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Stats: Male, 6’4” (193cm for the more enlightened) 46 years old. All time known high weight 356lbs (161.5kg) (approx June 2013) Surgery weight 334lbs (151.5kg). Self pay, Dr Galileo Villarreal - Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, June 12, 2020 $4400 all in, VSG & hiatal hernia repair. Current weight 194lbs (88kg). This turned out to be way too long… sorry. The idea of having surgery wasn’t anything I ever really gave any thought to. I did the lifetime attempts at diet and exercise without success. The lowest weight I ever achieved was 285 when I hiked almost daily in the mountains surround Las Vegas. But like all my other attempts, things changed, I got tired of the same thing, and put it all back on plus some (yet again). Fast forward to 2020 and my wife looks at me and asks “have you ever thought about gastric surgery?” “Well, not really but I’ll look into it.” I don’t recall exactly how long I researched, I know it wasn’t long. One day, maybe two? I knew my insurance wouldn’t cover it at all, so self pay was my only option unless I wanted to wait and change to a different plan (I’m impatient so that wasn’t happening). Anyway I live near Houston so I started looking at the border towns in Mexico and came across the website for Dr Galileo Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo. I made a phone call to his assistant who handles US patients and had an appointment set for two weeks later (for the procedure, not just a consultation). The next few days I mostly looked at before and after photos and was really excited about the possibilities. I don’t worry about much in general(why worry about what I can’t control?) so I didn’t bother reading too many horror stories. I understood that people who have problems are far more likely to post, seeking guidance/solutions than people who cruise through easily. I did look up complication statistics and that alone completely eliminated any worries that may have existed. I watched several videos of the procedure (I was interested to see what’s going to happen to me) and that too brought me comfort, seeing how quick and relatively simple the procedure was. Traveling to Mexico also didn’t bother me in the slightest. The way I figure is a doctor either cares or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter which side of the border they happen to be on. The one obvious downside to surgery in another country is “what if something does go wrong?” But again realistically I knew that was unlikely and it’s not like I couldn’t walk into a hospital once back home to get care for anything I might have needed. I spent the next few days having tons of food funerals. I reveled in the experience and really went crazy with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, smoked brisket, homemade carbonara pasta (I even found some real guanciale), more Cinnamon Toast Crunch… you get the idea.. My pre-op diet arrived via email. It was sparse and consisted of things like cream soup, protein drinks, electrolyte drinks etc. I had seven days of this before surgery. This was - by far - the worst part of the whole experience. Day one I was good. Day two I was pacing frantically. Day three I cheated and hated myself for it. Day four was a little better. Days 5 & 6 I had resigned to the lifestyle and at this point I was so giddy with excitement about the surgery I didn’t care anymore about the food as much. I was fortunate with my timing in regard to COVID. The border was still open and there were no issues about that, I was a little surprised that the Mexican Border Guards didn’t even care to see my passport or ask any questions. I was just waived through, barely given a glance. I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later to begin the pre op blood work and physical. This is where I had my first moment of “oh shit.” It was late in the day and apparently the normal nurse who handled the blood draw had already left. So this nice young man was assigned to get my blood. He takes me into a small room and I could tell he was really scared. We had an obvious language barrier but I kept pointing to a big thick vein in the crock of my elbow that you really can’t miss. I’ve had enough blood drawn in the past, no one has ever missed it first shot. He was literally shaking and sweating all over my arm. I kept pointing and saying “aqui” but he would get the needle close then pull it back and look around and sweat some more. It was a good ten minutes of this and I was starting (just starting?) to get a little worried. Again, I could tell he either never did this or rarely so I didn’t assume this was a sign of how it was all going to go (it didn’t, it all was fine after this). Eventually someone must have recognized there was an issue. Another nurse came in, looked at the obvious vein, and popped that needle in. I wouldn’t know if my blood work was ok until the next morning, so they drove us to the hotel (which was included in the price) and we went to bed. The next morning they picked us up and brought me back to the hospital. I checked in, got word that my blood work was fine and I forked over the cash for the procedure ($4000) plus a $400 deposit in case I had a hernia that needed to be repaired. The hospital was very nice. Beautifully decorated, polished marble walls and floors. As clean (to the naked eye of course) as any hospital I’ve been in. It was small, but appropriately sized for the area it served. It was not a dedicated Bariatric facility, just a typical public hospital. I actually enjoy the experience of being put under anesthesia and I wasn’t nervous at all so I declined the sedative and just went for it. The weirdest part was the staff asking me questions through google translate on their phones. Dr. Villarreal and his assistant spoke perfectly fluent English but the pre op staff had a lot of questions to ask. Even though they spoke some English and I spoke some Spanish, when it comes to translating medical related stuff it was definitely better using the app, it was just a little surreal. I was wheeled into the OR, greeted again by Dr. Villarreal who asked if I wanted any music played (I did) and I went under listening to some classic rock. I woke up in moderate pain, but nothing too bad. I was brought to my room where my wife was waiting for me. The first few hours I just relaxed in bed. Eventually I was given some ice chips to suck on and allowed to get up with assistance and go to the bathroom. Things were tender but I don’t recall being in a lot of pain. Walking was a slow shuffle and I was given permission to do laps around the hospital. I met a couple other people who had the same procedure the day prior and we nodded and smiled knowing we were on the same journey together. They were nice moments and I hope they’re doing well. Later in the day I did a barium swallow to ensure there were no leaks. It tasted like shit (sorry), and I got to watch it on the monitor. It was pretty interesting to see. Doctor visited me several times, and I asked if