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Does anyone else struggle with this? If I don’t struggle with anything else I definitely struggle with this. I don’t know why even after 5 weeks I have trouble reprogramming my mind to eat slower. I never paid attention to how fast I consume food until after surgery. I mean obviously I never had a reason to before now lol. All suggestions are welcome 🤗

Am 52 and this past October I am at the three years surgiversary RNY .Yes, it can be a little of a roller coaster compared to when I was younger because of menopause and slower metabolism, but it’s doable. I find I have to cut the carbs a lot and I have stalls my lowest was 175 but i am still in the 80s . I lift a lot of weight so a few extra pounds I noticed when I start lifting weights like five pounds if I stop for a few days I noticed I weigh less . The temptation is always with certain foods once I eat them I dump or have heart burn so I don’t touch some foods but it’s a challenge and hard work nothing is easy about this journey

I am at the three week post op mark. Slowly advancing my diet. No more puréed. Now just soft foods. Thank god for grilled fish which is filling and satisfying. No weight loss in a week which I am fine with because I have reintroduced carbs and I know from the many failed Keto diets that the minute you have carbs again the weight comes back with a vengeance. I am still very full after only a few bites so I can’t eat enough protein so I am still doing a shake a day. I am down to just one of the five incisions that is still healing. The rest have closed up nicely. I am having a weird experience with friends and family. I can only eat a few bites of food and with Christmas approaching I have been going out to dinner and to parties a lot. It is such a waste of money to order a meal given restaurant portion sizes knowing that leftovers don’t qualify as soft food after they are microwaved. So instead I have been asking to split meals. I am surprised by how many people look at me like I am a monster for suggesting this. Does anyone else find that people don’t want to split a meal at a restaurant?

I am at 35 weeks weight loss from September surgery sometimes it times to change things up to see results. Focus on protein intake or exercise.

Honestly, it was rough in the beginning — constipation and really bad gas pains (nothing from the surgery). Once I got that figured out and passed the two week mark it got better every day. And when I added more foods and being able to walk a little and not being tired all the time, it’s been a blessing. Good luck to l look forward to hearing your progress! And message me if you want. 💗

I suggest getting a compression wrap for your abdomen. There are a multitude of varieties to include standard 4 inch wrap that adheres to itself. i was in pain and did require a trip to the ER a few days post op because the pain got out of control. I required about 2 weeks of pain meds and I’m on the road to recovery. In all seriousness, wrap your abdomen and it will hold everything in tight so you aren’t relying upon your abdominal muscles.

Thanks for this post, MiniGastricBypassDude! Us Omega-Loopers are a clear minority on the forum, so it's great to read a detailed post from someone further along the journey than I am. I concur with your praise of the MGB - despite a run-in with ulcers and my repeated stalls due to how little I've been able to eat (both have improved immensely now), I'm still super glad I got this procedure. Everything has resolved and it's now getting easier and easier. I can get more calories in now, so the stalling has stopped and I'm losing at a good clip. My surgeon offers Sleeve, RNY, MGB and SADI-S, but is very pro-MGB over RNY because of all you mentioned. He says it has better long-term results, though yes, our supplements are vital. I had originally wanted the Sleeve (the malabsorbtion and potential dumping had me a little wary of a bypass), but because of existing GORD, he talked me out of it and into a MGB. Glad he did, as yes, this is the right surgery for me. I'm also ETERNALLY grateful that I've never had an emotional attachment to food, or BED. I know I'm very fortunate that my head has been in a great space for this, and I feel for folks who are having a rougher time of it.

