Search the Community

I was told to wait 2 weeks before starting vitamins because they can irritate the stomach lining. No damage done I'm sure. Just concentrate on getting your water and protein shakes in.

Hi all- I’d love it someone could help me understand what’s going on. I’m 4 days post op from gastric bypass/HH surgery. The instructions I received from the nutritionist and the hospital after visit summary was to begin chewable vitamins and tums the following day of returning home (ie day 3 post op). So, yesterday I took the chewable vitamins they suggest along with thin liquids and pain medication as needed. My wound pain has improved but this morning (day 4 PO) after taking the vitamins and good hydration on day 3 PO, I began to feel uncomfortable in my digestion. I kept away from any protein or drinks that weren’t water but progressively my new pouch started to reject all liquid. It got so uncomfortable that I called the on call doctor concerned about dehydration. The doctor, who was not my surgeon but works alongside my surgeon, said I shouldn’t start the vitamins until 2 weeks PO! I countered with that both pieces of written instructions say to start vitamins immediately and she acknowledged it says that but to not take them and wait for my follow up appt in 3 days. Meanwhile, try to get water down etc - although I’m still rejecting it. My basic questions are: when were you told to start vitamins following GB and have you experienced this severe discomfort early on or at all? Is it possible that I’ve done damage? I’ve read about “foamies” and recognize it as that. I will speak with the on-call doctor again if I can’t get fluids in tonight but it feels careless and easily solvable to correct the instructions. Any thoughts/advice? Thanks so much…

There’s no right or wrong way & there’s no one path everyone follows while they’re losing. Though it would be easier if we could say exactly what will happen on or by a specific day or time. Like week 6 day 4 I will have lost this much weight, I will meet my protein goal for the day, I will be 3ozs short on my fluids, I will poop, I will feel tired, & so on. You can depend upon certain things. You can expect your rate of weight loss to fluctuate day to day, week to week. You can expect to experience stalls at some times which will usually last 1-3 weeks but may be more. You can expect your rate of weight loss to slow as you get closer to your final weight. You can guarantee your weight loss experience may have similarities with someone else but won’t be exactly the same. There are averages (statistics) but they only can give you an idea of what might happen not will definitely happen. We’re all too different physically & psychologically, have different health issues & history, different demands on our lives, different genders, ages & heights, etc. I tracked my loss almost every day and yes there were ups & downs along the way but that’s just life - one day is never identical to the day before or the day after & there are always things that happen that you can’t control (hormonal fluctuations, pooping, peeing, energy levels, being unwell, etc.). The most important thing to me was I was losing & the general trend on my weight loss graph was downwards. Keep following your plan & getting in your protein & fluids as you’ve been doing & you will lose weight in your time. Don’t put pressure on yourself on how much you will lose by some arbitrary made up date. It will only stress & upset you if you don’t make it. All the best.

Very important to get your protein & fluids in. Focus on eating your protein first, then any vegetables you’re allowed & are able then if you are able any allowed carbs. There were plenty of meals where I ate only my protein because I didn’t need or want to eat anything else. (In fact I still do this - yesterday I had prawns for lunch just prawns, not even a sauce.) If you don’t enjoy the shakes (I certainly didn’t) find alternatives like a high protein yoghurt (you can make it into a drink by blending with milk - protein & fluids), protein waters, add unflavoured protein powders to other foods or drinks. I drink through the night & take a drink every time I get in & out of bed & get in another good cup (8oz) of water in. Keep water or other fluid with you always. Develop routines like every time I get in or out of my car I drink, drink at every red light. It all adds up.

I'm in the middle of week 2 post op, and I'm not losing anything! All liquid diet, getting all my protein in and only taking in around 400 calories a day. Also walking at least 2 miles or more a day. I pictured it going a lot differently especially when I read the weight loss average is 5 to 15 pounds a week in the beginning stages. I'm hoping that my body adjusts and I start seeing some progress soon. I like this subject and look forward to following the discussion.

I KNOW stalls are inevitable, and weightloss isn't a smooth line. Just curious how typical patterns have been? I didn't hit a stall at 2-3 weeks, possibly because my plan was full liquids for 4 weeks PO. I had a decent loss the first month, then 5 pounds the second month. Hoping this was just because I was transitioning to regular foods. As far as food, I am following the plan, no cheating, but I really can eat a healthy amount, and am getting in all my protein and water. Just wondering if I will be a slow and (hopefully) steady loser, or if others have experienced a slow spot in the beginning then bigger losses later? Yes, I'll stick with the plan, but for those of you that have tracked monthly or weekly loss, what was your pattern? Were slow months related to anything specific like holiday's, vacation, stress, or sliding?

