HaddocksEyes

Half of the burger and a few fries (like maybe 5 or 6). No shake. or All of the shake and nothing else. or All of the patty (sans bread) and the veggies and half of the fries. My choice is usually to have half of the burger and just a few fries. I almost always skipped the shakes because I have never liked to drink my calories. That hasn't changed post-surgery. I have not had a shake since the surgery, and it has been almost 6 months. I doubt that will change going forward.

Everyone is different. My stomach is just smaller than it was before. So when I eat it feels like before except I get full fast. I get the same "full" feeling that I got before but it happens a lot quicker. I can eat anything and everything I ate before - nothing really disagrees with me but I will mention that ice cream no longer tastes as good as it did before (it seems to irritate my esophagus and my stomach just a bit) and I don't know why that is. I don't like donuts anymore (HUGE donut fan before surgery) and I don't eat a lot of bread because it just fills me up too quick. I've never gotten anything "stuck" but if you eat too much, it feels like you're full all the way to your throat and that is uncomfortable. There was one time I ate too fast and wasn't paying attention and by the time I realized I was too full, it was too late-all the food was eaten. I sat around like that for maybe 40 minutes until I finally got up and went into the bathroom. All I had to do was bend over and I threw up on my own. That was the most unpleasant part of having the sleeve but I did it to myself by not following the rule of "take 30 minutes to eat".

Going to the gym and actually LIKING it because it really and truly feels GOOD to exercise. Love it!

I'm almost 6 months out and I am so pleased I did this each and every day. However, I had almost no complications, other than the normals ones (hair loss, constipation, acid reflux-which I had before anyways). I could have never done this on my own and I was spiraling down a deep dark rabbit hole before I had surgery. I was aprehensive right after surgery - couldn't believe I cut out a perfectly good and healthy part of my body. But as I got better and healed, I felt better. I am sure this will come in time for you.

Try vegan/vegetarian food. I might be weird but I love the Loma Linda/Worthington canned Proteins. My favorites are Little Links, Tender Bits, Redi-Burger and Linkettes. And there are a lot of other brands. I like Boca Burgers and Boca "chicken" patties too. Ask around to see what other people really like.

Mine just stopped on its own...was a bit scary because I thought it wouldn't.

I'm not one to comment on such - ahem - personal things but heck, it's the female forum! LOL! I've noticed I have way more interest and way more intensity when it does happen, and I've lost close to 45 pounds (started at 284 on the day of surgery). I find myself thinking about sex way more than before...yay. Husband now running away from me! Ha!

I'm a little over 5 months out and my nutritionist said that I should eat at least 1000 calories a day, give or take. She did not talk about keeping the carbs low but to be in ketosis, we have to. I have not been keeping them low and my weight loss has slowed as a result of that. She also wants to see at least 70 grams of protein per day and at least 64 ounces of water. She said that people who exercise are the most successful. I used to think she meant just in terms of weight loss but now I am thinking she meant much more than that. I haven't been tracking my calories for the past month but they are between 1,000 and 1,500 per day. Now that the holidays are over, no more excuses to get back on track and start strictly following the rules.

Thanks - it's good to know that slow losers will eventually reach goal. I'm afraid that I will just stop losing at some point and then I will be in real trouble. So there is always that thought that if I don't do it all within a year, I'm screwed. They've kind of hammered this into my head at the surgery clinic, that we have to make major progress within the first year. I've only lost 3 pounds in the last month for a grand total of 43 pounds - 20 less than where I wanted to be at this point because my six month check up is next month. But I have not been doing everything I should be doing (or not doing) and that's my fault so I really can't complain. Diabetes runs in my family and before the surgery my blood tests showed that I was on the cusp of diabetes. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am sensitive to carbs like so many others here. So I am now determined to make sure that I keep my carbs below 100 grams per day, drink 64 ounces of Water per day, get in my 80+ grams of Protein and hit the gym more than 3 days per week

LOL - yes, all of these things apply to us all (except I really like the protein shakes..BariWise RockyRoad bars are fabulous!). It's not all flowers and rainbows - you got that right! But for the most part, it is the most postive thing I have ever done for myself.

HUGE fan of Muscle Milk Light (100 calorie chocolate) here. Isopure used to be my go-to Protein, but after Muscle Milk, it just doesn't seem that yummy anymore. However, Isopure has this great dissolvable protein you can put into anything - that is really nice to have because it is almost tasteless so you can add it to pretty much anything.

