Search the Community

I added tumeric as a spice in my soups and soft food and added cinnamon to my yoghurts to help with inflammation - both recommended to me in the hospital and I think they helped. The hospital actually said they could be taken together as a tea but I am not a great tea drinker so went with the adding to food option. I still take cinnamon frequently just to keep up the good habit, travel with a jar of it for adding to coffee and yoghurts if needed.

Like @GreenTealael, I agree finding a way of eating that is sustainable is key. If you choose to follow an eating style that is too restrictive or makes you feel like you’re missing out or can’t participate, it is destined to fail like any diet we tried to follow in the past. And same with whatever exercise you choose to incorporate. If you don ‘t enjoy the exercise, find it restricts or limits your lifestyle, you aren’t’ going to continue with it. Of course, over time you will find you make adjustments or swap out certain foods or activities as your way of eating or exercise routines evolve. You may explore other options, discover you can have a little of this or that occasionally, try a different activity, or you have lifestyle changes. Do I eat exactly like I did when I first stabilised? No. I can actually eat more but the modifications I’ve made are pretty close to how it was and it still works for me & allows me to maintain at the same weight. You have to be vigilant and keep working at it though. Complacency is a slippery slope. Don’t be afraid to seek support & help with therapy if you find yourself sliding back to habits and behaviours. We can’t always do all of this on our own. All the best.

I am sooooo anticipating my soft foods beginning on Monday. I have been working on my menu and my grocery cart for a while. This is my menu so far. Monday-Snow Crab with skinny scampi sauce and mashed cauliflower Tuesday-Turkey Meatballs with peppers and onions (low carb marinara) Wednesday-Chili with side of zucchini, butternut squash and onions Thursday-Blackened Salmon with Brussel Sprouts Friday-Turkey Taco Fillings with fresh Pico and fresh Guacamole Saturday-Mahi with Jerk seasoning and green beans Sunday- Black Bean Veggie Burger Patty with carrots Lunches Monday- MUSH overnight oats (with protein powder) Tuesday- Spinach and onion Skinny Omelette Wednesday- Egg Salad Thursday- Greek yogurt with berries (and protein powder) Friday- Tuna Salad Saturday- squash and onion Skinny Omelette Sunday- Chicken Salad

That is the plan for some doctors but some allow the clear protein drinks or unflavored protein powder mixed into broth which that one I’ve never tried but the clear protein waters aren’t bad.

My understanding is hydration is primary concern 1st week. Sip sip sip all clears no protein until 5 days out?

Like @Catwoma62 said it’s a switch surgery similar to the DS but the bypass portion of it is modified to make it a little less risky. It fairly new but they are starting to find it to be a good alternative to bypass. little as a revision to a sleeve. It’s a little more aggressive than bypass but the research is suggesting that the weight loss as a revision to bypass is not consistently great and with SADI revision it’s a little better. Plus the ability to keep weight off long term is believed to be better with the SADI revision. Not all surgeons do it yet and many will not reduce the size of the sleeve when they do a revision so they will do some tests to look at your sleeve first to make certain that it is still in good shape or it may not be the better option. There are many other factors in terms of which option is best and the surgeon is best to help you decide but it is another option to ask them about.

It seems to be all carbs that give me trouble, although "bad" carbs make me sick almost immediately. My body went from constantly craving carbs to seemingly not being able to process them anymore. It's really weird. And frankly, annoying. And I agree, a few of my doctors are seeing numbers on the scale and bmi and not me as a person and my overall progress. I've lost 246 pounds from my highest weight. And 213 pounds from my original surgery weight. And that still doesn't seem like it's good enough!!! My current weight is lower than some other people's final ending goal weight. THEIR doctor's are ok with that, yet MINE seem to think I need to lose more, more, MORE!!! This is how people fall into disordered thinking and eating. I'm trying very hard for that NOT to happen to me again, and this is not helping. Also, yes I have started adding a Chobani Complete liquid Greek yogurt to my snacks. They have 20g of protein, 15g of carbs, and 180 calories per serving. I've got myself up to 40 carbs per day with that (without working out) and seem to be doing ok, so I'm going to go up to 45 carbs daily without working out (that's where I was at but with workouts) and then sloooowly try to increase from there and see if I can. My body just really resists carbs, so it's really slow going.