I started walking pretty much as soon as I got home from the hospital. At a month out, I was cleared to do everything except for weights (had to wait eight weeks for that), so I was back doing water aerobics (at about four weeks out) the above poster is right, though - it's pretty important to get enough protein if you're going to start exercising (actually, it's pretty important even if you're NOT exercising!). Do you still do protein shakes? A lot of people give them up once they can get their protein requirements met by food, but if you're one who can't, there's that option. Also, six months is a long time to go without meeting your protein and fluid requirements - that's usually just an issue for people the first couple of months. You may want to let your clinic know about that....

6 wks since surgery. I am not taking down proteins good at all. Prior to surgery I was able to do protein and water perfectly fine. Since surgery the protein makes me sick to my stomach. i’ve been doing the refried beans and water and pomegranate or cranberry juice 50-50. I went for my six week follow up yesterday and they said that I should be eating solid foods. Now I still been doing purée. Some fish like cod or whiting. But nothing that really consist of a lot of chewing. it’s a big adjustment. I thought it would be just as easy as the adjustment and change that’s been made over the last eight months but it’s not. Good luck to you.

Hi, are you taking protein supplements to meet your intake? Very important when exercising for muscle repair as well as the fluids. I started by walking a few days, then switched to HIIT and currently doing a program by a trainer. There are many videos on youtube and pinterest that you can do. Sent from my SM-S916U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I want to start exercising. I got my surgery at the end of October 2022 but I’m scared of exercising because I still don’t take enough protein or water and I get tired easily. How did you guys start? Or what exercises do you do? Any suggestions?

That’s correct, sleeve surgery removes around 75-80% of your tummy but gastric bypass creates a much smaller tummy from your tummy & attaches it to your rerouted intestines. Your remaining tummy is still there after bypass but no food can enter it. Further conversations with your surgeon may be needed to help you understand the differences in the surgeries, how they impact your body & which may be best for your needs. It may help ease some of your nerves too. (Nerves before surgery are very common - fear of the unknown, uncertainty, etc.) With both surgeries your ability to consume large portions is reduced. Initially after either surgery when you start consuming purées you will only be able to eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food. This slowly increases. (By 6 months I could eat about a cup of food & now I eat about the recommended serving size or a little less.) And it is possible for you to eventually eat around your smaller tummy which of course results in weight gain & something to be aware of. Changing your eating habits, your relationship with food, understanding the nutritional benefits of food, etc. are vital aspects of losing your weight & maintaining the loss. This is the work you have to do & has nothing to do with the surgery. Many find the temporary changes to our sense taste & sometimes smell after surgery is an opportunity to try different & healthier foods. I have some food sensitivities so I recognise you may as well but are they legitimate food sensitivities or just you don’t like to eat certain foods (taste, texture, etc.)? A dietician can help with this as well. Often working with a therapist is very helpful to work through your relationship ship with find & what is behind your eating habits., as well as your hunger (distinguishing between head hunger & real hunger). Focus on eating your protein first at every meal. Then eat your vegetables. Finally if you are able eat any carbs. This will be the same advice you will be given after surgery & when your able to eat solid foods. There were many meals I only ate my protein & couldn’t or didn’t want to eat anything else. ( I still have days like this almost 4 years out.) Start tracking your food (portion sizes, calories, protein & other macros). There are some great apps you can use. You can be successful with either surgery but after the honeymoon stage when things like your appetite returns, most of your success depends upon you. You have to be ready for the surgery & the changes it brings & the changes you have to make. Surgery was the best thing I ever did. All the best whatever you decide to do.

I was the same way. A friend of mine who is nurse helped me but my issue was the sweetness, she added some FF greek yogurt, unflavored, the protein shake a a little coconut milk. It made a huge difference in my being able to tolerate the shakes without getting nauseous.

I buy New World unflavored protein Powder on Walmart.com and mix up my shakes in a Vitamix. Alot of the premade drinks are just not palatable to me and expensive. This way I can use any flavors I want and can be added to food if you want to omit the shakes. My nutritionist approved and 26G protein per serving. I'm finding I can't stomach milk now so glad I bought the whey isolate version. I add water, ice cubes, frozen yogurt cup. frozen fruit and stevia or crystal lite type flavors. I made an orange creamsicle recently. Yummm and my fav is strawberry. If I add a lot of frozen it tastes like a milkshake. Sometimes I slice banana into it and eat with a spoon

I love the Alani FitShakes (140 calories, 16g protein). They drink more like milk than a shake, and I hate the ones that are too thick. They're about the only ones I can stomach, and my husband HATES that kind of thing and even he likes them. They have a fruity cereal flavor that tastes like Froot Loops that is amazing!

