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Congrats! I had my testing earlier this week. Everything went well and I'm ready to go for Tuesday! Liver shrink is HARD. I'm fine all day long, but really struggling when it comes to dinner time when I can actually eat real food and not just a protein shake. I feel like I'm eating the same boring things every day. I think I'd almost rather being in purely shakes, because at least that I can vary the flavor of. @one more time, I wonder if it has to do with BMI? Maybe your bmi is lower and the size of your liver won't be as much of an issue?? I know bc my bmi was over 50, that's why I needed 3 weeks of liver shrink instead of my Dr's usually two week rx of it.

Do you track your food? That would help! I rarely feel "full" I just eat what I know I should be. 3-4oz of protein, veggies then carbs (if I even eat them). Lots of water. Snacks are meat sticks, cheese, PB balls, fruit and ect...Also moving is huge! Building up the exercise, example I started at walking 1/4 mile in 30 min to now I run 3.25miles in 30min, its been a huge success to my weight loss. Movement really will help!

Just a thought here, you've recently had several surgeries, along with a large blood loss. Significant weight loss, and new job. Now working overnights a few days a week. I'm thinking you may be feeling the effects of the combination of all those things, and it will take you and your body longer to adjust than someone who hasn't been through all of that? I remember you saying you have to eat very low carb due to sensitivity, and maybe your body is not liking that considering the increased demand on energy. Is there anything you could pair some carbs with that wouldn't make you feel awful? Like crackers with butter and cheese? That would provide fats, protein and carbs all together?

First, congratulations on your surgery. No, it’s not uncommon to start having doubts, worries, be a bit emotional about things. This is a big thing. Something you have never gone edits so and have absolutely nothing to base these new experiences and emotional reactions you’re having upon. With a sleeve, about 75% of your tummy is removed. This differs person to person & depends upon the size of your tummy. Larger tummy, more is removed. I actually got an internal photo of my tummy being removed (it’s not framed up on my wall 😄). It is impossible for you to regain if you’re following your plan and the volume of food/calories you’re consuming. A very common occurrence, which almost every one experiences, is called the three week stall. Around the three week mark (could be earlier or later than then) your weight loss will stall. It may last from 1-3 weeks. It’s very normal & just your body taking a moment to adjust to the changes and reassess your new needs (metabolic rate, digestive hormones, etc.). You will start losing again. Because there is no hard and fast rule as to your rate of loss, surgeons don’t tend to set weight loss goals - interim or final. There are just lots of averages around how much you may lose and how long it may take. Your surgeon may have spoken to you about how much weight you may lose by a certain time but it’s no guarantee of what will happen but just an idea of what might happen. They may ask how much you’d like to lose and then advise if it is possible or not. Whether it is possible or not is based on stats (averages). Don’t worry about not meeting your fluid or protein goals in the first weeks. It’s not easy in the beginning. As long as you’re making an effort and aren’t too far off. You’ll notice you get closer and closer and some days will be easier & others will be a real struggle. A quarter cup of food seems like nothing to begin but is again not unusual. My advice was 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée to about a cup at 6 months. If you’re struggling eating soft food you may need to go back a stage for a few days & that ‘s okay. Sometimes we’re ( our tummies) just aren’t ready & healed enough yet to tolerate the more & more dense food as you progress to each new stage. Often weeks 3 & 4 are purées and then soft foods in weeks 5 & 6 but plans do differ. Trust me, it does get better and easier in time.

I’m nearing the 3weeks myself. I had an issue with puréed food for a few days when I first started the puréed diet. I had to go a few bites every 2 hours and compensate it with 1 1/2 oz of protein shake. Now my system is saying it’s fine it’s even had non puréed (but highly chewed) chilli just fine. I suggest trying around. I still can’t handle chicken very well but I can beef and fish. Remember every body is different. Do not be afraid to ask your team the question either. My doctor didn’t tell me the actual amount they removed either just an estimate of 2/3rds before the surgery.

So I’m 3 weeks post-op with a gastric sleeve. My first disappointment was when the week before my surgery my doctor told me I wasn’t a strong enough candidate for bypass. Ok, fine. But then he wouldn’t tell me how much of my stomach was removed, he didn’t give me incremental goal weights or a final goal weight. 11 days post surgery I had already lost 14lbs, (beg wt on 1/24 was 270lbs, date of surgery 232lbs). I’m trying not to be obsessive about my weight so I’m weighing in every 10-14 days. That being said, I’m already feeling like I’m stalling in my weight loss and even worried about gaining already. Is this a normal feeling? I’m trying to get all my protein but usually fall short. I’m on “soft foods” but can barely get down a 1/4 of a cup of food. The rest of my intake is liquid. Has anyone else had these feelings? Should I bite the bullet and go weigh in? Thank you in advance for any tidbits and opinions.

