CowgirlJane

Welcome! There is a band to sleeve revision forum here you may want to check out. I revised 3 years ago and have been successful with the sleeve.

Do weight watchers or Atkins or paleo or something. It makes little sense to eat a post op diet as it will be very hard to be comfortable if you haven't had WLS.

You don't have to go back to liquids but some people like the "reset". What also works is just following the rules....protein first, add healthy veggies, very little of everything else. My NUT recommend 5 mini meals per day. Don't graze, stay hydrated etc. Track your food on myfitnesspal. Increase activity. I am 3 years post sleeve and while it is not like year 1, the sleeve still works as long as I keep working it.

I had little shots of water that I tried to finish every 20 minutes or so. Sip sip sip...slow and easy. Plain water is sometimes hard on the tummy so warm (not hot) herbal teas really helped me. Does your doc have you on a good acid reducer?

Think very hard about your reflux and the risk of it getting worse post sleeve. Be aware that is a risk with the sleeve, but not with bypass. I had lapband caused reflux and DON'T have it post sleeve but I would have a serious discussiom about this topic before committing

Problem I had is I assumed the really supportive ones would look best...but I have some extra back skin. I looked best in a string bikini top tied ...just right...so no skin overflow. I did have a breast lift so I have independent suspension again...haha. Anyway I agree with bkrchk - I need to try them on because what I thought would work didnt.

The procedure that helps with the butt wrinkles is usualy called a lower body lift. It's a jumbo procedure that includes the "tummy tuck" with a flank and butt lift. I had it not so much because I couldn't live with a a droopy butt, rather that I was very likely to have "dog ears" if I only did a tummy tuck. Dog ears are like these little wings you can get on the end of the tummy tuck incision when you have too much extra skin around the back and the two meet quite awkwardly. First time i heard of a lower body lift, i nearly passed out. Seriously. I had incredibly dreadful visions but I am glad I overcame my fear as it was what i needed. Reality of it was a long recovery because major plastics are very invasive (people keep underestimating it!). I did not experience much pain, and my results are very pleasing but I am glad it is behind me!

Special medical conditions aside, you do NOT learn anything new by weighing daily except the false indicators coming from Water gain/losses. Never forget, that in the short run, the scale lies. On the long run, it tells the truth, but think if it more as an indicator, not an exact measure of your progress. Let me give a specific example. If you go out drinking alcohol and consume many extra empty calories you might very well show a loss the following morning as alcohol TENDS to dehydrate you. So, I think we can all agree that partying on the town everynight is counterproductive to your weight loss (not to mention general health and welfare!) and yet it might look like "you got away with it". I also think it is not mentally healthy to obsess on the numbers. In my work we talk alot about leading, versus lagging indicators. A leading indicator of success is how you are managing your food, activity and healhty lifestyle (example, hitting Protein and hydration targets). Pretty good evidence that if you do those things, even if you never step on a scale, you will get slimmer, healthier and lose weight. Lagging indicator is what the scale says. For whatever its worth - yes I care about the scale, but don't let it make you crazy.

I don't recall exact timeline, but I introduced beef way before 6 months too. I am unclear what is so special about beef versus other protein sources?

Steve, I am not speaking for OP, but for myself. You are perhaps not aware of how strongly females are emotionally tied to their perception of how other people see them. It is a terrible consequence of our media based society that glorifies an image of perfection that is not actually real. As a consquence, even beautiful girls think they are too fat, short, tall, wrong color of hair/skin, ...you name it. Okay, so then you throw in big changes to your appearance. Even positive changes sort of throw you off kilter. As I mentioned before, i went through a time when it felt like EVERYONE was looking at me. I thought it was because i look really bad. At some point, I realized that didn't make any sense - what was really happening is I was becoming "UN invisible" and I wasn't used to it! Now back to OP, you have some tactless friends. I don't know if they intend to unkind, but you are clearly feeling put on the spot. Since you are in counseling, how about doing some role playing or other techniques to practice asserting your needs? I have also chosen to reduce time spent with less supportive people. significantly reduce. I cannot emphasize this enough.

This is very normal. I chose once a week as my official weigh in - every monday. I kept a log of weights and progress. I might have sometimes weighed other days, but Monday was my official weight of record..haha. Some people do it monthly.

I do not agree that all obese people are primarily "emotional eaters". however, since you know that about yourself, consider addressing it first. the thing with the sleeve, once you are say a year out... it is possible to graze, snack and stuff yourself back to your pre surgery weight. Most people DON'T do that, but it is a pretty big step to have part of your stomach removed and you want to maximize your chance of success! I personally found becoming thin wonderful joyeous, a dream come true, but also... stressful at times. i am not primarily an emotional eater, however, it was a pretty nerve wracking experience. Just becoming slim can be an emotional trigger... sounds crazy but it is true for some.