I'm experiencing everything you're experiencing. The most difficult thing for me is getting anything in my stomach. Every time sip something, I feel it. Whether it's water or a protein shake, it takes forever to get it all down Getting out the gas is getting better. In a couple of hours I'm walking through a large super Walmart and then I'm taking a lap around a mall.

My version of a healthy chicken parmesan. Boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded thin coated in shake -N- bake then topped with a slice of provalone cheese. A side of spaghetti squash with sauce. It was SO delish! 264 calories and 27g protein! I ate about half of the squash and all of the chicken but no after pic.

I had my surgery on Nov 29, 2022. Things have been going really well then boom the dreaded stall has hit. I haven't lost anything in about 6 weeks. I have been monitoring what I am eating, making sure i get in the vitamins and protein. I do need to increase my exercise, I am so worn out after working all day. I am seeking any suggestions on how to break thru this stall. It is driving me crazy.....

Have you tried the savory shake flavors? Unjury brand has a chicken soup and a southwest flavor. I personally did not like the chicken soup and didn't try the others but I see a lot of other people talking about liking them so it might be worth giving it a try. I know with Unjury you can go to their website and by single serving samples before jumping into a full bucket. Also, a little "hack" I found to break it up was to get creative. Mix flavor packets with shakes to change the flavor, for example a vanilla shake mixed with a little orange flavor could be like an orange creamsicle? Another option is to add more liquid to it to thin them out. For example one of my all time favorites is to take about 10-12 OZ of sugar free lemonade and mix it with strawberry protein powder and it is a delicious strawberry lemonade and thinner like a regular fruit drink because of the extra fluids. It is like having a drink rather than a thick shake. I still drink a shake every day for breakfast, I even did a lot of times before surgery. I am just not a morning eater so the shakes are easier for me. I am currently on a coffee shake kick, I take a caramel shake mixed with 6oz of black coffee and pour over ice. Also, thins it out because of the coffee so it is like having a coffee drink instead of a thick shake. I have tried adding the sugar free creamers but they didn't do enough for me to bother with it or to add the extra calories. Good luck! It gets easier, and you will find ways to change it up and make it less monotonous!

HELP! I need new ieads for good shakes. Every time I drink one, I feel like I'm going to vomit. It doesn't taste bad, I'm just over the flavor, texture, and after taste. I'm currently using Fairlife chocolate, Premier Protein clear, and Isopure fruit punch. I just can't anymore.

I also don’t even know which surgery is best for me, I heard that the sleeve takes most of your stomach, but I really have trouble just overeating kind of, not every meal but I do have my days. More so hungry again after just eating a meal! It’s not hard for me to reach my Water intake goal but Protein, Calories, or eating period some days? Very hard.

I have been intermittent fasting. I’m eating between 12-6 and that’s it. Also I’m eating mostly protein and absolutely no carbs. It I get hungry I eat few grapes and by few I mean 4.

