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For the first 3 months after surgery, I used Nature's Bounty Hair, skin, and nails gummies w/ collagen & biotin. It's somewhere between $9-$11 at Walmart. I took 2 in the morning and 2 at night. After the 3 month mark, when I was making homemade smoothies, greens drinks and sometimes protein shakes, I started using Codeage multi collagen peptides platinum powder that I would mix into my drinks. It has collagen, biotin, hyaluronic acid, keratin, vitamin c, niacin, and vitamin B6. It's $35 and you get it online at Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc... This one is my absolute FAVORITE. It's completely flavorless, very fine and not grainy at all. I also use the digestive enzymes w/ pre and pro biotics supplements from Codeage, as well.

It honestly depends on your clothing budget but I would want to have at least a couple outfits that truly fit at each size. Consignment shops and thrift stores are your best bet (the church ones tend to have better prices because they price each item based on brand and condition rather than making all jeans or all tops a set price. Im sorry but a worn out camisole shouldn't be the same price as a silk Michael kors blouse with the tags still on it. Yet at goodwill, you will find them next to each other both marked $4.99 (or whatever price they have on tops). This is great if you find the nice top with the tags in your size but I usually don’t. lol. I would rather go to another store that prices based on quality and pay $10 for the nicer blouse. I wish I had more consignment stores near me because that would’ve been a great option. They would most likely buy back everything as it becomes too large so you would always have a credit to apply to your next visit. Plus, consignments stores tend to sift through and not take that really worn out camisole plus they organize the clothing by sixes a bit better. Tjmaxx, Marshall’s and Ross are good too. Especially their clearance sections. Clothes shopping becomes so much fun as you begin to really lose and I is not deny myself that but I did keep my real big splurges to accessories so they wouldn’t be too big in a few weeks. Whatever you do. Don’t forget to budget for a couple overhauls of your bras and panties. Because as mentioned before those will need to be sized down a few times as well.

My RNY gastric bypass surgery was at the blink of dawn on March 19th, 1 night in hospital afterwards. Two days of clear liquids at home before they approved the full liquid diet. I feel like I'm doing mostly good? Definitely chillier all the time -- I went from being someone who'd wear tank tops around the house in (Canadian) winter to being never without a sweater or throw blanket. The full liquids, I don't hate it. My team gave me instructions to have a minimum of 1 protein shake a day, slowly moving up to 2. Beyond that, as long as I'm getting 60-80 g of protein per day, they don't care if its whey protein added to soup, or greek yogurt, etc. I also caved and bought a couple protein soup mixes / oatmeal from BP. Bacon and cheese instant soup was a life-saver those first few days. I had my first tomato juice today, which I never used to be a fan of but it hits different after being on shakes for so long. (I was on these disgusting Medi Meal shakes for 2 weeks pre-op and haaaated every minute of them) My last bandages came off today. Mildly grossed out but trying not to think about it. 😆

I tried cutting my pill into small pieces rather than crushing them into powder, and I was finally able to get them down. Yesterday I was able to get down a little over 40 oz, thank goodness. I know they were super ready to send me to the hydration clinic if I wasn't able to get my water intake up. Today has been much smoother with water and a protein shake down so far.

I've been trying to eat food to get my protein in without relying on protein shakes. I don't mind them, but food is more filling. I haven't tried steak yet. I've grilled chicken breast and tried it in the Instapot and I can get about half of it down. It fills me up fast, mainly the reason I've been sticking with the grounds meats.

