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Sorry you were so sick!! Even with the sleeve, we have to remember not to eat too fast! Ive done this and regretted it for about an hour as someone else mentioned above. No matter what surgery, when we eat something so delicious, we all have to remember to eat slooooowwwwllllly! I suppose we should look at it with the idea that we should savor that food that tastes so good rather than scarf it down.

liquids move through you really fast. Food doesn't. You'll especially feel restriction when. you get on solid food (maybe not purees - but you probably will once you move to solid).

Hi everyone, I was sleeved 9/11/2013 and this ten years has definitely been a journey weight loss rollercoaster for me. I started at 239 and currently weight 152. I lost down to 167 and that was my lowest for years. I slowly gained again after the lost of my parents and last year weighed 212. I refocused and lost 60 pounds down to my lowest at 152. I’ve been focused and watchful of my meals and started intermittent fasting which has been a lifestyle change for me. Still the best decision I ever made

I used to get that stuck-on-the-way-down experience fairly often when I first reintroduced meat after surgery, but I have learned to chew my food really well to the point that it has become automatic and I rarely have that problem anymore. But last week, I went to a restaurant and got some really delicious snapper, and it was so good that I ate too much, too fast and regretted it. Fortunately, the feeling passed after about an hour, but it was not a pleasant hour and like your ham experience, it was a good reminder that I still have to eat slowly and chew well.

OMG, ok here's what happened. So last night, for the first time in a year and a half, I was finally in the mood for some ham (lost my liking of pork for a long time). So hubby made a hickory smoked, spiral cut ham. OMG it was AMAZING. I took a tentative bite and it was like a FLAVOR EXPLOSION in my mouth. So delicious!!! I was so excited to actually like it again that I scarfed it down. Like, I ate all 3 ounces of ham in under a minute. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT do that. Ever. Once you have your surgery (especially if it's the bypass) DO NOT EVER EVER EVER scarf your food. Even if you want to. Even if it's the greatest food in the history of all food ever. Do NOT eat it quickly. Go slow and chew it. Pretend you're a train and CHEW CHEW it. About 5 minutes after I finished eating, I was in hell. OMG. The pain, the stuck feeling, the "omg my stomach is gonna burst" feeling, the nausea, the praying to ALL the deities and making bargains and deals and swearing to never do it again...it all started. I was MISERABLE all night. And I DO mean all night. So learn from me, people. NOTHING tastes good enough to make that TERRIBLE behavior even remotely worth it. Be very mindful about what you eat, how fast you eat it, and how much of it you eat. This concludes my TED talk.

I actually had diabetes when I started the process. My A1c was around 7.6 or so and my glucose levels were usually around the 160-170 rang when I would test. I was on 3 diabetes meds, a cholesterol med, a blood pressure med, 2 anti-inflammatory meds. Not only did having diabetes not delay things, having comorbidities actually helped speed up the approval process for me. I know you wanted gradual changes to your eating, and to a certain extent you can still have that. But it's important to start getting your mindset and habits changed at least a little before surgery. Once you have it, you have to make drastic changes pretty fast. Better to start now. I would start by eliminating soda and anything carbonated. Get caffeine from coffee (the kind you can make at home) using sugar free sweeteners and low/no calorie creamers (or almond milk) and tea (personally, I prefer tea). Swap out regular chocolate, candy, popsicles, pudding, etc to the sugar free kinds. Start lowering your carb intake and try cutting down on pasta, bread, potatoes, etc... There's keto versions of bread that taste fantastic. Look at the way the bariatric diets require you to eat (protein first, then veggies, then carbs) and try to plan your meals around that (protein helps you feel full longer). Practice getting in at least 64oz of water now so you can be used to drinking it a lot. You can still eat yummy foods, just change the way you do it. It's less jarring if you start the process now.

The title pretty much explains it. Two fasting glucose levels that weren't astronomically high by any means, but high enough to qualify me for a diagnosis. I'm not very thrilled about it. In a way, it's good because my doctor has wanted to try Ozempic (sp?) with me and now my insurance will cover it, especially since I had an adverse reaction to metformin. It might help me lose the 30 lbs. I have to lose to qualify for the surgery. On the other hand, I'm totally depressed. I was hoping to make more gradual changes to my eating habits, but now that's not going to get to happen. I've had gestational diabetes, too, so I know all that goes along with a diabetes diagnosis in terms of diet and medication and such. But I know there's a whole bunch of other stuff I'm now more likely to get that they'll probably test for as well. I hope it doesn't delay things. Did anyone else have the experience of finding out they had diabetes during the process?

