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Today, I had a follow up on blood work. According to my PA, everything is ON POINT! He was impressed by my numbers. He said my sugar, liver enzymes, kidneys, and cholesterol were all great. Even my Vitamin D was "perfect," and he says usually people's Vitamin D isn't. My B12 was high, but I was taking an extra B12 besides my regular multivitamin, so he said just to stop that extra dose. He said my HDL was a little low, so he wants me to add healthy fats (avocado, olive oil). He also said I could stop taking chewables which was important to me because chewable vitamins add a significant amount of calories and carbs to my daily caloric intake at the moment. My BP was 118/72! I was excited! Anyone know which other healthy fats I can add to my diet? I appreciate your ideas and suggestions.

I don't think anyone here can really tell you if you should or shouldn't as it's a forever decision and some people might not be suitable for it. You just need to be 100% honest with yourself and what you want in life and what you're happy to sacrifice to have it. But I will be brutally honest with you and tell you my experience. Are you happy to spend the rest of your life unable to eat normal size meals? Are you happy spending the rest of your life prioritizing nutrition and protein and avoiding high calories/high sugar foods? You'll even have to monitor when you eat and drink as you can't do both at the same time. These are some things people don't realize you will have to do. I think there's a big misconception out there that you get the surgery, and the weight just falls off and you don't have to do anything but it's so far from that, people do fail with this surgery, people do stay obese and some even gain the weight back once they've lost a little, it happens. You will struggle, you will have to see a nutritionist, you will have to learn to eat right, you have to learn to focus on getting as much protein as possible and if you eat sugar and chocolate and cakes, the weight will just come right back only this time you'll also have deficiencies. Even so, it's not a bad thing. I think all of that is a lot easier than being obese and I'm happy to have this as a life, if it means I can run without knee pain. Also there's more deaths caused by obesity than the surgery, having the surgery adds years to your life, just make sure you go to a legit surgeon. I wanted the surgery 12 years ago, when i was only 215lbs, had 0 stretch marks and was still pretty young, but many people talked me out of it and I decided to go hard core instead and crash dieted my way to 150lbs, within a year I was at 200lbs again and then after another year 250lbs, then crash dieted again to 175lbs, then I went all the way up to 265lbs and yoyo'd like that for 7years. My weight gain had started when I met my now ex, before I met him I was tiny and fit, it took me many months of therapy after I left him, to find out I was dating a narcissist that was feeding me to keep me fat and then using my weight as justification to hurt me and call me names... and prevent me from leaving him thinking i wasn't good enough for anyone. Every time I had lost the weight in the past, he would freak out and make me feel bad, accuse me of trying to get fit to leave him and that was part of the reason I think I yoyo'd so bad. I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and i lived with someone that enjoyed watching me in pain. So the dieting would have never worked. I got the surgery thinking that it would be the end of arguments and part of me thought it would make him happy in the long run and things would change but no, our relationship ended and now I'm actually glad, because if I had stayed with him, even with the surgery, I'd still be obese. Am I happy I had it done? Yes, but there's times when I'm sad I can't just eat a normal meal at a restaurant, thankfully you can take left overs home and eat the rest as another meal later . There's people that will never understand and will say you cheated, talk behind your back and just be rude. It's gotten to the point I don't tell anyone I had the surgery because I'm tired of justifying it. Overall for me it was the right thing to do, even if i wasn't in the right mindset at the time, because it helped end a toxic relationship, it fixed my binge eating disorder, I got therapy and have been working on myself physically and mentally with the aim to maintain my health for life. I've still got a long way to go but i'm already feeling better about myself. I actually bought a corset for the first time in 10 years having loved them when i was younger... And it fit and looked good!!! My insurance wouldn't pay for the surgery, so i used all my life savings and I'm still happy I did. Take the time to really think about this, look at all the pros and cons. Decide if your reasons for wanting it are worth it. It is an amazing tool to help you lose weight and I think with the right guidance many people will benefit from having this done but you need to decided it you're one of them. Either way, if you decided to do the surgery or calorie count, we're always here to chat and support you. All the best on your journey to a healthier life.

jamaican jerk pork AND oxtail AND rice and peas. the rice was super filling...should've just ate the protein by itself. will eat the rest later if its still around. 🤞🏼 425 calories for the bowl.

