Search the Community

The whole WLS experience is an experience in conditioning. Our actual plans have sometimes vast differences yet no one seems to want to reconcile the differences. It seems the actual plan doesn't really matter but it's following a plan that seems to be the important element. We are learning a new way of eating, a healthier and sustainable way to eat and live. As a reward we consistently lose weight. What conditioning! We follow plan and lose weight. The surgery helps us follow the plan the major part of which is not eating too much. In point of fact most people would lose weight for the first several months no matter what they eat. The surgery is doing the heavy lifting. We all have read of people that eat what they want, pick and choose plan elements, and/or quickly return to their old habits, and yet early on they lose weight. Think of how they are being conditioned: Eat what you want and lose weight. Eventually comes the point where the weight loss stops, or even reverses. It comes for us all. How have the two groups conditioned themselves? Well, the group conditioned with following the plan continue to follow plan, perhaps tightening a little. It's the same thing they've been doing and continuing is just doing what you've been conditioned to do. This group continues doing well. The second group that wasn't following a plan is stuck. Now they have to make a change to something they are unprepared for and unconditioned to do: They need to eat to plan. Except they have no positive conditioning related to plan. For these folks, they are back on the dieting circle. They are conditioned to eat what they want, so this is where their conditioning keeps wanting to take them. They are back between a rock and a hard place. Eating to plan has more implications than simply losing weight fast. We are conditioning ourselves for long term success. Sorry for the sermon, lecture, and longwindedness. Someone will be passing the contribution box. Good luck, Tek

Yesssssssss thank you! I didn't do this so I could spend the rest of my life still tied up in diet culture bs and I definitely didn't do this to hate a very real and very important part of who I am and what my life is. There are a couple of doctors on yt who have really great/helpful videos for the most part but when you get to their videos about eating it goes completely off the rails. I saw one the other day recommending intermittent fasting to wls patients! How are you a doctor literally recommending disordered eating habits to patients trusting you to give them evidence-based information about how to eat!

it's mostly likely from the IV fluids they gave you in the hospital. It's basically salt water, which a lot of people retain. I've heard of people leaving the hospital weighing up to 10 lbs more than when they went in! It does take a few days to work it's way out of your system, so hang on. You should start dropping weight very soon. as for protein shakes, I never had trouble with drinking things from day 1. I was worried about it because we were told we'd only be able to drink a little at a time, but the PA at my clinic told me not to worry about it - that my stomach would tell me if I was drinking too fast or too much.

I had a revision due to gerd back in August. I didn't really have any stalls but the first couple of weeks, I had Water weight (over 10 lbs) gain due to the IV fluids so that always appears to be a stall. It took over 3 weeks to get rid of all that water. I am guessing that is what you are experiencing right now or something similar. They told me that I won't lose as fast as the VSG but that was not the case for me. I was content at 160 lbs (post vsg weight) but I got down to 108 lbs after revision. I learned a lot of tools while I had my vsg, and they continue to work through the revision.If you gained weight with vsg, to continue losing after revision, your eating habits must change from when you had your vsg. Unfortunately, the surgery itself will not make you lose weight as faster than vsg. Statistically, it is more effective than vsg but not by much. Like the sleeve, it is an effective tool if used correctly. Are you logging your intake? What are your calories per day? If it is below what you daily expend, the weight will continue to come off and you can shrug those pesky stalls off.

