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So I just started my liquid diet today and at 1st I was freaking out because I'm allowed 1 small meal a day plus the 2 protein shakes and a list of other approved things. But I thought I had to stay under 800 calories and I didn't realize how many calories are in everything including the protein shakes themselves (160). So I went through everything that is allowed on my list and was trying to figure out what I could even eat for dinner and leave me enough calories for lunch and it was not going well. Luckily I re read my diet sheet and the calorie restriction doesn't hit until my second week, yay! So for this 1st week I still only have liquids except for dinner so I'm sure my calories will be less that usual but I'll have time to adjust before I hit that 800 calorie limit next week. The exact wording for the dinner is one small, normal meal and we are having pork chops with asparagus so I think I will be ok. As a side question fueled by my stressful morning, how do I calculate the calories in the broth from a strained soup? Say I take a can of chicken noodle soup but strain it and only drink the broth, how do I figure out the calories in that broth?

I like the Hint Watermelon water. Just a hint of watermelon flavor and no calories.

I will have to try the Built Bars. Currently, I eat the Protein One protein bars. 90 calories and 10 grams of protein is a pretty good ratio. My favorite is the Strawberries & Cream variety.

BBQ-ish chicken and cucumbers w/ EBTB seasoning. I use considerably less BBQ sauce when cooking these days. I don’t miss the mess or the calories. 😅

Oh thank you for this information! My current body fat according to my scale is about 50%. And you are right that is probably very unattainable. I have never been that low in my life. Except maybe when I was in THIRD GRADE. ha. If you could help me choose a new goal, that would be awesome. Thank you! I did quit soda a few weeks ago. Now I need to quit milk. That is like so hard for me for some reason. I drink up to 4 16 oz glasses a day. Not everyday. Some days is 1-2. But I know a lot of my weight comes from liquid calories. I am going to work hard on that this month. I am going to start my preop diet tomorrow of two shakes and 1 meal. Lots of koolaid with splenda to get me through lol

This reminded me, something so critical for me through the years, and that is tracking calories, macros, weight. Oh how I wish I was a mindful eater but unfortunately, I am not. I simply have never trusted myself and to keep the weight off, I absolutely have to log everything. It helps me keep track of my 7-13 fruit/vegetable servings that I need daily, as well as my protein. On those bottomless hungry days, I like to look at what I ate because it helps me determine my physical vs head hunger too.

I'm two years post-op, and my appetite has returned, but not nearly to the extent as before surgery. In the beginning, it was easy to lose weight because I wasn't hungry at all and physically couldn't eat much, but that has gradually changed. It feels upsetting at times to see the portions that I am able to eat because I think, "I shouldn't have room for this big of a salad," but I think my perception is skewed because I'm comparing my current portions to my initial post-op portions, not to what I used to eat pre-surgery. I remember pre-surgery often feeling like my stomach was a bottomless pit, and no matter how much I ate, I could still feel like I was starving. There are times now when I eat a reasonably-sized meal and still feel hungry, but even then, it doesn't take much to get all the way full. I'm probably doing it wrong because we're not supposed to eat to the point of getting really full, but I'm not perfect. And sometimes it's still hard to tell whether it's real hunger or head hunger. I can definitely see how people can regain a lot of weight after a few years, because I feel as though my stomach has stretched out quite a bit and I could over-eat if I'm not careful about what I eat. However, I have COMPLETLEY changed my eating habits and shifted toward low-calorie foods. I've been tracking everything I eat in MyFitnessPal for over two years, and I consider that the #1 key to my weight loss, other than surgery itself (in fact, I lost 70 pounds before surgery this way). I'm not stupid -- I know how to read a nutrition label -- but there's something about actually logging my food intake that makes me confront my choices and think about what is and isn't worth eating. I still track my calories in MyFitnessPal and I'm afraid to stop, but I suspect that I would probably be ok without tracking because I've gotten into good habits. I've also found that at times I've eaten more than I should (e.g., eating at a restaurant or getting hungry between meals and having a big snack) and think, "I need to limit my calories for the rest of the day," I actually end up not being hungry for the rest of the day, anyway. My tastes have also changed since surgery. I used to be kind of a picky eater, and I'm not sure if my actual tastes have changed or if I've just become more open-minded, but I eat all kinds of things now that I wouldn't have touched before surgery. I used to hate seafood and now I love it and eat fish almost every day. I used to hate a lot of vegetables, like squash, peppers, radishes, cauliflower, etc., and now I'll eat just about any vegetable. I consider cauliflower rice to be the greatest diet hack of all time because it simultaneously eliminates a high-carb food and sneaks a vegetable into the meal. Plus, if you buy the frozen stuff, it's faster and easier to prepare than actual rice. Before surgery, I turned my nose up at the idea of cauliflower rice, but now I eat it several times per week. I suspect that a lot of people who regain the weight rely too much on the restriction and don't change their eating habits, so when the restriction wears off, they're kind of back where they started.

