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I’ve read intermittent fasting might be the way to get by on the lower calories if I need to maintain that. To be honest I’m pretty much forcing myself to eat at the moment. I can easily see doing two meals a days and having 1000 calories.

Exactly! I always say whatever style of eating you chose has to be sustainable. Doesn’t matter if it’s restricted calories, restrictive food choices (or even an excessive exercise routine). If you can’t do it for the long term & you can’t do it without limiting how you want to live & enjoy your life you’ll fail. Find your balance & what’s right for you & no body else.

Protein One! These are the best I found in terms of no added sugar, low fat and calories, 10 grams protein, and taste great. About $4 for a box of 5 bars.

Jenn5120, consider that not taking in enough calories/protein AND going to the gym this soon post-op could contribute to a weight loss stall. Have you checked with your nutritionist about going to the gym?

My health is in the toilet, and I desperately need help and advice. RNY summer 2019, goal met in 2020, happy, maintained/healthy/active for a long while. I'm 51F btw. But since roughly March of this year I've unintentionally lost at least 50lbs while eating exact same nutrients/calories/macros/etc as my maintenance diet. I even started adding calories to try to stop it, bc my face looked awful/old. My BMI is now underweight and I look awful and ill. Also in March, the pain started. I had NO pain or issues from surgery 2019 all the way until March this year. It started as occasional lower right side abdominal pain, like a burning, hot coal sensation. Maybe 1 x a week. As the months have gone by, it increased and increased until now it's a daily agony. I wake up okay, but as the day goes on it gets worse and worse, until I go to bed with an Ambien at 7pm to escape it. (Mornings okay, it worsens as the day goes on) For many months it was bad but not so bad as to affect my calories/nutrition/appetite/etc. It's only in the past month it's gotten unbearable. (I still eat and get all my required protein/calories, I just do it earlier in the day). Trying different elimination plans didn't help btw. Then, 2 mos ago my hemoglobin went down to 8.5 despite my taking daily iron and I required 2 iron infusions to bring it up. I never had anemia since surgery until then, out of nowhere, with the same diet plan, all my vitamins, iron, etc. So here's the deal: FULL GI workup, normal, normal, NORMAL (CT, colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, CT enterography). Finally the GI doctor was like "I have no answers for your problems. Some things are just par for the course with a post bariatric patient." Verbatim (message in patient portal). No more follow-up or more testing offered. I felt slapped, I was LIVID at that message, I feel totally dismissed. This kind of suffering and drastic symptoms should NOT be "par for the course" for a 2 1/2 year post-RNY patient right? I know 2 others personally that had RNY years ago and they've never experienced anything like this. I just can't imagine this being normal! Has anyone here gone through anything like this and gotten answers and help? Or does anyone just have any ideas at all? (FYI I did see my bariatric surgeon first, a couple of months ago, he said my issues were NOT normal - this is before the GI doc. My surgeon ordered a CT but insurance denied it, which is why I went to that GI doc instead). So now I'm sitting here, suffering, deteriorating, with no answers or help in sight. :( Please please if anyone has any ideas, I'd be so grateful for some guidance here!

I have been taking the UNJURY chicken broth protein powder. You mix it up in warm (not hot) water and drink it. It has 21 grams of protein in 8 ounces. 90 calories so it is really not bad to get the protein in. I got so sick of sweet protein shakes that I needed a change. If you need the full 30 grams of protein like a premeir protein shake, use a scoop and a half in 12 ounces...still much easier to get down than a protein shake and the calories are the same.

@BirdLady21 I had my bypass the same day as you, on Dec 7th, im 3 weeks pot-op today as well. My problem is i can eat almost anything. I am refraining, but wish i would have a hard time. I have lost 38 pounds in the 3 weeks, i eat a meal every 2-3 hours. Today for breakfast was 59 cal yogurt, with 1 smashed avocado and small bag of 120 calorie protein crackers that I bought on bariatricpal. But then 3 hours later, 2 eggs and 1 percent cottage cheese, like 4 ounces worth. I feel like im eating too much, but my stomach is not bothering me at all, and i lost the 38 pounds in 3 weeks which is more than 10% of my body weight. Am I doing something wrong?? Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

The stall is very real. Eating 600-700 calories every day and meeting my protein goals and weight loss has slowed to a crawl going into week 4. Anyone else have it happen? how many calories are you guys eating?

