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Hello All, I am very new to the group and have not had my surgery yet but am scheduled for June 13th and I am excited to start losing weight exponentially even though I already have while on weight loss meds and starting a gym regimen while in the pre-op stages. My question for you all is if anyone traveled abroad within their first year post op? I am planning on going to Peru in Dec-Jan for two weeks and while I realize I will still have minimal portion sizes I feel I can make it work due to the wide variety of delicious/nutritious foods in the region that dont necessarily have to be carb-loaded. If anyone has experience with traveling to South America/Peru specifically your input would be much appreciated! I am hopeful that by that time I will be able to swim, walk and overall be active around touristy areas with ease but please let me know if there is anything else I should be aware of or try to pack before my travels to ensure I meet all of my nutritional needs.

I had surgery last week and those were definitely my feelings lol. Honestly, I’m still excited and nervous—excited at the changes to come but also nervous that somehow I’ll let myself down. Grateful for my support system. Just taking it one day at a time. Good luck to y’all!!

Ok, so a couple of things. First, let's look at things a little differently when it comes to that pound you lost. You LOST A POUND!!! Which means you DIDN'T GAIN A POUND!!!! WooHoo!!!! Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that ANY loss is still a success. Some weeks will be better than others. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, you know where you went wrong with the foods you ate, you know you retain water when you have too much salt, so now you know what to avoid. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by trial and error. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new foods. Just read the labels carefully and make adjustments accordingly to how much of that food you eat and what you eat the rest of the day to compensate for it. Finally, if I were to make a suggestion, I might say to lower your carbs a bit. That seems like a pretty high amount, and unless you're carb loading for intense workouts, I don't think you need to be over 100 carbs per day. PERSONALLY for me, I never go over 50, and that's on weight training days. But again, that's me. It just works out the best for my body. But I, too, had to experiment until I found the sweet spot for my body in regards to calories, carbs, healthy fats, protein. All in all, give yourself some grace, take note of what your body did and didn't do this week, and make changes as needed. You're still doing great, and you'll get to where you want to be. Don't worry about that.

I don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but the diarrhea thing is real! I basically have not had a solid poop in four years. WARNING, discussion of poop ahead, highlight if you want to read it: It ranges from slightly softer than normal to pea soup texture, depending on what I have eaten recently. If I've eaten anything with a lot of fat, there will also be separated oily...gunk...coming out too. Farting has increased as well. From my understanding, your body does not have the chance to fully digest all the food you eat since it "skips" 2/3 of your small intestine. Water, fat, and gas that would normally be re-absorbed during the digestive process makes it all the way through. But, it doesn't really bother me. You know how if you have diarrhea because you're sick or have food poisoning you also feel crampy and nauseated? And you have to stay on the toilet for a long time? It's not like that, at least for me. I poop a normal amount and it's not urgent or painful, it's just runny. Sometimes I notice undigested food more than before surgery. I remember the smell being pretty bad immediately after surgery. In addition to regular stinky poop smell it almost smelled rotten and chemical-like. That doesn't happen any more unless I eat something REALLY stupid (vacation - many sugary cocktails. . . I regret nothing!) Usually it just stinks the normal amount 🙂 END OF POOP TALK

hiya! do you have a team or doc to reach out to for guidance...you will find that calorie and macro advice will run the gamut on here, as our docs all have different recommendations! with that said, your intake will really depend you your own physiological makeup as well as if you are looking to lose more weight or maintain... at one year post, i was in maintenance, and was averaging about 1500-1600 calories with about 75g protein. i was also 5'2" and 110 lbs-ish at the time, doing about 1-2 hrs of cardio AND strength training 4-5 times a week today i am 5.5 years out and average about 2000-2200 (recently increased from 1800 because i am on an exercise kick at the moment: 1 hour of exercise 6 days a week) and weigh 118-ish on average. so the recommendation on your cals (and macros) will depend on how tall you are, how much you currently weigh, how much activity you currently participate in, and whether you are looking to lose weight or maintain.