We eat out a lot since my partner works a very time intense job, we have no kids, and I'm still recovering from some serious health issues that cause a ton of fatigue. I generally aim for the same things at a restaurant that I would cook at home--healthy proteins, lighter sauces/marinades, sides that are low carb veggies instead of starches, and I always tell the waiters no chips/no bread, because if it isn't even brought to the table, we can't eat it! Hahaha! I've found that a lot of places will work with you to modify what you are ordering if you let them know you have special dietary needs. At my favorite breakfast place they make me a modified kids plate (one egg, one sausage, and fresh fruit) when I don't feel like having leftovers from a full size omelet. At my favorite pho place they replace the noodles with veggies. At Mexican places I tend to order fajitas with no tortillas, beans, or rice (my stomach does not play nice with beans or I would eat those!), or if I don't want leftovers, a side salad and steal some of my partner's protein. Steakhouses are VERY easy as long as you tell them to keep the bread. Two veggie sides and a lean steak usually means several meals at home later! Our local taco place will make you any taco in a lettuce leaf, or in a bowl instead of a tortilla. Thai places almost always will hold the rice and give me extra veggies if I ask when I order a curry. Sashimi is an easy alternative to sushi that avoids rice and I just ask for a side of avocado so I can still have the tuna and avocado combination I love so much! Smoked chicken or pork from the bbq places is great for several meals and they always have green beans or collard greens. And there's a Peruvian chicken place close by whose chicken I like much better than the supermarket and they make salads with fresh vinaigrettes instead of cream dressings. If we are traveling we tend to eat at some sort of chain restaurant that has their nutritional info online so I can hit my macros without worrying too much. The best advice I can give for eating out is to try and get ahold of the menu ahead of time so you can find a few options without feeling rushed in the moment when the waitress wants your order. And ask for a to-go container when they bring your food so you can put away all but the portion you would usually eat. Dieters tend to do this anyway, but our dietician suggested it to a woman who goes out to eat daily for business meetings so she wouldn't feel self-conscious about having so much food left on her plate in front of clients. When you put away your food before you start eating, people tend to forget you did and you can still stash away any last bits if you don't want to leave them behind after you eat. ❤️

I'm so glad you tried the muffins and liked them!! I really enjoyed mine, they kept well in the fridge and warmed up really well with a quick zap in the microwave. Regarding the nutritional needs of a SADI patient. We don't really know, honestly. The SADI is too new to have some of the longer term studies that have been done on the sleeve, bypass, and DS. But it is commonly thought by most surgeons that the dietary needs of a SADI are more than with the bypass because SADI patients are thought to malabsorb more than a bypass patient. And their needs are most likely a little less than a traditional DS. That said, I attended nutrition classes with all the different surgeries in one group, so we had to learn everybody's requirements!! Most good surgeons recommend that SADI patients follow the dietary requirements of a DS patient to be on the safe side. That means 80-120 grams of protein, less than 50 TOTAL carbs while in the active weight loss phase (the dietician said "net carbs" is not an official measurement, but if you want to follow net carbs you'd need to keep under 30 net carbs since they get counted differently, most DS patients introduce a bit more complex carbs into their diets once they reach maintenance weight) and the fat grams recommended by the ASMBS is 60 grams of fat by 1 year post op. However, SADI and DS patients malabsorb a good amount of fat, so veterans of the surgeries will tell you that you need more fat than that. I seem to feel best around 80-100 grams of fat a day, but there are veterans of the DS surgeries that eat closer to 150 grams, or whatever alleviates their constipation and eases their symptoms of low fat like dry eyes and dry skin. According to most studies, a DS patient only absorbs about 20-30% of the fat they consume, around 60% of the protein they consume, 60-80% of the complex carbs, and every single calorie of simple carbs!! That's why simple carbs are so important to restrict post surgery (besides the digestive drama), you can eat your way around any surgery with simple carbs... And this is why counting calories is pretty useless for DS and SADI patients. We don't yet know exactly what the percentage of absorptions is for SADI patients as they haven't done a breakdown study (as far as I know) but it is safe to assume SADI patients absorb a little more fat and protein than a traditional DS patient would. The best way to find your own perfect macros post surgery IMO is to aim for 80-120 grams of protein and then watch your protein labs. They will tell you if you need more protein or if you can back off a little. And for me at least, I find my skin, hair and eyes are highly sensitive to when I have too little fat in my diet.

