joatsaint

Sure there is, you're on it. The sleeve isn't a weight loss diet. It's the cutting back on calories that causes the weight loss. If I could live on 600 calories a day, and not suffer the hunger pangs and mental cravings, I would have. And I probably could have lost 30 pounds the 1st month. It just wasn't a life style I could live with long term.

I don't tell because I don't feel it's any of their business to know anything about my personal life. I think most people around me only want to know things about "how you're feeling" or "what the kids are up to" just to have something to talk about or gossip about later.
However, if I hear someone talking about getting WLS and I think my experience will help them, privately, I pull them aside and let them know I've had it and that they can ask me anything that will help them decide if it's right for them.

Being in ketosis is a good thing. It means your body has used up all the sugar stored and is now burning fat for fuel. You can still eat a limited amount of low glicemic carbs and not leave ketosis.
Here are some of the foods I avoid:
1. Carbohydrate-rich vegetables, such as carrots, peas, potatoes and Cereal grains, should be eaten in moderation.
2. High-carb fruits such as grapes, apricots, bananas, olives and peaches, as well as extracts and juices from these fruits, should be replaced with low-carb fruits such as watermelons, strawberries, melons and avocados.
3. Fluids with high carbohydrate contents, such as beers and non-diet soft drinks and beverages, are not recommended for your diet. The high-sugar contents in these drinks will replace fats as the primary energy-producing nutrients, increasing the risk of having more fats in the body.
4. Processed foods, such as most canned foods, have carbohydrate contents that are high enough to disrupt the function of a ketogenic diet. pastas and milk products should also be avoided because they have high carbohydrate contents.
5. Seafoods, such as clams, blue crabs, lobsters, scallops and squids, are low in fats. However, they are rich sources of Proteins and fatty acids.

My surgeon normally has a 2 week pre-op diet, but I wanted to be fast-tracked - sorta like the pit crew operates on a race car. Jack me up change the tires, sleeve the stomach, and I'm back on the road. So I was approved and scheduled for surgery within 30 days. Being so short on time only allowed enough time for a 1 week pre-op diet. Good thing too, I don't know if I could have lasted for 2 weeks, seriously.
The pre-op diet, for me, was so much harder than any pain or adventures I had post-op. I think it was so hard because I've chased one dream or another about becoming a normal sized person (and failed) for so long that I couldn't seriously believe that WLS was going to work for me. But it was so worth it!!!

When your dad (who's been needling you how overweight you are for the past 30+ years) starts telling you you're losing too much weight and you need to stop.
As an added bonus, I am now able to wear one of HIS coats that he's too fat to wear anymore!!! NSV!!!!

He pops open that chair....LIKE A BOSS!!! :-p

I pretty much ate at home during that period. Frankensleeve did not like any foods too well. But the few times I did eat out, it was Mexican food. Re-fried Beans and guacamole, queso, and the finely ground taco meat.< /p>

Here's a typical day's food for me. I've been eating pretty much this amount everyday since my 1 year surgerversary. :-)

I was worried about stretching my sleeve too, pre-surgery. I didn't want to go through all of this and then have the possiblity of gaining all the weight back. From everything I've read, the stretchy part of the stomach (unlike the RNY pouch) is almost completely removed and only the tough non-stretchy part remains.
How Easy Is It To Stretch Your Sleeve
I can tell you from 2 years of experience, you will know when you're beginning to stretch your sleeve - you will not like the feeling and avoid doing it in the future!! During the 1st few months, when I would get close to stretching my sleeve, it would hurt like Hell! On the occassion that I do begin to stretch it now, it is merely really uncomfortable.
How to Much Can You Safetly Eat
I learned real quick how much I could eat in one meal. I started using a small plastic bowl for every meal. I'd fill it up and know that's how much I could saftely eat. I started with a 1/2 cup bowl for about the 1st 9 months. At 1 year, I moved to a 1 cup bowl, and I've been at 1 to 1 1/2 cups per meal for the last year.
Signs You're Getting Full
I am aware of the signs that I'm getting full - feeling bubbles moving around the food in my sleeve or feeling a poking sensation in my chest where the sleeve and throat meet. The days of that good old, "Ohhhh, I'm sooooo full" stretched stomach feeling are gone for good. And I dont miss it one bit!!!!!!!!
I'm sure if someone really worked at it, they could stretch their sleeve. After all, it is tissue, tendons and ligaments can be stretched and lengthened over time. But they would not be enjoying the sleeve stretching process at all.

I was worried about stretching my sleeve too, pre-surgery. I didn't want to go through all of this and then have the possiblity of gaining all the weight back. From everything I've read, the stretchy part of the stomach (unlike the RNY pouch) is almost completely removed and only the tough non-stretchy part remains.
How Easy Is It To Stretch Your Sleeve
I can tell you from 2 years of experience, you will know when you're beginning to stretch your sleeve - you will not like the feeling and avoid doing it in the future!! During the 1st few months, when I would get close to stretching my sleeve, it would hurt like Hell! On the occassion that I do begin to stretch it now, it is merely really uncomfortable.
How to Much Can You Safetly Eat
I learned real quick how much I could eat in one meal. I started using a small plastic bowl for every meal. I'd fill it up and know that's how much I could saftely eat. I started with a 1/2 cup bowl for about the 1st 9 months. At 1 year, I moved to a 1 cup bowl, and I've been at 1 to 1 1/2 cups per meal for the last year.
Signs You're Getting Full
I am aware of the signs that I'm getting full - feeling bubbles moving around the food in my sleeve or feeling a poking sensation in my chest where the sleeve and throat meet. The days of that good old, "Ohhhh, I'm sooooo full" stretched stomach feeling are gone for good. And I dont miss it one bit!!!!!!!!
I'm sure if someone really worked at it, they could stretch their sleeve. After all, it is tissue, tendons and ligaments can be stretched and lengthened over time. But they would not be enjoying the sleeve stretching process at all.

