Search the Community

I'm actually getting my surgery on the NHS. To be honest, I feel like I won the lottery because I was approved for surgery in May 2024 and I'm getting it in October 2024. The surgeon said to me it was extremely unlikely it would happen before next year! But I guess the downside is they gave me the option of sleeve or bypass and those were the only options. I would love a last fry up, but sadly, I'm on milk diet for 12 weeks until surgery and then after that, I don't suppose I'll really want food for at least a month.

I am not preventing more weight loss however I am not a fan of how thin I am right now. I work out to build muscle but I like being curvy and I am looking pretty flat now lol I felt really good and *think* I looked good at about 175-180 Not that I don't feel good where I am at, but I am would okay with where I am at. My surgeon said that same lol But like you said I am not letting my foot off the gas, still working out 6days a week, tracking my food and prioritizing protein which I plan to do for the rest of my life. Thank you I am loving joining this new life!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Thank you all for your messages re my stall! I'm still stalled ... no suprise there. I'm going to try and track what I'm eating this week as I haven't really been tracking at all. Just trying to be sensible and go with the flow. I'm still being very conciencious about everything I put in my mouth and reckon I'm averaging about 1200-1300 calories a day max. I know I could eat more protein but as I eat so little meat its a bit complicated esp when I'm travelling. I hate protein shakes and anything with an artificial taste, I'm really not into processed foods. I do love carbs. I know what I'm eating is far from perfect but I'm also trying to "live" as normally as I can without getting ultra focused on food because 1) I just don't want to 2) I know that it won't be substainable for me to track/only eat specific things/100% certain avoid things long term 3) food is a real source of joy for me as is cooking. Cooking is my way of calming down and disconecting my brain after work but I'm an improvisation whats left on the fridge cook not a planning cook 4) I've very scared of being too "strict" on food and ending up with a transfer addiction as I have a very addition prone personality and I already smoke (cigarettes daily and weed probably 2/3 times a month) and drink (much much less than before the surgery when I was drinking too much) and even though I haven't touched a Benzodiazepine (xanax) in 3 years and 8 months (go me 😌) I had a big enough issue with benzo abuse to have to take a month of work to come off them. I'll try and track properly tomorrow and for a few days but for example today from memory I had ( I also had water) Breakfast : 1/4 bagel with butter, coffee with semi skim milk Mid Morning : 2x Coffee with semi skim milk Lunch : Palm sized bit of omelette with courgette, red peppers, kale, onions, cheese, about two tablespoons grated carrot salad Mid afternoon : Tea with semi skim milk and sweetener, bit of brie cheese about twice the size of my thumb Supper : Palm sized bit of omelette with courgette, red peppers, kale, onions, cheese Herbal tea Before bed : About 4/5 teaspoons of vegan pannacotta (soy milk, sweetener, orange flower water, cornstarch, pistachios, maple syrup) Herbal tea

