bikrchk

I'm 1 year out and would not be able to consume "½ cup fat-free cottage cheese and a green salad with 3 ounces of canned light tuna" in one sitting. I could choose the cottage cheese OR the tuna, but would over-fill my sleeve. I use a scoop of chocolate whey in my coffee in the morning as "creamer" and usually take a solid bar of some kind between lunch and dinner. They allow me the flexibility to eat a better variety of foods rather than strictly a chunk of grilled meat or some tuna or 1 egg. I still choose Protein first at meals, but supplements allow me to mix in other foods as well. Plus, I've found ways to take them where I enjoy the supplement its self and would miss it. The coffee makes a nice mocha latte and a PowerCrunch bar fills my need for a "cookie" with something that has some food value for me. If I get busy and miss a meal, at least I know I've met my minimums for the day.

After the first 6 months there really wasn't anything I couldn't tolerate. Rice was probably the last hold out. but I'm fine with it now. After the first couple of months I ate bread in small quantities, Pasta, desert, whatever I wanted really, just only a little bit. I do tend to stick to the separate food and liquid rules. I'm just more comfortable when I do. For me hunger returned at about 5 months, but the pull was not the same. Many mistake acid for hunger early on. I took 40mg of omeprazole 2x day from the beginning and never had that problem. I still like (and eat) everything I liked before. I just can't binge anymore.
Today, my lifestyle is different, but maintenance is very doable. I start my day with a 45 minute bike ride, some strength training and Protein latte. The rest of the day I eat what I like in small quantities, typically Protein first. I have a drink with my friends a couple times per week. I record weight weekly and if my weight creeps up I log food and give up most treats\alcohol until it comes back down. I live withing the same 5 pound zone most of the time. This feels very "normal" now.
I don't know anything about sleeve inversion. Did fine with my standard sleeve with hernia repair. It'll be 2 years in October. Feeling great!

You come to the realization that you were never "big boned".

You come to the realization that you were never "big boned".

Your thighs no longer rub together when you walk!

I had the same thoughts a year and a half ago. Lost 90ish pounds to my goal range eating what I wanted in small portions, meeting my Protein goals and exercising 5 days per week. At about 4 months shy of my 2 year surgiversary, I can tell you I still eat very little in a sitting. Restriction is still there :-) However, I'm working harder to maintain my weight loss these days. I had to learn to snack to meet my nutritional goals early on. My doc said to eat 1000-1200 calories to lose and it worked like a charm! Added a few more to enter maintenance when the time came to stop losing and it was all fine. Then snack sizes and portion sizes creep up over time. I got fit and reclaimed my social life which includes having a drink with the boyfriend\friends more often, (never more than a couple as I can't hold my booze like I used to), but that stuff has calories! If I don't watch what I'm doing I can put on 5+ pounds in a snap and taking it off is more of a struggle now. Pay attention, don't skip my workouts and lay off the empty calories and I maintain just fine, but it's WORK now, where it wasn't so much before. Know that your honeymoon WILL end at some point but that doesn't mean you won't be successful! You just have to keep working your tool.

Yep. I was the same way. Today, the $1.99 salad ROCKS!
Also, oddly enough, being able to do my OWN pedicure if I want!

I'm a year and 10 months out and gained 5 outside my goal of 145 that I'd been maintaining for 1 year. I've returned to basics... journaling food and exercise, cranking up my exercise intensity, (I never stopped exercising, but let the intensity fall). Cut back on the alcohol and treats, etc and I'm finally back to the top end of goal. Now working on getting of 10 pounds to put me a bit below goal (still well withing normal BMI) and allow for some wiggle room. Cutting out as much processed crap as I can, trying to keep between 1000-1200 calories per day, exercising 5x per week, getting my 75+g of Protein every day. It's working, but it's slow. Fix my head and my relationship with food? Nope. It's still a fight. Every damn day.

I was told to do calcium citrate chews 3x day separate from other supplements but found that even with setting an alarm, I was missing more doses than I was getting as I was always doing something and would get distracted before I could get back to my purse or whatever to get the Calcium does. My personal solution\work around (YMMV) was to switch to a once per day slow release calcium citrate capsule. I still take a multi vit morning and night, a probiotic in the morning (my choice, not prescribed) extra D3, and iron+C mid day with no other supplements. Calcium levels have been perfect using either method for me. Iron levels had been slightly low, so I switched to a chewable Iron + C hoping for a little better absorption. Time will tell whether that's made a difference.

Get another opinion. What's he saying... ALL people who get sleeved put their weight back on in 5 years? That's just stupid and wrong! MANY sleevers of ALL ages (band to sleeve converts included) take off all their weight and maintain just fine! It IS possible to fail at any WLS, but from the folks I know (banded and sleeved) the sleevers have MUCH BETTER long term results and half the complications!

Get another opinion. What's he saying... ALL people who get sleeved put their weight back on in 5 years? That's just stupid and wrong! MANY sleevers of ALL ages (band to sleeve converts included) take off all their weight and maintain just fine! It IS possible to fail at any WLS, but from the folks I know (banded and sleeved) the sleevers have MUCH BETTER long term results and half the complications!

I'm a year and 10 months out and gained 5 outside my goal of 145 that I'd been maintaining for 1 year. I've returned to basics... journaling food and exercise, cranking up my exercise intensity, (I never stopped exercising, but let the intensity fall). Cut back on the alcohol and treats, etc and I'm finally back to the top end of goal. Now working on getting of 10 pounds to put me a bit below goal (still well withing normal BMI) and allow for some wiggle room. Cutting out as much processed crap as I can, trying to keep between 1000-1200 calories per day, exercising 5x per week, getting my 75+g of Protein every day. It's working, but it's slow. Fix my head and my relationship with food? Nope. It's still a fight. Every damn day.

