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I agree, the drinking and eating is time consuming. Take at least a week. Take what you can, you'll be glad you did. Remember its a major surgery either removing a portion of an organ or restructuring your digestive tract - either way its a serious surgery.

Andrea, have you lost just the 4 lbs from your surgery weight in November? Or do you mean in the last week/month?

I'm almost 8 weeks post-op, so further out than you but still pretty recent. I have had no trouble with liquids. I mean, I can't gulp them down, but I have been able to finish an 8oz protein shake in under 5 minutes without any issues from about a week out. Yogurt and cottage cheese go down easy, too. I try to take about 15 minutes for those just to pace myself. But those burps you are getting now are a sign you are filling up. Pay attention to that and slow down. Stop yourself from consuming more just because there's no pain. I was doing great until I reintroduced solid foods like fish and eggs. All of a sudden, a few bites and I was done. And those little burps turned into something more like stomach spasms if I ate too much or something that didn't agree with me. Things changed a lot the more I healed, actually becoming a bit more difficult. There's more pain now, and more finicky reactions from my body. There's a pretty good chance that how you feel today will not be the same as how you feel next month, and what works now might not work then. Take it slow and give yourself time to learn your new anatomy.

why yes, i do know! lol. i was/am one of those "diligent" trackers so i have over 5 yrs of food log data to statisticize, ha! on AVERAGE: weeks 1-2: 400 cals a WEEK...this was a weird time. week 3 to about 3 mnths: 400-500 cals A DAY. months 4-6: 600-700 cals a day month 7: 800-ish cals a day at this point made efforts to increase cals and by 9 months i was at about 1700-1800 cals a day. 2-3 years post-op was 2300+ a day cuz i was exercising heavily. today im at 1800-ish a day with moderate exercise (been at this calorie level for 2-ish yrs now)

I never did do a 5-yr anniversary post (which was like 3 months ago, oopsies). Here is a reply I made to someone's thread about being newly sleeved. I had alot of fun composing it - despite it going off an a total tangent - and thought it had a five-year-sleeve-anniversary type of feel to it so I'm putting it here! Am also adding my requisite swim suit shot, but this one is from vacay last month, and its NOT a full body shot, AND I'm half in the water, lol. Its too cold around here for me to change into one now and take a pic. Plus I'm lazy. So i give you: "5+ YEARS IN 1000 WORDS OR LESS": #### Begin #### Day 0: YES!! I'm alive! Weeks 1-2: Ouch, this kinda hurts. I detest all food and water! I'm sooo effing tired, im just gonna lay down here and be found in 3 weeks, half-eaten by wild dogs. Weeks 3-4: Oh wow, I LOVE water! Eating is such a chore. I don't want to do it. I lost HOW MUCH weight?? Whoa, this thing is gonna actually work! LET'S DO THIS! Those dogs will be very disappointed in eating me. Months 2-4: Am I ever going to eat like a normal person?? It taking me for-EVAH to eat my tiny cup of food. I am sick of people commenting on how I eat. Exercise is so much funner/easier when I'm not so big! Let me sign up for EVERYTHING! I LOVE new clothes! I am losing my hair! Who knew salad is my favourite thing on earth? Months 5-7: If one more person tells me to stop losing weight or asks if i have a disease I'm going to sic my wild dogs on them. I guess this is life now: eating tiny bits of food all day long...I guess I can do that, small price to pay for looking HAWT and feeling A-MAY-ZING. I wonder if anyone knows how full of myself I really am.... Months 8-10: OMG.I CAN'T POSSIBLY UP MY CALORIES TO MAINTENANCE LEVEL! HOW AM I GOING TO STOP LOSING WEIGHT! I AM GOING TO WITHER AWAY AND DIE! Month 11: Oh. So THAT's my maintenance calorie level. That's not so hard. I'm not going to die after all. Ok, Ok, I'll just take this ONE cigarette from you, handsome Italian guy in Italy...even though I quit cold turkey 10 years ago...it can't hurt, right? Month 14: Plastic. Surgery. Month 15: *cries* Month 16: Whoa, I'm looking even HAWT-er than before. How is this even possible? I wonder if anyone has ever exploded from being so full of themselves.... Month 17: Why hello carbs, I've missed you. bread, Pasta, Rice, we shall never be parted again! Oh, nice to meet you for the first time COVID! How long are you staying? Month 18-21: All skinny and plastic-ed up and no where to go. Eff you COVID. I guess I'll just do a little online shopping for stuff to wear when I am finally allowed out of the house. Sure, I'll have that martini for Breakfast. Hey, my hair is back to normal...and its even nicer than before. Go figure. Years 3-5: Huh. I stayed below goal weight this entire time and I am the picture of satisfactory health...does that make me awesome? I dunno...my closet is bursting with clothes...most of which I've worn maybe once or not at all. How am I still smoking??? It was only supposed to be one cigarette!!! I think I may have developed high-functioning alcoholism? Food intolerances? Who me? Nah, I can eat anything and everything, EXCEPT large amounts of sugar at one time cuz, you know, I may pass out on the couch. I may not eat as much as everyone around me, but I don't want to anyway, so there! But let me cook for you, bake for you, make copious amounts of food for you! And no, i AM NOT finished reading this menu in it's entirety...I'm about to order enough food for 5 people...you better be hungry! Today I take no medications other than for my acid reflux (which unfortunately came on due to my sleeve surgery). I eat carbs and (small amounts) of Desserts, I drink alcohol. My last physical/labs 6 months ago produced no concerns - other than an abnormal thickening of my uterine lining, but that has since resolved. I have ridiculous amounts of energy, I rarely fight with my husband, I handle stress and annoyance like a grown up. I'm digging life. Oh, and I still look HAWT. *mic drop* P.S. i also finally quit smoking 5 months and 14 days ago. yay me! hopefully I don't meet another handsome Italian with an extra cigarette in the future. Edited to add: P.P.S. sorry..i meant to just reply about the first few weeks after my sleeve surgery and food progression, but my fingers got a life of their own as I typed out my reply. plus it was kinda fun writing this. I may cut and paste this into a more appropriate thread if I find one Good Luck! ❤️ #### END ####

