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A new week beckons… Laid in bed this morning, just taking stock of how I’m feeling and I actually feel happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that happy feeling for no apparent reason. The first part of my WLS journey is completed and now out of my hands for now so I’ve mentally put that to one side. I’ve started back at the gym and I’M LOVING IT!! I know the gym isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I truly enjoy it. I found something that works for me and can sustain it, which is really important for anyone trying to improve their fitness. I’ve been 3 times this past week and I’m not pushing it as yet, no matter how much the little devil on my shoulder is telling me to 😈 I’m aiming to go every 3rd day at the moment but will re-visit that in a few weeks time. Granddaughters party went as well as could be expected with other little kids there! I didn’t go mad food-wise - a burger, handful of mini sausage rolls, 1 Jammie Dodger, a cupcake and a small piece of cake. I actually threw a piece of quiche away which is a first for me and left the crisps, coleslaw etc alone! I know it may seem a lot but compared to what I would shovel away previously, it’s actually quite restrained! My body shape is changing, even if the scales aren’t particularly moving right now. I went through my gym stuff and tried on a pair of leggings that are size 18/20 and they fit! That was a bit of a surprise, especially as I couldn’t get them up my thighs previously 😮 Various other items are now ether too big or now fitting whereas before they were too tight. The jeans that were fine a few weeks ago? Can now get them off without unfastening them! I actually had to buy some smaller things this week. I’m not a fan of bras, they dig in and I find them uncomfortable. So I prefer the crop-top bralette type things (I’m a C cup at most) I’d noticed that I wasn’t feeling as ‘secure’ as I had before so decided it was time to update. I got a couple of vest tops with built-in support and a 3 pack of bralettes from M&S, all in smaller sizes and all fit - yay! It’s the simple things really that can give such a boost 🙂 Hairdressers tomorrow. I’m having a bit of a crisis with my hair at the moment. When I was accepted on to the Bariatric Pathway, I decided to grow my hair (all part of the ‘New Me’ vibe) Previously I had pixi-type cut and now it’s a short bob, just about at the bottom of my ears. However it’s lacking any body and looks really thin. I know my meds can play havoc, especially as I started a new injection back on November which can cause hair thinning after a few months. My hair hasn’t come out in clumps or anything, I’m just finding lots of stray hairs on things. I know that WLS also causes Hair loss, so I’m now floundering a little. I’m going to have a chat with my hairdresser and see what she comes up with but I’m really erring on the side of ‘chop it off’…sigh…it’s not easy being a woman at times is it?? I plan to tackle more of my wardrobe this week and get that thinned out. Has anyone else gone through their clothes and thought to themselves “what were you thinking?” Yeah, I’m having a bit of that. However it’s more of a case of I’ve bought something previously and it has remained unworn. This is what happens when you’re the size of a a house - you buy something because it fits, not because you actually like it. I definitely will be a damn sight more discerning moving forward. Have a fabulously productive week everyone 😉 Onwards and Downwards!

Great win. 🥇 I am loving it too. I am actually walking right now back-and-forth at my house. I try to get 2 miles in before I go to my group fitness class. Which today is yoga, my favorite. I take the classes at my community center. It was easier to get started there because they’re fairly inexpensive for one or two classes and there’s no contract so it seemed like much less of a commitment. Now that I am taking four classes a week that kinda adds up to what a gym membership would be though so I may look into that at some point. Honestly, I really like the women in my group classes though. They are just average women looking to get healthy and super nice. maybe that is the case with gyms as well I honestly haven’t been in so many years.

3 Days, consider yourself. Lucky. I did two weeks of two shakes and small low carb dinner and then two days of all liquids. It’s perfectly normal or common to be a little nervous but it’s A pretty routine thing nowadays. Good luck tomorrow and come back and let us know how it went.

