SKCUNNINGHAM

It is possible to gain weight if you are eating a lot of slider foods, or if you are eating high fat, high sugar foods, or if you are eating foods too frequently throughout your waking hours. You need to record what you are eating in a day, and figure out how many calories, grams of Protein, carbs and fat you are eating. Go back to measuring and weighing your food for a few days.You know what you were eating (calories, protein, carbs, etc) when you were losing weight - so reduce your input back to the point you were when you were losing. Change up your exercise routine, or increase it. Review your habits around eating. Are you mindlessly snacking? Emotionally eating? Drinking and eating at the same time? It is easy as far out from surgery as you are to think " I can do anything I want and eat anything I want". Wrong idea! You still need to eat the same or fewer calories than you expend, or you will lose weight. Good Luck. As you can see from my signature below - "The easy part is over, now the hard part begins". Sharon

ISOPURE PLUS zero carbs was my "go to" Protein drink from my surgery date until now. I still keep them on hand. I really like the "lightness" of the flavors compared to so many of the others available. I drink the punch flavor and the grape frost. I ordered the 8 ounce bottles from Amazon. I live in the middle of nowhere, so that was the easiest way for me to get them. I use them now after a workout. It is an easy source of protein. Sharon

I have a variety of these types of garments. I love the camis that are supportive and hold in my jiggly torso. Soma (the lingerie store owned by Chico's) has great support panties and camis that are supportive but don't go over your bra area (so the girls are not squished). Ebay has a good variety of this type of product, cheaper than most other places. You can try a couple of different brands. I would recommend as you are losing to not spend a huge amount on them, as you are going to "shrink" out of them. Good Luck. Sharon

I am a one year post-surgery. In addition to getting support from this forum (which I love and have learned SO MUCH from) I attend a support group at the Baylor Hospital in Carrolton, TX. I know there is also a support group at the Baylor hospital in Plano, TX. Is there a Baylor hospital close to you? They probably have a support group there, and would welcome your attendance even if your surgery was done elsewhere. Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you want to ask any questions of me. Sharon

It could be gallbladder. My gallbladder, like the ones above, presented more as pain in my sternum area. When the pain comes, what food will you have just eaten? Fatty food? Did you just start introducing fattier foods back into your diet? When the pain comes, is it associated wtih lettuce or some fresh veggie? Is this a new thing added back to your diet? If your GB is in bad shape, it can reac to foods other than fat (mine did). Your doc will probably want to do a sonogram, an upper GI or an endoscopy. Those will determine what is going on in your digestive track. Good luck to you. Let us know what you find out. Sharon

Cludgie - I too have recently started attending a face to face support group. I have recommended this site to everyone I have met face to face. It is amazing how much knowledge about WLS I have gotten from my year plus on this forum. As much as I love this forum, it is nice to visit face to face with people at different points in the process.

Give yourself a break! When you look in the mirror and start thinking critical things, try to stop the thoughts from continuing. Try to think of yourself as a "work in progress". Imagine yourself as a talented sculptor, chipping away at the beautiful but uneeded marble to find the slender beauty within. Years ago Jesse Jackson made a speach at a Democratic National Convention (I love to listen to good speakers, regardless of their poticial beliefs). He saids (my memory may not me exact) "Please do not judge me too harshly, God isn't finished with me yet". I try to remember that line when I get into a negative thought cycle. If we ask others to not judge us too harshly, we should hold ourselves to the same standard. You will be at goal sooner than you realize. Actually, it is helpful to your overall progress mentally to lose your weight over a few months (rather than instantly). It gives your "head" time to catch up with your smaller body. Best of luck to you in the rest of your journey. Sharon

I am in the Dallas area. I would be happy to mentor you if you can't find someone closer.

Becca - I am proud of you for having achieved such great success. It is wonderful to see the changes you have made in your life. Best of luck to you in your continued journey.

I agree with LIssa. Go to the doc and have him do bloodwork. Something could be out of whack - Iron, B12, potassium, Protein, etc. You won't know what to do differently without proper medical diagnosis. One thing you could do - make sure you are getting enough fluids - dehydration is always a potential problem. Dehydrations makes you all over weak, shaky and feeling bad. Go to the doc ASAP.! Sharon

Thank God you made it through that horrible experience. Besides suing your surgeon, find yourself another surgeon for your aftercare. You may need to go out of town to get one, since all local doctors know each other. You have gone through the worst experience, so everything now is going to be SO MUCH EASIER than what you have been through. Lean on this forum for support - we are here for you. SHaron

If I hadn't had the sleeve, I would not have lived 30 years - I would have been dead long before from a heart problems. So, for me, life is much better without most of my stomach than it would have been.I am not going to worry about what may turn up 10, 20 or 30 years in the future.

I think if someone is nauseuous and vomiting 2 years after surgery, they are eating more than their sleeve can handle, or eating things that upset their stomach. I am a year out and have not vomited since the day I left the hospital. If I eat too much, I get nauseous for a time. Solution - I don't overeat. There are a few foods my sleeve doesn't like - and I avoid them. Problem solved for me! I had a teacher in high school who has lived with gastrectomy for years. He didn't have cancer - just really bad ulcers. He is alive and well some 35 years after his surgery. If I hadn't had the sleeve, I would not have lived 30 years - I would have been dead long before from a heart problems. So, for me, life is much better without most of my stomach than it would have been.I am not going to worry about what may turn up 10, 20 or 30 years in the future.

