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Honestly, I just got new ones. I went from a size 10 ring to a size 5. I used ring sizers at first, but I was losing too fast and went from size 10 to 9, skipped over 8 and went to 7, then a month later went to 6, then stayed there for a bit, then went to 5 1/2 and 2 weeks later went to 5. Now that I'm at my final ring size (mostly because I can't get anything smaller than a 5 past my knuckle) I'll invest in getting my actual, genuine wedding set resized. i just got other rings to wear until I got to my final size.

@BlueParis what an adorable dress you look fantastic! I love the color it’s pretty and hopefully you feel as pretty in it as you look! I love how you ask about everybody you are so sweet. I’m doing OK thank you for asking. I don’t mind the stall yet. I’ve been prepared for it so it was a few seconds of letdown and then I just kind of shrugged it off. I will admit if it lasts for more than a couple weeks I’m gonna be upset. I have not weighed myself since I’m really trying to do it once a week, which means it’s usually about twice a week I am struggling with a knee issue right now has nothing to do with my surgery. I did something silly a few weeks ago and I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I jumped down from something and jarred my knee. And I thought to myself that was stupid and it hurt , the pain went away after a few minutes. For the past few weeks it’s been intermittent pain mostly when I stand up and start to walk, but then I walk it out. Then yesterday it was worse, and I took some Tylenol for the first time and last night it got horrible . It woke me up many times during the night and when I tried to get out of bed this morning, I could not really walk without using a cane and even with the cane it’s difficult. If it’s still bad tomorrow, I’m gonna go to a clinic and see what’s going on. Aside from that all as well. I hope everyone’s having a great weekend!

Hi everyone! I haven't been on this site in a VERY long time, but I am currently on a new weight loss journey and I thought I would report in with my experience and the hope that some of you newbies can learn from it. I had my VSG surgery on 9/1/2014, so 10 years ago this month. At the time of my surgery, I weighed ~260 pounds and I am 5'6". I have lost and gained weight a million times before that, with my highest weight ever having been 277 pounds. In the first couple of years after my surgery, I was able to get below my goal weight (165) all the way down to 154. During that time I trained for and ran in a half marathon and a full marathon, completing the full marathon in September 2016 (almost exactly two years after my surgery). I separated from my then-husband in May of 2016 and our divorce was final in December 2016. My life took a very different path after that and I did not stick to my healthy diet and exercise. I met my current husband in February of 2017 and while I love him dearly and he is THE BEST, he is a bit of a hedonist and we definitely supported each other in our hedonism. I became a connoisseur of fine craft beers and we have a large friend group who we go out with or have get-togethers with several times a week. I not only stopped running but stopped exercising altogether. Both my current husband and I put on weight in the seven years we have been together, especially during COVID, and I got all the way back up to 234 pounds! Last year, my husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and, in April, we resolved to turn things around together. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds and I am on my way down to my new goal weight of 180. So, here are some things I want to report, trying to lose weight again for the first time since immediately after my surgery: The restriction still works! I cannot eat much more than about 200 grams of food in one sitting. Once I cut out snacking and stopped drinking as many calories (beer), it was easy to rely on my sleeve to restrict my daily caloric intake. My metabolism is still normal. As a 5'6 female weighing 203.2 pounds, I still burn ~2100 calories per day just by living, according to my Garmin watch and it definitely tracks with the calorie differential I am logging and the weight loss I am seeing. I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I usually have to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to drink anything after I eat a full meal. Being overly full is still an unpleasant feeling. Before my surgery, I used to love the sensation of being "stuffed." Since surgery and to this day, it is still uncomfortable for me if I overeat in one sitting. Not a pleasant sensation at all, but not painful like it was in the very beginning. I can still get dumping syndrome if I'm not careful. If eat too much sugar too fast, usually in the form of ice cream or a milkshake, I get dumping syndrome and it is VERY unpleasant, fortunately, it is very rare. Food can still get "stuck." Every once in a while, mostly when I am eating turkey or pork it seems, food can get stuck and it is completely miserable. Be sure to thoroughly chew your food!!! Especially dense meats. My advice to anyone who is post-sleeve and still losing weight or trying to maintain their weight: Snacks are the enemy! It's so easy to get in extra calories by eating smaller amounts between meals. Your sleeve won't help you at all with this. Drinking your calories is easy and dangerous. I haven't given up my precious beer entirely, but I have cut back and I am mindful of the type of beer I am drinking as some types are more caloric than others. You can just as easily drink your calories even if you don't drink alcohol. Be wary of soda, milkshakes, energy drinks, juices, and too much cream/sugar/syrups in your coffee. Keep up with the exercise. It doesn't have to be training for a marathon like I did in the beginning. Currently, my husband and I take a ~mile walk after dinner each night and we try to do one, long, 4-5 mile walk/hike on the weekend. Just that moderate amount of activity can make a big difference. Be mindful of calorically dense foods. Even though I can only eat 200 grams at a time, if it is 200 grams of junk, it can have a LOT of calories! I hope the lesson that all of you take from this post is that the sleeve is a tool and it is all about how you use it. It can work for you, even 10 years out, as long as you use it correctly.

