Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Recommended Posts

So, here I am 2 weeks out from ESG! Sometimes I feel like I'd slap my own mom to eat a piece of chicken. But I've held meticulously to the diet, and I've been doing what moving around I can.

No weight loss. None. Zilch. I'm no smaller and no lighter.

Everyone with their "I instantly lost 5 pounds" even, is like...depressing. What's going on? How am I breaking physics? I'm eating around 700-900 calories a day -- surely that HAS to do something? If weight loss is at the beginning, what's wrong with me?

Yes, I'm getting my 64 oz of fluids. Yes, I'm adhering to the diet. No, I'm not snacking. Yes, I'm keeping meticulous track of every single thing I eat.

What's wrong?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

How much did you lose before the procedure?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There's several reasons I've heard for not losing right after surgery. One is that you lost beforehand - but sounds like that isn't you. Another is Water retention. If you're only two weeks out, there could still be an awful lot of swelling in your abdomen. The incisions you can see are probably small, but there's a huge incision on your stomach! In fact, part of the reason your stomach is so, so small at the beginning (only 1/4 cup for some people) and gains capacity over time (more like a cup after 6 months) is because it starts out very, very swollen.

You're going to lose. Trust me. Physics does work.

I'd actually suggest something that may sound counterintuitive - eat more - but make sure that what you add is mostly Protein. If you want to eat a piece of chicken, eat a gd piece of chicken! Keep in mind that your body is healing now, and protein is one of the things it needs to build all that scar tissue. Your body is telling you that it needs something. We are so used to not being able to trust our bodies, but the surgery really does rebalance things so that we can start to trust its signals more and more over time.

Not everyone is like this, but my experience is that I was hungry right after surgery until my protein intake increased. That's when I relaxed into a groove, with easy to control hunger and pretty regular weight loss (though with stalls, of course, because everyone has stalls.) My calories were actually pretty variable after surgery. Some weeks I was more like 600, other weeks I was up to 1200. I still lost just fine over time. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Can't eat chicken. I'm on a liquid diet until 45 days out. It's the worst, and I hate it. Why do gastric sleeve folks get to do semi-solids at 2 weeks while I have to wait over a month?

There's a "huge incision" on my stomach? I thought ESG didn't have those.

Is Water retention that big of a deal? I'm female and never had any water retention even with my periods. My weight never fluctuated. Why would it start now? I'm confused.

Edited by Miratia

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh, you had ESG, sorry! So no, you don't have an incision. But there's still a big line of sutures and they can absolutely still swell. Everyone swells when they are healing, even if you don't normally get it during your period.

That's crazy that your doc has you on liquids for 45 days! When I looked at ESG as a possibility, it seems that most surgeons recommended a diet similar to a normal sleeve - about 2 weeks on liquids. Different doctors recommend very different things on diet though, even when they are doing the exact same procedure. People always recommend you do what your doctor says, though, because your doctor knows how to take care of you best when you are following their recommendations. If you get desperate, you can beg them to let you move to purees/soft foods.

I can absolutely see why you're having trouble. I had a lot of trouble on the liquid stage - I was absolutely starving. I'd still recommend eating pretty much as much as you want, though. If you're hungry, eat something. Just make sure it's Protein rich foods that are on your approved list. There's no way that you're going to not lose because you add 150 calories and 20 g of protein to your daily routine. The weight WILL come off with time. But a little extra food may help you feel a lot more satisfied, and make you more likely to stick to the diet in the long term.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi there... I also had ESG/POSE at Brigham and Woman’s about a week ago. I spend two nights in hospital after experiencing some unbelievably strong nerve pain. With all the iv fluids, I arrived home weighing 8lbs heavier!

The weight is starting to shift after about a week. I am still on a liquid diet (6 weeks). I’m not hungry at all and I am consuming about 700 calories a day. I do wonder why ESG patients seem to have a longer liquid diet phase post procedure. I hope I can manage another 5 weeks.

I know that I have lost weight because my clothes are fitting better, but I will say that my stomach still feels very bloated and swollen.

One reason I chose ESG was because it was meant to be a quick recovery, but for me it has taken a while to feel better.


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi there... I also had ESG/POSE at Brigham and Woman’s about a week ago. I spend two nights in hospital after experiencing some unbelievably strong nerve pain. With all the iv fluids, I arrived home weighing 8lbs heavier!
The weight is starting to shift after about a week. I am still on a liquid diet (6 weeks). I’m not hungry at all and I am consuming about 700 calories a day. I do wonder why ESG patients seem to have a longer liquid diet phase post procedure. I hope I can manage another 5 weeks.
I know that I have lost weight because my clothes are fitting better, but I will say that my stomach still feels very bloated and swollen.
One reason I chose ESG was because it was meant to be a quick recovery, but for me it has taken a while to feel better.



