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Hello, my sleeve surgery was done on the 9th with no complications. Very quick recovery from the anaesthetic and no pain, regular paracetamol is enough. A bit of nausea which comes in a wave but only a few times in the past 48hrs. I was up walking after 4hrs post recovery and sipping water. Yesterday I tried jelly and a few spoons of soup. Managed them both but the jelly felt a bit solid. Found raising my arms above my head alleviated the slight discomfort of feeling something stuck in my oesophagus. Going home today, probably could have left yesterday but my oxygen sats we’re sitting at 96, and they wanted them to improve slightly. Walking and moving has achieved that. A much less traumatic experience than I expected, I was concerned about vomiting and was glad this did not happen. I feel grand and am looking forward to developing a new and improved relationship with food and the health benefits that will bring. Good Luck to the other January surgery buddies. 💪

well i love ur xmas outfit! it would totally fit in for my fams xmas day morning and afternoon parties...about 7-8 years ago we all sort of all silently decided to show up xmas morning at the in-laws in our pjs or other loungewear...we stayed this way throughout the morning into the afternoon party at my SIL's. lol but we would change into something more presentable for the xmas dinner party whereever it was held hahahha the beauty of wearing comfy clothes at xmas: as elle woods would say: they aren't as "binding" (i.e., room AND camouflage for food bellies!)

Stalls are perfectly normal & are an important part of your weight loss as the others have said. The first one usually begins around week 3but can be before or after this time like yours. They generally last 1-3 weeks & again they can last longer or even only for fewer days. The numbers are based on averages & so just give you an idea what might happen when. Yes they are frustrating but it’s best to let them ride out. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. Don’t stress it out by making more changes other than those required by your plan so stick to it. Reduce how often you’re on the scales & try taking body measurements. Many notice that while the scale doesn’t move, their clothing fits differently. Also, if you would like more precise information about portion sizes, macros, etc, ask for them from your dietician. It’s about feeling comfortable & confident about what you’re doing, For example did they say when you should be up to a cup of food? I was told 6 months for a cup but that was what I was told for me.

Remember your weight loss isn’t a straight line in a downward trajectory. it zigs & zags & goes up & down for seemingly no reason. There aren’t any ‘you must weigh this, be eating this many calories, be doing this much activity, be losing this much weight by a certain date’ rules. There are just guidelines, averages, may bes & could bes. I agree with the suggestion to talk with your team. Track your food for a week or so first, just to ensure you’re not missing something (it can be easy to do). But I don’t it’s real weight gain in such a short period of time. Yes fluid retention, poop, hormonal fluctuations, etc. Could all contribute. Have you had a medication change? Have you changed your activity in any way? Are you stressed, anxious, etc. about anything? And sometimes our bodies can just be weird & not make sense. I can eat the exact same things for a couple of days & my weight can go up & down. I can break a couple of days of constipation & still weigh more. Who knows why?

Decided to have surgery because my normal glucose went from low 80s up to mid 200s and a few low 300s. Tried metformin for a couple years didn't help then Ozempic which messed up my gallbladder and pancreas. Had my surgery on Dec 27 (198lb/245gl), was released from hospital on Dec 29. Went back into hospital on Jan 1. My intestine got twisted then caused blockage and my stomach was not closing of stomach acid and it was free flowing for 3 days at home. The must painful experience ever. Released from hospital on 7th. Basically started was like my first day out of hospital from surgery. Had my 2 week post-op yesterday 9th moved to soft foods and can do light strength training... Super excited. (184lb/83gl)

Figured I'd join in! Had DS surgery on 12/18. Pre-surgery weight (about 1-week before) was 415, currently down to 375. Had to spend 4 nights in the hospital due to some complications (had very LOW blood pressure for a couple days due to kidney's not working properly) but improved each day. Felt very little pain (unless coughing/sneezing). Glad to be a part of the community here. Currently in pureed food stage, looking forward to the soft food stage in another week!

I get where you are coming from. I'm on day 10 of the two week liquid (surgery on 1/15/24). I got super depressed for a while so I made myself go to the gym and do walking around days 4 or 5. Right now I walk about an hour at a quick pace to just distract myself. Allowed 4 protein shakes a day, sugar free Jello and Gatorade Zero in between (others on the list but I wasn't interested). Started this on January 1st and so far I've lost 21lbs. But I'm going crazy when my husband makes food or tells me what he's doing for supper. Hang in there.

