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There is NO window of best weight loss with this surgery. Guess what? You still have a sleeve and 85% of your stomach is gone. You still have restriction, if you eat the right foods in the right order. There is absolutely no reason that you can't start over from scratch and make this work for you. It's entirely your choice. You didn't have a brief window of guaranteed malabsorption as with the bypass. Your sleeve is the same now as it was roughly one year out, because the work and effort (and pain) it would take to stretch it any serious amount would be ridiculous. I mean that - you may have stretched it an ounce or two, but there is no way it's giving more than that. And what's an ounce or two in the long haul? Not enough to sidetrack you forever. So, you've lost 100 pounds AND KEPT THEM OFF and cannot possibly consider yourself a failure. If you want to lose more, work at it, because you can do it. Do the five day pouch test. It's a bypass thing but the detox works for us, too. It'll be tough and you'll hate it, but if you get through it, and then start over with the basics you can do this. Track every single bite you put in your mouth, even those drinks. If you don't have a realistic picture of what you're eating, how can you expect to keep it under control? If you can't do the pouch test (I'm not judging, it'd be hard for me at this point, too) simply record your diet as it is now for three days, and adjust your calories downward again by 20%, eating in a good ratio (I do 40% Protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat) and within two weeks, you should have kick started your loss again. Once the loss stops, adjust downward again. And you know you should be eating dense protein first, then your healthy carbs, right? I guarantee that if you try to scarf six ounces of steak you'll have a problem. You've still got restriction, you've just to work with it, not against it. Do that headwork - do it or you'll always have trouble with this. Talk to a counselor or come here and vent, but do something. Get a handle on when and why you eat and try to learn better habits. Find a new emotional outlet and coping mechanism. Find a way to do things in moderation. If you approached your loss as a diet, strictly cutting calories and carbs down to nothing, it's unsurprising if you then fell off the wagon in a hard way. Isn't that what we all did prior to surgery? The sleeve isn't a diet. It is possible to eat a variety of foods, to never feel deprived, and to eat those perfect food choices 90% of the time and do whatever the hell you want with the other 10% and lose weight, and maintain that loss. Right now you're probably addicted to carbs...and food, eating in general. You've gotten back into bad habits. But even though it will be tough, you CAN pick this up and get to your goal. I fell "off" a few times during my journey and had to pick back up again. It's normal, until we learn that we really can have it all if we're smart about it. And really, congrats to you - you have lost 100 pounds and are in a great relationship with someone you love. You have no reason to consider yourself a failure, or to beat yourself up because you haven't achieved goal yet. Good luck, ~Cheri

I've never needed a card to order off the children's or senior menu. Most restaurants are understanding, especially since we're always ordering other meals at the same time. I've never had to go into detail about surgery - I just say I don't eat much and hate to drag home leftovers. Nobody has ever refused me. I couldn't possibly go to a buffet now. Not only could I hardly eat a thing, but if I've only got about twenty bites in me, I want them to be tasty, higher quality food - not bland and tasteless buffet fare. And I admit it - I'm a bit grossed out by all of the people piling high plate after plate after plate of food at a buffet. Can't help it - against my will I became one of those people: the judgmental (only in my head!) ex-fattie. ~Cheri

My BMI was 45 when I started and was higher (53) before I finally opted for surgery. I had high hopes that when they cut out most of my stomach, they'd leave behind a sudden love for exercise but that's not what happened. I still hate it, and will not lie - while I became far more active post op, traditional workouts and sports didn't happen. I still got to goal. I love the way my body looks and I have no real complaints. Loose skin was a given for me due to the amount of weight lost and a twin pregnancy, so I was prepared for it - and it's mostly around my middle where exercise might not have done much for it, anyway. Nausea was an issue for me, but only because I unexpectedly developed lactose intolerance post op. As soon as I eliminated the dairy, the nausea went away. The farther out I get from surgery, the more dairy I'm able to consume, though it's likely that ice cream made from milk/cream and cow's milk will always be off limits for me. I should also note that I had already started exhibiting symptoms of a mild intolerance to dairy prior to surgery, and the sleeve just sped along the natural course of things. It's normal to second guess. I think at some point, even once we're sleeved, most of us hit a stall or a rough spot and think we'll be the first ever real failure at the surgery. shakes can be a challenge but I love mine now and still drink one most days. You just have to find a shake you love and liquids you like mixing it with and you'll be fine. But the sleeve got me to goal and I couldn't be happier. I think once you learn your new normal it's easy to adjust. Good luck, ~Cheri

