angryspice

I'm one month out and consume 600-800cals/day. I feel like I am eating too much fwiw.

I also eat 4-5 times a day. one of these meals is usually, but not always, a protein shake or protein water.

Every single morning I weigh myself and record my weight. I usually weigh myself before bed for informational purposes and sometimes in the middle of the day especially if I ate something heavy. It’s a little fanatical but I have no intention of stopping. Recording my daily weight has helped me get to know my body better.

I am still figuring out what kinds of foods I can eat and in what proportions, but sometimes when I eat certain foods I get very tired afterwards. Like I have to lay down and sometimes I fall asleep for hours. Half protein, half veggie meals seem to work the best. But all protein or all carb meals seem to be the worst. Other foods I have tried randomly caused this too. I am not really eating off my plan, which is fairly balanced but calls for protein-based meals. I am not sure if it is because I am eating too much or too fast or if I just need to avoid certain foods for now. Has anyone else experienced this?

I’m taking all my meds and vitamins which includes a high dose (1000mcg) of b12.

lol. I meant long-term. like does it eventually go away as you get farther out from surgery? but yes, I also find that it lasts 2 hours, but sometimes longer.

glad and also sorry to hear other people are having this issue. I'm having such a hard time getting energy levels back up post-op. I hate relying on protein shakes, but they do seem to be the only thing that doesn't make me sleepy. also, many liquid/soft foods (i.e. most cheeses, pudding, jello, popsicles) seem to be fine. I will try to slow down when eating to see if that helps. does anyone know how long this tiredness after meals lasts after surgery?

I don't think I feel angry, but I do understand the desire to want to eat something "normal." I live alone so I am able to focus, but the couple of times I have been around others eating, it was tough for me. now that I am transitioning into solid foods, I try to focus on what I can eat and cook since that was a big part of my life pre-op. I'm sure you will find that many of the foods you once craved will not be as satisfying once you are finally able to eat them. I was so excited to eat cheese when I moved to soft foods, but it ended up being pretty uneventful.

the only people in my life that know are my parents. in fact, they were the ones that encouraged me to do it after watching me agonize over my weight my entire life. I fought them for a few years thinking it was too extreme and the "easy way out." I finally realized that I needed major help because I was showing potential of developing serious health conditions which really scared me. I have learned so much during this process about nutrition and weight loss and why it is next to impossible for many of us on these boards to lose weight and keep it off without wls. my parents are both very proud that I went through the whole process and have been the biggest source of encouragement for me. so the closest person to me that I haven't told is my sister, and I am not sure if I ever will tell her, but I am worried that my parents eventually will even though they promised me they would respect my wishes and not tell anyone. I feel that she has judged me in the past about my weight loss efforts, and I honestly am not sure if she has the ability to keep it a secret since she is extremely sociable and open. I, on the other hand, am extremely closed and private. many of my extended family members have witnessed the ups and downs in my weight over the years and have been quick to comment on it. this is very hard for me because I have always been very sensitive about my weight. I have missed major events and holidays for fear of being judged, ridiculed, questioned, and/or humiliated about my weight. if anyone notices or suspects that I had wls, then so be it. I am not at all ashamed of my decision, but I also don't think it's anyone's business. In general, i do feel people are judgmental, and I really don't want the negativity in my life. the world can be rough when you are an overweight woman, and i am trying my best to stay positive and change my attitude through this process. I am happy to hear that there are people on here who have shared their journey with others in their life and were met with support and encouragement. I'm so grateful I discovered this site. it's been extremely motivating and inspirational

I feel the same way. I don't really have a solution except to start as early in the day as possible, like first thing in the morning. otherwise, it's too easy to fall behind. ditto for protein.

you look great! this exactly the kind of motivation I need at this point in my journey!

I’m honestly too scared to try rice based on my body’s poor response to carbs so far. I am very early in my recovery though (end of week 3). My plan introduces small portions of brown rice in week 4, but I probably won’t eat it for another few months. I highly recommend riced cauliflower. It definitely still tastes like cauliflower though, which I happen to like, but it works texturally. I eat it with my beans.