That makes a lot of sense People have already tried to talk me out of it, as if there are other options that I haven't tried! I always like to remind them that I have been big for my entire adult life now, and if I continue, the chances of my obesity killing me are far greater than this surgical procedure. OR they say things like: "but won't you miss the food?" to which I state: 1) I'll be able to eat still, 2) food is what got me here in the first place, so no, I won't miss it haha. Unfortunately us bigger people become punching bags for others who are fatphobic, even without realising it. We are often what they fear! I cannot wait for the day that I feel comfortable in my own skin, even if that skin is loose! I also can't wait for my asthma to be better haha!

So i started my liquid diet on jan 4th my surgery is on jan 18th. The night before i had my last meal ( i wont even say what it was or your stomach would flip ) then day 1 in the morning wasnt as bad because of the night before. But man nighttime on day 1 the headache hit i felt weak im watching the clock like im back in school waiting for the bell to ring lol. Day 2 in the morning i wanted to give up, i thought i am insane for doing this to myself but i found the will power to push through it. Now its day 5 and its really amazing the difference from day 1-2 to now. Is it still hard yes, but only when i see and/or smell real food which is daily i have kids lol. Im on a 2 week liquid diet im allowed 5 shakes a day with water, broth, jello ( their were other options but those work for me best) in between the shakes. This is literally the longest 2 weeks of my life lol. Anyway just wanted to share my journey so far im also new to the board, oh and im getting the sleeve in case i forgot to say! So far ive lost 10 pounds on this liquid diet which i know is probably water weight but im already feeling lighter. Anyone else on the liquid diet who wants to share their experiences?

I woke this morning to the sound of a snowplow in my driveway and a snowblower. Not sure who my good Samaritan is yet, but it was 5:30 AM. I normally would go back to bed and sleep till 9 or 10. When I was young..er, till noon. Before WLS I always woke up tired no matter how many hours of sleep I had. Anyone who knows me is aware I am not a morning person. Don't call early unless it's an emergency etc. LOL Of course, early on after surgery, I was tired. I had major surgery. But now?? I can't believe how good I feel and waking up rested is nothing short of a miracle. YMMV. I made sure to stay hydrated, take my daily vitamins, drink my protein and move post op. And rest. Let your body heal. I did have a time when I felt exhausted and found I was low on iron. I switched vitamins with added iron and that made a huge difference. All I know is that WLS does wayyyy more than just effect food restriction. It rewires the brain, resets your body fat setpoint and reverses a lot of co-morbidities. 👏 And I never would have guessed I would become a morning person. LOL GL @Tamika James , speedy recovery and boundless energy to you!!

I echo it is your decision & your reasons are your own too. But if you go into it, still questioning your decision & aren’t completely ready to make the changes you have to make, it is highly likely the surgery won’t be successful for you in the long term. I hazard to say that 80% of our weight loss & then 99% of our maintenance is all down to our commitment & willingness to do the head work & make the permanent changes to our eating & relationship with food. The truth,& it’s a hard truth, is some people do regain a significant amount of weight again if you’re not 100% in, you’ll more likely experience this. I didn’t have any comorbidities but I knew they were in my future. I was almost 54 & menopause had done a number on me & my weight. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be the size I was emotionally, psychologically, physically & yes aesthetically too. I woke up day & said enough. Made an appointment with my doctor that day & about 5 weeks later I was being wheeled into surgery. Best decision. Haven’t looked back. Happily maintaining at 4.6yrs. But you have time to make your decision & you can only do what’s best for you at this time. Maybe ask your surgeon for a referral to a therapist & talk through your thoughts & feelings with them. And if you decide no now, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it in the future, All the best what ever you decide to do. PS - The hair loss is nothing in the big picture. Yes, it can be frustrating & depressing but it only lasts for about 3 months +/- . The hair your’re shedding is hair you would have lost anyway. It’s just your natural hair loss cycle is accelerated for a while. Your new hair is still growing as usual at its normal rate. It’s the stress of the surgery, dietary changes, hormonal flushes, anaesthetic. So don’t stress yourself more by overly worrying about the loss - you may make it worse. Many experience hair loss after pregnancy and other surgeries too. I lost a lot with a stressful time at work. So it could happen with many things. The only person who noticed my hair was a little thinner was me & my hairdresser. A year later it was pretty much back to how it was.

