Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
BariatricPal

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Join BariatricPal free

  • Ask your own questions
  • Reply and follow topics
  • Message other members
  • No cost, no spam
Create free account

desertmom's Blog

A blog by desertmom in General

  • Entries

    166

  • Comments

    227

  • Views

    58221

About this blog

My sleeve journey

Entries in this blog

It's been 5 years....

5 beautiful years. Some drastic lifestyle changes (I went back to school and stopped all exercise like playing squash, running and cycling as well as reformer pilates) contributed to me gaining about 25 pounds in the last year and I am ready to lose them again. The problem is I can eat and drink anything and a lot of anything too. I have had many health challenges over the past 3 years and am in menopause, flashing like a red light all the time. Nothing helps and the hormones that were prescribe

2 years!

Today 2 years ago I had the sleeve.The best gift I ever gave myself.   Its been 2 years of the biggest ups and downs EVER.Sometimes when I read back what I wrote I know its been the hardest and the best 2 years of my life.   After surgery I found out that my happy little family wasnt so happy after all.I developed neuropathy on top of going into menopause and at any other time,my life would have fallen apart.   But having this new lease on life has given me the strength to deal with everyt

Struggling not to eat too much

My 12 year old was diagnosed with Anorexia nervosa a month ago and I HAVE GAINED 5 pounds in the past couple of weeks.It feels like I am eating for her and as we have to have normal earing patterns around her I cannot cut of full fats or carbs.   THIS IS ANY WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY PATIENTS NIGHTMARE!   I am not allowed to have scales around anymore which drives me nuts as well.The fact tht my life has stopped since we are in stage 1 of redeeding her is not helping as I am bored and stressed.But

18 Months and still loving my sleeve!

It is 18 months since I was sleeved and I absolutely love my sleeve.I am 8 pounds under my goal weight which is a little to low (my face looks very wrinkly at this weight)   Have been in maintenance since about Jan Feb this year and it is so easy to maintain.I do have a strategy I live by though.   1.Weigh every morning.The scale is my friend and I allow myself at most 4 pounds up before I get backto basics.And as my weight never goes up gradually (it jumps up 4 pounds after a week or 2 of l

Medical issues

hi   I am not on the site a lot anymore as I am sooo busy.   But I said I would update anything that has to do with the VSG and here I am.   So,the burning and tingling sensation in my hands and feet seems to be peripheral neuropathy,ideopathic bu definetely caused by the surgery.We are doing extensive bloods at the moment to try and find some sort of deficiency.   This is nerve damage but the cause is still unknown.If it wasnt for the pain in my hands and feet at night I would not have

The truth

In the beginning of Aprill I stopped smoking but started chewing the nicotine gum.I did fantastic while on the gum with not smoking.   But the gum gave me extremely severe gastritis.I started refluxing like crazy and had to stop using the gum.Now this is where my challenge started.One must never ever underestimate the power of an addiction.I have gained 6 pounds in the last month.Yes,boys and girls,all of the buffer weight I allow myself is gone,just like that.   What is worse I am eating li

New normal

10 days ago,while on holiday no less,I stopped smoking.It has been a challenge but I am not going to smoke again.I decided not to stress too much about my eating as I have visitors that eats nothing but junk and carbs.They do not eat any of the food we usually eat.For some reason this made me super self concious and I started cooking rubbish and eating it too.   Yesterday I weighed and was up 5 pounds already.This made me realize a couple of things.This is out life and my house.If they dont li

Part 1 and a 1/2 of 1 year update

Thanks for the responses!   Well,the burning and tingling in my hands might be related to the fine rash of blisters that I have started developing this week...I might have shingles after all! But till I can get to see the dr.I have started adding a lot of new stuff to my pills...lol. CoQ10,fish oil pills and extra vit D and some magnesium and extra vit C.   My hands still tingle but that terrible burn has been a bit better for 2 days now.The pain is also less.Got meself a tempur pillow to go

Part 1 of 1 year update.

For the past week I have been thinking of what to write for my one year update.   Firstly,I dont regret having the sleeve as far having lost the weight and the way I am looking.It feels good to be thin even though I have loads of extra hanging skin.   But,and I am so sad that there has to be a but here...   I went into menopause at the age of 45 3 months after having the surgery.At the time my dr said it might just be because I am losing a lot of stored estrogen and the symptoms might disa

Almost 1 year!

Have been MIA for a while.I returned 1 day before moving house and have been unpacking and sorting out stuff since then.   I have lost another couple of pounds and am at 158 most days.This seems to me the perfect weight for me.I am skinny.I really look thin.Even I can see it now.No more saddle bags on legs! Stomach is flat as a pancake,boobs non exisitent even thought they hang on my knees,no butt whatsoever..lol.   Life is good and I have been eating a lot of junk and still losing weight.Am

Stress and the sleeve!

This morning when I got up I thought I had a hard day ahead of me.Negotiating a lease for a new house with a super difficult landlord.I felt like eating and was in a bad mood cause I couldnt.   Now I am on my way to the airport to fly out to SA as my mom is very ill.This put everything into perspective once again.EATING IS JUST NOT THAT IMPORTANT.I ended up not eating most of the day as I was just to busy and worried about my mommy.We can so easily focus on the wrong stuff and the want to eat

Drink that water!

