MinaT

Hey everybody...
Doing great. Sleeved on 6/25, so this week is my 3 month anniversary. So far I have lost a total of 98 lbs. 35 pre-op and 63 post-op.
No complaints whatsoever.
I've slowly increased my activity level so I'm now walking, biking or doing elliptical nearly every day. I've just started light resistance training as well.
I've dropped from XXL shirts to L and 44 waist pants to 34.
Life is good and getting better. I have about 22-32 pounds to goal (somewhere in the 165-175 region would be normal BMI for me).
Luckily, I've never had a stall last longer than 2-3 days, usually when I ramp up my workouts the weightloss stops as I retain Water, probably for muscle repair/growth (my theory). With increased exercise I'm hitting closer to 800cals/day typically.
Tom

Hi all. Quick check in. Doing well. Weight loss slow. Rode 8.5 miles on my bike today.

I was in a stall for almost 2 weeks and got very frustrated... after some research and talking with other sleevers I decided to up my calories. I went from 400-500 to 800-1000 and the stall was over within 2 days =) Evidently when you don't eat enough to cover what your body burns during the day your body goes into starvation mode so up the calories and it should end! hope that helps!!

I am late to the game. I'm Stefanie... 29yrs old, 5'2. I was sleeved on June 26th. My starting weight was 255. Today I am 216.4. Total of 49lbs lost. I'm tolerating everything, making good choices... Eating 3 meals and 3 Snacks a day. Sometimes a 4th meal if I need to. Getting about 650 calories a day, 60-78g of Protein, less than 50carbs, and about 18g of fat. I'm getting in my liquids but I could do better. I use the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored and make a simple snoothie in the am- only once a day. The rest of my Protein comes from 2 sources of dairy and the rest meat Oh and exercise... Hum, I could do more. I swim and walk casually...

Hi Fellow June Sleevers. Haven't been here for awhile. I am now 2 months out. Here are my results so far . . .
Blood Pressure - Now off all medications
Blood glucose - fasting as running 135 - 150, now running 90 - 105
Weight - down 38 lbs
clothes are now VERY loose.
Rode my bike 6.5 miles today!

I have done well so far with the following progress from surgery on 7-2:
Dropped 110 lb (335 to 235)
Dropped 10 pant sizes (46+ to 36)
Dropped 3 shirt sizes (3x to large)
Dropped all meds related to comorbidities
I look in the mirror and don't recognize the person looking back sometimes. Really leaning out and getting a swimmers physique.
However, it is still hard. I miss having some foods and enjoying drinks. It is not a cakewalk, but I am always reminded of how close I was to having a short life before and how much food owned every aspect of my life, even my mental health.
I would not go back despite the hard journey it has been. For the first time in a long time, I am happy about myself and the future.

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

Each doctor is different. We were allowed to purchase 14 day supply from their office of different types of shake flavors. Find out what kind they recommend. I do suggest mixing it up because the same kind will get boring. I never liked strawberry shakes and those ended up being the easiest for me to get down though, which is weird.
My biggest suggest to you is this. This weekend DO NOT CARB BINGE before you start. Repeating this again....do not carb overload this weekend. Stick to high Protein foods, it's for your own good truthfully. If you carb overload thinking that your Protein fast starts on Monday, it will be horrendous on your system. The more carbs one eats, the more carbs they want, so come Monday, when you aren't feeding it carbs, your body will hate you. Wean from the carbs now, to make the transition easier on you.
Realize that the first three days are going to be rough. You may...or may not have a headache. I did as did many other's. Drink lots of Water.
Things that helped me. Lots of walks. Reading. Brushing my teeth. I know weird, brushing your teeth, but it helped....a lot. When you are on the Protein Shakes for the two weeks you go into ketosis and it does affect your breath, and also Protein Shakes sort of bind on your teeth and to me it became a bit like elmer's glue. I brushed my teeth and it helped immensely.
Don't focus on it. Change your meals with your family. Let your family eat, while they are eating go for a walk, march in place, find a show on the Dvr. and walk in place or stand and dance while you watch a show. I did the gazelle when they ate.
At work, don't eat in the break room where all the smells are of other foods. Find a place to have your shake away from other smells.
Bring a package of Summer's Eve Feminine Hygiene Wipes with you to work, the one thing you need to know about day 4-10 is....NEVER trust a fart. There's so many posts regarding this for a reason. You will be standing there and realize you have to go....quickly. At night, take a bathroom towel and put it on your bed, just in case night sharts happen, be prepared. This could happen day 4-10.
I was allowed sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, crystal light, and decaff peppermint tea (with truvia) during the 14 days. I don't handle sugar-free products well so I avoided them and stuck with the decaff peppermint tea.
Attitude --- your attitude dictates how hard or how easy the next two weeks are going to be. If you go into thinking it's going to be too hard, it won't disappoint, it will be really hard. If you go into this thinking you can handle it, you are strong enough and you are worth doing this, it will go faster and be easier.
It's not super duper easy, we all know this, but it's not the end of the world either, and so many have gone through it and made it through. It strengthens you.
Keep in mind that the next two weeks while you are on this Protein Shake diet, you are probably going to be getting BETTER nutrition than you have in the last six months lol. You are not going to starve to death, you are not starving, there are elderly and many people that live on liquid diets and thrive because of it.
As the day of surgery approaches, use the SAME attitude going into it. If you keep telling yourself you are scared or terrified or afraid, that day you will be. Keep the good attitude going into surgery. Keep telling yourself you are worth it, you can do this, this is a good thing, going into surgery with a smile on your face and positive thoughts will help you when you wake up and will help you through the 5-6 weeks of healing that you will have and carry you through.
Doing a good job with the Protein Shake fast does help promote confidence in yourself and makes you feel like you truly are taking full control of your life, health and destiny.
Best of luck to you.
PS - If you drink pop or coffee and haven't stopped yet, do so before Monday too.

