POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I had my surgery a few days ago and generally feel good. My appetite is a little "off" which I guess is good, since I'm subsisting on a clear liquid diet and just added protein drinks per the surgeon's office. I have had difficulty sleeping for a long time; I used to attribute it to stress, but I retired several years ago and live a pretty stress-free life. I did my usual cocktail of Diazepam plus Mirtazapine which usually puts me down (the Mirtazapine is the one that usually kicks hard- I often don't want to get up and am groggy so I typically take 1/2 a 7.5 mg dose). It's ok for now because I'm not teaching the semester and can make appointments later in the morning or …

Hey everyone, How are you doing one year post op?! What are your current stats. Do you have before and now photos? How much did you lose? How is your eating, fluid intake and protein intake going? I'm doing great. I lost 109 pounds. I'll attach my photo of when I decided to start this journey. My eating isn't the best. Neither is my fluid and protein intake. It's still a learning process and hopefully I'll eventually get there. I still want to lose another 30 to 50 pounds and then maintain.

I wish I could go back to the day before my surgery. They didn’t even tell me that I would have so much anxiety and depression. I don’t want to be alone . I’m not sure if I am coming are going to. I’m not the only one that is coming though this at Al.

Hello, I am 4 weeks post-op after vsg and I am struggling with my protein intake. I was also dehydrated 2 week pop and I been focusing on my hydration but I realized I have been slacking on Protein. Protein shakes make me extremally nauseous and does any one have any tips or ideas in how to increase my protein daily so I don't stay stuck in this stall. Thanks.

Hi everyone, I had Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in September 2023. my starting weight (on the day of surgery) was 102 KG and today march 27th 2024 I am 70.6 KG so I've lost a total of 31.4 KG. My height is 165 cm. so I believe I'm almost close to my weight goal. I want to lose maybe 8-10 more kilos and I think that's good enough for me. I took photos of my body on November and yesterday I took photos as well to compare both. however what I'm noticing is that although weight number has gone down, I do see difference in shape of my body (legs, arms, face, back) but I have an issue with my stomach. it has gotten better and smaller, however for someone almost go…

I've recently joined the forum and I was adding my details and it asked for a goal weight. I've never really discussed exactly what the endgoal should be so I wondered - is there a way to work out what a healthy goal weight should be? And specifics aside, it is useful to create multiple goals for as you go along or just stick with one 'endgoal'? Just interested to hear opinions on this and also any advice on how to work out what a healthy goal is would be appreciated.

HI all! I volunteered for my daughters field trip tomorrow, and its hiking. I cannot make my normal meals, they will have to be snacky. So far I am thinking beef stick, cheese stick, protein shake. These might be enough for the day as long as I eat breakfast before I go. It is an all day field trip. TIA!

Hello everyone. I’m new here. I had my gastric bypass surgery on March 13, 2024, along with a large hiatal hernia repair. I am in no pain. I vomited once since I’ve been home. That’s only because I drink something too fast. I would love to know how is everyone doing or have done after the first week of surgery? I am just sick and tired of drinking everything. I need help to see if I can help at least a little something so like a scrambled egg or something. I take a lot of medication and I’m afraid to even take my meds. Please feel free to comment and help me out. thank you so much. The first picture is me 6 months before surgery. The second one is 1 month before surgery.

I had gastric bypass on 2/22. Pre-op I lost 37 pounds, first week post op another 18. 2nd week the scale didn't move at all and now as of today is UP 5 POUNDS. I want to scream. How is this even possible I haven't even gotten to 1000 calories yet. I'm so discouraged I want to just cry. My RD tells me not to worry but how can I not? Has anyone delt with this? Thanks for any advice or insight.

My face on my weight loss journey, from 421 pounds to 213 pounds (18 more pounds to go!!!)

