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No one tells you really how difficult it is to get in your protein post op. I am unable to drink the required Protein Powder it makes me sick to my stomach. Everything protein powder, protein water, protein yogurt seems to all have a chalky aftertaste. Can you guys give any suggestions or highly recommended products to get in protein that don’t taste chalky and disgusting ? Most ready made shakes taste overly sweet to me now . One month post op next week surviving on water, Jell-O, pudding and broth.

At 5 weeks post op I was just having 3 teeny tiny meals and lots of fluids. When you say you *want* a snack in between meals do you mean that you fancy something in particular (head hunger) or that you can't distract yourself from proper hunger with fluids or random activities, or that even if you do that you still feel proper hunger? 5 weeks would be super early for proper hunger to return! In any case, and to answer your original question - I stuck rigidly to the 30m before *and* after rule for about 18 months. I found after that that I could drink right up to the point of eating so I relaxed that part. However I still wait for more than an hour after eating before I drink fluids. It seems to prolong my satiety. Best of luck - I hope you can find your way through.

I only had that machine attached until that night because it broke, then I just rotated my legs/ ankles and moved my toes. i still was wearing the compression socks though but the following day after surgery I took them off. i work with doctors and I went in 6 days post op and he looked at my incisions etc and felt ny legs to make sure everything was okay and it was so unless you had any health issues that they recommended you to continue using them I have no idea why 2 weeks post op? they want you up and moving for that purpose as well

My god that is terrible and I wish you all the best. I had sleeve surgery in 2023 and had side effects but nothing to that extent and I am not sure what was due to possible hospital errors or just bad luck for me. I ended up with severe pancreatis and then infections because of a hole in my stomach. The hospital tried a few attempts of clipping the hole but that didn't work and now I have a coil/tube in the hole to hopefully have the hole heal around it over the next few months. If that doesn't work I may have to get bypass. I spent three months in hospital instead of just the one expected night, some for weeks on a feeding tube , had to get a transfusion and a lot of antibiotics. I am suffering severe exhaustion, not sleeping well and at times feeling quite down. I can't walk far without feeling weak and if I do something one day (like go to supermarket) I need the next day to recover. At times I question if I would have been better going down the medication route, but as I don't have diabetes and there are no studies yet available on how the injections impact long term I thought surgery was the safer bet, I really doubt that now. I still get stomach pains at times and I honestly don't know if that is due to the surgery complications or if everyone gets them. I nearly called for an ambulance on new years day I was in so much pain. I keep trying to be strong for my family, as they don't live in the same country as me and get very worried, but I find it is adding to my exhaustion. Some days I just have a bit of a cry as I feel there is no-one to compare myself to and it is all such an effort.

I actually did the math and took it to my surgeons office asking exactly how did they expect me to do it!? I further explained I'd have to drink right up to bedtime and sleep was just as important in the healing process, so if I drank just before bed..I'd be getting up several times in the night. I was told they "know right out of surgery there is no way to get in the entire water requirement." They just want you to try. My math (basic because I suck at math): Average "day" (excluding time for activities you can't be actively drinking water i.e. driving, showering, different tasks at work): 12 hours No drinking water 30 mins before and after and during a meal: 90 mins+- 90 x 3= 270/60 = 4.5 hours per day you aren't allowed to drink 12 hrs a day +- - 4.5 can't drink. = Leaves you 7.5 hours to get down 60+-oz each day 7.5 hours to get down 60oz each day @ 2oz. max each "drink" = .12 to get your sip in. In other words not real easy or possible if you also add nauseous! This isn't taking into consideration snacks (which I didn't do and still don't). Needless to say they found me funny. I wasn't going for "funny!" Said they'd never had a patient break it down before. I told them I'm a Histologist who manages a laboratory measuring in microns/millimeters/centimeters etc. everyday what did they expect?.. Perhaps they should have done the math before asking patients to do something! I asked who has time for that!? That's when they said to work up to it, its not expected for awhile, to just try..its a goal to shoot for. Eventually you'll be able too. So no worries, just do the best you can! 😆

I definitely understand. Mine will be two weeks after yours, and I also have my final meeting with the surgeon on Jan 23. It's a big step, and it's a good sign you're not taking it lightly. Is there anything specific that scares you, or just the whole situation? The only time I've ever had a surgery or anesthesia was when I had my wisdom teeth out. It's definitely a good cause for some nerves, but don't let yourself get freaked out!