I just got my blood work back online and am kind of upset about one number. Everything looks fine except for my A1C, which is 6.1. That falls in the pre-diabetes range of 5.7 - 6.4. Mine had mostly been between 5.6 and 6.1 before surgery, and nothing we were overly concerned about because of my weight. I'm quite discouraged to see it still up there after losing weight. I don't see the doctor until next week, so I will have to deal with it for now, but I wanted to put it out here and see if any of you have had this issue, too. My glucose is 75, but not sure how much that matters. Thanks!

That's an amazing amount of weight loss in such a short time (even if it may feel like longer, lol). You look incredible. I'm so happy for you! (re: lbs vs inches, I've always cared more about the size measurements rather than the weight. I only care what the scale says because it's easier to track how I'm doing on a given week -- but I'm much happier when my clothes start to feel too loose compared to anything I see when I look at the numbers between my toes)

Ahhh, the lovely tier 3 programme! It took an absolute age just to even be considered for that to begin with, I really feel for you. Then the added issue of thinking you would be aiming for a certain month or period of the year, to then be told last minute it's being pushed back, again and again, is genuinely the worst of it. Being completely honest too, as someone who is self-employed, I just don't earn enough regularly to commit to paying it per month. I was working 6/7 days a week between two jobs and I was barely earning more than 22-ish thousand a year salary until the end of last year. I do have the comfort of earning a little bit more now, but only in the right seasons unfortunately. I did put in a complaint yesterday to PALS, and they very quickly responded which was good of them, but it was conveniently not the woman who caused the stress to begin with. They've 'provisionally' (and I use that loosely!) let me know the 28th of March could work depending on how many others they have to schedule. Just a waiting game I suppose. Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it x

Welcome! I'm still a baby here myself (almost 12 weeks post-OP). I remember my first sip of creamy chicken broth on day 4, it felt like life and optimism was returning to me! If you need to, slow down even further. I remember my care team said 1 teaspoon every 5 minutes (when I was first reintroducing non-protein shake liquids), and sometimes that worked for me and sometimes it didn't. Most broths I could get down in shorter time, but creamier soups it would take quite a bit longer. You get used to either reheating your soup or sipping it cold, lol. XD

If they are obese and interested then I will tell them. [ 3 people] Other wise I have just said - You haven't seen me much because of Covid and such so you don't know how hard I worked for 4 + years. Oh I have done so much walking blah blah blah.

I wonder if the joint pain could be from your muscles, tendons & skeleton readjusting to a your new posture & other odd twinges and spasms. They had changed to support your larger body before & then they have to adjust again. I remember upper back pain about 2/3 to my goal and it took a while to stop slouching (had to consciously sit or stand straighter if I noticed I was slouching) & my body learnt how to stand upright again. As for the ‘phantom’ gall like pain, I don’t know. Maybe request an ultra sound to check your kidneys, liver & bile ducts just to be sure. My energy isn’t great. Always better in the morning than the afternoon. I seem to go, go, go then stop now, can’t do anything g more. Though that is pretty much how Gilbert’s is so I put it down to that & my low blood pressure more than my sleeve and I was a lot like that before my sleeve. Would push through then - didn’t want anyone to think I was lazy because I was fat! No I listen to my body. Apparently Gilbert’s is more common than people realise. What’s your bilirubin levels like. High levels are a sign of it. It is genetic so does any one in your family have it? Congratulations on your weight loss. Yay! Don’t worry about what weight you end up at. (I know easier said than done.) Remember that weight will be the weight your body is happiest at & is easier to maintain.

((I have already sent message to my health care team)) I was in the restroom and pushes a bit, and I felt this pooping sensation internally, on my right side near the large, stitched area. It does not hurt at the moment or anything, but I am panicking that I may have done something bad! I am 4 weeks out from RNY. Has anyone experienced this? What was your outcome?

