Strangefruit

I admit it! Last night Ireally wanted to eat and went to a Chinese restaurant with the family and ate, ate, ate. Then I threw up all night and had diarrhea all day today. I really showed those goody two shoes people!

Dean that is such a misconception of my community. All cause I liked the musical episode does not mean I'm gay. Not all gays like musicals... It just happens that I liked that episode, wicked, phantom of the opera, Addams family, next to normal, little shop of horrors, Dr Jekyll and mr. Hyde, zanna don't, rocky horror, hairspray..... Ok so I like some musicals and Cher does not mean I'm gay! I mean although most of my gay friends do too.... Doesn't mean anything! I also like horror movies! So ha!

No need to cough - I saw your fav Grey's episode was the musical one ;)

Dean omg. I'm not otr lol I don't dig the ladies. But they are very pretty. I'm strictly ....... Uh cough

Get a room you two

I was "I can't believe you can wipe your own ass" fat. But not anymore, and part of my success was staying away from McDonalds.
Yay me.

I'm not attacking you, actually this statement is extremely enlightening. you have a different perspective then most of us then, because with VERY few exceptions all of us here have been fat, very fat, or super shocking how the hell do you even move fat.
You're opinion makes more sense now, but keep in mind - most of us got into a SHOCKING state of health eating those types of foods and so there is not going to be a lot of support here on this site for something like that and its not because they are silly. With your experience something like obesity help might be more fitting because there is more variety there, not to say that you are not welcome because you certainly are but it would be wise to keep in mind that you are talking to a bunch of people who FOR THE MOST PART were 100-200 pounds heavier than you EVER were.

Here is the answer to pages of BS....................................hmmm
You have NO idea how it is to be FAT then?

Maybe its because you have only been here a couple of weeks, but your post ( in my opinion) is insensitive and judgemental... People who need this surgery are not typically good at staying on diets, or are yo yo dieters who sometimes fail when it comes to always doing the right thing. I am a professional dieter, but after my surgeon had me on Liquid Protein skakes for FIVE weeks, even commercials for McDonalds looked like gourmet cuisine...
I think some come here to vent, some come to be talked out of a temptation because this? ...Is a SUPPORT group...
To say that people are "lacking in common sense" because they may need help to stay on track is just ... mean.
I hope if you have a rough day and are tempted, that you get the support you need and are not belittled.

Maybe its because you have only been here a couple of weeks, but your post ( in my opinion) is insensitive and judgemental... People who need this surgery are not typically good at staying on diets, or are yo yo dieters who sometimes fail when it comes to always doing the right thing. I am a professional dieter, but after my surgeon had me on Liquid Protein skakes for FIVE weeks, even commercials for McDonalds looked like gourmet cuisine...
I think some come here to vent, some come to be talked out of a temptation because this? ...Is a SUPPORT group...
To say that people are "lacking in common sense" because they may need help to stay on track is just ... mean.
I hope if you have a rough day and are tempted, that you get the support you need and are not belittled.

Maybe its because you have only been here a couple of weeks, but your post ( in my opinion) is insensitive and judgemental... People who need this surgery are not typically good at staying on diets, or are yo yo dieters who sometimes fail when it comes to always doing the right thing. I am a professional dieter, but after my surgeon had me on Liquid Protein skakes for FIVE weeks, even commercials for McDonalds looked like gourmet cuisine...
I think some come here to vent, some come to be talked out of a temptation because this? ...Is a SUPPORT group...
To say that people are "lacking in common sense" because they may need help to stay on track is just ... mean.
I hope if you have a rough day and are tempted, that you get the support you need and are not belittled.

I went to Chipotle and got a naked burrito bowl - chicken, cheese and mild salsa... I got 4 meals out of it.
I am looking forward to being able to add onions, peppers and other stuff, but for now its a very satisfying change from fish. I am trying to go high Protein and low carbs, so no Beans... Anyway, it was delicious!

I am six weeks post op... I have tried:
Bariatric Advantage
Premier Protein
GNC powder and ready to drink
Unjury
Oh Yeah
Chike
Syntrax
Muscle Milk
Max Protein
Rockin' Refuel
BSN Syntha
Syntrax Matrix
Protizyme
Nashua Nutrition
Click
BSN Lean
... and probably a few I cannot remember. And? I hate them ALL.
They are all too sweet!
I am almost LIKING Isopure zero carb alpine punch... It kind of tastes like (to me) cranberry juice mixed with a dry white wine... Served ice cold, it had a gag-free refreshing tartness.
If you are also having a hard time stomaching uber sweet shakes, you might like this. BTW, it's kinda pricey in my opinion...

