luvladyj

I'm at the point now where I can eat 4-5 oz pretty comfortably. I can eat an entire can of tuna without an issue which is great considering it's 20 grams of Protein. I usually do a shake for Breakfast as my stomach seems really tight in the AM. I'll eat one scrambled egg and feel like I swallowed a boat. I also haven't found anything that I can't enjoy in very small bites either, except for bread. I made a mistake and had a bite of a burger and the bread did not sit well at all. My fault, though. My surgeon told me no bread until 6 months and I didn't listen, so my fault totally! I'm still losing at a rate of 1-3 lbs per week. I've also upped my cardio this week to see if that will speed things up. If not, I'm still okay with being a "slow loser". I'd just like be at least down 120 lbs by next September for my wedding. Fingers crossed! I'm down almost 55 lbs and was sleeved July 22nd. I do get frustrated at times when I see ppl that were sleeved around my date losing quicker, but it's alright. They say losing slower is healthier in the long run anyway so I try to stay positive about it.

We are all so awesome lol

Ive lost 32 since surgery, 44 lbs total!!

I'm at 204 and preparing for my own freak out! Will it be this week or in three weeks? I don't know!

This!

I'm big into natural myself but sometimes there is no natural cure for Perioral Dermatitis besides strong prescription gels combined with oral Doxycycline. I had it under control for almost a year until now. I am convinced it's hormonal from this weight loss. My skin is also SUPER oily lately and my pores are so clogged and that's never been an issue for me. :/ I started using Unrefined/Organic Coconut Oil when I first was diagnosed as a moisturizer and I do feel it kept the PD at bay for a long time. I also only use that on my body after I shower. No more lotions. I love that stuff.

Usinng oils will also help with tightening some extra skin...so I've read...so far so good!

I am 5' 6" and weighed 235 lbs. the day of surgery, 12/18/12. I am 9 weeks out and weigh 202 lbs. and so far have lost 33 lbs.
The first 3 weeks after surgery I lost 21 lbs - one pound a day. Then I hit the typical stall that frequently occurs 3 weeks after surgery. I think my body was in shock from losing so quickly. I lost 7 pounds the second month. This past week I've started losing again at a higher rate and have lost 5 lbs.
I keep my daily calorie total under 900, Protein 80-100 grams, carbs under 90, and drink at least 80 oz of Water. I've worked out at gym 10 times since surgery, doing 45 minutes on treadmill and a few resistance machines. I know if I get consistent with going to the gym I will lose more quickly.
My typical day includes a Pure Protein Drink for Breakfast as it has 35 grams of Protein. I love the Thai-style chicken spring rolls lean cuisines for lunch (10 grams of protein) with salsa. snack I try and have fruit and 2 0z of protein, usually chicken breast. dinner will be another 2-3 oz.of chicken or fish and a veggie, or a chicken Caesar salad. Then for a treat after dinner I sometimes have a Skinny Cow fudge ice cream cone as they are so yummy, lol.
I track everything on SparkPeople, I came across it by accident and love it, it's a great site!
In my case, the restriction helps the most when I go out to dinner or its a holiday/special occasion when there is a lot of food around. The normal day to day I was already eating like I am now, as I was always trying to lose weight.
The BIGGEST gift the sleeve has given me is my loss of hunger and I pray that it doesn't return. Not to say that it has disappeared completely, it hasn't but its diminished by 80% and that is such a huge gift.
I love my sleeve and can't wait to hit ONEDERLAND! :-)

Girl it's been of the hook!
Now if I could just find someone to do it with..

Don't worry you'll get it soon enough. I dont think any of us are pros at this yet. It's still early on and its a big adjustment. I try not to kick myself when I mess up or eat something wrong because we are still learning what works and what doesn't. Just give it time

I gave up on them awhile ago. I just cant tolerate them, I get sooo nauseous. I get my Protein in with Isopure Water it has 40g of protein and then when I choose my meals I choose protein 1st. I also sometimes drink slimfast 321 low carb shake for Breakfast in addition to the isopure, it has 20g of protein. So most days I get all my protein in that way sometimes over. Its the water I struggle with getting enough of.

I took a walk with my chihuahua last night and he got tired first! Little brat just sat down- like he was saying just carry me. Lol! I cant stoop and pick him up yet tho. We were standing in the street having a little argument. Finally got him to walk home with me. So I think treadmill is what I will have to do. That way he can sit in his blanket and sleep.

Good morning all,
I can remember the anticipation for my big day, just a month ago on July 8. I can also remember the feelings of regret just a few days after, feeling I had possibly made a big mistake......now one month after, I am starting to see and feel the rewards of possibly one of the greatest steps of my life, and I am glad to be here, where I am.
Reading all your comments has definitely made this process much better. Thank you for taking time to post and ask questions because we have all come across similar challenges in the first 30 days.
Time has passed so quickly ( except for the first week;).
I hope you are all in good health!

A couple weeks, phone call to nut, and couple support groups later lol my stall has Finally broken!!!

Out of frustration I put mine away this morning, but I know ill take it back out! Maybe I need someone to hide it from me also, then id probably drive myself crazy looking for it!

