Lainey H

I was cleared to exercise at 6 weeks and started a Bariatric wellness program at a gym. I spoke with the office and don’t have any restrictions but when I asked about skiing she said to be careful. Six weeks is just a number and I need to listen to my body. She didn’t say no but a little vague. I didn’t ski that weekend but now I’m a little nervous doing crunches at the gym or too hard a workout. I feel good and doesn’t even feel like I had surgery. Curious how other people started working out and did you have any restrictions. I’m 7 weeks now. Thanks!

Thanks everyone. I only up to 2.5 miles a day. I’ve been tired and it’s getting cold here. I’m feeling pretty decent know one week post op so will get out thEre more. Maybe take lasts at local mall although my trip to target earlier this week exhausted me.

Thank you so much! You’re so inspiring and positive! Definitely needed that!!!!

Im almost 5 weeks out, and ive hated eating until today. I never had real problems (vomiting, severe pain etc) but eating was always awkward, slightly uncomfortable and always unenjoyable. Today I tried baking some fish (in an air fryer) with a tiny bit of almond meal on it (cant be too boring) and it was amazing. It was basically all Protein, tasted like real food, and being that its fish it was so soft and tender that it gave me absolutely no problems chewing/swallowing and still had some texture to it. Was so good I even had the leftovers for dinner. I think this totally going to be my new favorite my go to food until im comfortable eating tougher foods (like beef and chicken)
Now if only I could find fresh fish for less than 20$ a pound... Thank god a pound is like 5 meals for me though

The first couple of days at home I was only able to drink 24 to 28 oz of Water and they were not happy with me. I was also eating yogurt and Protein Shake but they were concerned about blood clots and told me to skip yogurt to get more fluids. It’s so tough bc if you wake up a little late or take a nap you are derailed for the day. How much are you getting? It helped me to lay out a schedule for the day to make sure I could meet my 48 oz goal. The other thing that helped was having a small water bottle (8oz) in bed with me when I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn’t sleep through the night for the first week so drinking for an hour in the middle of the night helped me reach my goal.

Im 7 years out and still have problems eating its day by day....im ok with it cause it makes me aware of the food im putting inside me..gastric and size 5 works for me...good luck

I agree with Positive Outlook. I would scale back on the fish and other meats for a week or two, and slowly re-introduce them back one by one. I wasn't allowed to eat eggs or flaky fish until after week four. I actually had an eight stage eating plan. I never felt sick or nauseous on the plan.
Welcome to the loser's club!

I noticed your surgery date. Hang in there... it's still very early for you, Lainey, and your new stomach is still healing. My surgery date was 11/8/17 and for me, right about last week (at 4 weeks post op), I started seeing an ease with eating things - still with the restriction, but not feeling awful after eating. Different surgeons have different post-op programs, but I will say my surgeons program post op (although it was tough) actually helped ensure my stomach was ready to take on progressively thicker foods over a 4 week period. Week 1 (clear liquid diet), week 2 (true liquids like Protein Shakes, yogurt, etc), Week 3 (pureed to soft diet (eggs, tuna , soft meats, etc.)) and Week 4 (add 1 new food at a time). Nevertheless, I had similar reactions you did during my week 3 (when I first started eating soft foods like egg and soft meats) and I too also became scared to eat. It's all in the process I think. Just remember you (we ) November sleevers are still healing.

I was fine the first week on shakes and liquids but started my soft / pureed stage on post op day 7 and having a tough time. Tried one egg which was ok, 2 oz of cottage cheese not great but not horrible and then 1.5 oz of salmon and felt chest pain and horrible for about 2 hours. Next day cut everything down to 1 oz and that was better. More of the same with some other meals. Some good and some bad. Yesterday was the worst day. I had 3/4 of a scrambled egg and felt fine. Then started a shake 2 hours later and started to feel nauseous. It's actually the first time I felt it since surgery and ended throwing up. I only had about 1-2 oz. The only thing I did differently was change the order b/c I usually have shake first and then food. I was at my daughter's nutcracker rehearsal and was getting stressed so I'm wondering if that played a role. I'm scared to eat today and wondering how long it took for other folks who had trouble initally to be able to eat without feeling horrible afterwards? I'm following all the rules about eating slowly and putting fork down in between. I even get up and do something and come back. I really don't have a full sensation. Usually it' s just a little chest pain which turns worse about 15 min later well after the 30 min I'm told to eat. Can last 1-2 hours. I feel empty inside and hard to get enough Protein and Water when I feel ill. I even got jealous when I saw a girl eating a turkey sandwich at the show - ugh. Also a challenge to plan anything outside the house.

