Search the Community

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. ❤️

like a lot of the folks here, i only had to do 2 weeks. it was 3 shakes a day for two weeks. i had to go back to do the math, but figured out you wrote your initial post on day 2 of your liquid diet, yes? Most will tell you that the first 3-4 days are the worst of it. If you white knuckle it those first couple days, you'll likely find it gets much, much easier. I'm sure there's some science to it, but essentially your body gets used to the lower intake and does something else instead of whine loudly lol (google ketosis). But you have to try to not "cheat" during those days or you may just reset the clock, and have to do those 3-4 days of discomfort again. Doing math again, today should be day 4 for you...how are you doing? In terms of the 4 week road ahead of you, it does sound daunting, but maybe if you could break it down to week long increments it may be easier to bear. just get this friday and you'll have one week under your belt. then look forward to the next friday. or if a week seems too long, just get to the end of the day. whatever it takes to shrink the seemingly endless void into small manageable parts (with small victories along the way). ...and if you fall off, get up and start again. no need for shame spirals or self-flagellation. good luck! ❤️

You can do this!! You are a beast woman!! If you need any support after the hysterectomy feel free to message, I've lived that recovery. Honestly with all the other surgeries you've had, I hope this one will be par for the course and you'll be back on your feet in no time, feeling better than ever. I highly recommend you get the disposable mesh postpartum underwear from Amazon, they are the only thing I could tolerate on my abdomen for weeks. Also, yoga blocks or something to prop your feet up a bit on when you go to the bathroom will make those bowel movements easier post op when you aren't supposed to bear down at all. I lived on prunes for 12 weeks because for me they work gentler than laxatives! But you are probably an old hand at the post surgery bowel game by now... For me the hardest thing was to stay down and REST!! You wear out much faster than you'd expect for the first few months, and honestly it was pretty close to a year before I felt back to a normal normal. All the changes in the body are weird. Feeling my bowel drop into the space when I rolled over one night was VERY strange! LOL But I'm sure you know all this. I'll be sending you tons of good juju! You will be amazed and delighted at how light your pelvis feels once those fibroids are out of there! I am still amazed at how light my lower abdomen feels. I didn't realize how accustomed I had become to feeling that boggy heaviness in that area all the time...

I unfortunately only spent a few months following surgery without being overly hungry, but after about the three month mark it came back with a vengeance, so I decided to do some research. I now consume Non digestive or Resistant meladextrin. Its a corn fiber that your body can't digest so; no calories, good fiber and probiotics purported to help with the following: Resistant maltodextrin is believed to enhance gut health by [19, 29, 30]: Promoting the growth of good gut bacteria Improving stool weight, consistency, and bowel movements According to some researchers, resistant maltodextrin has potential against obesity, diabetes, and heart disease because, in various studies, it has [31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39]: Reduced belly fat and body weight Decreased food intake Increased satiety hormones (glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY) Lowered the production of the “hunger” hormone (ghrelin) Reduced blood sugar levels and insulin resistance Blocking the growth of cancer cells and tumors ** hasn't been proven** Decreasing endotoxins, inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers (TNF-a, IFN gamma, MDA) Increasing protective antibodies and anti-inflammatory substances (IgA, butyrate, IL-10) In clinical studies of over 200 people, resistant maltodextrin enhanced the growth of good gut bacteria, including [19, 29, 44, 47, 48]: Bifidobacterium Ruminococcus Eubacterium Lactobacillus Lachnospiraceae Bacteroides Holdemania Faecalibacterium As a resistant starch, this type of maltodextrin will help keep your blood sugar level stable after meals. In a meta-analysis of over 900 people, resistant maltodextrin blocked the increase of blood sugar after meals (postprandial glycemia) [37]. resistant maltodextrin decreased blood glucose and insulin levels. It increased a weight-loss protein called adiponectin that blocks glucose production. 3) Obesity In several clinical studies of over 300 overweight people, resistant maltodextrin reduced body weight, body mass index (BMI), and body fat. In one 12-week clinical study of 30 people with metabolic syndrome, it decreased waist circumference and belly fat [31, 55, 35]. In clinical studies of over 160 overweight men, resistant maltodextrin decreased feelings of hunger, increased satiety, and reduced and food intake. In another study on 32 healthy people, it decreased levels of the “hunger” hormone (ghrelin), lowered feelings of hunger and improved satiety [31, 32, 33, 34]. In rats, resistant maltodextrin reduced body weight, belly fat, and suppressed excess food intake [56, 6, 50 I found numerous research studies that pretty much said the same things above..so I figured I'd give it a try. It has no flavor and desolved completely so I just add it to my water plus it has no calories and helps regulate Ghrelin (hunger hormone). It really seems to help! I just make sure its non GMO etc etc. Perhaps it can help you, I figured it couldn't hurt and I do feel less hungry...still by try but less.

