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the only issue I really had was that getting in and out of bed was a bit of a challenge the first few days. I could do it - but my abs felt like I'd done 10000 crunches. Other than that, I had no pain and was able to get around fine. It was just that transitioning (going from lying down to standing up - and vice versa) was tricky. But once I was up - or down - I had no pain and could get around with no problem. My husband had taken a week off of work, but he ended up going back after three days because I really didn't need him to do anything for me. It was nice to have him bring me protein shakes or whatever, but it wasn't really necessary.

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

the first stall out of the gate at around the three-week mark (although it comes earlier for some, later for others) is extremely common. We even have a name for it "the three-week stall". Almost everyone has that. In fact, if you do a search on this site for it, you'll find over 17,000 posts on it. And I am NOT kidding. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days, and the stall will break. Usually takes 1-3 weeks. And know that it's likely the first of many stalls. It's a natural part of losing weight. I think your body just has to stop and recalibrate once in a while. constipation is also a very common issue after weight loss surgery. It's probably due to the high protein diet plus some of the supplements (iron and calcium supplements are the usual culprits). A lot of us have to take daily Miralax or stool softeners to keep on top of it. Other things that might help - magnesium tablets, prunes, Smooth Move tea. You might have to experiment to see what works for you. I take a capful of Miralax every morning and have been doing it for eight years. does the dizziness occur when you stand up? If so, it's probably orthostatic hypotension - also very common early after surgery - and it eventually goes away. Until then, just stand up SLOWLY. Protein shakes also count as liquids, so it may not be as difficult as you think to hit your fluid goals. the first few weeks are a challenge, but. you'll soon have all this behind you!!

No it was never explained its just the amount given since I went to solids. I even confirmed it at my 6 month when they increase my protein to 80 grams. I questioned how I was to increase protein yet stay on the same calories...I was told "make high protein choices." Thank you everyone for responding, I knew to keep keeping on..since as Ms.sss stated weight loss is weight loss. Its just frustrating, to be right back where I was before surgery; hungry all the time and only losing a pound a week despite eating healthy, cutting back and being hungry 24/7! Yes, I've lost 90+lbs since..I was just hoping the struggle would have been a bit easier ..at least have gotten the "honeymoon" period of not being hungry and losing a lot the first few months. Thanks again everyone!

First photo was 1 month before WLS (Dec 2021), the other photos were taken a week after my 2nd surgery-versary 8 Feb 2024. I noticed that I don't have any full body shots before the surgery. I was really conscious about my thighs and how big my lower body was. Not anymore haha

Congrats and good luck! I had mine last Monday, and had similar doubts going into it. The first 8 hours afterwards was the worst, but it wasn't so much that it hurt, it was more just an uncomfortable feeling. That combined with coming out of anesthesia and the way I overthink things didn't help, haha, but around 8 hours afterwards it started easing dramatically. I felt way better the next morning and walking was easy after that. Definitely recommend walking and Gas-X to reduce the pressure feeling. As for the scale not moving, just remember that weight loss is not linear, it comes in waves. Whenever there's a sharp change to our body, our mind overreacts because it thinks we're under threat and its trying to save our life, even if its something as simple as a diet. The fat we accumulated was as a defense measure to protect against starvation for our ancestors, but we as humans haven't adapted to the plentiful amount of food and high carbohydrate availability that we have present day. Think of our fat cells as little balloons that can store pieces of fat as a potential fuel source for starvation protection. As we go into a deficit with our calorie restriction, the body is forced to burn those pieces of fat, but those balloons remain, waiting to be filled back up again "just in case". If our body thinks it is threatened after a significant amount of that fat fuel is burned, it will temporarily fill it with water/fluid to keep the balloons in tact. This is where the "water weight" you may have heard of comes into play. So even though the fat itself is gone, those balloons are hanging on for dear life, thinking they're trying to save you. Only after some time passes, the body decides that its safe to shed those empty fat balloons, and you'll have a "whoosh" of weight loss after a stall period. These stalls can be 1 week to a couple months, which makes it very easy to get discouraged. When (not if) you get to a stall, just remember to stay the course. You had an entire lifetime to condition your body that your higher food intake was the normal amount required for survival, so it won't be convinced that everything is ok with a reduced caloric intake for a little while. Your weight loss will appear like stair steps instead of a straight line. Also anticipate slight gains during these stalls. That is just the water retention, and not fat reappearing, so think of it as "fake weight". As you get close to your final goal, and you're exercising more, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, I think about 1.5x as much. So as you build muscle, it will offset the number on the scale. That is why the scale number isn't as important in the final phase of your weight loss journey. It can be discouraging if you're only chasing the number, so keep in mind all the other victories towards the end. Think of the energy you have, an easier time breathing, the ability to do things you couldn't before, being able to wear clothes you never thought you'd fit in, and the additional years added to your life!

