aliandrews

You have to put in the effort also. Remember your sleeve is only a tool. The sleeve will work. You are not a failure. Don't give in because it is too early to say that. Eat your Protein first and remember to get in your fluids. Stop eating things that you shouldn't. If you do, then you will set up yourself for failure later. You are definitely going to lose weight because you can't eat the amount you used to, but you need to do it right. Try to eat the right things instead of the wrong things. Message me if you have any questions. I had the surgery a year ago and have lost 106 lbs and am still losing. I have messed up along the way, and I have learned from it. Good luck.

You have to put in the effort also. Remember your sleeve is only a tool. The sleeve will work. You are not a failure. Don't give in because it is too early to say that. Eat your Protein first and remember to get in your fluids. Stop eating things that you shouldn't. If you do, then you will set up yourself for failure later. You are definitely going to lose weight because you can't eat the amount you used to, but you need to do it right. Try to eat the right things instead of the wrong things. Message me if you have any questions. I had the surgery a year ago and have lost 106 lbs and am still losing. I have messed up along the way, and I have learned from it. Good luck.

You have to put in the effort also. Remember your sleeve is only a tool. The sleeve will work. You are not a failure. Don't give in because it is too early to say that. Eat your Protein first and remember to get in your fluids. Stop eating things that you shouldn't. If you do, then you will set up yourself for failure later. You are definitely going to lose weight because you can't eat the amount you used to, but you need to do it right. Try to eat the right things instead of the wrong things. Message me if you have any questions. I had the surgery a year ago and have lost 106 lbs and am still losing. I have messed up along the way, and I have learned from it. Good luck.

vanilla oikos yummmmmm

Yes - this is absolutely correct. Also, keep in mind that there is no "magic window of ideal loss" like with the RNY. Your sleeve is your sleeve and the size it is around one year out is about as large as it will get. What I eat at more than two years out is only slightly more than I ate at one year out, and it's still a fraction of what I ate prior to surgery.
I'm saying this to prevent you and others from panicking needlessly because they haven't reached goal before one year. There is no rule about how quickly you need to reach goal and your ability to lose continues for the rest of your life. Even people that experience regains could rather easily go back to basics and lose weight again several years post op. I reached goal in seventeen months, at a pace of just over six pounds a month (with two nine week stalls for good measure) and found that yes, it took more time to shed pounds the closer I got to goal weight (6 months to drop the last 20 pounds) but it wasn't any more difficult than losing weight in the beginning. I simply kept up the same healthy diet plan and eventually got to my goal.
Good luck,
~Cheri

oops - pics didn't post - here they are!

As of this morning, I finally made it to the 100 pound club! I am so happy and so grateful for my sleevie! I know there is NO WAY I would be able to lose 100 pounds in 8 1/2 months. I have 39 pounds to goal!! Whoop Whoop!! Before and After attached.

Today is 7 months since I had my VSG! I weigh 201 (dang it - wanted ONEderland!!) and am wearing 12/14 bottoms and large tops. I feel great and think I look pretty good! I eat well, but still haven't started my exercise routine....I will, I will! My skin has tightened up nicely and my hair has quit falling out and there is lots of new regrowth. I was never BALD - but it DID thin!
Never been in pain, never thrwon up, never felt bad. All my blood work is great and I can't wait to see where I am at 1 year! My doc thinks 170......wow...I was like 15 last time I weighed that! I am smaller than when I graduated high school!
Anywone still on the fence, send me a message! More than happy to share my experience! ssmonte72@yahoo.com
Best thing I have ever done for myself!
Pre-diet weight 307
Day of surgery 292
Today 201
YEEHAWW!!!!!

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but who cares!!! Don't worry about other people- it won't help you And the comparison judging isn't a healthy practice, even. If you are right!! We can't eat like other people and you obviously are following your surgeons recommendations- keep up the good work and focus your energy on YOU and positive messages!!

I love this post. THis makes me want to keep going to goal. I have lost 105 lbs and get discouraged that I may not lose anymore. It has been over a year for me. I know I am being silly. This post is really helpful.

