Hi, I had VSG 2/10/2020.. since then I have been on the journey alone.. SW 228 CW 169. I have no clue how to eat, what to eat, how many calories etc... My surgeons office is no help, Saw him Feb 1 2022, sent a message to the dietician Feb 2 2022, still no response. I will be having my 3rd CT scan tomorrow the 15th as I had some massive pains at the largest incision that started July last yr 2021.. The pain feels like hernia but was told there isn't one there.. will see what this CT shows if anything. When I asked my surgeon about the constipation *coffee 1st thing in the AM has helped A LOT* My surgeon told me not his specialty and to talk to my PCP! Thankfully she has had the same surgery and told me to do Collace, did that for a week but it upset my intestines, Miralax gave me horrible cramps after 1 year of use.. Maybe I will figure out what I am supposed to do one day lol. I haven't regained but maybe 4ish lbs.. I dislike food, it consists of eggs, deli turkey or chicken, spinach.. veggies.. sugar free everything & fat free as well.. thank you all for listening

Edited February 15, 20224 yr by Sona Be
post op not pre op

The old sleeve and leave routine, ok firstly you seems to be doing OK weight wise would you say that is correct? What is it you want to achieve from your diet? I would engage a new dietician they will be able to guide you. There are a few books that are available too for sleeve patients.

Edited February 15, 20224 yr by SleeverSk

You will probably get better advice here on post-op diet, calories, macros, etc. than in your surgeon's office it sounds like. Go through the threads here and you'll find lots of info. Feel free to ask any questions and we're here to help, support and encourage you. You sound like you've done fine weight-wise. Don't know why you're still having constipation issues. I was lucky and never had those problems.

6 hours ago, SleeverSk said:

The old sleeve and leave routine, ok firstly you seems to be doing OK weight wise would you say that is correct? What is it you want to achieve from your diet? I would engage a new dietician they will be able to guide you. There are a few books that are available too for sleeve patients.

Thank you, Yes I am stable in my weight and have been since the surgery BUT I want to lose about 20lbs more
I just want to know the caloric intake and how many oz to eat, how many meals a day? etc I am so frustrated that I have no help... I had an eating schedule 10 am breakfast 1 pm lunch 5 pm dinner with 7am yogurt and 8 pm yogurt *but then i was told by a family member in the medical field, they have never seen anyone with this surgery have a "schedule"* So I stopped the schedule and gained 5lbs, so back on it i went
Thank you so much for your reply

2 hours ago, GradyCat said:

You will probably get better advice here on post-op diet, calories, macros, etc. than in your surgeon's office it sounds like. Go through the threads here and you'll find lots of info. Feel free to ask any questions and we're here to help, support and encourage you. You sound like you've done fine weight-wise. Don't know why you're still having constipation issues. I was lucky and never had those problems.

I have had IBS my entire life, the opposite end of it, this constipation is new and it sux... Barely eat as it is so I dunno
I will look thru everything here.. I wish I had found here a long time ago.. thank you for responding

5 minutes ago, Sona Be said:

Thank you, Yes I am stable in my weight and have been since the surgery BUT I want to lose about 20lbs more
I just want to know the caloric intake and how many oz to eat, how many meals a day? etc I am so frustrated that I have no help... I had an eating schedule 10 am Breakfast 1 pm lunch 5 pm dinner with 7am yogurt and 8 pm yogurt *but then i was told by a family member in the medical field, they have never seen anyone with this surgery have a "schedule"* So I stopped the schedule and gained 5lbs, so back on it i went
Thank you so much for your reply

Just because someone is in the medical field doesn't mean they know anything about bariatric surgery or even nutrition. Most doctors are given very little, if any, training in nutrition. If the schedule was working for you, you should keep it. In fact, most of the nutritionists I've seen in my life (including for weight loss surgery) have suggested I keep a schedule as well as tracking my food.

It's hard to say how many calories you need; it depends on your height, weight, age, gender, and how active you are. There are calorie calculators on the web (try this one: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html although I have no idea how accurate it is). We are told after surgery to get at least 60 grams of protein; I am for 80. I try to minimize carbs, but I don't have a precise number, as long as my carbs are not coming from added sugar.

As far as constipation, it's an ongoing battle for many people. I find that coffee does the trick for me usually, but sometimes I need Miralax, especially after traveling for a few days. Many people like magnesium citrate. Eating and drinking more fluid, as well as more exercise, should also help. At least that's what my surgery center told me.

I take two fiber pills a day and it helps to keep me regular. Try smooth move or rooibos tea to help too. Those two always work for me. The smooth move is a little gentler than the rooibos, but it gets things moving!

I have been to several informational meetings and they told us to eat three meals a day and drink 64 ounces of water daily. We were told to eat 4 ounces every meal to include 2 ounces of protein, one ounce of vegetables, and one ounce of starch. Always eat protein first. Should consume 60 to 80 grams of protein daily. We were also told that we may hit a plateau around 9 to 12 months and that we should increase our exercise. My surgery date is scheduled for 3/2/22 and I am excited and anxious. God bless.

45 minutes ago, Diann Mayfield said:

I have been to several informational meetings and they told us to eat three meals a day and drink 64 ounces of Water daily. We were told to eat 4 ounces every meal to include 2 ounces of Protein, one ounce of vegetables, and one ounce of starch. Always eat protein first. Should consume 60 to 80 grams of protein daily. We were also told that we may hit a plateau around 9 to 12 months and that we should increase our exercise. My surgery date is scheduled for 3/2/22 and I am excited and anxious. God bless.

