bewell

@@Zzzombrie What is the 5 day sleeve test?

@@VMS1990 Interesting-Yes I did tell them I had a slieeve and also called my bariatric Doc, no special prep provided by either. I did fine on the 2 doses of yucky stuff. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to drink all the liquid yuck stuff plus Water requirements but didn't have a problem. Wasn't easy but did get all the fluids in.

I am about to start a colonoscopy prep. Did anyone have problems getting the "stuff" down? Anything I need to be aware of? Should have checked with my Doc but didn't. Any help is welcome! Thank you

@@DavidOso Amazing weight loss.....good for you!

I have some kind of Protein within one hour of when I get up. 1 egg scrambled or hard boiled egg keeps me full for 3-4 hours (but I've really tired of eggs.) So I mix it up with yogurt or my old standby Syntax fuzzy navel.

@@hannahsleeved15# Clarify-restriction goes away......I should have said the hunger comes back for most people at some point 5-12 months out. So to me it felt like less restriction cuz I could eat more. Early on I had to force ourself to eat just a few bites, had little or no hunger and weight loss is kinda easy. I was told by old-timers and it was true.....enjoy the restriction and loss of hunger now. Don't play with foods you aren't suppose to eat or eat too much. Enjoy eating just a few bites and being satisfied. Make the most of this wonderful surgical gift where it's "easier" to lose the weight cuz for most, at some point, it gets harder. For me it's not hard like it was pre-sleeve but still similar. I have to be careful all the time. I'm not an expert but my understanding is the sleeve surgery leaves the less-elastic part of the stomach so we want to be VERY careful not to stretch it by eating too much. It doesn't come back. Even at almost a year I keep the amount I eat to about 1 cup of food. My NUT and I agree to eat more often, smaller meals with a few Snacks. My weight loss has really slowed down now but I am still losing weight. I had a long stall but lost inches. I'm off all meds and am very active. Now I lose about 2 pounds a month and that's OK with me. I need fewer calories cuz I weight less. I am so happy i have not gained any weight back.

I had the same experience. I'm almost one year out and until the last 2 months I vomited if I ate too fast or too much. I wasn't able to eat solid foods for months. I was at least 2-3 weeks behind on the suggested new food to try list. Normal for me. Doc encourage me to go at my own pace introducing new foods. I didn't eat salad or even fresh fruit until I was 4 months out. Just know everyone is different, everyone's experience is different. Be happy for the restriction cuz someday it will not be there. I still vomit if I eat too much. And too much can be just a bite or two too much. I'm not talking huge amounts. The suggestion by Doc to STOP eating BEFORE I was full was key. It's hard to do. And I'm just now able to eat an apple with the peel on. Best of luck.

i had a lot of vomiting until just the last 2 months. Even a Vitamin pill on a small meal could make me heave. (Sleeved 1//15) The first 7 months I ate very small meals all day, maybe up to 5 and a snack or two. AND Syntax fuzzy navel Protein drink saved me, still does. I have one as soon as I get up and one just before I go to bed. However after the honeymoon phase (8 or so months post-op) and I was able to eat more I had to watch it. At my last checkup I was concerned that my stomach had stretched a little. Doc said it my have needed to stretch cuz of a small tummy but to be careful not to stretch it any more. So now I do the 4 small meals and a snack. If I eat too much now (AND THAT MIGHT BE JUST ONE BITE!) I vomit. Best wishes and congrats on the great weight loss. Enjoy the restriction while you have it.

@@longjohs ME TOO--- "emotionally" attached to some of my old big clothes. Made me smile. I really like some of my big girl clothes AND I have some fond memories of places I went in them. I'm keeping a few. But to the topic of weight gain after WLS. I had a lap-band in 2006, lost 75 pounds and over 6 years slowly gained it all back and then 15 more pounds. I had a terrible time with the lap-band, had it replaced early on after a erosion, hurt all the time, finally had to have a total unfill and it still hurt. I could only eat soft foods. A piece of chicken would send me into serious stomach pains all day. Jump to Jan 2015-lap band revision to sleeve. The sleeve is a much better WLS for me. I am not in constant pain. I'm 10 pounds below my lowest with Lapband. I'm 64 yrs old and I know this is my last chance. I am very serious about changing my eating habits and way of life. So I am following the food plans pretty much to a tee. I don't eat sweets and rarely bread/potatoes/starchy stuff. My worst slip-somedays-I eat 2 apples instead of one and an extra piece of cheese. This is my new way of life. I plan to keep this weight off no matter what it takes. It's life or death. At age 64, it's real.

