MsGal

I am 11 months post op, and have lost 79 pounds. I'm 6 pound to goal. Losing 10 pounds a month would have been a dream! I only averaged 2-7 pounds a month.
Sure, it's slower compared to some. But I will be at my goal at little over a year out. I may go for a stretch goal, and that will take me another month or two.
But absolutely none of that is going to matter in another year, is it? What matters is I got to a healthy weight that I can hopefully maintain for the rest of my life. And from what I gather, this is a cakewalk compared to maintenance! It's not a race to get to the finish line so I can relax and go back to my old habits like I did before. It's for the rest of my life. In the end, who cares how long it takes when you're looking at the big picture?

Hey Daisy, Wow, timing with your birthday and holidays; you've got a tough end-of-the-year to deal with! I think you'll do fine in restaurants; there are so many choices and it's so easy to make good ones, or, as in my previous post, turn a not-so-good one like a burger into one that works for us.
I get the good day/bad day stuff, believe me and my trouble time is at night; when my husband likes to munch on crackers and nuts and stuff. Even nuts can be bad if overdone as we well know. I NEVER used to eat at night, not even at my fattest. UGH!
If the carbs are bothering you still so much; maybe try that pouch test thing or just no carbs for several days? Now that the holidays are pretty much over it might make sense.
Here's a link to the True North thingies; I find much better prices at the wholesale clubs - we have a BJ's here. There are two mixed nut kinds; one with cashews and one without. I can't taste much of a difference so I get the one's without to shave off a carb or two and they are cheaper. www.truenorthsnacks.com I just looked at their home page and ooo! they have other varieties too! Will have to look for them!
When we received carbs for xmas (tons) we gave them away before they even made it home. Not easy but had to do it. Fortunately we live and work at a Boy Scout camp so getting rid of this stuff is easy and much appreciated!
You know, about the five pounds, maybe that is where your body wants to be? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? You haven't gained any more through the holiday/birthday plight, right? How about your gym time? Are you mostly pumping Iron or do you have a good amount of cardio in there? Maybe a few more minutes of cardio if you think you need to drop it back down.
My heart truly bleeds for your sleeved nurse friend. I wish we could help her, I really do. That is so sad, I wonder what's really going on with her?
Take good care and let me know if I can do anything else to help.
C

Hey Daisy,
Ok, you're well into maintenance too so I'm going to call it like I see it here. First, you're doing great avoiding the evil white things and I think that is something we will battle with for the rest of our lives albeit NOTHING like before. It should be getting easier for you now, I know it is for me and mostly has been. That said, if I'm dying for something, I have it and get it over with. I don't have the whole (or even half!) key lime pie, I have one or two bites, kick myself in the butt and move on completely satisfied. If you continually deprive yourself, the future does not look good for the long term.
Regarding your friends and their eating habits; meet with them at some other time of the day and/or eat with different people at least for the time being until you're feeling stronger about the head hunger. I know, easier said than done, get real, right... so.... tell me whyyyyy you have to have baked (ick) fish and not a nice burger?? They are low carb, afterall as is the cheese and even the... :omg_smile: bacon! I have burgers, or at least a few bites of one, more than a couple of times per month. I never order fries but don't hesitate to steal one or two from another plate if I absolutely must. I order cole slaw as my side and don't eat the bun. Talk about satisfying and I have another meal or two of leftovers to pick at or give away. I eat the guts of Reubens and Cuban sandwiches, tops of pizza, innards of philly cheesesteaks and so on and don't feel deprived whatsoever.
For the 'MUSTHAVEITNOW" sweet craving I adore True North clusters; 6 of them with I think 8 or 9 carbs and omg satisfying and filling. My problem is I have a hard time with just 6 of them. I have been known to keep such things in my car, in my hub's office (we work together) or anywhere but nearby which is probably self defeating but it works for now. Was it you or Mini Me that mentioned the 100 calorie (4 carbs) packs of cocoa almonds some time ago? Delish. I like the salty stuff too and was getting carried away with cashews to the point of not buying straight cashews anymore but rather deluxe mixed nuts that have plenty of almonds and pecans in them. I also buy plain, raw pecan halves and munch on them too. I love turkey Jerky and the regular stuff. I make deviled eggs on a fairly regular basis but my family usually wolfs them down before I get too many of them. I make homemade Soups that last for days. I keep two or three good hunks of cheese in the fridge. Eggface's crustless quiche thingies are a Godsend. I try to make it easy to hone in on good stuff for myself.
I say munch away, just do it right. Are you gaining? It doesn't look like it. When you have these cravings, eat something, just eat something good and maybe even sweet, just make good choices. You know it's not that hard now. Also, with the exercise you are doing (woohooo!!) you can probably eat more than you think you can without seeing more than a little fluctuation. And you know what to do if it turns into more than a little fluctuation... We have so much more control over things now; give yourself the benefit of the doubt, you have to figure this out for the long term sometime soon.
Oh yeah, I think about food more than I should too; not long after meals in particular. I think this happens because it goes through us so fast and we are in the percentage of sleevesters that DO feel hunger. When I know better, (likely acid) I try and ignore it and it usually passes or I'll pop a few nuts or a piece of cheese or a hunk of jerky. So far, so good.
Hang in there chick, we can get through this!
C

