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Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I actually don't enjoy walking outside. I don't handle the temperature fluctuations or humidity well. There are a lot of roads in my area without sidewalks and there are times I think drivers AIM for pedestrians! My coworker was recently hit by a car and is now nursing a broken ankle. I do have a treadmill but can't seem to make myself use it. I do park farther away when I go out and I rarely go anyplace that has an escalator or elevator so it's pretty much always taking the stairs. I walk the stairs in my home quite frequently with my office being in the basement. I have searched YouTube for exercises and not found anything yet that I even remotely enjoyed which is why I was hoping for specific suggestions. Dance type exercise just makes me self-conscious (even if I'm alone) and frustrated because I quite literally trip over my own feet. I have also checked around for a pool with a pay-per-use option and the only one near me is only available to members at $70 per month. Even if I used it every day, that's not feasible for my budget. I had really hoped that I would be able to find one because water aerobics was one thing I did enjoy. Guess I'll just have to keep looking and hoping to find SOMETHING.

I used to hate seafood other than salmon, butterfish and shrimp. Scallops had to be wrapped in bacon, lobster was just an excuse to eat something slathered in salty garlic butter for me -- and even shrimp, if it wasn't sauteed in that same salty garlicky butter or smothered in shrimp sauce, I just couldn't do it. But now I'm actively enjoying the flavours of various seafood items all on their own. I barely glance at most soy sauces if I go out for sashimi/sushi -- and I'm enjoying a far more varieties of fish and seafood than I used to. I don't know how much of this is the taste-bud change post-op, or just breaking old habits long enough to get the full experience of other flavours -- but I'm loving it. (I also crave fish much more often than any red meat or poultry. I'll eat the other proteins, but when I'm sitting at work in the morning it's the "Oooooh, I should call the fam and get someone to take the frozen cod out to thaw" and never "shoot, I forgot to the steak.") Summer-wise, I always seem to just want cold juicy fruits and veg. I could live on cold green grapes if they weren't so bad for my diabetes. My neighbour brought over a huge stash of snap peas and celery from her son's farm, so there's been a lot of crunchy raw peas in my life this week.

Which do you prefer for your protein? Meat? or plant base foods?

I had my gastric sleeve surgery on 5/28/24 and everything went smoothly. I was discharged the next day on a stage 2 diet (protein) and did many walks around the hospital. No pain, no nausea, and no vomiting. However, since I have been home, I have fallen off my bed four times because there is no comfortable sleeping position. I am a side sleeper normally and, on my back, I just cannot breathe I have some sleep apnea. If I do not take the liquid Tylenol I am in such pain. My elderly mom is helping me out, but it's been rough. I am not meeting my protein goals and or water intake goals. I do the best I can. I am sometimes starving and sometimes not hungry at all. My taste buds are all off protein shakes and vitamins and things that I loved that I purchased before surgery are gross. I might be in love with this broth soup today and tomorrow the same broth soup is the worst I ever had in my life. I cannot tolerate or smell my bariatric vitamins and I am concerned. Is this all normal? has this happened to anyone? I spoke to my surgeon's office, and they were not concerned they were just like do your best! As long as you are not vomiting or have a fever you are good. huh? I feel malnourished.

It’s been a really frustrating week. It took me right back to the feelings I had when trying yet another weight loss regime and getting nowhere 😡 I have been trying new things this week plus sticking to my eating plan. However my weight has been all over the place, even though my calories have averaged 1400 per day, my protein intake around 100g and my carbs between 100 - 140g. I’d forgotten a couple of basic things - my body doesn’t do well losing weight when I’m throwing down a handful of pain killers 3 times a day and I didn’t check my salt intake. I retain water like mad when I have high salt foods which a couple of the new things I’d tried this week had (looking at you low fat sausages 👀) But, lesson learned with that, especially as I had bookmarked these sausages when I had to complete the liver reduction diet (allowed on my NHS trusts plan) Better to know now and not later when I know it would have sent my in to a proper flap! Overall, a whole 1lb down this week. Not a roaring success by any means but I did stick to plan and I didn’t fall headfirst into things I shouldn’t! Plus I am at a lower weight now than my initial reported weight to the clinic by the GP so that’s a positive 😊 Onwards and Downwards!