Each doctor is different. We were allowed to purchase 14 day supply from their office of different types of shake flavors. Find out what kind they recommend. I do suggest mixing it up because the same kind will get boring. I never liked strawberry shakes and those ended up being the easiest for me to get down though, which is weird.
My biggest suggest to you is this. This weekend DO NOT CARB BINGE before you start. Repeating this again....do not carb overload this weekend. Stick to high Protein foods, it's for your own good truthfully. If you carb overload thinking that your Protein fast starts on Monday, it will be horrendous on your system. The more carbs one eats, the more carbs they want, so come Monday, when you aren't feeding it carbs, your body will hate you. Wean from the carbs now, to make the transition easier on you.
Realize that the first three days are going to be rough. You may...or may not have a headache. I did as did many other's. Drink lots of Water.
Things that helped me. Lots of walks. Reading. Brushing my teeth. I know weird, brushing your teeth, but it helped....a lot. When you are on the Protein Shakes for the two weeks you go into ketosis and it does affect your breath, and also Protein Shakes sort of bind on your teeth and to me it became a bit like elmer's glue. I brushed my teeth and it helped immensely.
Don't focus on it. Change your meals with your family. Let your family eat, while they are eating go for a walk, march in place, find a show on the Dvr. and walk in place or stand and dance while you watch a show. I did the gazelle when they ate.
At work, don't eat in the break room where all the smells are of other foods. Find a place to have your shake away from other smells.
Bring a package of Summer's Eve Feminine Hygiene Wipes with you to work, the one thing you need to know about day 4-10 is....NEVER trust a fart. There's so many posts regarding this for a reason. You will be standing there and realize you have to go....quickly. At night, take a bathroom towel and put it on your bed, just in case night sharts happen, be prepared. This could happen day 4-10.
I was allowed sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, crystal light, and decaff peppermint tea (with truvia) during the 14 days. I don't handle sugar-free products well so I avoided them and stuck with the decaff peppermint tea.
Attitude --- your attitude dictates how hard or how easy the next two weeks are going to be. If you go into thinking it's going to be too hard, it won't disappoint, it will be really hard. If you go into this thinking you can handle it, you are strong enough and you are worth doing this, it will go faster and be easier.
It's not super duper easy, we all know this, but it's not the end of the world either, and so many have gone through it and made it through. It strengthens you.
Keep in mind that the next two weeks while you are on this Protein Shake diet, you are probably going to be getting BETTER nutrition than you have in the last six months lol. You are not going to starve to death, you are not starving, there are elderly and many people that live on liquid diets and thrive because of it.
As the day of surgery approaches, use the SAME attitude going into it. If you keep telling yourself you are scared or terrified or afraid, that day you will be. Keep the good attitude going into surgery. Keep telling yourself you are worth it, you can do this, this is a good thing, going into surgery with a smile on your face and positive thoughts will help you when you wake up and will help you through the 5-6 weeks of healing that you will have and carry you through.
Doing a good job with the Protein Shake fast does help promote confidence in yourself and makes you feel like you truly are taking full control of your life, health and destiny.
Best of luck to you.
PS - If you drink pop or coffee and haven't stopped yet, do so before Monday too.

