Our body has to readjust periodically. Weight loss will resemble stair steps, with a brief regain of a kg or two before resuming loss, instead of a straight downward line. Just remember it's normal when that happens! You're doing great!

That makes so much sense! I kept comparing to other people’s weight loss per week and I am along myself down. But with their percentage calculation it is a much better way!

hiya! i remember you from a post about a year ago I remember you were concerned about the number on the scale back then and were resolved to take measurements vs weighing since you are a body builder...did you end up keeping records? you didn't mention in this post what your current weight is, but at 5'6" (assuming age 25 and weight of 266lbs) your current calorie intake is well below your BMR, even if you sat on your couch the entire day...which you aren't. so if your calorie count is indeed accurate, its not an issue with your intake. besides the number on the scale, how do you FEEL? joints better? sleep better? move better? less winded? off any meds? pull out the measuring tape and compare from your measurements last year...like a poster suggested a year ago, as a body builder, the tape will tell you the truth more than the scale will. have you taken pics of yourself this past year? can you see a diff? i know its difficult, but really try not to go down any shame spirals, stress is not a friend of health and weight loss. ask your team for advice and guidance during your appt next week. good luck! ❤️

I was 118kg back then till 27th Jan 2024. 10 days prior to my surgery, the liquid diet plan was quite challenging but managed well. I lost 5kg at Day 10... I was discharged from the hospital 26hrs later as 12hrs after surgery i started to walk with the support of my wife. Im on support of Multi-vitamins, Calcium Citrate + D3, blood thinning injection for 1 month, and Gastric medicine for 2 months. All vitamins or medications need to be crushed from solid pills to compound or powder base before consuming. This has to be for only the first 1 month of post surgery. Being just on liquid diet, plain water for the first 2 days, 3rd & 4th day took young coconut water, 5th till 7th day took sieved apple orange beetroot carrot & celery juice (200ml every 2 hourly) and by end of Week 1 post surgery, i lost another 6kg. Week 2 post surgery, continued with liquid diet by consuming protein milk shake 100ml at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, and 6pm. At 8pm and 10pm i take same sieved juices 100ml only. By end of Week 2, i lost another 6kg. However, this is my Week 3 post surgery, continued with liquid diet by consuming protein milk shake 150ml at 8am, 10am, 8pm and 10pm. At 12pm and 6pm i boiled small piece of cabbage and cauliflower, then i air-fry a small piece of chicken breast with 4 small slices of egg-tofu. Total weight of my lunch(12pm) or dinner(6pm) meal is within 80 to 100 grams only. This will be the diet for my Week 3 & 4. I weigh myself on a weekly basis. So let’s see by next week how much i lose again…😁😁😁

Do you all buy any of bariatric pal foods? I’m about 3 days away from my 4 month post op. The bariatric foods hep me a lot to stick to my 60+ mg of protein a day still drink one shake a day because I get about 40mg protein in one shake. I usually drink around 4-6 pm so with my meals and snacks. I get the rest or more of protein through out. I too have sm stalls depending on if my right leg is swollen or I need to have a good bowel movement sorry TMI but I’m on pain management with chronic constipation. But I’m losing steady not as fast as first surgery but since I’m more sedentary then prior it’s expected but losing. Day of surgery was 304 now 272

I haven't lost any more weight. I've been going to the gym and even got a walking pad for Christmas that I use but it's just not coming off. I lift weights at the gym 2 to 3 times a week an hour at a time and do at least 2 miles 2 times a week while I'm at home. The last three weeks I cut my calories way down which sucks with how much I work out. For example I did an hour of intense weight lifting today and only consumed 1104 calories and 104 grams of protein. On average I'm only consuming 1300 calories and getting between 70 to 100 grams of protein. My food through the day consists of small meals or protein shakes from 6 am to 6 pm. Like a protein shake for breakfast, one after the gym on my lunch, some low cal soup, jerky, piece kf fruit, etc For dinner (around 7 pm) I have a majority of my calories, usually baked chicken strips or shrimp, etc with a side and then bed at 10pm.. It's just not coming off. I get I could've tried harder through the last year but man this is just tough. I can't even say I've gone down in clothes sizes any more. I just don't know. I do have a one year post op appointment on Tuesday and I'm terrified and ashamed that I have virtually nothing to show for it. What am I missing?

