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I have tons of respect and empathy for those that have went through WLS and had complications. I am not one of them. My procedure, recovery, and stages were textbook. I was very lucky. That doesn't mean that every day was rainbows and puppy dogs, but it was typical. I was sore for days post-surgery, but back to work one week after the procedure. I immediately began to force myself to walk after the surgery. Short distances, then adding more as I started to feel better. March of 2023 my steps were 48299. August of 2024 my steps were 206084. Not going to break any records, but a nice improvement for me. To this point being active with life has been my only real exercise, so it is definitely an opportunity for me in the future to develop a better gym routine. I struggled with fluids and protein for months. Slowly, focusing on it and sticking to the plan I eventually got there. I never let it worry me, and just let me body adjust. I am not a scale watcher, so that was never a problem for me. At checkups I got weight updates, so I was never stressed about the scale. Now I weigh weekly, to make sure than I not gaining. I have had all the NSV that many have seen and shared. Less pain in my knees is my personal favorite NSV. I have arthritic knees, so they will never be great, but the less weight has helped a lot. Honestly, some of my NSV's also came along with some shame, that I had let myself get so big that these were NSV's, if that makes any sense. My worst times since the procedure were dealing with constipation (for the first time in my life). Took me several painful months to figure out a system for me. It is different for everyone, but I encourage everyone be aggressive with your plan to deal with it. For me, I take MiraLAX every third day and stool softener every other day. I am now better equipped if I notice I am not as regular, then I adjust the timing. The other problem I have now is seeing a big spread of food and wanting it all! It's just not possible now! Always protein first, but I try to have a few bites of everything I want, then cut it off. I eat healthier than I ever have. Staying focused on lean protein and vegetables. Working in fruits to help with my sweet tooth and provide some variety. In general, I am low carb, but I am not no carb. No more fast food for lunch or on the ride home from work. We meal plan, but nothing overboard, but I always pack healthy for work. Last week was salad week, so I had a salad with fat free dressing every day for lunch. Today, I had boneless skinless chicken breast, peanuts, blueberry, apple with peanut butter, and my protein shake spread out from 6a to 2p. I have also got down 48-ounces of water with a plan to get another 32-ounces of water in by the end of the day. Carbonated drinks bother me slightly, which is one of the few things. When I overdo it, my new overfilled feeling isn't in my stomach, it much higher, almost like in my throat. Not comfortable, and a good reminder to slow down, chew more, smaller bites, and stop eating! I hope this long overshare is helpful to someone and gives everyone a better idea of how my journey has been. Lastly, I have mention how great my wife and kids have been over the last few years. By my side the whole way and always supportive.

June 13th. Now over 6 weeks post op and just starting to eat normal foods. Do you also find nothing tastes good and eating the same thing two days in a row is stomach churning? Wasting so much food as I just eat a couple of bites then can’t eat more. Soup is still the easiest to consume and stays down. Not complaining but I wasn’t expecting to no longer enjoy food. Weirded out and wondering if this is now permanent.

Good for you, that LBT workout sounds like it’s would KICK MY BUM!! I’m quickly learning in the fitness world that is considered a good thing, lol. I have a flier for a group fitness class that I was warned as a beginner would kick my butt too but the instructor said I’m welcome to come and do what I can. I still have that darn blister so I’ve stuck to my walking and yoga for this week because I know that sneakers will just aggravate it. I love that your instructor was able to give you modifications. That’s awesome. i feel the same way with the yoga. I told my husband that right now I’m not very good at all but I can already tell that it is going to help me tremendously and I can’t wait until I am able to do a bit more of the poses and be a little less clumsy going from one to the next. We will get there. The important thing for now is that whether we are in step with the rest of them or how, we are moving our bodies. Just moving is good for weight loss and cardio. If I had to guess I would say that the period thing is related to your surgery. It makes a lot of changes and hormones are not left out but if it’s possible you’re pregnant, I would do a test just in case. The surgery and the weight loss do also cause you to be more likely to get pregnant. There are a handful of women on here who got pregnant pretty early out. Well, I really hope you do get to try your water aerobics class today, that sounds like alot of fun.