Hi Angela, I had gastric sleeve in Aug 2023, and had an itchy rash on my chest and stomach about 3 weeks later. I consulted my surgeon’s office, and they thought it was hives or a reaction to medication. They recommended I stop taking my new multivitamin. After two weeks of itching, I had some prescription antifungal cream and applied it just trying to get some relief. It went away immediately. Just had some sort of skin fungal infection. I’ve never had that before…just althlete’s foot. But I’m guessing our bodies go through some trauma after surgery and have a weakened immune system. I’m sure your doc can write you a script. Worth trying. Oh, and since others are updating, I am down 70 lbs. I need to exercise more than the occasional walk. Honestly this has been pretty easy for me, I’ve been able to tolerate a wide variety of food and adjusted well.

Thank you for replying. Like I said, I've been contemplating it.. Perhaps buying an extra warranty make but help. I noticed most people had issues with it between 1 month and 3.. Again, thank you for the answers...anything to break up the monotony of the same foods over and over would be welcome.

YOU GUYS this machine makes ice cream out of protein shakes! I am so obsessed with my Ninja Creami. I'm way past the stages that involved subsisting mainly on protein shakes, but even now, I am loving the ability to make delicious ice cream that's even lower in calories than Halo Top (and doesn't leave me painfully bloated if I eat more than 2 bites of it, the way Halo Top does). This thing would have been a game-changer during the pre-op diet, liquid, and pureed stages. I would almost say it should be a mandatory purchase for all WLS patients (j/k but HIGHLY recommended). Who else has jumped on the Creami bandwagon?

Thank God. I am the same and was getting a bit worried about the fact I wasn't counting calories. I am just trying to eat small and regularly while including liquids. I am worried that I am not getting enough protein all the time but just not hungry enough to be able to fit more in most days. I didn't want to get into weighing out foods and tracking as felt that was putting too much stress on myself, just trying to be as healthy as possible in my food choices, with some occasional blips (slice of ready meal lasagna tonight). Some days I can eat slightly larger portions but figure a bit of extra bean stew isn't going to send me over the edge

I agree 1200 calories seems like way too many at week 2! That many calories is usually once you are in maintenance. I agree with others, when your weight gets "stuck" get off the scale and stick to the plan. It can be very discouraging when you dont see the scale move and then it does a mental number on us. It makes us think why did i do this and give up all the things i used to love to eat if the scale is not going to move. That could lead to going back to old ways of eating. You do want to make sure you are eating enough though so you dont put yourself into starvation mode. If you arent eating enough, your body will hold onto what it can. As long as you are measuring yourself monthly and you see inches going down, you are on the right track. When i get stuck i stay off the scale for awhile. Do you have a nutritionist? if not i would consider getting one. They know more about food than the surgeon.

I had my gastric sleeve done in 2018, so have a few years experience. I couldn't eat anything for at least 4 weeks post op, and then it was a tiny teaspoon of mush at each meal. It took me hours to get through a protein shake of 300ml. By the time I finished the breakfast one, it was time to start the lunchtime one! And so on to dinner... 1200 calories seems huge to me at 3 weeks. I was struggling to drink enough water at that point. My tummy was so tiny. Even if I drank too much water, I would vomit, because my stomach was too small to cope. I still suffer that vomiting if I am too ambitious with my portions. I wouldn't be able to even get through 1200 cal now, unless maybe I went on a strict no carb, high protein plan. Even then it would be a struggle. High protein foods are SO filling. I love fish and seafood, but I can hardly eat 2 tbs of grilled salmon at a meal even 6 years out. I lost 90 pounds in 6 months, luckily no skin looseness... very fortunate. I have slowed my weight loss and then plateaued at 120 lbs loss. If I was you, I would go back to your protein drinks, and go from there.

I had vsg surgery on 12/19/23 I lost about 12lbs during the first week and a half but since week two hit I've been seeing the scale not move at all, my inches on my waist was going down so I was to upset. Then I had my post op visit with my surgeon and He told me that I wasn't eating enough, He said that I was losing too much weight and I had told him that the scale hasn't even moved for the past week. But he expected me to hit about 1200 calories a day where I've been eating me 400 or 500. He had said that I should add a couple of snacks in to my meals throughout the day. So three meals a day plus two snacks at least. And it's been a struggle but I've done that and I've been eating around 800 calories a day. Maybe 9:00 but now I'm gaining weight so I'm just unsure of what to do. Should I keep going at this? 800 calorie 900 trying to achieve 1200 so soon after surgery or should I just stick with my four or 500? It seems like so much food for 3 weeks post-op. Also, just so it's clear, I'm pretty much clearer to eat anything I want now just to use discretion when choosing my foods. I am hitting All of my protein and water goals. But I was before when I was getting 400 calories or 500 a day.