you don't have to - and shouldn't - avoid eating for life. You won't be eating all that much the first few months after surgery (and can't, really...), and you'll have some food restrictions those first few months (a lot of programs encourage low-carb diets, but not all do), but once you're a ways out, you'll be eating pretty normally -just less than you did before surgery. I used to eat 3000+ calories a day. Now I eat somewhere in the 1500-2000 range, depending on how active I am (and that'll be different for everyone depending on a lot of factors). When I go out to eat, I'll either order an appetizer and just have that, or I'll order an entree and take half of it home. Really no different than what my never-been-obese female friends do (I'm female, btw - men can usually handle more calories). I've always eaten mostly healthy foods even when I was morbidly obese, so from that angle, things haven't changed much - but if you're more of a junk food person, then that part will need to change. Although an occasional junky treat is OK once you're a ways out, you have to be more mindful of nutrition since your stomach won't be able to hold all that much food anymore - but other than that...

Interesting dilemma. A few perspectives. Would you tell if you had planned knee surgery? Or would you make up a story about getting run over as the day came? In a lot of ways, and forgive me for being frank, I think your own approach to WLS has been influenced by the idea that suffering from obesity is a moral failure, not a medical issue that can, in fact, be managed. If you read any of the latest scientific studies on the subject - and avoid people who make money from you suffering perpetually from obesity like weight loss programs, fitness coaches on Instagram, diet products etc - you'll find that some of us simply never had a chance. Rat populations who get put on too few calories start seeing obesity in the rats lowest in the social order. Isn't that food for thought? Studies where you put subjects under complete caloric input/output control (literally measuring exhaust 24/7 to monitor expenditure) and feed them 1000 calories too much a day see vastly different weight gain rates. Huh? Didn't we just learn calories in - calories out? Often, and even worse, the societal idea of obesity = moral failure leads to eating disorders, which compound the problem. --> You need life-saving medical intervention. You're not 'taking the easy road'. Does this influence your thinking on who and when to tell? For me, it made it much easier to share. And my attitude towards it has been this story, more or less, for my close-to-kinda-close people: "Hey, nobody loses 100+ lbs by going to a dietitian. And I have a life to live, so I got my head in order first, did the work of getting rid of using food as a stress relief mechanism, and then I was ready to take the road with the best chances of success: minor bariatric surgery, a planned diet, and moderate but frequent exercise. It's been great, really great. I'm now finding my balance point, I think most people gain a bit, so I'm expecting that and frankly, I could stand to gain a few" Surprisingly, people love this story and it definitely adds social points. Even among people not known for their empathy. Notice how this story is peppered with all the things that don't involve surgery. I want their story to be much more than surgery. Do you share intimate medical details with everyone? Or do you feel that's nobody else's business? The other - or rather, third - side of this is that it's your body and only you are entitled to learn about it. Medical information (yes, also in 2021 and 2022, freaks) is private. You don't owe anyone any explanation on what goes on inside you. I have a few co-workers who know, and who have kept it to themselves, but I don't think it's "office news". It's my body and my life and despite the time I took off (six weeks!), it doesn't concern them. Period. Remember that. As much as you shouldn't be ashamed of having WLS, you shouldn't feel the opposite of shame is self-exposure. Reality time: you'll end up telling her. And it won't be a big deal. Here's a good outcome, and there's a million variations on this, but I think you'll want to tell someone you share an apartment with. At the end of the day, we need people on our journey. Some of them will let us down, but we'll need to keep reaching out and accept the fact that sometimes, we get burned. That's the price for social connections. I think you'll tell her some time before, and that you'll tell her in a confident manner that actually, you've decided to think about your health and in a new way. Instead of beating yourself over the head about your weight, you realized this only helps sell more WeightWatchers classes. And here you are, back at square 1. So you've started the road to WLS, you've done your homework, you know outcomes aren't guaranteed, but you want a shot at something that will give you a better life. And dear Emily, we're close, we live together, and I want you to be a confidant on this new chapter because I like you. I trust you'll know that this is my information to share or not share; it should obviously go without saying with any private medical decisions, but I'm just saying it to avoid any confusion. I'm really excited for this, and well, you're probably going to see kitchen scales, mini-meals in the fridge, and a lot more weird protein products in the cupboards. Feel free to try them! I don't think it'll be a big deal. I think how you approach it will set the tone for it. Make sure you take the stress OFF yourself in that close-in living situation by managing expectations subtly like "hey, most people lose 50-60-maybe 70% of their excess weight, I'm not doing this to get a BMI of 25, just so that's clear. If I wanted a guarantee for that, I'd have to go with much more drastic surgery types and for now, I'm going with the first line of procedure recommended for people in my situation to avoid unnecessary complications". This removes the pressure and hey, anything above 60% will be a shared celebration. I told my close people I wanted to get to 220, but that the surgery on average would get me to 230ish. So getting to 220 was a huge milestone and well, I'm at 197 now. People react how you set them up to react is what I'm saying. Alright, sorry this got long. I hope some of it is helpful.

