Hi everyone,

I am getting really concerned - I had my surgery 3 weeks ago. I don't seem to have much restriction or very little. I just ate 5 Weetabix with milk and honey. I obviously haven't conquered my BED. Has anyone got any good ideas about what I can do please? I'm so ashamed. I live in the UK

I was still on soft foods after 3 weeks

No biscuits for me. Did your Dr give you a diet to follow?

I find eggs very filling. I snacked on sugar free jello and pudding. We were advised to avoid "slider" foods such as potato chips and pretzels because they aren't very nutritious or satiating

Hi Zena, Did you eat them in one meal or over the day ? You could make them sloppy enough to slide on through but 5 ?

You need to go back to your team and get the dieticians advice because that's what we paid for. I am still under their umbrella until my 2 years are up

On the subject of your restriction, Your nerves have been severed along with 9/10th of your stomach. Until they knit back together you will not feel the real restriction. Around this time you should be onto real foods, meats and such, you will certainly get the full feeling. Even now my restriction is fierce, 50 grams of meat will be all I can manage in one go.

Thank you both for your advice. I did eat 5 Weetabix in one go but I feel rather unwell now - so I think I have been reprimanded. That is interesting about the nerves needing to mend. I will make an appointment with the dietician - although I didn't warm to her on my first appointment pre-surgery!

Did you have them with milk? Were they softened and broken up?

If so it's very possible they just slid right through.

Gastric bypass leaves the stomach small but there's a opening on the side of it. Foods that are very wet and runny like soups just flow right through and there's no restriction.

Gastric sleeve and it's derivatives on the other hand keep your lower stomach sphincter. Your body is capable of holding more food and can stretch a bit more.

Now if you are 5 wheetbix dry, without milk. Then I'd say you should ask your team.

For example I'm also about 3 weeks RNY post-op. I just had some goldfish crackers I shouldn't have. But I ate maybe 8 or 10 of them and I can feel the pressure building in my lower chest. Once food is not able to go into the stomach and it sits in the esophagus, you will normally start to spasm. Cough and your will begin to salivate. It's incredibly uncomfortable.

I’m concerned you may not be following your plan & may be stressing your digestive system & hindering your recovery but plans do differ so …. Please check with your team about what you can eat at this stage & also how much to be sure. Portion size is always important but more so when you are still healing (& you will be for some weeks more). For example I was advised to eat 1/4-1/3 of a cup of food from puree.

Think of all those sutures & staples holding your tummy & digestive system together. If you had a sleeve your tummy would have several inches of staples & stitches - imagine that on your arm or leg. The staged return to eating is to protect our tummy & support our recovery. Another consideration is that many nerves are cut during surgery so all our old signals of feeling full or that you’ve eaten enough & hunger aren’t getting through as well & usually are different to how they felt to you before surgery. This includes feeling your restriction (which is a tightness &/or heaviness around your chest - you may feel you want to thump your chest to ease it).

Most of us don’t feel our restriction until we’re on soft food, usually around weeks 5 & 6, & when we’re more healed. But the goal is not to eat until you feel your restriction. You need to learn to stop before that, when you’ve had enough & don’t need (not want) to eat more.

I’m a believer in a all because you can doesn’t mean you should thinking during this whole experience. There is a heck of a lot of things to learn & especially about yourself. You’re only three weeks in & you’re not expected to know it all straight away. I’m still learning four years out. Missteps are understandable & allowed. Never be afraid to ask your team for more information or clarification. And everyone here is always happy to make suggestions, offer support, etc.

All the best.

Thank you for your advice - it's really helpful. I did eat the Weetabix with a lot of milk, so it must have slipped through that way (I had a mini gastric bypass). I know that I am not going about this the right way at all and must do better! Thank you for not judging me.

5 hours ago, Zenazena said:

Thank you for your advice - it's really helpful. I did eat the Weetabix with a lot of milk, so it must have slipped through that way (I had a mini gastric bypass). I know that I am not going about this the right way at all and must do better! Thank you for not judging me.

You won't get judged on here. Its not that kind of place

I agree with the others. We normally don't feel restriction until we move to solid foods. In the mean time, follow your program - you don't want to screw up any sutures, etc.

That's really interesting about the restriction not being there until solid foods. It has reassured me. I am recommitting to the plan. Thank you all! X