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Hard agree. One cracker will mean nothing unless it's right before surgery. But more than that will. I hope you can stick to the pre-op diet from here on. I was meant to have 2 weeks on liquids pre-op but that turned into 6 for various reasons. It is by far the worst 6 weeks I've had to experience in the almost 3 years since I signed up for this surgery. It's really really hard not to have SOMETHING with texture in your mouth. Please do know that it will not be long until you can again.

Yeah, it’s crazy. I actually just had surgery last Tuesday so I’m not even really a whole week out. I started back working on Saturday. Still takes a bit of work, but I am surprised I’m able to be up and out and active so soon.

OMG! How did I miss you had Vegemite on toast last week @Starwarsandcupcakes. I didn’t think any non Australian could tolerate it. Mind you I can’t stand it - so strong - unless there’s heaps of butter & only a smear of Vegemite. I’m a promite girl (or was before surgery when I had it regularly on freshly baked white bread). That carrot soup looks delicious!

Sorry to butt in as I'm only a little over 10 months post GS but I feel I can share a little of what I'm doing to maintain. I reached my initial goal 3 months post op and continued to lose until about 9 months post op, went much below goal weight and stabilized (I think as I've been the same weight with one +- 1KG fluctuation for 1.5 months). I lost weight very rapidly and the weird thing is, during weight loss I never tracked, I would only check my calorie intake once every 2-3 weeks to see where I'm sitting at but the whole theme was barely eating to survive and insane restriction. Now that I've stabilized I track my intake 3-4 times a week to know where I am at and what daily average intake is. There are non hungry days where I don't bother to track (plus weekends) and days where I'm ravenous and I make sure I track to know. I have also picked up the habit of weighing myself at least a few times a week, sometimes daily or twice a day (during weight loss I weighed once a week only), now at maintenance I weigh more often and only because I never did pre WLS and my weight kept creeping up and I refused to face reality (if I didn't know then it didn't happen). I also believe that what gets measured gets managed. I cook most of my food and eat out about twice a week, I prioritize protein 90% of the time and eat fairly well. I get in at least 140 grams of protein a day but I also don't deprive myself of anything. I eat bread, rice, pasta ,dessert and everything else really, just not in substantial portions and usually after I've gotten my protein in. I workout a lot. Always have and always will and I believe this has been a huge factor in my success so far. I built back all the muscle I lost and I believe my muscles are allowing me to eat much more without worrying about weight gain (I eat between 1500-1900 calories a day, depending on how hungry I am). I walk between 8k-10k steps a day too. Lastly, I have worked out a wriggle room for myself, If I do gain a little of weight then it is no big deal, it does not distress me and I will deal with it when/if it happens. I try my best everyday and I accept that I am not perfect nor do I set unrealistic standards for myself. I also believe maintenance is a mindset shift as much as it's a physical adjustment. Portion control, constant check-ins, daily movement are great habits to build, but also liberating ourselves of food fear and relinquishing the all or nothing sentiment.

I had my gastric bypass in June of 2020. It was a revision from a sleeve due to GERD. I did really good after surgery as I went from 260 to 220 and than As of the past week I have went from 214 to 202lbs in a week. I have been soooo sick, throwing up everything I eat, I’m crazy restless and my chest feels tight. I feel like something might be wrong but I was in the hospital overnight and they couldn’t find anything other than some levels that were low but I’m still really sick, to be honest it is about as bad as when I first had my bypass. I would love to hear if anyone else has had this after 4 years or if you have any advice on how to get food and nutrients in me. I am getting kinda scared and desperate.

Hi Kelly, Yep, I think all of us were in the same boat of some kind. I've been have been heavy all my life, since birth, I was a big baby. I never lost my baby fat, I just added more and more. I'm finally going through a RNY soon, I have done everything except one more nutrition consult after Monday's consult. I think I am doing pretty good. I have tried all kinds of protein shakes, clear liquid drinks with protein, and doing exercise daily for 30 minutes, either strength or aerobic. So...just want that date, and get that date as soon as possible. A 2-week "vacation" from work, and the support of my dear husband, I got this! I might be 60 years old, but I have to lose so I can have my left hip replaced. That's what started it all. My ortho won't do the surgery unless I lose 40 pounds. Having tried everything from diets, to pills, shots and the like, I finally gave in what I had started to research 4 years ago. I'm almost there. So Kelly, welcome to the group and ask whatever questions that you may have, we are a group of people who care about other people. Wendy

