ThisMomOf5

I'm exactly 8 weeks tomorrow. Down 32lbs since surgery + 7lbs pre-op for a total of 39lbs. Sounds like you are trying to guess how that dress will fit. I caution you to maybe have backup plans because in addition to the variable weight loss numbers, that weight loss will also look different on different people. At 5'9" and 38lbs lost, and I still wear the same size 14 pants and XL top, it just fits a lot better. Also "the girls" have deflated from a 40F to a 38DD. Hope that helps!

I love it!! Enjoy! My weight went up and down so many times over the last 15 years that I'm sure people just assume I'm at it again.

@Betty1971 the sympathy casseroles are hilarious!!

I had glue. Mine naturally peeled at 2 weeks. (except for 1 which my mom accidentally took off early with baby oil a few days out trying to remove tape marks! oops! But it turned out to be fine)

I was told I could take baths again at 2 weeks when the glue is gone so I figure that's about the timing to expect. Of course we all have different surgeons with different methods but my point is, its probably fine unless its leaking or looks inflamed.

On 4/3/2021 at 5:53 PM, chiquitatummy said:

Hi! 👋

I got my sleeve on 2/23 so I'm almost 6 weeks out. Overall I feel good and am doing really well. I'm in the pureed stage for another couple more weeks then on soft foods for 2 more weeks. I've lost 21 pounds so far - 9 of them in the first week! I would have been stoked to keep that rate up for a bit, but I'm happy with the steady 2ish pounds a week I seem to be losing right now. Besides sticking to the eating plan, my next step is to increase my exercise. I'm taking just a couple 20-30 minute walks a week right now, and am still pretty gassed afterward with my muscles feeling like jelly. The only way out of this is probably to power through enough to build my strength up. Gotta dig in and find the motivation to add in more walking and some strength training.

I know we aren’t supposed to compare ourselves to others but I see we are still twinning 😊 My weight loss just slowed to about 2lbs a weeks too. It’s hard to be patient after the early whirlwind of pounds flying off.

Ive been walking a lot lately. My joints are still complaining but it’s getting easier and easier. My husband also got me an electric bike for my birthday and I’m biking just about everywhere these days. I LOVE it!

Whoever said that was out of line. Your posts have been so timely for me being 1 month post op and just starting my journey! I too have chosen a higher goal weight. My NUT excitedly told me she can get me to 145 or 150 and I said no thanks. I am larger framed and pretty muscular under all this fat. Last year I had a body scan that said I have 145lbs of organs, muscle and bone under all the fat and water! Of course with fat loss I will lose some muscle but I’ll try to minimize that. Always been into sports and working out only lately the weight has made it so painful and hard. My 15 yo daughter who is built the same as me without the fat weighs 150 and she has serious abs and no curves (Dont tell her I said that! Luckily she won’t be reading this!!). I remember being happiest with my weight when I was 160-170. Clothes looked good, I felt good and I still had a boobs and a round butt. Ultimately whatever weight gets me to that point again is my true goal. Nice to see other like minded people out there!

Hey fellow Feb peeps!!

Glad to see you are doing well! Same over here! I’m down 20 post op lbs so @Chiquitatummy and @Tim Cwe are about the same. I was instructed to move onto solid food this week and so far no problems. Seafood is now my favorite Protein. Odd because it was chicken before 🤔 Biggest plus for me is my hip pain is gone and my energy is through the roof! I’ve been hiking, biking and doing all the things I used to love doing with my family but haven’t been able to do in a couple years.

My biggest challenge so far is trusting that this will continue to work and my body won’t betray me. That’s a work in progress for sure.

I noticed this before my weight loss surgery journey when I did a Keto diet and now post bypass. I was on the verge of getting a double hip replacement due to arthritis. Now I think I’ve got some more years in my hips.I’ve even been walking and biking like crazy because now I can. 😀

2 hours ago, LaoDaBeirut said:

One thing I think is an actual problem within the WLS surgery community is all the bragging about how little someone can eat. I've seen it a lot but not so much on this site. Someone will say what they are eating and other people chime in with oh I can't eat that much or I cant have 1,000 calories that's too much. It's a weird flex and I think makes people freak out they're eating too much.

The truth is we all have slightly different needs following surgery. I'm a foot or more taller than some other women having surgery. I'm assuming that we would have very different caloric needs even if we are all losing weight. Some people are very active and others not so. I tend to trust the experts and just do what they tell me. Clearly if I were good at doing this myself I wouldn't have ended up here.

This!! Wether it’s bragging or not after reading so many posts like you described, I actually asked my surgeon if something was wrong because I’ve never had nausea, I can eat more than 1/2 cup without getting sick, , I can eat dairy, and in fact everything seems to agree with me. He smiled at me and said, why, is that what you wanted? Then he told me not to compare myself to others. Of course then I started this post 😝

21 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

My group was actually involved in a study focused on upping calories sooner. I was encouraged to reach 1200 calories per day as soon as possible, and did so around week 3 after surgery.