You mention that you're struggling financially to buy healthy groceries, so apply for food stamps if you can. With that said, bc your stomach is smaller and you're eating less calories, you can make more expensive nutrient dense foods last longer/more meals. It says you live in CA, so try Food 4 Less, the 99 cent stores, Aldi's and Trader Joe's, they all have good prices. You don't mention your age or height or level of activity or the amount of fluids you're drinking, but here's my experience: I'm 5'4 (female) and 35 years old. I had surgery on 1/11/23. started at 252 and I'm now 211.... 42 lbs down and down 6 inches on my waist. Fluids: at LEAST 32oz + 12oz protein shake, so 44... I try so hard to drink more water but cold & room temp liquids make me super nauseous since the surgery. Activity: Since and including the day after surgery I've strived to walk a MINIMUM of 5,000 steps a day. I live in a tiny apartment, and for the first 3 weeks after surgery I was still able to hit this goal simply by walking back and forth in my small apt for 5-10 minutes every hour. For the past 3-4 weeks, I've made it a priority to go to the gym and do cardio for 30-60 minutes 3-4/week. Some days I don't have time but will still force myself to do at least 10 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill. If you can't afford a gym, go walking, preferably somewhere with hills or stairs. (Walking flat is great but it doesn't get your heart rate up high enough). If you can't find/drive to hills, throw a backpack on and load it up with books (or weights) to add weight to your flat walks. Diet: 800-1300 calories (the 1300 end is if I workout really hard and my body needs to refuel) .. I am LAZY (I like cooking but hate dishes), but also a busy non-traditional college student with lots to do. So simple, quick, easy foods have been essential to my success thus far. I'm still basically eating the same as I was when I was on the soft foods diet but now I eat chicken and beef here and there. My go to food staples are: Cottage cheese 1%, OWYN - elite pro 32g protein shake, Simple Mills Almond flour crackers, soft/hard boiled eggs, small omelet, whole grain toast with avocado on it, refried beans, homemade turkey chili with beans, shrimp, turkey bacon, Sargento reduced fat string cheese (it had the lowest fat compared to the other string cheeses in my store). Example of my day: Every morning I have either 1-2 eggs, or 1/2 cup-1 cup of cottage cheese, then mid-morning/lunch I have the protein shake, then lunch/mid-afternoon I have 2-3 string cheese sticks, then for mid-afternoon/dinner I either have cottage cheese again, or 1 slice toast with tuna or chicken salad (I use either mayo or avocado mashed up), or shrimp and avocado slices, or rotisserie chicken and carrots/brussels/string beans. After dinner if I'm still hungry I have crackers. If I'm hitting my protein and still hungry, then I know I need more dense carbs and I'll have 1/4 cup-1/2 cup of sweet potatoes/mashed potatoes, etc. I don't SNACK anymore. I eat if I'm hungry. If I'm not hungry then I don't eat just to eat and have a snack bc I want to, that's what got me fat in the first place. If you're not physically hungry-don't eat. If you haven't already, learning the difference between physical hunger, thirst, and mental hunger/boredom/filling a void is essential to success. On Easter I had like 8 snack-sized kit-kat bars as a meal lol... I'm not advising it, but I've still lost weight since then. Don't beat yourself up over 1 day or 1 meal, it's not gonna completely kill your progress. Just make sure it's not every day or even every week. A lot of this journey is learning what YOUR body needs, not just what is written on a diet plan.

I’m 3.5 months post sleeve surgery and my hair shedding started right at 3 months! I always take my Bariatric daily Vitamins and also collagen Protein Powder daily. It is nerve racking when it happens but I know it will grow back. Just part of the process and patience is key!

Hey! I haven't logged on in so long and was also curious how everyone is doing too. Here's an update on my life over a year post op. Here is a photo of me way before my bypass, I think I wasn't at my heaviest yet but definitely pushing 320 lbs vs me last month while on vacation. I've lost about 130 lbs so far and am working on losing the last 9-10 lbs. I am finding this is when things are getting real. The honeymoon phase everyone talked about it over and I didn't even realize it until it was gone haha! It's not a bad thing, it just means that you can never give up, even after weight loss. Half of the battle is over, now it's a new battle and I think it will last for the rest of my life because I have to work hard every day to fight my obesity. I can eat pretty normally now. I aim for 1600-1700 cals a day but some days I might even get 1900 depending on how calorie dense my food is, then I tend to eat less calories the next day if that does happen. I walk 3-4 miles most days, gym 1-2 times a week and try to do some kind of outdoor activity on the weekend, usually hiking. I have been going slowly but I'm not unhappy with my progress. I'm just trying to watch my weight and enjoy how far I've come because I feel like a completely different person I can't even explain it... I am also able to eat more than 60 grams of protein a day now which is great because I lost a lot of muscle mass while losing all the weight after surgery. I eat 80-100 grams of protein a day. I am working on building my muscles back up, especially the muscles around my knees to help with my mobility (my being 340 lbs wrecked my knees). I am in physical therapy for my knees and do strength training with my boyfriend twice a week now. The thing I struggle with the most is tracking water but now that the summer is coming, I think it'll be easier to get in enough fluids since it's so hot where I live. I don't get food stuck anymore, very rarely if I've eaten too fast or food that is too hot will get stuck. I can still eat naughty foods in moderation too, too much sugar and fat makes me dump. Dumping for me means rapid heartbeat, dizzy, frequent urination, yawning, and nausea. I have been out of therapy for a while and would like to go back, especially as my ability to eat larger portions returns. I still actively have to think and fight using food as a coping mechanism but I am pretty hopeful and just keep reminding myself not to give up. How is everyone's vitamin levels and blood work? Anyone deficient in anything/have advice on what to get checked? I have gotten colds way more frequently but it's only been in the last 3 months, could just be the seasons but historically I rarely got sick.

Just remember not to over do anything knowing you are going into surgery. I would start weening off sugars now, it will make it easier later, and get you a jump on shrinking your liver. And maybe start sampling proteins, because man, some are gross, and you want a good variety on hand for your pre and post off liquid phases. I really like my 1stPhorm shakes, because they are that sickeningly sweet artificial tasting kind.