MegInNOLA

As I read your post, I noted a couple of things. First, I'm sorry you're experiencing a stall. We had surgery around the same time (mine was 4 days after yours). I can tell you that in November and December, my weight loss slowed rather dramatically; it picked up again this month with the addition of exercise, which I wasn't doing before. I do notice that you're following the Weight Watchers program, which might be a challenge for post-sleevers. Are you following the "Protein first, then veggies" rule at meals? I suspect you've fallen into the "balanced meal" approach of WW, which, while it might work pretty well for some pre-sleevers who stick to it, has way too little protein and way too many carbs for us post-sleevers. Think about it--what exactly are you fueling your tiny sleeve with? Rice/pasta/bread or protein/veggies? So I think maybe you want to start eating clean again--just ditch the flour products, anything with added sugar, high-carb juices, etc.--and do light exercise consistently. You're young, and you have a great tool to help you stay slender and healthy. And you're only through losing if you are ready to be through losing--unless you're 6' or 6'2", like ThinOneDay and I are, in which case, you might be at your goal at 172 (I know I would be THRILLED to weigh 172--I'd be like a size 8 at that point!). Hang in there, sweetie--you haven't "stretched" your sleeve. Just go back to eating the way you know you should, with real food, protein first/veggies, and do some moderate walking and/or weight work, and you can work your way through this. More importantly, you can set yourself up for long-term success. HUGS!!!

Wow, 1/4 cup? That's a bunch. Try a couple of bites, max. That dense Protein pretty much takes a lot of tummy work, and yours is not at the point of being able to handle it right now, obviously! If it's any consolation, mine wasn't ready for those things for a few months, either, and still can't handle certain foods. Some of the discomfort might be volume related, and some associated with the fact that it's a dense protein. Hang in there--you'll get the hang of eating with your new sleeve!

Yes. It is helpful if you slightly undereat--it doesn't feel as horrible.

Well, I'm 9 months out, and I can't eat a whole egg yet, either. :-) I've sort of gotten used to the tiny amounts I have to eat. It's worth it, believe me--I'd do it all again in a New York minute. I will say that sometimes I eat food that tastes yummy, and I wish I could taste it for longer, but once my hunger is gone, I just don't want it. My fridge and microwave and toaster oven are my best buds now for leftover yumminess.

Try some warm/lukewarm herbal tea--the cinnamon-flavored sort was yummy and there was no caffeine. You can experiment. :-)

As I type, I have a 1/2 c. Glad plastic container on the table next to me that used to hold a few cheese straws that I ate for Breakfast. I use this size as a good measure of what I can eat comfortably--if I'm still hungry, I can always go back, but most of the time, when I've eaten that 1/2 c. of food, I'm not hungry, and I can stop without feeling overfull. I also hate the feeling of having eaten too much, and my sleeve has and will reject even friendly food if I eat one tiny bit too much, so I don't. Use a measuring device. I still cannot eyeball a proper volume, even after 9 months. The only time this is hard is when we're eating out for business, and even then, I just really undereat on purpose. For instance, we just went on a business trip where it would have been socially awkward to measure my food, so I ate VERY little for the five days we were on the road--it would have been extremely uncomfortable to overeat and have to go be sick in that setting, and I just wasn't able to risk it. I mostly split food with my husband (who has also been sleeved but can eat quite a bit more than I). We got a couple of comments from our colleagues about how little we were eating, but I was able to truthfully say that I don't like to eat a lot when I'm working on the road--I like to stay sharp and not feel full and sluggish, and that was accepted with no further discussion. The "clean plate club" is a hard thing to overcome. Once I realized that there will be food to eat when I am hungry again--we're not out of food, and we're not going to run out of food--it became easier for me to relax about it. I don't have to eat like this is the last time I'll see this particular food. I can get more. We are a very blessed society, but that comes with its own set of issues, doesn't it?

Cali, you're looking great! Be sure to keep track of your measurements, too--I didn't measure, rats, so I can't tell how many inches I've lost, and I wish I had a record of that. You're just kicking it!! Keep up the great work and congratulations!!

