une nouvelle vie

It may be that you're not healed, like you mentioned. I hate to say it but it also may be that you're like me. I had the sleeve 11 months ago and I very rarely ever feel the restriction so many talk about. Don't get me wrong, I can't eat the massive amounts of food I used to eat, but I don't feel restriction as it's described by so many people. I have to rely on weighing and measuring and making myself stop when I've had my allotted amount.

I hate to be Debbie Downer by saying that and I hope it's not the case for you, but I'd love to have restriction. I didn't have it right after surgery and I don't have it now.

I'm all about working it as best as possible, but I have to question your "while you can" addition.

It's great for you that you were a low BMI to begin with so with hard work you hit your goal, but you're effectively taking away hope from those people who didn't start this journey at a lower BMI. Add that to the fact that sleeves don't really stretch much, so there's no reason someone can't keep on using their sleeve correctly far after 1 year post op. There are quite a few people right here on this message board who are several years post op and they're still using their sleeves to full effect.

It seems that you're buying into that idea that after 1 year the magic is over. My surgeon explained to me that one of the *many* reasons the one year time is given is that that's when a LOT of surgeons quit monitoring their patients so one year of data is all they have.

So honestly, yay for the idea of making the most of the tool we've been given but I can't agree with what you seem to be saying about some magic one year mark where Cinderella's carriage turns instantly into a pumpkin and I heartily disagree that the first few months of rapid weight loss are the key. Our bodies are all different. We all lose differently just as we all gained differently. This tool and the lessons we learn about eating and exercising are FOREVER if we work them right. Those who gain and stop losing are those who stop working them.

Thanks for this. I grabbed what I needed to make it at the store today. I'll be giving it a try tomorrow!

Body tech @ the Vitamin shop is pretty decent and they're usually on sale buy one get one free. I've tried vanilla,chocolate,banana and Cookies n cream the last one being my least favorite.

Thanks for this info. I'm not quite a year out and thought I was done with shakes, but I'm starting back to college this summer and there aren't healthy options (for the most part) on campus so on my long days I'll need a shake. I bought a tub from GNC and it tastes great but this brand looks a bit cheaper with more Protein to boot!

I'm hurt and angry on your behalf. I'm so sorry this happened and I do hope you report it before they do it to someone else

I'm so glad I found this forum, you all are so helpful and great. Thank you all

@@Inner Surfer Girl, I have dark brown hair with some light brown highlights and my eyes are hazel. I'm fair skinned.

Seriously, you guys are so awesome

Okay, I've never been terribly fashionable because I figured when you're fat you may as well forget it. Well, I'm still fat (for now!) but I'm down 150 pounds and I'm fitting into clothes I bought, never got to wear, and stashed away. I have two pairs of pants that are the same style but different colors. One navy/white stripes and one is khaki/white stripes. They're a cotton blend. I'll attach pictures.

Soooooooo. What color shirts would be okay for each and what color shoes could you wear with them? I know this is probably simple stuff but I'm unsure and don't want to look too stupid

Anyone have ideas?

I didn't use one for about 3 months postop but I do now. I know I wouldn't get all of my fluids in without using one.

One step at a time is how you get there. I'm excited for you!

Oh that could have been me if I'd have waited any longer. Right around the time I first went to see my surgeon I got a gym membership because I knew that at 450 pounds the ONLY exercise I could attempt was walking in the water/dog paddling. I would walk back and forth across the pool for about 25 minutes and then tread Water for 35 minutes in the deep end. The first time I went to get out, I was scared.

I was wearing one of those bathing suits with the skirt so (of course) it was soaked and not helping by holding me down that much more. Luckily I was able to grab the ladder (this pool has steps at the shallow end that are not nearly as gradual as they should be) and pull myself up step by step. I remember thinking that had I been just a tad older or with a little less muscle tone or a little bit heavier I may have needed help.

Like you, I hope she keeps coming back and doesn't let this set her back.

I understand that the 20 lb in 2 weeks is not what will continue to happen. I am familiar with Water weight and glycogen storage.

Mathematically speaking, considering I barely net any calories a day after exercise. I should be close to a half a lb a day loss. It's frustrating, because it just doesn't make any sense.

Fyi, there is no way possible for me to increase calorie intake.

When you're exercising so much that you're barely netting any calories a day you're most likely not doing your organs any favors. It can also cause your body to burn more muscle than fat which in the long term hurts.

Since you still seem concerned about it after so many comments here, you may want to contact your surgeon's office to see what they say. I have to say your "mathematically speaking" hits close to home because I spoke that exact phrase to my surgeon and nutritionist during a stall. I laid out every calorie I'd consumed and gave them every minute of exercise I'd done along with my results from my resting metabolic rate test and told them that mathematically speaking it was impossible I wasn't losing more. My surgeon, who has thousands of surgeries under his belt, sort of chuckled and informed me that all bodies are different and that some lose slower than others and it seemed I was believing the calories in/calories out fallacy as absolute truth. Maybe your doctor can look at your unique situation and come up with other answers for you.