Is anyone experiencing an intense hunger that feels very physical and very intense as if it may be Leptin levels are low or something hormonal. I explored with anti acids to see if it was a feeling from the mild GETD that I have experienced, drink plenty of water, eat adequate protein and fiber, small frequent meals. NOTHING IS WORKING… and I keep eating as it feels like hunger… strong hunger, but that does not alleviate either! HELP! 3 years post sleeve gastrectomy.

I guess I can say since I had gastric bypass on May 14th peanut butter has been a favorite protein and fat that I've added back into my diet but I'm allowed it. Though I don't eat the same as most people I only do fresh ground or richards brand which only has peanuts and salt no sugar or other ingredients so it doesn't taste the same as like jif or Skippy and such

For me, I live on 1100 - 1200 calories on non work out days and 1300-1400 on workout days. On my weight training day, I tend to go up to 1500 calories. I work out 5 days per week. I also have 2 rest days. My protein, fluid intake, carbs, healthy fats, and calories are all higher on workout days, but I still can't get anywhere NEAR 2100 per day. 1500 is really pushing it, but I only do heavy weight training once per week, so it's ok. For quite a while, my calories on non workout days were 800-900 or so and workout days were 1100-1300, depending on what workouts I was doing that day. As time has gone on, my calorie and food intake has increased, but I still stick to the rule that I eat until I'm not hungry anymore, not until I'm stuffed. It's normal for our stomachs to hold a little more and our calories to increase as time goes by. What's important is to be selective with where those calories and carbs come from, not to overeat, and to be mindful of moving your body and getting in enough fluids.

Hello! First time in this forum, so glad I found it! I am scheduled for gastric sleeve surgery on June 14, and am finishing day 3 of the liquid protein diet. So far, so good - tbh, I’m amazed at the energy I have. Altho talk to me on day 6 or 7 and I might change my tune lol

It was a mix of everything for me - holiday last year where I could barely move due to ridiculous pains in my knees that wouldn’t stop. I thought it was a Rheumatoid Arthritis flare initially but nope, just Osteoarthritis because I’m fat. I was so miserable. The holiday was ruined and hubby was really worried. Had physio and steroid injections when we got back home but nothing worked. I was 55 but felt 85. It felt like I had nothing to look forward to, life seemed very small as I didn’t leave the house. Pain is constant, nothing touches it, sleep is continually disturbed and I just felt unhappy generally. I wasn’t depressed but it was a very fine line I was walking, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to tip me over into depression. I’ve always been able to see the positives in pretty much any situation but I couldn’t this time. Hubby has his own mobility problems due to nerve damage in his lower back from an op that went wrong, and all that kept going through my head was how were we going to manage with everything? I was the one who had kept everything ticking over but I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated my body, never let hubby see me naked, couldn’t play with my granddaughter, clothes were chosen just because they fit not because I actually liked them etc etc. I spoke to a female GP about HRT as I had just started it but had to change how I took it because of my weight. I was having a major panic because HRT was the only thing stopping me from acting like a crazed homicidal manic! My GP was fantastic, I actually felt listened to for the first time. It was then that I asked about what I could so about my weight as I’d had enough and nothing was working. Every time I dieted, I put it all back plus more. I’d had Orlistat that didn’t work and had looked at the jabs but couldn’t afford £250 a month. My GP didn’t hesitate and talked me through my options, saying she would support me. She referred me that week and, after a bit of hoop-jumping, I’m now on the WLS pathway. I already feel better about things and I’m excited for the future 😊