I guess I have always done everything I have wanted because I was never overweight until 5 years ago. But the things I have noticed NOW (never noticed before WLS): - I don't need to sit as often, I can stand for long periods and don't get the urge to find a seat. - My feet don't hurt walking so much. I was traveling the past two weeks and we walked A LOT! Every time we traveled the past few years my feet would kill me, this time was a breeze. Things I started: - I took up Pilates. I have a bad foot (sports) injury that caused my weight gain so always had a fear of doing Pilates although I consistently worked out my whole life but was nervous to take up Pilates for some reason. Now my two Pilates classes are literally the highlight of my week. - I look forward to weddings and gatherings where I avoided them like the plague and they used to cause me social anxiety and made me feel so down about my body. - Changing my wardrobe LOL, I am shopping like nobody's business. I am buying stuff I never would've bought the past few years. Lingerie, crop tops, shorts, short dresses, workout gear. You name it! - Weighing myself regularly. Was never a weigher even at my fittest and slimmest, and that's probably was what caused all the weight gain because I refused to face reality. Things I see myself doing in the future: - Probably getting some lip filler LOL. - Having my third child (maybe? I put it off because I was overweight and I couldn't fathom gaining more weight) - Getting my foot surgery (although it feels much better so I will need to reassess).

Good morning, good night for me teehee! First off, I totally get how frustrating this can be. It’s tough when you’re doing everything right and the scale isn’t moving as fast as you’d like. But trust me, this is completely normal after surgery. Our bodies go through phases of quick weight loss, then slow down a bit to adjust. You’re putting in so much effort—walking extra hours, doing yoga, eating super clean—and that’s amazing. Even though 1.5 to 2 pounds a week might feel slow right now, it's still progress, and it’s the kind that sticks! Remember, slow and steady weight loss is healthier and more sustainable in the long run. Also, don’t forget that with all the extra exercise, you’re probably building muscle, and that can make the scale misleading. Plus, little things like water retention or digestion can hide the weight loss for a bit, but that doesn’t mean your hard work isn’t paying off. As for carbs, since you’re following what the nurse suggested, I wouldn’t stress too much about changing it just yet. Carbs are important for fueling your body, especially with all the activity you’re doing. But if you're really worried, it never hurts to check in with your provider to make sure you're on the right track. You’ve come so far, and I know it feels like it’s slowing down, but your body is still adjusting, and this is just a phase. You’re doing all the right things, so trust the process and focus on how great you’re feeling. You’ve got this!

Not really a cup based measuring person as that is a US basis and while I am not "ways out" I can at times, depends on the day and also what I am eating, eat more than a cup and a half (I think if I understand the measurement conversions). Last week I had approx 1/3 of a pizza when out for dinner. I then had the same portion (leftovers) for lunch and dinner the next day. I would think that they would be more than a cup and a half. At home I will have usually 150g yoghurt for breakfast and my dinner is usually 160ml chicken or mince dish (as I portion them all out and freeze) but I will add things to these - like a bit of fruit and/or chai seeds to the yoghurt and have a post dinner desert of some dark chocolate or nuts. Lunch depends on if homeworking or office based, or even if weekend but if at home it is usually one of my homemade meals again about 160ml or a salad at work of about 250g. One day for lunch last week I had a Californian chicken roll in my local sushi place, it was cut into 8 pieces so likely more than a cup measurement and I was able to just about eat it all. I was a cheap date for my boss, only cost €6.50 vs his €25 meal & drink 😂

I second the warm / hot drinks. Herbal tea and broth were amazingly helpful, especially in the first week or two. My team also gave me the go-ahead for sugar free electrolyte drinks if I found the water wasn't doing it for me. I had to water down the electrolyte drinks to get past the taste anyway, lol. The first couple of days were rough, but after that I found the water started to satiate my thirst much better. It might just be that right after recovery, our bodies are so strung out they need time to readjust to everything -- including water. I was on chewable multis and liquid calcium/d3 from day 3 -- the first two days, they told me not to bother with either. I had bought a big bottle of the liquid calcium & d3 thinking it would be the easiest during recovery, and because it was available at my local drugstore. It was awful, it burned going down and for a good half hour afterwards. I was determined to use it all to 'not waste' but but I think by day 4 or 5 I was ordering chewable calcium / d3 because I couldn't take it anymore. Still took over a week to get the calcium/d3 chewables. Don't be afraid to reach out to your team about changing things up if they're not working for you.

