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I had a pre-existing problem with acid reflux. The gastric sleeve has a tendency to cause or worsen reflux, so my surgeon said he never does the sleeve on people like me. I have been more than happy with my results from the gastric bypass and NO acid reflux. It just disappeared, as my surgeon said it would. And I've changed my whole way of looking at food. It's been a wonderful experience.

I still have an itchy scalp, it drives me crazy. I am regular at the hair salon asking for a lice check. [ I know her well] I now have to buy extreemly expensive, lightweight shampoo to calm it. I put the dryness and dandruff down to a lack of greasy, oily foods in my diet. They make me dump. Never thought it could be surgery driven

I had sleeve done 12/17/24 and am making some progress. Slowly but surely. This week started soft food.

It’s been ok, I’m ready for puree stage next week. I want something different to eat. Good luck to you with surgery, let me know if you have any questions

Congrats on taking the first step! As @FifiLux pointed out, the keys are really going to be reducing portion sizes and making good food choices. These will be really important after surgery, so getting started on them sooner rather than later is the right approach. By the way, fad diets like Low Carb and Keto may work for some people, but as you said, they don't work for you so there's no point going there. It's also really critical you don't try to make drastic changes all at once. What you need to focus on is one sustainable positive change at a time until it becomes the new norm for you. People almost inevitably fail when they make wholesale changes to their diet and activity level simultaneously. Also, If after implementing a particular change it still feels like a challenge to you, then keep at it until that one is just part of what you do. Once you get to that point, only then is it time to try to make another change. My suggestion is to pick no more than 2-3 things per month you want to change about your diet and activity level and start with the ones you think will be easiest first. Changing subjects a bit, let's do some math here. To lose 6 pounds a month, you'd need to reduce your energy balance by -750 calories a day. This can be made up of lower intake, greater activity, or most likely both. At your current weight, walking ~3 miles an hour would burn ~200 calories per mile. Thus a 30 minute walk would burn ~300 calories and an hour walk would burn ~600. Add in smaller portions of the same things you're eating now and 6 pounds a month will be easily attainable. Keep us updated as you progress and the smart folks here will be glad to help.

I'm on day 3 of my pre-op liquid diet. My surgery date is the 30th. Three protein shakes a day, and I can blend fruit (apple and/or berries) with some protein powder for a smoothie and also non-starch veggies for pureed soup. No sugar, no carbs, no dairy. Thank goodness for my Magic Bullet and immersion blender! It's going okay so far. My cravings are all head hunger because the liquid diet is keeping me full. I'm also having doubts every day. I know I need to do this because whatever I lose, I will just gain back and then some. I've lost 60 lbs. over and over again for the last 15 years. I can never keep it off. So, this surgery isn't necessarily to help me lose as I know I can do that on my own, but to help me maintain loss and keep it off for good. There are so many things I love that I am looking forward to doing, things my weight has been preventing for most of my adult life. Shopping "normal" sizes, traveling, socializing, horseback riding. I just need to focus on my long-term goals.

I appreciate your input I have to loose the 34 lbs prior to surgery due to my fatty liver. I feel very confident that I can lose the 34 lbs. I just thought is was crappy that the first person to comment was someone trying to rain on my parade. As for a tracker, I am using Baritastic app. The weight loss clinic gave me a code to put in that pulls up their program and their staff can check on my stats right on the app and recommend changes, etc. thru it also. Plus I can log all my food & water, activity, & vitamins. I am definitely starting an exercise regimen now. Walking and some light weights. Also trying to train myself to drink water... I've never been one to drink much, so this part is tough LOL

A few of us have only told our most supportive friends and family before we had the surgery. I personally didn't need any of the negativity that comes from worried others, people who think they know about the surgery or the one person that I know who failed with a sleeve. I find that people will post things on facebook that they might not say to your face. If they did, you would get a chance to ask why they felt you may be the same as them. It is a brutal test to see if you can loose this big amount of weight pre surgery but plenty people have managed it. I had a 3 week liver shrink diet. I cursed that surgeon every day of it. AND I was paying for the privilege. I very badly wanted the surgery, my life depended on it. Thats what got me through. You will have to find the disipline from somewhere and start as soon as you can. Start moving more, walking was my go to. Started small and ended up finding the world. Find a tracker you can use every day. Set yourself a reasonable calorie limit. Log everything you eat and drink. Good or bad. I still do it, I use Fat Secret. There are lots of other free sites. Eat fresh food, home cooked. You know the calories then. Plan your food and buy it in. That way you will never be tempted to get a take out Its a test but you can get there. Keep on this site, keep talking to us.

