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both i guess. good cuz my inner fat person is glad that i gave myself a bigger skinny buffer from my happy weight; bad because i didn't do it on purpose and i am actually not entirely happy with how it looks on me (sort of), plus my clothes are effing too big on me and i REFUSE to buy new clothes, because i KNOW i will regain the weight eventually. or hope. (background: i got braces on my teeth back in september, and i discovered that i HATE the feeling of food stuck in my braces, so i have to brush and waterpik my teeth EVERY SINGLE TIME i eat something solid....then i discovered i HATE having to clean my teeth like a gazillion times a day, so i just don't eat. yeah, i know, not the greatest reasoning, but there you go. as a result, i lost like 10 lbs (which is actually alot since i was already 115lbs)....but, since i started adding a morning protein shake and eating higher calorie foods when i DO eat, i seem to have stopped/slowed down the weight loss...so we'll see...) sooo maybe if anyone wants to try, getting braces may be a good weight loss tool for you too. lololololzzzzz.

What soft foods did you eat ?

i skipped puree cuz it grossed me out. i barfed a little in my mouth when i saw the beef i pureed for my first foray into that stage. in the end, i just extended my full fluids diet an extra week then went straight to soft foods afterwards. though others have had great success an joy in this stage, so it cant be all bad?

I kept loosing until the 2yr 4 months mark. Stuff will get very stressful at work and extra pounds just peel off. Extra holiday foods come in and pounds go on (a bit). You will loose weight as long as you’re in a deficit. You are doing great. Also, there’s a reason doctors no longer tell terminal patients that they have x amount to live, because it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Your new intestinal system will work for you even in maintenance. It honestly keeps working. You got this!

also! I have been drinking this healthy hot chocolate. its 4oz of unsweetened almond milk, 1-2tsp of pure maple syrup, 1 scoop of cocao bliss, 1 tsp of raw cacao powder and 1 tsp of coconut oil. It is DELISH! super clean, and really makes your warm and your belly full.

Has anyone else experienced severe, stabbing pain in the left side of their abdomen after eating - sometimes not even then but random times. About 3 inches to the left of the navel that is sharp & stabbing. Bowels normal for patient, never experienced constipation, no particular food sets it off and lasts for up to 30 minutes? Patient is 4 months post sleeve revision to mini gastric bypass.

I don’t think a surgeon will ever assure you of your loss or your ability to sustain the loss because the surgery are not always a perfect fit for everyone nor is everyone compliant in doing their part to make the surgery successful. I had the gastric sleeve several years ago and that was not a good fit for me. I lost weight a pretty significant amount, but I gained it back. Recently, I had a revision surgery and the difference has been night and day in terms of how it has helped with my metabolism this time. I have energy that I never had before and I am exercising like I never have and healthy food still isn’t preferred over pizza, but it isn’t awful like it was before, which makes the choices to have good nutrition and fitness a bit easier. Nothing is going to make them easy. I’m sure but the surgery does make them easier if it’s a successful fit for you.

I pureed many different family dinners - just whatever was being made for everyone else! I loved them because they smelled and tasted of actual food after 4 weeks on nothing but protein shakes. They're not for everyone though - mine were smooth baby food texture and lots of people just don't like that. I still used shakes to meet my protein goals for those 2 weeks, or at least get close.

Calories snd weight loss aside, I was warned that immediately post op that you may physically be able to eat more than you should and you really need to measure to avoid injuring yourself by eating too much until your insides are healed. Those portions they put in your book are not just a suggestion. They are really important. Once things heal you should start to feel your restriction better but you do still need to eat slowly and to pay attention to it or you will overfill yourself. The difference between okay and stuffed can be just one or two bites for most people. That being said, I could’ve eaten more than expected with every single stage post op and I could eat more than most when I was healed as well. I still can’t eat a lot but more than most sleevers. I still lost a pretty significant amount with the sleeve and then I revised to SADI recently in which my dr didn’t touch my sleeve and I have lost a pretty big chunk of weight again. If you choose healthy foods you won’t really be consuming that much more calorie wise with an extra quarter or half cup of food, honestly. I’m talking about like broccoli or salad greens. Stuff like that. If you do your protein first and do fruits and veggies after that you still probably wont have room for much else even with a slightly larger pouch. I know that I don’t. Sometimes when I’m exercising pretty intense I do add a third cup of brown rice but I have to cut the veggies to do so.