I recommend logging every that you eat, specifically calories. If you do, then what does it look like comparing the two months? When I get frustrated because of weight gain, for example water weight, I am aware that I can easily fall into the old habit of feeling defeated. Now I look at my calorie intake and determine whether it is real or just water weight. It is a way not only to make sure the weight will continue to come off (or maintenance in my case), but also, keep me sane from self-defeating feelings. and actions that usually follow Like if I am eating 1300 calories according to my journal, week to week, and one day I gain 5 lbs., I know there is no way that the 5 lbs. I gained is fat and it must be water weight. So it gives me guidance, accountability and more importantly, peace of mind.

I've only lost 12 lbs. so far . I'm on reg. food now. ( surgery was May 22 ) I'm eating low calorie,low carb low everything and the dumb scale just laughs at me. I see my surgeon Mid, Aug ... I'm going to ask him if he's SURE he took anything outta me , cuz it sure doesn't seem like it !! LOL

Lindt chocolate bars were on sale the other day, so naturally we bought like 6, LOL had 2 squares of the spicy dark chocolate one for 106 calories . could've been spicier.

fried flour dipped boneless chicken thighs for lunch (with a side of ketchup). oh, and an espresso martini beforehand (not shown). 401 calories for it all. ate 1 of the thighs and some ketchup and the drink oc.

I am actually 3.5 weeks out of surgery today. I have not stalled yet...22.5 pounds down. I don't see how a stall would be possible in my case...I am only eating about 600-800 calories a day, and feeling full. My calorie burn rate for the last week has been around 3600 calories per day with walks according to my fitbit.

I would ask if they have any set nutrition goals for which they want you to aim (calories, protein, carbs, fiber). I would also ask if you're taking your vitamins correctly, or if they would have you make any changes. Make sure to let them know how much water you're drinking, they'll tell if you if it's enough or not. Take any vitamins and medications you're using with you, so they can know exactly what you're taking.

I had my revision June 21st, original R N Y in 2005. Just remind yourself it is to make sure your liver is smaller to make the surgery less complicated for you! If you haven't tried them yet, bariatric pal has awesome protein shots available. I love the orange. It's like conentrated Tang! 100 calories, 15 grams of protein. Other really good protein shakes that got me through it, Redcon1 Protein shakes are 0 grams of sugar 250 calories and 40 grams of protein. Also KaChava is a good powder shake with alot of protein and super foods in it. I still incorporate these in my diet post surgery and it definately helps. Hope your surgery goes well with no issues!

I agree with you!! I am so paranoid about eating too many calories and so i under eat! I am 3.5 months out of sleeve surgery and I think my body is in starvation mode. I'm going to try to up my calories to 600 and see if that breaks my somewhat stall. i was drinking a protein shake at night but i figured its like 160 calories before bed.....not sure if that is good for me. I drink it in the morning now as breakfast. Then i will have no fat cottage cheese or greek yogurt as a snack a couple hours after dinner.

I was told 6 months by my doc, but made it 2. Went on a trip to Italy and drank 2-4 glasses of wine a day (never more than 2 at a time for lunch and/or dinner), then another trip to the beach where I consumed quite a few frozen cocktails. I learned pretty quickly to stay away from the heavy cream type of cocktails as they filled me up and made me not feel great. With the cocktails, I also got a real dry mouth sensation an hour or so after stopping. Now that I am back home, I'll stay away from the empty calories until at least 6 months, but hopefully until I am at my goal weight.

