rjan

Surgeons seem to have big differences in their recommended post-op diet. I was one week clear liquids, one week full liquids, one week purees, one week soft, then normal. I really enjoyed adding yogurt and cottage cheese at the puree stage. Egg drop soup is a good way to eat an egg before you get to the soft stage. Not a whole lot of high protein foods out there to choose from!

How much weight you lose is incredibly variable. As catwoman7 says, people who start heavier lose faster. Men usually lose faster than women. People also tend to lose slower if they lost a lot of weight pre-op because a lot of the initial weight loss in any diet is water and sugar and fat stored in your liver. This will be at least 2 lbs, but up to 10 lbs of the initial weight you lose, and happens pretty quickly in a week or two. If you did a pre-op diet, you already lost that 'easy' weight, so it doesn't come off so quickly post-op. Still - 20 lbs in 3.5 weeks is a resounding success for just about anyone. If it's all fat, that corresponds to about a 3,000 calorie deficit a day. If you're hardly eating anything now - that's actually a little faster than you'd expect from doing the math, unless you're a super muscly weight lifter with a fast metabolism. For comparison, I lost 15 lbs in the same time period. I started out at 210 lbs, 5'5'', 40 year old woman. Now 4 months out I am losing about 1.5-2 lbs a week. WLS isn't about losing weight super fast - it's about losing it permanently! Also, I can really sympathize with your feeling that it is hard to swallow anything - like it kind of gets stuck. It felt like that for me for about 1-2 months. It slowly got better over time, and I was able to take bigger and bigger swallows until it finally went away completely. I think it has to do with the swelling around the incisions on your stomach. That will get better soon.

Surgery is scary. Not only is the actual surgery and recovery a big thing to go through, but it will make a permanent change to your body and you don't know yet how you will feel long after the surgery is over. It would be weird if you were not freaking out a little bit. I just want to tell you to trust yourself. No one knows better than you why you decided to do this in the first place. You can do it tomorrow, wait a little while, or never do it. You are the best person to make that choice. However, I do want to push back hard on any thoughts you have that it should be easy to lose 100 lbs without surgery because you recently lost 11 lbs. Studies are very clear on this. Losing a few pounds over a short period is something almost anyone can do - losing a significant amount of weight for more than 2 years is very rare. Depending on what you count as success - your chances of doing it on your own are about 5%. And even if you do succeed, you will be fighting against your body the whole time - you will be hungry and tired because your body will think you are starving to death. In contrast, bariatric surgery succeeds 60-80% of the time, and comes with similar big improvements to diabetes, cancer, and long term mortality. A year after surgery, people end up with a metabolism that is fairly normal for someone of their size - the surgery really resets your body's weight set point. Don't buy into this weird moralistic view of obesity that says the problem is just lazy gluttons with no willpower. The data shows that surgery is the best treatment there currently is for obesity. That's why I decided to go ahead with mine.

I'm going to say congrats! because it sounds like this is something you wanted, even though you are understandably scared. WLS surgery definitely improves fertility - this is one of the main reasons I did it. It's hard not to worry. Your recent surgery will probably make your pregnancy a bit more complicated, and the pregnancy will probably make your weight loss a bit more difficult. But all of those things can be managed with the help of your doctors. You will need to work harder to ensure you get proper protein and vitamins for your baby, and it will probably end up taking you a little longer to reach your final weight loss goal. But you can handle this! You have a great chance for both a healthy baby and successful weight loss.

The sleeve around her stomach came loose, undoing the entire surgical procedure? What on earth does that mean?

I use the GNC whey iso burst. But I think without flavoring, most brands are pretty similar. It's totally gross if it gets gummy. Before you steam the milk, leave about 1/4 cup aside. Then add 1/4 cup hot milk to the cold milk, and mix the protein powder into that. Then you can add that protein mix back into the other hot liquids without it getting gummy, but still nice and hot.

It IS a long journey. That's why mini-goals like onederland help us stay motivated for the long haul. Congrats! Enjoy it!

I'm also short and fat. Recently, I've been buying all my pants at Old Navy. They actually have a wide variety of fits and fabrics, and I never have trouble finding P's there.

Ultimately, it's your body and your choice. Trust yourself! Some people really are better off staying away from carbs entirely because they really are a gateway food for them, while others really are better off eating them in moderation because for them, it's easier to stick to flexible rules than absolutes. Personally, I sort of go the cheat day route. During the week, I drink a lot of protein shakes and am pretty strict about my one "real" food meal. During weekends, I drink less protein shakes and leave more room for real food. I cook elaborate meals with my husband, and eat more carbs (but still absolutely no sugar). For me, I know that some flexibility helps me stick to the rules over the long term.

I was pre-diabetic with PCOS, and was on metformin. I am off that completely now. My cholesterol was high, but I had resisted taking medication for it because statins increase incidence of diabetes in women. In a few months I will check my cholesterol and see how it is going. I had bad joint pain, especially in my hips. That has been improving as I've lost weight. It's not gone, and I doubt it ever will be. But it is very nice that it's better.