Best of luck! It really is a good tool to help get where you need to be.. stay in touch here so we can see how you are doing ♥

6 hours ago, Sona Be said:

Thank you, Yes I am stable in my weight and have been since the surgery BUT I want to lose about 20lbs more
I just want to know the caloric intake and how many oz to eat, how many meals a day? etc I am so frustrated that I have no help... I had an eating schedule 10 am Breakfast 1 pm lunch 5 pm dinner with 7am yogurt and 8 pm yogurt *but then i was told by a family member in the medical field, they have never seen anyone with this surgery have a "schedule"* So I stopped the schedule and gained 5lbs, so back on it i went
Thank you so much for your reply

Its is terrible that this surgery is done without giving the patient adequate information, I am guessing the constipation is from lack of fibre in your diet. Currently I have a poop every 2-3 days or so as I am not eating that much, I guess that's the reason maybe that's why for you too when I add things like benefit it tends to make me have runny poops so I avoid it. if your schedule was working for you before I would stick to it as long as your blood work comes back good and you are getting your protein and water in its ok. Just because your family member never seen anyone have a schedule doesn't mean its not right .Most people who watch their weight eat to a schedule even if they haven't had surgery.

I use my fitness pal to get an idea of how many calories how much protien etc i am getting each day it helps to give you an idea of what portion sizes should be too. Its very easy to use at first you might need to weigh stuff etc but it has loads of already pre added foods in there for example if i am making a snack i will search cruskits, sliced cheese, sliced tomato and find the right one and add it lots of stuff you just scan the bar code its so easy. its has options for 3 meals , snacks and water intake and breaks it down into calories, protein, carbs, fat etc. say if you eat something regularly you can save it too as a meal or snack so it makes it quicker to add it.

The amount of calories you should be consuming varies on who you talk to and how much you want to loose per week. I sit around the 1200-1400 per day mark and I am loosing about half a kilo a week sometimes more as some days I might eat less some days a little more.

Hope this helps

8 hours ago, Sona Be said:

Thank you, Yes I am stable in my weight and have been since the surgery BUT I want to lose about 20lbs more
I just want to know the caloric intake and how many oz to eat, how many meals a day? etc I am so frustrated that I have no help... I had an eating schedule 10 am Breakfast 1 pm lunch 5 pm dinner with 7am yogurt and 8 pm yogurt *but then i was told by a family member in the medical field, they have never seen anyone with this surgery have a "schedule"* So I stopped the schedule and gained 5lbs, so back on it i went
Thank you so much for your reply

I have a schedule. I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at 9-12-6 and snacks at 3 and 9. Basically I eat every 3 hours between 9 and 9. When I stick to that plan I do great. If I were you I would track the calories in what you have been eating for a couple weeks then reduce that by just a bit if you want to continue to lose.

Edited February 15, 20224 yr by ShoppGirl

30 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

I have a schedule. I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at 9-12-6 and Snacks at 3 and 9. Basically I eat every 3 hours between 9 and 9. When I stick to that plan I do great. If I were you I would track the calories in what you have been eating for a couple weeks then reduce that by just a bit if you want to continue to lose.

ty! I do track almost daily.. i need to do daily. I average 1200 sometimes a bit under some a bit over... my PCP *who has also had the surgery* said between 1200-1500, I am not comfortable even trying 1500 lol .. i will try these times and give this a shot... ty ♥

2 hours ago, SleeverSk said:

Its is terrible that this surgery is done without giving the patient adequate information, I am guessing the constipation is from lack of fibre in your diet. Currently I have a poop every 2-3 days or so as I am not eating that much, I guess that's the reason maybe that's why for you too when I add things like benefit it tends to make me have runny poops so I avoid it. if your schedule was working for you before I would stick to it as long as your blood work comes back good and you are getting your Protein and Water in its ok. Just because your family member never seen anyone have a schedule doesn't mean its not right .Most people who watch their weight eat to a schedule even if they haven't had surgery.

I use my fitness pal to get an idea of how many calories how much protien etc i am getting each day it helps to give you an idea of what portion sizes should be too. Its very easy to use at first you might need to weigh stuff etc but it has loads of already pre added foods in there for example if i am making a snack i will search cruskits, sliced cheese, sliced Tomato and find the right one and add it lots of stuff you just scan the bar code its so easy. its has options for 3 meals , Snacks and water intake and breaks it down into calories, protein, carbs, fat etc. say if you eat something regularly you can save it too as a meal or snack so it makes it quicker to add it.

The amount of calories you should be consuming varies on who you talk to and how much you want to loose per week. I sit around the 1200-1400 per day mark and I am loosing about half a kilo a week sometimes more as some days I might eat less some days a little more.

Hope this helps

this helped as well... ty! I am game for trying things... I use the Baritastic app.. i just redownloaded the my fitness last night, ooh my how that changed and it showed i hadnt used it since 2019, i was 225..my surgery was in 2020 and i was 228, im now 169.. thats where i have been 1 year out of the surgery.. ♥

Have you tried benefiber? I took a bit of the Walmart generic for that everyday for a while post surgery until I started getting in some fiber and it helped A lot with the constipation. It takes a few days to start working.

16 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

Have you tried benefiber? I took a bit of the Walmart generic for that everyday for a while post surgery until I started getting in some Fiber and it helped A lot with the constipation. It takes a few days to start working.

tbh I am scared of fiber supplements because of the warning about choking.. I know it seems weird but since the surgery a few things freak me out and choking is one.. since i cant gulp water down with it.. does that make sense?

20 minutes ago, Sona Be said:

tbh I am scared of Fiber supplements because of the warning about choking.. I know it seems weird but since the surgery a few things freak me out and choking is one.. since i cant gulp Water down with it.. does that make sense?

I guess a fear is a fear. I didn’t ever notice any warning, though. It’s powder that completely dissolves in liquid. Are you sure it can cause choking??