Miriam

I DON'T manage everything, to be honest. I only eat 4 meals a day (my NUT wants 5, but can't manage it) but sometimes I need to wait 60-90 minutes after eating to drink (especially after dense proteins) because otherwise it all comes up. So, yeah, I'm having some trouble getting it all in. But I'm trying to get as much fluid in as possible because yeah, dehydration is a much more immediate concern than not always getting in my multivitamins. Good luck with that!

Wait a bit longer - I was like this more or less the the whole first two months post-op (with odd moments where I suddenly did have head hunger), but at some point the food dreams did start. So you never know what might still happen...

Very possible - and I hope so, too. She's had so many ups and down - diagnosed with Stage 4 of one of the worst cancers out there, chemo + remission + return of cancer + chemo + remission + return of cancer + chemo + remission + return of cancer, etc. etc. - you get the picture. I think she's had chemo (each time lasting several months) 6 or 7 times in the last 7 or 8 years, as well as one period where she got radiation as well. She's still doing her best to beat it, and believe me that I doubt I'd be as optimistic and cheerful at this stage as she is - I had a much easier form of cancer to deal with around 12 years ago, and that one time was WAY more than enough for me. So yeah, I can only sympathize and pray for her recovery.

I'm 5'2" but with very light bones (as is my mother) so as low as my goal weight might seem, I'm pretty sure that's the right (albeit slightly optimistic) weight for my body. Highest weight (which is pretty much what it was the day of surgery): 225 lbs. Goal weight: 105 lbs. Am around 2/3 of the way there, but still have lots of negative thoughts as to whether I will make it and be able to maintain it or not.

It's possible. But we're actually really close and she's been through a LOT the past few years (multiple rounds of chemo, etc.) so I can cut her lots of slack that I wouldn't do for others.

Yeah, get the smaller size. You'll get there soon enough. I was lucky enough to have clothes all the way down to a size 14s, but now I've gone on a shopping spree and bought clothes for the next few sizes (I didn't want to go past a certain size because no idea if I'll get there, but I thought that 8 was a reasonable size to aim for - I hope!).

Wow, that's really poor. Makes my doctor look great, and I'm not that thrilled with him (but where I am, my options are extremely limited so I made the choice to stick with him for better or for worse). If I were you, I would send the doctor a registered letter with bulleted points about all the issues you've been having. He may never read it, but maybe his staff will actually take note and change their ways (probably being overly optimistic here, but never mind...).

Yeah, it's already happened a few times - I FELT like I was already ready for the next size, but my body told me differently, and sometimes it seemed like forever till I got down that half size. But it DOES eventually happen, it's just very annoying till it does. It's funny, though, this thing with perception of what size we are. I'm currently on vacation in another country and the people who are seeing me now haven't seen me since last summer (pre-op and at my heaviest then). Anyway, I've gotten some really flattering reactions, but the relative whom I staying with has been really funny about the whole thing. I was talking about going shopping at a bunch of different stores (for clothes, what else?) and when someone mentions a specific store, she says, "Oh, you won't find anything your size there, don't bother." I'm like, "But I told you I'm almost fitting into a size 12" (which the store definitely does carry), and she says, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to insult you." Okay, fast forward ten days or so and today she hands me a discount coupon for a large size clothing website - technically I could still order their smallest size (12W) and it would probably still fit me for the next 2 weeks or so, but really, I was a little annoyed because at this point I think it's pretty clear that I'm shopping in the regular departments now (such a lovely experience, I must say). I'm going to put it down to a faulty memory because her memory really is quite bad, but still, her eyesight isn't as far as I know But I digress. I can't wait to REALLY fit into the size 12s since my 14s are all really baggy on me, so yes, I do feel your pain - but as I said, this happened when I went from 18 to 16 and from 16 to 14, so trust me, you WILL get there.

Wow, wishing you luck in maintaing a healthy weight for you. I've still got around 35 lbs. to lose to my goal weight (which I don't think will make me look gaunt, but I guess I won't know till I hit it because I've never been there before, to the best of my knowledge) but I do see why you are concerned about this issue. Good luck and let us know how things go with the Carnation and Ensures.

Thanks - very cool! Some of the questions were indeed tricky, but somehow I managed an 18/20, so not too bad

Thanks so much for this, Suzanne. I'm almost 6 months post-op, and it's so good to hear the perspective of an "old-timer."

I've been trying out lots of different drink powders and unfortunately I'm not really crazy about most of the flavors. I've decided to give away the ones I particularly don't like and hope there's someone out there who does like them - the flavors are listed below. Just PM me and I'll respond to the first person / people - I'll be happy to cover the postage within the U.S. (I'll be sending whatever packets I have without the boxes to reduce shipping costs), but I'd prefer to do it ASAP as I'm leaving the country in a few days. Crystal Light to Go - Cherry Pomegranate, Fruit Punch 4C Light to Go - Lemonade Target house brand - grape Lipton Light to Go - strawberry-acai

I can't get that down almost 6 months out! So yeah, I think you're eating enough

I'm in the same boat as you - six months out but still not usually eating more than I was eating two or three months ago, which is maybe 1/4 cup of food at a time, never more than 4 times a day (if I try to get in more, I get very, very sick and miserable). I don't have a problem eating supper, but my Breakfast is usually super-small. As PdxMan said, this IS a challenge - for me it's probably the biggest challenge as I'm still having a hard time mentally coping with these amounts - I have always been a volume eater, naturally blessed with a big appetite and also having that increased by meds, but most of all just enjoying the taste of food. So now, having just a few bites and feeling full, I always feel like "but I didn't have a chance to enjoy it at all," not to mention that I always have to be super-alert to that full feeling (because as I said, I get very sick very quickly) which also takes away from the enjoyment. But I'm slowly getting there. On the one hand, I keep telling myself that I should be happy because this super-restriction is surely part of the reason why I'm losing weight so quickly. On the other hand, I really long for the day that I can just have double the capacity that I do now. K also worry about nutrition, as you do. And a teeny-tiny part of me (very teeny, because despite all the weight I lost, I still can't picture myself at goal) worries - and simultaneously hopes - that I'll hit goal and keep losing because the way I am now, there is no way I can up my calories to the number needed for maintenance. If this sounds all messed up, well, hey, it is, but I'd venture to say that most of us have had to cope or are still coping with all kinds of issues related to food and weight loss. Just my two cents worth...