I had revision May2023 due to stage 2 esophagitis the herd was extremely bad. Since May I’m down 74 lbs it’s definitely much different from the sleeve . I HAVE NO HEARTBURN!. I went to a new dr for this and his program has helped me tremendously. I just stick to their guidelines and exercise 4-6 days a week.

I recently got diagnosed with stage 1 type 3 Lipedema 1.5 years after my VSG. The reason that pushed me to explore because I had lost weight all overall but my legs didn’t change much compared to the drastic changes I had in the rest of my body. The pain, heaviness and bruising I had before surgery continued. I had originally thought it was related to my weight. My surgeries are booked with a Specialist Lipedema Surgeon, they will take place later this year (hopefully all goes according to plan). I was wondering if anyone else is going through this too? I would love to hear anything you would like to share.

I am five weeks post op and finally starting to feel hungry enough to want a small snack in between lunch and dinner. I was wondering if you enforce the no-drinking 30 mins before/after rule with small snacks. I've been holding firm to the rule and totally understand the rationale behind it, but it definitely is making it hard for me to reach my water goals. I have no problem drinking, but having to give up 1.5 hours of drinking time per meal really adds up! It seems like giving up another ~1.5 hours for a snack just isn't worth it. How do you handle drinking around snacks? TIA!

Yes, pre existing gerd is a hard no for sleeve in almost all cases. Sleeve won’t fix it & will likely make it worse necessitating a 2nd surgery to convert to bypass. I had reflux/gerd before my sleeve. The only reason my surgeon decided to proceed with a sleeve was because my reflux was mild & I managed it for years with dietary choices. I only took meds a couple or so times a year. If it was more severe, & I needed regular medication, he wouldn’t have done it. My reflux is worse & I take meds every day which manages it but the symptoms are different. We have similar stats in regards height & I had a similar starting weight (200lbs). Having reflux didn’t hinder my weight loss. Plus I’m menopausal (perimenopause & menopause was when I put on the bulk of my weight & pushed me to obesity). I lost all my weight plus more & have kept it off. And I wasn’t active at all Lol! Avoid comparing your rate of weight loss with anyone else. We all lose at our own rate & what is best for us & our body. Comparing usually leads to frustration & worry. Have you met with your dietician recently & gone through your meal tracking? There may be something you’re missing or need or don’t need. A stall of more than a month isn’t common. Try to increase your fluid consumption. You should aim for 64oz or likely more as you say you are very active. And yes, while muscle weighs more than fat it’s not that much more. Say a container of fat weighs 1kg. The same container of muscle weighs 1.2kg so we only talking ounces of difference. Have you been taking body measurements to better understand where you might be in regards to muscle growth?

I am a Gerd patient and got the sleeve Sept 5, 2023. My HW 210, SW 206, CW 180. I hit the plateau in November 2023 and havent lost any weight since. I did have GERD previously before the surgery with a hiatal hernia 2cm; but, my stomach was literally stuck in my chest since 2008. I was told by my surgeon that GERD patients have a harder time losing weight. I workout 4 days hard since 3 weeks after surgery, I still watch what i eat as a GERD patient not weight loss. I want to know if anyone is going through this stall as well. I've seen videos of people around 240lbs weighing 120 6m after surgery.To me that is crazy, I do eat carbs but its limited and I still keep my protein intake above 90g daily. I do track my meals and i'll have days ill eat 1000 cal or below and sometimes as high as 1200 cals. I do drink about 48 oz of water sometimes less or more. When will my plateau stop or is it cause i am building my muscle fast; I was never obese just in my belly that is my issue. the left pic is 1 yr before surgery and the pic on the right is 4 months after surgery