(Oh, here’s Week Two’s Spreadsheet. I didn’t attach it.) Week Two, you’ll still be focusing on the THREE things: Water, Protein, and Movement. This week, don’t focus on using the soups and yogurts and such to get all your food. Think of the food items as practice for your stomach, not so much as getting ALL your nutritional needs. It won’t happen, you can’t meet your needs with soup, yogurt, and pudding! Haha! You’ll be relying heavily on your protein shakes here, still. Your surgeon will probably give you the green light for your multivitamin and calcium supplementation. One note, every new food I tried, I was a little scared, just because I didn’t know how my body would react and I didn’t want to hurt myself. As it turned out, everything I’ve tried has been perfectly fine and I haven’t had a single issue. Try new things ONE at a time and take it easy. Eat slowly. Put your food/spoon DOWN between bites. Buy some baby spoons (they have stainless steel ones on Amazon!). Only stick to the diet your surgeon gives you - NO DIVERTING! You’ll only shortchange yourself, whether anybody finds out, or not. And worse case scenario, something happens to you because of diverting.

I think in the last 2 years I talked to my nutritionist 3 times. And that was because I had to. It was included with the surgeries and she worked in my surgeon's office. She's nice and helped me come up with some cool recipes, but that's really it. I stayed mostly within the surgeon's dietary recommendations, but as time went on, I learned what my body likes and dislikes. For example, I'm extremely sensitive to carbs but not at all to sugar. I still stay away from sugar for the most part, but I'm not afraid of it like I was. I won't turn something away if it has sugar, but I typically go sugar free as much as I can. As for carbs, I use to do keto, so I was ok with low carb meals (I would have maybe 60-80 carbs per day). Now, though, I can't have more than 25 without feeling sick. On heavy workout days, I tend to go higher (45-50) but I pay for it because, again, I'm SUPER sensitive to them now. I respond well to high protein, moderate healthy fats, and high fiber foods. I'd say just do what you're doing, ignore the nutritionist, and keep kicking ass and taking names. You're doing AWESOME, so don't worry about the rest of it.

Yeah I have a bunch of unflavored collagen powders that are good, I just cant count collagen protein towards total protein according to my plan since its not a complete protein. I still use it because its good for the body but it doesn’t count for me🤷🏻‍♀️

First meal of the day (at 12:30 PM) and also post pilates meal. a slice of low carb protein toast, low fat cottage cheese, avocado, pickled onions, pickled serano peppers, chili flakes and sea salt. Ate half and felt too full.

I’m meat all the way. Big carnivore. Big dairy eater. (Not eggs over the last year as my tummy decided it now doesn’t like eggs for some reason). Though at times I supplement meat with plant based proteins like lentils or beans. Like I’m making chicken soup tomorrow & I’ll add lentils to boost the protein content. One issue I have with plant protein (specifically the faux meat) is it’s a processed food. So I’d rather eat real beef, chicken, lamb, etc. than a plant based version. I have tried a couple of vegan dairy options but there’s something about the taste & texture though it could just be me 🙂. We all find what works best for us in regards to food choices & nutrient sources & that’s the most important thing. It may be all plant or all animal or a mix of both. Any way is good.

Hi 👋 I’m just starting my journey too! My appointments are over the next couple of months but no indication of when I could expect surgery. It could be up to a year apparently but I’m hoping that everything is straightforward with the appointments and tests so there’s no delays (and therefore my surgery is sooner 🤞) Where are you based? I’m UK 😊 I’ve been reading everything I can, downloading bariatric recipe books, ordered a couple of bariatric plates (advised by dietitian for portion control) plus measuring cups and spoons to make weighing a bit simpler. I’ve started to eat a more protein-based diet and I’m learning to slow down my eating (20 mins) so I’m not overwhelmed when I have to start the liver control diet and then surgery! Good luck with your journey, hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Week One: Clear Liquids & Protein Shakes Week Two: Full Liquids Weeks Three & Four: Soft Foods Weeks Five & Six: Modified Regular Diet (soft regular foods & soft carbs, if you choose to eat them) Week Seven: Soft fruits w/o skin, ground meat, and moist chicken/turkey Week Eight: Raw & Crunchy fruits/veggies with skin, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit Week 12: Dense meat (like steak), and caffeine and alcohol (if you choose to partake)

