TheCurvyJones

My go to was pintos and cheese from taco bell or chili from wendy's. YUM. OH. At taco bell I would get a soft taco or burrito and refried Beans and bring it home, then dump the insides out of the burrito or taco into a bowl and mix in some pintos and cheese. Add a lil sour cream to that. Delish. That would last me days because I couldn't eat much.

I also liked broccoli cheese Soup and cream of chicken soup. Nothing with huge chunks. If you like salmon, try salmon salad instead of tuna salad with Pork rinds. Or hummus with pork rinds.

Cheeseburger in a bowl, if you are eating solid foods. Cook up some burger (beef/turkey/chicken, doesn't matter). Toss it into a bowl with some cheese and ketchup.

Instead of scrambled eggs I made deviled eggs or egg salad.

I also ran some ham n bean soup through a blender right quick. Not pureed, but enough to make sure there weren't any huge chunks.

All are super soft and will practically dissolve in your mouth btu are high Protein.

On 11/6/2016 at 6:39 AM, Bee healthy said:

Excellent!!! What do you contribute your success to? I read many posts from people struggling with weight gain and not feeling the restriction after some time. I am four months out and worried about putting the weight back on. Any advice for long term success?

My apologies, I never saw this post! I attribute my success with making sure I'm on plan like 80% of the time. The first few years I was pretty strict with myself. The longer I am in maintenance, the more confident I am in what I can eat and how it affects my body. I can look at something and just know that's not going to go well. I also NEVER push my sleeve. I don't stuff myself. At the first hint of fullness, I am done. Each time I have tried to push my sleeve I have ended up in the toilet. At 4 years out, throwing up is still gross! I don't like doing it and I don't like the way certain foods make me feel so I don't eat them. I still have great restriction and I respect my sleeve.

The people that I see that have gone through regain go through a period where they just want to be normal and live normal and fall out of those good habits we established right after surgery. We are not normal. Just because you lost a ton of weight and are now thin doesn't make you a naturally thin person with a rapid fast metabolism. You are still physiologically an altered person. We live our lives by certain rules and the sooner we come to grips with that, the better maintenance will go.

Not saying my eating is always stellar, because it isn't. However for the most part, I keep it high Protein, lowcarb. A treat here and there. I CAN eat stuff like bread/rice/pasta... but I fill up on that stuff so fast that I can't get in any good solid protein, and then I'm hungry again too soon.

Just remember: Protein and hydration, take a break when you need to. You'll be great.

I had my surgery Dec 21st 2012. It was at year end on purpose because I knew I would have all that time to recover. I could have honestly gone back in a week but I'm glad I had an extra week to chill. I've seen people go back in about 7- 10 days and do fine, but every person is different. Just remember to take it easy, no lifting for 10 days post op and if you need to sit and rest, do it. I felt fine but I was just tired. Around 8PM I hit a wall and I was done for the day. It took me a few weeks to really feel like myself.

The thing about the sleeve is longevity and consistency. The sleeve enabled me to maintain a low carb lifestyle much longer than I would have without altering the amount of food I can eat at one time. I would have long since got frustrated and gone back to whatever I was doing before. The fact that my body processes certain foods differently, the fact that my tastes have changed and that my body works differently now has worked wonders.

Also, weight loss is about much more than scale weight. Track everything... inches mean MORE than lbs. No one is going to walk up to you and say, man you look like you lost about 3lbs! They WILL notice those inches coming off! Are your clothes getting loose? Rings and watch rolling around on wrists and fingers? Unders flapping in the breeze??? My shoes started flopping off my feet and I was like... if I lose one more inch around my wrists and not a single inch off my thighs I am going to HURT someone! LOL.

But it came off. Slowly but surely, this race will be won. Track and Celebrate ALL of your victories, even the non scale ones. Those months when the scale wasn't moving, the inches were coming off like gangbusters and I was going through clothes like crazy. Some stuff I never even got to wear. I would go to the thrift store and get stuff two sizes down and be in them within a month. Before surgery it would take me five mins to go up and down stairs. Soon after surgery I was running up and down stairs. My back, knees, ankles didn't hurt anymore. Count all of those kinds of victories, keep a list of stuff you can do that you couldn't do before.

If you can get out and walk, do so. Take it easy, no lifting, nothing strenuous, but keep your booty moving, your mood lifted, your head high and shoulders back. The endorphins will help! You're DOIN' this thing!

And stay HYDRATED. Right now your biggest enemy will be dehydration.

I am more than 4 years out and my Sleeve is the best thing to ever happen to me. I still have great restriction and I tolerate most foods very well. I don't count anything, by this point. I know what I can eat and maintaining hasn't been difficult for me *so far*. I am in the unique position to still lose weight here and there, even being so far out. I have lost 20lbs in the last year and a half.