Miralax in the beginning...and oatmeal every few days now that I eat like a normal person. ~Cheri

I've never enjoyed eating first thing. For me, a protein coffee or tea is the answer, though if you're having issues with coffee it might not be your answer. I mix two scoops of Nectar (chocolate or vanilla) with tea or coffee (sometimes hot, sometimes iced) in a shaker cup and drink that up first thing. By the time it's gone, I'm ready for actual food. Maybe you're one of those folks that needs to start the day with a saltine before anything else. My mom is this way and always has been. She keeps sleeves of saltines around the house and has to eat one or two before she can eat or drink anything else. Weird. Good luck, hope you find a solution! ~Cheri

I think at some point - maybe that first Thanksgiving dinner or holiday party - everyone sort of misses the eating until you're stuffed thing. Or if not that, at least the ability to eat a bite of everything you want to try, instead of just the three things you have room for! But it's fleeting and for me it was easy to adjust to my new normal. I'm now on the other side and completely disgusted when I see people inhaling tremendous portions of food like there's no tomorrow. I never thought I'd be that person (the judgmental - if only on the inside - ex-fattie) but I can't seem to help it. More than two years of very small and now more reasonable portions and anything more than 3 oz. of meat or 1/2 cup of a side seems like excess to me. ~Cheri

Didn't experience this myself (the benefits of self-pay) but wanted to chime in and say that you're not alone. I've seen this posted before. I completely agree with actingnurse - honestly, why on earth would yet another diet make the big difference and somehow prove that cutting out 85% of your stomach is going to be successful? I half think they do it simply to get people to drop out and not have the surgery! The good things you can do in this time (and I wouldn't fret too much about losing, only be careful not to gain) are work on some of those emotional things that have helped us get/remain overweight. Try to pay attention to your eating habits and avoid overeating. This is something you'll have to do at some point so why not start now? And if you're at least tracking your calories, you're building a good habit that will help you achieve success post op. Good luck. If 1,200 calorie diets and extra exercise worked for everyone, none of us would have surgery. We'd be sporting skinny bods from our first round of Weight Watchers! ~Cheri

I never dream about food but did it briefly post op. I think you just miss chewing your meals and it messes with your head! I can tell you from experience that actually eating a sandwich isn't very exciting post op. It took me forever to be able to eat enough of one to feel like it was a worthwhile option! ~Cheri

Cottage cheese, seitan, tofu (in moderation), shakes mixed with soy or hemp milk, and my favorite: Protein coffee. ~Cheri

A plateau is being the exact same weight for three weeks straight. It takes your body time to learn how to deal with major surgery, drastic weight loss and a significantly lower amount of calories. I'm not saying this to tell you to stop complaining - we all get frustrated on our journeys. I'm telling you this because for some people (myself included) losing in stops and starts is our body's normal. I lost all of my weight for the month in about ten days. I stayed the same weight (with a three pound gain around my cycle) for the rest of the month. I lost, on average, just over six pounds a month. And I had two nine week stalls in the 17 months it took me to get to goal. So, my advice is to take heart in the fact that you're losing. Try to let go of the expectation that you'll lose every time you step on the scale. At least once or twice you're bound to see a small gain instead of a loss, and as you near your goal, you'll find that you stay the same weight more often, too. You'll lose. You just removed 85% of your stomach and can't help but lose if you do the right things. ~Cheri

Back up if you're feeling pain and discomfort. Return to the previous food stage until you do not feel pain. In my experience, it's more "normal" (read: common) for people to still be on liquids at two weeks post op. There are exceptions but on my surgeon's post op diet I never felt pain after eating. I felt like I couldn't eat much, but there wasn't discomfort unless I ate too fast or too much. ~Cheri

