dreamnslim2012

It is so hard to believe that it has already been one year since surgery and, wow, what a year it has been! I'm still 10 pounds away from my self-imposed goal and the scale has not budged at all in four months. But, I'm still happy as can be. I'm healthier, happier and I finally like myself again. I haven't been perfect in following the guidelines in recent months and I'm pretty sure that is why the weight loss stopped. Luckily I haven't gained anything back but boy, do I see how very easily that will happen! I renewed my commitment to/with myself yesterday that forever forward, I WILL NOT return to those terrible habits. I still come here for advice and the comfort of being in the company of others who are fighting this battle with me. I told only a few of the people very closest to me about my surgery so my support base for that is very limited. I really appreciate the support and community this sight provides. Thank you and congrats to all of you that had your surgery along with me one year ago!!

It is so hard to believe that it has already been one year since surgery and, wow, what a year it has been! I'm still 10 pounds away from my self-imposed goal and the scale has not budged at all in four months. But, I'm still happy as can be. I'm healthier, happier and I finally like myself again. I haven't been perfect in following the guidelines in recent months and I'm pretty sure that is why the weight loss stopped. Luckily I haven't gained anything back but boy, do I see how very easily that will happen! I renewed my commitment to/with myself yesterday that forever forward, I WILL NOT return to those terrible habits. I still come here for advice and the comfort of being in the company of others who are fighting this battle with me. I told only a few of the people very closest to me about my surgery so my support base for that is very limited. I really appreciate the support and community this sight provides. Thank you and congrats to all of you that had your surgery along with me one year ago!!

Great work, congrats!!

It is so hard to believe that it has already been one year since surgery and, wow, what a year it has been! I'm still 10 pounds away from my self-imposed goal and the scale has not budged at all in four months. But, I'm still happy as can be. I'm healthier, happier and I finally like myself again. I haven't been perfect in following the guidelines in recent months and I'm pretty sure that is why the weight loss stopped. Luckily I haven't gained anything back but boy, do I see how very easily that will happen! I renewed my commitment to/with myself yesterday that forever forward, I WILL NOT return to those terrible habits. I still come here for advice and the comfort of being in the company of others who are fighting this battle with me. I told only a few of the people very closest to me about my surgery so my support base for that is very limited. I really appreciate the support and community this sight provides. Thank you and congrats to all of you that had your surgery along with me one year ago!!

It is so hard to believe that it has already been one year since surgery and, wow, what a year it has been! I'm still 10 pounds away from my self-imposed goal and the scale has not budged at all in four months. But, I'm still happy as can be. I'm healthier, happier and I finally like myself again. I haven't been perfect in following the guidelines in recent months and I'm pretty sure that is why the weight loss stopped. Luckily I haven't gained anything back but boy, do I see how very easily that will happen! I renewed my commitment to/with myself yesterday that forever forward, I WILL NOT return to those terrible habits. I still come here for advice and the comfort of being in the company of others who are fighting this battle with me. I told only a few of the people very closest to me about my surgery so my support base for that is very limited. I really appreciate the support and community this sight provides. Thank you and congrats to all of you that had your surgery along with me one year ago!!

I am in the same stall as some of you. I was sleeved on August 6th and did so good until right about Christmas and the weight loss suddenly stopped. I have been sitting at the exact same weight since mid-January. Nothing I've tried has worked so I don't know what to do either. I feel great but I still need to lose another 10-15 lbs. just don't know how to make it happen now.

I said it earlier and I'll say it again....if you go into too big of a calorie deficit your body may very well sabotage your weight loss efforts, not to mention your health. Your body may have enough fat stores to fuel your body for weeks or months, but it won't. Your body doesn't work that way. After some time your body will protect itself by shutting down systems to protect those reserves of fat. That's what it's programmed to do. That means your metabolism will slow down. Your body will also go into a catabolic state, which means its breaking down muscle instead of fat. It does this because calorie intake is low and your body knows those muscles are what's requiring the calories, therefore, in times of extreme starvation it will try to get rid of them.
You will also not have the ability to workout for 4 hours a day consistently without eating enough fuel. Your body will burn fat for a while, but as stated above, it will eventually try to protect its fat reserves and burn lean tissue instead....including our heart.
To prevent this, you must eat a healthy amount based on your BMR, workout consistently, and eat a nutritionally balanced diet. With our limited calorie intake, our diets must be Protein heavy to prevent lean tissue loss. But if you are working out to the point of extreme without adding calories, your small protein intake will not be enough to protect your lean tissue from breakdown.

That depends on how well you are at just eating the right amount. It takes everyone a different amount of time to determine how to interpret the full signal and dare not eat another bite or two. The following is from my experience and everyone may have different experiences. None of this information was explained to me in the right way or at all by pre surgery nutritional classes.
For me, it took about 6 weeks after starting on solids. If you stop correctly, a full filling will feel satisfied but not stuffed. If you do not stop correctly, you will feel discomfort, pain or any number of different signals. I ended up getting slimes (lots and lots of saliva in your mouth from your stomach) all the time and needing to throw up food on a few occasions because of the discomfort. That is why the sleeve really is a tool to help you learn how to eat the small portions that we need for energy. We eat to live not live to eat.
For me, a good "meal" size is 2-3 ounces of Protein and maybe some vegetables. For example, I am satisfied with one scrambled egg and 2 small chicken sausage. It is just right. I can never seem to eat 2 scrambled eggs and end up giving left overs to my dog.
Good luck on the journey and know that there are many here that can help by answering questions or by providing support.