For the MOST part I can eat what I want. I avoid certain foods because I don't like how they make me feel. Like... I'll eat a cupcake but just the cake part because icing is too sweet, and probably not all of the cupcake. I can normally handle a bite of cake but... it's so sweet. I can look at something and just know that that is never happening. Cinnamon roll? NO. I can handle a couple bites of a waffle before it's too much. Last summer I ordered a pancake, ate half of it and needed a nap afterward. chocolate tastes funny. chips are salty (unless TOM is near and then I can handle chocolate and chips. WEIRD.) Ice cream.... well, I can eat plain vanilla. If it has fruit in it, the sugar is too much for me... goes right through me and it's unpleasant. I CAN eat bread, Pizza Crust, rolls and I love rice and Pasta but I don't eat it often because it fills me up quickly and then I can't eat anything else. And tho I don't worship food I do still like to eat. It also makes me sleepy.

I eat beef and pork, I eat chicken, LOOOOVE seafood. It's less dense so I can eat more and an excellent source of Protein. I also love veggies (I stick to green veggies and try to avoid the starchy ones though I am a sucker for corn!) and I eat salad about twice a week. There is nothing like a crisp, cold salad, especially a caesar or one made with romaine lettuce. I hate iceberg and bib lettuce. And arugula. Ick. I eat until I have eaten all the chicken or steak and cheese out of it and then I am done.

I don't snack often. I eat twice a day. I was never a big eater (getting fat was more about hormones and physiology and laziness than about the amount of food I ate). I don't like to eat in the morning, but since I like to eat dinner by at least 8PM, I am usually feeling empty by 11Am-ish ( I have been known to drag it out until 2PM) so I eat a hearty portion. I can eat about a cup of food, depending on the day. Right before TOM I am ravenous. Some days, esp during the summer, I am drinking protein smoothies because I just cannot with food right now! Then I head home and have dinner by 8. I am rarely hungry, so I don't skip meals but I don't shove food into my face when my body isn't asking for it.

For me, I needed to get rid of that worship of food, that waking up in the morning and dreaming of what I am having for dinner that night, that feeling that stuff isn't fun if food isn't involved and I needed to stop eating my feelings and my boredom. I'm still a nighttime mindless eater, so if I have snacky foods in the house, I will eat it. So I don't bring it home. I don't think about food unless it's a meal time. But f I am going out to eat.... I'm staring at the menu for about two hours before we even meet up. I have a small amount of real estate and I fill up quickly. I want the best option I can get for a reasonable amount of money (Tired of spending $30 on a plate of food I'm not going to finish). Sometimes that means ordering a couple of appetizer and calling it a night!

YES. .YES. YES.

My body lost its ever loving MIND. At first I was regular for the first time in my life. Then about six months out, I missed a period. Then it came back. FOR THIRTEEN HEAVY DAYS. OH MY GAH I thought I was DYING. Then it was regular for awhile and then it would skip. It took a while to regulate to every 28-30 days but now I can even use a period tracker so I can be ready. Before it would just come whenever and I would never know when, except my cravings for sugar and salt would go up.

I also have a fibroid, so my periods have stayed heavy but they did regulate eventually.

15 hours ago, 6'1Mommy said:

I'd love it to be active. I'm 3 years out and just want to know how others are doing. Are you maintaining? What have you found that still helps or not. How do you reset? How has your hair grown back lol...

11 hours ago, blerdymermaid said:

Did any of yalls incision scars keloid? I've never had a scar do it before but I'm not sure if it's possible since I don't seem to be prone to it. Also, if you lost any hair did it come back the same way? My mom lost some hair after her sleeve but she's permed and I'm natural so I don't know if her texture changed at all.

My hair grew back the same but I was always permed. I lost my "edges" and my hair grows slowly. As well my face is much thinner now so long hair looks weird on me. I wore a wig while my hair grew back, then I cut it short and keep it cut as it is easier to maintain. It does grow back though.

My scars did not keloid. In fact they have faded so much you can't see them. Surgeon did a great job on the incisions.

I lost VERY slowly. the first few months are kind of a crapshoot. But... the sleeve WORKS. Hang in there, stick w the program! try not to compare yourself to others. Your body is yours, your history is yours, your experience is yours. And if you are deeply concerned, call your surgeon/team.

I lost 8lbs the first week and then never more than 2-3lbs a week thereafter. I will be 5 years out in Dec, down 139lbs. it works.

Flew into San Antonio Thurs. Overnight in Eagle Pass TX. Driver came to pick us up Fri morning. Drove over the border to doc's clinic. Surgery around 10:30 AM.

Checked out Sunday afternoon. Flew back to Atlanta same day. Hit my front door around 8:30PM. Could have stayed an extra day but my folks were coming into town.

Likely, no one here is going to be able to answer your Q's. Important that you see a doc right away! One of my friends had her sleeve re-done because the original surgeon made mistakes. FIRST make sure everything is medically okay

Also, I drink carbonation very sparingly. I almost NEVER finish a drink though.

On 6/24/2017 at 1:01 PM, kathy51 said:

Thanks for the link to the Bariatric Pal Store website . I didn't notice it and it looks like it has lots of useful items. Has anyone tried vitamin patches?