Thank you for this post. I am 8 months out and I eat between 1000 and 1400 calories a day. I exercise 5 - 6 days a week. I have never had a stall and I consistently lose at least 2 lbs. week. I am down 114 lbs and I'm loving my sleeve!
My surgeon would prefer at I only eat 500 - 800 calories a day but I just can't do it. I don't understand how people do it. I am happy with my weight loss the way it is and I'm glad to see I'm not alone. Thanks again for the post.

So I am 15 months post-op.....
Just thought I would share my experiences and what life is like for me as a sleever in maintenance. I made my weight loss goal ( a very modest goal in fact...) at about 8 months out. So I have maintained my weight loss with ease for the last 7 months. I chose a higher goal than many sleevers for several reasons....
1.) easier to maintain
2.) no lose skin. That's right people, I have no lose skin, my butt is still round and the girls are still perky!
3.) I am normal, curvy healthy and average. That's all I ever wanted!
4.) I wear normal sizes. I am in a 12 and as a nurse I wear medium scrub tops and large bottoms. I LOVE BEING NORMAL. (preop I was in 2x and 24s)
I don't really care that my BMI is not "normal" it never will be, I am happy and healthy. My surgeon and primary agree I am in a great spot.
So what do I eat? a typical day is about 2000 calories. I was eating 1400 a day for weight loss.... I got up to 1000 cals as soon as I could post op so I wouldn't tank my metabolism. I don't eat low fat anything, I don't drink diet anything, no sugar free toxic crap. I eat small and healthy amounts everything. I have a vanilla latte everyday.I eat cheese at least twice a day. I eat lots of fruit and veggies and of course Protein. I go out to eat, have dessert a few times per week. I eat like a healthy, normal person.
I still have started a real workout routine at the gym... I have a fairly physical job as a nurse and I take the dog for walks all the time, I plan to workout at the gym this winter for health purposes.
All in all my point is.... I am so happy I was sleeved!!
below is a before and after.....:-)

This is exactly it. This is the real reason behind why the majority of people that regret surgery regret it. Some have complications that make the journey even harder. But this is the heart of it. Because people feel entitled to instant gratification when they follow a restrictive diet and mourn their old relationship with food. But it simply doesn't work that way. The time expectation gets almost everyone at some point or another, but how quickly we lose is NEVER a guarantee. So people vent that they don't see the results...but they're really saying the scale isn't moving and they aren't considering all of the other things that have improved in their lives. And the scale always catches up.
If it's worth anything, I've seen some vocal regretters on VST but I'm not sure any of them are out there living life in maintenance yet. Meaning, I can't be sure that they're done with their journey and won't feel differently later.
As for Krispy Kreme, there is not one single thing in the world stopping you from eating part of a doughnut. Odds are good your sleeve will stop you from eating a whole one. And yes, you will almost certainly have a reaction from all that sugar and fat. But you don't need to use the word "can't" when it comes to food. You could still choose to eat that doughnut. One day you might. I've been into Krispy Kreme three times since surgery and only wanted a doughnut once. I ate most of one. I felt sick but I also kind of felt that satisfaction of knowing that I made the choice. I am not denied any food I want. I tracked that doughnut and it wasn't worth the calories wasted. By the next time I was in a shop, all I could smell was grease and sugar and it wasn't even a temptation any longer.
So learn that balance. That's the real struggle here. Learn when to say yes and when to say no but never, ever give any food or food group a pedestal that builds them up as something you can't have or that you resent avoiding. Odds are good that half the foods you'd do this to don't even taste the way you remember. Trust me on that one! The only foods I have to keep very strict limits on are soda and popcorn. I never cared for popcorn much prior to surgery but it's one of my favorites now so I control my intake. And soda, despite how awful I feel from the sugar (we have REAL sugar here; no corn syrup) if I drink too much, is still a beverage that makes me want more if I have it too often. So I limit it to a small glass bottle once in a while, maybe once or twice a month, and it's not an issue.
You're doing this. What you shared is the start of the head work. Keep on and you'll not only reach goal, you'll understand why and how you eat and be able to change/control that behavior for good.
~Cheri

Well, Fiddleman - you da man! I'm tired just READING your workout routine! I thought I was doing ok doing 45 min. on the treadmill daily, but - geez! You rock!

