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I have it too. Random episodes but I also experienced it before surgery. Friends used to laugh and say it was an excuse not to do any strenuous type exercise (which was when I mostly had episodes) until they witnessed me experiencing it. Freaked them out. Yes, keep little snacks on hand. Eat to a routine. (I started to do this early after surgery because of the lack of hunger and any interest in eating. I knew I had to eat to get in the nutrients my body needed. I still do 5 years out.) Have an electrolyte drink on hand if you know your day will be busy and you may miss meals. (I added a hydralyte tablet to a bottle of water when I knew I would be out or at work.) And I plan ahead in situations I know may cause an episode. For example, sometimes I pop out before breakfast to grab a few groceries. To ward off an attack I’ll have a few blueberries before I leave. My last attack was 4 weeks ago at hospital. The hospital doesn’t provide the sandwiches or cheese & crackers after you have surgery any more. That night I had an episode. It had been 24hrs since I’d eaten and when I spoke to a nurse, she informed me o had to order my own meals through an app or ring an order through. Sorry but still rather out of it from the anaesthetic, sleepy and having a hypoglycemia episode does not make downloading an app and creating passwords, etc. easy. Plus the phone & menu was out of my reach because of the IV and being plugged into those pulsing leg wrap things. Due to my woozy befuddled brain, I totally forgot I had packed a few protein bars which would have got me through. And yes, I had identified I had hypoglycemia on my admitting records.

Yes. I’ve had the same email since dial-up. I’m nervous about the liquid diet. I’m basically broth & protein drinks. I live alone so I’m in the process of getting rid of all my food. Best of luck with the surgery. Let me know how it goes.

I never look at the scale at home. The only time I get weighed is at a doctor's and periodically, at my gym, where they use one of those impedance machines that distinguishes fat, muscle and skeletal mass. Instead of worrying, just stick to whatever program you are following---my appetite was severely diminished after surgery, I had one instance of the foamies early on, and I learned pretty quickly that eating the wrong food or too much to fast led to gastro-distress. I don't know how much exercise you are getting. That has been a big factor for me. I work with a trainer, and it isn't just building muscle, but a lot of attention was paid to balance-- Learning how to breathe is something I'm still working on- sounds stupid but makes a huge difference in your stamina. Walk. A lot. I wasn't a food junkie but like to eat. I'm now constrained, but the trade-offs are worth it. Give it time. If you are persistent and consistent, you will be rewarded--- I slug down a 30 G protein drink, work out, hit another 30 G protein drink, a light lunch, a dinner primarily of protein and veggies. There's a certain amount of positive reinforcement that comes from success. But you should not measure your success by the scale or any other external measure. Overall, I feel better, am far more ambulatory and that alone allows me to capitalize on the surgery--and that's where the self-reinforcement comes in. I would have been out of breath after a couple of blocks walk. Now, I can go miles and feel good while doing it.

Yes - I have that. Or at least that is what my physician thought after I had occasional symptoms like that and they couldn't find anything else wrong with me (had the workup about four years ago). She said to eat something about every three hours - preferably a protein or something paired with a protein. It works - I rarely have those symptoms any more. P.S. any kind of protein is fine - even a thing of yogurt.

@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!

Yea. Just start with the times that you naturally do actually eat anyways and then pick other times that are convenient from there. I also do a proffee in the morning (just protein shake and coffee to make an iced coffee like drink). I really am not a breakfast person but I have to do vitamins 5 different times a day so I do that with my soluble fiber mixed in and take my multivitamin once I get that down. It’s fast and it’s liquid too so it’s a good start to the day getting fiber, protein, fluids and my first vitamin done. I like the premiere protein caramel and I just mix it with some chilled coffee. I use the whole shake in a tall cup and add coffee the rest of the way but I am one of those people that are asked if I want some coffee with my cream and sugar so adjust as needed. But for sure, start with the snacks. They are a must if you have reactive hypoglycemia. Then add alarms to remember to eat those snacks. Maybe around 1 if you haven’t eaten yet you need to get something soon or have one of your snacks to avoid the 2-3pm issue. Hopefully that will help.

