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Hi All I was recently sleeves on 1/26/23. I was very excited and anxious for the procedure to jump start my progress. Fast fwd since surgery I have been having a hard time. When I graduated to semi soft foods It been rough. I haven't been able to keep anything down. It's been so bad that I was informed that it would be best that I go back to the previous stage of liquids only. I'm starting to feel down about getting the procedure. I been vomiting, having heart burn, discomfort trying to drink water, stomach pains, unsuccessful attempts to belch. I've been so frustrated trying to explain this to my Dr. She look at my like i'm crazy and it's hard telling someone the complications I'm having who have never experienced it. Have anyone else had this issue? Like water hurt when I drink it.. it's like so rough when trying to go down like i feel pain while it's traveling and when it finally settle. I'm going crazy please help. My Dr said she will order a upper GI so we will see. I feel like I may have dumping syndrome- although I haven't eaten anything sugary or with fat. I was told dumping syndrome mostly only occur with bypass patients. As in I shouldn't be having that issue but I feel like I do. If i try something as simple as yogurt it come right up like fast within a few minutes and I experience all the issues notes above. I be bent over trying to deal with the pain when this is happening. Any suggestions, tips or advice is welcomed.

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

Full disclosure: I still eat fast as well, but like you know my limits. This has worked for me and though I'd love to slow down, I'm just too old of a dog to learn this new trick.

im going to be a semi-dissenter here, based, of course, on MY personal experience. disclaimer, disclaimer, etc., etc., and all that. I did not follow my teams plan. Instead, i went with what my body could handle and the results it produced (i.e.. i went less calories than recommended; i went less carbs than recommended; i went against the recommended macro distribution; i drank coffee, carbonated liquids, did not have breakfast; did not eat set meals but grazed throughout my eating window; all actions that were contrary to what was told to me by my NUT). I also told my NUT everything i was doing. in short, if something worked (and had no undesirable effects), i continued doing it, if it didn't, i stopped. i realize this is not an approach that would work for everyone, but it did for ME. I paid more attention to what worked in my favour vs. what other people told me worked for THEM, or what they thought i should be doing. i'll say it now, and i'll say it again: there is no one size fits all approach for everyone, no matter what stage u are in (in my humble opinion). as for the topic of willpower: i would say, for ME, it was more about conditioning (and still is). the surgery gave me the awesome gift of immediate (and sometimes aggressive) feedback when i ate too much, or too fast, or ingested too much sugar. All of which are things that got me to obesity in the first place. The unpleasant physical symptoms of doing any of the above due to the surgery has effectively Pavlov'ed me out of being fat. Which i am immensely grateful for. I am 4+ years out of surgery and have maintained below goal weight ever since i reached it at 7 months post op....all thanks to my absolute distaste for feeling overly full and dumping. well, that and my desire to wear bikinis, lol. In short, do what works for you, use your team for guidance, and if something isn't working, stop doing it. AND if you struggle to do the above, a good therapist would go a long way to help (which, granted is hard to find). Good Luck! ❤️

I’m struggling right now too. I’m not regretting but wishing there was a fast forward. Like you I take adderall for adhd and had similar eating pattern before starting this process with not eating much during the day but then a huge meal in evening -often a take away when the adderall wears off. I’m having a bit of the opposite problem. I’m finding food really unappealing right now. Just looking at a piece of meat (especially grilled chicken and Turkey meatballs)or smelling it is enough to turn me off. I’m struggling to tolerate vegetables, I’m still experiencing nausea semi regularly. Worse than all of those things I have really low energy. I may be 60lbs lighter than I was 6 months ago when I had my first consultation with my surgeon but I the tiredness I feel 10 weeks out from surgery is as if I was still dragging that weight around. I try to be very active and truly enjoy excercise esp swimming and weightlifting which I do in the mornings but by 4pm the exhaustion strikes and by 6p it’s like the thought of getting out of bed let alone preparing dinner feels like a gargantuan task. I’m exceeding my Protein and hydration targets and feel like I’m following all the rules, the weight loss feels controlled and stable, but I now seem to dread eating and am dreaming of the days I’ll see my pre surgery energy level. So even know I remain positive about the outlook overall in future, real time feelings in the present moment are like you somewhat miserable. And you know what, I think it’s okay to feel that way and not pretend everything is great. The reality is change comes from struggle and rewriting a lifetime of psychologically treating food as a comfort or enemy, or indulgence rather than what it truly is - the fuel for our bodies - at least for me probably requires this misery to reset. Wishing you some comfort to cravings. One food joy I was able to find was creating a Greek yogurt topping bar, having previously never liked Greek yogurt this now is a bright spot in my food day. I hope can find at least one comfort like me. Early on I did also have mental craving for egg rolls and other normal foods so I think what you experiencing is probably normal - since you mentioned Chinese I’m linking to a recipe that satisfied that craving for me. You should be able to have it as soon as you are allowed veg. https://stylishcravings.com/low-carb-easy-make-egg-roll-bowl/ Again hoping you find comfort soon and if you ever need to vent feel free to message me.