I was 47. All I know is 48 looks and feels WAAAAAYYYYY better than 47 did!

My BMI was 35 the day of surgery. I was not hungry and kind of had to force myself to eat for the first few weeks. Once I got onto soft solids though, things started to feel normal again. New normal, but more normal :-). Hunger returned about 3-4 months in, when I was on regular food, but restriction remained and remains still at 13 months out. I lost slowly (rather intentionally tried to keep my calories as high as I could and still lose at a decent pace), and reached my goal range about 9 months post op. I didn't stall much, (maybe twice I had no loss at all or a gain during my loss phase, although there were weeks I didn't lose more than a fraction of a pound). I started focused exercise about 3 months in and continue it 5 days per week today, which I'm sure has made all the difference. I feel GREAT now!

Get another opinion. What's he saying... ALL people who get sleeved put their weight back on in 5 years? That's just stupid and wrong! MANY sleevers of ALL ages (band to sleeve converts included) take off all their weight and maintain just fine! It IS possible to fail at any WLS, but from the folks I know (banded and sleeved) the sleevers have MUCH BETTER long term results and half the complications!

Get another opinion. What's he saying... ALL people who get sleeved put their weight back on in 5 years? That's just stupid and wrong! MANY sleevers of ALL ages (band to sleeve converts included) take off all their weight and maintain just fine! It IS possible to fail at any WLS, but from the folks I know (banded and sleeved) the sleevers have MUCH BETTER long term results and half the complications!

Get another opinion. What's he saying... ALL people who get sleeved put their weight back on in 5 years? That's just stupid and wrong! MANY sleevers of ALL ages (band to sleeve converts included) take off all their weight and maintain just fine! It IS possible to fail at any WLS, but from the folks I know (banded and sleeved) the sleevers have MUCH BETTER long term results and half the complications!

So pre-op, the chorus was, "but you're not heavy enough for bariatric surgery", my response was always the same... Thank you! I'm very lucky to carry it "well", but my Dr's and the insurance company would disagree with you. They believe my health will be improved by achieving a normal BMI and a 90-100 pound weight loss. Turns out they were right! No more meds other than a PPI and I almost never have to go the the doctor anymore. I had been going about every 2-3 months for the treatment of asthma, high bp, high cholesterol and generally feeling like crap.
Today when I tell someone I've had WLS that didn't know me before, I typically get, "I can't believe YOU were ever fat". I guess I'll take that as a compliment. Still so strange to hear even at almost 2 years out.

Yep. 2 years out, drink carbonation regularly, (but not NEAR like I did pre-op) and I still have GREAT restriction. I can tolerate anything I like, just in very small quantities. When it comes to carbonation... slooowly. I can start on a Diet Rite at work in the afternoon and not finish it until some time after dinner! Bubbles fill me up. When I'm full, I can't eat! Win-Win!

Not "depressed" per se, but definitely not myself... snappish, forgetful, ditzy, crying at the drop of a hat, (typically happy tears), not at all normal for me for the first few months. It passed. They say that hormones and toxins stored up in fat cells makes for a wild ride the first few months or while we are rapidly losing fat tissue. If you're really depressed though, see someone for help! This roller coaster is hard enough to deal with and you may need a little help, (chemical or talk) to get through it.

"ShockCollar"... It's all good as long as I stay in the boundaries, but if I step outside I gen an unpleasant correction!

So pre-op, the chorus was, "but you're not heavy enough for bariatric surgery", my response was always the same... Thank you! I'm very lucky to carry it "well", but my Dr's and the insurance company would disagree with you. They believe my health will be improved by achieving a normal BMI and a 90-100 pound weight loss. Turns out they were right! No more meds other than a PPI and I almost never have to go the the doctor anymore. I had been going about every 2-3 months for the treatment of asthma, high bp, high cholesterol and generally feeling like crap.
Today when I tell someone I've had WLS that didn't know me before, I typically get, "I can't believe YOU were ever fat". I guess I'll take that as a compliment. Still so strange to hear even at almost 2 years out.

I sold some of the best stuff to another rider and FB friend who's also had WLS but has landed at a higher end weight than me. Then I purchased a pair of size small chaps from another FB friend and chapter member. Most of the shirts, I let go to Goodwill. There were just too many! If you're a HOG member, maybe organize a "swap-n-shop"? I still have a few pieces I refuse to just "junk". It's hard! That stuff is SOOOOO expensive! You hate to just let it go to Goodwill!

So pre-op, the chorus was, "but you're not heavy enough for bariatric surgery", my response was always the same... Thank you! I'm very lucky to carry it "well", but my Dr's and the insurance company would disagree with you. They believe my health will be improved by achieving a normal BMI and a 90-100 pound weight loss. Turns out they were right! No more meds other than a PPI and I almost never have to go the the doctor anymore. I had been going about every 2-3 months for the treatment of asthma, high bp, high cholesterol and generally feeling like crap.
Today when I tell someone I've had WLS that didn't know me before, I typically get, "I can't believe YOU were ever fat". I guess I'll take that as a compliment. Still so strange to hear even at almost 2 years out.

On the menu at the bar on bike nite, "Tacos, $1.50 each". Me "Perfect, I'll have one taco"! Waitress: "Oh we only sell them in three's. One is too much trouble for the kitchen when it's busy".
What the actual eff? LOL
I did end up talking them into selling me ONE but I don't even bother with food there anymore.