I know it is hard but try not to let her (and anyone else with a negative attitude) get to you. You have taken a big step and congratulations on starting the journey to a new you. Did the medical team say they wouldn't operate if you didn't reach the 34lb loss? I am sure they don't stop everything if you are just a few pounds short so don't stress if you can help it. You say it is a supervised plan so I presume they are used to helping patients follow it and adapt it to an individuals needs so that should be a help for you. You are so motivated (studying, saving etc) that you will do your best and any loss pre-surgery is a win. I had sleeve surgery and in the months before I tried my best to eat smaller portions so I switched to an appetiser sized bowl and plate for most of my meals. I knew I would be using them after the surgery so figured may as well ease myself into it. I also tried to start eating slower - I am still not great at that but better than before. Food wise don't go so extreme that you then self sabotage at some point out of desperation for a food you love. We all have different reasons for getting to the size we do that needs surgical intervention, for me it was partly not knowing when to stop eating, too much carbs and alcohol and not exercising at all. I didn't have to go on a diet pre-op or do the liver reduction thing a lot of patients have to do but in the weeks before my surgery I went on holiday and ate everything I wanted so actually went up in weight so then when I returned I just cut down on things but still allowed myself an occasional treat, so instead of pastries for breakfast I had Greek or skyr yogurts, shop bought sandwiches etc for lunch were swapped for homemade veg soup, for dinners instead of pizza's, burgers and pasta dishes I tried to have more chicken & veg based meals, cutting back on a lot of carbs. I swapped out rice and pasta for cauliflower rice or lentil pasta. These small changes helped me get back on track before my surgery but as I didn't have to follow a pre-surgery diet plan it was more for me, so as to get into good habits. I am sure there will be plenty of advice and support here for you 💪

Had my consult at Banner University Medical center in Tucson. The team seems really nice and eager for you to succeed. My first appt with the dietician is Jan 29th and is supposed to be about 90 minutes. Lots of tests I need to have completed asap; sleep study, cardiology clearance, endoscopy, barium swallow, psych eval, chest X-ray, and a ton of labs. Gotta complete the 6 month supervised diet and lose 10% of my weight throughout the 6 months. They want to see a little each month and not a lot at real quick. I weighed 344 yesterday and they want me at 310 before surgery. I shared this in a Facebook forum and the 1st comment was, "Really, how do they figure you can lose that much in 6 mos? Wow. Good luck with that!" (Nothing like a little encouragement right off the bat! 😬 ) I replied that it's only 34 lbs & I need to lose 6 lbs a month. She said if she could lose 6 lbs a month she wouldn't need surgical help! I looked at her profile & it turns out she's a failed ESG from September because 'she likes food too much'. BUT now it's in my head that maybe I can't lose the 34 lbs in time. I'm definitely ready to get this going! I have studied this for so many years! I'm super excited to have finally taken this step & have saved money for the last several months to cover my deductible & most of my Out of Pocket max. The fat girl in me decided I needed a food funeral, so I had my last ever buffet yesterday. I hope this 6 months goes by quickly! I'm ready to feel better & move better. My knees & back need a break LOL! If y'all have any tips for losing the 34 lbs in 6 months, please share them. I know low carb/sugar free & keto..... but I've obviously never been successful with them or I wouldn't be this big.

This is my current situation except I’ve been on Wegovy for only 3 months. I haven’t lost any weight. The food noise is there and I don’t feel I’m eating less. I tried to get Zepbound (my insurance will cover it) but I haven’t been able to find a doctor who will prescribe it (because of my previous VSG surgery). I’m planning to meet with a Bariatric surgeon this week to discuss a possible revision surgery.

Thank you! Yeah, spreading it out does seem to help a bit, or literally 'eating' the meds with something that barely needs chewed, like yogurt or cottage cheese. The three I am supposed to take in the morning are Prilosec, Strattera, and Chantix. Something about those three together is a recipe for ick and I'm not sure why. I wish I could ditch the Chantix but to keep from relapsing into smoking I don't dare yet. I've already slipped up a few times on the smoking; have to really focus on redirecting myself after eating to keep from lighting up while my food settles. I thankfully don't have issues with my chewable vitamins and do space my Calcium out at least three hours from my multi with iron; I mainly need to focus on mindfulness regarding all of my intake. I am glad my relationship with food is getting better though! I don't completely restrict myself from any food but just keep in mind how the food will make me feel. WIN: I'm definitely getting better about noting the difference between brain hunger and physical hunger and reach for a protein before a salty carb to sate cravings!

