E-mom

I concur with @summerset. I'm not really following what you mean by "more than recommended" or why you find it worrying? If you're eating more than your team said you should, stop doing that. Problem solved.
Keep in mind that early on after surgery your stomach is inflamed and multiple nerves have been cut. In short, it's unlikely that you'd be able to feel all the appropriate signals to tell you when you're full. This is why most team's have recommendations on specific foods and volumes you should be eating at every stage. These are not only for the safety of your healing stomach, but also to keep you from eating so much you make yourself sick. They are NOT hard "limits" of exactly how much your stomach can hold.
Please tell me if I'm wrong, but my suspicion is you were expecting surgical restriction to keep you from overeating and you're testing the limits. Because you are able to eat more than what your team suggested you eat, you are worried that this means you're going to fail later.
This is an important point, so I'm going to bold it:
Success or failure post-surgery probably has more to do with your ability to follow your team's recommendations than it does with you being restricted by a smaller stomach. Once you get past the initial stages, it's can be as easy to overeat as it was before surgery. If you are headed down this path, I highly recommend working with a therapist that specializes in disordered eating because surgery alone may not be enough.

I am 01/03/22. My last week of the pre op diet.
How is going for you?

Mine is January 3

Thank you, that was interesting.

Ok, I hear you all. And I get it I think.
The surgery is a tool to help you get to a point where your mind, willpower and new habits have to take over. Some of you seem to be saying that years down the road there is little difference, except for starting point and maybe some restriction, between having had surgery and just following a good healthy diet for weight maintenance.
I will try to follow a maintenance plan now and not graze. I suppose its good to know that I will always need to be diligent.
Thank you

Boy do I hear you. After fulfilling months of my plan's requirements I had my surgeon consult last February. They are working through a covid backup and battling a hospital staffing shortage. I'm hoping for a late fall surgery. Coming to sites like this one help me keep it real. I hope your call comes soon.

*trigger warning if you are scared about gastric bypass this is not a good post to read also it is a long * (admin if I shouldn't have posted this please delete)
I debated long and hard about whether or not to talk about my dad and how he died. I never want to scare anyone and tbh his death wasn't so much because of the gastric bypass he had but rather the prejudice and malpractice of his primary care Dr and the hospital he went to for emergency care.
My dad came into my life when I was 28yrs old. I didn't know I needed a dad honestly. He started dating my mom and considered me part of the package. He protected her, he protected me...no strings attached totally unconditional regardless if I wanted him to or not he was going to be there for me. Turns out even at 28 I needed a dad.
He was 6ft 5", almost 500lbs, tattoos, beard, and a biker. Dad never talked a lot, he preferred actions. If he agreed with something he'd say "No doubt". If he didn't well he'd just shake his head and turn away. He had had 4 heart attacks by the time he had his gastric bypass surgery in 2009, He went down to 190ish lbs.
Everything was great. He did everything he was supposed to do. Crushed his meds, no alcohol, watched his food ..he followed all the rules. Fast forward to July 2021. Dad and mom had split a few years back but he was still my dad. Around July 30th, he started having abdominal pain and couldn't go to the bathroom. He did something he hated to do.. he went to the Dr. The Dr filling in for his Dr took one look him..biker with tattoos wearing a leather jacket and on Medicare and immediately ignored him. He told dad if it was so bad go to the emergency room. So dad did. Hospital er looked at dad...biker with tattoos, wearing a leather jacket and on Medicare and assumed..drug seeker! Told him there was nothing wrong with him. They did no test and sent him home. About 2am on July 31, Dad was in horrible pain and call EMS, they weren't part of the hospital he had gone to earlier, in the ambulance they did an ultrasound on the way to their hospital. One of the paramedics picked up his cell phone and called the first number on it...my mom. They told her to meet them at the hospital, it was bad real bad. She and his biological daughter got to the hospital about the same time. Dr told them there was 3 options...1 take him into surgery immediately ..he would most likely died on the operating table 2. try to get him strong enough to have surgery he would most likely never wake up or 3 give him morphine and let him die. They chose option 3 and less than 30mins later he was gone. So what did a simple ultrasound find? Dad's large intestine had twisted so badly that while he ate, food couldn't get past the twist. Imagine making a balloon animal and twisting the balloon then keep blowing up one side.. the inevitable happened. The food side popped filling his body cavity with food and stomach acid. He didn't have to die. Had the Dr listened, they could have found it and done surgery to fix it. The hospital and the Dr, naturally, claimed no responsibility it was obviously the 12yr old gastric bypass that killed him. I wish I could say they were sued til they cried but dad's biological daughter refused. Me, I wanted their heads on a silver platter but I don't look good behind Iron bars.
My mom isn't very happy that I am having bariatric surgery less than a year after my dad died. She is trying to be supportive but she is scared. I often wonder what advise would he have given me. I got my insurance approval letter in the mail today and said to myself "so this is really going to happen". I swear I heard "No doubt"
Sorry this was so long.

