Hi, had ESG 6/29 and although it went very smoothly and I feel great, I have been crabby about liquid diet. I have been HUNGRY. I tried to find research about the healing process and justification for the full liquid diet for 2 weeks after ESG, but can't find anything at all. It just seems as though we are following more or less the same protocol as post-bariatric surgery, although I think the trauma to the stomach and healing period should call for something significantly less drastic. Especially since I am doing so well. Nonetheless, I have stuck with it, with the exception of allowing myself some hummus. I've lost a modest 8 pounds, but who wouldn't with no food and about 500 calories a day for 16 days!

Now, my big concern is that of course I will gain weight after switching to a soft diet even if I follow it precisely, which will really be demoralizing.

It's all had me rather irritable and I'm so curious to know others' experiences along this line.

You will always loose weight with a calorie deficit.

When you get to soft foods, and really for quite a while after that you will stay in a pretty large calorie deficit and continue to loose weight. As you get closer to your goal weight the calorie deficit lessons, and your weight loss will slow down.

Don't worry, follow your plan and you will not gain weight.

Glad you’re feeling great physically post surgery.

You have had 80 odd precent of your tummy removed. What’s left is being held together by staples & sutures. It can be easy to forget what they did inside you when all you can see is 4 or 5 tiny little incisions that heal relatively quickly. Imagine how you would care for a deep cut about 12 inches long with multiple sutures on your arm & how long that would take to heal. (Took 4 weeks for a small skin graft I had on my thumb to be healed enough to have the sutures removed but it still had to be bandaged & protected for another month after.) The staged return to eating is to support & not strain your tummy while it is healing. Leaks, as a result of pulling or straining stitches & staples are a real possibility & can be dangerous if you don’t treat your tummy with care.

For many of us, the liquid stage post surgery is only two weeks before we progress to purées. Then another two weeks until soft foods, etc. Some people find they need to stay longer at a stage because their tummy isn’t healed enough to tolerate the denser food. You can always ask your surgeon why they require more than a fortnight on liquids. Maybe they’ll allow you to start adding some purées earlier. Best is always to stick to the plan you have been given though.

You won’t gain weight by eating more solid foods. As @kcuster83 said as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit & forcing your body to burn fat to get the energy it needs to function effectively, you will lose weight. Your weight loss does slow as you are able to eat more & a broader range of foods & as you get closer to your goal. Unfortunately, the heady & exciting days of raid weight loss doesn’t last.

I wonder how much of your hunger is actually head hunger which is coming from you sub consciously wanting to soothe your anxiety & anger with food as you likely did before surgery. The head work can be the most difficult challenge of this process.

On 07/13/2022 at 09:39, sassyxxkathy said:

Hi, had ESG 6/29 and although it went very smoothly and I feel great, I have been crabby about liquid diet. I have been HUNGRY. I tried to find research about the healing process and justification for the full liquid diet for 2 weeks after ESG, but can't find anything at all. It just seems as though we are following more or less the same protocol as post-bariatric surgery, although I think the trauma to the stomach and healing period should call for something significantly less drastic. Especially since I am doing so well. Nonetheless, I have stuck with it, with the exception of allowing myself some hummus. I've lost a modest 8 pounds, but who wouldn't with no food and about 500 calories a day for 16 days!

Now, my big concern is that of course I will gain weight after switching to a soft diet even if I follow it precisely, which will really be demoralizing.

It's all had me rather irritable and I'm so curious to know others' experiences along this line.

Hi. I had my ESG on June 15th. I agree with you, it doesn’t make sense and mine was for 21 days. At day 15th, I was doing great and added sugar free pudding, Greek yogurt and hummus. No issues. I’m now a day past week 4. My weight loss has slowed tremendously, but everyone or majority slow down or have a 2 to 3 week stall. But it’s still about the calorie deficit.

I’ve started with weights but I know I need more cardio. With the liquid diet I was too exhausted but now I’ve added other soft foods and energy is coming back.

Unlike sleeve or bypass, my doctor has released me to do any workouts. We don’t have the staples or stomach cuts.

On 7/14/2022 at 12:34 AM, Arabesque said:

Glad you’re feeling great physically post surgery.

You have had 80 odd precent of your tummy removed. What’s left is being held together by staples & sutures. It can be easy to forget what they did inside you when all you can see is 4 or 5 tiny little incisions that heal relatively quickly. Imagine how you would care for a deep cut about 12 inches long with multiple sutures on your arm & how long that would take to heal. (Took 4 weeks for a small skin graft I had on my thumb to be healed enough to have the sutures removed but it still had to be bandaged & protected for another month after.) The staged return to eating is to support & not strain your tummy while it is healing. Leaks, as a result of pulling or straining stitches & staples are a real possibility & can be dangerous if you don’t treat your tummy with care.

For many of us, the liquid stage post surgery is only two weeks before we progress to purées. Then another two weeks until soft foods, etc. Some people find they need to stay longer at a stage because their tummy isn’t healed enough to tolerate the denser food. You can always ask your surgeon why they require more than a fortnight on liquids. Maybe they’ll allow you to start adding some purées earlier. Best is always to stick to the plan you have been given though.

You won’t gain weight by eating more solid foods. As @kcuster83 said as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit & forcing your body to burn fat to get the energy it needs to function effectively, you will lose weight. Your weight loss does slow as you are able to eat more & a broader range of foods & as you get closer to your goal. Unfortunately, the heady & exciting days of raid weight loss doesn’t last.

I wonder how much of your hunger is actually head hunger which is coming from you sub consciously wanting to soothe your anxiety & anger with food as you likely did before surgery. The head work can be the most difficult challenge of this process.

No cutting, no stomach removal. Not head hunger; it was stomach growling hunger. I know that there is an issue with ESG not removing gherlin producing portion of stomach.