I really like benefiber. it is truly flavorless even in a glass of water. this plus 1tbs of chia seeds blended in a protein shake seems to help me. I used to consume 2-3tbs of chia seeds pre-op and was always regular, but now that i can't take in that much post-op, the benefiber has helped to fill in the gap a little.

this is a huge problem for me because work is starting to get busy again after covid and because I was working out almost everyday prior to surgery. the two times I have attempted to do a walk, I was laying down the rest of the day, just totally zapped of energy. I haven't gotten moving ever since and am scared that if I go too long without exercise, it will get harder to get my old habit back. I worked hard pre-op to force myself to get moving for an hour everyday. I brought up this low energy issue to my surgeon at my first post-op appointment last week. he stressed that I stay hydrated (64+ oz of water everyday). I still find it hard to meet that goal and some days I fail. he also recommended drinking things with electrolytes like gatorade 0, propel, etc..... I haven't tried this yet because it's hard enough keeping track of everything else (vitamins, protein, water, meds, food, etc...) and because I have an aversion to all this processed, pre-packaged stuff that we are somewhat forced to consume during recovery. but I am going to get some today and give it a go because I need help on this for real. my surgeon said that even though protein is very important post-op, hydration and restoring electrolytes are also important, particularly if you are low energy, and to keep track of my fluids. with that said, he seemed to be ok with me missing protein goals as long as I was taking in a bare minimum of 50g/day (my plan calls for 64g of protein fyi, but I consider my goal met if I hit 60g tbh). it's very hard, but I just take it day by day. I started eating beans yesterday, and I think my body appreciated having some real unprocessed, nutritious food. I am hoping this helps. the whole post-op experience has been unexpectedly hard for me, but it gets a little easier everyday. one last thing (sorry to ramble), but pay attention to what you are eating and how it affects you. I found that the few times I consumed carbs (cream of wheat and oatmeal are the only things I have tried), I was laying down the rest of the day. I used to consider carbs, especially a bowl of oatmeal, good fuel for a high intensity workout pre-op, but post-op it seems that my body says no. anyway, good luck with this. many people on these boards seem to say that they have tons of energy post-op from all the weight loss. so hopefully we will all be back to normal soon as our bodies adjust and we figure out what works for us.

I don’t take supplements, but I cook with it a lot. I just cooked some beans and added half a teaspoon. I seemed to tolerate it fine.

you should check out this video. basically, low-carb, high-protein is good for the initial weight loss phase, but this doctor talks about how he has his patients seek out more of a plant-based diet when they are in the later maintenance phases and restriction is less of an issue or at least try to shift their protein from pure animal protein to half animal and half plant. to be honest, I find it difficult to meet the protein goals without either a supplement and/or an animal protein every single day, but I am in the early stages post-op and can't eat much. I personally had been moving toward a more plant-based diet prior to surgery and loathe all of the artificial sweeteners and processed foods that we are forced to rely on post-op. however, I also find that my body doesn't respond well to high-carb meals this early on (I am in week 3 post-op). my plan includes cream of wheat as early as week 2 and oatmeal starting week 3. I have tried both, and even though they seem to go down just fine, they make me extremely tired afterwards and I have to lay down for a while. but I definitely plan on incorporating lots of veggies, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and even oats, rice, and possibly potatoes later on. these are natural foods and healthier than a steak or burger, and I plan to mostly eliminate red meat forever.

When the stall breaks, do you lose a lot of weight in the following days? I hit my first stall 6 days post-op and lost 12lbs in those first few days but nothing since. I just thought it was odd because I am only consuming maybe 500 or so calories. I’ve been stalled for a week now and am almost scared to up my calories as I move on to soft food. Just wondering if you end up losing significant weight once the stall breaks.