I think sometimes our bodies kind of freak out when lots of changes are happening at once. As you lose weight, things redistribute, move around, the chemical make up of your insides change, hormones change, glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure all change. So even when the scale isn't moving, so many things are happening within our bodies that it likely needs time to catch up and get use to the new and ongoing changes before the weight can start to come off again. I know how frustrating it is, believe me. The amazing people on here had to talk me off the ledge a few times when I hit stall after stall. And I'm one that gains a few pounds whenever I hit a stall, so THAT was always fun lol But then I would drop like 6 pounds in 1 shot and then I knew the stall was over. I know this is so frustrating, but it'll pass. And you'll get to where you want to be. It took me 2 years to get where I am now. And I still feel that was fast. It took me almost 30 years to put the weight on, so getting it off in 2 years is HUGE. Give yourself some grace, feel your feelings, and just focus on all the good parts of this journey. You'll be ok and you'll get there

I am 2 months post op and have had erratic emotions . zoloft tablets make me extremely nauseous/vomiting post op. I also take adhd meds and now the dose has to be modified.. I'm not sleepy or drinking,eating enough.. so I definitely think I have absorption issues like it's hitting bloodstream too fast. 😕

@Lilia_90 Hi! Congrat on reaching your goal so fast! I have very stubborn fat and weight and I come to the realization that I have to accept that is just how my body is going to be. When I first started I did went all out and use the food scale for the first few months. I bought a set of products that could use an app to keep track, scale, food scale and measure tape. After a few months of using it, I kinda picked up on how big of a size I should cut and how much to take with salad etc. from time to time I still use if it comes to something I am not familiar with. I didn’t use the scale yesterday and put down what I ate on the app, it’s about 1000 calories that I ate. Of course it could be more than 1000 calories if I count the Pam spray that I used and a drizzle of salad dressing, but sometimes it’s very tiring to counts everything, and I don’t want to live like that. Mindfulness and healthy living is the habit that I need to do in this journey. That’s why I stop using the scale every single day. After all we can’t bring scale out to measure everything when we are out and about in places. I also had 1 hour work out and burned about 400 calories. oh while typing I realized I had a cup of unsweetened almond milk that should be about 50 calories that I had yesterday, so I have to be careful about these small things I do without remembering. I guess my frustration is that I feel like I am doing not bad, very healthy compared to how I used to be, and working out. I wanted to at least be able to get rid of 100 lbs… but my body is telling me no. I am usually very hard on myself and always aim for higher. So that’s that and I will learn to deal with it. Doesn’t mean I am giving up though. In the past, I had never dream of being able to stick to gym routine, regular gym is so just boring to me and I could never know what to do with all those machines, like I am just wandering inside. This around , I found something that I enjoyed and worked for me. I found that I need to workout in a group class and having everyone working out at the same time doing the same thing , this actually motivate me, so I started Orange Theory Fitness, and my body retain water stubbornly so I found hot yoga and it’s something I enjoy. The last few appointments with the doctors I kept complaining my slow weight loss, they assured me that I was doing great, but I shouldn’t not be looking into plastic surgery so soon and it’s a long time away to when I should have it done. However, the last appointment, the doctor mentioned that if I really want, I can start with a consultation. Then my nutritionist telling me my weight might be stabilizing… I feel like this is a green light. lol Anyway, I took a few screenshots of the app I use, want to share to this for those that want to try something like this. I bought the Renpho Health products and link them in the app, so I can track my weight, what I eat and measure the inches of my body all in 1 app.