I'm a bit envious of your ability to purge your pantry! I share a home with my fella and my Mom, who I'm taking care of, so I just have to soldier through and think of what negative consequences would come from me eating the wrong thing. It has been interesting this week seeing them 'figure out meals' without my participation. I still cooked twice for them, the first time I made a big platter of stuffed peppers which wasn't TOO difficult to smell on day one but man, as the week went on smelling it be reheated was rough. The second time I cooked them salmon, broccoli, and rice. I DID break down and eat like two tiny bites of the salmon. I think my body will be forgiving of that tiny lapse - it was after all lean protein. I almost wish I'd done two weeks of this diet to make extra sure I was ready enough for the surgeon but I AM following the diet as I was told to. Granted, the last several months I didn't *exactly* eat the greatest but I did stay on track with my allotted calories for the day, which they had set at 1600. I admit that I did eat more fried food than I was 'supposed to'. It's been hard, honestly, losing my ability to turn to food for comfort, not turning to cigarettes for anxiety / comfort, bouncing around emotionally while I adjusted to taking the Chantix, and also - hadn't mentioned this previously, but I WAS drinking far more alcohol than I should have been up until about 4 months ago. That's another reason I took the extra month's delay when I shifted surgery types gracefully. You seem to REALLY have your stuff in order! Oh - the nail polish - Honestly, the nurse in my closing seminar seemed to be very 'no-polish' strict but when I went to my pre-surgery check-in at the hospital I asked about it and they glanced at my short nails and said they were fine. I was nervous about that, because I keep mine maintained due to my anxiety issues - I used to have trouble not scratching at wounds, biting my nails, etc - but they said as long as my nails were short enough to get the finger monitor on and I didn't have any gems or super dark colors it would be fine. I just went and got my nails done on Thursday and chose super light, neutral colors so you really have to look closely to notice that they have a little shimmer to them and had them done very short. I appreciate that they worry about risk of infection; I've always been super neurotic about looking under my nails for dirt, scrubbing them, etc so I think they will be fine. If I say that often enough everything WILL be fine, right? Lol -- I can't wait to get past Monday!

omg those stuffing waffles sound delish!!! (cant really see in ur pic though...) totally going to try this this week!!! thx for recipe

I am. I literally just came from my one week post op. I had an unexpected gall bladder removal so a lot of my appt was my fears about that. Seems like the scary stuff is far less likely and the most likely will just be the issues with fatty food. She also cleaned my incision from the drain that came uncovered in the shower just because I’m over anxious about infection and when she seen how much pain I’m in when I laid down And sat up she said that I need to be on pain meds and I’m trying to be too tough. I just placed my Walmart order and added Tylenol. I’m gonna try they first. She also said with the SADI that it’s not uncommon to have issues with B12 but now that we add in the gall bladder thing she wants to start me on monthly injections. This should be interesting since i can’t even look when someone else gives me a shot. Guess like anything else I will get used to it.

Well I went back to the NP to clarify and it turns out I am supposed to do a two week LSD AND a 2 day all liquid one so I start tomorrow morning. My LSD diet isn’t to bad compared to some. I get one small low carb meal and a snack of like sugar free non fat yogurt. Breakfast and lunch is shakes. I pretty much knew that I was going to have to do more than two days once I talked to the NP but I wasn’t expecting 16 days. Yikes 😳 How is everyone else doing?

Make sure you ask your team about bubble bathes before you take them. I was told no bath or swimming for a while. I would have ti look at the paperwork but I think it was 6 or 8 weeks maybe. I love that your hubby is on board to eat the healthy foods with you, that will make it a lot more fun. Maybe you can do a blog or a thread on here with recipes if you have the time?? And your sister being so supportive is amazing. I found That I used the food processor instead of the immersion blender in the purée stage but it was super sweet of they regardless. I got a little 3 cup one. Actually splurged Quite a bit on the kitchen aide one so it wouldn’t bugg me to leave it out but bf budget doesn’t permit for that they have them far more reasonably priced. I have puréed eberything. I also found these little containers from dollar tree to be super handy to store leftovers in individual portions. They are 2.6 oz I think. 1/4c is 2oz and I am allowed 1/8 to 1/4 on puree so then take up a lot less room in fridge than all the big leftover containers and I can keep a pretty good variety that’s grab and go. They are basically little baby containers if you don’t have dollar tree I’m sure Amazon has something. I also got a couple of packs of their little desert sized paper plates for now and spoons so I don’t have to deal with as many dishes for a while. in terms of weighting it was really hard for me not to weigh everyday but what I did with the sleeve was to record my weight in my phone notes once a week so that when I got discouraged I could look back at that and see the overall downward trend. You can do it in the Baritastic app as well or on this app but doing it was than daily sort of reinforced it to my brain that little daily fluctuations didn’t matter. I’m curious to see what pill organizer you got. I have added magnesium at night now so I have five doses a day. I didn’t think they made one big enough for all these big vitamins so many times per day. Although I figure that most times I will only need to take the calcium while I’m out. Then again it couldn’t hurt to keep a couple multi vitamins with us just in case we would get stuck out unexpectedly. I do that with my rx meds and these are just as important ooh and if you like the fruit flavors chews you may like the caramel to change it up as well they are sorta like weathers original flavor but better because they are chewy.