There's truth in the gherlin explanation, but it's also oversimplified so maybe gives people the wrong impression. There's multiple hormones that affect hunger. Leptin is another hormone that makes you hungry - it is made by your fat cells as they lose energy. Leptin is proportional to the number of fat cells you have, not the volume of fat. Fat cells multiply as you gain weight, but they don't die just because you lose weight - they just get smaller. A normal weight person that used to be fat will be making more leptin than a normal weight person who was never fat because the person who used to be fat has more fat cells. Leptin is part of the reason why people have a "set point," or a weight that their body likes to be at that is maintained by the body by changing your hunger and metabolism. Insulin also increases your hunger in the long term. You make insulin after you eat, while you are feeling full. But if you are constantly making a lot of it, your muscle cells get resistant to insulin and have trouble getting food even if there's plenty of food in your blood already. They will feel hungry and tell you to eat more. This is why sugar is kind of addictive to people who tend towards insulin resistance. If your body isn't getting enough protein, that will make you feel hungry too, even if you are eating enough calories. Also, there's two sets of neutrons involved in hunger - your brain is one set, but your gut also has its own neural network, and scientist understand much less about how this "gut brain" works. One of my friends is a scientist in nutrition and physiology, and a member of obesity research societies. He's the one who told me about this "gut brain" stuff. Scientists in the field don't entirely understand why WLS works. One puzzle is that they've observed that insulin resistance improves right after surgery - within a day or two people will be off their diabetes meds. They know insulin resistance improves when you lose weight and when you exercise, but they don't know why there's this fast change after WLS. Another puzzle is that they've found that a few years out, WLS patients have a higher metabolism that is closer to a person that was never fat, whereas people who lost weight through diet/exercise have a much lower metabolism than a never fat person. WLS somehow resets your "set point," but they don't know how exactly. Scientists have tried to develop drugs that change these hormones like gherlin and/or leptin. "WLS in a bottle" would be much easier than actual surgery. But none of these approaches have worked yet. That's another indication that they don't fully understand how WLS works. But it seems likely that resetting your set point is a process that occurs as you lose weight. It's not just a change that occurs instantaneously when the surgery is done. It's not just that your smaller stomach makes you feel less hungry and you can't eat as much, so you lose weight. It's that the process - losing weight while spending a lot of that time not feeling hungry because your stomach feels really full - changes what your neural networks consider to be your set point, and that in turn makes you feel less hungry without your hunger increasing and metabolism dropping in the long term. If this is how it works, that would explain why the people who stick to the diet more strictly in the beginning have more success in the long term. For instance, if you eat sugar early on, that sugar is going to increase your insulin and insulin resistance and make you feel more hungry over the next week. Even though you may be eating exactly as many calories and have exactly the same stomach size as a person who is more strict about what they eat, that process won't work as well, and your set point won't get as low.

What it’s like being a mini gastric bypass patient on BariatricPal – what I found useful, and why I needed a pause from participating on the forum I think the forum is a fantastic resource, I love the store, and I can’t imagine not having read all of you wonderful people’s stories along the way. However, you feel lonely here as an MGB’er, because it’s very America-centric and there’s just not a lot of MGB’ers in America. That’s how it is. Consider this my tiny contribution to change that. What drove me off the site is the already-discussed-ad-nauseam rigidity you meet, and I seriously urge anyone to consider if they’re posting their “I can only eat half a lentil a week, am I losing too fast?” story for themselves rather than for others. Now that I’m below goal, I can say: I had a LOT more calories than what you’d believe was necessary to be a success. And I’m still losing on 2000-2200/day. Had I gone by the consensus here, I would’ve given up a long, long time ago. And I see some of the posters who had surgery around the same time as me, who were very active, and very judgmental of me and people like me, well … they’re not posting anymore. That makes me sad. Because I know why they did that; they needed the resolve and the boost from telling others they were doing it wrong. I hope they made it and that they’re happy wherever they are in their lives. I am back to say we should be so much more forgiving, kind, and open to each other’s experiences. We have a whole world judging us and frankly, we shouldn’t put up with it. That starts with forgiving ourselves and each other, and then stick together, us former, current, and future fatties