I am so sorry you're dealing with this. Something that helped me get through all the icky times was to make a list of things I was looking forward to, kind of a "reasons why I did this" list. There are several posts on this forum about this, and having a personal list was great, too--because when you achieve them, you can check them off and see what rewards you have gained by sticking with your surgeon's and nutritionist's advice. Hugs to you. Sounds like it's hard right now; I hope you have support in place or have a plan to get counseling support in place. We're here and we've all been where you are. But you're on the loser's bench now, and very soon your life will feel so very different! Hang in there--you did this for YOU.

Guys, try thinking of your stomach's capacity in a new way. Instead of looking to feel "full," test every few bites to see if you're still hungry. There's a huge difference. Eat until you're not hungry any more, not until you're feeling full. I think a lot of overeating occurs from the "I want to feel full" mindset, even when someone isn't truly physically hungry--food is an easy substitute for other emotionally-driven things, and it's super easy to overeat--we feel "finished" or "done" (or "complete"?) when we feel that full tummy. I don't know when exactly it occurred to me in this process to think about eating until I was not hungry as opposed to when I was full, but it made a big difference in my eating habits. I know some of you are just on liquids now, but it's something to keep in mind. Best wishes as you continue your losing journey!!!!

Yep, me too--I had popcorn at 3 months or so, just a few kernels from my husband's sack at the movies, and it was delicious. I couldn't eat much (and frankly didn't really want to), but I sure enjoyed it. Those few kernels of popcorn were really important from an "I'm still a normal person" perspective for me--it felt normal to be sharing popcorn in the movies, even if only a few pieces. We love going to the movies, and we both enjoy the popcorn there. I usually take a little plastic 1-cup container with me in my purse, and I just scoop out some popcorn from the bag. This lets me enjoy just enough so that I don't feel guilty, and he can butter and salt to his preference, and I can enjoy mine plain (don't need the extra fat or sodium, thanks!).

Y'all are having wonderful losses! Good for you! One tip I found was that in order to get in more fluids, I needed some flavor in there--I used watered-down Gatorade, since I really like the taste, but you can also Water down a lot of other juices/beverages for flavor, which will encourage you to drink more, one of those "I like it, so I drink it because it tastes good" kind of things. Keep on rocking your sleeves!!!

WOW, VST family, I have been waiting a week to post! Last Tuesday, I got on the scale and was so excited to see 199 for the first time since grad school (more than 25 years ago). I couldn't post because the site was down--talk about your frustrating moments. Then I had an out-of-state job that included a lot of physical exercise and a fairly limited menu--I ate very little for four days and had long working days (I'm a musician, and this was a conducting gig that involved many hours of rehearsal a day for a couple of days). Imagine my surprise and JOY to jump on the scale this morning and see 196!!!! I thought my losing was kind of over; last month, I had slowed to a 5-pound loss in that month, and I was sort of expecting that maybe this month I'd lose 3 or 4, but nope--with the combination of seriously increased exercise and limited food intake, I am in Onderland and only 1 pound away from achieving a normal BMI for my height (which is 6'2"). So now, I have lost 110 pounds in 9 months and I am THRILLED. I've got 1 pound to go to get to "normal," and 6 pounds until GOAL, which I AM going to achieve soon. YAY SLEEVIE!!!!!!!

Yep, I've been missing your posts, too, and glad to know all is well. Definitely throw us some cute baby pics! :-) Enjoy your trip.

Wow! You're doing great! Keep rocking that sleeve!

I went from a size 12W to an 11 regular (I'm 6'2", so foot length is proportionate, LOL!). I still wear some of my 12's; I love them, and I just wear thicker socks or use little inserts to take up some of the room at the heel. I can't wear the wides any more because I walk out of them. :-) I've taken this as a sign that it's okay to go shoe shopping. YAY!!!