All of this. Listen to this clever woman. ... in the lighter department: I've always put in my meals in MFP before I eat them. That way it's 'this is my food, now I can enjoy it' and then I've kinda made it ... last? ... for a while. I figured that was a way to motivate me to eat slower (big meal eater previously, and boy could I finish a plate). More often than not, this has resulted in me re-weighing food that I was about to throw out, so I could subtract the damn calories again from MFP. This was more of an issue in the last month of 1400 cals/day, 80 calories mattered, darn it!

I don't think you have messed up your surgery...but you do need to take action now before you become more unstuck. Perhaps a check with your surgeon and/or dietician? Do start getting those vitamins, up the water intake. Start counting calories, find a baseline for your food intake and macros.

Most people don't feel hungry after weight loss surgery, for some the hungry feeling comes back sooner than others. Because of our low calorie base though, it is important to eat some meals even if not feeling hungry. Have you spoken to your surgeon or dietician? If they are happy for you to continue as you are, perhaps speak to a therapist...the thought of eating shouldn't be making you feel sick. Maybe a subconscious concern about eating solid foods hurting or something else perhaps? Did you try soft foods initially?

Jan 14 is my surgery. I am also nervous about working on the liquid low calorie diet. I am hoping to not be too hangry.

It's brilliant that you have caught this lapse before it gets too serious. You've had an amazing loss over 8 months and you need to forgive yourself for straying from the path - you are human, junk food is EVERYWHERE (especially during the holidays) but can get right back on the path this minute and use that tool you went to so much trouble to get. I would agree, back to basics might be best - protein first, loads of veggies, carbs last. Cut out the obvious foods that are not full of nutrients but ARE full of calories and not feeding your body what it really needs. Track everything that goes into your mouth, be super honest with that so you can see it in black and white every day. Love yourself and forgive yourself - you are so worth getting back on track for.

Yes it funny how different they are. My dietitian said protein shakes need to be under 5 grams of sugar, under 200 calories and high protein. I've been doing the premier protein. Good luck to you too.

I had it pretty easy. Due to Covid it was small scale (8 people), we hosted for Christmas Eve. I cooked almost everything. i might have even ended up on the low end for calories… There were no snacks to contend with. I loaded up my plate with 3oz of Turkey - then then a tbsp or so of the other things I wanted to try. I 100% did not finish what I had on my small plate. Which I knew would happen, as Turkey always triggers my restriction. I was much too full to have Dessert when everyone else did. I set aside probably 1/6 of a piece that everyone else had, and had it has a snack a couple hours later. I'm only 7 months out. Merry Christmas!

Made a salad for dinner as I’ve been craving veggies and carbs the last week. Roasted bok choy and parsnip with bulgogi seasoning and avocado oil with pan fried veg’n chicken, romaine, hard boiled egg, and Italian dressing. calories was for the whole thing that I clearly didn’t eat.

I’m 16 months post revision for GERD and 2years out from VSG. First symptoms 9 days ago, tested positive on the 20th. Even while moving less and eating more calories I’ve managed to somehow lose weight. Symptoms include- extreme fatigue, sinus congestion, migraine, dry cough, diarrhea, and some body aches. Edited to add- you’re right on track for a stall as well being almost 6months out. That might be part of it along with the inflammation that Covid causes.

Got infected Dec 10, recovered pretty well; didn't get terribly sick, mostly just fatigue and muscle aches plus a fever for a few days. However, my GI tract has been all kinds of messed up. Lost - at least - 3 lbs in less than two weeks, and probably 5 (not at home with my scale right now). Food just backs up, I have diarrhea, I barfed last night - a full 30 minutes after eating and with no food even remotely digested. It's ... not great. I don't want to lose more. It's not that I can't eat anything, and I can probably sneak enough calories in to keep my weight up, but how annoying is this. I'm literally having to resort to bread with butter (which also doesn't sit well, never has) in order to get high-calorie, easy-ish to absorb, food in. Anyone else had this COVID symptom? I developed a full-body rash, too. Itchy af.

Well first of all your tool is still there it’s not too late. I have heard people who continue to lose up to two years post op. I would say just go back to portioning everything and counting calories and you will be back on track. You’ve got this.

