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Hi Tanith, I too am in a similar situation. I have lost about 60 pounds since my Oct 3rd surgery. I can eat some solid food, but I have to be very careful. Most of the time after eating, I feel like I've swallowed a rock that is just sitting in my stomach (or what's left of it rather). I do get nauseous very easily and have gotten sick many times after eating. I also get heartburn very easy. I've been living on Tums lately. I told my Dr about this and he said just to eat smaller portions and very slow to eat. I wish it worked that easy. I'll be following to see what others say. Wishing you all the best.

Have they tested you to see if you are having issues with reactive hypoglycemia? This usually kicks in 1-4 hours after a meal, but since you've had a bypass it is possible it could kick in faster for you if your food is transitioning faster. I've seen FB groups for bariatric patients that have this issue. I've noticed it often happens years out from surgery... I used to have issues with this before bariatric surgery, even on a low carb diet. Eating small meals often with fat and protein paired with your carbs is usually what they advise to treat it, along with other dietary adjustments. Personally if I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I aggressively crash energy wise. It is very pronounced. I have to carry snacks with me everywhere to prevent me going past that 3 hour mark or I look like the Energizer Bunny without his battery! LOL

Hey Ron! I had my BP on the 6th. I’m doing pretty good as well. I don’t start vitamins until Tuesday a full two weeks after surgery. I guess they want to make sure I’m eating something to protect me from getting nausea. I saw my nutritionist yesterday and he said I can ease into soft foods with yogurt and cottage cheese. Luckily I love both! I was able to have about 1/2 a cup without feeling uncomfortable. I just stopped eating and I wasn’t hungry or wanting more. A few hours later same thing with a Greek yogurt. I’m so ready for eggs, tuna, cheese etc. I also was told to wear my binder for 4 weeks. It definitely makes me feel more secure. My glue is still on my incisions. I guess they put a super deluxe hospital grade glue on me. I’m not scrubbing it off or peeling it off until it comes off naturally. I’m too scared to open something up. So, good luck my friend. And everyone else hang in there with your liquid diets. It’s definitely worth it. It will make your surgery go smoother and recovery easier. 💖💖💖

I want to thank everyone for the kind words and provide an update. I had my one-year post op doctor appointment yesterday. It went well and they were happy with the results. I still need to get blood work done, which I will do tomorrow. The blood work is probably the most important part of the visit, so I am hopeful that everything is right with it. I have had the 'normal' hurdles over the last 16-months that everyone has to deal with, and I am very thankful for little to no complications. I feel for those that have had more challenging journals, since I have been so lucky. Again, I want to stress that I am not special or unique. I hope someone out there might read this and it helps them in some way. It is hard work to lose weight no matter how you do it. It requires mentally reprograming how you have lived your entire life and making physical choices to match, but it can be done. Tons of success stories in this group are proof. Stay positive and go day by day with it. Stay off the scale and celebrate the non-scale victories. My wife and two kids have been so supportive: everything from education to food prep to walking with me to listening and talking about the process. Not an easy process, but because of their support it has been much easier. I am so grateful for the changes they made to support me. I will probably never be able to express that to them at the level it deserves it. I have never been happier. My wife attended the appointment with me yesterday and the update went as follows. I started in 9/2022 at 514-lbs. I had my surgery in 2/2023 at 488-lbs. My weight yesterday was 254-lbs. Its official I am truly half the man I was compared to the start of this program. Weight loss is different for all, especially someone that started as big as me, but it was great seeing those results. My 'ideal weight" connected to my 'normal' BMI would require me to loss another 80-lbs. I told my doctor from the beginning that I never cared about being skinny or normal and that has not changed. I wanted to improve my quality of life by being less huge. I wanted to be able to participate in activities with my family. I am happy to say I have achieved that goal! I am not done yet! This is not a diet -- it is a lifetime change! I do not care if I ever become 'normal,' but slowly losing and not gaining is the only plan. The future holds unlimited possibilities for me and my family. Future goals for me are to increase my exercise plan by adding strength training as priority number one. My second goal is to continue to try new 'healthy' foods that I may or may not like but expanding my options for more variety and balance helps me stay on plan. I will finish by saying if anyone has questions or thoughts, especially those big boys out there, feel free to ask and I will provide more detail about my experience. I am no expert, and we all have different programs, so I can only share my experience, if that can be of help to anyone. Good luck to all with your own personal journeys.

