I got the sleeve a little over 2 weeks ago and I'm so worried. I just met with my doctor and even she seems a bit concerned. I had a 2 week post-op liquid diet and I handled everything way too well. I consciously slow down but have slipped up once or twice and chugged water or a protein shake (like 15-20 mins to finish a premier protein). Literally no problem. At most a few burps. On top of that I had my stall at just 2 weeks out. I know you shouldn't weigh everyday but I literally haven't lost anything (even gained/lost .5-1lb somedays) for the last week. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have been on a 2 week pre-op & 2 week post-op diet and my last week of the pre-op liquid was just 600-700 calories which was about the same as my 2 week post-op diet so I'm trying to justify it as I've been eating the same thing for 3 weeks but my doctor still told me that's not normal but to also stop weighing myself everyday.

That's not even the worst part...

Now I'm on pureed and I'm tolerating food way too well. My doctor's guide is that I can have up to 600-800 calories (previously been doing ~700) and each sitting shouldn't be more than my fist (bit more than a 1/2 cup). I did that for dinner today with a variety of pureed items (1 Laughing cow, 2 tbsp pureed eggplant, 1 tbsp pureed walnut, 1 tbsp avocado, 1 tbsp ikura, 3 tbsp pureed crab salad). In total it was about 200 calories (my meals are 150-200 cals each) + it was within her "fist" guideline but out of curiosity I weighed the food and it was 6oz. I downed the whole thing with no problem in about 25 mins (could've been even shorter but I tried to slow myself down). Everyone else I'm seeing online seems to struggle to get down the food in those tiny 2oz sample cups and here I am without an issue.

I am getting my protein in, not drinking before/after meals, taking my vitamins, and (mostly) getting my water (probably the only thing I should work on a bit more). Has anyone else had these issues? I'm so scared I'm going to fail. My doctor straight up told me how I'm doing is not normal and I'm terrified. I had the lapband before and didn't put in the work and gained weight on it. I'm finally trying so hard this time but only lost 10lbs since surgery. I don't know what to do.

Edited May 23, 20188 yr by vsg4vfc

3 hours ago, Ernie D said:

two week post op I lost nothing, the third week here it was 30 lb loss. I had a lot of Fluid in my from the surgery , the Surgeon recommended no weighing yourself at least into the 3rd week, I see why. i agree with the other replies, stay hydrated and I dont know if this will help but my surgeon said, 6 weeks post op you are at risk of bursting/rupturing that new pouch. Dont eat until you feel full, just have 1/2 cup of food at a time and see how you do. He recommended more smaller amount of food during the entire day rather than getting too full at one time and stressing the pouch. Best of Luck ...keep us posted how you are doing

Thank you so much. I'm glad a 1/2 cup is someone else's guide too. I feel like I see a ton of online vids where people struggle to get down 1/4 cup and I'm here with my 1/2 cup portion which makes me feel content but I had no issues getting it down. I really hope I get a 3rd week loss cause it's definitely discouraging.

3 hours ago, Greensleevie said:

Here comes the science:

A "stall" a few weeks after surgery is not uncommon, and here's why.

Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs. of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when a patient is not getting in enough food, the body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. Then when 2 lbs. of glycogen is used a patient will also lose 8 lbs. of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs. that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

However, when the body stays in a caloric deficit state the body starts to realize that this is not a short-term problem. Then the body starts mobilizing fat from adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But the body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. As it puts back the 2 lbs. of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs. of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though the patient might still be losing energy content to their body, the weight will not go down or it might even gain for a while as the retention of water dissolves the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

Thank you so much. I'm in the healthcare field and this was the first explanation I found that really seems to match what I'm actually feeling.

My surgeon does seem to know about the 3 week stall and she is very sweet but she is still relatively new to the field (though a lot of her colleagues seem to really like her and I love her too) so maybe as far as her patients go, most don't have issues until the 3rd week? I've been exploring the forums and online too and I have started to see a few 2 week stallers tho definitely more 3+ wks but the science does make me feel better so all I can do is keep pushing forward. Thank you!

1 hour ago, Frustr8 said:

Slow down maybe on the speed of drinking your shake, science says it does take a good 15 minutes for your appetite to acknowledge you've eaten or drank something. Slow down things, I promise I'm not coming over to swipe food from you. I'm an only child but I've always ate like I had 7 brothers and sisters reaching for my turkey drumstick. it's been HARD for me to reform and chew instead of bolting my meals down.

