thebionicbroad

You know what I love about ONEderland? I have lived in it since sometime in 2008 and it has created a psychological barrier for me.
Maybe I am the only one (but I doubt that) who has found a way to justify higher and higher numbers on the scale all my life. Now, with this surgery, I have a hard stop on the horizon. I am currently back up 15 pounds from my ideal happy weight (I no longer talk about "goal" because I was a clueless wreck when I picked some random number which had no reflection on my health and looks by the way). So I know that I need to shed that 15, but I also know that if FOR ANY REASON I crest upwards toward that back door of ONEderland, I need to really give my head a shake.
Love your entry to ONEderland, own it, Celebrate it like I do. I take it pretty seriously too, I travelled here on a one way ticket baby and that is where I plan to stay.

You almost sound like you are disappointed you didn't get sick post-surgery ...
How much did you think you were going to be able to eat post-surgery?
What was your surgery date?
Are you following the basic tenants of post-surgery life?

No drinking 1/2 an hour before/after eating or during
Lean Proteins first then veggies

If you want to cheat, the sleeve is not going to stop you. You may have to do a little work upstairs to help the downstairs do what it needs to do.
Are you willing to make a fundamental change with your relationship with food?

It's a constant battle because our "trigger" foods light up parts of the brain, much like cocaine. For many of us, certain foods are addicting. The more you eat of them, the less they satisfy. So we eat more and more of them to give us the same pleasure. Terrible cycle.

Lizzy, part of what you're feeling right now is hormonal. Estrogen gets soaked up by the fat cells in obese women (hence the stereotype with facial hair and a deeper voice). When we have the sleeve, and are burning fat, waves of that estrogen are released into the blood stream. It will subside. I felt like a failure after two C-sections, wondering why I couldn't do it the "natural" way. Well, both of my boys would have died, that's why. Obesity is way too complex to be reduced to "calories in, calories out." You are doing it on your own...you opted for a medical procedure to fix a medical problem, just like a C-section.

I bounce like Tigger. Yesterday, 171.8. This morning 173. With no changes, cheats, etc. Every time I go below 172, I bounce. But every time I get back below 172, it's a bit lower. I just see it as the body fighting for all it's worth to keep my weight stable. And, no matter what charts say, I must be getting close to a normal weight for me. I'm giving myself until next December to get to goal, which is the 155 - 160 range. I hope I can get that low.

For those researching, I think a good question to ask your surgeon is how tight to the bougie do they sew.
 
Just because they use a 34 bougie doesn't mean your stomach will be that size. It is merely a guide and keeps them from accidently sewing the stomach too tight or closed all together. If they stay an inch away from the 34 bougie ... guess what? You have a size ~70 stomach. Enough to do a re-sleeve, for sure.
 
Vickie, I'm sorry you have to go through this. Good luck.

Its more of eating till you feel full of the RIGHT food choices.....this will ensure you stay within calorie goals. Personally, I would have stuck to the chicken and shrimp only. Cake is a gateway ...evil food

I'm almost 5 months out, and tried it two days in a row. Got sick both times, even though I can eat any other veg. I don't care if I ever look lettuce salad in the face again.

I don't know what this is, but I just prayed for you. I don't have to know, since the Lord does. God bless.

Dooter, that man is a KEEPER!!!!!!

I slept after my 3 pm surgery. In fact, it's all a blur. It took about 4 hours for the procedure, because it included removal of a Crap-band. I woke up in Recovery just long enough to say, "I'm nauseous," then I went back to sleep. The next day, they got me up to walk. I'm a KS girl, too! I still say that I'm from Overland Park. Good luck! You'll love your sleeve.

Susie,
I had my Band for 5 years, and was so sick all the time that I was living on cheese. I gained all my weight back plus some. I was also depressed, wouldn't go out, and refused to attend social events, especially with people who hadn't seen me for awhile. I started out every morning calling myself brutal names when I looked in the mirror.
Because of the complications, I had the Band out in December and a revision to sleeve. I am 55, and now weigh the lowest I have weighed since I was 20. I did go through a type of grieving process for food, I will admit. But I'm taking joy in the fact that I can eat tasty, healthy foods that I never could with the Band: White-meat chicken, cooked veg, cooked egg, etc. And my tastes have changed. So much of what I used to eat just looks NASTY now. With such a small stomach, I want what I put into it to give me the most nutritional bang for my buck. Crap food ain't it.
I have had no leaks or other complications. I haven't vomited once. I have followed the doctor's orders to the letter. I don't have to shop in the plus size area. I fit into stadium seats. I can march into a regular store and buy clothes off the rack. My thighs don't rub together. I'd rather have all these things than a table full of crap food. You have to decide what's best for you, and I urge you to do your research. I would do this all over again without one shred of hesitation. God bless you.

