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All food restrictions will be lifted once you're a few months out. There's nothing you won't be allowed to eat, but you'll need to be mindful of calories, portion size, and nutrition from here on out, otherwise you'll be at risk of gaining the weight back. I eat all of those things you mentioned..just in moderation (and some of them, I don't eat very often).. Do I ever splurge? Yes - but not often, and I'm right back at it the next day. honestly, many of my never-been-obese women friends eat the same way - they watch their portion sizes and don't splurge or eat really high-calorie or unhealthy things very often - just occasionally.

Well, today I go for my first post-op appointment. Thinking I may be on a liquid diet just a little bit longer. I met my fluid and protein goals on Monday, but then yesterday I did not because I was so sick I was in bed for literally the majority of the day. We'll see what happens. I think I may have gotten overheated because we went out yesterday morning so that I could get a haircut after my husband's doctor's appointment, and while he was in his appointment I did walking laps around the parking lot. And we have a heat wave striking again. But we'll see what happens. I'll try to post an update after I get home from that. Oh, I did remove the CGM sensor that had blisters forming around it. Well, they also formed under it. And... it wasn't pleasant. I essentially have a large hole in my arm now from where it took quite a bit of skin with it. I have also had an uptick in pain the last few days. I had taken myself off my pain meds completely, but I've had to take one a day since Sunday. I'll be discussing that with the doctor today too. Has anyone else experienced that? Also, real talk - Cottage cheese has always disgusted me because of how it looks. So someone please tell me what it tastes like, since I'm probably going to have to learn to like it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @ShoppGirl I am allowed to use milks (lactose intolerant so non-dairy milks). I've just been adding water to the one shake because it's super thick. Like, imagine drinking a milkshake through a tiny straw. That kind of thick. I'm less worried about protein on that one because it's 32g per bottle. I just have to be able to drink it for it to matter lol. I am sooooooo sorry about your a/c. I can't stand heat and I would probably be living in a hotel if ours went out right now. But I do know what you mean. I can't do much of anything right now still. I've been pushing myself to at least do dishes when I can, but even that is a bit much for me sometimes. But we're gonna get over this hump and then we're going to get our houses back in order! I do hope your a/c is fixed quickly and cheaply. Update - Glad to see your a/c just randomly decided to start working again. Any chance that the outside unit had frozen? Splenda is a Godsend, honestly. I've had to be on it for years already with my diabetes. I was told I could use any artificial sweetner as long as I didn't go overboard with it. So that is good to know for when I start the puree stage! I'm curious to see how much my taste buds have changed since surgery. I know a couple of people who can't stand even the smell of eggs now. I really hope that's not me. I love me some eggs. I was also told post-surgery, fish is going to be a go-to meal once I can get there. Like at least once a week, kind of thing. As someone who used to work for an allergist - the prick test is just for contact items, like fur and dust. If you are concerned about food allergies, that would be a multitude of appointments for each one you ares scared of. Because they have you actually eat the food while you are there in the office, and then you have to sit there and wait to see if you have a reaction. "It's just me and my hubby and if it bothers him then he is perfectly capable of doing it himself." This, 100000000%. lol. Hubby has asked me what I'm cooking for lunch/dinner, and I just stare at him for a long few seconds before it clicks what he just asked me to do. Then he's like, "Oh, nevermind." I do need to be better about limiting my bending and such. I'm obeying the weight guidelines, but I'm also of the opinion that if I can do something, I should do something. My husband has a stressful job (911 dispatcher) with crazy hours. And he has taken over a lot of the things that I was doing pre-surgery. So I feel like I have to do what I can to help him out too. I've been on Pinterest a lot lately, saving recipes for me to try later on. I am going to probably have a fight with my husband on certain things - like ground turkey for tacos, I already know he isn't going to be on board with. But that might be a thing where I make my food ahead of time and am like, "Okay, this is what I'm having on this night. If you don't like it, you're on your own to figure out food." But that skinny scampi sounds like it might be delicious! You'll have to let us know! I hope the eye appointment wasn't too terrible for you. Kudos to you on making plans for a healthy rest of your life. I need to really sit down and start figuring that out myself. My fear is that I work 3 jobs. While I'm off for 2 months for 2 of them, I worry that any kind of set schedule I make for myself now will get thrown out the window when those get added back. Right now, I'm trying to walk in the mornings before the heat gets too bad. And I have a cycle machine that fits under my desk, so I use that throughout the day. Once they let me, I definitely need to figure out how to get some weight training in. I'm still pulling sticky stuff off of me after multiple showers. It's not just you. This stuff just doesn't want to go away, which was good for surgery. But now it needs to go. LOL I definitely do not like the sleeping the majority of my day and night away because it's preventing me from having a schedule. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Onemealplan You said you can only eat 2oz of food every 3 hours. Are you meeting your protein goals with that? My nutritionist said that even at the puree and soft food stage, I'm expected to supplement my protein goals with protein shakes still. I'm still in the liquid stage, but it takes me an hour to finish an 11oz protein shake. I have yet to feel 'full' but I do know when I've pushed too far because I start to feel kind of sick. The lack of feeling full terrifies me, honestly. Which, I know it's just my anxiety but at the same time I'm like, "What if I have already screwed my stomach up because I didn't feel full????" Hopefully I get some reassurance today at the post-op. But I do get that mental hunger thing. It's been particularly bad lately because I just want SOMETHING that isn't liquids. Hopefully as I progress, I can start kicking that to the curb. I have a vacation coming up in October that I'm trying to prepare myself for. I should hopefully be on soft foods by then. As for the servers, one of the audiobooks I listened to in order to prepare for surgery suggested heading that off immediately. Just telling them up front you recently had a surgery so you will not be able to eat while you are recovering. One of my husband's coworkers who had the RYGB just orders water when he goes out with his husband. Sometimes he'll sip on it, sometimes he just leaves it sitting there. All depends on when he last had a protein shake. They offered you a surgery video? I haven't heard that. I would be interested in watching it if that's an option for me, but it may not be. How big of bites are you taking at this point? I'm just curious so I can start mentally planning for that vacation in a couple of months. (Man, am I so ready for a vacation, even with the dietary changes.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Pepper_No_Salt I've also had extreme fatigue. If I was dishes, I'm having to rest for an hour. I'm not doing anything more than that right now because I just physically can't handle it. But yeah, there are lots of long naps during my daytime, which is also affecting my abilitiy to get fluids and protein in. Glad to hear that you've gotten better! I know yesterday was a bad day for me out of nowhere. I'm blaming heat, but I don't actually know what the problem was. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @RRenaeL23 and @Pepper_No_Salt - Good luck at your next appointments! I hope you do get moved up to pureed foods! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Hiddenroses Interesting! I was told they would not move me on to the pureed foods until I was regularly hitting 60g of protein daily. They said nothing about whether or not I was active. I'll be curious to see what is said when I go to my post-op today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Meme Campbell I hope your surgery went fantastically and you are recovering well! I know that liquid stage sucks, but it's for a good reason. Just keep reminding yourself of that.