Received a call at 8.30am this morning to be told that I was discussed in last Fridays MDT meeting and was accepted for surgery 🥳🥳🥳 I was then told I would be having a ‘One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass’ - huh?? The nurse repeated herself and I was still none the wiser. She said that she would ask a specialist Bariatric nurse to call me to discuss and would send me the info out. I asked for it to be emailed, which she did. I had a read through and did some more research on the internet, just to familiarise myself with what had been suggested. It’s the mini gastric bypass. The specialist nurse rang me just after 9am and explained that it meant that my ‘pouch’ is slightly bigger then that of a Roux-en-Y bypass and there is only one connection or ‘anastomosis’ which is from the pouch to the bowel. Apparently it’s not as complex with the op taking around 1.5hours and recovery just the same as the normal bypass plus the weight loss is expected to be the same. I was recommended it because of Fibromyalgia and the chronic pain I have with RA and osteoarthritis as it would be easier for me. That made sense, thankfully! The specialist nurse said it was a relatively new procedure to the hospital which is why it wasn’t discussed in any detail at the first education session I attended a few months ago. Fair enough, I’m happy to go ahead with it. The wait is around 4-6 months - oh 😒 I was honest and said that I was concerned about losing focus while I’m waiting and gaining weight once again (we all know how easy that is) She went through everything again with me - 3 meals a day, 20/20/20, use a portion plate if I have one (I do) focus more on my protein etc. She also said that if I do begin to struggle, to contact her and they would fit me in with the dietitian to go through things with me. I felt better for her saying that. I did reiterate that I am happy to take a cancellation. She said they do get cancellations but would have to make sure that I had at least 3 weeks notice to complete the LRD. I’ll be honest and say that I’m really, really hoping that the 4-6 months is on the outside and that the surgery is sooner! I know that whatever will be will be, so just to keep on keeping on. Gym is going well, 3 visits last week and I’m hoping for 3 more this week. I’ve upped my levels and weights and I’m burning around 600-650 cals in around an hour or so workout or so my Apple Watch tells me! I can feel muscle, it just happens to be deeply buried and camouflaged with fat 😮 I tried my smaller sized gym stuff on yesterday and, while I can get it on I wouldn’t say it actually fitted, so a few more pounds to go before I would feel comfortable enough to wear it. I bought a new black trench coat from Costco at the weekend. It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve been able to fit into clothing from there so that was a nice boost. It will definitely last me a reduction of a couple of sizes too. My weight is steady at the moment but I do hope to bring it down a little bit more before I have to do the LRD. Bloods to have taken yet again on Wednesday. If my liver is off this time then they will have to think of something else. I’ve not had my weekly jabs for 7 weeks, I’ve missed my other jab for 4 weeks plus no pain relief for 4 weeks either and it’s all wearing really thin with me now. I’m finding that I’m snapping at hubby because of pain and it’s not fair. The gym is really helping my range of movement but the pain remains. We’re out for belated birthday drinks on Friday (postponed because of blood tests ) and that’s about it. I’ve decided to crack on and make a start on wrapping Christmas presents this week. Thankfully my Christmas shopping is almost finished - hurray for sales! Wishing everyone a happy week 🥰 Onwards and Downwards!

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.

Don’t forget to tell them exactly what you’re doing fitness wise and ask whether you need to adjust your protein and carbs. Also ask what your portions should look like up until your next appointment portion wise. Also I thought of you while I was having my yogurt drink. They are just Greek yogurt and fruit with a little milk (I use almond milk just because it doesn’t expire as fast so I don’t waste as much). They sell some in the stores but you have to watch the added sugars and the ones without it are pricey. They are simple enough to make. I do them in the nutra bullet because I have one and you can drink it right out of that cup you blend in so you don’t waste as much when it sticks to the blender and then the glass. Anyways, this is a really good source of protein when you’re sick of shakes but not really hungry. I often end up having them for night snacks when I get to the end of the day and my protein is low.