All of this, right here. My relationship with food is so different. I can walk away from things I never could have resisted before. Again, I'm still in the honeymoon period, but it has been so liberating for me.
Also, I just realized @Splenda is my surgery twin. 🙂

I don't know your age, situation, weight, other health problems, etc. If you think you can do this without surgery, then do it without surgery. I am not being sarcastic. It is a huge, life-altering decision and if I could do it without surgery, I would.
But the surgery isn't just another way of saying, "Eat right and exercise." I understand what your husband is saying: with or without surgery, you will have to watch what you eat and stay active. But I struggle to explain to people how the surgery changed me, in terms of my relationship with food. Bypass/sleeve doesn't just make your stomach physically smaller; it changes the hormones from your stomach. My cravings for food are so much weaker and different; I don't crave rich foods (I am much more likely to crave saltines than cake). More than any time in my life, I see food simply as fuel rather than a source of pleasure/joy. I choose foods as much for how they will make my stomach feel than how they taste (my stomach will find it much easier to digest fish than steak, so I am much more likely to order salmon at a restaurant than sirloin). It's easier to stay disciplined when you don't even feel the same tug toward the foods that destroyed your old diets.

I remember having done with this diet about 15 yrs back. Lost weight and put it all back on plus more. Ever since that diet, my metabolism has been a wreck. It also triggered binge eating disorder in my case which never really went away with the cycle of yo yo dieting.
Dr. Bernstein diet or any other such restrictive diet, I wouldn't recommend it anyone. Dr. Bernstein's diet is not only low carb, but also an extremely low calorie diet. I used to consume around 500ish calories in a day and back then I was too young and inexperienced what that can do to one's biological system. They also don't focus on getting appropriate Protein in. Their main focus is to cut down on all macros to make sure you're losing weight. That also meant you would be losing your muscles along with it.
I have faced the repercussions of that diet for over a decade.
In my case personally, I wouldn't recommend any sorta restrictive diet for life because it can trigger binging which can be catastrophic.
One of the reasons, I opted for bariatric surgery is because it does provide restriction on protion control but also helps with stabilizing the hormones and thermostat.
I don't anymore have the tendency or feels to binge. My cravings aren't crazy either nor do I think of food all the time. The constant head hunger isn't there nor do I have the constant voice telling me to order this food or that.
Anyone who struggles with binging, please do yourself a favor and don't ever take the route of restrictive diets especially after you're given a shot to fix your mess with this surgery. Yes, bariatric surgery also comes with its limitations and lifelong committment, but it is something that is sustainable if you keep your focus.
So, in my opinion, I wouldn't recommend it especially Dr. Bernstein's diet.
__________
And if you wanna replicate its diet, modify it. Keep it low card but make sure you get enough protein and calories. You also don't need that kinda Vitamin B12 intake. Oral sublingual pills are enough to keep your B12 levels normal. Just got my levels tested 3 months post-Op, and they are in the normal range.

