Hey there. Was sleeved by Dr Jesus Lopez in TJ this past Monday. Here's my experience so far. worries and wins.

I got food poisoning thursday night before i started liquids so i lost 5 pounds before the surgery on the following Monday. That sucked.

The three days with just liquid was ok, at one point i almost caved and had a touch of cheese....but didn't and am proud!

Once surgery was done there was a ton of nausea but once i took something for it, it never came back.

I have not yet had any acid reflux..is this normal?

it's one week after my sleeve and i have lost 20 pounds right on the dot and i'm wondering if that's too much. that's 2.5 lbs a day....did anyone else experience this? Is that too fast?

I start phase 2 of the liquid diet tomorrow which includes cream Soups and such...but I tried some tomato Soup with parm cheese tonight and it was heaven on earth, it hurt a little going down, but it's the thickness i think.

4 days after surgery i was drywalling my basement and dismantling an above ground pool....I'm super happy with how fast recovery is and I hope you all have quick recoveries.

tell me about yours!

Joshua Barbour,

If your biggest concerns throughout your WLS journey end up being that you lost weight too fast and you didn’t have any acid reflux and barely any nausea…we’re all jealous!

No, you’re not necessarily losing weight too fast. You’re having a dream scenario, so far. As long as your surgeon is happy and you’re feeling fine, you’re doing fine.

Just a caution: since you are feeling so good, you might be tempted to rush things – like speed through the liquid diet or pureed foods phase. Don’t give in to temptation! These early stages give your body a chance to heal, and that’ll let you keep losing weight fast. Don’t risk eating solids too early and giving yourself a chronic problem that sets back your weight loss.

Congratulations on your great experience so far…hope it continues! Keep us posted.

I did rush the food, is there danger in stretching because I rushed? I still eat tiny portions...I'm in week 4 and my dietician in TJ just won't get back to me, i'm not even sure where i'm supposed to be at week 4 as far as food goes? Any suggestions?

I had surgery with Dr Lopez On 03/02/15 and i started at 295 I am now down to 222 as of today. I have not started working out yet and did not follow the diet very well. I drive a truck, so I am limited to things that go in a cooler and keep. ton of beef jerkey and protine shakes keep me going. I dont think your losing too fast though. I lost about 55 my first month.

Do you just eat what you want, but in tiny portions? That's what i'm finding...and am still losing, I tend to think it's still about calories in vs out....And i've cut back on almost all of my carbs.

I had surgery with Dr Lopez On 03/02/15 and i started at 295 I am now down to 222 as of today. I have not started working out yet and did not follow the diet very well. I drive a truck, so I am limited to things that go in a cooler and keep. ton of beef jerkey and protine shakes keep me going. I dont think your losing too fast though. I lost about 55 my first month.

Do you just eat what you want, but in tiny portions? That's what i'm finding...and am still losing, I tend to think it's still about calories in vs out....And i've cut back on almost all of my carbs.

Hi Joshua - here's my question's for you in this order:

1) where do you live? I have an endless list of "honey-do" home improvement projects that never get done. I need base baseboards, a full bathroom remodel, a new light fixture hung... The list could go on and on. Of course all of this will likely be put on hold in favor of a tummy tuck and a new set of knockers now that I'm living life at goal weight and I had to choose how to spend my money!

2) Do you have access to the Internet? Of course you do! You're on here! I find it concerning that your receiving minimal after-care post-surgery. It is bothersome that your surgeon and his/her team are not available to you for support. However, there is a wealth of information about the Bariatric lifestyle available online including food stages and timing. May I also suggest the book our buddy Alex of BP wrote? I think it's called The big book on the Gastric Sleeve. It's available on Amazon. Just google his name.

