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@Kimberly740 I’m a little older at 67 and at first I thought I was too old but my surgeon didn’t think so. He was concerned more about the weight causing so many of my health problems. I went to him for my esophageal hernia to repair and he suggested the sleeve also. Two for one! How are you doing now going on two weeks? Hope everything went well with your surgery!

I bet it is just because they are too loose. I am about ready for the next size but I think they will still be a little too snug. You know how In the extended sizes they make you go a couple of inches before the next size which is so unfortunate. Once you get down to the “normal” sizes, there are more sizes in between so I’m sure I will find some to fit me better down the road. I actually am still within the return period for Amazon, maybe I will just send these two back and get the smaller size. If they are not comfortable anyways I may as well wear something I already have that isn’t perfect. At least that’s free. Or maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and they will just fit. If that doesn’t work, I will check out Nike. I just hate to spend a lot knowing that I’m still losing. Then again the ones that I got were not super cheap either, $30 bucks. I ordered some that were three in a pack for $30 and the material was just horrible so I went with the same brand as my bicycle shorts and I really like the material. I only have two pairs of the shorts so I have washed them every other day for over a month now and they still look brand new (navy and black not faded). Plus, they are really soft.

You must be so incredibly frustrated! Which type of surgery did you get, the sleeve or the bypass? I'm at about 7 weeks post op from getting the sleeve + intestinal revision and my calorie consumption ranges from 500-700/day, with my carb intake less than 35/day and a protein goal of 60/day with fluids of at least 48oz/day. I agree with others - it seems like a good idea, regardless of any advice you get from this forum, to revisit your surgeon. That said, I do believe you hit the nail on the head for one with the alcohol, and secondly I'd ask how many of your calories are coming from carbs. It's ok to include carbs in your diet, but really, this early, unless you are very physically active there isn't cause for many of them. At this stage it's typical to eat no more than 1/2cup - 1 cup of total food per meal, three times a day (or spaced out into 4 meals if needed). That's including your protein, which as someone else said should be the first thing you eat. Another thing about alcohol - it tends to cause dehydration - so you'd need to be consuming even MORE water throughout the day to compensate for that, just like caffeine. If you aren't hitting your hydration goal (PLUS, because of alcohol) then your body will struggle to convert your stored fat into energy, which is what causes most of the weight loss. An example of what my diet looks like at this stage is a single serve yogurt for breakfast (I have been getting the Aikos zero sugar or 2Good ones) - Remember no drinking 30 minutes before or after, and your meal should last at least 20-30 minutes. For lunch I might have a 'tuna melt' - which I make out of 1/3 can of tuna in water, a zero net carb small tortilla, and maybe 1/8 cup of shredded cheese or a low fat string cheese (I cook it folded over like a quesadilla) with maybe 1/8 cup of low fat cottage cheese, then for dinner a serving of one of the many bariatric recipes - there's a ricotta bake (lasagna with no noodles, basically), unstuffed cabbage rolls (Kind of like egg roll filling), or maybe chicken or tuna salad made with low fat mayo and a dab of relish with some cucumber slices/2-4 saltine crackers. I use the free Baritastic App to track my food and fluid intake. Using a tracking app increases weight loss significantly from what I've been told because you can see and understand what exactly you're putting in your body. The good news is that as far as I know, it isn't too late to backpedal and reset yourself! I'm NOT a doctor but my understanding is that if you get off track after weight loss surgery, especially this soon, one way to 'reset' is to go back on a liquid diet for a week or two, with zero-sugar jello, zero sugar pudding, and protein shakes (less than 5g of sugar each) to hit your goals. After that, work your way back up to puree foods for a week, then soft foods for a week. I strongly recommend eyeballing the nutrition information on any shake you think of buying, too, because there are some that are loaded with sugar and have as many as 22g of carbs EACH. After weight loss surgery it's also strongly discouraged to have fried food at all for the first 6 months, and after that maybe once per month. The same goes for sweets and baked goods. I hope this helps, and again - I feel like you should really follow up with your surgeon and a nutritionist! Best wishes!

