MichiganChic

@@OutsideMatchInside you do not know me, or what I eat. You do not know my nutritional status. Please do not assume I do not know about nutrition, or that you know more about ME that I do. At 4 years post op, I'm pretty sure I have it figured out. And just as the content of the calories are important, the number of calories consumed DOES matter, as well. The amount needed varies from one person to the next, for a variety of reasons.

Same for me as what @@Heather I and @@Bufflehead said. I ate around 800 calories for the first 14 months, (starting after the first 6 weeks.) At 4 years out, I still need to eat around 800 to lose, maintain around 1200, and gain at anything over that. If I eat 1500-2000, I gain RAPIDLY. I still can't believe it after all this time, and wouldn't believe it if were not happening to me. Some of us just really don't need much to survive and even less to maintain a healthy weight. It's unique for the person, but I've learned from reading these boards that I'm not alone. Misery loves company

I'm not sure it's a "one time chance". That is a very disheartening thought. And we do see people lose their regain, so that makes me think it's not quite accurate. However, I do think it's harder for people like us to lose weight than the general population, and I do agree it is wise to take advantage of the first year or so. It's imperative to learn how to manage our weight and make some permanent life style changes. Man I wish we could sticky this. People need to understand that the losing phase post-op I'd a one time chance. Go as low as possible as fast as possible while still being healthy. This is the only time it is going to be this "easy" later you have to fight like everyone else. All the band revision people pretty much prove this theory.

You are asking yourself the right question. At 4 years post sleeve, I can eat anything and everything in large enough quantities to gain weight. And even though I can't eat as much at once as I used to, I can graze all day and eat enough to weigh 300 pounds. Maintenance is hard. And losing any regain is just as hard as losing weight before surgery - almost impossible. So, you have to be diligent all day, every day. Having said that, I would still do it again. What IS different is that I know what it takes to lose weight. For me, a 1200-1500 calorie diet will cause weight gain. I know that I need around 800-900 calories a day to lose, and the year it took to lose my weight taught me how. So just because it's not a magic bullet doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Only you can decide if you are ready to commit - and it's only worth it if you are committed.

I don't think a sleeve ever "expires". But, it does change over time, and that's variable from one person to the next. I'm 4 years post op this month. I have to work really hard to maintain my weight. And if I don't watch every bite, and go even slightly off track, I gain. I can eat quite a bit at one time, even dense Protein. I didn't cause my sleeve to stretch, that's just the way it is. I think it was a bigger from the beginning. Anyway, even with all that, I still have restriction. I do get hungry now, but still nothing like before surgery. Obesity is a chronic disease that I have to manage with diet and exercise. No magic pill or surgery fixes it. WLS did give me a huge boost and helped me get my weight to a healthy range, and the immediate post op year taught me how to lose weight, but now it's all up to me. I'm WAY better off now than I was 4 years ago.

In this case, patience is a virtue. It takes time to lose weight, and sometimes it takes longer for your body to "catch up". You will continue to shrink sometimes when the scale isn't moving. And yes, you should be exercising. Start with walking, and look up some exercises on you tube or spark people. Most importantly, you might want to think about resetting your own expectations. If you expect a miracle, you'll be disappointed. Every time. It is hard and slow work. If you set some realistic goals of meeting your Protein intake every day, Water intake, exercise daily, etc, you'll see that you are powerful and in control. Expecting to look a certain way at a certain date may not work out for you. Take a look around on this site, since there are exercise discussions and lots of information about how to manage your diet. There are also books you can buy or get at the library that provide instruction on how to manage your sleeve. Self pay shouldn't eliminate patient education - that should be part of your aftercare and included in the price you paid, so you could also ask your doc. Even without out it, there is a wealth of good information on the internet and other places. Keep up the good work - you'll be fine

Wish there was a "love" button for this post. So sweet! Enjoy your time with them!

That is 8 pounds of Water. I take hydrochlorothiazide, too. Took it a long time before surgery. I never really had hypertension, just lots of Fluid retention. I was off it for a while after surgery, but started retaining again. I gained about 10-15 pounds in a couple of weeks when I went off it, though that was the same time I had plastics, so that combo was rough for water retention. You may just need to give your body time to readjust a little, and you probably will carry a couple pounds of water always, without it. I think that's a good trade off, not to need a medication. Give it a little time, decrease sodium intake, and drink lots of water as your body adjusts.

