TheCurvyJones

Pretty early on... a few weeks out. It's actually pretty cool to feel it go down, all warm in the tummy. coffee was not prohibited on my surgeon's plan.

Two things- yes it will affect your loss. Your body will burn that alcohol before it burns anything else. THe people that I've seen going through regain MOSTLY have issues with alcohol. It's a lot of sugar and carbs, and even if you choose a lower carb option, choosing to drink less often will help in the long run,

Secondly, transfer addiction is REAL. The number of patients I know that drink most nights or every weekend is HIGH. A gal I know had to have her lapband removed because she couldn't eat so she drank herself sick. Maintain control, don't let your drinking get to that point. Alcohol is not a coping mechanism. It's not an outlet. Use it sparingly.

I would hold off on a lot of alcohol until you're MUCH further out, which is not advice anyone wants to hear but... yes it will affect your weight loss.

Yes, very. I wish surgeons told patients that the hydration goal is something to work up to and not something you'll be able to do right away. Keep a beverage near you and sip, sip, sip. Make it a point to drink more tomorrow than you did today, and more the next day and more the next day. It takes some effort to get in 64oz at first.

I feel like a patient every single day. I strive to never NOT feel like a patient. I've seen a lot of people move away from the community once they started to feel "normal" and eat normal... we aren't normal. You can't eat like Sister Skinny over there... it doesn't work like that for us. So, I make it a point to feel normal, to be thankful daily for this tool that keeps me on the straight and narrow. I have a LOT of restriction at 4 years out so if I even attempt to forget.......I get a good reminder about 4 bites in.

Welcome back. How have the years since surgery been?

Amazing. Truly. I surpassed every goal I ever set for myself. The Sleeve is a game changer... best thing I ever did for myself. I keep taking care of it and she still works lke a charm.

used to hang out in the Vet's forums so....howdy!

@@TheCurvyJones

howdy back at ya!!

Nice to see a "new", oldie in the neighborhood

you reached goal losing 128 lbs!!

terrific

VETS come and go

but the good ones always come back!!

looking forward to your "words of wisdom"

kathy

Thanks for the warm welcome back!

Hmm. Can be high in sugar but natural Peanut Butter tends to be lower. It has Protein as well. I think the consideration is the delivery device.... can't eat crackers or celery or apples or bread, all stuff you eat Peanut Butter on.

If you're just looking for the flavor you could try adding PB2 or some peanut butter into a shake. I drank peanut butter shakes like they were going out of style.. it's my fave flavor!

As far as it being safe, I mean.... aside from the sugar content it's not a no, in my book. Could always call your surgeon's office and ask!

Also I agree with Alex that it will hurt like a mother effer at 9 weeks out. At 9 weeks I was just barely getting in solids... don't feel like you're the only person at the kid's table! Your progress goes as fast as it goes and while I think people should be open to seeing how their sleeves can handle certain things i also dont believe in pushing or testing the sleeve.

The sleeve is your new boss. I call mine Jelly and she's a DIVA. Some days a sprite zero is gooood to me. Some days it makes me wanna hurl. Depends on the day.

I drink them. And sparkling Water. I didn't START drinking them until I was about 6ish months or so out, as the carbonation was a bit much for me. My surgeon advised drinking it out of a glass with a straw and LOTS OF ICE. Let the carbonation settle and the ice melt a little. Will be less of a shock on your sleeve.

He has never seen carbonation cause any issues with a sleeve, however MOST sleeves don't like it, it's an irritant. Usually if I let the bubbles fizz out a bit I am fine. I'm also several years out.

I still never finish a drink, though and going out, I made myself stop ordering them because I have to wait so long after eating that I never get to it. If I drink before I eat I am too full to eat. So I have them at home, with takeout and most times I don't finish it.

I agree with the gas diagnosis. It's hard, isn't it? When I thought I was taking small sips I wasn't!

Most cereals, hot or cold will be high in carbohydrates and made of wheat/contain starch. Very early on, I ate cream of wheat, because I wasn't counting carbs and I needed a few.

At a few months out up to a year out, unless it's something that's on your surgeon's list of foods you should eat, I would (personally) avoid it.

If your surgeon says it's no problem, I would ask him/your NUT for suggestions. All of them are going to be carb heavy. I at least try to look for some Protein and dietary Fiber. Study those labels and COUNT THE CARBS.

You can take all of that (check with your surgeon of course) but none of that is restricted for sleeve patients.

This doc is helpful! https://www.slhn.org/docs/newsletter/bariatrics%20-%20coughcoldflu.pdf

ETA- After the first few weeks, pills should not be a problem either, so long as they're not horse pill antibiotics. Even then you can cut them in half to make them easier to swallow.

Someone recommended me a space heater but I'm scared of those too.

I have one at work. It doesn't really get hot enough to set anything ablaze. You can also get the ones that turn off and on on their own. I can't deal without my space heater.... the air blows right over my head at work!

Dear gawd I am so tired of being cold. Taking down the suggestions!

So much going on, didn't know where to jump in but I remember I used to hang out in the Vet's forums so....howdy!

How ya doin'?

BE.com has some real, in your face truths about bariatric surgery. I refer people to them A LOT.

I haven't been here in so long I don't know where to start, but I'm a GA sleever so I guess here is as good as anywhere!

Just checking out Bariatric Pal after a long time away. I was sleeved in Dec 2012 in MX with Dr. Alvarez. Reached my goal in 18 months. Now sitting at around 35lbs under that goal.