he had video or photos of my procedure, and he sent me some cool pics of my removed stomach and of my hernia and repair. I was given an antibiotic pill. I had read enough “no pills after surgery” posts here that this gave me concern. The pill was literally the biggest pill I have ever taken in my life. It was an inch long and thick. I pointed at my stomach and said “esta bien?” and she nodded and so I took it. It went down fine, didn’t hurt or anything. We stayed over that night which was more walking and ice and eventually electrolyte drinks and some jello. I was given a bag of pills, more of those giant antibiotics, anti nausea meds, and some non-opioid pain pills. They wheeled me out where my car was waiting for me and we started the drive home. The drive home the next day was about five hours total, we took our time. Getting into the US took an hour or so, but wasn’t an issue. One thing I took particular notice of on the ride home was just how many restaurants there are. I was obviously hyper focused on food and I was dumbstruck at the endless strip centers filled with high calorie options. Just endless. I’ll speed things up here…. The first week was fine, some pain in my left arm that scared me. Spoke to the doctor and he explained that gas left over in the abdomen can rest on the diaphragm which can translate into left arm pain. He advised the typical “walk it off” prescription and sure enough that fixed it. Food intake was slow but I didn’t care. This was much easier than the pre op diet even though it was essentially the same. Broths, Gatorade, protein shakes. By week two I was feeling great and ready for mushy foods. Cottage cheese was my friend. By week three I felt normal. I starting having a scrambled egg here and there and that’s when I began to feel the restrictions. The first meat I tried was around week three, I had some ground chicken with seasoned salt and it was pretty good and didn’t bother me. I visited my regular doctor a month or so in and he was happy with my weight loss. My back doctor was also happy and we both were hopeful it would fix my back issues (spoiler it didn’t completely). One year out I still have zero hunger. I had one spell in December where I thought it returned and it was disappointing and scary. It only lasted a few days and I don’t know what caused it. It really felt like the MORE I ate the hungrier I got and if not for physical restriction I would have eaten myself out of any other normal “diet.” Fortunately that’s gone and I’m back to no hunger, one year out. But im prepared and ready should it return. There are no significant stories or details for the rest of my journey. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had zero problems. No foods have bothered me, I did not get sick, my tastes didn’t change (my eating habits did but not due to bad foods no longer tasting good, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is still awesome but I just don’t eat it any more except a couple pieces here and there). My main drinks are coffee, diet Mountain Dew and Monster Zero Ultra (the white can). I’m not going to pretend that I’m a model citizen of this forum. There are plenty of things I eat and drink that I probably shouldn’t. I’m in maintenance mode now and still losing (very slowly) even though I’m eating garbage like peanut m&ms to try and up my calories without increasing capacity. I know there are better options but I like them and it’s working fine for me. I don’t take vitamins like I should but I just had my one year blood panel done and all my labs came back in the middle of the normal range so no worries on that front. Somehow my vitamin D is normal for the first time as an adult. Again, don’t look at me as a guide, but it is what it is and I think it’s important share what is working. I’ve included two screen shots of some graphs I used in a spreadsheet. The first is simply my weight loss over time. The second is a rolling weekly average using the past seven days. So each point on the graph looks back seven days, takes that weight, subtracts the current day’s weight. “I lost 2.4 lbs the past week” etc. This graph highlights stalls, and recovery from stalls etc. so you can see my weight loss was really fast at first. The big stall during the holidays where I didn’t gain or lose. For me this graph was more useful as sometimes I felt like I was stalled but the graph proved otherwise. Here is a breakdown of my loss at 30 day intervals. Don’t compare me to you or to anyone else. There are over 7 billion of us and we’re all unique. Day 30: 29.2lbs Day 60: 46.0 Day 90: 63.5 Day 120: 74.6 Day 150: 92.1 Day 180: 102 Day 210: 103 (holidays/long stall) Day 240: 113.6 Day 270: 120 Day 300: 129.5 Day 330: 135 Day 360: 138.8 Conclusion and final thoughts: For some of us this journey IS the easy way out, and I honest to God don’t care. Im happy and healthy and I’d do it again without hesitation. I want people on the fence about having the procedure to know that. It’s easy to get lost in the problems people post about. Those problems ARE REAL and do happen. But I really think there are a lot of us out there for whom this journey has been easy, you just don’t hear from us as often. People who are having a difficult time need advice or want a solution so it’s natural and helpful to post questions about those problems. But it does skew the impressions towards the negative. I wish I did this years ago. I don’t know why I never even thought of it. I guess it was one of those things I thought was reserved for medically necessary intervention. But you know what? I had a BMI over 40. It was medically necessary. I’m VERY lucky that at age 45 I was not on a downward spiral health wise, but it could have started any day. My wife’s dad was a “big guy” too, and was active and worked hard. Then one day, diabetes. Another day, bad knees. Another day a stroke. He had the sleeve AFTER these things and did lose weight but he can’t walk, can’t enjoy life, he’s miserable because he waited too long. Don’t wait. If you need to lose weight do it now. Figure out a way that works for you. Surgery is relatively safe, with far fewer complications than doing nothing and assuming you’ll just always be a healthy “big person.” But it’s not the only solution. Whatever it is that works for you, make it happen. I know I won’t live forever and I know I can regain and I know lots of bad things could be lined up in my future. But today I feel great. Today I’m happy. Today I look at myself and I see the me that I always knew existed. It’s the most wonderful feeling. I hope from the bottom of my heart everyone here will feel it too….. ….But I know not everyone will. My wife for example. Surgery has done nothing for her. 20lbs in a year. And she DOES follow the plan. For those of you in her situation who are probably cursing me and telling me to shut the f up, I get you. And I’m sorry. Don’t give up though. We’re all here for you; this forum is a great asset. We want you to succeed. Vent, cry, scream out, ask a million questions, we hear you. Just don’t give up.