I went down about 1/2 size. But for years pre-surgery my feet would swell and shrink for some reason, so I never really knew my actual size. One bad thing about the shrinkage is that the hairs on my feet are closer together now. I have fuzzy Hobbit feet!!!!!!!!!

Here's a typical day's food for me. I've been eating pretty much this amount everyday since my 1 year surgerversary. :-)

I've only thrown up one time, in the hospital, the morning after surgery - I drank a little too much Water. It hurt like hell, but it didn't do any damage. And right before I left the hospital, I got a case of the hiccups that lasted several minutes - I didn't think they were ever going to stop. Again, it hurt like hell and it felt like my staple line got stretched, but no damage.

I think mine went pretty quick, under 2 hours. But I was #2 for surgery that day, it may have gone a little faster cause the doc was "in the zone" from preforming the 1st surgery.

I'm 3 years out and gained back 15lbs since March. I'm struggling to lose the weight too.
There are 3 things that have worked for me in the last 3 weeks.
1) watch my portion size, go back to using my old bowls and plates - that way I know how much I'm eating.
2) stop eating when I'm satisfied and not over full. Frankensleeve lets me know when hes too full, but I've gotten back into the "clean your plate" club. I've decided, I'd rather put less food on my plate, rather than have too much and feel the need to finish it all.
3) reduce/eliminate sugar, high glycemic vegetables/fruit, processed/canned/frozen foods and meals. I'm cooking as much of my food as possible and eating things "that are the ingredients for other things". :-)
My primary diet is pretty simple - roasted/crock pot pork or chicken, vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower), high Protein bars, limited fruit (at most 2 of these per day - apples, pears, plums...), and nuts (less than 20 per day - almonds, pecans, ...no peanuts)
I have up to 3 cheat meals per week - Tuesday/Friday/Sat night. I don't go crazy, but I do eat a few more of the "bad for me" foods.
So far it's working. I've lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks.
You can follow my adventure in Battling Regain in this thread:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/352539-ive-regained-weight-what-do-i-do-about-it/

I'm 31 months out, and I eat a lot of fibrous vegetables, especially brussell sprouts (for no other reason than I like them) I haven't had to take a laxative in over a year. I found that adding lots of fibrous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts added enough Fiber to my diet that I stay pretty regular - going about once every 3 days.

Who'd thunk it? A negative NSV!
I was shopping for a new shirt and found a purple one I wanted bad!
It was the only purple shirt they had.
AND I WAS TOO THIN TO WEAR IT!!!!!! (Happy Dance.....kinda)

Who'd thunk it? A negative NSV!
I was shopping for a new shirt and found a purple one I wanted bad!
It was the only purple shirt they had.
AND I WAS TOO THIN TO WEAR IT!!!!!! (Happy Dance.....kinda)

The one thing that I've loved doing since surgery is answering questions on this forum.
And making Youtube videos, trying to help those that are as nervous and unsure as I was pre-op.
I tried my hand at blogging about my adventure, but my life got really boring and normal very quickly.
So I ran out of stuff to blog about. :-( http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018-gastric-sleeve-surgery-an-unexpected-journey
So now I'm trying my hand at writing books. :-)
Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

Yes, you will be able to eat anything you want, probably as soon as your doctor releases you back on full foods. But if you are like me, my taste buds changed after not having any processed sugar for over a month. The old favorites just didn't taste as good and in my opinion, weren't worth eating anymore, because the taste wasn't good enough to justify eating the empty calories. You may find new favorite flavors like I did. Brussel sprouts are something I never ate pre-op, now I love them and can eat them as a meal in themselves.

The one thing that I've loved doing since surgery is answering questions on this forum.
And making Youtube videos, trying to help those that are as nervous and unsure as I was pre-op.
I tried my hand at blogging about my adventure, but my life got really boring and normal very quickly.
So I ran out of stuff to blog about. :-( http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018-gastric-sleeve-surgery-an-unexpected-journey
So now I'm trying my hand at writing books. :-)
Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

I like these A LOT! Just be sure and stick to the listed serving size on the back of the pack.
They're so good, it's waaaayyyyy to easy to overeat on them - even though they are low calorie. :-)
I tried the Quest Protein chips too -

Hang in there! I had to lose 130lbs before I could quit my CPAP.
I had tried sleeping without the CPAP several times in the previous months when I was 90, 100, 100+ lbs down, but could not sleep without it. There was no weening off of the CPAP for me.
One week I HAD to use it, the next week I was off of it forever.
One of the symptoms I experienced when I was getting close to getting off the CPAP:
I would wake up in the night belching and passing gas like crazy!
I was passing so much gas that it was waking me up. :-P

I am 48, and believe I had mild sleep apnea since grade school.
But it really kicked in in 2009 - after I gained about 100lbs. And weighted about 375lbs.
I was on a CPAP machine 2010 - 2013.
It took about 10 months after WLS and losing 130lbs to eliminate my apnea.
Somewhere around Oct 2013, I started noticing I my sleep without the CPAP was almost as good as with the CPAP.
A month later I was able to stop using the CPAP machine and have never used it again.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31195-blow-is-just-an-expression-cpap-and-sterilized-water/

The one thing that I've loved doing since surgery is answering questions on this forum.
And making Youtube videos, trying to help those that are as nervous and unsure as I was pre-op.
I tried my hand at blogging about my adventure, but my life got really boring and normal very quickly.
So I ran out of stuff to blog about. :-( http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018-gastric-sleeve-surgery-an-unexpected-journey
So now I'm trying my hand at writing books. :-)
Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!