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It does get better with each passing day. I did not start to feel semi normal until day seven. I know you are tired but walking really helps with the gas pain. 40 ounces is not too bad for day two. You may want to try the chicken soup flavored protein I found the warmth of the soup help my tummy.

I'm happy to join in too. I'm 7 yrs post op. Had some regain at 18 months post op. Went Keto and lost regain plus some, but have fizzled out and STILL have 25 lbs to go until ultimate goal as current BMI is around 30 (need to change my profile info still). I remain on a tight diet and am essentially still keto, but I'm considering putting Keto to the back burner and focusing more on high protein-low carb-lower fat which is more of a 'bariatric' type diet long term. I am desperate to make the scale move in the next 3-4 weeks and see some good losses. I will ALWAYS identify as a bariatric patient and sadly this will be a lifelong battle for me. But I have all the tools I need. I actually just spoke to a NP today from my clinic to suggested I start FIERCE tracking which I haven't done in about 6 years.

Hang in there. Don't give in to your cravings. They will pass. I am 8 months out and I realize that those cravings are in my mind. Drink some water or a protein shake. It will so the trick. I had my surgery right before Christmas and it was torture because I wanted to taste everything. Be strong, you can do it, DIVA STYLE!

I did all of that in a day, and it all cost me $75. First, I cooked a 16 qt pot of fresh chicken Soup (from scratch - chicken + root veggies). I also added whole zucchini to the pot. Then, I also cooked huge batch of minced onions and let it simmer with a bit of oil until they were golden. I drained the onions of the oil and pureed it. I used it to flavor all of the purees. I used clear broth to thin out the dryer foods as I pureed them. I added almond milk and greek yogurt to everything so that I had the added Protein to compensate for the added liquids in the mix. Measure EVERYTHING before you put it into the blender. This way, you can break it down to portion-size calculations of its nutritional content. Here's two ‘recipes’ from my list: 31 2 oz. servings Mashed potato 4 large Idaho potatoes = 4 lbs.(64 oz) 1 cup Almond Milk 4 oz. Greek Yogurt, 0% 1 cup sauteed onions 14 4 oz. Protein Potato Broth 1 cup almond milk 2 cups mashed potato mix (see above)

I am started my solid foods this week (8th week). I am to supplement my solid food with shakes as long as I need to get 80 gms of Protein. Right now that means two protein shakes a day. As to pouch capacity, I understand that the pouch holds 3-4 oz. I was advised to sip not drink. I sip no more than 1 - 1.5 oz. but I sip continously. I try to finish a 20 z jar over 4 hours and I try to do 3 jars a day

When did you start feeling more energy? I'm almost 6 weeks out, have lost about 50 including pre op diet. I feel pretty good, but about the same as I did before surgery. I keep hearing that I'll feel so much better and I'll have so much more energy buy I'm just not seeing it. Doing really well with getting Protein Fluid and Vitamins, just still tired a lot, which was a big problem for me for a long time, I blame the sleep apnea. Maybe when I e lost enough that that clears up I'll feel it? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my surgery on 10/21/14. It took me many years to come to terms with the fact that I needed a little something more in the way of help to get the weight off. Now that I am on the other side of surgery I'm realizing this is harder than I could of ever imagined. I was 8 days out and was already tired of the protein shake! Now I'm on the pureed diet but am still required to drink 2 protein shakes a day. According to the plan I should be eating 3 protein meals, 2 protein shakes and a protein snack. Meals are 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup and if room is left I can add vegetables or fruit which I have absolutely no room for. On top of all this I'm supposed to be drinking 6-8 cups of water as well. I can only get in 2 protein meals, 2 shakes and maybe 2-2 1/2 cups of water. Now I find that I'm beginning to get dehydrated so today I've been forcing myself to drink more than I have been and I'm just very uncomfortable because my stomach is so full. Did anybody else have this issue? I'm on this meal plan until the day before Thanksgiving when I go back to see the nutritionist at the bariatric center. It's a whole new world mentally for me. I knew it would be hard and I keep on telling myself at the end of the meal plans that I will be back to eating the way I was when I began this journey. I had lost 50 lbs. before surgery just following the meal plan they gave me and I know I can handle that part it's just this time before I get back to that where I'm having trouble.

after a few months of successful weightloss, i started letting old habits come back. they have built up and now i have to start all over again. i guess i will work on one thing a week and build each time so that i can be better. i never thought that the lap-band was a miracle, i knew that it would take some work, and i need to be positive and continue working the programs. need to: not drink liquids with my meals eat only 3 meals a day limit sweets to once a week need more protein, yes, drink the nasty drinks EXERCISE!