Some more traditional fast breaker compared to soup. Rye bread, partly toasted. Also tried the Food for Future tuna salad. Not bad. It looks and tastes like "the real stuff". Didn't hit the spot though. I put most of it away in the fridge. That's one bread with slices of the Camembert I bought yesterday. I tried a new brand and it tastes fine. Bummer that they don't have any blue cheeze right now. I'm craving some gorgonzola like sauce.

Thanks way fast!!! Good luck to you

March 7th, I'm getting the bypass! My first appointment was the very end of December, so it's been a whirlwind. I'm excited! Edit: I was so excited, I made a typo 🤣 first appointment was end of November. Still fast...but not crazy crazy fast!

I am about 12 weeks out from the sleeve. I have more variety and fewer restrictions. However, I have noticed I stopped eating slowly. I still use a baby spoon to keep my bites small but stopped timing my bites 1 minute apart like suggested by my team. I think I stopped because I was tired of my food being cold after a few nibbles. Also, I would stop eating not because I was full but because it took so long... I'm a busy mom of 4 kiddos. So I really picked up the pace. I've noticed it's easier to overeat due to delayed hunger signals but I still have never vomited or been in pain. My full signal seems to be pressure in my stomach/chest area.. almost the same signal I had if I overdid it at a buffet before surgery. However this feeling only lasts about 20 mins now versus hours before surgery. My question is why do we eat slow? Is it just to avoid delayed hunger signals? What are the cons of not slowing down? I'm still pre-weighing my food so I know I'm not eating more than I would if I ate slow. Could I have stretched my sleeve already? I do consistently have the stuffed feeling after eating the last few weeks. Sent from my SM-S115DL using BariatricPal mobile app

So I start mine on 3.03.23. I'm wondering what accommodations I would need. Like needs to be always close to the bathroom. Part time from fainting? I drink like a fish especially fasting. I. Worried peeing frequently may be an issue. Please help.

im not a beer drinker, but i have sparkling water all the time (like maybe 5-6 litres a week). been drinking it regularly since about 2 months post op. funny enough, i never drank it pre-op. i was a diet coke addict back then. and no issues drinking it with me...but i may get burpy if i drink it too fast. p.s. i am a liquor drinker and have no real issues other than i get affected pretty fast (but i also sober up pretty fast as well) trial and error will tell you what u can handle...just try to take it slow...you wont know how much is too much until you do. good luck! ❤️

We should have a whole year and even more to reach our goal. Everyone is different so its sad if your surgeon put that stress on you to do it extra fast. As long as your weight is not going up and still trending down then you are doing great. No idea why they would expect you to reach a certain weight by a certain date. Hugs!

Stick to your pre-op diet best possible. It might be hard, but after surgery all those cravings go away really quickly. Weight loss feels controlled, stable, and predictable. The first week I was tired and had discomfort from gas in my body cavity that felt intense but was gone at the end of week. I spent much on the first week in bed resting. The second week post surgery was my stomach acid week I’d wake up at 5am and feel like I had a belly full of acid. Not super painful, just annoying and that symptom went away at the end of week two. I was back to work and up and about week 2 but sleep early or naps in the afternoon. Week 3 is when my progress allowed me to move on the soft Proteins. What was most noticeable this week is that occasionally I would get extremely dizzy with the room spinning. I realized this was due to seasonings or Condiments with minimal sugars but the first sugars I had experienced since surgery. Those first 2-3 grams of sugar /food iwould cause my my insulin to over compensate and my blood sugar would drop real low. That happened for about a week and a half 1-2 times a day and then my body adjusted and I haven’t experienced it since.   I also experienced a bit of nausea at this time as I tried new foods and learned to slow down eating but never have actually threwup. I’m two months out now. Only remaining symptom is light fatigue and occasional nausea as a reaction to eating something new or eating to fast. But it’s super tolerable and not as bad as it might sound. ALL OF THIS TO SAY: some of the initial symptoms may seem miserable or annoying in the moment while your body is adjusting to your surgery, but understand most of them will pass in a week or so they aren’t there for the long term. Be kind to yourself, allow yourself to rest, and focus on your Protein and hydration above all else. You got this!