Hurray! We’re off to London this week 🤩 The past couple of weeks have been a little stressful but I managed to get last weeks 2.5lb gain off plus almost a lb more so I’m happy. I just want this to be a ‘normal’ week - no hospital appointments, worries or stressing over weight. I know my weight will go up but so what? We’re having a mini-break in a posh hotel, just the 2 of us. It can give us some badly needed time together where we’re just us, no work stresses (hubby) or health concerns etc. I think sometimes we lose sight of ourselves as an actual person and not a collection of ailments and anxieties over different things. Clothes are out and ready to be packed. I’ve tried to go outside my comfort zone a little and not just take the fat woman’s uniform of leggings and tops! I’m not taking dresses or skirts, purely because I haven’t managed to perfect getting on and off my scooter in a semi-ladylike way without flashing my wares to unsuspecting passers-by 😜 I have tried for a more dressier wardrobe so we will see. Nails to paint this afternoon and then hairdressers tomorrow. It’s nice to have that bit of a pamper (which we all deserve) I did manage toenails yesterday without making a complete hash of it so I will take that as a NSV as I was actually able to reach them, for once! Have a thoroughly wonderful week everyone. Onwards & Downwards!!

My pre-surgery Vitamin A was 43. It had dropped to 27 at 4.5 months and was up to 34 at 7 months, but "normal" is 38 or above, so the doctor is having me take 10,000 IU of Vitamin A daily for two weeks (which is the same as 3,000 mcg) just to bolster my levels. I will retest before my 1 year surgery follow up. You can get Vitamin A supplements over the counter, no prescription needed.

2024 was a very tough year for me and my family. Both my mother and husband Dx with Cancer. My poor darling Mum old lasted 21 days from Dx. I haven't really had a chance to deal with it, have been drinking a lot! Christmas hit hard. Fortunately Hubby is doing well, but Chemo has knocked him around, poor fellow. Last round this week, so fingers crossed it all goes well and he gets the all clear!! 2025 goals: Successfully get through PreOp (starts 1st tomorrow😬), Op (16th Jan) and Post without issue!! Finally lose the weight I have been carrying most of my adult life! Spend less money! Find some exercise I enjoy and do it regularly. Be more grateful and appreciative of all the good/great things I have in my life. Happy New Year everyone!!!

I puréed a few things. (Tinned fish was the worst - disgusting.) You can purée quite a few proteins (wouldn’t do steak but you could do minced beef) as long as you add enough liquids like stock, milk, gravy or water. Or you can use things like mayo, ricotta, cottage cheese with eggs or chicken (like an egg salad). Really it comes down to how your taste buds react to certain flavours in these first weeks or if you’re repelled by the texture. I could eat scrambled eggs (I made them pretty soft with extra milk), instant rolled oats (again extra milky), and I would puree chunkier soups. I did have baby food a couple of times when I couldn’t eat what I’d pureed. A lot of people swear by a ricotta bake. Sure someone has a recipe they could post.

well, i sort of had the opposite issue, as i wouldn't eat enough & and needed a reminder to eat.... but my M.O. would work for you as well i think: i would set a timer on my watch for a certain amount of time (i.e., 2-3 min earlier on, and like 1-2 min as i got further along). i'd take 1-2 BITES of whatever i had prepared for myself, put my fork down, and set the timer, it goes off, i take 1-2 BITES again. rinse and repeat. yes, it took me FOREVER to eat a meal, in the early months: like 60-90 mins omg. after a while (like 3-4 months) i was able to do it without the timer. in your case, if you feel you are eating more and/or faster than you should, i would suggest focusing on putting your fork down, and maybe, if it helps, maybe even physically remove yourself (i.e., walk away) until your timer goes off again. after a few weeks/months, you will form a habit and not need the timer anymore, it will become muscle memory. it may take weeks/months, but if you stick to it, you could totally do it. ❤️

Good morning. I'm not discounting anything SpartanMaker posted above. However, I was in the exact same boat as you. I was eating 1200-1400 calories, religiously measured/counted everything, plenty of water, I played with my macros till I was blue in the face and for 10 months I did not lose and I did not gain. I'm a nurse so I probably have more background in nutrition than most, so I'm confident in how I was eating was appropriate and what most providers would "recommend". In February I went to my two year follow up. My labs were perfect, my vitals on point and I had not lost one ounce since the last visit nearly a year prior. After having a long conversation with my bariatric provider, the only change since the losing stopped was I was pretty much into full menopause. We discussed options and ideas on how to "overcome" the hormone influencing my insulin processes that was affecting my metabalism hurdle I may possibly be facing. She said based on her research zepbound might be a great option as it also can help in reducing "hot flashes" which I was having twice a day, everyday. Long story short, even with my insurance, zepbound would have been around $700 a month, so I choose to do the my budget friendly compound tirzepatide route (the compound equivalent to zepbound) with my provider's blessing. I have been on the weekly injections for 6 weeks and have already been able to shed 19#. I have not ate any differently, no change in my physical activity AND the hot flashes are gone. I'm not suggesting this would be the answer you need, but it's been a game changer for my journey. Good luck ❤️