Most days are ok providing I’m willing to prepare with protein ‘enriched’ products before going to work - I hate having to force in 20gm s of protein before bed.. I’m on soft food stage but I don’t think I’m doing this as well as I can still relying on protein powders and pre packaged drinks instead of sourcing it from food so I guess I’m still on that steep learning curve haha. basically currently I’m a non cook ( a great pre-heater though) but bestie made me all these nutritious home made soups that got me through up until now - I’ve still some in the freezer but I just can’t look at them the same at the moment ( kind of like Optifast…. I’ve reached THAT point. im reading this really cool book which I got from eBay called Ultimate Gastric Sleeve Success which is where I found out about this forum ( lists website address in book) by Dr Duc c Vuong which has all these activities to do - so now I’ve got to decided if I can learn to cook 👩‍🍳 haha that’s why I married my husband lol

I don’t count carbs or calories. I just focus on protein and water. The SIPS/SADI is a malabsorption surgery. What you eat goes through your system “faster” than other surgeries. I have not had any issues with dumping syndrome. I usually have 1 bm a day . If I do eat something that may be fried or higher carb I do get gas, which is unpleasant smelling. Lol. So I focus on high protein foods, at least 60 grams a day.

Most days I’m ok - still can’t tolerate eggs 🥲 and I love eggs. Currently at the I’m too scared to try again stage… I have gotten better at Water intake 1.5 to 2 litres on average a day now (except yesterday don’t know what happened there I think I just forgot to drink) sometimes I get pain when I try that one more bite (I haven’t learnt to listen to the full cues yet) im back on coffee YaY! - one every couple of days with tasteless Protein Powder ( it’s my go to treat) I need to walk more - but back in the pool

Most days I’m ok - still can’t tolerate eggs 🥲 and I love eggs. Currently at the I’m too scared to try again stage… I have gotten better at water intake 1.5 to 2 litres on average a day now (except yesterday don’t know what happened there I think I just forgot to drink) sometimes I get pain when I try that one more bite (I haven’t learnt to listen to the full cues yet) im back on coffee YaY! - one every couple of days with tasteless protein powder ( it’s my go to treat) I need to walk more - but back in the pool

When I have persistent gas, I take max strength Gas-X. It helps. Some days, I can eat pretty well. Other days (like today) I struggle to get 2 eggs with cheese down. It depends on what I eat, when I eat it, if I drink while I eat, and sometimes it's just the nature of the surgery. That's why I'm super mindful about getting my protein and fluids in. If you're struggling to drink or having pain when you eat or drink 8 mo out, you really need to speak to your surgeon. That shouldn't be happening.

Can you tolerate lettuce? Do you like salad? When I had my sleeve I did a lot of chick fila. Their salads are really good and they really measure things and post the nutrition information that is actually accurate not like places that do not measure and you really don’t have any idea how many calories you are getting. Plus the crunchy toppings are on the side so you can choose to leave off if need be and they have the exact calories listed on those as well. Early out to avoid spice I got the spicy southwest salad but I asked for plain chicken breast (no seasonings) and the market salad I would get without the blue cheese. Both of these I take home and take the toppings with just a little bit of lettuce and put into a plate because it’s way too much if not. When I dine in I just do my best to eat the toppings to get the nutrition and toss the lettuce. It is a good place to go with friends because they can get what they want and I can get eat on plan. Super early out you can ask for the grilled chicken breast by itself. Panara is another place with some healthy options. I usually get the kids meal because it’s a half salad which is more than enough and you get a yogurt you can save for later instead of bread or an apple. I have often wondered if they will let you pay to double the protein though because the half salad is half the protein which very well may be plenty. I’ve just never weighed it. Panara also has food that the rest of the family could enjoy.

Your meal looks perfect for your dietary needs. Well balanced, proportions look great! I completely understand your worry about stretching your new stomach though, afterall its how most of us became overweight (they do stretch out if you push the limits each time). Its why bariatric surgeons tell us to weigh and count calories to get us used to the visual of portion control so we don't risk stretching it out and being back to where we started. Stomachs are fairly elastic, we've probably all seen the videos of Bariatric surgeries where they remove huge stomach specimens - they didn't start out that large and our new stomachs still consist of the same Mucosal cells and muscles as it always has just reduced but with the same abilities to accommodate larger meals. Even before surgery its normally the size of a fist, but stretches out as much as 4-5 liters for food. So yes, it can still stretch out after Bariatric surgery! Keep up the great work and lucky you for having healthy options offered at work!