I had gastric sleeve surgery a little over a week ago and I'm struggling with some pretty bad congestion and a clogged ear that just won't let up. I haven't been able to hear out of my right ear since surgery, nothing seems to be helping. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this after surgery and if you have any tips on how to help with either the congestion or unclogging my ear.

It’s how we measure total cholesterol & is measured in millimoles per litre. Healthy is considered 3.9 - 5.5. 5.5 - 6.5 is considered borderline. So I’m in the lower end of the borderline range now @GreenTealael. When it first went back to 5 I thought the same thing @catwoman7, my body just settling back into its norm. But now… Thinking it maybe the dairy I eat now which is way more than I had before surgery (before 3 or 4 serves a week now 2 or 3 a day a day). Meat is a little less. Butter is less. Cook more in air fryer or bake in the oven. May be I’m missing something, Or it could be the creons I take to aid my absorption of protein. They maybe changing my fat absorption??? Or it could be not having a gall bladder??? I seem to have more questions now.

Hey all, I had surgery on 4/16 and everything went really, really well. I'm on full liquids for the next couple of weeks. I found something odd though. They kept telling me in the pre op program that my stomach would be so small that I would need to sip all day. The thing is, I don't. I still drink good amounts of water at a time with no consequence. My surgeon didn't mention anything post surgery, but it's leaving me a little curious. Has anyone else had something similar happen? I'm worried that a bigger tummy is going to lead down the road of bad choices again.

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.

Have you reached out to your team? What did they think? Are you still allowed to supplement with protein shakes? At 7 weeks post op I wasn’t hungry at all. But some people regain their hunger signals sooner/later. Also some people experience what they think is hunger and it’s either thirst or reflux. I can tell you that I’m 6+ yrs out and I’m hungrier if I don’t get enough protein but focus on carbs. It’s almost like I have to start my days properly (fluids then protein) or I’m hungry all day long. This does not happen If I front load my meals with a protein. I hope you find a solution!

I workout 4 times a week, due still to still being early out (not 6 months out yet) I try to workout every other day otherwise I get too sore and my muscles don't recover because I don't get in enough protein and calories no matter how hard I try. I don't feel guilt per se but I feel restlessness like I should be working out instead of resting. I also feel sluggish on those days and my mental health gets impacted (I'm addicted to endorphins and dopamine, and to me exercise is therapy). With a history of being athletic my entire adulthood and working out consistently for decades, I don't feel good on the days I don't workout but I also remind myself of how I would feel the next day if I don't sit my behind down and give my muscles time to recover. So long story short you're not alone!

it's an individual thing, but most of us are supposed to shoot for 60-80 grams of protein a day. Calories are all across the board, depending on your body composition and activity level. There are people on here (well, women - men can usually eat more) who maintain on 2000 a day, and others who can only have 1200 a day. It takes some trial and error to figure out your maintenance level. Log your food for a couple of weeks (if you're not already) and note your average calorie intake. If you're gaining weight, slowly reduce your calories. If you're losing weight (and don't want to), then gradually increase them until you reach a point where you want to be - and are maintaining that.

