Search the Community

My wife and I had surgery together almost 1 year ago. We lost almost lb for lb for the first 6 months. After 6 months I was almost done losing but she still had a bit more to go and she continued to lose. Her weight loss slowed down and then stalled for the past few months and just started moving again. Staying with the program that you have will help keep you on track. There will definitely be times where the weight falls off and then times where you are stuck at the same weight.

I agree with @lizonaplane. The experience has likely been more painful because you are still healing. Go slowly with the foods you add to your diet. You may find your a few weeks into real solid food until you are fully healed & your tummy is less sensitive. I’ve found after surgery that the odd times I vomited it was different. More bubbling up not heaving, & straining muscle spasms. The cause was eating a little too much, or too fast while I was still learning & once simply because my tummy said ‘no’.

I enjoyed going to restaurants (fine dining not chain) before surgery & I still enjoy going to them after you surgery. The difference is instead of ordering two or three courses I only order one. The only regret I have is there are a number of restaurants I’ve wanted to go to & now I can’t because they only do degustation menus. There’s no way I would be able to eat 6, 8, 9, … courses even if they’re small - the volume of food still adds up. An unfortunate side effect of COVID has been many restaurants in Australia offer three course set menus now. Can understand why - better economies & less waste - but is a waste of money to be forced to order three courses for me now. Hopefully, they will go back to full a la carte soon. As for alcohol, yes I enjoyed drinking too: champagne, gin, scotch, wine were my preference. But was never an excessive drinker. Every night I had big glass of wine sometime followed by a scotch or a gin followed by a glass of wine. Now, I only have a drink about once a month (last month I drank three times but that was very unusual circumstances). And I can nurse a glass for ages. Do I miss drinking more? Not really. Do I feel I’m missing out socially? Nope. I just enjoy being with friends & family. Honestly, I don’t enjoy alcohol quite as much. It has made me more particular about what I drink - quality over quantity. Champagne over cheap sparkling.

Foodie here as well. The first few months are hard because there are a lot of restrictions, but after that, there really aren't. You just eat much smaller portions. I'm OK with that. I can eat pretty much anything, I just don't eat a lot at one sitting anymore. But honestly, neither do most of my never-been-obese women friends. When we meet for a meal, for example, they (and I) will usually just order an appetizer - or else order an entree and take half of it home. I think that's the way a lot of "normies" eat. note that I am several years out. Of course, the first few weeks you aren't eating half an entree - you're eating maybe 1/4 cup of something. But that's temporary.

I’m at the 5 month mark…and it decided to stall out for the first time, probably because I made the mistake of saying I have had no stalls. I’m 0.8 away from reaching 60lbs lost. I want to get that number now! It’s a 12-18 month process, so I’m not stressing it too much.

I was told by doctor to stop all diabetic medication 3 day prior to my two week pre diet because i have history of blood sugar dropping to low and i had surgery June 14 2021 and havnt had any diabetic mediciaton since i was on meal time insulin ozempic and bed time insulin and merfromin all Before surgery and I’m still having problems of my blood sugar dropping to low when i try to exercise its so fursting but i would rather that then be to high

This post really made me think about my relationship with food and drink again. I’m three months out with my bypass tool. I did graze one weekend on Greek style pizza and wine. I really enjoyed the company, could enjoy the wine with only two ounces. I did pack away 4 slices over 2 hours though. I had to really work hard a solid week to get back to my weight before that gathering. Looking back, the free laughter outside with friends was what I enjoyed. It felt like the openness pre-Covid. Keeping the feelings and why needs to be in front all the time. I am reminded that surgery is just a tool. Being social with friends safely is precious, and my physical health doesn’t need to take a toll. I’m going to track on an online app next time and plan ahead better. But you won’t have to stop socializing either, because I equate socializing with positive mental health. Like me you will have to evaluate your food and drink pitfalls and navigate through your strengths and weaknesses. For me, each gathering, each person, each situation is different. I have go into the next one with a better plan, but I promise I will still enjoy the socializing!

Hi everyone, I had my VSG surgery on Monday, came home on Wednesday. My pre-op diet was two weeks prior to surgery - I was living on blended Greek Yogurt (as low sugar as possible) and Atkins protein shakes. The first couple of days weren't terrible I did a gradual transition with the pre-op diet in the week prior to officially starting.

