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My surgery is on Monday the 12th, I am excited and nervous as well, but I have a huge community to help me. You will be going through grief of loss or the grief of having to follow a regimen diet. I attend a group every day, just to grab nuggets of information and knowledge. I am a member of Barination, and they have certified licensed and professional mental health care providers, dieticians and nutrition specialists and lots of discussions with physicians and groups or teams from around the country. I would strongly urge you to visit them and see what they are all about. You can find lots of YouTube videos from Barination that are free for all to view. They have one that is on what to expect as a pre-op and immediate post-op patient. Once a Bariatric patient, always a bariatric patient. I wish you well on your surgery on the 9th. Keep us up to date how you are doing and we can provide you with knowledge and understanding of the feelings you are feeling. Start that feelings journal now and write anything that is in your mind, and re-read them for learning and keep them to look back a year out to see where you were before, and where you are a year out. I started that 2 weeks ago and I have come to realize that I still have that head hunger. I'm not hungry but bored, so I think about food to fill the void. That is head hunger. It is a real thing, so as you begin the liquid diet, remember that the #1 problem or complication you will have is dehydration so sip, sip, sip!! If you have protein water, that will help you feel more full than just drinking water. Hope I helped a little bit, hang in there, this is a life-long journey.

@AmberFL I must have missed that you are recovering from surgery. While I probably wouldn't recommend a significant fat loss diet while healing, I'd also be a bit cautious about using Google AI recommendations. The idea that you need 15-20 calories per pound of current body weight to heal just doesn't pass the smell test. If this were true, none of us would have properly healed from our bariatric surgery. Keep in mind that 15-20 pounds for you right now would be roughly 2500 to 3400 calories. At your starting weight, that would have been about 4500 to almost 6000 calories a day! Looking through the scientific literature, I couldn't find a single reference that this level of calories was needed to promote healing after surgery. There were some references to additional calories being helpful in the event of significant wounds, thus your calorie needs may be somewhat higher for more involved surgeries vs simple ones. I apologise, but I have no idea what "PS surgery" is, so that doesn't really help narrow things down. I think my recommendation would be to base this more on feel. If you are feeling really rundown, that's probably a good indication you may need to up your calories. You're always going to feel somewhat tired after any major surgery, so I'm talking about feeling excessively tired. If you do feel the need to add more, my recommendations above regarding macros still stand. We do know that wound healing requires adequate protein (thus 1.6g/kg is a good minimum target). We also want to make sure you're getting adequate essential fats, so shooting for a minimum of 50g is still good advice. If you are more like 70 to 80g, especially when not on a fat loss diet, that's just fine. I wouldn't necessarily recommend going much higher that that on fats because if you do, if will mean you would likely be subtracting calories from carbs. Good whole food sources of carbs like whole grains, vegetables and fruit have tons of nutritive value that you really shouldn't be skipping right now. In short, protein first, essential fats next, and carbs for the rest of the diet.

I had got my sleeve done on Oct 7th. 1 week post op I lost a total of 6.5 pounds (in addition to the 10 I lost on pre-op diet). But since then, I haven't dropped a single ounce! I walk everyday and I'm still on the liquid diet and just so frustrated. If I have to drink another protein shake, I'll gag. Is this part of the whole 3 week stall????

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've been burping and farting so I think the gas isn't trapped athough I decided to take the lactulose now to try and nip the constipation in the bud now. The most "pleasant" meds that I take have been the lactulose and the blood thinning subcutaneous injections. Everything else has made me feel awful or tasted bad and made me want to sip water which I can't do right after the meds. My favourite Vieve Protein Water still tastes good to me so I'm trying to switch between sips of that and regular water too. Since the multivitamin made me throw up, my team said I can try a two a day chewable instead and see if that helps, but like everyone else said, just prioritise fluids and protein if possible.

No I can’t do pasta or rice so I’ll have zucchini noodles if I want a pasta-like experience. Otherwise I just have the sauce (with whatever protein) alone. PS I planted my basil in a pot on my deck. Have chives & parsley too. You can keep the pot in a sunny spot in your kitchen too.

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.