There are tools for you to use, they are not perfect but they’re are close. As you can see by my resting and active energy consumption is around 3,000calories a day. I’m nowhere near that at 9 months out , so I’ve been advised to cut back on my exercise. Lost total 150lbs from Oct 22 to April and now plateaued, medical team believes my body went into starvation mode and advised me to increase calorie density. Never thought I’d hear someone tell me to eat more….lol

late lunch (since i actually had a breakfast this morning!) Mr. made a very yummy melty-cheesy mushroom basil frittata. Paired it with some naan chips i made (equivalent to 1/4 of a naan) and some ketchup. Yes, i eat my eggs with ketchup! Don't judge me! 330 calories for the bowl Ate about 1/2 of it.

you know me, i am not a morning eater, but i was feeling hungry this AM so fixed myself a bowl of....leftovers. went to a bbq yesterday and this is a sample of some of the stuff we brought home: - 2 spicy baked chicken wings - 1/4 cup of cantonese chow mein noodles, including what looks like half a giant shiitake mushroom - and 2 "bacon cream cheese bites"...these were my contribution to the party (see recipe/instructions below...they are always a crowd favourite hahaha. i made over 150 of them and there were like 10 or so left..and i took 2, ha!) anyhoo: back to my breakfast...311 calories for the bowl...and ate it all.

Thank you, everyone, for your messages. I revisited the post-op diet sheets provided by my dietitian and discovered that I'm actually supposed to eat even more than I currently am at this stage! Rather than focusing on calorie counting, the primary goal is to prevent deficiencies, and they are confident that long-term weight loss will naturally occur. Yesterday, I made a mistake by eating too quickly and consuming too much food (including 4 oz yogurt, 2 small toasts (see attached pic), 1 egg, and 3 oz pureed salmon and broccoli). As a result, I experienced terrible abdominal cramps before bedtime. Today, I'm going back to a diet of liquids and yogurts only. Your mention of "staples rupture" did give me a little scare, but I appreciate the information. Regarding water intake, I can manage to drink water, but swallowing is painful and creates uncomfortable air bubbles inside. So, I reckon I'm drinking around 500ml to 1 liter a day. Thank you all for your support and understanding during this post-op phase. Your encouragement means a lot to me as I work towards a smooth recovery.

In my 7th week post-op and I finally felt like everything came together today. I felt good, I had a great workout, my nutrition was on point and I only have 8oz of water left to drink for the day. I have to celebrate this win today - there were days of struggle and hating the protein drinks, and craving crunchy carbs, but I got through it and that lets me know I can get through hard times and cravings! it’s been so hard to get to 700-800 calories and get all my water in - but I did it today! make sure to celebrate those wins!!

I echo the advice to go back to your surgeon for guidance & if you haven’t got one, find a dietician/nutritionalist with experience supporting wls patients. There are differences in plans, your very quick cycle through the return to eating stages as an example. But we ourselves are very different & consequently have different needs. For example I’m shorter, probably older, likely had a different weight loss/gain history, had no comorbidities before surgery & aren’t very active. I wasn’t given calorie goals only portion size: 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée slowly increasing to about a cup at goal which was 6 months. I remember for months it would take me three days to eat two scrambled eggs. I could eat one egg at 6 months - just the egg nothing else I didn’t have to track calories but I know I was barely consuming 300 in around the soft food stage & was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months. My plan did not allow for any rice, pasta or bread at any stage while losing. Beat advice is to go slowly & be more tentative with your food choices while you are healing (& it does take a few weeks). The staged return to eating we work through is to protect & not strain your healing tummy & support your recovery. Remember all those staples & sutures holding your tummy & digestive system together & all the nerves that have been cut too. All the best with your recovery & weight loss.