October 25th ..Sadi Surgery?was suppose to have the Sadi but unfortunately I couldn't get it done. There were too many adhesions, I knew that there was a possibility òf this happening or not happening. Ì was disappointed ofcourse. My doctor did remove alot of adhesions in the abdomen. Abdomen is quite sore and bruisec..I go back to my Dr. On Tues. the 14th and will see what he will have to say..I do however still have the sleeve, which I "think" is fine..when talking to my husband after surgery, my husband didn't quite get the information correct...and I wasn't talked to, if I was idon't remember. Anyhow thats my story of my day of surgery...2 weeks of liquid diet. For nothing...oh well I lived through it. Maybe the future will be better. Hope they don't want me to go to Nutritionist again and the trainer...I have all that info...just another loop hole. Donna Smith

I like them well enough. It's a different texture, but still a tasty product. I haven't had them since surgery. I'll have to try some when I get home in a week.

I was able to take pretty big mouthfuls by a few weeks out. But, I don't think it's so much the size of the mouthful as how much you bring the cup/mug/bottle/etc to your lips. I find when I'm at home I'm great about getting my fluids in because I keep it right next to me and pick it up every few minutes. When I'm at the mall or whatever, it's much harder because I hate carrying things (I don't even carry a purse). I have found since surgery that plain water just isn't as appealing anymore (I used to love it) and neither is diet soda. I use the Starburst and Great Value brand sugar free drink flavoring packets (like Crystal Light, but I don't like that brand) and instead of adding to 16oz of water I add it to 24 oz of water. I also drink a ton of hot tea. These things help me drink more.

This might be such a silly thing to worry about so please forgive me. I'm 3 weeks post-op vsg, and on softfoods. I was so excited to eat something soft that yesterday, I tried a few things in my fridge. I guess my stomach didn't agree with the combination or amount, and it all came back up fiercly. It's now the next day and my stomach, which previously was feeling much better, now is very tender. I know this started because of the puking, I could feel the pain when my stomach would contract. I'm just worried about why it would STILL be so sore. Has this happened to anyone else? It's really worrying me. Can I do damage to my sleeve from just puking?

Laurie we could definitely meet half way!! Would be fun 😊 Knee replacements can be hard I’m sure but you’ll get through!! Finally getting to go back to work in a week…bored out of my mind. Can only watch so much Netflix 😂 Hardest part has been getting all the water in. Still can’t get 64 oz bit at least getting all the protein!! we could always start a text thread for us Ohio people if that’s allowed. Would be nice to offer support to each other!!

That's brilliant that your almost at the puree stage. Where did you have your surgery? I went to turkey so there won't be any post op doctor appointments. I'll just stick to what they said to do. I live on Houston, TX and had the surgery done here. I was able to skip the 3 days on clear liquids after my surgery but will remain on them until the two weeks are up.

Hi I’m a sleeve➡️bypass I’m almost 3 weeks out, I wasn’t the model patient but I have to say 💯 that this surgery was so much easier than the first, I have tolerated everything so far very well (almost too well it worried me bc I had almost no constriction) feeling hopeful! My post-op appointment is on 11/9/21. The weight loss has Been much slower then when I had the sleeve, but again, feeling hopeful! Has anyone heard that with this conversation, you lose weight much slower, then it all falls off? Thank you in advance!

Had my surgery also on the 27th. Lost 16 pounds the first week. Doing so good doc already moved me onto the puree stage after 1 week. I'm slowly figuring out what I like pureed. BUT the cravings good lord. I just want a slice of pizza, what if I pureed it? LOL. But also, NOT HUNGRY AT ALL!! Not going to lie. Craving were so bad I literally would chew something I couldn't have and spit it out. I just wanted the taste so bad! Homemade sauces(apple and pear) with Stevia added. YUMMY!! Made a version of chicken salad with light mayo, lactaid cottage cheese, pepper, salt, garlic powder and celery powder. YUMM!! Made Pureed cauliflower that tastes better than mashed potatoes and pureed Brussel sprouts to get the fiber. Just experiment but stay away from spicy foods and very acidic foods.