I think a huge lesson for me is that while being trim makes it easy to find dates it doesn't really make relationships easier. I wasn't aware that I had that expectation, but I think I must have.

I forgot to mention I also buy egg whites and the ground turkey too. What's up with this best answer thing and how was that determined?

Coops...I am a spaz so wish I had a job where I wasn't literally tied to my computer. My headset is like a leash. I like to move around but really can't. (When I say spaz, I mean the kind of person who is physically more inclined to move around) Years ago I had a wireless headset but it wasn't reliable.thinking I need to try that again as it would probably help me listen better during those long meetings. Back in the day when we used to meet in person, I was a doodler and note taker which helped me listen and remember. People knew I could recall details of meetings even months later my memory was very good but I had to learn how to use my other senses besides hearing to really absorb. It is much harder now that almost everything is over a computer line.

I can't answer your question directly, but I specialize in hope. You sort of gloss over the non reproductive consequences of weighing 388. Think of what you have accomplished so far, how much stress you have taken off your heart, your joints. Think about how you are extending your life...not just for children, perhaps even for grandchildren. My point? Right now..one step at a time...focus on YOU. Get healthier, get fitter, and I promise you are better prepared for living a full life. I am a huge believer in positive thinking. Visualize a fit and active you....think about it, paint a mental picture. Eventually, visualize that healthy you with children and all the wonderful things you can enjoy. Your fit self can chase them around, play on the monkey bars and be the kind of mom you always dreamed. God has been known to surprise us all, so be ready! says the mom of two grown sons, oldest adopted, youngest natural born.

Are you kidding?? I am hanging out in single digit clothes and in the 150s. I am so changed so overjoyed to no longer be 300 plus pounds! My life is transformed. Good PPI meds are available over the counter. Tums won't cut it. Do you have follow up care and support?

Guessing we all went through something simliar at one time or another. It gets better. Are you on a PPI - an acid inhibitor like Proselec? Reason I ask is that that baby tummy is still making enough acid for a full size tummy and it can feel just like hunger. Controlling acidy tummy is one of the most important things in controlling hunger in those early weeks. I am 3 years out and haven't experienced what you are describing since the early days... so yes, it is temporary!

We all have our thing... I have rules of thumb that have no basis in anything except they have worked for me. I look for "Protein bargains". If a protein source has at least 10 grams of protein per 100 calories and miminal carbs (say under 5-10 TOTAL carbs) I consider it a protein bargain. I did this when I realized that I had spent a lifetime counting points and calories but it didn't really work for me. I stopped worrying about total calories as much as am I eating food that "mostly" supports the protien first lifestyle. It made me less scared of say Premier Protein which when I was obese I would have considered WAY TOO HIGH CALORIE for me to consume. They are 160 calories/30g protein and I think 5 carbs. Totally maximum protein bargain even though the calories seem like alot. I admit, I don't worry about fats. I have veryvery low cholesterol and frankly, I can't handle focusing on another factor. I have a meat and veggie heavy diet so I probably do have too much fat, but at least it is not in the form of deep fried or doritos... When my weight loss stalled and I needed to really make big changes to get to goal, I was doing stuff like having deli meat with a bit of cream cheese wrapped in lettuce for Snacks. I am not saying anyone else should do this, I am saying what I did to get to goal. Anyway, my little rule of thumb frankly rules out most protein bars. I don't understand net carbs, but I suspect the processed food industry of dreaming it up so I focus on total carbs for my simple purposes. That does NOT mean I never eat foods outside of my "protein bargain" rules it just means it is a guideline I use in evaluating choices. (sorry to keep putting in the weasel words, but I have been called a carb nazi more than once so I feel the need to make a disclaimer that I don't really care what others chose, I am just sharing what I had to do to lose the last 40 pounds or so and get to goal which was a big deal as I have been obese pretty much my whole life and had a lot to lose when I was sleeved)

I am 3 years post sleeve (I was a revision from lapband). I think I actually enjoy food MORE now than I did before. I value it, I enjoy each taste, I only eat good stuff, no room in my life for junky low quality food (unless I am really desparate!). I think a foodie type person can be successful with WLS if you value the sip of something fine & devine over the buffet of something "so-So". Having said that, I have made lifestyle choices to not hang with people that are super food motivated. I dated someone for 3-4 months who was really into eating and cooking - actually pretty healthy foods, but I STILL gained a bit of weight. Problem I have is I just need so little... it is hard for me to be that constant mode of planning, preparing and eating food only to repeat again soon. For me, it is easier to de-emphasize food, but I admit I love fine dining - I just like it at a restaurant, not too often and the best restaurants have epic appetizers because that is the size of meal I need.

