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I am up for March 29! My liquid diet is different than most...and I can only guess it's because it's a Canadian Bariatric Program (vs USA). I started mine on Feb 22...I am so tired of it :S

I don't think so. Our crew all got the same message regardless of surgery. Plus I've been active on internet bariatric forums for six years and have never heard a year - it seems like most people are told a few weeks or maybe a couple of months (and a few of us never crush our pills even from the get-go). It's probably like caffeine - surgeons opinions differ.

One suggestion -- you may want to have your physician order a hepatic function panel for you about once a year. This just ensures that your liver remains healthy. One terrible weekend, due to incredible stress, I overindulged in alcohol and had such a violent physical reaction that I ended up in Urgent Care and learned that my liver enzymes were elevated above normal. But within a week, when retested, they were normal again. So I am very, very careful about drinking alcohol now. My surgeon told us at our pre-bariatric seminar that he has had only one WLS patient die during his 20 years of practice, and this was from alcohol addiction leading to cirrhosis. Because of the WLS, the cirrhosis developed very quickly. So we have to be careful and, if we drink, ask our doctors to conduct blood labs to ensure our livers are processing the alcohol and remaining healthy.

So I had my 2nd consult today and it was like night and day! This surgeon was thorough, he asked for my hematologist's number so he can consult with her, he asked a lot about what's happened since my bariatric surgery, he wanted to know about all my previous surgeries and he answered all my questions without the slightest impatience. Most of all, he treated me like a fellow human being and expressed genuine interest in my well being. The price he quoted me is a little higher than the other guy, but still doable and I can already see that he's worth it. It's also all-inclusive of everything besides prescription meds. Since I'm new on my job, I'm going to wait a bit and maybe plan to have surgery in July or August. But God willing, it looks like this is happening! 😀

Nope. I do 1400-1600 calories a day to maintain. I eat tons of complex carbs, but avoid overly refined sugars and white flour. I get 50-60g of protien a day and 25g of fiber. I eat fruit, beans, potatoes, nuts, veggies, healthnut bread, whole grain english muffins, and of course...protien, but I try to get at least half from plant sources. Basically, I just stay within my calorie goal and I do great. I love the flexability of an occasional treat if the rest of my day is balanced. I eat pretty much anything I want. In moderation and balance with the rest of the day. Maintenance has been incredibly nice. No major weight fluctuations in over two years. Few pounds up and down here and there. If I go more than five pounds up, I see the bariatric therapist and it does the trick....helps me get refocused pronto. Getting much better at identifying my eating triggers and the triggers that cause me to self sabotage. Therapy has been an incredibly useful tool:) Very glad to have extreme diets behind me.

Oh... I am doing that too... I am just phasing back in from the VERY start. Starting with my pre and post op diet training. My nutritionist gave me a VERY good plan to progress my diet from clear liquids to a normal, healthy, balanced bariatric diet for life. And that is what I am following. Giving my stomach a rest so that when I restart what you are talking about I am not craving too large amounts of food. and so I will be eating at good intervals again. Will my pouch shrink back down? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it needs to. Maybe it doesn't. I don't know... but if it does, I will be happy. If it doesn't... I will be happy if I am just back into my healthy eating routine that I did so well at for year one. More importantly, I need to start recognizing those warning signals that I no longer have. They are coming too late. I don't think that will happen without these steps I am taking right now. And resetting my schedule so I don't graze so much. And making sure I don't eat anything later in the evening. It really has been good for me so far. As for the 128.... this just puts me back to where I had been hovering before all heck broke lose in my life... 124-128. Like I said, I hadn't gained a LOT of weight... but I had begun unhealthy habits and gaining the bit of weight that I DID gain was a warning to me to get back on track. See... I have been here many times before surgery. I reach a goal weight. I get complacent. My weight creeps up just a little here and a little there... and then before I know it I am somewhere in the 170-226.8 weight range. Never again!

That's great! I just saw Dr. Patrick Chiasson @ Northwest. His name was given to me by a few people on Bariatric Pal.