Day and night 5, Food and Meds The website said everyone speaks English, but 2 of 3 assigned to me don't speak much of it. We use Google translate, which is close enough to get it across. I didn't take a shower yesterday because I didn't like being helped with it and I figured since I sat in bed all day, at worse, I had a few crumbs. I suggest you do shower every day to keep an eye on your incisions. The really itchy spot turned out to be a blister. I've never been alergic to tape, but I have a couple blisters under the tape they used to hold gauze on.I'm able to get in bed without hurting now. I'm hoping it isn't just because I'm on pain meds. Starting day 3, I've been walking 2 or 3 times a day for a few minutes. Today, I walked for 15 minutes. Needless to say, I walk slow and hunched over. They gave me compression socks at the hospital, and I thought I put them in my bag when I got dressed, but I didn't. I tend to sleep most of the day and work and watch TV at night and go to sleep for the night after midnight meds. Before coming, I sent them dietary needs and asked if I could bring my own breakfast. I told them I'd had gastric sleeve and can only eat 6oz at a time, and no eggs or seafood. Unless you are adventurous or bring your own food as a backup, I suggest you be specific as to what you want to eat. I've had chicken or turkey, potatoes and salad 3 times (OK); soup 3 times, veg, chicken veg with barley, and veg with a big meatball (OK); tostados with weird stuff on it twice (not OK); I'm missing one meal, I think I told them I wasn't hungry and they asked if I'd like ice cream (I said yes and they brought a small bowl). For breakfast they make what I brought for breakfast, protein oatmeal and add a scoop of collagen with the added missing amino acid (they always use too much water). In addition to the oatmeal and collagen protein powder, I brought cheese and crackers, pure Protein Protein bars, and beef jerkey (I'm a rebel. It's low in fat, high in protein, low calorie, I spit out gristle, and if they ever have to cut a ball of gristle from my stomach then I'll give up beef). In the hospital, my doc gave me meds. The 2 antibiotics were to be taken every 8 hours, but not together and with food. The pain pills was take #1 and if it isn't enough take #2 2 hours later. #3 was only 3 pills and were the strongest and only to be taken at night if the pain was excruciating. I turned them over to the nurse at the house. They give me both #1 and #2 pain pills every time (6am, 8am, 2pm, 4pm, 10pm, midnight). I didn't object because I want to be as pain free as possible and they don't make me fuzzy). When they wake me up at 6am they give me fruit or peanut butter toast so I have something in my stomach. They don't bring food at the other times, but they know that I eat my snacks between meals.

25th for me, this time next week I will be at the hospital

From what I gathered, most programs don't really give you a set calorie goal or exact amount of carbs and fat. Mine gave me a protein goal 80-100g and to concentrate on hydration and vitamins. Typically because of restriction, by the time you work around getting to the protein goal, carbs and fats work themselves out. That being said, I am 9 months out and typically have around 1000 cals a day, 80g protein avg, and 50g or less of carbs just because that's how it works out. I don't pay too much mind to fats. Your loss is great and your rate of continuous loss of 1-2lbs a week is great. It definitely slows down as you lose and your body adjusts. Stalls are also common and don't last forever. It took me a month to lose 3lbs and then I lost 3lbs in a week after. It's just part of the process. Every body is different and even your own body will behave differently at different stages.

Two weeks for me. 1st week I can have a small balance meal for dinner, 2nd all clear liquid with no red dye.

I'm only four months post-op and have lost 65lbs as of this morning. I've been trying to maintain 900-1000 calories per day with a minimum 70g protein and trying to limit carbs to 50g or less and fat to 35g or less. At my three month post-op consult with my bariatric nutritionist, she was satisfied with those numbers and was happy with my weight loss progress to that point, which was 48lbs. I'm currently riding a plateau and have only lost 3lbs over the past couple of weeks, but it's my second one since surgery and while frustrating, I know it'll pass.

Lol, you are right, the ones that fit always seem to be more expensive. I Tried on an old 32F yesterday, the cup fit good after getting all the "boob material" in- thanks ms.sss for the new reference, <3. A 30 will fit better. I want to wait til after PS to get new bras but I'm running out of options. My daughter sent me a link last night to an Amazon bra in the correct band and cup size that was around $30-35. The price is interesting. Quality? who knows.

Happy Birthday! A little treat won't hurt, but 2 big things: 1. Don't beat yourself up over going off of the diet once. It can easily lead to a spiral where you feel bad. Remind yourself its not a big deal when its a single event, just resume at the next meal like nothing happened, and don't let it become a daily habit! 2. Expect sugar cravings and being "hangry" for a day or two after having a sweet treat after weeks of having none. I felt ravenous after having treats over the holidays, and couldn't figure out why. I wanted to eat more than I knew I could physically handle. Our bodies are engineered to make the most of carbs because up until a hundred years or so ago, they were rare for humans to come across. Nowadays, sugar and starch are in everything, and our bodies haven't adapted to that change in food availability yet. That instinct will kick in and make you want to eat "all the carbs". The following 2-3 days, resist it and remember to stick to higher protein and savory foods until it passes.

