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The one thing I have encountered that I didn’t expect was how difficult it is to get pain relief. I have had two female procedures done that they typically have you take like 4 otc NSAIDs before and after but Since I wasn’t allowed to have them I was told it really wasn’t necessary anyways and just to tough it out. I contacted my surgeons office who said I was far enough out I could take the NSAIDs post sleeve on these rare occasion with food and my Omeprazole. I survived without pain relief afterwards but I was just led to believe that drs would be more accommodating than I experienced. Also I had sciatic pain and panicked a little when it recurred two more times right in a row and my dr did not want to give me any pain meds The third time when it was pretty bad I asked for something and He acted like I was an addict or something and actually told me he couldn’t treat me anymore. This kinda worked out because I like the NP I see now much better but I’ve not had any issues where I need pain meds with her so I guess we shall see what happens if I ever need them again. I understand that doctors have to be careful but I had been his patient for over 5 years and never asked for anything like that before my sleeve. Honestly it was all kinda weird. It did made me worry if I ever had a chronic issue like arthritis or something that you usually treat with NSAIDS what I would do. I guess a pain management clinic would help. Or maybe there are different meds. I honestly don’t know.

A protein shake is really a meal replacement so you are having more than a meal or two. And no, don’t load up on junky snacks or empty calories. Look too foods that will add additional nutrients: fruit, complex carbs i.e. whole/multi grains, good fats like avocado & nuts, boiled egg, cheese stick, etc. Keep the deli/luncheon/charcuterie meats intake low too - highly processed, high salt & high fat, lower protein. Better to buy a bbq/rotisserie chicken& package it up in single serves & eat that. Give your body time to settle. It takes time for your body to work out what it needs to function effectively & for you to physically be able to eat appropriate sized portions & meals. My hunger didn’t really come back until about a year so after I reached goal at 6 months & it played a part in my continued weight loss. And it took a while to work out the calories I needed. When my weight first stabilised at around 18 months I was eating 1300 odd calories - it took me all that time to eat that much. At 4 years I was eating 1500/1600 & still maintaining much the same weight so it took that long for my body to work out what it really needed. Your lowest weight may not be your final weight either. There’s the quite common 5-10lb bounce back regain around the 2 or 3 year mark. Or lifestyle choices may mean you settle a little higher. And finally, your goal weight might not be your body’s goal weight (your new set point). My new set point was 11kg/24lbs less than my goal.

Yeah, the dietician was a prick to mention your weight in relation to other patients. You were not unusually heavy and it is just plain unprofessional. I hope you have a word with the surgeon about it at some point, people need feedback on how their staff are carrying out their jobs. I'm sorry it is so hard to obtain this surgery in the UK, you should have been given ample support and encouragement on your journey, not criticism. As was said above, you may need the support of a dietician post op and going to one who was condescending to you pre-op is not a recipe for success post-op. You may want to seek out your own dietician for support. One you can feel free to fire at will. LOL I find dieticians assume by default we are all idiots about food, especially healthy food. And they tend to fixate on weird things, like pasta alternatives that are "just like the real thing!" that they have probably never eaten themselves. Or cottage cheese!! OMG I do not want to eat a bowl full of cottage cheese!! I think they should have to go through a 3 month staged bariatric diet, including an all liquids portion, so they have some lived experience and can be a little more human with their patients... Although I will say I've actually run into a few dieticians that have had bariatric surgery and while they don't say the stupid weight things anymore, they do still have a lot of biases from their training (like no protein supplements because they aren't "real food"). Your weight story is not unusual, as others have said there is more and more research pointing to obesity being a very complex disease and far from a moral failing or issue of willpower. There are a lot of stigmas around weight and weight loss surgery and unfortunately the medical community is a willing participant in much of that misinformation. I'd advise you to find a therapist or a mindful eating coach who can support you in changing your food choices early on, so by the time your hunger comes back your new habits are firmly in place and something you can rely on. I wish you so much luck on your journey!! You are doing great!

