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you'll likely be eating more than 1000 kcal/day long term. That's really just during the weight loss phase. How much you'll need to maintain your weight depends on individual factors, and it's different for everyone. I can maintain my weight if I stay in the 1500-1700 range - and if I stay pretty active (exercising 5+ days a week), I can push that up to about 1900 kcal/day.

I agree with everything Arabesque said. Plus I don't know if you weighed yourself when you got home from the hospital or not, but most of us "gain" weight from the IV fluids they pump into us -- some people up to 10 lbs. It takes a week or so for all that to work its way out, so it's not uncommon to have no weight loss at all - or even a gain - for at least a week.

I did too, liquids for 2 weeks, puree for 2 weeks, soft food 2 weeks, then a bit more solid food but had to make sure i had gravy or sauce with it for another 2 weeks then slowly add "normal" foods

I was the same I got to a point where my dietian said dont worry about if its good for you just get something in ........so KFC mash potatoes and gravy it was ( puree stage of course ) you are lucky you are sleeping and napping ok i couldnt sleep at all and the horrible taste is probably from reflux mine went away around week 4-6.

it will get better I was a bit like you and avoided certain foods. I can say I really enjoyed a piece of steak the other day it was good quality nice and tender so i didn't feel i needed to chew it to a mush. I have also had water melon and I didn't over chew that either and it went down fine. I even had a sausage in fresh bread the other day which i was really worried about and it went down way better than i thought it would ......... I am 16 weeks post op

Not much i am sorry to say, I was still having lots of trouble at the nine week mark, I am close to 16 weeks now and still have the occasional hiccup like the other day I had a sip coke that caused me emesis pain when i have drunk it plenty of times before with out an issue ..........go figure. Just take it slow and chew chew chew. You might be trying to much to soon. when introducing foods back into your diet just eat a little bit and see how it goes first

I hope you are right its been 7 weeks since i have lost anything now, starting to get worried that this is it. I hope not as it has been extremely hard and i would hate to think i went through all this and spent all that money just for a 20kg loss.😔

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself. My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

I’d tell him no more junk brought in or you’ll be homeless again! You have to take care of you not him! I am having surgery in December and trying to get my husband, our sons 19 and 17 to start making their own food. Today I made them a huge breakfast and 3 hours later my husband wanted a huge dinner - I kinda lost my s*** and told them all they have to start taking care of themselves because I’m not cooking for 2 months. They all three just stood in the kitchen and stared at me. I seriously thought they were all going to cry. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do - you know! He needs to respect you - period.

I never was that into sweets anyway, but after surgery I found them disgusting, especially the shakes. It took everything I had to get them down early on. After about 6 months I was able to tolerate them and now I like the shakes again. I have never been a big bread or sandwich eater, but especially since surgery I find that I just don't care for bread very much. I can't even explain what it is but I don't enjoy it. I LOVED speaking water (like LaCroix) before surgery and drank it all the time. For the first year I was not allowed to have it, but then I could in moderation. I am 16 months post op and I've tried it twice in the last 2 weeks and it does nothing for me now. It even seems to upset my stomach a little now. I'm so surprised by this! I've always been a bit of a saltaholic too, and now things take a lot more salty to me. It's crazy! Other than those things, I still like most of the foods I liked before. Now that I can eat more I'm super happy to be able to fit in some veggies, which one always loved. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have my sleeve in December but that being said I went in for my wisdom teeth to be removed 3 times and walked out all 3 times fast forward 30 years I still have my wisdom teeth lol I can tell you from my experience with that - not the same but kinda - get some therapy before you reschedule the surgery. You have something deeper you should deal with and it is okay that you walked even at the front desk. I was in the chair all three times and freaked out so don’t feel bad. But therapy helped me through it. I still have dentist that want to take out my wisdom teeth and I’m like nope I’ve had them all my life they can just stay at this point haha. Maybe the holidays coming up is part of it too. I’m having mine December 22nd and getting out of the hospital Christmas Eve. I still have 2 kids at home so I am anxious, I am pretty positive everyone is. Good luck!!