I was where you are not too long ago. I knew I needed to make a change but wasn't sure that the surgery was for me. However, in my case, I had two success stories within my family to help me make that decision. On one side of the family, a relative had gastric sleeve. On the other, the Roux-NY. Both are still doing great and they are three years and 7 years out, respectively. Part of the issue here is that the surgery IS scary and one wonders if it is necessary to put themselves in a situation where major complications could occur. The other part is we want to think that we are in control of our lives, and our eating habits. For me, I couldn't have lost weight without it. I know I would be struggling for the rest of my life as a morbidly obese person. Just didn't want to go there. I had no complications from my surgery (my hair did fall out and I have a bit more acid reflux than before the surgery) but some people do and it is highly advised that you research that part of it too so that you can be completely educated as to what can happen. I wish you the best of luck!

Jane - your mom sounds like she was a real cool lady. Good on her!! I'm not sure if this helps anyone reading this or not, but before I went through law school I thought doctors knew everything, that they were some special breed of human that knew more than the rest of us about everything, that they were set apart. After I went through law school I realized that they were just like me - with human foibles and issues and that there are some good ones and some bad ones, just like attorneys, nurses, cashiers, etc. Doctors know medicine, I know the law. We each have our area of specialities the other doesn't understand. As as result I see them as just people with specialized training and they can be wrong and they can be right. We know ourselves better than any doctor, and we should always honor that and be our own best advocate. (Not that RJ has not done that, but I just wanted to mention it for those that find advocating hard to do - sometimes it is very hard to do, especially when you are afraid and don't feel good.) My long-time doctor insisted that I need a hysterectomy, but I just wasn't willing to do it because I didn't feel like I had tried everything. It was hard for me to go and find another doctor, but I did. My female problems are gone now and if I have had a hysterectomy. I would have removed something that was worth saving. We're all worth saving and evey experience we have and share with others, no matter how small or traumatic, is a learning/sharing experience for the posting person and for all of us in this great community.

Hey everyone - still doing well and taking time to reflect each day on the wonderful gift I have been given. My latest musing - I realized the other day that without this surgery I could have never lost weight (and kept it off) on my own prior to this surgery. Now, I am not saying that surgery is ALWAYS the answer and that NO ONE can lose weight without it. I am saying that for me, I know now that there would have been no way I could have been successful, which is why I have been overweight for the majority of my life. But I couldn't SEE that until I got on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I had nothing to compare my experience to because I had been fat for most of my life - the way I saw food was skewed. Now, I have a "before" and an "after". It's just another realization that this was the right thing to do. One of the things I did not expect was to feel "normal" so soon after surgery. This means I no longer have to "tip-toe" around my stomach (although there are some things I do not eat like donuts, soda and steak). I definitely feel full after eating a certain amount but because my stomach tolerates almost everything, it means it is very easy to eat too many calories. I realized the other day that chocolate chip Cookies (really, cookies of any type I imagine) go down way too easily. So this means that I have a hard time saying no. This further means I don't have them in my house because I know I will eat them if I do. And I am not sorry about that in the least, but it was something I had to recognize. What is gone is the resentment of "I can't have this or that" or the strong cravings. The feeling that yet another attempt to lose weight will likely fail is gone too - I just eat as healthy as I can each day and exercise. I have been losing about 2 pounds per week pretty steadily, and I am okay with that. I don't worry anymore if I will be fat forever - I know it will be gone eventually and it will never come back. It gives me a sense of peace that I have never before had. I've got leftover packets of Protein shakes from past liquid diets. I keep them in case I need a quick meal because they actually taste pretty good. But knowing I don't have to LIVE on them ever again is priceless. Best wishes and continued good health to all, whether pre or post surgery!

ME!

I'm a slow loser too. Right now I am losing about 2 pounds a week. I have only had one stall, and that was the 3 week stall everyone mentions. Pre-gastric sleeve, I had to practically starve myself to lose one pound a week (I lost 70 pounds as a teenager). So the slow loss doesn't surprise me, but it is frustrating because you DO wonder, what if it slows down even more the closer I get to one year out? My nutritionist and the nurse both said that the closer you get to one year, the more likely it is that weight loss will slow down. They were telling me that because I had not lost the amount they believe I should have lost at my two month checkup and they wanted to warn me it may get harder in the future to lose weight. I don't need it to slow down at all - that would be hard to deal with but I would have to learn to deal with it. I've still got 100 pounds to lose. They are wanting me to lose 70 pounds (total, so another 30 pounds for me by February) by my six month mark, which is what I have been striving for. I go to the gym 3-4 times per week (should be 5-6 times a week but life gets in the way) and try to be active outside of the gym. I eat 1000-1100 calories per day. But I can do more - like walking during lunchtime. I am wondering if there are people out there that were slow losers throughout the whole process and still met their goal. I am wondering if people like us will just lose at this rate the entire time or if they slowed down even more as time went on.

