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Okay, so you bulk up before your weigh in with food, fluid, heavy clothing or shoes, or weighing down your pockets. I would worry that you go the second time without this additional bulk & you weigh a lot less & they think wow you’ve lost a lot of weight great. But the third time your weight has slowed a lot to what would be appropriate for your real weight. Plus the more you weigh the more they may want you to lose before surgery. Be careful, besides taking off my shoes I’ve been asked to remove a heavier skirt before my weigh in so they’d get a more accurate result. (Didn’t wear it on purpose just because I liked it.) My friend was told she was a couple of kilos short of meeting the BMI requirement. I remember who saying oh well a couple of weeks until Christmas & I always put on weight then so I’ll make another appointment for January. She did & she met the requirement. You have Thanksgiving soon so it may be a moot point.

There are some people who continue to feel hunger after the surgery. Be careful you’re not confusing real hunger & head hunger. Real hunger feels different. I feel like something is wrong & restless. I never want a specific food, favour or texture. And there is a reason why I feel hungry - like I haven’t eaten for a few hours. It does take time to work out your cues for real hunger. The other issue to consider is you’re still healing. Someone recently posted their surgeon said it can take 8 weeks or more to fully heal internally after a sleeve. This includes your nerves which were cut which is why our messages for hunger, satiety, etc, aren’t accurately felt, or in the case if your restriction not felt at all during this recovery period. It’s why we have to be careful of how much we eat & drink. I always say all because you can doesn’t mean you should. You may be able to eat a portion larger than you’ve been told or drink more but the signals telling you stop or warning you of danger aren’t working properly. Go slowly making small changes. Best not to push to see how much you think you can do. There’s lots of little things to learn about post surgery, consider & most importantly learn about yourself. But you’ll get there. All the best with your recovery.

I had my VSG on October 2nd. I started real food this past Monday. I'm losing an average of 3 pounds per week. My problem is that not only am I hungry, I seem to be able to eat more than what I should be. It feels like I still have my entire stomach. Anyone else experiencing this? My surgeon says I'm doing great, but I'm not so sure.

Have you recently weighed in a little higher, like at your doctor's office for a physical? That may be good enough. When I was still in the nonsurgical program at my hospital, I weighed in at a BMI of just over 40. At that point, my doctor suggested I look into surgery. I was pretty shaken by hitting that number and I immediately made some changes, so 2 weeks later when I came back for my first appointment on the surgical side, I was around 39.8. They said it was fine, that they go by the highest weight for qualifying. And yes, I wore my heaviest shoes that time, just in case! I know that usually they will deduct a couple pounds for clothing, but they didn't for that highest weight, I think just to be safe. I do have a comorbidity, though, so I would qualify anyway. You might try a few days of salty foods before your next appointment, too.

Well said, @NickelChip. I agree that we need radical change from our policy makers at the highest levels, and some real nutritional education. Part of my journey is that I have finally gotten very angry about the marketing/indoctrination and policy lobbying that the for-profit "food" industries have been allowed to get away with, at the expense of our health in the USA. I'm old enough to recall that the first food pyramid from the USDA said to eat 6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, or pasta every day. As a young person, I thought I was practicing healthy eating when I would have two servings of cereal for breakfast, then two sandwiches for lunch, and three servings of rice for supper. 9 servings was totally within the guidelines, so why was I gaining weight??? Thank you for sharing the article, @GreenTealael. I felt like I was reading about myself! Body size, obesity, health and their places in society and the science of medicine seem to get more complicated every day. I found the short history lesson on BMI quite fascinating.

Interesting study. I'd like to see a larger study participant base...but promising. As my grandmother used to say "everything in moderation, the body makes use of each food type just don't over do!"