Thought I would give an update here. VSG was done 9/14/2021, today is 11/14/2021. THE GOOD: Down 55 lbs from surgery, 64 lbs from the start of the pre-op diet, and 94 lbs from my heaviest weight. Hypertension and asthma diagnoses were officially withdrawn. Hypogonadism is under review. CPAP average setting went from 16 cm H2O to about 7 cm. Have an appointment soon to see if I need it any more. Depression has almost completely been put in remission. Went from 52/34 to 36/34 in the same cut of jeans, and actually need to go see if they have 34/34 at the outlet. Went from 4XL or even 5XL shirts to L or XL (mostly XL). Went from 15EE boots to 12D; my arch has returned, which shocked my surgeon and my PCP. Running and enjoying it for the first time ever. Way too many NSVs to count THE BAD: Still occasional bouts of constipation which mess up scale results, but then it all, um, resolves and the number on the scale goes WHOOSH. Had to fire my NUT for being a horrible person. Found a new NUT who is amazing and who does the same fitness I do. The extremely restrictive diet (especially under the old NUT's "guidance") caused a massive drop in strength, which did not help at work. It also caused me to stall out. The new NUT increased my intake from 600-800 to 1000-1400 cals a day, and WHOOSH went the scale once again. It actually hurts to sit down because my butt is bony. I'm cold all the freaking time, even when it's objectively-by-any-sane-standard not cold. Needed a chiropractic adjustment because my hips are not used to carrying 25% less of me and were hurting badly. Had to replace expensive work boots because they were giving me blisters. Clothes I can get from the Goodwill and Ross Dress For Less; work boots not so much. THE UGLY: Eating too fast or even one bite too much means spending the next 30 minutes to an hour in great physical discomfort. It takes time for the full signal to arrive in my brain. Eating lettuce salad was, in hindsight, a really, really bad idea. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Some gnarly skin tags as my fat melts away, and the beginnings of some loose skin. Added in a daily dose of collagen peptides to help. One incision is still quite visible, though it's healed over. Starting to notice a little more hairfall, including head, beard, and chest. Still the best thing I've ever done for myself.

I'm 45, 6 feet tall, and started out at 396 my heaviest (was 366 at the start of the pre-op diet). I am very, very active. Outdoor work, sports, CrossFit. I did track my food and, like you, was on way more than 3,000 calories a day. Now, two months post-op, I am 94 pounds down from my heavy and 64 from the start of the pre-op diet. I eat more than most people—I take in between 1000 and 1400 calories a day, including up to 120 g of carbohydrates, which is unusual for bariatric patients. I am still in the fast-lose "honeymoon" period and am losing 3-5 pounds a week after the initial massive weight dump. And yet... I'm satisfied. Thriving, even. The only thing is the restricted amount means my strength isn't what it was—probably lost about 30% off my PR lifts. I don't really care, because now I can run, and jump, and my palms can touch the floor, and I'm off my meds. I do feel hunger when I haven't eaten in too long, but it's not the gnawing "feed me or I will make your life miserable" HANGRY feeling I would have had before. It's more like... "things are not right, please to be feeding me now." Here are a couple of typical days for me, all approved by my nutritionist: Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Oatmeal with protein powder, a bit of maple syrup, blueberries, and raspberries Meal 3: Koussa (summer squash stuffed with ground meat and rice, braised in tomato sauce) Meal 4: Tuna salad on one of those little dense squares of European-style flat rye bread Meal 5: Collagen peptide protein and an apple ---- Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Scrambled egg with a bit of cheese, spinach, and hot sauce Meal 3: Ground turkey with sugar-free Korean BBQ sauce, green beans, a bit of rice Meal 4: Skyr (Icelandic nonfat yoghurt) with raspberries Meal 5: Lentils with ham The biggest thing I had to teach myself was that it's okay to leave food on the plate, EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE TINY BITE. Because the line between "I am full" and "debilitating nausea and acid reflux" is sometimes just that one single bite.