Julia - what kind of trail rider are you? I ride horses pretty much exclusively a trail rider these days! I think Quest are the most palatable for the nutrition profile. Premier Protein bars don't taste very good but are high protein. I think Protein Bars are fine, but I give my standard warning to not let them become too much of a "habit". Over time, I realized I was sort of abusing them, using them almost like a candy bar substitute - I like the Quest ones that much. Quest bars are cheaper if you can find a special and buy them by the box, but I learned that I can't have something that tasty in the house, in large quantities and not expect me to eat 1-2 per day which is just more than I need. When my weight loss stalled around 7-8 months out my NUT immediately zeroed in on my behavior with those bars and she was right. Now, I do sometimes use a quest bar as a meal substitute, but I buy 1-2 to have on hand, not one or two boxes.

Welcome! You should start a thread and introduce yourself to everyone. Those steriods are bad for putting weight on, I have confidence you will get this regain off now that you are well. In general, I have been really healthy too. I thought maybe I had caught a mild cold until it became obvious I could no longer ignore the chills and fever and body aches. So this is always an interesting question. I am much better today but I had basically 3 days of overeating (compared to my normal) and then yesterday I was hardly hungry - almost like a balancing out day. Today, so far, I feel normal. I think my body really did want more food. I felt AWFUL and could not even muster the energy to do my easy go to foods. After eating the greek yogurt in the house I found myself eating the old easy carby foods. You know, a little cold Cereal by the handful. There was some disgusting microwavable mac and cheese thing I buy for the boys that I even ate (Easy Mac or something). That was absolutely atrocious and I will never buy that for them again now that I have sampled it. My son brought home a pizza and cheesy bread. Because I was feeling so bad, I wasn't making proper meals. I think this can be a good reminder for me how important it is to "eat right" because once you start wandering down a grazing, haphazard way of eating - anything can happen. Good news is that now that the fever is broke and I am just left with a cough, low energy and a stuffed up nose, I am back to eating my normal way and feel no desire to eat that crappy good. I really think alot of it was just that grazing/never quite satiated/don't feel good enough to address it properly thing.

Some of us went through some pretty wild emotions the first few months post op. I believe it is largely attributed to the hormones released out of the fat with rapid weight loss. What I tried to do is not make any big decisions. Sounds like your big decision needed to happen... but my advice is to just stabilize for a bit because it is normal to feel pretty chaotic even if you don't have big changes. Sorry you are having to go through this.

I tried a fitbit and it registered "activity" when I was sitting at my desk. I think everytime I fidget or reach for something it registers it. I declared it bogus and returned it for a refund. I suspect the old style pedometers are more accurate, but people love their fitbits! Anyway as a person with a desk job, it is frankly hard to get 7 miles in without going for a run which my knee can't do... Well, I have regained nearly 5# since being sick. Still in the 150s but dang it! That was fast. I got so hungry and felt too sick to cook so I was eating crap like breakfast cereal and even had pizza. I am much improved but still coughing. What I know from others it is easy for this flu to become a secondary illness so being careful to not overdo it as I recover. I did stop by my friends where my horses are living temporarily. I am not sure, but I think they might be trying to set me up with someone. I like the idea of meeting someone through mutual friends but he is the brother of my good friend (male) girlfriend. So might be too close because if things dont work out, I am definitely the loser in that situation (girlfriend's brother triumphs palpal I think). Given the nature of these things, factors like this must be considered! I dunno, maybe I am reading it wrong because he didn't actually ask me out and in fact was not even directly flirting but I still sorta think something is up. Well back to work after a fairly crappy couple of days. Watched several odd and not widely known shows from Netflix. witching and bitching - group of idiots (with a child in tow) rob a bank and try to flee only to be trapped by a coven of witches. Spanish film, action, dark comedy, battle of the sexes, secrect gay lovers, psuedohorror,and subtitles all in one! Four Lions is a British film about some Pakistan men living in London who decide to become terrorists. It is funny,sad, and oddly sympathetic. I don't mean you sympathize with the acts of terror, more them as people. And how funny is it that they go to Pakistan to train, only to accidentally blow up their mentors on day one? Ok, I have a thing for black comedy. My friend is a firefighter and he told me over 50percent of the people in that career were messed up adrenalin junkies who wanted an in control way of experiencing that chaos...firefighting being perfect for it. I thought those young men in the movie were really "seekers" and fell into this by accident but could very well have become firefighters or something like that instead.

I thought I described where they are in my costco...apologies if I didn't. I posted pix too because if you ever have to ask where to find something..it can be a life saver! chicken skewers and the stuffed chicken patties are both fully prepared/cooked food found in the fridge in the same general area as the sandwich meat, sausages, that kind of thing - near the deli. I buy the frozen chicken tenders (boneless, approx 2-3 oz chicken breast can cook from frozen) but I have seen the packaged chicken breast somebody mentioned about 2 aisles over from the skewers. The refrigerated meat section. I think it gets confusing because they have more grocery store brands of sandwich meat, cheese etc in a refrigerated case in a different section of the store -over by the freezer. The items I am describing are near the fancy cheeses, fresh sauces, salamis, hummous etc. -over by the roast chicken and deli.