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My first year felt like my life was taken over by my sleeve. I focused every ounce of energy on exercising, eating EXACTLY right, and losing the weight. I had plastics by the end of the first year and moving into the second year. I never lost my hunger after my surgery, so that initial eight months or so was really tough, I felt like I was balancing my desire for a healthier life with feeling like I was starving. At the end of the first year I was at my ideal body weight, in the middle of the BMI range. I could eat less than one scrambled egg at the end of the first year.
My second year things seemed to fall in place. I was fit - really fit! I was cycling 40-60 miles regularly, working out about 10-15 hours per week. Life was good. I found that I had to eat a lot because I was so active. I maintained my body weight within 5 lbs. At the end of the second year I started unintentionally losing weight. I could barely finish a scrambled egg at the end of the second year - maybe with one or two cherry tomatoes.
My third year has been tough. I became B12 deficient and had major medical issues as a result(take high quality Vitamins without fail - and start injections for b12 at the first sign of nerve pain in your hands or feet!!). I have had pretty severe hypoglycemia, too. It comes on without warning at times, and every time I exert myself, and does not seem treatable with diet. I spent most of the year underweight, although am slowly gaining back to a healthy range. I can ride my bicycle about 5 miles now, and am as exhausted as I was during year 2 when I cycled for 40-60 miles. I can now eat two scrambled eggs and two cherry tomatoes, with a tiny bit of room left in my sleeve.
I eat salads, fruits, and veggies. I eat bread, Pasta, and rice without problems. I eat fish, chicken, and steak, although obviously in small portions due to their density. I eat ice cream, Cookies, popcorn, and candy - although I eat these foods in moderation! I never, ever, drink and eat at the same time. I never, ever, drink soda. Soda was a major trigger food for me previously, and I know myself well enough to stay away from it now. I don't eat out often, and do my own cooking at home. I don't eat low calorie due to my weight being low, but I do eat healthy, home cooked foods.
I think I outlined the natural progression of increased capacity over time - and I can imagine how that could lead to problems. My advice is to take the bull by the horns initially and be prepared not to let go.

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.
In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.
The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.
As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

I had three separate surgeries: 1) brow lift/neck lift/lower eyelids 2) thigh lift/extended Tummy Tuck 3)breast lift and Lipo for remaining problem areas. The tummy tuck/thigh lift was by far the most painful and restrictive during recovery. The pain came from my stomach muscles having been stitched up to tighten them. The neck lift was uncomfortable for the same reason - they sew up the muscle to keep it tight. The breast lift wasn't bad at all!
My advice is to think about total surgery time - and don't go past your surgeon's recommendations of what you feel comfortable with. My surgeon put the limit at 12-14 hours. Consider grouping surgeries so that when you can't use your lower body/stomach, you can use your arms comfortably - and when you can't use your arms (breast or arm surgery) you are comfortable in your lower body.

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.
In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.
The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.
As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

My first year felt like my life was taken over by my sleeve. I focused every ounce of energy on exercising, eating EXACTLY right, and losing the weight. I had plastics by the end of the first year and moving into the second year. I never lost my hunger after my surgery, so that initial eight months or so was really tough, I felt like I was balancing my desire for a healthier life with feeling like I was starving. At the end of the first year I was at my ideal body weight, in the middle of the BMI range. I could eat less than one scrambled egg at the end of the first year.
My second year things seemed to fall in place. I was fit - really fit! I was cycling 40-60 miles regularly, working out about 10-15 hours per week. Life was good. I found that I had to eat a lot because I was so active. I maintained my body weight within 5 lbs. At the end of the second year I started unintentionally losing weight. I could barely finish a scrambled egg at the end of the second year - maybe with one or two cherry tomatoes.
My third year has been tough. I became B12 deficient and had major medical issues as a result(take high quality Vitamins without fail - and start injections for b12 at the first sign of nerve pain in your hands or feet!!). I have had pretty severe hypoglycemia, too. It comes on without warning at times, and every time I exert myself, and does not seem treatable with diet. I spent most of the year underweight, although am slowly gaining back to a healthy range. I can ride my bicycle about 5 miles now, and am as exhausted as I was during year 2 when I cycled for 40-60 miles. I can now eat two scrambled eggs and two cherry tomatoes, with a tiny bit of room left in my sleeve.
I eat salads, fruits, and veggies. I eat bread, Pasta, and rice without problems. I eat fish, chicken, and steak, although obviously in small portions due to their density. I eat ice cream, Cookies, popcorn, and candy - although I eat these foods in moderation! I never, ever, drink and eat at the same time. I never, ever, drink soda. Soda was a major trigger food for me previously, and I know myself well enough to stay away from it now. I don't eat out often, and do my own cooking at home. I don't eat low calorie due to my weight being low, but I do eat healthy, home cooked foods.
I think I outlined the natural progression of increased capacity over time - and I can imagine how that could lead to problems. My advice is to take the bull by the horns initially and be prepared not to let go.