@SleeveToBypass2023you do make me laugh! I’m so glad that you’re able to understand your ‘godmother’ now, I feel I have rendered a valuable service 😉 Of course, there are always the joys of accents and drawls to throw in to this mix as well, which can add even more confusion. I’m a Yorkshire girl so we do have our own way of saying things, just like you will with your Southern sayings! And I’m so glad I’m not the only bitter wife out there…yes, I love him dearly but oh, there are times when I want to smother him with a pillow when he’s asleep 😈 I remember when we’d come back from our 2 week holiday in September last year and he was bitching that he’d put a couple of pounds on, whereas I had put on over a stone (14lbs) and I honestly wanted to stab him. He is supportive though, plus he has taken time off work to take me to all my hospital appointments etc as I still can’t bend my knees enough to climb in the van to drive myself but I will get there. Hopefully I will feel more able in a few more weeks 🤞 I rescued a pair of Billabong shorts from the charity shop bag yesterday as something for me to aim for on my WLS journey. I’d last worn them when I’d lost a load of weight previously and had worn them on holiday. Even now I cannot believe that I fit in to them. I tried them this morning and I cannot even get them halfway up my thighs, never mind anywhere else! I think I need to lose an additional 100lbs or so to have any chance of getting them on but stranger things have happened I guess 🤷‍♀️ I do generally use clothing as my inspiration to aim for, so I guess these are the ultimate goal!!

Okay so look at the macros and see if this fits your plan. It may be a little high in carbs for some if you’re not very active but this recipe is probably my favorite out of my two weeks if soft foods so I thought I would share. It’s called south of the border chicken chili from the McCormick website. I added onions and garlic because I like them in everything but this is super simple and high protein. You may want to leave out the corn and do more beans or tomatoes if your tummy is still fussy but I haven’t had any issues with anything and I’m allowed to start incorporating more foods so I’m having it with the corn and so far so good 🤞 My pot made a little over 7 one cup servings which Baritastic calculated at 25g of protein (12.5 if you can only do a half cup) and 26g carbs (but part of that was the onions). I needed more protein for the day so I opted for the shredded cheese on top. Anyways, it’s chicken, bell pepper, white and black beans, canned tomato and corn with a seasoning pack from McCormick. I can’t finish the whole cup so I’m gonna have it again for a snack but I really love it. I hope it freezes well. https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/main-dishes/south-of-the-border-chicken-chili

its been a weird week! Im glad its Friday here and my work day is done in 6hours lol! a GG?! wow I am sure you have nice boobies still even with the weight loss. I think with the weight loss and breastfeeding two of my children for over a year my boobs were like ya there is no way your coming back from this. So booby surgery is a must for me lol! Hoping to have a chillax weekend! You as well and get those lashes girl!!! I am thinking about it too but I spend way too much money on myself as it is hahahah