My surgeon cleared me to run at 2 weeks ("as long as you're not a fool about it"), to bike and jump rope at 4 weeks, and cleared me completely at 6 weeks. I now run 2-3 times a week and do CrossFit 3-4 times a week, though one of the runs is always an "active recovery" run where I make sure my heart rate stays around 140 bpm (or, if you don't have a monitor, you should be able to hold a conversation without being out of breath).

I stopped drinking my protein (except for a high protein yoghurt drink I sipped on most afternoons) from day 1 of the purée stage. It was always my intention to get all the protein I needed (60g a day) from real food & not from shakes or supplements. (They were disgusting & I hated them.) Did I make my goal every day? No & it took a little while to be able to consume enough those first 2 months but eventually on average across a week I did or was pretty close. I just made sure everything I ate contained protein (except fruit). I also looked for ways to boost the protein like made scrambled eggs & rolled oats on milk & added more to make them sloppier. Add skim milk powder to your milk to boost the protein (can be sweet though). Didn’t care if I grazed on a meal for ages either. Lunch usually was just protein - a chicken tender, fish or any leftover meat from the night before.

*raises hand* I cancelled. TWICE. The first time, a few weeks after they set a surgery date, the second time just after I did all my redo labs. I did end up getting the surgery done the at the third attempt which was almost 2 years for my original date of that initial referral. I don’t quite remember what exactly led me to back out those first two times other than I guess I just wasn’t ready. When I finally bit the bullet and went though with it, I sorta wished I didn’t change my mind as I felt I could’ve felt awesome-er sooner. I’m 3 years out now and and completely happy/satisfied with the surgery and the results. Hands down best choice I made regarding my health, weight, mental well-being, confidence, relationships with others, etc, etc, I could go on and on…. Would I have had the same success if I went through with it the first (or second) time? When I wasn’t in a comfortable head space? Who knows. You are ready when YOU say you are ready. Good Luck! ❤️

Becoming lactose intolerant after surgery is not that uncommon. There are lots of lactose free & plant based dairy products available these days - cheeses, yoghurts, milk, ice cream, etc. You may have to try a few to find the ones you enjoy most though. I use lactose free milk but mainly because it has a much longer shelf life than ordinary fresh milk but also because if I have a lot of ordinary milk I can have issues. I have no trouble with cheeses or yoghurt. I don’t understand the chewing 30 times thing at all & am very glad I wasn’t told to do that. If your food is soft & moist enough you shouldn’t have to chew it down to a flavourless mush before swallowing. That’s why we use blenders in the purée stage or use a fork to mash what you eat a little first. I was able to eat milky rolled oats (instant 2 min ones) from purée stage. Easy to fix at work too. I used to microwave reheat scrambled eggs often (2 eggs lasted me three breakfasts). Can get a bit rubbery though.

There are many factors that affect your rate of loss: age, gender, starting weight, genetics, etc. Some are slow losers others are fast losers to begin. The rate you lose doesn’t affect the amount of weight you will lose. There are slow losers who reach their goal & fast losers who don’t. Don’t worry too much about your weight loss immediately post surgery. You have swelling, possibly still retaining fluids, your body is under stress, etc. Some surgeons even advise not to weigh yourself for a couple of weeks after surgery because of this. There are a couple of things you can rely upon. We all lose at our own rate & your rate of loss will slow as you get closer to goal. Every pound you lose is a win. Congrats on your surgery.

Hi @Arabesque, hope the results were all great. I had my gallbladder removed about 15 years ago so also have trouble breaking down and digesting certain foods. I also just got blood test results a few days ago and unfortunately I’ve become anemic. My doctor is going to give me two iron infusions two weeks apart and then put me on tablets to maintain my iron levels do hopefully that should sort that part out. So I’ll definitely mention creon to her as it sounds like it might really help, thank you!!

I had gastric sleeve surgery last Tuesday the 9th and have only lost about 2.5 pounds since then--I managed to lose about 13 pounds on the pre-op diet and am hoping to lose around 115 the first year to get to my goal weight (but of course the timing isn't as important as eventually reaching that milestone). I am trying not to get discouraged by my modest weight loss since the day of surgery, so I'm mostly just looking for some reassurance that weight loss in the first few weeks after surgery isn't a predictor of how much you'll end up losing overall and how quickly. How much weight did you lose the first month, and how did that taper off (if it did at all) in months two and three?