What I wish they had told me prior to surgery I honestly had no idea how much pain I would be in right after waking up. And due to COVID-19, I wasn’t allowed anyone in the hospital to help me tell the nurses to seriously give me more morphine. I had about half an hour when I seriously wanted to kill myself due to being inflated from surgery and nowhere near covered by pain meds. Yep. It won’t feel like it, but you should get up as soon as you can. I mean that seriously. It lowered my pain from 10 to high 8 immediately. I’ve done rough contact sports, I’ve had my knee cap dislocated, torn my ACL, had a ruptured appendix, broken more bones than I care to count. And nothing compared to this. Other people have barely any pain. And you know what? I do it all again in a heartbeat. The results are that great. Otherwise, I felt pretty well-informed. I called the bariatric team when 1400 cals clearly weren’t enough, and once they heard my loss at that point, they were like ‘yeah you should’ve been on 1800 a month ago, then’. So reach out, they’re there for you. I had some stalls but expected them, talked to my close people about it, and reminded myself not to stress about it. I had a month or so of low blood sugar, but it fixed itself. I get constipated from iron supplements, so I’m actually managing without now that I can eat more (my iron increased from surgery to month 9, which is pretty neat).

Alcohol and MGB So this will be controversial for the Americans. Sorry in advance. I’ve had alcohol weekly since week 5. I made room for it in my calorie count. Sometimes, I went over. And then got right back on the counting the next day. Alcohol is a part of life where I live. And I’ve found myself wanting to go out more. I get drunk super fast, and I have to pace myself. It hasn’t really been an issue; I can see why people get addicted, but I’ve never been the kind of guy who would drink alone and that’s a hard rule for me. YMMV is what I’m saying. If you’re reading this thinking you’ll never drink again, well, a lot of us are while being successful still. Don’t you wish you had refrained from drinking and then your EWL might have been 95 instead of 89? Absolutely not. I wouldn’t have gotten to a year by staying in. I did this my way, and it worked for me.

Exercise – what and when and how much? I was told to exercise at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes, and then incorporate walking on top of that. In reality, I haven’t done that much, but I’ve done some. I think that works for me – I was always so either/or, and I’m trying to live in the middle now. I walked maybe 3 times a week in the first 3 months. Then, at around 260 lbs, I gave running a go. I hate running. There, I said it. So I did interval running. Basically week 1 and later on, 2, of Couch-2-5K. Gave it my best for a minute, walked two. Rinse and repeat. For a grand total for 20-25 minutes. Did this twice a week for a couple of months. And didn’t increase the running time much, just increased speed in the intervals. Did I mention I hate running? That’s why. If I know it’s going to be unsustainable, I’m finding something that is. And that was the gym. I like going. I don’t go all that much, maybe 1.5 times a week on average. I took up boxing once a week, but sometimes other things get in the way. Then I go the next week. Again, not all or nothing, just getting by. I bike to work now, except when it rains. It’s not a long journey by any means, but it counts. And so on and so forth. Not once have I beat myself over the head, and that kept me moving. That said, I’ve been ecstatic about seeing what my body can do. I just walked home from work, 20 minutes brisk walk. Didn’t break a sweat. Didn’t consider what other people might think of the fat guy walking there because, well, I’m not fat. I’m free.