To answer your question about eating whatever you want - yes, during the entire 14 months post WLS, I have been pretty much able to eat whatever I want in smaller quantities. Does this mean that I CHOSE to eat whatever I want? We will save that for later. I DID however follow the rules regarding the progression from liquids to puréed to soft foods, etc. This is SO important as your stomach has been cut open and it is trying to mend itself. Do you really want something sharp in there risking you to develop a leak?!? I tried to find my WLS binder to take pictures of the food stages and suggested meals. It's MIA. Maybe someone else can do that here for you. Also get on the Internet and do some research!!! Here's the other reason why I'm going to tell you not to rush into solid foods - it's during these first few weeks specifically that you will lose the greatest amount of weight. As you start to introduce more food into your diet and as time goes on, your weight loss WILL slow down. It's the biggest mystery here. I'm 14 months out and living life at goal weight, but there's plenty people on here who are exercising like crazy, taking in less than 1200 a day and their weight loss has hit a plateau. They SHOULD be losing weight if it was all about the input vs. output theory. So yes, right now, so early after surgery, you are in what we call the "honeymoon" phase. It's when you can eat like crap if you chose and still lose weight. It's an awesome feeling, huh? Can I make a suggestion? Read this forum. Often. Perhaps visit the veterans board. The process begins to change the farther you get out from surgery. At some point you WILL stop losing unless you start putting some effort in. WHEN exactly this occurs is different for each of us. For me, the process was a tad easy. I suspect it was because I started the process at a lower BMI. I considered myself a slow loser, but I had no issue reaching my surgeon's goal for me and surpassing it by 10 pounds before a year's time. Now with that being said, my personal stretch goal is another 10-12 pounds from where I am. My body is quite content in staying exactly where I am IF I continue doing what I have been doing the past 14 months since surgery - eating what I want and exercising (sporadically.).

Some people have to put more effort in to work their "tool." My time has come. What I can tell you is this time in the journey is really tough for those who haven't developed healthy lifestyles. This requires that we are honest with ourselves and take a look at the reasons at how or why we were significantly overweight. At 14 months out, I still have restriction, but I could easily eat around the sleeve if I wanted to. Regain at this stage is really common. I wasn't always over weight and gained weight as a result of poor work-life balance after having children. This past year I have made efforts to plan meals ahead of time to eliminate eating on the go and take out. I never really considered myself an emotional eater, but I've always known there are certain foods I can't have in my house so I've never bought them - Cookies, chips, soda, crackers are foods I would easily binge on. Why risk it? I went into this process already implementing a lot of the lifestyle habits they require post-WLS. I believe this may be in part why the process has been so easy for me. I didn't find it a struggle to adapt at all. I track everything I eat on the loseit app on my phone. This helps me with accountability. I don't really view any food as taboo at this point as long as I account for it and don't forgo Protein or other import nutrients. I stay away from carbs as much as I can.

My post is getting long and this point I can't even remember your original question! ????????????????

Edited May 20, 201511 yr by Bluesea71

I lost 17 pounds in 9 days! Your body won't let you lose too fast!

I eat what I want, however what I want has changed. I eat a lot of soup, jerkey, meal bars, and water. I am at about 500 to 700 Cal a day. I don't really crave all my lod favorites. I had a burger at red Robin because a friend took me there, but the problem is I only get 4 or 5 bites in and I'm full. So sometimes I want a sandwich or piece of chicken, but I just don't want to waste food and money. Oatmeal and canned chicken with a drop of mayo and mustard are also staples for me. I am very limited by what I can keep in my small cooler in my truck.

I had surgery with Dr Lopez On 03/02/15 and i started at 295 I am now down to 222 as of today. I have not started working out yet and did not follow the diet very well. I drive a truck, so I am limited to things that go in a cooler and keep. ton of beef jerkey and protine shakes keep me going. I dont think your losing too fast though. I lost about 55 my first month.

Do you just eat what you want, but in tiny portions? That's what i'm finding...and am still losing, I tend to think it's still about calories in vs out....And i've cut back on almost all of my carbs.

Hi Joshua - here's my question's for you in this order:

1) where do you live? I have an endless list of "honey-do" home improvement projects that never get done. I need base baseboards, a full bathroom remodel, a new light fixture hung... The list could go on and on. Of course all of this will likely be put on hold in favor of a tummy tuck and a new set of knockers now that I'm living life at goal weight and I had to choose how to spend my money!

2) Do you have access to the Internet? Of course you do! You're on here! I find it concerning that your receiving minimal after-care post-surgery. It is bothersome that your surgeon and his/her team are not available to you for support. However, there is a wealth of information about the Bariatric lifestyle available online including food stages and timing. May I also suggest the book our buddy Alex of BP wrote? I think it's called The big book on the Gastric Sleeve. It's available on Amazon. Just google his name.

