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My plan permitted caffeine from day 1 and I would have really struggled without it, but they're all so different! It's not caused any issues for me. I had my first alcohol almost 6 weeks post op because it was xmas and I would have felt SO deprived without a glass of fizz - but I cleared that with my dietician first. I'm 5.5 months out now and have some alcohol every weekend but I know it's totally empty calories and must be slowing my weight loss to some extent - that's a hit I am willing to take. With regard to your favourites, they honestly mightn't be your favourites any more! I was a complete chocoholic before I had my sleeve, but honestly (really honestly) I would really rather have a chicken salad these days. How times change, and long may it last. But yes, as everyone else says, within a short time most people can eat most things again, just in smaller quantities. In the meantime, sit back, get your protein in, and enjoy watching that weight fall off. It's absolutely magical.

Regrets are common with specially in the first few weeks when you’re on the restricted staged eating plan & so limited in what yo can eat & drink & when. In time you will be able to eat & drink a lot of your old favourites but likely not as frequently and not in the same portion sizes. Or you may eat healthier versions of them. You’ll also discover new favourites too. But that will be your choice & how it fits in with you being able to maintain your weight. Caffeine is harsh especially on your healing tummy to begin which is why we’re advised to avoid it. After it just depends on if you can tolerate it or not. I sipped a gin & tonic a couple of months after surgery. I went from drinking a very large glass of wine or two every night to only having a single drink may be once a month. Initially my taste buds changed & I didn’t like the taste. Now, it ‘s my choice but I don’t look for it & don’t miss it. The only thing with beer may be the carbonation - some struggle with bubbles in any drink. Almost three years out & I still consider portion sizes & calories. I don’t measure & weigh every day. I do random checks of things I eat regularly but check every new food or recipe I eat. I’ve worked out cheat checks of portion sizes fir when I’m eating out - compare to my palm, a fist, finger length etc. I check portion size recommendations & read nutrition panels. I make most of my own food so I know exactly what I’m eating. It’s easy to get complacent & over estimate hence my checks. I know if I let this slide I’ll end up making bad food choices, eating more than I need & be back where I started.

Lunch: martini (not shown) and a salad: 482 cals, ate 1/3, then another 1/3 about an hour later. Snack: the rest of my salad plus cucumber toast and some truffle cheese: 179 cals Had other snacks throughout the day: chicharron, 1/2 of a banana muffin, pepperoni stick, walnuts, cheese. Dinner was marinated skirt steak and some avocado salad. Ended the day at 1888 calories.

Welcome. It’s ok to feel scared & nervous. It’s surgery. Food likely is something you depend upon as an emotional support & that is going to change & you will be changing what & how you eat. Things like how much pain you will experience after surgery is very individual. You may have a lot of gas pain or nine at all (I didn’t after my sleeve) but there are things you can do to help the gas escape your body. You may experience surgical pain for a couple of days or a week but again you’ll have access to pain meds to help. You may have muscular discomfort & struggle to get up & down for a little while or you may have very little at all. Pre surgical diets differ a lot too. Some are two weeks, some are just a couple of days. Some are all shakes. Others 2 meals shakes & 1 meal protein & vegetables. Mine was keto so … (I have done shake diets before & for a couple of months at a time.) The first challenge to the pre surgical diet is the psychological loss of the crunch & chew comfort of solid food. This can increase your head hunger & cause a lot of emotional turmoil. The second is the withdrawal symptoms (headaches, nausea, tiredness, etc.) from cutting out caffeine & sugar. This usually lasts less than a week. These things are small & are only a couple of weeks in duration. Nothing when you consider the big picture of your whole life & your health. The surgery is an opportunity to makes big changes but you have to be psychologically & emotionally ready. Don’t be afraid to seek support from a therapist (one who specialises in bariatric patients & disordered eating are best). A lot of people have found therapy extremely helpful. Yes, you are on a low calorie restricted diet & eating small portions to begin. Initially it is to support your healing. Then to make you look at the nutritional benefits of what you eat but within a few months you’ll be eating more & a greater variety of food. By maintenance you’ll be eating the portion sizes we all should be eating (not those giant plates two & three times more than what we actually need & lead to our obesity). And you’ll be consuming only the calories your body needs to function effectively & maintain your weight. You’ll discover your relationship with food will change. I still enjoy eating & the taste & texture of food but I see it as something my body needs to function & not as something to comfort & soothe me emotionally - because I’m bored, sad, happy, angry, etc. I’m not continuously thinking about what & when I’ll eat next. It’s that maxim of eating to live not living to eat. All the best.

Congratulations. Such wonderful news after your struggles. Pregnancy seems to be quite common after WLS. All the hormones flooding your body make you extra fertile. Likely why some surgeons recommend doubling up on contraception for a while. Have you spoken with your dietician? They’ll be able to advise on the small changes you’ll need to make to your eating plan. You’ll also find that you don’t have to add that many additional calories to your diet so your weight loss won’t be compromised just delayed with your pregnancy. I’ve read you slowly increase to only 200-300 extra calories by the third trimester. That old ‘eating for two’ was just an excuse for people to overeat. It may be different for as you’re on a fairly low calorie diet now. And you’re already eating a much healthier & more balanced diet which will be benefitting your baby. All the best.