I just got my labs and EKG today. I’m really hoping that’s okay because the lady put four of the little sticky things under one of my boobs. They have always put them on both sides so that was weird. The dr looked though and didn’t say it was bad or anything. I actually just had one like a month ago but they said they wanted the labs to be within a month of the surgery so I said let’s just do it again just in case. I don’t want anything to push my surgery date. Im trying to get back into the habit of taking my vitamins too. It’s really hard to remember them. I take the procare health multi and bariatric advantage calcium chews but i did try the bariatric pal ones and they aren’t bad. I just want to ask the NP about them before I make that switch. I bought the bariatric advantage chewable multi for the first month. That’s awesome to hear about the smoking. I quit a while ago and it’s definitely an accomplishment. I remember it being kinda freeing that it was one less thing I always had to keep track of and worry about. And now I don’t now how I ever was a smoker. I smell it and it takes my breath. It’s so weird. I meet with the NP tomorrow to verify but I think my liver shrink diet is supposed to be a week long. If so, that means next week I will do a low carb diet to prepare. That’s not required but I just don’t want to go from eating like I do now to the LSD. If I’m correct, I will be starting that process this Tuesday. I am trying to tie up all my loose ends by next week. I don’t want to have anything extra to do the week I am on the liver shrink diet. I figure I will take that time to get my house in order. Every surgery I ever had I sit here and look around at what I could be doing if I wasn’t physically restricted so I hope to get it all done this time.

I agree with the others! You just had major surgery and your calorie intake is still super low. I was so tired the first 2 months, I remember sleeping like before motherhood. You probably still have little ones waking you at night so you’re not getting any recovery time! Listen to your inner voice and trust yourself. At one week I was pleased to get out of bed, do some simple house chores, move around hourly, and take a shower. I went back to work after week 2 and went to bed as soon as I came home. My kid thought it was great playing outside longer living free like a Gen X kid! Lol, seriously sit in the shade with a fan on while the little ones play outside with water. Send the older ones off to friend’s houses with bikes. Enjoy your pause in life :)

It sounds it! But also seems like you have coped as well as you could have and you have made it to the end of the week! woo! Yeah - it is like carrying the weight of a baby on my chest at all times 🤣 I don't THINK they have gotten any smaller just yet, but I know it is to come as I am still not even 3 months post-op yet! How are you feeling about the surgery? I am the same haha but I am so impulsive and I am always like "treat yourselfffffffff" so maybe I will get lashes...you should too! 😂

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I will be having hernia repair and vertical gastric sleeve on 8/6/24. SW 295.9 CW 270 GW 150 My food education class is this coming week, and I hope to learn a lot more about what I will be allowed to eat. I do know that I will be on a 2-week pre-op and 2-week post-op liquid diet. I will actually get all my vitamins and protein powders during my class. I am fortunate that my insurance covers the surgery at 100% and I only had a 4 month waiting period from my first doctor visit. I stopped all caffeine, carbonated, and high calorie drinks back in April. My daily water goal of 64oz is pretty hard to reach sometimes, but I do my best. Ironically, I do better on the days I am at work as opposed to at home. Best of luck to those of you giving up smoking.

I’m terms of work it really does vary quite a bit person to person. I had my sleeve 3.5 years ago and physically I could’ve returned to a desk job the next day out of hospital in terms of pain but I was tired and took alot of naps. Some people that had same surgery around same time as me were in pain for a week. I think one of the main differences is whether any air gets trapped in there because that causes a lot of pain and takes a while to get it all out. I have been on these boards for a while though and honestly there are plenty of people with very little pain from day one like me and then there are also others who are in a great deal of pain for a couple weeks. I have even seen some that take a full month off. I’d say MOST fall somewhere in between. I would also keep in mind what your home demands are too. If you can’t come home and just rest then it will probably take you a little longer to be able to return to work because even when you do feel ready for work you most likely will not have your normal stamina for a little while. You most likely will need naps at night for a while after working full time. if you do a search on here for recovery time or time off work, etc. You will see lots of posts about this if you want to get a better idea.