Wow your life is so full on, and here i am struggling to go to work each day haha. I've got my 3 months post surgery coming up and i really hope my surgeon will be happy with my progress. Starting weight was 118.6kg way back in Oct on day of surgery was 111.9 kg and now sitting at 96.1 kg I've got to keep reminding myself that I've kept off 20kg since starting and that's a huge achievement for me but still want my surgeon to be happy. I've got a leg infection again at the moment so it has slowed down my walking routine (which annoys me) back to the doc this morning before work - i Just finished 2nd round of antibiotics - the pain feels like I've walked into a tow bar at shin level but constantly oh and i kind of high jump into bed because i can't put any weight on the knee. I suppose i should be grateful I've got a great gp that has already sent me scans to rule out blood clots. Other than that working on making better choices on protein my next dietician appointment is at the end of May and she says we will talk about Macros so I'm looking forward to that. My hubby went to see my surgeon as he is 233kg and surgeon wants him to get down to 180kg before surgery. Has advised him to go on weight loss medication (our GP gave him a scrip for Ozempic to begin with which is 1 needle a week) and he is off to see my dietician mid June so I'm happy with that. The dietician associated with his other surgeon told him just to eat veggies and 1 meal a day of 300 calories, even i had a protein allowance in my pre diet. I went for a short walk/hobble at a Lake near our work yesterday and i must of brushed under a tree with ants on it. Got back to work and stripped off clothes picking ants out of everywhere spent next few hours whilst driving bus, picking another Ant out under my clothing the little buggers. Fortunately no bites but i literally had ants in my pants. I'm on my 4th food tracking app this one i seem to like so hopefully I'll stay with it haha Anyway have a great day everyone.

I’d be ringing my surgeon & requesting/demanding an appointment @timetoshine. Five months without any checks seems crazy to me. I’d had several appointments by then. Make a list of questions to ask them like your exhaustion, sickness, small portions. Out of curiosity how big are your portions? Are you eating slowly, taking small bites? Eating too much, too quickly & foods that are too coarse are renown for upsetting your tummy e.g. the foamies & then brining up what you ate. Keeping foods moist with sauces & gravies can help. Is there a reason you haven’t had your B12 shot yet or just life being too busy? I’d get that soon too as it will help with your exhaustion. Establish a routine with your daily med taking. It is essential not to miss your vitamins with bypass because of the malabsorption issues. Dense foods can cause issues for people. Chicken breast & steak tend to be the more difficult ones. How do you go with other cuts of meat like minced beef or minced chicken? Chicken thighs are more tender than breast too. Do you have a dietician? I’d ask them for some suggestions as to what you can eat to get more protein in. I relied a lot on high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drinks/ smoothies to push my protein up. It can take some people longer than others for everything to settle & to work out all your new tummy/digestive system’s quirks.

The lactose in the shakes can cause people to poop badly. There is something to take to help with lactose intolerance but I dont know what it would be called in the US. This might be something to ask at your meeting. There is also another preop diet to follow for those who are lactose intolerant. But that would normally be suggested by the dietician. Not sure why it wasnt suggested for you. Again another question for the meeting. I was not allowed fruit in my preop. If you have IBS you may find that certain fruits/foods may not agree with your tummy. Its all trial and error to find out what the culprits are that are affecting you. Fruit/vegies that have a high seed/fiber content were a no no for me before my RNY. Kiwi fruit, Zucchini, stone fruit, grapes etc are a bit of a problem but after you have the bypass you may find that you have the opposite problem and these fruits/vegies will help things to move along. It is all a bit of a learning curve. If you were to go an do it on your own these are issues that you would have to face anyway with having IBS so there no point is ditching the op at this stage. It is not part of their remit to even say "well if you cant handle it you may become malnourished". This statement smacks of shaming. It is their job to educate you in navigating it all. The RNY job is to make our bodies less capable of absorbing nutrients/calories from the food. This process is called malabsorption. This is the reason that you will be taking bariatric vitamins for the rest or your life. You will require blood tests on a yearly basis for the rest of your life to check that your body is being given the correct amount nutrients and head off any long term issues. Eating well and taking care of your body is something to focus on. I have been listening to the podcasts of The Bari Chronicles. You may find the Vitamin episode helpful. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-bari-chronicles/episodes/Multivitamins-Nutrition-For-Weight-Loss-Surgery-e2eduqv (Also available on apple podcasts. I hope it all goes well at the meeting.