Where are you in AZ? Near Tucson? And if you ARE near Tucson, who is your Bariatric doc and which hospital are they associated with? I might be able to help!

I stretch sometimes... when I'm feeling good. Otherwise I'm sitting w a pillow behind me to support my back. The weather has been good so I am walking my dogs more. Thank your for your input. I'll push myself more after I see my Dr for a pain shot in my back tomorrow. That should help alot. Well I went to c my Both Dr's yesterday (surgeon & back pain) the surgeon was so HORRIBLE, my anxiety kicked in. I weighted in at 203 & they where suppose to take 3lbs away for the clothes, which they didn't on the chart. So he said i lost ONLY 2lbs when it was actual 5lbs in 3wks. I didn't go to sleep till 430am. My visit w him was almost like a yelling match. Now he wants me to lose 10lbs instead of the 20....uuugh! he making my hair more Grey than what it is & to stop reading the Bariatric Book. First they want me to read it like it was my Bible, now he's telling me NOT to read it! I'm freakin confused... Needless to say I go back in a month. (Uuuugh!) My back pain dr is awesome. No back pain for a while. & I was able to clean my spare bedroom & den. My portions are measured to 3-4oz of protein per serving, veggies 2nd & then starch...I barely hv room for the veggies 😩 which is a fork full &hvnt had starch yet.. sugar free jello & ice pops are my go to snacks 😋 & my protein drink is my breakfast. I spoke w my brother who had this done 2yrs ago told me the things the Dr said I CAN eat I should no b eating NOW... like beans, hamburger meat & chicken. So I'm going back to MUSHY foods...eggs, oatmeal, jello & yogurt Sheeesh in so 😕 confused I'm going to call the nutritionist to c where in suppose to b at 6wks? Bcuz the book also says I should not b eating these things but I'm not suppose to follow the book.... go figure?!

Oh my gosh, no wonder you’re confused. Definitely call your nut and see what they say. Every program is different but at 6 weeks, I’m to start on the regular bariatric diet (today, In fact!). Three meals of 1/4 to 1/2 c of food with focus on protein. Right now I’m sometimes not even getting in a 1/4 c of protein only so I have my doubts about adding anything else in. hang in there!

I stretch sometimes... when I'm feeling good. Otherwise I'm sitting w a pillow behind me to support my back. The weather has been good so I am walking my dogs more. Thank your for your input. I'll push myself more after I see my Dr for a pain shot in my back tomorrow. That should help alot. Well I went to c my Both Dr's yesterday (surgeon & back pain) the surgeon was so HORRIBLE, my anxiety kicked in. I weighted in at 203 & they where suppose to take 3lbs away for the clothes, which they didn't on the chart. So he said i lost ONLY 2lbs when it was actual 5lbs in 3wks. I didn't go to sleep till 430am. My visit w him was almost like a yelling match. Now he wants me to lose 10lbs instead of the 20....uuugh! he making my hair more Grey than what it is & to stop reading the Bariatric Book. First they want me to read it like it was my Bible, now he's telling me NOT to read it! I'm freakin confused... Needless to say I go back in a month. (Uuuugh!) My back pain dr is awesome. No back pain for a while. & I was able to clean my spare bedroom & den. My portions are measured to 3-4oz of protein per serving, veggies 2nd & then starch...I barely hv room for the veggies 😩 which is a fork full &hvnt had starch yet.. sugar free jello & ice pops are my go to snacks 😋 & my protein drink is my breakfast. I spoke w my brother who had this done 2yrs ago told me the things the Dr said I CAN eat I should no b eating NOW... like beans, hamburger meat & chicken. So I'm going back to MUSHY foods...eggs, oatmeal, jello & yogurt Sheeesh in so 😕 confused I'm going to call the nutritionist to c where in suppose to b at 6wks? Bcuz the book also says I should not b eating these things but I'm not suppose to follow the book.... go figure?!