Oh my I am so sorry this is happening to you. I had at least 6 months of this, day in, day out. They tested me for a stricture but found my stitch line was swollen and inflamed and although I could swallow liquids slowly, solids were difficult. Now I still take Lansoprazole twice a day and antacid when I need it. It sucks to be the 1% that has difficulties. I found that artificial sugars, some protein substitutes, rich meats and iron in the vitamins were not for me. I didn't reach my liquid or protein goals but my team were sympathetic and monitored me. I was told to focus on drinking. I tried to eat 6 - 8 tiny meals a day. Every time I had a day of vomiting I would go back a step to liquids. I had a lot of thin soups, tiny slivers of cheese and milk. I tried to eat as clean as I could which wasn't hard with the tiny little amounts of food I could eat. I am occasionally sick now but its because I overeat, forget not to eat grape skins or eat too fast. Now I just give my stomach a days rest and continue. I am used to the feeling of pre vomit and I will usually deal with it. For some reason a popsicle sometimes works

Wow. I concur with @ms.sss. You did get the short end of the stick. I had the sleeve for years and then I had a revision to RNY (~3 years) and I don't have any of those issues. In fact, I can't even think of any negatives. Except if I eat too fast, it may cause the foamies. I'm so sorry you're going through all that. I have no problem with my vitamins, I wear a MV patch and sometimes I'll take high ADEK chewable. My vitamin A was slightly low so that's why I started taking the high ADEK a few times a week. I also never heard of cold sores lower immunity and fungal infections... Etc. after WLS. I sure hope things and improve for you.

This is not so much a recipe as a method. It's perfect for hot summer days. Now that I'm more than a year out, I'm still looking for ways to focus on getting my Protein in. My sleeve is super-picky STILL and doesn't like most meat/chicken/certain types of fish, but he LOVES shellfish and veggies. My husband and I love sushi and used to eat Thai food a lot pre-surgery (we're both sleevers). I decided to try making spring rolls at home, and it's SUPER easy and really tasty, plus I get in some good protein. For us, it's a no-cook meal, since we live in Louisiana and have easy access to excellent pre-cooked shrimp at every grocery in town. I use the regular-size spring roll wrappers; we get them at our local grocery, but you can order them online or through Amazon if your grocery doesn't have them; you can also find them at international or Asian food groceries. Ours are actually made with wheat flour, but they come made from rice, too. They're super thin; I "guesstimate" that one wrapper has probably 40-50 calories. Just roll up whatever you want--I julienne some cucumber, shred some carrot, slice some boiled shrimp, and spoon up some "krab salad" (that surimi stuff that mimics crab). Sometimes I use those cellophane bean noodles--all you do to prepare those is soak them in warm Water and drain thoroughly. We use some shredded lettuce or cabbage--whatever sounds good and that we have in the house--and a bit of cilantro. If you hate cilantro, just leave it out or substitute some basil or mint. Then we just wrap these up in a wrapper, seal with a wet finger, and chow down. We dip in whatever sounds good, soy sauce or my personal favorite, a mix of Thai chili sauce (it's really sweet and hot) and soy sauce. Sometimes I sprinkle the lettuce with rice wine vinegar; sometimes I forget that. :-) Perfect post-sleeve portion--one spring roll works for me, and two for my husband. We keep the fixin's in the fridge for a quick meal/snack, and they're fast to put together. If you live somewhere without fresh shrimp available, you can absolutely get those flash-frozen shrimp and thaw a couple at a time for use in your spring rolls. You can also use grilled chicken, if your sleeve is cool with chicken, and sometimes I sneak in a piece of avocado--ups the yummy factor!! Enjoy!

I’m at exactly 7 weeks post op. I’ve lost 25 lbs since surgery. I lost 15 lbs in the first 2 weeks then I stalled for a few weeks. People kept saying, your body is still healing, which was true. At 4 weeks my stomach was not inflamed anymore, the incisions looked good. Around the 5th week I started losing again. I do weigh myself daily, but I look at lbs lost weekly. I’m not particularly in a rush to lose a lot of weight super fast because I don’t want the loose skin. As long as I am losing and feeling good. Although I wasn’t losing weight during my stall, I was losing inches. I use bands to exercise my arms and legs, and I walk. slowly but surely!!!!!