So I called this afternoon and they got the results back apparently she didn't find anything too concerning and they're not delaying the surgery. I will know more on my followup on the 30th when the nurse goes over it with me but for now I'm being told that everything she found was totally normal and not concerning. I'm guessing that she just addressed concerns that I didn't know enough about the surgery and that they should go over everything again. I'm assuming. I'll know more in 3 weeks. But I feel so much better now because I was worried that they'd delay my surgery. Now let's hope it doesn't snow in upstate ny in November this year lol

Hi. I'm having some huge issues with my weight and could really do with some help and advice please. In December 2018 I had a gastric bypass and on the day of the surgery I was 24 stone (336 lb). Over the next year I got down to 15 stone ( 210lb). All my friends and family was concerned I wasn't eating enough and said I looked ill due to the rapid weight loss so I started eating a it more. Fro. 2019 to 2023 my portion sized grow and I was no longer eating the correct foods resulting in me being 21 stone (294lb). I'm currently on the path to getting my health back on track but I don't seem to be losing weight. Im one of them people that will eat the same meals every days and this is my current meals all eaten on a bariactric plate. Breakfast = 2 hard boiled eggs. Lunch = hath a steamed chicken breast, 2 steamed mushrooms, 4 seafood sticks, 2 slices of onion cooked in the air fryer, hath a Peper cooked in the air fryer and 40grams of mozzarella. Dinner= hath a steamed chicken breast, 2 steamed mushrooms, 4 seafood sticks, 2 slices of onion cooked in the air fryer, hath a Peper cooked in the air fryer and 40grams of mozzarella. I'm also walking on average 6 miles (9.6km). In the past 6 months of eating like this my weight has hardly changed, 1 week might be 1lb loss then next week will be 1.5lb gain then 2lb loss ect. Over 6 moths my weight has only gone down 7lb and I don't know what's going on and I'm starting to get very depressed and I seem to be eating well and being active but the weight scales don't reflect that. Am I missing something that's preventing me from losing weight? Thank you

Thank you so much!! I do think about pre WLS and there are so many times where I would shove my face at work then go home and eat dinner and just not work out because I "will start next week" I do not do that. I track all my food, I will have nibbles here and there and then the weekend I indulge but I work out on Saturdays and stay active on Sundays. Ugh this journey is so weird! I have never been in maintenance so I know its going to take some getting used to. Again thank you for words! they mean alot!

I am 8 weeks out from the sleeve and I am losing slower than I would like too. I am not drinking (but sometimes I will take a sip to try my husband’s drink- it keeps me from missing it so much). I think sometimes it’s genetics. I’m on average getting about 1000 calories a day and usually hitting the 60-80g of protein every day. I try to make good choices but it’s frustrating not to be where you want to be. One thing my friend tells me is that me losing weight slowly now validates that I needed the surgery, because of how hard it was for me to lose weight without it and that I never would have been successful without it. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it helps me feel like I made the right choice when I’m struggling with not losing more.

Don’t think the small amounts you eat in the beginning is how much you’ll eat forever. After surgery your stomach muscle is very tight so it can’t tolerate much. But as it heals, and you start to introduce more foods, it slowly starts to soften (not stretch) & is able to tolerate more. I was told, though I began with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from the puree stage, by about 6 months I’d be up to about a cup. Which was pretty accurate for me. I’m 5 years out & from about 2 years, I was pretty much eating a recommended portion size. Check the nutrition panel of processed pre prepared foods and google recommended portions of other foods or ingredients to give you an idea. Generally about 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables, 2 eggs, a small apple, etc. Some days I can’t/not interested in eating that much, other days it’s the perfect portion. The liver shrink diet is not to actually shrink the liver but the fat around the liver. This is to allow your surgeon to have better vision of & access to your tummy during the surgery. This diet does differ surgeon to surgeon, patient to patient. Generally it’s two weeks of a shake three times a day. However, some are four shakes, others two shakes & one lean protein & steamed vegetables meal. Others are only for a week or a couple of days. Mine was keto for two weeks (I started a couple of days earlier). Some people lose seemingly a lot of weight, others only a few pounds. It’s one of those things linked to how much weight you carry. It can be tough as you may experience withdrawal like symptoms (from stopping/reducing sugar, carbs, caffeine) for about 5 days. Apparently my surgeon’s patients who did the two week all shakes called the first week hell week. While tough, remember it is only for two weeks and the big picture benefits & wins makes it so worth it. All the best with your surgery.