@@goingtoskinny soon Just my thoughts but no you shouldn't be concerned. Everyone loses at a different rate. People over 300 lbs lose a lot faster. In 8 months your journey will be your own, at your own pace. I know it's hard but try not to compare yourself with others. How fast they lose weight or what they start eating after WLS. Follow the docs orders, eat what they say, when they say to and not before. I was slow to start soft foods, and eventually real food. I had to stop reading what others were eating because I just got confused and upset. I also stopped comparing myself with others weight loss. Everyone is different.

Finally past the 3 month slow weight loss/stall. I never gained any weight so I know I was eating OK. I continued to lose but very slow. And I was losing inches. Now the scale is dropping faster, FINALLY!. So relieved. I was worried cuz my eating was still pretty good. I can eat more and want more but just can't eat it. Exercising more too. I really feel I needed this time to recalibrate physically and emotionally. Now I'm ready for the next phase and losing again, thank god and my tiny tummy.

@@anna9/15 I definitely had emotional issue. In retrospect....of course. I had over-eaten over everything. Happy, sad, whatever and I no longer could do that. So I had to face the emotions. And of course the surgery does effect the hormone big time. Anyway, I started seeing a therapist cuz I just don't want to play around with food like I;ve done so many time and gain the weight back. I know early on as newbies we think our loss of hunger will never come back. But it does and I wanted to be ready with support. The therapist asks me the hard questions when I start with just a little bite of this or that.

@@Jeaninew I also am a lap-band to sleeve conversion. I had a lot of problems with the lapland. Even had to have it replaced early on. Terrible. Not everyone has so many problems with a lapband, but I did. It hurt all the time which just made me feel off every minute of the day. It was after all a foreign object in my body. My DOC said that initially sleeve complications are a bit higher than a lap-band but long-term the lap-band has much higher complication rates than any other bariatric surgery. Slips, erosions, fill/unfill..... For me the sleeve is so much better. And it is working. I've now lost 10 pounds more than i ever did with the band. At this point I feel confident I will be able to keep the weight off. I just can't eat very much with a tiny tummy. I still have to watch what I eat and be careful but for me, it is a much better solution. The lap-band was constant torture.

My first 30 days--- That Water would taste so weird. I wasn't hungry at all. That everything smelled weird and I was very sensitive to smells. That I could live on 600-899 calories and be full! When I ate my first scrambled egg I was full for hours. I vomited a lot----after taking a Vitamin pill. Once while brushing my teeth. I vomited if I ate too fast or too much and I WAS really eating SLOW and not much. Honest. At 9 months I can guzzle water but not until 2+ hours after I eat. I get hungry now but still can't eat much. Some cravings returned but still not interested in sweets. One scrambled egg still keeps me full for hours. I still vomit if I eat too much or too fast. Sometimes it's just one bite to much. I LOVE a fresh pear or apple-truly Devine. Better than any sweet desert ever tasted. I'm off all meds and have lots of energy and love to move. My words to the newbies---the honeymoon will be over and for most of us, our hunger returns to some degree and we can eat more. Enjoy it while you can. Establish your healthy eating habits now, before your hunger and cravings returns. AND yes, we can gain it all back. Some do.

@@Veronica Page What i'm about to write may be crazy talk and I'm fooling myself but I don't think so. -----In past weight loss efforts, eaching the 200 lb mark has been my downfall, twice! I reached 200 lbs, panicked and started gaining back all I had lost. This time the stall gave me time to adjust physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I really needed to get more familiar with my new body and my new body image. The initial weight loss is so fast I didn't really have time to re-calibrate. Anyway, I'm headed back down albeit slowly now. I also see a therpist once a month to keep me on track. Right now is a slippery slope for me. I can easily start getting sloppy and gaining weight back. I am so happy for the folks on here that are at goal or nearing it! Great job! AND also to the folks like me that are getting there slow but sure. All of us really. This is hard, really hard work.

@@Veronica Page I think you are doing amazing Veronica. I started at 276 and could have easily hit over 300 on the pace I was going. It's been harder the past 2 months. Had a lot of changes and travel and lapband honeymoon is over. But I'm slowly losing again. I feel great.

I've been at a stall for 5 weeks but I know I've lost inches. Some clothes are much looser and I feel the lost inches. It's still hard. I'm hovering at the 200 lb mark. I think there is a mental component to this stall for me. And the honeymoon easier to lose weight period is over. I can eat more and a few carbs (mostly crackers) have slipped into my diet. I tossed them out tonight. They are siders for me. This is a critical time for me not to get discouraged. I will renew my effort and pay attention to what I'm eating. Stick to the plan and trust that I can do this!!! And wait for the stall to end.