Thank you all so much for replying and your comforting words. I can’t believe how nice everyone else. I was almost dreading reading replies because I just knew I was going to see a mean reply but everyone has been so nice and supportive about my emotional rant. Lol. I can’t thank you enough. Yesterday I went to a church service and sat on the bench and I just felt so big and uncomfortable and stuffed. I felt bigger than everyone on my row and probably was. Then I got home and ordered food for my kids and I and ate such a big portion and I remembered all over again exactly why I want this surgery and seeing your words confirmed it. Especially when @DaisyChainOz said “Only you can know if it’s worth it to you”. I really needed to hear that and I’m feeling like it’s really worth it at this point. I really can’t keep feeling like this. I guess if food is always going to be a thing, I’d rather it be a thing while I’m thin and more comfortable in my body. It’s also hard bc I’m not telling a lot of people. Not to be secretive, but bc I know many people won’t understand and I really want this to be my choice without the extra noise and opinions from people who don’t know what it’s like to feel trapped by your own body. I pray for no issues & that I end up being like everyone else in a few months asking myself why I didn’t choose to do this years ago. Can I ask a couple more questions though? Will I ever be able to guzzle water again? Lol. I just love ice cold water after a sweat or when I’m thirsty, just the feeling of chugging ice cold water, will I ever be able to chug a cold glass of water or will I need to sip it forever? If so, that’s fine, I just want to prepare my mind for what I’m giving up. Also, I know a couple of you are only a few weeks in, but has anyone lost too much weight? Not medically but lost too much personally? I’m afraid of getting to a size that’s too small. I don’t think I’ve ever desired to actually be skinny, I just want to be normal/average.

Hey all, so I’m in the process of getting a revision I have the Lapband wanting to remove it and getting the Sleeve. I have BCBS of MA. How was the process for you guys. What where your requirements, and how long did everything take meaning the whole process and the approval time. I went 2 weeks ago to my consultation, did the nutrition class then my ecg that same day now waiting for to talk to a psych. And the place is taking long I already called bcbs it’s in my network and also got my copay these ppl are taking long I’m ready to start my new journey

One week out of gastric bypass surgery, I was a bit down. Tired, sore... so decided to watch something to lift my mood on TV. What normally would make me smile, chuckle or laugh wasn't happening. I thought. Oh no! Have I lost my sense of humor already with all of the hormonal changes happening? Shirley not Post whatever makes you happy. I'm sure many here would love to smile with you

My GP put me on a 12 WEEK liquid diet. I've lost almost 20lbs (10kg) it's a struggle the first few days, but it gets easier!

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.

Here are some pictures of my before & after (just of my back at the moment as I am most confident posting this!) Before liver reduction diet: Taken just before my holiday about a week ago!: **I know I need a new bra, this one is KNACKERED** And a fun little guest appearance taken today, featuring these denim shorts which pre-surgery would not go over my lower thighs:

yesterday's smoked salmon avocado salad was so yum, i made another one...this time i added more stuff just cuz. salmon, avocado, strawberries, dried cranberries, gouda, brocollini, and....pumpkin pie!! haha, it was the last slice leftover from (canadian) thanksgiving last week hahah...didn't end up eating any of it anyway (and none of the brocollini either for some reason), but ate maybe ½ of everything else. 704 calories for the plate...not gonna adjust for what i actually ate cuz im most likely gonna finish the rest later. isnt it so colourful and pretty????

I would be confused too. How a dietician could say that anything over 800 calories will make you gain weight is just ridiculous. Here in the UK it is guided at 2000 calories a day for an active woman and 500 calories more for a active male per day. For information - To maintain my weight I need to eat around 1600 calories a day. Anything less and I drop weight. I don't exercise, just walk and apart from one day a week where I volunteer, I am retired. I still have a fair restriction on my sleeve. So my advice to you would be go back to the dietician, check the facts, ask for a diet sheet and if they want you on 800 calories it must be so you can drop quickly. It does not sound sustainable if you are active. I could do this diet for a short time because I cook from scratch, log everything religiously and can cook and plan ahead. So this is what my 800 calories would look like - Breakfast, 2 eggs scrambled in 1 calorie spray oil [ PAM ] and 200mls of full skim milk for my coffee Lunch, 2 cups of Vegetable soup made without starchy vegetables, so no potatoes Evening meal, 1 x 6 ounce chicken breast, side salad with calorie free dressing and a 7 ounce jacket potato I hope this helps