I need to rant a little! I have always struggled with excess weight in my adult life. Over the years I tried Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, my own thing, you name it. For the past 8 years I have been struggling to lose 50-60 lbs. It was extremely difficult for me to lose anything at all unless I severely limited calories - like 800, 900 per day - which I could only do with the help of prescription medicines. When I'd stop taking them the weight would come back despite that fact that I was rarely overeating, usually around 1500 calories per day. Over the years I gained and lost the same weight this way. I took Contrave, but it hyped me up so badly I couldn't stand it. I took Belviq, which worked well - I didn't care if I ate or not so it was easy to consume so few calories, but it was taken off the market. I used Qysmia, which also worked the same way. I lost 30 lbs, but I was paying out of pocket and couldn't afford it any more. One of my issues is that I lose weight VERY slowly, and it was frustrating to work so hard and lose a pound or 2 a month. After gaining all the weight back plus 10 more pounds in 2 years, I knew I could lose it again by getting back on Qysmia but I couldn't bear the thought of the "yoyo" again. I'm 67 and have diabetes and heart disease in my family, which I was afraid of developing if I didn't take and keep the weight off. I'm on blood pressure and cholesteroI meds already. I can't play with a yoyo any longer at this point in my life and so I began to consider sleeve gastrectomy. I researched and thought about it for a long time before finally having surgery 1/24/24. Yesterday it was 4 weeks since surgery. In the 1st 2 weeks I lost 10 lbs. While I hoped to lose more, this was a good result because before surgery it would have taken me about 6 months to lose 10 lbs. Victory!! Or so I thought. Since then, however, I haven't lost any weight. I've read about the 3 week stall, which I guess is what I am experiencing. I think I get it. And at the same time I am enormously frustrated and sometimes find myself thinking that I made this drastic and permanent change in my life only to have the same result - consuming very little calorically and the weight just not coming off. Except now I'm consuming even fewer calories (still on purees). And on top of that, I am hungry almost all day. After breakfast, I wait 15 minutes and start on water/fluids again. Fifteen minutes after that, I am hungry again. And yes, it's genuine hunger - with growling and an empty feeling. Eating 1/4 cup of food is not filling me up. I am getting usually around 70g of protein each day in what I'm eating and drinking, so it's not that. I had some wild expectations, I'll admit. My doctor gave me a goal weight that requires me to lose 50 lbs. (60 for a "stretch" goal). I (crazily) thought that it would take about 2 months to lose that much. I've since realized that with relatively little to lose it will go slower, but geez! For who knows what reason, I also thought I would hardly ever be hungry. Five days post op, natural hunger returned. I was mad! And surprised, but I relied on this forum and learned that hunger was still normal. I thought once I could actually eat something it would be more like "normal" hunger - like before surgery - when it was about time to eat. Instead I find that I am often just hungry all day (usually worse at night) and the amount I'm eating isn't enough. I eat the recommended 2 oz of food and I never feel full, but I stop because that is the recommended amount. The instructions I've been given have implied that this should be more than enough to fill me at this point and that I might not even be able to finish that much, but it hasn't been the case for me. In 30 minutes or so, it's like I didn't eat anything and I'm hungry again. Of course I realize that a lot of my problem is my unrealistic expectations. But sometimes I do feel frustrated that I did this drastic thing only to have nothing change - I still can't lost weight. Mostly, reason prevails and I know that sooner or later the weight has got to come off. Reason is reassuring for the mental issue I have here, but reason does nothing to help the hunger. Ok, rant over. Does anyone have experience like this? Very slow loss and constant hunger? Does the weight loss pick up? How long does the 3 week stall last? Does the hunger ever return to normal? Help!!

according to this internet calculator: https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html ** at your current height and weight, if you did nothing but stand still and breathe, you would burn 1,478 calories a day (i assumed you are are a 30 yr old female to fill in the blanks). so THEORTICALLY if all you did was merely EXIST, and you ate less than 1,478 calories a day you would be in a deficit and lose weight (how much weight exactly would depend on your activity level, your genetics, your health and metabolism speed). with that said, i'm with @catwoman7 in that i agree that 2100 cal a day for someone with your current weight and height may be more than maintenance level cals (i.e, you will GAIN weight), unless you are exercising at least 4-5 times a week. see screenshot from the above calculator's results below. ** p.s. as always, pls don't think that this calculator is the be all end all of truth, its just a guide based on AVERAGES. roughly 99% of people with your similar height and weight will fall above or below this number produced by this calculator.