I'm two days post-op and got home from the hospital yesterday around 1:00 pm. I feel pretty good. I don't require anything beyond Tylenol at this point for pain and I bought a s/f liquid version of it so I could dump my crushed daily medications into it. Anyway- this is about gas. Everybody said, "gas pain, gas pain, gas pain", so I expected something, but this? This is beyond. I never imagined gas could make me feel as though something was really going wrong. I'm not looking for advice. I have all the tools I need to deal...just wanted to commiserate.

For the past 6 months I've been dealing with severe back pain. Both upper and lower back pain. It seems to shift around depending on the month. Tylenol barely helps. I took prednisone one time and that did help but I don't think that's a long-term solution. It's already wearing off. I've tried physical therapy twice in the past year. I've had x-rays and MRIs the doctors don't see anything. I did visit with a specialist at New England Baptist spine center i Boston and he said he's had several other cases of people who had the same surgery, had lost 60 lb, knew their protein intake and were having severe back pain. He didn't have an immediate answer, but did order an…

Hi everyone! I had a full RNY Gastric Bypass in July 2017. I started my weight loss journey at 360lbs. I lost down to 322 by my surgery day and after surgery managed to get down to 195 before I started maintaining. I got pregnant and now have an almost two year old. This all being said to say that I never met my original weight loss goal and since having another baby I'm having a hard time getting weight back off. I was up to 277lbs at the end of my pregnancy and have managed to get myself back down to 240 but its no where near where I want/need to be. I want to be able to be healthy and active for my boys but I don't have any time during the days to work out. Any…

I am 7 weeks post op and have done well, I’m down 36lbs from surgery day. I stick to my calories, and protein. Carbs and fat go over some days. I walk 5days a week 35-50min a day. I meal prep and wait to drink 30min after my meals, but this weekend I just folded and I feel like I derailed my progress! I am really beating myself up right now. I had an event yesterday, there was nothing besides fruit that I “could” eat. Everything was vegan. I had a bite of each thing and took the rest home to my husband. I drank tea while eating, I felt so back into my old ways. So this morning I told myself I was going to just start fresh. It was a busy day, I had a banana for bfast, then…

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…

YA'LL.... I am officially in a size XL (also known as a 1x). It's one thing to be pretty sure (when you don't actually have that size but the one above it is too big, so you assume) and it's another to put it on and it fits PERFECTLY. Tops AND bottoms. And the size 6 rings are starting to get a little loose. I have 18 pounds to go to hit my goal weight (I weigh 213 right now), and I wonder if I'll be in a 5 1/2 by then!!! The last 30 pounds have been a REAL fight to get off, but seeing the changes in my body and clothes has been amazing and fun. I feel so much better, I can do so many more things, I look so much better, and on a fun note, I went to a highe…

I'm not post surgery yet, but I will be soon. I've always been overweight since 1st grade! I've always made pretty good food choices though, just the wrong portions.I do however have the biggest sweet tooth!!!! I like to eat something sweet after almost every meal! Can anyone offer advice about how to get away from this? how were your sweet cravings after surgery? how much candy/cookies whatever, can you stomach NOW? I'm hoping my need for sweet will diminish after surgery.... advice please!

I am five weeks post op and finally starting to feel hungry enough to want a small snack in between lunch and dinner. I was wondering if you enforce the no-drinking 30 mins before/after rule with small snacks. I've been holding firm to the rule and totally understand the rationale behind it, but it definitely is making it hard for me to reach my water goals. I have no problem drinking, but having to give up 1.5 hours of drinking time per meal really adds up! It seems like giving up another ~1.5 hours for a snack just isn't worth it. How do you handle drinking around snacks? TIA!

Hello to all my surgery buddies, I've read some really amazing posts on here and just want to say thank you to all of you that show support to each other. It can be a very scary time, specially for those of us who are alone in our process to recovery. I had my gastric sleeve surgery on February 8th, I am 17 days post op as of this post. I still struggle a bit to consume even liquids. I burp a lot, and feel bloated all the time. I also have a constant feeling like everything slowly creeps up in my esophagus and just sits there. My pain levels are actually quite low, and my surgery incisions are healing quite well. I'm just worried about my stomach, my doctor wanted me…

I have a question… I had surgery a month ago and lost 20lbs. (That’s it ?) then this week I weighed myself and I gained 2lbs! Is that normal? I’m doing everything the doctor told me too. Drinking a lot of water, eating a ton of protein and exercising. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you!

