MoominMan

I had a gastric bypass in August. I've lost 105 pounds – which is not bad, I guess – but the weight loss has stalled, hardly changed at all since January. The fact is I have been eating too much. I don't dump and bad foods have crept in. Today I ate 4 packets of crisps and 5 small chocolate cakes. That's nowhere near the amount I used to eat of course, but its still really bad. My restriction has never been that strict, from quite early on I could eat relatively large portions for a bypasser. I am sabotaging myself and I feel like I have squandered the goldilocks period of the post-op where your body is most receptive to losing weight. I can't express how sad this makes me. I always knew the transition to healthy eating was going to be hard but it is further complicated by a quite debilitating eating dorser. I've been diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) which has made everything so much harder. For me its not as simple as trying new foods or changing recipes to healthier options; there are so few (we're talking no more than three) reasonably healthy things I can reliably cook myself and eat. But because I end up having the same thing every day, it's not that healthy. Still more carbs than I should be having. It's 8 months since my operation. Is there time to turn this around?

I don't have a dietician (I went abroad for my op). I am serious when I say three meals. I can't just find new things to eat off the internet - that's sort of the whole point.

Had bypass 4 months ago and my weight loss has pretty much stalled for the past 3 weeks. I have also noticed I am feeling much hungrier most days, and portion sizes are creeping up. Not significantly, but noticeably. Oh, and I am definitely missing my protein targets. By a lot. I am having big problems with food (just been diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) which essentially means I have an incredibly small range of things I can eat. This not only makes meals extremely boring after a while, I have become quite reliant on relatively unhealthy foods (e.g. I use ragu sauce from a jar rather than making my own). Also, I slipped and had a small amount (but still too much) of cake and crisps. That said, this past week has been healthier and yet the weight loss is still stalling. I'm not sure if this is just a periodic stall, the effect of not a very good diet in recent weeks, or if the effects of the operation are already wearing off? Does anyone have any similar experiences?

3 weeks post-op. I'm only eating one, on a good day two, meals a day. So nowhere near what I should be, but I feel rather sick afterwards so it's hard. The portion sizes are small, not sure what the issue is. Does/did anyone else have trouble eating after surgery, and how long did it last?

I feel like crying. Really let myself down. I can't believe I've been so stupid. 15 days post op and I thought I'd try a small McDonalds (6 nuggets and plain hamburger). I feel very ill now. And it wasn't even worth it. Was disgusting. Argh so mad at myself!

This was over 3 weeks ago so yeah, I'm okay now. Don't think any perm damage has been done.

Had bypass on August 10. Between then and Sept 08 I lost 14.6 kg (32 pounds) - but since then nothing. It's now been 10 days since I lost any weight and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Wondering if I should cut back on portion sizes (I have a small breakfast but lunch and dinner are around 150-200g each).

I'm eating pretty much normal food now - I feel like maybe I shouldn't be because it has only been 5 weeks? Bit worried that my pouch isn't working as it should, I was expecting to feel full after two or three tablespoons of food. Nowhere near. Not sure why.

Surgeon says it isn't.

Ate some stuff I shouldn't have and felt very ill. Then I got a UTI and felt more ill. This week has been a bad week. On the plus side I'm down 30 pounds since my surgery on the 10th. This week I really need to focus on hitting my fluid and protein targets.

Been feeling bloated and generally unwell for a few days. I'm definitely dehydrated, pee's turned a horrible dark orange colour and today my poop was blueish-black. Tmi? I really need to start going outside. It's just I literally have nowhere to go. Uni is all online, no friends live near enough to visit, most places are still closed due to COVID.

I feel that I'm eating too much. Today I had 150ml of milk with 1 biscuit of Weetabix (bit like porridge). And for dinner I had 2 fish fingers. Okay that doesn't sound like a lot, but it was my understanding that in terms of volume per meal, I should be eating much less than that.

😮 How odd that my surgeon reckons it's fine to have soft (non pureed) foods now. He even said things like curry are okay. Maybe I should play it safe and follow other, more strict, guidelines.

No just that feeling of illness when you've eaten way too much Christmas Dinner. Hopefully that's all that happens, I guess I'll have to wait a few hours to see.

The texture and taste isn't nice.

Just had my first 'meal' (ie something that required chewing) in 15 days - bit of mash with some non-pureed bolognese. Presumably I won't know for a couple of hours whether it was a good idea not to puree it (I'm technically still right at the start of the puree stage but it's so vile,), but I chewed like mad and feel fine at the moment so fingers crossed. Not full, but not feeling particularly hungry either.

I ate a small amount of runny Weetabix (bit like porridge) last night, 9 days post surgery, but I don't think it was runny enough and have had some bad pains today. I hope I've not caused any internal issues.

I feel the same way. I'd like to think it's just the post-op blues, but I'm only just realising how difficult this lifestyle change is going to be. Before surgery I was blind to it all, didn't really face up to the realities of it. I think I may have an eating disorder or a food-related phobia, it goes way beyond fussy eating - I am and always have been scared of most food textures and new things. I've literally gone days without food even when there's been food in the house, because I just couldn't face it. The 'small portion, healthy diet' would be okay if I could eat that food but right now I don't see how I'll be able to. Seeing my doctor in a few days, hopefully he can refer me to a service that deals with this stuff.

My wounds are so damn itchy.

I realise this is maybe not the best attitude to have one week post-op - but I would feel so much better about this if I knew that one day, when I'm healthy, I can enjoy the occasional bit of fast food like everyone else. Can people who have had a bypass eat a McDonalds if they want to?

Yes, but I want to know if its physically possible (ie can you eat a burger and fries with a pouch stomach).

Had RNY on Aug 10th. Just weighed myself for the first time, 11 pounds gone! 😮 I am feeling okay, not in pain exactly but it feels a bit strange... bit bloated? Really need to get into a better water/protein routine though.

Having real trouble getting enough water in. All my info says to continue drinking in small amounts (I think it says max 1oz at a time), how am I supposed to fit in 2 litres at that pace?!

Bit confused. Just had my first shake - slim fast 325ml. Don't feel full. I didn't realise I'd be able to drink it all either.

I'm flying home today (had my operation on the 10th), other than a bit of an odd reaction to the anaesthetic it seems to have all gone fine. My surgeon said he would like to do a 120 cm (rather than the more standard 60 cm) bypass of my intestine.... not really sure why but I went along with it. Not eaten anything yet, just been on water. Tbh I am nervous about drinking too much in one go.... when will I be able to drink normally?