Oh yes the hunger returns. It was around a year for me too. Think you’ll find developing a better eating routine helpful with more complete meals. Ensure you’re including some vegetables or other food group with every meal. Will help ensure you’re meeting all your nutritional goals too. Maybe find a dietician to help with meal planning & menu ideas. They’re way more qualified than a nutritionalist. I know it’s easy to grab a few nuts & jerky for a meal but each are really just snacks. And I’ll put my hand up, I was guilty of grabbing a chicken tender I’d pre cooked from the freezer & reheating it for lunch while I was losing. It’s likely why you feeling hungry after you’ve eaten. Differentiating between head & real hunger is an important learning. Are you craving a specific food, flavour or texture? That’s head hunger. If you’ve eaten recently it’s head hunger. If you do something to distract yourself (go for a walk, water your plants, read, phone a friend, craft, check social media) & the hunger decreases it as head hunger. If you have a warm drink (like tea) & the hunger decreases again it’s head hunger. If your tummy is rumbling (hunger pangs) that’s usually head hunger too. Real hunger feels vey different to me. I feel restless like something is wrong. Don’t crave or want anything specifically. Takes a while to realise I’m hungry. And there is always a logical reason why I am hungry. I reached my goal at 6 months but lost another 11kgs in the next 11/12 months. The weight loss got slower & slower until I was losing grams a week. So don’t give up yet.

I'm glad it helped!! Oh yes, I forgot to mention that, moving to soft foods will help some, purees just don't have as much solidity to them. There is a huge difference between a 1/4 cup of pureed food vs 1/4 of a solid protein, even if it is a soft protein... At 8 weeks I was cleared for most foods and I think that is part of the reason why my hunger started to ease off around then. If your PPI is omeprazole it is possible it isn't working as well as you need it to, sometimes people need something like Pantoprazole or Dexilant, so if that gnawing hunger at night continues you may want to ask your doctor about it at your next appointment! ❤️

Did your surgeon discuss Gastric Bypass or the SADI or Duodenal Switch with you? With your starting weight, you might want something that gives you more than the restriction of the sleeve. Especially if you only lost 100 lbs with the band... All three of those surgeries have varying degrees of malabsorption which help you lose weight for longer and the SADI and DS are usually used in patients with a high BMI. But, not every surgeon is trained to do these surgeries. If your surgeon didn't offer them to you, I'd highly recommend finding a surgeon that will. The convo is worth it. Unfortunately I can't comment on how the sleeve feels vs the band, since I never had the band. I have a sleeved stomach (as well as rerouted small intestines) and for the most part it feels normal. Do NOT believe anyone who tells you that you won't be hungry post op. Some are lucky enough to lose their hunger for the first year, a few lose it permanently, but some of us never lose it at all. I woke up in recovery hungry and boy was I mad! LOL But my surgeon had warned me that not everyone loses hunger. The portion of the stomach that is cut out contributes to a number of hormones that can affect hunger and satiety... The rerouting of the intestines that the Gastric Bypass, SADI, and Duodenal Switch do controls a whole host of hormones too, some different than the ones in the stomach, this is why these surgeries are more effective at helping with comorbidities like diabetes and high blood pressure, and why they are a bit more effective for higher BMI patients.

OMG, I think I love you! Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and comprehensive reply. I'm taking a PPI twice a day. Maybe I need to eat 1/4 cup more often. I'm eating that much about 4 times a day and you've suggested 5-6. Your explanation about swelling and healing is super helpful. I'll try the Millie's broth. I'm about to move on to soft foods and maybe that will help, too. I'm encouraged to hear that even after stalls you can have big drops--I have been so worried that I did this and now I'm just going to lose a pound or so a month again. At that rate it will take me almost 4 years to lose the remaining 40 lbs! You can imagine why I'd be discouraged. It's good to know hunger will return to normal too. I realize I'll have to eat more frequent smaller meals. Thank you again for your supportive and reassuring post. ❤️

Oh!! And never look at the number on the scale and compare it to others. If you really feel the need to compare, use percentages. Those at a lower weight tend to lose slower, those at a higher weight tend to lose faster. For instance, your excess weight is 50 lbs. That's the amount you want to lose. A 10 lb loss means you have lost 20% of your excess weight already in 4 weeks! That is a lot even though it doesn't look like a lot on the scale. In comparison, my surgery weight was 307. So for me, 20% is 27.4 lbs. It took me until 9 weeks post op to lose that much... So you are a bit more ahead of schedule than it feels! Percentages are a way better gauge of where your progress really is.