Hello. I had my gastric sleeve surgery done on July 10th. I am in the USA, so I am a bit jealous of the folks overseas in the UK and Europe with lax restrictions. My team also seems to have some of the strictest restrictions from what I've researched online. I was on clear liquids for 7 days following surgery. After that, I was on a full liquid diet for 13 more days. During this time I've only been consuming protein shakes, sugar free gelatin and sugar free pudding, low sodium beef and chicken broth, and strained healthy request campbell's cream soups(cream of chicken, celery, mushroom, tomato). I've only been getting 300-400 calories a day. Its a struggle for me to get enough protein and my 64oz of clear liquids a day. It isn't that my body won't tolerate what I am putting in, but I am trying to do everything exactly as dictated by my treatment team. I can eat more than 2oz of yogurt at once, but they say to limit portions to that. I can put 6oz of soup in my stomach without any pain or discomfort, but they say only 1/4 to 1/2 cup at once. As for liquids, I am a gulper. I am used to drinking in excess of 1-1.5 gallons of clear sugar free liquids a day.(mostly crystal light iced tea mix). I am finding it so hard to take a sip and remember to keep taking sips. I usually just drink down 16oz and move on. Like others have mentioned, I too am able to drink more than I am supposed to without any discomfort. I am not doing it on a regular basis however, because I am terrified of complications. Also, I know I will have a much easier time of mastering my new lifestyle and diet changes moving forward if I learn and practice moderation early on. So for that reason I have been following my teams' advice verbatim. Until today that is. I decided to move on to the pureed food stage a day early. I went back to work last Tuesday, having taken roughly 2 weeks off for my recovery. My first two days were good. I had more energy than normal and enjoyed being back in the grind of things(pun intended, I am a butcher. :P) Yesterday and today, however, I've been dizzy, light headed, and my balance has been off. Also I've had a lot of muscular pains, more than before surgery, in my back and neck and sides. my blood pressure during one of these episodes was 88/41. I self diagnosed myself as having hypotension brought on by dehydration and possible lack of protein in my diet. So I left work early today with two bags of groceries to fuel my pureed stage of my diet, and set off to make up some egg salad, pureeing the eggs with nonfat greek yogurt and light mayonaise. I ate 2oz of that to test my stomach's reaction, and I didn't have any discomfort at all. This evening I made some adult baby food from 1 pound of skinless boneless chicken thighs, which I boiled, drained, chopped, seasoned, then pureed with a cup of low sodium chicken broth. I added 2oz of my chicken paste to 4oz of my creamy cheddar and mushroom(strained) soup, and that was dinner. At the moment it was the greatest thing I've ever eaten. As a Carnivoire pre-surgery, I really missed eating meat. I feel better tonight after getting more protein, and having gotten my 64oz+ of clear liquids in me. I am a bit concerned though, aside from my stomach gurgling and being a little gassy and occasionally bloated, I've had absolutely no adverse reactions like vomiting, nausea, trouble swallowing, or feeling really full. Maybe it is because I've adhered to what my treatment team told me to do, or maybe it is the slow pace of their rules. Here's the full list: Week 1 - Clear liquids. Weeks 2 & 3 - Full liquid diet. Weeks 4 & 5 - Pureed foods. Weeks 6 & 7 - Soft foods. Week 8 - Slowly start to introduce regular healthy low fat foods. The saving grace to all this is the fact I have no physical hunger, so it is easier for me to stick to this restrictive, slow pace. I think I am going to stick with it instead of trying to eat something 'normal' too early, risking injury. My total nutritional info for today: 588 calories, 29g fat, 63g protein, 18g carbs, 1,679mg sodium. Today I've eaten the most calories in a single day post-op.

Wow! That seems like a lot of calories so soon. I think I didn’t have more than 800 for the 1st 6 months. I was told to concentrate more on protein. To have 60-90 grams a day. Good luck to you.