ok, gonna throw my story on the table...take from it as you will, as a lesson to live by, a cautionary tale, or a personal justification...you choose. pre surgery i was also a weekend warrior, actually, more like a yearly quarterly warrior, lol. i had like a couple drinks every 2-3 months. probably got stupid drunk once a year or less. during weight loss phase (which lasted 7 months) i had maybe 5 partial drinks. i don't think i finished any of those drinks. my first "drink" was 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 2-3 sips of a glass of red wine. it was really weird, i swear i could feel the burning of the alcohol pass down my esophagus, through my stomach and along my intestines. my second drink was about 1 month later (christmas) and it was a very sugary soju-sake drink. again i had maybe 2-3 sips but this one resulted in my second worst dumping experience ever. *shudder*. the next 3 or so drinks were vodka or gin sodas (learned my lesson! less sugar!) ok. now its 2019, im in maintenance and i'm looking hawt and feeling awesome and me and mr. go on a couple vacations and i drink way more than i normally do. but its vacation, right? so its ok. i also took up smoking again after being smoke free for 10 years (but thats another story). now its 2020 and its effing covid, and i, like many others i know started drinking at home (i never did this before, i was always a go-out drinker) ...and now its 2024 and i drink every day. i don't get stupid drunk every day or anything (not that i'm trying to justify anything - i fondly call myself a high-functioning alcoholic), but i do drink every day. its at a point where others (i.e., my doctors and my hubs) are chastising me with the amount i drink. i know i drink too much and its probably doing a number on my health despite nothing showing up on any of my labs or whatever. i quit drinking for a month last year because my son said i couldn't stop drinking for a week. so i know i can stop (or at least slow down) if i really wanted to. trouble is i don't seem to really want to. last year, my OBGYN said i really should stop smoking AND drastically cut down the amount i drink. i told her i'm not sure i could do both, so i made her a deal and said i would stop smoking. i'm proud to say i have been smoke free for 9 months (after smoking for 4 years after quitting for 10, after smoking for 20...say that ten times fast, lol). its been surprisingly easy, but i think its because i can still drink. ANYWAY. i'm hoping to get into a mindset soon to address my drinking problem. i don't doubt my ability to reduce, but i'm not sure i will actually WANT to anytime soon. le sigh. so there you have it. i am the poster child of transfer addiction. despite all this, my weight has more or less remained unchanged (go figure). i continue to stay below goal weight this entire time. ....and i am literally typing this post out with an espresso martini in hand. dont judge me! lol. i am relatively chill about all this so even if you do judge me, i wont take it personally. p.s. oh, i should also mention that i get "affected" real quick and on very small amounts. and i also sober up real quick. this phenomenon is a purely post surgery thing. i needed lots more to get drunk before surgery....although my smaller size now may also be a factor....

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. ❤️

My plan doesn’t talk about calories in the beginning the booklet they gave us was 60-80g of protein and 64oz of water min. Then they gave us examples of what foods to eat. My dietician told me stricked liquids for 3days and then starting to today modified but if I got sick or threw up back to clear liquids. I feel good but I feel like I shouldn’t lol! I should be struggling? Obviously I’m not eating what I used to. And my calories are way lower than before this program.