Hey Daisy! I love your well thought out posts, thank you for them. I hope we can get this one in particular pinned as I am always wondering about others' maintenance strategies.
I was sleeved 11 months and a day ago and maintenance for me thus far has been love/hate to say the least. I stopped losing in the first part of September, three pounds from the goal I set for myself. Mind you, this "goal" was just a number that sounded good to me and had no scientific basis whatsoever. I fluctuate now betweeen 153.2 and 156.8 on a daily basis and it makes no sense what it will be from one day to the next but I am happy with it! Like Jolanda said, a couple of pounds one way or the other makes a huge difference with me too; especially in my boobs and hanging skin. If I lost more it would come straight off what's left of my boobs without a doubt. I now wear size 4 or 6 depending on the brand and my waist is 30.5". I am 5'7" tall. When I lay down my ribs stick up higher than my former DD's. They are now what I call B pluses! I have no butt. I wear a men's small tshirt.
All that said, I realized the other day that "hey I've been maintaining now for over three months and it has not been hard at all!" I absolutely CANNOT say that healthy eating has become such a habit that I have no desire to snack. In fact, it's quite the opposite for me; meals are such a non-event with becoming full so quickly that I pretty much snack, well, not all the time but most of the day. I do make good choices, however, with LOTS of nuts (read; crack!) cheese, Jerky, berries, dips, leftovers and the like. I have had ongoing issues with acid too so I am a little more sensitive than most to how my stomach feels; it's tough to remember that the acid slams that I get will pass in a matter of seconds and not stick something in my mouth in the meantime... I quit taking ppi's some time ago and also stopped neutralizers as the rebound acid was not worth it. I have cut way back on Gaviscon also and usually only keep them around for post coffee... Overall, the acid battle is getting much better but I still have a little ways to go with that. I still drink Protein shakes on a daily basis, in the morning to ease the overnight acid primarily and for the overall benefit. (EAS carb control and Tight Curves all 3 flavors are the only ones I actually enjoy fwiw)
Sometimes I am surprised that I can get away with the way I eat, mainly with the munching and I know that I had better keep my head on in that regard for the long term or I am screwed. Daisy, you mention chips, candy, etc.; those are things that I WONT keep around but luckily I really don't crave them much anyway. Do yourself a favor and get them out of your house, now, girlfriend.
Anyway, here's where I start to feel like the lone ranger of VSGer's... I am still highly carb conscious but about a month ago, something had to give. I still ride my bike over 100 fast and hard miles per week which was helping to just destroy the fat along with the sleeve. But a few weeks ago, I would get 6 or 7 miles into my 30+ mile rides and started having dizzy spells so bad I would have to stop and sit on the ground for several minutes until they passed. I felt like I was going to black out. On the rides when the spells didn't happen, I was just dying with no energy and just not having any more fun. My stats were getting worse and I was getting frustrated beyond belief as I was not going to quit - the exercise HAS become a fun habit that I look forward to - so, after much brain drain, I kept coming back to carbs and hitting "goal" and simply not having the fuel left in my body for the expenditure of my rides. So, dragging my feet, I have added a reasonable amount of carbs back to my diet going from 50 or 60 per day to at least double that. Some sports people recommend MUCH more based on my rides but I just can't bring myself to add in any more. I am eating more "mainstream" like a couple of bites of the crust of pizza rather than just the top. An energy bar here and there. A few crackers. A couple of bites of rice from sushi. Even a bite or two of a dessert here and there. And honestly, I am scared shitless about it!! See, I have not had trouble craving-wise living without carbs and I really didn't want to go back to eating them. However, so far so excellent! My bike rides are raging once again, I feel great and I am not gaining weight. I just pray for the long term but I feel oh so very positive about it right now. I still generally avoid them, I haven't eaten really any Pasta since my surgery, rice only in sushi, a few french fries here and there is my extent of potatoes...
I am totally rambling here, sorry for such a long response but you really hit a nerve with me on this one. I can't wait to hear what the others have to say.
Merry Belated and Happy New Year!!
C

This is so normal that I didn't even have to open your post to know what it said. Anything titled remotely close to "week 4 and concerned" is going to say something like "I lost a lot of weight in the first couple of weeks and haven't lost anything since. What am I doing wrong?"
Seriously, do a search on this forum for "three week stall" or "week 3 stall" and you'll see multiple posts about it almost every single day. The best thing you can do is stay off the scale for a few weeks and keep following your plan. As the others have said, your weight loss will start up again and everything will be fine, but jumping on the scale frequently won't make it happen any faster! Rest easy in knowing that you are perfectly normal and doing everything right

