Rosie T

Thank you. This is very helpful. I’m not quite ready for IF. I do meet my goals with food most of the time. But I have — up til this point — lost all my weight with next to no effort and have not been tracking calories or macros very closely. Now that weight loss has halted and it’s clear that I need to be much more conscious and careful with my choices. So that’s my plan at the moment. Track track track. But I’d like to start doing a little research into IF for down the road possible my. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

So, I've been creeping here and doing some online research about IF. And I'm curious and interested and considering giving it a try. However, is there anyone on here who works nights and does IF? I work from 7 pm - 7 am in a high acuity neonatal intensive care unit 2 -3 days a week (those days constantly change. Sometimes they are in succession, sometimes they are intermittent throughout the week). So, my sleep schedule is oftentimes quite random. And I don't think fasting while working is a good idea, given what some of my nights look and feel like. Does anyone else on here do IF and work the night shift? And if so, can you tell me how you manage it? Managing my sleep is hard enough. I wonder if also figuring out a fasting schedule would put the complexity over the top. Hoping someone may have some advice or know where to point me so that I can give it a whirl and see if it's right for me. Does everyone on here do IF every day of their week?

I was on a one week liquid diet pre-op, a two week clear liquid diet post op and then, SIX more weeks of a liquid diet after that. All in all, a 9 week liquid diet pre and post surgery. It was brutal. But the good news is, it ended. Eventually. And as hard as it was, I felt (and still feel) very empowered by sticking to it. One of the hardest things I've had to do. Worth it.

I have been missing veggies and fruits. I’d previously been all food and no protein shakes and I recently went to one shake a day for either breakfast or lunch to help boost my protein intake and then I feel more flexible at mealtime knowing I got a big whopping 30 grams of protein in already so I have room for my apple or strawberries or carrots. I feel unhealthy without a good portion of fruits and veggies each day and that trade off is working well for me at the moment.

1. I am overwhelmed by clothes shopping. I have literally nothing to wear for spring or summer, I have an amazing trip planned for Hawaii and I want to look great in my clothes but keep going in stores and not buying anything. Do they have nude beaches??? Hope so or else I’m gonna spend all of Hawaii in jail. 2. I’ve realized that every single pound from this point forward is going to come off only with really hard work and dedication. I feel mixed about that. I still want to lose 30 and that seems ... challenging. 3. I worry that I am a “bad” Bariatric patient because I eat all kinds of foods. 4. My neck looks just ridiculous. Lol. It looks like it is melting off. 5. I am y’all 5’9” and super limber and sometimes Iately I feel like a praying mantis with my long long legs. 6. Sex is way more fun lately. (5 and 6 kind of related) 7. My feet shrunk from an 11 to a 10 and a whole shoe world has opened to me. 8. My love for coffee has deepened to an alarming level. It is probably not the healthiest. But as a night shift RN in an ICU and a mom to 3 young kids, people will have to pry the Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with cream and Splenda from my cold, my freezing icy numb cold dead hands.

Hey all. Thanks for all the tips. I worked hard this week and shook my routine WAY up and got paid back with a 4.5 loss and reached Onederland after 3 months of hovering at 202-204. 🙌

Thanks for the tips Orchids&Dragons. I was thinking of doing a one week shakeup anyway. Maybe doing a quick one week cycle through the post op stages. Protein shakes. Then liquids. Then soft. Just to shake things up and wake my body up. It seems to currently be set to repetitive snooze. 🤔

Well I’ve officially made it to my 6 month mark. I’m seeking some advice. I have been lingering between 200 and 203 for weeks. Though on the bright side, I’ve gone down a pants size during this epic stall. I know it’s just a number, but I’m so close to the 100’s and have been for SO LONG and I just really want to reach that goal. Has anyone had any success kicking their loss back into gear? Or do y’all think that’s just gimmicky and stay the course ? Would welcome pointers.