Well I read that like 26% of sleeve patients end up revising whether it’s because of GERD, inadequate weight loss or regain. My surgeon said that it’s less risky and it’s a very good surgery that works fine for many people but it’s just not enough of a metabolic change for some. I honestly think he leaned towards it because my BMi was low (for this surgery at least). I was barely 35BMI but I tried telling him that was only because I was literally dieting my whole life and even then I didn’t eat that bad. I just ate a lot of food. I’m sure he hears that a lot but I think I just needed the bigger change from a more drastic surgery. From day one with my sleeve I felt like I was on a diet. I never did find healthy foods that I enjoyed, I ate chicken breast and one of the three veggies that I liked and downthe road I ate a tiny portion of something not so good for me (nothing terrible but not good either). I also never felt the spurt of energy that I felt this time so I never got into the exercise. It just wasn’t the whole lifestyle change. It was like any other diet when my hunger came back and my portions got bigger but it was healthy food at first. Then I started gaining and it just made me so depressed I was trying so hard and I was gaining already. I went to my surgeon and asked about bypass and he said he didn’t think it was a good option for me. I still don’t understand why he said that and later changed his mind. Anyways, after that I stopped following up with my team, stopped posting on here and I never went to in person groups. All of my friends and familY had already told me how big I was before thinking it was safe to say because I was thinner then so as I continued to gain I knew what they were thinking of me so my confidence just plummeted and that just snowballed into my gaining all of my weight back and then I just said forget it I guess this is just my life and I didn’t even try anymore. Finally one day my doctor said that I should really go ask him why it is that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea because they felt I was a good candidate and he said he would do it and asked me if I ever heard of the SADI. He sent me home to do research on that surgery and come back and tell him which one I wanted. I said I think the SADI and he said he needed tests to make sure I was a good candidate. He did an endoscopy, a barium swallow study and a gastric emptying test and then he said I was good and put me on the schedule. Then at the last minute they figured out I needed the nutritionist visit and the psyc eval that they didn’t think I needed so I did those in a hurry and started my preop diet. This time I told everyone about my surgery. Even though I have terrible fears that I will regain again I know that I need them cheering me on to keep me going as well. I started the In person support groups before I even had my surgery and I started posting here again as well. I have done so much more with finding healthy foods that I don’t dread and adding exercise so I can have things other than chicken breast macro wise as well. I also know this time that even if I don’t reach my goal weight or my secret goal weight that I already feel so much better and hopefully I can keep that In mind and not get caught up trying to do this just to be skinny because that isn’t the most important thing. Last time I reached the first goal I had set for myself but I never did reach the goal that I secretly wanted to get to. But I was only 18 pounds away and I let that make me feel like a failure. I would give anything to be that weight now. I just lost perspective I guess. Being healthy is really why I did it then and now and I’m already on the road to being a lot healthier so if I do lose more that’s really just icing on the cake. I just have to remember that and I think I will be okay.

I'm now 6 days post op and woke up feeling "normal" for the first time in 6 days. As in, not immediately in pain, actually ready to get out of bed and start the day. I haven't really bothered much with food since I don't want it and just want water. I went for a walk today and started to feel a little dizzy and then realised I wanted so food so I went home and had a protein shake. Dizziness was gone and I felt better. Getting water in all day. Then about 6 hours later, I had the same feeling, had some soup and it was gone. I genuinely have no idea what hunger actually feels like. I think forn39 years I just assumed I was hungry because I wanted to eat. How do I know when I actually need to eat anymore?

You're probably right; the InBody is likely more accurate than the smart scale, but it’s definitely not 100% either. I totally get where you’re coming from—I’ve also decided to move on from stressing about the numbers. I think I might be barely hitting my protein intake, and that could be part of the issue. Honestly, I feel like I should just be snacking on chicken breast to get those numbers up! I appreciate the reminder about protein and carbs; it’s helpful to know that our needs can change with activity levels. It sounds like you’re really on top of things with your goals. Keeping track of our intake can be tough, especially with everything else going on! f you don’t mind sharing more about your regain, I’d love to hear about it! I understand if it’s too personal, though. I’ve also been curious about why it seems more common to regain after sleeve surgery compared to bypass, especially since so many people still opt for the sleeve despite bypass being around longer. What do you think contributes to that? Thanks for any insights you can share!

The soup does sound good if it calculates to enough protein for me right now. I’m defintely gonna have to google that Tarka dhal. I have to try it now if it’s not too spicy.

I wonder if that uses the same technology as the little scale that I ordered on Amazon. It’s called a smart scale and it connects to an app on the phone and it logs all of your composition stats. I have heard from some of the veterans on here that those are not extremely accurate compared to their DEXA scans. Honestly, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t put too much Focus om those results anyways. It was a fairly small amount and if it’s not 100% accurate it’s possible it was not even correct for that little bit. I ended up returning the scale because I figured it would just be another thing for me to stress over every day like the weight that we shouldn’t really be measuring as often as I do. I honestly don’t see how if you’re exercising more now then you have that you would be losing muscle. I mean, I guess at some point we do need to add strength training and they warned me of that. And making sure you’re getting your protein is important they said if you increase your activity, they have me increased my protein. Did you ask about that? My surgery I have to do a little bit more. My first goal was 77 g at minimum. But at my postop appointment, I showed her my activity and she said I need to increase that to 90 minimum along with adding a bit of carbs. Remember, mine might be a little bit higher than yours because I had a different surgery, but I’m just saying I had to increase it by what 13 g because of activity. And that’s just the minimum the maximum goes well over 100.