Hey buddies, hope u are all doing well. Today was day one of purees. Anyone have any good recipes to share? I had mashed potatoes and then some tuna for lunch. I have been dragging a$$ without Protein (clearly not getting enough). I just pureed a small sliver of quiche tonight and it is actually pretty good. My weight loss is slow since last week when I added more Soups, just 2.4 since last week, but 26 lbs from start of pre op diet. I know I need to practice patience. I miss food, but was prepared to feel this way so I am not blind sided by it. How is everyone else doing?

Band removed & Sleeve done 5/27/14. Mind you I was first Banded in 2010 then Band replaced in 2014. I had success in the beginning with the Band, then the slips & not being able to tolerate food. Also the Band is not a FOREVER thing in which is not told in the beginning. I work in the medical field & 3 Nurses that had the Band for 7 plus years revised to sleeve & the Scar tissue from the band had started attaching to the Liver. My scar tissue wasn't bad at all being that I just had it replaced in 2014. I'm in the healing process but thanking GOD everyday that I not only maintained, but that I'm making it through day by day. Much success to each of you.
Correction 5/27/15 revision

I had my revision surgery on tuesday the 16.They took the band from hell out and revised to the sleeve.I had some scaring and was having problems not being able to work out from the discomfort.I stopped taking the pain medicine fri night .I am on day 5 of the liquid diet taking the clear Protein Drinks they are Isopure and insure makes a good one.I am a little weak but the hunger hasnt been that bad.I look forward to yogurt and milk with my Protein Shakes and finaly some coffee. on wed.I am in the houston area and could use a buddy for support and advice.

Hello Buddies! I am just over 3 wks post op band to sleeve all in one swoop. I'm down 25 lbs from the post op shakes until now. I'm not really losing much now but I think that's because I'm having a difficult time getting enough Protein. Otherwise, my recovery has been pretty smooth sailing and I was back at work after 1 week. I too had a lot of scar tissue surrounding my port as well as hiatal hernia repair during which seems to be a common trend I have read. Looking to find some support from others going through this process ☺

Hi there! I would love to join this little support group. I'm having revision from band to sleeve on May 29th. I live in Minnesota and looking forward to connecting with others going through this journey...near and far.

Hi and congratulations! I bet you find out the sleeve is nothing like that dang band! at least it wasn't for me. I had the band for 10 yrs and the most i lost was 40 lbs. It finally broke completely and I had the sleeve instead. Best decision ever! I've now lost 106 lbs and about 20 lbs from my goal. Good luck with it!!

SO proud of you..... My band is being revised to sleeve next week. Hoping for great success. Keep it up

I've had the band 1.9 yrs.....been throwing up for 1.5 of that time. Having the revision on 21st of MAY! So glad to hear everyone's story. This gives me hope..... ready to do it!

You look amazing. I am soooo inspired. I am getting the sleeve next week. I hope I have the same success

You look awesome! Thanks for sharing and encouraging

Today is my surgery anniversary. So glad I made this decision for myself!

size zero almost danced around dressing room.
@@AvaFern
did you say size zero???
i can't even pronounce that word!!!!
you have done great!!!
110 lbs down!!!
keep up the good work for the rest of your healthier, longer, life
i know you will
kathy
congrats

I started on a journey to health after seeing myself in pictures of my son's wedding. Between health issues and lack of energy I had nearly given up and accepted life was just going to be as it was. And then I decided NO. It will not be luke that. Life can be so much more.
I began slowly losing the weight. Watching what I ate. Mixing all the facts I've learned over the years from dieting. I lost about 20 lbs on my own. Not quite what I had hoped for. Lol
I decided to take the plunge and get serious so I could play with my grandbabies. Get on the floor (and know I could get back up without assistance.)???? I was sleeved on 2/27/15. Pre surgery from highest weight I lost 30lbs total. Post surgery I have lost 42lbs for a grand total of 72lbs. What an amazing journey this has become. Well worth it all.

When your husband starts calling you "Hottie" in front of all your friends!!

When your old clothes fit you like MC Hammer's balloon paints.

You can answer, "Either is fine with me.", when asked, "Would you like a table or a booth?"

My revision is May 18th! I'm in Dallas, I'll be your surgery buddy!

Sounds great! About to start my pre op diet on Tues. We can do this!!!!
we will both do great! Pre op diet starts this wk.

I'm being revised on May 18th! Would love to be your buddy!

I've had the band 1.9 yrs.....been throwing up for 1.5 of that time. Having the revision on 21st of MAY! So glad to hear everyone's story. This gives me hope..... ready to do it!