My diet and calories – stages + what does a typical day look like after a year? My post-op plan was pretty standard: 1 week of fluids 1 week of puréed 1 week of soft solids and then gradually into solids. It was easy, but I had reached out for help prior to surgery and had family take care of me. I could’ve done it on my own, but I do recommend letting all pride go and simply take as much time off work as you can, ask for all and any help you can from the people around you. You have no idea how willing people are to help. That first month is so crucial to get off to a great start – it’s a long journey – and we deserve it. I had alcohol less than a month after surgery (for NYE) and it was fine. It was OK’ed with my surgeon’s team. I understand this is different for different cultures, but alcohol is a major part of life where I live, and I am done doing unsustainable things. So I had to practice flexible control right off the bat. It works well for me. For me, tracking calories and protein has been crucial I was on: 1400 cals/day for 6 months, then 1800 cals a day for 3 months and then the bariatric team asked me to stop losing and find my balance. Since then, I’ve lost 7-8 lbs as I’m finding my equilibrium. I stopped tracking on weekends, and I still track on weekdays. It’s good to keep that sense of what 2000-2200 calories look like, but it’s also a more long-term sustainable solution for me to not sit at a restaurant and think about whether I go 50 over or under on a Friday. This gets into the mental game, and I’ll cover that below. A typical day now looks like this: Breakfast Protein Oatmeal (around 200 cals) Lunch Meat + mixed salad + a little dressing at work. Small plate. Early afternoon A protein snack, like Quest Protein Chips. Late afternoon Usually some fruit, a slice of protein bread with low-fat cheese. Dinner I’ve grown fond of Thai curries with chicken + cauliflower rice. I truly have no desire for, say, burgers and pizza – it’s too heavy for my system. I repeat: it’s not that I can’t have it, I just don’t really want to. New times indeed. Evening snack(s) I tend to leave 400-600 calories for after dinner (which is easier on 2200 calories, mind you). I unfortunately work a bunch, and this has been the problem in the past – working and snacking all night long. I spend those calories on a smoothie with protein and fruit, and usually a bariatric-friendly treat like sugar-free chocolate, popsicles, or something like that. This keeps the habit of stuffing myself with empty calories somewhat at bay, while also not setting me up for failure by pretending I can go from 7pm to bedtime at 1am without eating. I can’t, so I don’t.

My weight journey pre-op + for a year after the mini gastric bypass I reached my highest weight – 364 lbs – fairly close to surgery. I then lost from 364 to 344 at day of surgery. In the first month, I lost 34 lbs, and at the 60 day mark, I had lost 61 lbs. So 2 months after surgery, I was down to 283 lbs. At the 6 month mark, I was down to 234 lbs (total loss 130 lbs), and at the 12 month mark I’m at 201 lbs (total loss 163 lbs). My EWL is 88.8%, and I’m of a pretty muscular build, so for all intents and purposes, I’m done losing. More importantly, I think I look fantastic! I went from a 54” waist to wearing 32” jeans, and from a 6XL to a medium or large in men’s tops. I can see the individual parts of the shoulder muscles, there’s tricep definition, my legs look like pro soccer player legs … in a way, my fat decade was a massive bulk for the fellow weight lifters out there As for excess skin, it looks like I gave birth to quintuplets a few weeks ago, and there’s loose skin everywhere. I’m only wanting surgery on the stomach area, though. I think the rest will gradually be okay, and I don’t really need to be perfect. I’m great as I am. I’ve debated whether to include photos, but what the hell. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and if this motivates just one person to go do this for themselves, I’ll be happy. DAY BEFORE SURGERY (this is 20 lbs lower than my heaviest) ... aaand: FROM THE PAST WEEK (163 lbs lighter than my heaviest, BMI around 27.5)

Hi, yes I had a week of clear fluids and then a week of soups and shakes. You're almost there and you have done so well - just one and a bit more days to go! Every step feels like a big one towards a completely new way of eating but it's like waiting for the holidays - I get all "hurry uuuuuup!" every single day 😂

Lisa, hang in there... if you stood on the scale at the Dr's office... it could be off a few lbs and I'm sure you were not butt naked to identify your true weight. So depending upon your clothes, shoes, jacket (it is getting colder at least where I live) these could all be throwing your numbers. The simple thing to do to determine if your scale is out of whack is to grab an object of a known weight (i.e. a 2lb dumbell) stand on the scale, get off the scale, grab the weight, stand... compare. Either way 1lb in 2 weeks... uh... unless you are doing massive weight lifting - I suggest a call to your NUT and have them go over your food intake and exercise patterns with you. Chin up... if you follow their advice... you will see weight come off.