I have not seen the study, but I was told by my doctor that people who eat more calories sooner will lose weight slower, BUT....statistically have much less regain later....the hypothosis being....this is because the metabolic set point is being re-estabilshed at a more robust livable caloric level.

I cannot speak for anyone's experience but my own, and can report observations of a family member who has also had bariatric surgery. My cousin is a few years younger, also had sleeve, and was on an extended restricted calorie plan. She ate 600-800 calories for months after surgery. She lost rapidly. She was appalled by the calories I was being encouraged to eat as soon as week 3. Gave me crap constantly that I would not lose the weight she had.

And at first...I was concerned she was right. She lost more weight than I did MUCH MUCH faster.

Eating 1200 calories a day, I lost slowly, but consistently. But I eventually reached goal.

I'm three years out, she's four years out.

I've maintained everything I lost and I eat around 1600 calories a day. If I go up five pounds, I don't have any problem taking it off by dropping my calories down to 1200-1400.

She's regained half of what she lost, and says she struggles to lose weight eating 1000-1200 calories a day. She blames the sleeve, and is planning to do revision surgery to RnY bypass.

My personal feeling...is that there could be something to this concern about metabolic reset at too low a calorie threshold.

Do I know that? Nope. People are extremely individual. This is a new science and there's a LOT we don't know, and even more that will vary by person, diet, and a dozen other variables.

But I do know that attitudes among bariatric surgeons regarding diet are changing at the major research universities....to favor higher calories sooner.

I'm guessing we'll know a lot more about how this all works out in the data.....in about ten years. LOL

13 minutes ago, Deb9386 said:

The first few weeks I was advised to concentrate just on getting in the Protein and fluids. The suggested menu for when I started the puree stage came to about 800 calories per day. This gradually increased with the new menu plans, and at the 3 month stage post-bypass my nutritionist told me to aim for between 1000-1200 per day. I couldn't have physically taken in 1200 calories at the stage you're at. My weight loss has been steady with this plan.

Thank you both so much! This was the affirmation I was looking for from real people who experienced it. My surgeon and NUT both mentioned that this was my opportunity to metabolically start over. I didn’t fully understand what they were trying to say but the lightbulb has gone off with your explanation Creekimp!

I tend to overthink and worry too much! I can comfortably eat quite a bit before I feel full and surprisingly have no issues meeting these goals. Seafood has been my best friend! I also lost 5 lbs in the 5 days after I started following my new plan. Going forward I will try to trust this process and enjoy the ride!!😊

1 hour ago, mil_unloaded said:

I’m almost 3 months out and my dietitian wants me to still focus on fluids and Protein, and worry less about calories. I’m averaging around 800 a day. One day might be 650, the next might be 900. I haven’t passed 1000 yet post-op.

Most people have a stall around week 2-3. I did. I lost like a half of a pound, if that. My weight loss has been pretty consistent since then.

Thanks for sharing your experience. At 110 grams of Protein I feel like protein is the majority of what I eat. I also usually need to drink a 30g Protein Shake a day to make my goal.

1 hour ago, Lahela said:

I was watching a nutrition video by a Bariatric surgeon and he stated that if you are going to add in exercise and or weight lifting then you need more calories. Otherwise our bodies think we are starving and start to eat muscle not the stored fat first. If you are concerned I would honestly ask your surgeon for their input and schedule another appointment with the nutritionist. I was told 6 wks of no grains, no red meat, no shellfish or raw fish, no starchy veggies and no raw veggies, no butters or seeds and no fruit with seeds or skins. Basically the only fruit they recommended were canned pears, canned peaches or a banana. We were also advised to drink only Water, no juices, no additives. With a minimum of 1 Protein Shake per day. I am 1 day out from surgery and on the pureed/liquid stage for the next 2 weeks. Let us know how your plan is progressing.

Welcome to the other side! It sounds like that video is in line with what I was advised. Thanks for the feedback!

40 minutes ago, LaoDaBeirut said:

That was similar to the recommendations I got. I've been following it and losing consistently. Follow the advice you're given.

This is what I was hoping to hear..that success is indeed possible this way. Thank you!

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

The kind of odd thing is that they told you nothing is off limits. That's true once you're in maintenance, or at minimum, a few months out - but early on we were told to stick to very nutrient-dense food (which would not include things like Pasta, for example.