Since surgery I have had an issue that I didnt discuss much as no one seems to have the same problem.   I get a thick white coating on my tounge and in my throat that has been driving me insane!It got progressively worse over the last month.   Yesterday I realized it must have soemthing to so with the milk Im drinking.I cut back on the milk,but not a lot,and because of this I became dry.I could feel my lips was even getting dry.So,I tackled a bottle of water,which I dont do often as I still

i AM a carb addict!

Today I got a glimpse of you,yes you,the one I thought I left behind! You just never know when to stop do you?Once you start,you dont seem to have an end.And its carbs that brings you out,isnt it?You can deny it as much as you like,but I saw you!   Rusks,good old South African rusks,with nuts and seeds.And before I knew I was earing like I didnt even ever had surgery.Now I see how one can gain back all your weight.You just eat something every 20 minutes.A woman on a nother board posted recentl

Stuck,again!

Even this far out and soooo close to goal,after losing fast for the past two months,I am now stuck again. At just 2 pounds from goal!   This is frustrating as I did the chicken thing this week,no alcohol ect ect with zero results.It still messes with my mind when this happens..lol.I still doubt what I am doing and if I will be able to eat this little forever just to maintain this weight.   It does feel to me at this point that it is time to be finished with the weight loss phase.   My pro

Faster weight loss?

Today My weight is the same than last week but I am doing good.No gin and tonics..lol,clean eating!   Cauliflour does not agree with me,even when pulverized in the food prosessor,dont know why.   ThenI decided to put what I ate in December,lost nearly 17 pounds in 6 weeks,into fitday to see how many of what I was eating.Calories worked out to 1200 plus per day.Fats were 55 plus and carbs were about 70. At first I thought I must have made a mistake.But I did it twice and the results came out

A couple of issues!

At the moment I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that at 45 I am now in menopause.I love being thin but I hate the fact that the weight loss screwed up my hormones so badly!And I hate these hot flushes!   Of course the question of how fast am I going to age now is in my mind all the time.For goodness sake,I am skinny for the first time in 20+ years.I have planned plastics and a lot of other fun things.I dont want to start looking like a dried out old prune before I am 50.The

What is "something nice"?

When I can figure this out Im gonna have it...lol   I've been feeling like having something nice lately,a constant thought.Just cant figure out what that is.Unless I retry everything,I dont think I'll ever know and that sounds like to much hassle to me.   I do miss some really yummy comfort desert.Like apple pie and cream!   Ok,just saying!        

10 months post op today!

And Im down 128.2 pounds.Weighed in at 168.8 pounds today.Only 4 pounds from my dr's goal.Not too bad if I might say so myself...lol   Am still all over the place with the eating at the moment trying to find my "normal" again but plodding along which still seems to work for me.   I will start exercising.Ok,I dont even believe myself anymore.But I should,I know.Still playing squash twice a week though.   Have revised my goal for myself to 154 pounds.70kg's or maybe 69.8 will be even better.

Post holiday muzing (Is that the right word?)

well,I took the advice of everyone that said relax and enjoy the holiday.I added carbs and enjoyed the good food,the wine and the company!   I lost 3 pounds in the past 3 weeks.HOWEVER,my hair started falling out again like crazy.I mean I flooded the bathroom this morning when I didnt notice my hair blocking the shower drain...lol   Obviously my proteins for the past couple of weeks must have been way too low.Having said that,I have been wanting to test my total protein for a while now as I

First carb "landslide" since surgery

Ever since my surgery I've not once experienced that trigger of madness that carbs use to cause before.Until yesterday.   Everything was fine until about 17:00 when I decided to have a slice of christmas fruitcake.One slice became 2 and I thought I was fine.But I couldnt stop eating after that.I want to list what I ate,so that I can remember how easy it is to just slip right back into old habits if not cautious!   We came back to the B&B at about 18:00 and that is when the binge started.

Getting the hang of holiday eating

Today I weighed 173 pounds.   At the moment I think my proteins are too low but its just because Ive been too busy to think of food.   Ive also added carbs back into my food but that means 3 french fries or a fishcake that has some potato in it.Or one home made South African rusk with my morning coffee.   When you eat on the run or when you are staying at someone elses house you sometimes just have to go with the flow or stay without food.   On sunday we are going to Cape Town for Christ

Emotional eating

Its so stupid how being at my parents house and seeing them so old and frail can trigger me into some serious emotional eating.   Of course we cant eat a lot but I actually grazed yesterday for the first time since surgery.   Had protein meals,that was fine but I ate the following that I shouldnt have: Crisps-about 10,a slither of milktart,twice!10 mini crackers with a pate on it and not little bit of pate,a lot. A piece of quiche that had a flakey crust,which I ate.Dont have an idea what

Difference in what we eat vs what normal people eat

Immediately after arriving I realized it will be a battle to get through this week without eating off plan,just because of the way my family eats.   My mom and sister have gained a lot of weight since I saw them in July.Sis because she had bilateral foot ops and cannot walk properly and mom because she is so stubborn.She needs knee replacement and Have issues with her foot after a failed surgery.   They both know that for them it is the little calorie additions that makes them gain weight.T

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.