Search the Community

Also, contrary to popular belief, it is VERY hard to stretch out your stomach with the sleeve surgery!! This is because our sleeve is made out of stomach tissue that is less stretchy than the rest of the stomach. It takes months, sometimes years, for it to relax enough that you can eat your normal bariatric portions. And some people always have high restriction... But even when you can eat bigger portions, it is still rare to stretch out your sleeve. Most stories you hear of it are from people whose first sleeve surgery wasn't done properly. Or else they were overeating by a significant amount at every meal over a loooong period of time! My surgeon told me this is actually quite rare, because the less stretchy stomach material means you are much more likely to just vomit if you try to overeat than to actually be successful enough with it you stretch out your sleeve. I found that very reassuring!!

Have they tested you to see if you are having issues with reactive hypoglycemia? This usually kicks in 1-4 hours after a meal, but since you've had a bypass it is possible it could kick in faster for you if your food is transitioning faster. I've seen FB groups for bariatric patients that have this issue. I've noticed it often happens years out from surgery... I used to have issues with this before bariatric surgery, even on a low carb diet. Eating small meals often with fat and protein paired with your carbs is usually what they advise to treat it, along with other dietary adjustments. Personally if I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I aggressively crash energy wise. It is very pronounced. I have to carry snacks with me everywhere to prevent me going past that 3 hour mark or I look like the Energizer Bunny without his battery! LOL

I agree with the others, contact your surgeon and let them know. It isn't unusual to have intolerances to protein shakes early on. I couldn't stomach them for the first several weeks. I could get in my fluids though, with diligence, but they had to either be very cold or very warm, my stomach didn't like anything in between, and even with fluids I would get this intense twisting pain with every swallow, like my stomach was trying to cartwheel inside me! But after the two week mark this started to ease. I was able to water down protein water and get it in. Then I was able to thin out protein shakes with milk and get them in. I was still nauseated daily until the 8 week mark, but meds helped with that. My surgeon said this whole track wasn't unusual, I was one of those rare patients that got the side effect of stomach spasms post surgery and they usually calm down after a few weeks. He was right! By weeks 3-4 I could drink most things without pain, as long as I kept sipping rather than trying to gulp. I'm 3 months out and still can't gulp... But this is definitely a situation where you want your surgeon's office aware of how you are feeling so they can send you in for fluid infusions if you start to show signs of dehydration. Dehydration is the number 1 complication of bariatric surgery in the early weeks, plenty of people end up with hydration infusions until the swelling goes down in their tummies enough they can get their water in.

You should be able to take a stool softener or Miralax to relieve the constipation. It isn't unusual for people to have some digestive issues on the shakes, they are heavy in protein and low in fat and fiber, two things that usually help regulate our stools. Make sure you are getting in at least 64oz of water daily. Some surgeons have strict rules about the shakes you can use pre-op, others just give guidelines. Premier Protein ready made shakes are the only ones I was allowed to have pre-op (or Bariatric Advantage, but they are AWFUL). I like their Cafe Latte the best, though the vanilla and caramel are good too... I've had just about every flavor they make out of boredom on the pre-op diet and they were all passable, though I recommend you drink them cold. My least favorite are the peanut butter chocolate and the winter mint. If you can drink whatever shake you want, Ghost makes some tasty protein powders! I also like the Syntrax line in general, just pay attention to getting the correct whey your doctor wants. I love Seeq, they sell sample packs on their website and they taste like juice! I think the watermelon one is the best... I also like Genepro powder, it is tasteless and dissolves into just about anything so you could put it in sugar free liquids. And Fairlife does ready to drink shakes that are pretty delicious! They mess with my stomach for some odd reason, but I know a LOT of bariatric patients that buy them by the case. You can usually get them individually at Target or some grocery stores. As for the cooking, I'd just excuse myself as much as possible... Yes, this is your path, and yes, it is your struggle, but I think asking our partners to have empathy is important too, they may not understand how hard it is... Electrolytes once a day help a lot with cravings, be sure they are sugar free. Having a variety of shake flavors helps too. And just being honest with your family if you can and saying "Hey, this is hard for me, and I might be grumpy around you when you are eating food or I'm having to cook you food. It isn't personal, I'm just hungry!!" LOL

This is a very informative research article from the NIH website that should help put your mind at ease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3345131/ The TL/DR is you can have a safe pregnancy and can certainly have a natural delivery if there are no complications, just as you would without bariatric surgery. Most doctors suggest waiting a year or two before getting pregnant. You want to lose the weight first, and you want to be at a point where you can eat enough calories to sustain the pregnancy in a healthy way. By losing weight, you are likely to have increased fertility and a healthier pregnancy for you and the baby.