Hi! I am so sorry you are going through this. I am really surprised that your barium swallow test did not show anything if you are having such bad reflux. All of this is so frustrating. You go through the first surgery thinking that everything will be just fine and then find out something else has to be done, and then you have to fight with insurances and Dr.'s just to help you. I am lucky, I have amazing Dr.'s who have fought, I just don't have an insurance who will help me. I did not even know that the sleeve could cause reflux to get worse until I had a surgery consult in 2021. My reflux was slowly increasing since I was sleeved in 2015 and finally in 2020/2021 I could not take it any longer. Every night acid would come out of my nose, despite having an adjustable bed and practically sleeping sitting up, not eating or drinking 2-3 hours before bed. I was doing everything. I had an upper endoscopy that showed a hiatal hernia and I was referred to a surgeon. To my luck the surgeon was the leading bariatric surgeon in my region. He said that since I had the sleeve he could not fix my hernia that the only fix was to convert to the Bypass. I had no idea that was even an option, and he explained to me what was going on. I was blown away. He then sent me for the barium swallow. The radiologist said that she had never seen anyone with as bad reflux as I had. I refluxed the barium standing up! She had never seen that before. It was very clear what was needed and I was immediately fast-tracked through the Bariatric program since it had been so long since I had been through a program, and my first program was in a different area and through different insurance. Then came the brick wall. My insurance denied the surgery. They stated that my reflux was a complication from the first surgery, even though I had reflux prior to the surgery. I appealed and sent medical documentation to show I had reflux prior to the surgery and they still denied. I did 3 levels of appeal, and my surgeon also did a pier to pier review with the medical director with the insurance and they denied again. And I finally found out the real reason. I have my insurance through my husbands insurance through his work, and his company specifically excluded bariatric procedures, so bottom line, no matter the reason why I am getting the surgery they will not cover it because it is still coded as a bariatric surgery. And I have to now pay cash for the surgery. But it is worth it if it fixes the problem and I don't have to deal with the reflux! However this is my experience with my insurance. I hope you don't have the same experience with your insurance. Are there any other surgeons in your area? You are always free to get a second opinion. It is sad but sometimes you have to push Dr.'s to listen to you, and you have to be your own advocate and not wait for them. Please don't be afraid to fight for yourself and your health!!! I would think that they would take into consideration the medication that you have to take, and the conditions that the reflux is already causing. Good Luck!!!

Hey yall! This is my first post. I had a VSG in 07/2017, everything was wonderful. I went from a HW of 390 to a LW of 200. The weight came off EXTREMELY quickly. COVID came and it just completely derailed me. Due to regain and heartburn, I just had a VSG revision to Bypass on 12/13/2022. I will be 4 weeks post op tomorrow. Everything was going amazingly great post op, I felt great from day 1 and did not even need pain meds (as opposed with my sleeve). I have been at a stall for 2+weeks and it is driving me absolutely insane. I have lost a total of 26lbs since preop diet (12/01/2022), I have spent the last week walking a TON at the Disney parks and did not weigh myself all week HOPING that when I came home the stall would be broken. I thought maybe the stall was because I was not having frequent BM's but all the walking did help in that area. Much to my surprise, I actually gained a pound when I got home. I am eating well, I am hydrating but just very confused as to why I am stalling for so long. I try to not associate it with my sleeve as my VSG the weight was coming off very rapidly, I was also way heavier. My doctor did warn that I will not lose as much and as fast as the sleeve since this is a revision. I just want to be on the losing path again, has this happened to any of you specifically with a revision?

There are lots of diet plans, both pre and post WLS so it's hard to say exactly what you should do. Personal preferences also play into this a lot. I'd recommend talking to your team as they will have the best info regarding their plan and what they want you to do. As far as protein drink recommendations, I prefer the Fairlife Nutrition Plan pre-made shakes to most others. On the exercise front, sounds like you have a decent plan already, but I'd add a couple of things: Squats are great, but don't neglect your upper body or core. If you can, add in some planks, side planks, pushups and pullups. All of these can be modified to where you're at physically. For example, if you can't do a regular pushup, start with wall pushups. Progress to an elevated surface such as a bench, then move on to a pushup on your knees, etc. Make sure you keep in mind that you want to keep progressing in both the strength and cardio work. So maybe instead of walking just a mile and quitting, try to extend that a few minutes this week, then do a few more minutes next week, etc. Work up to 45 minutes to an hour a day. Instead of just increasing time, you can also vary your pace with walking "intervals". This would be maybe 30 seconds of all-out walking as fast as you can, followed by 2-3 minutes of a more normal pace to recover. Over time, make the all-out push last longer and/or shorten the recovery period.

I dont have any pre-opp diet. Just fasting 6 jours before. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

yeah i got the sweats. still do now on occasion...im 4+ yrs post op. the sweats were almost always accompanied with accelerated heart beat. sometimes lethargy and nausea. and more rarely, vomiting/diarrhea/"passing out"....all varying degrees of dumping for me as a result of consuming too much sugar or eating too fast.

I was initially told that my surgery would be 4 weeks out. We were going camping and I went out & purchased all of my favorites planning on indulging myself for a week. Not so fast... his office called the 1st day of our trip and said I could have my RNY the next week! That put the kibosh on my plans....🤣

My insurance approved me pretty fast too once they got the information. I took the first surgery date I could get and had the procedure in Nov 2022. For me, the hardest part was the pre op liquid diet those protein shakes were just too sweet. After my surgery a friend of mine put together a protein concoction that i could live with, she put a protein shake, fage greek yougurt 0% unflavored, protein powder and coconut in the blender. Once i drink all of that in a day i know i got about 87 gm of protein. It is not too sweet and it works much better than the straight protein shakes.