I'm sorry you regained, that is so frustrating! 80 lbs in 3 months is a lot, I'd talk to your doctor about checking your thyroid and your fasting glucose level... Most of us gained weight during Covid due to less physical activity, comfort eating, and more time and accessibility to snacks. Snacking is notorious for gaining weight back after surgery. The hard thing is we don't feel like we've changed anything big in our eating habits but unless you are tracking literally everything you put in your mouth you really won't notice how much extra you are eating. Changing drinks from water to other things is a big culprit too and easier when we are at home next to the fridge. And tasting things/snacking while cooking. There is no shame in regain IMO, life happens in unpredictable ways. Covid was a huge hit for most of us and caused a lot of changes in living habits just to get through! I haven't had surgery yet but I gained about 50 lbs in the years around Covid, I'm immune compromised so was on strict lockdown for forever. Converting to a DS can help with more weight loss and maintaining weight loss better, it has the highest statistics for total excess weight loss and weight maintenance. However since it is a conversion for you (not a virgin surgery) the weight loss will be slower than it was with the initial sleeve surgery. You will still lose weight with it if you are diligent, you can still get the weight off if you got it off before, but in order to do that you need to figure out what is causing you to gain weight so you can correct it and help the surgery work. Revisions can be game changers for some, but they aren't miracle workers, they still require hard work and effectively using your tool.

Start taking body measurements if you haven't already. Every month i take my monthly picture, and then take my body measurements. Sometimes even though the scale may not move as fast as we like, you will notice a difference in inches lost. I agree with others on here, don't obsess over the scale. I have to remind myself of this also. I still weigh myself daily but dont record my weight if it is the same. As everyone always says, stick with the program and amazing things will happen for you!!!

*raises hand* me too! i had a breast lift with extended arm lift (i.e., adresses the "side boob" issue) back in 2019...also had a tummy tuck all in one surgery. it depends i think one how long your surgeon is comfortable with u being under as well as how fast he/she works. my doc had a policy max of 6 or 7 (can't remember) hours under general anesthesia i think. he said he was done with me in under 6. personally, despite the recovery being very "challenging" (to put it mildly, ha!) i'd still do it all in one shot vs 3 separate surgeries: the healing was unpleasant enough that i was glad i only had to do it once (vs. three!!) but im a baby and was NOT a good patient so...i know of others on here whose recovery was a walk in the park. anyway: arm lift, breast lift tummy tuck...so so happy with them. the breast lift was actually the surprise favourite for me. being able to go bra-commando and remain perky is AWESOME. good luck! ❤️

Thank you, @PNWGAL. From your mouth to God's ears! I'm almost 8 weeks post-op and still struggling. They said I'm losing weight too fast. Still, I didn't do this surgery for weightless. I did it to help my health and some complex issues. But it's not working out the way we thought. Hopefully we will see great results soon. Take care!

clinics really vary on this, so it's probably best to check with yours. Some don't even require pre-op diets - just a 24-hour clear liquid fast before surgery. ours allowed broth - but I think just chicken broth. They now allow pickles, but they didn't when I went through the program eight years ago. We were just allowed 4-5 protein shakes a day, plus a cup of broth and/or a cup of V8/tomato juice, plus unlimited zero (or close to it) calorie fluids, sugar free popsicles, and sugar free Jello

I'm officially right on the edge of being back into the 200's for the first time in about a decade, I'm also now closer to my goal than I am my heaviest weight, so that's pretty exciting. I've been slowly learning to take smaller bites, way more chewing, and taking more time with meals. I know that we're not supposed to be eating fast food, but I had a regular McDonalds cheeseburger a couple days ago. It was the first burger I've had in four months, and even though it was from McDonalds, it tasted great and I was able to finish the whole thing over the course of about 30 minutes. I'd say that's progress. At one point, my surgeon had told me that it was okay to start incorporating lunch meats and I tried boars head roast beef and it made me so sick that I swore I'd never even try beef again, but I did and it seemed to work out. Most days, I see myself mostly eating string cheese and various nuts. This has definitely been an interesting journey so far.

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienced this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and havent started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienceD this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg I take 2-3 liters of water throughout the day no compared to 3 months ago. Up to 1liter during my work out and the rest throughout the day. mostly sips. I do get hungry but try to drink water to quench or use the plantain (carb for the day) to satisfy myself i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and haven't started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