My point was 7 lbs in 3 weeks... I also didn't ask for a snarky response.

And yes, I track my food/water. I also walk 3-5 miles a day or work out at the gym 5-6 days a week.

Thank s a bunch for being so unhelpful!

Wow, I think you're being overly snippy with Lipsticklady but I'm going to chalk that up to frustration and hope that's all it is.

Your loss of 20 pounds in 2 weeks after surgery isn't going to be your normal at all. In all likelihood, not even close. A lot of what you lost was Fluid they pumped you full of during surgery. Even after weight loss surgery most people don't see a 10 pound a week loss. I'm not a doctor but I'm going to guess that would be highly unhealthy for your body to lose at that rate from start to finish.

You started at almost exactly 100 pounds over your goal weight. At that weight you're much more likely to fall into the 2 pounds a week expectation and even then you're going to have stalls. Your body is constantly adjusting and readjusting after surgery and as it settles into your new way of eating and digestion. There's a whole subforum here devoted to stalls so you can see that nearly everyone has them.

Keep on doing what you're doing because it sounds like you're doing all the right things. The only thing you need to change is, in my opinion, your expectation of weight loss. Celebrate the 2 pounds a week you do lose and bid it good riddance.

Good luck to you!

I was a BIG momma before my surgery journey. My surgeon does his sleeves outpatient for the most part (inpatient would have cost me another $5K and I did self pay) so he wanted me to lose quite a bit of weight before surgery.

I cut out starch (no potatoes, no bread, no Pasta, no rice, no corn) , no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol or soda and no fast food. I ate mostly lean meat and green veggies. Hard boiled egg whites saved me when I was really hungry and just needed something to eat. One large egg white only has about 17 calories and 3g of Protein. I also would make a cabbage based Soup that had about 40 calories a cup that I'd eat.

You can do it! Eat slow and and chew a lot because you'll need to get used to that for after surgery anyway.

Hi there! I thought I'd check in with an update. I got perfect scores on both the reading and English parts of the COMPASS but, as i expected, I didn't quite make the math portion I was 3 points away from placing where I needed to be. I considered retaking the test but I know that a few of those right answers were guesses and I'd rather take the remedial class to get myself up to speed than to be placed into a class I may not be able to handle.

I'm enrolled for summer courses (only 3) which start later this month. I'm nervous and excited! I'm meeting with an adviser next week to talk about which program I'm going to go for. Some of the programs are competitive so I'm a little disheartened there but I need to just keep going forward.

Oh that sounds awful

About a month ago I realized that I was only getting about 10g of fiber a day via the veggies I eat (I don't eat Beans or bread products of any kind) and figured I needed to add a supplement. I found that the original Fiber One cereal added 14g of fiber for a half cup for only 60 calories and 25g of carbs so that seemed as good of a deal as any supplement.

I've been eating a half cup a day (on occasion a whole cup split throughout the day) with no issues. It may be that I am the oddball though because I haven't had any food issues (or really any issues) with my sleeve at all and I'm 10 months out.

Some here have said their program specifically told them they were fine. My program had them listed on the "do not use" list.

I was getting in 500-600 calories everyday for the first 6 months. Right around my 6 month mark, I increased my calories to 850. I lost 5 pounds in the first four days of the increase. It was incredible. I am now doing 2-3 days a week at 850 and 500-600 the rest of the week. It seems so prevent stalling, for me at least.

Count me as someone else who was shocked when I dropped weight after increasing calories. My surgeon also told me that at under 700 calories a day you're as likely to lose muscle as you are fat an that's definitely not good for the long haul so he's advised me to stay above 700 calories on a regular basis.

I usually end up around 800-900 daily and I am 9 months out.

I think it will really depend from person to person. When I started my weight loss journey I was 450 pounds and I rarely ever had a period. I might have maybe 2 a year and they were never a "full period" like when I weighed less. My doctor said that like anorexics, my body was so messed up I didn't have periods anymore.

Now I'm down 145 pounds (allllmost below 300) my periods are back with a vengeance. I have one almost every month and every other one is HARSH. I am literally changing my super tampon every hour on the hour. It's awful.

I hope yours get better!

I continue to be grateful for your nice comments. I truly mean it, I'm so grateful.

My next step is to take the COMPASS tests. I feel confident with the reading, writing, and English but ohhhh math. Math, math, math. Math and I are NOT friends. I just joined https://www.khanacademy.org/ to do some brushing up. They'll let you select any grade level and work your way up. I'm embarrassed to tell you what grade level I started with, but I'm banging through it!

I gave myself permission today to fail. I need to place at a certain math level to enter the program I want to study and I've been so stressed about the math I feel stuck in fear. I gave myself permission to NOT test into that level and to have to take a "lesser" math this summer to work my way up to it. I'm committing to an hour a day on Khan's website and I'll take the test (probably) this coming Thursday. I hope I place where I need to but if I don't, I don't.

