Rogofulm

Wow, @@VSGAnn2014, thanks so much for the nice comment! And coming from a great poster like you it means a great deal! Two months into maintenance and so far so good. I've stayed in a 2-pound range while experimenting with expanding my menu just a bit. I'm loving quinoa salad, by the way, and the occasional sweet potato or brown rice. But for the most part, it's still Protein and veggies. For now, at least, I'm finding that food is more fuel than anything else. I still enjoy eating out and grilling, but most meals are fairly routine. And when I'm on the run, it's still beef Jerky and almonds in the car. The sleeve really helps keep to an "eat to live" way of thinking. And after 40 years of "living to eat", it's a refreshing change! Keep up the great work, and if you discover any maintenance secrets, please share!

Hi @@RaginCajun, thanks for the kind words! I have not experimented with Protein bars yet. I remember back in my monster eating days, that I would look for the ones with the most calories so they would fill me up the best. I guess I view them more as a source of calories than of protein. Weird, huh? So I still get all my protein from a morning shake, and then meat, Beans, nuts, cheese, and yogurt. Hey, good luck with your program! Let me know if you have any more questions....

Thanks, Betty! I'm going out for tapas on Tuesday with a bunch of family and friends. No cake, but I might have just one bite of flan!!!

Thanks! If you can detox from the "old habits", it get much, much easier. You've come so far already, so you know you can do this!!!

I'm so glad to hear that my story helped you get back on plan. Seriously, once you stay away from the non-plan foods for a while, you no longer crave them. And that's a very good place to be! Good luck!!!

If you click on my profile, you'll find several before and after pics. Thanks for the good wishes, and good luck on this amazing journey!!!

I'm glad it was helpful! Hang in there – it gets better almost every day. Keep following your guidelines and check back here for ideas and tips. Good luck!

Okay, so here we are at (or slightly below) our goal weight. Now what? We've been existing on Protein and green veggies for a long time, but now we need (or want) to stop losing, stabilize our weight, and start maintaining. So many questions come to mind, but let's start with these: If we just keep eating the same way, will our bodies find their "set point" weight and remain there, or will we continue to lose until we're too thin? If we need to add some variety (uh... carbs) back into the picture, which ones are a good idea and which are a bad idea. I mean, some choices are obvious: good = quinoa, barley, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, and sweet potatoes. And bad = white bread, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes, and anything containing refined sugar, right? But what else should we think about? What about corn and peas? What else works or doesn't work? As long as we stayed in ketosis, fat and calories didn't seem to have much of an effect on our weight loss. But now, if we knock ourselves out of ketosis by adding in more carbs, will those fat calories start to work against us and cause weight gain? In other words, if we've been eating tons of nuts, cheese, and butter and still losing, if we keep eating them the same way in maintenance will they start causing weight gain? The tricky (but wonderful) part of this is our permanent restriction. How do we make room for new foods, while still taking in enough protein? Eventually we do start to get more hungry. What do we do about an increasing appetite that makes us want to eat between meals? Who's been there, who's there now, and do you have any tips for the maintenance newbies? Thanks, and congratulations to everyone who is beginning or succeeding in maintenance!!! Rog

Excellent video! I'd recommend it to anyone who has had, or is contemplating having weight loss surgery. Thanks very much for sharing the link!

Hey @@CowgirlJane, You are such an inspiration to so many of us! Your experience and willingness to talk about the struggles as well as the victories show us what we can expect, and what to look out for. Eff, DQ! That's the sort of thinking that got you to where you WERE. It's the good choices that got you to where you ARE! "I never really was a skinny chick..." is defeatist thinking. That's settling, and you don't do that any more. (How am I doin' with this motivational speech?) One of the components of our program is supporting those who are behind us in the journey. Let that motivate you too. Dare I say that you are a role model? Or is that too much danged pressure? However you look at it, maybe it's time for a reset, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Use us, just like we've used you – for motivation! Good luck, we're all behind you!!!

Careful! My program says to stay away from fruit juices, pretty much forever. They are considered "empty calories", just like ice cream. That is, liquid calories that pass right through your stomach without filling you up, but can slow down your weight loss. You might want to double-check the instructions given to you by your bariatric surgeon.

@@TheProfessor, ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@@Kindle, I'm so sorry for your loss. But I'm so glad to hear that you're focusing your grief in a positive way rather than trying to manage your feelings through food. That's a momentous change, I imagine, and you should be very proud.

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. Here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

You bet, @@VSGAnn2014! As for the challenge, I'm with ya sister! I promised my wife that I'd quit losing and try to gain back a few pounds. So now I'm yo-yoing, but it's only two pounds, and it's all below my goal. I want to gain back about 4-5 pounds. But I'm trying to be so careful that it's not happening very quickly. I consider that a good thing. And I agree with you that every time the scale goes up, it's really hard to accept. But when it goes down again, that feels better. My wife worries that I'm obsessed with continuing to lose, but I'm not. As I keep saying, I'm completely happy with my weight for the first time since childhood. I'm used to eating this way now, and don't crave "slippery" foods, so why would I want to open that door? I'm experimenting with quinoa and brown rice to see what effect it has, and eating more fruit. And You know what? If it takes me a month or two to gain 4 pounds, I'll be thrilled with that!