To add to this I think that because I had a lapband revision to sleeve I had learned how small portions keep you full and the difference between real hunger and not. Please understand that I speak as a former fat person too. It is very hard to go from a large quantity eater to eating only two ounces, knowing that you are full and then having to understand that you DON"T need more food in two hours. I think the work "starving" is a little strong here, are you really starving? People living in third world countries are starving. I think we are so focused in the beginning on food that yes it is very difficult for some to differentiate between the two. It's not hunger.
If anyone would care to answer: what is your hunger queue? My stomach makes noises, but it is not hunger just gurgling noises, not hunger.

One year down. A year in a life amounts to about 1.3% of the average expectancy. In the last year since surgery 10/10/2011 I’ve lost 80% of my excess weight. 151 pounds gone. With the 51 I lost before surgery this puts me over the 200 lost line and 48% of my total body weight. I have to let that sink in sometimes. Half of me is gone. The last time I weighed this amount was in 1980 when I was 18. That’s 64% of my life ago. I’m well on my way to the weight I last saw when I was in junior high school on my way up. At this point, I see no reason I shouldn’t make it.
What do all these numbers really mean? Well, for one, I feel young. So much more life than I’ve had for so many years. For another for the first time one of the in a long time I feel like I’m just a regular guy. Overweight? Sure. Older? Sure. But more like a young 51 rather than an ancient 50. And I’m heading in the right weight direction and in control. Perhaps like never before in my entire life. Every aspect of my world is better; especially my relationship with my wife. She loves me and supports me and I feel like a better man for her.
How about health? Diabetes – Gone. Blood pressure - soon to be totally off drugs (already down to ¼ of my old dose. Gout – seems to be gone (I’ve gone off allopurinol). Endurance – way up.
Some more numbers since surgery: 5x shirts to medium/large. Size 62 pants to size 38 (even fit into a size 36 but too tight to claim it for a while); 9 SCUBA dives in the last six weeks for the first time since 1993.
Nothing comes free though right? I mean, I can’t eat unlimited quantities. I can’t sit comfortably for 16 hours a day. I have to be diligent about what I eat. I have a lot of excess skin. When I start to feel sorry for myself (and I sometimes do for fleeting moments) I just DO something, or review my progress, or plan for my next adventure. How freaking cool is that.
I have learned that being with my friends is not just about great food (although I still go out and enjoy great food within my self imposed parameters). My new normal almost always feels OK. I also have new friends that I’ve met here and at my support group. That’s cool. I’m also planning more activities like learning to sail, riding horses, and mountain hiking. Lots to do and I can do it now or very soon. So much more hope and so many more possibilities.
I can’t wait to see what year 2 brings. What a great journey this has been.

Yes, me too! Everyone keeps telling me how much I'm changing but when I look in the mirror, I just don't see it. The only things that let me know, since the mirror doesn't, are my clothes that no longer fit and how much better I feel. Like you, I really want to SEE it.

Never trust a fart is one of the biggest things no one talked about.

AMAZING!!! Tried it tonight and it was so good, especially compared to broth and thin Soups. Definitely worth trying at least once.....

Guys!!!! I discovered a god send last night:
Www.bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com
This lady is awesome!!!!! Great recipes for WLS post patients for food i never thought id ever be able to have again like pizza!!! My favorite food in the world is pizza and this woman found the answer! All her recipes are dope! Cant wait to go on my soft food phase so i can try some things of hers! Good thing i found her day 10 post op!

Congrats to all those sleeved this week! I was sleeved in Dallas on Monday and am also just resurfacing. My surgery went very well and now that some of that gas pain is going away feel like I am finally on my way to my happy "new" self. I am still having a really hard time getting all my liquids down each day and learning my "signals". The hunger one is loud and clear the "full" one, not so much yet and my chest starts hurting. I figure this means I've gone too far. I am really looking forward to getting to the Phase 2 diet next week when I can start adding in some tolerable Protein and feeling more satisfied.
We're on our way!!

KayKay,
I'm going to be sleeved by Dr. Kim on August 6th as well. Just started my liquids today. Only 13 more days to go!

I took Prilosec and had no problems whatsoever getting it down.

I was really worried about the Prilosec and that gallbladder capsule, whatchacallit, but I had no problems with any of the pills or capsules.

Hello fellow Auguster's! I just got my surgery date set today...August 6th. So glad to meet you and and take this journey with you. I turn 50 in December so this will be a big year for the "renewed" me. I'm loving all the prep ideas you all are posting.

Hello fellow Auguster's! I just got my surgery date set today...August 6th. So glad to meet you and and take this journey with you. I turn 50 in December so this will be a big year for the "renewed" me. I'm loving all the prep ideas you all are posting.

Three denials and one last grievence appeal I am finally approved and can really start my journey! Due to a very timely cancellation, I was given a surgery date of August 6th so the next three weeks will be fast and furious with all the pre-surgery testing. I'm so ecited to FINALLY be moving forward!

Thank you Storm! I was hoping I could connect with others who will be having surgery at or about the same time as me. It will be great to have others to take the journey with.

Three denials and one last grievence appeal I am finally approved and can really start my journey! Due to a very timely cancellation, I was given a surgery date of August 6th so the next three weeks will be fast and furious with all the pre-surgery testing. I'm so ecited to FINALLY be moving forward!

Wow! It sounds like it does pay to be persistant.

I knew I could rely on the fabulous people on this forum to help me feel better than I have for two days and to keep my confidence and determination up. My skinny husband's response was "Well, at least you tried." Please know, he is super supportive of me and this journey but it just goes to show that people who don't have to fight this struggle everyday do not know how this feels and how it felt to get that letter.