I’m three weeks out of surgery. I’m feeling kind of the same way technically. For my tracker I weigh twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays. I noticed this week from Wednesday to Sunday I didn’t have the weight loss that I was kind of expecting. I’ve also started the purée stage where I’m actually eating stuff now. One of the Support groups that I’m in there is a woman there and she said that this is normal and I talked to my doctor and he said it was normal so I guess it’s normal. I know I’ve heard of the stalls that happen within the first few months. you’ll have stalls as your body adjusts to the new eating habits. Just make sure that you’re eating your protein, getting your water, taking your vitamins, and eating foods that you should be eating, such as puréed vegetables, or soft foods, or whatever that are healthy. Your body will adjust as time goes on and will all feel these kind of oh my God moments. But we got this we’ll get through this. I’m not gonna start worrying about the stalls until I’m six months out and not losing any weight by then, your body should be on the role of losing. I hope that helps.

That is so ridiculous that the south is targeted as eat poorly… all of America is obese.. America should really think twice of all the fast food places on every street corner.. I haven’t touched a fast food joint since my surgery 3 yrs ago but I’m amazed of how many there are

I had my VSG on October 2nd. I started real food this past Monday. I'm losing an average of 3 pounds per week. My problem is that not only am I hungry, I seem to be able to eat more than what I should be. It feels like I still have my entire stomach. Anyone else experiencing this? My surgeon says I'm doing great, but I'm not so sure.

I had VSG (2015) to RNY revision on January 18th due to GERD. I also had regained almost 70 pounds from my VSG post-op low weight. I've so far lost about 20 pounds since the pre-op diet & surgery. I need to lose another 20 pounds (for normal BMI) to 50 pounds (for calculated ideal body weight). I'm now on unrestricted food textures, and per my program's dietician, I'm supposed to be on my "maintenance" diet now. However, they refuse to discuss any calorie goals or macros other than protein. I'm someone who needs very clear goals and guidelines (thanks, long-undiagnosed ADHD), and I'm feeling very lost about what my diet should look like moving forward. The lifelong guidelines for my program, as I understand them: 60-80g protein per day Up to 4 oz. (1/2 cup) per meal, consisting of: Up to 3 oz. protein per meal Up to 1 oz. (total) veg, fruit, or starch per meal 3 meals per day 1 snack per day (the program guide I was given says 1-2, but per my surgeon I'm only allowed to have 1 snack per day and it has to be between lunch and dinner) - I have no guidelines for the amount I'm allowed for the snack. I assume it's not supposed to be as much food as the meals, but I don't know. Protein shakes/powders are frowned upon The only sample menu provided in my program guide is as follows: Breakfast: Egg omelet with sautéed peppers & onions Snack: Protein shake OR Greek yogurt with berries [removed per my surgeon's instructions] Lunch: Lettuce wrap with turkey and avocado/cheese [it is not clear to me if the / means avocado OR cheese, or avocado AND cheese, but I assume the former] Snack: Apple slices with 2 tablespoons nut butter OR carrots with hummus Dinner: Pesto chicken with spaghetti squash, sautéed spinach, and cherry tomatoes I plugged this menu into the Baritastic app to try and get a sense of what the calories and macros are supposed to look like. The sample menu gave no amounts other than the nut butter, so I used the 3 oz. protein + 1 oz. veg/fruit/starch rule. With the carrots & hummus snack option, here are the macros for the day: 593 calories 62g protein 32g fat 17g carbs (13g net carbs) 4g sugar 4g fiber And here are the apple & nut butter (I used natural peanut butter) macros for the day: 739 calories 67g protein 43g fat 21g carbs (16g net carbs) 8g sugar 5g fiber So from that, I'm extrapolating that I should be aiming for the following daily: 600-750 calories 60-80g protein 30-40g fat less than 25g carbs less than 10g sugar I have a few concerns... I have already been going well over those amounts at just over a month post-op. I've typically getting around 800-900 calories per day. It seems like a real struggle to get to the upper range of protein daily while sticking to the allowed amounts and without using any shakes or protein supplements. Even then, 80g seems low for a protein goal. I have never been a big meat eater (I was vegetarian through most of my teens and 20s), and I absolutely cannot stand any fish or seafood. I do eat a lot of dairy, eggs, and beans, but it seems like that's not going to do it. The standard daily fiber goal I've always heard is 25g per day. I've been getting about 12-15g per day right now, but knowing that I'm overeating and already having too many carbs means even that's not sustainable. I've struggled with post-op constipation... I have gotten to a much better place recently, but if I need to cut back to 4-5g of fiber per day to be within my other limits, I'm afraid of going backwards. That I'm limited to 1/2 cup of food per meal for the rest of my life came as a shock to me, as a revision patient. I knew that my pouch would be smaller than my sleeve, and like with my original surgery, the amount I'd be able to eat at one time would be very small initially. But with my sleeve (which was done by a different surgeon in a different program), there was definitely not the expectation that the amount I could/should eat at 1 month post-op would be the same as what I could/should be eating at 6 months or 1 year out. My bypass surgeon also told me that she left my pouch a little larger than normal so that I wouldn't lose too much additional weight, so my pouch is already larger than a regular bypass patient's. Do these amounts seem in line with other people's experiences? Or am I way off-base?