I had some ladies in a group I belong to that are in weight watchers who sorta turned their nose up at first mention of weight loss surgery. I took it as a challenge to educate them. In all fairness they get to see me each week and hear about my nutrition and activity choices but I’m pretty sure they now realize they didn’t have all the facts before and recently started being some of my biggest cheerleaders. I guess you won’t be afforded the time to change their minds about it this one visit but maybe it will help some to know that their ignorance is most likely just lack of education and that upon seeing how hard you work at it, they may change their perspective eventually as well

I drink it slowly & only have one glass so the bubbles aren’t as great an issue plus the bubbles are smaller & more refined in good champagne. It does mean I can’t open a bottle to drink at home myself. I don’t mind as I’m not drawn as much to alcohol as I once was but I do know what you mean by having a nice supply of bottles. Never know when you have to go somewhere or if someone pops in. I introduced my girlfriends to the joy of real champagne some years ago and now there’s never ordinary sparkling for us anymore. I say quality over quantity now. Don’t know about using a swizzle as part of the joy of champagne is the bubbles. What are your favourites champagnes? My go to is Mumm but I enjoy Veuve in summer don’t mind a Moet or Bolly and have three bottles of Dom in my fridge I’m saving (not sure what for though).

I won’t get into details but I survived my first really stressful week and still managed to maintain my fitness and stay on track with my food plan. I’m sure it was a bit easier without actual hunger but it was my first real test because I seriously wanted to turn to food like I would have in the past. I am so proud of myself.

So I'm finding doing this EXTREMELY difficult. I don't think I will EVER be able to take small enough bites and will EVER be able to make my meals small enough so i have decided against the surgery and have decided to try losing weight on my own. I have lost almost 20 pounds so far in the 3 months since I've started so I think I can lose the 150 pounds I want to lose eventually I've been losing about 1/4 pound every 3 weeks about lately but hey any weight loss is weight loss and I technically have all the time in the world the lose the 150 pounds I want to lose.

Okay that milk of magnesia works miracles. I thought it was still going to be a strain but it wasn’t bad at all and it worked so fast. Like two hours or three maybe and I started with the lower dose. I am so relieved because my anxiety had me half believing that I had an obstruction. Thank goodness that is over for now. My NP said if I want to cut back from 2 stool Softeners a day I should do 2 then 1 Back and forth for little while before I go to Just one. But she expects based on what I have explained I probably need two until I am able to eat some fiber and more fluids.

Hello folks! It's been a while since I posted; been somewhat all over the map just trying to figure out what and when to eat and how to up my hydration. I finally settled on the fact that I'm just still not liking eggs, which is annoying, that tuna, salmon, and chicken are my go-to protein sources, and carbs?? UGH. I literally had two providers in my back to back nurse practitioner then nutritionist give me conflicting advice regarding carbs at my one month post op. Due to a rescheduled appointment I had that appointment on 9/11 as opposed to the week earlier - my surgery was on 8/5. The nurse told me that my energy level was probably flagging because of not hitting my hydration goals and that eating carbs after hitting my protein goals was fine, as long as I avoided sugar. Then the nutritionist came in and talked about how I should still be avoiding carbs in order to hit ketosis, and that supposedly once I hit ketosis I'll feel like a million bucks. Eesh. I've been tracking everything in my Baritastic app and I have only gone up to 31 carbs like, two days since my surgery, and it was because of applesauce and cream based soup. I'm wondering when I'm supposed to start feeling fantastic?! The third week plateau was REAL and incredibly obnoxious; I didn't see movement on my scale for almost a week despite hitting my protein goals and struggling to hit my hydration goals. I broke through it, though I'm still not losing as quickly as I'd like. I find that eating Greek yogurt in the morning serves me pretty well, and I've also noticed that sometimes I have to split my meals into 'part one' and 'part two' in order to hit my protein goal. Like; I'll have my yogurt, wait the thirty minutes, hydrate for a while, hit the timer, then 30 minutes later have another small protein snack. It's definitely been a struggle to keep my energy up and not get burned out on this whole thing. I felt like I was rocking along until after purees, then I just ended up baffled as to what I could or should eat. Honestly, the limits on vegetables don't seem to be holding particularly true for me; I've been fine with tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, mushrooms, carrots, and beans. I've not had much as far as fruits - one day I was out and didn't have any food with me so I got a kids meal from arby's with a bottled water, just the meat from a slider, and a packet of applesauce. I split that applesauce pouch into three portions, honestly, and only ate about half of the deli meat they gave me. Maybe I'll try to find more recipes using cream cheese - I'm annoyed that my grocery order didn't have the cabbage I ordered because I was looking forward to making some of the unstuffed cabbage rolls for this week. Guess I'll have to suck it up and go to the store for the missing items tomorrow. I bought an exercise bike I'm looking forward to using - It's a recumbent bike and I haven't figured out the right TIME to try to use it. It's been a bit of a struggle to find the timing between meals, hydrating, meds, vitamins, housework, etc but hopefully returning to this forum will help me get more on track. For anyone it might help - I've found that low fat cottage cheese and tuna melts made on a zero net carb small tortilla with 1/3 a can of tuna and two thin slices of colby/jack or a skim/reduced fat mozzarella string cheese are my main sources of protein. A couple of days ago I made a veggie mix of zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, and a bit of diced onion. I've sliced up thin bits of both chicken and pork separately and use some of that zero sugar stir fry sauce to make meals of them. It works, even if not particularly exciting, and has a nice flavor at least.