@@FLLyssa, preach that!

I started at 450 pounds so I had a LOT more to lose than many who've gotten the sleeve. I figured I wouldn't have to exercise much at all until I got to a lot closer to my goal weight. Then at 330 pounds I got stuck. STUCK.

Worse than lazy, I was stupid! I kept thinking "This is scientifically impossible!" My BMR (basal metabolic rate) was supposed to be about 2100 calories a day which meant that since I was eating around 800 a day I should be dropping a pound every 3 days without any exercise. Guess what? I wasn't. I logged every bite of food so I know it wasn't that I was eating more than I thought. It just wasn't happening no matter what science said should be happening.

Did I mention I was being stupid? Well, I was. I dug in my heels and thought "It's a stall, the scale will move soon." and kept right on not exercising. I did this for THREE MONTHS.

I finally bought a treadmill and had to start out really slowly because I'd been 450 pounds before I started this journey, exercise obviously wasn't part of my life. I started by walking 2 miles an hour for 10 minutes at a time, 3 times a day to get my 30 minutes in. That was a month ago. I'm still only at 30 minutes a day but I do 15 minutes at a time at 2.4 miles an hour and I've lost 25 pounds. Almost to under 300!

Let's keep going!

Thank you again to everyone. I went to an information session and my next step will be taking the COMPASS tests to see where I place. Then it'll be on to financial aid and seeing what prerequisites might be in my future before I can start the program. One step at a time, right?

I filled out the FAFSA a month or so ago so they'll have that information shortly if not already. After my COMPASS tests I'll be meeting with an adviser to discuss the rest.

I'm taking all of your words to heart. I want so much to do well.

@@CanyonBaby, great post! So much truth and I hope people read and absorb it. It can be a real struggle, but I think it's worth it.

I want to elaborate a bit on your: "You may gain weight back." a little. I've seen so many people online and off who say thing about weight loss surgery being PERMANENT weight loss. No damned way. SO many people lose considerable amounts of weight and yet gain back every pound and sometimes more because they go right back to eating the foods they did before and sometimes nearly the same amount.

I have a friend who had surgery six months before me and she had less to lose than I do. She was 10 pounds from her goal around Christmas. A piece of pizza turned into three. A piece of pie at Thanksgiving had turned into trying a piece of each pie at Christmas along with Cookies and fudge. After the holidays it kept going and it continues to as of this month.

This story also touches on your "you may lose friends" point as well, because she blew up at me a week ago because I wouldn't go out for pizza with her. I offered to have her over for something else but she insisted we get a pizza. Pizza is a food I used to love but I haven't had a bite of it since I started preparing for surgery last March because I know me and I need to focus to stay on track. She's gained back 40 pounds since December and shows no signs of stopping. She told me I'm obsessed with my surgery and my weight loss and that it isn't healthy for her to be around me anymore. It made me a little sad, but I can't afford to let anyone or anything knock me off my track. I used to weigh 450 pounds and I never want to be there again.

I'm telling this not for pity, but to illustrate how even people who've been on a journey like yours, it isn't exactly like yours. We all arrived at the decision for surgery for myriad reasons and our weight loss paths are going to be different a well. There isn't one way to do it right, you have to do what's right for YOU to keep yourself moving in the losing direction. It's too easy to stumble and go backwards.

Thank you guys so much for your support and suggestions. I'm sincerely touched that you'd take the time to respond. I don't have a lot of offline support and I'm afraid my self esteem isn't the best so every little bit helps.

Just knowing other people are out there doing it or have done it gives me hope that this could work out. I'm really going to try. Thank you again, I really mean it. I'm going to bookmark this page and read it again and again.

Let me tell you, prior to deciding to have my surgery my diabetes wasn't well controlled. Why? I ate pretty much whatever I wanted and took my metformin only most of the time. Once I started preparing for the surgery and eating better, I was able to cut back my metformin a lot (I was on the highest dose my doc could give me). I'm ashamed to tell you but before I decided to have surgery, my A1C was up to 10. TEN! It was part of what made me decide to have surgery.

My surgeon took me off my diabetic medication the day of surgery. I was nervous but I tested my blood sugar twice a day and it was always good. At about 4 months after surgery I has bloodwork done and my A1C was 4.5 and I haven't taken any meds.

I'm sure everyone's results vary, but it resolved my situation for me.

I really feel you. I was terrified of being put under. I know I drove everyone in my life crazy leading up to my surgery because I was 100% convinced I wasn't going to make it. I even didn't renew my AAA membership because I figured I'd die

I talked to my surgeon and asked him how many sleeve patients he'd ever lost. None. I talked to the anesthesiologist and asked how many patients he'd lost. None. I saw how this surgery has no more higher rate of mortality than any other and I started feeling better.

You're going to be better than okay. You're going to be awesome and on your way to being healthier.