Did you ever have your procedure? If so, how did it go? I never knew there was a revision for the bypass. I had a revision from the sleeve to the bypass, so it's nice to know if I ever need another revision down the line, there's an option.

Hi everyone, how are y'all getting with your post op diets, exercise and wellbeing? Here's my experience so far after getting the Gastric Sleeve procedure on 13th June 2024... Immediately after surgery It was pretty rough for me, I woke up in a lot of pain, so much so that the nurses had to give me 30mg morphine for the pain. I was in a recovery room for the first 24 hours (standard procedure for the private hospital in the UK i went through) After the initial 24hrs I was moved back to my room where I felt a lot better. Even able to eat an ice pop and a small cup of tomato soup (sipping of course) and sipping water every 5-10 mins. Week 1-2 I quickly moved onto the liquids phase, in which I must have taken in around 2-300 cals per day through protein shakes and watery soups. I must admin this phase was the hardest for me, managing the pain meds as well as trying to drink as much liquids as I could in a day. It just so happened there was an international football (soccer) tournament on in Europe in my first 2 weeks' recovery so was engrossed in that! I also started walking 1 mile per day and upping that to almost 2 miles by the end of it. My weight loss was drastic in this phase but my word I was lethargic/got tired v easily and not up for doing much. Week 3-4 Puree stage - finally I felt I was able to get some proper food in me, and a few days after starting this phase, my weight slowed right down - the dreaded (but expected) 3 week plateau kicked in. I went around a week and a bit without any weight loss, despite me sticking to the recommended diet. I am not going to sugar coat this, it was a bit disappointing standing on those scales after a week, but I knew this would happen so meh I guess. Still walking 2 miles per day during this phase and now feeling I have a lot more energy. Week 5-6 Week 5 started with me starting to lose a pound every 2 days or so, so my body seems like it has adjusted to the inro of more foods for the 'soft foods' stage. I also started back at the gym doing some cardio work on top of my walks, and oh boy I have so much more energy for it! I am now around half way through week 6 and had my first appointment with my nutritionist and he is blown away by the progress I have made/am making. He gave me further chewing tips to make sure I am not overeating as I have been sick a couple of times when I've eaten too quickly and not realised I'm full/satisfied. He is now happy for me to start introducing more fibred meats and more complex foods, like a little pasta and a little bit of rice, to test the waters. Struggles so far: Reminding myself I have a new stomach not eating what family members are eating e.g. Sunday Dinner Eating too fast resulting in vomiting Extra attention from people who have noticed a loss in weight (47lbs and counting since pre-op liver diet). Since I've been overweight most of my adult life, I carried a lot of shame internally, so its in my nature not to talk about myself/get photos taken etc Wins so far Losing a lot of weight and all the benefits that go with it. Being more present with my family. Having the energy to do everything they want to do (I have a wife and 2 kids, girl 11, boy 7) Clothes! I have dropped from XXXL to XL already. Which was a surprise when I packed to go to a 5 day getaway with my fam in week 5 Mental health - the mental benefits come as such a relief. I no longer feel down about my weight (although I know I still have a ways to go) Confidence - generally just feel I can be more myself - hopefully some here will resonate with this. be great to hear of your journey so far, so let's have it folks, we're all in this together