Best work out DVD I found - is Jillian Michaels 30 day shred its only twenty minutes and its awesome. It's hard so make sure u have approval to work out first ..

Congrats! ...I havnt been on a scale in 4days in fear of disappointment. When I do build up enough courage I hope I have lost something also!

Apparently this is my cranky face. Sans make up but get - there's a chin

Three Years Later - What I've Learned
Here's my experiences from the sleeve process years ago. I wish I had this information before getting the sleeve, so I wanted to share it with all of you:
GAINING WEIGHT
Gaining weight is easy: you simply eat when you're emotional, lonely, or not hungry. Even though my stomach would barely fit a slice of pizza, I could still suck down an entire large meat Lover's Supreme by eating a single slice, waiting until my stomach could fit some more and then eating another. Until the pizza was all gone. You can also do this with ice cream, burgers, fries, and all the other miscellaneous crap food widely available via drive thrus.
This is why you're required to see a counselor and nutritionist - to handle your eating issues. If these aren't handled, then DON'T BOTHER WITH THE SURGERY. You will simply get fat again by eating smaller portions more frequently. If however you only eat when you're hungry - and stick to good foods then you're golden. Now OBVIOUSLY if you did that in the first place you wouldn't be fat. So surgery is a booster shot to your weight loss, and new way of life.
Think of it as waging a war, and surgery is a tank. Now a tank is a formidable weapon. Can run over enemies, shoot some big artillery but eventually if all you have is that one tank, you'll probably lose a prolonged battle. So you gather some strategy and military air support (diet changes), some recruits and soldiers (lifestyle changes) and NOW you have a master battle plan for your war. And ultimately a better thought out path to success.
You invested a lot of money and pain into this - don't screw it up.
FIRST FEW MONTHS
The first six months your weight will drop amazingly fast, because you're out of surgery and can only eat Soup broth for a week. And then slowly mushy foods come in, followed by a few solids. You don't really need a blender, there are ample canned goods you can eat. Baby food, blending a steak and other shocking posts you read about aren't required: just shop for other things that qualify. Going out with friends during this period is depressing, since your diet is so restrictive, you're staring blankly at the menu for a long time and finally decide on Water.< /p>
Get everything you need together before coming home. You'll be on some pretty loopy meds when arriving home, and won't be in any shape to hit the local Walmart. Nor will your family want to bother with it - so plan ahead.
FOOD AND STRETCHING
You can only eat maybe a half cup of food during the first couple months. Then a cup after about five months, then two cups after longer. You can hurry this process along by stuffing your face until your stomach hurts so bad you need to go lay down, or vomit. But if your eating problem is that severe then see my multi-faceted approach to surgery from above.
Each person is obviously different, but stretching your stomach (to me at least) seems difficult and a venture of pain and suffering. I can feel my stomach naturally taking in more food over time, however I've cycled that back down by going a few days drinking only delicious fruit smoothies. This makes my tummy literally shrink back to where it was after surgery, or pretty close, dependent upon how many days I go. You can also accomplish this via more extreme methods like water or veggie juice fasting, however banana/stawberry/pineapple with some coconut water and ice in the blender tastes much better in my humble opinion.
If you do continue to gorge like a tick on bad foods, then yes your stomach will stretch. I've met a few people who's stomach has returned to normal size. Again - everybody is different, I'm just telling you MY story.
How much food you can eat varies by food type:
RICE - I can eat maybe five spoonfuls of this before I feel sick. Stuffing in another three before my body registers that I'm full and it's a vomit party. You need to eat slowly - there's a point in which eating more means bending over the toilet. And once you've experienced that joy, you quickly learn where the limit resides. Rice expands so you gotta be careful. An average meal of fried rice and an egg roll is a full day's worth of food, that requires splitting up.
SODAS - Equivalent to drinking battery acid. I've met some people who've acclimated back to it, but why bother?
MEAT - Steak is bad, try like five or six bites before calling it quits. chicken is similar. Fish goes down a little easier, and you can eat more, maybe because it's flaky.
SALADS and FRUIT - I can eat one banana. Two is painful. Ditto with grapes, strawberries, etc. These foods process through your stomach quicker, so you can eat a little more often compared to stuffing down a sirlion.
PIZZA - Takes me about 12 hours to suck down a large thin crust. Regular or deep crust, I end up tossing half of it into the trash.
Desserts - They hurt. Bad. And then make me sleepy, ticked off and depressed. I mostly stick with natural sugars now like fruits and veggies.
RESTAURANT EATING
Eating out with friends has a lot of rules tagging along. You must wait 30 minutes after drinking water before eating (which works out great, since that's how long food takes to arrive). I order an appetizer or split a full meal with a friend, so this is not a big deal. I see and hear lots of drama about this mingling around, but it's not THAT bad, and you can easily make it look perfectly normal without telling people you had surgery. You don't need a little happy note from your doctor saying you had surgery, just get a doggie bag or go halfsies with a buddy.
CONCLUSION
These are just my two cents, and I hope they help someone.
I lost about 100lbs, then gained back 50.
I'm in the process of losing again thanks to a diet change (I went 100% raw food) and exercise.

Between all of us July 8 sleevers, I think we have lost a whole person in weight so far! Nice work!!!