My first year felt like my life was taken over by my sleeve. I focused every ounce of energy on exercising, eating EXACTLY right, and losing the weight. I had plastics by the end of the first year and moving into the second year. I never lost my hunger after my surgery, so that initial eight months or so was really tough, I felt like I was balancing my desire for a healthier life with feeling like I was starving. At the end of the first year I was at my ideal body weight, in the middle of the BMI range. I could eat less than one scrambled egg at the end of the first year.
My second year things seemed to fall in place. I was fit - really fit! I was cycling 40-60 miles regularly, working out about 10-15 hours per week. Life was good. I found that I had to eat a lot because I was so active. I maintained my body weight within 5 lbs. At the end of the second year I started unintentionally losing weight. I could barely finish a scrambled egg at the end of the second year - maybe with one or two cherry tomatoes.
My third year has been tough. I became B12 deficient and had major medical issues as a result(take high quality Vitamins without fail - and start injections for b12 at the first sign of nerve pain in your hands or feet!!). I have had pretty severe hypoglycemia, too. It comes on without warning at times, and every time I exert myself, and does not seem treatable with diet. I spent most of the year underweight, although am slowly gaining back to a healthy range. I can ride my bicycle about 5 miles now, and am as exhausted as I was during year 2 when I cycled for 40-60 miles. I can now eat two scrambled eggs and two cherry tomatoes, with a tiny bit of room left in my sleeve.
I eat salads, fruits, and veggies. I eat bread, Pasta, and rice without problems. I eat fish, chicken, and steak, although obviously in small portions due to their density. I eat ice cream, Cookies, popcorn, and candy - although I eat these foods in moderation! I never, ever, drink and eat at the same time. I never, ever, drink soda. Soda was a major trigger food for me previously, and I know myself well enough to stay away from it now. I don't eat out often, and do my own cooking at home. I don't eat low calorie due to my weight being low, but I do eat healthy, home cooked foods.
I think I outlined the natural progression of increased capacity over time - and I can imagine how that could lead to problems. My advice is to take the bull by the horns initially and be prepared not to let go.

