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I dump and my first sensation is feeling loopy, then I see bright spots that don’t go away, they get worse. Then the sweats and shaking starts, and if I haven’t fixed myself with some protein then it turns into vomit/diarrhea town. Others could feel different, but the clue to me is you saying your “skin was crawling.” If it’s food allergy related, it’s very serious. I wish you the best!

So I had the sleeve and then a year later revision to bypass (due to complications). I can tell you that I developed sensitivities and outright allergies to foods I had never had before IN MY LIFE after my surgeries. After my sleeve, I developed an allergy to peanuts. Not horrible, but I need to take something if I eat them, so I just don't eat them or anything with peanuts in them. I also became lactose intolerant. BADLY. So I avoid dairy and use almond milk and lactose free things. I also have a low tolerance for salt. I use to salt EVERYTHING and now I pretty much never use it at all because I can't tolerate the taste. It's very metallic tasting and gives me a headache. When I had my revision, all of that stayed the same PLUS I suddenly got a serious, life threatening allergy to shellfish. I have to carry an epi pen with me at all times. I can't eat it, touch it, or even be in the room when it's being cooked because even breathing in the proteins that are released into the air when it's being cooked causes a reaction. I was born and raised in Florida. Shellfish are a way of life there. I could LIVE on crab legs and shrimp. It literally BROKE MY HEART when I realized I'd never be able to eat it again. Also from the revision, I developed an allergy to surgical glue lol Didn't have that with my first surgery, or any other surgery before it, but from my revision on, can't tolerate it, and can barely tolerate band-aids lol I mean, what??? That's so strange to me, but it's true. I've had every test under the sun, and while it's common for taste buds and likes/dislikes for foods and drinks to change after these surgeries (definitely have that, as well), and even to develop sensitivities to foods like dairy and sugar and salt, it's rare to get such major allergies to foods (happens, but it's rare). So of course, my doctors were super interested in me lol Not trying to make history, ya'll, just tryin to feel better lol

I'm not sure if that was actual dumping or not. Nausea CAN be part of dumping, but it's not one of the more common symptoms. Usually it involves heart palpitations, cramping, sweating or chills, and diarrhea - and it can go on for hours, or so I hear (I've never dumped). It's also pretty rare in sleeve patients (although it's not unheard of), so I'm not sure if it was that or some ingredient in those foods that your body was reacting to. Although you could be right. I'll be curious to hear what others say/think.

I was surprised today to learn I don't have to do an all liquid diet except the 24 hours before. I have to follow an 800-900 calorie diet for the 11 days before eating food from my bariatric food store. So I'm glad it's not just going to be having liquid, till after the surgery! 😀

Genuinely Snag Tights are so good! I recommend them so highly! I shall have a look at that - would be nice not to have to rely purely on shorts to prevent chafing!

So I am due to go on holiday to Greece in mid-September. It'll be my first time going to a hot country in my entire life. I genuinely think if I hadn't of had WLS I wouldn't go - I just know it would have been pure suffering! By September I'll be approximately 4 months post-surgery! So my question is...when do I buy new clothes for this?! I already know my clothes 1) are getting too big, and 2) are not suitable for a hot country (living in the UK means my wardrobe is predominantly black & full of jumpers & hoodies). Also, I don't even know what to wear or what size I am/will be by then! Ughhhhh this is hard 😂

Well, hopefully this thread will help both of us add a little variety into our food life. lol

Omg. I so wish my grocery had those ingredients now. You just reminded me. There is a store like 45 minutes from me that has the fresh zucchini spirals and they even have a deli that makes their own Turkey meatballs that were really tasty. I’m sure that the marinara is not the greatest nutrition wise and they could’ve added a bunch of crap to the meatballs because they don’t list the nutrition label on prepared food in the deli. I could inquire to see if they have it, but I wasn’t strictly counting anything then. Anyways, this was a meal that i actually enjoyed. And I never really thought about how convenient it is considering. I really need to start shopping there more often. The prices are a little high but the quality and variety of healthier choices is 100 times better than the stores that are right down the street from me. It’s kinda sad that I will make that trip for other things without hesitation, even restaurant food but I don’t tend to drive that far for healthy food. Something to really think about 🤔 Do you mind sharing the brand of your sugar free spaghetti sauce? Are the meatballs frozen? Is there a particular one you prefer?! This is definitely something I am putting on my list!!