HI! Thank you so much!!! I started with walking around 2-3 postop, 20-30min and just built up to working out from home with light 5lbs weights. I follow Sydney Cummings or Juice and Toya work out videos. I would alternate 1 day upper body, 1 day lower body, ect...Then I would walk for 1 hour one day a week. Then I joined the gym when I was comfortable with the weights and that's when I really saw results. That was around 8-9 week post op. I cut down to 20min cardio and 30min strength training still alternating and still having 1hour walking days. Now that I am at my weight that I want to be at and not wanting to bulk up anymore just shred and tighten up my loose skin that I can possibly tighten up, I do 4 weight days 2 upper body, 2 lower body body with 30 min of cardio (usually treadmill at 12-13.5 incline and 3.3-3.7 speed) then 2 days I focus only on Cardio HIIT workouts. Now I do all my own workouts just from researching online and building my own workouts. I think they work? LOL I feel good afterwards, and my body composition is changing so I am rolling with it LOL I focus on high protein like over 100g, carbs I kept around 60g and fat around 20g. I have been fortunate where the weight came off pretty quickly, right now I am eating around 1400 cal 150g of protein 80-90g carbs and 25-30g fat. I am not actively trying to lose anymore, I want to more so maintain but I am still losing, so I am waiting till that figures itself out. LOL

Question. I am about 2.5 weeks after surgery. Earlier this week I was feeling good. Minimal pain and all. Now I feel like my deep stitch hurts more than it did before. Sitting here I feel fine but it is definitely sore to the touch and when I get up and walk. I did a lot of walking today so maybe that’s it but it’s making me a bit nervous. Trying to stay on top of Tylenol every 6 hrs bc I definitely cut back on those since I was feeling better. Anyone else experience this?

Number one: don't base your satisfaction with yourself based on how you compare to others. you will NEVER be satisfied. Number two: don't ask other people if you should be disappointed in YOURSELF. you don't need (nor want) others to be in charge of your own self-respect. Number three: despite the fact that Numbers 1 and 2 above is OBVIOUS and LOGICAL, the reality is basically NOBODY follows them, so don't feel bad if you don't either. Number four: even though i JUST said don't compare, i'm going to give you some data to compare (lol).... at 2.5 months i lost 52.6 lbs (which was 22% of my total body weight...52 / 235 = 22%) and i understand, based on statistical data and anecdotal evidence, that i was a pretty speedy loser, so...yeah.

@BlueParis what an adorable dress you look fantastic! I love the color it’s pretty and hopefully you feel as pretty in it as you look! I love how you ask about everybody you are so sweet. I’m doing OK thank you for asking. I don’t mind the stall yet. I’ve been prepared for it so it was a few seconds of letdown and then I just kind of shrugged it off. I will admit if it lasts for more than a couple weeks I’m gonna be upset. I have not weighed myself since I’m really trying to do it once a week, which means it’s usually about twice a week I am struggling with a knee issue right now has nothing to do with my surgery. I did something silly a few weeks ago and I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I jumped down from something and jarred my knee. And I thought to myself that was stupid and it hurt , the pain went away after a few minutes. For the past few weeks it’s been intermittent pain mostly when I stand up and start to walk, but then I walk it out. Then yesterday it was worse, and I took some Tylenol for the first time and last night it got horrible . It woke me up many times during the night and when I tried to get out of bed this morning, I could not really walk without using a cane and even with the cane it’s difficult. If it’s still bad tomorrow, I’m gonna go to a clinic and see what’s going on. Aside from that all as well. I hope everyone’s having a great weekend!

Hello All, I am very new to the group and have not had my surgery yet but am scheduled for June 13th and I am excited to start losing weight exponentially even though I already have while on weight loss meds and starting a gym regimen while in the pre-op stages. My question for you all is if anyone traveled abroad within their first year post op? I am planning on going to Peru in Dec-Jan for two weeks and while I realize I will still have minimal portion sizes I feel I can make it work due to the wide variety of delicious/nutritious foods in the region that dont necessarily have to be carb-loaded. If anyone has experience with traveling to South America/Peru specifically your input would be much appreciated! I am hopeful that by that time I will be able to swim, walk and overall be active around touristy areas with ease but please let me know if there is anything else I should be aware of or try to pack before my travels to ensure I meet all of my nutritional needs.

