Elizabeth21

Take the lax! 1.5 weeks is too long. You'll end up needing an enema... That's really awkward.

Hi All,
Truly curious. There is so little I can ingest compared to pre-op and sweets are semi-nauseating so in addition to volume limitation I just can't seem to tolerate a lot.
Biggest fear for me is that I cannot maintain the majority of my weight loss. I chose the sleeve due to the statistics that seem to indicate most maintain majority of weight loss.
So... now my "demons" are whispering that this won't last. I'm wondering, REALLY, what is the evidence for/against maintenance? It seems like looking at the math, it is hard to imagine I could get back to pre-op weight unless my stomach can somehow regain its former volume and tolerance. Am I kidding myself?
Is there really a "happily ever after?"

@@VSGAnn2014, thank you for the feedback and the video link. Both were very helpful. The video directly addresses the "how" of the regain and increasing appetite. At 5 1/2 months out, this was good information to get to incorporate into my plan.
I knew/know the sleeve is not magic. Learning the pitfalls will hopefully enable me to avoid slipping into them. Thank you.

@@RichardVST please watch that video. What you are experiencing is NORMAL. the key is to keep 20# regain from turning into 200#.

@Elizabeth21
Check out this video by a bariatric surgeon about why patients regain. Spoiler alert: Despite the video title, it ain't because their stomachs stretch. It's really worth the watch for anyone who is worrying about or struggling with regain.

@Elizabeth21
Have you ever eaten 1,000 calories for months / years at a time and remained overweight?
If not, then don't worry about that happening to you in the future.
For the record, I've never done that before.
Heck, I've never eaten 1,500 calories for months/years at a time and remained overweight. It was always more like 2,000 or more. And I wasn't moving much at the time.
For now, I'm eating 1,400 calories a day and maintaining my weight. I would like to get that up to 1,600/day. We shall see how that goes.

I often felt the plus size "fashion" was just another punishment for me. Hello, I gained weight. I didn't lose all sense of fashion.
What's up with all the beach/big floral fabrics? Like now I'm overweight, so I'm going to beach parties everyday? I need work clothes for the office! Ugh!
So nice to be able to find some real clothes again and feel presentable!!

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.

I often felt the plus size "fashion" was just another punishment for me. Hello, I gained weight. I didn't lose all sense of fashion.
What's up with all the beach/big floral fabrics? Like now I'm overweight, so I'm going to beach parties everyday? I need work clothes for the office! Ugh!
So nice to be able to find some real clothes again and feel presentable!!

Well... for one, giving people more negative attention after they've already dealt with that crap their whole lives is cruel in my opinion. Why say something mean? Why not just say nothing? Also, it's a bit narcissistic to assume that every other person on this forum thinks, feels, and forms the same opinions as you do. Some may actually be being sincere in their compliments, we are all unique individuals and the world does not always agree with you. And to insult people as you have, calling them harlots and whatnot is simply something that someone who is not yet comfortable with themselves and envies those who are would say. Why would you want to express your disgust for people who are trying their hardest to change their lives and be better for the future? Why would you want to discourage them by body shaming them? To me it seems mean spirited and completely unnecessary, as an adult you should know by now to have compassion for those around you who are only human. That's all I have to say.

My mama always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". We are human, we are imperfect & after WLS, we are constantly learning. Be kind, be gentle or be quiet.

Alex, you rock.
I would love to see you and Huizenga debate this on one of the national morning TV shows.
Very seriously love to see that!

Quick! Obesity is killing you! You need to drop weight and get your life back. What do you do? Do you exercise four hours a day? Or do you go for weight loss surgery?