I was sent home with a stronger med for constipation. I didn’t take it. Can’t recall when I started on the coloxyl. I think it was pretty much after that but I only took it (1 tablet) if I hadn’t been for three days. Five years out & I only take it if I need it which may be once one week then no need for a couple of weeks. It is good to keep on top of the constipation but you don’t want to become too reliant on it. Gotta keep your systems working as much on their own as possible. I’m presuming you need to keep things pretty soft after bypass or SADI more so than sleeve simply as you don’t want to strain your intestines at least until you are more healed.

You’re not going to feel the restriction until you are much further along in your healing (takes around 6-8 weeks) & eating solid foods. A lot of nerves are cut or damaged during the surgery so messages simply aren’t getting through or are distorted if they do. The staged return to eating is to protect your recovery and to ensure you don’t damage your healing digestive system (think of all those sutures and staples holding your tummy together- I believe it’s around 12inches of sutures+staples with a sleeve. You should only progress your stages if your surgeon advises you to. It’s also one of the reasons why we’re advised to eat slowly and are given portion sizes we should stick to. Also remember that liquids go through the tummy much more quickly than solid food so you don’t really get full in the same way as you know sipping your shakes slowly. Purées go through a little more quickly but nothing like solid foods.

Pic on top...my senior year of high school (prom) when I was 17. Pic on bottom...a couple of weeks ago at age 46. Face is older, but body is pretty close. Just sayin.....😏😉

All great advice and much appreciated! Thank you all. @SpartanMaker thanks for the number crunching! I am definitely trying to cut portion size. We got rid of all the sugary stuff in the house and things like my tortillas. I've started walking (I have been completely sedentary for years- I work a very stressful, 40 hour week desk job from home.) I can't walk for 30 minutes straight. My low back and knees are trash. I carry most of my weight in my belly. I joke to my husband that I need a rolling cart to set my belly on so my back won't hurt so much. I walk as long as I can & fast enough to get my heart rate up and be breathless to the point that I cannot carry on a conversation. I'm looking for a treadmill so I can walk inside. I tend to turn my ankle & fall if I'm not super careful while walking on the gravel road. Thinking about pulling up some of those old Sweating to the Oldies videos by Richard Simmons LOL That might be a good way to do some cardio. I've failed at losing weight for so long. Today I'm feeling kind of emotional just thinking about what I'm facing. I said in an earlier post that keto & low carb didn't work for me.... fact is, they do work... as long as I stick to them. The minute I stop, I regain the weight I lost. sigh. Seems like I gain weight if I breathe in the aroma of baked goods.

Ooh I’m so glad to hear you have some guidance now that makes you feel confident that you are doing what’s expected of you. That makes all the difference in this journey I am doing really well. Tonight is my first in person support group meeting and I will be three weeks tomorrow. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the purée diet now and i get to move to soft foods on Monday. That’s a little more scary for me with being a revision that didn’t not involve them operating on my stomach because I do not have the feeling of that was not a good call like the rest of you do to slow me down. Yet at the same time my intestines still need time to heal so I’ve got to be disciplined and return to food slowly. I am pretty anxious so I may end up getting there a little slower than the rest of you but I guess that’s better than too quickly.