Each doctor is different. We were allowed to purchase 14 day supply from their office of different types of shake flavors. Find out what kind they recommend. I do suggest mixing it up because the same kind will get boring. I never liked strawberry shakes and those ended up being the easiest for me to get down though, which is weird.
My biggest suggest to you is this. This weekend DO NOT CARB BINGE before you start. Repeating this again....do not carb overload this weekend. Stick to high Protein foods, it's for your own good truthfully. If you carb overload thinking that your Protein fast starts on Monday, it will be horrendous on your system. The more carbs one eats, the more carbs they want, so come Monday, when you aren't feeding it carbs, your body will hate you. Wean from the carbs now, to make the transition easier on you.
Realize that the first three days are going to be rough. You may...or may not have a headache. I did as did many other's. Drink lots of Water.
Things that helped me. Lots of walks. Reading. Brushing my teeth. I know weird, brushing your teeth, but it helped....a lot. When you are on the Protein Shakes for the two weeks you go into ketosis and it does affect your breath, and also Protein Shakes sort of bind on your teeth and to me it became a bit like elmer's glue. I brushed my teeth and it helped immensely.
Don't focus on it. Change your meals with your family. Let your family eat, while they are eating go for a walk, march in place, find a show on the Dvr. and walk in place or stand and dance while you watch a show. I did the gazelle when they ate.
At work, don't eat in the break room where all the smells are of other foods. Find a place to have your shake away from other smells.
Bring a package of Summer's Eve Feminine Hygiene Wipes with you to work, the one thing you need to know about day 4-10 is....NEVER trust a fart. There's so many posts regarding this for a reason. You will be standing there and realize you have to go....quickly. At night, take a bathroom towel and put it on your bed, just in case night sharts happen, be prepared. This could happen day 4-10.
I was allowed sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, crystal light, and decaff peppermint tea (with truvia) during the 14 days. I don't handle sugar-free products well so I avoided them and stuck with the decaff peppermint tea.
Attitude --- your attitude dictates how hard or how easy the next two weeks are going to be. If you go into thinking it's going to be too hard, it won't disappoint, it will be really hard. If you go into this thinking you can handle it, you are strong enough and you are worth doing this, it will go faster and be easier.
It's not super duper easy, we all know this, but it's not the end of the world either, and so many have gone through it and made it through. It strengthens you.
Keep in mind that the next two weeks while you are on this Protein Shake diet, you are probably going to be getting BETTER nutrition than you have in the last six months lol. You are not going to starve to death, you are not starving, there are elderly and many people that live on liquid diets and thrive because of it.
As the day of surgery approaches, use the SAME attitude going into it. If you keep telling yourself you are scared or terrified or afraid, that day you will be. Keep the good attitude going into surgery. Keep telling yourself you are worth it, you can do this, this is a good thing, going into surgery with a smile on your face and positive thoughts will help you when you wake up and will help you through the 5-6 weeks of healing that you will have and carry you through.
Doing a good job with the Protein Shake fast does help promote confidence in yourself and makes you feel like you truly are taking full control of your life, health and destiny.
Best of luck to you.
PS - If you drink pop or coffee and haven't stopped yet, do so before Monday too.

Do the best you can, drinking out of the small med cups and drinking as much as you can is for the best. You aren't going to become Protein deficient in a small amount of time. Every day gets better than the day before and it was 5 weeks before i was getting all my Protein in.
Mix it up if you can by trying some warm decaff peppermint tea with your favorite artificial sweetener (I prefer Truvia). It settled my stomach and the stomach gurglings and movements and all that was a lot of healing pains too.
I seriously used med cups for almost 4 weeks straight. I thought I would never get to drink out of a normal glass again. Even after 4 weeks I had a rough time drinking out of a Water bottle because I was pulling in too much air.
Do the best you can, concentrate priority on your liquid, the Isopure for your protein and I swear it gets better every day.

I worried internally a bit about the surgery myself and realized, I would rather die trying to lose than to lay down and die not trying. It got me through it. I am proud of my decision to this and I am proud of putting so much effort into getting healthy.

I'm three months out and I have not tried Popcorn and probably won't for a long time. I love popcorn more than any candy, cake, pie. It is my Achilles and I have easily eaten a jumbo popcorn at the movies, with butter & salt and wanted more.
I know this is something I will have to stay away from, there is no nutritional benefit to it and it's something that would be dangerous to eat while your stomach is healing.

I worried internally a bit about the surgery myself and realized, I would rather die trying to lose than to lay down and die not trying. It got me through it. I am proud of my decision to this and I am proud of putting so much effort into getting healthy.