I doubt I will ever know if I have it because I eat round the clock 🤣 . Sounds horrible though. Do you just get busy and forget or is it that you do not have anything with you?. I keep a protein bars in my purse in case I get stuck out and they have saved the day quite a few times. Even little nut butter packets would work in a pinch. I also have them little cracker sandwich packets in my car for absolute emergencies since they can get hot and be okay and they last a really long time. Of course that’s not a very nutritious choice. If it’s the former maybe set alarms. I have them set as recurring alarms in my phone that repeat everyday. I really find that eating on a schedule works best for me. I don’t think I could ever get all my protein in if I didn’t.

I'm always hungry. Always have been. Never had any reduction in the hunger hormone. So for me, it's about sticking to the plan, eating appropriate things at the right times, and ignoring the rest. For snacks, I like things that are higher in protein and fat. I love protein rolled oats with blueberries, raspberries, and sugar free syrup on top. I like to have snacks like smokehouse almonds, cheese cubes, and pepperoni or salami. I like to have a sandwich with keto white bread (I tend to go for mayo, mustard, lettuce, a tomato, cheese, and either roast beef or pastrami). I take every chance I can get to add avocado onto whatever I'm eating. Salads are HUGE for me. I love them, they're healthy, and I can put whatever I'm in the mood for on them. But the key is to EAT. You can't skip meals. Set an alarm if you have to, but you absolutely cannot miss meals. Especially not in the beginning after surgery.

@ShoppGirl Thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate it I haven't actually tried making my own proffee yet - I tend to just buy protein coffee pre-made in cans 😂 Will probably be more cost-effective if I make my own so I will look into that! I shall get the snacks going & alarms set!

Hey! 👋 I hope your post op went super well! Once you’re out of liquids it’s a whole new world! The feeling of fullness might start kicking in. I’m probably under on protein but my focus is hydration and getting protein from eat of my meals. I’ve add 3oz of protein in the morning after my coconut water before my walk and it’s doing good. My baby stomach just can’t handle water, food and protein shakes all in one day, it’s too much. So my doctors and nutritionist said don’t worry about it stay hydrated then protein. The video was neat! The hospital actually provided it to the doctors and they sent it to me. They recorded all the medical procedures. I’ve found that 3oz works really well for me 2/3 hrs . I weigh everything and I got some new cups.

One suggestion in terms of your bra is to buy a bra with the correct cup size, but one that actually fits you on the biggest hook. That way you can use the other two or three hooks depending on how many are on it as you lose weight still because usually when they fit you, they aim for that middle hook so that you can gain or lose 10 pounds and it’ll still fit, but you know you’re not gonna be gaining anytime soon. Another option that I thought about doing myself because I had the sleeve and I know that I don’t lose much in my cup size. It’s just the band size is to buy one that fits in the cup, but it’s actually a size smaller in the band and use a bra extender, so it’ll last longer

I was swallowing my normal pills the next day in the hospital but I was also drinking pretty good. And when I got home I could take my tablets just fine. If you are worried, though, order some bariatric advantage chewables. They taste decent and you can get them with and without iron. I actually took them the first month just cause they are a little lower iron than my SADI specific vitamin and I wasn’t eating as much to stomach the iron. It won’t hurt to have a couple of options on hand. Even if you have auto ship (which if you don’t have that you should look into it once you know what works for you because you save money and it’s one less thing for you to remember) you can skip a shipment anytime if you end up with too many vitamins. Also the bariatric advantage calcium chews are a good alternative to tablets and they are quite tasty (like candy). I still take them because I like them. They are a bit pricey but for the first month you don’t have to worry about swallowing issues and them being individually wrapped and not needing a drink is pretty convenient. I just keep a handful in my pocketbook and they are always with me when my alarm goes off. For the multi vitamin I use the procare health They are quite complete and reasonably priced. On their site you can do authorship and save some money. My labs have alway been great. Even now while I’m in the middle of chemo and have diarrhea everyday. That is one thing to keep in mind though. What works for me may not work for you. Whatever you do decide to go with take it with you when you go over your labs. You doctor may want to see how much of a specific vitamin is in there. They all have the same stuff for the most part but they have more or less of the different vitamins. If you end up being low in something you can always add that one vitamin but if you high you may need to switch to a different multi that has less a little less of that vitamin. I did the Pro care health multi with 45 mg I believe of iron after my sleeve and post revision I do their multi for the SADI which has higher ADEK and IRON that we need after DS or SADI. Ooh and it’s not a bad idea to eventually have one multi without iron on hand for days where you need to fast like lab days or if you aren’t feeling well and can’t eat enough to take it. I mean for twice a year you can just skip it but I’m doing a lot of labs and stuff right now that require me to miss it so I ordered an iron free and I feel better than I’m not missing all the other stuff at least. Also be sure to tell you Dr you take a BARIATRIC multi because some labs can be thrown off with the higher levels of vitamins. And if something is way off just google that and vitamins and see if that could be the issue to mention to your dr. I think it was biotin and cortisol that was my most recent one that was thrown off.