I tried them but I don't FEEL enough of a difference to keep spending money on them. I am looking into liquid vitamins because those are the only Vitamins where I actually feel a difference.

I will be five years out in December. Living my VERY BEST life. I am 139lbs down. I weigh 133.9 (started at 273). I write books, I travel, I live well. All is well over here!

I eat Soup twice a week. Love it! LOL. You really do get over these intial OVER IT feelings eventually. Except for Protein Shakes there's not much I push away because I just can't do it anymore. Maybe eggs. But I'll still eat them.

Yeah I was not very happy about the every 28 days garbage. :/ LOL! I would have maybe 3 periods a year. I'm happy to be a normal girl but.. UGH. This is just a time when your body is correcting itsef. Hang in there!

Not much. It's worthless, really. It won't keep you full like Protein. Like, I love a salad but after I eat the meat and cheese out of it I am done. If I use it in place of bread (like a chicken wrap or around a burger) I will finish all of it cause it's just one leaf. I'm not eating half a head of lettuce just because.

Yes! I have PCOS as well. About 7 or so months in, I had a 13 day period. It was HEAVY and I thought it would never end but it did. Prior to surgery I was never regular. After surgery I still had long 30+ day cycles (with cycle day 1 being the start of my period). Over time I have become pretty regular, every 28-33 days. My periods are heavy because I have a fibroid so that adds another layer to things.

Surgery and rapid weight loss turns our hormones into a crazy factory. Your hormones are likely RAGING, but I have not had one that long since then. If you're regularly having very long periods, make sure you're being evaluated for other causes... but it's most likely the hormones from weight loss.

You go to your primary care doc in the states. You tell your doc the truth-- you had gastric sleeve surgery and he needs to monitor your health and Vitamin levels and if they give you any issues, you switch to a doc that knows what a healthy WLS patient looks like and is willing to help you lose safely and maintain your health.

Unless there is a complication, you don't need a bariatric surgeon to do your followups. You just need to be monitored at regular intervals. Try, though to connect yourself with a support group connected to a bariatric clinic or a doctor so that you're in close proximity to someone who knows our unique dietary needs.

The # 1 thing that brings me pain and nausea is drinking right after I eat. It takes at least a half hour to process whatever is in your stomach and have room for liquids. Give yourself plenty of time. I have to wait about 45 minutes, walk around and process before I feel like I can take in liquids.

If you're feeling that pain on an empty stomach, only with Water, it could be that your sleeve just doesn't like it. It SHOULD pass... the sleeve can be an adjustment. Try something in it, hydrate with other liquids. Or slow down. Sip sip sip. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Pace yourself. There's no such thing as normal drinking, post op.

It's frustrating but youre filling a balloon that doesn't stretch very far. As far as sliming... it's a sign of overfull or rejection. Sometimes a friend will eat a bite of chicken and the sleeve just does not like it... instant sliming and she has to throw up. Might have to do some experimenting and detective work.

A word on Protein shakes: they suck. But there are fewer ways to get in a large amount of Protein in one shot. Half my protein count every day was a shake or two. Even if you have to make them yourself, keep experimenting and exploring. For the first 18 months at least, we need them. My faves were from AboutTime. Great taste and 25 grams of carbs per serving. They mixed up well and for some flavors like banana, I added some extract to boost the flavor. THe Peanut Butter was my absolute fave.

As far as how long it will last, it varies per person, but these are things that resolve themselves with time. The "punched in the stomach" feeling sounds like your stomach may be too full. I get that feeling when I forget and gulp/guzzle Water.

How are you drinking your Water? My sleeve works best with ice cold. Some sleeves like room temp. You might try adding something to it... crystal light or Dasani flavor drops. It might soften the water a bit and not hit the stomach so hard.

Are you drinking too soon after having something else, like a Protein shake or something else? Sliming is usually a sign of being overfull. It could be a sign that your sleeve is still very swollen and you just don't have capacity.

If you do other liquids better (broth, tea, etc), make sure you're hydrating with them. Water can just be difficult for some. Like, I don't feel like water is a "soft" thing for our sleeves.

Another idea... you might try cutting it with some almond milk or skim milk... make it not so thick and dense. Not half and half but maybe 1/4th to 3/4th. Some people down the shakes with no problem but most of us have to do some experimenting and research and trying and testing to find something that works.

The Protein goal is something to work up to. Don't fret if you're not hitting it right out of the gate.. just keep pushing Protein as best you can. As you heal and as time goes on, your capacity will increase (don't let this freak you out, it's normal!). You'll be hitting that protein number in no time!

I actually never finish a Protein shake. I just cannot suck the stuff down after awhile.

Happy Holiday Season and a life-changing new year to all!

When you butt is boney and your feet are cold!

Absolutely this. Yesterday it was 64 degrees. I had on a sweater, a scarf and a wool coat. Someone asked if I was sick. Nope. Just a WLS patient.