Dr. Huizenga of the Biggest Loser and colleagues asked exactly that question – and you can bet what they concluded. The first two articles in this series looked at their research. It compared Biggest Loser methods to bariatric surgery and reported findings on weight loss and other effects.
As it turns out (spoiler alert if you haven’t read the previous articles in this series!), weight loss is faster among Biggest Loser contestants, at least for the first 7 months. And then? Who knows? The gastric bypass patients in the study continued to lose weight through 12 months, while the Biggest Loser contestants…weren’t even tracked. Who knows what they weighed at 12 months and beyond?
The research raises a lot of other questions for me. Here are the ones I would like to ask Dr. Huizenga, with each question followed by an explanation of what I am curious about.
Cost is obviously an important factor for almost everyone. Can you please explain your reasoning in saying a program like the Biggest Loser is more cost-effective than weight loss surgery?
Exercise for four hours a day – cheap, right? In theory, sure. Just join a gym for $60 a month and work out as much as you want. But is it really that simple? Not really, if you’re an average human being.
Take a look at the Biggest Loser contestants’ program. They didn’t just have access to a gym. They had trainers 6 days a week, a room away from real-world worries and temptations, and all the healthy foods they could dream of, not to mention medical care as needed. Value? Well, at a value of $2,500 per week (as listed on the Biggest Loser Resort website), contestants who were on the ranch for 13 weeks received a package valued at $32,500. That doesn’t include any additional support, like contact with trainers after the show was over.
There’s no getting around the fact that weight loss surgery has a big price tag of $5,000 or $10,000 or $25,000. But that’s only if you’re paying out of pocket, and it’s still less than the first 13 weeks of a Biggest Loser style weight loss program. Get some insurance reimbursement, and you could get surgery for free or for a reduced cost. Plus, you don’t need to leave your job for a few months to live at the ranch – another cost in itself.
Why do you believe slowed metabolism is more significant in weight loss surgery patients compared to Biggest Loser contestants?
You found a slowed metabolism in Biggest Loser contestants compared to gastric bypass patients at 7 months. You attributed the slow to contestants losing weight for the show’s finale…but the weight loss surgery patients in your study were also still losing weight at that time?
One of the reasons you promote intense exercise over weight loss surgery is because patients maintain more lean muscle mass and metabolism when they work out…but this didn’t seem to be a huge benefit in your study!
Can you please provide a sample day that includes four hours of daily exercise and that individuals could follow on a long-term basis to lose weight?
Okay, Dr. Huizenga says exercise can come out of television time, but I’m having trouble thinking of a daily schedule that includes four hours of exercise and still lets someone take care of the family and work. Here’s how I see it: wake up at 4:30, work out from 5:00 to 7:00 (thus missing your kids waking up), take kids to school, go to work by 8:30, walk on your lunch hour (that’s your hour 3 of exercise), get off work at 5, pick up kids, run errands, and get home by 6, have dinner at 6:30, work out from 7 to 8 (thus missing family time), put kids to bed, go to bed at 8:30 for a solid 8 hours of sleep. Fun life! (Not!).
Maybe you can drop some of your duties for a few weeks, but for the months or years it takes to hit goal weight? That’s just not realistic. And how much exercise is necessary for maintenance? I guess the study didn’t say…because it didn’t follow the Biggest Loser contestants for more than 7 months.
People aren’t supervised on a daily basis like they are on Biggest Loser. Is it safe to exercise for 4 hours a day, especially when we’re talking about people who may not have this kind of background?
Most people don’t have access to trainers and medical support the way Biggest Loser contestants do. And, people who are 100 or 200 lb. overweight aren’t generally used to exercising for hours a day (let’s face it: except for athletes, most people aren’t). How do they know what to do? How can they prevent injuries? Are there any health risks associated with exercising to the extreme?
How do you explain these health values?
Most of the health values improved with weight loss, but some of the Biggest Loser contestants’ values got worse. Why do you think “bad” LDL cholesterol increased by about 20 percent, and total cholesterol also increased significantly?
What are the long-term results in Biggest Loser contestants?
The show has been airing since 2004, and it has just completed Season 16. You must be in touch with some of these contestants and have the ability to contact others. What are their long-term results? Have they kept the weight off?
There are plenty of studies on long-term effectiveness of weight loss surgery. Most find that bariatric surgery is generally effective for weight control and improvements in health conditions such as diabetes, arthritic pain, and sleep apnea, for example. Many studies conclude that among people who are eligible for weight loss surgery, the ones who get surgery do better than the ones who don’t.
Is it really justified to say exercise is better than weight loss surgery when there is no evidence supporting that?

Excellent!!
So many folks are focused on the losing part and for those of us lucky enough to have made it to maintenance, this is the real test. There's no positive reinforcement by watching the numbers on the scale go down. The clothing sizes aren't going down, and it just means we need to find other ways of staying positive while we deal with our issues on a daily basis. I'm glad you set this up Alex. I know I'll be in this forum plenty.

Congratulations on hitting your goal weight…what is your next step? As you know, losing weight is a battle, and it’s one that you’ve won if you’ve hit your goal weight. That’s a huge accomplishment…but the fight doesn’t stop there. Let your guard down, and pounds come back on. That’s what this forum is for: to help you succeed in this next stage of your weight loss surgery journey.
These forums are for you if:
You are at goal weight and are working on keeping the pounds off. You are getting close to goal weight and you want advice and tips from others on how to make the transition to maintenance as successfully as possible. You are considering weight loss surgery and want to know what your life will be like when you hit goal weight one or two or three years after surgery. Talk about recipes, eating new foods, working out for health and maintenance, and other healthy long-term behaviors as a successful WLS patient. You can also come here for support if you find the pounds starting to creep back on, or if you get a little discouraged with the idea of following this lifestyle for “forever.” There are others in your boat!

