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*Trigger warning for discussion of food* - just in case! I don't want to upset anyone who may be struggling with cravings etc 💜 Hello everyone! I have been on this site for a few months now, and my surgery date is getting closer and closer. I've just had the sale of my house finalised which means I can now officially pay for my surgery so it all feels a lot more real now! 😄 I am curious to know if anyone had a pre-surgery bucket list? I am talking things like, final meals they wanted to have or things they wanted to drink! Given that after surgery a lot of these things are going to be a no-go for a while. I just thought it would be a fun thing to talk about! I am thinking about Kokoro chicken katsu curry...😩

I went with the bypass because it had the better chance of resolving my issues with hypertension, cholesterol, and blood sugar, and much better chance of not developing GERD. I also know the 10-year weight loss/regain numbers are a bit better for bypass. And, just a minor consideration, but I felt better not having part of my body removed. I know, I had my intestines rerouted and all that, but my stomach is still in there and somehow that made me have more peace of mind. 2 weeks out today and my recovery has been fantastic. My doctor moved me along to basically a regular solid food diet at my appointment, with just some restrictions regarding excluding beef/pork/lamb and raw veg for a few more weeks. I've had no issues, only minor pain the first few days, and I feel fantastic. I can walk for an hour or more at a time with no problem. My recovery has been much easier than my brother's when he had the sleeve several years back, though not sure if that has anything to do with the surgery type.

Quest protein chips are awesome! easy on the go and have 10-20g of protein per bag, protein shakes and protein bars. When you go to the restaurant just eat something grilled and deconstruct the meal. Protein first, veggies then if you have a room a little bit of carbs. You will be walking anywhere from 7-10miles a day! This might be an unpopular opinion but your at Disney! Enjoy it! if your group is eating churros or any of the other yummy things then ask for a bite, you don't need to indulge in the entire churro but in real life we should be able to enjoy everything in moderation. My hubby and I are going to sneak away to a kid-free Disney trip in a couple of months and he loves all the foods, I plan on being able to enjoy bites licks and tastes. I don't go to Disneyland everyday and eat like that like that everyday. I think one of the things I am most excited about is going on every ride and not panicking if I will fit!

I was told by my nutritionist that if you're REALLY craving something that's crispy and chip-like, she suggested pork rinds since they're 99% protein. She said not to overdo it but would be a good alternative to chips and such. they're not exactly "healthy" because they're deep-fried, but are better for you than potato chips. I'm scheduled for my surgery in two days, so I'll see how I do. Currently in the pre-op liquid diet, and Boy Howdy am I missing snacks in the evening. Especially if I'm watching a show or movie. I crave that popcorn! Don't be hard on yourself. If you have a bad day that you cheated or had some sugary or high-calorie food, just think that tomorrow is a new day and a new day to be "good". Hope this helped a little.

I’d ask simply him why. Why he’s removing it & why he wants to do two separate surgeries. Lap bands have dramatically decreased in popularity over the last years & not many surgeons do them any more. Failure, side effects, effectiveness, etc. seem to be the reasons. Some studies say the life span of a lap band is only 7-10 years so you’re at your band’s end of life now. Not all surgeons do the removal & revision in one surgery. Maybe your surgeon is basing his decision on your current health status. Maybe he wants to give you a recovery period between the two surgeries to ensure you’re fully healed. May be he wants to give you time without a weight loss tool to see how you respond in regards to self monitoring your food intake, etc. Just throwing some ideas out there.

I agree with the others. Your rate of loss is fine. I also agree with the concerns about your eating during this losing period. It seems more like how you may chose to eat when you are in maintenance. When we choose how much & how often we have foods like pizza, chips, sweetened drinks, etc. When we decide what foods we’ll to add back into our new way of eating or ones we’ll avoid. When we look at alternative ingredients, or different cooking methods. I also worry about you changing your way of eating so often, going from one extreme to another. (Not including Ramadan in this.) Are you sure you’re meeting your fluid & protein goals? Are you sure you’re getting in a range of nutrients from nutrient dense foods? This is so important when we are only able to eat smaller portions. We all say & are told to stick to our plans for a reason. You mentioned you had a difficult relationship with food/bad eating habits & these current behaviours do seem a continuation of this. Do you still see your dietician? Your therapist? If not, at the very least I’d seek a reference from your surgeon/team to a therapist who specialises in disordered eating. Many find therapy very helpful in changing these behaviours & their relationship with food & identifying strategies to mange them. All the best. PS - Don’t believe the calorie burn on your Apple Watch. It’s known to be inaccurate & tends to inflate the stats. It only uses your height, weight & age & not your individual metabolic rate, your optimal heart rate, the amount of energy you are putting into the activity, etc. Use it as a guide/approximation only.