My first year felt like my life was taken over by my sleeve. I focused every ounce of energy on exercising, eating EXACTLY right, and losing the weight. I had plastics by the end of the first year and moving into the second year. I never lost my hunger after my surgery, so that initial eight months or so was really tough, I felt like I was balancing my desire for a healthier life with feeling like I was starving. At the end of the first year I was at my ideal body weight, in the middle of the BMI range. I could eat less than one scrambled egg at the end of the first year.
My second year things seemed to fall in place. I was fit - really fit! I was cycling 40-60 miles regularly, working out about 10-15 hours per week. Life was good. I found that I had to eat a lot because I was so active. I maintained my body weight within 5 lbs. At the end of the second year I started unintentionally losing weight. I could barely finish a scrambled egg at the end of the second year - maybe with one or two cherry tomatoes.
My third year has been tough. I became B12 deficient and had major medical issues as a result(take high quality Vitamins without fail - and start injections for b12 at the first sign of nerve pain in your hands or feet!!). I have had pretty severe hypoglycemia, too. It comes on without warning at times, and every time I exert myself, and does not seem treatable with diet. I spent most of the year underweight, although am slowly gaining back to a healthy range. I can ride my bicycle about 5 miles now, and am as exhausted as I was during year 2 when I cycled for 40-60 miles. I can now eat two scrambled eggs and two cherry tomatoes, with a tiny bit of room left in my sleeve.
I eat salads, fruits, and veggies. I eat bread, Pasta, and rice without problems. I eat fish, chicken, and steak, although obviously in small portions due to their density. I eat ice cream, Cookies, popcorn, and candy - although I eat these foods in moderation! I never, ever, drink and eat at the same time. I never, ever, drink soda. Soda was a major trigger food for me previously, and I know myself well enough to stay away from it now. I don't eat out often, and do my own cooking at home. I don't eat low calorie due to my weight being low, but I do eat healthy, home cooked foods.
I think I outlined the natural progression of increased capacity over time - and I can imagine how that could lead to problems. My advice is to take the bull by the horns initially and be prepared not to let go.

I had three separate surgeries: 1) brow lift/neck lift/lower eyelids 2) thigh lift/extended Tummy Tuck 3)breast lift and Lipo for remaining problem areas. The tummy tuck/thigh lift was by far the most painful and restrictive during recovery. The pain came from my stomach muscles having been stitched up to tighten them. The neck lift was uncomfortable for the same reason - they sew up the muscle to keep it tight. The breast lift wasn't bad at all!
My advice is to think about total surgery time - and don't go past your surgeon's recommendations of what you feel comfortable with. My surgeon put the limit at 12-14 hours. Consider grouping surgeries so that when you can't use your lower body/stomach, you can use your arms comfortably - and when you can't use your arms (breast or arm surgery) you are comfortable in your lower body.

I had three separate surgeries: 1) brow lift/neck lift/lower eyelids 2) thigh lift/extended Tummy Tuck 3)breast lift and Lipo for remaining problem areas. The tummy tuck/thigh lift was by far the most painful and restrictive during recovery. The pain came from my stomach muscles having been stitched up to tighten them. The neck lift was uncomfortable for the same reason - they sew up the muscle to keep it tight. The breast lift wasn't bad at all!
My advice is to think about total surgery time - and don't go past your surgeon's recommendations of what you feel comfortable with. My surgeon put the limit at 12-14 hours. Consider grouping surgeries so that when you can't use your lower body/stomach, you can use your arms comfortably - and when you can't use your arms (breast or arm surgery) you are comfortable in your lower body.

@VSGAnn, I ate low carb during the weight loss phase. If I recall correctly I stayed under 30 carbs for the first 7 months, and maybe 40 carbs for another month or two. I think I was around 600 calories until month 6, and maybe 700 calories until month 8 or 9. By month 9 I was down from 255 to 135 I think. I exercised a ton throughout my weight loss and once I was in maintenance. By one year out my problem was keeping up with enough calories for my level of activity.
Over time my health deteriorated and I began losing weight for no reason - and despite increasing my calories. In the past two months I have gotten my weight up into a safe range for the first time in many months. It is a relief.
After a year of constant worry due to being underweight, I still have these "what if's" pop into my head. As in, my weight has increased for no reason, what if it continues to creep up? I just tell my brain to shut up already and try to enjoy the fact that my weight isn't putting me at death's door anymore. I look at my face and that it is filling out and appreciate that I don't look so haggard - and try to let it go at that!

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.
In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.
The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.
As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.
In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.
The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.
As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.
In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.
The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.
As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.
In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.
The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.
As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

I am 5'6". Started at 255, size 22/24 and 3x tops. Currently at 160, size 10 and large tops (a few mediums). Still losing steadily. I've work out quite a bit, which has really helped me. Surgery was six months ago.