No it just cuts out a lot of the fat but keeps the protein. I am in the weight loss case so I’m paying attention to fat and carbs. I also had my gallbladder out with my surgery so I have to slowly add fat back in to see how my body reacts. It also cuts the cholesterol which I was borderline high before my surgery. I will eventually work my way back to “skinny omelettes,” which is one whole egg and a few egg whites for a normal sized omelette. I really like to have cheese in my omelette. So I shred my own from a 2% block cheese (which is more flavorful so I use less) and do the egg whites to make up for the fat in the yolk. As long as my body allows it, I will work my way back to regular eggs eventually I’m sure, because I prefer them taste wise.

Wow. Thanks!! I am going to try most of these. I am really working hard to expand my menu. I am trying Brussels sprouts for the first time tonight. I was good for lunch and didn’t have a snack so I was able to add a little garlic butter and they aren’t my favorite but they honestly aren’t bad. My goal is to find as many things that I possibly can that are healthy before my hunger comes back because that’s when the cravings are more intense for me. If I have more options to go to I’m hoping it will be easier than last time to stay on plan. I just got so sick of chicken breasts and broccoli last time and that’s basically what I ate most nights because I didn't really know what else to eat. I really think I am setting myself up for success this time.

I looked up a few recipes online because I don't normally like them. But I make a lentil soup that's yummy. And I make a chili and a 3 bean salad that really ups the fiber and protein. I also use the pasta for not only mac n cheese but also a type of goulash. I use the pasta and add spaghetti sauce, ground beef, and 3 different beans. I also add shredded cheese that I melt on top. OMG it's amazing. And the protein and fiber are really high. I make a spinach salad with chick peas, some kind of meat (steak or chicken), cheese, bacon bits, artichoke hearts (also high in fiber), avocado, black olives, and hardboiled eggs. I like to make fruit smoothies with almond milk or I'll do a fruit salad with banana, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apple, and I mix it with greek yogurt. All of these recipes have high protein, fiber, and healthy fat content.

Okay. I eat most of those things too. I’m thinking maybe it’s just because my calories are a lot lower than yours right now so the portion of those things I’m able to eat are probably a lot smaller after I get my protein. Probably just gonna be a thing until I get to maintenance. Except for the pasta and lentils. I’ve never tried lentils, but they actually put them in my grocery pick up order so I need to figure out how to make those. Is there a trick to it or just follow the instructions on the bag?

Well it should be a really good thing that you like water post op. Not sure about the salad. With the surgeries they actually cut your stomach and intestines it’s a while before your allowed salad but do they actually cut anything with the balloon or do they do they fill it after it’s in there somehow? I had the sleeve first, and I recently had a revision to the CB because of weight red and because they didn’t operate on my stomach. I had to wait like two months until everything was healed and now I can eat whatever I want so I’m back to salad earlier than those who had their stomach operated on. I’m sure you’re a doctor will tell you what is appropriate for you though. I really wish one of our restaurants would have Bogo on salads. I actually love them too. I have found that when logging all of my macros in an app that salad is actually not as great for us as we think it is as we tend to eat it. It’s mostly the dressing even one serving is pretty high in calories but if I am careful what I have the rest of the day I’m able to enjoy it on my plan. I finally figured out that if you put it in a bigger container and stir it around with the dressing, it’s easier to get a little bit on all of the lettuce with a smaller amount of dressing. Kind of like they do when they prepare Caesar salad. Of course it’s kind of hard to do that when you’re actually in a restaurant, but then I will just ask for the dressing on the side and dip a little bit as I go. With the smaller stomach, I mostly eat the toppings anyway, and just a tiny bit of lettuce to get the protein and nutrition before I run out of room.

Things are good- really want to go to the park and walk/jog but am just focusing on getting this cough under control. I was super excited that Farmer Boys (restaurant in California) had BOGO on salads. So I had them split it in 2 containers...so technically I scored 4 containers of salad with grilled chicken, avocado, 1/2 egg each, tomato, iceberg lettuce) So I will be enjoying them for the next 3 days- part of my good choice food for the day- and then my preOP protein shakes the other meals...pretty confident and I am one of those weird ones that likes salad and I also like water!