I had gastric bypass on October 17th. I had a lot of complications. I woke up in extreme pain immediately and was vomiting blood. After 2 days in ICU and 2 days in a regular hospital room, I ended up being discharged from the hospital. A little over a week later, I ended back up in the ER and another week in the hospital. I was unable to keep any fluids down (not even thinking about food). I would vomit immediately and I became so extremely dehydrated that I started having heart papilations. It was very scary. Come to find out, my stoma to empy the stomach into my intestine was so severly inflammed (and also sewn extremly tight) that my stomach was not emptying causing nausea and vomiting. Also a lot of fluid was pooling around my esophagus. I had to get fluids in me, potassium IVs and a banana bag of nutrients and I was unable to eat or drink anything during my hospital stay. I am not trying to scare anyone from having surgery--just sharing my experience. I am feeling much better now, I am home and I am down 40 pounds! I am holding down liquids and starting to eat soft foods like pudding and mashed potatoes.

And you would have. I realized this past week while going thru years of stuff that I'm finally cleaning out, how long I actually struggled with dieting and weight loss. I found journals and food diaries and counting calorie lists, diet books and recipes etc. It made me sad. I could have avoided a lot of that if I had decided to get the surgery sooner. But I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and am happy with where I am now, I can honestly say, and I've said it before...my only regret is not getting the WLS sooner.

Never? Lucky! I dumped when I had just VSG, it’s not as bad for me now with RNY because I’ve been avoiding problematic foods for so long. But every once in a while I still have a problem.

Never? Lucky! I dumped when I had just VSG, it’s not as bad for me now with RNY because I’ve been avoiding problematic foods for so long. But every once in a while I still have a problem.

I mean, I kind of hope OP was a troll, because it's terrible if someone was really feeling this bad about their decision to have surgery. On occasion I've regretted my surgery, like when I was losing a lot of hair, but overall I'm happy that I've lost 50 pounds. I wish I could lose more, and hopefully I will. I dislike how my neck looks now and I'm dreaming of having a neck lift or even a face lift, but mostly I did this for health. I'm positive I would never have lost 50 pounds on my own. I was losing and regaining the same 10 pounds over and over again, and would have just kept doing that. I don't really miss food, since I can eat pretty much anything, just a lot less. Like I'll have a hamburger sometimes, but just 1/4 or half. I kind of like saving on groceries, since I eat less.

Yes, weight all your food together to make 3oz.

Good luck to those having surgery tomorrow and the next few days! I started my pre-op diet today, which I am not complaining about because you do get to eat some real food. Though all of it aggravates my GERD. Ugh I cannot wait for my revision. I hope it works and I wake up reflux free.

i don't have any real answers for you other than echo what others have said above and to get more tests done and continue to work with your doc to find an M.O. to give you some relief. however, i do want to say that at 5 months post, i think i was sort of where you are at. I could barley eat very much in terms of volume. it was really quite a ridiculously small amount of food that I could keep down at one sitting, and if i went 1 bite above that, I would barf...or spit up more like. I ate probably 1/3 - 1/2 cup of food in TOTAL in one sitting (where a "sitting" would last about an hour of taking tiny bites at a time). this resolved itself over time, probably took about 1.5 - 2 years before i could eat the amounts which i can eat now in one sitting. Mind you, its still a small amount compared to what "normal" people can pack in. And i'm over 5 years out today...and other than my odd eating habits (compared to others), i'm totally fine. Oh, i do take 20mg of Omeprazole a day religiously though. if i miss my morning dose, i can feel discomfort in my sternum by 1-2pm. i also make sure I go to bed on an empty stomach. further, regarding the diarrhea, i was already lactose intolerant pre-surgery. After surgery, i got even MORE lactose-intolerant, if that makes sense. perhaps a diet consisting of only mozzerella and yogurt could be doing your digestive system a number. just a thought? Hope you figure out something soon. Good Luck! ❤️

Almost to full foods stage, once I am there is it still only 2oz. Do I weigh all my food together to make 2oz . . . a little confused . . .