@NickelChip is on totally on point. I cannot stress the importance of asking yourself do you need this next bite or do you just want this. If you just want it put your fork down. If you’re about to put that mouthful in your mouth out of habit, put the fork down. Even if your response is I don’t know put your fork down & wait. In a couple of minutes try again & if the answer yes, I need it take the bite. Of course you have to really consider the difference between wanting & needing. I started practising this from my surgery (so 5,5yrs ago) & still do it. Been extremely helpful. Slowing your eating is based on the fact it least. 20 minutes for the message to get through to your head that you’ve had enough. If you are a fast eating, eating mouthful after mouthful, by the time the signal you’ve had enough registers you’ve eaten way too much. Notice I say enough not full. Enough is the goal. Enough is what your body needs to function. Full or over full is usually the volume of food to make you feel good or better or happier or whatever. Some hints & tips to incorporate which can help. Buy yourself some small cutlery. Baby forks and spoons, cocktail forks, sporks or similar. (I think almost everyone uses smaller cutlery after surgery but you could start now.) They will make your spoonful smaller and slow your eating. if you haven’t yet, get hold of some smaller bowls & plates. Will help to keep your portions the correct size and can make you think you’re eating more because the smaller plate is full. I used ramekins, tapas plates, side plates while losing & now use entree/appetiser plates (9in dia). So still no dinner plates for me. After putting food on your cutlery, push some off so the fork and spoon aren ‘t full. Try sending timelines for smaller portions of your meal. Like, I’ll take 10 minutes to eat a quarter of my meal. If you eat it before ten minutes, wait before starting the next quarter. Or, try cutting up your meat (depending on your meal) first. Count how many pieces and work out how often you can eat a piece. I still do this type of portioning. Right now I’m eating some crackers with a topping for lunch. I eat one cracker every ten minutes. Sometime I wait longer but never more quickly. If you are eating with others, put your cutlery down when they are talking and don’t take a bite until they have finished or someone adds to the conversation. You become a good listener & distracts you from eating. I live alone & didn’t like using a timer so I used to set other guideline. If watching tv, take a bite with an ad or a scene change or similar. If playing on line game like solitaire, play a game before taking a bite. If reading, take a bite after reading a certain number of pages. Between bites, put your cutlery down, and sit back from the table so you're not leaning on the table. Sure others may have some tips as well. All the best.

Honestly, that's why it's not good to weigh yourself every day. Things like how much you ate and drank, how much salt you had, if you pooped or not can all affect your weight. As hard as it is, weighing yourself once (or if you must, twice) per week, in the morning after you go to the bathroom, before you eat or drink is the best way to see what you true weight is. Weight also fluctuates by a couple of pounds naturally, so if you weigh yourself daily, you'll get discouraged and frustrated and start to think, 5 weeks out, that you've plateaued. Be mindful of slider foods. That's stuff that you can eat more of because it goes down super easy and takes longer to make you feel full. Potatoes are known for this. As I said before, the first 6 months is when you lose the most the fastest. Eating things that slow down that process during that time is counter-productive. This is where you really want to stick to the diet as closely as possible to get the most out of the weight loss. Also move your body. Add in working out, walking, swimming, anything that increases movement over and above what you normally do. Not only does that help, but when you drop weight fast, you can lose muscle. So you want to start working on that.

I eat anything I want. BUT, Luckily I have never liked fast food or potatoes. I can't eat fried foods. I still have a fierce restriction. These things help keep me on track I don't buy chocolate because I still can eat a huge amount. Once I open a bar its all mine till its gone. So apart from these exceptions, I eat anything and everything. I have been on a diet all my life and I wanted to change this mindset. I try to eat well 90% of the time as @NickelChip said.

Thankfully I had only a couple dumping episodes over the course of a year. Both involved sugar. A small piece of birthday cake. It tasted wonderful but I paid the price with stomach cramping and spent the entire night running to the bathroom. I never had heart palps or nausea with it. I think we all have varying degrees of symptoms. It was miserable enough not to test it again. I can eat a piece of cake now on special occasions if I forego the frosting or make a sugar free cake/frosting. Nausea was more of a problem for me post-op. It wasn't from eating stuff not allowed or eating or drinking too fast. For me it was a texture thing. When I got to the whole food phase my tummy wasn't having it. Meat and raw veggies were the worst for me sadly enough. I was craving a cold crisp salad so badly by that point. But just because I could now have it, didn't mean that I was going to eat it. I backed off and waited by drinking and eating my softer foods for awhile longer, then reintroduced the denser foods later on. Ground beef, beans and protein drinks became my go to for a long time. I guess my tummy just needed more healing time. I still struggle with certain meats and veggies. But over time it's gotten easier to consume without the nausea and happens way less often. I still keep a supply of barf bags with me wherever I go though. Just in case. 🤢

5 years! That was fast, Congratulations! How did you celebrate?