Yeah I will definitely try to slow down. I'm trying to figure out why I eat so quickly cause I'm the same way. I definitely eat much slower than I used to but with my shakes I tend to down them unless I'm being super conscious. I think possibly because it goes down easier as I drink it faster versus when I sip, the taste lingers and I end up feeling gaggier not from fullness but just from the taste (I've tried over a dozen brands and so so so many different mixtures, they all do this to me). Though that's also not an excuse. I've been pretty good about it recently so just gotta make sure I do this permanently.

1 hour ago, Kay07 said:

I am in the SAME exact situation. I can drink a Premier Protein shake in about 15 minutes with 0 discomfort, and have to stop myself from doing just that. My nutritionist actually advised me to try really soft foods (such as oatmeal or scrambled eggs) and I was too chicken to try it until last night when I just could NOT sip another meal. I ended up eating turkey chili, had 3oz thinking I'll never finish this, and I did. Devoured the whole thing and had to force myself to do it over a 45 minute period. I could have gone for more! I am a little over 1 week post op, have not felt the restriction much, and am getting in 100oz of water and at LEAST 75g of Protein, usually closer to 90 each day.

The difference is my doctor is not concerned at all. Though it is not the norm, she says that she attributes my success to being super well hydrated and having a nicely shrunken liver day of surgery.

Meanwhile, I am bummed a bit by my success because the scale is like meh... don't feel like moving.

Thank you! I think you're one of the first people that seems to get the same feeling. You're doing amazing on your water and protein btw! I'm glad your surgeon sounds supportive.

I am on the same boat because my scale movement has been close to nothing. I lost basically the same amount of weight on my pre-op liquid diet. I'm not great at non-scale victories too since I can't tell what's actually changing post-surgery versus changes that happened before surgery that I just didn't catch until now.

On 05/23/2018 at 13:30, vsg4vfc said:

Thank you! I think you're one of the first people that seems to get the same feeling. You're doing amazing on your water and Protein btw! I'm glad your surgeon sounds supportive.

I am on the same boat because my scale movement has been close to nothing. I lost basically the same amount of weight on my pre-op liquid diet. I'm not great at non-scale victories too since I can't tell what's actually changing post-surgery versus changes that happened before surgery that I just didn't catch until now.

Yup definitely same boat! I was thankful my doctor wasn’t concerned because I definitely felt like the oddball. I have had such an easy recovery intake wise that I was worried the surgery wouldn’t work.

Are there any foods that you feel restriction with? My doctors office doesn’t have a puréed stage, just soft foods after full liquid and so I am trying to introduce foods but am concerned about over eating.

I am in the SAME exact situation. I can drink a premier protein shake in about 15 minutes with 0 discomfort, and have to stop myself from doing just that. My nutritionist actually advised me to try really soft foods (such as oatmeal or scrambled eggs) and I was too chicken to try it until last night when I just could NOT sip another meal. I ended up eating turkey chili, had 3oz thinking I'll never finish this, and I did. Devoured the whole thing and had to force myself to do it over a 45 minute period. I could have gone for more! I am a little over 1 week post op, have not felt the restriction much, and am getting in 100oz of water and at LEAST 75g of protein, usually closer to 90 each day.
The difference is my doctor is not concerned at all. Though it is not the norm, she says that she attributes my success to being super well hydrated and having a nicely shrunken liver day of surgery.
Meanwhile, I am bummed a bit by my success because the scale is like meh... don't feel like moving.

Great job Kay! Seems like everything is going well, I am proud of you friend! The weight loss will come!

2 hours ago, Kay07 said:

Yup definitely same boat! I was thankful my doctor wasn’t concerned because I definitely felt like the oddball. I have had such an easy recovery intake wise that I was worried the surgery wouldn’t work.

Are there any foods that you feel restriction with? My doctors office doesn’t have a puréed stage, just soft foods after full liquid and so I am trying to introduce foods but am concerned about over eating.

That's exactly my same fear. Because honestly I did mess up my lapband and it didn't work so I've definitely had experience with the fact that you can eat around a surgery. Which also adds to my frustrations since this time around I am following the regimen.

To be honest not really. At least nothing that makes me feel that "stuck in my chest" feeling a lot of people have (or that I had when I had the lapband). The main issue I had was during my liquid phase I had a laughing cow cheese around week 2. I also had a slightly more spicy soup. So I got dumping but at the same time it wasn't like most people described. I didn't feel weak or get the sweats. My stomach gurgled and I had to use the bathroom. Did my business and everything was fine. I'm not even sure if the symptoms were cause of the surgery versus I've always had these sort of stomach "dumping" issues so it was basically just another day for me. What about you?