Hey everyone!! how is everyone doing? I was exactly 6 weeks post op yesterday and it was my 33rd birthday! I’ve lost 20lb since the op but 40lb since liver reducing (3 weeks of liquids) finally onto textured foods but prioritising protein and liquids still. I’m now 248lb the lowest I’ve been is 224lb in adult life so I’m excited to get past that weight! I also get married at the end of June so determined to do the best possible. after 4 years of waiting for the op, I can’t believe it’s now done!! Xxx

And I kind of want to cry. Anyone care to proofread and critique before i send it in tomorrow? Would really appreciate it. Describe the limitations morbid obesity imposes on you in your daily activity: So, today I was dancing with my daughter. Turned on the music, singing, dancing, laughing. I lasted about 4 min before my hip and knee gave out, and I was horribly out of breath. My adorable two year old is going "mama, dance!" and I can't anymore. I'm in too much pain. I go to get dressed and none of my clothes fit anymore. I'm stuffing myself into things two sizes too small because I don't want to admit my real size. My sister completed suicide last December. I promised her I'd take up running, like she'd always done. I told her I'd run the NAMI Walks 5k in her honor. But how can I? I can't even dance for 4 min. I can't run for 30! Even trying Couch to 5k hurts too badly. I have a flap of skin where I've had two c-sections, and I have a nasty rash there regularly from sweat and skin and yuck. It itches and burns and frankly smells horrible. I hate looking at myself in the mirror now. I know, buried deep in there, is the girl I once was. The one that loved to dance. The cheerleader. The former military girl who was in excellent shape. She's in there, I know she is. She's buried under a fat girl that can't seem to lose the weight. She's tried every diet she could. She's counted calories, she's counted carbs. She's exercised, she's paid for HCG shots. And still the fat girl looks back at me in the mirror instead of the girl I want to be. So far, I'm pretty lucky. For a fat person, I'm fairly healthy. But I know it's a matter of time. I know I'm a time bomb, waiting to go off, where I'll get worse as time goes on. And I tell myself I'm relatively health as my knees give out. As my hip gives out. As I struggle to sleep at night and struggle to wake up in the morning. As I deal with severe depression. As I spend every day so tired I don't want to move. As I deal with fibromyalgia. But I know others have it worse, so I deem myself "better" and "more healthy" so I can ignore what my weight is doing to me and how unhealthy it truly makes me. I hate that I'm discriminated against in life for being fat. I hate that I'm discriminated in healthcare. This essay requirement alone is proof of that... would you make someone write an essay on why they need a knee replacement or a pacemaker? Or is it just fat people that need to convince an insurance agency to pay for what's covered under the policy they pay for? The discrimination we face as fat people is so pervasive and endless that we just put up with it. We do what we're told. We deserve it, we're fat. I want to be in charge of my life. I want control over food back. I want to run that 5k in honor of my sister. I want to dance with my baby. I don't want to hurt. I want my life back. This surgery can help me in that goal. Thank you.

Congrats on your loss so far. Don't worry it seems to be very common to stall a few weeks to a month after the op. I had a sleeve so not sure if there are different 'rules' but I was told it is just 30 minutes each side of eating that you are not to drink fluids but either way I agree with you, I feel that there is not enough time in the day that I am awake to drink the amount of water they say. It took me a long time to get to the protein goals, somedays I only got 20 to 30g so for me a 'trick' I have done for upping my protein is to include a scoop of collagen into my coffee twice a day as each scoop is 10g protein, the collagen is supposed to help my hair, nails, skin etc plus I am getting in some fluids. A bonus for me is that I don't mind cold coffee so if it takes me a while to drink my cup it is ok and it immediately means I have got 20g of protein in before even including food. I also have a lot of soups that I incorporate protein into be it with protein powder, lentils, chickpeas etc. as I find they don't leave me feeling so full as I blend them down a lot. I love soup and would have had it often before my op as well so the only difference now is trying to put the protein into it and not having bread with it

UPDATE: Surgery was Postponned again til January 26th. Finally got the surgery. 1 week and a little more still liquids wondering what I will eat for soft stage. Was never a soft stage either like mash potatoes and stuff. I left a message for nutrionist to see if I will be able to eat scrambled eggs, I will try and make them soggy. So the Soft food diet begins this Sat. On a side note going in to Surgery I was 275lb and today weighed myself and I am 259. I am already getting comments from my immediate family, what are they gonna say when i get below the 200lbs. This community is so great, thank you all!