Hello @New To This23 thank you so much! My current loss includes preop diet as well. I was only required to do a 3 day preop diet. I agree about the stalls or slow moving scales! I plan to only weigh once a month. I already was getting in a habit of weighing everyday...I don't feel that's mentally healthy. Anyways I feel good about the holidays. I current cook several times a week for my family and have already meal prepped my "bariatric portions". I may still make old favorites for family dinner... but there no pressure to do so. I may even try a little of normal food... but won't push it.

Apologies for the novel I'm about to write, and thanks in advance if you bother to read it all! 😂 TL;DR it took me ~7 months total to go from first appointments to surgery. I went through my local university's health system and am using insurance, so my timeline will likely differ from those who are self-pay or outside the USA! My program is roughly 5-6 months, with 4 group classes and two check-ins with Nutrition & Psychology where they determine if you're approved to move to the next part of the program (or send you for additional counseling or nutrition, if not approved). I also had to do 2 extra appointments with Nutrition & Psych to keep insurance happy, as mine requires that you have some sort of contact or follow-up every month until you get surgery. Here's what my personal timeline looked like: April 27th, 2023 - First appointments with Dietitian, Psychology, Surgeon May 2nd - First group class May 16th - Second group class June 6th - Psych check-in June 15th - Nutrition check-in July 5th - Third group class July 27th - Fourth group class August 1st - Nutrition check-in August 10th - Psych check-in **CALLED IN LATE AUGUST TO SCHEDULE! (see below) September 19th - extra Nutrition & Psych check-ins to keep insurance happy October 3rd - GP visit for physical and approval for EGD (the hospital mandated this due to high BMI requiring monitored anesthesia for the EGD) October 4th - EGD (scope of esophagus, stomach, upper bowel) November 8th - Started 2-week liquid only liver-reducing diet (LRD) November 9th - Pre-op Readiness Visits (basically meeting w/surgeon again, nurse practitioner, coordinator, etc. to make sure I have all the pre-op information, etc.) November 22nd, 2023 - SURGERY DATE! **So, they DID call me in late August to schedule my surgery. At my initial appointment with my surgeon, he wanted me to get an EGD to make sure I don't have silent reflux or anything funky going on, as I get occasional reflux with certain foods. When I scheduled my EGD back in April, they were scheduling out into OCTOBER 🙃, so I scheduled it for October 4th. In late August (after finishing all my classes and check-ins), my surgeon's office called to let me know the surgeon reviewed my file and was fine with skipping the EGD since I don't have a history of chronic GERD and asked if I wanted a date in September. Well, at this point I was used to the idea of having surgery towards the end of the year, AND I already had a big ol' wedding planned for October and wanted to be able to at least eat solid food for that and have my dress fit properly, so I told them I was fine with keeping the EGD appointment just to be safe and that I'd prefer a date in late November, as I had a HUGE thing scheduled at my work for this week (11/13-11/16) where I pretty much had to be there. They had no problem scheduling me out that far, so if you need a particular timeframe and need to push back for life reasons, I've heard the majority of programs have absolutely no problem doing so. Just know that your insurance (if you aren't self-pay) might want you to make an extra check-in visit or two so you have some kind of contact monthly.

I had the switch too! Nov. 1st. How are you feeling?? I should be able to finally move from fluids to purees tomorrow when I see my surgeon for my 2 week post op appointment. I can't wait! I'm so tired of liquids, though I do think they help the healing process...

Hi @texasmade88 Welcome!! Congratulations on the 22lb weight loss!! is that after your surgery? Currently, I have been stalled and I am trying not to get stressed out (although there is a small thought of omg what if I did this surgery and nothing changes for me). I won't be a month out until November 27th so I am just telling myself to chill. How are you feeling about the upcoming holidays with food and stuff? I am actually glad I will not be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner this year, it takes a lot of pressure off of me to hang out with the family.

