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For clarity, I purposefully chose not to go down the rabbit hole of discussing diet since you mentioned being under the care of a "nutritionist". (I hope by that you mean an RDN "Registered Dietitian Nutritionist".) None of us here are qualified to promote one way of eating over any other, especially when you have multiple disease states you're dealing with. Let me explain. I'm currently working to become a certified sports nutritionist, and one of the most important things that was drilled into me early on was that I needed to stay within my practice guidelines. This means ONLY physicians and RDs can develop a diet for the treatment of specific medical conditions. If you want to know how to maximize your diet for athletic endeavors, I can help. If you need a diet to help with managing or treating a medical disease, I'm woefully underprepared and will always advise seeking out an RD or RDN. The reality is that dietary options abound, but medical conditions greatly impact not only what your dietary needs are, but also how you respond to various dietary options and even what's potentially safe (or not), for you to eat.

I differ from what SpartanMaker says, I wouldn't try any more of the options that are out there. Obviously you first need to recognize that obesity is a disease and it never goes away. You tried to starve yourself to death and the body will automatically save every morsel you put into your body and store it as fat, especially on a 300 calorie diet. Increasing the calories is not necessarily the fix either, you need to look at the foods you are eating. Is it protein heavy or are you still eating salads, which are carbs by the way? Are you thinking that a baked potato is a veggie, it is not it is a carbohydrate, then add all the stuff you put on the potato. Diet wise, you may be choosing the wrong foods. And certainly the amount. You passed out probably because your glucose levels went into the basement with such a low calorie intake. I agree with SpartanMaker, and seek out a Bariatric center that has a whole host of options. Surgery is a tool that the obese person uses and it is a life long commitment to make lifestyle changes. You may need to see a therapist and nutrition expert both to help you, and maybe they have other options other than going straight to surgery, but for certain I feel you need better education on what is an appropriate "diet", and not all "diets" are really diets but ways to spend more money that is just wasted. You obviously have the willpower and stamina to take hold of a new life, it won't hurt to inquire. I would also urge you to watch some of the YouTube videos from BariNation, they have Podcasts with bariatric physicians and other healthcare providers every week and most recently there was discussion about Obesity being a disease and using something other than weight or BMI (Body Mass Index) to determine if someone is obese. My plan has always been to go the cautious or conservative route first. In my case I jumped right in and happy for it. I had an excellent surgeon and team that all worked together to ensure I had a good experience and did. Never had any pain with my surgery, and have had good results so far and today is Post op week 3, day 1. I wish you the best in your journey to seek out further information and a good bariatric group!!

At the end of the day, no one here can tell you if it's right for you. Keep in mind that obesity is a disease and it definitely needs a treatment plan, just like your other conditions. The right treatment for any given person varies based on a lot of factors, so don't automatically decide yourself what the right treatment should be. The best thing for you to do is seek out a GOOD bariatric center that has lots of options available to you and not just surgery. Personally, my gut tells me that it's too soon to go this route since obesity is such a recent issue for you. I'm not a doctor, and certainly not a bariatric surgeon, but just thinking through how recent this obesity disease is for you, I personally would want to try some more conservative treatments first?

Here we go, currently 35 F. Since I was 21 I have seen an endocrinologist for what seemed like an unknown hormone disorder. They didn't diagnosis with anything but monitored me for years. I had severe cystic acne, Hidrianitus suppurativa hirsutism and I struggled with my weight (always). My weight was not that much of a problem at the time (I was 160, 5'7) but I felt like I was heavier than I should be for what I ate. I was not diagnosed with PCOS because I had regular periods and normal test results. But the doctor told me he wanted to continue to see me. Years later in 2022 my weight skyrocketed to 230 pounds in about a 18 month period. It was shocking, never have I been that heavy. It was awful. I didn't change me diet. The sent me to a nutritionist but I didn't lose weight. It was like weight-loss was impossible. The endocrinologist has no answers and I got a second opinion. Again no answers. Then in 2024 I was the same weight but my asthma was becoming incredibly severe. My lung function was down to 70 present and I was frequently hospitalized last year. They told me my weight was worsening my asthma. I told them I couldn't lose weight. I got desperate and from June to November I ate 400 calories a day and only drank water. I lost 30 pounds. I had no choice but to do this. It was crazy, it was dangerous and I passed out twice but I had no choice. I was dying anyway. By December I started upping my calories to 700 and by January I was eating 1200 calories. My lung function improved to 86 percent and my asthma was suddenly improving based on test results. The troubling thing recently is in the last two months I've regained 11 pounds. I'm only eating what my nutritionist recommends. I'm now at the point of wondering if Gastric Bypass is for me. I clearly can not lose weight easily on my own, worsening obesity makes me sicker. The weigh comes back far too quickly. Would this be the right decision for me?