I had my gall bladder removed years ago after collapsing due to infected stones. I was told I wouldn't be able to eat rich foods afterwards but I didn't have any problems. I have to do B12 injections every 4 to 6 weeks. I used to get them at my doctors surgery but the GP said it was a waste of my money to be paying to go see her when I could do them at home myself. I used to be terrified of needles but like @MrsFitz says I actually find it easier to do it on myself now. I also do the thigh, alternate each time but I would consider it a long needle as it has to go through fat/muscle to get into the system. I often wonder what my cleaning lady must think when she is cleaning my cupboards, one is my drinks and medicine cabinet and when you open the door you see all the needles, alcohol wipes etc. nicely there besides the Baileys 😂

Ohhh I hear you. Even at my lowest and highest weight, heat has always drained me. All I want is ice water and to munch cold grapes and for everything else to recede. My boss is the sweetest older Korean man. I speak a little Korean, he speaks a bit more English -- so we have language barriers but over the years we've found ways to understand each other pretty well. But the week I came back to work, I ended up having to take a sick day near the end of the week. I had eaten something that caused my first bout of dumping syndrome and it caused my healing body a fair amount of muscle / tissue / inner pain for the next couple days. When I came back I made the mistake of telling him that I'd eaten something that didn't agree with m, whether because it was to dry or I ate too much too fast. Well he heard "ate too much" and now everytime I'm not feeling my best / looking high-energied -- or he catches me having a shake for lunch because I'm feeling nauseated at the idea of food -- he starts questioning me if I've been eating too much. In his case I know he means it from a place of caring and concern, but it roughs up the ragged edges of my old eating-disorders in my psyche. I immediately feel judged for being overweight to begin with, and like I'm being watched/judged now, etc. And I know they're my issues, but I could certainly do with not being reminded of them so often.

I just had surgery on 4/2/24 and I had the same. It looked really weird. Like a dent in my fat roll. My doctor said that it was from a suture in one of my abdominal muscles and would eventually go away as I lost weight and healed up. It’s only been a week and mine is completely gone.

When I had my sleeve I tried to do the treadmill and absolutely could not stick with it. This time I am walking outside. Not sure if that’s an option for you but it’s so much more entertaining. Things to look at, people to say hello to, and you can go different ways and plus it’s fresh air. It’s also easier on your knees. I also walk a bit inside. For both, headphones help with music and a fitness watch so you can log your progress. After my nighttime shower I just put my exercise clothes on and sleep in them. That way when I wake up I am already dressed and I jump up and walk a bit around the house while my coffee is going and chilling over the ice so I can make my “proffee.” It’s just like 15 minutes (started with 5) or so but it’s a good start to my day. Then, I try to do a few minutes a couple more times during the day so I do it when I take my calcium (I have a recurring alarm to remind me). Depending on your job you may be able to do this on breaks. In the evenings, I prepare dinner but then head out to walk, depending on the weather. I am now up to 45 minutes but I started at 15. This one I get sweaty so I shower and put my exercise clothes on again (I have two sets and wash the other one daily) and then I sit down for my dinner and chill with my hubby for a while before it’s bedtime and i start it all again the next morning For me, it’s also easier to make a habit of things if I do them everyday, at least for a while. Eventually things will come up so I don’t do it every night, I’m sure but until it’s a habit I do it daily. My goal is 30 minutes a day no matter what but I try to do as much more as I can. The PA (physicians assistant) was at my support group meeting and did a talk one night on fitness and he shared that 90 minutes of exercise a week (15 minutes a day for 6 days of the week) causes a 15% Drop in “all cause mortality.” My surgeon was there and said that surgery actually only creates an 11% change so it’s pretty incredible. This takes 25 minutes per day because you want to do a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down. During the 15 minutes your goal is a zone 2 heart rate. You calculate the zone 2 range by first subtracting your age from 220 that is your MAXIMUM heart rate. Then you multiply that number by 60% that’s the lower number of your range and 70% which is the upper number of our range. The example is a 40 year old. 220 - 40 = 180 (MAX). 180 X 60% = 108 and 180 X 70% = 126. The zone 2 heart rate range for this person is between 108 - 126 beats per minute. (The fitness watch will tell you your heart rate so you can check You can do it at the gym if that works better for you and you can of course break it into three 30 minute sessions instead of daily if you choose as long as you get 90 minutes per week minimum. Once I can add strength training I may actually do it this way and do my weights on the other days. For now I’m just worrying about the cardio part. I can tell you though, it is so absolutely worth it. Since I have been doing the exercise I feel incredible. My energy has increased tremendously and my mood is so much better. It’s an all around good thing and not that hard, really, once you set your mind to it and get a few days under your belt it gets easier. I have been very sedentary for YEARS and I can’t believe I didn’t start this exercise thing sooner. It’s seriously pretty great!! Ooh and I was told the same thing for weights. At 6 weeks I can lift more than 10 pounds but not weights. Especially if I didn’t lift them before surgery and would be straining. Even at two months I’m supposed to slowly work my way up but I think that’s probably advisable for anyone whether they had surgery or not. Also, my friend found a fitness watch on Amazon for $20. Doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive one, just need heart rate and steps or distance really to get started. And if you know anyone else who wants to do some exercise, my friend and I talk on the phone most nights while we are both walking around our own houses. She said she wants to do her exercise bike last night but it goes so much faster when we talk. I said we can still talk while you ride your bike it doesn’t matter if we’re doing the same thing. The person you’re talking to doesn’t even really have to be exercising. They just have to be willing to talk to you and encourage you to keep doing it music works pretty well as an alternative busy a couple of nights and I’ve just used my headphones from instead of talking on the phone. Some people listen to podcasts as well