5 stars to Red's Turkey Sausage Egg'wich. These little guys can be found in the frozen section at the grocery store (also Target and Walmart) and are perfect for breakfast on the go. 3.9oz makes them just the right serving size for the soft protein phase and beyond. They have 17g protein, only 3g carb, and really very decent, natural ingredients for a prepackaged food. It's pretty much all stuff you'd have in your own kitchen. Tasty and ready in 90 seconds!

Your weight loss rate is normal and where it should be at this stage, but in my opinion, your eating habits are going to work against long term success if you don't do some work now to establish the best possible habits. You may have the luxury of not being able to overeat for now, but this is a fleeting luxury. It doesn't last. Furthermore, every bite of junk food at this stage when your capacity is so small deprives your body of the nutrients it needs from high quality food. That will not help you lose weight, no matter what the calorie count is, because you need a healthy body. A bite of pizza or a couple chips from the bowl because you were at a party one weekend is totally understandable, if a bit of a slippery slope. But choosing them regularly will fast become a problem (or at least it sure would be for me). And if you change nothing else, sugary drinks should have zero place in your diet now. Your body does not have a restriction for fluids. If you can consume your 64 oz of water, you can just as easily consume that amount of a sugar sweetened beverage in a day. Just one venti iced coffee with classic syrup has 30g of sugar! Request sugar free syrup or bring your own sweetener. I watched this video last night and it really spoke to me, so I'm putting it here in case it helps you too:

Hi thanks for responding! I actually do use the premier protein shakes every day for my coffee. I have a nespresso machine so I use 1 pod (like 2oz coffee) and a protein shake. I do the Starbucks / Dunkin iced coffees on Sundays. But bc I have a bad relationship w food I feel this is still bad. I actually love the challenges. They make me motivated and when I’m disciplined I feel so good. It’s once they’re done or if it’s a Sunday I’ll go off diet. Idk what it is about Sundays that make me feel like I just wanna be lazy and eat comfort food. 😞 And yesss I am the type of person that moderation can turn into a binge so I just try to stay away from certain foods all together. This surgery is helping me though. It’s helping me stay away from a lot of the wrong foods and if I do want something I can’t eat too much of it. How has your journey been?

HI my lovelies ❤️ I am just about 3 months post op (surgery was 12/6/24) and 1 lb shy of being down a total of 40lbs. While this is great I feel like I should be down more, or wish I was down more. I can't help but see others with close to 60+lbs down within the same time frame. I know we're not supposed to compare ourselves, it's literally the worst thing to do, but I can't help it. I was apart of the Tuesday Talks meeting last week which there were 2 women there that assured me that they lost at a similar pace, losing about 10lbs a month every month after the surgery. One of the nice ladies explained that 10lbs/month = to 120lbs down in 1 year. When I thought of it like that, I did feel better and more assured however I am still struggling with self depleting thoughts. Also, the last 2 weeks I been struggling with eating the wrong foods and snacking on foods I shouldn't be eating which I'll beat myself up even more mentally. My biggest struggles are iced coffee with sugary syrups and pizza/chips. I will have these about 1 x a week the last 2 weeks. How the day goes is it's usually a Sunday, I'll get a sugary coffee for breakfast and then end the day with 1 of those single serving bag of chips and 1 slice of pizza. I've done this now the last 2 Sundays. While it may not seem like a lot Im worried that I will start sliding down the wrong path and give into my old ways even more. The luxury of this surgery is Im incapable of overeating now and these foods still stay within a "normal" caloric range for the day (about 1400cals) but still, I know I shouldn't be eating them at all. I also workout 5 days a week now and have been consistent with this since late December. I do about 1.5 miles on the treadmill at the gym 3xs a week and then do a step ups aerobic type of exercise 2 days a week at home. I always leave my workout super sweaty with a high calorie burn on my Apple Watch. So with all this being said, I feel like I eat perfectly 6 days a week w 1 day where I'm "off", workout 5 days a week every single week taking off 2 days usually Wed and Sunday to let my body rest. Is there anything else I could do to speed up my weight loss? Or do you think this is "normal" and I'm on a good path? I also do these week to 2 week challenges with my bf that help me stay on track too. For example we did one from 2/12 - 3/1 and the rules were no junk food, fried foods or sugar and workout 5 days a week. I completed the challenge and lost 6 lbs total. But it was the day after the challenge where I ate pizza and iced coffee w mocha. We started a new challenge today which ends on Saturday 3/9. After that I'll be partaking in Ramadan beginning Monday 3/11 this year which will also help to keep me disciplined. Please do share your thoughts and how you combated your bad food habits? Also, please be kind ❤️ Thanks for reading! xoxo

2 week post-op appointment today and the doctor approved me to add cooked veg and fruit to my menu! I am so excited to have some veggies! I was also told I can drop one of my protein shake supplements as long as I hit 30g protein from my food, which I have been able to do most of the time since starting soft proteins.