Hello everyone! I kind of disappeared during the holidays but came back by to poke my head in and see how others were doing. Seems like most of us are plugging away at this 'getting healthier' thing. Reminder (and FYI for any who read this and didn't know) I got the SADI surgery, which is the intestinal revision with the sleeve all in one go initially. This makes me feel extra obligated to update for some reason - maybe because I had to dive so far into my journey to find this option and how eager I was to hear about the results from others. So - my surgery was Sept 5th, and I lost 10 lbs in my pre-surgery liquid diet, which I had for one full week. On the day of surgery I was 352 and now, about four months out, I've lost right at about 70lbs. The weight loss has slowed a bit as I found my balance but I'm still losing 1-3lbs per week on average, about 7 lbs lost in the last 30 days. I got through my weight loss stalls by eating more, as I was only getting around 500 calories per day for a while as I maintained ketosis, with VERY few carbs. That was nice, but my energy was lacking. I shifted to included more fruits, veggies, and upped my protein from 60g per day to more like 75g. Now I get around 900-1200 calories per day, try to really focus on getting my water for the day, and angle for simple protein snacks with a small carb total when I get hungry. I have found cottage cheese to be a life saver as a replacement 'side' - and stirring it into my salads gives the salad more bulk and makes it easier for me to feel full. Eggs are not quite as weird for me as they were for a while - I still prefer boiled eggs over scrambled or fried. I do aim to get at least 5k steps per day and usually make that goal.I definitely slacked on exercise around the holidays and did snack more than a few times on things I shouldn't have. I feel lucky that my intestinal malabsorption keeps me accountable for poor choices. I have gotten the foamies once - and have overeaten like three times by a few too many bites. I feel like my relationship with food is much healthier and am far more likely to cook now as opposed to grabbing greasy garbage food. However your path feels like it's going - this is a great time to correct the course if it feels a bit off track. Your bodies are working for you, and you are working for those bodies! Kudos to all of us for taking these steps to a healthier lifestyle! Remember, too, that no one day of slipping up is going to sink you. As I said to my perfectionist son the other day - an A in school is 90%-100% (generally, anyhow!) so it's still an A even if you slip up one out of ten times ❤️✨