Maintaining my loss, feeling good except I really need to be more diligent on my Vitamins and Iron. Feeling very small... and still have lots of good restriction. WLS was the very best thing I could ever do for myself. So happy I did it.

I will be there! My surgeon is the keynote speaker!

I have PCOS. Was sleeved on 12/21/2012 and achieved goal 20 months later. Then dropped about ten more lbs and now I am hovering. It was tough... really difficult to stay positive but the sleeve DOES work, even for us!

The first thing that corrected itself was my cycle. Except for a few blips here and there, in the past two years my cycle has normalized from 60+ days to 29 days. I mean, not that I really ENJOY this regularity now.

I'll tell you what really made the difference for me was strength training + cardio. I LOVE Cardio but I saw good drops when I picked up weights.

My surgeon didn't give me a goal until I asked for one and even then it was the standard 'normal BMI range'. I don't think I'll ever get there, honesty. That's probably too small for me anyway. I hit my personal goal over the summer and he is happy with that.

Weight loss surgery is for ONE THING. Weight loss! Everything else is gravy-- diabetes going away, coming off of blood pressure, pain meds, what have you... those are all BENEFITS to WLS but they are side benefits, not intended results. Were you overweight? Did you lose weight? Are you at a healthy BMI?

Are you still alive?

Congratulations, you're WLS success story. That particular doctor defines success as WLS Solves All Health Problems. If it didn't heal your broken toe, it didn't work and you just 'survived the surgery'. Do us all a favor: drop that doctor and drop that friend that suggested this site does nothing for you. Hundreds of thousands of members completely disagree with her!

I don't save anything that isn't a big hunk of meat. I won't eat it. Then again I live alone. I'm just sick of throwing out containers and baggies of food! What a waste. Most of the time unless it is meat I don't take left overs.

I always ask myself if I am or was a certain person's size. That habit started long before surgery when I would use comparison to determine if I was THAT FAT or THAT FAT or NOT THAT FAT. It's crazy, but over time I have stopped doing it.

I'm only 4 days post op and i ate 1/4 cracker yesterday. I sure did...And i swallowed it. Went down without a glitch and made my entire day better.

I ate crackers from day one with surgeon's okay. I held them in my mouth for awhile and then let it slide down. It helped.

It is ODD... I've never been able to NOT swallow something. But as far as it pointing to a psychological syndrome... I think folks become a bit too dramatic. You miss the sensation of chewing food. That's it.

WHen you are further out your realize that all those pre-surgery judgements and ideals you once had kind of fly out the window. At almost 2 yrs out I shake my head at myself and the things I had to say about people who did the stuff that I do now.......because I am at the point where I can handle that.

I would caution you... do what you need to do but this is your foundation. Try to stay on plan.

Hi! First of all, yes to everything! You'll find that as individual as your journey is, many of us will these idiosyncrasies in common.

Our sleeves are an organ just like any else, susceptible to changes in atmosphere, environment, altitude and whatnot. If you've ever known a LapBand patient, you know that sometimes when they fly, the band becomes tight because the stomach swells with altitude. Same for us. The change of the seasons, hot, cold, not feeling good or just general my-sleeve-is-being-a-diva days... my capacity varies.

As far as capacity, this will vary. A half cup to a cup is probably the most you'll ever be able to eat, again with variances for those days when you feel like a bottomless sleeve. It's important, though to note that OVER TIME, our capacity changes. Years out your sleeve might naturally expand a bit. That's why it's essential to keep your portions under control. 2 to 4 oz of food at a time. Take your time eating. Focus on your Proteins, those will keep you full longer. These habits will keep your sleeve from growing to a capacity that you're not comfortable with. YOU are in control YOU, not your sleeve decided how much you can eat.

Slider foods... I have a few but it will still take me a half hour to chomp down a snack size bag of doritos. I will fill up fast... but then it literally slides right out and ten minutes later HEY I can eat a couple more chips. I believe this is the true definition of a slider... something that will allow you to graze over time because it doesn't KEEP you full for very long, thus enabling you to eat more calories than you would were you eating Protein that sticks around for awhile.

I normally can't drink for at least 45 mins after eating. This rule has never been a problem to follow. My sleeve just won't have any kind of liquid before I've digested the food.

You may indeed have a smaller sleeve. It depends on how small your stomach was pre-surgery. Some of us had larger sized stomachs so the sleeve will be 'longer' and therefore have more capacity. Though I caution people to not get caught up in how little they can eat. It's all well and good until you pass out and break your nose (happened to a friend of mine). Eventually, your physiology becomes accustomed to the reduced intake and adjusts... our bodies are smart that way. You need calories to exist and we are not made to exist forever on 500 calories. That said... I probably only get in about 1,000 cals a day if that, it depends on what I am eating. I like high calorie protein-- refried Beans, pork, beef, etc. I don't count calories but calories DO count.

I think you've found a great balance and if you're happy, ONWARD!

The "lose most of it in the first six months" is kind of a crock. To be real, you have the rest of your life to hit your goal weight. You really, really do. In terms of the best time to lose your excess weight, your first 18 months are what we call the Golden Ticket. That's time you don't want to waste because your sleeve is fresh and your body is shocked. After a certain point, your body has become accustomed to how little you can eat and losing becomes more difficult. Not impossible mind you.

Folks thinking you can't lose weight after 6,8,9, 12 months. DOn't believe this lie. I haven't met a person yet that didn't keep losing after the first 6 or 9 months. It is true that your loss will SLOW DOWN... but so long as you're working your tool and working WITH your tool and you have your eye on that prize you will get to where you need to be. WHENEVER you get there.