Tek has the right of it- I would never think to criticize a drug addict who checks into rehab, or a person who gets help paying off significant debt, so why is it that obesity is the situation where suddenly there is a certain amount of suffering and moral penance required? I think you also may be experiencing a certain amount of body dysmorphia. A year ago I was 140 lbs heavier than I am today, and I keep having moments where I feel out of place in myself or confused at seeing my clothes/myself in a mirror. It’s ok to still feel a bit disjointed- stuff has changed fast, and your brain is still catching up to the new you!

I had RNY in 2002. Old school style. And I fought for my life in 2015.. I'm pretty stable right now but hate what I've done to myself and hate being sick all the time. I'm still fighting to get about 20lbs off of regain while fighting malnutrition arms deficiencies. I get sick all the time after eating or if I don't or can't eat. I'd love to make internet friends with someone who understands too. Sorry I have never posted on a blog before and hit something that made this post before i was done..I had gastric bypass rouxny in 2001. I was 260 at a height of 5'4". I had 3 young children and was ashamed to go most places they wanted to go..camping, amusement parks, flying etc due to my being obese and having the comorbidities that go with it such as ankle, knee, joint pain from the weight my legs were carrying and shoulder/neck pain from the set of boobs I was carrying. I went in to see the surgeon in November 2000. I weighed 240 and didnt have the BMI i should have to qualify for bypass surgery to be covered by my insurance. The doc said "you came at a great time! It's the holidays go home eat whatever you want and come back to see me after the first of the year" So I did and I gained the 10 pounds i needed plus another 10 pounds. I was qualified for surgery. I had to pass a basic psychological exam which I told the truth at(i was doing it to enjoy having fun with my kids and get healthy not for vanity)Do you know back then they didnt tell you that you needed to drink protein shakes or take supplements the rest of your life. I know you are not believing me right now but its true. Thats why I would like to talk to anyone who had the same surgery same year I did. I adjusted to my new life of eating 2 oz of baby food, had the diararrhea all the time when i ate something i wasnt suppose to. All the normal things they still can not change. Gastric bypass is not a "cheaters program" it is a lifestyle adjustment not only for you but for your family also. I had just lost my way I expressed my emotions all my life at 33. I felt like I lost my best friend. I didnt know how to replace it so i ended up with alchohol addiction for 5 straight years of my kids most precious lives that I had this surgery to enjoy with. Totally f****d up I know. Then I became addicted to pain killers..then some street drugs..you see where all this is going right? I was the perfect goal weight of 140 why wasnt I happy and enjoying my family? Fast forward from 2002(it took me a year to lose the weight and have abdominal plasty) to 2016. My kids are grown now and my husband took a job over 12 hours away from my family and the only "real live" friends I knew. Something broke in me that I started exhibiting physically. From April -August just 5 months I was down to 93 pounds hadnt eaten by mouth in 5 months because I was now consitpated instead of diararrhea and when i couldnt put anything more down I stopped eating. For 2 years i was labeled as "failure to thrive". Any specialist be gastroenterologist to neurologists to psychiatrists could not figure out what was wrong with me. I literally had every test done possible in those 2 years. Finally I was sent to a gastric bypass surgeon who said "this is why they dont do those surgeries anymore" Well hello did someone notify me a patient who had been through it that progress had been made and things were totally different now? ABSOLUTELY NOT. to be continued...