If you had a DS you are thought to absorb about 20% of the fat you eat, 60% of the protein you eat, and 100% of the carbs you eat. Your doctor should have explained this to you... The intestines can adapt some to the surgery over time, but most studies have shown DS patients continue to have malabsorption. That's the whole point of the surgery! In rare cases, there is a small number of patients who will lose more weight than they intend, or have excessive muscle wasting. The muscle wasting is normally due to not eating enough protein post surgery. A DS patient needs around 120 grams of protein a day, more if they workout trying to gain muscle. Are you taking your vitamins? Have you had your labs checked recently? In the case of someone who has lost more weight than they intended to with a DS, certain enzymes can be given to help them absorb more of the food they eat, or a surgical revision can be done to lengthen their common channel, giving them more length of small intestines to absorb calories from. Of the two, I'd try the enzymes first. If you gained up to 240 with the enzymes, clearly they were effective for you! So why not consider taking them on an alternating schedule, titrating the dose to slowly gain what you need, and then taper off of them and see if you can maintain?? If you want to do this with food you are probably looking at over 4,000 calories a day. That is going to be tough. You can only eat so much food in a day! DS patients usually don't count calories at all, we count macros because it is the macros that help us stay in our target range, since no one really knows exactly how many calories an individual with a DS surgery is going to absorb, we can only ballpark it. But you should be getting a LOT of protein and around 120-150 grams of fat, according to vets who have lived with this surgery for decades. To bulk, most people I know load up on carbs, which is not easy for a DS person unless you want to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, or you are lucky enough to actually tolerate a decent amount of carbs. But carbs will usually put weight on. If you want more people with DS to talk to, check the bariatricfacts.org forums. We are mostly DS people over there and most of the regular posters are vets. But be prepared, they are fans of straight talk and not everyone likes that!

I don’t know if you all have a Whole Foods out there, but out here we do and I got the box of split pea soup it was thin and I used the Mrs’s dash seasoning on it they also have butternut squash but to me it was kind of sweet.

I think you need to get back into contact with your dietician. Did you say whether you track your food & monitor your macros? Have you still be having regular blood tests as these will show if you are lacking in any nutrients & you can track & monitor any changes when comparing with your food data. This data will help your dietician to help you construct an eating plan that will meet your needs. There are tests to see if you aren’t absorbing certain nutrients. Like a stool test can identify how much fat is present & if you aren’t absorbing it effectively. I take Creons (pancreatic enzymes) three times a day to help with my protein malabsorption (curtesy of my gall removal - not a common side effect but I was just unlucky). They also help with malabsorption of fats & carbs as well as proteins. Worth a conversation with your doctor if it is discovered you’re have malabsorption issues.

Day 4 post op: Able to drink fluids, it's uncomfortable if I go too fast, as I knew, however I now know how fast is too fast for me. I'm walking on the treadmill fairly easily, slow pace, no incline, limited to 15 min at a time. I walked 5 times yesterday, only once so far today and only 5 min according to how I feel. I'm able to eat up to 2 oz at a time, so far I've had Chobani Zero nonfat greek yogurt, tuna pureed with light mayo with pickle juice, and a sugar free pudding mixed with protein powder. All of it has gone fairly well. I haven't vomited, very little nausea, and every day I'm more awake and thinking more clearly. My only issue so far has been a sketchy bladder. I guess of all things that could happen, it's pretty benign, but I had to have a catheter placed to allow my bladder to rest from being stretched too much. I think all the angry innards caused some shifting. In all likelihood it's just a temporary thing that will resolve when some of the swelling goes down. I have some nerve damage from many years ago so it isn't as far out of left field as it could be.

ok, so ever since surgery, i've developed (and maintained) this quirk where i like to order/buy a large amount of food with the intention of at least having a taste of everything, but usually don't in the end. someone usually eats what there, other times it gets tossed (it a terrible waste of food, i know ) my sister-in-law's sister half-jokingly accuses me of trying to fat everyone up around me so i look skinny (she's kind of a B, lol), and Mr. also half-jokingly worries that i have some sort of reverse-eating disorder. in any case, i realize it's probably not normal, but im ok with it for now. as i write this im thinking this is probably not the thread for this post...i feel like this has become bit of a downer! my initial intention was to post this beautiful bounty that i picked up while coat shopping yesterday: and i am pleased to report that i indeed had a small bite of everything (except the caramel daquoise - not a fan of caramel), and the fam and some company ate the rest...they will all be fat by years end! mwha-ha-haha! 🙄 clockwise from top left: cappuccino daquoise, lemon shortbread slice, roasted apple cake, salted caramel daquoise) guessing i ate maybe 150-200 cals worth.