It sounds like maybe you would benefit from a stricter routine. At least, I know I tend to flounder when I am just let loose without many rules. If I have to figure out what to do every day and each day is different, I get totally off track with stuff. But when I get into a routine, it's way easier. I haven't gotten off track yet simply by virtue of not being able to eat very much right now, but I know that establishing habits and routines is the most important thing for me to do before I get to the point where I could. Here are some suggestions, just in case they help! Put your full week's worth of vitamins in a weekly pill case (I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6XZN1YH). It's especially helpful if you get the kind where you can take the day's box with you for those later in the day doses like calcium. Make the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, or have a rotation of things you can do that are all close to the same in protein value. Plan a dozen dinners that are also roughly the same in protein. Add them up and make sure any breakfast, lunch, and dinner chosen from your repertoire will hit your protein goal. If not, plan for a snack or two in the same way. Don't eat things that are not nutrient dense, and if you do have a treat on occasion, make sure you're limiting yourself to once a month, not once a day! (And if you happen to love chocolate, consider this for one of your daily calcium supplements: https://procarenow.com/products/calcium-dark-chocolate-500mg-calcium-500-iu-vitamin-d) Consider getting something like the Portion Perfection plates and meal prep containers if you struggle with portion size Buy a bariatric cookbook to help with food choices and portions Put your gym or exercise time on your calendar and treat it like you would a doctor's appointment (I struggle with this so much) Or, if you hate the gym, choose exercises you'll actually look forward to. Going to a gym is not a requirement but moving your body is. Put all your reminders for vitamins, mealtime, snack time, and exercise time in your phone so you get reminders

May I ask if the reason for revision was for gerd or acid reflux? Just curious because after my sleeve o developed gerd, and I also need to loss some weight. One week post the RNY which is when I introduced soft food, I can feel the reflux at night when I lay down. It’s like something in the back of my throat and my chest feel tight. I don’t know if the reflux is a imidiate fix or not. I have to ask my doctor when I see him again. And how long was the bypass was never discussed. I didn’t know there is actually the length that I can discuss… I feel like there is a lot I could have ask and didn’t. At my one week post op visit, I had many questions, and maybe I was showing some anxiety, and of course the doctor and nutritionist sensed it. They just told me to keep clam? Let my body heal and don’t think about the weight loss right now.

Ask yourself this: Would you tell him about a gallbladder surgery or hernia repair? I wouldn't bother telling him. You're not being secretive ..just why tell him? If he questions you about scars then tell him (honest is the way to go) but, if you answered I'd not bother telling him about those other surgeries then why would you for WLS? As far as the large family large portions thing, just tell your BF you have a small appetite, which you do and you want to continue to keep your shape and like the benefits of eating healthy and you're carb sensitive so you don't eat a lot of starches - potatoes and rice..its not a lie..you are 😉😆 Lastly you wrote "What do you think? Should I tell him? I don’t understand why other people have to focus so much on my plate. I honestly can eat normal portions of food if it’s the right food (veggies go down very easily, but things like rice or potatoes are quick fillers)." Ask him why he comments and notices what and how you eat. This might tell you how to proceed, whether you tell him or just put him on "notice" that he comments a lot on YOUR eating and plate and you've noticed it. 😉

I have a huge restriction, lucky me. At almost 2 years, I was only on about 800 cals a day. I had to eat so many protein yogurts to get in my quota of protein. After 2 years I decided to call it a day and upped my cals to 1500. This gives me a good number of cals and as I am not a great exerciser, could do more if I wanted more food. Counting my 3 week pre op diet, I lost about 90 lbs at 6 months out