Since when is losing 79 pounds and keeping it off failure? If you aren't losing at the pace you'd like, but you are active and adhering to a healthy diet, you need to accept that you might just be a slower loser. I thought I'd be down 107 pounds by nine months out...it took me 17 months to hit goal. If you're not already, you need to track your food. Without changing your current diet, track every single bite you put in your mouth for three days. Then, shave 20% off your calories and return to a healthier balance (I do 40% Protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat) and if you don't lose weight after two weeks of doing that, come back and ask for help again. Odds are good you've simply fallen into denial or gotten complacent about your diet. It's normal - I think a lot of us that take longer to lose the weight do this at some point. Pick it up and get back to basics. If you've dropped your Protein shake, reconsider. It's a great way to up your protein totals for the day without adding a ton of extra calories. I always aim for 90+ grams a day. And be sure you're drinking Water between meals and not drinking a lot of excess calories (or diet soda, which isn't good for anyone) without realizing it. Diet alone should help you jump start, but adding in new exercise will certainly help. Consider finding something you can look forward to doing as a daily physical activity. I won't lie, I have trouble with this myself. There is no reason you can't reach your goal weight in your second year post op. Your sleeve is as big as it's getting. It's the same tool it was a year ago - so if you buckle down and get real with yourself you can reach your goal this year. ~Cheri

You look fabulous!!! Hope you had a great evening. ~Cheri

I was eager at about nine months post op to just do another cycle (we used IVF/FET for our two pregnancies) I'm glad we put it off because SO much changed in my body between one and two years post op. It seems like an eternity to wait but the longer you give your body to adjust the better. Between one and two years out, I hit goal and maintained it. Not critical, but because of this some other things worked out. I got over my Vitamin deficiencies. It takes a LONG time for your body to get it together once your diet changes so drastically. I didn't just feel okay, I got to the point where I felt darn good. I was just plain healthier, all around. Eating wasn't a struggle any longer. I could eat everything I need for me and for pregnancy. I wasn't living and breathing my menu for the day because I had to eat around the clock. So, the longer you wait, the better. I am currently pregnant and I can tell you that I never counted on feeling so darn sick this time around. I'm losing hair again - not huge amounts but definitely more than a few months ago. I just struggle with days where I'm so sick I can't eat anything but saltines and dry toast and days where I can eat a small steak, salad and some baked potato. So even at two years out I'm struggling with nutrition. The surge in progesterone doesn't only make me sick - some days it makes me HUNGRY. If I hadn't worked on head hunger vs. actual hunger I'd be eating around the clock. It's like PMS that never goes away...well, without the actual period. But the desire to just eat and eat and eat is there some days. And besides all of that? It's been a bigger mental challenge for me than I expected to expand. Oh, I wanted to be pregnant. I want this baby. But gaining weight, even two pounds? Not easy. Slipping into my favorite pair of jeans and realizing my belly has popped enough that I can't button them? That makes for a bad day, no matter how much you want a baby! These are just some of my experiences but they're things you should consider. A lot of women report increased fertility once they lose weight. Not everyone, though, so don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it once you do start trying. Some MTFs have programs where they do fertility workups and treatments. Oh, and BE CAREFUL with birth control. Many, many women get on here after surgery because their hormones are out of whack and their birth control causes unwanted side effects. I had Mirena and had to have it removed because I simply could not lose weight with it in. So if you change your birth control post op and notice an issue remember that our bodies don't always react the same as they did prior to surgery. Best of luck to you. For this year post op, focus on YOU. Lose the weight, get it all together nutritionally, shed the head issues that come with being overweight and get to goal. After that, start trying and focus on adding to your family. ~Cheri

OA can really help a lot of people. There's a great book, a very short read, about overeating called "Hungry" by Allen Zadoff. He's not a surgery advocate and didn't have surgery, but it does address his journey with overeating and how he overcame it. The sleeve WILL prevent you from eating massive amounts of food and it will do it from day one for the rest of your life. Eating enough to stretch it even the small amount it will give will cause you pain and you will simply toss the extra bites of food back up. This is not a pouch that will slowly give way to overeating. It will never stretch out to anything remotely like a preop stomach. That said, it's possible to eat just about any food with the sleeve, and we have no malabsorption. So if you make the choice to eat massive amounts of, say, ice cream or pudding, there is nothing to stop you. Nothing in the sleeve forces you to eat less calories, at least once you're healed. If you make the same poor choices after surgery, you will not succeed in reaching your goal. Sure, you can't eat a whole pizza, an order of wings and drink two liters of soda. But you could easily consume over 2,000 calories a day if you made them slider foods. I've seen very few people post about regains on here. I've seen a small number of people come back here because they've only managed to lose a third of their excess weight and need help getting back on track. There could be a larger number of people struggling and they're simply not admitting it out in a public forum. There's no way to know. Just like any WLS, the sleeve can only take you so far. I think the most important part of reaching and maintaining goal is working on the emotional/mental issues that make us fat in the first place. Beyond that, the sleeve really is only a tool that gives us the restriction we need to feel satisfied with less food. Don't hold me to it, but I'm pretty sure that every single time someone has posted on here with real issues losing, they admit to not really following a good diet. I know that every regain post I've seen has had to do with people not working on their issues prior to goal and being unprepared for life in maintenance. You would have to WORK at eating the wrong things to fail at the sleeve. But the most important thing any of us can do to ensure a fully healthy body and mind after surgery (and for the rest of our lives) is working through the baggage, not just aiming for a number on the scale. So OA, counseling, coming here - whatever it is that you need to do to work on things - you have to do it. If you don't, you'll get to goal and have learned nothing more than how to lose weight restricting calories and you won't have the tools you need or the healthy outlook to easily maintain. I, personally, LOVE my sleeve. It got me to goal. It took away my hunger and let me stick to the restrictive diet I needed for the 17 months it took me to hit goal. It gave me the time I needed to work on my emotional eating and overeating issues, which was much easier to do when food wasn't as appealing and it was difficult to eat much. I'm maintaining pretty easily and I now eat pretty much whatever I want but I do it in moderation. I'm normal, and I couldn't have done it without my sleeve. ~Cheri