Oh this is fascinating. Proves I'm still learning even 2.5 years post op. I know now that all the pain and pulling I had around my big incision (mine was on the left though) might have been this. Totally fits. I had a number of incidents when I bent over and then straightened up (too quickly maybe) that almost floored me. It totally resolved about 6 weeks after my surgery. Made me think about how I moved for some time though.

I have my first doctors appointment in two weeks to start the weight loss surgery process. One thing I’m concerned about is I was hospitalized in December for a DVT and Pulmonary embolism and I’m now on blood thinner. Will I still be able to have weight loss surgery?

I had some similar phases -- I'm in one right now, I just have no appetite and I've yet to feel hunger post-op so it's been a struggle. Part of it is mindset. Try to remind yourself that you're eating for nutrition now, and to recalibrate your body into accepting food again. You don't have to eat any full meal -- even if you just get a few bites down and then follow up with a shake half an hour later to make sure you're getting your protein in. I'm 3 months in and there are days where breakfast is a soft protein bar, lunch is a protein shake (and dinner is one of the thousands of frozen cups of pureed sweet potato with bone broth powder that I made back in week 3, LOL) . Or whatever I manage to convince myself to eat for the sake of it. Dp whatever you have to do to get through. Keep in mind, your body is still healing. You may be free of pain, but your innards can take 6-8 months to heal, move back into place, etc. Your hormones and body chemicals are all over the place right now. Cut yourself lots of slack. Survive this until it gets better for you.

Made it to day 2 post op! Not so much in pain, but get some very uncomfortable stomach feelings or cramps. They prescribed oxy and liquid Tylenol which I’ve been taking pretty much every 3-4 hours (woke up every three hours the first night following the procedure). Otherwise I’ve been up and walking in between napping - very tired! I had my procedure Thursday and was planning to go back into my office on Tuesday. Based on how tired I am, I will probably work from home the whole week following the procedure. My dietary guidelines are as follows: Day 1 (procedure day) & Day 2: Clear liquids, supposed to have 64 oz of Gatorade or a diluted fruit juice but I haven’t been able to drink that much at all. They said the first two days are the worst as your stomach heals, so hoping tomorrow is better. 4 weeks: Full liquid diet 2 weeks: Blended/pureed foods 4 weeks: Soft foods Regular food I feel ready but am a little nervous for the amount of drinking I’ll be doing at the office!

there was a lot of conversation on here about those when they first came out a few years ago. It seems they work for some people, but not for others. I never tried them because I figured I'd be one of the people they wouldn't work for. I've considered getting them for traveling, though, so I don't have to lug a bunch of bottles around. Even if they didn't really work for me, four or five days or even a week without getting adequate vitamins probably wouldn't really matter - esp since I'm only away from home that long maybe once or twice a year.

I agree with the others stating the importance of having a therapist or coach to walk through this with you. Dieticians and nutritionists are very helpful with making a tailored diet plan for your needs, but don't always address the issues in our head, since that's not in their job description. See if you can get your insurance to cover sessions in therapy or counseling, if nothing else, just to have someone to vent to that is obligated to not judge you . If insurance pushes back, check with local therapists that offer "coaching" sessions at a lower rate. I had to do that until my insurance rolled over at the first of the year. I'm only 10 weeks post op, but I'm dealing with constant head hunger and cravings. I'm learning now that I used the act of eating, and not the feeling of fullness, as a way to deflect stress. At least now, if I overdo it, my stomach will rebel, which is its own problem, because I don't want to put stress on the staples. My therapist is helping me practice ways to listen to my stomach, and not listen to my mouth, if that makes any sense. When those two are fighting, the stress and feelings of being a failure appear to me. I have to remind myself that despite hitting a stall and dealing with the cravings, I'm already much healthier for having decided to have surgery!