I had my surgery this past November at the age of 60. I am down about 32 LBS, i don't expect to lose fast due to genetics and my history but i am determined to continue to follow my plan no matter what. With what i lost so far i already can tell a big difference in how my knees and legs feel, i can walk longer distance without pain which to me is a huge win. I just put on a pair of jeans that have been hanging in my closet for a year because i couldn't even get them over my hips!! For me, the sleeve was definitely the right decision. I still new on this journey but so far so good. I have my surgery with the surgical weight control center in Las Vegas highly recommend

It’s 5a.m and this is day 3 of waking to foot/leg/thigh cramps. Wrapping up week 1 of 2wk liquid fasting and these cramps are WORSE than not eating! As soon as a store opens finding some pickle juice (I don’t even like pickles🥴). Really hope it works.. I’ll let y’all know🙏🏽🫶🏽

I can chug water. Never had a problem meeting my goal. Fluids don't bother me at all and I am able to drink like I never had surgery. You aren't supposed to drink while you eat because it pushes the food through too fast and your body doesn't have enough time to absorb the nutrients.

Can you explain what you mean by false equivalency? A lot of the things @Nepenthe44 mentioned seem to be listed as warning signs for ED: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/warning-signs-and-symptoms https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/8-signs-you-may-have-an-eating-disorder/ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders#signs It's plain to see that some of the things bariatric programs (and this forum), encourage are also listed on those pages. Certainly those things alone don't equal an ED diagnosis, but I do think some of them may cross the line into disordered eating, especially if they lead to or cause issues in other parts of our lives. For example: Do you worry about "messing up" on your bariatric program to the extent that it's causing severe anxiety issues? Alternately, if you do eat off plan, do you express self-disgust and make plans for how to "make-up" for what you ate through extreme exercise or fasting? Are you constantly worried about "going over" your calories and/or macros and do you spend hours every day (to the exclusion of work or family), tracking these things? Do you actively avoid eating or drinking in public because you don't or can't eat like a "normal" person? Do you compulsively weigh and measure yourself and freak out when something is off a bit? To me, these are just a few possible examples of how "what's expected of a good bariatric patient" may just cross the line into an eating disorder. Regardless of the reason or intent, when our relationship with food or our bodies becomes an obsession, we have an issue.

I had my op on dec 27th. Ive been on a liquid diet (water, protein shakes, snapple and gatorade and soup). But im pretty concerned not identifying if im hungry or just anxious? Its too fast, i feel, for me.to be wondering thus. Right? Sent from my SM-G975F using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep, getting out of bed was extremely painful. It felt like my insides were tearing. I did bring it up to my Dr & he was not concerned -at all- I quickly learned yeah, it's part of the healing process for some of us. Sucks, but once that pain starts fading, it fades away fast!

Love reading all of your experiences. They have been such a help to me already. I hadn’t posted because I was stuck on “what do I know?” and didn’t want to show myself a fool. My surgery was 12/21/22, so here is my experience so far… lactated ringers IVs are the devil! I went home one day after surgery weighing 11 lbs more than checking in the day before. pain was tolerable with medicine for the first few days. Tylenol only from day 4 out. Today is day 10, and I haven’t needed even Tylenol for the past three days. ICE packs are my best friend when I get ahead of myself and do too much around the house. Two days of clear liquids taught me the real meaning of “to sip” very quickly. Hiccoughs are mild for me, but definitely a sign of having hit the full mark or drinking too much to fast. On puréed stage now. I’m not as impressed with the ricotta bake as I thought I would be. Puréed Deviled Eggs though…. Amazing! Chili, refried non-fat beans, chicken salad, and chocolate egg-pudding (everything pureed) are also on the menu. Trying to focus on packing as much protein into that two ounces as I can. I had purchased a used vitamix a few years ago. If you can find one or afford a new one, I highly recommend it. Beats my immersion blender by miles. Makes bulk cooking for the week much easier too. SERIOUSLY follow that 10 lb lifting requirement. Really hurts when you don’t. BEST part of the past 10 days is todays weigh in. 219.8 this morning!!! I had come home weighing just over 244. I know most of that is water weight, but oh does it feel good! Especially in the way my clothes fit. Happy travels to full health all! And a very happy new year too!