Agreed with what the others said. Be careful lifting weight, including the grandkids, before you are ready. It just takes overdoing it once to cause a hernia, requiring additional surgery. Other than that, the movement is a good thing, but listen to when your body says its tired. Balancing exercise and rest is very important the first month or two. Would you rather have a little more rest now periodically through the day while still getting somethings done, or overdo it and force yourself into a situation where you have to have repair surgery and risk several weeks on bed rest getting nothing done in the future? To prevent overdoing it, look into the Pomodoro Technique. Basically set a timer to do a task for "x" number of minutes, and then rest for "y" number of minutes. Early on, you may want 10-15 minutes of activity followed by 30-45 minutes of rest. Then as you progress, shift more time into activity and reduce the rest time, but its most effective keeping the entire cycle under 1 hour total. As far as the internal pain goes, its likely its still gas trapped and built up. Take Gas-X, and when you're walking around, do exercises with your arms lifted or over your head. I'm not sure exactly, but it has something to do with the blood flow being distributed to all of your limbs and helping breakdown and expel the gas quicker. I would have it go from my lower left side to up in my shoulders, and it was just a discomfort I couldn't shake. That movement and the medicine helped to break it up and would give me a few hours of relief.

most people with bypass don't have complications- and of those who do, they are usually minor and correctable (or in the case of dumping, preventable). Major complications with bypass are pretty rare. only about 30% of bypass patients dump. I never have, and neither do most of the other bypass patients I know. For those who do dump, it can usually be prevented by not eating a bunch of sugar or fat at one sitting (which none of us should be doing *anyway*). I threw up occasionally the first few weeks after surgery when I ate too much, too fast, or something that my stomach wasn't going to tolerate, but now I throw up about as often as I did pre-surgery - that is, very rarely. And as for food intolerances, most of those are temporary, but some can become permanent. But you'll figure out what your body will and won't tolerate pretty quickly. re: only eating a couple of bites of food. That's only in the first few weeks after surgery. For the last several years, no one would be able to tell I've had bypass surgery by watching me eat. They'd just assume I'm a "light eater", like many of my women friends who've never been obese. When I go to restaurants, if I'm not that hungry, I'll order something like an appetizer, soup, or a salad. If I AM hungry, I'll order an entree, eat half of it, and box up the rest to take home. Most of my women friends do the same thing. you're probably seeing more issues with bypass for two reasons: 1) it's a much, much more common surgery than SADI. As in a LOT more people have bypass than SADI, so of course you'll see more on it. 2). after people get over the first few weeks (which can be tough with either surgery), they usually only post when they're having some issue, because they're looking for advice or support. People who've never had issues (which would include most of us) aren't likely to post that everything is hunky-dory. as far as which to choose, they're both good surgeries. Advantage of SADI is it's a stronger surgery, and you'll likely lose more weight with it. Disadvantage is regular doctors (as opposed to bariatric surgeons) know a lot more about bypass than they do about SADI, so your PCP may not be able to help you if you have issues - they may have to refer you to a bariatric specialist (which, of course, is fine - but just something to keep in mind). Also, if you have GERD, bypass is usually the better choice, since it tends to improve GERD, if not outright cures it. SADI involves a sleeved stomach, which can cause GERD in some people (or make it worse if they already had GERD before surgery). It doesn't happen to everyone, but it IS a risk... good luck with your decision!

356 to 278 in 3 months still dropping feel great

Yeah exactly what I was thinking! I think binge eating and snacking is one of my biggest downfalls, so I want to tackle that head-on. I am 3 days down without eating crisps and masses of chocolate and sweets! I'll definitely let it stabalise - I imagine although I am 27, I will definitely have loose skin. I have always been a bigger girl. Been at my heaviest weight for a year or two now I think, but I have always had a belly so that's gonna be the area for me! I will say though, with all the moisturising I have been doing, especially on my tummy, it has made me not hate it as much, but just to kind of accept it as part of me. I usually don't look at myself in the mirror, I won't even touch my tummy, so to have to be gentle and care for it in a way has been a bit cathartic. So, if anything, that is helping haha. That is amazing you have been so fortunate with your loose skin, I am so happy for you!