Not being able to feel restriction is usually pretty common till you get past the soft food stage. I remember thinking the surgery didn't work for me either, till I started eating regular food at 5 weeks. It was then I really felt the I'm full pain. I have since learned when to stop before it gets to that point. Liquids and soft phase were pretty easy for me. I still go back to it sometimes when my tummy is not feeling so good. Just be careful that you don't eat more than you should. Especially this early out. You don't want to pop a staple or blow out your stomach. Extremely dangerous. Nerves have been cut too during your WLS and can contribute to why you aren't feeling that restriction. Give them time to heal. At this point you want to go by how much your Dr recommends eating because you can't trust that not feeling restriction phase. I could always eat more than 2 TB of food but never allowed myself over 1/2 C early on. Also wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating to drink. If I don't, liquids won't stay down. I would concentrate right now more so on getting all your liquids in. Good luck!! Here's what my nutritionist recommends: 5 weeks to 6 months: 600-800 calories, 65-100 g protein, less than 45 g carbs, less than 30 grams fat. 6 months to 12 months: 800-1000 calories, 65-100 g protein, less than 60 g carbs, less than 35 grams fat. Over 12 months: 1000-1500 calories, 65-100 g protein, less than 75 g carbs, less than 30-60 grams fat.

Congratulations on your surgery and doing so well. In Europe we seem to be given a little less rules and strict regulations than our forum friends based in the USA. Your team do seem to have the most laid back approach that I have come across. I had 4 -6 weeks of baby type foods until my stomach was healed and went on to normal foods. 1. Ask your team because everyone has a surgeon with a different idea of what a pre op or post op diet should be. 2. I had a wicked restriction so only managed 300 calories for the early months. 1200 - 1500cals a day is where I am now. It doesn't really help you because your team may want you on much more. 3. Many foods are slider foods. Cake, biscuits, crackers, chocolate etc. You will not feel any restriction eating these. They just slide on through. 4. At about 6 to 12 weeks, your real restriction will kick in. It happens when your stomach has healed and your nerves begin to knit together again. Hydration is a different matter all together, if you can eat so many calories ? why can you not drink enough?? It just does not make any sense. We are told to drink up to an hour before meals and wait one hour after to drink again. In the early stages drinking is a 24 hour occupation, it is tough. Take little sips at every opportunity, day and night. Try hot, cold and frozen drinks. I was allowed coffee, so had lattes. Great protein.

Oh wow!!!! Im SO jealous of what you get to have Vicky!! I wish my surgeon would allow all that!! 😩 I can have the blended 0 fat cottage cheese.. Broth, decaf coffee or decaf tea. Unsweetened apple sauce, ocean spray diet juice, skim milk, almond milk, Greek or skyr yogurt. Meal replacement shakes(premiere shakes) And a few other liquids. But no matter what I have.. It has to be a liquid. No more then 800 calories per day. 60 to 80 g of protein a day. So.. Tomorrow I will start... For 13 days... Then 1 day of only clear liquids... Then August 14th is my surgery day.

I'm not sure how much I was eating at that point because we were told not to count calories early out, but I'm sure it wasn't that many. I averaged around 800-ish calories from about months 2-10, I think. But then, plans differ. Your surgeon's office may be able to give you some guidelines.

Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to reach out and ask about your experiences during the first week after gastric bypass surgery. I had mine on July 24th, so it's been 6 days since the procedure, and I've been feeling a bit concerned about my eating progress. I had my surgery in Belgium, where I'm from cause it's free there! Unlike most of you, we don't have to stick to liquids only for an extended period. After the first 2 days, we can move on to puree and soft foods, which is a relief. However, I can't help but feel like I'm eating too much already. Today, for breakfast, I managed to eat 2 small french toasts and 1 egg in one sitting. While I did feel some restriction afterwards, I can't shake the feeling that it's still a lot of food for this early stage. I've been consuming around 900 - 1100 calories a day, and it's making me worry that the surgery might not work effectively for me. Additionally, I've been having trouble staying hydrated, which is something I never struggled with before. I would really appreciate hearing your experiences and any advice you might have. Thanks a bunch!