Maddy

Well it has been 6 months since my gastric sleeve surgery. Up to now the weight was flying off and I was having no trouble meeting my 10 pound goal per month. This wonderful weight loss stopped dead after entering my 6th month. It is so frustrating to get so close to my goal weight and then bam it stops. Of course this is different for every individual. Every person responds differently to weight loss surgery. With Gastric Bypass surgery the average weight loss is 60-77% Excess Body Weight Loss (EBWL) in the first two years. That means that if a person is carrying 100 extra pounds, they will lose 60-77 in about 2 years. The Sleeve is 60-65%. These numbers are averages for large populations of US patients. I called to Dr Michael Feiz and spoke to him about this. He said this was a normal reaction that my body has now lost more than 60% of my excess body weight. The weight loss per month will now go down from 10-15pds per month to 2 to 5 pounds per month. Having talked with the dietitian on staff with Dr. Feiz we came up with new meal plans to achieve each goal per month. Morning meals now consist of complete protein such as protein shakes or an egg white omelet. Lunch – 2oz of protein with fruit such as a ½ of apple or pear. Mid afternoon snacks, a small piece of cheese or a protein shake. Dinner – consisting of 2oz of protein and 3-4 oz vegetable. Not drinking with any meals all this does is fill the stomach with empty calories hence I was hungry shortly after. Drinking 60 to 70 oz of water a day is a must. What I do after each meal, I drink 6 to 8 ounces of zero calorie free flavored water or Snapples diet. Every hour I drink until I have satisfied my total intake of fluids. Its so easy to start slipping into the old habits of eating when you don’t see the weight flying off. I found myself snacking on empty carbs, not drinking the fluids and just having this nonchalant attitude with myself. I also stopped doing my daily routine of exercise. Staying on track is not an easy feat to do. It can be a complete disaster when you start giving up. The scale will tip in your favor if and ONLY you stick with your doctor’s advice. Having the gastric sleeve is not a “cure all” for your weight loss. It takes dedication and determination to follow completely through even when you are at stumbling blocks. My best advice for this – stay in touch with your doctor. Tell him/her what’s going on and what to do to fix this. Ask questions and most of all don’t give in to temptation even when the scale does not show to your favor. Stay true to yourself…you have come so far with your weight loss. Don’t sabotage yourself and fall into old habits. Given the right tools to beat these temporary obstacles thorough education process and ongoing support will give you every advantage you’ll need to over achieve. If you are serious about losing the weight and are willing to dedicate yourself to what needs to be done you will achieve your ultimate goals. Remember you are in control of you and its up to and only you to make this happen.

TIP OF THE DAY: Who says you can't eat aspargus? Great tip.. Take fresh asparagus wash, cut ends off. Place in cooking dish season with salt, pepper, garlic and one teasponn of olive oil. Mix together and place 1/3 cup of water and bake for one hour at 350 degrees. They come out so delish...soft and sweet. Great way to get your veggie intake and ohhh so good!

Its odd to me that all of the sudden these hunger pains have come back. I guess we do seem to do the same old thing and revert back to our old ways. I spoke with my doctor today and she advised me to increase the protein intake. Also, I am not drining the full 60oz as advised. So for me...its back to relearning that I cannot go back to the old ways of eating and thinking of food as my comfort, Thanks for all the imput my friends.

Ok I heard of the munchies but this is nuts... i want to eat everything in sight all of the sudden. Anyone gone thru this phase before? HELPPPPPPPPP

Low fat muffins can be light and tender. Just be sure you spoon the flour gently into the measuring cups and level with the back of a knife.. These delicious cranberry orange muffins have just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. So pour that coffe and enjoy your 1/2 of muffin.(102 calories) •2 cups all-purpose flour •1 tsp baking powder •1/2 tsp baking soda ... •1/2 tsp salt •1 cup sugar •1 large egg, lightly beaten •1/4 cup canola oil •2/3 cup orange juice •2 tsp grated orange zest •2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper muffin cups. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Combine with a whisk. In a small bowl, add beaten egg, oil, orange juice and zest. Stir well. Make a well in the flour mixture and add wet ingredients. Stir until just moist, being careful not to overmix. Fold in chopped cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until muffins are golden and spring back when touched. Calories 204, Calories from Fat 47, Total Fat 5.1g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 18mg, Sodium 196mg, Carbohydrate 36.4g, Fiber 1.4g, Protein 2.9g

Well I knew the day was gonna come when my weight loss was gonna slow down. So used to having the weight come off so easy. Time do start doing more excerise and watching those calories. When did your weight start slowing down?

Knowing what to do after you have been sleeved is the best knowledging you can gain. Understanding what you can and cannot eat is vital for your successful weight loss. Before my Sleeve surgery, I did a lot of research and asked my doctor to advised me the best foods to eat and what was a must to stay away. For those of you who are going into this notion that after your sleeve surgery you can eat whatever you want. You are much mistaken. Foods that you were able to tolerate before such as leafy lettuce and a greasy hamburgers are not in your near future. White breads are hard to break down and are more difficult to swollow and digest due to the yeast. Pasta's are much the same as well. Potatoes are not as difficult to digest being they are soft and easy to swallow. Remember that in time, as your stomach heals and stretches some. ..many of the foods that you were not able to tolerate can now be digested more easily. The key to eating, is to eat slow, chew your food throughly and enjoy what you are eating. Gaining knowledge about your new stomach is the key to rapid and safe weight loss.