I am you! I had all of these same feelings and it almost blocked me from going through with the surgery. I have lost massive weight/inches before and got in the best shape of my life, which made me angry that I couldn't do it again. However, I had to learn to accept that I am getting older (40) and that my body has changed and no matter how angry I am at myself, that won't change the facts. I refused to continue feeling horrible every day when I woke up and being miserable with myself and the way I looked. I was also terrified by all of the horror stories I read and was scared I was going to die. I believe it's more normal than not for people to gravitate to the negatives than to see all of the positives being posted out there. It's human nature. I finally sucked it up and went to the hospital the day of surgery even though I still had all of those fears, even thinking I can still back out and leave....but my desire to feel better and live a better life outweighed all of that fear and I went through with it. BEST DECISION I'VE MADE IN MY LIFE! To add to this, I struggle with depression and anxiety and food has always been my vice/comfort. I was terrified in that respect too, that I wouldn't be able to mentally handle this journey. Surprisingly, I have been solid on that front too! After surgery, I had no cravings or desire to eat food. My family ate normal foods/fast food in front of me and it's didn't even phase me. A little over 3 months out and it still doesn't bother me. Yes, every once in a while, I think for a split second, oh man, I can't have cake on my bday! But it's really not going to kill me....I've eaten cake every year for 39 years! I'm really not missing anything. The reality of it is, we can eat the cake down the road if we want to. At this point in time, I don't really even want to. I'll close in saying that I don't know you, but I believe in you. If I could do this knowing the way my mind is and all the fear I had, you can most certainly do this. When you do, that anger will go away as soon as you realize how rewarding this journey can be. Best of luck!

Snap! I woke up one morning & said enough too. I made an appointment with my doctor to start the process the same day. Best decision I’ve ever made. Your anger is a stage of the grief you’re experiencing which is quite a common before &/or after surgery. Doesn’t matter how much you read about life post surgery, it’s not until you experience it yourself do you fully understand. So you are also in a place of fear of the unknown. Talking with your therapist is a great idea to work your way through your anger, grief & fear. And keep referring to that list of positives. They’ll become blessings before you know it. It seems a long time at the beginning but in time you’ll look back & realise it wasn’t that long - the progress & benefits of your weight loss sort of blurs the time & makes it worthwhile. Most importantly get off the social media sites about bariatric surgery. They are the worst. They’ll feed your fear & anger. The ones I’ve seen give you tips on how eat around your surgery, how not to follow your plan (saw one sharing how to purée a fast food burger & fries 😱) & offer little support or encouragement. Yes, there are risks but there are with any surgery & bariatric surgery is far lower than many others including appendectomies & knee replacement. Your risks are much higher simply by remaining obese. As to whether you’ll be able to eat your favourite foods again the answer is yes. Though you’ll eat them less often & in smaller portions. You’ll work out how much & how often is best for you over time. You may even find alternatives &/or ingredient substitutes that are better for you & more nutritious. I looked at some of my old favourite foods & decided while I loved them they really didn’t love me & contributed to my obesity. You may find you discover new favourite foods & even that your old ones just don’t appeal as much. I’m a low sugar eater & avoid artificial sweeteners wherever I can (rather have a little real sugar than a sweetener). The shakes can be disgusting & have sweeteners but you don’t have to keep having them. I haven’t had one since I started purées & even in the post surgery liquid stage I only had one a day. Had soup for my other meals. Then I discovered a high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drinks to boost my protein intake. (Make your own drink by blending the yoghurt with milk which gives you bonus protein.) Your dietician should be able to help you find other suitable alternatives as well. All the best.

I'm going to try and keep this from being too long, but there's so much to say!!! First I'll start with my newest NSVs. I'm officially in a size 18 clothes (from my original size 30), size 10 shoes (from my original size 11), size 6 1/2 ring (from my original size 10), 18" chain on a necklace (from my original 24" chain), and 2x jacket (from my original 4-5x). I can now comfortably fit on a massage table without fear of it creaking or breaking. I can now ride a bike because I'm within the weight limit. I now am able to hit my favorite thrift stores and walk out with seriously cute clothes that look nice, sit well on me, and actually fit comfortably!! My asthma is almost completely gone (I only have it when I get super sick now instead of all the time). My blood work came back and my hormone levels are almost in the normal range (I have PCOS) and my cysts that completely COVERED both ovaries are totally gone (without having taken any meds or done any hormone therapies!!) I did a 6 mile hike this past weekend with my son. I am completely pain free and am able to go full on beast mode with my workouts again. I can go up 5 flights of stairs before I need to stop and rest. Now for my new chapter in life and old dreams becoming new again. So years ago, I wanted to become a nurse. I completed all of the academics with a 4.0, aced all the labs, but couldn't do any of the clinicals because I couldn't do all the walking, I was 400 pounds, and my health/joints/back were way too bad. So I gave up on it. Then about 2 years later, I thought "well, maybe I can be a medical assistant. Surely THAT'S not as hard" and once again, I couldn't do the externship because I couldn't do the physical stuff. So I went into other areas for work, ballooned up to 421 pounds, worked remotely, and made good money. I loved what i did, but there was always a part of me that regretted not being able to go into the medical field. That was my heart's desire. So fast forward to now. I'm between jobs and miserable. I had to stop working because of all my complications from my first surgery. Now that I've been cleared, I can't get hired anywhere. So I decided that now is a great time to go back to my dream of working in the medical field. So on Sept 5th, I start school to become a certified pediatric oncology medical assistant. Most of my previous credits transfer over, so I only have about 6 months of academics to do and then the externship. Then I sit for my certification exam and then I get to finally FINALLY do what I've always wanted to do. By my 46th birthday next June, I should be right where I want to be, doing what I want to do, and hopefully at my goal weight. I'm sitting here in tears as I type this, because I thought this was something I would never see happen. I resigned myself to being morbidly obese, extremely unhealthy, and needing a cane to get around. I may not be at my goal weight (the weight comes off a lot slower with a revision, and also as your bmi gets smaller and you get closer to your goal) but I believe eventually I'll get there. But the things this surgery is giving to me, the dreams I can live out, the health and wellness and years of my life I'm getting back..... it was all worth it. The complications, the uncertainty, the pain and healing and stalls.... all completely worth it. We all start this journey wanting the numbers on the scale to go down. But there's SO MUCH MORE this surgery gives you. I will never, ever regret my decision. Never.

