Stephanie

I think you are reading too much into my reply. It was meant as an example not a rule of thumb. My own experience is what I based it on but I am only 6 years out so am not an expert. I DO know you CAN stretch your stomach back to what it was before VSG , I do know that going back to old habits can cause weight gain, I do know that some foods can trigger old habits and I do know that some types of food trigger a body response to crave more of that type of food. the easiest way to continue to lose weight is to stay on the program given to you by your DR and not stray. If your Dr says pizza, beer and pasta is ok then go for it.

I'm in! I don't have a diet to follow because I never got a diet to follow. If anyone has the plan to follow after surgery and can scan and send it to me I would sure love to have a copy. My email is rattailusa@yahoo.com I was discharged from after care at 1 month so never got any kind of after care support or diet. I have regained about 30 lbs and would like to lose that . Thank you sisters and brothers for allowing me to participate...I needed this !

Yes, you can "eat yourself out of your sleeve" Your stomach is still the same as before, they just made it smaller and if you over eat it will stretch just like it did before you were sleeved. You will continue to have a feeling of fullness but as your eat more that feeling takes longer to achieve. So if right now you can eat a half cup of food at a sitting , in 6 months you may be able to eat a whole cup of food before you have that feeling. Now if you are following your food plan of calories, carbs etc you will be ok but if you think a bit of pizza and a bite of cake will not harm you, you are wrong. You may not gain any weight but what you have done is tell your brain, "It's ok " . The next time you will eat the whole piece and pretty soon you will be adding a beer, eating the pasta etc. At that point you will stretch your stomach and be eating over the calories and carbs and start gaining. You may not feel hungry but you will have "head hunger" and that can be worse I think. Just follow your plan don't stray . We are like alcoholics who are on the wagon , one drink can put them back on the path of over drinking . Food effects us the same way, we can flip back to our old way of thinking and cheating. This is why so many of us gain weight after a few years.

I am 6 years out. The feeling of fullness will depend on if you gradually over eat a little here and there causing your stomach to stretch again. The hunger part that was cut away with your surgery does come back. Different times for different people. Generally the first 6-12 months you are without hunger. This is called the "Honeymoon Period" and does not last. The hunger hormone does come back so take advantage of it being absent while you can.

Joni you and I could easily be twins on our journey. I stalled major at 9 months and was at 195 for the longest time. What I noticed was that when I stalled my body was in a change mode. It seemed like things kept shifting like the remaining fat didn't know where to settle. It SEEMED like one month I would have no butt and the next no boobs followed by a waist that seemed to thicken and thin. I started to take my measurements , wrist, forearm, upper arm, chest, waist, hips, upper legs, just above the knees, calves and ankles. I kept a diary and noticed that I was still losing inches even when I wasn't losing weight. That was 6 years ago. I did hit 170 and although I am 5'8.5" not really tall, I could see my ribs from collar bone to belly button. My boobs were like two pancakes and my butt the same. It was not very pretty. My husband was not happy but I thought I looked great in clothes,. Plus I was almost 60 and I just wanted to be thin for awhile. Over the years I have gained some weight, not a lot but enough to realize I need to get back on track. I also like to have a bit of wine now and then and love my cake but I found out that they are my trigger foodand love my cake but I realize now they are my "trigger foods" . I eat them and I want more carbs. So you have to decide if you want to have to decide if you want stay where you are or make your goal. I can almost promise you that to continue cheating before you have hit goal and maintained it for a good while you will begin to gain. Good luck my friend, it's never going to be easy but it's always an adventure.

I feel your pain! I live in a very rural area and don't have a support system at all. My surgeons office has not followed up with me since 1 month after surgery either so I don't really have an option of talking to them. I've gained about 30 lbs since reaching goal weight. I'm trying to take that off now . I think the important part whether you have gained or are maintaining is to be a part of a group that is encouraging you and is honest with you. We are all at different levels of maintaining or losing our weight regardless of the time since surgery and the common thread is our need to be understood by someone who has shared our journey and our fears. Don't be afraid to join a group just because they are a group of people who may have gained some pounds because you will learn from them what not to do and they will be encouraged by you. Welcome back.