Congratulations on your success. It is such a fun journey! I found the weight loss phase to be a bit like a drug or something - it really was such a natural high! Every day was thrilling and exciting, with so much hope for the future. I thought your definition of "success" was interesting. On many levels, I agree. I also knew it early on (that it would be work) but I don't think I appreciated the full impact of the work. I'm 4 years out, and I find that it's like I never had the surgery. My metabolism is slower than ever, I can eat like a normal person, I get hungry now, and I don't have any of that "magic" I had the first 18 months. I absolutely have to watch every bite I put in my mouth, all day, everyday. The slightest indiscretion causes a gain, and getting it off is so very hard. So, I don't mean to be negative, just to offer some perspective based on your statement. Having said all that, I'd still do it again. Even though it's hard, I still think that it's worth it. I have a fighting chance. Getting off 5-10 pounds of regain is way more manageable than 100 pounds or more. One word of caution - for lack of a better way of saying it - this truly is a journey. It's life, and life gets in the way sometimes. It's likely going to be periods of up and downs (in terms of weight) and that's OK. Even if you are up some on your death bed, you'd still be a success. Enjoy your ride!

Yes, swell hell, hunger, and itching. I had it all, and really bad. I had brachioplasty and circumferential body lift 2 years ago, and I think I had swelling for 2-3 months, and maybe longer. I also had a couple of open areas on the back incision line, so I had to increase my calories, I think to around 1500-1700. I also took lots of Benadryl. As a result of increased calories, I actually think I gained weight. I had about 12 pounds of skin and fat removed, yet I never got any lower than my pre-surgery weight. However, I still went down size and love my results. As for the itching, it drove me crazy. I had a couple of spots on the backside that I can remember just hitting, which seemed to relieve it a little. I also wondered if I was allergic to something, but I really think it was just the healing that caused it. It was nerve regeneration. If Benadryl doesn't help, maybe something for nerve pain would help (Neurontin). Anyway, it does get better with time, and even though plastics were hard on me, I still think they were worth it.

@@Babbs that is my experience, as well. I have plenty of appetite, and can consume plenty. I do not fear for myself in old age.

At 10 weeks, I was 600-800. At 3.5 years out, I still need to eat 800 or less to lose.

I always get patted down. It's the skin and blobs of fat. After I lost weight, I used to get patted on my upper arms, abdomen, upper thighs and calves. Then, I had plastics, which left me in pretty good shape, except for my outer hips and calves. Then last year I had lipo of my outer thighs, and just a couple of weeks ago, I still got the pat down, but it was only my calves, which both have an area of a fatty deposit that never goes away, no matter how much exercise or weight loss. I was elated the freakish thigh area no longer drew attention. So, I came home knowing I'm not crazy, I am going to need some work done on my calves, lol! Thanks, TSA, for pointing that out!

My BMI is in the overweight category. I really hate that, and I don't think I'm actually overweight. With my body fat distribution, I'd have to be skin and bones from the waist up to lose the fat in my thighs/legs. I really had a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that I'm probably never going to see a "normal" BMI, but I'm (mostly) over it. I wear a size 8/M, and have a nice shape, can shop anywhere I want, and feel great. As others have said, there are better true indicators of health, but for the time being, we are all stuck with BMI as a measurement tool, because the insurance industry needs an easy way to predict our risk, and the medical community is still buying it, too.

I was shocked t0 learn how little I had to eat to lose weight. I would have never known it without having WLS. I have to eat 800 calories or less per day, EVERY day, to lose. I lost 145 pounds eating like that. Now that its been almost 4 years since my surgery, that is very hard to do. I've gained some weight back, and I know that eating 1000 calories a day isn't going to get it off. I'm going to need to cut back to less than 800 and stick to it. So, you might be surprised to learn that you can lose weight, but also have to severely restrict There are days when I struggle to even eat 1000 calories. My doctor in the past said for me to lose 1lb a week I should be eating between 2000-2400. Because of my thyroid I gain weight if I even LOOK at a carb. So eating a diet consisting of mainly carbs was causing me to gain weight. Not because of total calories but because of the type of calories.

Confirmed at 3.5 years. Not sure about a 10 oz steak AND the whole potato, but I could do damage to both. However, even though I've eaten 1.5-2 cups, I don't make a habit of it. Some people have more restriction, but pretty much everyone has increased capacity compared to the first year.

You are right - you are living our nightmare. Beating yourself up isn't going to help here, but somehow, we all find a way to do that. Forgive yourself and put your energy into moving forward toward your goal. You do know what to do, and it just comes down to doing it. I still find at 3.5 years out, stress hunger feels identical to true hunger. In fact, I'd wager it's stronger, and there is no way to tell the difference physically. I had to look for other indicators. I changed jobs about 8 months after my surgery, too. I will never forget after a particularly stressful day, I found myself starved for the first time since I had surgery, as I hit the parking garage. I immediately knew it was stress, so I drank Water and went for a walk when I got home. To this day, when I find myself raging with hunger in the evening, if I've had a particularly stressful day, just knowing its that helps me control myself. Oddly, giving a label seems to squelch it. More than anything, letting go of work stress by distracting myself from is has been the key to success. I usually find I just have to make it through a few minutes, and then I'm ok. Night eating has been the hardest for me, so staying busy really helps. If I'm being truthful, it is most definitely a struggle to stay on track. It has not gotten easier, and in fact, gets harder all the time. It is a conscious decision, sometimes minute to minute, that I have to make to keep from eating/gaining. I also understand the dilemma with working from home and having easy access to food, and then the issues associated with travel. In those circumstances, it is always harder for me, too. You are going to have to set yourself up some rules, or boundaries you just abide by. In other words, don't make it an option to go off track. My advice is to try to figure out how much of your hunger is stress related, and figure out how to deal with it. Then figure out how you will balance your work life. If all we had to do was follow the rules without the demands of a normal, everyday life, weight management would be a lot easier!

