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Hey guys! I'm currently 5 weeks post op (30 Ibs down since my surgery date) and will be able to transition to regular foods at week 8. I was curious to know who hasn't had problems with eating foods we are all lectured about avoiding, in moderation (Pizza, bread, fried foods). I am 25 years old and a lot younger than most I've seen on this forum. My goal for Bariatric surgery is to exercise, and Portion Control while making better food choices, but I never planned on ruling anything out. I'm not an emotional eater or have a mean sweet tooth, my biggest problem with my weight was how much I ate. Is it possible to live a balanced lifestyle after Bariatric surgery without completely cutting out junk food?

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I'd be really careful the first few months and follow your clinic's program. Yes - the time will come when you don't have any restrictions and can eat most/all things in reasonable portions as long as your stomach will tolerate it, but the first few months are pretty critical. You're in that magical period when it's not that hard to lose weight as long as you follow the rules - so take full advantage of that!

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Introduce new foods slowly--as you may have already found out, things you were able to eat with no problem before may be trouble for you now (as I found out when I tried to eat an avocado a week ago and felt horrible for two days).

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I am 8 months out and have eaten or sampled everything I used to eat. Including pizza and Pasta and bread, chocolate etc. I just had a small portion because I wanted to know if I could tolerate them and now I will not have again until maintenance. What cat woman says is true though, because hunger hormones eventually come back and it gets harder to lose so best to limit the off plan foods as much as possible until maintenance.

Edited by ShoppGirl

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Yes...but here's the catch: you have to eat "bariatric-friendly" versions of your favorite junk foods. ;) Think cauliflower Pizza Crust with low-sugar sauce and turkey pepperoni, donuts and Cookies made with almond flour and Monk Fruit sweetener, Mac and cheese made with macaroni from the Great Low Carb bread Co. and low-fat cheese sauce, sugar-free cool whip on a crustless sugar-free pumpkin pie slice, etc. The good news is there's a surprisingly large number of already-made foods available such as "Oreos" made by Catalina Crunch, "potato chips" made by Quest or Kay's, etc.

If you do your homework, you don't ever have to eat anything bad for you ever again. :)

Good luck! You'll do great. :)

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I’m with the give them a miss until you’re at or close to your goal team. Sticking to your plan will help you take the most advantage of your surgery.

When you get closer to goal you may start to look for healthy substitutes for your traditional choices. Try air fried or oven baked not deep fried. Try vegetable based pastas (you can eat zucchini noodles & cauliflower rice from solid foods). There are Keto friendly low carb high Protein breads you could try later on. If your desire to eat these ‘non bariatric friendly foods’ is driven by emotions, finding a good therapist may be helpful. Recognising the causes of your emotional eating, finding ways to manage them better & identifying other means of coping with your emotional needs than eating, etc. will only help you be more successful with your weight loss & maintenance.

A benefit of avoiding those foods while you’re losing is by goal you may actually reduce or lose some of your desire for pizza, Pasta, & the other foods you currently want & depend on. Which will make it much easier if you chose to have the odd slice of bread or pizza, etc. now & again in the future.

Personally, I don’t eat pasta (only fresh zucchini noodles), rice or bread & avoid sweet things & fried foods. They were all things I ate regularly & enjoyed but I don’t really miss them at all now. I was able to break my need for them & I was eating them for a lot longer than you’ve been alive 😉. It can be done.

Exercise will only contribute to you losing a maximum of 20% of the weight you have to lose. Of course it has lots of other benefits so I’m certainly not saying exercise is a waste of time but don’t rely on it to loose your weight.

But it’s really up to you & you discovering what works best for you. Good luck.

Edited by Arabesque

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    • LeighaTR

      Four days post surgery. I am sipping as fast as I can and getting NO WHERE near the goal of 60 - 80 grams of protein or the 64 oz of liquids. I just feel FULL. I don't know if it can still be the gas build up (I would think by now that would be gone) but it is a struggle to drink. And so far I have not had the nausea or spasms and don't want to wander into that territory by pushing too hard with liquids. I about passed out today as it was my most "strenuous" day. Went from second story to basement for shower and I was sure I was going to pass out. Looking back on my last few days I have had a total of less than 1000 calories. Am I just not getting enough nourishment in me? Once again a friday where I can't get ahold of the doc until Monday rolls back around so I am hoping maybe someone here has some experience on how to keep energy going. I do have fibromyalgia too and that may be where some added fatigue comes into play. How did you all fair with the goals the week after surgery?
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

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      · 3 replies
      1. Phil Penn

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      2. Selina333

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      3. Doughgurl

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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

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