Anyone have a good high protein recipe? Or do you all stay clear?

I had a banded plication turned into a gastric sleeve. Since then I've been experiencing at times spasm and pain in my back on my left side. I had imaging, spinal fusion and some epidural injections but nothing seems to really get rid of this pain. Was wondering if anyone has ever heard or experienced this and what can be done about this.

Hello. I had a conversion from the gastric sleeve (2017) to the bypass on 1/8/24. I should start regular foods this week, however, I am at the pureed thin phase as once I incorporate foods with any weight or texture, such as oatmeal, scrambled eggs, finely blended chicken (not pureed), the food feels stuck in my esophagus and I am vomiting froth and mucous (not the food). Has anyone else experienced this? I have contacted my surgeon, seeing her Wednesday as she was on vacation last week, I have spoken with my dietitian and the center for weight loss and they believe that my esophagus is having spasms. Has anyone else experienced this? I have simply gone back to full liqui…

Did anyone have anything similar? 7 days post op and I am insanely itchy and red circles around incision. I’ve been trying not to scratch (I have waken up up scratching). I also have a hard knot under the bruised incision to the left of my belly button. I had a lot of blood loss during surgery and ended up staying from Wednesday until Sunday in the hospital to get my blood count stabilized. Just now getting to where I can move around easier, but that left side.. helps with a binder or holding something against it when bending or raising up.. I think I just need someone to tell me I’m not the only one? lol… everyone I personally know that’s have sleeve or bypas…

Hey Bariatric family!! I’m four weeks post op and the thought of food makes me sick. Protein and water are my best friend. I have had some puréed stuff and a tiny piece of white fish. Once I eat something and put it up for “later” the thought of it disgust me. Will this go away?? Any food ideals?? Besides chili and fish?? The thought of chicken makes me want to pass out. I’m feeling good and everything is going well , just scared that this will not go away. Thanks in advance for all replies . These forums have gotten me through some of the hardest times of my life after vsg surgery.

I saw my P.A. today and she made my next appointment for May - one year anniversary of my surgery. I was just curious how long you had to keep going for check ups after surgery ? I'm hoping that will be the last one

I haven't lost any more weight. I've been going to the gym and even got a walking pad for Christmas that I use but it's just not coming off. I lift weights at the gym 2 to 3 times a week an hour at a time and do at least 2 miles 2 times a week while I'm at home. The last three weeks I cut my calories way down which sucks with how much I work out. For example I did an hour of intense weight lifting today and only consumed 1104 calories and 104 grams of protein. On average I'm only consuming 1300 calories and getting between 70 to 100 grams of protein. My food through the day consists of small meals or protein shakes from 6 am to 6 pm. Like a protein shake fo…

So i promised i would continue posting after surgery. My first post to the site was during my liquid diet. I had surgery on the morning of the 18th. Everything was going smoothly. When i woke up from surgery thats when all hell broke loose. My stomach felt like it was literally on fire im screaming and crying for help, pain medicine, etc. I blacked out after that or they gave me a sedative one or the other. I swear the pain of it felt worse than childbirth and i could never imagine anything more painful that until that day. I ended up staying 2 nights ( wouldve been 3 if i didnt choke down water) im home now and although the pain isnt as bad as the first day its still bad…

I've been having a lot of trouble with constipation so I desided to get some magnesium citrate to help speed things up. I didn't realize it's fizzy til I started to drink it. I'm only 4wks out and really need to take it...i tried Miralax but to no avail. Is it gonna kill me to actually drink it even though we are not supposed to have carbination??? I NEED RELIEF!!!!