my clinic's instructions were to wait a year before trying alcohol. This was probably due to healing (early on) and the fact transfer addiction is a common problem. I've read and heard numerous accounts of people who never had a problem with alcohol before surgery who afterward became alcoholic (and since that runs in my family, I'm doubly careful) I didn't have my first drink until I was about three years out. It hits fast and hard. I now drink an occasional glass of wine (maybe once every couple of months), and one glass is about all I can handle. Personally I would be pretty upset if a "friend" tried to talk me into something that medical personnel told me not to.

I didn't drink alcohol at all for 8+ months post surgery. I'm now 12 months out. I do drink wine and spirits now but it hits me very fast and hard. I'd be staggering at two drinks. Also, alcohol wastes calories. I'd rather save them for real food. Another reason to avoid alcohol is "addictive transference" Alcoholism developing after bariatric surgery is a real thing. I'm going to do the "Dry January Challenge". It's New Years Eve tonight, so I'll have my last drink for at least a month.

Hi Laura, sorry for the late reply!! Congrats on your surgery, it’s such a huge step!! I remember that feeling post surgery. I was miserable and regretting it and overall having a really hard time. I promise you. It’s all worth it. It was the best decision I ever made. I’m 4 years out, I’m 6 feet tall and lost 150 pounds. I kept majority of it off this whole time fluctuating maybe 20 pounds here and there. I’m currently pregnant with my first baby and it’s hard watching my body get bigger again but the surgery really helped me to make life changes so I know I’ll be able to get it back to it. As for food, you will struggle, and it’s okay. Honestly 4 years out and me and steak are still not friends, my stomach has a hard time breaking it down. I couldn’t eat eggs for almost 6 months post surgery. It’s seriously trial and error what your body will tolerate. I was super lucky though I could basically eat anything (tiny amounts) 6 months later. It’s eating too fast or too much that would cause this gas build up, constant burps that lead to throwing up and that’s honestly still a thing for me. However only like every other month maybe. Ice cream and cereal and I are major enemies since the surgery always always makes me sick (not a bad thing this way I won’t eat bad things) I didn’t really take meds of any sort. Just my vitamins. But like I said I am one of the rare lucky ones, I haven’t needed vitamins in 2+ years my body is totally normal as is. I got insurance to cover a panniculectomy and my doctor was super nice and even took extra. I’ll try and check my email more if you have any questions! You’ve got this.

I had a VSG through Kaiser, and my partner had theirs through MBC tldr: MBC falls short in care and cleanliness, Kaiser is cheaper but takes 4-5 months. With Kaiser, I took 16 weeks worth of classes, did pre-op tests, EKG etc, waited a couple weeks and then had surgery for about $700. Kaiser is certainly the longer but cheaper pathway. I also think there is a lot of value in getting your head in the right place before surgery, and committing to 4+ months of pre-op does the job. It is annoying and hard to wrap your head around at the beginning but it went by quickly for me, even having to drive 1.5 hours each way to classes. I’m glad I used Kaiser so we have the resources given to me for him to use as well. MBC: Surgery is scheduled 2 weeks out from pre-approval (website form) and deposit, as thats the timeline required for the pre op diet. This is VERY fast and convenient. We paid about $5000. We are all familiar enough with US standards for hospitals, so here is where MBC falls short on that front: - his incisions bled through his gown after surgery, they would not give him a clean gown and told him he should just put on his street clothes. So, he wore a bloody gown for 2 days as the waist band on his sweat pants would’ve been super uncomfortable. - bandages/tape on floor of recovery room from previous patient. - Less than ideal bathroom cleanliness in room - Broken toilet for the entirety of his stay (he requested it to be looked at, at least 6 times before just pleading for it to be turned off at the water so it would stop running so he could sleep. There was urine and vomit in his toilet for his whole stay. Care comparison: Kaiser: I was on a morphine drip and could push the button every 10 minutes if I was experiencing pain. I was given injections for nausea. Lots of room to walk the halls. Attentive nursing staff. It was overall great. MBC: any time he asked for pain or nausea medication the nurse would say “I will check” and leave the room. Then, he’d wait an hour and have to ask again, only to hear the same response. You’re pretty on your own during recovery. He found that this was also the case for the other patients he drove back to San Diego with after surgery. It was not simply a bad experience, but the standard. Technically MBC contracts with the hospital to use their facility, and the nurses do not work for them directly. They have no skin in the MBC game when it comes to patient satisfaction and it shows. We hoped that tipping would help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. My incisions with Kaiser were glued shut. His were open and we changed the gauze every day. It’s a little scary looking and you’re left wondering, “is this normal? Are these infected?” Kaiser: no drain, no leak test MBC: drain and leak test. Kaiser: you get a full binder of pre and post op instructions with diet guides for life. MBC: all of their instructions are on their website. What you see online before surgery is generally what you get in that regard. It is convenient to google quick answers to things like how many fluid ounces I should be having, etc and accessing the info easily on their website however it is no where near as comprehensive as Kaiser. Feel free to ask me anything, I’m sure there’s more for me to add and I will in comments. If you go with MBC, you should have low expectations and be willing and comfortable advocating for yourself. Ultimately, both work but the cleanliness and lack of care from MBC made me uneasy.