I flew to Turkey for my procedure and I honestly don't know that it could have gone any smoother. The hospital in Istanbul was the nicest hospital I've ever seen and everyone was so incredible thorough. I am going on my 5th day post op mini-bypass and I was able to walk three miles yesterday. Going to see the Hagia Sophia today. So far, my only regret is that I wish I made the decision sooner. On another note, I didn't expect to feel hungry and crave food so quickly. Has anyone else experienced that?

Well the lunch stuff I have already had in purée stage so it’s just the dinners that are new foods for me. But the more I thought about it it will be alot of wasted food since I am eating just a tiny bit and my husband won’t eat half of it. I think I am going to spread it out and use have leftovers for lunch instead of the other stuff.

Awesome 👏🏻 It’s a really good feeling and it keeps going. It makes you feel even better about your food choices and your mood improves even further. I swear it’s like a miracle drug that snowballs but in a good way.

How are your iron levels? Are they low? If they’re low, then you may need a supplement but if they’re okay, you don’t need anything. My iron levels were great & still are so I never took any iron after my surgery. Many people, women especially of all ages, experience anemia and it seems there are many more cases now days than years ago. For some its lifestyle and dietary choices, for others there can be medical reasons behind it. If you are anaemic, ensure your doctor rules out any medical cause first. If there isn’t any medical reason, check your dietary intake. Ensure you’re eating a lot of iron rich red meats, green leafy vegetables, etc. Avoid caffeine when consuming food especially iron rich foods. Caffeine reduces your body’s ability to absorb iron by 60+%. Also your body doesn’t absorb iron from fortified foods (like breads, cereals, oat milks & other milk alternatives., etc.) as well either. Iron supplements can cause constipation. Don’t take your iron supplements with calcium or iron with zinc. Your body can’t absorb these in combination so take say the calcium and zinc in the morning and your iron at night. Remember too, excess iron isn’t good for you so avoid taking iron supplements if you don’t need them. Haemochromatosis can damage your liver, heart, pancreas & joints. Symptoms can include lethargy, weight loss, mood swings, depression, brain fog, irregular or no periods & joint pain. Interestingly, many of these symptoms are the same as with anaemia.

chiming in to say i had a similar start to running like AmberFL. (note though that i am a track or round-my-600m-neighbourhood-block runner, and not a follow-my-nose-runnner lol). started off walking around the track/block, then jogging one side of it, to jogging 1/2 of it, to jogging every other lap to full on jogging non-stop, then doing the same progression, this time interspersing with running. then longer and/or faster runs. by the end of my running heyday, i was running at least 5K every day (sometimes twice a day) with a longer 10K maybe once a week. then...i hurt my foot. didn't run for 3 months, and never went back to it with the same intensity. these days, i probably get a 5K in 1-2 times a week (less when its too cold). but i do get my exercise in other ways, so its all good. as for fuel, its been a while, but i do remember feeling quite hungry after runs and would actually eat food before noon (not my usual M.O.), could also be because i always ran on an empty stomach (by choice, i hate - and still do - the feeling of something in my stomach when i exercise). to the OP, its effing awesome that you are discovering a fondness for exercise...it really does make a world of difference, for your health, your sleep, your body's ability for recovery, your mental clarity....your overall well-being! plus, it makes you feel grrrrrrrreaaat and look hawt. ❤️

This is good info never looked at it like this...I am afraid to trigger my addiction if I taste certain foods I may not be able to stop

I live alone too so I had no support in my home. I told a few people, one of which had had the surgery, but apart from phone calls to see how I was I really did it alone. I did get a lot of support and information from this forum and my GP was also supportive and interested in my progress. In saying that, I’m pretty independent and organised & I was very confident and comfortable with my decision to have the surgery. I didn’t have any psychological or emotional issues, was very mobile & didn’t have any co morbidities before my surgery. My recovery was pretty smooth though slow as I had issues with low blood pressure & hypoglycemia. Both of these I had experiences with before but occasionally not regularly and o knew how to manage them. I had no issue getting in or out of bed and my pain was easily managed with the prescribed meds (for about 4 days) and then didn’t need anything. I prepared well with all the over the counter meds my surgeon recommended (not that I needed them all) and had shakes, broths, soups for the first two weeks on hand. So I didn’t have to go anywhere or get anyone to shop for me. I think looking back I probably would have got my groceries for purée and soft food stages delivered simply for the convenience and not having to deal with weight restrictions for carrying things and the lethargy. Grocery shopping can be exhausting, (I did it after my hysterectomy last year & wish I’d done after offer my sleeve and gall removal.) I had a cleaner and a gardener so I agree with @BigSue’s suggestion about that even if it is for just a couple of weeks or so. Not everyone’s recovery is the same. We come in to it at different weights, with different medical histories and different existing medical conditions. There will be similarities but also variations. Do your research. Lots of people have shared their recovery and journey here to give you an idea of what you might experience and give you an idea of what you might experience. All the best.