I also eat whatever sounds good, BUT my sleeve hates certain foods now that are bad for me anyway. I don't eat sweets or fried foods or baked goods, for instance, because sleevie hates them. I don't eat a lot of meat, same reason. So the stuff I eat, while it may have carbs, usually is "good food" like Beans, dairy, fruits/veggies, shrimp, nuts. I don't worry about it, but I do try to eat a protein-rich food every time I eat (and I eat 5-6 "mini-meals" a day). My husband had a very different post-op experience, and his diet is a lot more varied than mine, but even he sticks with "healthier" foods post-sleeve. I think somehow our bodies crave the nutrients we need, and since we have so little volume, we now sort of crave the healthier foods. That's been our experience, anyway. I honestly don't really even crave foods I used to love--and I can walk right past a Five Guys burger place to get to the frozen yogurt place (fat-free, fruit on top!) and honestly PREFER the yogurt--me, the former burger addict! Yay sleeve!

I have a glass of wine occasionally. I think the first time I had it post surgery was at around 5 months. Yeah, you definitely feel the buzz a lot faster; I don't know if it's the lower body weight or the fact that I'm such an irregular drinker--I'm talking maybe a glass of wine once a month or so. I do drink margaritas on occasion, as well, and find those kick my fanny pretty fast (so have to be very careful). If you tend to drink while there is food around, be very cautious about over-indulging because of lowered inhibitions or just not paying attention to what you eat. I actually can use that to my advantage sometimes--if I drink a few sips of margarita and chill for a few minutes, I can actually eat a bit more than usual (I think things just relax in my tummy a bit?); for me, this is not a bad thing and can be a really good thing, as my sleeve is still really small and very picky. If you're still in an active losing phase, maybe it's not such a good thing and is another reason to be cautious regarding alcohol. Also, remember the dehydration factor. Alcohol can cause dehydration, so if you're having any trouble at all getting in your Water, subbing alcohol for some of that liquid probably isn't a smart idea.

Congratulations, Papa Jack!

Y'all hang in there. There are ups and downs in the speed of weight loss, especially at the points where you add different types of food. And there's the infamous 3-week stall that might happen at any point in the first couple of months and last for a LONG time! Trust your sleeves. I understand about food being a central point around which your social activities revolve--same here. Now, almost 9 months out, I still enjoy gatherings and social activities--I've just learned how to do it within the new restrictions. I eat snack-sized meals, slowly, and enjoy the conversation and visiting with people I don't see every day. At business functions, I chat with different groups while holding the exact same plate of stuff the whole time--nobody knows (or cares, really) that you're not eating. Check in with the scale but don't let it ruin your mood! It's all going to come out okay.

Yay! You're really rocking it!! Keep up the great work!!

I was an athlete as a younger woman, but for the last 25 years or so, I really hated exercise and avoided it whenever possible (go figure). I still hate it and don't do it. I have lost a lot, but I know I would feel so much better and more energetic if I would exercise!! That's my one resolution for this year--to get my butt off this couch and get moving more. I have a "no elevators" clause (except for 6 or more floors up only) and a "park as far away as possible" clause to help me get things moving in the right direction, even if I don't do anything else special to "exercise."

At my heaviest, 337. Day of surgery, 306. This morning, 202. This pic is at 206, but it's close enough. :-) (And don't ask me why I was wearing that sleeveless white shirt at 300+ pounds--I have no idea.)

Wowsers! Congratulations to you!!!

There will be a lot of options for you. Most ships have a buffet with fruit and cottage cheese available, plus there will usually be a Soup option, seafood (lighter on sleeves than chicken or beef, IMHO), eggs, slices of cheese and lunch meat, yogurt, etc. Most cruises also provide in-room meals if you request, and you can order off of a menu and be very specific. I cruised in August and had an excellent and easy time finding appropriate meals. You'll have a blast!!

I would suggest being sure you're eating smaller amounts, smaller bites chewed very thoroughly, and eating slower. Also, if you're not on an acid-reducer, try that--Prilosec worked wonders for me and stopped my having to throw up every time I ate. And yeah, just one bite too many can trigger vomiting, so it's kind of a good idea to undereat your sleeve--don't try to eat until you're full; eat until you're not feeling hunger. It's different, and it makes a difference. Use your sleeve!