Hello everyone, I was sleeved on Jan 10th. For the past two weeks I have to have chinese takeout in my fridge. I am a college student so I don’t have access to a stove just a microwave (an air fryer really) and fridge. I am pretty content with how much weight i’ve lost. I’m just mourning the loss of my butt. I know it isn’t ideal to always eat chinese food nearly every day but I guess it works for me. I wanted to know if anyone else can relate to being hyper-fixed to a food. My order is usually chicken and broccoli with light sauce and rice or vegetable/chicken lo mein. That’s all I get but because I can eat such small portions, 1 order can last me about a week and a half.

I did feel anxiety and something that's grief-like in my early days post-op. I never did the liquid diet and was overwhelmed with how many things I thought I couldn't have. I have always enjoyed working out and always thought that not being to eat adequately will not allow me to workout intensely again. Those days are far behind me now. I eat everything and that includes sushi, burgers, tacos, rice, noodles and even dessert. I have been traveling to Europe for 2 weeks and I had gelato, pizza, pasta and bread every single day. I came back having lost weight. I walked 15k+ steps a day and enjoyed everything in moderation, I didn't eat big portions of anything, I rarely finished a whole scoop of gelato but I tasted everything and ate to satisfaction. I eat well 90-95% of the time, but I definitely don't deprive myself of anything. I eat out on weekends and I love trying new restaurants and cafes, it really doesn't have to be like that. It really comes down to how much you eat. Use your restriction to know how much to eat and when to stop. Of course I understand that the above might not be suitable for everyone, but the "all or nothing" mindset was something I struggled with pre WLS, but I find that adopting the "everything in moderation" OR "do I really want to eat that?" mindset now is really freeing and doesn't limit how I live my life. I love travel, I love food, I love culinary experiences and I am adamant to not let WLS get in the way of it. It is a tool that should be used to build good habits, which include portion control, daily movement and workouts but also freeing your mind of food fear and anxiety.

Thanks @Bypass2Freedom, @SleeveToBypass2023and @FifiLux for your kind comments. I think the MSK person just wanted to make me aware of what the future may hold for me and to temper any expectations I may have regarding WLS and my knees. As it stands at the moment, I find it difficult to weight bear as the pain can knock me sideways. I’ve had a little folding scooter for around a month now which means I can now get out of the house with hubby and be around people. I cannot begin to explain how this has added to my quality of life! I have some independence back!! I could go weeks at a time not getting out, so this is a massive change. I could actually wizz off to the park with my granddaughter at the weekend and just be there with her 😊 I also haven’t driven for almost a year now, which I miss but cannot manage at present as I can’t get in the van we have at the drivers side as it’s too high and my knees can’t cope right now as there are times when just bending them can bring me to tears. It’s not the end of the world, just something that happens 🤷‍♀️ These are all things that will hopefully change in the future. I know that weight loss will have positive impacts in lots of different areas of my life. I know that my knees will definitely thank me, knee surgery not withstanding!

I worked out of town all week, so every meal was at a restaurant. Even the sandwich place we went to, I just told them to keep the fries, and only give me veggies and the meat, no bread. I got strange looks, and it was discounted at all, but it works. I also had a birria taco, and just scraped out the meat/cheese, and left the tortilla. Grilled chicken at the steak place. Luckily I talked them out of a burger joint But if we would have gone, i would have got the burger, just no bun etc. I was still able to keep my calories under 1K per day!

Sigh.....I need to figure out how to maintain and not lose more weight. Wanted to stop at 190....but now I can't figure out how to stop losing!!!! Never in a million years did I think I would ever have this problem. I can't add more carbs because I'm SUPER sensitive to them and too many make me REALLY sick. I tried adding more calories, but because I work out 4-5 days per week, it's actually causing me to lose still. So weird. I tried eating more small meals and snacks more often, but honestly, I already have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day, and eating more just makes me sick to my stomach because I'm trying to force myself to eat when I'm not hungry. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know my secret goal was 180, but I actually like how I look and feel at 190, so I'm not really looking to go lower. Yet here I am....going lower.....

