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I was told the insurance company had a month to respond, although not sure if that's a state law or ??? At any rate, in my case it only took the insurance company about two weeks. After that, it really depends on the surgeon's schedule. I think i was offered a date about two months after my approval came through, but since I worked in education at the time (I'm now retired), I asked to be scheduled in June (about four months after approval), which of course was fine with them.

Three weeks post op, I am running out of things to eat. Shakes, broth, jello, pudding and scrambled egg. What else can we eat 3rd week post op?

After completing the last of your insurance requirements how long did it actually take until you had your surgery? I complete my last dietary appointment on April 5th and was told it takes around 3-4 weeks for insurance to approve and be scheduled. Does that seem slow?

I’m 59. I had surgery last September on the 26. I’ve lost 49 lbs. when I weighed last on January 8th of this year. I know I’ve lost more because I’m fitting into a medium and large. It’s very hard to not graze. Try ordering from BariatricPal. Everything there is healthy you can’t miss. That’s what I’m do ping and I’m loosing weight by the week. Focus on your protein shakes, water and do your snacks. If you want sweets you can have that too. Look whatever you want to eat look for it in there. I felt like eating pancakes the other day. I ordered BariatricPal pancakes with the zero sugar. You don’t have to make a large order . Whatever you feel like eating just order it. I eat everything and since I started to get ready for my surgery last September I’ve lost 94 lbs. Try it you won’t be sorry.

Started the 2 week liver shrinking diet today. 1) premier protein cafe latte is not bad 2) I am gonna be so hungry 3) I’m glad I’m allowed a few solid meals 4) I got this!

I am finishing my 2 week pre-op liquid diet tomorrow and have surgery early on Valentines day. Still super nervous but mostly excited to stop being hungry all the time lol. I just keep reminding myself who I am doing all this for...my precious little man. The liquid diet is definitely no joke and has played havoc on my emotions. Super weird and scared about pain level. I'm a pansy lol. Thanks for the support guys and gals. Wish me luck! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I know all plans are different but I didn’t need to have another disgusting shake after the first two weeks. Like the others, I got my protein in from ‘real’ food. I didn’t hit my protein goal everyday but the days I didn’t I’d be close. I agree with the suggestion to find a high protein yoghurt. Eat it as yoghurt or make it into a yoghurt drink by blending with milk (count the added milk as fluid). I got 15g protein from the yoghurt & 25g for the yoghurt drink. Made rolled oats on milk & made it pretty thin. Same with scrambled eggs. Only small amounts of additional protein from the milk but it all adds up.I often just ate meat as my lunch meal too - no vegetables. If you eat only 3ozs of most meats you should get about 20g protein which was 1/3 of my daily goal - your goal may be more. I agree, get the burning checked out. Most hunger pangs are just stomach acid not real hunger. You may need a stronger PPI for your stomach acid. And yes, get some high protein meal ideas from your dietician. Water can seem almost heavy to drink @Possum220 for a while. Don’t know why but it does get easier. Try drinking it at room temperature if you drink it cool/cold. Add a little squeeze/splash of fruit juice (any citrus, squashed berries, etc.) to your water & see if that helps ‘lighten’ the water.

I totally understand. I'm also very worried about strictures and possible dumping. I've been very fortunate with my sleeve, besides having reflux, which is actually manageable with medications, but I don't want to be on these for life as they can also cause problems with long-term use. I recently tried stopping them for a couple of days just to see if I really needed to have this revision. Even just oatmeal was causing me to reflux, so I guess it is the best thing for me right now. I will also miss being able to use ibuprofen occasionally for aches and pains. I didn't start using it until about a year out from sleeve, and it's not even once a week, but sometimes it's the only thing that really helps. Best of luck to you!

our clinic originally said we had to crush meds for the first four weeks, but when I asked the PA who worked there, he said if the med was the size of a pencil eraser or smaller, it was probably fine to swallow them whole - so I did. There were two that were bigger than that. One was a calcium tablet, so I either split them in half and took them that way, or else I had a calcium chew. I can't remember what the last med was, but the PA said I could probably go a couple of weeks without that one, so I did. At that point, I was able to swallow it whole. so long way of saying - I never had to crush mine. Thankfully.

I live in PR and I’m getting my surgery next week. Where did you stay??? Cause I’ve found everything I need and more. Yes culturally we do use rice and bread a lot but there is plenty of options. If somebody is coming over just ask, we can point you where to find everything, defined in a touristy are it will be more difficult.