Hi PM2022, What kind of surgery did you have? I had a sleeve 10 years ago. Yes, with a sleeve I am able to physically drink coffee. I love my coffee, but it sometimes make my GERD worse. And , yes, I can drink beer too, but the carbonation is irritating to the stomach many times. But here's the deal. I can eat and drink anything I want (smaller portions)... I have also proven to myself that I can regain 30 pounds indulging on calorie-rich food and alcohol. (That doesn't feel good, trust me.) I would encourage you to hang tough Enjoy your new tummy and the restriction (even though it may be temperamental for awhile), follow the diet, log your foods , and enjoy the weight loss. "Nothing tastes as good as feeling thin feels." It will be worth the effort. Hang tough!

If you are on all liquids right now the post op diet is pretty much the same with the exception that some people can not drink a full shake right away. I was able to drink a full shake relatively quick after a couple days. And I could swallow pills the same day as my surgery. I did have one medication that literally requires to be taken with at least a 350 calorie meal to absorb properly and I had to ask my dr to switch me to another medication because that wouldn’t work out for a while post op. Maybe there is another medication that you can switch to temporarily IF you have issues. Which like I said I didn’t. I probably would’ve been able to take those a couple days post surgery with a shake. Possibly sooner with nausea meds??

I asked my dietician about alcohol and she said a glass or two of champagne during the winter holidays was fine - I was 5.5 weeks post op by then. It did hit me harder and wear off quicker than before. I've had wine most weekends since then - one or two glasses. I'm certain it must have slowed my weight loss because there are calories in it, but I accept that because I really like wine. I hope you got some answers that were helpful OP!

I am 8 weeks post op. I was sleeved on 3/1/22 and everything has been going great until last weekend when I tripped on the stairs and sliced my big toe open. Now I’m sitting around the house with a bandaged toe and a boot for outside. I’m so bummed because I had just gotten into a good workout routine. Although I am still hitting my protein and water goals I noticed right away that I was consuming more calories. I feel bloated and just all around blah. I convinced myself yesterday that this is where my weight loss stops and I just need to find happiness in where I am at now. My starting weight was 266 and I now weigh 222.6 lbs. All in my feels today….

Hi: New to this site, thanks for any imput. I am fighting the post op blues still and I am learning what I can and can't eat, soft food wise. I am experiencing sort of a wave of nausea when something hits my stomach, it usually goes away, except once when I didn't chew enough, then it came back. Anyone experience this? Anyway I sort of dread eating now, and I had a really hard time even getting near the 500-700 calories a day my doctor recommended. (I'm sure this has been asked many, many times before) But will I ever enjoy eating again? I'm not hungry but it is difficult to see others eat things I use to love, and this adds to my feelings of depression and regret. I'm sure this will change but it would help to hear from others. Thanks!

Not sure if it’s too late to chime in to be helpful but I’ll give you my experience and advice. I was not given much guidance by my program about alcohol other than to avoid it for the empty calories aspect. As a Jew, wine is part of our holidays, rituals and celebrations so it’s hard to avoid. Yea, I could do juice but I don’t want to, I like wine and I’m an adult, damnit. I had a small glass at home a week or so post op and noticed that it feels a little funny when it hits my stomach but that goes away quickly and I drink a lot less than I used to. I feel it sooner, but once I stop drinking the buzzed feeling goes away sooner too. So overall for me a pro. I drink 1-3 glasses a week (still much less than I did before) and do not binge cause I don’t want to get hammered in a hurry. If you’re going to drink at an event, I’d recommend trying it at home to see how you handle it. That way if you have a problem, you’re in a safe place. I can’t speak to the dumping as although I drink sweet wine, I haven’t had an issue. I just treat it like any other liquid and don’t chug or take big sips. This way, one glass lasts a lot longer too. Another bonus in my opinion. If your program specifically forbids it, I’d recommend following that recommendation just to save the hassle of having to tell them what you did lol. And I agree that if you chose not to drink then it shouldn’t be a problem. If you need to lol like you’re drinking you can always have the bartender mix up a cranberry and water cocktail or similar mixed drink minus the alcohol. If you chose to drink, you can nurse a glass of wine for an hour or more at a time and ask the bartender to pour you a weak cocktail, should you desire you a mixed drink. Bartenders are like hairdressers, they’re good at keeping secrets 😉

Ooh I misread what you were saying. Yea some people have a harder time early out getting more than a few bites in. Eventually most of us end up closer to a normal serving size (of course that’s just an average). If you feel like you are not getting in enough calories you can always supplement with broth or shakes until you can get more in.