Something else I do is bring tuna or salmon handi-packs to lunch with a plastic fork and eat that right out of the package, and a piece of fruit. There are so many options of those handi-packages too. I have also done the 3 compartment lunch boxes with a protein, a fruit and a veggie to give me variety, you can stuff those boxes in your lunch box and have them always available for you in the refrigerator. Those boxes were a life saver for me, I just do my meal prep during the weekends or when I am off. Have a great day.

I'm team both? My diet mantra is 80/20. What I mean is: I try to focus on getting ~80% of my calories from minimally processed foods. (AKA, I try to eat clean.) I don't really track this, I just focus on making good food choices when I can. I try to eat a wide variety of foods, so nothing's off limits. To me, there are no bad foods, there are just some that provide more nutritional value than others. Plus, the more variety i have in my diet, the better overall nutritional profile I'll have. I try to shoot for 80% of what I eat being things that have a bit more nutritional value. For example, most of the time, I might pick spinach or kale over lettuce. I eat carb centered. It's not quite 80%, so my mantra may be a bit off? I suppose between carbs and protein, it probably is 80%, so I'll settle for that. I know this one will be controversial here since the bariatric dietitians push protein so heavily (and don't misunderstand me, protein is critically important), but as endurance athlete at maintenance and 2.5 years out from surgery, I need more carbs than I did during the weight loss phase. Critical to the above is that I don't obsess over any of it. I guess my point in the above is that if you're trying to determine the "best" protein source, maybe the real right answer is there is no best. Once your body starts breaking down the protein you consume into the component amino acids, your body doesn't know where those amino acids came from. The advantage of not focusing on just one source of protein is that there are vastly different micronutrient profiles across foods. The more variety you eat, the better off you are nutritionally.

I got several boxes that are for Bariatric patients that have 3 compartments, one for the big protein and then the other two for veggies/fruits and carbs. I go to work with one for each meal every day I go to work and I have what I am allowed to eat and that's it. When it is gone, it is gone. If I get hungry later, I may have a snack and that snack is a Protein shake. I like Premier Protein, and through Amazon you can get the variety pack and they have "sweet" ones that curb the urge to go to any vending machine or reaching for the chocolate on your bosses desk. Or mine. I prep for the whole week on Saturday and Sundays. I will bake chicken and then weigh out the appropriate amount of chicken and put it in the box, then the veggies and then the carb. I have them stacked in the fridge so when I pack my lunch, I just grab one or two and 2 Protein Shakes and I'm set for my long day. Hope that helps!

With ADHD, your focus is get something in and get moving to the next task. You need to learn mindfulness and remember as a bari patient forever, you need to know your true hunger cues that happens below the neck. Sometimes you have hunger that is in your head. Head hunger is very true, and sometimes you need to take a pause and figure it out. When taking that pause, you must decide if the hunger is above or below the neck. If it is head hunger, which the Contrave will help with, you still need to make the decision to eat or not to eat. If the hunger is below the neck, then eat slowly, small bites and mindfully as well. Emotional eating is one of the biggest problems that bari patients have, and one must slow it down a bit and think and be mindful. This is really hard when you have ADHD but hopefully your doctor has you on ADHD meds to help you focus on your person. And I would be remiss to say that community is important and therapy can be done in a community with like minded and like surgically changed people. I would suggest some mindfulness though about joining BariNation and attend some of the groups they have run by professionally licensed people to help us through the rough times and learn mindfulness when it comes to food obsessions. I tried the Cinnamon Premier Protein shake and loved it, took my sugar urge away. Be well.