Lately I've seen a TON of posts about lucky sleevers that drop 100 pounds in six months.
Congrats to them and to their loss. And I would never, ever begrudge anyone the right to crow about a fantastic success. It's part of why we're all here, to share the ups and downs of this surgery!
But frequently, these posts are followed by folks that feel frustrated because they aren't losing at the same pace. All too often, we forget that everyone loses at a different pace. It's easy to lose sight of the real goal (long term maintenance) in the face of the scale goals we set for ourselves. And it's also easy to forget that this isn't a race and that there's no special prize waiting at the end for reaching goal more quickly.
I would like to contribute my loss pattern so that people can see that there is more than one way to achieve a goal. Being successful is about reaching your personal goals, overcoming your personal food demons and maintaining your weight loss for life. It's not about hitting goal in nine months.
I encourage everyone else with a slow loss story to contribute their successes here as well. It's hard to research this surgery and find only the stories about extremes - people completely thrilled with surgery or people that regret every minute of life post op. The same goes for loss. When people search out stories on this, it's too easy to only find rapid loss or stall posts but nothing showing the more realistic and moderate journey many of us take. The sleeve is a permanent tool that does not have a special window of easy weight loss. There is no reason to feel discouraged when you haven't reached goal at one year out, or even two. There is nothing preventing you (short of your own body's natural stopping point) from achieving or re-achieving goal at any point post op.
I lost 60 pounds in the first five months after my surgery.
And I slowly lost 32 pounds over the next seven months.
It took me another five months to shed the final 15 pounds to my goal.
I lost 107 pounds over the course of 17 months. I stalled twice for nine weeks each time. I had months where I only lost one pound. I regularly experienced a gain of three pounds around my cycle, and often only lost weight in the last week to ten days of the month, after sitting at the same weight for nearly three weeks.
I am a success, and at 2.5 years out (and currently pregnant) I still have good, healthy eating habits and maintained my weight loss quite easily. Even 30 weeks pregnant, I am still wearing a size 6/small (in maternity clothes, of course) regardless of how I feel about my expanding body!
I learned what was important on this journey and am in better health today (not just physically, but mentally and emotionally), than I have ever experienced as an adult.
Good luck to those currently on their journey, and I encourage everyone to share their stories here so that newly sleeved folks can see that slow vs. fast loss doesn't really matter in the end.
~Cheri

I was following Dr. guidelines for awhile. They said to do 400-600 calories until 75% of weight is lost. I followed that for about the first 4 months and then felt I should up my calorie level. So, I kinda went outside of what the surgeon and Nut said. My pcp said I could take in 1000 calories and limit carb intake to 50 g. So far, 800-900 cal is working for me and I'm still losing weight.

Well I'm sorry that you feel that way. I didn't make this post to prove anything to you. I simply posted it because I wanted to know if anyone else went thru the same thing.
He did X-rays today's and That's how he came about the reason. I have already requested my surgery pictures today. I do know that I didn't have to drink the leak test stuff in the hospital because they said it was no need. I have a close friend that had the surgery in march of 2012, she referenced me to her surgeon for a second opinion. Once I have all that I need to know I will glad upload pics and paper.
This is not something that I came up with. As I have stated in previous post. I have never felt ANY of the things that you all have felt. I was in weds and out Friday on the treadmill sat and back at work on Monday. With not a on e of Any pain Meds. I walk and or work out 5 days a week. I eat what I am suppose to. I live with someone who had the surgery 6 months before me so if I were eat wrong she would have let me know. Only thing that she has ever said to me was that she thinks that I drink to much Protein. I am very afraid of losing my hair. My doc td me as long as I get my Protein in I should be fine. So I drink protein all day long. Drinking wise I probably get 120 grams a day not including the food I eat.
This is already a stressful thing for me so please please don't tell me I am confused about something that my SURGEON has told me. Weather it be right or wrong I no what was said to me. So I am now taking it to the me t level to get the problem fixed. Once again I just wanted to know of any surgeons I. My area or has anyone ever went thru this before.