I'm proud of you, Carly, but why is that carbage in the house, much less being fed to your kids?! Do you really want to feed them the same crap that made us all fat?

Your doctor should have his license yanked. I deeply regret his scaring you with exaggerated falsehoods. I'm praying that someone tells you the truth before you develop the health problems that you will develop at your weight. God bless you.

I'm losing hair, too, but not by the handfuls. I know that it will stop eventually, so I'm not freaking out about it. I did it with both my boys, and every abdominal surgery I've had. Nothing can shake the joy of being the lowest size I've been since I was 18, and I'm old.

Good for you! My husband of 23 years has watched me try everything to lose weight and fail. This surgery has been a miracle for both of us. Keep us up on how you are doing!

It's a survival mechanism for the body called homeostasis. During times of famine, the body would hold Water and do whatever else it had to do to keep the body weight stable. Eventually, the water has to go, hence the drop. That's what "bounces" are, too. I will do everything right, and gain a pound overnight. Within a day or two, I'm down that pound and more. Fascinating stuff.

LOL Coops... hey, did you save those maternity pants? Now would be a perfect time to "kindly" return them.

Hey Down:
I had my revision done 4 months ago, and I'm still ecstatic. I don't know what your history with the Crap-band is, but mine was miserable. Now, with the sleeve, I can eat things like peeled apple, cooked broccoli, and white-meat chicken. Having a Band first helps one adapt easier to the eating style required by the sleeve. And I've lost more with the sleeve than I did with the Band. The feeling of fullness is different, as is hunger. With the Band, my stomach used to rumble. Now, I get a cold, tight feeling, and that's my hunger signal.
Tip #1: Use the blasted baby spoon that the doctor will tell you to use. I still use it. I carry one in my purse to use in restaurants. Bite size matters.
Tip #2: Don't buy too many new-sized clothes at one time. I buzzed through 18s and currently wear a 16.
Tip #3: Follow your doctor's orders to the letter. We revisions are 30% more prone to leaks. Do what he or she says. Without. Fail. Some people on this board brag about eating popcorn and pizza within a week after surgery. They are morons.
Tip #4: Get used to looking at yourself in the mirror. You won't believe the changes.

That's the beauty of this board. We are not alone.

Beautifully put. Family and food: Such a tangled web.

Hey Down:
I had my revision done 4 months ago, and I'm still ecstatic. I don't know what your history with the Crap-band is, but mine was miserable. Now, with the sleeve, I can eat things like peeled apple, cooked broccoli, and white-meat chicken. Having a Band first helps one adapt easier to the eating style required by the sleeve. And I've lost more with the sleeve than I did with the Band. The feeling of fullness is different, as is hunger. With the Band, my stomach used to rumble. Now, I get a cold, tight feeling, and that's my hunger signal.
Tip #1: Use the blasted baby spoon that the doctor will tell you to use. I still use it. I carry one in my purse to use in restaurants. Bite size matters.
Tip #2: Don't buy too many new-sized clothes at one time. I buzzed through 18s and currently wear a 16.
Tip #3: Follow your doctor's orders to the letter. We revisions are 30% more prone to leaks. Do what he or she says. Without. Fail. Some people on this board brag about eating popcorn and pizza within a week after surgery. They are morons.
Tip #4: Get used to looking at yourself in the mirror. You won't believe the changes.

He did my sleeve in December, and he and his team are wonderful! I am so pleased and doing well. Congrats!

Backstory: I'm 12 pounds away from the lowest weight I've been since I was 18 (I'm 55). I work mainly with three others: A skinny one with a potbelly, a skinny vegan who sneaks meat, and a petite slightly pudgy.
Petite pudgy looks at my lunch and says, "Everyday, the food level in your containers gets higher and higher." I look at her chips, PB&J, and apple, and tell her that I pack 2 -3 days' worth of food in one container so that I don't have to rush around every morning to put a lunch together. She rolls her eyes.
Skinny potbelly, who used to sneer as she looked me up and down, asked at an office birthday, "You're not going to have just ONE ice-cream sandwich? Really?" She is developing "bra bulge," and she wants me to eat crap.
Sneaking vegan grills me for signs of sleeve complications. "Are you SURE that you're doing okay? You're not sick?" Meanwhile, she eats mostly corn, potatoes, and Pasta, now with a bit of meat sauce.
Grrrr.

How about them Mets?