I am happy with my TT. My scar healed darker than anticipated, but I have no regrets. The scar is low enough that it would be indecent to wear anything that showed it - it keeps me from wearing a string bikini and that's about it. ...and frankly, I would feel silly in one anyway and would probably look ridiculous. Lol!

YI am 39. I had a neck lift and brow lift. I was under 9 months post VSG but was at goal having lost over 100lbs - 5'6" and 145. That was back in December of 2012. I was very happy with the results, and my neck was 100% improved.
My crows feet are pretty bad but I won't be doing any more to surgically "fix" anything at this point. I currently need to gain weight which would improve things all around.
The drawback for some would be that I looked dramatically different with the brow lift - I didn't mind. With just the neck lift it would have been more subtle.
No regrets. I felt too young for such an old face.

I am happy with my TT. My scar healed darker than anticipated, but I have no regrets. The scar is low enough that it would be indecent to wear anything that showed it - it keeps me from wearing a string bikini and that's about it. ...and frankly, I would feel silly in one anyway and would probably look ridiculous. Lol!

What you have described sounds quite normal at your stage. In fact, I think I could not finish an entire egg (without any additional food) until 6 months. At your stage I was stuck at appx 400 calories per day as getting liquids in was also quite difficult. I think your goal of three meals is appropriate... and at about 12-18 months past surgery you are likely to attain it. In the meantime, use shakes to increase calories. You won't be able to get your calories or Protein sufficiently thru solid food for a while yet. It's true regardless the size of your sleeve as the swelling lasts for so many months. I wish you the best! You can do it with careful planning and it is SO worth the effort.

While this issue is unusual - I don't think as uncommon as you might think. I only personally know three other sleevers. All four of us had no problem hitting goal, and two of the four of us struggle with keeping our weight up. For both of us, keeping weight on under stress is the biggest problem. And, when you add exercise it gets even trickier.
Recently I have been under enough stress to have to switch to primarily liquids. My stomach is too tight to allow for enough solids to get my calories - it has been a physiological reaction to stress. My weight has dropped to 121 lbs, and it drops more every day. My doctors goal weight for me was 155. My goal was initially 145, although I ended up thinking that 130-135 wasn't bad. It sounds like you went to the doc already, which is what I did as well. I also had testing to find my BMR so I would know my actual calories needed - and I need at least 2,000 calories to maintain my weight if I don't exercise, and more when I do exercise.
My approach is to add high calorie liquids. A combination of Peanut Butter and Protein shakes is good. Other foods to try are: Guacamole. Ice cream. Whole milk and heavy cream. Ensure. Etc. The healthy fats are obviously from nuts, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, etc. Unhealthy fats are from dairy. At this point, it is more important to me to keep my weight on than to worry too much about unhealthy fat (within reason).
The problem is, being underweight has the same increased mortality that being obese has - and we did not go through all of this to end up with essentially the same issues we started out with. I just try to force the liquids in, don't worry too much about the comments from others, and know that under less stress it will get better.

I am doing well. I have developed a mantra or personal slogan " I am not so much afraid of dying as I am of not living." So through all this I continue to make sure I am living and not just zombie walking through it...not numbing my feelings etc. I lost a friend over it in truth but it was a friend that needed to go anyway. I am a happy cheerful and fun person much of the time but anyone who can't handle authentic grief and deep feelings loses their place in my daily life.

So, almost 2.5 years at goal, it finally dawned on me that I need to move the seat up in the car. I've been stretching my leg to reach the pedal and hunching over to reach the steering wheel for more than 2.5 years. Yesterday, the lightbulb went off. With nearly 120 lbs. gone, I'm not so padded on the back side and I have to move the seat up to compensate. Doh! Much more comfortable driving now.
Lynda

Today is my one year surgiversary!

Totally agree about reflux pretending to be hunger.
I would bet I'm still carrying at least 25 pounds right now that I gained one terrible winter before I found out I needed a PPO.