This is true hunger. My bariatric therapist said about 20% of her patients have no loss of hunger after surgery. It feels exactly like if I had gone all day without eating prior to surgery, but I have it all the time, even right after a meal. I don't have specific cravings for food, although my mom served my favorite cake last night (there were guests besides me there) and I definitely wanted some, but decided the risk of starting back on eating cake wasn't worth what I remembered the cake tasting like. I had a ff greek yogurt instead. It was a little sad, but I'm glad I made that choice. Of course, I've lost 25 lb in the 8 weeks since surgery and I'm down 75 since I started preparing for surgery in February, so I'm trying to focus on the positive. It's just that I too thought everyone looses their hunger and starts craving healthy foods. It's just not true (although MOST people do lose their hunger for about 6 months).

Hi. I just had that on 10/29/21 so don’t have a lot of info yet, but tolerating drinking well and just moved to stage 2 diet and tolerating that as well. A week out and no pain whatsoever.

I don't drink (never liked the taste) but I've definitely been enjoying food a lot since surgery. I eat a lot less (I am less than 2 months out, so I eat about 2 oz of meat/protein at a time), so that is definitely hard, but I still enjoy the food. Is this process easy. NO WAY! You have to change your relationship with food or it won't work. You can still enjoy food, but if you eat the same crap food you ate that made you obese, you will lose weight then gain it right back, or you will not lose much to begin with. This has been the hardest part for me. I am resisting changing WHAT I eat, because I enjoy rich, sweet, restaurant foods. I don't want to eat simply seasoned, fresh, healthy foods. But I want this process to work, so I'm doing my best. I travel every week for work so some days I buy food from the grocery store and eat roast beef, hummus, prechopped veggies, ff greek yogurt, protein shakes, etc in my hotel room, and yes, it's a bit sad. Sometimes I do go out to restaurants and order something, enjoy my few oz of protein and a tiny bit of veggies, but I feel like it's not healthy enough... If you think you can live your old life eating five course restaurant meals after surgery, sure, you can do that after a few years, but you will gain your weight back. Just like any other weight loss scheme, you have to eat less. Right now, I physically can't eat much at one time, but if I were to graze or eat junk food, my weight loss would slow. And I was counting on not being hungry and I'm starving all the time. And I was counting on my tastes to change so I wouldn't like unhealthy food. Nope! This is hard. Think carefully. I don't regret doing it, but it's the hardest thing I've ever done, and I lost 100 lbs through diet and exercise. This is way harder in many ways.

I was sleeved on October 27th. I was released after a day. Released for work after 1 week. My journey started in April with the first office visit. I was at my heaviest at 340lbs. Stuck to the low fat/carb high protein diet for six months and was down to 309lbs at surgery time. 9 Days post-op down to 291lbs. Doc put me on pureed food after week 1. Having trouble finding things appetizing. Think I am getting acid reflux but I have never had it before and don't know what it feels like. Anyone help?

As others have said, follow your programs plan. For me, soft foods started around 5 weeks. Rotisserie chicken shredded into complete oblivion and mixed it with a little Alouette or Boursin cheese, ground beef browned into very small bits with some refried beans, cottage cheese, thicker soups with very soft chunks (broccoli cheese, etc.) and protein powder mixed in, oatmeal with protein powder, very thin deli meat with hummus or cream cheese, and very soft meatballs were all in heavy rotation and to some degree still are. The puree phases were a bit carb heavy for me, so when I moved to soft solids, I really started focusing on protein rich foods and learning my "fullness" queues. I'm only ~7 weeks out, and I'm still learning as I go. Just take it one meal at a time!

I have always loved watermelon, and I've been eating it a lot, because it's easy to get pre-cut watermelon at the stores when I travel. It's hard to eat it slowly enough because it sort of disintegrates, but I still enjoy it. I have been eating pork tenderloin the last few days at my parents' house. It's dry (even though it's not overcooked at all, still pink and juicy) but I've been putting hummus or baba ganouj on it and it's so high in protein that it's helpful. I don't particularly enjoy chewing it to mush, but it's no different than other foods. Have you tried deli roast beef? I'm 8 weeks out and I have no issues with beef. I enjoy deli roast beef and beef short rib and flank steak cooked in Pho or Ramen (I just don't eat the noodles).