Hello All- i posted for the first time just about three years ago with some anxieties as a spouse with my wife prepping to undergo the gastric sleeve. I originally noted being concerned about our lifestyle changes, relationship impacts (I had heard all the horror stories) and most of all health concerns into the future. The community was incredibly supportive and I had learned tips and useful knowledge that helped me coach and support my wife through it. I am happy to say we are better than we ever have been and her self confidence is through the roof. However the MAIN reason the surgery ever was even considered was to get her diabetes that started while she was pregnant with our first child and got very concerning bad with our fourth has still stuck around and caused issues….. First- this is Life changing not just for the partner getting the surgery, but the spouse too. We used to be foodies and that all had to go out the door. Same with alcohol. Two bites and you are full, a pint and you are drunk. So activities, dates, etc. and new hobbies should all be prepared for well in advance. Luckily we are both athletes and coaches and this allowed to have an outlet that wasn’t our prior foodies and beer/ brewery culture pastime. Two- Relationship, anyone who tells you that this leads to automatic divorce/ break up is paranoid or lying. Out of her support group offered by our health network, I think only 1 or 2 of about fifteen women ended up separating and that was from the other spouse cheating. I have to say that in many ways, after four kids and all our activities, youth sports and coaching- it created a second honeymoon period for us and really strengthened our romance and relationship because we both focused on our health again jointly and the magnetism increased dramatically. Third- It might not fix the problem…. We did not jointly go into the surgery for cosmetic or weight loss reasons. It was the diabetes and the doctors said it was a solid shot to cure or mitigate the disease. It was for a while, but it keeps back up. despite healthy eating, despite exercise and coaching, despite the surgery- medications came back into the picture and so did the celebrity weight loss drug (which is really supposed to be for diabetes…) This has been keeping everything under control but is a case of the cure being as bad as the sickness. The side effects are brutal and definitely have a quality of life impact, but we both want to live to see grandkids someday….. Fourth- dysmorphia is VERY really. We are both naturally larger people. I was a lineman in high school and college and she was a softball catcher in high school and college and ended up also playing women’s rugby there as well. Even with the surgery she went from an XL to L but she got her college/ high school figure back and as such her confidence went through the roof and started dressing like she hadn’t in years. With the medication though??? Her figure, face shape, everything changed. Down to a Small or Medium. For almost a year and a half she hasn’t recognized herself in the mirror. It’s a double wham with the surgery and the medication. Between her best friends and myself (we have all been in the same friend/ team group since college) the support was to have fun with it and go with the flow. Instead of worrying about it (the dysmorphia) it was embrace the change. All new clothes she could never wear before, she’s been a redhead now and then blonde and still is. Cut her hair shorter, started wearing makeup (never really did)- all just to try and put a positive spin on it. I’ve been the spoiled recipient of having a brand new girl (don’t think I haven’t romanced and spoiled the you-know-what out of her), but at the end of the day it’s been mitigation of all the life changes. The last part has been the most detailed because it’s the most recent and to me has been the most impactful- NOT having the surgery do its intended purpose and the dysmorphia we’re both very difficult given the efforts and life changes made. We’ve done everything we can to make lemonade out of those lemons though. We had an anniversary vacation better than our honeymoon this past summer (she has always been way out of my league and these days it’s very much over the top- I feel incredibly spoiled) and we have made time to ride our bikes together with our oldest babysitting the kids and we come to each others games when we coach. I would tell any spouse; husband or wife of someone who is going to have the surgery and then or also do all the meds: 1. Support. It’s a huge deal and you need to show up. 2. Don’t get insecure about your relationship because of the surgery. If you are worried it means you might not have a great relationship to start with…. 3. You will need to change your life too. Because of my size and my weight lifting, I need a lot of protein and calories. I will never look like a Hollywood star (like she now does) and always an NFL lineman- BUT- if I bring a cannoli, pie or a full growler into the house in addition to steak/ salmon, etc it’s teasing and not fair. You will need to learn self control to support your spouse… 4. Inspire and come up with ideas for positive re-enforcement. If the dysmorphia or depression sets in, you need to find fun things to do, supportive steps to take and positive angles to keep things going. 5. If you are doing all this as a spouse, what about YOU??? Are you going to die a martyr? Take care of YOURSELF too. I go lifting 3 times a week, go fishing in season. And for my 40th birthday when she asked what I wanted?? I got us a long weekend on the Cape, bought her some dresses I wanted to see her in and sent her to get her hair, nails, toes, eyelashes, etc.. done. Said I wanted a long weekend with my movie star wife. It was a great time, kid free and continued to strengthen our marriage. Anyways- why am I writing this? Posterity? Self reflection? Not really…. I just want to give Spouses a roadmap. It’s a huge change and you need to navigate the waters well. If you do you will benefit as much as your loved one. Good luck.

this is not the first time, but it happened again...and i think it's happened often enough now for me to consider it a "normal" thing: I. Lost. Weight. On. Vacation. it still fascinates me when this happens because the norm prior to wls was to GAIN weight during vacay. Every. Single Time. (even when i was not overweight) Went on vacay 20 days ago, and came back this afternoon. I did not count calories, track food, weigh myself, nor perform a lick of exercise (besides walking) all that time. And lo and behold, i lost 3.1 lbs. which is very unexpected, because me and Mr. basically ate and drank ourselves across a good part of europe, and i fully expected the scale to show a good sized weight gain when i got home (he says HE gained almost 4 lbs). honestly i felt like i ate (and drank) more in the past 3-ish weeks than i ever have since WLS 5+ years ago...but maybe i am mistaken? maybe i should have tracked my food intake after all... anyway, yay! i may just have to fully accept that i got this maintenance thing down pat. i didn't think about calories or portion sizes or whatever...just ate (and drank) what i felt like, in amounts i knew i could handle. yay!