Nine years out, and I fight the beast every day. I know people who've worked with therapists who specialize in eating disorders who've found it helpful, so maybe looking into that if you're feeling like you're losing the struggle (?). Or does your bariatric clinic have a health psychologist on staff, or can they refer you to one? P.S. I also know a few people who are struggling and have had some significant weight gain who are on appetite suppressants like phentermine - or some of the newer drugs that people are using for weight loss, such as Ozempic. I don't know if you want to go down that route, but some have had success with those. If you're interested in that, check with either your bariatric clinic or your regular physician.

Hello, You really need to talk to a bariatric surgeon about these issues. Their knowledge of the different surgeries and your body are priceless. BUT here is my non medical answer - Why would giving birth be any different because you have a smaller stomach ? Your lady bits are all in the same place. I imagine the problems would be getting the correct nutrition into your body to support yourself and the foetus. You will need to wait as long as possible to get pregnant if you have issues. Some people have no problems eating and drinking after surgery but I did. For 18 months I only managed an average of 800 cals daily. Good luck with your journey

i had a bit of difficulty getting my protein shakes the first 2 weeks, i used protein powders and i had to water them down ALOT to get it down. i probably only consumed maybe the equivalent 1 cup of a pre-made protein shake the entire first 14 days post surgery. it was a issue of aversion for me...it was just so unappealing and gag-inducing. that and i was just so exhausted that there just wasn't enough awake time to drink. my water consumption wasn't that great either, probably sipped maybe less than 2 cups a day (warm/hot water cuz it felt better)...and i did this from a 1oz medicine cup all day long...soooo annoying omg. first two weeks i probably had less than 400 calories each ENTIRE WEEK. but magically (on day 13 to be exact), i accidentally found out i could could gulp down water...i was so thirsty that i forgot i was supposed to sip...and it was wonderful lol. so much more satisfying than those sad sips from the stupid medicine cup. after that i was gulping down litres of ice water. and protein shakes cuz i just would water then down alot with ice water and down them. solid food on the other hand took a little longer master...but that's another story. now i drink lots and eat lots (avg 1800 cals a day) for a bariatric patient, but not quite like a "regular" person, lol....and im 5+ years out. long story short: hang in there, it gets better by increments. keep in contact with your doc and team, and there is no need to worry of they aren't. good luck ❤️

I did the Mexico self-pay, even with my insurance the process was almost a year long before approval, and estimated costs out of pocket were still more than going to Mexico. I wouldn't touch semaglutide with all the issues with it and weight loss. It works for some, but the friends I know who have done it have all put back on all their weight and 20 pounds after they quit it. Too many issues that can happen with it, stomach paralysis, rotten food in your stomach, etc. If you have HSA/FSA there are ways they will cover your surgery in Mexico or go towards the cost. I had a lady in my surgery group in Mexico that was able to use her HSA/FSA completely, I know she said she had other paperwork etc she had to do and get approval before hand as it was out of the country. I believe Go Light Bariatrics has a financing option, and I want to say it was interest free.