It’s like they are only seeing numbers and scales and recommended weights for heights blah, blah, blah but not the actual person at the bottom of it all. I’m not surprised that you’re pissed, to be fair, I would be too. Carbs - is it all carbs that give you grief regardless of where they come from or specific types like bread, flour, potatoes etc? If it’s all types then it’s a very slow process of getting some in to your body and finding the balance. If it’s certain types then it’s looking at what you can manage and again, slowly building up until you find your balance and a weight that’s working for YOU, not the medical staff. Did you find some good quality fats that you were happy with? Have you skipped the low fat/calorie foods and introduced some higher fat/calorie replacements? You have come so far and done so amazingly well. At the end of it all, it’s YOUR body, YOUR health and YOUR wellbeing, no one else’s. Have you thought about some of the liquid meal-replacement type options that you would give someone if they were ill? Just something that might give you a bit of a boost on top of your iron infusion? Big hugs 🤗

I love to see what people typically eat in a day. I am 8.5 months post op. I've trying to maintain but still losing (eating around 1300 calories a day). Working out 4/5 times a week. Pilates, weight training, walking/jogging and some plyos for cardio. A typical day would be: Pre-breakfast: an oat milk flat white (I can't have anything before my coffee). Breakfast (mind you, was never a breakfast eater before but now I need to eat in the late morning otherwise I feel famished): 1 protein toast with lite cheese, 3 turkey breast slices OR 1 egg and 1 egg white omlette OR light halloumi, with some light mayo/pesto, lettuce and jalapenos. Some days I can eat that in one sitting, some days I need an hour to finish this portion. Snack 1: Fruit, Novo protein chips and a zero iced tea (over the course of 2 hours) Lunch: A chicken salad with baby spinach/arugula, cucumbers, bell peppers, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. No dressing. Snack 2: 5 sugar free chocolate almonds OR a square of 80% dark chocolate. Occasionally another oat flat white Snack 3: a handful of roasted almonds or cashews Dinner: I eat the exact same food pre WLS and what I make for the family sans the carbs most of the time. our dinners are usually elaborate. Protein and Veg so smash burgers (I wrap mine with lettuce but sneak one or two sweet potato fries), Big mac tacos (I use mission low carb mini tortillas), Marry me chicken, steaks, salmon poke bowls, Thai spicy basil chicken, ceviche, stuffed poussins, enchiladas (low carb), soy glazed chicken, etc... it's different every day. Dessert: Chocolate protein ball, or any other healthy dessert I've made (protein cheesecake, protein brownies) My portions are very small though, and it feels I'm eating all day. On weekends I surprisingly eat less, skip breakfast and go longer hours between my meals, but I do eat out and have a little fun with carbs (sushi, noodles, a little bread).

The Clifton 9 is the one I just ordered. I don’t have a fleet feet but I have a friend in a little bigger city i will ask her if she has that store or a Foot Locker like @Arabesque suggested. For stuff like this I usually end up either going witb her or ordering a few options and returning whatever doesn’t work. I thought the HOKA were really cute though and like I said two people recommended them to me so I figured I’d give them a try.

Shoes are extremely individual. I'm into Hokas (I currently wear Clifton 9s), but Brooks are also really popular. There are a lot of options, though, and it all depends on your feet and personal preferences. If you live near a Fleet Feet store, go there! They have a foot scanner that ensures you get the right size and also shows info like how high your arches are. Most of the salespeople are very knowledgeable and can help you find the right shoes for you. For almost everything, I prefer shopping online, but you really have to try on shoes before you buy them, and it's best to try on a lot of pairs at once so you can compare and contrast to find your favorites.

Have a great time if you’re vacation!! I’ll be heading into “regular “ foods but I still will stay on the softer side just in case. Thank you for the tip for the restaurant!!. I think being foward is best. My doctors office gave me a medical card as well that says I can order kids meal (later on of course) so I plan on using that but for now sharing meals. I LOVED cottage cheese. It’s an acquired taste but two days ago I could not stand the smell so my husband ate the cup. I say #1 is eat what you like. If you don’t like it don’t eat it. Maybe yogurt is our thing or protein shakes, find what works for you.

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

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.