I found myself getting dizzy when getting up quickly from a chair or the floor. A co-worker suggested that it might be LOW blood pressure and asked if I was on BP pills. My doctor agreed and took me off the pills. That was just a few days ago, but I think it's getting better. I haven't noticed it as much in the past few days. Good luck!

Started at 265. Sleeved at 254. Hit my goal of 154 after 7 1/2 months. And at 9 months post-op, I just hit my stretch goal of 148 this morning. My only remaining weight-loss goal now is to "touch" 145. Don't need to stay there, but 120 pounds down is a nice round number. And then comes the biggest (and hardest) goal of all..... Remain below 150 – forever! Can I do it? I definitely know how to lose the weight, the question is, do I know how to keep it off? That remains to be seen, but I've developed some strategies that seem to be working so far. I have to say, though, that aside from the first two weeks after surgery, this entire journey has been a blast! I've loved watching the scale go down and achieving each milestone, loved how I look and feel, loved fitting into nice clothes, loved all the compliments, even loved the exercise, and especially loved that diabetes, apnea, asthma, cholesterol, blood pressure, and achy joints are no longer factors in my life. And how'd I do it? Simply by following the rules of my program to a tee. And that's my biggest recommendation for others on this path. The rules are there for a reason – follow them! I appreciate all of the support and encouragement from this Forum and others, and wish all of you nothing but success in your journey to good health!!! If you have any questions about my program, send me a message and I'll try to give you a thoughtful answer. -Rog-

Nope, I get hungry. But I can mostly control it by drinking TONS of fluids – like 120 ounces a day. 30-45 minutes after eating, you should already be drinking. Try to drink 24 oz of fluids between Breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, and between dinner and bedtime. That's 72 oz a day right there! I like Crystal Light (or generic) decaf, sugar-free iced tea, and I Water it down so it's not so sweet. Once I add in my shake, 2-3 cups of coffee or hot tea, and evening hot chocolate, it's always around 120 oz. It doesn't take away all the hunger, but it sure makes it manageable. Good luck!

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. Here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

Nope, you're pretty much right on all counts. So how does the magic work? Most of us probably had the same thoughts you are processing right now. If it's all about what I eat, why don't I just follow the Bariatric Eating plan and avoid getting cut? Guess what? You can! BUT.... If you've tried any variations of the Atkins diet, or other high-protein, low-carb, drink plenty of fluids, and get some exercise programs, you know that except in rare cases, it's unsustainable. You'll lose a bunch of weight, then stop following it so closely. And when you do, the weight comes back on -- and brings friends. We've all been there. So what's the difference with the sleeve? It's really about the constriction. You physically can't put that much food in your stomach at a time. Even a year out, most of that constriction is still there. As you say, you can cheat it, but the sleeve makes it much easier to make better choices. And the removal of the ghrellin manufacturing plant helps too. Especially during the first 9-12 months or so, when you have your best opportunity to lose the most weight. Yes, people report being hungry shortly after surgery, but typically that's either thirst disguised as hunger, or stomach acids which can be controlled by Protonix or an OTC Omnaprazole pill like Prilosec. As you get farther out, more hunger returns, but it's not the ravenous "I could eat a horse" type of hunger. And I've been reading a lot about a "reset" program that people have been using to return their sleeves and pouches to their original effectiveness. So, is it easy? No way. But it is much easier that it would be without the surgery. It takes work, dedication, and constant vigilance, but the rewards are well worth the effort! Good luck with your surgery, and I look forward to hearing from you down the road.....

What else are you eating? What's your sugar and carb intake like? Have you logged your food on myfitnesspal or other app? Sometimes that will give us a better picture of what's going on.

For those of you who have had recent surgeries, remember that you might not lose any weight at all in weeks 3-6 after surgery. That is normal and expected, but if you keep following the rules, the inches will still be coming off. After that, the weight will start coming off again too. For those of you regretting your choice of the sleeve, my doctor says that statistically, bypass patients lose the quickest, then sleeve, then lapband. BUT..... After 18 months or so, they all end up at around the same percentage of excess weight lost. So the difference is not as big as you might think. What it boils down to is what we put in our mouths. It sounds like some of you didn't get much advice and nutritional counseling prior to surgery. In my opinion, that's criminal! So here's a site I've found that provides a lot of valuable information about the entire process. It covers all stages of the program, including advice on what to eat, what not to eat, what Vitamins to take, and what exercise you should try to do. There are a ton of web sites providing this type of advice, but this site seems pretty comprehensive. Good luck!!! http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/

Nah, I expected it to be hard work, and it is. But not nearly as hard as it would be without the sleeve! I get full now. That didn't used to happen. Or if it did, 20 minutes later I felt empty again. Now I can refill with Crystal Light and I'm good to go for a while. So if you're not already, make sure you get the fluids in. The more the better!

I just snarfed Crystal Light out my nose!

What a fascinating article, @@maggie409! It would be nice to see independent corroboration of their findings, but it's certainly intriguing.