Spinoza

OK this is a biggie. You might want to treat alcoholic drinks like a big glass of sugar. Empty calories and not helping you to your goal - hindering actually. However I am Irish and therefore have to acknowledge the fun/relaxation/social stuff associated with imbibing those totally worthless calories. Lots of people who have previously had a completely healthy relationship with alcohol (even if on the slightly heavier side of healthy alcohol intake) can develop a very UNhealthy relationship with alcohol after bariatric surgery. You get a bigger hit, you get it quicker, and you get all the neurotransmitter rush associated with that that makes you want to repeat the experience. For lots of us it has been a big trigger for regaining weight. Just do a search for alcohol and read some of the posts here describing it as THE factor on people's regain. Lots of others have been able to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol too. If you do your research AND are aware of all that AND vigilant AND able to take immediate action if your relationship with alcohol changes then it might be OK to drink it earlier than your programme allows. Otherwise it might be best to just concentrate on the lovely honeymoon period when you lose weight with not too much effort. I was sleeved 7 weeks before Christmas 2021 and negotiated a glass or two of bubbles over that first holiday season with my dietician. I have been able to continue to drink alcohol at my previous rate and not regain. UNTIL I stopped losing - that was about 2 years post op, 5 months ago. Since then I have been regaining (albeit very slowly). I do wonder whether if I had just ditched alcohol (my only sugar now) early on whether I wouldn't have put on 5lbs in 5 months. I know that third year regain is a thing, but I will never be able to say what effect alcohol may have had. It does seem to have stabilised for me and I know my regain is tiny (not angsting, LOL) just wanted to share my thoughts and my experience. Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay. I hope it helps. Long story short, my programme said no alcohol for 6 months, my (Irish) dietician said go right ahead.

So great to read your update. Sounds like everything went really well!

My less eloquent take. I am also a foodie. I never stopped cooking for family and friends. I just pureed what I cooked and then had tiny portions of what I cooked and can now have bigger portions but nowhere near what I used to. Food is a big part of socialising. Eating out was super tricky in the early months because nobody outside my immediate family knows about my surgery, so I just avoided it. Once I could eat a starter or at least rearrange the leftover stuff to look like I'd eaten most of it, I was back in the saddle! I said I had eaten already or wasn't really hungry and nobody ever cared. Lots of thin people eat like that - I have regularly split main courses with people I've known for years who always left half their meal anyway. Small plates like tapas are absolutely ideal. And sharing plates - you can have a bite or two of everything and if other people are digging in they'll honestly not notice. And don't bother with the sides - our plans want us to concentrate on the good stuff! Most of us (especially with sleeves) can very quickly eat everything again. Don't worry, you will absolutely still be able to celebrate food whilst losing weight. Welcome to the forum and welcome to your new life.

Amazing post. I may print it out so I can read it every day. 😍

Definitely worth reporting to your team OP. They may be able to identify something you're doing or not doing that would help.

Oh this is fascinating. Proves I'm still learning even 2.5 years post op. I know now that all the pain and pulling I had around my big incision (mine was on the left though) might have been this. Totally fits. I had a number of incidents when I bent over and then straightened up (too quickly maybe) that almost floored me. It totally resolved about 6 weeks after my surgery. Made me think about how I moved for some time though.

I agree with the others - I found warm liquids miles easier to drink a few weeks post op. Glad you're finding your groove OP - so much adjusting to do along the way but it's so worth it!

That is such an easy mistake to make because lots of meal replacement programmes have 'meals' bars and shakes that contain 200 calories! I'd have been aiming for 4 too. It's tricky enough being neurotypical and prepping in advance for what you can and can't eat. I can see it might be even trickier when you're not. Please just come here and let us know how you're doing. Ask loads of questions - someone will always be here to help. I wish you all the best for your new life.

And you're not even a year post op! I lost 10lbs in my second year. If you stick to your plan you may lose even more.

Oh yeah, that is properly weird! I briefly hit that a few months ago. Strange to think of yourself walking around with another yourself on piggyback. WLS is the best. 🤩

OK so you're still losing, albeit slowly. Think you might be approaching *the rest of your life*! Welcome to the far side. Keep lots of fruit and veggie snacks to hand. You have done so so well. Hunger comes back to all of us after WLS - almost always. If you've been able to change how and what you eat in the last year you should be OK. I know it's freaky to actually feel hunger again after such a lovely honeymoon period. But you'll be fine if you keep track of what you eat and why. 😍

Super helpful to know! Maintaining will be just as difficult (if not more so) than the initial loss then. I so hope I can do it.

OK I am not a vet so feel free to ignore. Someone with much more experience will be along shortly and I too will be reading with interest. If you could track what you're eating now, in an app of your choosing, then that might help A LOT. Know thine enemy and all that. If I was in your shoes (and I may well be in a few years' time) then I think I would go back to protein first at most meals. Loads of veggies first at at least one meal a day too - raw or cooked. Track all of your macros. Ditch ultra processed foods and refined carbs *completely* - they are nobody's friends. For my own info please may I ask how long you maintained for following your sleeve and how quickly you regained when things got stressful?

OK, are you post op? If so, how long? If you can give us some info or (preferably) fill in some stats on your profile then we will spring into action! Loads of advice awaits you, LOL.

Also love how you got the name babyspoons 😍

Kinda flamboyant delivery. Also sniffs and rubs his nose a lot. I would watch Dr Matthew Weiner's videos in preference because they seem more fact/research based rather than opinion/experience I think but no harm mixing it up once in a while so thank you!

Really interesting video. I've seen other videos from this doctor before.

Brilliant, I'm so pleased for you ShoppGirl. Everything is lining up nicely.

My partner does keto (very successfully) and has for years. He stays a mile away from processed foods that purport to be keto friendly. Ditching those allows for much more leeway with your carb goal. Cook everything from scratch and you will honestly never go wrong. In the immediate post WLS period it's hard to do full keto, or full any eating plan. Once you progress through the stages you can have whatever protein you like or can tolerate (and bear in mind that might change after your second procedure so don't be afraid to experiment!) plus green leafy veg/salad/mushrooms/cauli/broccoli/celeriac/whatever and smaller quantities of other veg (should not be a problem for you as all quantities are small quantities post WLS)! Cauli rice is fab with loads of meals. Sauce wise my partner eats bolognese/ragu - just no pasta. Curry - just no rice. Casseroles with no carbs and limited veg. I add the juices of meat or fish to the final protein part of the dinner and sometimes dress that up with a little cream or spice paste.

I've seen people here have plastic surgery who only lose weight in the single digits of pounds. Think any more than that might be the exception - maybe for people who started out biggest?

I was lucky because I cook for four people so I usually ended up with some leftovers that I froze and/or ate next day, but not huge quantities. I did find some frozen tiny meals months later in the freezer though and was amazed by how little they were - those were the days!

Oh and I forgot! Regarding your original sleeve: I know you'll be aware that after my sleeve I had reported being able to eat bigger volumes than I had expected. This was a constant throughout all my food stages. Given my eventual regain do you think there might be a merit to reducing the volume of my sleeve when you do the SADI?

Ah then my advice is write your questions down (list on phone or actual paper prompt) and bring them with you. I have done this so many times in so many processes. Never regretted it. You might look like a dork but you will leave a satisfied and well-informed dork!

Honestly all you have to do is ask here and someone will do their best to help. More people will be along shortly too with much better suggestions. I cannot thank this community enough for all the assistance I have had. Given the (minimal) information given to me before, during, and after my surgery I attribute 90% of my loss to you all. I wouldn't have had a clue otherwise.

🤷‍♂️