I am starting week 3 and am hoping to add back some lentils/beans and maybe some riced cauliflower. I am craving real food, but so far the only real food I have had is string cheese. My plan calls for soft foods starting week 3, which includes oatmeal, soft cheeses, canned tuna or chicken, beans, and soft cooked veggies so I think you’re fine. Good to hear that you were able to eat beans though. I haven’t had any issues keeping things down so far, but I do find that I can take in a fair amount of “slider foods” so just trying to be careful and go slowly. I hope the restriction will start to kick in soon as I move on to real food.

I was not given a range of carbs or any calorie guidelines, but my nutritionist did encourage a balanced diet. I am supposed to be eating protein first, veggies second, and carbs last. so under those guidelines, I figured there probably won't be much room for carbs by the time I can get to them. I am on day 14 and just moved on to softs foods. my diet guidelines included cream of wheat as soon as one week out and oatmeal after two weeks. I have tried both for sake of variation. my stomach seems to be fine with it and I can actually eat a fair amount (1/2-3/4 packet of cream of wheat made with 3/4c skim milk and 1/4 cup rolled oats cooked in 1/2 cup of premier protein shake). To be honest, both of these foods make me extremely tired after I consume them. so I am getting to the point where I think a protein shake is the best way to start the day. it still takes me a while to finish one, but it doesn't make me want to lay down for hours afterwards. I am trying desperately to fight the fatigue and get back to at least walking around.

It’s hard to not feel hungry when you aren’t eating anything. Soups and broths seem to fill me up a little better. Protein shakes are great, but I can only do one a day and am getting sick of all the sweet stuff. I start soft foods tomorrow and am hoping that will satisfy my hunger a little better.

I also think working out is an awesome activity to do together. The key is to find something you actually like to do. Maybe explore a new hiking trail, go on a long walk in a scenic place, have a game night, or see a show together. I honestly have a hard time thinking of other activities because eating out used to be one of my favorite things in life, but this whole process has made me refocus. Like other posters have said, you will eventually be able to dine out, but I think it’s definitely a good idea to come up with activities that are not centered around food.

you will have to laser/remove what has already grown in, but it should help stop new growth. based on past experiences of losing weight, I can say that it helps with regulating your cycle.

This was one of the reasons I chose to have surgery, along with a host of other potential health problems based on my family history. Weight loss is one of the "treatments" for PCOS, but anyone who has PCOS knows that is a lot easier said than done. My pcp said that the surgery not only helps you reset your metabolism to lose weight but it also fixes a lot of the hormonal issues. Obviously, it's a very complicated thing, but I can honestly say that without the surgery, my chances for losing all the excess weight AND KEEPING IT OFF were very slim. I add emphasis on keeping it off because that is another important factor when trying to control your metabolism and abnormal hormones. Yo-yoing can make these problems worse so it actually gets harder every time you try to lose weight again. My surgeon said he would rather I make my goal 160, which is considered a little overweight for my height, and stay there for the rest of my life than try to get down to a size 0-2 and end up yo-yoing again, even if it's only 20 lbs or so. My nutritionist also informed me that it is possible that I would not lose as much weight as what I read or hear about others who have had the same surgery and that exercise would play an important role in breaking stubborn plateaus as well as maintenance. So you should make sure you find an activity that you like doing and can do it consistently for the rest of your life.

I was in soooooo much pain the first few days, but it definitely gets better as the days go by. I am 10 days post-op and can still feel the change in my stomach but am not in pain anymore. I can drink water normally but no chugging obviously. Hang in there! Go slowly with your diet. Anything other than clear liquids takes time to go down and makes me feel sick if I consume it too fast. And by sick, I mean tired, weak, and slightly nauseous, although I have yet to actually throw up. I usually just end up laying down for a loooooong time.

I was in soooooo much pain the fist few days, but it definitely gets better as the days go by. I am 10 days post-op and can still feel the change in my stomach but am not in pain anymore. I can drink water normally but no chugging obviously. Hang in there! Go slowly with your diet. Anything other than clear liquids takes time to go down and makes me feel sick if I consume it too fast. And by sick, I mean tired, weak, and slightly nauseous, although I have yet to actually throw up. I usually just end up laying down for a loooooong time.