I can’t speak to the nausea other than suggesting you call your team and ask for more of the meds that work better. My team gave me ondansetron which is also used for nausea with chemo just in case. (I would assume that’s a pretty strong one). It does say it may cause drowsiness. I’m guessing yours does too. In terms of the non drug induced drowsiness it got a bit better for me with purées but I am still taking naps at 2.5 weeks out. Honestly I haven’t really done any chores other than make the bed, a little laundry because I have the raised pedestals and of course the dishes. I did sweep the floors with a broom last week but it took me all day because I was still in pain and I’m pretty sure the dirt pile I asked my hubby to get is still in the laundry room. Even if you don’t have outside incision pain, though, your insides are still healing so try to take it easy. I was told not twisting, bending, or straining of any kind for 6 weeks at least. I believe last time it was 8 weeks for anything involving over 10 pounds of weight but it’s been a while so I need to confirm that. I know how it feels to sit here and look at things piling up in terms of chores. I’m sure we all do, but you can seriously hurt yourself if you do too much too soon. To me it’s just not worth it. Other than dusting I just don’t see what chores don’t involve bending or twisting. I figure It will all still be waiting to be done when I am ready. It’s just me and my hubby and if it bothers him then he is perfectly capable of doing it himself. Really it’s just the bathrooms and the floors that I just can’t do properly. I have used Clorox wipes on the sink area and cleaned the mirrors. I may try to do the toilets today. I just won’t do the bottom part I guess. I do have an appointment this week as a follow up to the muscle cramp thing. I probably could cancel it since the magnesium is working but i want to ask her what I can be doing physically at that point. I will be 3 weeks out. I know that I am physically healed enough to be doing some faster walking so I plan to get my treadmill out and start doing that gradually. Anyways, all this to say please take it easy. Allow yourself some time. This is a pretty major surgery and it’s not at all uncommon to need some time to get back to 100%.

What does your plan say and what in that is concerning you? From your profile you're less than 3 weeks post op - is that right? I have a sleeve not a bypass but at that stage it was more about sticking rigidly to my surgeon's plan than measuring anything. I was happy to get in my protein shakes and fluids. Everything else came much later. I hope you are doing well, not worrying too much, and get the maximum benefit from your surgery.

i did boxing for a spell last year (went 3 times a week for about 2 months). its an arm workout alright! (and abs and back, with a crazy amount of cardio for added measure omg) Mr. says boxing is what gave me my "boulder shoulders" hahahhaha. BUT...i threw out my left shoulder AND right elbow (from going too hard i guess? or probably just bad form) and that ended my boxing career :(... i still have lingering left shoulder injury arg. so the lesson im sharing is: stay healthy during boxing and you can achieve (and maintain!) a pretty awesome physique!

I'm not allowed protien shakes this week. Just tea, broth, water and juices ooo and jelly. I woke up today hungry but too exhausted n sore.. I am day 2 post op bypass

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....

My best advice is to be prepared to put yourself first for around a month. It didn’t take that long for the pain to get better but it does take a little while to get your stamina back and get into a groove with all the vitamins, protein and water and then each of the stages are a little adjustment. Take your time and allow your body the rest that it needs and prioritize yourself and your recovery for the time you need. The good news is that you should also see a pretty big drop on the scale as in your measurements. Which leads to my second suggestion which is to take photos and measurements as well as recording your weight beginning preop. They will help keep you motivated later down The road when the scale stalls. The third thing I would suggest is to check out an App that allows you to record your progress. The Baritastic App lets you record everything from food and water to vitamins, exercise, measurements, weight, and even your bowel movements which will become something that you think about more than ever post surgery haha 😆 and it is fairly easy to figure out. I wish I had started before my preop or my surgery. Also, make sure that you have whatever stool softeners, laxatives or soluble fiber your team suggests on hand and begin whatever preventative measures they set for you immediately post op. When you are in the hospital don’t hesitate to tell them if you are in pain. And Walk ALOT. Especially if you are in pain. It doesn’t matter how fast you go, it’s just the movement. I promise you that passing gas is your biggest goal in terms of relieving pain and the walking helps with that.