Hey all. I haven’t checked in in a while though I’ve been creeping. Struggling with the no junk challenge. I seem to have issues with the whole NO thing. I would say I make 80% solidly good choices. 10% borderline. And 10% just like “what is this mess you are putting in your mouth?” Will keep on trucking. Every meal is a new chance. Doing well on the exercise challenge. Yesterday my kids did the name challenge with me. The five year olds push ups were hilarious. Went to the gym today and did a 30 min strength/cardio circuit. Here’s a combo no makeup selfie and three people I love love love. My three sons. ❤️❤️❤️

Did a short version of my very long name workout. Just dipping my toes in. And the selfie. And the no junk food. Now off to nap before my four 12 hour night shifts in a row. Help me Ronda!!

My surgery status. HW 270 SW on 9/12 255 CW 205.5 I’m still attempting to lose. Would like to make it to Onederland by the end of the challenge.

I feel nervous but I’d like to try this. Weight loss has slowed for me and I like that the challenge addresses food, exercise and the hardest of all — the head stuff. Count me in.

I put a spoonful of each dish on my plate. Then I took one bite of each. I filled the rest of the space in my sleeve with turkey. I had a bite of my husbands apple pie and 1/2 a glass of wine. It was a Thanksgiving feast and I don’t regret a single bite.

Hey there. I’m sorry to hear you’re still dealing with a stricture and nausea and vomiting Frustr8. What are next steps to resolve it?? Things have been fairly smooth sailing for me so far. I’ve been on purees and soft foods and am slowly advancing my diet and trying to figure out what works best for me. Back to exercising. Down 52 pounds. Loss is sporadic. I’ll lose 4 one week and none the next. Hydration is still something I have to really work for but has been ok. I really hope they can get your stricture widened out soon. That’s a long time to be on liquids and fighting the nausea wars. Good luck!!

I’m an ICU nurse and had the sleeve on 9/11. I had a full blown panic attack in the parking lot the day of surgery and cried as they wheeled me back. I was terrified thinking of all the complications that could happen peri-operatively and just post op. Happy to say I survived. :) Nursing knowledge has been handy since then — knowing why each directive is important and what I’m preventing makes it easier to comply (I think). I think it’s normal to be fearful when you’ve cared for patients who had complications. But it’s been a really good decision for me. I’m less than 2 months out and have lost 50 pounds so far.

I have it in Illinois and found insurance process quite easy and quick.

What a wonderful post. So glad it’s working out so well for you! Way to go!