You should find out what your diet plan is before buying and thinking about food for the post op period. Some have liquids for 11 days then they are on full liquids, then they go to puree foods and then there are others that are on protein only diets before they are checked out by their nutritionists. There are a wide variety of diets, and several people are giving you food choices and advice, I refer you to your team for the post op period of time, it takes a bit of time before you can eat all foods, in smaller amounts. So be careful with other's advice.

Hi! Sorry to have found your post so late! There's not a lot of NHS patients on here as this is mostly an American website. I had my surgery in October 2024 on the NHS. I remember the dietician appointment was a video call with other patients before any surgeries were finalised. I will admit that I don't feel like I got much out of it. The main message is eat slowly and prioritise protein first when eating a meal. The session with the psychologist (a ten minute phone call) was probably the least helpful as she just said I need to practice mindfulness and learn others ways to cope with stress other than eating. (Gee, thanks! Where was that advice when I was a fat 8 year old? 🙄) I had a higher BMI than you currently do and the privilege of living in London, so I think I was bumped up a few tiers and fast tracked (I don't know if this true in general, but London seems to get the lion's share of the funding so hospitals are less strict. My Gloucester based friend has a BMI of 44, but because she has no comorbidities, she can't get any weight loss referrals because her BMI isn't 50+) But I digress. Once I had the surgery, it was a year and a half from the initial referral, it's mostly been smooth sailing. I had the gastric sleeve and had no problems. So far, I've lost 39 kg and more fatty liver has improved significantly. My mother had the gastric bypass (also on the NHS). She had a complication, St Anthony's private hospital did the surgery, but the NHS covered it but once they operated again, she had no problems. She never shared exactly how much she weighed with me, but she went from a size 28-30 to a 22 and reversed her diabetes. She passed away in 2023, but if she hadn't, she would be much smaller I'm sure. I've had a great experience so far with my procedure and weight loss. I really do recommend going the NHS route if you are able to do so. Well done on making this decision to change your life! You've got this. Sometimes, just making the decision to get help is the hardest part!

Thank you. Seems like there are wins occurring every single day. I am finally in a place where I can see them for what they are and appreciate them. A pile of these little wins are funny in some way, too. Back in the timeframe surrounding my sleeve surgery the weight loss is what drove my happiness. Getting rid of the unwanted bulk was awesome and it was the spark that ignited a powderkeg of fun, adventure and a small bit of misadventure. I had no plan or goal for what life would look like....I simply jumped onboard the train and was okay wherever it took me. Now it is different, but I believe in a better way....perhaps. I know what lies ahead in terms of carving off the unwanted weight. I'm familiar with trodding that ground and know where some of the pitfalls may be. I think having my head screwed on correctly has made the daily discipline easy to achieve. The weight loss is more of a symptom of everything else falling into place. It is not its own thing, but a part of the overall improved state of mind. Hard to verbalize, but there is a goal for daily life...and I am getting closer to being in that spot and living that daily. I still get a kick out of hearing the scale make its new lower reports, but I don't get pissed if there isn't some big drop or even an uptick from the day before. I know this for the long haul. There will be a steady drop and there may be a few days here or there where it'll be in a holding pattern before resuming the loss train. One aspect of life...one that will take care of itself so long as I follow through on the straightforward nutritional steps. One thing that makes it SO freaking much easier this time around is the supplements available to us now. Essential greens in a powder, turmeric capsules, fiber-filled products, protein products with zero sugars, vitamins galore, etc, etc. Life is good....and getting gooder.

We've had a number of veterans that have come back here recently after getting to goal (or mostly to goal), but then life got in the way and they had a significant amount of regain. I wanted to ask those that have gone through this, what thoughts you have for the rest of us on how to prevent the regain? It's easy for someone like me that's not faced this to think "it's easy, if regain starts, just do xyz", but I know it's never that simple. Maybe said differently, in hindsight would you have done anything differently? I know some of you went through some really rough patches mentally & emotionally and your health took a back seat. Maybe your options were limited and you might not have been able to do much about it. I still think it would be nice to hear what thoughts you have for the rest of us that maybe have not faced this (yet).