Hi Everyone, new here... My surgery date is 7/22 and my liquid diet starts tomorrow mid day. I have an apt tomorrow where they'll be giving me info and the foods I'll have to buy from their store. I'm nervous and excited... and dreading the liquid diet. Lol I'm already grieving food and I haven't even started it yet!

Sounds just like me! Although, my husband occasionally eats what I eat. I'm picky, have food texture issues and despise cooking, so I too eat the same thing over and over.

Thank you @ShoppGirl @Bypass2Freedom and @JennyBeez for you lovely, thoughtful words. I really do appreciate your comments. The clothes came - the shift dress that I thought would be OK is massive and the jumpsuit that I thought would be too tight fits perfectly so go figure 🤷‍♀️ Annoying though when you buy the same size from the same brand and there are massive discrepancies. So, dress is going back and I’ve ordered a couple of things from the sale at Roman for less than half the price of the dress I’m sending back 🙂 @ShoppGirl I have to say that my hubby is being fully supportive. There are obviously times when I want to smother him with a pillow but not over this. He is onboard with what I am trying to do so no complaints from me over that. He just wants me to feel good about myself and get some confidence back I think. I did take your advice and ordered some new, dressy shoes (backless so if my feet do shrink again, it won’t matter!) I hope that the metabolic changes from the op really do kick in and work in tandem with the other changes we make. I know the op is a positive thing that we’re doing both for our physical and emotional wellbeing. @Bypass2Freedom Definitely seek food to ‘soothe’ when in meltdown mode. It is difficult to lose weight and keep if off. I hate, with a passion, those that patronisingly say “oh, you just have to eat less and move more”…OH REALLY?? 🤬🤬🤬 Well tell my metabolism that you arsehole. Continually dieting just screws your metabolism up, I’m sure of it. I’m hoping that the op acts as an internal reset button so my body stops acting against me and works with me for a while. I do know I need to stop being so harsh on myself…old habits and all that 🙃 @JennyBeez Yes, to camouflage, yes to self-sabotage. I know what started my weight issues and disordered eating. Food was used as a punishment when I was growing up (amongst other things) I won’t go in to detail as I don’t want to trigger anyone but I have undergone counselling etc. I did lose approx 100lbs around 12 years ago and then immediately started with Rheumatoid Arthritis which threw a massive spanner in to my works! My focus went from weight and gym visits to meds, hospital visits, X-rays pain and tests. Weight went back on, Osteoarthritis decided to join the party and then recently Fibromyalgia because why not?? Did I choose any of that? NO! Looking at it all dispassionately, I can see that I was angry with my body - I’d done the major weight loss, I was at the gym 5 days a week because I loved it, I was happy with myself and then I felt that I was kicked in the teeth without rhyme or reason. I know that WLS won’t make everything go away but hopefully it will make things easier to handle and get me moving once again. I miss the gym like you wouldn’t believe and I’m just hoping that I can get going to it once again for my physical and mental health. Working on my mindset is definitely a work in progress.

I was like this. I managed 300 calories until 6 months. I was super restricted. My team were ok as long as I was well monitored and as long as I kept trying and drank most of my liquid allotment. I take PPI's twice a day and still need antacid. Food smells repulsed me. I couldn't eat eggs, meat or fish. I ate yogurt, soups, deli meats and cheese. I drank milk, coffee and Ribena. I forced myself to eat 6 tiny meals a day. My family were super worried about it. I managed a little better every day especially when the pressure was taken off me { I pressured myself } I took me 2 years to eat chicken, lamb, eggs and to this day can not eat salmon and oily fish. Stick with your team, they will get you through it. It will get easier.

Oh how fun. Do you make Like little flowers out of pepperoni and all that? I have seen some really cute ideas online for them boards. I just never feel like I have an Occasion fancy enough to make them For. Mayne I should do a board one of these days just for fun. I would like to see if them roses are as easy as them make them look in the videos. 😂 . I need to try shrimp again. I decided that I don’t like it when I was young and I have not tried it again since. I like lobster and snow crab but i think it was more of a texture thing for me with the shrimp. I am such a kid when It comes to food. I need to just make myself try it since it’s a good lean protein. I love salad. I am so worried that I will not be able to tolorate it after the SADI. Some people on the DS board said they cannot. I need to ask if it’s just the lettuce or if they Can’t do raw veggies either. I don’t mind salad without lettuce. At home I use very little lettuce anyways and when I’m out I eat around it to save room for the good stuff.