In 2012 I had the gastric sleeve procedure, it was very successful until several events in my life caused me to slip back into old habits. Adding to that, my surgeon closed his practice and I had no one to follow up with locally. The old habits and lack of Followup care led to the weight slowly creeping back on. Since my sleeve procedure I’ve been diagnosed with RA which I have under control for about the past year or more. Earlier this year I began experiencing severe acid reflux and my PCP suggested I see the new BS who had just come to town. The BS advised me (after scoping me) that I have a hiatal hernia that needs to be repaired. He also recommended that I have a revision to the bypass. Fast forward three months and several pre-op tests later and I receive a call from the doctors nurse telling me that the doctor has decided it’s best not to do the conversion to bypass because I have arthritis and take methotrexate. She goes in to explain, the doctor thinks the risk of ulcers from medication and the possibility of slow healing outweigh the possible benefits. I am a 38 year old otherwise healthy female with her RA well controlled. Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this before? Has anyone had the conversion to bypass who was diagnosed with RA before their conversion? I’m incredibly frustrated and not sure what do to from this point. Any advice you can share would be much appreciated.

I'll be honest with you. I loved eating at KFC before my surgery, like I would be there 5 times per week (ridiculous, I know, but I was totally addicted to it) and if I ever went to fast food restaurant I would always eat fries (dunno, loved them since I was a kid). And now... dudes, this food is not edible. I tried to eat at KFC twice, or trice, I don't even know and my stomach hates it. It kinda hurts and I feel unwell, also kinda ready to throw up. It makes me wonder if this food was always so bad and my stomach was just so used to junk food that it didn't make any complaints. It makes me both sad and happy. I also used to drink lots of coke, like 3 cans per day. And of course I wanted to try it. Although my stomach is not upset after drinking coke I still can't say that it taste good. It's rather weird and i tried it when it was so hot and it used to taste best at times like this but not anymore. So, what kind of food you liked to eat and now u don't?

So I lost my first 45 lbs pretty fast. At 6 weeks I started working out. I’m 8 weeks out and I’ve been stuck between 233-239 every time I get on the scale it tells me a different number. I have lost inches though 5.5 inches last week and 5 inches the week before so 10 inches but no weightloss. Here’s what my weekly workout looks like m- swim Pilates t- water fitness w- HIIT class am yoga pm Thursday - swim Friday- yoga Saturday- yoga Sunday- off and here’s what I eat daily breakfast- 30 G protein shake Snack- light cheese stick lunch- 1 oz protein of choice and quest protein chips dinner- 2 oz chicken snack: protein shake 64-80 oz of water 90 g of protein daily as my medical team has advised. ok help what am I doing wrong here. I’m not snacking I’m not cheating I’m working out and feeling discouraged. This is why I always quit at diets because I do everything right and I feel like it’s not enough. many advice will help.