Knowing what to do after you have been sleeved is the best knowledging you can gain. Understanding what you can and cannot eat is vital for your successful weight loss. Before my Sleeve surgery, I did a lot of research and asked my doctor to advised me the best foods to eat and what was a must to stay away. For those of you who are going into this notion that after your sleeve surgery you can eat whatever you want. You are much mistaken. Foods that you were able to tolerate before such as leafy lettuce and a greasy hamburgers are not in your near future. White breads are hard to break down and are more difficult to swollow and digest due to the yeast. Pasta's are much the same as well. Potatoes are not as difficult to digest being they are soft and easy to swallow. Remember that in time, as your stomach heals and stretches some. ..many of the foods that you were not able to tolerate can now be digested more easily. The key to eating, is to eat slow, chew your food throughly and enjoy what you are eating. Gaining knowledge about your new stomach is the key to rapid and safe weight loss.

Knowing what to do after you have been sleeved is the best knowledging you can gain. Understanding what you can and cannot eat is vital for your successful weight loss. Before my Sleeve surgery, I did a lot of research and asked my doctor to advised me the best foods to eat and what was a must to stay away. For those of you who are going into this notion that after your sleeve surgery you can eat whatever you want. You are much mistaken. Foods that you were able to tolerate before such as leafy lettuce and a greasy hamburgers are not in your near future. White breads are hard to break down and are more difficult to swollow and digest due to the yeast. Pasta's are much the same as well. Potatoes are not as difficult to digest being they are soft and easy to swallow. Remember that in time, as your stomach heals and stretches some. ..many of the foods that you were not able to tolerate can now be digested more easily. The key to eating, is to eat slow, chew your food throughly and enjoy what you are eating. Gaining knowledge about your new stomach is the key to rapid and safe weight loss.

Knowing that I had to do something about my weight which was completely out of control. I made an appointment with Dr. Misra, (Beverly Hills, California) to discuss what options are available for me. I went in with the notion that i was going to do the lapband. After advising Dr. Misra about the ups and downs of my weight issues and I wanted a more "permenent solution" she strongly suggested the Vertical Sleeve with the STARR treatment. Hearing this wonderful option I decided with the advise from my husband and daughter- this was the right choice for me. My surgery, scheduled July 13th 2o11 in Santa Clarita. Amen the surgery went off without any complications and I was realeased the day after. Coming home was a challenge due to the fact we have stairs in our home. Taking the three days to finally master the courage to walk the steps to go upstairs. I was able to rest more comfortably. The first couple days as you know were dealing with the gas issues and the lack of sleep. Only able to take a couple of sips at a time seemed so odd to me. How am I surviving on just a few sips of protein? But, I did, and the third week I went to see Dr. Misra and to my surprise I was down 20pds. I was in a state of shock... and since then, I have continued to lose consistly 20pds per month. I am proud to annouce that as of today I met my 3rd goal of 199. I am so happy that I made this final decesion to do something about my weight issues. Needing to thank all my friends and family for their most incredible support and kind words. And to my friends here on Vertical Sleeve for all their wonderful eamils, suggestions and great advice. Its now onto the 4th goal. I am hoping to reach my final weight goal of 150 by the end of June of this year. I will keep you all posted on the progress. Once again... thank you "ALL" for every sweet emails and kind words you have so graciously given me. Maddy Source: Reaching My Third Goal

Oddly enough I am having the munchies lately. Seems everything looks good to eat. I am 6 mos post off and doing very well. Just seems I want to eat everything lately. Is this normal? Is anyone else experiencing this too?

Tip of the day: When you want to binge and don't care what goes in your mouth. Just remember how far you have worked to get where you are. Feeling this way? Change your attitude... Do a positive thing for yourself. Take a walk, read a book, do some crafts. Get your mind off the food and back on track. Remember a moment on your lips is forever on your hips!

My prayers and good wishes go out to you. Please let us know how you are doing. I have been sleeved 5 months and it is the best decesion i have ever made. As of today I am down 80pds and i couldnt be happier. Best of luck to you.

Hi everyone good chatting with so many of you and thank you all for all your wonderful comments and suggestions to me. One topic that folks keep asking me is how im doing when it comes to eating out. True, not an easy task when you first get started. Here are a few good tips I have learned along the way. Tip One - Always chose your protein first. I prefer to stick with chicken or fish when I go out to eat for a few reasons. One, im able to digest fish and chicken a whole lot easier than meat and 2nd there is alot less carbs and cholestrol with fish and chicken. Tip Two - When chosing your side dish try to keep in mind that it usually comes with a potato or rice. For go the empty carbs and go with a side order of fresh veggies. Ask the waiter if they can steam or saute in very light oil to keep the extra calories from mounting up. Tip Three - You dont have to finish whats on your plate. Remember 2oz of protein is all you need and 2oz of veggies is more than enough to satisfy your hunger. Keep the extra 2 oz for fresh fruit for dessert. Tip Four - When you are full stop eating. Put your fork down. Over eating or pushing yourself to continue will only make you feel sick and the issue of stretching your stomach. When you are full, your done! Remember do not drink any fluids 30 mins to hr before eating and 2 hours after eating. You want to keep your stomach full from dinner. Tip Five - Try to walk after your dinner. This helps your digest your food and its a great way to get your daily exercise in. Eating out is an enjoyable experience and it doesnt have to change because you have the sleeve. Keeping these simple tips in mind when you are eating out... And most of all... enjoy your food

well im glad to report that i have taken all your good advice and i am back on track and have lost 5pds. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to write me and sending me your support. Next step is to continue to keep on track. Thanks again everyone.