This should be fine. It sounds like you're aware of the portion that is appropriate for you right now and making reasonable choices like leaving behind the bread. The biggest issues with restaurant foods are probably portion size and hidden calories/fat/sugar in sauces. Since you know this is part of your lifestyle to get takeout, and not something you're looking to change, I would say stay aware of the choices you make, as it will be easier to push it the further out you get. Beware of getting the fried chicken instead of grilled "just this one time" which becomes every time because it's tasty. Eating the bun because you have a little "extra room" instead of getting yourself a side salad to fill you up. Eating the million calorie sauce, which will go down way too easily, instead of substituting something healthier. If available, you might want to get the nutrition info for your favorite places to make sure what you think you are eating matches up to what you are actually eating. If you want to reduce eating out, consider doing some meal prep/batch cooking and freezing options for when you're not in the mood to cook.

You can have raw or sauté vegetables. Or you may eat pasta with tomato sauce, veggies, and cheese. It is a healthy option.

Anxiety is awful. I used to stress out majorly due to my career, but even having been retired for ten years, I still have problems sleeping. I work out like an animal, now that I've lost most of my excess weight, and keep myself mentally engaged in a lot of things, but I still suffer from insomnia. My one doc, who I've used since the mid-90's, still has me on diazapam (addictive, but at some point for me, it just doesn't work so I stop and clean out) and Mirtazapine, which definitely puts me down most of the time. Only problem with the latter is that I don't wake up til 11am. Not good if I'm attempting to live a normal life. But, he's against sleeping pills and I get it. The other things, like Melatonin, just make me woozy. I'm in way better health as a result of the surgery and working out constantly. I'm consuming lots of protein through drinks plus food. I feel good. The lack of sleep can definitely ruin your day. I don't know what the current thinking is in the medical community. I trust my guy but still, it kinda sucks to have to medicate to get sleep. I'm real big on integrative medicine. Maybe there's an answer there. Dunno. Nice to see you folks!!!!

Oh no! I'm just over 5 weeks out and I've been put back on liquids due to vomiting. It started just before 3 weeks with what I thought was an isolated incident because of some fish that was too dry. I had four hours of agony before I was finally able to expel everything from my stomach and have the pain stop. But 4 days later it happened with something else, and then three days after that it seemed that anything I tried to eat was triggering pain and vomiting. So I had to go back to liquids. I've been having protein shakes and cream soups. It's been 9 days and I haven't had any more pain. I see the surgeon on Tuesday and am hoping he'll say I can start trying soft protein again. I hope your doctor gets to the bottom of the issue for you soon! I'm grateful that water isn't causing any issues for me.

You have done really well with your weight loss and I understand your worry of messing up. I do too, which is why I calorie and protein count every little morsel that passes my lips. I still struggle to eat enough protein Your meal looks fine portion wise but it looks to me like you have lots of oily dressing on the salad, but I am a million miles away and wear very thick varifocals. If you are in maintenance , this seems fine to me.

Wow. It’s amazing that your work has healthy options. I can see where it’s kinda hard to measure things at work though. Just a thought if you are measuring by volume. Amazon sells containers that I find handy when I’m eating healthy to pack my snacks that you may be able to use now to measure your lunch. Mine are made by easy lunch boxes and these have four square sections (they sell one that’s bigger also but I usually tend to grab the one with 4) basically they make homemade lunchables. I just measured witb water and each section holds 1/2 cup if you fill it to the line (not overflowing). So half way would be 1/4 cup Maybe you can use or transfer your lunch to a container like this and that way you will have a better idea of how much you are eating?? It’s kinda Like having four measuring cups without having to use an actual measuring cup or a bunch of containers. Plus, you will likely love them later if you need to pack healthy snacks anyways. The ones I got are $11.99 for four and they come in handy to pack smaller portions of fruit, cheese, veggies, lunch meat, jerky, nuts, etc for snacks on the run.