I am turning 50 in a few months, and I've struggled with my weight most of my life. At 26, my BMI was probably around 30, but I didn't have the health issues so it was just a nuisance to me. I tried dieting and healthy eating for years, but my weight increased steadily in typical yo-yo fashion. Post-pregnancies, I spent my late 30s and early 40s in the 35-39 BMI range and started getting co-morbidities. By the time my BMI hit 40 this past year, I was aching in my feet and joints, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was prediabetic. So it's not about weight or appearance at this point but getting control of my health now, while my body can still bounce back and hopefully age more gracefully. I feel like I'm at that tipping point where if I don't act, the next decade will not end well and I will not have a good time of my senior years. This is despite all my best intentions and 7 years of actively going to a weight management doctor. All of that is to say that trying hard and knowing the right things to do rarely leads to success if you are prone to obesity. It's a disease, not a moral failing, no matter what people tell you. Unlike dieting, weight loss surgery provides lasting metabolic changes, as close to a cure as you can get. And you still will have to make all the lifestyle changes you would need to do anyway to lose weight, but they will actually work (instead of spending the next 24 years getting bigger and less healthy like I did). I have posted frequently about what a huge fan I am of Dr. Matthew Weiner's books, YouTube videos, and new podcast. Honestly, his books were life changing for me in terms of my perspective. I highly recommend starting there. He has 3 books, one is called Pound of Cure and gives great, scientifically sound information on what a healthy, set-point lowering way of eating looks like and how to get there. The second is a book that explains exactly how gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries change your metabolism and why they work (it's not just a smaller stomach and eating less!). The third is a cookbook with bariatric friendly recipes and serving sizes for different stages. These books are super fast reads. You can probably get through all three in a week (minus making all the recipes, of course!). With three months to go, my suggestion is get these books and start implementing the diet changes in a deliberate way. Start exercising in a sustainable way, working up to it little by little. See how you feel. Don't do crash diets. Don't start anything, whether food or exercise, you don't think you can basically do 90% of the time for the rest of your life, because there's no such thing as doing it for long enough to lose weight and then getting to "go back to normal." This has to become your new normal, with or without surgery. In three months, if you really aren't sure about the surgery, don't do it. It'll always be there. But know that it's an additional tool that will make the hard work you have to do either way in order to keep your health for the rest of your life more likely to stick. Without it, there's a very high (but not impossible) chance you will not be able to keep your weight in a healthy range.

You should definitely have access to a dietician through the surgeon's office. The problem with any of us giving you that info is that our surgeons all have different requirements. Some allow more carbs and fats, some restrict the heck out of them. Some allow higher calories, some don't. Some universal rules, though, are these: water intake: at least 64oz per day food: PROTEIN first, then veggies, then carbs. Protein, protein, protein!!! sugar: majorly reduce sugar intake (I went to sugar free and use monk fruit sweetener when I need something to taste sweet) salt: reduce the amount of salt (especially if you have high bp) and what I did was switch from normal table salt to Himalayan salt (it's healthier and has a saltier taste so you need less) I don't really want to tell you specifically how many calories, carbs, protein, and fats you can have, because as I said, that varies between surgeons. I can tell you what MY office said and what I do, but that's about it. Here's what my surgeon's office wants: Protein: 60-80g per day Carbs: 50g or less per day Fat: 50g or less per day Calories: first 6 mo - 1000 per day - after 6 mo - 1200 - 1300 per day What I personally do: Calories: non work out days - 1000 per day - workout days - 1200 - 1300 per day Protein: non workout days - 60 - 70g per day - workout days - 80 - 90g per day Carbs: non workout days - 20-25g per day - workout days - 35 - 50g per day Fat: non workout days - 20-25g per day - workout days - 35-50g per day Water: non workout days - 64oz per day - workout days - 64oz of water and 20oz of gatorade zero or Propel per day