Thank you so much for mentioning this podcast. I had to go to town to have blood drawn this morning, and I started listening to them. I started with the finale, and oh my gosh, they made me cry. When one talks about the best part of the journey so far and describes the thoughts she had as an obese person. I just lost it. I'll be 69 years old next week, and when I think about the hours of my life lost in "obese thoughts," it really hurts. Things like "Am I the largest woman in the room?" "What will the poor person next to me on the airplane think?" "Will I be able to sit at all comfortably in that chair?" "Will I break that plastic chair?" "Do I have to find sturdier beach chairs?" "What are they thinking of me?" etc... the thoughts have been never-ending and all-consuming at times. I'm going to go back and listen to more of their podcasts. Thanks again! @NickelChip Yay on the weight coming off again! So exciting, I'm really happy for you. I can understand the not being interested in food. There are times I even dread it. I try to shop for things that I like and they sound good in the store, but when it comes time to eat, I'm usually apathetic about it. Good luck with your vacation. I found some protein bars I like, but they will melt sadly. In case you haven't tried them, they are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4V2ML1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Isopure is nasty it does taste and smell like baby formula! And super expensive. I looked at some protein shots but there were so many that were collagen based protein and since its not a complete protein I just gave up looking. A truly flavorless protein would be great

Ok, so a couple of things. First, let's look at things a little differently when it comes to that pound you lost. You LOST A POUND!!! Which means you DIDN'T GAIN A POUND!!!! WooHoo!!!! Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that ANY loss is still a success. Some weeks will be better than others. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, you know where you went wrong with the foods you ate, you know you retain water when you have too much salt, so now you know what to avoid. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by trial and error. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new foods. Just read the labels carefully and make adjustments accordingly to how much of that food you eat and what you eat the rest of the day to compensate for it. Finally, if I were to make a suggestion, I might say to lower your carbs a bit. That seems like a pretty high amount, and unless you're carb loading for intense workouts, I don't think you need to be over 100 carbs per day. PERSONALLY for me, I never go over 50, and that's on weight training days. But again, that's me. It just works out the best for my body. But I, too, had to experiment until I found the sweet spot for my body in regards to calories, carbs, healthy fats, protein. All in all, give yourself some grace, take note of what your body did and didn't do this week, and make changes as needed. You're still doing great, and you'll get to where you want to be. Don't worry about that.

Congratulations! I'm almost 4 months post-op from gastric bypass and my advice is to watch every video from Dr. Matthew Weiner (Pound of Cure Weight Loss) and Dr. John Pilcher on YouTube. These were by far the best resources I found, and I go back and watch many of them (especially Dr. Weiner's, and also his new podcast) all the time even now. Especially the ones on how to build lifelong behaviors to keep the weight off. One thing I did early on, right after my first bariatric appointment where I weighed in at my highest weight ever (yikes!) was order Dr. Weiner's books. There's The Pound of Cure, which gives a detailed, step by step way to make healthy changes to your diet, plus a second book explaining how bariatric surgery really works and then his bariatric cookbook (I also really like Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy by Kristin Willard). I made several of the changes recommended by the Pound of Cure (I didn't start with the 2-week diet, just started implementing changes I thought I could manage) and over time I lost about 12 pounds, plus just felt healthier and more in control of what I was eating. One other piece of advice: don't over-buy protein supplements. So many people on this board will tell you this, and I did not heed the advice. Now my cupboard is full of protein supplements I stopped liking after surgery and will never use. I've barely needed supplements after the first month or so, honestly. I feel guilty at how much money I spent on them, but I will likely end up throwing them all away (most are opened so can't be donated). If you want to stock up on anything, an unflavored protein powder is much more likely to be useful to you in the long run than the flavored shakes. But if you're buying flavored ones, consider trying a soup flavored one because the sweet ones get old really fast, even pre-surgery. Oh, and take "before" photos! I know taking photos can be so uncomfortable, but you will want them. Choose something very form fitting to start. I went with a pair of exercise leggings and a tank top that was so tight it was like skin. I took photos about a week after my first appointment, so around my highest weight, and then on the day before surgery and at each month-marker thereafter. So far, I've worn the same clothing each time, although I may need to change that as it becomes too baggy to show the progress clearly. Take your measurements the same day you take your photos. You may struggle to see (or refuse to believe) the changes in yourself, but the photos and measurements don't lie. Even if it's painful to see the photos now, you will be so grateful to have them later. I was in shock and wanted to cry when I truly looked at my highest weight photos, but I'm so glad I took them.

