Search the Community

Not everyone is given calorie goals. I wasn’t. There are some discussions about calories & a push to concentrate more on the quality of food you are eating. 500 calories is 500 calories regardless of wherever it’s a meal of steamed fish & vegetables or a burger & fries. However the nutrient difference is significant. However, if you would feel more comfortable with some caloric guidelines for as you progress, you have every right to ask for them. Beware though you may not be able to meet the caloric goals for a while & that’s okay. As long as you’re hitting those protein & fluid goals & slowly incorporating some vegetables you’ll be fine. I was given portion size guidelines: 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup from purée slowly increasing to a cup at 6 months slowly increasing again to be about accepted recommended portion sizes. So for example 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables which is where you likely will be around maintenance. Your advice may be different but our needs are likely different too. But it may be a starting point until you get a more definitive response from your dietician. PS Congratulations on your surgery.

Hi all, I am 3 weeks post-op, and I don’t have any calorie guides from my nutritionist. She only focuses on protein intake and low carb options. In the past I have used calories as my main indicator and am struggling a little with diet conceptions now and after the transition periods without them. I have a goal of 60 g of protein a day and 1-1.5 l of liquids for hydration. I was just wondering if anyone has daily calorie guidelines that they can share?? Tia!

This is something that never stops. You have to watch what you eat, how much you eat, how often you eat. You have to move your body more. Prioritize protein first, then veggies, then carbs, then healthy fats. Fluid intake never stops. You have to get 64oz at least. Avoid the slider foods, avoid grazing. Cut the salt. And switch to sugar free and no sugar added sweets if you really can't stay away from them (I have never been a big sweets person. I'm not even a huge fan of chocolate). This is something I would thing your surgeon and nutritionist would have gone over with you before you had the surgery. This isn't a magic cure all. It's a tool to use to get your weight and health where it needs to be.

You have to get back to basics. Remember why you did the surgery and go from there. Are you moving your body and exercising? How much are you eating and how often? If you're having coffees, have them plain black with the ready made protein shakes added in. You always want to prioritize protein, then veggies, then carbs, then healthy fats. Fluid intake is an absolute MUST. Since caffeine dehydrates you, you need to increase your other fluids to compensate for it. Watch your grazing and slider foods, salt and sugar intake, and watch the bad carb intake (you don't have to completely eliminate them but definitely limit them).

As you know, I had the sleeve to bypass revision. They do make your pouch a little smaller, but it will stretch out a little as time goes on. I noticed I have more of a hard stop with the bypass versus the sleeve, and I definitely have to make sure I chew thoroughly and eat slowly way more with the bypass. You can lose weight with a revision, but not nearly as much and not nearly as fast as with the original surgery. You also have to take accountability for what you eat and how much. If you're eating slider foods and stuff not compliant with your diet, if you're grazing all through the day, if you're not watching your salt, sugar, protein, carb, and fluid intake.....no surgery is going to fix the problem.

A bariatric therapist is absolutely worth any time and money invested. Also reach out to the nutritionist at your surgeon's office. Make sure you move your body everyday. Prioritize protein and fluids (try limiting slider foods and junk as much as possible). If you must snack (beyond the allotted ones in the diet your nutritionist gave you) make sure they are healthy but tasty. Look at the calories you're burning vs consuming. Watch your carbs and fats. Watch how much sugar and salt you consume. It's really all about getting back to basics. And there's no easy way to change your mindset, you kind of just have to really want the results more than you want to undo the progress you made. Then you have to retrain your brain.

@Noelle74 What an amazing transformation! You look terrific! @RonHall908 That's good info about the protein after workout. Not that I exercise hard enough to need to worry about it, but if I ever decide to... @BlueParis Amazing cliff hike! I'm jealous of the beach time, although it's finally warming up this week so I guess summer really is around the corner @gracesmommy2 I have a feeling the hair loss will be coming for me, too. Mine is so thin, and I remember it being shocking a few months after having my kids that it would come out in handfuls. I actually bought a bunch of headbands recently to help hide it if it thins. I'm heading to my annual physical today and my 3-month appointment tomorrow. Looking forward to what the doctor has to say about progress and any changes I should make. I weighed in at 200.6 lbs today. Will I ever get below 200?!?!? I swear this is the hardest milestone. I hit 201 lbs 13 days ago and was so certain I would be under 200 by now.