You look amazing! Glowing and happy. Your before pic, you look beautiful and happy too. Yes I too worry I'm losing weight to fast. I did this surgery because I had sever back pain and a herniated disc. I never want to be stick thin, and I want to be healthy, so I get your fear. The tightness is the restriction, and don't worry it will get better. Two bites also made me full but now at 8 months in, I can manage eating half a sandwich (it takes time though). So it will get better, just hang in there. Some ppl even miss this period, I am not one of those people.

I'm three weeks post-surgery, and doing well. There was very little pain after the first few days. I'm on soft food now. Today I had 1.8 ounces of tenderloin steak and 2 ounces of mashed potatoes for breakfast. Lunch was a fried egg, half a turkey sausage patty, and half an English muffin. For dinner I had fish tacos: 3 ounces of fish, 2 small Mr. Tortilla tortillas, a tablespoon of guacamole and a tablespoon of salsa. The tacos were really tasty, but were either too much or I ate too fast, because it made me quite uncomfortable for an hour or so. (Edit: I do best when I use a knife and fork to eat, taking very small bites and chewing until it's the consistency of applesauce. When I eat something with my hands like a taco, it's hard to be sure the bites are small enough.) I had protein shakes mid-morning and mid-afternoon, so I think I'm getting enough protein, but I fall behind on the water. In 5 weeks including the two-week pre-surgery diet, I've lost 29 pounds, and I fit into the next size smaller jeans with room to spare. So don't be nervous. It will be great.

I'm surprised by reading so many posts on how fast the drs are having people eat. But every facility has their own guidelines. What's odd, puree is kind of a soft diet? I'm totally on clear liquids - I'm not hungry, but my head like feed me.. Lol. But I'll get there and you will too. 🤗

Keep eating the meats that work for you. Make sure other meats are not dry and/or are in sauce. I ate a lot of chicken breast early on and had no trouble. But I was running in through the food processor first to make sure it was in small pieces and I chewed it forever. I no longer use the food processor and it sometimes now gives me trouble. My biggest issue is eating too fast. That will lead to tons of saliva (like what happens before vomiting) and foamies. It happens less now that I am better at watching myself and recognizing the signs earlier. But I had numerous unpleasant episodes in my 3rd and 4th month after surgery.

I was drinking them WAY too fast at first so I try to take 30/40 minutes to drink it and it has helped a lot. I don't feel the fullness with liquids really, so I need to slow way down in order to tell if I'm full or not. Just drinking chocolate premier protein shakes atm.

2 1/2 what exactly? Weeks? Months? Either way you shouldn't be eating salad. Both my nutritionist AND my surgeon said digesting lettuce isn't easy and to wait at LEAST 3 months before eating lettuce and to add something like butter lettuce first which more easily digestible then say... iceburg or romaine. As to the pain... maybe it's air getting in that's causing the discomfort. Air can get in if you're eating too fast or drinking too fast. Either way, definitely get your surgeons input! Hope you can figure out what's causing it and it gets better!

almost no one loses 6-8 lbs a week. I think a lot of people's expectations are skewed by TV shows like "My 600 lb Life", but you have to remember that those people started out MUCH heavier than the average WLS patient. If you lost 25 lbs in five weeks, you are perfectly normal. I lost 16 lbs the first MONTH, and I started at 373 lbs. If you haven't lost anything in the past week, then you are in a stall. If you continue to follow your program, the stall will eventually break and you'll be on your way again. You will likely experience more stalls along your journey - most of us do. When you hit them, just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days if you need to - and know that it will eventually break. They usually last 1-3 weeks. it's really pointless to compare yourself to others because rate of weight loss depends on so many factors - age, gender, activity level, metabolic rate, starting BMI, whether or not you lost weight before surgery, genetics, etc etc etc. If you're committed to your program, you WILL lose weight, whether fast or slow. I was a slow loser from day 1, and I ended up losing 100% of my excess weight.

Find out what your insurance requires. Some insurances don't require monitored weight loss, but most do. From 3 months-1 year. Some insurances that don't require the monthly weight loss instead have a percentage you have to lose to be approved (though some of the monitored weight loss insurances have this too). My insurance was different then yours and it required a 6 month monitored weight loss program, but did not have a requirement to lose weight (you just couldn't GAIN weight). You can actually generally ask the insurance coordinator at the bariatric office what your insurance requires if you don't want to call your insurance yourself. After they send the paperwork in to the insurance it takes 2-3 weeks to approve and then they'll give you a surgery date. So really it depends on 1. your insurance, and 2. how long they're scheduled out for (because I got approved at the end of November 2019, but my surgery was scheduled 2 months later on January 23 2020. So my wait from my first bariatric consultation until surgery was 8 months). The time actually goes by pretty fast. Or, at least it did for me. I ended up losing 68 pounds in that 8 month period so... I was productive lol.