Yeah, I got a pack of these freezer safe glass 4 oz baby food jars on Amazon and they've been really helpful with portioning!! At first I could only eat about half of one, so about 1/4 cup total. A bit less if it was solid protein in meat form other than fish (beef, chicken, and pork sit heavier). That was it for about two months. In this third month my portion size suddenly increased to about 1/2 cup in total now! As far as meat and veggies are concerned at least. I have always been able to eat a little more of soft things like yogurt and pudding... But my PA told me that increase at 3 months is perfectly normal, and I could expect it to increase in stages throughout the first year or two, to not panic over it, hunger is natural and mine never went away from surgery, so I've really had to cultivate a healthy relationship with it. Because those stomach nerves are still healing, I watched my portion size carefully and really paid attention to discovering new fullness cues. For me those are a runny nose, hiccups, burping, and aggressive sneezing fits! Plus this building pressure or weight in the center of my stomach. These are all normal signals for bariatric patients, but we all get our own unique combination so be on the lookout for discovering yours! I think 2-3 shakes a day paired with things like yogurt and soft cereals seems really normal. It is great you are progressing so well! The problem with forums and support groups is we get used to seeing people post with problems and then we expect to have a slew of problems ourselves! And sometimes we do. But often times we don't... The majority of bariatric patients have no complications, progress their diets easily, and worry about eating too much and if their surgeon even did their surgery. 🤣 Your metabolism has been reset, it will handle calories a bit differently now. Just stay on the conservative end with simple carbs, as they can slow weight loss sometimes. Focus on that hydration and protein, and later on when cleared for all foods, on adding complex carbs like veggies, beans, and some fruit. Protein will help with the hunger, as does healthy fat and the fiber once it is safe for you to digest. My dietician told us to think more about macros than calories. So, to make sure things had less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, more than 20 grams of protein per shake, less than 10 grams of fat per serving, and keeping our total carbohydrates for the day under 50 grams in the early months...and that was their advice for all surgeries, with varying protein goals for each different one. Baritastic app has been really helpful with the tracking!

Yeah, I would just keep an eye on portion size to avoid overdoing it early on. I have a couple of favorite cookbooks out of all of the ones that I've bought (because I always overdo everything). They are: The Bariatric Diet Guide and Cookbook by Dr. Matthew Weiner (a bariatric surgeon), and Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy by Kristin Willard (a registered dietician who specializes in bariatric nutrition). I would 100% recommend both of them and you can get them on Amazon. I like Dr. Weiner's book because he gives you what serving size to expect at different stages post-op. For instance, there's a chickpea curry with riced cauliflower. If you're at 1-3 months post op, your suggested serving is 2 tbsp curry and 2 tbsp cauli (which is 1/4 cup total). If you are 3 months to 2 years, it's 1/4 cup of each. If you are 2 years or more, it's 1 cup curry and 1/2 cup cauli. What I like is that it normalizes the reality that you start with really small portions and naturally eat more over time. I see so many people getting so nervous because they are hungrier at 1 year than they were at 1 month, and it's like yes, that's what is supposed to happen! I wish this book had the nutrition facts spelled out for all three portion sizes, not just the largest, because my math sucks with fraction. And I wish it had more photos, although the ones it does have are very nice and the overall quality of the book is high. What I like about Kristin Willard's book is it gives you 6 full-week meal plans and is meant for doing prep ahead, grab-and- go types of meals that you portion out in advance. Also, it is gorgeously illustrated with full-color photos for every single recipe. There is one weekly menu for purees, one for soft foods, and 4 for normal diet. They even include a shopping list for each weekly plan. In my opinion, (comparing to my surgeon's plan and what I see in Dr. Weiner's book) the suggested portion sizes are geared toward a patient who is 1-2 years post-op, so bear that in mind. You would probably get twice as many servings out of each recipe in the first year, and up to 4x the servings in the first few months. And of course both books are likely to have specific foods at a stage that your own program disagrees with, so you have to adjust accordingly. I'm also going to give an honorable mention to The Easy 5-ingredient Bariatric Cookbook by Megan Wolf, a registered dietician and bariatric specialist. The book loses marks for the lack of photos but gains marks for its stage specific portion size suggestions and for all the recipes being really easy to pull-off without buying out your entire supermarket for ingredients. The author is based in Manhattan, and these are definitely recipes you could accomplish with a tiny NYC kitchen and limited cooking skills. Honestly, if I had a friend going through WLS, I would probably give all three of these as a gift, along with a set of small (4 oz and 8-12oz) freezer safe food storage containers. Hope that helps!