What led me to weight loss surgery isn't what led most people here. I didn't (don't) have food addictions, etc. I had medically induced obesity due to auto immune disease and long term corticosteroid use. So, I got a Lap Band in 2013, and lost about one hundred and forty pounds. I never got to a "normal" weight. It's like I reached a new set point and stopped losing. I pretty much maintained that for about five years or so and then I developed GERD. As @Tomo said, the GERD associated with Lap Bands/Sleeves doesn't respond to meds and there's always a gnawing, hungry sort of sensation that makes you feel like you always need something in your stomach to stop the torment going on in there, and that led me to eating slider foods, because they felt the best to my GERD tormented stomach. So I regained maybe ten pounds during my GERD period. Then in 2021 I had the band removed, then I lost the ten pounds that I had gained, because the GERD eased up a bit and I was able to eat healthier fruits and veggies that my Band wouldn't tolerate before and kicked the carbs to the curb. I'm currently almost 7 weeks post op RNY revision and I've lost twenty-nine pounds. So the scale is finally moving after years of being stuck. I feel like I didn't regain weight even after my band was removed due to a change in eating habits and behaviors that I adopted when I got my Lap Band. I maintained those, and yes it was easier after my Band was removed because I could eat healthier again. My Band wouldn't tolerate fibrous, healthy veggies most of the time. So I would say maintaining success in the long term relies on a change of behaviors and eating habits. One other thing that I think helps a lot of people maintain success is lifetime tracking of calories/macros.

I'm only 3 months out but I'm very way of calories, carbs, and sugar. Like you said I want this life change to be successful. I'm 75 pounds down with 83 pounds to go. I want to be able to be an active part in the rest of my life. If you can shake the sugary drink I don't know that I would introduce it back in. One of the reasons I'm not letting artificially sweetened tea back in my life. I don't NEED the caffeine anymore- I'm good with Crystal Lite water going to stick with that. It's one less thing to be addicted to. Sent from my SM-F926U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 3 months out (time does fly) and I still don't have the hunger I remember pre-surgery. If I go too long between meals I'll start to feel weak and "off" and count the hours since last I ate and usually is over 6 but never hungry. I have snacks in my mini fridge at work to fill in if I start feeling iffy before a meal is due but I have never needed them. I always carry beef jerky with me just in case. I am usually good with 3 small meals a day. I seldom hit 800 calories and I seldom feel rundown or weak. My body is operating in a way I never knew it could. I would definitely talk to your doctor about antinausea meds. It's not unreasonable to think you would still need them so early on. That should help you get some fluids and food down to start helping you feel better. Sent from my SM-F926U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes, your body adapts to the changes made by surgery, and it will still want to gain weight, as it does now, but it is harder and slower to do so. This means that you have to adapt to to counter that tendency - the surgery will indeed help you to lose the weight that you can't lose now by yourself, but you still need to work at keeping it off. This guy gives a pretty good presentation of how it progresses, and some ideas on how to live with those changes to help maintain things. You don't have to follow all of his recommendations, (I'm not so sure about his green smoothie thing....) but it helps to understand what is happening so that you can develop your own plan that makes sense for you. My takeaway from him is that you will see increased ability to eat more at a meal, though not as much as pre op - his progression is consistent with my experience, though my wife maintains a greater restriction than I do, YMMV - is to fill in that increased ability/desire to eat more with bulky, low calorie veg to minimize and control the caloric increase over time. The salads that I make now for lunch have about the same amount of protein - meat and cheese - that they did early on, but a lot more veg than earlier. Our protein needs doesn't increase over time - our "high protein" post op diet isn't really all that high, but rather a maintenance level of protein while everything else is dramatically reduced at that time. I found that it really helps to work on your long term maintenance diet as early as possible - long before surgery if you can - to get used to how you should eat 5-10 years from now rather than just next month or next year. Learn how you should be eating for good weight maintenance (and satiety) and start developing those habits early - don't worry about rapid pre op weight loss, let the surgery do that. If you are seriously concerned about your long term prospects on weight maintenance - if you have had a long history of yo yo dieting, and/or are starting at a very high BMI, you should also consider the DS, duodenal switch, surgery as that has demonstrably better regain resistance than the RNY or VSG, which are very similar in that regard. There are more trade offs involved - what in life doesn't have them - but it is worth considering ahead of time rather than as a revision later on, as the bypass is a difficult thing to revise.

