Caribear

Bravo for the biggest lesson of all - it's a tool and that's all. Also, I've been told that even though it's not on the menu, they'll serve you Beans and cheese in a cup. Haven't tried it yet because I have access to Taco Bueno which puts Taco Bell to shame. LOL.

This really is bariatric related. Today I received a visit from a very good friend of mine. He started out as a student. We became friends about eight years ago, and have been close friends ever since. He had sleeve surgery about four years ago. What is strange though, is that of all the people who knew I was doing this, he has been the least supportive. He practically begged me not to do it. He came to visit immediately after surgery, and fairly shocked me with his imagery of huge sandwiches, sumptuous meals, and high calorie Desserts I would never be able to eat again. I have been learning more about him and about this new lifestyle, and how the two aren't working out so well. We are still friends, and will remain so, but following is a lot of what I learned.
My friend is one of those who is failing, and will continue to fail. I am pretty sure he was coerced into the surgery by his wife, who didn't want to see him dying prematurely of all the things that were going wrong with him. As far as I can tell, he never really bought into the premise of changing his lifestyle along with the surgery. As such, he has not changed it. He had enormous success during the honeymoon period, but has since regained at least 80 lbs of the weight he lost. His blood pressure problems have returned, and if I had to guess, he is going to have blood sugar issues again, if he isn't already.
So he came to visit this morning, and we had a fairly blunt conversation. He was impressed with my progress to date, so I let him know, un no uncertain terms, that it was because I was FOLLOWING THE RULES. He does not eat Protein. When he gets hungry, he will eat a small piece of fruit, or a vending machine snack. He will often eat a Caesar salad for lunch. On his way to visit, had a coffee roll as the sole sum and substance of his Breakfast (along with coffee, which he drank to wash his roll down). When he is not hungry, he will not eat. I offered him several items, including some freshly made chicken salad, which I had for my mid morning snack. It was no go.
It was kind of sad. I discussed some of his culinary choices, and offered him some ideas (he refuses to talk to a nutritionist). Simply put, he has not changed his mindset, and is fairly surprised that I have. But that is the difference between success and failure. While he was here, we were out doing some recon at the local Cabela's. I am about to embark on making my own beef Jerky, so I wanted to peruse the offerings they had in the way of food dehydrators. They didn't really have anything that got me excited. And we really did go to Taco Bell.
We were on the way home, and I knew he had to eat something. Heck, I knew I had to eat something! So I asked him if he liked Taco Bell. I already knew the answer. It was kind of funny though. Even though he is completely off the reservation on content, he is chained to his sleeve for volume. So we go walking in, and up to the counter. I ordered a beef and bean burrito, figuring I would eat the insides and scrap most of the wrap. I also ordered an unsweetened iced tea for later on down the road. My friend said to the guy, "Can I get just one taco?"
The kid taking our order looked at us like we were some sort of weirdos, eating practically nothing. He asked a few times if that was all we wanted. The total for our tab came to $6.43. For two people. I almost burst out laughing at the expression on the kid's face. As we were sitting at our table, slowing eating our pittance, a hugely overweight woman came lumbering by. She could not contain her interest in seeing two big guys eating almost nothing, and doing it very slowly. I almost wanted to get up and tell her why. He munched down his entire crunchy taco. I ate the insides of my burrito, and had a couple of very small bites which included part of the wrap. I tossed the rest of it. My friend was impressed that I did not stuff the whole thing down my neck. And the tea? It was awful. I don't know if my taste for tea has changed, or if it was just this batch or this brand. But I won't be getting any Taco Bell tea ever again, unless I am about as desiccated as a mummy.
As for my friend, he has all the tools he needs. He just needs to change his attitude. I hope he does, now that I am in this thing right along with him. Why am I posting about this? This is for any of you out there who might be tempted to be like my friend. Most of this is in your head. You will win or lose mainly because of your mindset. Your sleeve is a tool, and one of many. If you learn to use your tools well, you will do well. If you think they will do the job for you, and you need not put any effort in, you will be left wondering why others are enjoying success while you linger in the land of the large.