I agree. Take a breath & celebrate what you have achieved so far. Then, yes, get back in your surgeon/dietician's plan as you were before the holidays. Make an appointment with your surgeon & your dietician. They’ve seen it all before & shouldn’t judge especially if you’re asking for help. Do you track your food? If you don’t maybe do it for a week or so to make sure you’re not missing something. It’s easy to miss something especially if you’ve let things slide or you’ve got a bit complacent about portion sizes, etc. And you can review it with your dietician. Maybe make an appointment with a therapist too to help you reflect on what was behind your slide & help you get back on track mentally & emotionally. All the best.

Hi all, i’m 13 days post op ( really excited to have soft foods starting tomorrow). Is anyone else sick of the diet drinks. They all taste the exact to me, super sweet. I’m thinking I should’ve just got the regular one and watered it down. Also TW* (poop) how are you all making yourself poop. My constipation is at an all time high and I just wish everything could go back to normal.

I wonder if you are gulping air when you swallow and that's causing the spitting? My dietician said this is pretty common in the first year and water bottles can cause it, so it is best to drink out of an actual glass. Straws can cause it too, but for some straws are actually better than anything else, so it depends. If you can drink Capri Sun but not flavored water then it isn't a consistency thing because they are the same texture. If you can drink milk and protein drinks without spitting it must be a water thing... The burning you are feeling sounds like what I call "pressure" and it is caused by taking too big of a sip or swallow. Whatever sip you consider small, half that. If burning still happens, half it again. If you can't drink anything without burning sensations in your stomach, I'd definitely talk to the surgeon about it pronto... It is a good sign you can keep food down that sits well with you. Stomachs can be very finicky for 1-2 years after surgery, but you shouldn't have burning and vomiting if you are taking tiny bites, chewing well, and tiny sips.

No not a terrible taste but could not sta.d the smell of food. At first, I could not drink the protein shakes due to the smell. However, within 4-5 days, I got over it. I do anticipate a taste change once I get to puréed food.

Don't over think this stage. My taste buds were telling me that lots of my go to food was blahhh. I had an awful taste in my mouth which didn't help. I just ate protein yogurt, ice pops, strained soups and the tiniest morsels of hard cheese left to dissolve on my tongue. I was allowed coffee so had latte's and home made milk shakes, milk, banana and peanut butter blitzed. My doc was against protein shakes

I've officially got the house to myself for the next 10 days! Since I have two kids in middle/high school and every illness known to humankind is running rampant, my parents have just picked them up and are taking them until I'm post-op. Let the self quarantine begin! I sent all the remaining food from the fridge with them, so now there's just yogurt and milk in there. And jello. I'm hoping to get a few organizing projects done while they're gone because it's so much easier to deep clean when no one is coming behind you to leave toothpaste blobs in the sink and drop their socks in the middle of the floor for some unknown reason. Seriously, why do they do that? I may start with cleaning the fridge shelves because now that it's empty, the grime is pretty obvious.

Hello! I had my surgery on the 11th so we’re not far apart! I won’t lie I didn’t last long on the liquid diet I kind of went on to puree around day 8 post op. I don’t think many people are as honest. I cheated and so what. I’m so glad for the surgery and I wish many more losses for the both of us whether it be fast or slow! Weight loss is weight loss !!!