It's easy to forget that "weight" and "fat" are not the same thing. You can burn fat and go up in weight, and it's normal for daily weight to fluctuate by several pounds. You've been really lucky so far that the scale has gone down consistently, but you're getting to the 6-month mark and that's when the surgery's fat burning effect starts to slow (not stop, but slow). In the past, you were burning enough fat quickly so that even if you went up in weight from water or the food in your digestive track, you wouldn't see it on the scale. Now, though, you might only lose a small amount of fat in a week, so you could see the scale become a little more erratic. It's totally normal and you aren't gaining fat. It's also very common to hit a stall around 6 months post op as your body recalibrates. You'll probably see slower weight loss once it breaks, but you'll still see the scale go down for many more months. And if I just base it on my own experience, you will experience this type of thing the closer you get to a number that feels important to you because the universe is like that. The moment I dropped below 200 lbs, which was such a psychological milestone for me, my weight bounced back up and it took another 10 days to get back into the 190s again. My third month post-op, I stalled and only lost a total of 3.8 pounds. The following month was my best month so far for weight loss. So don't read too much into a little wobble on the scale if your habits have been reasonable. If it takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound, unless you can identify some really bad choices that would have led to a 14,000 calorie surplus this past week, it's not anything you're doing. Just keep following your plan and ignore the scale.

I’m into charcuterie for summer meals. I got some mini boards at Dollar Tree. I’ve been playing around with horseradish and mustards to change it up. I tried some pickled peppers and olives for flavor. In the winter I like hot foods and cook up big orders of chicken and meatballs, freeze and use as needed. I love a salad but it can get boring and early on after WLS they were not digested. Cue pictures of cute charcuterie boards now lol. We’re having pre-cooked shrimp on ice for dinner tonight!

I love how we all warn others to stay away from the scale for a while, even though few of us are able to do that either. XD Honestly though, it's like we've replace any food addiction with scale-addiction.

I realized that i used food to cope with alot and now that i cant im forced to deal with stuff that i otherwise wouldnt. This truly is a new journey for me. Im just grateful for this group.

I realized that i used food to cope with alot and now that i cant im forced to deal with stuff that i otherwise wouldnt. This truly is a new journey for me. Im just grateful for this group.

You are having a head moment. You know that you are doing everything right but your head is saying WHAAAT ! TF ! Just breathe for a moment and think. There are a few things to consider and you probably know this, Its a stall, Its water retention, you are over doing things and your body says no way or you have eaten salty foods. You have gained the pounds and you need to stay away from the scales for a few days/ a week. Its a tough ask I know, I am the worst at it. Watching the scale will screw with your mind. Keep to your plan and it will work its way right.

Maybe, willpower / motivation isn't what your problem has ever been. Maybe this is that point for you when you begin to realize that whatever shame you've internalized over the years, your weight is not your fault. There are always, always, always so many different things at play: hormones, body chemistry, mobility / physical limitations, mental health, self-sabotage, camouflage, etc etc. I mean, at what point in your life did you choose to be fat? Did you sit yourself down one day when you were feeling in perfect health and say," you know what, I'm going to eat and eat and eat until I weigh 304lbs. I want to hate myself or feel shitty about myself." Cause I bet there are very very few people who can say they made obesity or being overweight a conscious decision. Are there times in all of our lives that we've made **** decision, knowing how unhealthy they are for us? Oh gods yes. Plenty, I'm sure. But did we make those decisions coming from a place of balance and peace, or did we do it to punish ourselves, or sooth ourselves, or because this is the way we were taught to deal with any negative emotion? Did / do we all exacerbate the issue with our choices? Most definitely. I'm not saying we're all innocent lambs. But if it were just a matter of willpower, of not wanting to be unhealthy or overweight, etc, we would all already be at our ideal weights -- we never would have left that weight to begin with. It's definitely important along the WLS journey to hone our willpower, to make healthier choices for our own benefit, etc. It's still going to be hard. For some of us, it might always be hard. But it's not that it "takes WLS to motivate" ourselves -- it takes WLS to give us that needed jumpstart into our weightloss journey. It takes WLS to change our hormones and gut biome. It takes WLS to give us physical restrictions --or to give us a clean slate when learning how our body physically responds to certain foods / nutrients etc, and re-teaching our body what 'enough' feels like. It takes WLS for many of us to, I dunno, learn how to prioritze ourselves? How to give ourselves the right kind of self-love -- like NOT eating the cake if you don't want to just in order to be polite. Like setting the boundaries we need -- and/or desire -- in order to stay in a healthy mindset.