Congratulations on your sleeve. First I’m going to address the issue of Protein. In the beginning Protein is super important. It helps heal, Hair loss, muscle building, skin elasticity, etc. My full liquid diet consisted of 3 Protein Shakes a day with a list of other fluids in between my shakes. My surgery center let me know it was imperative that I got in at least 3 protein shakes a day. I went home with a 30 day supply of bariatric fusion protein power and Vitamins. Along with prescription for nausea and pain. So not having any protein for two week properly isn’t a good thing. They also gave me a list of approved bariatric protein shakes and powders so I can order more once I ran out of what they sent me home with.

Now to address the negative, I don’t recommend anyone go abroad or go for a cheaper version. I actually feel sad for you because we went to a place that didn’t give you the correct information to be successful in the long run. This surgery is about so much more than have someone reputable to cut into you. It’s good to have a surgery team to be there for you before and after the surgery and to let you up for success.

Everyone’s situation is different. Your starting weight was like mine in the 200s, so I didn’t have to undergo some of the things that others have. I must mention the I had RNY and not sleeve.

There are a couple of things that I see that I know my surgery center in the US would have caught. Assuming you had heart burn before your surgery, RNY would have been the way to go instead.
Also I started my surgery journey in August and I had my surgery in November in the US. During the months leading up to surgery, I was taught a new way of eating not only food choices, but also how to chew, eat slower, and take smaller bites. This made it easier for after surgery. I was also accustomed to ending this new way.
I had several tests done just to ensure I was healthy enough handle the anesthesia. During the coarse of these tests it was discovered that I had sleep apnea and an irregular heart beat. Had I gone aboard and settled for a cheaper option, I could have died one the table because the anesthesiologist not know of these issues and we hadn’t worked to correct them as much as possible before hand.
I had to work with a psychiatrist to work through my emotional eating. Now I turn to prayer or journaling instead of a bowl of ice cream and potato chips.

So I said all that to say, YES you need protein.
And to discourage anyone from taking a short cut or cheaper option. As you can see you can easily be given misinformation or left without the necessary info and tools to be successful after the surgery.

Best wishes 💛💛💛💛

Avocado and prawns. Dhal. sloppy scrambled egg, refried Beans. egg salad, tuna salad, yogurt, milkshakes. By adding stock or low fat mayo or yogurt to the above to make them as runny as you can manage. Good snacking

There's truth in the gherlin explanation, but it's also oversimplified so maybe gives people the wrong impression. There's multiple hormones that affect hunger. Leptin is another hormone that makes you hungry - it is made by your fat cells as they lose energy. Leptin is proportional to the number of fat cells you have, not the volume of fat. Fat cells multiply as you gain weight, but they don't die just because you lose weight - they just get smaller. A normal weight person that used to be fat will be making more leptin than a normal weight person who was never fat because the person who used to be fat has more fat cells. Leptin is part of the reason why people have a "set point," or a weight that their body likes to be at that is maintained by the body by changing your hunger and metabolism. Insulin also increases your hunger in the long term. You make insulin after you eat, while you are feeling full. But if you are constantly making a lot of it, your muscle cells get resistant to insulin and have trouble getting food even if there's plenty of food in your blood already. They will feel hungry and tell you to eat more. This is why sugar is kind of addictive to people who tend towards insulin resistance. If your body isn't getting enough Protein, that will make you feel hungry too, even if you are eating enough calories.

Also, there's two sets of neutrons involved in hunger - your brain is one set, but your gut also has its own neural network, and scientist understand much less about how this "gut brain" works. One of my friends is a scientist in nutrition and physiology, and a member of obesity research societies. He's the one who told me about this "gut brain" stuff.
Scientists in the field don't entirely understand why WLS works. One puzzle is that they've observed that insulin resistance improves right after surgery - within a day or two people will be off their diabetes meds. They know insulin resistance improves when you lose weight and when you exercise, but they don't know why there's this fast change after WLS. Another puzzle is that they've found that a few years out, WLS patients have a higher metabolism that is closer to a person that was never fat, whereas people who lost weight through diet/exercise have a much lower metabolism than a never fat person. WLS somehow resets your "set point," but they don't know how exactly.