After surgery my periods were normal for a couple of months then I went on the Depo-provera shot BC and that was the worst decision I have ever made. I have pretty much been bleeding non-stop since March 2021. There have been about two months recently when it would stop for 3-4 weeks which I assume means it's going back to normal but then when the period comes it lasts for 3 weeks minimum. It was at least like spotting level but this last one has been full out heavy the whole time. Doctor has checked everything, hormone levels, everything and it's all fine. Everything healthy just obviously a low iron level. I started taking a different iron supplement and it seemed to help for a while but I am at a loss. I've heard it can take a year for your body to recover from the Depo shot and that on top of the weightless I imagine my body is panicking. I would just sincerely love for it to go back to normal. This one I'm on right now has been brutal, full on symptoms and just no respite.

The bruising lasted about two weeks around one of my scars. When everything was healed (around 4 weeks post op) I started using silicone scar tape. I am now almost 16 weeks post and they look a lot lighter already. I plan to use the scar tape till about 6 months post op (for new scars, at least 3 months is recommended I think).

I AM IN BED RIGHT NOW, with a heating pad and the cat! I'm supposed to return to teaching next week; the last week before winter break! 🤣 😭 Yeah, the pureed soups seemed too "hearty" to me, but I'm doing it. Something simple: garlic satueed in olive oil, then add garbanzo beans and broth, simmer, then puree 'till it's very thin. I think we're not supposed to have beans (???), but I chose these because there's a bit of protein. Another lifesaver for me has been warm broth. I mix it with Unjury chicken soup flavored protein powder. In another post someone mentioned how warm fluids seem more filling. I find this to be very true. And this Unjury savory powder and broth will be staple for me from now on. Even my kids love it. I meant that I don't think that I can decaf. Man, I have been on a liquid diet AND without caffeine for two weeks. No wonder I feel weak and tired!

Yeh I thought so too. It would help heal the stomach and intestine that went through a full ramage. Miserable indeed. Good to know there are others who have had similar stuctured program. Ofc every program is different. I was just concerned about losing muscle this week of clear liquids. But that's bound to happen and hoping they'll recover with time. 😊

Once all scabs come off, about 2-3 weeks post-op, I started using BioOil. Then around week 6 I added in silicone scar tape. I have olive skin and tend to scar easily, both seem to be helping minimize discoloration though final results are still TBD. As far as bruising, I think I had bruises for probably 2 weeks. I feel like by the time the scabs were gone, so were the bruises. But, as with most things, every body is different and there is no right or wrong timeline for healing.

Yep, my plan was 1 week clear liquids then 1 week full liquids, and so on. Each program has their own version, some include protein some do not. I think the goal of such a restrictive plan is to minimize discomfort and potential complications. It is pretty miserable, but thankfully it doesn't last forever!

So I have been wondering if anyone else here has been put on only clear liquids post-Op? Diluted juice, broth, jello, flavored water, decaf tea or coffee and plain water. That's all. Today is day 6, so almost there. One more day and I can move ahead to full liquids/pureed diet. Clear liquid phase is told to be done for healing process but there's no protein nothing. Usually after surgery one needs protein because body is in catabolic stage. So not sure why they no source of protein at all in my phase 1. May be all the protein from pre-Op diet may have been done for the reason. Clear liquid diet for a week has definitely been challenging especially post day 3. And around day 5ish, weakness and fatigue. Waiting on day 8 so badly to move past this stage. Anyhow, so anyone else have had similar clear liquid phase post their surgery?

I don't think that I am, but I have such teacher guilt about taking more time off. We have two weeks left until winter break and so that would mean I would work for a week before a three week break. But rain is in the forecast all next week and here in California, that means we stay inside with our students ALL DAY. Very tiring days because you never get any quiet time.

Yes to the hot drinks! The best for me currently is low sodium vegetable broth and chicken soup flavored protein powder. THANK YOU for sharing your experience of the hunger settling down. I am a teacher and I will be back to work next week. HOW will I have the stamina to deal with 6th graders excited for winter break???