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I only ever eat full fat everything and that's since day one post op. I am so done with the mega processed low fat diet 'food' forever I hope. That stuff made me obese in the first place. I would rather have an ounce of regular cheese than a shedload of pretend cheese. Fat as part of a balanced diet is what helps me feel full/satiated and stops me eating for hours afterwards. So, to answer your question - I eat ALL kinds of cheese, just slowly and in moderation!

I will definitely being reaching out to you if I need encouragement! I have been thinking about the "after life" of this surgery and how it will look like. I am so proud of you having a positive experience with still enjoying all the things you can enjoy even if its smaller amounts or having to tweak what you eat. This makes me excited! Me and my SO have 3 kids and been together 4 years so I totally get the shoveling food down to get it done. LOL

Protein water was my first thought. The change in our tastebuds (& sometimes sense of smell too) can make a lot of food & drinks taste terrible, overly sweet or salty. It’s only a temporary change but can make finding something palatable difficult. . Congrats on your surgery.

Yeah, while I work for myself so don't have to deal with coverage or time-off approval, I was somewhat grateful February was the option the doctor gave me. I had already rearranged a lot to accommodate the December date, and when that fell through, it left me scrambling. Turns out the week in February they gave me is pretty ideal, so I'm glad about that, even if the countdown is killing me. Between now and then, my main focus is on getting back to healthy foods after the holidays and developing a better schedule for meals and exercise that will help me be a bit more regular about both.

This situation is a catch 22 because no one knows exactly what the insurance requirements are and no one will tell us. The dieticians job is to help you lose weight, period. Whether that’s in your best interest or not is where it gets tricky. On one hand If you are in a supervised weight loss program (the six month requirement by a lot of insurances) they are trying to see if you can lose the weight on your own before they approve it. So in theory if you lose too much they could deem you not a good candidate for surgery. On the other hand, every pound you lose the heathy way should make you that much more fit for the operation (not if you malnourished though). Plus, if you really can lose it without surgery obviously not putting your body through surgery would be ideal. if the dieticians way is something you have never tried before and when you try it you feel like you can do it, losing weight without surgery is obviously preferred. BUT, just because the insurance company sees progress and decides that you should be able to lose it based on the trend doesn’t mean they are right (they are not doctors and should not be making these decisions IMO). I know myself I have probably lost 1000 pounds in my life but that’s because I have always lost a few and gained them back but never got near a healthy weight. Whether you have tried everything, including the dieticians way, only you know. I had sleeve three years ago and my high weight was 235 and I’m taller than you. So I was lower BMI as well. On surgery day I was 220ish and I was fine but I did not start losing until my pre op diet began. During my 6 month supervised diet I did follow the diet they set out for me to the best of my ability BUT the cheat days basically offset my progress so I didn’t really lose anything. Now I am considering revision and there is not any weight requirements as far as I know but I started at like 245 this time anyways so I’m not as afraid to lose a little. I asked him what I should do and he said to keep my Carbs below 40 for now (I am most likely having the SADI so carbs are gonna be most important post surgery). Well I am losing but less than a pound a week so no one is raising any eyebrows at my loss. Anyways If I was in your position I would reduce my calories by like 100 at a time and see how I felt after a week adjusting to that. (Mayne you can get to 1200 with the dieticians help and maybe you decide that you want to try it once the dieticians way before you decide). On days like you four hour swim I would ask the doctor their opinion because 1200 calories does not seem enough for that level of activity. I think if it was me, I would stick to eating healthy choices for now. Try out new, healthy recipes and get used to the food you will need to eat post surgery. I would try to get to the 1200 because they are the dietician but portion wise I would cut my calories slowly to get there and see how my body reacted at each stage. (Just be honest with yourself about whether you really need or just want the calories) if I was really losing more than ever before and it seemed like something I could sustain, I would then re-evaluate whether I should be jumping into major surgery just yet. But if I decided that i couldn’t do it on my own and for sure wanted surgery i would talk to my doctor about how much they would like to see me lose to be fit for surgery.