Hi all. My name is Carrielee. I am 33 years old and have been on the fence about WLS for the last few years. I have struggled with obesity since I was quite young and the weight keeps piling on. I am 5 foot 1 and just hit 325 pounds. I now have a BMI of 61.4. I have uncontrolled Hypertension on multiple meds, uncontrolled Type II Diabetes, and high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe arthritis, IIH, angina, fatty liver disease, past history of PE. I can barely walk and have been told if I don’t lose the weight I likely won’t live to see 40. I’ve backed out of this so many times but now that I’ve surpassed the 300 pound mark I know I have to do this. I’ve ended up in the ER twice in this last week with abnormal EKGs and the idea of having a cardiac event before 40 terrifies me.

Did they give you a prescription for anti-nausea medicine like Zofran? I had to take it for many weeks and just stopped. Also, have you tried broth or other soups? I found that getting away from the sweet shakes and drinks helped a lot. I would call the surgeon's office again and try to speak to someone else. That response wasn't ok! When I was battling nausea, I got dehydrated, and my blood pressure got really low. I had to go to the hospital for IV fluids and vitamins. It's like a vicious cycle with the nausea and dehydration. If your surgeon can't help, maybe contact your general practitioner. Sorry you are going through this!

Hello everyone. Hope you are all doing well. My journey is still a bit confusing. So overall, I’m doing great. Down 65 pounds since my surgery on Oct 9th. Thing is, I was down 55 pounds after the first six weeks. And only lost 10 pounds this past six weeks. Keep hitting frequent stalls every couple weeks. Trying to keep getting my protein in. Biggest thing that puzzles me is the amount I can eat. Unless I strictly measure my portions, I’m able to eat a lot more than I feel I should be able to. For example, I can eat 10 grilled chicken nuggets in about 15 minutes. Also can drink about 10 ounces of water at a time. I had RNY surgery btw. My surgeon looked puzzled when I told him this, but then just blew it off. He told me I should be eating 4-5 bites per meal. Yeah right. More like 15-20 bites unless I strictly measure it out. But let’s face it, that’s not always possible when I work 50+ hours a week. Oh and my hair is starting to fall out. Apparently it’s normal for RNY patients around 3 months. They have assured me it will grow back later. Sure hope so. But otherwise I feel great, moving much better and no more plantar fasciitis or knee pain. How is everyone else doing?

I had the lap band for a long time, and there were definitely days that food would go down much easier. Then I had days I couldn't eat but a few bites, and other days that it felt like there was no restriction at all. Many times, it depended on what type of food I was eating. I don't think you need a fill unless your weight loss has completely stalled, and even then, a common problem is being too aggressive and getting too many fills and ending up causing serious long term side effects with the esophagus. As long as you are still in the general ballpark of say, your calorie goals, I wouldn't worry about the day to day fluctuations. You can get a barium swallow and see if you pouch has stretch or not, I did that yearly to make sure the band didn't slip and/or if I stretch the pouch above the band. Sometimes that can cause people to be able to eat a lot more when they have the band.

I was given the all clear to restart eating solid food at my 6 week appointment yesterday. Hooray! I'm not hungry but I did miss variety in flavor and texture. Tonight I'm making a 15 bean soup because the weather is terrible and it sounded soothing. The doctor did say I'm losing weight at the low end of normal. I need to increase my exercise, which I definitely struggle with. I need to figure out a good way to incorporate exercise every day.

I'm currently having this issue as I'm almost a year (9 months) into it; I was satisfied with my 160 for a couple of weeks ago, but I'm currently at 155 and I'm starting to get worried. I know I haven't been eating more than a meal or two a day which can be the reason, but I'm having a tough time in going beyond two meals. Should I just load up in empty calories and junky snacks? I'm also trying to go to the gym more regularly so the muscles can gain more pounds.