Thank you very much! Congratulations to you as well for your successful journey. It's amazing to finally be free of the fat and, more importantly for me, the addiction to food and the total control/power I have over food now. It's seriously my lifelong dream at 55 so staying motivated was baked in.. Thank you again. I am sure I didn't elaborate or explain my reasons enough but actually I am concerned about slowing down the weight loss. I still eat very small portions and am worried it would be hard to sustain on just protein, without carbs. I like my body running more ketogenic than carbed up with the ups and downs of carbs. Without adding fat, and with our malabsorption aspect of the surgery, I am wondering if its possible or not so much..If I am being honest, at 240lbs, I started eating dirtier with carbs to try and stabilize at 240 until I got my knee surgeries, but then just dropped another 20+ within a month and a half or so. My steps and activity increased, small by normal people standards, but a lot for where I have been, after I got another Cortisone shot to the knees. This just illustrates my concern once I reach goal weight and I am rucking, hiking, and lifting. Those three things will be lifelong for longevity and mobility going forward. Obviously everyone is different as far genetically and such, but I have been extremely low calorie, plenty of short fasts up to three days, and have plateaued at certain points during my weight loss, and after doing a refeed with carbs and basically whatever I want to eat, I recharged my metabolism for another huge run of weight loss. The refeed was usually only a couple days to a few days but less than a week. Now with this approach remember I am lifting weights. I mean hard as I can weight lifting 4 days a week. It sucks! Low energy lifting is not fun but the recomp.. I really believe the built-in calorie burn from lean muscle mass is the most efficient way to permanently stay in shape. Male or female doesn't matter. IMHO if your metabolism is slow and you are struggling with the last few pounds, I mean the literally like 5-10 pounds from goal BF, man or woman, start lifting weights. The body recomp will floor you. And that weight or really I think just your body composition after significant weight loss without adding lean muscle mass leaves you looking(Sometimes) like a no muscle bag of skin. Flat. It's not fun but the results.. Anyways thank you for the reply and just to make clear if any of the vets care to weigh in, the WLS gave me the tool, the only tool I will ever need again to lose weight. It's so powerful for me that I need to think about slowing down my weight loss combined with, if possible, being low carb and more ketogenic as a lifestyle choice I prefer. I just don't know if low carb is sustainable without the fat calories. that specifically is what I am looking for. Does anyone prefer low carb/ketogenic after surgery and is it possible? I already realize that fats can be problematic, is anyone doing carnivore after DS Sadi. Not my preference but the only option it seems for low carb without the keto fat plan. Thanks in advance for any tips.

Cross your fingers that they don't have to fix a hiatal hernia during the operation. They'll do it if it needs doing but watch out, it will give you intermittent pain in your midsection. Woke me up twice last night until they gave me the good stuff. Docs say it shouldn't be a problem in a few days.

I mean, I had a bagel two days before my surgery, I needed something after a lot of travel. A one off won't kill your chances, but you need to be strong, and not do that again. If you do, you need to let your doctor know. The worst thing you can do is conceal something that can affect your surgeon's ability to perform your surgery. The when you have to fast the day before your surgery and you eat something you need to stay strong.