That's also normal and I had it pretty severely.
What are you drinking out of? Are you trying to drink out of a Water bottle? Glass or a med cup? Med cups are 1 ounce (30ml) cups that medicine usually comes in. Many Dr.'s or hospitals give you them to sip out of right after surgery and they often send you home with a stack of them. If you were given them, sip slowly out of them, try to aim 3 sips per one ounce. I did a lot of testing on how many sips (pour another ounce) sip sip sip (pour another ounce) sip sip sip to see how much I can get into me comfortable before feeling too full. The answer with the Water was 3. When I would try to get the 4th full one ounce cup in the next sip I was like blah...........
If you were not given the one ounce med cups, you can get a large supply of them for Jello shots at a party store in pretty colors or just use a shot glass. Make sure you measure how large the shot glass is and if it's a 2 ounce shot glass, know that should be like 6 sips.
Trust me when you sip out of something smaller you take in less air and you end up with less bubbles and that weird twisting between the esophagus and stomach pain. I had a complication with my surgery so I think I have a little more narrow opening than others.
Some people seem to do better with warmer or room temperature water. I normally did my med cups one with water and one with Bigelow decaff peppermint tea and Truvia. The tea went down better than the water and I couldn't handle cold water the first few days. The tea would get cold overnight in the hospital (I was in 5 days) and I would sip on it and I loved it cold too and I believe that's what helped me get down the water.
Remember sip not gulp. I can drink out of a water bottle now at 6 weeks out, but I tend to prefer drinking out a glass now, I seem to control the size of my drink and don't end up gulping and I definitely take in less air.
Best of luck to you all.

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

Love this!
And I'll add:
Never being concerned if I fit in the turnstile
Never needing a seatbelt extender on airplanes again
Never being afraid to sit on someone's dining room chair

I was a major soda addict, MAJOR! I quit it cold turkey about 3-4 months prior to surgery as it was a requirement and so far, so good. I do crave one from time to time but have not succumbed and am proud of that. All of my friends were shocked when I quit and still are! You can do this if you desire.
As for other food items, I am trying to make better choices overall yet not deprive myself too much. While my taste buds have seriously changed, maybe once a week I will crave chocolate or other snack food. I purchase and eat one or two pieces, giving the remaining to a co-worker. She jokingly claims that she'll end up fat due to eating all of my extras.

Shortness of breath from just turning yourself over in bed
Arms that are too short to clean yourself properly
Clothing sizes that begin with X
Shame when you hear the whispers and giggles behind your back
The appetite of three people

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

The only thing I can't have is diet soda. Some people drink it and have no problems with it. I know that for me, if I take 1 sip, I'm hooked. That will be the only Fluid I will drink. I also read about the weight gain in our mid sections from artificial sweeteners. But I can eat anything I want with no consequences. My taste for breads have changed. I don't like them any more. My PCP won't prescribe NSAIDS because Kaiser looks at the sleeve like it's the GBS. But i am so happy I choose this. It has changed my life.

It's a great question to ask.
I would do it again and I had a complication during surgery. My recovery was a bit slower than others.
I have a question for you. What are your expectations with surgery? Do you know the ins and outs of what is expected of you before surgery and after surgery?
I needed six months pre-approval monthly weigh ins and I had to turn in a food log, Water & exercise log, I had meetings I had to attend, nutritionist, we were told no more coffee, no drinking Water with meals until 1/2 hour after meal). Eat meat first, vegetables second, lower carb intake 45-75, eat 80 grams of Protein a day and stay within 800-1000 calories a day.
If you think you can work on some of your food issues, including "carb mourning" before surgery it will definitely help you afterwards. I worked hard before I had surgery so I had a head-start on losing and I worked out all my kinks. Learning to let go of caffeine, carbonated beverages etc.
I learned to move more, so I wanted to exercise sooner after surgery.
It's not a diet, it's a way of life or a lifestyle, because once you have the surgery, you can't undo it. There's no do-overs.
Even someone like me, that followed the diet plan pre-surgery, still thinks, gosh I really want a big salad, and I make my little plate and I eat my meat and I get a little bummed because there is no room for a salad, I get in a cherry Tomato and bite of lettuce and I'm done, there's no room for a second bite of lettuce or the small cucumber. I'm not hungry, but there is a feeling inside sometimes that ugh, I wanted just one more bite. I am pretty strict with following the rules too and even though I lost 70 pounds pre-surgery, I decided to go ahead with it.
If you can realize this is a lifestyle, though some day if you want a taste of a cake, you could probably have a bite, it is restrictive by nature.
I have heard people say things like "you can't stretch your sleeve". There are days I would like it stretched, just a little bit more, but I think again that has to do with a complication that I had and I'm almost 10 weeks out.
Good luck with your decision, again it's worth it to me, and I know that some day I'll get that second bite of salad in