Fascinating article. Despite having taken several of them myself over the past few years, (including Saxenda and Wegovy), I'm very hesitant to embrace a world where weight loss drugs are the first line of defense against obesity. I say this knowing that at least some of my issue comes down to poor nutrition choices, made far too easy by an environment swimming in garbage foods and a culture that values quick convenience over everything else. When I commit to good nutrition, my weight decreases. I don't get skinny, or even "not obese" but I do lose weight. When the snacks and junk food make their way back in the house and I have stressful weeks with work where I'm at my desk for 12 or more hours and fast food feels like my only option because I'm too tired to cook, I gain weight. In about the past 60 years, we've gone from 13% obesity to 40%, with a 10x rise in severe obesity. This isn't just a weird thing that happened in a vacuum. There are pretty obvious reasons for this, some that could possibly be solved with significant changes to our food policies and investment in real nutrition instead of lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and massive food corporations. Much of our so-called food today has been designed to be addictive, by the same folks who brought us cigarettes, no less. That should give people pause the next time they're in the grocery store looking at all those shiny boxes and bags. On the other hand, in the days when only 1% of the US population was morbidly obese...that was my family. And some of my family lived really long lives, into their 90s. Except the ones who didn't and died young. And you don't know which you'll be until it's too late. Up until my 40s, I was one of those people who had healthy bloodwork despite being 90+ lbs over my "ideal weight." I didn't worry about my weight because I was healthy. But that changed rapidly with middle age as my weight went even higher. Now I take blood pressure meds and am prediabetic. My feet and joints ache and I worry what that means as I age. I wish I had done more to keep my weight lower when I was younger and developed better habits early on. I can't believe how ignorant I was of nutrition facts when I was in my teens and 20s. One thing I know is I can't afford $12k or more a year for the rest of my life to take these "miracle drugs." I'm not sure who really can or should. I'm grateful for surgery being an option, but it's not for everyone, and neither are the drugs. As a society, I would like to see more acceptance of humans in all sizes, and more focus on real health and nutrition instead of fads and gimmicks that make a few people really rich.

It could always be worse lol my 2 week pre-op is only liquids no puréed foods allowed for me and no veggies or fruits allowed 😩. Tomorrow is my last day but I can only have clear fluids tomorrow. All I keep thinking is this is all worth it in the end. I know it seems hard in the beginning but it does get easier ❤️

It could always be worse lol my 2 week pre-op is only liquids no puréed foods allowed for me and no veggies or fruits allowed 😩. Tomorrow is my last day but I can only have clear fluids tomorrow. All I keep thinking is this is all worth it in the end. I know it seems hard in the beginning but it does get easier ❤️

😥I am on week 2 of my PRE-OP and it’s purée foods for 4 days. I am on day 1 and I finished my lunch portion at 7pm - it’s so gross to me 😭 I don’t know how I’ll survive these 4 days and then have to do it again Post -Op.

Yay! Great job!! Make sure to get that water in, it will prevent headaches and keep you out of the hospital. Good for you getting shakes in, I can just barely get one in 2 weeks out! LOL Glad your pain is well controlled. I'm doing good, thanks! Hoping to move to purees Thursday after I see the surgeon at my follow up. Pain is greatly reduced and soreness is starting to fade. Incisions had an allergic reaction to the glue but the cream they prescribed calmed it down fast. They look great now! Still getting my water in. Had to change my electrolyte formula because the one I was taking had a lot of magnesium in it and was sending me straight to the bathroom with awful diarrhea every time I took it! LOL I found a new one that is working much better now. I weirdly feel like I have more energy now than I did before surgery and I'm not sure how that's possible. I have chronic fatigue syndrome so any boost in energy is VERY welcome. I'm sleeping better too. I hear some people do really well in ketosis, I guess I'm one of them. I'm really thankful for that. I've never been able to get my body to go into ketosis before! So glad I had this surgery...

Food aversion is real after having issues with vomiting and keeping food down. I agree with @Arabesque, have they done any imaging to be sure it is only a stomach stricture causing this?? @Char V is right, if they continue to just do scopes, you may want to ask to be referred up to someone with more experience. Not saying your doctor is wrong, just that with a chronic condition, sometimes two heads and a new pair of eyes is better than one. I really hope you find answers soon. ❤️