Too much sucrose gives me fast heart rate, a malaise feeling for about hour. It's not pleasant but it isn't that bad. So for example, 1/2 cup of cereal, no problem. One cup risks one hour of fast heart rate. I don't get any side effects with fructose, lactose or anything else. So no limit on fructose (can eat fruit all day), lactose, starches, fiber, protein or fats.

Thank you so much that’s great advice!!! I go on March 7th and I just realized how fast the next month will go. Anything else you’d like to share?

My surgery date is February 20th. I have pre existing blood clots and have to inject myself with Epogen. I am on the 2 week liquid diet now. I am not a bug eater to begin with and have done 30 day juice fasts so I am mentally prepared for the two weeks. It's the Epogen that is a doozie. I already have lupus and fibro and this medication makes my bones and muscles hurt and now.I have the chills. 2 doses down 10 to go! Sent from my SM-A326U using BariatricPal mobile app

You’ve lost 52lbs. That’s great. Whoo hoo. Are you feeling better? Are you able to do more? Are you learning more about yourself? Are you changing your relationship with food? … These are the things to focus on. As @heatherdbby said it’s how you look at it. I agree with @catwoman7, there are too many factors that affect how much you’ll lose & the rate of your loss. Sure there are averages but with all averages some people exceed the average & some don’t meet the average and there’s nothing wrong with that. I say celebrate every pound you lose. You’ve worked hard to lose every one of them. Same with setting hard & fast inflexible weight loss goals & setting a time frame in which to attain that goal. Too many factors to predict how much & when. It can be depressing & lead to you sabotaging your loss if you don’t reach that goal or reach it in a specific time frame. Not every one reaches their goal but if you do or exceed it that’s a bonus. All the best.

I still struggle to eat meals in 30 min, I'm usually done between 10 to 15min, I do try to take a bit chew chew chew, walk a little and then repeat but still too fast, its a habit I want to kick,since it makes me feel full faster, without eating all my protein. Sent from my SM-G960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I just checked my spreadsheet. I'd lost 57 lbs by that point, and I started out at 373 lbs. honestly, people's rate of weight loss is such an individual thing that it's kind of pointless to compare yourself to someone else. There are so many factors that influence your rate of weight loss, and most of them you have little to no control over - like age, gender, starting BMI, genetics, the percentage of muscle you have, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, etc. The only two factors you really have a lot of control over is how closely you stick to your program, and your activity level. If you do well with both of those, you're golden. The weight WILL come off if you stay compliant, whether fast or slow. I was a below average loser from the get-go, and I ended up losing over 200 lbs , 100% of my excess weight. In the end, your success (or not) is due to how well you stick to your plan, not how quickly you lose. P.S. if your expectations come from shows like "My 600 lb Life", then remember that those people start out at 800+ lbs (I don't think I've ever seen a contestant weighing 600 - it's almost always higher than that). AND...starting BMI is big factor in how fast you'll lose the weight. So unless you're of similar size, I wouldn't worry about "only" losing 52 lbs so far. That's a respectable loss for us "normal" WLS patients.

I definitely eat faster than I did the first few months out - not sure if it's as fast as I did pre-surgery, though. And although I chew more than I did pre-surgery, I often forget about the "20 times" rule (you really are supposed to chew things pretty thoroughly, though, because our stomachs don't churn nearly as much as they used to - so some of the "churning" needs to take place before the food even hits your stomach - thus...chewing thoroughly) if I do a really bad job of chewing, my stomach will usually let me know. It'll either be really uncomfortable, or it'll come back up.

I know everyone is different of course but I’ve just been daydreaming about normal eating (months away for me lol) What if you don’t chew properly, is it a problem every time? Or did you find your stomach got better at dealing with variations? What was your experience?

My Bariatric dietician told me that whilst standard advice remains 30 mins of no liquid before and after meals, 15 would suffice and does for all her patients, eventually becoming 10 mins. What do you all do? Secondly, I know dumping is meant to hit within 30 mins (early dumping) but does it normally come on real quick for those who get it? Thanks all, loving reading the forum from start to finish!

Hello, I am 2 months post op and have been getting dizzy and not being able to see for a few seconds when I stand up too fast! Anybody else get this? And know what is causing it?

2 tiny chicken wings and I’m sneezing uncontrollably until I vomit. It’s not just chicken wings, it’s everytime I eat almost like now I’m allergic to food. The internet says overeating out eating too fast but only 2 flats eaten slowly and it’s still happening. And the hot flashes, why? I’m starving, I’m thirsty and everything in between.