Slightly off topic but I had to buy period underwear yesterday only because I’m about to have a hysterectomy. It was weird and I had to do a bit of reading (I’m a researcher) about the period pants because they didn’t have them back in my day (that makes me sound ancient lol but have been menopausal for 8 years or so). Also thought I should buy a pack of pads too just in case the surgeon prefers they’re used post surgery. OMG I didn’t know where to start. Couldn’t remember the brand I used to prefer and they’re are thousands of options now. Good Lord! The oestrogen flush is very common after surgery @Dchonlee and can persist until you’ve lost most of the weight you have to lose (which I know you’re nearing) but maybe get your hormone levels checked to see what they are.

I agree with @NickelChip, you’re not a failure. Not just from a statistical perspective but also from the perspective that you lost weight & kept it off for a while. That in itself is a success because we know how hard it is to lose any weight at all let alone keep it off for anything more than a week. Yes, there has been some discussion around the long term effectiveness of the sleeve but I think it could be said of any of the surgeries - it may work for some but not all. And what sometimes defines as a success may differ too. Too many external and internal factors can affect how successful you are in the short & long term too. I had my surgery when I was almost 54 because peri menopause & then menopause did a number on me & my weight. Quickly pushed me to my usual high weight then I swear overnight, to my all time high of 91kg, (Hormones are the gift that just keep giving whether you’re producing what you need or your production is decreasing as you near &/or are in menopause.). So yes, being in peri menopause or menopause could mess with your weight. I’d get in touch with your surgeon and ask him about a revision, GLP-1 meds and any other options. The fact you are ready & want to do something is such a positive position to be in. All the best.

Yea. The one I ordered says spicy lime I think. It says mild so that should be good for me. I’m excited to try it. I plan to have all of my options and do some taste testing.

I'm not sure where you found the 50% body weight number, but I had my 6-month appointment with my surgeon today and was told that losing 20% of your starting weight and keeping it off is the definition of "success" from a medical perspective. So, if you started at 252, that would be a 50 lb loss. Prior to gaining weight, you were at 65lbs lost, making your initial results within the successful range and if you are currently at 205, you're just slightly out of that range for longterm success. I think you may have confused the percentages of "body weight" and "excess body weight." To determine your excess body weight for a woman, you start with 100 lbs and add 5 lbs for each inch over 5 feet tall. So for you, that would be 120 lbs. (That's not a goal weight, but rather an "ideal" for a person your height who has never been overweight.) You would then subtract that from your starting weight, giving you 132 lbs of "excess" body weight. 50% of that is 66 lbs, which is essentially what you lost after surgery. Current research is showing that gastric sleeve surgery is not as durable for weight loss for some people. The Pound of Cure podcast has a lot of episodes that address this (you can find it on Youtube). It's certainly worth talking to your doctor about your options, which may include revision or GLP-1 medications. You'll want to find out your insurance coverage options, too. Of course, the first thing you'll want to do is make sure you are following your nutrition plan and exercise guidelines and cutting out bad habits to see if that helps you reverse some of the gain. If you haven't had a physical lately, definitely go in for that as any number of things can crop up, especially during perimenopause, that can cause weight gain. Wishing you luck! I'm 50 and I'm definitely nervous about reaching my goals and keeping the weight off at this age.

What about yoghurt with some garlic and lemon in it? Also work as part of protein needs.