1. Veggies like okra, cabbage and broccoli/cauliflower. They all have carbs, but they also have Fiber and the carbs are good carbs.
2. Brown rice. I eat that pretty often with my 3rd choice...
3. Beans. I love kidney and pinto, but my current favorite are black Beans.< /p>
LOVE making a black bean and brown rice skillet - cook up brown rice in the microwave first so it tender (approximately 2-3 cups). In a large skillet, add in things like onion, broccoli/cauliflower, red/green peppers and whatever other veggies I have on hand that sound good and add about a half cup of chicken broth* and cook veggies until tender. Add in rice and 1-2 cans of rinsed black beans (I buy organic black beans for like 65¢ at Aldi), about 1-2 cups of chicken broth and spices like garlic, curry or Sriracha sauce (and salt and pepper). Bring to a low simmer and stir until all liquid has been absorbed. Top with shredded cheese (I like extra sharp cheddar or pepper jack). YUM. And really cheap and fast too if I do it with the frozen precut veggie bags.
* I make my own chicken/turkey/pork broths. I cook drumsticks and pork roasts in the crockpot about 3 times a month, and end up adding Water to the bones/spices and letting it simmer overnight after the meat itself is done. I even saved and broke down the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving and made a boatload of beautiful turkey broth. Once done (I like to simmer the bones/carcass/skin and bits of meat for a minimum of 8 hours), I cool, strain, and freeze in quart containers. It is way tastier, better for you, and less sodium than any canned stuff, but I have occasionally used canned low sodium broth when making lots of dishes and running out of the good stuff.

GREAT! Wow, I almost hate to jinx it, but I feel good today. I didn't have to have pain meds as soon as I woke up! I had my Protein hot chocolate, ran an errand this morning (before pain meds, of course) and I feel almost normal. Just thought I'd post this to encourage anyone worried about post-op pain & discomfort. Day three wasn't the greatest, but I can certainly feel an improvement. My creamed Soups & puddings keep me satisfied. Popsicles are Gas-X strips are still my BFFs. Hang in there, y'all!
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Are you losing strength or are you running out of energy? Sometimes it is confusing. You just had surgery in August, it is very unlikely you are going to be able to gain any muscle mass on your reduced caloric intake. Even though you are getting up to 120 grams of Protein, if you have no calorie surplus to burn during exercise or work, you have to burn the Protein for fuel.
I am going to go against the grain here and recommend you maintain your protein intake for now, but increase your carb intake. I know, calm down... I don't mean eat a twinkee or anything! Have some oats for Breakfast, or maybe some shredded wheat. These good carbs also have Fiber which will help keep you regular.
Right now you are in the peak weight loss mode. I know it is difficult to accept, but you are going to lose some muscle mass. But if your persevere you will be able to get it back. Keep getting in good quality protein, healthy fats and complex carbs. That will help with the energy levels.

Good morning everyone!
I just wanted to share my excitement this morning... I hit a stall that lasted 2 weeks... I finally broke out of it and starting dropping weight again.. as of this morning I am down 154lbs!! My first goal was to lose 50lbs then 100 then 150 next is 200.. I'll admit the stall was a drag but man am I ever grateful for this surgery.. I wouldn't have been able to lose this much on my own ever.. I still have ways to go but it's the best feeling ever. Yes I hate the drooping skin but I love not being 465lbs!!! If your feeling bad or hit a stall don't worry so much..it's temporary