Stories like this make me so sad... My condolences to her family and friends. She should not have been released to fly so early, the most dangerous post op complications usually show up in the first two weeks after surgery. It is absolutely ridiculous that people from countries like the US and UK are having to risk their lives going to places like Turkey for surgery because they can't get coverage for their surgeries thanks to **** insurance companies, or because they are on a waiting list that will take 5 years and require a crazy amount of hoops and delays. Obesity is a disease, not a moral failing. Bariatric surgery is life saving, life giving surgery that in the long run saves insurance companies and government healthcare a **** ton of money because patients who are successful with it often lose their pre-existing conditions, go off numerous medications, and avoid the complications of obesity in their lifetime... A good friend of mine recently had her company change insurance providers. She was in the process of getting her last appointments done for bariatric surgery. But the new insurance excludes all bariatric surgeries... She can't travel to Mexico even if she could afford it because of her complicated medical history. I'm so angry that ANY company or ANY insurance company can just decide not to provide coverage for these surgeries.

Hi all. I have been on bariatric pal since last June. I was scheduled for a Loop DS September but had a complication with AFib. This has been addressed and I am scheduled for Monday 1/29/24. I just wanted to say this topic for me has been most helpful. I see many posts about protein, eating often and low carbs. I think for me this is very helpful. The nutritionist I'll be working with works in the bariatric department. I expect I'll be utilizing her often. Just as an aside I have been on Atkins type diets often including the original Atkins in 1971. Great information, thank you.

Oh dear. That makes it harder. If you were at a private company, I would suggest going to HR and asking them to look into adding bariatric coverage. But with schools, you're probably looking at union contracts and policies that extend to the whole state. It doesn't mean it's not worth asking if you have an HR person or teacher's union rep who would be in charge of this type of thing, but it might be a lot harder. There is always the Mexico route for self pay. My brother did it about 15 years ago when you couldn't get a sleeve in the US pretty much anywhere, and he had an excellent result. I know there's a whole forum on here for Mexico.

I contacted the insurance company and the packages offered to my school have zero bariatric coverage. Thanks for the resource suggestions.

Preach sister preach! I've always said the exact same things. I go one step further; insurance will pay for cosmetic surgery changes for people going through transgender reassignment surgeries (removing dermal layers etc.) but not skin removal for bariatric patients! Both are surgeries to help the outside match the inside - to help people see themselves as they internally perceive themselves! What's the difference?

So I read in todays newspapers that a beautiful young girl of 20 went to Turkey for Bariatric surgery and became very ill on the airplane home. She paid Dr. Bayil of Global medical care, £2500. Eye wateringly cheaper than the out of pocket cost in UK. I paid £12000. two years ago. They diverted to Serbia but sadly she died. The surgeon had nicked the intestine. He is saying he did nothing wrong. He said 'It was an embolism caused by the plane. ' An autopsy found the intestinal laceration. I wish bariatric surgery was easier and cheaper to get in our own countries. RIP Morgan Ribeiro

Here's to a smooth surgery and recovery!! There are some soft food recipes on the Baritastic app (if you use it). Check with your nutritionist as well. My nutritionist gave me some recipes compiled by my bariatric program- I didn't use any. I must admit that I was not adventurous with food in the first few phases. I stuck to the basics - shakes, yogurt, soup, etc. During the pureed stages, I added tuna and other soft fish.

I really like the recipes in the Bariatric Diet Guide and Cookbook by Dr. Matthew Weiner, and Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy by Kristin Willard.

You are welcome!! I'm one of those people that really want to know WHY I'm being told to do something. The dietitians at our practice do apply a lot of rules to everyone instead of differentiating between the surgeries, which is annoying, so I'm glad they differentiated in this respect, because type of surgery makes a big difference in a lot of things!! And yes, it is frustrating when they have a mark on a paper you are supposed to reach, but they don't take into account where you were vs where you are and the improvements you've made! Everyone's restriction is different and this is hard for a non-bariatric patient to understand. Our fullness is not like the fullness pre-op. That fullness post-op can be painful and really exhausting if we ignore it and try to push to finish something! And each person's restriction relaxes at their own rate. Some people have high restriction all the time, others it depends on the protein. 3/4 of a cup is a lot of food for any surgery a year out, but especially could be uncomfortable for a bypass because your tummies are so much smaller than even a sleeve patient. And even for those of us with sleeved stomachs, some keep high restriction permanently... I'm glad in that respect you went your own way, You are the expert of your own body, no one else can know exactly what you feel. And you are the only one who can advocate for you in that way and if the doctors and nutritionists aren't listening, you just have to research and find your own best practices... You are the one who has to live with them in the end!