Yes, it definitely gets better! At the beginning, most people find the gas pain the most painful part. But you do have a huge, about 12 inch long incision on your stomach, and it will be swollen and healing for at least a month. It feels completely different when you eat and drink now, and it's so hard to listen to your body and understand what physical feelings are temporary and will go away soon, and what physical feelings are permanent that you need to get used to. The pain and that uncertainty makes it a very difficult time emotionally. I'm so sorry you're feeling bad. It WILL get better.

Since my surgeon didn't have any long term rules about caffeine, I now get half of my protein (30 g) in my morning latte - coffee, 1.2 cups of milk, and a 20 g scoop of unflavored protein powder. I put it in a thermos and drink it over an hour or two. I'm a big fan of the unflavored protein powder because it allows you to add protein to whatever it is you already like - for me it's coffee, for you, it may be something else. You're much more likely to eat something you like than something you have to choke down.

Are you taking a cooler? I'd probably go the yogurt/jello/pudding type route for beach food at 3 weeks out. You can buy those in small containers that you can easily throw in a cooler. Also, I see little single serve applesauce packs at the store - those would work if you don't have a cooler. Take some cheese or cottage cheese or a boiled egg for some protein - yogurt can also be good for that.

Personally, I drink up until eating (although not too much - maybe 1/4-1/2 cup max in the 10 minutes before). I also don't stress much about a few sips with meals. A lot of the vitamins suggest to take them with meals to increase absorption, so I do that. (Also, sometimes my mouth just gets really dry when eating, so I eat an ice cube or something.) The no liquid with eating rule is to avoid washing the food out of your stomach. You want your stomach to feel full for an hour or two after eating - that's what helps reset your body's weight set point. (I read on here once someone saying that she feels like its Thanksgiving after every meal - me too. 🤣) Drinking before your meal isn't going to wash the food away. A sip with your vitamin isn't going to wash the food away either. It's going to feel uncomfortable to eat and drink for a while, which makes it hard for you to sort out what it means to be full or feel hungry now. Even though you may be feeling the gas pain more at the moment, keep in mind there is a ~12 inch incision on your stomach - much bigger than the ones you can see on your skin. It's swollen in there. But that's going to get much better over the next month or so, and you can start really working out what works for you and your new stomach.

I had the sleeve, so I can't speak to your exact question. But I was googling around about the hair loss issue a few months ago, and found that actually hair loss is common a couple months after lots of surgeries. It's something about the shock to the system. The protein/vitamin deficiencies of WLS surgeries can make it worse, but it's not the main cause. That's why people have hair loss even after a sleeve. So it will probably happen it again if it happened to you before, but it won't necessarily be worse.

Yeah, I think most overweight people would love to be at a weight that we used to think was totally fat. 😂 I'm at 172 - 36 lbs down total, 32 since the sleeve surgery on March 11th (4 lost before surgery). I have a spreadsheet actually, cause I'm a nerd. 😁 You can see I was losing about 3 lbs a week right after surgery, then after a month it slowed down to about 2 lbs a week. Then I had a long and frustrating stall starting at about 2 months out. Since then it's about 1.6 lbs a week. At this rate, I expect 4 more months to lose the last 23 lbs to reach a normal BMI. A lot of people make mini-goals along the way to keep motivation up. I totally celebrated when I got to 179 because it put me at merely overweight instead of obese.

How tall are you? I'm 5'5" and started at 208, BMI 35. I'm only 3 months out, though. So not sure where I will end up. Studies show bariatric surgery is actually more effective for people who start with a lower BMI. People who start in the 30-35 BMI range have maintained a loss at 5 years of, on average, ~80% of their excess weight and a lot of them end up in the normal BMI range of <25. In contrast, people who start with a BMI >50 lose more like 60% of their excess weight and few end up in the normal BMI range. https://mercybariatrics.com.au/obesity-surgery-2/bariatrics-at-the-edge/low-bmi-patient/#:~:text=The traditional threshold for offering,expected to improve following surgery. Unless you're super short, losing 80-100 lbs is probably unrealistic. But maybe not impossible - you'll see people on these message boards who have gotten down to a BMI of ~21. Keep in mind that the people on the boards, especially those who stay for a long time, tend to be the most motivated ones. Studies show motivation and sticking to the diet is essential to achieve a better outcome. Unfortunately it also depends on your body - you may just be the type who can't get that low no matter how hard you work. Studies also show that unrealistic goals can hinder your progress - you tend to lose your motivation when you can't even get close to that unrealistic goal. I've put my goal at 149 - which will give me a normal BMI of 24.8. Once I get there, we will see how it's going.