Yes the pouch reset is a lie. You can’t reset your tummy. It’s working as it should. It doesn’t control you deciding to eat. What you need is to reset your head (thinking). Start reintroducing the behaviours you followed when you were nearing your stabilised weight. You can start by introducing just one or two changes every week or two (small changes are easier to accept, adopt & adapt to). For example: start by tracking your food to see what you’re actually eating (nutrients, calories), how much you’re eating ( portion size) and how often. Then ensure your meeting your protein & fluid goals. Then introduce reviewing portion sizes. Then maybe drop a snack or two. If you’ve let your activity slide start reintroducing something even walking at first. You’re on your way because you want to get back on track. May be see a therapist to discuss how you can avoid reverting back to your pre surgery eating behaviours again - can’t hurt. All the best.

I'm a professional trumpet player and got the sleeve on April 5. My doctor told me to wait 2 weeks to play which I will do (outside of the occasional 1 note long tone to prove to myself I still got it). Any other musicians out there? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The first 2-3 weeks are super important for sticking to the post op diet because a lot of nerves were cut, so we don't get the "stop eating, I'm full" signal right away. We can actually hurt ourselves by eating things we shouldn't or eating too much because we think we can because we're not getting those signals yet. Just stick to what your plan says to do. Once the nerves start to heal, you'll be REALLY glad you got in the habit of eating properly. As for the gurgling...get use to it lol I'm 2 years and 3 months out from my original surgery and 14 months out from my revision, and the gurgling is still here. Shows up at the worst times, too. Sexy time, at the movies, out to dinner, when I'm with a patient at work lol It's just a part of life now.

So... It's seems my stall has finally "cracked" - I wouldn't go as far as broken, but cracked... and I'm happy with that. This morning I weighed in at 69.1kg which is 152.3lbs ( 10st12) and puts my BMI just below 25 ( 24.8!! woopeee). I've just voted because it's the EU elections here and am about to pack before I leave home for work for a week. I'm going to Budapest and really don't like the food there so I'll see how I get on. I'm really hoping to see a number starting with 68 when I get home even if I loose just 300g (10oz) this week I'll be happy with that! @Noelle74 I hope you have some better days comming and manage to eat without being miserable! @RonHall908 I have this fear too... Well done on all the activity! How do you find the time. I struggle to get my 10k steps some days with work and even though I've been for a few 5k runs I don't know how I'd find time to work out! @gracesmommy2 I might try those recipies! Thank you @NickelChip I see we share the same live-in housekeeper dream! I don't even have children and am often overwhelmed by my own mess and laundry especially when I do fast turn arounds for trips! I'd also like someone who could remind me to go to bed at the appropriate time, make me coffee in the morning ( to be honest my partner does this if he's around but we don't live together full time as we both want to keep our Paris appartments!), I'd like someone to say "Hey blue, lets go for a walk before bed, just 30 minutes" or "Hey blue, what about getting up 30 minutes earlier and walking to work?" or "Hey Blue, let me sort that ironing for you, why don't you use the time to do some yoga?" @LisaCaryl How are things going for you, how are you dealing with the stall ? @Briss72 How are you feeling? How's your leg? Have you found a dance routine you like ? If not I got myself a dress and don't feel massive in it even though I still don't like my tummy I thought my legs ( massive heels helping) looked pretty ok!

Not revision specific, but even in my (virgin) Sleeve & RNY group there were people in my pre-op program who got 2 days, 5 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc. Hopefully all surgeons decide on a case by case basis. If in doubt, maybe reach back out to them again and ask if there's any risk to you doing a longer pre-op diet voluntarily?