I'm about for weeks post op (Monday) and I will be cleared to start soft foods. I recently invested in a 1qt (1.5Litre) slow cooker as I'm just cooking for myself, but I don't really know where to start using it. My mother's old stewed beef recipe is calling to me as it's always been a favourite and soft, melt in your mouth beef sounds perfect for this stage. But she didn't write it down so I have to remember what she taught me. Does anyone know any good stewed beef slow cooker recipes?

I might need to hide my scale too. I lost 9lbs pre-surgery and 11lbs the week after surgery, but this second week I haven’t really lost any weight. It’s frustrating and I know it’s just my body using all the calories and nutrients I’m giving it, but I’m eating so little that in my mind, it should just be flying off. I meet with my dietitian for the first time tomorrow and I’m hoping they will give me the green light to start purée! I cannot wait to add more variety!!

Hello everyone, I am 59 and will be 60 at the end of March. I am 1 week and 4 days post-op. I feel great. The most pain I had was a migraine for about four days after surgery. There were a few contributing factors. Kicking caffeine was one of them. I also get a headache anytime I have a fever. My normal temp is 97 degrees, and a low-grade fever of 99-100 affects me in getting a headache. My nurse's daughter explained that having a low-grade fever like that meant I was healing. But otherwise, I am doing just fine.🙂 I was worried I was too old for the surgery. I kicked myself for not doing this sooner. It was a lot easier than I expected. But I will return to work on Monday, and we will see how that goes.

Wanted to share my experience and echo the other commenters here. I am 9 weeks out of my gastric bypass and I am right where you are almost exactly weight loss wise- Pre surgery and liquid diet I was 260lb (117kg) After liquid diet in surgery day I was 244lb (110kg) Now after 9 weeks I am 99kg. I haven’t weighed in a few days so I may be a pound or two more but I’m trying to limit myself to only weighing every few days so I don’t hyperfixate. I definitely feel like I’m losing slow- but last week in my bariatric programs’ support group on zoom, almost EVERY patient had that same feeling. It was very validating and most of us were feeling disappointed and impatient. After hearing that it made me feel a lot better. I keep reminding myself that I haven’t even been this weight in a long time and that it’s going to keep going down on its own schedule, when it’s right for my body. Keep fighting the good fight and showing love and kindness to your body and we will all get there.

I’m 6 weeks post op and I eat faster then the 30 min I have tried slowing down but I can’t do it any tips that will help I am worried I’m gonna stretch my stomach

Sip, sip, sip is the mantra we all followed. Leave a couple of minutes (set a timer for your phone to help if needed) between each sip and you’ll be okay. Also put a cup by your bed and sip whenever you wake during the night. (I still drink throughout the night.) Just be aware you may have trouble swallowing the first few days because of internal swelling. I found warm/hot drinks more soothing than cool/cold but some are the opposite. You should be sent home with pain meds or a script (opioids) but some find an over the counter non NSAID pain meds are enough. (We all have different levels of pain tolerance.) but generally you’ll find that over the counter, or nothing, are enough for the surgical pain by day 3 or 4. Now surgical gas is another matter. That takes about a week to leave your body. You breath it out (not by burping or passing wind) so do some slow deep breathing. March on the spot. Pump your arms up & down and walk, walk, walk. Little and often are fine. Heat packs can ease the shoulder pain that occurs because the gas rises behind your lungs before being absorbed into your lungs. All the best with your surgery & recovery.

Thank you, you have lost 52lbs in 2 weeks? Pre and post diet? Still on liquids?