So for me, my BMI was a bit lower than what most doctors would consider for the VSG surgery. I really didn't want to go that route anyway. So, I was excited to learn about the ESG. It took me a LONG time to get my expectations in line. My friend had the gastric bi-pass and loss massive weight very quickly and I guess I had that in my head. But, she started out 100 pounds heavier than I did. While logically I knew I wouldn't drop weight that fast, somehow I kept being disappointed by slow and steady progress. Even if I'd qualified for the VSG, I'd go the ESG route again. I'm still 20 pounds from my goal weight, but I'm fine with that. I've gone from a very tight size 16 to a comfortable 10. The most important thing is I'm comfortable in my skin for the first time since my early 20's. My advice is don't wait. You can debate for another year and it will be putting your life on hold that much longer. You likely know in the back of your mind which route is the way you want to go. Pull the trigger and get things moving. Set realistic expectations. Do not expect this to be an easy fix. Instead of thinking of it as making weight loss easy, think of it as making weight loss completely possible and within reach. It will be hard and you will have set backs, even early on. This group helped me so much knowing it was just that, a small set back. This is by far the best thing I've ever done for myself. Either route you choose will change your life for the better. Good luck!

I started my puree phase on Thursday and have tried mashed tuna, soft scrambled eggs, ricotta bake, and a little bit of mashed sweet potatoes so far. I haven't really haven't had too much issues with pain. I try to make sure the food is really blended well. Just of coupleof instances of going a little too fast which I understanding pacing is a learning curve. The one thing I am experiencing after eating is this constant feeling of needing to burp but I really can't. Was wondering if anyone else is going through this? Is it just my stomach adjusting to real food again or something else? It last for about an hour or so after eating and then I can finally burp a few times and it feels better.

I fasted for a lot of my life eating only one or two meals a day. All it did for me was slow my metabolism to the point I’d basically maintain on a 900 calorie diet regardless of my weight & how much activity I did. WLS boosted my metabolism & I eat more now then I ever have in my memory without gaining. There’s research coming out now that supports that keto should only be followed for a short period of time & it can cause erratic insulin levels especially in diabetics. My dietician had me follow it only for the 2+ weeks before my surgery. Surprisingly, I did lose about 5kgs but that high fat killed me - awful. But as with everything, what works for me may not work for you. You may have to try different eating plans or devise your own to find what’s right for you. There’s only one thing you can count on: if you eat more than you need you’ll gain.

So sorry to hear this. I, too, had big issues with nausea and vomiting for weeks. I am still more sensitive than most people, I think, at two months out. My surgeon had me take two different anti-nausea medicines, every three hours around the clock. I did this for a week. I also took Pepcid for about six weeks. I had a swallow X-ray test to rule out a stricture. I learned that protein shakes and some pills were triggers for me. (A food/medicine journal helped with this) Now, I don’t vomit most days, and most of the nausea is gone, unless I break a rule like eating too fast, or drinking and eating too close together. When I do vomit, I take it very easy for two days and then my pouch is better. I have also found it’s easier to drink more at a time, the more that time goes by. Hang in there, it is tough, and not everybody suffers from this. I have found it gets better!

To be honest, I was WFPBNOSS (whole foods plant based no oil, sugar, salt) for over a year and I lost some, but not nearly enough. Combined it with 1500 calories a day and lost a bit more, but then it stopped. Even took Saxenda and worked out with a trainer. Everytime my body just adjusted to the calories I was taking in. I think over a certain weight, its very hard to get back to normal weight. Read The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. Intermittent fasting or surgery is the only way out for some. WFPB makes me feel great though and I will never stop eating this way.

Congrats on your weight loss. Some people can guzzle down liquids others can’t. I can’t. I only experience that pain if I drink too fast or try to swallow too big a mouthful - usually when I’m not thinking about what I’m doing. I can take 2 sips at a time at most & then I have to put my glass down & wait before I have another.