I’ve been having the same problem. I started putting 1 tsp of psyllium husk in my protein shake. It thickens it up a bit but after about three days I had relief. I stopped for a couple days and got plugged up again. Just a thought😊

I found some good bariatric recipes on Pinterest. I love bread, but a recipe I discovered in my preop days is really good. It’s called cloud bread, no carb and high protein. I also found a great book online by Megan Moore called the Complete Bariatric Cookbook and Meal Plan. It’s broken down by recipe category and even lists the stages.

The sugar alcohol mentioned above is a very likely Culprit but I’d that not it, Perhaps you are not highly allergic but sensitive to a certain type of milk and drinking it all day you are noticing it more than if you just had a glass a day. Or the type of protein too they make lots of different shakes with different proteins and soy alternative and all of that. A good way to try a variety is to check a large convenience store. Although I am not sure how many of the alternative styles of shakes they will have. Worth a shot though instead of buying multipacks of something you can’t drink.

I think nuts are a pretty good choice in moderation. The protein fills you up and the fat is healthy fat at least. I had to google wagyu because I had never heard of it. I will have to give that a try sometime. How did the cocktail go? I haven’t tried yet either. Post sleeve I was the opposite of most people and I couldn’t get a buzz even after like 3 or 4 drinks. I decided it was a waste of calories for me and haven’t drank since. Idk if that’s still the case post revision. I guess I may try eventually. Then again I haven’t missed it for a couple years so maybe I should just stay away from it.

When I first started working nights it took me a couple months to adjust. A couple things I’ve done to improve my sleep: I have double layer black out blinds. My bedroom is an absolute cave. I use a white noise machine to block out daytime noises. I work 7pm-7am. I cut off caffeine at 1am and don’t drink any more fluids after 4am. I have a small, protein containing snack around 5am. I’ve done nights off and on through my 18 years as a nurse, currently on nights now. It does get better after your body gets used to sleeping during daytime hours!

Glad you’ve turned a corner. We do say it gets better & easier but it doesn’t seem like it in the beginning. And it will continue to get better too. PS - Watch the calories in the shakes you’re having between meals though. They do add up. Bone broth may be a better lower calorie alternative but still giving you protein & some flavour. Or protein water.

So a month and a half ago I started working 12 hour shifts overnight 3-4 days per week. Everyone said by now my body would adapt, but that hasn't happened. Instead, as time goes on, I'm getting more and more fatigued. I sleep all day and wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all. My joints hurt all the time. I talked to my doctor and my nutritionist and they said to get more rest, eat more dark leafy greens, increase my protein, and maybe drink some coffee. I've done all that and it's been no help at all. Then I was told "maybe you shouldn't do overnights" but that's not an option. It's a requirement for my job. Energy drinks don't work on me (I'm not caffeine sensitive so no matter how much I drink of it, I don't get any kind of a boost) and b-12 doesn't do anything for me, either. I'm at a loss now and I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions. Thanks in advance!!!

I get that, I said that for about two weeks and amazingly I turned the corner a few days ago. Yes, I'm still hungry but I am forcing my self to drink more protein drinks (cafe mocha) in-between meals and lots more water. I found both has helped me considerably and I am used to getting hungry so it's not as bad now. How are you feeling now?

Omg this foods cooking smells so good. I’ve been lucky since surgery that it’s just my hubby and I and he is not a big eater and usually makes whatever he wants on the grill. I had a protein shake for breakfast but my mouth is watering. Idk if I’m gonna be able to control myself today. I mean portion wise I will but I’ve gotta taste a little bit of it all.

This reminds me of the year I got my wisdom teeth out right before Thanksgiving and all I could eat was mashed potatoes that year. 😂 I think someone has already said this, but because with volume because that does sound like a lot. I would also probably skip the cobbler filling because its more than likely has a lot of sugar, which they don't recommend so soon after surgery, and I had to be careful of berries that soon after. At 7/8 days, I was only drinking water, protein drinks and soups/broths.

I wish it were that simple, but it's not. We have to keep in mind that our weight is made up of a lot more than just fat. There are multiple body composition models used, but the one I recommend most people use when trying to lose fat is a 3 compartment model that consists of the following: Fat Muscle Bone I recommend this one since it's easy for most people to visualise those 3 components. Keep in mind however that roughly 70-75% of muscle mass is water. Why is that important? Because sometimes we can be fooled by the scale into thinking we're not losing fat, or that we're gaining fat when we're not. Most likely, what you're seeing is simply changes in water weight. A really common scenario is for people on low calorie diets (like most people here), to see a plateau and think that means they need exercise more and/or eat less, but when they do that, they actually gain a bit according to the scale. The reality is they didn't gain fat, they retained more water. I think it's important to keep in mind that we all have something called a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the minimum number of calories your body needs simply to stay alive. It can be thought of as the number of calories you expend per day even if you were completely sedentary. BMR is a complicated subject, but on average, the bigger you are, the higher your BMR. Yes, it goes down as you lose fat, since fat is not completely metabolically inert, but fat loss does not have nearly the effect on BMR that losing muscle does. This is one of the main reasons bariatric patients are told to focus on protein intake because protein is needed to help prevent excessive muscle loss when dieting. More muscle = higher BMR = faster weight loss, or being able to eat more at goal weight The average BMR for women is ~1400 k/cal per day. Higher if you are taller or more muscular, lower if you are shorter and/or have lower muscle mass. Men, for obvious reasons tend to have a higher BMR that's more in the 1700 range. My point in telling you all of the above is that it's highly unlikely that someone eating 900 calories a day needs to eat even less if weight loss has stalled. Frankly, if that is the OP, then I'd actually recommend exactly the opposite: try upping your caloric intake a couple hundred k/cal per day and see what happens. I know it seems counter intuitive, but your body is not a simple machine where the calories in vs. calories out paradigm actually works. Happy to discuss more and provide additional info, but this post is already overly long. Best of luck.