Michael, have you considered surgery out of the country? Even though you have to travel you can often have it done much cheaper than in the United States. Mexico or Costa Rica are good options. When I thought I was going to have to self pay I looked into it.

Hi all!! I too started w/ low bmi...31. Today marks 3 weeks since my surgery and have lost 11 pounds... A little frustrating bc the scale has not moved in 1 whole week!! I am also following drs orders on eating religiously! Dont get it? I get my 1st fill on the 19th... I also eat about 1 cup of food at each meal, mostly healthy protein. Anyone else a little frustrating? I'm sure it's too soon to start stressing out:) any suggestions???

Oy Ok....protein shake I got from GNC....it's a vanilla one Whey protein-low fat/carb and you get 20gr protein in one scoop....I love love ice capps....so I make the shake with skim milk, one scoop, one tsp coffee and lots of ice:) Re pharmacy....call SWLC and ask them to have the pharmacy call you or call them.... Don't worry...be excited....I know I sound down about it...but I am happy I did it and I Do Expect I will lose the weight once I get the fills.... The whole thing went by really fast and easy You'll be great!

hi guys sorry for the late reply , here is my diet plan what i usually eat during the week ofcourse you must have 5-7 meals a day and alot of Water ofcourse i use this method a day thats pure proten with little Fiber and a day only fibers do the diet routine with the work out plan juice drink 2 lt of water small meal:- fruit salad and water Lunch:- 200 gram of chicken breast boiled with flavors and vegetables and drink lots of water small meal:- apple with 2-3 pieces of crackers and water before exercise:- grilled fish vegetables with coffee lots of water after exercise:- cocktail juice Day 2 # Breakfast:- Green salad lots of water small meal:- 2 apples with lots of water Lunch:- Grilled Vegetables Salad , Coffee lots of water small Meal:- Apple , lots of water juice Before Gym: Vegetables anything that you like but shouldn't contain Protein with juice After Gym : Vegetable Soup lots of Water Day 3# Breakfast:- Chicken soup, orange juice drink 2 lt of water small meal:- 1/2 banana and water Lunch:- 200 gram of Grilled Fish with flavors and vegetables and drink lots of water small meal:- apple with 2-3 pieces of crackers and water before exercise:- grilled 150gm steak vegetables with coffee lots of water after exercise:- cocktail juice lots of water Day 4# Breakfast:- fruit salad, orange juice small meal:- apple and water Lunch:- any vegetables salad and drink lots of water small meal:- 2 Apple lots of water small meal fruit and lots of water Dinner:- Fish Soup Day 5# Breakfast:- meat Soup orange juice drink 2 lt of water small meal:- fruit salad and water Lunch:- any type of fish grill small portion boiled with flavors and vegetables and drink lots of water small meal:- apple with 2-3 pieces of crackers and water before exercise:- milk and 150gm of grilled chicken Breast with coffee lots of water after exercise:- cocktail juice Day 6# Vegetable day Day 7# Relax Day with protein you can have fried main meals but remember no rice no bread no sodas no sweets who ever is interested in more diet plans please contact me i will be posting every week my diet plan for the whole week

What are some good protein shakes? I had my surgery a week ago today, and I'm tired of just water!