Thank you for the extremely helpful ideas…pickle salad recipe please? And, believe it or not, I love egg white omelettes so I’m good with those. I’m thinking low calorie with free foods for 2 weeks or more. When I know my surgery date, then I can do 2 weeks strict liver shrinking. Please share any hints you have. And thanks again.

most of us gain 10-20 lbs from our lowest weight sometime during year 3. I sometimes attend Unjury's virtual support groups, and they had a really interesting dietitian on a couple of weeks ago. She said almost everyone gains at least 5% of their lowest weight, and her clinic doesn't even consider it regain unless the person gains more than 15% of their lowest weight. Anything less than that (i.e., less than a 15% gain) is just normal settling....so that's more or less equivalent to the 10-20 lbs that I mentioned. so, in other words, your "regain" is normal - just the normal rebound that the vast majority of us experience after hitting bottom. Of course, you can always lose weight again by cutting calories - but if your body is now at it's "setpoint", then it'll be a struggle to take it off and keep it off - BUT...it can be done if you're willing to put in the work.

You can easily figure out the calorie count of recipes you make yourself by using the "recipe" function on a calorie calculator like MyFitnessPal. Just add all the ingredients in manually, then divide by the number of servings (I divide my recipes into small containers as soon as I cook them and just re-heat the individual portion).

Calories in calories out (calorie deficit) ALWAYS works. But you have to stick with it. Also, the types of calories matter. If you're eating slider foods, you won't be full, so you'll keep eating. Stick to protein (meat, fish, tofu, beans, etc) and limit sweets. It's very common to gain some weight back after surgery, but it's much easier to lose 25 lbs of re-gain than to lose 50 or more, so it's best to nip it in the bud. Try counting calories for a few days at least so you know WHAT/how much you're eating so you know what you need to work on. It's good to know you need to make a change!

I’m on my 4th day of a 1000 calorie diet. I start all liquids on Friday! I thought the same thing. It is very hard. But it totally is a mindset change! I get my surgery on Monday and I am so excited. I was most nervous for the pre op diet as well.

PLEASE HELP WITH SUGGESTIONS! I weighed 284 at my heaviest, I got down to about 135 at my lightest. Within the past 6 months, I've gained about 25 pounds! I know I've been eating more and eating crappier so I'm not surprised. I just need to know how to lose it again. I've heard of people "resetting"? How does that work? Also, after WLS, is there even a point in doing the whole "calorie deficit" thing? Does it work? Open to ANY AND ALL suggestions. Thanks!

My surgeon only had me on 3 days. Started on a Friday for Monday surgery. Most of my calories just came from Sprite and Jello. You don't have to do diet everything.

Gold Peak Tea makes a Zero Calorie sweet tea that is great. I find it at the grocery store.

Your calories sound right in line with where you should be right now and the serving sizes seem appropriate. Follow your surgery center's recommendation on macros for protein, etc. Congratulations on your surgery. Keep us posted on your progress.

So day 1 is in the books and I'm now on to day 2. Something I learned is that I have to make sure I'm getting enough calories. I only had just under 600 calories for the day yesterday and I was beyond tired, had headaches, and felt shaky. Today I'm making sure I have between 1000 - 1200 calories, and hopefully I'll feel better.

Definitely talk to your dietician especially as you’d like more guidelines around calories & portion sizes. Never be reluctant to ask for as much help &. advice as you need. You have to feel very comfortable & confident with your food choices.But also never get down on yourself if you make a mistake or get confused. You’ve lost weight so you’re not totally on the wrong path. 🙂 I’d also ask for a recommended food list for each stage. While in the liquid stage, we’re usually encouraged to consume protein shakes & in my list, yoghurt was not recommended to try until purée (too thick). I’m also presuming you’re straining your soups & only eating the broth component. Many are not allowed caffeine either so it may be an idea to check that too. There are lots of variations of calories, portion sizes, food restrictions & recommendations, stages, etc. so it is always best y check what your surgeon & team want you to do. It is difficult to work out the calorie content of foods you make yourself. That’s when I found portion size recommendations were really helpful from purées. On liquids, I used to sip for as long as I wanted & reheat as necessary. I’d take a couple of hours to drink my breakfast shake. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

I read an article that, simply put, explained weight gain from consuming artificial sweeteners occurred because the body tastes sweet & so expects there to be sweet it can use for energy. (Our body does need some glucose to function.) But because there isn’t any glucose, your body thinks something is wrong & will store calories you consume as future energy i.e. as fat. Does make sense as your body will go into starvation mode & store as many calories as it can in times when food intake is low. It’s why many find their weight loss eventually stops on ultra low calorie diets. And of course artificial sweeteners do absolutely nothing to modify/eradicate your cravings for sweet things. Plus there’s a lot of the studies about the negative impact of them on gut health & your immune system. It’s hard to get sweeteners completely out of your diet as they’re in so many things but at least reducing the amount you’re consuming can only be a good thing.

I'm reading that some people can only eat 3-4 bites! Thats wonderful. Sometimes I wonder, is this working for me, I can eat more than that. I'm trying to reassess and slow it down more and get in touch with my full factor. I can drink a full 8 oz of water without any problem. I still deal with hunger pains, but they are better than normal, some days I'm only eating 800 calories a day, I've noticed if I don't feel hunger pains at least a little, I'm not losing.