Doing okay here, too! Today is officially 4 months post-op and I'm feeling pretty good, although I've been very tired lately. I'm wondering if it's the heat, or if I need to get better about eating on a regular schedule. I'm prepping for vacation right now and I know the next week is going to be a little crazy when it comes to food and exercise being off track. I've stocked up on easy sources of protein for the trip, including single serve packs of roasted edamame, beef jerky, and nuts, plus protein bars. My doctor's office called today and said I could stop taking omeprazole since I have completed the 90-day prescription they gave me. Now I just have another 2 months left of the ursudiol. I can't wait for that one to be finished because it is so hard to swallow. It's too light and basically floats instead of wanting to go down. I need to remember to take my 4-month progress photos. I think I will try to take them in the morning tomorrow as I'm feeling kind of bloated with the heat today.

So as I’m looking at these healthy recipes I am thinking that my food choices will be more quality over quantity In the future. I know that some generic products are exactly the same but for those that aren’t I am splurging on the better brands and thinking of using fresh products more often. Instead of grated Parmesan cheese in a shaker I plan to get the chunk of Parmesan and grate it fresh for instance. I know that for my broccoli cheese soup I use fresh grated cheddar and it makes a huge difference so im hoping that’s the same with Parmesan. I’m going to try the cheese grater I already have to see if that works but if not the rotary ones are pretty inexpensive. I’m also going to do fresh vegetables and herbs. I may even experiment with making my own sauces and dressings eventually. Hopefully that will infuse better flavor to the healthy stuff. I also have a store near me that has a lot more healthy options and really good produce but I never go because it hasn’t been important enough to me in the past. I am like 10 minutes away once a week for my crochet group though so I figured I can at least go that often to start and more often if necessary. It’s ironic because I don’t want to go because it’s “too far” yet I wouldn’t think twice about driving that far for an unhealthy restaurant or just about anything else to be honest. My plan is to prioritize my health and that begins with the food I am putting into my body. Now I just have to figure out a plan for the exercise and actually follow through on all of it. . Anyone else have any ideas to get us on the right track?

It's not that you need hard truth, you just need to face some truths for yourself. There's nothing we can tell you that you don't already know. You know what the bariatric diet is. You know what to eat and what not to. You know how much to eat, how often, and when to stop. You need to get back to basics. Maybe start the bariatric diet over. Do a week on each step of the diet to retrain your stomach and brain on what to do and not do. There's no "pouch shrinking diet" but there's a "retrain yourself how to eat properly again" diet, and it's essentially to start back over with the basics and go from there. Reach back out to the nutritionist from your surgeon's office if you need help or new meal ideas. Go back to using calorie/carb/protein/fat counting apps. Measure out your food again. Log your meals and meal plan. Make sure you're moving your body at least a little every day. Cut out sugar and salt as much as you can. Do all the things you did when you lost the 70 pounds. Do the things you already know to do. There's not really any new tips and tricks. It's lifestyle changes you need to make and stick with. If you didn't do it before, do it now.

The PPI won’t cause hunger. It reduces the acid in your tummy. You’re ahead of the game if you can differentiate between head & real hunger. Yay! Those distraction activities will help when you are experiencing head hunger. If you feel hungry after you’ve eaten, that’s head hunger too. Try a warm drink instead of a shake. They’re a meal replacement not a snack. Many are advised to wait at least three or four hours between eating & only three meals a day & maybe a snack. I still have times I can feel liquids go down. It’s a bit weird at first but now it’s just one of those things like my vey noisy, rumbling, grumbling tummy. Your experience last night sounds like late stage dumping not the foamies. The foamies (frothy, thick saliva & bringing up what you ate that was stuck or too coarse or too much) occurs pretty soon after you’ve eaten the offending food. Dumping symptoms can include chills, weakness, light headedness, nausea, bloating, heart palpitations & vomiting &/or diarrhoea. Dumping usually occurs if you eat foods that are too fatty, have too much sugar. Even dairy can cause it. It occurs when these foods go through your tummy to your intestines very quickly (dumps through your system). About 40% of bypass patients can experience dumping. Once you work out what causes yours, you can avoid those foods. Some say in time they work out how much of those foods they can eat without experiencing dumping. Worth a conversation with your team to diagnose & management.