I have a sleeve and as the others have said, yes, you will be able to eat a larger portion than what you do after surgery but that’s what’s supposed to happen. It’s how we are able to consume the calories & nutrients we need to maintain our lower weight. However, the larger portion is more like what a recommended portion size is nothing like you may have eaten before surgery. You’ll be looking at about 3-4ozs of a protein & around a cup of vegetables. You’ll be able to eat a lot of the same foods & old favourites as you used to. The difference is how frequently you have them & how much you eat when you do. You may even make healthier choices around the ingredients or cooking methods. Like instead of battered or crumbed fish & chips you have grilled fish & salad or air fried or baked vegetable chips, Instead of a burger on a bun have a bun less burger or a lettuce wrapped one or just eat half of the bun. There aren’t foods I can’t eat just foods I choose not to, choose to eat small portions of or eat infrequently & I feel better for it. Your stomach is a muscle and there is the potential to stretch it again but you’d have make a concentrated effort & eat large portions, many times a day over a long period of time like you did in the first place. It’s not easy & can cause a lot of discomfort (even vomit) to force yourself to eat that volume of food. Why would you want to though? Second the advice to watch the videos of Matt Weiner & John Pilcher.

The exercise specialist said to eat something 20-30 minutes before a workout. I started a serving greek yogurt with PBfit2 chocolate and one scoop of protein as the pre workout snack. After a workout I just drink a premade protein shake. She explained by getting protein in post workout it will keep your body from using muscle as fuel, it will use the protein you take in. As I continue to workout, I'll snack before and after my workouts. I've been going a little longer with my cardio. 45 minutes to an hour on a stationary bike. Nothing to crazy, I try to keep my heart rate in the 90's.

Hi, all. I am just over a month out and losing okay. I've lost 27 pounds. I'm having trouble advancing to the soft foods, in particular meats. I must have a repeat upper GI and possible endoscopy to see what could be going on. My doctor said he's worried about either an esophageal stricture at the stomach or an ulceration. Fun times. I'm sooo tired of protein shakes! I guess that shakes in some quantity will be a part of my life for a while though. I'm so glad to hear that you, Pamela and Lorna Nicole are doing well.

I’ve managed to move the scale about 3lbs this week. Not much but since it wasn’t moving at all I’ll take it. I am down several Jean sizes though and the other day I put a shirt on that looked ridiculous it was so big. My hair has started shedding pretty bad so I’m really watching my protein intake and not missing any vitamins. Hoping it slows down soon before it becomes noticeable. It’s usually pretty thick so I have a little to spare. I think maybe I’ve managed to get rid of a chin or two also lol. Here’s a current picture I don’t have many from right before surgery but the one where I look like I might pop is at my granddaughters birthday present last July courtesy of my daughter 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

After 3 weeks of weight stall the scale finally moved some. I think the exercise specialist pointed out a flaw. I would eat something 2 hours before working out, she told me to eat something with a good protein and carb mix 20-30 minutes before my workout. also told me to drink a protein shake after the workout. I've done that the past two weeks. After a 3 week stall I'm not certain if it was that little change or the fact that it was going to have to move anyway. But, at least it moved. Hope everyone else has some scale or non-scale victories.

New here! I wish i found this community sooner, but I'm glad to be here now. My Sleeve surgery was March 19th. Currently 2 months PO. I am still struggling with my liquid intake, averaging about 32-40oz daily (on a good day). I saw someone mentioned protein waters - ordered! (Thanks for that). I've been drinking Liquid IV which has been helping with my Dehydration, but I've been scared of going into ketosis 😫. Hair loss - no thanks! Finally can handle Fairlife shakes, but that's also been rough at times, watering them down has helped. Eating is better, not as painful. 38lbs down✨️🥰

I got a Ninja Creami in December and now I eat delicious, low-calorie ice cream every single day! A lot of people use protein shakes to make protein ice cream with the Creami, but I get enough protein from other food, so I focus on low-calorie. If you’re an ice cream lover, the Creami is worth its weight in gold.

Snack: I don’t usually snack but I barely had lunch and was ravenous. A mini slice of multigrain sourdough, smashed avocado, spicy pickled onions, crumbled feta cheese and red pepper flakes. Ate most of it, it’s quite fascinating how much more I can eat when there’s minimal protein in what I’m having. Around 180 calories. Oh and it’s my first time having regular carb loaded bread post op.