Welcome! I actually felt pretty well prepared for my surgery because I spent a lot of time reading these forums in the months leading up to surgery. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos from people who have had the surgery. There are a lot of videos about "things I wish I had known about WLS," so I was prepared for some of those things that seem to surprise a lot of people. One thing that was still a bit of a surprise was just how difficult it was to get fluids and protein in the first few weeks. No matter how many times I read or heard about how difficult it was, I didn't fully grasp how it would actually feel until I got there. The other surprise was how little pain I had and how easy my recovery was. I took a week and a half off of work, but I could have easily gone back to work 5 days after surgery. I was taking a multivitamin with iron and a vitamin D supplement before surgery, just because I had some deficiencies. You don't need to start taking bariatric vitamins until after surgery because you'll be able to eat enough before surgery to get the nutrients you need from food (unless you already have a vitamin deficiency and/or your doctor tells you to). I've never had a C-section, so I can't comment on that, but I had surprisingly little pain from my surgery. The incisions are very small, so I'd guess that it's much less painful than a C-section. I had some gas pain the first day, but after that, I was fine and I didn't need any pain medication, not even Tylenol. Different people have different experiences, though. Some people say they had some abdominal soreness as though they had done a lot of sit-ups, but I didn't have that experience. I was concerned about being able to take care of myself because I live alone, but it turned out not to be a problem. I wasn't allowed to lift more than 20 pounds for the first 6 weeks, and I was careful about bending, etc., but I really didn't have any issues. I was still able to do stuff like light housework the whole time. You don't need to apologize! We're all here to discuss WLS. There are lots of people here who have been through it and are happy to answer questions anytime.

Thank You! I will do that. I feel fine about going to Mexico but just need to make the Husband happy and check out these options in the States. I have been researching for 5 yrs until I could self pay. Researching a little longer won't kill me. LOL. Thanks again.

thanks for the advice. Sadly I don’t think the bypass is an option for me

I completely agree with CdnExpat! In the past, would you have bothered to look up on the net to see what the calorie content was? that is a change. The fact you are seeking other options besides falling into the "food trap" means further change. Sure we will make mistakes on this - not to be corney but it's a journey. With many paths and roads, hazards and detours. But by doing what you are doing, searching for another alternative to get to your destination (nope, I'm not done with this analogy yet , you're winning. it's small victories but if you can start to celebrate them and then plan actions to adjust when things aren't going so well, you are going to succeed in the long-run. Keep up the great work!! Cheers, Lila

I thought it would be helpful if we shared our best recipes for weight loss. I know that my surgeons office recommends having at least 5 to 6 Protein Shake recipes that you like. I have only just experimented with four. Three of which I like. Also if you find RTD Protein Shakes that actually taste good, I would love to know which ones they are. Here is my favorite Protein shake recipe so far OMG chocolate banana shake One scoop Jay Robb chocolate Protein Powder 1/2 C. vanilla greek yogurt 1/2 to 1 C. skim milk 1/2 banana Put all ingredients together and blend. Depending on how much skim milk you use it has about 350 calories and 41 grams of protein. I love it and do not feel deprived drinking it. It tastes very similar to my favorite malt Chocolate Banana from Ruby's.

Try the ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates over crushed ice. I used them a lot, especially during my clear phase, to get in my Protein.

I was able to gulp at day 3. I learned this by accident. Doc says dont worry about it. I watch the after surgery floroscope. The contrasting dye went right through me with a slight delay entering the stomach due to swelling and another slight delay exiting the stomach. Total time less than 2 seconds. According to my doc there are basically two types of patients. There are the ones that liquids go right through which are the majority and then there are those that have problems with liquids the minority. I am still on the anything that can go though a straw post op diet. This also includes yogurt. I usually take my time eating but it only takes me 10 to 15 minutes to down a bowl of soup. I could do it much quicker , but eating slow is one of the new eating behaviors we are suppose to be learning. I have also not felt much of a restriction. I hear that will change once I am on solids. Per my doc I am to consintrate on getting my liquids in and not eat solid food. Protein is not a focus yet. Healing and hydration is what is important in weeks 1 thru 3, possibly 4. Down 28 lbs as of today. Surgery was on 5-28

How far along are you? As soon as I was able to eat regular foods..I took out the word diet and made my "lifestyle change". I have always eaten normal everyday foods but very small portions. I don't eat breads but only because it fills me up so fast I can't eat anything else. I knew that I wouldn't be able to "only eat chicken" for the rest of my life and I didn't want to eat only a few things so that once I met my goal that I would instant gain weight. I was banded on 11/23/9 and have lost 117 lbs so far. I have 9 lbs to go reach my goal. I feel fantastic. Whenever I "think" I am hungry I eat sugar free popsicles (sometimes 5 a day). I also get on this website, take a walk or read a book. Another thing to measure is..see if you are still hungry 15 minutes after you distract the hunger sign..it could just be in your head. Alot of the time it was only in my head and once I did distract myself it went away. Also, if you are able to eat solid proteins it will help you feel fuller longer. I hope some of this helps! Take care and I wish you the very best!!