You're only two weeks out, so it's absolutely fine to take things slow. It's also fine not to hit the targets that have been set for you this early on. Just do your best. I actually did okay for the first few weeks, but at one point around week 4, my stomach just didn't want certain solid foods and I started having vomiting. My doctor had me go back to liquids for another two weeks. It was no fun at the time, but it eventually went away. Your body will adjust over time and you'll go back to mostly normal. I really liked creamy tomato soup with plain protein powder mixed in during the soft phase. Also, refried beans with some melted cheese were delicious. Think of food as more of a "nice to have" thing right now, knowing you are getting what you need from your protein and vitamin supplements. It's okay just to have a bite or two, or to have the same things for a few days in a row and not get a lot of variety. The first few months you're retraining yourself with eating and your body is going to be doing all sorts of weird things until it recovers.

This year, I'm going home for Thanksgiving. It's the first time I've been back in 20 years. I have some family members who don't know/approve of surgery so it's going to be a bit tough, but I will try and treat like a normal, get protein in first, then veg, then carbs. and no snacks in between.

Made our at home thanksgiving meal yesterday to free up fridge space (it sort of worked). Turkey with a curry based dry brine, baked Chinese restaurant style green beans, an gratin potatoes, gravy (from a packet as I couldn’t be bothered to cook more), instant mashed potatoes (see above reasoning), instant stuffing (see above reasoning), cranberry chutney, candied sweet potatoes, mustard greens, and glazed carrots. Before, after the first try and then ended up eating the rest a couple hours later. Had leftover green beans and an eggnog and protein powder shake for breakfast this morning.

lol no, not at all i am just a ridiculous exercise addict these days. started in the summer and now i just can't seem to stop...i actually feel BAD (mentally and physically) if i don't do SOMETHING every day. i am paying the price though...my body just feels worn out every day now when i'm at rest. the only thing that makes the pain and achiness go away is more exercise. its a vicious cycle honestly. the weight loss is not on purpose. i got myself braces in September, and my total annoyance of having to clean my teeth after every single time that i eat something, has effectively stopped me from snacking. so i'm eating less overall and its showing on the scale (and my abs! lol). i started adding an afternoon protein shake about 2 weeks ago and gained back 2-ish lbs....(two weeks ago i was down 13 lbs, today i'm down just down 11 lbs since september) BUT...i have to say that i actually kinda like that i lost that bit of weight (how's that for body image issues?!?!). but i also know i need to eat more for health's sake.

Hi all! This will be my first major holiday post op, so I will be seeing a lot of people I haven't seen since last year, I expect a lot of looks, and side eyes but hopefully a lot of positive comments as well! I plan on doing the Turkey Trot in my hometown (3k walk/run) with my family in the morning, then get my protein in first and share some of my fav sides and desserts with my kiddos. Going to enjoy the day and not stress so much and be mindful! How are you tackling Thanksgiving this year?!

Went Jean shopping yesterday and my biggest struggle was everything looked good and with my size I had so many options. Then went to VS and was picking out size small panties and they are sexy. TMI but I wore a sexy piece for the mister and I felt really sexy in my skin. It was the best freaking feeling! Attached are the very first pair of pants I bought after WLS because my 20s were way too baggy. I don’t always do amazing with my choices in food- a struggle we all will forever be a struggle for me, but damn! I did this work, I put in work at the gym, I meal prep every damn week, and I track. I am humble bragging that I am proud of myself!

I did 1 protein shake but stretched it over the course of the day. then 1 6 ounce piece of lean meat at night. Celery as a snack and zero sugar gatorade that you can mix in water. good luck, you are only at the beginning and its the roughest part.

Yep, me. I never lost my hunger at all. I've just had to learn that if I follow my plan, I'm getting enough food. I ignore it by staying busy, working a lot, and keeping busy so I'm not focused on it. I make sure to have 3 meals and 3 snacks per day and prioritize protein, then healthy fats, then fiber, then carbs.