Don't know how I missed this one, but I'm a little late to the party! I had all the procedures you are talking about, broken down as your doc suggests. I had my first procedure, a lower body lift with auto-augmentation and a brachioplasty in the first surgery (20 months post VSG), and breast lift/aug and vertical thigh lift in the second, four months later. She breaks them up that way to keep the anesthesia time to 6 hours or less, and also to get as much done as she can. For me, I couldn't have tolerated any more at one time. Its a lot of surgery, incision lines, and post operative pain. (all worth it). I didn't want to break it out any more, because each surgery (with anesthesia) carries risk. Having said all that, I personally would work this around the timing that works for your life. Plastics take time and patience, and often require more recovery than you think. All these procedures and healing take time, may require tweaks, and if you can have with minimal work time lost, I would do it. Every procedure I had required time away from work. I took 2 weeks, then worked a week remotely, then went back, In reality, I should have probably been off closer to six. I was 52 at the time, working at a demanding desk job, just for reference. One last note - I do think having had plastics is a big motivator for me to stay on track. At 3.5 years after surgery, it would be very easy to gain a little and just accept it in all that skin. With tight skin, I am much more conscious of a small gain, and for ME, it does make me think twice. I had read that people who have plastics tend to do better in maintenance long term, and it's been true for me.

The answer depends on your situation. If you just have loose skin at the top, an incision in the crease of your let might do it. If you have laxity all the way down, you probably need the vertical lift. Doing just the upper incision is only going to lift about the top 1/3 of your leg. I had vertical lift18 month ago (after a lower body lift, brachiolasty, breast lift/augmentation) and my scars are barely visible. However, even with that, my legs still are not great. I still have cellulite and some loose skin. They were better at first, but things fell and loosened up a bit. Even with that, they are WAY better than before, so it was worth it to me. Your surgeon should be able to tell you what would give you the best results.

I have also been into the substantial variety of straws. The are great for iced coffee, now that summer has arrived! I love the ones from Ikea! They are hefty enough, yet still fit in the opening of the hole on the lid of insulated clear plastic tumbler.

Started in a 26W, am now in a size 8. Brings me joy every day!

To clarify, injections are a good alternative if you don't need plastic surgery. I do not think it is cheaper in the end, because you have to keep re-doing. It is good for those who need a little "refreshing". Last night I got Voluma XL (1 syringe) and I think 10 units of Botox, and bought a large bottle of Latisse and it was just over $1000. So, it's not cheap (even though that's a great price for what I got). I will need that Botox again in about 3-4 months (I use it to give my brows a little lift), and the Voluma in 2 years (cheek volume). I could probably use also a little Juviderm again around my mouth, so maybe next time. It is surprising how adding a little volume to your cheeks can really give your face a subtle but definite lifted look. You have to be careful because you could easily look over done, and that's not what I'm going for.

@@proudgrammy she said I don't need it. I'm too young and according to her my skin is good. I can appreciate a plastic surgeon who won't do surgery if it's not really needed!

Botox and fillers are a great alternative to plastics. I have something done every three months. I do not want to look different, but refreshed. She usually injects a little botox above my brows to life my lids, and I've had some fillers in the nasal-labial fold (creases around the mouth and nose - what I call looking like a weight loss victim). It helped a lot. Lately I've been working on cheek fillers, and those have had the greatest impact. It's almost not discernable, and I only do a little at a time. They last two years, so it's a good idea to not overdo it. Besides, you could easily rack up as much cost (over time) as a plastic surgery. It's a lot to consider. I asked my plastic surgeon if we should do a facelift, and she said no way, and her only suggestion was injectables. I live in Michigan, and RNs can work under the license of a physician. I was lucky to stumble onto a highly qualified nurse (who actually teaches physicians how to inject) and she comes to my town quarterly. She works out of the salon where I go for other services, and her prices tend to be better than in a surgeons office (comparing to my plastic surgeon). Regardless of where you go, you would want to see their work, and hopefully talk to some of their clients. I also recommend going slow. We've tried some things that actually made me look worse, like botox under my eyes.

It just needs to be snipped and pulled. Just give your doc a call.