I had sleeve 3.5 years ago and pre op I did nothing but vanilla premiere shakes. Then I was pretty sick kid those and I found the cafe latte in the same brand which I still like but it has caffeine. Pending revision I tried the vanilla again and it was disgusting to me. My husband buys the core power by fairlife and had me taste a chocolate which I am never a fan of but when even that wasn’t awful I decided to try their vanilla and it’s fine. Their strawberry banana is quite tasty in fact. We will see if I feel the same after two weeks of them though. 😂

My surgery is the 25th, so I'm just starting the liquid diet, but it's not too bad so far. I have a recommendation for something crunchy: crushed ice! I measure 17 ounces of water into a gallon baggie and add a packet of fruit punch crystal light. Set it in the freezer, and when it's solid, crush it with a rolling pin or heavy pan. If you have a thermos, the ice shards keep for a while and are fun to munch on during the day. Hope the next week goes by quickly for you!

I'm still stalled but feeling better. I spoke to my clinic who said it is normal because I've lost more than goal at this point and had a lower BMI to start off with. The clinic has said the stall may last up to a month which means I'm half way through the stall trying to be rational about it. I managed a decent walk ( 15.4k steps) yesterday in my raincoat that helped. I'm still in London for work and it is grey and raining but I bailed on my hotel and came to stay with my little brother (who lives here for his work) and it's a bit like being home. I hadn't seen him in a few years because we're not that close but he made me airfryer spicy tofu and asparagus for supper, offered to look over some work excels with me and to top it off he washed, dried, folded my laundry from my suitcase whilst I was asleep and woke me up with coffee in bed this morning. (I suspect he's been talking to my partner). He's made me feel very cared for and also said that even without weightloss in the mix he gets very very down when he has a bad stretch of travel for work and the weather is ****. He helped me find friends of friends to stay with when I have a week in Budapest in 10 days time so that I'm not all alone at a hotel again. And we realised we'll both be in Boston for work next month and can meet up there and we also sync'd our work travel agendas and found out we'll be in Singapore in October at the same time as our brother in law ( sisters husband) and so all three of us can stay together! For my job the travel is going to be wild until the end of this year (wrap up of a 5 year worldwide project) and so I'm just going to have to "hack" it as much as I can. I get back to Paris very late tonight and might see if I can move enough meetings around to take Friday off work and just spend 3 days for myself in Paris. Hows everyone getting on ?

I have worn many expensive brands of workout shoes over the years. Most recent, post op, were Nikes for walking. Averaging 14 miles a week. I started to develop a painful corn/bunion on my right foot and it was starting to effect my walks, slowing me down. I didn't relish the thought of having it surgically removed. Until.... I was out thrifting and picked up a new pair of G Defy walking shoes. Never heard of them but were my size so I tried them on and stood up. I remember saying out loud... holy shi*. I googled them and saw they sold for over $160. They immediately went in my cart. I put them on when I got home and went for my daily 2 mile walk. The shoe corrected my supinated gait and there was no longer any pressure or pain with that corn. I couldn't believe it. I thought this is a miracle shoe. I ordered another pair from their website after reading the history of how and why this shoe was created. The corn is shrinking since there is no longer any more pressure from wearing the expensive pair of Nikes. Obviously name brands mean nothing people. When my new pair came in the mail, printed on the box it read, "Here's your miracle." If that isn't some kind of sign I don't know what is. Happy walking. https://www.gravitydefyer.com/about-us

Goodness yes. I am incredibly emotionally reactive right now -- and prior to all this, as an adult I've always been very non-reactive, to the extent that I used to wonder if I was a sociopath. The past two-ish-weeks I've been on a rage bender, and now I'm starting to see that ease but now instead I get teary when I tell my dog I love her, etc. XD