A little back ground with me. I had gastric sleeve 10 years ago because of my over weight issue I wasn’t getting my period and I wasn’t able to get pregnant. After the sleeve I loss total of 60 lbs, and got pregnant. The first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. I was very depressed about it. So my next 2 pregnancies I made sure I eat and gave enough nutrients for my babies. Also I didn’t keep up with the weight loss after I gave birth. Now after 10 years of the surgery I regained almost all my weight. My issue with pcos such as no having period came back… didn’t have period for like 2 years. Also have other issue like cholesterol, foot pain and Gerd. I thought about having revision for almost 3 years and I took action and had gastric bypass about a week ago. I am feeling some emotional up and down…been crying for the last few days. I feel such a failure of having to have to get the revision when the doctor gave me a chance. My surgery also didn’t go perfect. I was under the anesthesia for over 4-5 hours, (I didn’t get an exact time from the doctor when I came out from surgery. Family was inform about the equipment issue and didn’t see me untill the afternoon) because one of the equipment broke and the medical team had to wait for the replacement. I went into surgery 7am and woke up 4pm. when I woke up they had me take a walk and tried drinking sips of water. I vomited right back with 2 big chunks of clogged blood. And I tried drinking again but kept vomiting dark brown color liquid out, like old blood. ( sorry if it’s too much description) it was quite a lot of it even I didn’t drink so much water. The nurse informed the doctor and they said it’s normal and they did just literally cut my stomach. So some amount of blood is normal, but because I was under the anesthesia for so long maybe I am feeling sick from it. So they told me not to drink anything for the first day and started me on liquid the next day. The next day I was fine and went home. I felt horrible the first day and the pain in my stomach is there everywhere probably gas. The feeling after the revision surgery is completely different than how I felt the first time. I am aware it’s a bigger operation, but I just didn’t expect it to be like that. When I return home my stomach pain was still there, but eventually it did get better, but after a few days my whole stomach was so itchy, I thought the incisions were healing and that why I am feeling this way. The next day all my incisions were swollen red. BTW I had 6 big incision and 2 small needle punctures. When it got swollen, red and itchy it was at night and I waited another day and called my doctor asap in the morning. They told me I am having an allergic reaction to the dermabond. I am just feeling itchy, my incisions are raised and lumpy, it’s been over a week and I lose only 5 lbs. ( comparing to other people who loss 10-20lbs, i think to myself why am I not loss it?) and when I look at scars from the mirror I just broke down and cried. Thinking what did I do to myself…. I know I should stop being so bitter, and stop complaining. But I just feel like such a failure because I failed the first surgery, and I put myself in this journey again and things are not going so great… there are the positive side that I should look at, but I just can’t help it. *note- goal weight 150lbs pre op weight 273lbs started liquid diet 258lbs I had a stall during liquid diet for 1 week. Most people loss 10-15 lbs during liquid diet. I loss 8lbs. I followed everything my nutritionist told me and had 1 lean protein 3oz and 3 oz vegetable for lunch for 2 weeks. i w so hungry that the morning of surgery the nurse told me my blood pressure was actually very low. Surgery day 250lbs 1week post op 245lbs I don’t know what type of response I am waiting to get here. Maybe I am just venting and hoping to feel better.