Hi gang. I'm one month post op and thought I'd update on how I'm doing and maybe post a few questions for the hive mind. So, my surgery was September 11. My height is 5'9". My high weight was on day 1 of my pre-op diet. (270), BMI 40. I just food funeraled my brains out. I was 255 on day of surgery. And today I am 229.9. Total lost is 40.1. Current BMI 33.8 I am still on a liquid diet. My surgeon is extremely conservative with diet advancement. So I have 2 protein shakes a day, cream soups with the solids strained out, and water or crystal light. I will remain on this diet until the beginning of November. I take a leisurely 1- 1.5 mile walk about 4-5 times a week. I will be returning to work on Friday. I work 7p-7a as an RN in and ICU, so I am a bit nervous to return. Next week, I will return to the gym once I see if all restriction is lifted and plan to work out 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes to 1 hour combining cardio and weight training. My energy level has gotten gradually better as time goes on. It was brutal the first 2 weeks, hard the third, and this week has been quite a bit better in terms of ability to get things done. I have not had any constipation yet. Nor have I had any other major complications. I take omeprazole, vitamins, and asthma medication. I only had nausea in the hospital and once at home on the 2nd day back. I sip ALL. DAY. LONG. I do burp quite a bit, but not with any discomfort. More of an annoyance that I hope will eventually settle down. The liquid diet only has been the hardest part. When all is said and done, I will have done 9 weeks of no solid food whatsoever, and it has been a real challenge. I have three children at home and I am still preparing meals for my family because my husband has had a huge work project going on and works late a lot and he is also in grad school. I do the majority of the food shopping, preparing and cleaning up and so I am constantly faced with solid food and a desire to taste something, anything! other than a protein shake or those disgusting soups. I actually gag at the thought of those soups. I try to remember that each day that passes is one day closer to resuming eating solid foods again and that I am incredibly lucky to have lost so much weight so rapidly when I started out at a BMI of 40. I'm sure it's in large part due to my conservative diet. I did have one stall in week 3. It lasted 6 days. I dropped one pound and then stayed there another 3 days. That was a downer. Even though I knew it was normal and to be expected and I'd had good weight loss, it is very hard to be so strict and stringent and be consuming only 450 calories a day and stay the same weight for 9 days. It just seems unfair and takes a lot of mental and emotional willpower to just soldier on. Stalls are not cool. Even if they are part of this whole journey. I could do without them, thank you very much. So, here are some questions I have for all you wiser, more seasoned sleevers.... 1) GERD is a fear of mine. I have not had any symptoms of GERD so far. Anyone out there have no GERD symptoms immediately post-op but then develop them down the road? Just want to know if i am in the clear or still need to be on the lookout? 2) Once you advanced your diet and introduced solids, what are your go to rules -- like I always drink at least blank ounces of water between meals. Or I never go more than blank hours without eating. Or whatever. What are your go to habits that work best for you? 3) What are things you wish you wouldn't have done, if anything? 4) What advice would you give to someone at this point of the sleeve journey? Thanks in advance!

Tha is for the advice! I appreciate it.

I'm looking for people's recommendations of their favorite ready-to-eat foods they've found post surgery that are friendly for your new lifestyle. For instance, I just saw an ad for a brand of frozen pizzas, enchiladas, and breakfast sandwiches called RealGood that have 25G protein and 4G carbs per serving and I thought that looked great. I read somewhere on another forum but forgot to write it down some special cracker that a lot of people like, etc. I'm not really seeking recipes (because I'm super comfy with cooking). I'm more looking for ideas for quick grab and go type things that don't require cooking (other than microwaving maybe?) Anybody got a favorite they'd care to share?

I was walking about 1 mile/day the first week post op and still on clear liquids and my doctors told me to back off the walking a bit. That i was overdoing it. I think the advice to walk is more like you can't just sit like a lump on the couch if you wanna feel better. But doesn't necessarily mean to exercise. i am now 2 weeks post op and I am trying to just be normal around my house, chores and errands and stuff, and walk here and there when i feel like it. i figure that the time for true exercise will come. my energy has increased a bit, but just remember that even though it doesn't look all that bad on the outside of your abdomen, what they did inside was hardcore. In nursing school we called it "getting mauled by the bear" so it's gonna take you a while to feel like yourself again.

Thanks! I've seen those too. One I recently saw had chocolate coated almonds, cheese, and an egg. Good idea!

Oh my gosh. What a hard situation. I am so sorry for your friend, her husband, the baby and you. I’ll be keeping all of you in my prayers and hope you are able to find some moments of peace and self care in this really really hard time.

Well I’m nearly 24 hours post op and thought I’d update for folks whose surgery is coming up and are curious what the experience has been like for me so far. I have three different IV sites. But one got pulled. A Foley catheter, SCDs and had oxygen on until this morning. I have a JP drain on my left side that is definitely the most painful part for me. Yesterday the pain was much more than I anticipated. It has improved some today but I can’t wait til the drain comes out. The liquid pain medication is pretty rough to handle. But zofran helps. Did my leak test and awaiting results. Enjoying ice Chips with no problem.

Leak test is just an Xray 24 hours post op where you drink some liquid to make sure none of it is leaking along the staple line. Since the stomach becomes so high pressure in the sleeve, they sometimes like to make sure it's really sealed so that no gastric juices are leaking out into your peritoneum before they take you off IV fluids and put you on oral fluids.