I have it with smells. So many things smell like fish or tobacco to me. My dad will make himself a coffee, and I smell cigarettes. He'll be frying up eggs or a hamburger, tobacco. And for some reason, a lot of medicinal scents smell fishy to me: my metformin makes me gag because it smells so strongly of fish -- as does my children's grape-flavoured allergy liquid. 😕 As for taste, I've been lucky enough not to experience that -- although my taste buds are definitely still out of whack / different than pre-op. I can taste chemicals in SO many things now -- even items that I was fine with (twice, just last week) suddenly taste chemically. (I'm looking at you, lemon pudding....)

I always liked making smoothies. I used 1 bottle of Propel electrolyte water (different flavors), 1 scoop of collagen, 1 scoop of greens, 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 4 packets of monk fruit sweetener, 1-2 cups of whatever fruit I wanted (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc), and avocado. I would also add ground flax seeds, ground chia seeds, and shredded coconut. I loved them. I did them from about 6 weeks through the first year. Then I just kind of got out of making them. Maybe I'll start doing them again.....

(Oh, here’s Week Two’s Spreadsheet. I didn’t attach it.) Week Two, you’ll still be focusing on the THREE things: Water, Protein, and Movement. This week, don’t focus on using the soups and yogurts and such to get all your food. Think of the food items as practice for your stomach, not so much as getting ALL your nutritional needs. It won’t happen, you can’t meet your needs with soup, yogurt, and pudding! Haha! You’ll be relying heavily on your protein shakes here, still. Your surgeon will probably give you the green light for your multivitamin and calcium supplementation. One note, every new food I tried, I was a little scared, just because I didn’t know how my body would react and I didn’t want to hurt myself. As it turned out, everything I’ve tried has been perfectly fine and I haven’t had a single issue. Try new things ONE at a time and take it easy. Eat slowly. Put your food/spoon DOWN between bites. Buy some baby spoons (they have stainless steel ones on Amazon!). Only stick to the diet your surgeon gives you - NO DIVERTING! You’ll only shortchange yourself, whether anybody finds out, or not. And worse case scenario, something happens to you because of diverting.

What are safe foods at Mexican restaurants? 3 week post op

This week has been disappointing. I didn't lose any weight despite not doing anything different. I got a dreaded summer cold, so I wasn't motivated to cook. So I ordered Pizza last night.. I'm really disappointed in myself, because there's a million better options. But what's done is done. So I'm back on the diet today. I'm still sick, but I can't use that as an excuse. And at least when I don't lose weight and gain, tomorrow, I'll know why. I've also joined a gym and I've got the induction on Saturday. I used to go to the gym pre-pandemic and just wasn't able (or maybe willing) to get back into the swing of things once they reopened. I do miss the water aerobics class I used to do. The new gym doesn't have a pool and I can't afford a gym with a pool. So up and down

This may kind kinda crazy but have you tried just walking in your house. I have been doing an outdoor walk too now but I started with little five minute walks back and forth in my house from one end to the other. At first I wasn’t really logging them, just trying to prevent blood clots but I decided to start wearing my watch that logs my activity and five minutes is a quarter of a mile!! Work up to four times a day and that’s a mile right there. If you get to where you can do 20 minutes at once then you can probably make it around the block. It is hot but I have been going just before it gets dark and I walk in and jump in the shower. I’m telling you it feels so good to get started and being outside and the endorphins from the activity are so good for your mood. I talked to my therapist today and she is amazed at how great I am doing. I know that I’ve still got a ways to go and I may need encouragement to stick with it since one week it isn’t exactly a habit yet. But I am so proud of myself and that is an amazing motivator. This is coming from someone who hasn’t exercised at all in YEARS. You just have to get past that first time and it gets so much easier. Just set small goals so that you can achieve them and that should keep you going. If you don’t have one, these watches are pretty great too. It’s almost like a game trying to beat yesterdays goal.