Thanks for your really honest post. I can see this happening to me and others years after surgery - there are just so many pressures to eat and drink things that aren't good. It sounds like you're ready for a change and to lose some of that regain if possible. I agree that there will be headwork as well as diet work to do. Arabesque's post is super sensible and I hope you can take all of that on board. I would just add, returning to the basics of protein first, veg second for a few weeks might let you see a loss again. Maybe set a time limit of 4 weeks adhering strictly to that and see how you progress? I like a glass or two of wine at weekends but if you can cut out alcohol completely (empty calories) then do. If not, then minimise. Think about why you need to have a few drinks in order to socialise online and think about what joy that socialising brings to your life (Vs the joy of being at your ideal weight). When you start losing weight again hopefully this will reinforce your new choices.

I totally understand how you feel. I started 2 week liquid diet (3 protein shakes and jello) on Dec 13th. Had my surgery on Dec 27th, then 3 days clear broth, and am now back on 2 week liquid diet (4 protein shakes and jello). I can not wait til the 14th when I move to softs.

Hello everyone, I’m 9 months out from my sleeve surgery. Had an easy post op without complications. However for the last 4 weeks or so I have moments where I get such bad gas (not flatulence, but painful, loud, trapped gas). I haven’t figured out exactly what causes it although the other night I ate some hummus and I immediately knew it didn’t go down well and felt full and like I had a rock in my tummy. After that happens it’s like 12 hours of pain and huge loud thumps and thuds. Then my insides feel like they’ve went through a war and they feel pain for a couple of days. I’ve now lost a little too much weight because I’m so scared to eat anything that will cause this. My hair is still falling out, I’m not eating enough and I’m usually in pain. I have an appointment with my surgeon but in the meantime I’m desperate. Anyone else have any experience with this?

Pooping was my ticket out of the hospital .... to go home I had to go. Since I didn't go fast enough for them , they gave me Miralax and oh boy - I was a volcano erupting 5 minutes ! Let's just say I spent 2 weeks in adult diapers ......... UGH !

Aww, thanks! I'm glad it helped! It is amazing at how sensitive and reactive our tummies are post-op. They definitely have opinions! How are you feeling now with another week having passed? Early out things can change so quickly looking back on it but in the moment feel like they take forever. I blame it on the "drinking water like it is your only job" thing, the day seems to stretch on sooo long when you have 64oz worth of baby sips to take! 🤣

Lots of nerves were cut during your surgery so the messages/signals you used to feel around your eating rather aren’t getting through or are distorted. It’s why it’s so important to stick to the portion sizes and timing for eating/drinking you’ve been given. It takes about 8 weeks to fully recover from the surgery & the nerves are healed. It’s then too that you may start to feel your restriction (a tightness across your upper chest). It’s a good opportunity to become more aware of more subtle signals around having had enough or too much to eat or drink. I still ask myself do I need the next bite or sip or do I just want it & I’m five years out. Also when your signals do come back you may notice they’re different. Sneezing, runny nose, hiccups, etc can all be your new signals for having eaten or drunk enough. A gurgling tummy,or hunger pangs aren’t in most cases a signal you are hungry. They’re usual a signal that your digestive system is working. I don’t know why but the gurgling & growling seems much louder after surgery. Mine are very loud & yes I still get them (it’s happening now). I say I have a poltergeist in my tummy, rumbling, grumbling, squelching & rattling the chains. My younger nieces & nephew think it’s hilarious! All the best with your recovery.

I can fixate on a food/drink for a few weeks/months then almost never eat it again. It’s challenging so I try to switch things up before I get to that point. Since you have a narrow palette at the moment, I would suggest logging/tracking your meals to make sure you are not missing any important micronutrients. If you have access to your dietitian or nutritionist, ask them for help to balance your meals. p.s. I use an airfryer for most meals because it’s more convenient.