This is how simple and easy it could be. While showering, boil some eggs, add one egg to lunch box, stash rest in fridge for another day. My box would also contain cheese, add apple slices and peanut buttter to dunk apple in, Add packet protein crackers and deli meat. Add small salad , a protein shake and a protein yogurt or protein pudding. Small packs of nuts and jerky are great too.

Routinely knock out 60hr weeks. I think I took three weeks off after the sleeve and that was largely due to a massive abdominal hernia that was repaired at the time of the sleeve surgery. It was my 3rd such repair...and has held up great these last 9 years. You may be able to flip the script......and make those 80hr weeks your best weight loss weeks. There is going to be a time when the protein shakes are the ticket...then maybe those small foil packs of tuna and salmon. Food won't be an issue that occupies your thoughts. You'll laugh at the vending machines and shoot 'em the bird. Make sure you buy all your necessary supplements & shakes and tuna packs and load up your desk or locker. Having those on hand will be one more way to keep food off your mind. You'll not be wondering what you are going to have for lunch every day. You'll have that covered. 8 weeks will be a great amount of time to recover and acclimate. You'll lose a pile of weight in those 8 weeks, too. Those 80hr weeks are going to feel much, much shorter from this point forward. Congrats. Go kick some ass. You got this.

I don't have experience with that personally, but I'd suggest talking to your dietitian about it. Coming up with meal plans for diverse patients is literally a big part of what they do. As I think through possible issues, a couple of things come to mind that you should discuss with them: What can you eat to meet your nutritional needs that don't require a lot of meal prep? Obviously there are protein shakes and meal replacement shakes, but as much as possible, it would be good to eat more real food. Are your caloric or macronutrient needs different due to the long work hours? The kind of work you do will probably dictate this to a large extent, as a physically demanding job like construction would be really different than what you'd need to power through long hours in front of a computer where mental acuity is important. Best of luck.

💪Huge congrats on your results. Looks like you'll be in the driver's seat and have the options available within your desired timeline I'm ignorant to the intricacies of the skin surgery but do have experience with your other question...in getting below the "obese" BMI labeling. It was a major rush...almost surreal. It was especially noted when I would go shopping for clothes. Being 6'4" and obese my normal stores were simply big & tall stores. Upon hitting closer to the normal height-weight range my options opened up exponentially. Felt pretty damn good to roll outa a dressing room and hand stuff back because it was too large. Too Large...wow. Life was a pile of fun living at that weight. A family health crisis occurred and it completely changed every aspect of life as I knew it. My health was such a distant concern as to have been off the radar for a few years. Getting back on the road towards normal height-weight range has been like riding a bike. All the tools, principles and prior methods are familiar and fairly easy to resume. The hardest part was getting my head wrapped around it. One thing I had to get firmly set in my mind was this: It is not selfish to focus on your own health, it is selfish not to. That is now hardwired in my noggin. . Keep on hitting those home runs. Winning always feels GREAT . 👍

I LOVE that you're losing at a sustainable rate. There is so much data to suggest that crash diets almost never work, so losing ~1-3% of your total body weight per month is the sweet spot. I'd take it even further and say 1-2%, which is right where you're at. If I could give advice to anyone either trying to maintain after initial weight loss, or fighting regain like you are, it would be threefold: Focus more initially on learning to eat a healthy diet and less on the weight loss itself. People that follow the fad diet du jour when losing weight almost always regain because they very quickly go back to their old eating habits. If instead you focus on first learning to eat like a normal weight person that eats a healthy diet, you'll be setup for real success. Many people find that if they do this first, they don't really have to "diet" because their bodies actually start to self-regulate calories. Part of this is because when we eat a wide variety of foods that are nutrient rich, our bodies don't fire off signals to eat more. If that doesn't happen for you, there are strategies to slowly reduce intake while still maintaining your healthy diet. The second thing is to focus on instituting a regular physical activity routine. I feel like way too many people skip this, but the data is clear: up to 90% of people that have lost a lot of weight and successfully kept it off for years do a lot of exercise. In fact, the average for those successful losers is ~1 hour per day on most days of the week (roughly 300+ minutes a week.) This is twice the minimum recommended amount to stay healthy, and twice what someone needs that was never significantly overweight. I want to be clear, this is not really a huge factor in weight loss, but in weight maintenance, it's critical. Finally, focus on behavioral modification. Let's be honest. Most of us got as big as we did because we had an unhealthy relationship with food. We may never actually "cure" ourselves of that, but we can learn to fight back. Probably the best thing to do is work with a therapist that specializes in behavior modification, especially regarding weight. I realize this is not an option for everyone due to cost or availability, but there are also lots of good resources available online. Anyway, best of luck and keep up the good work!