Catwoman is right. It depends what's on your plate. By and large, at least according to two prominent surgeons (Dr. John Pilcher and Dr. Matthew Weiner), pouch stretching isn't really a thing. Your pouch is meant to regain elasticity as it heals, allowing you to eat the amount of food you'll need for maintenance. It's what you choose to fill it with that makes the difference. Bearing in mind I'm still in the early stages so this is just based on research instead of personal experience, this is what I have read and heard. You want to keep your protein serving to 3-4oz and your starch/carb serving to 1/4 to 1/2 cup (or 1 slice bread), and the rest non-starchy veg. That would be 1/2 your plate is veg and 1/2 your plate split between protein and carb. And a smaller lunch/salad plate, not a dinner plate bigger than your head! The meal you posted looks pretty healthy to me. I found this video really informative:

Thanks so much for your reply. I’m sorry to hear you are struggling a bit but glad you are tolorating at least some real foods and getting your protein in. I am trying low carb recipes each day and have found a few that are good for me. I just have to sift through the super high fat ones that I’m guessing won’t be ideal post op. I won’t get into specifics since you are limited in what you’re eating right now. I’m kinda shocked that you are still dealing with nausea and abdominal pain at four months. I know everyone’s body is differnt but Do they act like that is common for recovery? Is the vitamin deficiency related to the surgery?

Congratulations!! I am glad you had such a great team and that like you said you were still in hospital. I shiver when I think of if it was me and I was home I may not have even noticed my BP was up. If they specifically told me to take it every two hours, maybe but if not… Anyways, it sounds like you found a little gem of a team over there and I’m sure your sharing will be helpful to so many. I think for my revision I may ask to go ahead and stay the extra night if they give me the option now. I just wonder why they don’t have recovery houses for surgeries other than cosmetic. I assume they check things such as your vitals and make sure you follow all your post op instructions to the tee. That would be good option if you were still in a great deal of pain and lived alone or just live worn someone who has to work most of the day. Or they would have probably reported your BP to your excellent team and he would have requested they brought you back to hosptial. That and visiting nurses. I have had them come to my home for both “cosmetic” procedures I’ve had but never have they mentioned them for the others. Maybe you just have to ask? ignore me, my mind is just wandering. lol. Congratulations again on your goal. I’m so very happy for you!! For that and that all the surgery stuff is behind you.

These things can & do happen. Constipation is often an ongoing issue for many of us at least until we’re eating a broader range of food like vegetables & fruit. Try adding a soluble fibre to a drink, shake, soup, yoghurt, or similar to help. I used to take a stool softener if I hadn’t gone for three days to keep on top of it. Remember too you’re not actually eating that much so you don’t have much to actually poop out especially in the first couple of months. So don’t expect to go every day. Meeting or being close to your daily fluid goal is extremely important because of dehydration. Sip, sip, sip. I still drink during the night to ensure I reach mine. (Have a drink whenever I wake.) Your throat can be swollen for a little while after the surgery though it does generally pass in a couple of days. Do mention it to your surgeon when you go for your check up if it’s soon otherwise give them a call. Try drinks at different temperatures in the meantime. Many of us found warm or hot drinks more soothing than cool or cold drinks. And again sip slowly. Also remember we all heal & recover in our own way & time. This is a pretty major surgery & some take a little longer or can experience some challenges with certain aspects like hitting fluid or protein goals, or experience a little more surgical pain, have more gas pain, take a little longer to get their strength back, tolerate or not tolerate certain flavours, textures, smells, etc. Like your weight loss, your recovery may be a bit erratic. Easier today, but tomorrow not as much, then the next day is okay. Look back over a week to better see your progress. You can be sure that it does get better & easier in time. All the best.

What are you eating besides protein? Do you get fruits and veg every day? Does your diet have any fat in it? Make sure as you focus on protein that you also focus on getting a well-rounded, balanced diet and enough calories to keep your body going.