I was at 283 , we were planning on going on the first vacation we had in 20 years in 2 days. We went to have some keys made for the neighbors and an elderly man pulled out and turned in front of us and nearly head on hit us. Most of the impact was on my side of the car as he hit us on the front passenger side of the front bumper then the car sort of turned and it bumper car'd all along the passenger side. This put us in a spin and when the car went off the pavement into the dirt the car flipped and landed in a drainage ditch on the drivers side roof and side panel. We couldn't get out and I had struck my head twice in the initial impact then again in the roll over. My husband was bleeding badly on his left arm where the window had broken and it had been dragged across the pavement. The fired dept got there and I was suspended almost upsidedown , they had to cut the roof off the car, then when they went to cut the seat belt my husband started screaming not to because he was afraid if I fell on him it would break his neck. They decided to try and take me out from the rear of the car (an SUV) and by then they had my husband out and in an ambulance. They tried to put me in the ambulance with him but I wouldn't fit. So they decided I needed to go to a trauma hospital and had a second ambulance take me to a helicopter pad . They had to literally stuff me into the tube that holds the patient because of my size. I kept obsessing that they wouldn't be able to get me out. I won't even go into the ordeal with the MRI . After I recovered, I immediately started the process for WLS and 6 months later I was sleeved.

This surgery is a TOOL. It is not a magic button, the problems you had before surgery will be there after surgery. This surgery helps you control your eating it will not make your issues dissolve. If you don't make the effort yourself no one in your life can make you or force you to change your eating habits . It's all on you. The hair loss is temporary, young people have a better chance of skin looking normal after surgery and weight loss than older people . I am 64, had surgery at age 59 and have all my hair and the skin is not too bad considering my age. But I have regained about 30 pounds which I am trying to lose now. So you will have to work at it, and stay with it or it won't work at all. It's YOUR success or failure and no one else.

Are there any carbs? 20$ a 12 pac is a lot for 12 days if only one a day. The extra protein is good but not sure I want to pay that much. Tight budget here.

So it's a clear fruit punch drink? Is it in cans or that cardboard box type thing? I don't usually buy them there because its all one flavor and I get so sick of the same flavor every day but can't afford to buy 3 cases at a time. Fruit punch would be like a juice or soda everyday rather than a milk shake. I have to go next week so will check it out ...Thanks!

I had my surgery on March 15, 2011. I never saw the surgeon until I was prepped for surgery and never saw him again after I was released from the hospital. I saw the office PA who apparently thought he was smarter than most physicians and ruled the office like he was God. Since the surgeon was never ever there I guess that was true for that office. On my second visit after surgery the PA said I needed some tests. I asked why and he said my blood work was off and I asked which blood work and he loftily replied that my liver panel was “off”. I told him yes it was because I have 3rd stage PBC which was why I was trying to lose weight in case I needed a transplant in the future and I already had a liver specialist who handled my liver issues. At my next visit he again demanded I have tests and I said no, I have a hepatologist who handles my liver issues and further my insurance was not going to cover additional tests which I knew for a fact because I had called them. My liver Dr then wrote the PA a letter to explain my liver issues and that the tests were to be expected and he was following my case very carefully. At my 6 week visit the PA told me I didn't need a hepatologist but I did need some additional testing which again I refused and when I left that day they did not give me another appt because I was being “stubborn about following the DOCTOR'S orders”. I never had another appt and just followed the diet . As a humorous side note that office called me last fall and said they were closing out my case as it had been 5 years. I told the person who called that it should have been closed 5 years ago. I told her my experience and that I had not been seen since 6 weeks after my surgery and she was very apologetic. I asked if that PA was still there and she said yes he was. So basically I had to do my own post surgery monitoring practically from the get go.