I did eat puree fruits and veggies but meat was just gross. I made sure to get my protein in from shakes and had a bit of fruit and veggies to get in some fiber.

I tried lots of pureed foods but as I had already had issues with food smells, the look of pureed food was not for me. I managed home made thick blended soups with lentils and cheese for the protein. It was an unpleasant time for me. On here I heard about protein yogurt and puddings. Life savers. Just do the best you can because it isn't the best time of year when there is so much food around.

I puréed a few things. (Tinned fish was the worst - disgusting.) You can purée quite a few proteins (wouldn’t do steak but you could do minced beef) as long as you add enough liquids like stock, milk, gravy or water. Or you can use things like mayo, ricotta, cottage cheese with eggs or chicken (like an egg salad). Really it comes down to how your taste buds react to certain flavours in these first weeks or if you’re repelled by the texture. I could eat scrambled eggs (I made them pretty soft with extra milk), instant rolled oats (again extra milky), and I would puree chunkier soups. I did have baby food a couple of times when I couldn’t eat what I’d pureed. A lot of people swear by a ricotta bake. Sure someone has a recipe they could post.

Thank you amber, this is great suggestions for my coning days. My program now only count protein. I am still in liquid stage, in 2 more days i move to puree food then 2 more week whole food which is when i will need to make the real adjustment to food choices for my life forward. Reading this fourm, with many great experiences give me hope but it is for sure not an easy journey, but easy journey got me where i am now

I think your doing great! My program was strict on carb intake which in the beginning I was able to easily adhere to, however veggies, fruit and a bunch of good whole foods have carbs so its okay to eat them. We need them for our energy. Your protein is amazing! I also cook for my family; hubby and 3 kids. I just adjust. I eat what they eat just cut out the carby. With spaghetti, I just eat the meat sauce and put it on top of spaghetti squash or zoodles, or if I am making hamburgers I just eat the patty. My family is eating better now too, now I get lean ground beef, only eat chicken breast, we do lightly breaded chicken, so that might help with your journey too.

I did not mainly because I wasn’t really hungry. My focus was on hydration and protein intake. I mainly did full liquids/thicker liquids, then I progressed to soft foods at the appropriate time. What is considered puréed on your instructions? It may have been considered soft foods on mine.

I am about to have my band removed and I am petrified my old way of feeling and thinking about food. Before my band I was preoccupied with food thoughts. I wanted to eat all the time. I was constantly planning what to eat next even when I was eating. I was beating myself up for eating too much. I was sneaking food. I hated myself for lack of will power. With the band I stuck to my eating plan with no problem. Sometimes I would even forget to eat. How has band removal effected other people emotionally and psychologically?

Did you try anything puree recipes?

What did you eat in puree stage?

This is exactly the problem one bite and i reject the food. Maybe when i go back to work that help with taking my mind off food. I am hoping it will get better or i adapt.

Yes thats extra tough if you are cooking for the family. Thats going the extra mile for them. Cooking smell made me barf early on. My husband cooked in a closed kitchen with the windows open for me. Lots of us had weird taste buds and finding something palatable was expensive as I would reject foods after a taste. I still can't bide my once fav food, salmon. Its the keytones. I had the most disgusting taste in my mouth for a few months. Keep posting on here, We know you are suffering and we will be with you.

I am allowed all strained soups but everything taste different. What's make it harder is i make food for my family. I just keep reminding myself of the postive but it's really hard.