That milk of magnesia is a miracle worker. I started with the lower dose even and it wasn’t two maybe three hours later and I’m good to go. I’ve not really ever dealt with constipation if you can’t tell. 😆

Depression can definitely impact motivation, so your husband may be on to something? That said, there is a difference between clinical depression and situational depression. Clinical depression is generally a lot more serious and long lasting, whereas situational depression tends to be less severe and tends to get better over time once you are further out from the triggering event. I'm not a mental health professional, but it certainly seems more like situational depression to me if you're really stressed about the work/funding situation. I think if you are concerned, the best course of action would be to talk to a mental health professional. We all go through some rough stuff every now and again, so if you need help, please get it. With that out of the way, I do also want to give you my thoughts on general overall motivation to exercise when you are struggling with that. What people often fail to understand is that humans are literally designed to conserve calorie expenditure. This is a key survival instinct, or at least it was back when food was a lot more scarce than it is today. I mention this because sometimes people think there's something wrong with them when they are not motivated to workout. Actually just the opposite is true. That feeling to want to do just about anything else other than workout is instinctual. So what do we do about this? well, since calorie conservation is such a strong instinct, we need even stronger things to overcome that feeling. Below are some ways we can do that. These are roughly in order of importance (at least in my opinion): Probably the single most important thing is to really understand your why. By that I mean if you don't really know why you want to exercise, or if the reason is somewhat vague (such as just feeling like you're supposed to), that just may never be enough. Really explore what caused you to want to make this change. If the reason is sufficiently important (for me it was not wanting to die an early death), then it makes everything else a lot easier because you can always refer back to the why when you'd rather just do something else. Make it a habit. Let's be honest. There are certain things you do in life that are just habits and you don't really need motivation to do them. They may not even be things you enjoy, but you do them anyway. For me that's things like laundry or dishes. Showering or brushing my teeth might be more examples. I don't really need a lot of motivation to do them, I just do them because that's part of what I do day to day. What we want to do is get to the point that exercising is just another habit. This could be a pretty long post in and of itself, but one tip I have is something called "habit stacking". I blatantly stole this idea from a book by author James Clear called "Atomic Habits". (I Highly recommend reading it by the way.) The idea here is to attach the new habit you want, such as working out, to an existing one you already do like eating dinner. It might look like this: "After I eat dinner, I will go for a walk around the block" Set realistic goals and update them as you progress. Realistic is the key here because I often find that people either set too easy of a goal, or much more likely, too hard of a goal. If your goal is to workout 5 days a week for 30 minutes at a time when right now, you're basically doing nothing, that's simply too much at once. A much better goal would be something like "I'm going to go to the gym once this week". For some people, just getting out the door and to the gym is the hardest part, so if the goal is just getting there, it overcomes the biggest challenge. Most likely, once you're there, you'll at least do something (you won't just turn around and come home). The same can be true if you're goal is walking around the neighborhood. Often just getting out the door is the hardest part, so instead of saying I'm going to walk 30 minutes a day, simply make the goal getting out the door once this week. This one is a little harder, but you need to explore your feelings and determine what your intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are. Some people are motivated almost exclusively by one of the other, but my experience is that most people are motivated at least in part by both internal and external things. When you know what these things are, it makes motivation a lot easier. As an example, I really love the way working out makes me feel, which is a strong internal motivator. That said, I also really enjoy looking fit. (I'm vain, sue me). I use these two things to my advantage. Put it on your schedule. Way too many people say they are just too busy to workout, but most of the time, that's just an excuse. If it's important, then you'll put it on your calendar just like anything else that's important. "Pre-prep" for your workout. This can vary depending on what you do, but a lot of people that workout in the morning (or immediately after work), find that if they lay out their workout clothes, or pack their gym bags before they go to bet the night before, it takes away one of the biggest challenges they have to getting the workout started. This removes an excuse not to do the workout, and in addition, serves as a reminder to actually do the workout. These are the biggest ones that come to mind for me. There are other tricks and tips I could give (like finding an accountability partner), but this post is already pretty long. One final thing I wanted to mention. A lot of people have found (and research backs this up), that regular exercise can actually significantly lessen symptoms of depression. While I do still recommend talking to a professional, you may find that working out actually helps you feel better. Best of luck!