First of all you didn't fail. I'm 5 years out I have gained some too. After the "honeymoon" phase of the diet is over which is usually somewhere between 6 months and a year and not only do your hunger hormones come back fully re-charged but your stomach also relaxes and is larger than before. You also need to know how big or small your Dr originally made your new stomach. Some Drs make them as small as a Bic pen and others make them as big as a large sharpie. My Dr made mine the size of a banana. It took me a long time to lose weight. I still had lots of weight to lose at one year. There is another surgery that includes the sleeve as the first part of the surgery. It is called the DS and sometimes they do it in one long surgery and sometimes they do it in two parts giving you time to lose some weight and evaluate if you want the second half or not. You can look up the specifics of the surgury on line but the bottom line is you didn't fail but rather a combination of issues led you to failure. Click to choose files

depends on your pickiness. If you have a bullit you can puree almost anything you liked prior to your sleeve. Veggies cooked very well and thinned with some chicken or beef stock is yummy. I particularly liked zucchini that way. Deviled eggs with a little of the unjury powdered chicken broth is really yummy. I didn't not particularly like it made into a broth however but it did make for a really good seasoning for things like deviled eggs and pureed veggies. I added the powder dry to the eggs with a bit of Water to make a paste. It is also good to have some tomato basil Soup, pureed cottage cheese and a little canned fruit pureed into it, Yogurt, go thru some bariatric websites for some great ideas.

Here's the thing. There are a lot of types of hunger, head hunger, true hunger, visual hunger etc. Sometimes it's not hunger but heart burn....really. My Dr started me on about an ounce of pureed food such as zucchini (pureed with chicken broth to a loose paste) or carrot and that was while I was still in the hospital so. He also said that if I got hunger pains to take a tums or something like that. When I did my hunger disappeared most of the time. It does take awhile to get the hunger hormone out of your system and it will stay gone for about 6-12 months but it does come back. Cheating now will only make it easier to cheat worse later and you went through a lot to lose weight so why circumvent the process? If you cheat now while it's easy to lose the weight later when it is getting harder you will see that cheating only puts you back where you were before you started...is that what your goal is? Talk to your Drs office now and tell them how you are feeling and see if they can offer you some advice or perhaps allow you to start some very loose pureed foods. Remember this is only temporary and soon you will be able to eat the solids you want.

Congratulations! Keep up the great work. BTW my husband's name is Jack Morris and so is my son's...LOL!

Miralax can be taken every single day if needed. It is not the kind of laxative that you will become dependent upon. If you are taking pain meds you will also be somewhat constipated especially if they are opiate based. You won't be pooping like you used to. You are barely eating enough to fuel your body so much of it is being used to burn off calories etc. There isn't much left over for waste at first. Call your dr and follow their directions don't screw around trying this and that when your dr may be able to help you right away. That is what they are there for and what you paid them for.

Are you taking pain meds? If so, some pain meds have adverse reactions in some people. Some will make you sleepy while others amp you up. I used to be able to take morphine based pain meds with no other reaction than resolving my pain. Now I take a morphine based pain medication and I cannot sleep and I while I don't feel "jittery" I do feel somewhat energetic. You may need to talk to your Dr about giving you something else if you still have pain. I have suffered from insomnia since I was a young girl, now days I take a couple of Kirkland (Costco) pills before bed and sleep just fine and don't wake up hung over. Kirkland Allergy pills are simply Benadryl and I get 600 for 5.00 while regular Benadryl are several dollars for a few pills. They help me sleep and I don't need to take them every night just sometimes. I take them 30 minutes before bedtime and sleep great.

March 15, 2017 I will be 5 years out. I lost 113 lbs. In the past year I have gained about 20 lbs but much of it is due to inactivity from health problems. I am attempting to lose that weight now. It's a lot harder once your stomach stretches a bit and it will. I did not deviate one single bite for 2 years then had an occasional bite of this or that with no issue. I tracked my calories, fat, carbs etc on a program called Fat Secret and found that I just could not consume more than 1100 calories even with lots of bicycling and swimming. I usually bike 5 miles in 30 min or less and swim laps for 30 min at 3 times a week. Since I have had a plethora of health problems this year I have been unable to do much more than sit for the last 8 months. However I am 64 years old and have stage 3 liver disease as well so don't judge yourself by my successes and failures. Good luck, stick to your plan and in a year you won't be the same person. It's so much fun!