Hello. I am new here. I have my first initial consult with the bariatric surgeon next week. I know I have to tell my wife and frankly I do not know how she will react. Knowing her she will say I don't need surgery, I just need to stop snacking particularly at night. I really want her support if I decide to have WLS, probably the original gastric bypass. I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I am now 67. I was on the original Atkins in 1971. I have yo-yo dieted many times. I don't think I am morbidly obese and I hide my weight well but my BMI is 37%. I have enjoyed bicycling and at one point about 20 years ago I was riding a lot 2-3 hour 4-5 times a week. Even then I was not able to lose much and always struggled up every hill. I take medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol, GERD and type II diabetes. My other main motivation is to get off my medications. I understand this will be a transformative procedure if I choose to have it and will radically need to alter the way I eat. I think I am prepared for that. Any suggestions on "selling" the idea to my wife would be appreciated. I know I would enjoy bicycling much more and probably ride more. I do still work some, about 20 hours a week. I work at home. Thank you.

Have you asked your doc about meds to help your anxiety? With the pre op diet my doctor put me on, it makes me wonder if a liquid diet would have been better. He has his patients eat items from https://protifoods.com/. most make me nauseous. I have two more weeks of it to go. My first weigh in is tomorrow.

I'm scheduled to have my ESG next month and I reached out to my primary care physician to see about if my BP meds can be crushed for the first 8 weeks and she said they cannot be (they are extended release) and she is not willing to change my meds since I have been on these since I have been 16 years old. I'm not sure what to do... I'm sure there have been others who have had surgery with this issue??

Thanks so much @BigSuefor this thoughtful and honest response. This is why I love this forum! I'm six weeks out from a planned gastric bypass and really struggling to wrap my head around the fact that my relationship with food will change permanently. I'm sincerely hoping that it's for the better, much the way you have described. Thanks for sharing, it does bring some comfort. 🙂

Mine is three weeks of shakes, snacks, and entrees that taste awful. Most of it makes me sick to my stomach.

Your frustration is palpable and I’m sorry you feeling disappointed and that you weren’t given this information before surgery. Even if you feel like your weight loss has somehow been capped you when you reach a stall you stall you might consider switching it up with a focus on weight training. What our surgeries don’t take away is our ability to sculpt our bodies by adding lean muscle. That’s still within your power. I’ve really enjoyed weight training in the past - it’s given me so much confidence to see myself grow stronger and the Protein focused diet can be similar to what is encouraged of us post surgery. I hope it’s an option you consider to move past this roadblock.

I'm 2.5 years post-op from gastric bypass. I think weight loss surgery can help make major changes to your relationship with food and eating, but it takes a lot of time and work to undo the habits and mindset you've developed throughout your life up to this point. I had read that a lot of people experience changes in their tastes after surgery, and I hoped that would be the case for me but was not optimistic. I mentioned this hope to the psychiatrist during my psych eval for the surgery, and he kind of laughed at this idea and told me not to count on it. I've always been a picky eater with a long list of vegetables and cuisines that I wouldn't eat. Some people say that after surgery, food tastes different (e.g., anything sweet tastes too sweet), but that was not my experience, so I figured I wasn't one of the lucky ones whose tastes would change. Well, fast-forward to now and my tastes have changed... sort of. It's hard to explain because foods taste the same now as they did before surgery, but my likes and dislikes have changed a lot. I used to hate seafood and now I love it. I eat all kinds of vegetables that I used to hate. I'm not sure if my tastes have changed or I just have more of an open mind, or maybe having to go through the pre-op liquid diet and post-op stages made me appreciate real food more when I reintroduced it. Either way, I'm eating healthy foods every day and loving them. Before surgery, I loved watching cooking shows like Top Chef and Great British Baking Show. For the first several months after surgery, I couldn't bear to watch cooking shows. I hated even seeing food commercials on TV. It just made me sad and angry to see foods that I could no longer eat. But eventually, I got to a point where I could see food and cooking without the emotional attachment. I can watch Great British Baking Show and appreciate the cakes and cookies they make without being sad that I can't eat them. Once I got to the point of reintroducing solid food, I put a lot of effort into recreating "bariatric-friendly" versions of foods I used to eat -- especially pizza. Pizza was my kryptonite, and before surgery, I could not get enough pizza. I could have eaten pizza every day and never gotten tired of it. After surgery, I tried chicken crust pizza, and making pizza with low-carb tortilla for the crust, topped with sugar-free marinara, low fat mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni. But I also started trying healthy recipes that I found on Pinterest, and eventually, I stopped craving pizza. I haven't had anything resembling pizza (even a healthy version) in well over a year and I don't care. If you put two plates in front of me, one with a slice of pizza and one with grilled salmon and roasted vegetables, I would go straight for the salmon and not even be tempted by the pizza. This is just wild to me because three years ago, I wouldn't have eaten salmon if it were the only food available, and I never could have passed up a slice of pizza. Sometimes I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience because before surgery, I couldn't imagine being the health nut with a refrigerator full of fresh produce and no junk food in the house, eating grilled fish and cauliflower rice and salad with fat-free dressing, but here I am. I am constantly finding new, healthy, delicious recipes. Every single day, I eat healthy food and think, "Holy crap, this is delicious!" I honestly enjoy food more now than I did when I was eating whatever I wanted with wild abandon. It took me a long time to get here, and I can't promise that you or anyone else will have the same experiences after weight loss surgery, but my relationship with food has changed more than I could have imagined.