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

this is a great idea! way to be ahead of the game!! For this weeks meal prep I did: Breakfast Sausage "McGriddles": Macros: 257cal 8.4g fat Carbs 13g Protein 28g Fiber 2g Serving size 2 regular or 1 biggun! I dip mine in 1tbls of lite syrup. 1C of Kodiak protein pancake mix 1C of egg whites 1/4C reduced fat cheese 16oz of Jenni-o Turkey Sausage Makes 6 Big muffins or 12 regular size cupcake size Then I bought of fruit, so I washed and cut it up put them in zip lock gallon bags for our lunches Veggies: broccoli, carrots that are washed and cut up Chicken breast that I cooked: I have been making wraps for lunches and then I use it for dinners Yogurt bark: Dannon lite and fit strawberry cheesecake yogurt and fage 0% yogurt, sprinkled strawberries on top and 1/8C of granola; spread on parchment paper and put in the freezer for a couple of hours then I took it out and broke it up and its in the freezer. Cottage Cheese Brownies (THESE ARE AMAZING!): Macros 79cal Fat 4.1g Carbs 19g Net carbs 2g Protein 6g Makes 6 servings (I baked in a 8x8 pan but I will do these again in muffin tin) 3/4C cottage cheese (I used 2% good culture) 1 egg 80g of swerve sugar 1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder 1 dash of salt 45g of Cacao Bliss or raw cacao powder (not Hershey's) 40 Dark Chocolate chips (I used Lillys)

9 weeks 4 weeks wearing my compression garment except when showering or it being washed. 4 more weeks wearing it all day, but sleeping without. Took it off forever a week ago. I was doing housework for my MIL a few days after taking it off, leaning over to scrub a couple tubs I noticed a slight pain in my stomach to the right of my new belly button. Not sure if it was the belly button or ab repair that I irritated. It wasn't bad, but it did tell me not to rush it. I also noticed that my scar in the back started itching again. It isn't that drive me crazy itching, and I attribute it to not having that slick protective layer to keep it from being rubbed by clothes or the seat. I'm also able to massage my breast scars without pain now. When I first tried after the incision healed, it irritated it and I started getting sharp twinges. . As far as the way it looks, my breasts look great. I love the gummy implants. My 360 looks a little saggy. Either he didn't cut enough off, or it's still the inflamation. 2 months is supposed to be too early to see what the final result will look like, so I'm hopeful. It definately does look better. Looking forward to getting my thighs and arms done next. I don't recommend my surgeon because they never answered the questions I emailed asking how much the skin they took off weighed or how much fat they lipo'd. I also never got the card for my implants or the before pics he took. He was great leading up to the surgery and during my follow-up appointment, but once I left Mexico, nothing.

THANK YOU! So much for your kind response. This is indeed work and I intend to stick to the plan...it's been easy up until last week when I was able to start in on pureed foods. I took that as a challenge to see what I can thoroughly chew before swallowing. And I've paid the price by doing so...Easter was really hard. I'm trying my best to get my proteins in, but more than that too. Didn't really realize sodium plays a negative roll as well. I decided on surgery before gaining more weight. I was almost not qualified due to not weighing enough but my doctors worked with me. I have had a real bad relationship with food for so long. And with the pre-op diet going so well and the first 2 weeks of liquids i thought for sure I'd be golden by the time I hit pureed foods. But now I feel as if I've just set myself back. I have to really digest this new lifestyle change. Thanks for responding it really means a lot.

A bit concerned. I sent a message to my PCP and haven't heard anything back yet. I've been having some major issues with dizziness, to the point of nearly blacking out for the past 2 weeks or so. I had blood work done on Thursday and my iron, b12, and A1c were all checked and the results came back that all are normal. Not low normal but right smack in the middle normal. My bp was 105/63 (I average between 104/60 - 108/68). Glucose was 97 and A1c was 5.0. My b12 was 717. My iron was 53. So very normal. Does anyone else have this issue? What could this be, and how can I fix it? I make sure not to get up too fast, I get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. But this seems to happen when I get up from either laying or sitting or when I stand for too long. My blood work came in today, so I'm hoping to hear back from my doctor tomorrow since I didn't today.