You know, now that you ask it, I DID enjoy myself more!! LOL I had to be very contemplative with eating which translated into more thoughtful conversation while we ate. We've been married 17 years and sometimes you get lazy and end up in that zone where you just shovel food in and get out of there. But I can't do that now!! So I pick places to go more carefully, and we've committed to putting our phones away during our meals together, so we get more face time and I really connect not only with the people I'm with, but the food I'm eating too! I'm two months post op now. I've eaten out at a lot of different places and we did a road trip to visit family for the holidays. That might have been a nightmare food-wise for some people, but I just packed snacks and protein supplemental food that I could eat if we hit a 3 hour mark and no one else was ready to eat. And we even ate at a pizza bar (not my favorite choice even before surgery) and I just got the grilled wings with a mild sauce. I've found that eating out is easier than I thought it would be. I even go eat pho---I just ask them to leave the noodles out and I eat the beef and bean sprouts and enjoy the broth. We still eat mostly at home but I was really relieved when traveling to see that our enjoyment of travel was not affected by my new diet! Also, we seem to share our food more because for me, satiety comes from trying a variety of things (always has) and now I just stick to a few bites of this and that while I meander my way through the meal and it is nice and relaxing and very enjoyable. You will still be able to enjoy yourself, it is all in how you approach it!!

I'd contact your surgeon, especially since you were "fine" beforehand. It might not or might be stricture, I'm not a doctor so contact your surgeons office. Stricture presents symptoms that can "include nausea, vomiting, trouble swallowing, feeling fullness in the upper-middle abdomen, and trouble eating" "The patient may also experience pain when swallowing or experiencing difficulty swallowing." ** This is what you're describing!? "Generally, when a patient complains of feeling like food is getting stuck, or they are throwing up, we immediately assume it is an anastomotic stricture. An anastomotic stricture after gastric bypass is the most common complication. "Near 60% [of patients] present a mild stricture (with a diameter between 7 and 9 mm), [with] 28% asymptomatic. This complication is easily treated by endoscopic procedure if it is diagnosed early (3 to 4 weeks) after surgery. Routine endoscopy 1 month after surgery is the only objective scientific way to determine the real true incidence of this complication." You are better off directing your concerns to your doctor just to be safe!

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

These are all on the full liquid plan and can be had at all stages that is what the little color letters in the bottom left are for F is full liquid P is puree S is soft and G is general

Hi everyone, Just checking in to see how you are all doing now that we are 8 months on from the start of July surgeries? As I posted before I had a terrible time with complications; leak, pancreatitis, allergic reactions, abscesses and infections, I even had to be transferred to a hospital in another country for a procedure to stop the leak! But most importantly I made it through and got home from hospital the start of November. I am only starting to get my energy back now and find an interest in doing more than just coping /trying to get through the day, can see small improvements each week. My weight loss has slowed down over the last few weeks but my body, and mind, have been through a crap fest the last few months so not surprised, it will happen when it happens. I still can't always hold food down and get bad pains in my stomach at times, have refulx but it is all an improvement from a few months ago. So far I am down 38kg / 83lbs which is good going considering when in hospital I was on a feeding tube for quite a while and my weight went up due to the nutrition I was being pumped with. I may have to get a revision to bypass if the leak doesn't heal (won't know for another month or so if the treatment worked) but I'll cross that bridge if and when it comes. I hope everyone is doing well.

Personally I would trust any supplement that promises to burn calories especially one that relies on ‘natural caffeine’. Caffeine is a naturally occurring drug. (You’re probably not young enough to remember the Medislim craze of the 80s - everyone jittery from the excess caffeine but no one lost weight.) Only two ways to burn calories: increased activity & decreased calorie/food intake. Our hormones have already been modified as a result of the surgery. So I agree with the others. Why are you thinking about using it?

Day 4 post op: Able to drink fluids, it's uncomfortable if I go too fast, as I knew, however I now know how fast is too fast for me. I'm walking on the treadmill fairly easily, slow pace, no incline, limited to 15 min at a time. I walked 5 times yesterday, only once so far today and only 5 min according to how I feel. I'm able to eat up to 2 oz at a time, so far I've had Chobani Zero nonfat greek yogurt, tuna pureed with light mayo with pickle juice, and a sugar free pudding mixed with protein powder. All of it has gone fairly well. I haven't vomited, very little nausea, and every day I'm more awake and thinking more clearly. My only issue so far has been a sketchy bladder. I guess of all things that could happen, it's pretty benign, but I had to have a catheter placed to allow my bladder to rest from being stretched too much. I think all the angry innards caused some shifting. In all likelihood it's just a temporary thing that will resolve when some of the swelling goes down. I have some nerve damage from many years ago so it isn't as far out of left field as it could be.