Yes, absolutely. The WLS definitely helps you keep the weight off. You are what's called a "yo-yo dieter". That means you are able to diet, but you go back to your old eating habits, which causes you to gain back the weight, plus some. The reason you gain back your weight is because you are still hungry, even though you have lost the weight. The reason is because you are overeating, which caused you to gain weight. Overeating also causes your stomach to stretch. The stomach stretches naturally. But if you continue to overeat and stretch your stomach, it can stretch so much that it doesn't shrink back to normal size. Stretching the stomach that much is causing an empty space, which needs food to fill it so that you aren't hungry. You have to eat more food in order to feel satisfied; and when you eat more, you gain more. The hunger pangs that you feel are from the irritated walls of your stomach. Your stomach walls are irritated because they have been stretched beyond normal capacity. Many people have different reasons for overeating in the first place: Depression, boredom, marriage, divorce, etc. People like to eat, so it's normal to want to chow down on a lot of food. If we didn't like food, then where would we get the motivation to eat? Who wants to chew and swallow something if it isn't fun? No one.

I, myself, am a "yo-yo dieter". I lost over 30 pounds in 2 months a few years ago. Then the holidays came, and I got clumsy. I got so clumsy that I eventually went back to my old ways of overeating, and put the 30 pounds back on, plus another 30 pounds. It's like I went without my "crack", and once I was able to have it again, I went overboard to make up for lost time, lol.

The WLS is the most effective method for losing weight and keeping it off long-term, because it is actually shrinking your stomach. When the stomach is small, it cannot take in a lot of food. Not being able to take in a lot of food helps the hunger pangs feel less aggressive. When they cut out 90% of your stomach, they are also cutting out the part of the stomach that produces a chemical called ghrelin. Ghrelin is known as the "hunger hormone". Even though they cut out this part of the stomach, that does not mean all the cravings disappear completely. It does help with the cravings, but they can still remain. The reason is because a lot of overweight people are emotional eaters. Some people overeat even if they aren't hungry. But the WLS definitely helps you make better decisions and keep the weight off longer.

I've never lost this much weight in my life. After my WLS, I lost 60 pounds in just 4 months. I feel like I've lost almost half of myself (in a good way, lol). I used to be so hot natured before my WLS. Now that I've lost all this weight, I always feel cold. I actually don't mind it much, because I hate being hot, and because it reminds me that I'm losing a lot of weight.

I definitely recommend this surgery. In just 4 months, I have regained so much energy, confidence, and most of my health issues are nearly gone. I feel great.

No one told me I was brave for having the sleeve surgery and taking control of my health for the second half of my life...so I am telling myself that. I am BRAVE! And now I'm telling all of you. You are courageous souls for taking this step and I honor you!
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Oh my goodness! That is absolutely hilarious.

Here's my dead animal picture that I took my very own self. I was taking a student to lunch at a local diner and we passed this guy on the way. We stopped to take his picture on the way home. While I was taking it, the painting crew came by. They had no smiles for me. They probably thought I was going to turn them in. The caption reads, "Mr Skunk may be dead and gone, but he is sporting a fresh new stripe."

I got really sick just before Thanksgiving last year. They say that laughter is the best medicine so I bought this.

And I did this with it.

I don't think that the deer got better but I almost passed out laughing! I'm a sick man...

I've got chronic conditions, so I'm an expert in being a sickie. I can lie for hours on the couch with my electric blanket bingeing Netflix or reading novels. I used to binge eat at the same time, but that's no longer an option, so I try to keep my Fluid intake up instead. You just need to learn to be lazy, that's all!! LOL. Get a cat, emulate it. They have it down.

3 1/2 years out here. My sleeve is just as restrictive as it was at nine months out. Slider foods don't slide with me, dense Protein overfills me, and it's rare that I can eat more than a half a cup at a sitting.
I'm no longer desperately hungry like I used to be all the time. For me, that's the best benefit.