Hey lovely! So I have the following piercings, I will rate them by my personal pain & healing process!: Philtrum - this one was quite a painful facial piercing. Around 8/10. The healing was a little rough, lots of swelling. But by far one of my favourite piercings. Septum - honestly minimal pain on this one! 2/10 when getting it pierced. Healing was a breeze too. I forgot it was there haha! Labret - this one was probably 3/10, healing was quick and quite painless too Conch - pain was more so a 4/10, healing was longer as it is through cartilage but as long as I didn't sleep on my ear it was fine! Tragus - pain again was around a 4/10, but the healing process was a bit fussy. Sometimes flares up with pain if I sleep on it. Venom (double tongue piercing) - this was about a 7/10 getting pierced, but my god, the healing process was awful. I really do not recommend getting this one if you have not had any other piercings before! The healing was a long process, and I couldn't eat anything more than fluids & puree's for weeks until the swelling and pain had gone. It was a lot of pain. But, with all that being said, it is my most favourite piercing out of them all! All I would say is that you should research the piercer you are planning to see, look at reviews and make sure you have a consultation with them if they offer it to see which piercings may work for your anatomy Piercers should use implant grade titanium, preferably internally threaded jewellery But genuinely go for it! I love my piercings and they are such a fun way to express yourself!

I'm definitely planning tracking. I have a cute notebook and also a planner that I plan on using the weekly planning part to plan out the weeks dinners. I usually do eat protein first and back and forth with the veggies and whatever else I have. I feel like im not chewing well enough or slow enough anymore. I want to get back to doing that too. I would love to get all of the carbs and sugar out of the house, but im not the only one who lives here and I'm told "just because it's there, doesn't mean I need to eat it". The foods that I usually go for are now off the counter tho. So it's "out of sight, out of mind" hopefully. I posted my new stats in a post or two before this, but I had to have my lapband removed in 2013 and I got rny in february 2023. At my lowest weight ever right now. I've lost 111.5 pounds

Hi, I had gastric bypass surgery August 16, 2023. My heaviest weight ever was 260 lbs, but I started the 6 month weight loss program weighing 249lbs (5'3"). I had to do a one week of liquid diet which was just protein shakes, water, decaf tea. I can honestly say it was the hardest 3 days of my life on the liquid diet because the physical pains of hunger was a constant reminder I needed food. Day 4-7 was more so a mental hunger and I had a boost of energy. What helped me was just constantly drinking LOTS of water though out the day and keeping myself busy. Heaviest weight: 260lbs Starting weight: 249lbs Surgery weight (day of surgery) 235lbs Current weight: 181lbs Peppermint tea helped eased the hunger pains when I was experiencing stomach cramps. Also, no one told me my tongue will turn white, like literally a coating of white film on my tongue during the liquid diet phase. Something to do with ketosis (detox of sugar from body) Best of luck!

I had vsg surgery on 12/19/23 I lost about 12lbs during the first week and a half but since week two hit I've been seeing the scale not move at all, my inches on my waist was going down so I was to upset. Then I had my post op visit with my surgeon and He told me that I wasn't eating enough, He said that I was losing too much weight and I had told him that the scale hasn't even moved for the past week. But he expected me to hit about 1200 calories a day where I've been eating me 400 or 500. He had said that I should add a couple of snacks in to my meals throughout the day. So three meals a day plus two snacks at least. And it's been a struggle but I've done that and I've been eating around 800 calories a day. Maybe 9:00 but now I'm gaining weight so I'm just unsure of what to do. Should I keep going at this? 800 calorie 900 trying to achieve 1200 so soon after surgery or should I just stick with my four or 500? It seems like so much food for 3 weeks post-op. Also, just so it's clear, I'm pretty much clearer to eat anything I want now just to use discretion when choosing my foods. I am hitting All of my protein and water goals. But I was before when I was getting 400 calories or 500 a day.

