DonRodolfo

While the sleeve is a marvelous tool, you have a limited time window to work with - typically a year to 18 months. After this point your stomach will be at it's final size, your body will have settled down, and you will not lose weight so easily as you will be at maintenance. You need to lose as much weight as you can within the window, and it looks like women have a harder time losing than men (I know, it's not fair). I see two things you need: accountability (tracking (like MFP) will help here) and support. Find a support group in your area asap and get involved.

The only person that said anything about anyone being perfect is you - perfect is not the point. If you're so thin-skinned that advice or criticism from someone with vastly more experience and weightloss than you has to be sugar-coated, I have no time for nonsense.

I hope you didn't come here for someone to tell you "it's okay, just try harder tomorrow". It's not okay. Your doctor gave you instructions for specific reasons. What do you think will happen if you cheat like this right out of surgery? Eat that salami or Krispy Kreme and you could find yourself in the ER and it won't be pretty. A friend of mine here lost part of her lung due to an infection caused by a leak. She was on a liquid diet for SIX MONTHS because of it.

You need to contact your surgeon and tell him this. Don't delay.

I'm thinking @@LipstickLady WASN'T making a joke about her 50+%!

Thank you for being honest Janey. Now the reality check: You have a limited window of time to work with here, approximately 6 months or a year if you're lucky where the weight will come off relatively easy if you follow your program. If you keep grazing, cheating, the window will close and you will experience difficulty in getting your weight where it needs to be. This is a second chance, don't blow it. I know someone personally who did and continues to do what you're talking about and he's still sitting near 300lbs - his window closed about 9 months ago and he's paying the price for it right now.

(Just saw this after my last post) Please help me understand what you're saying here. Being taken out of your comfort zone is one thing but feeling sick or till all the time is not normal and needs to be addressed. Have you contacted your surgeon about this? How are you on hydration and Protein levels? Are you taking your Multivitamins like you're supposed to? How about your B-12?

For clarity, I'm not talking about complications after surgery as that is a different conversation. I'm talking about times like when I wasn't paying attention and ate too much too fast and experienced sliming. Or times when I've chugged too much too fast and had it come right back up. Stuff like eating bread at a restaurant before a meal - if I fill myself up on bread, I have no room for what I've ordered.

Welcome to the club!

Your new life doesn't start after surgery, it starts before. Before is the time to start exercising and learning the habits that will make and keep you successful after surgery! Best of luck to you!

Sorry, no, ingesting anything else will only make her feel worse. Her tiny stomach is already full, there is no where for the water to go! Otherwise you're spot on!

If you are producing a lot of saliva, start spitting so that you swallow as little as possible. If you already have swallowed a lot, try to make yourself throw up (this will give you some relief). Then get up and start walking slowly and the feeling will subside in about an hour. And remember this experience so that it doesn't happen again!

I didn't see the Austin, TX area represented here - just a thought: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1080-bariatricpal-local-chapters-new/

My Facebook friends list DOUBLED in the last year alone because of this right here. I have met the most amazing people during this journey - people who inspire me and make me want to be a better me (present company included). People who I inspire (imagine the surreal feeling of being told that YOU inspire someone and by more than one person and more than one time).

You mean the kind of normal where you just ate what you wanted, as much as you wanted, when you wanted, and look in the mirror and be proud of what you saw? That normal? The kind of normal where you walked into a room and felt every set of eyes on you when your hand smacked against a chair because you misjudged how wide you are? Or are you missing the kind of normal where you're at the doctors office looking at your blood pressure and pulse and wondering how you're not dead, or seeing your A1C and blood glucose level and wondering why you're not in a diabetic coma, or falling asleep at a stoplight because the sleep apnea kept you from sleeping last night? Are those the kind of normals you're missing? Keep your normal, and have mine too. My life is sometimes inconvenienced because I've had sleeve surgery, but I'll take it over the "normal" life I had over a year ago anytime. You have been given an incredible second chance at life that not everyone gets. Take the gift, make the most of it, and enjoy all life has to offer or sit there and feel sorry for yourself - choice is yours.

I have to wonder if you're not suffering from depression which is actually common in our situation. May I suggest you see someone. Coming from a person that would frequently start their day with 3500 calories worth of Breakfast, I'm here to tell you the only regret I have is that I wasted 10+ years of my life as a sedentary slug. I eat whatever I want, but I make smarter choices about it. I have more energy than I did at 40 years old and I ran 6.4 miles yesterday (without the need to be in the hospital today ) and I am training for my first half-marathon. A year ago I would have told you that you were on crack if you told me I'd be doing this today. Yeah, you've given up a few things but you have gained SO MUCH more and you need to take advantage of it to get the full benefit.

Thanks for this! It's actually on the list of support groups in my signature, I must have overlooked it.

Hi! I live in Forney. Can you tell me where is the support group in Rockwall? I have WLS friends that live nearby that might be interested. Thanks!

Just a reminder for anyone looking for local DFW support group, here is a list of the groups in our area. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/259587-dfw-area-weight-loss-surgery-support-groups-list/ These are both patient-led and doctor/hospital led groups, all have something to offer to everyone.

Apologies for being late to the party! Although you are only two weeks ahead of me you have been a constant inspiration to me and I am so blessed to have been able to witness your transformation as it happened! You are a Wonder Woman indeed! Carlos

This is news to me but it's possible. I find it curious that the GNC website still carries them. http://www.gnc.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=quest&origkw=quest&f=Taxonomy/GNC/13200328&sr=1 Next time I'm at a GNC in the DFW area I'll ask.

Quest hands-down favorite, especially the Cookies and Cream and the Cinnamon Roll flavors. The Peanut Butter and Jelly is nice too but not worth the calories. I'd highly suggest buying an individual one vs a whole box so you don't get stuck with a flavor you don't like.

According to an article I read recently in Men's Health (see test #1) ( http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/3-simple-fitness-tests?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-MensHealth-_-Content-Fitness-_- ), the ideal waist size for a person is half their height. If I'm 68 inches tall, my ideal waist size would be 34.

Shortly before the six-month point I was getting hungrier more often and able to eat more in one sitting. Also, my weight loss slowed some. My surgeon said that this was normal and to be expected. He said if I were hungry that I should eat. Had I made better choices in what I ate I'd be closer to goal by now. But still running and still making progress at almost a year out.

Dr. Manuel Castro at http://www.nbsurgical.com/ did mine at Methodist Hospital in Dallas. I see a United Healthcare logo on the front page of that site at the botttom, I went because a coworker and his wife were sleeved by him and were thrilled with the results and the aftercare.