It's different for everyone. You might talk to your group about the level of difficulty you're experiencing and see if they think it's normal. 4 weeks out, I could eat most things, but the stuff with a tough texture needed lots and lots of chewing and teenie tiny bites. Everyone is so different. How your body reacts is different. Surgeon's choice of how much to remove, how fast you heal, how much you swell....lot of variables.

6’4” here. I was 400-500 for the first several months, lost really fast. I’m one year post op, below the arbitrary goal by quite a bit and having a hard time finding a maintenance calorie count I can manage. I’m up to 1800-2000 by using food I never thought I would eat again to keep volume low but calories high and finally seem to be stabilizing. It’s the first week I haven’t lost but I also haven’t pooped in five days (this has been typical for me for the past year). I seem to be in a cycle of not going, using epsom salt to vacate the inner tubes and then weighing and using that as my weekly gauge to see where I really am. But to answer your question 2000 and if I’m maintaining it’s very close.

Honestly, I'm glad I am not alone. I am 5 weeks post op. I returned to work last week. Since going back, I have struggled with the shakes, water and the inability to eat any of the things I am supposed to be "Trying". Yesterday, at work, I tried to eat a few bites of grated turkey. I guess i ate it too fast. After 3 bites, I feel like it got stuck. It was horrible for about 3 hours. I think we just need to go back to the basics. 1) drink the water first, the 2) get in the protein via shakes and 3) if there is any time left...some of the other things we are supposed to ne eating. I am struggling so hard after going back to work. We just need to stay positive and remember why we did this.

I eat lots of meat. Ground beef, deer, pork, chicken, etc. Been doing so since going to soft food. Started out with chili, shredded chicken and pork. I cook it in my electic pressure cooker. Fast, and tender. Like it's been cooking all day. I still have trouble with overcooked meats.

I finally bit the bullet and decided to try going to a restaurant yesterday for lunch with my mom. We were at the mall and ended up at Red Robin. I have been there a bunch of times before surgery and knew that had some healthy options. When the waitress came to take our drink order I let her know I do not want anything. My mom orders iced tea. She comes back to the table with my moms iced tea and a big glass of water for me. I tell her that I didn't order any water, and could she please remove it. She gives an attitude. When she comes back for our order, I let her know that I am very nervous because it is my 1st time ordering out at a restaurant since COVID #1, and I also tell her about my surgery #2, and let her know I am nervous about ordering because I want to make sure the order is correct, as I can not eat certain things. She rolls her eyes, starts to talk really fast, and is now rushing us. Mind you there is hardly anyone in the restaurant at this time. It is after the noon time rush. She literally had only 1 other table besides ours. I decide on the Turkey Burger, ask if its grilled and she tells me yes. I let her know I am on a very strict eating plan, and can not have butter, oil, salt, etc. I want it plain and on a lettuce wrap with tomato only. She asks me if I still want the chipotle mayo and I let her know I can not do spicy anything. I ask what the side options are that are healthy and I chose broccoli. My mom orders the veggie burger with the lettuce wrap, and broccoli as well. Our food gets to the table. Mine looks great so I take a bite and burn my tongue because it had the friggin chipotle mayo I told them I did not want. I hate spicy and couldn't even do it before the surgery. Upon further investigation, I see that the tomato is missing also. My moms is in a regular bun after she told them she wanted the lettuce wrap. My mom motions to her and she clearly sees her and ignores us. We finally see the manager go by and motion to him. He comes over and we explain what is going on. We let him know about the mistakes and we just want them fixed. My mom even says that it is not the waitresses fault but probably whoever made the sandwiches. Here comes the waitress again now with our corrected order. She never apologizes, gives us a major attitude, mumbles something under her breath and walks away before we could even check our food. I double check to make sure my order is right, this time their is no mayo on it, but my tomato is missing again! OMG My moms was correct this time. I didn't even bother to ask again because at this point we just wanted to hurry up and eat and leave. Time for the check....she tells us as she is walking by in a very fast speaking tone that we can check out using the table top kiosk. My mom was buying and always uses cash, she tries getting her attention once again to ask her how does it work, as we only know it to use a card. When we look at the total we knew it was wrong because it was for 2 orders of everything we got. Now my mom is pissed (it takes a lot). She gets up and gets the manager, explains how the girl has been rude to us the entire time, orders wrong, etc. The manager tells us we owe nothing, and we ate for free. He also tells us that he is firing the waitress today. Ummmm ok that is your problem and not for our knowledge, but now at least we know why. Wow! What a bad 1st experience that was. I am afraid to try other places.