Boy, my body stuck at 160 exactly for nine stinking weeks! It didn't want to move past what had been a previous low weight. But I hung in there and kept on and eventually broke through it. I think I blew through the 150s in only four weeks. So what I'm saying is keep going and it happens. There's absolutely no reason you can't keep going as long as you like, until 100% of your excess weight is gone. Once your sleeve is a year old, it's as big as it's getting. Good luck! I'm sure you'll blow past your doctor's more conservative goal if you work at it. ~Cheri

There's nothing to stop you from losing well over 100 pounds with the sleeve and I've seen posters here that have done that. I lost 107 pounds. Unlike a bypass, you do not have a perfect window of opportunity where you have the best malabsorption and an unstretched pouch - your sleeve remains the same from roughly one year onward. There is absolutely NO reason you cannot continue to lose weight until you've lost 100% of your excess weight if you adhere to a healthy diet. If you have less than 150 pounds to lose, I'd very carefully weigh the pros and cons of bypass vs. sleeve, particularly a blind stomach, stretchable pouch and a lifetime of supplements due to nutrient malabsorption. That said, every single person here chose the sleeve - so we're all biased and feel we made the correct choice! ~Cheri

I topped out at my very largest somewhere around 280 (I'm 5'1" and some change) but was 242 on the day of surgery. At goal I'm 135 pounds, but I currently weigh 139 pounds (I'm two months pregnant). ~Cheri

Thanks for posting and congrats on not only achieving your goal but maintaining it. I tell people that once your body hits it's "happy place" that maintenance is easy but most people don't believe me. You've done great! ~Cheri

I am thrilled, THRILLED to announce that we're expecting one little baby in March. I am so relieved! They did find what appears to be a disappearing sac, so it might have originally been two, but at this point it doesn't matter. Everything was measuring spot on and looks great. And as additional good news, as soon as I started weaning off my progesterone supplements, I lost three pounds. Ha! If that keeps up I'll be down to no gain so far, which wouldn't make me sad at all. The little one is measuring exactly right, and so long as it's growing I'm doing fine. I'm up a total of three pounds so far, which is fine. I did move into maternity pants, more for comfort than anything else. This is my third pregnancy and my belly popped out right away. Apparently my body knows what to expect by now. I'm still a six everywhere except my waistline so I could wear my own clothes, but those Bella Bands aren't really all that comfortable to me. I don't like having my pants unzipped when I walk around even if it's covered by material! My appetite has increased but what I want is grilled meat, vegetables and lots and lots of ice Water. I managed to eat an entire 3 oz. of steak last night, with half a very small baked potato and a cup of salad made with butter lettuce. It might not sound like much but it's far more than my usual capacity - close to double, I'd say. So yes, the sleeve definitely relaxes for pregnancy, which is good. If it didn't, I'd have to drink Protein shakes all day long to make up the difference! ~Cheri

