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I'm a PA student so I'm guessing we have similar curriculums. I had surgery over the summer (the 9th of May) and started online classes 2 weeks after with no problem. A little over one month out I was feeling very much myself. I was a little weak and easily tired, but was able to go to summer classes and returned to work (I probably could have gone back to work around 2 weeks out, but I decided to take it slow). By 2 months post op I started going to the gym, got a personal trainer, and started low intensity cardio/ strength training. 3 months post op I was able to climb a 60 foot rock wall. When you say nursing school, is it all classroom stuff for you right now? If so, you'll have no problems. If you're doing clinicals, you'll definitely be able to do them after surgery, but I didn't find that I had the stamina for that much walking and standing until around 2 months post op. Everyone's recovery is different, but trust me: once the weight starts coming off, you'll likely have more energy than you started with

Those are the "net" carbs. Many people don't include fiber or sugar alcohols when counting carbs so they'll subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates listed.

You don't really have to count calories yet at this stage. Focus on staying hydrated and trying to meet your protein goals Calorie counting can start when you're on to solid food

I'm 5 and a half months out and haven't vomited since the 1st week post op. I think being mindful of how fast you're eating, being aware of how you feel while eating, and measuring your portions will help prevent throwing up your food. Not to scare you, but the first 4 days post op were extremely difficult for me. I constantly had a bag or cup or something with me in case I needed to throw up (and even then it was mostly just dry heaving or foam). The nausea that I felt was primarily from the anesthesia, so if you've been under before, your previous experience may give you a good idea of what to expect. Things got better with time and as gas pains went away. If you'd like a more detailed picture of my 1st week post op, feel free to look at my profile Really, this surgery has been amazing for me and I wouldn't let a week of discomfort deter me from all of the positive outcomes I've seen

Is stage 2 for you full liquids? At that point I was having protein shakes, sf pudding, jello, sugar free popsicles, crystal light drinks, bone broth, and strained soups. I tried to stick to the protein shakes and bone broth for the most part because they were my main source of protein at that time. Not the most fun stage, but I'm sure the pounds are just falling off of you at this point!

I'm a fan of the taste of quest shakes, but they're just too thick for my preferences. In terms of feeling short changed, the powder may have settled since packing. It may weigh what the packaging says, but the powder settling will cause the powder's volume to decrease between the time they filled the container and when you opened it. In terms of measuring, volume isn't super accurate in the context of powders because you can pack them down very easily (changing their volumes)

Thank you! I think one of the funniest parts of losing has been that the weight doesn't all come off evenly at the same time, which threw me for a loop. So month 1: I lost 2 inches off my bust and 2 inches off my waist, month 2: I lost 3 inches off my hips, and month 3: I lost 1 inch off my waist I've just got to keep working at it and trust things will work out eventually Do you have a surgery date yet? I'm excited for you!

I'm 3.5 months post op and mine don't bother me at all! I only have two, one vertical incision in my belly button where my stomach was pulled out and a small one in my upper right quadrant to move my liver out of the way. They're darker and slightly raised, but I think they'll fade a little over time. To be honest though, I wouldn't mind if people see them even if they don't fade away haha

It varies from surgeon to surgeon. I had no lifting restrictions after surgery. My surgeon advertises that patients could run a marathon the day after surgery if they wanted to (they wouldn't feel like it, but they could lol). I had the McCarty minimally invasive sleeve (with only 2 incisions as opposed to like 5 though) so that may be why. Ultimately, you can feel out what your limits are (while staying within your surgeon's guidelines). For me, I was able to carry my 40 pound suitcase up the stairs at around 1.5 weeks out so I'd take a guess and think 25 pounds at 3 weeks out wouldn't give you any issues.

Ahh that makes a lot more sense! If you're still of pureed/soft foods, I can see them going down a lot easier and you being able to consume more of them. They're almost like slider foods in that sense. I remember at 4 weeks out I could easily consume 5 ounces of greek yogurt. Make sure you try to differentiate head hunger and real hunger! I think that's one of my biggest struggles right now.

8 ounces in one sitting definitely sounds like a lot for only 4 weeks out. I second the surgeon suggestion. Also, what does your exercise look like? I started hitting the gym starting at 2 weeks post op (4 or more times a week for up to 2 hours each time) and found that all of the physical exertion seriously upped my feelings of hunger. I've since lowered it to 2-3 times a week for an hour and a half or less and the hunger has gone down significantly. With all of the exercise, I was eating up to 1500 calories a day through constantly eating small portions (this was at only around 2 months out) and never really felt sated. Now, at 3 months, I can feel pretty good eating around 900 calories a day.

Perhaps a different internet browser would help? I've been successful using google chrome.

3 months out and I'm finding my stomach's capacity erratic. I've had up to 5 ounces (by weight) of dense food like steak or chicken and 5 ounces (by volume) of things like yogurt and felt totally fine, possibly could have more but don't want to push it. But, I've also had meals lately where I've only had 2 ounces (by weight) of food and felt totally full (even though I hadn't eaten in hours).

Try using eggs, milk, and protein powder to make the pancakes. Only eggs and milk sounds like scrambled eggs, just not scrambled? The protein powder should make it sweet enough for you

I stick to chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla and put in shots of sugar free syrup or instant coffee powder when I want to change things up. I personally wasn't into the caramel, but it's to be expected considering I'm not a huge fan of caramel drinks in the first place. You can buy bulk packs of the ready to drink stuff on Jet.