I can sympathize - I did self-pay, and they move faster than insurance pay because there's not so many hoops to jump through. Plus I ended up moving the date sooner by a month and a half after I started hearing coronvirus whispers. I got my surgery less than 2 months after I decided to do it. My advice is to figure out what you're going to eat after the surgery. After the surgery, you're going to be in pain for a couple of weeks, and more tired than usual for 2 weeks to a few months. You won't want to spend too much mental energy on food. So try out some protein drinks/powders, sugar free jello and pudding, sugar free yogurt, broths and soups and stock your pantry. You'll be on a liquid diet for ~2 weeks (depending on your surgeon's diet plan), though most people continue to use protein drinks for quite a while. You'll also need to think about what you'll want to eat during the puree/soft food stages. Look at some bariatric recipes if you're the cooking type. But be warned - many people's tastes change after the surgery. A protein drink you liked before may seem, for example, overly sweet afterwards. So try a variety, and keep them around even if you didn't like them at first, just in case. It's a good time to check your equipment too. You'll need a blender if you use protein powders and mix your own drinks or to puree soups with chunks and other things. And a lot of people like to use mini plates and utensils to help them take smaller bites and feel more satisfied. I also bought a thermos that could keep food warm for a while, so if I cooked something hot, I'd make enough to put aside for another meal later.

I use the Isopure Whey Protein Isolate from GNC. You can also buy it on amazon. Just be careful if you add it to hot liquids - the liquid can't be too hot, or the protein powder clumps up and gets kind of gross. Good thing to practice now before your surgery so you've got a routine going. I've seen other people here talk about how they buy some flavor syrups so they can make their protein shakes with a lot of variety.

Geeze, I've been taking whole pills since a month out, about the time I started regular food. Go for it!

Up your protein, cut your carbs, and eat a ton of veggies to help you feel full. Good time to try out some protein shakes and protein bars, see what brands you like, since that's what you'll be eating just after surgery (and probably just before also). Personally, I like the unflavored protein powder because you can add it to whatever you like - broth or sugar free pudding. I got really sick of sweet flavors when on the liquid diet.

Kind of too late for you to do this this, but I eased into the pre-op liquid diet by doing a week of low-carb before it. For me, low-carb for at least 3 days has always really cut my hunger - I used to do it often before WLS anytime I wanted to get my hunger under control. I also feel very hungry at the beginning of the low-carb diet, but it helps to be able to eat unlimited amount of vegetables during this time so at least my stomach feels full. People always tell you to follow your surgeon's advice to the letter. But if you're tempted to cheat....might be better to pig out on some veggies for a few days than to go whole hog. It's only for a few weeks....just keep telling yourself that.

Everybody is different. I had the sleeve and I was hungry right after surgery. It got much better at 1 week out when I found a protein drink I could tolerate (my tastes changed and I didn't like the ones I had used before the surgery). When I started on soft foods like eggs and cottage cheese, my hunger completely went away and I felt very satisfied.

I didn't have my period until 3 weeks after surgery. I used to have bad cramps/heavy bleeding when I was young, but that has tapered off as I've gotten older. However, I definitely had that same pain and pressure you describe right after surgery, that sort of feels like you have to burp when you swallow anything. That has mostly gone away now that I'm 3 months post-op, although if I swallow a lot of air and actually have to burp, I still feel a similar pain. But that only happens sometimes. I know you're miserable right now, and it's very, very normal to regret the surgery in the first month while you're still recovering. But that gets a lot better pretty quickly for the vast majority of people. You know those little ~1 inch incisions you can see on your tummy? You've got a fricking 12 inch incision on your stomach that you can't see! So your whole stomach is super swollen and can only hold about 1/4 cup right now. Anything you swallow is only going to trickle slowly into your stomach. Most likely the straw is helping because it's helping you drink only a very small amount at a time so it doesn't put so much pressure on your poor stomach. Most of the swelling will go away in a month. You'll be able to take larger sips at one time, and it will barely hurt at all. And you'll be able to reach your protein and fluid goals pretty easily. It will get better!!!

I'm 3 weeks post op, gastric sleeve. The diet my doctor gave me was on the more restrictive side at the beginning - clear fluids for a whole week and full fluids for another week, whereas I've seen other diets that have you on fluids for only 7 days. But it seems less restrictive at the end - graduate to a full diet after 4 weeks. It says nothing about raw vegetables after this point, while I notice that other diets may have restrictions on raw vegetables for 2-6 months. (By the way, I had my surgery in Mexico, so there will be no followup appointments with my surgeon, nor do I have appointments with a nutritionist to ask questions.) I really, really love raw vegetables. Salads of course, but my favorite pre-surgery was cucumber - I usually ate 1-2 a day, as well as others like carrots, peas, green beans, and broccoli. I'm wondering if I should give any a try at 4 weeks, or if I should wait. I'm curious to ask when people found they were able to tolerate raw vegetables, and if certain ones were better than others? For instance, I imagine peeled cucumber would go over much better than carrot since it is softer.