I trolled this forum for a long while before posting anything. As someone said earlier, a lot of the forums are female dominated. I choose to start my posting in the Guy's Room because I honestly don't/didn't think I could relate with the female perspective or better yet, that females couldn't relate to my perspective. There is a ton of amazing ladies on this site with a ton of good advice. I was just looking for some guy talk.
To be honest, I was take back when women started posted on my threads. I thought that they were out of place. I then downloaded the app and realized that on the Unread Posts or newest content, it was hard, if not impossible to tell that what forum room you are in.
I understand how this happens now and I understand. This guy would like to say, I forgive you and accept your apology. I'm sorry that someone was so rude to you. Thank you for being sensitive to the Guy's Room.

I have made the same mistake since it shows up as a recent post and often the topics are general advice. I find it annoying we have these rules and doubly so that people get their panties in a twist when you accidently reply to someone asking for advice...

@@Alex Brecher
Any way to add a default to the titles of any topics posted in men's or the ladies' room that say "male only" or "female only"?

Without realising it, I replied to a topic under the Recent Topics List (about clothing) having no idea it was on a Men Only Board. Today, again under the Recent Topics, a thread has appeared saying that women are not respecting men's privacy and are daring to post on the Guys' Room.
Please don't assume I, or any other poster is deliberately infringing your privacy or trying to find your manly secrets!!! When you open a Recent Threads topic, it goes straight to the thread and the "Women Keep Out" post does not show.
Because of the timing, I can't believe the thread showing concern about breaching your privacy wasn't a response to my accidental post!
Don't worry, boys. Your secrets are safe. I haven't read any of your threads. Will double check the source of posts before daring to answer anything. But if you don't want women to read your posts, maybe you should ask the administrators to make sure they don't appear in Recent Topics,

I'm two and a half years post op, lost more than 140 pounds in 14 months, and have kept it off since. I watch what eat every day, all day. I can eat a lot more than I could in the beginning, and more than I wish I could. I don't think I did anything to stretch my sleeve, but I do think it's bigger than lots of people's.
I know that I could easily gain every pound back, and it would not be hard to do. I can eat a lot of calories without realizing it by grazing and making high caloric choices. I could easily drink 3-4 thousand calories a day. It would be easy. When I first had the surgery, I thought I was cured. I was elated at how little I could eat, how little I felt like eating, and at the lack of hunger. Now I know that was temporary. Hunger gradually returned, and so did the desire to eat. It's nothing like pre-op even now, but it's enough that if I don't watch it, I gain. I always say I'm one cookie away from 300 pounds - in other words - I can never let my guard down.

One sure fire way is to stop taking care of yourself. So, eating poorly, not being active, not reducing stress....those things will cause you to regress.
Remember that your sleeve is a tool in the WL toolbox. Improper use of it will result in poor results.
Facing your demons and telling said demons to "eff off" is a great way to reduce the likelihood of becoming unhealthy again.
It's definitely hard but not impossible!

I gotta say I'm happy as a clam! I am at almost 6 months out, have lost just about 60lbs, and am close to the 65 percent of the excess weight loss. Pretty good for under a year, without working too hard at it (I just have so much on my plate right now, I'll get to it, I promise!). The surgery met my expectations, and I have to say I am CONTENT. If I lose more, great. If I don't, I am still SO MUCH BETTER OFF than I was, and healthier than I could have ever thought I would be again. So contented, I am competing with my cats (4) for LOUDEST PURR AWARD!!!!

You need to write a letter. Now, while you are one step removed from the situation but while it is still fresh in your mind.
Detail what you've been through, what you advised the providers, the reactions you perceived and how it made you feel.
You deserve an apology and they deserve to be informed of how their reactions affected you. Do this for yourself and for the next patient who comes in with a less than perfect body.
Deliver that letter personally to the office manager so they put a face to it. Seriously.

I am glad you are going to see your doctor. Remember you are the customer! He should provide treatment and/or medication to assist you. Keep in mind that your stomach remains swollen for a while as your are healing after surgery. So, your stomach will seem to "enlarge" as you heal naturally. At seven weeks, it is still early in the process. I remember feeling impatient that I was not feeling better at two months. I know it feels like an eternity. It is going to get better. At almost five months and 84 pounds lighter, I am very glad I made this choice.
Good luck!

Emerald Roast packages nut Snacks in 100 calorie count bags. They are a great go-to choice that you can throw in a desk drawer and/or purse to have on hand. I really like there Cocoa Almonds cause it gives just a little chocolate kick too. Also love the Quest bars.