It would depend on your stage and your clinic. If you are on regular food it is not the best choice but my team does not have any food that is forbidden so yes I have had pasta. There is basically no nutrition in it though and it’s higher calories so it should not be a routine thing. Also, some people do not tolerate it well. It expands and sits heavy so make sure you try very small amounts at first and wait to see how your body reacts to it. For pasta cravings, I found a cauliflower pasta at Walmart in the frozen section that tastes almost like the real thing. Consider trying that instead.

I had a month-long stall around that time, but as said above, your body may simply want to be at the point it wants to be at. You can either fight that or enjoy the great success you've had. Not all of us are meant to be BMI23 and that's okay! I'd approach this with a curious attitude. Try upping your calories, adding protein, try a new form of exercise; do something new in general. See how your body responds. If it stays at this weight, well, then that's your new weight. And that's okay.

Hi everyone! I was just planning out my strategy for the coming Christmas dinners, lunches, brunches and thought I'd share. Maybe you guys have some tips to share as well! 1. Learning flexible control Problem We're used to thinking in black and whites. Good food and bad food. On-the-diet or off-the diet. Thoughts like 'oh well, since I already ate X, I may as well give up on my diet' are probably familiar to us. Solution This year, I'm going to eat beyond my calories, but not far beyond my calories. I'm not going to be counting, actually. I'm going to taste a little bit of everything, and stop when I feel satisfied. 2. Me first Problem "People expect me to be eating what they eat / I can't handle questions about how I eat / I will disappoint my Aunt if I don't eat this or that ..." Solution My body, my eating: I'm going to compliment the food I get, and in general take charge of the situation. I won't be hoping nobody notices I eat way less than the rest of the family, I'm eating how I want to eat and that's it. In general, I'm going to remind myself my eating is for my body. Their eating is for theirs. People who seem confident don't get second-guessed. Fake it 'till you make it. 3. Answering all the questions Problem People asking about my weight loss, commenting if I shouldn't put on some weight, judging bariatric surgery. Solution I'm going to be my own PR agent; and I'm coming prepared with answers. My answer to "how did you lose the weight?" is 'I fixed my mental relation to food first, then had bariatric surgery, and life has never been better, so happy with how I did this' is my prepared answer in a family setting. It sounds well-planned (and it was, btw) and doesn't open up a can of new questions. Rather it inspires co-celebration and I expect lots of 'good for you!' kinds of answers. Again, a confident attitude doesn't open attack lanes. My answer to "I think bariatric surgery is the easy way out" will be a question in return; "I don't know a lot of people who lost more than 100 lbs and kept it off without metabolic surgery, do you?" My answer to "oh but can't you drop the diet for a day and enjoy eating with your family like we do?" will be "I'd love to be here sharing a family meal in 20 years, too, so I'm not too focused on eating a certain amount, I'm focused on eating what's right for me" with a smile to make it less confrontational. However, a question like that warrants a certain amount of back off! in the reply. In general, see 2. I'll happily taste everything. I will eat however much or little I feel like, though. And it's okay to be a little on guard in our situation, we're still getting the hang of things. 4. Coming prepared Problem Finding myself without any options to eat something I'd like to eat. Solution Avoid setting myself up for failure: I'm stocking up the car on sugar-free chocolate, popped cheese, Quest protein chips, instant protein oatmeal and some fruit. If I'm hungry, I'm hungry, and then I need to eat. I don't want to chance it and find myself in a situation where I "have to" eat something I don't want to eat. I can eat whatever I want, in smaller amounts, but I'd like to have options. 5. Pre-forgiving myself Problem What if I end up eating 2,800 calories and washing that down with 1,200 calories worth of dessert wine? Solution The only way this will truly be a problem is if it means I'm back in beating myself over the head with it-land. If this happens, it was probably because it was a really fun night, the food was amazing, and hey, the upside to Auntie Liz' drinking problem is she brings awesome French dessert wine. Better help her drink that and move on with life the next day as planned. What do you guys do to fly through the holidays? Merry Christmas!

Congrats!! Love your attitude. I relate with much of what you wrote. Agree that the constant hunger makes it pretty difficult to cut calories before surgery. Curious, how did you decide on your goal weight, and then wanting to lose more after that? I am getting close to my lightest weight as an adult (which happens to be the same weight my surgeon predicted I’d get down to). But I would still be considered overweight at that point, so perhaps going down to a BMI below 25 should be goal?