Losing so slowly this close to your goal isn’t uncommon. It took me weeks to lose the last kg - so close yet so far. So you may lose more weight just incredibly slowly. But there’s nothing wrong if you don’t. Don’t rely on BMI for what your weight ‘should’ be. It should only be considered as a guide. It doesn’t take into account factors like age, muscle mass, skeletal frame,general health, etc. To lose additional weight, you will have to reduce your calories & you said you struggle with hunger if you do eat less than you are now. But not onot will you have to reduce your caloric intake to lose more weight you will also need to continue to eat less to maintain at the lower weight. Yes, increasing your activity can help though exercise accounts for about 10% of the weight you have to lose. So if you want to lose about 20lbs that’s 2lbs. If this is the weight your body is happiest at, your new set point, to go lower will take constant effort to be able to maintain the lower weight. It was one of the factors behind why we struggled to lose in the past & would always quite easily regain as our set point was at that higher weight. You’ve done so well regardless of whether you lose more weight. You said you feel much better, are healthier, have more energy, are more confident. Embrace those wins, not the number on the scale.

it doesn't matter if it's bypass or sleeve. As someone else said, any major surgery can cause hair loss because of trauma to the body. I think we see it more often after WLS than some other surgeries, though, because in addition to the surgery stress, we're also taking in very few calories those first few months. not everyone loses hair. I lost very little. I barely noticed let alone anyone else. And for most people, you're the only one who'll notice it. Most pre-ops and early post-ops worry about hair loss (and loose skin, too), but I think i can speak for most of us who are a year or more out that in the grand scheme of things, it's really a blip on the screen. I don't know why I wasted even one brain cell worrying about it.

I would take advantage of being able to email them. Just send them your weight at your pre-surgical apt. weight day of surgery weight todays weight your daily calorie( include daily protein & water average) an example of what you're eating and your daily physical activity and see if they have any feedback for you.

I feel this way too but not as strongly I guess. Its true that I've failed all of my diets, including times of extreme to no calories and I do worry that since those didn't work, then this won't either. But at the same time I've never had this tool that my stomach will be and I've never had as much support with a dietitian and exercise coach. I've also told everyone about the surgery and that will hopefully help with accountability. So I'm going into this with more hope than usual. That this time is the winner and I can't wait to see what the next year will hold. I can actually picture myself succeeding and that is not usual for me on any diet. So hopefully it'll be a great year for all of us

Sorry about your migraines. I get them too, but Vyepti infusions have hugely helped!!! Haven’t needed my rescue medication and went from every day migraines to almost never. Not sure what shakes do or don’t have artificial sweeteners, but you could try making your own with unflavored protein powder mixed with whatever you drink. I make smoothies without the protein as a treat blending crushed ice, a tiny bit of skim milk, a banana, and fat free chocolate syrup. Feels indulgent but only really some banana as far as calories. A nutritionist could probably recommend certain shakes. Also, Costco sells zero calorie Whole Earth sweetener made from monk fruit and erythritol. It’s not like Splenda, sweet n low, or Equal. Maybe it would work for you as an alternative to the artificial sweeteners or sugar. It’s all I use now!

one can always lose more weight by cutting calories, but you have to decide if you're willing to do that. Given that those of us who've lost a lot of weight have heavier bones and muscles than "normies" (because you needed extra infrastructure to hold that excess weight up. Granted, you lose some of it when you lose weight, but not all of it...) - plus you may have some excess skin to boot, you probably look 10 lbs less than you weigh. even if your body isn't quite done losing, I can tell you from personal experience that those last 20 lbs are a BEAR to lose. I was losing something like 2 lbs a month the last couple of months, despite a momentous effort. The closer you are to a normal BMI, the more you're eating at equilibrium (your calories in and calories out are about the same). It's a challenge to eat less than that. SO...either your body is done losing and it'll be a struggle to lose more - or your body is NOT done losing and you're just at the point where it's really tough and slow going to get those last few lbs off.