I share this story in hopes that it may help someone to never pick up a drink after VSG or to at least be hyper-vigilant about the dangers of drinking post weight loss surgery. I was sleeved in August of 2015 @ 310 lbs. Quickly lost most of the weight needed and began running 5k. Not really setting the world on fire, but it was really good for me. Prior to surgery, I had always enjoyed drinking with friends. Typical guy stuff - couple beers @ a football game or watching the game on Sunday, meeting for drinks after work, etc. Never an issue or problem. Never anything that i had to have. My doctor warned me against alcohol, sodas, and transfer addictions, but I thought "never me". WOW, was I wrong. I remember the first couple times I had a beer after the surgery (I waited 6 months), it was very fizzy and uncomfortable. I convinced myself that it would get easier, and unfortunately it did. Next came the rum and coke zero. Wow, that tastes great, and I get a buzz very quickly. That fast buzz turned into getting very drunk, very quickly. Our new bodies absorb the alcohol in 1/2 the time that a normal internal system would. Over the last couple yeaars there have been many episodes of drinking way to much, blacking out, and not remembering what happened. I have had to apologize for my behavior more than once after a night of drinking. I even started drinking every day. I would make a drink as soon as I got home each day. 1 turns into 2 or 3. Just like lays potato chips you can not have just 1. Alcohol consumed my every thought. When can I have a drink? How can I make sure I can get a drink? It amazed me how I was able to justify that if creamer was good in my morning coffee, how great would Rumchatta be (it's damn good, by the way). I am living proof that transfer addiction is a real thing. I am now in counseling for my alcohol addiction. Transfer addiction is definitely a real thing. Prior to VSG surgery I was over 300 pounds because I had an addiction to food, and all the wrong kinds of food. My new addiction is alcohol and it's best friend is food addiction. what goes with beer = chicken wings, or nuts and pretzels, what goes with a margarita = tacos, etc. Alcohol also makes it impossible to lose weight. So if you are really dedicated to clean eating but you drink, your weight may stay the same, but it surely will not go down. I have packed on 60 lbs of the 120 that I lost. And, I am slowly changing behaviors to get back to where I want to be. It is a journey,, but I am worth it. I will overcome. Addiction is sacrificing everything for that one thing ! Recovery is sacrificing that 1 thing to have everything !

Is anybody here familiar with the Carnivore Diet? It's basically a more restrictive form of Keto where you ONLY eat meat, cheese, fat, and butter. The more meat the better. The fattier the meat the better. It sounds counterintuitive to eat this type of diet, but there are several doctors out there who recommend it to help reverse diabetes and fight inflammation. While it's impossible to have zero carbs, the goal is to have as few as possible, less than 10 per day, and consume no bread, fruit, vegetables or anything other than "meat." Now, I must say that I had/have my doubts about the healthiness of this diet. That being said, my husband has been on it for 4 months and lost 35 pounds and his A1C and morning fasting glucose levels are now within normal range. He is going to continue on the diet, or as he calls it, "way of life." I did it with him for 3 months and I lost 20 pounds, but toward the end I was having a lot of diarrhea and my body couldn't handle/process all of the protein and fat without some carbs, so I switched to a new diet in mid-December. Dr. Ken Berry is the person my husband follows on YouTube who explains the science behind it and how to do it. He also said that 1/3 of people can't do it because of their particular body's need for carbs for proper digestion. Anyway, I was curious if anybody here was familiar with the Carnivore Diet or had tried it or was doing it?

I'm 4 years out and have maintained a stable weight for over 2 years. I've taken a lot of cues from the WLS veterans on this forum because I'm acutely aware that a lot of WLS patients experience significant regain, and I live in fear of that because I've gone through a lot to lose 200 pounds and I don't ever want to go back to obesity. I learned early on that one of the keys to long-term maintenance is closely monitoring and tracking weight, and taking action promptly if it starts to creep up. I weigh myself on a daily basis (usually more than once a day). My weight can fluctuate quite a bit, sometimes by 5 pounds within a single day, so I consider my normal weight range to be 135-140 pounds. As long as I'm within that range, I don't give it a second thought. I may be outside of that once in a while, but I don't worry about it too much unless I stay outside that range for more than a couple of days. I've continued to track everything I eat and stay within a calorie limit. Five years ago, I would have been horrified to imagine tracking my food long-term, but I actually think it makes weight maintenance more sustainable. I could probably get away without tracking at this point because I habitually eat healthy, low-calorie meals, but much like having a financial budget, having a calorie budget allows me to prioritize and make conscious decisions about what I want to consume. If I'm tracking my food, I know whether I have room in my budget for a treat today, or if I want a specific treat, I can make sure to leave room in my calorie budget. I think this is really important because I don't have to go off track or have an out-of-control "cheat day" to eat what I want. I eat healthy foods most of the time (with the occasional treat within my calorie budget), and I've completely overhauled my diet. I've gotten the sense that one of the pitfalls that can lead to regain for WLS patients is that we can rely on our restriction for the first year or so to limit our calorie consumption, but if we continue to eat high-calorie foods like fast food and highly processed snack foods, once the restriction is weaker, we can eat enough calories to regain the weight, and/or eat around the restriction by having multiple smaller portions of high-calorie foods. I eat a lot of vegetables and salads, lean protein (chicken, pork loin, seafood), and legumes, and avoid sugar, refined carbs (rice, pasta, bread, crackers), fried foods, and other calorie-dense foods like cheese. I've discovered a lot of healthy foods that I love eating, so I don't feel deprived with delicious low-calorie meals. Initially, I was very strict about weighing and tracking every bite of food, but I've gotten much more relaxed about it and I just eyeball things that are negligible. I still weigh and measure things with higher calorie density like meat or oil, but I don't measure lettuce because even if I underestimate, it will be a 10-15 calorie difference at the most, and I log half a tomato instead of weighing the exact number of grams. This is another reason that weighing myself is key -- I know that if I'm maintaining a stable weight, my guesstimates must be close enough. Exercise wasn't a huge part of my weight loss strategy; I didn't do any exercise at all for the first 75+ pounds, and then I just did YouTube videos at home. Exercise has become a huge part of my lifestyle in maintenance, though. Not only do I do cardio at home on a daily basis and a minimum of 15,000 steps per day, but I also take fitness classes including strength training a few days per week.