Hydration and protein are absolutely key right now. I hate plain water, so I get the sugar free flavored water powders to add to them. I also love Propel electrolyte water (my favorite flavors are watermelon, mango, and pineapple peach), I drink protein gatorade zero, and I love the Premier and Fairlife protein shakes (not the chocolate, but I do like the other flavors). I hated the broth, too, but when I absolutely HAD to have it, I made sure it was bone broth versus regular broth, so I was getting more protein.

Really interesting to read about the “starting weight”. I booked my surgery on January 30th and was 96kg (my highest ever weight - stepping on the scales and seeing I was closer to 100 that to 90 was a real shock - I dug out some insurance papers from February 2020 - I was 58kg then and allready heavier than I like to be). My surgery was 3 weeks later because I had to stop smoking first. The day of surgery I was 91.1kg so I lost 5.9kg in the three weeks prior ( I basically did a broth fast and didn’t eat anything solid, only clear broth and tea and coffee). Im now 70kg so since January 30th I’ve lost 26kg (57lbs) in 16 weeks (average of 1.6kg or 3.6lbs a week) so I’m very very happy with the weight loss even if I’m over the weather! I do have a goal weight which is my pre pandemic weight of 52-55kg (114-122 lbs) because I know that that is the weight at which I function best and that feels the best for my legs ( I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have very minor cerebral palsy - I have the impression that the extra pain I have for every gram I weigh over 55kg just isn’t worth it and really impacts my standard of living and my mobility. Because of the CP I have very minimal flexibility so being even slightly over weight just makes moving so so much harder for me as I can barely bend my knees as it is and have no upwards ankle flexibility what so ever. I’m easily out of balance and I fall over often ( the best way to picture it is to imagine the mobility of someone who has had about 3 beers too many), I’m used to it and my physiotherapist always says I’m a very good « faller », a part from bruises and a bruised ego I’ve only ever seriously broken things ( shoulder, wrist and double arm fracture all in one go!) once since being an adult. But being heavier has meant having more issues getting back up after falling over and more and bigger bruises. So my goal isn’t an esthetic one ( even though it will be nice to not be the fattest person in the room anymore - and because I live in Paris where the average female BMI is 21.3 the bar is low!) but a functional one. So I have 15kg (33lbs) left to loose, I know the rate of loss will slow, but I’m hoping to be at least nearly there in September when I take a new position, I really want to do my transition speech feeling ( and looking) like my old self ( just with some extra wrinkles and grey hair). My handover is September 16th - that leaves 17 weeks so I’m not sure I’ll be at 55kg by then because it would mean continuing to loose an average of 0.9kg ( 1.95lbs) a week which is a lot given my current weight. However if I manage to loose an average of 0.5kg (1.1lbs) per week ( which seems a more attainable bar) I should be 61/62kg by then, and I can live with that! ( I’m an unapologetic numbers girl - I don’t track what I eat because that’s not sustainable for me long term - I try to eat protein but other than that - YOLO - but I do track my weight every day if I have a scale and my steps and my activity) A very long post once again. Thanks all for being here. And here is a picture of a Greek island morning! That’s the 9.30AM light!

Yasso bars are really good, with a little protein boost and the benefit of a single-serving portion size for control. I also love making "nice cream" using frozen fruit and a Yonana machine. So amazing! You don't even have to use bananas (I'm not a huge fan). I have done just frozen mango, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, you name it. My kids love it too. I buy the big bags of frozen fruit and it's a huge treat all summer that I feel good about. But I have also had a few bites of real ice cream as it is now ice cream season in New England and our dairies have the most amazing choices and quality ingredients. But it's very rich, so I can only eat a small bit at a time. I don't keep ice cream in the house (store bought doesn't compare, anyway), so I have to go out for it, and I won't order my own but always share with a friend so I can just have a few bites. My feeling is you need to find a balance between health and happiness, so I don't think any food is off limits forever. You just have to be sensible and listen to your body to find the right balance.