Really starting to feel like I am in a groove getting in all of my fluids, protein and vitamins. It’s no longer a huge struggle I have to constantly think about. I take my calcium with my morning proffee that I drink first thing that gives me a really good start at 20oz fluid, 30g protein and one vitamin down. (Just take the vitamin with the last sip as opposed to the first if your vitamin has a lot of iron) and I mix in a spoon of soluable fiber so I get that over with as well. While I’m drinking it I get out my three calcium’s for the day, take my stool softener and take my daily rx meds. The rest of the day is pretty easy. I don’t get up at a set time so I just make sure to wait at least two hours to take my calcium’s and just fit in all three like an hour before I plan to go to bed at which time I take my second stool softener and the magnesium she added for muscle cramps. If i am going to be out for the day I will set alarms for the calcium’s and put them in my purse during my proffee. . A long time ago I created alarms for every half hour of the day so that it’s super simple to just toggle on whichever alarms I may need in the morning and when it goes off I just have to figure out what I’m forgetting 😆 You may have to turn off the ”everyday” function so when you turn it off it’s really off but doing that has helped me with everything I have to remember since I get distracted pretty easily. This would be way easier if you get up at a set time because you could turn on that everyday function and set the alarm once and it’s done from then on. At this point I’m only reminded of the pain a handful of times throughout the day. The only thing that is still not easy for me is the 30 minute rule. I know that I was supposed to do that forever after my sleeve but around the time I gave up hope on that I started back with drinking while eating and it’s a really hard habit to break. I do find that if I brush after meals and swish water around and spit it out it helps some. Next step is soft foods I am so looking forward to this stage and at the same time anxious I will overdo it too fast. I believe I mentioned before I am a rule follower and prefer more structure “soft food” is a bit vague for me. I survived it last time, though so I’m sure it will be okay I really hope everyone else is recovering well if early out and starting to get in their groove as well if they are a little further out. Any tips that you guys have worked out to remember it all?

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

Its not spicy, my husband doesn't tolerate spicy at all and has no problems with it! If you like lime you will probably like it. I tend to eat the same things over and over because I detest cooking, so I cook for a weeks worth of meals. This changes the flavor and helps get passed the "yay turkey chili again" blues.

@Onemealplan Best of luck to you. You are so close. @AndreaJD My doctor's office just started doing before and after photos. We did them when I went to my education class. One thing I have not see anyone mention is how long they are taking off work. My surgery is on a Tuesday (8/6) and I am off the rest of that week. I plan to work from home the following week and hopefully be back in the office just after my 2 week follow-up appointment. I have a desk job so it is not physically demanding.

Thanks for all your replies I was feeling as my weightloss wasn’t significant, I’m anxious to have a solid meal my surgeon had me on a 4week post op liquid diet and now I can move onto 2 weeks of puree then 2 week of soft food, his diet style seems strict and I’m just loosing motivation over here.. really trying though. Having an extremely difficult time meeting protein and liquid goals, it’s so much for one day when my stomach can only handle 2oz at a time!!

She didn't ask much about my activity, but then again I'd mentioned that i was still working on getting active and that my energy had been hit and miss. Since then I've noticed I have some days where i have more energy than others, and I did start on my exercise bike! I started with just 5-10 minutes every day that I don't go for walks. I think it has helped with my digestion, and i feel like allowing myself up to 30 carbs on some days has helped my energy level. It's nice to eat a little bit of fruit here and there - I'd mainly been doing dairy and either meat or beans (very small serving, if beans!) Rounding out my diet some has been helpful. I'm still not eating any garbage foods - the most I've indulged in was a couple pieces out of an order of honey chicken and maybe 1/8 cup of the rice that came with it. Everything else has been very low or zero sugar so far. I've also let myself have one cup of coffee per week - all things considered, I'm feeling a bit more human. The walking has been nice, especially when I can do it outside in cooler temperatures. I think we've got one more week of 80s, and then back into the 60s and 70s. I can't wait!