I am so glad they recommended you for revision!! It is sad that a lot of insurance companies have a "one bariatric surgery per lifetime" clause, or will cover revisions but make it near impossible to qualify for them. The sleeve surgery is the first stage in a classic DS surgery, it should always be up for revision to a DS/SADI if the results from it aren't lasting! I had a modified traditional DS done on November 1st. I'm so happy I did it. My diabetes and high blood pressure went into immediate remission. My weight loss has been slower than I'd like, but that isn't unusual for a DS because we lose for a lot longer than other surgeries (if we are lucky!). Your sidebar says you are pre-op, you should adjust it so it shows you post-op! How are you feeling?? I've heard the recovery from revision from sleeve to SIPS is not too bad since they don't normally touch your sleeve again unless it was improperly done the first time. Do they still have you on a strict post-op diet progression? I look forward to seeing how your weight loss goes, revision patients to this surgery usually do well! It just goes a little slower than before. ❤️

Just got my surgery scheduled for Feb 7th. Start my two week liquid diet tomorrow. My first weigh in October with the Bariatric center was 363 lbs. I weighed at the Surgeons office today at 310 lbs. Ready to get this done and move on.

Hello, I am new and want to introduce myself. I’m Gina and I am 13 days post op. I had the SIPS procedure and hiatal hernia repair. I had Gastric Sleeve in 2019. Reached a plateau, switched from Kaiser to United Health Care - Sutter Health (N. Ca). Five years ago my pre surgery weight was 286. My pre-op weight on January 10 is was 230. When I was still under Kaiser, I contacted my bariatric team about having revision surgery and they advised me to just stick to a thousand calorie diet and that I was not eligible for revision surgery. My family and I had to switch healthcare providers and I joined the weight management in nutrition program at Sutter Health, and I was immediately referred to a Bariatric surgeon who recommended a revision! I was pleasantly surprised, because I was not even going to ask because of my experience with Kaiser. So here I am 13 days post surgery and looking forward to reading about your experiences. 🙂👍🏼

Baritastic is a great app for tracking your food and it is made especially for bariatric patients!! It will track your fat for you as long as you enter everything you eat for the day! And it even has recipes in the app you can try...

Yeah, the dietician was a prick to mention your weight in relation to other patients. You were not unusually heavy and it is just plain unprofessional. I hope you have a word with the surgeon about it at some point, people need feedback on how their staff are carrying out their jobs. I'm sorry it is so hard to obtain this surgery in the UK, you should have been given ample support and encouragement on your journey, not criticism. As was said above, you may need the support of a dietician post op and going to one who was condescending to you pre-op is not a recipe for success post-op. You may want to seek out your own dietician for support. One you can feel free to fire at will. LOL I find dieticians assume by default we are all idiots about food, especially healthy food. And they tend to fixate on weird things, like pasta alternatives that are "just like the real thing!" that they have probably never eaten themselves. Or cottage cheese!! OMG I do not want to eat a bowl full of cottage cheese!! I think they should have to go through a 3 month staged bariatric diet, including an all liquids portion, so they have some lived experience and can be a little more human with their patients... Although I will say I've actually run into a few dieticians that have had bariatric surgery and while they don't say the stupid weight things anymore, they do still have a lot of biases from their training (like no protein supplements because they aren't "real food"). Your weight story is not unusual, as others have said there is more and more research pointing to obesity being a very complex disease and far from a moral failing or issue of willpower. There are a lot of stigmas around weight and weight loss surgery and unfortunately the medical community is a willing participant in much of that misinformation. I'd advise you to find a therapist or a mindful eating coach who can support you in changing your food choices early on, so by the time your hunger comes back your new habits are firmly in place and something you can rely on. I wish you so much luck on your journey!! You are doing great!