I had major problems with all bread foods. It felt like a rock in my gut for hours and often made me feel yucky. I liked to take deli slices of ham, mozzarella string cheese and split the cheese into halves or quads then roll them up in the deli ham. I would put them in a sandwhich bag and could eat them one or two every few hours . I also put hard boiled eggs in a baggie, cut it in quarters and added a few drops of Tabasco. It would mix pretty well by the time I got around to eating it. I also made cottage cheese with a tablespoon of pineapple in it , but mostly I just made tiny quick snack type items and grazed through my day by eating a little something every few hours. Tuna mixed with cottage cheese and a few diced pieces of tomato was a favorite, also some sugar free puddings or Jello. I found that my desires had changed when it came to food, I was no longer living to eat but instead I was eating to live. For the first time in my life food was taking a back seat to my life.

I make both at home and they are not the same. Greek yogurt is simply regular plain yogurt with the whey removed. You can make it yourself by buying a good plain yogurt and dumping it in a muslin lined colander (strainer) and setting it in a bowl to catch the whey for 24-48 hours. then put it back in the container and you have Greek yogurt. Sour cream is a culture you can make by using a bit of sour cream and half and half then let it sit and ferment for a day or two. One has a higher calorie content than the other. Both are pretty good!

I had all my requirements done by my family Dr which took 6 months, then had to visit the surgeons office.. I say surgeons office because I never met my surgeon until about an hour before the surgery. At the office I met with the PA who made the appt after putting me on the pre op diet that was 2 weeks of strict diet then an appt to come back to check if I was following the diet. I was scheduled for March 1 but when I returned for the last appt the PA said I had an infection and even though I was almost finished taking the antibiotics he rescheduled the surgery for another 2 weeks. I didn't care much for this PA and he never followed up with me except one time after the surgery. I was on my own for the entire weight loss process. So you should have your appointment when they put you on the pre op diet.

I don't think there is a right age or a wrong age. It's all relative. I had mine at 58, I also believe it saved my life. Pro's to having it younger however is your skin has a lot more elasticity and you have a much better option of it going back where it's supposed to rather than just emptying out and hanging there like empty balloons. Believe me there are a lot more places than you would think that will simply just hang there. You also will more than likely not have a wrinkled up face after losing weight like an older person will. I have wrinkles on my wrinkles. You will have so much more energy as a younger person and it will be really good when you start developing those healthy habits like exercise, hiking, riding or whatever you choose to do. It has been much harder for me to do those things as I get older and older making it a real effort to lose additional weight (even with the sleeve)..Good luck and keep up the great work

I had similar problems which my Dr helped me resolve . He gave me one of those little plastic dosage cups that come with cold medicine. He had me start by filling it to the half ounce line and drinking only that much then set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer went off another half ounce. I did that all day. I got in my required liquids and foods by the end of the day. Yeah its a pain in the patootie but once you get thru a couple of days you then proceed to one ounce every 5 minutes. By the time a few days have passed you are normally doing a lot better and can then go to sips. I would just put my shake on a blue ice wrapped in a towel to keep it cold and sit it by my chair or bed and the timer it was convenient so I didn't have to run to the kitchen every 5 minutes and I was able get in the shakes etc. I also could not stand the unjury powder. I did use the chicken broth powder in deviled eggs to punch up the flavor and the Protein. But on it's own I thought it was yucky. I prefer the 100 calorie 5 grams of carbs Muscle Milk than any other brand. I still use them by the way and I am 5 years out.

Great job! I think we all worry about gaining again. I put on some weight 5 years out and am trying to get it off again going back to basics. The best advice I can give you is quit the cigarettes. I'm 64 and quit cold turkey about 10 years ago after smoking since I was 15. I now have COPD. What good is being thin and feeling great if you cant breathe enough to get through a dance or a bicycle ride or any of that? You look great and I would say younger too! Keep the good work going!

I'm so sorry for your loss! I had my surgery at 59 and I can identify with the recovery process. I had literally no pain and in fact after surgery I had to look to see if they had done it. However I have Liver Disease from autoimmune disorder. Recovery was especially hard . It took me the better part of 2 months to get back to normal without feeling like I just couldn't do another thing or walk another step. Fatigue which is part of the disease issue of mine was terrible in compounding it with surgery. But after my recovery, wow what a difference. I had energy that I had never had before and felt so good. I too want to see my grandkids get married, graduate college etc. I know both of us are doing this for the right reasons..