Hi so I'm on the pill and I don't have periods as my pill stops this, 2 weeks before my op I was spotting, I don't know if the milk diet stressed my body out , I had my op 3 weeks ago, I'm having such a heavy period! Is this normal ? Anyone else experience this after surgery? I've been on for 5 weeks ! I have a appointment with my doctor in a couple of weeks, just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced long heavy periods after surgery?

I’ve just had my surgery on January 23rd and I am struggling. I can barely handle any liquids, I’ve been trying to get my water and protein goals in but failing miserably. I’ve only managed to have just 2 bottles of protein since I left the hospital and for the broth I love barely had any and it’s almost been a week. Has anyone else had this problem? My stomach is constantly in pain and of course the gas pains. I can manage some water but it has to be cold and that’s mostly it. I know I have to have protein shakes and the broth but I just can’t. I’m just feeling weaker as the days go by and I’m not sure what to do next. Any advice?

The past few days I’ve noticed my multivitamin makes me nauseous. Yesterday I took my vitamin on an empty stomach and figured that was the reason. Today I took my vitamin after I ate and let my stomach settle. I followed it up with some apple sauce and needless to say everything came up. I take the Procare Health daily capsules and am thinking I should switch to a tablet.

OMG, ok here's what happened. So last night, for the first time in a year and a half, I was finally in the mood for some ham (lost my liking of pork for a long time). So hubby made a hickory smoked, spiral cut ham. OMG it was AMAZING. I took a tentative bite and it was like a FLAVOR EXPLOSION in my mouth. So delicious!!! I was so excited to actually like it again that I scarfed it down. Like, I ate all 3 ounces of ham in under a minute. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT do that. Ever. Once you have your surgery (especially if it's the bypass) DO NOT EVER EVER EVER scarf your food. Even if you want to. Even if it's the greatest food in the history of all food ever. Do NOT eat it qu…

Hi Im 24 days po, ive been feeling nauseous since Monday cant shift it, also low mood i dont want to leave the house shower or do anything is this normal? Ive lost 35 pounds so far! My gp is doubling my omprazole and giving me anti sickness pick them up later i hope they help? Anyone else experiencing these symptons?? ??

I had a gastric sleeve, and it has ruined my life. I’m dizzy, exhausted, anxious, can reach my fluid or protein goals, and my body is falling apart. I’ve lost my job because of being so sick. I think I was poorly advised to have this surgery. I know that they can’t un do it, but looking for any info on a doctor who would help stretch the sleeve, or even as drastic as transplant. I have been to the ER, I have a counselor and am newly on psych meds all to help cope, but nothing is enough. Concerned about worsening SI thoughts, my team is aware but says there is nothing they can do. I just want my life back. Looking for anyone who is willing to do a Hail Mary.

Hello! I was just approved for revision surgery / Lapband to RNY / and am waiting on a surgery date. Just wondering how much time some of you took off work?

How many ounces of puree should we be eating? I don’t want to over do it. I get the full feeling at about 3.5 ounces is that too much too little?

I am now on soft food, I meal prepped some lunches but getting my protein seems way tougher than just drinking shakes. I have the isopure lime mango mix in for 20g. I want to be able to eat food since it’s going to be more sustainable but how did you guys get it all in?

Holaaaaa! I just wanted to ask if some of you never actually tracked down your food after your bariatric surgery ? Does it work ? Did you gain weight again ? I know everybody is different, i'm just trying to learn about other people's experiences !

Hi everyone, I am here sitting at my desk obsessing about the fact that I just took a pulverized excedrin because my head was killing me and I have an urgent meeting in one hour and didnt have time to go get some tylenol which is the only pain med my dr allows. I am so worried that I might mess up my pouch (I had my surgery 12 days ago). I never take any meds so I hadnt even thought about getting some tylenol. Does anyon know why the restriction on the rest of the pain meds? Thanks!