There are therapists that specialize in bariatric therapy. They help the patient manage expectations, emotions, dealing with head hunger, etc... It's actually a really good idea. Many of us on here have used them at one time or another. I have to have a revision and while I'm concerned about the rate of loss, I'll be honest, I mostly just want to feel better. I had my sleeve in May 2022 and I've lost 108 pounds. I still have 80 pounds to go to get to goal. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing with my diet and working out, and it may take longer than it did now, but I know I'll get there. You will, too. Just keep in mind that stalls happen a lot, 25 pounds lost in 6 weeks in excellent, and just stick religiously to your surgeon's plan and you'll get there in the end. The main goal is better health, anyway.

My advice for what its worth would be, 1 Rest when your body says so, have a nap whenever you can. 2 Don't rush the process, your stomach has a massive wound in it and will be swollen and sore, hence the need for liquid and puree stages. 3 Remember the 3 week stall, you won't panic when you stop loosing weight. 4 Don't compare yourself to anyone else. This is your weight loss journey. No two journeys are the same. Good luck and keep us posted of your progress

I had three weeks of the pre op torture too. I thought I would never do it but my desire for the surgery got me to the finish line. You should feel less hungry now and the second week seems like less torturous. The thought of being operated on and the surgery ended is a worry to all of us. Nobody wants to wake up without the surgery because of an enlarged fatty liver, its happened. I read the back pages of this forum while I waited and learned so much

Hey I'm 7 weeks post-op still not able to get in protein and water can only eat about 3 oz Don't have any desire to eat at all... My stomach has a burning sensation frequently thought it was acid reflux but I have meds for that I'm starting to think maybe it's a hunger burn. I really need a meal plan cannot stomach protein shakes anymore, any advice would be helpful Sent from my SM-G996U using BariatricPal mobile app

Best advice I can give is: Remember it's major surgery and it'll likely be a painful recovery. Took me two weeks to stop hurting, but it did stop. Be patient and kind to yourself, remember it's gentle-steps, and let yourself heal. Keep your eyes on the prize. If you're feeling overwhelmed, breathe and remember why you're doing this. If you're getting in your head or your feelings, try distracting yourself with books/tv/podcasts and gentle walks. Browse the web and make lists of the things you want to do when you hit milestones. Stay off the scale for the first month. Seriously. Fluid retention from all the liquids that are pumped into you at the hospital take a while to go away, and people seem to expect immediate results. The weight will drop off, but stalling is normal. Again - patience and be kind to yourself! You'll be hitting milestones before you know it.

I was definitely in the high pain camp after my bypass, but I also had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time which likely made post-op pain worse. That said, even with the hernia pain, I've dealt with far worse (hi tibial plateau fracture! You were definitely a level 10!), and the post-op pain relief kept it all manageable. Took a good two weeks for the "hit by a truck" or "gut punched by a team of heavyweights" feeling to subside, but I was pretty zen about it because I knew it would eventually improve. I had some nausea post-op, but the drugs kept it in check. Everyone's experience is their own, however, so you'll never know until you're there how much or how little pain/nausea you'll have. Best thing to remember is it's temporary. As Catwoman said, the bypass post-op food plan is pretty similar to the sleeve, with the exception of the supplements. I hope it sorts out your Gastroparesis! Amazing transformation, BTW!

What does your pre-op diet? There are so many variations from dr to dr. Mine was 2 weeks of 2 protein shakes and one small meal of protein and veggies a day. I was sleeved on 9-1-22 and have lost 45 pounds, 20 to 30 more to go. Great experience. Just follow your plans and drinks lots of water. Congratulations on this new beginning!

The chest pains are most definitely gas. Do you feel them in your back as well? Especially in your left shoulder blade (apparently there is some nerve that's connected from your stomach to your shoulder blade - the things we discover)... For me, the gas pain lasted 2+ weeks. To be honest, I was miserable after surgery and had many regrets, especially in the 1st week. You lost a lot during the pre-op phase! That is amazing - Congrats! Follow your plan, don't eat pureed and solid foods before it is time, and most definitely focus on your protein since it helps with your energy levels. Also, don't be like me and think that you can clean your whole house a week post op and not feel any pain. Don't lift more than recommended, and take it easy. This whole new you has just begun, and you are on an amazing journey. Enjoy the results!