Been pretty quiet here. Y'all doing OK? How did you do over the holidays? Am I the only one who had a mild pity party when I had to watch my family devour all the fun holiday food/snacks/goodies while I was eating my itty bitty ricotta bake? LOL!

Hey all, Thought I'd check in. Had my sleeve and hiatal hernia repair done on 12/13. Most of it has gone pretty smooth with no nausea and little pain aside from one spot. This one spot is about two inches to the right of the right side incision and its deep. Like when they did the incision they did it at an angle and it has done nothing but burned and stung horribly from the beginning. It was the only thing that held me back from getting up and walking more during my overnight stay. Even once I got home it still took me way to long to get moving. The hysterectomy pillow I got has helped but the ab binder had been a life saver. It still burns and pulls and stings, but I am actually finally able to walk two houses down and half the block width now instead of just barely able to run laps in the house. I think its honestly the stitch they put in that incision. ugh. But bearing through it. As far as food, Full liquid until my follow up next Thursday and then I should be able to move to pureed at that point. Had a slight sensation in the base of my throat the first 3 days or so but after that haven't had any issues drinking 20 oz for lunch and breakfast and dinner and another 17 oz through out the day. Getting in almost 90g of protein and hitting my 70 oz of water/fluid intake in. Oh also went from 309.4 morning of surgery to 322.8 after. I finally was back to 310 this morning! Hope everyone else is doing well!

"I’m sick and tired of my stupid food choices and eating the same boring things every day. I just want to eat like a normal person! I have to keep reminding myself that this is only temporary and part of the process." Oh wow..I just posted this very topic (sirens song post). I am beyond sick of the food choices! I was glad to see I'm not the only one right now going through this..and hopefully is only a stage. Thanks for your post.

Um, your doctor should have told you that not ALL bariatric patients lose their feelings of hunger after surgery. And even when they do, hunger eventually comes back for almost everyone. Hunger is a normal body sensation! It would be nice to have a break from it, but not all of us get that. I woke up in the recovery room and was STARVING! It wasn't a vague hungry either, I would have eaten seafood in that moment and I generally hate seafood (though post op I now like fish, oddly). I felt really annoyed, especially because before surgery I had not experienced hunger in a long time. I have had some instances of head hunger post op. Like Summerseeker said, if it is a particular craving, it is most likely head hunger. If you'd eat a protein you don't even like, or plain chicken breast, it is probably genuine hunger... Either way, your digestive system isn't ready for any solids yet, so expect to feel hungry for a while. I never found increasing protein helped it. The only thing that helped was the soft food stage, and even then, it took a while to settle. Also, if you aren't on a PPI, the extra acid in our tummies can cause you to be ravenous when you aren't really hungry, it is a gnawing stomach pang sort of feeling caused by the acid irritating your new tummy.

Well - it's here. This will be my first Christmas since I had my gastric sleeve. That means " food fest 2023" . 😬 Our whole family gathers together and brings tons of food. Our whole family is mostly overweight,too. I know I'm going to get the "you look skinnier since the last time I saw you " and "oh you have to try this- it's a new recipe " and "is that all you're having ?" I don't have a problem controlling what I eat - it's handling people who are trying to control what I eat ! I'd love any advice or tell me how you navigate a food based party. Thank you so much