I finally gained weight!!! I'm officially at 180, and I like that. I feel better, I have more energy, and I don't feel nearly so run down and out of it. Still look super thin, but it is what it is. Now I'm going to work on maintenance since this is where I want to stay. I'm ok with 2 pounds in either direction, but I definitely don't want to drop below 178 again lol I got all the way down to 170 and it was just really bad. I literally don't work out at all anymore because I'm on my feet all day working 5 days per week. I increased my calories to 1700 per day (up from 1500), my carbs to 55 net per day (up from 40 or so), my protein to 100g per day (up from 80), my healthy fats to 80g per day (up from 50), my fiber intake to 30g (10 from supplements and the rest from food - up from 20) and upped my fluids to 120 fl oz per day (up from 90 - 100). I'll add my weekend workouts back in now (nothing crazy, just core and strength but on the lighter side, not heavy) so I don't gain too much now that I've figured out how to finally gain weight lol

So I am a USNavy Veteran. I am getting help through the VA Hospital. They don't offer injections for weight loss help due to the need for those medications to go to Diabetic patients which is what they were made for initially. So not having a larger BMI, the only option available to patients like me is the bariatric balloon. They do not do lap band or anything else similar here in the United States anymore with the VA health system. They offer gastric sleeve/bypass to patients with higher BMI- they said if I was just 10lbs heavier when I was referred to the specialist, they would have approved it 😕 which made me a little upset- if my primary would have known....maybe I would have waited for those extra 10lbs ? Well, any who- I am willing to try what's available to me- so Gastric Balloon it is So they will insert surgically a balloon filled with blue dyed saline solution. Basically, a breast implant in my stomach this will take up a majority of the stomach space- leading to feeling full and staying full feeling for longer. Basically, it is like the injection medications results, but not needing the injections monthly.

I had no idea gastric balloons were even done any more. Unless this is a different procedure from the days of yore? I think most surgeons abandoned balloons for the safe and considerably more effective sleeve and bypass options. I know those mightn't be an option for everyone of course. Best of luck and I hope it works for you OP. Sounds like you're in a good mind space and that's worth a lot.

You’ll likely find in another couple of days, your pain will have reduced considerably & you may not need any more (but we’re all different about things & we can tolerate different pain levels). Yes to walking around. But marching in the spot, raising your arms up and down and doing slow deep breaths (breath in & hold for a count of 5-8 then exhale) are good to help with getting rid of the gas. (This is in your abdominal cavity not your digestive system. It rises up behind your lungs and puts pressure on nerves causing shoulder pain. It’s absorbed into the lungs and you breathe it out.) I used y dilute my shakes (to dilute the horrid taste & graininess) and sip on that most for a couple of hours. Then I had a diluted soup late afternoon, again sipping for a couple of hours. That was all I could get myself to even think about consuming. My surgeon also wasn’t too concerned about meeting protein goals at first. As long as I was making an effort to get some in and was slowly increasing over the first month or so. Oh, yes, don’t weigh yourself for a few days at least. You’re likely still holding on to some of the fluids the pump you full off. Honestly I looked four months pregnant after recent my hysterectomy and I remember weighing 2kgs (4.4lbs) more after my gall surgery.

Hi !! Thanks soo much for sharing ! 48 lbs is incredible congratulations I’m so so happy for you! Walking 5-7 miles on top of yoga is amazing you are crushing it !! The recovery I’m a little nervous about this time around because I have my toddler running around now lol. My husband really is super dad and assured me he has it covered but there’s just times that mommy is all my little guy wants 😅 I had my consultation today & we went over a bunch of things including a full body composition analysis , goals, and a few different options of how we can achieve them including both going the medication route or revision surgery. We ultimately decided on surgery but the type of surgery he said he would like to talk about after I do a swallow study and an endoscopy so he can see what my pouch is looking like these days. He also went over a detailed risk/benefit calculator with me for each surgery but the SADI wasn’t included in any of these conversations- I’m going to mention it to him at my next appointment!! He also let me know that my insurance requires 2 months of nutritionist visits which I’ll be doing my first on Tuesday to get the ball rolling. Thanks again for all of the information! Really so helpful and nice to get another perspective.