I was fine the first week on shakes and liquids but started my soft / pureed stage on post op day 7 and having a tough time. Tried one egg which was ok, 2 oz of cottage cheese not great but not horrible and then 1.5 oz of salmon and felt chest pain and horrible for about 2 hours. Next day cut everything down to 1 oz and that was better. More of the same with some other meals. Some good and some bad. Yesterday was the worst day. I had 3/4 of a scrambled egg and felt fine. Then started a shake 2 hours later and started to feel nauseous. It's actually the first time I felt it since surgery and ended throwing up. I only had about 1-2 oz. The only thing I did differently was change the order b/c I usually have shake first and then food. I was at my daughter's nutcracker rehearsal and was getting stressed so I'm wondering if that played a role. I'm scared to eat today and wondering how long it took for other folks who had trouble initally to be able to eat without feeling horrible afterwards? I'm following all the rules about eating slowly and putting fork down in between. I even get up and do something and come back. I really don't have a full sensation. Usually it' s just a little chest pain which turns worse about 15 min later well after the 30 min I'm told to eat. Can last 1-2 hours. I feel empty inside and hard to get enough Protein and Water when I feel ill. I even got jealous when I saw a girl eating a turkey sandwich at the show - ugh. Also a challenge to plan anything outside the house.

You will feel like like you are eating constantly for the first few weeks, it gets easier. My ability to drink more at a time increased quickly. But yeah, it’s a chore at first. I ate a lot of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, refried Beans or pea Soup and usually 1 Protein Shake a day. I couldn’t do puréed meat so I depended a lot on dairy during that time. I bought a little insulated lunch bag w an ice pack so I could take food with me if I was going to be out of the house for more than an hr or 2. I also recommend Cooking eggs in the microwave as opposed to on the stove, they come out much softer and more moist than the stove top. Good luck!

I’m so excited to move on to next stage of eating. Today I start soft and puréed foods. eggs, cottage cheese, fish, purée meats which I’m not sure I will do. Nervous but so looking forward to food even though I know it can be a let down. The shakes and sipping all day is tough. What was your go to in the first few days of food?
Also how did you manage your schedule. I laid out the day from 7am to 11pm and since we have to separate liquids and food and my nut recommends 2 hours to drink 8 oz of liquid, there is no room for a break anywhere. Constant sipping, eating or waiting to sip again. Literally not even a 15 min gap. Supposed to take in 60-80g of Protein and min 48 oz of Water.
Happy to say I’m down 9.7 lbs since surgery and 18 including 2 day liquid pre op!

So, as it turns out, I made some chicken with veggies in tikka masala sauce, and I measured out my 4oz and got all excited, dug in... and ate ONE PIECE of chicken. Like, three bites. FULL. Loving this wacky weight loss journey

I got a consultation done with Dr. Cardenas. I understand that one of their "selling points" is a dedicated recovery house rather than hotel rooms. However, based on the Facebook pictures it looks like there are rooms with at least 2 to 3 beds. Also, the bathrooms look shared as well. Given that the post-op period is one where you are in pain and require privacy, it's not clear to me why such an arrangement would be superior than a private hotel room.
For those of you who have gotten procedures done with Dr. Cardenas - what was your experience like when it comes to the sleeping/bathroom arrangements?

This time last year I was getting my gastric sleeve. My start weight was 388 lbs with BMI 60. Today's weigh in is 257 lbs with BMI 40 so a total loss of around 132 lbs in a year yay! Everyone post your progress pics, whether its few weeks to years! Happy Holidays.   
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i was doing 3-5 miles within about 4 days.

The main reason you are walking after surgery is to avoid blood clots in your legs and help break up any gas trapped in your abdominal cavity. You might feel better if you take frequent, smaller walks - but as long as you are moving, you're doing fine!

I think that the general answer that you will get from most programs is to go as much as can comfortably do, which can vary widely person to person. Generally it would also be better to spread it out during the day - do 5 minutes each hour rather than a half hour or hour all at once and then nothing the rest of the day. The main idea is to get and keep things moving, keeping the circulation going.

I'm 6 days postop and I've been walking almost 3 miles per day (1 hour) since day 3 postop. It has really helped to relieve soreness in my abdominal muscles.

Just my experience. I didn't walk enough post op and got some really bad muscle tightness in my legs, which ended up putting pressure on my sciatic nerve and ultimately was far far more painful than anything from the surgery. And of course the treatment is muscle relaxers and nsaids neither of which you can have immediately post op.
If I could do it again, I'd walk at least an hour a day.

Honestly I doubt there's much a difference between many or a few walks as long as they're reasonably spread out.

I'm 5 days post op and wondering how much I should be walking or what most are doing? Docs just say walk as much as you can. In the hospital I was talking laps every 1.5 - 2 hours. At home I've been taking one or two longer walks. Do you think it's better to do many short walks vs. 20 - 25 min walk at once. Today I did 7000 steps with about half at home just moving around.

The first two months will be the most trying of the process. Moving through the stages of the diet advancement and learning how to live with your new stomach is hard but it gets easier day by day and as the weight starts dropping off it become more and more rewarding. Almost a year post op and I have zero regrets. All the discomfort and pain in the beginning was worth it.

I had the same problem, so I switched from Bariatric Advantage to a Centrum chewable. No more nausea when I take it.

Hi Laney. I don't know if I have much to offer you, as my surgery was 11/29 but my bariatric RN said to wait till Monday to introduce the chewable vitamins. She said one a day for a couple of days then increase as tolerated. She did say break it up in your Protein Shakes. Maybe that will help? Hope you feel good today. I've been told every day is a little better than the last!🎉

Things went well@proudgrammy

I would say more discomfort than pain

I’m doing laps and can move pretty good

I still have that elephant on my chest feeling but mor of a big dog now. Lol