A typical pre-op is dependent on your insurance and your surgeon, but most require things like: A series of monthly visits with a dietitian. 3 to 6 monthly visits are fairly common A visit with a psychiatrist or psychologist. Depending on the outcome, you may need to undergo treatment for an undiagnosed eating disorder One or more education sessions typically done over a series of weeks. This is to better prepare you for both the immediate post-op diet, as well as long term expectations. These are sometimes, but not always done together with the dietitian visits. Clearance from your primary care doctor and depending on your health history, clearances from other doctors such as a cardiologist or endocrinologist. Numerous blood tests, both to look for potential problems and to set a baseline. Again depending on your health history and your surgeons preferences, you might need to have things such as an endoscopy and/or a swallow study done. Some people may even need additional imaging done such as CT or MRI scans. As a diabetic, they may require your A1C to be below a prescribed value. This is for your safety. Honestly I'm probably forgetting some stuff. If so, I'm sure others here can chime in. In terms of lifetime changes to your eating patterns, you need to make sure you're prepared to make better food choices for life. It's a sad fact, but a pretty high number of people that have weight loss surgery eventually gain the weight back. This can be avoided by learning how to make better food choices now, so you don't fall back into old habits once the stomach restriction eases off. It's often misunderstood by those not familiar with bariatric surgery that weight loss post surgery is "easy". Yes, the initial loss can be easier that it would have been otherwise, but keeping the weight off is just as hard, if not harder that it would have been had you not had the surgery. This is why learning how to eat better is so important. People that lose weight naturally and keep it off do so through repeatedly making good food choices and strict discipline. That knowledge carries over really well to long term weight maintenance. The people that fail weight loss surgery often found initial weight loss easy, but sometimes really struggle once they get to maintenance since they don't know how to eat like a "normal" person. Add in the fact that a formerly obese person trying to maintain weight typically can't eat as much food as someone that was never overweight even if they are the exact same body size, and you can see why retraining yourself here is critical. Throw in the fact that (at least in my opinion), most obese people either have an eating disorder, or at least suffer from disordered eating, and it's obvious that the surgery is just a small component to overall success. TL;DR: IMO, It's better to take your time and do it right.

There were definitely days during Christmas time when I was eating close or at 1500, mostly because all the food was more high caloric than what I normally eat. It’s not an always thing for me but it happens on hungry days for me.

I think the first thing for you to do is determine if you're experiencing "head hunger", real hunger, or both. True hunger typically will feel like your stomach rumbling or growling (at least pre-surgery), as well as cues like weakness, tiredness and irritability. You typically don't crave specific things in this case. This should also go away when you have a shake or your 1 meal. Head hunger is an emotional response and typically in this instance, you'll will be craving specific foods (typically comfort foods). In this instance, it's less likely to go away when you eat. If what you're experiencing is real hunger, my experience was that I got over that in 3 days or so as my body adjusted to the lower intake. It also helped to keep busy to have things to distract me. If this is not going away after a few days, you might want to talk to your surgery center and see if they'd allow you to maybe add an additional shake or something else like jello or a pickle. (As an aside, I found pickles to be a life saver because my pre-op meals were just shakes (no actual meals like you get), and the additional of the pickle let me have something to actually eat vs. just having drinks all day. For head hunger, you need to recognize it as such. Just being knowledgeable and recognizing what's going on will really help. I didn't do this, but some people find it really valuable to keep a journal so you can write down what your feeling and why this particular feel is making you want to eat. Distracting yourself with activities or socializing will also help here as well.

I'm sorry I haven't replied until now. Just got on here yesterday and wasn't on my computer so couldn't see everything well. My life has been so so busy since I first came on here! I had 14 dietitian appointments and other visits while working extra to help my clients get ready for Christmas then surgery was on Dec. 2. So just been crazy. Just now on regular foods. Having trouble with liquids and protein myself. Making tuna salad meal prepping this evening for tonight and tomorrow. Tuna and eggs helps. And I'm getting better at drinking all day but wasn't before and was struggling a lot. I always drank a lot when I ate food so this is a whole new world for me. And also I've noticed my tastes have changed so much! Have yours?