It doesn't go away. Once most of your stomach is cut out, most of your stomach is cut out. It doesn't grow back. There's a little stretch as time goes on, but nothing remarkable...in spite of the hype. And yes, you can eat yourself fat on a tiny altered stomach if you're dedicated enough. People do it every day. Please see a bariatric therapist. It will help you sort your feelings out and feel better. Wishing you the best.

At some point, you've just gotta commit to a plan, have a strategy, and realize it's for life. Most effective thing I ever did for maintenance, maybe even more effective than the surgery....was going to the bariatric therapist and starting to address why I'm always trying to sabotage myself with food. We never talk about the WHY behind the disordered eating. It's important to get to the bottom of it.

At some point, you've just gotta commit to a plan, have a strategy, and realize it's for life. Most effective thing I ever did for maintenance, maybe even more effective than the surgery....was going to the bariatric therapist and starting to address why I'm always trying to sabotage myself with food. We never talk about the WHY behind the disordered eating. It's important to get to the bottom of it.

No pouch reset for you.... only do that when you gaining too much weight... and even then, talk to your nutritionist first! Sounds like you need to visit a nutritionist ASAP. They are wonderful and they can guide you in what you should be doing. What is best for one isn't always best for all. What should you be eating??? Protein and water, first and foremost. Meeting your protein goals? Then add in healthy veggies. And when OK with your nutritionist, you can add fruit too... but be mindful as to how that is affecting you. You may need to start with lower sugar fruits first. Carbs? You don't need very many of those. They come last. And talk to your nutritionist about what your nutrient goals for protein, fats and carbs are... so you can make mindful choices. And talk to the nutritionist about what carbs YOU should be eating. My main carbs are whole grain crackers and low carb tortillas. These were recommended by my nutritionist for me. What shouldn't I be eating? RICE! And breads. And Pasta. Rice is the biggest no no because it expands in your stomach. Bread does too. If I do eat a tiny bit of either.. my stomach hurts afterwards. And of course avoid empty calorie food. I have an occasional sweet, but I tend to pick ones that won't send me down a slippery slope. And measure and track your food! Your nutritionist can help much more if you know exactly what you are eating. Learn portion sizes for bariatric patients. And be sure to eat in the frequencies that the nutritionist recommends. For me that is 3 small meals and 3 small snacks a day... every 2-3 hours. I don't always get all 3 snacks in, but I do my best! I will add... I did awesome for the first year and a few months beyond.. but my work life has been more hectic than I could have ever imagined... so I ended up sliding a bit. Even ended up gaining a little weight... but once I saw the scale was moving in the wrong direction... I am getting back to the basics too... which for me is what I described to you. I am determined to never see the scale move more than a few pounds in the wrong direction... so I am nipping it in the bud now!

Some people can return to guzzling down water. Water passes through your stomach quickly. I wouldn't be too worried about that. But are you still eating the proper portions for your stage? That is the more important question. How much FOOD are you taking in will affect your success, whereas getting lots of water or other non-sugar fluids is just find. I wish I had that problem though lol... 18 months out and I can still only take 6 sips max! LOL I literally have to carry a water bottle everywhere I go to be sure to get enough fluids in. What I am experiencing is normal... but so is what you are experiencing! As for the food intake... it takes a while to get up to bariatric normal portions. Just eat what you can and keep communicating with our nutritionist/surgeon. They will let you know when to worry. Get your water and protein in as best as you can... don't worry about anything else until your water and protein are where they are supposed to be.

You definitely won’t be able to take excedrin post-op being that it’s an NSAID. Only Tylenol. You should work out that kink prior to surgery. My bariatric nurse even told me they can compound nsaids into ointments to be used topically post op. You have quite a few options. Good luck!

moonbean85 I don't have any bariatric advice as I'm having my surgery April 6 but I do know about depression and frustration. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers and I hope each new is slightly better that the last.