So since posting I’ve not been very active and my issue with weight regain has gotten worse. I am now sitting at 270 pounds. That’s 100 total pounds regained. I am miserable. I am going to start a protein shake diet thing for a week starting tomorrow and really try to get active again, but as I mentioned before I am still on night shift and a student as well. My fitness pal seems to cost money these days and im absolutely not paying 20$ a month for that, I wish it was still free. Any tips is awesome, motivations, and even pen pals, I find not having anyone to hold my accountable is really a big problem for me as I tend to convince myself to do as I please (I get it, I need to hold myself accountable, but it’s nice to have a helping hand) thanks for all the comments

I think ev1 is going to be different and I know that different surgery programs tell you different things. I personally wouldn’t be able to eat 5 ounces of most foods at once, but I do eat smaller portions (around 3 ounces ) 4-5 times a day, but I’m not as far out from surgery as you are. I think if you’re losing weight, eating a balanced healthy diet, and comfortable, you’re doing well. I think you just need to find what works for you. oh! And make sure to drink your fluids. Dehydration can sometimes present as hunger but you really just need fluid.

I'm 5+ yrs post op now, but thanks to MyFitnessPal and my anal logging efforts, I can tell you exactly what I was eating on my 5th week post op! I focused on trying to get my protein in, for sure. Aimed for 70g, didn't always make it, but gave it an honest-to-goodness try. I do remember that i didn't eat much in the early months, due in part because of my of my restriction, but also because i had some serious food-aversion going on at the time and I just really didn't want to eat. I was however, surpassing my daily water goals easily (2L) all the time. I very much enjoyed drinking water, which I definitely preferred over actually eating. Below are screenshots of everything I logged/ate during my 5th week post op. Averaged 454 calories a day that 5th week, which i realized later was on the low side, oopsies. Though i stayed at about his calorie level until about month 3 or 4 when I averaged closer to 600 a day. By month 7 I was averaging 800 cals a day. Today, 5+ years later, I average about 1800 cals a day.