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure website and podcasts. He has excellent information, books (incl the metabolic reset diet) and online nutrition classes you can sign up for. They also have support groups you may find helpful too. Personally, I wouldn’t go back to the pre surgical shake diet. (I’m with you, those shakes are disgusting.) Instead go back to how you were eating once your weight initially stabilised. That calorie load was appropriate for the weight you were so will be a deficit for what you are consuming now therefore weight loss will occur Focus of your protein goals eating protein first then vegetables and finally any complex carbs as you are able. Ensure you’re getting your fluids in. Aim for lowish carbs, low sugar (real, artificial or alternatives), lower fats & add a little fruit. Check your portions, try to eat regularly & watch snacking. Track your intake even from now so you can see where you may need to make adjustments. You can start slowly by focussing on one modifying one or two aspect s at a time then two or so weeks later add another change.

My go-to overnight oats: 1 cup oats 1.5 cups unsweeted almond milk 4 scoops premier chocolate protein 2 tbl sp PB2 a splash of vanilla. Makes 4 servings, a ton of protein. Oats are a complex carb so burn slow and balances the protein. It tastes just like a no bake cookie 😍

That’s awesome. I have been very pleased with my revision to SADI. My surgeon didn’t mention the intestine length thing but he did have me do the barium swallow, an endoscopy and a gastric emptying study before saying that the SADI would be an option as well as the bypass and it was up to me which I wanted to do. There are pros and cons to the SADI revision. statistically (which by definition means there are outliers that are more or less) but the majority of people lose faster and the loss is more durable which got my attention but the possibility of bathroom issues is significant (fortunately I didn’t have this at all until I recently started chemo but I don’t think it has anything to do with the surgery). One con though of SADI is that many doctors have never heard of it. From my family Dr, to the urgent care, ER physicians, gyno, radiologies, breast surgeon, etc. Even the gastro dr who will be doing an endoscopy and colonoscopy on me Monday has never heard of the SADI but my bariatric doctor said he will explain my anatomy to her and it will be fine. I always tell them it’s a modified version of the Duodenal Switch with one anastomosis instead of two and if they still look confused I tell them it’s not exactly but kinda like a bypass and a sleeve combined. But obviously I need the person putting a camera in there to understand better than that. I think you will be very pleased with your results from either one but another thing to consider is if you have a complication or need revision to the SADI how many doctors are able to operate on you. My surgeon told me that if I had a complication he would stabilize me but he would send me to a nearby hospital if I needed any type of revision. I appreciated that he was willing to admit his limits and I was okay with that but I guess it is a risk you may want to ask about. Your surgeon may very well have done lots of these but mine had not. Also, not a lot of doctors will do a revision to the SADI just because of regain. You would be more likely to find someone to revise a bypass. Not that we are hoping to need a third surgery but obesity is complex and a lifelong struggle so it’s something to think about. I wish you the best of luck. And hope to hear about your surgery date soon.