My advice is to make changes to your diet and exercise in the next few months that you feel you can maintain for the rest of your life, as opposed to trying a fad diet (Keto, paleo, etc.) that is likely to be too extreme. Focus on basics like reducing your simple carbs and sugars, increasing your lean protein and veggies. Start measuring your portions to make sure you are not eating more than you think. Start getting your 64oz or more of water every day and cut out any sugar-sweetened drinks that you might drink (and also alcohol) because it's just empty calories. Walking and light weights are really great, but remember that about 80% of your weight loss comes from your diet, and only 20% from exercise, so don't feel like you have to go crazy with joining a gym and working out, especially if you're starting from sedentary. Regular walking every day does amazing things. At this stage, small changes can make a big difference. One thing I did right away was go through my cupboards and get rid of temptations. I stopped buying crackers, pretzels, cookies, and sweets. I would still have a treat when I was out, but I would try not to bring it home. Since I work from home, not having things in the cupboards to tempt me was a huge help. I was not required to lose weight before my surgery, but by making these little changes, plus the strict 2-week liquid diet, I ended up going from 251 lbs to 225 lbs in about 6 months. You can do it!

I'm about 4 weeks post op so I don't have a lot of smaller clothes. I'm trying to go as long as I can without buy new clothes because I don't know what size I will settle at. But I really like these jeans because they are skinny cargo jeans. I might just buy these in 2 different sizes just in case. I also find leggings not being tight annoying. My problem has always been that I'm too short for standard leggings so I would need a size 22 leggings but they would be too long. Now they are baggy and too long. But I've always been able to wear legging a size smaller than jeans or trousers because of the stretch.

As a general rule, the effects of supplementation of any kind on weight loss will be extremely minimal. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say for most people, 90-95% of weight loss is calorie intake alone. Other factors like exercise might make up a few percent, and supplements would be down at the bottom of the list probably only making 1% or less of the impact. Since 1% might mean something like 20 calories a day, you can see how it would be really easy to overcome that effect just by eating a tiny bit more. Keep in mind there is no overcoming basic physics. If you want to lose weight, you have to consume fewer calories than you burn. Things people worry wat too much about in my opinion instead of placing the focus where it matters on calories: Types of diets: Things like keto, low fat, low carb, intermittent fasting, etc. may help with compliance, but otherwise make no appreciable difference in weight loss. Bottom line, eat the way you want as long as you meet your nutrient goals and eat less than you burn in a day. Exercise: Exercise is critical for overall health and fitness, but as a general rule, you are not going to lose much if any weight from exercising. The reason is that your body is really good at stabilizing your overall calories burned in a day/week/month. What I mean is that studies show that for the most part, your body will slow down other processes to "make-up" for the exercise calories you burned, so whether or not you exercised won't actually mean you burn more calories per day. Exercise CAN help in weight loss for some people, but as a general rule, you'd probably need to be doing something that burned more than 400 calories a day, every day for you to see any impact at all. One place where exercise really comes into its own is in weight maintenance post-weight loss. Here the data is super clear. Those that exercise at least 1 hour per day were significantly more likely to maintain their weight loss than those that don't exercise. Supplements: As I pointed out above, at best, supplements might have a very small impact on on weight loss and this impact is really easy to negate by simply eating more. Typically weight loss supplements fall into two categories: Thermogenics (things that increase metabolism), and Appetite Suppressants. Some claim to have both effects. Without going into too much detail, the vast majority of thermogenics work simply because they are stimulants. Caffeine is the most well known and well studied (and frankly probably the most effective), but since you already are a coffee drinker, you're pretty unlikely to get any additional benefit from switching to another source such as green tea. Appetite suppressants are really a mixed bag. These sometimes work for some people, but again, the effects are really small. This is a little old, but I still think worth taking a gander: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8406948/#:~:text=A total of 1945 participants,morbidity%2C costs or patient satisfaction. It's a meta-analysis of the impact of green tea on weight loss. The conclusion they came to after looking at 15 different studies: "Green tea preparations appear to induce a small, statistically non‐significant weight loss in overweight or obese adults. Because the amount of weight loss is small, it is not likely to be clinically important." Best of luck.