Hi guys ! I had my sleeve on january 29th. So i'm on day 6 post-op. I'm on puree stage until monday. I have sooooo much trouble getting my proteins in and it worries me. I know it's normal but because i'm home, I go to bed late and wake up really late too. Usually, I wouldn,t do that because of work and school but my surgeon didn't want me to keep doing those for obvious reasons. So..... Any tips for getting my proteins ? (I'm scared of the hair loss.....) I can only eat 1/4 cup for now, it's a little easier and i'm not nauseous nor did I vomit so far. I'm kind of lucky and hopefully my luck will keep going. THank youuuuuu

HI! I wanted to know what are the max/recommended amount of fat, sugar/carbs, sodium, protein, etc. we should have in our food ? Like what's the max i can have in one day or one meal/snack ? Or should I have ...? Waiting on an answer from my nutrition team but I need ya'll help meanwhile.

So, I am graduating this May with my bachelor's and applying to law schools for this coming school year (2024-2025). One thing I had considered is going to a law school in another country (and staying there after for work), but I will be having my bypass surgery this April and I am unsure what bariatric care is like in the various countries (in Europe). The majority of information I keep finding is about where to go for the surgery, but I am curious about if I have any post-op complications (since I will be less than a year out when I would go to school) and the choices for bariatric vitamins and meal replacements. What experiences have any of you had while abroad with di…

Every time I eat I go from starving to stuffed in a split second, and it's to the point where I feel sick. Is this normal? Am I stretching or hurting my sleeve? Sometimes I think I am eating more than what I should. I've been at about 900-950 calories a day. I am out 3 weeks.

I start 'thick liquids' today (surgery was 1/24) and can have hot oatmeal and blended soups. How much should I be eating? I can drink an 11oz protein shake in about an hour.

Today I changed from chicken broth to a cream based soup. I had been eating chicken broth for WEEKS now and was so excited to try a cream based soup. At lunch I was able to finish 1/2 cup with no issues. My tummy felt full and heavy and I wanted to nap. For dinner, I reheated some soup and everything was fine. I was laying in bed, watching some Netflix and then from nowhere the back of my mouth started salivating. I ran to the medicine cabinet for some Zofran. Even thought it dissolved completely, I still threw up my soup from dinner. I was dreading that heaving motion, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I think I was just too excited to move onto new thin…

Greetings all! What are some of the side effects you have noticed on your body since VSG? I had mine on 01/18/24 and here is my list: Dry skin Dry lips Cold all the time Head hunger Dizzy in the shower if the water is too warm Hard bowel movements Tired all the time Mood swings Low sex drive

Hey all, I'm new here. I've been trying to figure this out, and was hoping someone could share their experiences. I'm almost 2 years post op and in the last month or so I've noticed this persistent pain in my upper abdomen. It's definitely worse in the morning, feels very crampy and makes me feel super nauseated. It's not food related as I don't usually eat first thing in the morning. It goes on throughout the day, coming and going in waves. Not usually as painful after the morning, but still persistent, annoying and painful. I'm convinced it's something to do with my pouch. I went to see my team and she's ordered an upper GI film, as well as ruling out a bacteria…

I am about to turn 57 and had my surgery almost 23 years ago. I have given birth to three children and stayed thin the whole time. I started at 250 and settled at 125 ( I’m 5’4.5” and that made me a size 0 or a 2) When I was done having my last child I settled back at 155, still wildly successful. When I entered into perimenopause, it became a fight to keep my weight off and I kept fighting. And then now through full-blown menopause two years since I’ve had menstruation, I’m almost as big as I was when I started. I’m wondering if there’s any help in this situation. Any doctors who will look at a revision I guess or make some practical suggestions. I have changed my eating…

Hey fellow Bariatric babes and dudes!!! I am 1 week post op and still need to sleep in the recliner, as one 2 of my incisions are still unbearable when laying flat. Did any of you experience this? I feel like everyone went right to sleeping in a bed. TIA for any answers!