I specifically asked that question. I am 50. He said...you will not lose your hair if you get your 60 grams of protein a day. He also said that does happen with by-pass patients though! So far.....I haven't started losing it yet. Hope this helps...Lisa

If you are still carb free I would do a couple of days of healthy carbs.... Lots of veggies and some fruit.... It worked for me, it's worth a shot. Then I went back to low carb high protein and eventually went to a balanced diet since I am at goal. Best of luck!

**I would like to preface this by saying that the story may be long, but I have been on this sight for about 3 months and have yet to post anything substantial. I loved reading peoples in-depth stories and wanted to share mine the same way. Take what you will My journey actually began 3 short months ago when my parents confronted both my younger sister and I about having the surgery. My mother was overweight and has RnY gastric bypass in 2003 and it completely changed her life, and ours, for the better. My parents saw us going down the same path and did not wish for us to have that kind of lifestyle. Having said that, there were times in my life I was fit and healthy, but no matter how much I exercise or watch what I eat these pat 5 years, I never seem to lose more than 20 lbs. The weight always came back. I have tried multiple weight loss systems and had no positive outcomes. I'm about 20 lbs smaller than my sister, weighing in at 240.8 at 5'6" and 28 years old (size 18/20 jean/dress). Which makes me approximately 100 lbs overweight and a candidate for laproscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy with Dr. Aviv Ben-Meier at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for Bariatric Surgery in Cleveland, Ohio. This is where my mother had her surgery done, so she made a few calls to her advocate there and got both my sister and I a consultation with the surgeon. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to do this. The topic had been brought up to my sister before and I had considered what I would do if I ever had the opportunity, so when I was approached with have VSG in May, I knew I wanted to. Thankfully, my parents were able to pay for this surgery so I didn't have to jump through insurance hoops and was able to have the surgery quickly. I did check into my insurance in case it was a possibility, but found that it wasn't, by any mean, paid for. Having said that, a consultation, psych eval, sleep study, and 3 nutritionist appointments later, I was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011. My sisters short story will end here seeing that she is in college and planning on having hers the first week of Christmas vacation. PAT's were scheduled 2 weeks before my operation in which I had no qualms whatsoever about the surgery. You should know that I am the last person you would find in a hospital, around needles and blood, but I was not nervous about this surgery AT ALL. That is, until PAT, when I passed twice getting blood drawn and heard about the tube and catheter I would have after surgery. Let alone the IV I would be getting beforehand (which I was aware of but thought I would be fine with until the fainting incident.) I went home that night after surgery education and was quesy and nervous for the first time. I was a pile of nerves and couldn't allow myself to think about it at all without feeling nauseaus. I couldn't back out now! Thankfully the next morning I woke up with a new sense of ease and was fine once again. I am so gracious to have this opportunity to get my life back, I didn't care what I had to do to get it. The day before surgery came and I had to drink 3 bottles of Magnesium Citrate on a clear liquid diet. I mixed the COLD cherry Mag. Cit. with Crystal light lemonade, and honestly, it wasn't that bad. I encourage those of you who still have to do this to try it that way. Also, since its nasty, you want to drink it quickly...but it's carbonated and may make you feel a bit nauseaus. fyi. That night I took my mind off things by visiting my 5 day old honorary nephew. Unfortunately they were eating homemade roastbeef and mashed potatoes for dinner!! The morning of I was up at 4:30, showered, hair done, and ready to head to Cleveland. I actually arrived at my surgery 15 minutes late! I was praying for an early surgery so I wouldn't have to wake up and wait around...well, I got what I asked for. 6am surgery! During pre-op they gave me a gown and asked me to take a pregnancy test, then put me in a bed where they took my blood pressure and found my heart rate to be an extremely high 119. I was worried about the IV at this point, could careless about the surgery. The nurses and anesthesiologists come around and introduced themselves, I was given warm blankets, then left to wait about an hour until they came back to do my IV. Maybe one of the worst parts for me was that hour long waiting-for-the-inevitable anxiety. Finally the actual anesthesiologist came over and began. He said they WERE GOING TO NUMB ME FIRST! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I actually reached up and grabbed his shoulder to thank him. He numbed my arm, and literally 4 seconds later the IV was in and I didn't feel a thing. I told him he was "amazing" which had the entire open pre-op room full of about 20 people laughing. He kept it going for awhile. Next thing I know, my surgeon, another amazing man, Dr. Aviv Ben-Meier, was at the foot of my bed asking if I had questions, saying that I would do great, and he would see me in a few minutes. They gave me a shot of heparin in my belly (which created a now 6" awful looking bruise) and some of what my surgeon calls "I don't care medicine." I was wheeled into the operating room and asked to maneuver over to the surgery table. Let me tell you, without that anxiety medication, there is no way I would have freely moved on over and allowed them to strap me down the way they were. I do remember calling them a bunch of friendly busy bees before they told me goodnight... Next thing I know I'm being wheeled to recovery in the hallway with nurses yelling my name. Honestly, this is exactly what it feels like waking up from fainting. I felt like they were screaming at me though they were just trying to keep me awake. Once in the preop area I was immediately given morphine through my IV which didn't help a bit! I was in pain! I'm a pain baby, just so you know. It is just intense soreness in your abdominal area. I will say that I didn't cry or beg for more medicine, but it was pretty miserable. Just prepare yourself. Thankfully every 10 minutes the nurse came with more morphine until the morphine pump was hooked up, but my guess is it took a good 45 minutes for me to feel any relief. It must have been about 2 hours, the last I was able to sleep through after the pain meds started working, and I was taken to my beautiful room. St. Vincent Charity Medical Center has remodeled all of their rooms to look like hotels! My husband, mom, and friend were then there with me. I was awake enough to hear that the surgeon found I had hiatal hernia which he needed to repair before the actual VSG took place, so the surgery took longer than expected. I was actually glad to hear that it got fixed! I'm sure that attributed to many of my preop symptoms. The rest of the day was pretty boring between pushing my morphine pump every 10 minutes and falling to sleep. My husband would push the pump while I slept which was awesome. I recommend you have someone on top of that if that is your line up of pain medication afterwards. The pump doesn't get pushed if your sleeping!!!!! I found that out the first night. The night of surgery they also had me up walking twice, which was unimaginable until I actually got up. Walking made me feel so much better. The first lap around the floor was difficult, but then they started to make me feel really good. I encourage the walking big time. The night of surgery went ok until I woke up 2 hours without pain medication. I don't understand this and probably never will. I tried to stay awake for 40 minutes to press the button 4 times but I would always end up falling back to sleep. Most of the time there are orders to push an extra dose of morphine if needed, so don't hesitate to ask your nurse. The next day they took away my morphine pump and put me on 2 separate pain medications that also helped with inflammation since I had the hernia repaired. The nurse came in and gave those through the IV every 6 hours. That was much better. I walked a lot the next day and also slept. The medication really didn't give me a choice to stay awake though I wanted to. My mom came and gave me a manicure and we watched the Bachelor Pad. That day I also had the catheter removed. I want everyone to know who is like me and never had one before, to not worry about it. I didn't even know it was there and it was no big deal when they took it out. My issue was that I was unable to urinate for a good 9 hours after and was told that if I didn't go they would have to put it back in. THAT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. lol. Also, the abdominal tube you do not feel in you at all. I was not allowed to drink anything today which was the second day without any liquid. Cotton mouth was an annoyance for sure. The swabbie's helped me the most, and also brushing my teeth a lot helped at all, just make sure not to swallow anything. I sounded like a frog. The third day in the hospital I woke up and was taken down for a barium X-ray at 8:00am. It was far too easy, but also extremely gross. Thankfully they gave me anti-nausea medication before I went. After not having anything in my throat for 2.5 days, barium was not my drink of choice. 