What version of the truth you choose to tell is up to you IMO. If you refer to the gall bladder thing as a stomach surgery and you said your “stomach surgery” is why your losing- frankly that’s not a lie because the WLS was a stomach surgery too. In terms of claiming it’s due to all the changes you are making that’s absolutely true. I made the changes three years ago and guess what. I changed back to old eating habits and I have gained it all back. I still have a sleeve but I am obese again. So that surgery did not do the work to lose the weight. I did. And the second I stopped doing my part I started gaining and ended up right back where I started. My point is it is what you are doing that is making all the difference in your weight. The surgery is just a tool. No one tells a carpenter he is taking shortcuts if he uses a drill instead of a screwdriver. So why does society assume we shouldn’t take advantage of the best tools money can buy to set us up to succeed. I am willing to bet that they all buy the latest and greatest gadgets they can afford to make things easier on themselves. And realistically it’s not even like it makes it that much easier. It just makes it possible instead of impossible!! IMO taking the lazy or easy way out would be to never try anything. We have tried everything. To include facing some pretty scary complications not everyone would face to achieve their goals. Nothing about this is easy and people who think it is are just ignorant. You just have to decide what your comfortable sharing. It’s no one’s business unless you want them to know. Honestly if someone was really going to think I was doing drugs I would just think to myself that they never really knew me anyways so what reason do I have to care what they think about me. You are facing enough with your upcoming surgery. I say Focus on yourself and your health.

Thank you for your time and your answer 'Cat'! It helps me alot. I had the sleeve and I have being obsessing ever since that something is wrong because my hunger (I don't which type) never went away and my restriction seems quite forgiving. Till yesterday that someone told me that maybe the surgery didn't cut a big enough piece of my stomach.. I've been crying all day. I do follow the portions the nutritionist gave me but got scared when I compared myself to others, some of them saying the could not even tolerate soup 2 or 3 weeks post op. It is surely a struggle, mainly mentally, and I have decided to go to therapy about it. I will keep in mind the things you said about hunger and head hunger and try not to panic when I feel them. Thanks again for your reply❤️

I went with the bypass because it had the better chance of resolving my issues with hypertension, cholesterol, and blood sugar, and much better chance of not developing GERD. I also know the 10-year weight loss/regain numbers are a bit better for bypass. And, just a minor consideration, but I felt better not having part of my body removed. I know, I had my intestines rerouted and all that, but my stomach is still in there and somehow that made me have more peace of mind. 2 weeks out today and my recovery has been fantastic. My doctor moved me along to basically a regular solid food diet at my appointment, with just some restrictions regarding excluding beef/pork/lamb and raw veg for a few more weeks. I've had no issues, only minor pain the first few days, and I feel fantastic. I can walk for an hour or more at a time with no problem. My recovery has been much easier than my brother's when he had the sleeve several years back, though not sure if that has anything to do with the surgery type.

Give your surgeon a call. You really shouldn’t be experiencing a lot or any pain (besides a little discomfort or lingering surgical gas pain) at this point especially after it was initially managed. Some people find sleeping in a recliner helpful or prop themselves up on extra pillows or a wedge. I presume you are still using your CPAP machine. It can be hard to meet those protein & fluid goals in the beginning. And yes you’ll have days when it is easier than others. As long as you are making an effort & can see an improvement over a couple of weeks you’ll be okay. Oh & yes those shakes can be hideous after surgery, The temporary change to your taste buds doesn’t help. I found them very grainy so texturally blah! I diluted them (added another 50% water) & fir ed myself to have one for breakfast. Tried the bone broths but they seemed so salty (glad you enjoy them). Thank gracious for cream soups & consommés. All the best.

I have my evaluation in Jan 9th and hoping to schedule the following week or so!