I think it depends on what you put into it like anything else. If you really use the opportunity to change WHAT you eat and not just how much you eat and take the energy burst and add some more activity to your routine. Real lifestyle changes, you should lose and have a far better chance to keep it off long term. But if you just make small changes like eat half a kids meal at McDonald’s instead of a super sized meal then yes you will probably lose but not as much and you most likely won’t keep it off long because as you probably know when the hunger comes back your portions tend to increase so that happy meal won’t do it for you anymore and you wont have any healthy foods you learned to enjoy. The exercise is a big component for me that I didn't do the first time And I question daily why i didn't start it sooner because i truly do feel fantastic after I exercise. Nutrition wise I searched for healthy recipes and tried so so many. There were several that weren’t for me but just as many that were. I made a new one everyday in the beginning and I froze individual portions of the things I liked. Now I only cook a couple times a week and I double The recipes to keep my freezer stocked. This makes healthy options far more convenient so it’s so much easier to make the right choice. I saved links to recipes I wanted to try on my notes app and under another note I saved favorites. If you are craving something specific just type the word healthy in front of it and so many recipes will pop up to give you ideas of how to make a healthier version. Now don’t get me wrong I’d love to have a pizza BUT, I have found several recipes that are totally healthy and I legit enjoy as well. And don’t rule out stuff you don’t love now tastes can change a bit and things you didn’t like before may tasted different. Also, once you detox from the processed crap things taste different. Fruit is sweeter for one thing. I have been trying a new fruit and veggie each week. And I try cooking it different ways to find as much variety as I can.

Many of us discover that what we thought as of being hungry actually wasn’t hunger at all just our heads directing our eating. I remember the first time I experienced real hunger after surgery. I truly didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was restless. It was late in the evening & was in bed trying to sleep but tossing & turning. Knew something wasn’t right then I realised I hadn’t eaten since lunch. Aah, I’m hungry. Had a chicken tender and went back to bed and fell asleep all good again. Grumbling tummy, no hunger pains, no craving of a specific food or flavour or texture. So you may be on to something and on your way to discovering what your real hunger feels like. Whoo hoo!

Hi, everyone, I apologize for being MIA. No excuse except an overwhelming job. I popped in to check on all of you and I am BLOWN AWAY by the weight loss! You guys are doing great, including you @Justarwaxx. If your doctor isn't pleased, maybe you can use it as a "push-against", a thing that you use to motivate you in times when it's hard. Like, "I don't want to exercise, but I'm going to do it because [bleep] you, Dr. Smith." Or maybe that's just me. I think you're doing great. @ShoppGirl, dang, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with a major health issue at the same time as you're working toward beating obesity (and slaying it, girl!)! You are absolutely right; steroids are notorious for making people eat everything in sight and gain a ton. You're not imagining that. When you're fighting that, please know that I'm on your shoulder cheering you on. I could not agree more with @Chatterboxdea - you WILL get through this successfully. 2025 is your year of health! All the good vibes to you. In case it helps, here's a thing that has happened for me. When I was in my first year of law school, my first husband and I broke up, I was working 3 jobs, and I was in my first years of sobriety. I was so poor that one time I had to decide whether I got to eat or my cats got to (they won). I took in two roommates to help me keep my house: it was a race to see if I could graduate and get a job before I was so behind on my mortgage they took my house. I was so overwhelmed that I had to call my sponsor every night and she would tell me, "OK. You are done for today. You can clock out and not worry about anything until tomorrow." That was as rough as it sounds, but it was also a gift, because it taught me that I can get through whatever I have to. And now, I know that. So when tough times come, I compare them to that time, and I remember that I can get through it. This may be that kind of watershed time in your life, @ShoppGirl, and if it is, I hope you come out of it knowing your own strength and with a sense of peace because you will have proven that you can get through whatever you need to. Things that would have seemed like a big deal become "so what?" moments in comparison. Me, I'm doing well. I'm relating to all of your experiences. I definitely have to plan for times when I'm out of the house and I know there will be food decisions to make. I look up restaurant menus online to plan what I'll have, and like @Justarwaxx said, I have a bite of that cake or whatever, to have the taste and not feel left out. I have a refillable bottle of water with me at all times, I take food with me if I am going to need to eat, and I eat on the way to events where I know there will be tempting snacks. I've become addicted to sugar-free popsicles, which help with my water intake (I struggle to get enough in). Lots of victories, both scale and non-scale. I'm looking forward to traveling this holiday because before surgery I dreaded it because walking that much and dragging suitcases, etc. around was just SO MUCH WORK. Now that I've been exercising and losing weight, I think it will be so much easier. Plus, I want to see how well I can fit in an airplane seat now! I wish all of you a joyous holiday season, and I'm sending all the love to everyone who is struggling, whatever your struggle may be right now. I love seeing that you're struggling with the same things I am, and I appreciate your sharing so very much for that reason.

I had a very specific diet. Like a list of foods that I was allowed and I was not allowed anything not on the list. It was basically high protein low carb but it was still very specific.