Hi all, wondering if anyone else gets very drowsy after eating. I'm 14 years out from Roux-en-y surgery and approx. 2 years ago started feeling very drowsy after eating. I eat pretty healthy, very little processed carbs. Almost every time I eat I get very drowsy afterward often needing to sleep for approx. 1 hour, like I took a sedative. Does not matter what I eat or how fast or slow I do. I've read that due to food entering the small intestine directly increases heart rate and this demand can cause drowsiness. What I find strange about that is it only started 12 years after surgery, I'd get the increase in heart rate, but not get drowsy. Maybe it's my age? I'm 64 now. Sure would like to chat with others that have this issue. Thank You!

Hi Fifi0523 from FifiLux I am in a similar situation to you, 8 months post surgery and between January 11th and February 12th I only lost 4lb. On Jan 11th my surgeon said my goal was to lose 10kg (22lb) during the rest of the year so I guess he based that on his knowledge that my loss would slow down. My goal is to lose 17kg (37.5lb) and that seems way off, if not impossible, given the stall I have now. This is even after I have upped my exercise, not by much due to suffering from exhaustion, but certainly by more than I was doing pre-op. I have started to track my food and drink to see if there are places I am slipping up and it has already helped me highlight areas as I was eating more carbs that I realised and I hadn't been counting my protein correctly at times. I also have started to go into menopause in the last couple of months and I am not sure if that is impacting the weight loss as I know it is already impacting my energy and sleep. I hope and think it is just our bodies recovering from rapid loss and now that it will continue but at a slower pace - I just hadn't expected it to be this slow!

I was consuming something other than water every 2-3 hours as per my dietician's instructions.... I didn't really think about calories, I focused on my protein goals, water goals, and "eating" frequently. I still eat every 2-3 hours, so about 5-6 times a day. It sounds like you are progressing nicely!! Lucky you! I was on strict liquids for 2 weeks post op. Sounds like you get more things. I suggest broth or tea when that head hunger kicks in. Or a sugar free popsicle. I'd check with the guidelines your dietician gave you, often they want hydration focused on the most for the first few weeks, with protein goals a close second. Calories usually come in (if they come in at all) once you are on soft foods. But every practice is different!

Surgon told me to do a liquid diet for a week & then make sure I measure my food. I’m 5 years out & still measure my food to not go over 3.5 oz. It took me 2 years to meet my goal, then I put back on 15lbs but this is where my body seems happy at. I got down to my goal weight with The Fast Metabolism Diet. Check it out.

I think you need to get back into contact with your dietician. Did you say whether you track your food & monitor your macros? Have you still be having regular blood tests as these will show if you are lacking in any nutrients & you can track & monitor any changes when comparing with your food data. This data will help your dietician to help you construct an eating plan that will meet your needs. There are tests to see if you aren’t absorbing certain nutrients. Like a stool test can identify how much fat is present & if you aren’t absorbing it effectively. I take Creons (pancreatic enzymes) three times a day to help with my protein malabsorption (curtesy of my gall removal - not a common side effect but I was just unlucky). They also help with malabsorption of fats & carbs as well as proteins. Worth a conversation with your doctor if it is discovered you’re have malabsorption issues.

Try to keep food moist by adding sauces & gravies. In the beginning I ate a lot of mince dishes like savoury mince & bolognese (without the pasta) & some casseroles/stews which are more on the sloppy side & are more easily eaten & digested. In time this won’t be as necessary but dry or coarse food may still cause you some issues at times. In time you will find you can drink with or closer to when you eat. This is an individual thing though - some can, some can’t. But, yes, in the first months while you’re eating so little it is vital you properly digest your foods & get every nutrient. Drinking while eating washes the food through your digestive system more quickly. This video helps explain it: In the beginning I used to sip on my shakes & soups for ages. I’d dilute them to thin them out & because they count as liquids you are helping to ensure you meet your fluid goals too. I didn’t have more serves than I was supposed to & this is an important consideration. There will be times when you have to make the best choice possible from the food you have available. For example you could have eaten the broth & not the martza balls in the deli soup or strained it when you got home. If you’re cooking you choose the ingredients you add so you could just not put potatoes or rice in the chicken soup you made. In the beginning this can be even more difficult because of your limitations but there are ways around it. Taking food with you to eat is often the easiest. Remember too that as well as all the sutures & staples holding your tummy together, a lot of nerves were cut so messages aren’t getting through or aren’t getting through in the same way so you may not know if you are actually doing damage. It takes about 8 weeks to fully heal so it is important to stick to your plan in regards to food choices, portion sizes, etc. It’s there to protect your healing tummy & support your recovery. This may seem a lot & it does take time to work it all out. We all slip or not make the best choice at some time. It’s all part of the learning. You just have to not make it a regular thing. You’ve got this. All the best.