Hi hi 👋 Today I decided to just log in my food to c where I am at calories and macros wise and I was abit surprised that I am eating close to 1100 and around 90g of protien which is great but I was just like hmm isn't that "alot" i am losing weight so I must be on a deficit for sure but I just assumed I'm eating way less. Also I was basically hungry all day. Because I worried I'd reach 1500 if I listened to my hunger.

Instead of MALS, It sounds to me like something is putting pressure on your phrenic nerve when you eat. The main job of the phrenic nerve is to innervate the diaphragm, A few possible causes that might lead to this: A Hiatal hernia Something is pressing upward on, or alternatively pulling down on your diaphragm as your new stomach fills with food You've suffered some sort of damage to your diaphragm itself such as a diaphragmatic hernia The reason your shoulder also hurts is because the phrenic nerve is tied in with something called the brachial plexus which innervates your shoulders and arms. Not to scare you, but there are some pretty serious issues that could happen for some of these conditions. You definitely need to push back against any doctor that's not taking this seriously. At a minimum, they should order some imaging of the affected area to look for anomalies. Best of luck.

That looks delish. Maybe you could do a bariatric food blog or something.

Yea the lettuce and pickles were free foods on my preop diet and was allowed a zero sugar yogurt as a snack so instead of eating it all at once I used it as a “salad dressing” and ate it with my free food just to be able to chew on something when my brain was telling me I was hungry. Sounds pretty gross now but it worked. 🤷‍♀️

Hey thanks, yeah I am trying very hard to stick with it by making semi normal food at night. This is how I will eat going forward, maybe not as big a portion, but right now getting about 8-900 cals per day, figure that will be good for weight loss going forward. Your Pickle salad sounds interesting 😁 Funny how we obsess about one thing!!

You are doing pretty amazing with coming up with healthy versions of normal food. You will be ahead of the game when you get back to your normal foods.

It's valid to feel scared about this new experience and really good that you can express your fears to other people. My first thought as I'm reading this, though, is that your size is thoroughly unremarkable. It may not be where you want to it be, and you're doing great taking control of that and changing your life through having gastric bypass. But at your height and weight, surrounded by adults as you will be in college (and not middle school bullies), your weight simply isn't going to be a thing people notice about you all that much. I had my surgery when I was just slightly under where you are now, and I honestly had a friend (who is average weight/skinny) express total shock at my choice because she thought I was "only a little overweight" (while I thought I looked like a Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloon on two legs). Other people do not see us the way we see ourselves. In your mind, you seem to see yourself as worthy of being judged poorly and disliked for your appearance. I would ask, is this how you look at other people? Do you only befriend skinny people? Do you think fat people are terrible? Because if you do, that's a serious personality flaw that I would be way more concerned about fixing than my weight. And if you don't...neither do most people. Also, if they do? See my point about it being a serious personality flaw. Don't give that kind of person power over you. Your existence, exactly the way you are at any point in time, is not the problem. A person who is judging you for existing is demonstrating that their opinion is not worth considering. Most people don't notice weight first, unless maybe when someone is truly remarkable in size. Most people remember a person's confidence, humor, and overall disposition. They might remember a beautiful smile or a charming laugh, or maybe how you wore your hair or a colorful scarf. They want to be friends because they feel a connection to your personality, not because you have the "correct" size tag in your jeans. Again, if this is not the case, ask yourself why this is someone you want to concern yourself with. The person you want to be is not just a "skinny" person. At least, I really hope not. I would encourage you to make a list of 10 qualities right now that you want people around you to see and remember about you, and none of them can be about your weight or similar societal measure of physical attractiveness. Focus on that list. Do you want people to see you as smart? Kind? Funny? You can be all of those things today. You probably are all those things right now, if you let yourself believe that it's true. You don't have to lose a single ounce to make that happen. Do you want to be someone who takes care of your health? You're already doing it. Who eats right? Who exercises? You're that person now. Focus on the things you have control over. You don't get to choose your weight. None of us do. But you can make food and activity choices every day that promote a lower weight. You can't make a specific person or group like you. But you can be the kind of person many people will like. I wish you the very best of luck. I really wish I had known 30 years ago how absolutely, perfectly fine I was without changing anything, and how little other people's judgement actually mattered. It would have made so many things so much easier.

I have been on Wegovy for 6 months and have been on the highest dose for a month now. I have not had any side effects that I can tell, but I also haven't had any effects at all. No weight loss, food noise is still there and don't notice that I get full faster or less hungry. I asked my Dr about switching to Zepbound but my insurance won't cover it. Anybody else have this medication not do anything?

That’s a feast for the eyes oh and the food looks good too 😝