Not that familiar with the switch surgery but I presume it would be the same for all surgeries in that after the surgery there is a new "standard" to meal sizes. If you went back to eating what would be a normal size meal pre-op you would probably make yourself ill and uncomfortable as you can't fit the food in. I am almost a year and a half out (sleeve) and if I had to have a sandwich I would have half per meal but I am trying to stay away from bread/pasta/rice as much as possible as they take up space in my smaller stomach that should have proteins as the priority. I was in the US recently and was happy to see that Pret did half portions so I just got their one half chicken and avocado to have when on the go. For me I still find that for breakfast a yogurt, for lunch and dinner 150ml/3oz of food with a small snack a while later is sufficient for me main meal wise. I think have protein drink or bar as snacks if needed. When eating out I usually just have a starter and would not always finish. If ordering a main course I usually manage 1/3, or 1/2 if it is a small one, and bring the rest home.

I know I am a bypass patient so it is a little different, but I tend to eat similar things as others have said this far out! Breakfast (when I manage to eat it) tends to be a protein porridge pot, or if I don't feel hungry in the morning I have like a protein iced coffee & a protein shake/Huel shake. Lunch tends to be either some form of wrap with chicken, or some sort of salad pot. I don't pre-make my lunches which is probably a bad thing, but also just to encourage myself to walk to the shop at lunchtime so I can get some steps in 😂 Dinners really vary, but I have found that I can eat most things: chicken, beef, fish, seafood etc. So I just cook normal things like spaghetti Bolognese, curries, salmon & broccoli, anything that takes my fancy really! I can eat a small amount of carbs, especially things like brown rice & pasta, but burger buns are just too much so I just take the bun off 😂😂

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!

So I have a work around! You will need: 1. vanilla protein shake 2. sugar free pumpkin spice syrup (Jordans skinny syrup as a yummy one) 3. sugar free pumpkin spice sauce (Jordans skinny syrup as a yummy one) 4. pumpkins pie spice Recipe: 1 vanilla pre-made protein shake (such as premier or fairlife) 10 pumps of sugar free pumpkin spice syrup mix them in a jar together and you can use it as a creamer. Then I take a pre-made protein shake (about 1-2 oz) and use my frothier to make the foam THEN I assemble. 2oz on the bottom of the glass jar, ice to top it off, sugar free pumpin spice sauce, add decaf cold brew, then add your foam and sprinkle some of your pumpkin pie spice. ITS DELICIOUS! I drink one almost every day and its 36cal!

Most likely it’s because your body is detoxing from carbs and it’s screaming for more. Once your body is rid of them the cravings will subside and it’s actually a great deal easier. For me it’s usually almost a week before the cravings are completely gone but they get a little less with every day. For future reference too if you are like me the natural carbs like fruit and veggies don’t cause me issues or even a very small portion or brown pasta or rice, but processed carbs I have to be VERY careful with. One cookie and my body wants more. Two cookies and I’m craving carbs for a week. You can do this and it will get easier each day and even easier post surgery when your appetite is gone. If I’m busy now, I even forget to eat lunch on occasion if I’m out and i have to stay up late to have a second dinner to get all my protein and vitamins in. Soooo many people say that that preop is the hardest part of the whole process mentally. Just keep your eye on the prize. You can do this. ❤️

Well I had some circumstances (some out of my control but some that ultimately were) that all added up to my regain but it boiled down to unhealthy choices and increased portion sizes. Just don’t do that and you should be fine. Sticking with the support groups should be a huge help. I stopped posting here and going to my my appointments when I started gaining too much because they couldn’t offer much for me in terms of options and I was embarrassed. It was a bad decision since that was when I needed support most.

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?

The simple answer is yes. Just getting a small stomach does not cure your brain. It is hard wired to feast whenever there is a glut of food and unfortunately that is what is all around us these days. I waited 30 years for this surgery so this is me - I allow myself 1500 calories a day. I religiously track them I could easily eat around my sleeve, I love chocolate and dont have any will power. If I open a bar then I eat it. So I buy the packs of tiny 25gram bars. I have increased my activity. I walk everywhere. I shop better for quality protein rich foods and menu plan, You may find when your new stomach has healed, about 6 - 12 weeks out, you will hopefully feel your restriction kick in. You should feel the full signals. Certain foods fill me longer than other. I physically can not eat or drink for two hours after eating meat. Mince it and I can go again after an hour. Its a massive learning curve.