So, I'm at my 6 mo surgiversary. I have lost 60 pounds (down from 36 to 26 BMI), 72% EWL. I'm proud of my weight loss. I look a million times better, my diabetes and sleep apnea have resolved, I have lots more energy, and I have increased confidence to pursue my goals. My projected 12 mo weight per the online calculators is 173, and I'm currently at 167, so I'm certainly doing well. And... I would like to lose more weight, another 10-20 pounds, which would get me down to "healthy" BMI and closer to my ideal body weight. But... my weight loss has almost completely stalled. In the past month, I lost 2.6 pounds, and I haven't lost anything in the past 3 weeks. At this rate, losing another 10-20 pounds would be a loooooong haul. My daily calories have crept up to 1200 to 1400. If I go below 1200, I'm just too hungry. I will admit I could be more physically active. How should I think about all of this? Most friends and family are encouraging me to stop and be comfortable where I am... not to lose "too much." Should I just get comfortable with where I am and focus on maintenance? Or should I keep pushing against the odds?

Every surgeon has their own version of the pre-op diet. They change drastically too. Mine had 2 options you could choose from. One option was 6 "Bariatric Advantage" and only calorie free drinks. The second option was 4 "Unjury" protein drinks and a list of foods and their serving sizes and you were allowed 6 of those servings a day. (SF pudding, yogurt, veggies, etc. No meats or anything like that) I choose option 2 just so I could chew things, it was a life saver. I am a huge veggie fan so I was very happy with my veggies which is pretty much all I ate from the list. Point: It was easy for me, I had no problem and was only truly hungry the first day and then I was fine. But, some peoples are VERY strict. I imagine it is harder without the chewing option. Just put your mind to it, remember why you are doing it and you will be fine.

Hi Buddies - Two weeks away and I've got a lot of head trash going on that I just need to get off my chest. ::deep breath:: Fair warning - this is kinda long, rambling and full of woe is me. Feel free to exit stage left now. I am afraid. Not of surgery, not of complications, but of failure. I've tried so many things and failed. Or succeeded, then gained the weight back and then some more. I feel so out of control of my weight, I've gained steadily for two years straight. 50+lbs. Nothing stopped it, not even my usual approaches. And I can't help but think, if starving myself didn't work in the past (I mentioned I've tried everything, including very low calorie diets) and led to regain plus some, why will this work? If I couldn't stop the gain, how will I possibly lose the 100lbs I need to lose? If I am in control of the successful outcome of the surgery based on adherence to the rules - then that makes me shake in my boots. I've been down that road before, "You will be successful if you just follow the program!" Didn't work so well obviously. I'm feeling defeated because of my past, but trying to find hope. My hope is all the success stories. I'm almost hesitant to feel TOO hopeful because of my fear of failure. I also know I'm not alone in how I feel, that many of you feel or felt the same. And if you don't feel this way, please don't let my fear become your fear! I KNOW you all will be successful!! It's my own failure that I'm all too familiar with. Sorry to be so negative. I just had to get this **** out of my head and get honest with how I'm feeling.

Ones I’ve tried and liked- GNC lean bars Atkins bars (but be careful with the sugar alcohols), Bariatricpal bars (specifically the mint chocolate one), Protein One bars as they’re 90-100 calories and 10g of protein (can find at grocery stores near the other protein/granola bars), nature valley protein bars (these do have 6-8g of sugar but also provide fiber (usually from nuts/peanuts) and 10g of protein for around 180-200 calories depending on variety) l. I mostly buy these for my kids but I also eat them on occasion. Ones that are meh- pure protein bars, zone bars (too much sugar and weird texture), quest bars (the crunchy ones are good though!), power crunch (they have a kind of waxy outer coating to me).

I had a zoom Meeting with my doctor today, I asked him about stalling already and he assured me that it happens to most people. Our systems are adjusting to the diet and trying to hold on to fuel. He actually recommended to eat a few more calories a day to kick start the weightless again. He said that a lot of times throughout the next few year, we may have to do that, especially as we all become more active.

Man, I am going to have to try the built bars. My rule is no less than 1g protein per 10 calories and under 5 sugars. Carbs are not a huge deal for me because I don't eat much anyway and I am allowed to. I randomly try different one, I really like QUEST brand and keep them on hand regularly. But I will randomly grab a new one to try from a convenience store where I can buy and sample 1 of them rather than buying a box and not like them. My latest try was the "Snickers + protein" bar. I was VERY let down. Didn't taste like snickers AT ALL and it wasn't good regardless. I took 1 bite and tossed it. Guess I am going for a built bar next time.

Ooh I’m not certain that the lack of energy is entirely due to the reduced calories. Although I’m sure that plays a role I think it’s just our bodies are healing and we need more sleep. I was tired for a while too. I just gave into it and took lots of naps. Basically all you can really do. I’m not sure if I was still tired at 4 weeks post op but everyone recovers differently. It’s doesn’t last forever though. Just try to hang in there.

Thanks ShoppGirl, I think it was down to the lack of energy, I’ve struggled with eating 800 calories high Protein diet.