6 small sips later it was over and by 9am my surgeon had approved me for liquids and had a glass of icechips by my bedside. Ice chips were a God-send and lunch was great. I found that I was taking really small sips too soon together though. The top of my stomach was gurgly. My surgeon came in that night and said that the rest of the day I should time my sips every 5 minutes, then the next day every 3 minutes. It was this time I was put on liquid percocet which is now my pain med of choice. lol. The rest of the day I walked, walked, walked. I was called speedy by more than one other patient The next day was Saturday and time to go home. I had been worrying about my tube being taken out but by now I was a nervous wreck. I was told that it doesn't hurt, it's just a really strange feeling. When the doctor walked in at noon I had to buck up and make my own judgement. He said the same, that it won't hurt, but feels like you're going down the hill of a rollercoaster. Would you know, that is what I would compare it to! What a doc! Also, I did not have bad gas pain in the hospital. I was warned the first day after surgery that I might since having the hernia repaired. I've noticed it in my shoulders when it appears but it is not that extreme. I find that walking and doing shoulder/neck circles helps. I guess I was one of the lucky ones! Again, if you are nervous about that, don't be...it's not worth it. I was still on percocet, and walking, as my discharge instructions were given. Then I was in the car and headed home. Nothing compares to lying in my own bed, propped up on pillows, relaxed by percocet, with my pup and husband. I do believe I told him that night that I was in heaven. My time home has been going really well. My surgeon wants me drinking 6-8 8oz. of full liquid per day, one of those servings being a Protein drink. As of right now, I find that impossible! Yesterday I had about 4 servings and couldn't bare to drink anymore. I am finding that I still have drink at a rate of about every 5 minutes, but I believe that may be due to the swelling I also have from the hernia repair. I may also be taking larger sips than I should. I'm still trying to tweak that. The Protein drinks I am drinking are from Arbonne and are absolutely delicious. I'm also drinking some Diet V8 Splash berry Blend (which takes most of the yucky taste away from crushed pills), tea, Water, crystal light, and broths. I think I'm able to have diluted creamed Soup but I'm afraid to try that as of yet. The medications I am taking upon coming home are liquid percocet when needed, flintstone Vitamin +Iron daily, 4 chewable Gas-X daily for the first week starting the day I come home, and chewable pepcid twice daily. The most shocking thing I've noticed since being home is the amount of gurggling my digestive system is doing. I think it is just the mix of gas and liquid, but it sounds like a washing machine dinosaur, and I have multiple people that agree with me! I'm so embarrassed by it but am glad that it doesn't hurt. I start grad school classes next Monday and am unsure what I'm going to do about this! The other issue I'm facing is head hunger. There is no way I could fit anything in my stomach, but food is absolutely everywhere and I want it! I get sad that I will never eat pizza...but have to tell myself that one day I will be able to have a portion of pizza. Food comes to mind that I'm not even a huge fan of, like oreos, and I want one so bad. I realize that this is my addiction talking and that I will be able to enjoy food eventually, but life is more important that chips and chicken wings. When I have these feelings, I just think...wouldn't you rather put on a pair of skinny jeans, or wouldn't you rather be able to cross your legs? etc. That helps. Today I am 5 days post-op and am actually at work. It's not typical work, but I'm still not at home resting. I take care of my grandmother who is suffering from Ovarian Cancer. I drive 45 minutes to and from her house each day to help her. I got up early today, drove out here, and we are taking care of one another. It's been nice. I haven't had to take any pain medicine today which I am thankful for and am getting in more liquids since I didn't sleep in and haven't napped. My surgeon said that each day I should feel better and so far I am! I hope this post is at least a little helpful for you all. I'll continue updating on my journey and reading yours! Attached is a picture of me from a few months ago with my sister and mom. My sister is on the left, me on the right with the red hair. Hopefully soon I'll be adding before and afters!! WOOOHOOOO! Can't believe I'm on the losers bench!

I think I will join you in putting the scale away for awhile-I am in the midst of a 3 week stall (it started at week 5). I am getting about 800 calories per day, usually hit my protein and water goal and am working out (lightly)...Jeez body what more do you want!