Help! Anyone have a sample menu that works. I go back to work in the morning, 6 weeks post op. How much protein do you drink vs food. 

It's been 2008 since I had a very successful surgery. Seriously, I swam in SF Sharkfest from Alcatraz to SF 2 yrs in a row. As I've gotten older, I have learned a few things I'd like to pass on to those who might not know this. Someone who has had bariatric surgery can only drink 5 oz of alcohol (wine/beer) and then they are legally drunk (trust me, you look act like you have had way too many drinks--slurred speech, staggering, falling down) and if you were to blow into a breathalyzer, you would get a reading indicating you are inebriated. Although I hadn't had anything to drink in about 30 yrs, during a few social dinners at our house, I had a small glass of wine and then my husband wanted to know just how much I had had to drink. When I say, "Not even one glass of wine," I was in such bad shape that he didn't believe me. He was furious and told me I wasn't to have any more drinks for the night. This also happened at my son's who was just livid with me and told me to go to a spare bedroom for the rest of the night. And, truly, I felt super drunk. At some point, I did some research and learned that because of how small my stomach pouch is and the way liquids are absorbed, I really shouldn't even have a sip of alcohol. Just thought I'd pass that on. Also, I originally lost 137 lbs to get to my goal weight. I maintained it for several years because I was working out regularly. A few yrs ago I started to put some weight back on, mostly because I wasn't exercising as much, I was alone ALL the time because of Covid because my husband was in contact with Covid infected people at the hospital he worked at 5 shifts a week for 1 yr and 9 months until his last day was Nov. 1. My diet wasn't as healthy and we were sleeping in different bedrooms on separate floors because he was so afraid he would test positive and give it to me. All last year, from July through May 29th when I had left hip replacement, I swam in a local lake for 1 hr each session...2x-4x a week with water getting down to 40 degrees. That kept me sane. Both of us have had our Covid vaccination shots and booster shots and I'm back in swimming in the cold water. If you have gained weight during the pandemic, just go through every day thankful and get back on the post-surgery diet your doctor put you on. (Currently, mine is 1200 cal, unless I burn over 900 swimming and only then do I get to add on 300). Even though I was afraid I had "stretched" my stomach pouch (I'll be 68 yrs old in a few weeks), I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy a month ago and the gastroenterologist said everything looks perfect.

Thank you so much!! It means a lot to hear that after such a long journey struggling with weight my whole life. Here’s a few before and afters including a tiktok I made but never posted haha. I’ve been very lucky with having minimal loose skin. I have been taking a collagen supplement daily and started that months before the surgery. I think that combined with a good strength training regimen and perhaps also because I got the surgery at a relatively young age (33) helped. For workouts I do an hour 5-6x a week; half cardio (indoor cycling or running) and half strength training. All of my strength has been the peloton strength classes. If you happen to have a peloton membership You can see my full program on my profile DucesWild, follow me!! Highly highly recommend peloton it has made it so much easier, convenient, and fun to workout. Finding classes I actually enjoyed and not pushing myself too hard, just committing to staying consistent moving my body, whether it be a walk or yoga on days I didn’t feel well, that has been the KEY so far. Hope this helps! Happy to share more details. IMG_0222.MOV

Had my RNY October 5th. I was diabetic, so getting off those meds was goal #1. After the 2-week pre-op diet, I had come off all my meds, but was hesitant to say I would be free from those after surgery. Had my appointment with my diabetes doc at 4-weeks post-op, she declared my diabetes was now in remission, and we said our goodbyes! Daily glucose sticks are between 80-92...no matter when I test them! Goal #2...reduce size & get back to feeling "normal", whatever that will be!

While it seems to be more of a blood pressure issue, if you've gone from liquids straight to soft foods, you may benefit for a week or two doing pureed foods as a transition to soft foods, even if it isn't part of your plan.