Hey Yall. Very very new to this but I need some help. I had gastric sleeve surgery on May 10th. The liquid diet leading up to it, and afterwards was absolutely torture for me (I know it's really hard on everyone) but I could barely get broth down, especially post op. When I say that, I mean the idea of drinking more and more broth, no matter what kind or flavor, made me feel absolutely nauseous. And I literally gagged trying to get it down. Needless to say, I didn't get much broth down, but I tried to stay as consistent as I could with protein shakes, which also had a similar effect on me. So when today came around, I was so excited because finally I could slowly try to incorporate foods that didn't make me want to vomit when I thought about them. I started slow with just a yogurt for breakfast, taking tiny bites, with 2 minutes in between bites. That went down pretty well. For lunch, I tried an applesauce, repeating the same process as with the yogurt. Again, that went down fine. Throughout the day, I also timed taking my vitamins, so as not to push a bunch of pills down my throat at once, I was afraid of the effect it would have on my stomach. My plan for dinner was to have some tomato soup, and maybe even put in a little extra flavorless protein, because I hadn't gotten in as much protein as I should of during the day. But before I could make the soup, I started feeling disgusting. And the thought of eating anything else makes me feel nauseous. But I know if I go back to the clear liquid stage for a bit longer, I'm going to be struggling to get more broth down. I just don't know what to do. I feel like I'm completely undernourishing myself and it would be even worse if I went back to the clear liquid stage. I've talked to my nutritionist about it, and she only told me to try drinking other types of broth. Which I have. I've tried every kind you can think of. And she said if that doesn't work, to try to drink Gatorade zero to at least make sure I'm staying hydrated. I have just reached a point of such regret. I feel like I'm just going to get sick before I can get better. I'm at a point where I would rather live my life the way it was, than to feel like this for months. I know it's too late for that, but man, never let anyone tell you this is the easy way out.

I don't know if this helps, but when I saw the nutritionist last week for my last pre-op appointment, she suggested choosing three regularly spaced meal times, 4 to 6 hours apart. I've decided on 8:30, 1:30, and 6:30 because it works best with my daily work schedule. She said to eat what I could of "real" food at the mealtimes, but not to let myself keep eating beyond 30-40 minutes. My goal is 20-25g protein at the meal, but let's say I managed to eat 10g for breakfast. In that case, I would want to supplement 10-15g of protein shake at 11am (halfway between breakfast and lunch). If I managed to eat 20g of protein at lunch, then I could skip the supplement between lunch and dinner. But if I only got 5g protein at dinner, I should supplement with 15-20g of protein shake a couple hours after dinner. That way you're trying real food first, but not letting yourself get behind as the day goes on. She said it would take quite some time to ween off protein supplements completely and that was fine. Eventually, she wants me to be at 3 meals and no snacks with 60-80g protein per day. If you don't want to rely on protein shakes but you find you can easily eat something like a Greek yogurt in between meals, you could do that instead. But basically it's just going to take time, and even after you are at a point that you can usually get all 20-25g of protein in a meal, there still may be some days where you can't and you need a supplement.

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.

Just wanted to come back after I had my surgery! I healed up well, I am walking everyday, already down 2 pants sizes, I have more energy, my kids are happy to have a mom that is happier, my husband is happy to have his confident wife back who slowly starting to love herself again. Is this hard? F*%$ yes!! The discipline to not eat junk food or overeat is a mental game. But I meal prep, I track and my dietician is probably annoyed with me I email her all the time LOL. But my life is much easier, I wake up with ease, not hurting as bad, and excited to get up get some cute clothes, do my hair and makeup. I know my experience isn't like everyone's but I am so happy I did this!

I didn’t really deal with a ton of hormonal changes as far as I can recall but yes I have heard that many women do. I am an emotional eater too and not to scare you but I have gained my weight back and I’m contemplating a conversion. If you have access to a therapist to get to the bottom of the emotionally eating. I STRONGLY suggest it. There aren’t any in my area so I am working with my regular therapist but I don’t know how well it is working. One of my questions for the surgeon is if he can make some calls for me and find someone who will try to fit me into their schedule. As far as tool or equipment I had sleeve and didn’t need much. I bought those little cups that your dressing comes in at restaurants for the very beginning just to measure things out and store in fridge but you can use anything that is the right size. Some people do use a blender in the purée stage. Personally puréed food that isn’t normally purées kinda grossed me out so I didn’t use that. I did buy a few flavors of shakes and keep others ready in my online cart for my husband to pick up if I needed him to. I did buy a scale but honestly don’t recall using it much. One thing that someone told me that you didn’t ask about was what to pack for hospital. I found pajama pants, a sleep mask and a extra long phone charger to be helpful items that weren’t on the list. The pants come in handy when you get up to walk since the gowns are open on the back.