I use Isopure. That's the brand name. As SpartanMaker, it does clump if you dump it into a hot cup of anything, and it is hard to unclump. Warm water is okay, but better in room temps or cold foods if you are adding it. You can also sprinkle it on top of meat and cheese, and there is not any flavor. I got mine through Amazon, like I do most of my protein. Best of luck.

Tried to reply earlier…using my laptop. It is acting up…time for a replacement, I suppose. I have an upcoming appointment with my primary doctor for annual physical. While I am in there I will ask him about this hair wizardry gel you mentioned. Thank you. Many thanks. On one hand, what am I concerned about…I am a dude. We lose hair at some point…most of us, at least. It is no biggie. On the other hand I am gonna hold up before grabbing the razor and going scorched earth, lol. Explore the options and whatnot. Slowing my roll and investigate the possibilities. Good news is that I am now 1/4 way through my 30 day supply of these bovine collagen tablets…on day 2. This afternoon I snorted at the neighbors dog and stamped my hoof….didn’t charge, though. Prolly will after a few more days at this intake.

I personally have a somewhat pathological dislike for those calculators. I just tried the one @Bari_Hopeful posted and supposedly I should have stopped losing around 225 lbs. Even using the interquartile range listed, I shouldn't have made it past 200. I don't think of myself as exceptional in any way, though this calculator might make it look like it. If anything, I'm maybe just more stubborn and was willing to do whatever was needed so I could finally get to a normal weight. Settling for just overweight instead of obese was not really an option for me. I guess it just seems to me we set our expectations too low when we use an average like this. I know it's hard, but everyone can potentially make it to a "normal" weight range if they are willing to work at it.

Hydrolysed Whey Protein Isolate (also known as Whey Protein Hydrolysate), tends to dissolve a little better than regular non-hydrolysed whey, so that might be something to look for? The hydrolyzed version is also a bit more bioavailable, so that's also a good reason to choose it. Unfortunately it's typically more pricey, so keep that in mind. You can also look for "Clear Whey". As far as I know, clear whey is all whey protein hydrolysate, but you should double-check before buying anything. I don't really have any brand recommendations, but as long as it's pure 100% hydrolysed whey protein isolate, brand shouldn't matter. Plus, I don't know this for sure, but I've been told by others that most whey on the market is produced in just a few manufacturing plants and thus most of the "manufacturers" are not really making it themselves. They just contract out the work to one of these plants. My point is, I'm not sure there's a ton of difference between any of them. One caution here. No whey is going to dissolve well into hot liquids (like coffee). Think of it sort of like what happens when milk curdles if put into something really hot. What happens to whey is somewhat similar (the proteins start to clump), so the best bet in this instance is to dissolve it first into a little bit of cool water before adding it to anything hot.

About to buy some so need advice on ones with less taste change and most protein for less scoops! I know y'all will know the answers to these questions! Best group EVER!!! Thank you!!

P.S. the amount of vitamins recommended are often just a starting point. It's common to have quarterly blood tests the first year, and then annual tests thereafter. I think being allowed to go off all supplements isn't all that common (although it's true for some people), and I'd be surprised if it's true of ANYONE who had bypass, since that surgery has a malabsorption component. At any rate, vitamins and amounts of vitamins required are sometimes adjusted depending on the test results. For example, I require more protein than most patients because we discovered early on that my pre albumin level tanks unless I average 100 g a day. Also, I had to quit taking calcium a few years after surgery because it was clear I had no trouble absorbing it from my food and regular multivitamins, and the overage by taking additional supplementation was not only unneeded, but was also putting me at risk for kidney stones or damage. So your particular needs may change as time goes on - that's why it's important to keep up with any required testing.