How do you even GET IN 200 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbs a day? I'm not quite six months post-op, so a bit behind you, but I still can't get in 60 grams of protein a day, let alone 200! I know I should sympathize with you more, but I'm still trying to get over my jealousy at your problem - no offense, but all my life I've dreamed of having a metabolism where I couldn't put on weight no matter what I did! Seriously, as others have posted, you should definitely speak to your doctor and have bloodwork done. There may even be medical reasons for weight loss or lack of weight gain unrelated to the sleeve, which I once found out in a not so pleasant way. So this should be checked out ASAP.

I took it for about 3 months, tried to stop and like you, had major issues - I basically threw up everything I put into my mouth, including liquids. So now I'm back on it, although my doctor isn't too happy with that - he seems to think that at this stage (almost 6 months post-op) I should no longer need it, but I definitely do. Every morning I wake up with my stomach gurgling and unsettled, and it only calms down after taking my daily dosage. So I have no idea when I'll be able to get off it, but this seems to be a small price to pay in the greater scheme of things.

Dunno - just can't. I'm five months out - just went to a restaurant the other day. Ordered one of my favorite dishes - their lunch special of beef and broccoli with rice on the side (smaller portion than dinner but still quite big) and asked for it "to go" so I could just eat a little bit out of the container rather than having to bother with them wrapping up the leftovers afterwards. I ate a few small pieces of beef, one or two pieces of broccoli, and a few small bites of rice and felt absolutely horrible afterwards - even after throwing up most of it I was terribly sick till this morning. I thought I had gotten past that stage of constantly throwing up but clearly my I overate, and really overate. Today I had a LITTLE of the leftovers - one small piece of beef, a few stalks of broccoli, a few bites of rice - and still felt uncomfortably full. So yeah, unless I eat slider foods (ice cream for me) or really high calorie foods there is no way I'm getting past 600-900 calories a day. On the one hand, it's frustrating to still feel so restricted, but on the other hand it's good. I just have to remind myself that it's good

Here's another vote for ice cream - and I wasn't even much of an ice cream person pre-op, but now I find myself craving it way too often

My fantasy is being a petite size, flat stomach (my most problematic area!), and above all: getting married in my dream wedding dress which will only work with a certain type of figure, if you know what I mean. Don't know if any of it will ever happen (without a tummy tuck!) but a gal can dream...

After most proteins I find that 30-40 minutes between eating and drinking is not enough - I need at least an hour, sometimes even more, or else it all comes up. (And yes, I'm still taking Prilosec, 4.5 months out.)

I don't think it's protein because the last time I seriously dieted and lost about 35 lbs. in six months, my hair also started falling out at around the 4 month mark (just like now - somehow was hoping that it wouldn't happen this time) and believe me that I was getting in PLENTY of protein. I was on a low-carb, high-protein diet, and since I suffered from a huge appetite pre-op, among other things that to certain meds I take, I could eat half a chicken in one meal without a problem, and I tended to do this at least two out of three meals a day. So there's no question that I was NOT lacking protein, and yet my hair started falling out just like it is now. (I do think the hair loss is going faster now, but then again, I've lost a lot more weight this time around.) I did have good results with Biotin last time, so am hoping it'll work again this time. It's definitely a concern, but hey, still a small price to pay for the weight loss.

Well, I'm 5'2", have just gotten under 150, and am FAR from ready to stop losing - I know that on my frame (small to medium), even at 130 I'm not going to be anywhere near thin (I know because I was there about a million years ago). The truth is that a few years ago I lost quite a bit of weight dieting and almost reached 150, but was a bit smaller than I am now (I can't fit into all the clothes that I could fit into them, but I'm almost there). So it seems like even something simple like basing your goal weight on a weight you've previously been at doesn't always work. I'm actually aiming for - dare I say it aloud? - 105, of course have no idea if I'll actually make it there. But that's the whole point - everyone has a different body, different frame, different bone density, etc. so a weight that works fine for one person at a specific height might be totally wrong for someone else. I'm not going to mourn if I don't reach my personal goal since it's particularly ambitious, but I don't think it's a totally crazy goal either, based on what I know of my own body. Only time will tell...

Really enjoyed reading this. Just wondering: Do you think that there was anything specific that made your weight loss a bit slower than that of others, or was that just your "luck of the draw?" Not meaning to pry, just trying to learn as much as possible so as to accelerate my own weight loss...

Sorry to chime in here, but your house is GORGEOUS! I have to admit to some serious house envy in terms of both beauty and size - where I live nowadays (outside the U.S.), housing prices are insane and not a single square inch is taken for granted - and we're all hoarders... Sigh.

I was told that the first 15 days are the most leak-prone, but that leaks can occur even a year post-op - it's just not very likely to happen, so I'm not going to spend any time worrying about that one.