I do go to therapy and stuff already I got some information on getting a more bariatric centered therapist though. I got some tips to try from the doctor and he was saying that the stuck feeling is just the food needing to go down bland to get up wall around the room and try again slower smaller bites. Going to see if that helps some. I got some work out gear and resistance bands I cant wait to try out just havent felt like doing anything lately. That's normally how i notice I'm headed for a depression dip. This is just the first one after surgery. 2 years after well congrats for making it this long. Most people dont talk about mental health cause its assumed hey your losing weight you look great you must feel great. Most people aren't even sure how they feel themselves at times and we all just end up going through the motions. Thanks so much for taking the Time to read and respond. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Just finished 48 hours on clear liquids. Feeling great and back down to 130.5 pounds. Today is day one of full liquids. Started the day with a protein shake. Hadn't had a protein shake in a really long time. Post op they made my stomach nauseous, Tolerating it fine today. Maybe I can re-incorporate into my regular diet for breakfast? That would be good! I had intended to do green smoothies, but I just don't get to it before work. I can keep a stash in my fridge at work and a stash in my fridge at home and always have it on hand for when I am ready for breakfast on the go. You know... there really is nothing wrong with my plan. My nutritionist had me do PRE-OP and then again POST-OP. I have done it two and a half times already. One and a half times before surgery.... once for many days, once for a few days.... both times guided by my nutritionist. And then of course the post-op one lasted a month also following nutritionist instructions. The nutritionist used it pre-operatively to get my weight a little lower AND to train for post-op. By now, I know what I am doing. And both hubby and I are nurses, so we both know how to watch for problems. It is also recommended by many surgeons as a pouch reset. When you start eating more than you should you stop recognizing the signals that you paid attention to the first few months post op. Does it really shrink your stomach back down? I suppose that depends on how badly you treated your stomach post operatively and for how long you abused your "new" stomach. I know I treated my new stomach VERY WELL for the first year. It is they last... up to 6 months that I believe I have pushed it beyond what I should. I believe I have a good change of shrinking it back down if I do this now. But if I chose NOT to do it now and don't get my diet under control then it will be much less likely to work as time goes on. Can I just start weighing and logging again? Sure. But I felt this was the better option for me to reset and retrain. BACK TO THE BASICS. FROM THE BEGINNING. Following my nutritionist instructions through the stages and back to lifestyle eating. Am I starving myself? Heck no! I have the extra fat to burn to sustain me through the last two days which is the only two days I am totally depriving myself of nutrients. Did I feel a little hungry now and then? Sure. But I drank a little broth or ate a little jello to get me through. Today I am going to make sure to pick the most nutritious full liquids I can. Done this before, I know how to do it. Am I lacking energy? Not really. I am pacing myself and keeping hydrated. Must have peed 50 times yesterday (exaggerating... but I was peeing very frequently yesterday). I also timed this with my vacation from work. It's Spring Break. I spent the first couple days catching up on housework. Now I am taking it easy while I get through the clear and full liquids stages. By the time I go back to work I will be on soft regular foods. I know how to do this, so I made sure to time it well. "sometimes these weird desperate extreme fixes sort of reinforce disordered eating habits". I find this statement baffling. This isn't a weird desperate extreme fix thing. This is a well established SHORT TERM diet plan that is prescribed by surgeons and nutritionist for a variety of reasons. Kick starting weight loss is one of them. I did not wait until my weight was out of control to do this. I am doing it when I am seeing a negative trend that I want to stop in it's tracks... to help me get back on track. I know my nutritionist would approve. How do I know that? We discussed this last year... when we were talking about stalls. And "reinforce disordered eating habits?" That is a lot of assuming about me. Yes, I was 100 pounds over weight... but I didn't gain weight for the same reasons everyone else may have gained weight. I didn't eat excessively large amounts of food... but I did eat like an average American. I have never been bulimic. I have never been anorexic. I have never followed unhealthy crash diets. Why did I gain weight? Well... the docs think it was triggered by many years of undiagnosed sleep apnea. And coupled with drinking a lot of calories (pepsi) and not picking the healthiest of foods. So tell me, how exactly is following a short term often medically prescribed diet followed by resuming a medically prescribed lifestyle diet going to reinforce disordered eating habits for me? It's not. This diet is not going to reinforce me drinking sugary drinks. Haven't done that for over 1 1/2 years and am not doing it during this pouch reset diet. And it is certainly not encouraging me to eat American size portions. Just the opposite. It is going to remind me what my portion sizes are going to be. And as for sweet cravings? Well... I might have them. But I am being very mindful during this and reinforcing good choices as I move through the phases. That is a good thing. And the grazing which is my actual problem right now? This is going to help me reset into a normal scheduled eating pattern with small portions which is my biggest goal. SO, will this help me accomplish my goals? YES IT WILL! As long as I stick to the plan and advance to my proper post-bariatric lifestyle diet. Again... don't need criticism. Just because you think you aren't criticizing doesn't mean it is true. Feel free to comment if you want to be supportive. Or not. Again... this was my "holding myself accountable" post. Because I know I need to hold myself accountable. Accountability is one of the keys to success. So... today and tomorrow full liquds! Which for me means mostly protein shakes and greek yogurt. Yes, my nutritionist considers greek yogurt to be a full liquid... and since it has protein and nutrients it goes nicely with my protein shakes to get me through the full liquid days.