Hi Honey.Bee! Just had my ESG, also at B&W. Just wanted to say hello. Nice to see someone on the same path.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On 4/9/2021 at 5:10 AM, rjan said:

There's several reasons I've heard for not losing right after surgery. One is that you lost beforehand - but sounds like that isn't you. Another is Water retention. If you're only two weeks out, there could still be an awful lot of swelling in your abdomen. The incisions you can see are probably small, but there's a huge incision on your stomach! In fact, part of the reason your stomach is so, so small at the beginning (only 1/4 cup for some people) and gains capacity over time (more like a cup after 6 months) is because it starts out very, very swollen.

You're going to lose. Trust me. Physics does work.

I'd actually suggest something that may sound counterintuitive - eat more - but make sure that what you add is mostly Protein. If you want to eat a piece of chicken, eat a gd piece of chicken! Keep in mind that your body is healing now, and Protein is one of the things it needs to build all that scar tissue. Your body is telling you that it needs something. We are so used to not being able to trust our bodies, but the surgery really does rebalance things so that we can start to trust its signals more and more over time.

Not everyone is like this, but my experience is that I was hungry right after surgery until my protein intake increased. That's when I relaxed into a groove, with easy to control hunger and pretty regular weight loss (though with stalls, of course, because everyone has stalls.) My calories were actually pretty variable after surgery. Some weeks I was more like 600, other weeks I was up to 1200. I still lost just fine over time. This is a marathon, not

Edited by SleeverSk

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • New To This23

      Finally got my surgery date Oct 27th !!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      I weighed 199 pounds (90 kg) this morning! I felt accomplished and happy, and celebrated by going to the gym to lift some weights. Hoping everyone else out there is making progress, whether you are pre- or post-op 😊
      Today is 7 weeks and two days post-op for me. I've been through two stalls already, but I am sticking to the program. I want long-term success from all of the sacrifice and pain. You all know I mean!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BlSm12

      Okay so, as of yesterday my insurance company contacted me direction to say, that I was approved and have completed all the required items on the "To Do List". so, I should be getting my appointment next week for meeting with the Anesthesiologist. I'm very excited/nervous, but extremely happy too. 
      · 2 replies
      1. New To This23

        Congratulations!!! I see you live in Ashland, when I was in High School drama club we went to the Shakespeare Festival there. I hope to go back one day!

      2. NickelChip

        Congratulations!

    • BeanitoDiego

      Tomorrow will be 7 weeks since surgery. Yesterday i found that I was able to finally drink more than a sip at a time. I am SO grateful! I have always loved drinking water and it has been my primary beverage for most of my life; losing the ability to drink a lot of it was my first post-surgical regret. Being able to drink more than a tiny sip at a time makes me feel so much more normal.
      I'm eating around 500-700 calories a day, and have hit my second stall. I have begun to only weigh myself once a week. I've made to the gym twice since surgery, but I've been walking my pup and walking at work up to 3 miles a day on average.
      I've also been using resistance bands and stretching. I'm not quite ready for twisty yoga stuff yet. Or jogging. I did do a 10+ mile bicycle ride last weekend with a friend to a coffee shop where I had a cold decaf coffee with half and half. That was another activity that made me feel kinda normal.
      I'm still drinking one protein drink a day, trying to hit my goal of at least 60 grams a day. Today I got 72 in thanks to a cold G Zero with 10 grams.
      My abdomen is still a bit sore in general. The way I understand it, the inside is not fully healed until 3 months after surgery. That means sometime around November 1st. This is when I will go on the forever way of eating according to my provider's plan. I look forward to that day.
      Oh! And I should mention that I learned about a chain restaurant that is in about 30 or so states. It is called Clean Eatz, and they have a menu that is friendly to we bariatric patients. My support group last night talked about getting pizza and flatbreads from there. I checked it out and it looks like it's both eat-in and takeaway. This is the first place I'm going when I feel ready to eat out again
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BlSm12

      Does anyone know, how long it takes for Medicare to approve surgery?
      · 3 replies
      1. aravenclawrebel

        I think it depends entirely on what guidelines you're being referred under. I had that kind of insurance through the state as a low-income person for 10 years and even though I was over 400 lb for 10 years they denied me. All based on the fact that I did not have diabetes. I switched insurances once I was offered a different kind of coverage from work and was approved within two months

      2. New To This23

        Medicare or Medicaid?

        They both have a serious of hoops to jump through before you can meet the surgeon. After you meet the requirements and as long as you do not run into any gatekeepers, the surgery will be okayed by your insurance pretty quickly after the surgeon clears you. One other consideration is when the clinic will actually schedule you for surgery THAT can take awhile depending on how backed up they are.

      3. New To This23

        *series on serious

  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×