When you were doing the 400 was that because that is your doc's guidelines? Sorry for so many questions but my plan does not specify calories.. I see some people are doing 600, some are doing 300, some say they're doing 1000 .... It's all over the map. I'm 6 weeks out and doing about 800. I'm thinking I need to lower my calories?? I'm just wary because I do not want to put my body in starvation mode ( that is how ended up like this -- yo yo dieting for 30 years)
Forgive me for all the questions
Thanks!
Dana

Hey, I was taking in about 400 for the first 3 months. About 6 month post op it was probably around 600. Around the 8th month I started doing 800-900 calories daily. I can definitely eat more now than in the past, but there is still definitely restriction. I don't think I can eat more than 4-5 oz at a time. If I overeat, then I definitely know it and will have to get sick or be uncomfortable for awhile. It's definitely not like it was before. I have had plenty of stalls. My longest has been 3 weeks.

For Breakfast I will usually have either 2 eggs or greek yogurt. lunch is a meat rollup with lettuce as bread or salmon/tuna pouch. Dinner-salmon, chicken, etc, with some veggies. For Snacks I will have beef jerky(I love the Matador brand), greek yogurt with PB2. My calories are between 800-900 and I try not to go over 50 g carbs per day. I exercise 5-6 days per week for at least an hour each time. Hope this helps. I try to find new recipes that I can make for myself so it doesn't get boring. I had my surgery over a year ago and have lost 105 lbs.

Here are before and after pics of me and Deb. She had RNY surgery in Nov. of 2011. I was sleeved Jan. 2012. We have both passed our goal weights.
Before:
After:

My stomach doesn't want to tolerate bread. It feels like a brick in my stomach. I don't really crave it or miss it. I just use lettuce as the bread. It's really good.

My stomach doesn't want to tolerate bread. It feels like a brick in my stomach. I don't really crave it or miss it. I just use lettuce as the bread. It's really good.

i really love oikos.

14 months post op and down 215 pounds since my highest.I Have another 30-40 pounds to go but i am more than happy with my results. Life's Good !

Finally finding my way back to this forum, it's been a LONG time. I'm about 16 or so pounds from my new goal weight. Ha! 175 seemed so unobtainable that I never thought I'd actually hit that number, much less pass it and keep going. I'm still losing - in month 19, I'm at 5 pounds lost. I weigh 166 and am 5'6".
Best decision I've ever made, but it's also a LOT of hard work. There's no easy way out. I make decisions every single day and I live with the consequences of those choices. I still only eat around 800 calories a day. I can get up to 1200 if I try really hard, but I still have amazing restriction and I seem to lose best at 800, so I just keep it there. I get around 30-50 carbs per day, a LOT of Water and 70-100 Protein. I use MyFitnessPal to keep myself in check.
There's a LOT of skin. I held most of my weight for 30 years in my stomach. It's really bad. There will be eventual plastic surgery to deal with it. But I'd much rather have that than all the fat that was hanging around.
My life is so much different now. I'm a totally different person, yet completely the same. I'm able to do more and live life how I'm supposed to be living it. I have been married to the most amazing man in the world for nearly 20 years and we have two (nearly) perfect children and life is pretty darn good.
To those of you struggling, stalling, wondering if you can do it... you can. You just have to want it bad enough. And by that I mean... BAD. Stalls are normal. I lose some, stall, gain some back, stall, lose that and then a little more, stall again. My longest stall was 20 days at 3 weeks out. I routinely stall for about 2 weeks at a time nowadays. It's all good, as long as the overall trend is down.
I'll attach a photo of me at 200 lost, I've lost 8 more since then, but the difference is pretty amazing.

Please remember our forum rules. If you wish to have an argument with someone, take it somewhere else. Treat each other with respect, do not be rude, do not bash or name call one another.
This is the final warning.
Sent from my iPad using VST

.....edited because I was rude and shouldn't have been.