Wow, that is so sad. It is clearly malpractice. They should not have pierced his aorta. When the doctor went over the list of complications with me, piercing one's aorta was not even on the list - spleen being nicked, yeah. Aorta being severely damaged and the loss of limbs - no. Poor, poor man.

Yes, you can according to my doctor if you drink decaf. I have a cup (8 oz) a week about three times per week.

Sounds like you are going through a stall. So normal, so be heartened. I went through it at 3 weeks out and it lasted about 2 to 2 and a half weeks. Believe me when I say this WILL work for you. Chin up!!

Your post is so awesome - thank you so much for sharing.

This is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, including me. As I have said before, the word "lie" and "truth" is relative to who is speaking the words and their particular life experience. To label someone as a "liar" or "untruthful" is a judgmental (and honestly, I see it as rude) statement. But we all have the right to say what we wish, and state our opinion, so to say as much is your right - I personally don't like it and don't think it is conducive to a positive enviroment. The outside world is tough enough on obese people - why attack each other here by name calling and put-downs? To keep hammering the drum of (1) you need to tell, (2) you have a duty to help others and (3) you are dishonest and a liar if you don't do (1) and (2) is ridiculous. It is just as easy to say people aren't truthful to others if they say they can eat whatever they want but leave out the fact that they spend hours in the gym compensating for the fact they eat freely and without restriction. Do they also have the responsibility to admit that they work their heart out? Do we call them a liar and state that they have the responsibility to motivate others by sharing ALL of the details of how they lost weight? Do we call people out who take supplements and that is the cause of their success? How trivial are the things they are doing in light of the overall picture? Do we give these people as much grief as has been given on this site, and other sites like it? I said this once and I will say it again - the sleeve is merely a TOOL. When we chide others for deciding not to tell, even though they say they are honest about the exercise and the good food choices they are making, why are we giving so much important to the surgery part? All the veterans can attest that the actual restriction is merely part of the formula, that one can still gain back the weight if he or she is not careful. We have either heard of or know people that have "eaten through their surgery". The exercise, food choices and overall decision to make a positive life choice is what matters here at the end of the day. I'm not responsible for anyone else's happiness or health and neither are you or anyone else on this site. People who are really miserable and want a change will seek out the information they wish to know to help them move forward with whatever decision they make. I'm not a cheerleader nor a nay-sayer on surgery. If I say something, I stick to the facts. My doctor has it right - he wants to make sure that the decisions people make regarding the surgery are all their own. He takes care not to laud the surgery as a cure-all and is very upfront with the possible complications that can occur. I went to see another bariatric doctor here in Sacramento before Dr. Ali and let me tell you that his seminar was like going to a time-share presentation..complete with advertisements plugging the services of other doctors that provided related services. If a patient ever has buyer's remorse, that doctor will certainly be blamed. If the surgery doesn't go right for those you feel you had to encourage, you may find yourself in a similar position.

BS of Cali -seemed like a week. My medical group is the same group that my doctor works for (UC Davis) so that made the process easier.

Don't blame yourself - I am getting in more protein than they said every day and taking my Vitamins faithfully and my hair is still coming out at a fast pace (I am three months out). I think it just comes down to how your body handles stress, as the others have said.

Lord, after I wash my hair it looks like a rat stuck in my drain! LOL. Seriously, that and heartburn are my two complications from this surgery. Truth, some people lose more than others. I have a lot of hair so no one notices. I only hope it slows down soon.

Steve, After you have the surgery, if that's your choice, you will understand that having the surgery IS a big deal in the beginning. Your sleeve will do a lot for you in those early days in terms of helping. However, after a year, two years, you will be the one doing all the hard work. You will be the one making the proper dietary choices, the one choosing to exercise and the one choosing to take the supplements each and ever day as prescribed. Your sleeve is merely just a tool for success. You are putting far too much emphasis on the surgery itself as being THE one thing that allows us to lose weight and be healthy. Right now you see the omission of mention of surgery as a lie. You can't see the other side of things because you're not on the other side yet. The surgery is just a very small part of this whole journey. You see people on TV, or maybe know people personally that have "eaten through their surgery", that have gained almost all of it back. We all do. It just shows that at the end of the day you are responsible for your ultimate success. Those hours spent exercising, calorie counting, making good choices...that will be all you.