Protein water is really nice, or drinkable yogurts, Fairlife milk mixed with some decaf coffee, or something like sugar free pudding mix in a favorite flavor made with Fairlife milk. Blended cottage cheese if it's allowed (when you put it in the blender, you get rid of the chunks and it turns the consistency of a thick sour cream, so it might be okay). Oh, PB2 peanut butter powder mixed into plain yogurt is also good. The only protein shake I can stand these days is Syntrax Nectar Natural in orange flavor. It reminds me of Tang, sort of, and it looks like orange juice, so I can pretend I'm having an orange juice instead of a shake. All the rest of them are going to be going in the trash soon because after surgery I lost my taste for them completely. But basically, focus your energy on hydration. You're only a week out. If you are low on protein and barely eat anything, it'll sort itself out in the coming weeks. Try your best, but don't worry if you come up short. Your body can handle a few weeks of not getting much nutrition. If you have to choose, choose to hit your fluid goal first and don't force yourself to eat foods if you aren't feeling it. And stop with the broth. Sounds like you don't like it, and it's not required for healing. After buying a ton of really expensive bone broth, I disliked it on its own and never had it at all during the liquid phase. Now I use it to make bean soup.

Have you tried clear protein drinks? They have several brands out there. I liked the premiere protein fruit punch. I suggest trying a larger convenience store to see what they have so you can buy just one of things to try.

Hey Yall. Very very new to this but I need some help. I had gastric sleeve surgery on May 10th. The liquid diet leading up to it, and afterwards was absolutely torture for me (I know it's really hard on everyone) but I could barely get broth down, especially post op. When I say that, I mean the idea of drinking more and more broth, no matter what kind or flavor, made me feel absolutely nauseous. And I literally gagged trying to get it down. Needless to say, I didn't get much broth down, but I tried to stay as consistent as I could with protein shakes, which also had a similar effect on me. So when today came around, I was so excited because finally I could slowly try to incorporate foods that didn't make me want to vomit when I thought about them. I started slow with just a yogurt for breakfast, taking tiny bites, with 2 minutes in between bites. That went down pretty well. For lunch, I tried an applesauce, repeating the same process as with the yogurt. Again, that went down fine. Throughout the day, I also timed taking my vitamins, so as not to push a bunch of pills down my throat at once, I was afraid of the effect it would have on my stomach. My plan for dinner was to have some tomato soup, and maybe even put in a little extra flavorless protein, because I hadn't gotten in as much protein as I should of during the day. But before I could make the soup, I started feeling disgusting. And the thought of eating anything else makes me feel nauseous. But I know if I go back to the clear liquid stage for a bit longer, I'm going to be struggling to get more broth down. I just don't know what to do. I feel like I'm completely undernourishing myself and it would be even worse if I went back to the clear liquid stage. I've talked to my nutritionist about it, and she only told me to try drinking other types of broth. Which I have. I've tried every kind you can think of. And she said if that doesn't work, to try to drink Gatorade zero to at least make sure I'm staying hydrated. I have just reached a point of such regret. I feel like I'm just going to get sick before I can get better. I'm at a point where I would rather live my life the way it was, than to feel like this for months. I know it's too late for that, but man, never let anyone tell you this is the easy way out.

I eat Yasso bars.. I highly recommend them. They're Greek yogurt, decent protein and have 100 calories and taste just like ice cream - mint chip and fudge brownie are delicious. I also have a iCreami and make "ice cream" protein shakes. But if all else fails - fudgcicles at 40 calories low sugar.

I completely understand your frustration, in the last 8 weeks I've lost and regained the same two pounds. I'm 9 months in..so very close to your timeframe. I read in my bariatric clinic handbook to contact the clinic if weight loss stops longer than 4-5 weeks. I have an appointment next week at which time I will be asking for answers. Like you, I am always at a calorie deficit, I watch every single calorie, fat, sugar and carb gram sticking to my 800 calories a day, 80 protein grams, 50 net carbs a day. My labs are "perfect"... So yeah I do understand, I'm sorry you're going through this, especially for longer than I have. What did your doctor recommend/say? As far as being cold, there are numerous posts here on the forum with other WLS patients discussing being cold all the time - do a search to find them. In fact, as I type this I have a heating pad on my back and an electric blanket on in front - its 56°F here too cold!!! Before surgery I would have been fine, I kept my heat on during the winter at 55° and was comfortable where as everyone else was chilly. So, its completely normal. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt in 76° sunshine the other day and was still chilly. So rest assured your being cold is completely normal! Let us know what your doctor said and keep us updated!

I’m 8 day out post op and have lost 20 pounds. It’s incredible, I feel great and I am ready to get back to life. I am also getting tired of protein shakes. I have been having some soup(strained) to help break up some of monotonous of just the protein drinks.

I had my surgery May 14, 2024. I am just trying to get all the water in that I can. It is hard to believe that I got my surgery. It doesn't seem real. Tomorrow, I introduce protein shakes back into my diet. I really hope it goes well.