I am 8 months post op from RNY and what I can tolerate has expanded quite a bit even in just the past few months, after I made it past the 6-month mark especially. You're still healing right now and the next 12 months or so will be very different than the rest of your life that comes after. I love tacos, but instead of filling up on tortilla, I often make a taco salad and just crumble a few tortilla chips on top. Or I order fajitas and eat the meat/veg/cheese but leave the tortilla (or just eat a bite or two if I really want it, which is all I can really manage without getting too full). Ice cream, chips and queso, guac are all fine and I do eat them sometimes as a treat. Try eating guac with carrots when you're okay to have raw veg. It's delicious and very healthy in moderation. Falafel is still a bit filling and too low in protein, but I would take a bite or two. Mac and cheese and pad thai would be pretty low on my list as the noodles are just so heavy. Like, they don't even sound good any more. I do like spaghetti made with spiral zucchini, though. Maybe you could make homemade pad thai using spiral veg instead of the noodles? You could eventually try the Banza chickpea mac and cheese as it's much higher in protein, though right now, I find it's so heavy I don't like it. Over the next several months, you will be able to eat a lot more, both in types and quantity of food. My advice is focus on developing a good routine and keeping your food at 80-90% of the healthy foods like lean protein, veg, and fruit. If you do that, you can indulge in a favorite snack every few days, or maybe one meal a week that isn't so nutritious, or go for ice cream a couple times a month, and it's no big deal. You just can't do it every day. And I suggest not buying anything tempting for your house. I go for a scoop of ice cream at a local farm but I won't keep it in my freezer because I would want it every day.

I’ve managed to move the scale about 3lbs this week. Not much but since it wasn’t moving at all I’ll take it. I am down several Jean sizes though and the other day I put a shirt on that looked ridiculous it was so big. My hair has started shedding pretty bad so I’m really watching my protein intake and not missing any vitamins. Hoping it slows down soon before it becomes noticeable. It’s usually pretty thick so I have a little to spare. I think maybe I’ve managed to get rid of a chin or two also lol. Here’s a current picture I don’t have many from right before surgery but the one where I look like I might pop is at my granddaughters birthday present last July courtesy of my daughter 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I had surgery on 4/8/24. I had a bypass. I am able to drink fluids with no restrictions. I'm on the puree stage. At 2 weeks out I have only lost 16 pounds. The last 3 days the scale actually went up 2 lb. I'm not going to lie. This is an uncomfortable feeling. Specially because I'm sticking with Drs orders. I do notice that even though I eat 3 ounces of food and try to keep up with my fluid intake I don't get a "full" feeling. It does not take me a long time to eat. So I'm not sure how to feel about that.

Hey!! You are a little over 2 weeks post op. Burping and feeling bloated are quite normal. As the internal swelling goes down these will ease (unless you chug water, then you'll feel bloated for sure! LOL). It isn't unusual to feel like things are creeping up your esophagus, right now everything is very swollen in there and that leads to a pressurized feeling. It can feel like water and food take forever to go down, or that they go down a bit and then start trying to crawl back up, before going down again. I had all these issues. I also had this thing where every time I drank something I could feel the fluid displacing air in my digestive tract, causing burping and then this trickling, gurgling feeling AND sound as the fluid tracked down into my stomach. It sounded like liquid going down a drain you just unclogged. It was weird as hell. LOL It lasted for the first month until the swelling went down enough inside to make more space. Fluids for another week are not going to hurt you. When you say fluids do you mean strict liquids only like milk and water? Or are you including shakes, pudding, yogurt, and so on? I was on strict fluids only for 2 weeks, no yogurt or puddings and I wasn't even able to stomach a real protein shake for the first month. I was not able to get any protein down the first two weeks without intense stomach spasms. The surgeon said that was not unusual at all. After the first two weeks we were supposed to introduce thin purees for the third week, and he told me I could have really soft fish and soft eggs. I hated purees. Yogurt sat too heavy. I still couldn't do jello. Sugar free pudding was a no too. I could do protein water, milk, a little bit of soft pureed egg, and weirdly enough, a little soft fish chewed well. At the 4th week we were told to progress to soft solids, but it took me another week before I was able to consistently. I had to be very gradual about my food progression. My team said that was perfectly fine, everyone's pace is a little different, just be sure to keep them posted on your progress as you go and follow their advice, but without forcing yourself to eat things your tummy doesn't feel ready for. You sound like you are right on schedule. ❤️