If you are the type to get munchies, I'd avoid it or try to find a strain that doesn't give you the munchies. I typically never get the munchies, so I was only worried about coughing or an edible hitting too fast. I want to say I waited a month out to use my concentrate vape and had a half a gummy two months out. I still worry about the dosage of edibles so I just stick with my vape.

Good morning Sassy, I was just introduced to this website by my now bariatric Dr. I am 12 years out from a full gastric bypass, after having the lap-band originally. I switched to the full bypass five years after having the band because the band slipped and was shutting off my esophagus. For either of those surgeries, my bariatric doctor did not have me do anything different as far as dieting prior to surgery except liquids the day before as well. However, this was a very long time ago...2005 for the band and 2010 for the bypass in CT and the same surgeon. Fast forward to today, actually yesterday I saw my new bariatric doctor because I am going through the procedure for a revision surgery and she has informed me that I will be on full liquids for a week prior to the surgery. I am going in for revision due to complications with GERD and trouble swallowing. Although I have gained some of the weight back - 15lbs of the 132 originally lost, the goal is to alleviate my symptoms of discomfort. So in answer to your question, maybe it is a doctor preference about dieting. I wouldn't be overly concerned. However, being it that you have surgery on the 28th, enjoy the holiday and on the 26th keep it light as far as intake if you think that would ease your mind. Best of luck, Tammi J

I’m three yrs 7 months post surgery. I’m about 3lbs heavier then my lowest weight (2 of which are above from where I initially settled). I eat about 1400 calories a day & don’t really exercise apart from from resistance exercises, sit ups & stretches (wouldn’t burn 30 calories 😁). I am pretty careful with what I eat & there are certain foods I don’t eat or eat very rarely. Some are foods that don’t sit well in my tummy like bread, pasta, rice, quinoa, cous cous & starchy vegetables. Others are things I’ve realised I feel better without like sweet foods. I don’t eat fast food like burgers & rarely eat takeaway like Chinese, Japanese or Thai - only with others & make careful choices. I don’t consider this a diet but just how I eat. Some may think I’m fairly restricted in what I eat but it’s only with certain things & I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything. I still have cravings - salty foods are my challenge - but I understand the why & the when behind them like craving salt after I eat yoghurt (🤷🏻‍♀️). Sometimes I surrender though I’ll have some salted macadamia nuts, a couple of multigrain rice crackers (carefully as they’re a slider food) or roll some cucumber in salt. I changed some of my cooking styles & use have incorporated some alternative ingredients & more if others. Like I use an air fryer or oven more & incorporate more lentils, pearl barley & beans than I did before. I don’t track as such but I do random checks of portions, calories & nutrients. I still keep a close eye on protein, because I have an absorption issue, & on my water intake. I weigh myself a couple of times a week just to keep myself on track & honest. A lot of how you manage your maintenance into the future is a personal thing. My body, how it works & what it needs, is different to yours. My lifestyle will be different. How I want to live my life & the demands on it is likely different too. And you may be more or less active than me. Health, age, etc. are a considerations too. So how I choose to eat may not work for you or for anyone else. Same with the other changes & choices I’ve made. Best advice is to experiment with different eating styles & cooking styles, introduce new foods, reintroduce old favourites, etc. & see how you go. It just need to be sustainable, complementary to your lifestyle & you’re happy & healthy.