I'm more than six years out. My sleeve is the same size it was a year out.
I've had a child (got pregnant two years post op) and I lost weight past my goal in my fifth year post op. The sleeve does not expire. I still have a huge amount of restriction.
For example, we had our rare junk food dinner last night and all I could eat was one taco. I'm still not hungry and I'm easily maintaining between 114-118 pounds when I started at 242 on surgery day.
The sleeve works. Don't panic, or listen to people that don't have one.
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Weigh naked first thing in the morning in your own home. Throw the scale in front of a window and excite your neighborhood!

The above is one of the many reasons why I don't live in town.

Because you aren't a daily weigher, you don't see the absolutely normal, natural fluctuations in weight that happen to everyone for various reasons.Let me give you the reasons I've seen my weight fluctuate not only in the past almost 2.5 years post op, but for most of my adult life:
Everytime I travel, I gain a couple of pounds. Water retention.
Hormone imbalances with Water retention.
Too much salt, so water retention
Constipation (I think you can figure out what your body is retaining )
I am ALWAYS 2 pounds heavier in the evening.
I am ALWAYS a heavier weight on my doctors scale than my own. All scales are different, so I record my weight on ONE scale only.
When I've had a good workout or really start building muscle, I gain weight.
When I don't eat enough, my body goes into starvation mode and stores glycogen, I gain weight.
When I have too many clothes on from the last time I weighed, I weigh more.
Get the picture?
If you KNOW it's not because you're just eating too much or the wrong stuff, no worries. Chalk it up to one of those many, many reasons our bodies fluctuate in weight and keep doing what you're doing and it will correct itself in a couple of days.Really.

Here is my side by side view. Sept 2015 (290,pre surgery decision ) and Today (220, 11 weeks post)
I'm not sagging yet. We shall see in a year how this turns out.

@@jonesy0924
You may be well over the divorce by now...If not...Use that nasty divorce as motivation. Get angry. Use the aggression/adrenaline. Get into beast mode at the gym. lol
Use your gym staff. That's what they are there for. Have them show you the equipment and form.
I use body building.com for information.
Exercise database:
Pic the muscle you want to work on.. The data base will pull up several exercises. It will show how to use the equipment correctly and form. It will give you a video tutorial.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/
Find a plan that works for your goals
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/find-a-plan.html
Body space app: Track workouts, accountability,support and motivation forum. (if your interested. My user name is fitchicx)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bodybuilding.mobile

Lol with all the back and forth on here about positive and negative remarks. I must make myself clear and of course to each their own but when I post to get information. I'm seeking answers and if I did wrong please let me know guide me in the right direction, I won't take offense tough love is still love : 0 ) If I fall toss my booty back on track. I will always respect you all please do the same to me

I appreciate the apology and I totally understand being emotional, hormonal and hangry post op. I sincerely hope you sent a similar message to @@Babbs . She didn't deserve your private message at all and the name calling is going to drive away those who can and want to assist you in droves.

I would like to call attention to this sentence right here and emphasize it. Regardless of how these people are paid, they are working for us. We are the patient, the customer. Make sure they are working to your satisfaction.

I was wrong. I was emotional yesterday and had a bad day. I didn't have my follow up diet plan and was struggling. I appreciate all the posts- black and white and flowery. I was defensive and need to work on that. I think the PM's from the other vets made me feel like I was being attacked... But it was just me being emotional about making a stupid choice. I know everyone was being helpful. Thank you. My apologies. Im new at this an need to take a breath. The last thing I want is to do this alone.
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@@Heather Leigh
You're another new forum member who name calls and gets defensive and rude when given good advice by vets like @@Babbs and @@Bufflehead ?
I'm going to go ahead and block you now and I'd suggest you block me. Clearly you don't need the advice of people who've walked this road successfully, relying on smart choices NOT "luck".

Forum members like @@Babbs and @@Bufflehead are veterans that have given the majority of us on here very wise, informed and good intentioned advice. They will not hold your hand while you are doing something harmful to your body. You asked, they gave you a direct answer. If you don't like it, just move on. I am 10 months post op and have taken every grain of wisdom they have offered because they have had such amazing success.