My dr said if it’s more than 3 days then to do a triple dose of milk of magnesium and stay home, it should work within an hour. My surgery was on the 10th but luckily only had a week on liquids..

I was sleeved in March of 2015 (HW 405, SW 357, LW 238, sustained 260 for a few years), had some regain where I hit 315, so I went on a hybrid Optifast/Numetra diet through a program at Kaiser (my then insurance in California). It worked well, I dropped about 50 pounds and was happy with that, but then I had some mental health issues including some passive ideation, so I decided to move across country (technically back home) to Delaware and share a living space with my brother and his wife and pets. Since that move I've gained back the 50 pounds I lost, I have another hiatal hernia, and severe acid reflux/GERD so now I'm on the path to revision to bypass. Thing is, I never wanted bypass, that's why I had the sleeve in the first place, the reworking of my internal plumbing scares the heck out of me! I've known a ton of people who've had it with no issues, but I've also known a couple who passed away from complications (granted, that was 20 years ago, and I know things have improved medically since then). But the idea of having dumping syndrome, and malabsorption, and needing to take vitamins and supplements forever - UGH - I'm freaking out!! 😨😖 I have an anxiety disorder (SAD & GAD) and my anxiety has been through the ROOF the past few weeks! My surgery date is August 26 - 13 days from today! - and I started my pre-op diet the other day (Monday), but part of me wants to cancel everything! However, there is a part of me that can't wait for the relief from the GERD. I guess I'm not asking for anything here, mostly just venting my anxiety. 🤣

Thanks for the reference. I ended up having a capsulorrhaphy procedure on my right shoulder about two months after my VSG surgery. They also repaired the labrum, rotator cuff, and she spent over 45 minutes just cleaning up the bursitis. She put in 4 anchors during the procedure just to try and stabilize the shoulder. I used Alison Cabrera @ UTSW, and would highly recommend her. I ended up on daily hydrocodone just to get me to that surgery, however, I was still able to maintain my daily steps. Shoulder surgery is no joke! And this was all done to try to get me another 10 years so I can get reverse shoulder replacement 😐 My range of motion is limited now, but that was to be expected. I'm doing my best to protect my left shoulder so I can avoid surgery as long as possible. I've finally gotten used to sleeping flat on my back. For VSG follow up, I ended up about 80lbs lost. Right now I'm sitting about 75lbs down (gained 5lbs back) as I am noticing I can eat a little more (but still really restricted). I have a little anxiety about that as I am just over 10 months post VSG surgery. The last thing I want to do is undo all of the work. I'm still staying positive and using the Streaks app (iOS) to help with motivation (70K steps a week, plus 360 minutes of workout per week (includes walking)). I need to get back into putting all of my food into the fitness pal app. After the VSG surgery and the shoulder surgery, I ended up in a depression. Talking with a therapist who had experience with bariatric surgery helped. I don't think it was a depression just because of the VSG. I'm sure the chronic pain followed by a shoulder surgery (sling for 6 weeks post-op; and PT for 5 months) contributed significantly. As I mentioned previously, make sure your are taking care of your mental health. @Humikrig Good luck on your surgery!

How is everyone doing now?? I'll be officially 12 weeks out tomorrow! I'll post my stats then and update you guys. I can't believe we are all getting to the 3 month mark...

Haha, me too! I've been out to breakfast twice and both times I had eggs. One time I ordered one egg scrambled with sausage, hold the toast. The other time I went with a friend and she ordered the big breakfast special that had pancakes, eggs, sausage, home fries, and toast. She gave me the eggs and sausage and ate the rest. We both had leftovers from a meal intended for one person! I also went to a NY style deli in CT last week and ordered the smoked whitefish salad appetizer. It was perfect! I ate half at the table and took the rest with me to eat a couple hours later. I was slightly sad to decline the offer of their fresh rye bread, but no way could I eat it.

Day one of my liquid diet. After re reading my pre op diet, it states that I can’t have creamy soups. 😕 I hope these two weeks go by super fast.