Scientists have tried to develop drugs that change these hormones like gherlin and/or leptin. "WLS in a bottle" would be much easier than actual surgery. But none of these approaches have worked yet. That's another indication that they don't fully understand how WLS works.

But it seems likely that resetting your set point is a process that occurs as you lose weight. It's not just a change that occurs instantaneously when the surgery is done. It's not just that your smaller stomach makes you feel less hungry and you can't eat as much, so you lose weight. It's that the process - losing weight while spending a lot of that time not feeling hungry because your stomach feels really full - changes what your neural networks consider to be your set point, and that in turn makes you feel less hungry without your hunger increasing and metabolism dropping in the long term.

If this is how it works, that would explain why the people who stick to the diet more strictly in the beginning have more success in the long term. For instance, if you eat sugar early on, that sugar is going to increase your insulin and insulin resistance and make you feel more hungry over the next week. Even though you may be eating exactly as many calories and have exactly the same stomach size as a person who is more strict about what they eat, that process won't work as well, and your set point won't get as low.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's why I decided to go for the surgery. Each time I regained, my all time high weight increased a few pounds more. It is time to break the cycle.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's why I decided to go for the surgery. Each time I regained, my all time high weight increased a few pounds more. It is time to break the cycle.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's why I decided to go for the surgery. Each time I regained, my all time high weight increased a few pounds more. It is time to break the cycle.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's why I decided to go for the surgery. Each time I regained, my all time high weight increased a few pounds more. It is time to break the cycle.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's why I decided to go for the surgery. Each time I regained, my all time high weight increased a few pounds more. It is time to break the cycle.

All right; today I had to call my husband out to the field and ultimately we called the case technician for a tech call. We couldn’t get the tractor to shift into gear, I tried everything. I have ran tractors my entire adult life!!!
after a service call here was the problem, when I pushed in the clutch There was no longer enough WEIGHT on the seat to be detected by the sensor for the tractors system for the computer to allow it to shift!!! Whoop whoop!!!! The fix, push my ass down harder on the seat and let up on the clutch!!! Yippe!!!

I am six months out from the sleeve and I have enjoyed everything I ate preop. With RNY you are far more likely to dump than with the sleeve as you stated with sugar and grease but not everyone with RNY experienced dumping syndrome.

No dumping here but then again I don't eat cakes, candy, sweets. It basically (to me) feels the same as when I had the VSG except that there is far more restriction. I feel great.

honestly, they are pretty much the same as far as lifestyle and eating go. I do pretty much the same things I did before surgery, other than I eat less now. I love my bypass and I'd choose it again if I had to make the decision today. But there are definitely fans of both surgeries, and the "after life" is pretty much the same.

P.S. with both surgeries, there are a lot of restrictions the first couple of months - but once you're a ways out, there really aren't any food restrictions with either surgery.

I had RNY and consistently go out with friends and enjoy food. My surgeon really discouraged alcohol, but I still have an occasional drink.

the difference this time is that it will actually "work" as long as you put in the effort. On previous diets, I'd lose 50 lbs (that is, on my more successful tries), hit a brick wall, and then the weight would eventually come back. You are constantly fighting biology. This time, you won't be fighting biology. That has all been reset.
a 10-20 lb regain, usually in year 2 or 3 (after you hit your lowest weight), is very common - I knew that going into it and purposely lost a little more than I wanted to, knowing it was quite likely I'd end up where I wanted to be in the first place. But gains beyond that are due to bad habits creeping back in. You do have to be diligent. I still closely monitor myself, and I'm over six years out.

Today I had an A-HA moment. I went to get my hair done and the owner came up to me and said "You lost weight! You look great!!" and I *almost* said...yes I had surgery 2 weeks ago. And I caught myself. I thought *surgery* didn't do this. *I* did this. I've only lost 13 pounds since surgery. I've lost 45+ on my own since January. Actually I don't even know why I would tell her about surgery. I haven't told anyone except my kids LOL. But it was weird that it was the first thing I thought of. But I'm glad I realized it quickly and gave the credit to *myself*. I'm the one doing the hard work. Yay me!