Thanks for your response. I searched for over an hour last night before posting to find anyone on a similar meal plan. I guess I didn’t go quite deep enough

In reference to the excerpt from your post above. I thought about that for a while when she said it. I came to the conclusion and so far after a few days of sticking to those goals, I’ve realized that if I eat something like bread or Pasta I’d meet my carb goal pretty quickly and would have to make adjustments to the rest of my days intake. Same thing with fats. I guess it’s all about Portion Control.

At my 1 month post op, I was told to eat 1100-1200 calories including 110 grams of Protein, 60g carbs, 45g of fat a day and no foods are off limits as long as I hit those targets. Pre-op I wasn’t a huge eater and these numbers are only a few hundred calories off from what I was eating. I gained weight as a result of insulin resistance and other health issues. I was also told that my 15lbs lost at 1 month was good but slower than most. At that point I had been stalled for a week.

Anyone else given similar recommendations? Did you lose as planned? I’m trying not to second guess my team but from what I’m reading, this seems like more than most people are told and doubt is creeping in. I’ve learned over the years that medical professionals are people too who make mistakes and nutritional advice seems to change (low fat vs no low fat, artificial sugars vs no artificial sugars etc) so I’m trying to see if other people’s experiences support this advice. After all, ultimately my health is my responsibility. Thanks in advance for any feedback you can offer!

16 hours ago, Orig Ironman said:

I had same concerns and felt like I was going to be able to eat everything. liquid moves through pretty quick. Even most of the puree I did moved through pretty quick. The soft food week was rough trying to gage how many bites would fill me. It is still rough, trying to figure how much food will fill without giving me a lump in my chest for an hour. When you eat real food you will notice the limit of your stomach. I had surgery 1/28. Been eating solid for a few weeks. Everyman I have to remember to eat slow and stop when you start to feel even a little uncomfortable.

I’m counting on this to be true for me too. So far I can’t tell I had surgery. I’ve never felt full and have to limit myself based on what the doc says I should be eating which is hard because well if I was that great at Portion Control I wouldn’t have needed the surgery in the first place. At my docs suggestion I had a soft scrambled egg the other day and I felt it stop for about 10 seconds and then pass right through! Looking forward to feeling some sort of restriction!

15 hours ago, MissSmartyPants said:

Hey! Have you prepped any recipes for purees? I prepped avocado and Beans , gave it a taste tonight and OOF they hit me like a rock. Literally felt like a chainsaw was being ripped through me. And, this is 1/8 teaspoon through sieve. Maybe those just don't agree right now?

That's a shame because I'm vegan and was looking forward to relying on those savory staples. Hopefully tofu doesn't do we wrong!

I look forward on following your progress since our stats are so close!

@MissSmartyPants oooh that doesn’t sound like a good time at all!😱 Hopefully further along you will be able to tolerate them again. I keep expecting that type of reaction with just about everything new I try but so far everything agrees with me.

As far as purées, I made this butternut squash Soup (FF coconut milk for the creamy part). https://www.evolvingtable.com/roasted-butternut-squash-soup-coconut-milk/. I threw some unflavored Protein powder into my bowl to up the protein and really couldn’t tell by taste. It was good

I bought a really cool immersion blender at a friends recommendation that purées just about anything right in the cup or bowl. I think I’ll try to purée some jarred vegetable soup later with protein powder and see how that comes out.

12 minutes ago, Ashes2Ashes said:

I had my surgery on 2/9! It's been quite the rollercoaster. I live in Texas and the winter storm hit a few days later, which delayed my Protein delivery AND we didn't have Water for 5 days. Oh, and I had a severe allergic reaction to the medical adhesive that sent me to the ER in the snow...which for SE Texas is a way bigger deal that you'd imagine.

BUT! The good news: I'm down ~15lbs, I feel better and I'm not struggling with my food addiction as much as I thought I'd be. I love Soup so it's been great to blend up different kinds and mix them together to create interesting flavors.

I've only had 2 food related issues:

1) sugar free jell-o is not my friend yet. It put me on my knees in pain and I nearly blacked out. It lasted about 20min, but was most intense in the first 5min. My advice: if you want to try it, take no more than 2 bites and wait 30min to see if you react.

2) I drank a heavier beef based Soup too fast and it had me up in the middle of the night vomiting, but just once. It wasn't too terrible, just something to remember.

Good luck to all of you with upcoming surgery dates! I'm new to this site, so I don't know if you can send questions or whatever, but feel free to reply and ask away!

@Ashes2Ashes Congrats on overcoming all those situational obstacles! Hopefully it will be smooth sailing for the rest of your journey. Do you think it was the texture of the SF Jello or the artificial sweeteners?