Your feelings are valid @Nan CC, surgery is stressful and the idea that we have done so much for so little loss in the beginning is discouraging and depressing!! I have some thoughts to share about your experiences... 1. That hunger you are experiencing is normal. It doesn't go away for everyone. I woke up in the recovery room ravenous which pissed me off because all they kept saying is I wouldn't be hungry! And I ended up more hungry than I'd been in years!! The first two months I was hungry all the time. True hunger. I think it is because the body is panicking and trying to figure out what is going on. Plus we've been lied to, that growling sound is often not hunger, but just our system digesting and moving air and fluid through our system. After surgery our internal digestive process sounds louder to us for some reason. Maybe because we are paying more attention?? I don't know. But I had true hunger constantly. One thing that will help this is a PPI (proton pump inhibitor). Our tiny tummies are still making enough acid for a normal tummy and that can irritate it as it heals. That gnawing hunger can often come from this and gets worse at night... 2. No, you aren't supposed to automatically feel full with 1/4 cup of food. A lot do, but not all by any means. The reason for this primarily is because all the nerves that communicate fullness to us were cut during surgery. It takes at least 3 full months for those to heal enough to accurately communicate again. The 1/4 cup portion size is to keep you from inadvertently overeating and stressing your healing stomach. At about 8-10 weeks you may notice you can eat more, that's because the internal swelling has gone down. By then you should be able to start gauging your fullness signals. They are often different post op and can look like sneezing, a congested or runny nose, hiccups, pressure in your breastbone, nausea, etc... By 3-4 months out you may be eating more like 1/3 to 1/2 cup of food at a time. Not everyone progresses that way, some have high restriction all the time and have to stick to smaller portions. But the key here is to start building that relationship of listening with your body and learning that the feeling of hunger does not mean you are starving. If you are eating 1/4 cup of food 5-6 times a day, you are getting enough nutrients for your stage in the process. As @AmberFLmentioned, I suggested Millie's sipping broths (you can get a sample pack of all the flavors on Amazon) they help a LOT when you want something, the warmth and savoriness can really soothe the extreme hunger until it balances out on its own. 3. Stalls are normal and can happen early and often. I lost about 15 lbs in the first 3 weeks and then proceeded to stall for 6 weeks and gain and lose the same 4 lbs!! I was horrified and really worried my surgery wasn't going to work. I lose weight VERY slowly, my body is resistant to losing, and I have diabetes and such like you, which I think makes losing hard too. This stall was normal, even though it didn't feel normal. DS patients are known for losing dramatic amounts of weight and my surgery weight was 307, there was no good reason for the stall. But my body needed to take a break and recalibrate and heal, so it did. Finally after those 6 weeks I SLOWLY started losing again. Then at the beginning of February the weight loss finally started to pick up! A lot of people lose a ton at the beginning, I didn't. Apparently my body needed 3 months before it felt safe to start dropping weight steadily... All you can do is get good movement, good sleep (sleep is crucial to weight loss), good hydration, eat every few hours, and stay off the scale for a bit...it will break when it is ready to. 4. Hunger does eventually return to normal, or whatever is normal for you... I'm almost 4 months out and mine is back to what is normal for me. I still have to eat every 3 hours, if I don't I feel drained and irritable and my weight loss slows... I drink plenty of fluids during the day, it helped with the hunger. I feel my fullness signals clearly now, I think all that healing is finally done. I just have to eat slow enough to allow those signals to get to my brain (it takes longer than you think!). Broths, milk, coffee, tea, flavored waters, all these will ease hunger pangs, but the best cure is time and learning to heal your relationship with your hunger so you can feel it and not feel stressed about it. The great thing about eating every 3 hours is the next meal is around the corner, so I can drink something and tell my system to wait until mealtime. This helps heal the insulin resistance too by allowing your body to go through the full insulin response cycle post meal. I'm sorry this feels so hard. I hope your stall breaks soon! And I hope it helps to know you are not alone. ❤️

Well, I have low energy sometimes. I'm at 225 right now. My goal is 170-180. I guess it could be some "head hunger", but I also have spells that seem to me to be hypoglycemia. Also, my stomach growls and I feel sickish. Idk. If it is "head hunger", do you have any tips for getting through it? My psych suggested sipping a warm drink when hunger hits. I'm not a warm drink fan, but have tried herbal tea a few times. I just feel like my weight is coming off so slowly now. Like a pound every 2 weeks. At this rate, I will never reach my goal. I do exercise at least 3 or 4 days a week. I try my darnedest to stay under 1200. But, there are lots of days where I go over and the guilt murders me.