Timely seeing this thread topic. Hair loss concerns here as well. Not simply from weight loss, but from getting older and fighting the DNA that threatens to thin my hair severely. I tried the head shaving thing a few years ago and it wasn’t for me. Got outa the shower looking like I had been in a cage match. Bleeding from some new cut all the time. Some dudes rock the bald look. I will do it if forced to, but in the meantime I am gonna throw money at it and hope for the best. Currently taking daily vitamins, iron, fish oil, potassium and started the collagen caplets this morning. Protein intake is good. Drink BCAA’s daily, too. I really noticed it when getting a haircut recently. The gal cutting it was cracking jokes about trying to work with my Donald. I was laughing, too….but geesh. Dis getting ta be serious bidness.

For anyone that may be confused by this thread, here are some things to think about related to vitamin supplements: The most important thing is to follow your doctor's recommendations. All bariatric programs I've seen have specific recommendations and you would be well advised to follow these. The vast majority seem to recommend a bariatric specific vitamin supplement. Some may also recommend specific brands of over-the-counter vitamins as well. That said, at least from what I've seen, typically when recommending over-the-counter options, they will suggest taking these twice a day (AM & PM) instead of just once. There are a few reasons for the above recommendations. First of all, you'll be eating a very low calorie diet and thus vitamin supplements formulated for "normal" people may not be sufficient. Also, while malabsorption for bypass patients is a concern, sleeve patients aren't immune to reduced absorption. Some vitamins & minerals are dependent on stomach acid to be properly absorbed. Since all WLS patients will have reduced stomach acid production (at least for a while, if not forever), higher than normal amounts of some vitamins are needed. From a cost perspective, yes, bariatric vitamins tend to be more expensive, but if you have to take twice as many of an over-the-counter supplement, the costs aren't very different after all. Especially if you take advantage of subscriptions like those offered by sites like bariatricpal, the cost of a good quality bariatric multivitamin isn't that much. Keep in mind your food bill should also drop, so at the end of the day you should still be spending less per month. If for some reason you still think vitamins are just too much for your budget, please discuss this with your surgical team. They may be able to help you find a less expensive option that still meets your needs. It's never a good idea to make decisions that can impact your health simply based on things you may have seen on the web. Aside form the cost concerns I mentioned above, there is very little to no downside of taking bariatric specific vitamins, even though some have really high levels of certain vitamins. For some specific vitamins, there is no established upper limit, meaning there's no health risk in taking too much. If you take in more than your body needs, then you'll just safely eliminate the excess. Yes, there are established upper limits for a few vitamins & minerals and this is taken into account in the vitamin formulation. Iron, is an example. The established upper limit is 45 mg/day, which is also the max you'll see in most supplements. Keep in mind this upper limit was established because some people had digestive upset at higher doses. You'd have to take considerably more than 45 mg/day to actually have a significant impact on your body. Further, remember when I said that some vitamins & minerals need stomach acid to be properly absorbed? Iron is one of those, meaning that you're probably not actually getting a full 45 mg/day dose as a bariatric surgery patient. Regardless of which surgery you have, you should be getting regular blood tests for life that check for nutrient deficiencies. if you don't get these from your surgeon (for example, you went out of country for surgery), then please get them from your primary care physician. This is really important because some studies have shown up to 30% of WLS patients end up with nutritional deficiencies post-surgery. Don't be a statistic. Human bodies are not all the same, nor are our diets. This means one person may be successful stopping vitamin supplementation, whereas someone else that had the exact same surgery from the same doctor won't be able to do that. Please don't decide what you should do based on another person, even if it's your best friend, a family member, etc. Only with your doctor's blessing should you consider changing or stopping your vitamin supplementation routine. Regardless of which surgery you have, there is a real possibility you may need to take at least some form of supplements for life. The effects of nutritional deficiencies can be severe, so think of your vitamin supplements as insurance against potentially debilitating or even life threatening problems. Best of luck.