I am having the same struggle that you are having.. lately when people have been asking how am I losing the weight I just tell me.. working out 5-6 days a week, high protein, low carb and fat diet. That seems to do the trick. If they want to know more then I will tell them about the flavored waters that I am drinking and some of the high protein food that I am eating.

Hi folks! I had surgery on Feb 27. Stayed at hospital overnight to verify I passed the swallow leak test. They also wanted to make sure I could drink. Now I’m home. Everything feels 10x better, but I’m still getting spasms in my stomach (nearly) every time I swallow something. It has prevented me from much intake since it is so exhausting. I’m never hungry though now so I just give up eating. My lack of interest in food is a bit scary. I feel like I’m flipping from an over-eater to anorexic. My doctor required a two week full liquid pre-diet and a 24 hr clear liquid only pre-diet. I lost 15 lbs pre-op. I’m 5’3” and started at 210. Since surgery, I’m down another 9 lbs. I’ve been averaging about 1.5 lbs down per day. Yesterday was the first day I was able to finish 2 protein shakes (finally)! I know this rate of decline won’t continue indefinitely, but I’ll be at my target by summer the way things are progressing. I feel like this is a roller coaster and I’m just barreling down a high peak. It is exciting and scary all at the same time.

Haha I am SUCH a fan of all inclusive food that we've only had one holiday since my surgery that allowed me to indulge. I can always find something to pick at, and usually multiple things to fill up on. NOT GOOD!!! Hope you are having a lovely time wherever you are.

A couple food before and after- the first one is vegan chorizo with zucchini and peppers, cucumber tomato salad, and spinach paneer puff pastries the second is an impossible burger and multigrain toast (she got my order wrong but I wasn’t about to complain and ask for it to be fixed)

Random food photo upload 😂🤷‍♀️

another gratuitous OOTD swimsuit shot! my abs are becoming a little more prominent...not because im exercising or anything, but because we have barely eaten while we've been here! i am NOT a fan of all-inclusive resort food and basically have only eaten over easy eggs and cabbage and the tube of Pringles i bought on the plane, ha. Oh, but i have probably drank my weight in vodka sodas omg.

The Bariatric Hospital I went to has a very good post op program. They have in person monthly and weekly online support meetings. The Doctor that started the program many years ago is the moderator. He said they started out the pre liquid diet at 2 days. But they ran into issues with the liver being too big. In one instance he said he went to move the liver and it split because it was so big. So, that's why they will not work on anyone that has less than a 2 week pre op liquid diet to shrink the liver. If they go in to do the surgery and someone didn't follow the 2 week diet, they wouldn't do the procedure. They are very safety conscience and take it seriously along with their follow up program. I would go into what all is done but it's fairly lengthy. I'm just a few days from being a month out. I started the Puree'/soft food phase about a week early. Because I was having issues with constipation and needed to get in some fiber. MiraLAX alone wasn't doing the job. Ever since, I've not had an issue. I've even cooked up some ground chicken. But you will fill up fast. Half a cup and I'm full. One scrambled egg with a 1 tsp of salsa & 1 Tsp Mashed Avacado and I can just get it down then I'm done. I've been trying to eat to meet my protein goals, but that is just impossible. I have one shake (premier protein) and I'll mix 60 Grams of Chobani greek non fat yogurt, with one scoop of powdered Premier protein and 1 tsp of PBfit2 to get a chocolate peanut butter yogurt. Don't forget the Sugar free popsicles, it really helped my stomach. Hot food or broth seemed to hurt my stomach a little. But the cold didn't. My Insurance doesn't pay for a Dietician either, however with the Bariatric program it only costs $25 per visit. Between the Surgeon and Bariatric hospital they charged my Insurance $75K so I'm sure they use part of that to cover some of the cost. Do you use the Baritastic app?

Have you completed a food time log vs. when the pain comes on? I'd also compare times with what types of food, perhaps you've developed a food allergy or a systemic adverse reaction to a type of compound such as starch or even excess proteins. A food log with times of both eating and pain onset might help diagnose the complaint since they've done all the standard dx scans.. Add to the log moods (for hormonal shifts) along with tracking macros in detail. Sometimes people develop adverse reactions to fiber as well. Have you added anything new to your diet? Lastly, track where the pain is centralized; upper quadrant, lower..right/left etc. as well as type of pain; shooting, sharp etc. Time of the month and BM's as well. The more you can track the more you can help the doctors determine what is contributing to your pain. Good luck! Let us know what you find out.