To answer your question about eating whatever you want - yes, during the entire 14 months post WLS, I have been pretty much able to eat whatever I want in smaller quantities. Does this mean that I CHOSE to eat whatever I want? We will save that for later. I DID however follow the rules regarding the progression from liquids to puréed to soft foods, etc. This is SO important as your stomach has been cut open and it is trying to mend itself. Do you really want something sharp in there risking you to develop a leak?!? I tried to find my WLS binder to take pictures of the food stages and suggested meals. It's MIA. Maybe someone else can do that here for you. Also get on the Internet and do some research!!! Here's the other reason why I'm going to tell you not to rush into solid foods - it's during these first few weeks specifically that you will lose the greatest amount of weight. As you start to introduce more food into your diet and as time goes on, your weight loss WILL slow down. It's the biggest mystery here. I'm 14 months out and living life at goal weight, but there's plenty people on here who are exercising like crazy, taking in less than 1200 a day and their weight loss has hit a plateau. They SHOULD be losing weight if it was all about the input vs. output theory. So yes, right now, so early after surgery, you are in what we call the "honeymoon" phase. It's when you can eat like crap if you chose and still lose weight. It's an awesome feeling, huh? Can I make a suggestion? Read this forum. Often. Perhaps visit the veterans board. The process begins to change the farther you get out from surgery. At some point you WILL stop losing unless you start putting some effort in. WHEN exactly this occurs is different for each of us. For me, the process was a tad easy. I suspect it was because I started the process at a lower BMI. I considered myself a slow loser, but I had no issue reaching my surgeon's goal for me and surpassing it by 10 pounds before a year's time. Now with that being said, my personal stretch goal is another 10-12 pounds from where I am. My body is quite content in staying exactly where I am IF I continue doing what I have been doing the past 14 months since surgery - eating what I want and exercising (sporadically.).

Some people have to put more effort in to work their "tool." My time has come. What I can tell you is this time in the journey is really tough for those who haven't developed healthy lifestyles. This requires that we are honest with ourselves and take a look at the reasons at how or why we were significantly overweight. At 14 months out, I still have restriction, but I could easily eat around the sleeve if I wanted to. Regain at this stage is really common. I wasn't always over weight and gained weight as a result of poor work-life balance after having children. This past year I have made efforts to plan meals ahead of time to eliminate eating on the go and take out. I never really considered myself an emotional eater, but I've always known there are certain foods I can't have in my house so I've never bought them - Cookies, chips, soda, crackers are foods I would easily binge on. Why risk it? I went into this process already implementing a lot of the lifestyle habits they require post-WLS. I believe this may be in part why the process has been so easy for me. I didn't find it a struggle to adapt at all. I track everything I eat on the loseit app on my phone. This helps me with accountability. I don't really view any food as taboo at this point as long as I account for it and don't forgo Protein or other import nutrients. I stay away from carbs as much as I can.

My post is getting long and this point I can't even remember your original question!

Ha thanks!

To asnswer your question i'm in Ottawa Canada, you need help you just holla and i'll come running! I just started my giant deck yesterday as well and have it half done, lost two pounds too! haha

But yes, you are right, i've been taking a step back and seeing what I have been eating, it will take some MORE getting used to, but I have pretty much cut %90 carbs out and focus on the protein or veggies of most things. I did have a McDicks chicken burger the other day and it was gross. GOOD SIGN! I do however LOVE my jumbo freezies, 3 og them plus my regualr intake of about 900-1200 calories a day take me over my sugar cap according to MyFitnesspal. But I will continue to make smart choices, and not buy food that will take me off my track. I told my wife to not buy the crap, and if the good stuff is there I will choose it...but it has to be there...Good cold cuts, yogurt, fruits and veggies, so she's happy because she's losing as well. All around, some great advice, and I DO have that book lol, I will keep digging in and finding some more! Thanks for the response!

Unlike most ppl , I do not want to lose weight too quickly.. Rapid weight loss= loose skin. I was sleeved on may 6th.. Waiting until my 3 week post op to weigh. Anyone else with me?

Loose skin depends on a lot of variables like genetics, starting size, age, how long you were obese, etc. How quickly you actually lose shouldn't affect you, but it might look looser while the skin is actually shrinking.

I lost two pounds 1 wk po happy and will keep working