I too knew I could lose weight without the sleeve - and I have - I lost 100 pounds four other times. I didn't need the sleeve to help me LOSE the weight - I need to sleeve to help me MAINTAIN my weight loss. Yes, it is a great way to lose the weight - but it is the ONLY way I think I will maintain a normal weight. It is one ot the "three pillars" that will hold up my maintenance - the other two being eating healthy food and exercising regularly. Good luck with your decision. Sharon

Sure I worried about dying - which is why I had my will updated, my insurance beneficiaries all correct, a living will made out, the house clean, all my bills paid and spoke to all my loved ones in the week or so before surgery. But I went through the surgery even with that underlying worry. I have had that worry before all my surgeries, not just the VSG. I had trust in my surgeon and the hospital, so I "let go and let GOD" take care of the rest. Good luck to you! Sharon

What a great feeling! Congratulations on this one - I HATED not fitting into a "normal" gown and having to do the two-gown wrap. These little things add up to a much happier day to day existence. Enjoy the little victories Sharon

CropQueen - I would be honored to be quoted in your blog. I am one of your readers and really have enjoyed reading about your journey - in both meanings of the word.

My husband met me when I was a 17 1/2 year old high school senior - taking college calculus because my high school didn't offer the course. We married when I was 24. We became aquaintences, then friends, and then fell in love. We were apart for almost 3 of the 6 years we knew each other - he took a foreign assignment after college graduation, then we got back together and got married. Many years have passed - we have weathered many marital crises, buried loved ones, raised a child, gotten and lost jobs, welcomed grandchildren, sold a much loved home, started and ran a business (with business partners) together for the last 17 years. Throughout this time my weight has gone up and down from a low of 117 (at 31) to a high of 265 (September before surgery). I have lost 100 pounds and regained them (and more) three times - not counting my WLS loss - WHICH I AM NOT GOING TO REGAIN. We certainly don't have a perfect relationship, but we have a very good and loving relationship. He and I put up with each others faults and are forgiving of them. He has been a rock through this post-surgery year. I feel much closer to him now than I did before because I am letting myself feel more than I did before. Before surgery, I was SO UNHAPPY WITH MYSELF that I shut myself off from a lot of my feelings and just ate myself numb. Now, I let myself feel - happy, sad, mad - the whole gamut of normal feelings. I realize I am still very much in love with my husband. Sex is a lot more fun now too. Being a hundred pounds lighter makes lots of things possible that had not been possible for a long time. I am not as tired at night, since I am not hauling a hundred pounds of blubber around with me all day long. SInce I am exercising more, that also increases my sex drive. I am not so self conscious about how I look (either in sexy lingerie or in skin) - so that improves things in the bedroom, too. I think if you have a good, healthy relationship with your SO, it can (and probably will) get better. If you have a bad unhealthy relationship with an SO, statistics say the relationship has a strong probability of not making it. If one of the things you are going to "fix" by losing weight is one of the reasons you and your SO are together in the first place, you may be in for some serious realtionship trouble. Here are some things that can cause problems. If you are together because one or the other of you think "I have to be with this person because no one else will love me" the dramatic weight loss is going to problematic - because the underlying assuption will be challenged when other people start noticing how good you look. If you are together because you abused food together - you have stopped - he has not - that is going to be a problem If you are together and you had different "drugs of choice" - well you have given up your abusive relationship with food - if he is still abusing alcohol or some other subtance - this can be a real source of problems If because of lack of self-esteem, you gave up a lot of control or power to your husband in your relationship, and with your increase in self -esteem as you lose weight you try to "reclaim" that power or control in the relationship, that can cause problems If your significant other likes you better as a "big" woman rather than a normal or thin woman, you are going to have relationship problems If your significant other is not willing to change the way you live your life and not have every celebration and every moment of every day be centered around food, you may have relationship problems If because of lack of self-esteem or other personal issues, you put up with physical abuse in your relationship, as you lose weight, you may get the courage to no longer put up with the abuse. (YEA for you if this is your situation!) Sometimes, leaving a relationship that is not healthy for you is the best choice you can make. Best of luck with you and your weight loss journey, and in your relationship with your SO. I hope it a loving and supportive one. Sharon

Janerose - I am proud of you. I'm sure the family had a wonderful time celebrating your Mom's birthday and that's not what they will remember most about the eveing - not your lack of eating. It sounds like you are really doing well on your coping mechanisms for eating in a group. Each time you successfully do this, you are building your skills for being able to do it again the next time. Soon, it will be a habit you don't even have to think about. Best of luck to you. Sharon

In a way, this was a good thing to happen to you. Now you know what will happen if you eat sugary deserts. The next time you are tempted, you will have a strong memory of this happening, and you will stop yourself before you indulge. Not the most pleasant way to learn a lesson, but an effective one. I hope everything else goes smoothly for you. Don't beat yourself up too badly, we all test the limits now and then. Sharon

Wow, it sounds as if you had wonderful caring people at the sleep clinic. My guy was OK, but nothing like yours. Here's hoping you don't have apnea, don't need the second sleep study and don't need the CPAP machine. I had to have one, and I hated it. I am so glad now that I no longer need it. Good Luck to you. Sharon

I would go see the doc - a sudden change from fine to pain doesn't sound normal to me. Have you done anything to yourself that could have caused this? Lifted something heavy, had a blow to the area, etc? I am not a doctor or medical person, so I err on the side of caution. Good Luck. Let us know what you decide. Sharon

Becca - Congratulations! Thank you for sharing this - I am fighting that border war right now, going from overweight to normal and back again (+/- 2 to 3 pounds). I am happy you are now in the normal range - I hope to be residing there permanently very soon. Sharon