How’s everyone doing? I’m just about a month out from surgery. I’m about to be cleared to have regular food, but I’m not hungry at all. It’s a struggle to drink and get enough protein. I absolutely hate the shakes. My sister is coming to visit today, she had the sleeve two weeks ahead of me. She likes flavorless protein powder, so I’m going to try that. Otherwise, I see my doctor tomorrow and I’m finally going to weigh myself. I have decided to just weigh in monthly, at the doctors.

Please don't wait to get signals a week after surgery. There's little or no feedback from our stomachs because all the nerves have been cut. Takes weeks or months to heal and tell you anything, and even then, as the others have said, the feeling of fullness can be really delayed. I am 28 months post sleeve and I have just learned to eyeball what volume and mix of foods my stomach can manage, and usually stop a bit before that for safety's sake. If I go beyond that I get a runny nose and sneeze (Vagus nerve stimulation). By then it's too late though. You'll learn how to manage as you go along. Just stick to small volumes at the start. At your stage you shouldn't be too hungry so you're just eating for fuel - treasure this time, it passes all too quickly. 😍 Stick strictly to the volumes you have been given. Weirdly I wasn't given any by my team so I asked for advice here and then stuck to THAT and it was very helpful.

That's good to know! I was shocked I lost so much in the pre-op phase. It took me 6 months to lose 15lbs from my highest weight this past summer, and then I lost the same amount in 2 weeks. So I imagine my body is reacting to that as well, like what the heck are you doing?! I just got to start soft proteins a few days ago (my doctor skips purees) and my calorie count is increasing as well. I seem to be able to get around 30g protein from food, and I'm still supposed to have 3 protein shakes, so I'm ending up with 90+ grams of protein and 600-650 calories. Pre-op I was at 600-800 calories per day and 80-100 grams protein, so maybe that's more of a sweet spot. Hopefully this will give me a nudge in the right direction!

Yes!! I did. My surgery was on Feb 14, and I had lost 16 pounds in the pre-op stage. After surgery, I did weigh myself and I had gained 8 lbs! I am positive it was all fluid. It took me a week to lose the water weight, so then I was at the same weight as my pre-op weight and very discouraged. I'm 16 days post op and have only lost 8lbs (plus the 8 of fluid). I reached out to my dietician and she said those with a lower starting weight (I was 240) will lose it slower. It's perfectly normal. Since starting the pureed phase, I increased my calories to 600/day and I get about 90 grams of protein. It's more steady at about 1lb every 2 days. I hope that helps you, and thanks for sharing this. I thought I was the only one.

PROGRESS UPDATE I had my gastric sleeve surgery on December 18th, 2023. I was nervous going into the procedure as I had never had any surgical procedures before, but it went relatively smooth. I was in a lot of pain while in recovery, to the point where the team had to push oxy and fentanyl simultaneously to help with the pain. Once the team was able to help me manage the pain I was in pretty good shape. It has certainly been an adjustment but it wasn't as daunting as I was expecting it to be. Its been about 2.5 months since the surgery and I've lost almost 60 pounds; I weighed in on at the hospital at 366 and yesterday weighed in at 308. My highest weight was 475lbs so all-in-all I've lost 167lbs utilizing diet, exercise and the sleeve. I found it fairly easy to comply with the post-op diet and have moved on to solid foods. I'm not hungry often but I make sure to eat at mealtimes to continue meeting my goals. I consume, on average, between 80g and 100g of protein a day and consume less than 900 calories a day. I don't consume very many carbs as a) they tend to contain more sugars and b) they tend to make me not feel very good. I do still have a bit of a sweet tooth but that has been easy to manage with the occasional chocolate chip. I've also completely kicked sugar and have switched to monk fruit sweetener with erythritol. I also dabble with keto recipes, mainly deserts as I find that some "entree" recipes contain way too much fat for my liking. My family, friends, and coworkers notice the weight loss more than I do. I'll see it a little bit here and there but not to the extent that others do. I still see myself as that 475lb guy that struggles with his weight and his health. I know that it isn't true, but that is still how I view myself. My clothes are fitting me much looser and I think I see some weight loss in my face and neck. I still have a lot of excess fat and tissue around my midsection and especially the "love handle" region. I definitely suffer from body dysmorphia as I only ever see the overweight me. My overall goal weight is 250lbs, which is only 58 pounds away which sounds crazy. That said, I would throw a party if I reach 225lbs as that is my "best case scenario" goal. I genuinely believe I will achieve both goals but there's always that part of me that doubts it. This has been the best decision I've ever made for my health and I wish I had made this choice earlier.