I know that gastric by-pass is probably the best for me since I have recently been diagnosed with diabetes and have hypertension. But I'm scared about how I'm going to eat again....Will you always have to eat like a bird....tiny portions? Of course I know that you cant eat like you use to but I picture little pieces of protein, some veges and little fruit. or do you get to eat all foods you enjoy in a lot smaller doses? Will I never be able to eat a sandwich again? No potatoes or pasta ever? I know change is inevitable but how hard is it to adjust to this? Also, what about my wine once in awhile? Is that totally off limits for the rest of my life? Maybe someone who is post op for a year or longer can give me some advice. Thank you!

On 11/16/2017 at 7:32 AM, deb84 said:

After surgery pain


I am 2 days post surgery. I am having pain when I swallow Water or broth. It is making it difficult to get the required liquids down. Anyone experience this?

I am 4 days post and have some minor discomfort when I swallow liquids. I'm not too worried as the surgeon essentially built me a new stomach and it has to heal and learn to function properly. I doubt this feeling is out of the ordinary.

53 minutes ago, Frickets said:

I am 4 days post and have some minor discomfort when I swallow liquids. I'm not too worried as the surgeon essentially built me a new stomach and it has to heal and learn to function properly. I doubt this feeling is out of the ordinary.

Nope, completely normal. Lots of swelling that needs to go down..

I drink wine, Jack Daniels and beer on OCCASION, that's the key, ON OCCASION not part of my regular diet...Do the doctors tell you not to drink again? Sure, some doctors do, but the whole point to this is to lead a normal life and having the occasional social drink is part of a normal life.
I tend to eat everything in a balanced way and in moderation. Smaller more frequent meals in my go to routine, so instead of 3 meals a day I do 6 to 8 meals but smaller in size and balanced. I try and get my sugars/carbs in by mid day and lean out the eating as it gets later in the day..
Part of a successful journey will be finding what works for you and what is SUSTAINABLE for life, not just for 6 months. Remember anything you do now is better than whatever it was you were doing before surgery , you just need to fine tune it and find what works for your body type. My body type and muscular frame will not allow me to eat 3 only times a day, its just not possible for me, I need to fuel myself..
I did all the math and if I were literally 0% body fat I would still weight 180lbs, and 0% body fat is not even possible, at 15% which is fairly lean I would still be 210lbs, so if I ate like I was 180 I would go nuts...So you need to figure out the right eating for YOU and what is sustainable for a life long commitment and not follow a cookie cutter diet plan given to you by a surgeon that is using BMI index charts from the 1940's.

Can I see what your daily meal plan is to eat 8 times ? Very interesting. When I am in a stall I eat 6 times to get things moving . Works a treat. But generally I eat maybe twice a day in the evening. As my tummy hurts it I ear to early.

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I think you will find that you will not miss some of these things as much as you are already missing them now. I was worried about wine the most, knowing that beer was off limits. I drink it on occasion, no where near the quantity I did before and guess what.....I don't really want it anymore. A glass or two over a weekend is a lot for me now. Before, I would have a bottle a day with my husband and a couple bottles to myself on the weekend (my husband is a musician and we spend a lot of time in bars and wineries). I would rather have some water or Gatorade. And what is a sandwich.....the bread has little taste and just holds everything in place. Waste of calories. I have not yet enjoyed pizza or pasta but I will, just not often. I eat like a bird but am only about 5-6 weeks post-op. What I dreaded before surgery and mourned the first couple of weeks after surgery, I now embrace. I don't focus on food anymore, I eat because I need to. Not because I want to. I would love for it to remain this way! The mental aspect of this is hard at first, but physically it was really easy (or much easier than I expected.) I don't focus on what I can't have anymore because honestly I can have just about anything I want. I just don't want it like I did. Plus, you learn really fast how to feel your full trigger and stop!

You should look into the sleeve. I did mine with Dr. A Ortiz and I couldn't be happier. Less risk from my research and yes it's very effective!!!

I'm almost 1 year post op from the sleeve and I can eat everything I did before except eggs. There are things I don't eat or eat very rarely but that's by choice. I don't eat seafood of any type either but that's not a new thing.

I avoid pasta and rice almost completely. I think I've had pasta maybe 5 times in a year and I was a huge pasta eater prior to surgery and rice, maybe twice since surgery. I do eat bread, I found the Pepperage Farm Very Thin Bread and I love it! Sandwiches are a favorite food of mine and this bread is lower calorie and carb and its so thin it doesn't sit heavy in my sleeve so I will eat sandwiches 1-2 times a week.

I try and stick to lean protein and veggies as much as possible but my NUT stressed over and over I need starch in my diet so I make sure I add starches to at least one meal.