If you had a DS you are thought to absorb about 20% of the fat you eat, 60% of the protein you eat, and 100% of the carbs you eat. Your doctor should have explained this to you... The intestines can adapt some to the surgery over time, but most studies have shown DS patients continue to have malabsorption. That's the whole point of the surgery! In rare cases, there is a small number of patients who will lose more weight than they intend, or have excessive muscle wasting. The muscle wasting is normally due to not eating enough protein post surgery. A DS patient needs around 120 grams of protein a day, more if they workout trying to gain muscle. Are you taking your vitamins? Have you had your labs checked recently? In the case of someone who has lost more weight than they intended to with a DS, certain enzymes can be given to help them absorb more of the food they eat, or a surgical revision can be done to lengthen their common channel, giving them more length of small intestines to absorb calories from. Of the two, I'd try the enzymes first. If you gained up to 240 with the enzymes, clearly they were effective for you! So why not consider taking them on an alternating schedule, titrating the dose to slowly gain what you need, and then taper off of them and see if you can maintain?? If you want to do this with food you are probably looking at over 4,000 calories a day. That is going to be tough. You can only eat so much food in a day! DS patients usually don't count calories at all, we count macros because it is the macros that help us stay in our target range, since no one really knows exactly how many calories an individual with a DS surgery is going to absorb, we can only ballpark it. But you should be getting a LOT of protein and around 120-150 grams of fat, according to vets who have lived with this surgery for decades. To bulk, most people I know load up on carbs, which is not easy for a DS person unless you want to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, or you are lucky enough to actually tolerate a decent amount of carbs. But carbs will usually put weight on. If you want more people with DS to talk to, check the bariatricfacts.org forums. We are mostly DS people over there and most of the regular posters are vets. But be prepared, they are fans of straight talk and not everyone likes that!

Start weight 92kg Current weight 70.7kg Goal weight 58kg Hi all I’m 7 months post gastric sleeve op and wondering if my weightloss is slow ? My height is 5.4” my nutritionist is happy with my weightloss but losing 1lb per week is making me feel like I’m failing . Anyone else a slow loser like me ? I’m scared I won’t get to my goal weight . I have no regrets with the Surgury and not had any dumping ever . I’m also able to eat all foods . My only fear is not reaching goal as this was my last hope on getting slim 😢. Thank you for reading my post x

Well done. Sounds like you’ve got it cracked. I’d have had the same reaction to a Dorito chomping husband. My work is full of food. And I mean FULL. New Year will be even worse, and I’m on duty 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I will have the resolve to resist as it’s a long game but I shall be glad when it’s over.

Tracking is a thing that can be polarizing for sure. It's almost like weighing in daily - it's not necessarily a good thing for all people. Some it helps, some it hinders. I, like many here, have been on a weight loss journey long before choosing surgery. When I was ready to be serious back in 2014 I tracked daily on MyFitnessPal. I only had a calorie goal and macros wasn't even on the mind. It for sure helped me in my journey to lose 100lbs and maintain that loss for a few years. I was definitely more consistent with it Monday through Friday, but not overly "religious" with it on weekends. Sometimes you guess a serving or a recipe that's close to one you use - but at least you have a close enough snapshot. Then came 2020, tracking, activity and all that jazz all of it went out the window and by 2022 I gained all my weight back. Then was the serious contemplation of surgery. Now I track via the Baritastic app (which i like, but do not love) and it's honestly more about protein and fiber tracking and reminders for vitamins throughout the day. I've never been overly anxious about writing down every last bite and morsel or if the calories were more one day over the next. However it can help to provide insight if you feel like maybe you stalled and try to lower or raise carbs to help it budge. Or that it can help track activity along with intake. The numbers might help the big picture and to reflect back. Some track for a period of time and then step back when there's a good grasp of macro counts by reflex and it becomes second nature. But once I think it starts getting obsessive or causes anxiety or to villainize foods, then maybe tracking in that manner is not for you.

Sorry im not familiar with the term ppi lol i think i may try the gas x though it is truly annoying having to belch every single time I swallow anything other than water. Also i was not prepared for the feeling of starvation i experienced yesterday i know im not following the diet exactly im not getting enough protein shake in there. But i felt truly hungry like seriously and it wasnt head hunger either my stomach actually growled. I didnt even feel that during the pre op liquid diet so it really caught me off guard. I also may be repeating myself i am im sorry these days are starting to blend. Today was a low day though i was depressed half the day i honestly wanted to just lay down and do nothing all day but of course thats not possible for me i have 3 young ones. My boyfriend helps out as much as possible but id feel bad leaving everything to him if i did that. I really truly cannot wait until this liquid portion stage is done and i am healed enough to eat FOOD i am going to devour some eggs and broccoli and spinach and i miss my fish oi im dying lol.