I was curious what causes the 3-week stall, and this is what I found out in doing a little digging. When we experience calorie deprivation, whether a diet or after surgery or just not having the usual amount to eat for a bit, our bodies first turn to our store of glycogen to keep things running. Glycogen is a form of stored sugar, and for each gram of glycogen in the body, it's bound to 3 grams of water. So, if you burn a gram of glycogen for energy, you lose 3 additional grams of water as a bonus. Your body will always burn glycogen before it burns fat because that's how we've evolved to handle brief food shortages. Which means most of the weight you lose right after surgery is not actually fat, but water (and that's fine!). But after a few weeks, your body is low on glycogen and you still haven't hunted down a wooly mammoth to eat, so now it starts burning fat to keep running. At the same time, it does what it can to replenish those glycogen stores with whatever calories you have coming in, because it's a little worried you won't survive the next famine. Glycogen makes me think of the $100 cash my mom always kept stashed in her sock drawer for an emergency. If she used any of it, as soon as she got more cash, she replenished that first before putting anything in her wallet. Remember, each gram of glycogen comes with 3 grams of water. So you might burn 4 grams of fat, but also replenish 1 gram of glycogen (along with the 3 grams of water that tag along for the ride), and the scale shows you the same weight. Now you feel like nothing has happened and start to panic. But you still lost fat, which is the goal. And once your body does what it needs to do to replenish that glycogen, it'll start showing on the scale again. I really wish doctors would explain this process to patients before surgery! Some mention plateaus in general, but they rarely explain what causes them, and the 3 week stall is the type of thing they really should explain in detail so we know what's going on because it's basically a given.

And here are my stats! I cannot believe I am 1/3 of the way towards my goal and that I've lost 76.5 inches from all over my body!! I definitely feel it!

I lost 33 pounds in my first 6 weeks, not in my first month. I also started a good 100 pounds heavier than you. The bigger you are, the faster you initially lose. I will say that you should go check out the NSV thread here (Non Scale Victories). Even if the scale isn't doing what you want, it doesn't mean things aren't happening. Clothes fit differently, rings are looser, you fit into seats with arms better, you're not smooshed when you sit in a booth, you can do more walking and working out without as much difficulty, etc.... Don't weight yourself everyday. Try picking a specific day each week and do it then. Make sure you're prioritizing protein first, then veggies, then carbs and healthy fats. Move everyday. Can be a workout, can be walking, could be swimming or biking. Just make sure you're moving your body. Try to stay away from sugar and salt as much as possible. Get at least 64oz of fluids daily, if not more. The first 6 months is when you lose the most, so do everything you can to help that along.

I just want to toot my own horn here and be a bit pround...sorry...not sorry. I'm 5+ years post surgery, 51 yo and playing beach volleyball (indoors)! I cant say Im all that good at it, but I try to play 2x a week and can run a 5k in 35 mins. Im the one in the black shirt and tan tights. From 315 lbs to about 175/180 lbs now and loving life in a whole new and sustainable way! PS. The saggy butt is still even after getting a lift and skin removed.

I absolutely had this, right around 4 weeks post-op from VSG. With laparoscopic VSG, there's one larger incision where they remove the stomach remnant (usually on the right side), and I know my surgeon said there's generally an internal stitch there that will dissolve over time (or pop, if you put too much pressure on it). In my case, I bent over pretty far to pick something up and felt a POP and a little pain, then it was fine. I noticed right after that my previously puckered-looking incision was now flat, so I was fairly certain it was the internal stitch popping. I asked the team about it, and they said that's exactly what it sounded like, palpated the area a bit, and had no concerns. Now, I'm not sure how this relates to RNY, but it's possible you also had an internal stitch that just finally let go. No pain following the pop is good. At 4 weeks out, your incisions should be starting to heal up pretty nicely, but it's definitely best to check with your team juuuuuust in case! Good luck!

it's really, really rare to have a stricture that late - they almost always appear - if they're going to appear - within the first three months after surgery. I had two - at four weeks out and again at eight weeks out. The first time I knew something was wrong and I called my clinic. They suspected it was a stricture and sent me over to the hospital for an upper endoscopy to confirm (and "fix") it. The second time I knew exactly what it was since I'd seen this movie before and I went right in to have it stretched. So no, I never got to the point you were at. For those newbies who are reading this, strictures only happen to about 5% of bypass patients (they can happen to sleeve patients as well, but they're very rare with sleeve), and they almost always happen within the first three months after surgery. Just be aware of the symptoms she listed and contact your clinic if you first start noticing stuff like this. They're not going to heal on their own, and they're an easy fix. Just make sure to let your clinic know if you start having these kinds of symptoms (can't keep anything down, nausea all the time) since these are not normal and are usually indicative of a stricture.