Hello everyone. My name is Tom and I have been a lurker for years. I had my surgery 11-22-22 at 471lbs. I weigh 214, for the moment, as I continue to lose. What a powerful tool this has proven to be! I am so blessed and thankful I couldn't possibly articulate it. With that being said, I feel I could help anyone that needs it just based on my own research for years into nutrition, fasting, and the many diet plans out there. I would be happy to give my own anecdotal experiences as well through losing the 255 lbs so far. But the point of this post is for me to lean on some of the vets of duodenal switch. I am approaching maintenance phase in around 35-40 more lbs. Does anyone do low carb in maintenance? If so what does that look like? Am I right to assume for us keto is out correct? The fat would be an issue or maybe someone has tried it? My concern when asking about low carb, for me specifically, I have protected my pouch size. I can still barely eat a few ounces of meat or whatever. I could, and may consider, actively stretching it a little when I get to maintenance, but as of right now I am not sure I could sustain on just meat once I am down to maintenance. I have Bilateral knee surgeries coming starting in Jan. I have lost all this weight in the recliner due to health issues. I am lifting, once I hit 300lbs weight, hard 4 days a week. But 0 steps for the most part. That's important because my exercise will skyrocket once I am healed from the surgeries and I will need more calories eventually. Carbs and fat are obviously the most calorie dense so.. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

I am a baby in my journey 10months today actually, but I reached my goal weight at 6months and I creeped down a touch more for about another month. I have maintained +/- 3lbs for the past 3ish months. I track every single day (eating 1700-2000cal a day), I prioritize protein (hit 150-200g a day) although lately its more like 225g of protein and that is WAY too much my stomach hurts lol so I am adjusting, keeping fat low (under 90) keeping carbs under 200g. I lift heavy (3 days lower and 2 days) along with cardio (running, incline walks, stair master), then 1 day where I do 40min HIIT work out then 30min of cardio. I have 1 rest day. I meal prep every week so all my meals M-F from pre-workout snack down to my last snack before dinner is prepped and tracked. I know what's for dinner every day as I make sure to plan for those. All the food I make is now lower in fat, higher in protein and the family doesn't even notice! Weekends I "indulge" I still track but notice I do not eat as much those days. I eat protein ice cream using my Ninja Creami or sneak in a few bites of my hubby's Ben and Jerrys. I do eat chips, fries, lettuce wrapped burgers, fried chicken **gasp!!** very small amounts but I do not deprive myself. This is a LIFESTYLE change not a diet. So I wanna go buck wild and get back to where I was but I also don't want to be a bird and never enjoy all the yummy treats. MODERATION IS KEY!! Eat healthy 85-90% and stay active, you won't have any issues!

You might have (temporarily) gotten lactose intolerance. Most medications have lactose as a binder and if you’re sensitive, look out! You’ve sure been through a lot! It’s only been a week so I guess you’re on liquids. I used OWYN shakes because there’s no lactose in them. Others on here turned me onto Fairlife milk and shakes, there’s no lactose there either and both are high in protein but less than 5gms carbs. Who’s at home with you now?

I definitely will post on here my thoughts on the HOKA brand. My husband just had the greatest idea to use bowling shoe covers so I can wear them around for more than a second without getting the bottoms too dirty. Especially since I am 3 weeks post op today and my husband wears his shoes in the house all the time 😩 I have swept the floors a few times but I know from looking at my socks that’s definitely not enough. Ooh and a lady in my in person support group also suggested that brand. She is a year out from sleeve and walks 5 miles a day at least and she likes them. The ones that they recommend for walking on their site says “everyday running/ walking”. I know some people wear running shoes for walking and it’s fine but one article I read said that running specific shoes are designed to be lighter in weight so they have far less padding. It’s fine for short amounts of time they say but for long distances they are not the best choice.

I can't get over the 12 week pre-op diet. That's so crazy to me!!! I mean, I started off at 421 pounds and didn't have to do that. As for the gym, that's just how it is. Nobody cares who is in there. When we go, we have our own things we're focused on. I know for me, I just hope nobody comes over to talk to me lol It's good that you're starting slowly. Moving your body is essential. And yes, you messed up, but as long as you see it, admit it, correct it, and don't repeat it, you should be fine. You still have plenty of time to hit your target weight. How much are you suppose to lose?