I think, Cheri that you hit the nail on the head... what I am "regretting" is really mourning my relationship (albeit) unhealthy - with food. I am 52, and for over 40 yrs have had a love / hate relationship with food... I have "broken up" with food, loved food, gone back to food, and what I am feeling now is the inability to resume that broken relationship. I have to look at food differently now - food as nutrition, not food as comfort, as love, as entertainment, as so many things...
With the sleeve, even when I eat healthy food, I have to stop before *I* am ready...not when my stomach is sated... it is a hard thing to unlearn. My relationship with food is what I am mourning... I used food to reward myself for so long, I resent that when I really *want* something, I can't have it - even when I *think* I deserve it.
Last week, my son texted me to please stop by Krispy Kreme and bring home some hot donuts... I did and got a dozen... I did not even eat ONE as I was afraid the greasiness and sugar would cause dumping syndrome (which I have never had, but like a root canal I know I don't want it)...
And, I guess it bummed me out...that I couldn't even have ONE.
I needed to read the responses...you guys *are* right...I am off my blood pressure medicine, I am exercising daily and feel better, the scale is moving slowly, but I am wearing clothes I haven't worn in over 2 years... I guess I just needed to "say" it aloud - that sometimes I am sad that I cannot order pub fries and a margarita anymore for dinner...

I am 52 and was ALWAYS hot! Now, I am always bundled up under a throw or sweater... I guess some of the 48lbs of fat padding was keeping me warm!

What a powerful thread. I'm getting surgery in two weeks and like many of you, I'm noticing how much I'm dropping in the pre-op diet, and the "see, I can do this on my own", "do I really NEED this surgery?" thoughts are flying. That, combined with most people trying to argue me out of the surgery because they don't think I'm heavy enough for it (silly people, you just don't realize how much weight I can spread out on a six foot body), has me doubting myself at times.
But the fact remains, I'm 95 lbs overweight. I have fluctuated between 50 and 110 lbs overweight for 25 years now. This is not a new dance for me. I deserve a medal for being an expert dieter (Slimfast, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Atkins, Hcg, fat free, Soup diet, etc), and I deserve a bigger medal for Fastest Regainer, EVERY SINGLE TIME. In fact, I've never had a one month stretch of maintaining any level of weight loss, it's always an immediate give up and steady climb from there.
I know that I'm going to cry myself to sleep at night sometimes wondering why I did this. I know that I'm going to be the crazy ex-girlfriend with my bff food. But I'm also fairly certain that I'm going to wake up to life again and have the energy and passion that has been missing for too long. I'm not going to hide socially. And I will love not avoiding mirrors or seeking out the back row in any photo.
It's a huge step. I wish my life book would have a chapter about me losing weight naturally and keeping it off happily ever after, but let's face it, that's not my story. I'm giving it a slightly different chapter but still insisting on the happily ever after.

Baked ricotta
8oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1t. Italian seasoning
1lg egg
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup marinara sauce (I used 1/2 cup sun dried Tomato alfrado sauce
1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
Mix ricotta cheese,parmesan cheese, beaten egg, and seasonings together. Place in oven dish pour sauce over top then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake 450 for 20-25 min. 6 servings 88 cal. 4 fat. 3.3 carbs and 9.2 Protein
*I copied this from lindasue on a seperate post*

I am 52 and was ALWAYS hot! Now, I am always bundled up under a throw or sweater... I guess some of the 48lbs of fat padding was keeping me warm!

Don't get me wrong - I was sleeved on Oct 22 and am overall pleased with my weight loss... But sometimes, I wonder... I was on liquid Protein for five weeks straight... anyone who is on Liquid Protein for five weeks straight would lose weight.
I am now on a semi-Adkins like diet...No more than 30 grams of carbs and at least 60-75 grams of Protein daily.. I average about 750-800 calories per day. Anyone who ate 800 calories a day would lose weight.
I am on the treadmill EVERY morning for 45 min... again - anyone doing this would lose weight.
I guess when I *do* have the issues - and I am extremely lucky - I have had very little complications - I just wonder if I could have done this same behavior modification without surgery and lost weight.
Part of me says, without the surgery and my appetite being suppressed, I wouldn't have stuck with it. But another part of me wonders if I could have. If I could have done all of the above without permanently losing a big chunk of my anatomy and having to eat really really really slow or throw up or get indigestion... And, I feel like if I had done this without surgery, it would feel like more of an accomplishment. Don't get me wrong - this has still been really really hard... but I still feel like I had a leg up with the surgery.
I don't know... am I the only one who feels like this sometimes?