Happy November! It's been a while since I checked in since I missed our 6 month check in. Rolling into fall was hectic at work for me and I was exhausted at home afterwards. But, I won't miss Month 7. Happy Surgerversary to my fellow Sleevers and my April 6 surgery twins. I think there are 4 of us on here. I'm doing good overall. I never had a true goal weight, but I am 20 pounds lower that what the dietitian thought I might be able to lose, but that was a very brief comment made during pre-OP appts. My focus was health not a specific number on the scale. But, I will share that I do weigh daily on my scale every morning just to see what's happening. Emotionally this is not taxing for me. I do not recommend that for people who had a specific goal weight number and are distressed by the scale. I have even more uplifting milestones than what a scale can offer me. Like I need to get my ring resized before it falls off in public somewhere. Never had to do that so I've been procrastinating on figuring out what I need to do for that. But, I get its super easy. Lol. Last weekend I had to gut my closet of my entire fall and winter attire. The prior week was cold and I didn't have any pants at all that fit. The closet is still a mess as I toss sweaters, baggy Jean's, etc. Shopping during the summer was fun and I loved it. But, I dont like cold or winter, so I procrastinated. Shoes are lose as well so I need some winter shoes. I kind of view winter clothes as more expensive than summer, another reason I procrastinated. I'm grateful for sure, just not thrilled about the expense for a season I don't enjoy. So, those are non-scale victories. I'm doing ok food wise, BUT I noticed in October that my restriction is less. Oh, that scares me. I don't want that at just 6-7 months. I also had grazing episodes in October. That scared me even more. I don't eat off plan. My grazing was with fruits, veggies, cheese sticks, and almonds. But, still, it scares me. I haven't cheated in terms of sugar, carbs, soda, etc. I'm proud of myself for that, but dont want less restriction or grazing urges. Also, water intake declined at work last month due to mainly distractions being busy and honestly not having any thirst that even triggered a thought to drink anything. I still only drink water. No juices or soda, plus I'm not a coffee or tea drinker so I'm just water. I try to make up when I get home, but I know that's not good. I'm at a point that I just want to maintain my current weight orsize. I literally just stepped on the scale before typing this sentence. I'm only .6 ounces from an even weight that I can live with. If I dip maybe 2 pounds down, I'm good. I don't want to be tiny. I'm purposely not sharing a number because I dont want to trigger anyone. Monday night I opened a plastic totem of clothes that has clothes from like 10 years ago when I was smaller. Everything except two items fit. It was an awesome Monday night. The two things that did not fit were too big. I'm good here. I'm happy to go down maybe two more because I expect maybe a 3-5 pound fluctuation during maintenance so I want some wiggle room. What I'm not doing good at all? I'm not weight training or strength training. Ugh! Walking, i love. But, i just haven't done what I'm supposed to do with this area. I know i need to but i just get no pleasure from the thought of that weight stuff. Help! Man, long message. I wish all the best to everyone. Would love to hear from folks. Please dont compare your journey to anyone else. If you are a newbie here to the WLS journey, please know that it gets easier around Month 2 post surgery. The first few days will certainly be a challenge. You just had surgery. The first month will be a different experience for you than life before surgery. But as you get into your flow past Month 2, it's not that bad. For me, it's not bad at all. I don't miss the bad stuff I ate. I don't feel like I'm suffering in life. I'm not food deprived. I love having restriction. I don't have any longterm medical issues from the sleeve. You will read a range of horror stories and pleasant stories. Experiences fall on a huge continuum. My experience is just mine. Your experience will be your experience. Be clear about why you are doing this. It is not an easy fix at all. It takes commitment and clarity. All the best to everyone.

Update: I've started getting a bit nauseous from the ProCare Health but I think I just need to take them with food. Apparently vitamins absorb better with food anyway. Our surgery center said no gummies. I was supposed to take the chewable vitamins for a month after surgery but I couldn't stand them so I switched to the capsules after two weeks and I had no issues (until I started getting nauseous a few days ago).

Pre op has definitely gotten easier. Not quite a full week in and I’ve lost 13 lbs!