Speaking as someone who is 161 cm, you’re never ‘only’ 162cm. 😁 Your other stats aren’t that far off from where I was too initially. I understand your reticence about GLP-1s as I did too when I first heard about them. However, from what I’ve since read and know from those who use it, or have used it, it can take a little time to work out what is the right dose for you (re side effects, maintenance, long term needs, etc.). It does work and is amazing at stopping the food noise in your head if you experience that.

Exactly. I was told some foods may no longer be tolerable but I didn't realise it would change from one day to the next, even one bite to the next.

TLDR: 1.sugar-free pudding with sugar-free Cool Whip, 2. Mio, and 3. plastic portion cups. There are two food/drink favorites of mine, looking back to my first 3 months of post-op. First is Jello sugar-free instant pudding. The box says "makes four 1/2cup servings," but I make five. I top it with a tbsp of sugar-free Cool Whip, and I had one at the end of every day. A real treat. And, you'll be able to eat pudding very soon. Second: in a 32-oz water bottle, put in about a cup of water and squirt in some Mio water enhancer. My fave is the fruit punch flavor. You'll have to experiment with how much to put in. Too little and there's not enough flavor; too much and it's too sweet and heavy. After squirting in the Mio, I add my daily scoop of Miralax (has absolutely no taste or texture). I needed it-- you may not need any laxative at all. Stir well. Then fill up the bottle with more water. Sip throughout the next few hours. It's a great way to get your minimum 64 ozs of water. One more tip is to order a sleeve of 5-oz condiment cups (Amazon calls them "plastic portion cups") with snap-on lids. The kind you find in restaurants for putting salad dressing or salsa into. Restaurant ones are only about 1-ounce size, which is too small for our use. The 5-oz is what you need. I use them every day for portioning out so many things. I bought 100, but I keep washing them out after each use, so 100 looks like a lifetime supply for me. Wishing you the very best!!

Is anyone else that’s on soft foods trying to freeze things? I have been doing this for 5 nights so far on soft food and two of those nights were seafood and I was able to make the right portion but I have frozen chili and meatballs so far. Those “souper cubes” work really well for the chili (they have cheaper brands now and even a silicone ice cube tray would work for less chunky soups and they would defrost quicker too). I posted the question in the food forum too but had anyone ever frozen ground Turkey that has been cooked. I made Turkey tacos and they were so good but of course I made too much. I also made guacamole and pico but I’m guessing those won’t freeze well. Next time I know to reduce the recipe significantly. Anyways, does anyone have experience freezing stuff? Any tips?!

On the one hand, the farther out from surgery you get, the more you can physically eat. This is normal at a year post-op, and may have coincided with the timing of your poor food choices. But if you have been going "off track" by eating a bunch of slider foods, that will in part explain why you don't feel any restriction. The more you focus on eating lean protein and high-fiber veggies, the more full you will likely feel. Your tool never goes away, but your nutrition becomes even more important the more your body can eat. My suggestion is to skip the "pouch reset" where you go through the stages of food. There's nothing magical about eating puree and drinking shakes. You were supposed to do that because your stomach had just been slice open and stapled up. What you should do is go back to a bariatric diet. This means eating protein first, veggies second, carbs third. It means portion control, eating at planned intervals, avoiding sugar and fat. It means waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink (not because you can't physically drink, but because doing so can contribute to hunger), and making sure you get a minimum of 64oz of water every day (but 90 oz is probably better). Instead of revisiting the first few weeks after surgery, meet your body where it is now. Plan three high protein, healthy meals for yourself each day. For breakfast, you might try making two eggs, a serving of spinach, and some roasted sweet potato. For lunch, you could try a salad with 4 oz of chicken and some black beans, plus lots of veggies. For dinner, make yourself 4 oz of salmon, a serving of broccoli, and a serving of quinoa. Space your meals evenly throughout the day, around 5 hours apart. See if that amount of food fills you up. If it does, you're pretty much where you probably should be at this stage. If it doesn't, add more veg to your plate at meal times, and allow yourself up to two healthy snacks, such some fresh raw veggies and a ranch dip made from Greek yogurt, and maybe a bowl of fresh berries with Coolwhip and nuts for dessert. My guess is, if you focus on eating the right things and not eating simple carbs and high fat comfort foods, you will start feeling much better.