I feel you on the scales front! One minute I am losing and the next it is a gain! Hard to keep up with it, and after years and years of being absolutely devestated by that number on the scale, it is hard not to slip back into old thoughts. Motivation is THE hardest thing, and I think you have picked up on a really key point here, and one that I feel we may all have struggled with - why is it that the things that "should" motivate us to lose weight, do the opposite? I always found that this related directly to my emotional eating. I also never try clothes on in-store, and on the rare occasion that I did, and it didn't fit, I'd be in meltdown mode, and I'd seek food as a comfort. I don't think it is ridiculous lovely, I think it is a lot harder than just: "I know I should do something about this, so just do it". It runs deeper than that, and it is why so many of us struggle with losing weight without surgical intervention. Please give yourself some grace, and know that you are doing all you can for yourself, no matter the pace you are at. You have got this ❤️

Thank you for posting this! This is very timely for me because I've just gotten back from vacation and am struggling. The kids are off school and underfoot. The house is a mess with things to be washed and put away from vacation. My routine is off and I'm not getting enough sleep. The fridge was empty when I got home and I lacked the energy to meal plan, so I now have a fridge of random food I picked up and hope I can turn into meals. We came home with way too many snack foods and sweets and now that they're in the house, the temptation is at an all-time high and my motivation to follow the rules and do what I know I need to do is feeling very low.

I definitely should be sleeping lol I have to get up at 5:30 for work and it's now 3:40am. Ugh... WHY do I do this to myself??? So many think that the prep before the surgery, and the recovery from the surgery, and the first 6 weeks post-surgery is the hard part. Then they can just go back to eating what they want, just in smaller portions. They don't really make any changes, unless their taste buds change or they develop any food allergies. And they don't incorporate much in the way of exercise because they just think the surgery and eating way smaller amounts will be enough. And a few years down the road, AFTER the work has been done and you're maintaining your goal weight for a few years, that might very well be the case for SOME (not all) people. I've even seen it on here. But that is most DEFINITELY not the case the first year, or sometimes (in my case, for example) not even the first 2 years (although I choose not to even try, personally. I like how I eat, live, look, and feel and it's not worth it to incorporate any of the bad foods I use to eat back into my diet "just because I can"). The first year or 2 is really for doing the work, and many don't realize how much goes into that. Like you said, reading it and living it are 2 very different things. The work still has to be done, but giving yourself grace in understanding why there's such a struggle with it can go a long way in helping deal with it and move on from it.

@ShoppGirl I am with you on the freezing side - I am far too unorganised to try and keep on top of all of that! I find that if I have any leftovers I will just take it into work the next day for lunch! Oooh that sounds so lovely, I can't lie, the food in the US sounds amazing compared to the UK at times 😂 I am a BIG fan of salmon with that being said haha. Your menu honestly sounds divine! Hmmm...I am inspired!

Sometimes we have the best ideas at 3am 🤣 Very much the case - I know I am guilty of not realising just how much work goes into this post-surgery, even with being well informed. There is a difference between reading about it, and living it! It is so strange to me now to look back on how I was, even though I am not too far out yet - I was binge eating on a massive scale, and my weight was just rising so quickly. I think back to that little 12 year old girl I used to be, who struggled with her weight back then, and I genuinely feel grief for her. This surgery has given me the ability to not be controlled by food - yes, it is still important, but I don't think about it 24/7, I don't have to crave sugar and I feel so much better already. And you guys on this site have all contributed to me just biting the bullet and going for it with the surgery!