I'm right at 5 months, and over the past few weeks, it has become HARD. In the beginning, I was dropping weight, had zero interest in food, and was totally motivated. But since the beginning of July, I've lost a pound. Actually, I've lost and gained and lost and gained that one pound multiple times. I've started feeling hungry sometimes again, and that's triggering all sorts of bad behaviors like getting up when I'm trying to avoid work (I work from home) and looking in the cupboard for a snack, not to mention craving sweets. It's been a constant fight. Not getting that reward of watching the scale dropping all the time kind of saps the motivation, I think. And the novelty wears off and you start to realize that you're in this for the long haul and maybe you start to rebel a little. You're not alone. You say you're afraid of being judged, but you are judging yourself every time you do things you know you shouldn't do. You said it yourself. You're disgusted by what you're doing, but there's a reason you're doing it, and figuring that out is going to be the key to stopping it and changing. I feel like there is probably a voice you hear in the back of your head telling you that you can't do this. Maybe there's literally someone saying it to you in your life, but most likely it's a voice in your head from a long time ago, one that sounds like you but probably was someone else when you first heard it. For me, it's my grandmother, and to some extent my dad. Never happy, never praising. Expecting perfection and scolding "for your own good" over every little thing. Ridiculing my weight despite being overweight themselves, but also overfeeding me because that's what they knew. Food was the enemy, but also a reward from emotionally stunted caregivers who had no other way to show affection. When you can never fully meet expectations at a young age, you learn quickly that you will always fail. That may be the role you've played in your family. Maybe it's everything, or maybe just one thing, like being overweight. And when you start to succeed, it feels frightening because it challenges everything you have been taught to believe about yourself. If you're not "the fat friend", who are you? Or maybe being "the fat daughter" kept a jealous family member happy because you weren't "competition" that way. There are so many reasons we get into these patterns. But the point is, the patterns feel normal and safe. So you make sure you don't succeed and change too much or for too long. You're used to being disappointing to yourself. You can live with that. But admitting you're capable of succeeding and changing is really scary. Allowing yourself to challenge the roles other people want you to fulfill is the hardest thing you can do. At least that's my experience. As for how to change, my first suggestion is talk to your team. That's why they're there, and they know what's going on because they've seen it before. Face it head on. Nothing they say is going to be any worse than what you are saying, and doing, to yourself. If you can get set up with a therapist, even better. Second, get every source of temptation out of the house. The alcohol. The junk food. Whatever is making you stumble, get rid of it. Do your shopping online from now on, or curbside pickup because it is way easier not to give into temptation that way. You can't binge on what you don't have. But skip the gym. It's really only about 10% of your success, anyway. Focus on water, protein, and vitamins. You don't need the false guilt of the gym to make everything worse. And third, get help from people you trust who are close to you if you can. Accountability is key. If going out to eat is an issue, tell your friends or family that you need their help not letting you go out to eat. Explain why you can't be around snacks, or why you won't be ordering alcohol, and ask for their help. If you trust even one person in your life to tell what is really going on, tell them. You need another voice cheering you on instead of just your own head bringing you down. Bottom line, something about what you are doing right now feels comfortable to you. It's a pattern that you can live with, even if you hate it. Something about what you were doing when you were following the rules was making you uncomfortable. Figure out what and why. You can't change your habits until you change that voice in your head, and until you can love yourself and cheer yourself on instead of being your own worst judge. But you have to believe you're worth it and be willing to do things that scare you in order to get past this fog and get to where you want to be.