Our Amazon is some next day and mostly two days for me anyways so yeah that is a good idea but also you have 30 days and it’s pretty easy to return for Amazon if you wait until right before your surgery to order whatever you add to your cart if you don’t use it, you’ll still be your return. You’re feeling well enough to send it back. I actually did my shopping for whatever I needed for each phase and then I had my husband to go pick up thankfully so while I was on liquids, I was creating my cart for my purées and that’s when I ordered my food processor and he and I did a Walmart order and he went and picked up all the food which I ordered way too much, just be cautious because you can only eat a tiny amount. I wasted a lot of food. But by that time I was able to pick it up I did it when he was home so he could get the items that rolled to the back of the trunk or that were heavy

Thank you for letting us know that eventually we can "enjoy" food again! This makes me worry less about when we eventually retire!

Today I grieve fried chicken! I rode by Popeyes here in Texas and was literally salivating by the mouth! Some weeks are harder than others. Due to my addiction to food I do not have cheats days nor do I get to indulge. Much like a sobering alcoholic or meth/crack addicted individual one hit/sip leads to relapse. They don't get an opportunity to have a "cheat day". I am in the same boat I can not indulge. 1 day of pulling in to the drive thru will lead to 5 consecutive days of pulling in. Ahhhhhh FRIED chicken lmao

Thank you. I understand the reasoning for it, it just threw me off when she said it was forever. I even had to ask because I thought I misunderstood her, but nope, she confirmed they’re asking us to avoid the 4 c’s of drinking and to eat deconstructed, protein first. That makes perfect sense to follow the plan while losing and hopefully through that time, build a better relationship with food and learn to choose healthier options along the way. I appreciate the feedback and advice.

You don't really have to worry about food safety if the food is frozen at 0°F (-18°C?) or lower. It technically can keep indefinitely. The problem is the quality will degrade over time and this is made worse if there is air in contact with the food. From my experience, freezer burn is the biggest problem. After a while in the freezer things will start to dehydrate and oxidize if exposed to air. That's why you want to get rid of as much air as possible. You'll know if it's freezer burned when it gets kind of a grey or white surface to any parts exposed to air. This will cause an off flavor that's not particularly pleasant. This may be happen in a few months, or much, much longer if stored properly. I once tried to grind up a ~5 year old roast that I "rescued" from the bottom of my freezer. I knew it was freezer burned, but I was hoping that if I made chili from if, the strong flavors of the spices would mask the freezer burned taste. It didn't. ☹️ 0/10, wouldn't recommend.

My NHS offer 3 ways of completing the LRD - all shakes/meal replacements or 2 meals of replacements and 1 of food or all 3 meals actual food. All 3 ways are for 3 weeks and must average between 800-1000 calories. If you’re having food for say dinner, they say you can have a healthy ready meal of approx 300 cals plus a yoghurt of around 100 cals. As @Bypass2Freedomhas said, different providers seem to have different rules and expectations so I would contact your dietitian or Bariatric department just to double check 🙂

was thinking the same thing....? (just one 1 G&T is like 120 cals, and just one beer is at least 200 cals...). alcohol in and of itself will not stop you from losing weight, but too many calories (in the form of alcohol or whatever else) definitely will. further, are you tracking your actual food/beverage intake to conclude 1200 cals a day, or eyeballing it? lastly, my NUT wanted me at 1500 cals by 3 months, so i guess it depends on who you ask if that is alot of cals or not at your stage. BUT, despite this recommendation , i personally was NO WHERE near 1500 cals at that stage, more like 400 cals honestly (which is on the lower end of average, but still).

No its a mediterranean food place! So good

Can you please add specifics of what you eat/drink/exercise? Drinks: no carbonation, caffeine, or sugar. Food: no fried food, potatoes, corn, etc. What vegetables and fruit do you eat and in what portions? What exercise are you doing and how much?

Oh wow ! That’s a lot of different foods for one week. My advice would be to spread it o out a bit. Congratulations on your purée journey.