When I had the Sleeve, and other than the gas pressure I experienced, I went home the next day and I was on my feet and feeling better by day 3 and feeling back to myself by day 7. It really was a breeze thinking about it now. It seems straightforward, not complicated at all-- what SADI entails. My surgeon also did an EDG on me a couple of weeks ago and told me that my sleeve was in great shape and he did not want to revise it. So, really I'm just going in for the Switch. Thank you so much for getting back to me, and sharing your experiences with me. Since I've been talking with more people I've been feeling better about the surgery. Everyone seems extremely happy with their decision to do it and is very excited for me to get it done. Everyone has sent some great positive vibes my way, which has helped with the anxiety over it. So, I thank you and everyone for that! 💜 I'll be sure to post an update after surgery.

Glad to hear you are feeling better. I have a descent list for purée but the three things I actually like out of it are the scrambled egg substitute, refried beans, and ricotta. I am also allowed reduced sugar marinara and fat free or low fat cheese so I will have a little cheddar cheese on the refried beans and I will make the ricotta bake with ricotta, marinara and mozzarella. That starts Sunday for me and I CAN’T wait. I was actually debating how long I need to wait to make sure something agrees. Like if I have the eggs for breakfast, will I know by lunch that was fine so I can try something else or should I stick to liquids for the rest of the day. I can’t remember what I did with the sleeve. Probably waited because I always tend to be over cautious with medical stuff. I dug out my handheld blender and bought some canned fruit (no sugar added) and fresh veggies that I’m going to try to make my own purées. That I didn’t do last time but I do remember getting board so I figured I may as well give it a try. Anyone else have any good ideas?

Remember it takes around 6 - 8 weeks to be fully healed so still experiencing some discomfort, spasms, cramping, etc. isn’t uncommon. However, if the pain requires medication, is increasing in frequency or intensity, contact your surgeon or go to your nearest medical centre to be sure everything is okay. Or just contact them to check.

While I have always been an avid exerciser (think everything from running, cycling, weight lifting, marital arts, HIIT, hiking ...etc.) I have always taken up a supplementary form of exercise that is fun and that I looked forward to. A few years ago I played tennis twice a week, then hiking, then taekwondo (reached the blue belt then had a very bad ankle injury that cause a lot of my weight gain), now I do Pilates twice a week in addition to my gym routine and these two sessions are the highlight of my week. Once you find something you enjoy be it tennis, padel, hiking, cycling, swimming or even walking it will be easier to build on that routine and do the things you don't so much enjoy (like weight lifting for example). It is also always good if you have a group you can exercise with (or play certain sports with) or a gym buddy. I also made sure to build a gym studio in my new house and that has been wonderous, I wake up early and workout and don't need to worry about the commute or how to shower and do my hair before work, so a set of dumbbells and a bench at your home can do wonders (if you have that option). I was always asked by friends and family why I am so adamant and a freak about my exercise regimen and if I get bored or sick of it, and my answer is I do it more for my mental wellbeing than for my physical appearance. Nothing comes close to that post workout feeling, it is literal therapy to me. I love to challenge myself and I love to work hard and feel like I've earned it, and I feel sluggish and not great on days I don't workout. Once you commit to a sort of movement daily, it will become a healthy addiction and the feeling that that brings is euphoric, if I say so myself. Just make sure you start easy and build on that.

Congratulations on your surgery and success. To answer your questions first: How much weight did you lose after gastric bypass, and over what period of time? I lost 500+ pounds over a period of 2 years. Have you managed to maintain your weight loss, and for how long? I have managed my weight at just about a Normal BMI for just shy of 20 years. What were the biggest lessons or hurdles you faced during your journey? The biggest hurdle I had was the actual surgery. It was an open surgery where they cut from stem to sturn so they can reach in and manage the surgery then staple things back up. The staples at drain were extraordinarily painful with the slightest movement for the month until they took them out. Another couple weeks after that I was as good as gold. Next was learning how to eat, chewing, swallowing, learning when I was full, learning that I dumped on fats, then learning I dumped on sugars. Listening to my stomach on what I would be able to tolerate, then how much. Learning not to take that one more bite. My highest point was running 5 marathons, the third of which was across the Golden Gate Bridge (twice). Never even a hint of a possibility before my surgery. Good luck, Tek