I'm sorry you're going thru this. I would definitely look into therapy ASAP (bariatric counselor preferred) to help you thru. Dont just settle for amyone. Exercise will help release "happy hormones" also, this might be limited to just light walking at your stage. Side note: My mental health deteriorated significantly post op as well. I'm still not back to myself sadly (2yrs out). I wish ppl talked about this more.

I think that a LOT of people have the reacation "All fat people self medicate with food...why should anyone be delayed from weight loss surgery because they do? Are the therapists on a power trip, are they just making money?" There is some truth in this...that nearly all of us medicate with food. But why is that an issue? There's a very common phenominon that occurs with bariatric surgery called cross or transfer addiction. It is said to affect about 30% of people who have surgery. When people find they can't eat to self medicate, they can switch to other addictions for relief. Not just alcohol and drugs. They can also become sex/intimacy addicts. They can start spending too much, gambling, there are a lot of ways for this to manifest. Exercise addiction. Controlling behaviors with family/children. Annorexia. Most of us think of annorexia as something absurd that could never happen to us....but it happens! Same disordered eating...just a different expression of it. Also, there's a reason they call it divorce surgery. It can and does add strain to a relationships to have dynamics change profoundly. Eating is a big part of socializing, relaxing, relating to family, friends, coworkers. Eating dysfunction can be familial and codependent. There are some big changes that go with this whole process. Sometimes, they're easy changes, and sometimes they're not. Sometimes they cause all hell to break loose for the person inside them. Also, there is tremendous risk of remission...where you lose weight for a little while, then the food addiction and disordered eating come roaring back and you can physically injure yourself if you don't have other coping mechanisms in place. I am not saying that ANY of these situations describe any particular posters here any more than they could potentially describe all of us. Just sayin....if at your psych eval your therapist recommends more support, more preparation....that can be a good and responsible thing to do for yourself. That can help guarantee your best chances. It can make this time of change more joyful and less stressful. It can make you more successful in the long run. Figuring this stuff out is a great investment in yourself. Best wishes to all.

It might be helpful to investigate bariatric therapy to try to help sort your feelings and expectations, and come up with a plan that works for you....while being safe and sustainable for a lifetime. Best wishes!

I didn't! Haha. I got in a bit of a squabble myself in another thread. They tend to happen, but I'm glad the thread was able to get back on track. It really is an important discussion to be had and you're right in that I'm surprised there isn't a forum for the mental health side. Seems like putting together a place to share resources to find help, and perhaps find suggestions on good bariatric therapists who are knowledgeable about overeating would be a good fit for a WLS forum.

My insurance pretty much gave me this surgery for free with no catch (i.e. no minimum weightloss, or comorbidities necessary), and I'm relatively young so I barely needed any tests. BUT it still took me 6 months, probably due to COVID, but also every department related to Bariatrics is honestly so antiquated. I've been through the process in NY and Boston and it's always been 5-6 months.