Tricare isn't there to help and they can make everything more difficult than it needs to be. But the real issue is that Tricare doesn't cover VSG. At all. Ever. We all keep hoping that they will eventually but they don't yet. Your PCM can refer you off post but Tricare will deny you. It's not covered and they're not flexing on it yet. Hopefully next year. However, it's possible to have the surgery done at a MTF if they perform the operation. MTFs make their own rules on those "extra" surgeries they'll cover for training purposes or special programs. You just have to jump their hoops and get through the wait list. So to the poster worried about Tricare Prime expiring, it's a non-issue if you've got a local MTF that does the surgery. To the OP, your best bet is to see if you can have it done anywhere else in your commute area. But Ohio is scarce on bases. Maybe Knox? It's not too far, maybe five hours from WPAFB. I've seen people jump bases to have it done, but most of them seem to live within an hour or so of the other base or they have a different base that does the surgery near their home of record. You can always try, though. I lived in Germany and no MTFs were doing the operation. I took out an unsecured loan through USAA and after lots of research chose to go with Dr. Aceves in Mexico. I did research Dr. Curry in Cincinnati, though, so if you go the self-pay route, he's a nearby option and had a very helpful staff. Perhaps the next assignment will put you closer, or if your home of record is by a MTF that does it, you can always call and see if you can get it done on leave, though that could be a challenge if you don't have family to stay with for recovery and for visits you'd have to make prior to surgery. Good luck with whatever you decide. In my case, it simply wasn't worth the trouble and I didn't want to wait. I don't regret my choice to self-pay one bit. ~Cheri

Make it into hot and sour soup. Yum! I use chicken stock for the base, anyway. Oh, or egg drop soup. Yum! I, too, added plenty of spices to my broths in the liquid stage because you'd be bored out of your mind otherwise. The cinnamon on cottage cheese is good. I also stir in a tsp. of preserves sometimes. And don't forget that old ricotta dessert if you get bored of cottage cheese - I think it's ricotta, cocoa powder and splenda. ~Cheri

Go slow, but it's all up to your body. I still have a really tough time with salad if it's made with iceberg. I have to eat actual greens or it makes me sick. Steak took the longest - beef, in general, was the hardest for me to digest for a long time. I could eat it once I was cleared for regular food, but I could only eat a bite or two before feeling very full. Tonight I ate 3 oz. of a good steak, though, with no problem. Of course, if I couldn't do that at two years out I'd be a sad girl. Bread also took a long time. I still don't eat much of it. Not because I think it's bad or because I can't, but why waste my limited capacity on something that doesn't do much for me? I bake fresh bread and if I slice it thinly I can eat a whole grilled cheese on it, or half a regular sandwich (piled high). Bread, Pasta, tortillas and rice all swell in my tummy and it's very easy to go from feeling great to instant discomfort. So take those foods very slowly and stop after just a few small bites until you know how you'll do. Good luck! ~Cheri

I don't live here but I'm currently visiting Fairfield, OH. My in-laws are here so we visit several times a year. I researched Dr. Curry, too, (along with Dr. Nick in Plano, TX) but ultimately opted to go with Dr. Aceves. Dr. Curry's staff was very helpful and friendly when I was doing my research, though. We should do a meetup! I never get to talk to sleevers in real life. ~Cheri

It took me six months to drop the last twenty pounds. I stalled out not long before I hit that point for about nine weeks. Tracking is critical because it's easy to slip into denial about our eating habits if we aren't holding ourselves accountable. I sincerely doubt your sleeve has stretched. It's more likely that you aren't aware that you're eating more than you were when you lost best, that's all. I'm also 5'1" and a bit and had a dream goal (like, an "I don't think I'll ever get there but I WANT to goal") of 125 pounds, but I set my goal at 135 - the most I could weigh and be pretty close to a normal BMI. If I round up and say I'm 5'2" it works out better. The reality is that my body doesn't really want to stay between 134-137. It loves being 138. Exactly 138 pounds. I can eat anything I want and stay that weight. But to maintain the lower weight I need to drink a Protein shake every day, keep my protein over 90+ grams a day and really watch what I'm eating. Oh, and drink a ton of Water. If I'm not diligent my body slips right back to it's happy place: 138 pounds. It's incredibly frustrating. The truth is that regardless of what we want and what that stupid BMI chart says, sometimes our bodies are just done when they're done. You can force it to go farther if you really work at it, but sometimes it's a real chore to maintain once you're there. Please don't forget to take any excess skin into account, either. I will easily shed ten pounds with plastics and I know that. I'll be right there at my dream goal once that happens. So for now, buckle down and get real with yourself about how you're eating. If shaving 20% off your total calories for a few weeks doesn't help, you might be at that happy place. If it does help, you have your answer. Best of luck, ~Cheri