Only being able to eat small portions is very normal & to be expected especially only being 3 months out. Remember how small your tummy is now. Your stomach is also still tight from the surgery but it does soften over time & becomes a little more flexible as so you slowly will be able to eat more than you can in the initial period. Initially I was eating 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée & was barely eating a cup of food at 6 months but by years two or three I was eating pretty much an appropriate portion of food for e.g, about 3ozs of meat & a cup of vegetables. Most fast food & chain restaurants servings are hugely bigger (like 2, 3 or more times larger) than what is an actual recommended portion size so leftovers are expected. If eating out, order an appetiser or ask to share a main with someone else. And ask to take leftovers home. I always had left overs in my fridge from unfinished meals. Actually I still do - right now I have left over rolled oats from breakfast (I’ll eat it as an afternoon snack) and some leftover beef cheeks & vegetables from last night’s dinner. Usually it’s because I’m not all that hungry or simply have had enough. The reason behind eating slowly is for us to learn to be more conscious of actually eating & to consider whether we really need the next bite or just wanting the next bite or mindlessly shovelling food into our mouths. Also it takes at least 20 minutes for the message you are full to register. If you eat quickly you can easily eat to excess & way past being full and not eating only what you need. I also love my microwave if food gets too cold. Constipation is common. It becomes less common once you’re close to your final weight & when you’re eating a more balanced diet and larger portions. Add a non swelling soluble fibre and keep on top of the constipation by taking an over the counter medication. I’d take coloxyl if I got to day 3 without movement. And as @learn2cook suggested, speaking with a therapist (your bariatric team should be able to recommend someone with experience in disordered eating if you need) can be very helpful. All the best.

As someone who has lost over 180lbs since my surgery (in December) it’s mind blowing. It may not be as fast as that, there is a lot of factors that makes everyone’s body unique. Try to set little realistic goals and try to blow past them. First it 30, then another 20 then more and more and more. Good luck and be sure to follow your doctors post op plan!

That's so smart - I have been trying to get my house in order this week, too - this sounds like great motivation to me because I TOTALLY would be doing the same thing; you're right - going crazy about everything I see that needs done at the worst possible time to deal with it! I hope your EKG is good as well! I'm sure it will be *crosses fingers* I go in on Monday for my Pre-Admission Testing; I'm not sure if they'll do an EKG or not but I'm glad you mentioned it! I was just reviewing my paperwork and it says that "You will have non-fasting labs drawn at this appt. and may have other testing done." so I guess it's possible; I hadn't even thought of it. I'm sure they mentioned it and I lost it in the overwhelming amount of information I've been trying to process. It really is a LOT to keep track of. I lucked into hearing about that app I mentioned, Finch, from another friend who also had WLS. (Weight Loss Surgery - it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that abbreviation! ) She had the sleeve, and another friend of mine had the Roux-y about a year and a half ago done by the same surgeon I'm using. I've watched her recovery, and it's been rocky. I think doing a 'virgin SADI' as you called it will be way better for me. She's already got an ulcer due to continuing to use NSAIDs and drinking way too much coffee. She also went back to smoking cigarettes. It's been quite the motivator to do this right, I'll say that much! I start Colace and the Liquid Diet on 7/29, so we'll be on about the same track! I've got the one week pre-op diet, and then surgery on Aug. 5th as long as I get the insurance and other clearance! Best of luck!