@@Veronica Page Stick with us. This is the time we need each other the most. The honeymoon is over for me, it is harder and I can eat more, have more hunger. Stay off the scale. Having lost 100 lbs 20 yrs ago, I know I can lose it BUT can I keep it off?@&^%&*%!!!!!! I am allowing a few sliders to creep in and that is bad news. Got rid of the crackers tonight and Back off sugar. And I did lose inches even tho I didn't lose pounds. It's a lifetime challenge but the rewards are so worth it!

My band (2006) to sleeve was done all in one surgery Jan 2015. I AM SO HAPPY THAT THING IS OUT OF ME! Terrible pain and complications with the band. Early on had a band slip and had a SECOND BAND put in. The sleeve is much better for me. Yes, it may be a harder recovery but once it's done and we are past the 3 month post surgery, complications are rare. *They don't tell you when you get the band that complications in the long run are much higher than other surgeries. No regrets! They honeymoon post-op sleeve is past for me and I now have more hunger and can eat more. It's hard to believe that will ever happen right after surgery but it does. And eventually Water and food tastes normal again. Life it good and now I have to be extra carful not to let the slider foods get in to my diet and keep losing. Worth the effort.

@@HELLCATT81 Best to you and I"m sure it will all work out for you. Take care

@@Dr. Altamirano Could you briefly explain why sleeve and bypass are metabolic surgeries? And does the metabolic changes reverse back to where we were pre-sleeve or bypass. Thank you

@@HELLCATT81 You might want to consider doing it all in one. My doc said he used to require a wait between removal of band and sleeve but no longer does that. Two surgeries up the risks of just general risks due to anesthesia etc. And for me, one recovery was what I wanted. Actually it was a requirement for the doc I went to that they would consider one surgery UNLESS when he went in and found a lot of scar tissue etc that might take too long to remove and THEN I was OK for 2 surgeries. It turned out fine. Scar tissue from my band after 9 years wasn't bad. My surgery was just over an hour longer than just sleeve surgeries. And only one recovery Anyway, just something to consider.

At 7 months, I still can only eat 1/2 cup of food. About 2oz meat at a sitting. I have to eat 4-5 small meals a day. I just can't eat that much food. At 1 month it was even less. Everyone is different. There is no way I could eat 4 oz of meat even if it took me an hour to chew it up. A few bites and I'm full. Too much more and I vomit. It's just they way it is for me. Watch out for the carbs, they catch up around 5 months and did slow my weight loss. I have more hunger now too. Lose it while you can. Keep in simple.

I am a lap-band (2006 band) revision to sleeve (jan 2015). No regrets at all. Also had my band removed and sleeve done in one surgery. Better way for me. I had many complications with band including a slip, erosion, constant pain. No vomiting tho, just pain all the time. Like a knot in my stomach. Could really only eat soft foods. I am very, very happy with my sleeve so far. I feel weight loss is easier than the band. I did have to make adjustments about eating. The sleeve for me is very different that the band. 1. the band is restriction. I knew immediately when I ate something wrong or too big, too fast. Not with the sleeve, it is limited space. I can be fine and then all of a sudden too much food and I vomit. I've vomit a lot more with the sleeve than the band but I'd still have the sleeve with no regrets. I don't have any pain (except for the first 6 week from surgery). And again, the weight loss has been easier. I just plain and simple can not eat very much food. The surgery recovery has a bit harder with the sleeve but about the same. It is major surgery. My Doc's stats are fewer complications with band to sleeve but generally there is a slight increase in complications for band to sleeve. *Still worth it for me." My Doc also said that even tho the sleeve does have higher complication rates in the early stages however the band has far more complications long term than sleeve or gastric bypass....i.e slips, erosion, etc. I can attest to that. If you listen to the doc and do what they say, complications from sleeve are really rare. My gerd is the same, and acid reflux the same as I had before sleeve. I just have to be careful when I eat and what. Best to you, it's a big decision.

@@Zzzombrie Thank you for the info and encouragement. I continue to eat 5 small meals where one meal might be some yogurt and cottage cheese. I am in a stall at 200 pounds. I keep wondering if my body is on hold or I'm having a mental fear of being below 200. It's the weight I've reach before and then gone back up. In any event, I'm going going up and listening to what I need. My downfall is rice crackers---I eat a few at a meal to get some crunch. I may have to give them up. I like them to much. Not a lot of calories but I eat too many. Best to everyone! I appreciate the support from this group! And need it.