Stay hydrated, track everything you consume, try to meet your protein goals, and stay active (even if it's just walking for now) Good luck! I'm somewhat newly sleeved too and just learning the ropes. Once you get to pureed foods and onwards, I've found having 4,6, and 8 ounce containers super useful for keeping leftovers and also meal prep. Cupcake pans also work nicely for meal prep if you're baking things like meatloaf or eggs. Don't invest in 2 ounce containers because you probably won't be using them for long, if you want some, just buy the little disposable 2 ounce sauce containers instead of tupperware type things.

Sorry This post appeared under Recent Topics so I (and probably the others too) responded to it without even noticing where this was placed

Good luck to you man! And, it might be wise to talk to your doctor about the fact that you underwent this major surgery and don't feel like you have all of the information necessary for success. Maybe it'll get him to make some changes and bring a nutritionist onto the team. That would definitely help you and future patients! Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin supplements, getting bloodwork to get vitamin levels checked out, and protein/weight loss goals. It also seems like you're a little unsure of what to expect. Do you have regular check ups with him to ensure everything is going ok in the early months? Everything everyone is saying here is useful and you should listen to them, but no one knows your medical history or special needs. Your surgeon does and would be the best person to give you advice.

Did you have any sort of classes with your NUT? Or get some sort of eating plan? In general, if you can eat real food, protein shakes should supplement your protein intake, not be the main source. So 1 protein shake a day if it'll make the difference between the food you eat that day and your protein goal. More if you need more protein. As a general guideline, these protein numbers are about the norm from what I've seen: absolute minimum of 40g or protein a day for women and 50g for men. As you move further out, I've seen 60g all the way up to 120g a day be the protein goal. I aim for a minimum of about 70g a day, usually surpassing it. You'll want to stay under 60g of carbs while early out. If you really really want to low carb it, people who are hardcore into keto (a diet that is high fat, moderate protein, low carb) only consume 20g of carbs in a day or less. Fat is up to you, there are so many conflicting studies out there and you'll just have to figure out what works best for your body to lose weight. If you're physically active, I found this elsewhere on the forum and thought it'd be helpful in terms of calorie progression: Months 1 through 3 = about 800 kcals/day Months 4 through 6 = about 1000 to 1200 kcals/day Months 7 through 9 = about 1200 to 1500 kcals/day By 12 months out = about 1700 kcals/day By 18 months out = 1800 to 2200 kcals/day In order to know how much you're consuming, you NEED to track your food. There are many apps for it out there including SHealth which is pre-installed on samsung phones. I personally use myfitnesspal, you can find me under the name tia_527. All you do with these apps is put in what foods you had at each meal and what amounts. You can also log exercise if you want. These apps will tell you how many calories you eat and what your macros were (how many grams of carbs vs protein vs fat you've had).

26 pounds is great! It's unlikely you're gaining fat. But, from what I've read from so many of the successful vets on here, you really should start weighing/measuring and tracking your food. You're probably just retaining water, which is totally normal and happens to all of us! If you tend to freak out about the scale, you may want to weigh weekly instead of daily. To gain weight, you need a surplus of calories. You're probably not getting that at only 1 month out. That doesn't mean that it's impossible. Some people do get even heavier in their first year by eating slider foods like chips, eating ice cream, and drinking milkshakes. Don't be one of them. Make good choices, weigh/measure your food, hold yourself accountable by tracking what you eat (I like my fitness pal), and try to work towards a healthier relationship with food. Side note: I'm not seeing any sort of protein shake in your meals. Are you getting your required protein in?

Not a silly question at all! I'm 2.5 months post op. I find my libido varies wildly due to the fluctuating hormones. Some weeks I just don't care for any type of contact, some we're intimate 3 or more times a day lol. Physically, sex feels the same (then again I haven't lost a large amount of weight yet). Still have the energy and endurance I did pre-op, nothing hurts, we can do all the same things we did before. I may be a tad more flexible now, but that may be due to working out and stretching. A fun little result of losing weight is that my boyfriend has an easier time picking me up now so that's a thing. Now this might just be me and I should probably start scheduling sessions with my therapist again, but I find that I'm a lot more aware of my body and self conscious than I used to be. My partner still finds me attractive and has said that he'll be just as attracted to me when I get to 120 lbs as he was when I was 250 lbs. But, sometimes before or during sex I'll be very aware of my rolls or belly or some other imperfection and get really depressed and turned off. Keep in mind, most people will probably get confidence boosts from losing weight so this likely won't happen to you! Side note: Fertility will improve as you lose the excess weight. If you aren't already, you'll want to get on some sort of birth control (pill, nexplanon, etc). Condoms are still necessary if you aren't in a committed relationship.

I started eating steak the week I was out of soft foods. No problems here! At first I was only able to eat a bite of ribeye, but now at 2.5 months out, I can eat up to 5 ounces if it's the only thing I eat. I'd recommend fish for starting out. They tend to be good sources of protein. If you steam it or don't overcook it, it'll also be moist and tender. Grilled or steamed salmon is my favorite! If you like Asian food, look up hainanese chicken. It's poached chicken (I usually just use chicken thighs in the rice cooker) with ginger, garlic, broth, soy sauce, some seasonings, and rice. I leave the rice for my boyfriend, but the chicken comes out super soft and tasty! Just watch how you're preparing your foods. Breaded/fried foods will give you unnecessary carbs and fat as well as barbecue sauce which is generally full of sugar.