Same!!! My BF used to ask why can’t I just finish the two bites I’d leave?Because I did want to, I had enough! Then it became I should order less (I only order apps and small plates). He really tried to manage my food portions until I chewed him out. Sir, why are you so obsessed with me 😂 JK I realized I didn’t grow up in the finish everything on you plate type of home (and truth be told I’m now realizing I have been a picky eater my entire life so it wouldn’t have worked well on me). But he absolutely was forced or shamed into a clean plate. It’s really damaging long term especially if your parents don’t prepare healthy choices (or just don’t cook well 🤣) I glad you got to break free of the cycle ❤️

I so agree with the above comment especially the “recovering Type 2 diabetic “ part. Anyone of us past 2 years out is there with you, I know I am. I definitely partook of the holiday cheer this year and I’m so “puffy” right now. I’m concentrating on wellness for the new year. I do look for inflammatory foods that trip me up and eliminate them from my orbit for a while to get back to evenness. (Don’t know what else to call it?) Aside from food and movement changes, I struggle with stress. I noticed if I journal, walk, talk to a friend, goof off on a guitar, extra water weight just falls off. Sometimes I need an extra mineral or vitamin (Magnesium and vitamin D I’m looking at you.) I don’t know if any of this helps, but keep trying. There even could be a metabolic reason behind the weight creep. It doesn’t hurt to ask a trusted medical professional. You are not alone in this.

Leg cramps are awful. So painful. I used to get them randomly at night. Keep your fluids up so make sure you’re meeting or close to your daily fluid goals. It can be easy to let it slide especially in winter. Add an electrolyte drink to get in the minerals you may be missing at the moment. Try adding a banana to your food intake too. Gentle stretching & heating pads can help. Hope this helps.

I got mine in December 18 and honestly I’m so happy that I did… so much has changed. I mean I don’t have a lot of energy because we not able to intake a lot of things I am on my puréed stage and it like I don’t care for food 😂. I just drink my protein shakes, take my vitamins, and drink a lot of liquids to stay hydrated. I eat here and there but I am barely hungry.

Hi and welcome to post SADi Life. I had it in Nov 2014 and understand where you're coming from. Before you stress over the list below, I eat all of the items on the list, and some are daily must eat for me. The gas for many SADi and Hess DS patients is triggered by: 1) Dairy (cheeses, milk, sauces with cream), 2) Onions, 3) Sorbitol and certain sugar substitutes but not all, 4) Some Fiber 5) Fruits like grapes. 6) Anything Carbonated. Strategy => after your morning major bowel movement which should happen if you have a good nights sleep, you won't have any gas. Morning => Start every morning eating healthy (Banana, Chobanni Greek Yogurt, eggs, oatmeal). Fruit (no grapes but any berries, mandarins, peaches, oranges, etc., and chocolate during the morning. Lunch => Sandwich, chocolate, fruit (but no grapes), and min trigger foods, so no gas likely Dinner and later => Anything you want which may cause gas but less concern at night. I eat Ice Cream, cheeses and chocolate every day.

I see you consume most of your calories from processed and ultra processed foods. They tend to flow straight through us and don’t help with feeling full. I am also very tempted when my spouse brings junk food into our home, and sometimes I give in but I always try to eat only non processed foods. Chicken nuggets ultra processed, ramen ultra processed, cookies ultra processed, soda ultra processed and empty calories. It was really hard to start but it’s been over a year now and has become second nature now. Best of luck, don’t feel guilty about slipping once in awhile we all do every once and awhile, we just don’t do it every day.