I'm only two weeks post op and it doesn't hurt to eat unless you eat too much. I've learned pretty quickly what "too much" is so it's not painful to eat. Just eat slowly and your restriction will stop you from.being in pain. My mother had bypass in 2008 back whe it was standard to do an open procedure. She was able to eat almost anything and she wasn't in pain when she ate 15 years later. If they are 3+ years post op and still in pain when eating, they are probably either not eating correctly or they should speak to their surgical team.

I was supposed to have my surgery Dec 28 last year. I had the option of taking a last-minute cancelation the Monday of Thanksgiving week, but when I told my mom (whose help I needed with my kids), she was totally against it. Said I would ruin everyone's holidays if I had a terrible recovery and kinda made it all about everyone else. So I gave up the date, even though it pained me to do it, because I didn't want to be selfish. A couple weeks later, my hospital discontinued their surgical program and canceled my date. I was devastated. I had to rebook with a different program, which was still affiliated with the parent organization of my hospital, but unfamiliar to me. I didn't end up getting my surgery until February. It was very stressful and I was pretty angry with myself for not choosing what I wanted instead of what other people wanted me to do. Having said that, it did all work out for the best in some ways. Apparently, the November surgery date would have been right after the doctors at my old program were told the center was closing, so maybe that would have meant the surgeon wasn't as focused going into my surgery, which could have been dangerous for me. And I would have had to do all my follow up with a different program, which would've been awkward. And I appreciate that I knocked out my deductible in February so have had full coverage of all my tests and appointments all year. I actually have a biopsy I have to get done next month (not related to bariatric surgery) and that won't have any out of pocket costs, so yay for that. On the other hand, my recovery was pretty much text book, so all my mom's worries over me ruining the holidays with a terrible recovery were baseless. I was pretty self sufficient and back to about 80% functioning by the end of the first week. And 8 months post-surgery, the holidays are rolling around again and guess what? I still can't eat more than a tiny plate of turkey breast, a few green beans, and a bite of pumpkin pie. I still won't be baking a million cookies or drinking a pint of egg nog. So, whether it happens this year or next, your family will have to figure out how to navigate around your new normal. If it were me, I would decide based on what makes financial sense (your deductible, etc.), what works for you with time off work, and would probably avoid the two weeks right before Christmas just because you will need some time to recover in peace without holidays adding to your stress. In retrospect, waiting until February wasn't such a big deal, though, so if you do have to wait, it will be okay. Just make sure you do it for yourself and not for everyone else.

Sorry I haven't reached out sooner - glad to hear you are out the other end and you are doing okay ❤️ Congratulations! TMI!: I had to have the pessary when I was in the hospital as I just couldn't poo 😂 It did work but I ended up having this strange explosive bowel movement that had lots of old blood in it - proper freaked me out but a nurse told me it was normal and was just residue blood from the surgery. I wish she had warned me about this prior to it happened so I wasn't so concerned about it, but IF anything like this happens, don't worry too much! But either way, apparently doesn't happen to everyone. Definitely keep away from the scales for a bit as a lot of people find that their weight is a bit higher immediately post-op so just wait until you have healed! My surgeon didn't want me weighing myself until at least 8 weeks pot-surgery (I lasted about 4 weeks 😂) Hope you are well ❤️

im in the puree phase post op of gastric sleeve and the last two days ive been very concerned about what i eat and how i eat it. i eat every 1-2 hours or else i get SO HUNGRY. as well as i take big bites not small and i finish my meal in less than 30 minutes??? heres an example of what i had today breakfast: frozen mango blended with lactose free milk which turned into icecream! (after two hours) snack: apple juice (after 3 hours) lunch: tuna blended with 3 spoons of greek yogurt and a Tomato (after an hour) snack: Jello but a big amount (after 30 mins) dinner: left over tuna with a big plate of Beans. i wasnt even full after all that and i dont know what’s happening to me and caused me a mental breakdown, im afraid i ruined every pound ive lost the past 2 weeks and im panicking. thats just the beginning and im nearly starting a binging phase which terrifies me knowing it’ll get worse!!!!!!! i thought id be done with my eating disorder after i do the surgery but its still the same old depressing life....