Really starting to feel like I am in a groove getting in all of my fluids, protein and vitamins. It’s no longer a huge struggle I have to constantly think about. I take my calcium with my morning proffee that I drink first thing that gives me a really good start at 20oz fluid, 30g protein and one vitamin down. (Just take the vitamin with the last sip as opposed to the first if your vitamin has a lot of iron) and I mix in a spoon of soluable fiber so I get that over with as well. While I’m drinking it I get out my three calcium’s for the day, take my stool softener and take my daily rx meds. The rest of the day is pretty easy. I don’t get up at a set time so I just make sure to wait at least two hours to take my calcium’s and just fit in all three like an hour before I plan to go to bed at which time I take my second stool softener and the magnesium she added for muscle cramps. If i am going to be out for the day I will set alarms for the calcium’s and put them in my purse during my proffee. . A long time ago I created alarms for every half hour of the day so that it’s super simple to just toggle on whichever alarms I may need in the morning and when it goes off I just have to figure out what I’m forgetting 😆 You may have to turn off the ”everyday” function so when you turn it off it’s really off but doing that has helped me with everything I have to remember since I get distracted pretty easily. This would be way easier if you get up at a set time because you could turn on that everyday function and set the alarm once and it’s done from then on. At this point I’m only reminded of the pain a handful of times throughout the day. The only thing that is still not easy for me is the 30 minute rule. I know that I was supposed to do that forever after my sleeve but around the time I gave up hope on that I started back with drinking while eating and it’s a really hard habit to break. I do find that if I brush after meals and swish water around and spit it out it helps some. Next step is soft foods I am so looking forward to this stage and at the same time anxious I will overdo it too fast. I believe I mentioned before I am a rule follower and prefer more structure “soft food” is a bit vague for me. I survived it last time, though so I’m sure it will be okay I really hope everyone else is recovering well if early out and starting to get in their groove as well if they are a little further out. Any tips that you guys have worked out to remember it all?

Just a thought whilst reading through others comments. I know you said that carbs are hard to increase, however I think that is the culprit. I work out 6days a week and I am closer to 80g of carbs and 30 ish g of fat most days. You don't have to eat bread but fruits, and veggies have carbs. I am not saying goes balls to the wall, but if your working out then 1800 cal is not cutting it. My BMR to maintain is close to 2500 calories, I eat about 1500 cal right now just because I cannot physically eat that much. I checked to see how many calories I need to gain weight and I would need to consume 3300 calories a day! I am not saying stuff yourself, but eating every 1/5-2hrs will be beneficial- add granola to your yogurt, protein bar right after working out, eat some peanut butter balls with oatmeal, maple syrup, caco nibs or chocolate chips, add cottage cheese to eggs with a handful of spinach. Beefing up your meals will help you feel better. Maybe you know all this but just my two cents

Yes everyone's programs are different for sure and I agree with @ShoppGirl that if you have the option of a meal go with that. My program was 12 days pre-op diet - the first 10 days were 2 shakes - my team had a guideline for the calorie/carbs/sugar count they should have - and then a lean protein with a non starchy veg dinner. All other diet/no sugar drink options were fine - seltzer, diet soda, tea, black coffee, broth. I think I could have 1/2 cup of milk and a yogurt somewhere in there. Day 11 was liquids only - shakes, jello, broth. Day 12 was clear liquids only basically broth lol. Thankfully I was released from the hospital at the pureed stage and did not have a full liquid stage, but even pureed was not it after awhile. Vitamins and supplements you don't have to really start until after as long as your current bloodwork doesn't show any deficiencies. I had to start chewables only for the first 30 days and then could move to capsules.

What were the guidelines that you were given? If they just gave you a caiorie restriction I don’t see where that would be wrong but I would honestly double check with them. And as I said before keep in mind that you will have to do liquids for a while post op to and the shakes really do get pretty old so if your allowed actual food on the LSD I would choose that option. Up to you what works best though.

I forget if you have had your surgery or not but if not or for anyone that has not if you are allowed the option of food on the LSD I suggest eating it. I didn’t and between that and the post op liquids it got REALLY old. I was so sick of shakes they made me feel almost ill.

I specifically made sure that purée was one of the options @ShoppGirl. I can’t say that the thought of puréed food thrills me but the hospital says that, if you have a bypass, the puréed stage is for 6 weeks (4 weeks for a sleeve) If nothing else, it allows hubby to have a play when he’s prepping meals for me too! I’m reigning in the free fall @Arabesque This is where things can go wrong for me as I’ve experienced many times in the past. It can be a delicate balancing act at times. This is why I feel I will benefit from WLS because it’s difficult to be make good choices all the time when something inconsequential can send me spiralling into unwise food choices. Willpower can get me so far but I know myself. If I was able to be moderate in my choices, portion sizes etc then I wouldn’t be in this position now! Oh, I have an electric heated throw that I use for the sofa plus we have an electric blanket for the bed which we haven’t put back on for the colder months yet. It’s difficult isn’t it, when you feel the cold has seeped through to your bones? I’ve always been a warm person - windows open, fans on all night so feeling cold is a strange experience 🥶