You shouldn’t be experiencing a slow weight loss at only 2 weeks out, especially if this is the original bariatric surgery. Even with a revision, you shouldn’t be stalled (speaking as someone who has been). Looking at the ingredients in your meatball shake, though, I’m not surprised. The meatballs, ricotta and Parmesan are heavy, even though they’ve been blitzed. It sounds like you’re trying to move through the food stages to get to “regular” food again too quickly. This reminds me of a scene in an episode of “ER,” where a bariatric patient swore he was drinking his shakes. Turns out, the ingredients were pizza, an entire fried chicken dinner, and any kind of fast food you can think of, all blended in a blender. We all understand how it feels to be so desperate to get to solid-(ish) foods. The best thing we can do is follow the plan to the letter (and keep after the constipation, that’ll weigh you down, too). Take care, and keep up the good work.

So I have an appointment with my nutritionist on the 29th. I will make sure to make this a priority question on my list for discussion. I know the “manual” and Google says no snacking. But meals and protein shakes are getting old with me REAL fast. And before I force myself to eat a meal or shake and feel crappy after? Id rather a snack like fruit or chickpeas makes me feel better and accomplished for the day. I seem to be doing really good with cabbage beans and peas. Seafood such as shrimp and salmon. And fruit such as melon. My current prepackaged snack items have been babybel cheese protein yogurt pickles sugar free pudding and jello. I recently added probiotic soda poppi. I open it and wait for it to get flat so I can safely drink it without the gas problems that follow it.

Thank you ladies for the well needed advice. I’m still learning but don’t want to be a stress to my own self lol… I’ve never had GERD / reflux. But the spasms are definitely real. I’m happy I am not alone. As far as the eating I’ve been trying to but it’s not easy at all… So far my bowels has been great to me Praise God. I try to do the wait couple minutes but I do get frustrated very fast and it makes me not want my food if I have to stop to eat. It is a process I know I have to go through but phewww it’s not easy.. Again thank you lovely Ladies for the great advice.

I had spasms for a few weeks after surgery. I still have them sometimes if I take too big of a drink or eat too fast. I just push through them and slow down. At beginning my doc gave me a med to take for them. As for GERD I had it before surgery. And I don't find mine worse after. But I do know it gets really bad if I eat anything really spicy or fried. Even 1 bite.

yeah mine is fully liquid for 2 weeks. I'm having my surgery done at the Mayo Clinic so they're particular but they've been great. I really can't complain about my care or any of my providers because they've all been super helpful and caring. I've learned to like the Liquid IV stuff, at first it was like drinking straight saltwater to me but I've always been super touchy with salt and never use much of it because you can get flavor so many different ways other than just adding salt. I dunno, I guess being an avid home cook helps in some ways because I'm not at a loss for what to add to things to make them taste better a lot of the time, but then again it sucks because I'm going to be cooking for my family and not able to eat it. It makes me sad but I'll live. It's just a few weeks. I'll be eating with my family again in no time. With as fast as times been flying I'm sure it'll be find before I even have much time to complain, haha, maybe, I hope...

My journey til surgery was 5 months I didn’t see my surgeon until I had completed all requirements of Medicare. started March 31st had 4 weight ins at my pcp office, a psych eval, a dietitian eval. An orientation at the local hospital. And 2 support meetings. Within 30 days I needed full blood panel, and 2 years of medical history provided by my pcp and a letter of medical clearance. Met with Doctors team leader 1st.. then 5 days later meet with the Doctor on a Tues Aug 8th Asked if fast track was ok … why yes it is. Scheduled me for the following Thursday, August 17. started my liquid diet the next day. I was his last for the day because Medicare required me to stay overnight, everything went great. I’m a week out and started soft food today. Hw 219.5 / Sw 202 / Cw 195.5 / Gw 140 I’m almost 67 and 5’ 2.5”