Also I’m just starting on Soups. Care to share your favorites? Today I blended a bunch of leftover cooked rotisserie chicken breast and some herbs into Campbell’s Cream of chicken soup with a hand blender and added a scoop of unflavored Protein Powder to 1/2 cup. I strained out the few chunks that were left and it was pretty dang good. I’m 9 days post op so I half expected to not be able to get my 1/2 cup down but it went down super easy. Soo happy to get my Protein from something other than a protein shake!!

11 hours ago, betterme2021 said:

Hi everybody when I was in the full liquid stage I was drinking Boost High Protein (I like to mix half chocolate and half strawberry) and Boost also make a Mobility shake which I think probably helped with my knee pain. Aren't you allowed yogurt and V8 juice at this stage? If you are try mixing 2oz beef broth and 2oz of V8 and warm it up a little in the microwave it tastes like Tomato soup! I started the puree stage today and let me tell you it's worth the wait! I had a scrambled egg this morning and I felt like I was robbing a bank! An egg, who would have thought? It felt so good to chew something other than a Vitamin. So hang in there you guys are right around the corner from hitting a good spot!!!

@betterme2021 Thanks for the great ideas! I’m going to try that V8/broth Soup today!

6 hours ago, DeonneG said:

I was revised to mini gastric bypass on 2/23. I had to have it do to developing Barrett’s Esophagus from my sleeve which I had 12/20/15. This was the hardest surgery I have ever had. I am home one week as if today and finally feel human again. Looking for someone to share ideas, recipes, goals and ups and downs. Preferably someone who had surgery around same time as me.

@DeonneG I had my gastric bypass on 2/24. I too am a revision...kinda. I was one of the first people to undergo lap band surgery in 2003. My band slipped and I had to have it removed 13years later. I think I was slightly traumatized by my band slipping and all the medical issues and hospitalizations that ensued (but that’s a story for another day). I had met my weight loss goals and was falsely confident that I could keep the weight off without any wls tools. Flash forward 5 years and too many diets to count here I am at my highest weight ever.

I’d love for us to share ideas, recipes and experiences! ❤️ So far I’ve been living off of Premier Protein shakes, Unjury Protein broth and crystal light. I have had no restriction and no discomfort when I eat so I was just given the go ahead to advance to non clear liquids. My doc also told me to give a soft scrambled egg a try. Last night my friend dropped off a puréed lobster bisque. I strained it and drank 1/2 cup. It was divine!!! Still no restriction, never felt full. I felt like I could’ve had 2 bowls without my new stomach speaking up but I stopped on my own. I’m starting to worry that the lack of restriction and a very crappy metabolism are going to impact my weight loss. Patience has ever been a strength of mine 😏

@WahooRach what kind of Protein Shakes are you drinking? I haven’t felt any restriction when drinking mine (Premier Protein). I’m wondering if that’s because they are pretty thin. I think I’ll try to drink a slightly thicker one to see if I feel more limited. At this point I don’t feel any proof that I had surgery except the incisions and belly swelling that comes and goes. Hope there wasn’t a mixup and I got my neighbors surgery lol

3 minutes ago, MissSmartyPants said:

Also, very odd but I have this creeping feeling that my surgery wasn't as... aggressive, compared to others. I can drink tons of Water (in sips of course) no problem. It's probably all in my head, but I'll keep with the plan regardless.

Hi MissSmartyPants. I had my surgery 2 days after you and I had similar concerns. I have not yet felt any restriction with liquids. I can drink just like pre-op and not feel a thing. I told my doc and he said “that’s great!!” He said I’ll feel it when I transition to puréed foods. He also said I can move on to non clear liquids this weekend. I’m only down 6 post op lbs so it sounds like we are twinning it! Btw we are also the same height.

I had surgery the day after you, OP. My surgeon had me start mixing Miralax into my my morning fluids from day 1 post-op. I’ve had 2 somewhat loose but small BM’s already. He also had me start with 4 oz of Protein Shakes 3 times a day on day 1 too. That’s the only unclear liquids I am currently consuming. I would guess if you are on strict Clear Liquids you don’t have a need to poop yet.

Love them! They are 20 grams of Protein instead of the 30 in their other shakes but they go down smooth , no chunks, and actually taste like apple cinnamon oatmeal.

On 2/27/2021 at 8:43 AM, ms.sss said:

OMG. i just realized I posted this on the wrong thread. Sorry!

It totally doesn't make sense here. I'd remove it but can't. Sorry again1

That’s hilarious. I do it on text threads all the time. Nice to see I’m not alone 🙃

I called the doctor this morning and he explained that I had a lot of scar tissue that he had to work through during surgery from 2 previous surgeries (lap band and then removal). My surgery lasted almost 5 hours. He wasn’t surprised that I am in pain. It helps to know that there probably isn’t something wrong and that other people had similar experiences and it turned out ok. I can tough it out. Thanks so much for sharing your experience and your advice.

9 hours ago, Jaelzion said: