Renkoss

Glad to know I am not only one...
SW 296 CW 174
I had surgery June 2015 and up until after my one year sleeve anniversary was very strict and good on my meals. Proteins and veggies. Then people kept telling me I was too strict on my diet and was hearing how others were back incorporating carbs into their diets. I knew I was getting carbs from what I was eating by was staying away from Pasta, rice, breads, etc
So I decided oh I can have some. Well it's my trigger food! Because since July when I was at my all time lowest 144 I have now gained 30 lbs back. I am about to bust out of my size 10 dress pants, but I refuse to go any higher again. So after this weekend of Christmas I am thinking about doing the pouch reset, not to shrink stomach but to reset my brain. I am a VSG patient and will always be and need to go back to acting like it.
I was running and got bored with that and now with winter back to not working out. So need to get my mind wrapped back around this now.
Any other suggestions to help get back on rack that have worked for ya'll?

Nymea, thanks for your post! Always nice to see someone winning the diabetic war! Little background on me; I've been diabetic for about the past 24 years. My diabetes began with my first pregnancy, went away, then came back with a vengence with my second pregnancy. After that one it just didn't go away again. I have been on metformin forever (2000 mg a day) and I've tried every drug out there over the past 24 years. None of the meds work for me. I've followed a low carb diet for the past 5 years. In the beginning of that my numbers did come down, but then it just became difficult to control again. Finally I had to face facts that my body was very messed up, the sugar was beginning to affect my kidneys and I went to my last resort which was surgery. Since then my blood sugar has substantially improved, and although I'm still taking insulin, I'm only using it for basal only, and I've already lowered the amount twice since surgery. I'm so glad this is working for you and again I thank you for your suggestions. As the saying goes, this too shall pass, and I'll get to goal eventually. I'll just keep working hard to get off the insulin and hope that will help! Continue with your success!

I was on insulin for 30 years pre surgery. I was still on it after surgery for 3 1/2 months and while the initial weight loss was rapid, like you it slowed down way too soon. Then I talked my doc into letting me go off insulin and on to metformin plus foxigia (both of which have a side effect of some weight loss). Because I was no longer on insulin I was able to safely follow a low carb diet without worrying about hypos (metformin and forxigia don't usually cause hypos). In the 6 or 7 weeks since I stopped insulin the weight has fallen off me about 13 pounds) and last week I stopped taking Forxigia since I don't seem to need it on a low carb diet. I am also cutting down my metformin with the aim to be off it by the new year if not before.
So to answer your question ... yes insulin does slow down weight loss. Talk to your endo about swapping it for metformin plus forxigia and a low carb diet ... just don't go too low carb whilst on insulin because of the risk of hypos. if your endo is anything like mine he will be more than happy to let you give it a try and see what happens.

All we need in this post is an audience shouting "JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!"

@@jintycb yay I'm so glad to inspire! The holidays are when we need the most inspiration of all!

Thank heavens for threads like this one. I'm right on board. Bloody carbs! The invention of the Devil. They are so easy to eat and to be honest I find them very yummy!!! However, my new wardrobe and accompanying new found confidence are worth more than a a dollop of those horrors. I am 15 months out from my sleeve surgery and for the first time I've been complacent and a couple of lbs have crept on. Back to basics for me so no more dipping into the Christmas chocolates that are there for guests. I now have a mountain of oranges and clementines to satisfy my sweet tooth. I'm also upping my Water intake which had slipped a bit.
Reading these posts has given me the required kick up my arse that I needed. Thank you guys x
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@Renkoss I have no experience with blood sugar issues or insulin so I was unaware that it effects weight loss. Sorry that you're having to deal with that! It's really easy to let this get you down, but you have keep doing what you know will get you to your goal in the end. Trust me, I have been talking myself into making all the wrong decisions ALL YEAR LONG. I am a pro at letting my excuses get in the way of my goals. I know you can do it! YOU HAVE to be able to do it because I HAVE to be able to do it! We are in this together!
@@LisaLouBop Thank you so much! I can't mourn this past year. I look how far I've come and it feels really easy to be upset that I've wasted even more time. And as true as my regrets are, I have to move forward. Onward and upward. (Or, y'know... downward.)

Heynowkc, thanks for your post. I am only 8 months out from surgery. I've lost 50 lbs, but I haven't been able to budge beyond that. I was doing really well, then bam! The weight loss stopped. Now with that said, I am a diabetic, and I am still on some insulin. I'm wondering if my insulin is causing me to not lose further, or if I am just eating too much. I am very deflated to learn that I can actually eat crackers, pretzels, potato chips without getting sick, and I can eat what seems to be quite a bit at one time. candy also has snuck its way back into my life. The candy (chocolates) will cause me to have a lot of gas and have a lot of bowel movements. It is very tough around the holidays right now. I know I need to get back on track, because I'd really love to lose another 50-75 pounds. I would probably be able to come off the insulin if I can just achieve that goal. I've been very worried about eating beyond that 1 cup at each meal and stretching my pouch. You have definitely inspired me to really get back to the program and truly watch what I am eating and get back to the gym! Thank you.

WOW! What a transformation one year out!!! You look fabulous! You were very pretty to begin with, but my goodness, you look like you never weighed more than you do right now!
I have a question for you as I get close to surgery. Do you have a lot of hanging skin (your picture does not look like you do) and if not, how did you keep from getting too much hanging? I need to lose about 100 or so pounds, and most of the weight is in my stomach, but I am afraid about hanging skin being a nuisance.
Congratulations on your weight loss! Can you also offer any tips to us newbie's? What was the hardest part, what was the easiest, etc. What an inspiration!

@@mi75, the infinitely varied responses to the loss of an important person are fascinating. Your offer of support to others now is so very generous and wise in that it will bring support to you. I think your father would be proud of you. I've posted this poem a couple of times when it seemed especially relevant. It speaks to what you're expressing here.
Epitaph
By Merrit Malloy

When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old me that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.

I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.

Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not your mind.

You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.

Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.

This thread is exactly what I've been looking for here and anywhere on the web. I've not had any regain, and I'm only going on 6 months out, but that ugly demon of hand to mouth disease that I had is rearing its ugly head again. I discovered there are foods I can eat and not really limit because they do not make my pouch feel overly full. Unfortunately the foods are things like crackers, pretzel thins, Goldfish crackers, popsicles...The popsicles are low calorie and low carb, but I eat alot of them at one time. I don't know what is wrong with me! I went through all this to improve my health and I'm falling into bad habits already! When I quit smoking 2-1/2 years ago, I put the cigarettes down after almost 40 years of smoking and never looked back. Why can I not do that with eating?
So, today I've decided I've got to recommit myself to this new lifestyle and continue on with my journey. I have rid the house of all crackers, and pretzels and anything else that I know I should not eat or snack on. I have not gained weight, but I've also stalled for quite a while now and I need to continue with the weight loss. I have at least 50-70 more pounds to go, and I've lost 50 so far. I need to accomplish what I set out to do with this surgery, and by God, I'm going to achieve it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I sometimes feel like I cannot control myself and find I fight inside my head about eating the foods that are there in the house even though I'm not hungry. This is the issue I had before as well. Fortuntely the major health issue I had was my uncontrollable diabetes that is now under great control. However, I'm still using some insulin and would like to get off that completely. I've backed way down on what I used to use, and am very pleased about that. If 50 lbs has me where I'm only using insulin for basal, and have lowered that amount twice, imagine if I lost another 50 lbs! I could quite possibly get off of insulin!
I'm returning to basics this week; making sure I'm getting in the highest amount of Protein for me, drinking my liquids, and eating just Protein and veggies. I have been exercising most days, so I'm not too concerned about that. It's the eating that needs to be controlled. I need to get my mind off food!
Really happy for this thread. Thanks for suggesting it mi75, and Thanks Alex for creating it!!!

My drain tube was more to my right side. I hated the tube; it hurt. I had it for a week. Was thrilled when it came out, and the pain was just about gone immediately. Don't have any words of advice for you, sorry. Just do what you can to get through til Wednesday. Good Luck.

This thread is exactly what I've been looking for here and anywhere on the web. I've not had any regain, and I'm only going on 6 months out, but that ugly demon of hand to mouth disease that I had is rearing its ugly head again. I discovered there are foods I can eat and not really limit because they do not make my pouch feel overly full. Unfortunately the foods are things like crackers, pretzel thins, Goldfish crackers, popsicles...The popsicles are low calorie and low carb, but I eat alot of them at one time. I don't know what is wrong with me! I went through all this to improve my health and I'm falling into bad habits already! When I quit smoking 2-1/2 years ago, I put the cigarettes down after almost 40 years of smoking and never looked back. Why can I not do that with eating?
So, today I've decided I've got to recommit myself to this new lifestyle and continue on with my journey. I have rid the house of all crackers, and pretzels and anything else that I know I should not eat or snack on. I have not gained weight, but I've also stalled for quite a while now and I need to continue with the weight loss. I have at least 50-70 more pounds to go, and I've lost 50 so far. I need to accomplish what I set out to do with this surgery, and by God, I'm going to achieve it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I sometimes feel like I cannot control myself and find I fight inside my head about eating the foods that are there in the house even though I'm not hungry. This is the issue I had before as well. Fortuntely the major health issue I had was my uncontrollable diabetes that is now under great control. However, I'm still using some insulin and would like to get off that completely. I've backed way down on what I used to use, and am very pleased about that. If 50 lbs has me where I'm only using insulin for basal, and have lowered that amount twice, imagine if I lost another 50 lbs! I could quite possibly get off of insulin!
I'm returning to basics this week; making sure I'm getting in the highest amount of Protein for me, drinking my liquids, and eating just Protein and veggies. I have been exercising most days, so I'm not too concerned about that. It's the eating that needs to be controlled. I need to get my mind off food!
Really happy for this thread. Thanks for suggesting it mi75, and Thanks Alex for creating it!!!

This thread is exactly what I've been looking for here and anywhere on the web. I've not had any regain, and I'm only going on 6 months out, but that ugly demon of hand to mouth disease that I had is rearing its ugly head again. I discovered there are foods I can eat and not really limit because they do not make my pouch feel overly full. Unfortunately the foods are things like crackers, pretzel thins, Goldfish crackers, popsicles...The popsicles are low calorie and low carb, but I eat alot of them at one time. I don't know what is wrong with me! I went through all this to improve my health and I'm falling into bad habits already! When I quit smoking 2-1/2 years ago, I put the cigarettes down after almost 40 years of smoking and never looked back. Why can I not do that with eating?
So, today I've decided I've got to recommit myself to this new lifestyle and continue on with my journey. I have rid the house of all crackers, and pretzels and anything else that I know I should not eat or snack on. I have not gained weight, but I've also stalled for quite a while now and I need to continue with the weight loss. I have at least 50-70 more pounds to go, and I've lost 50 so far. I need to accomplish what I set out to do with this surgery, and by God, I'm going to achieve it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I sometimes feel like I cannot control myself and find I fight inside my head about eating the foods that are there in the house even though I'm not hungry. This is the issue I had before as well. Fortuntely the major health issue I had was my uncontrollable diabetes that is now under great control. However, I'm still using some insulin and would like to get off that completely. I've backed way down on what I used to use, and am very pleased about that. If 50 lbs has me where I'm only using insulin for basal, and have lowered that amount twice, imagine if I lost another 50 lbs! I could quite possibly get off of insulin!
I'm returning to basics this week; making sure I'm getting in the highest amount of Protein for me, drinking my liquids, and eating just Protein and veggies. I have been exercising most days, so I'm not too concerned about that. It's the eating that needs to be controlled. I need to get my mind off food!
Really happy for this thread. Thanks for suggesting it mi75, and Thanks Alex for creating it!!!

This thread is exactly what I've been looking for here and anywhere on the web. I've not had any regain, and I'm only going on 6 months out, but that ugly demon of hand to mouth disease that I had is rearing its ugly head again. I discovered there are foods I can eat and not really limit because they do not make my pouch feel overly full. Unfortunately the foods are things like crackers, pretzel thins, Goldfish crackers, popsicles...The popsicles are low calorie and low carb, but I eat alot of them at one time. I don't know what is wrong with me! I went through all this to improve my health and I'm falling into bad habits already! When I quit smoking 2-1/2 years ago, I put the cigarettes down after almost 40 years of smoking and never looked back. Why can I not do that with eating?
So, today I've decided I've got to recommit myself to this new lifestyle and continue on with my journey. I have rid the house of all crackers, and pretzels and anything else that I know I should not eat or snack on. I have not gained weight, but I've also stalled for quite a while now and I need to continue with the weight loss. I have at least 50-70 more pounds to go, and I've lost 50 so far. I need to accomplish what I set out to do with this surgery, and by God, I'm going to achieve it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I sometimes feel like I cannot control myself and find I fight inside my head about eating the foods that are there in the house even though I'm not hungry. This is the issue I had before as well. Fortuntely the major health issue I had was my uncontrollable diabetes that is now under great control. However, I'm still using some insulin and would like to get off that completely. I've backed way down on what I used to use, and am very pleased about that. If 50 lbs has me where I'm only using insulin for basal, and have lowered that amount twice, imagine if I lost another 50 lbs! I could quite possibly get off of insulin!
I'm returning to basics this week; making sure I'm getting in the highest amount of Protein for me, drinking my liquids, and eating just Protein and veggies. I have been exercising most days, so I'm not too concerned about that. It's the eating that needs to be controlled. I need to get my mind off food!
Really happy for this thread. Thanks for suggesting it mi75, and Thanks Alex for creating it!!!

Because we have to eat to live. We don't have to smoke.
I find it helpful to put time into meal-planning. Not lots and lots of it, but enough to give myself a sense of control and purpose. If you don't already, use a formal food/nutrition tracker (My Fitness Pal is popular and, I understand, easy to use). I use sparkpeople.com's tracker, probably more cumbersome, but I've been using it from the start. I plan my meals a few days ahead and often amend as I go along. The little bit of structure doing so adds to my day often helps me conquer spinning out. When it doesn't, I aim to plan for Snacks to fit into the day's plan; into the tracker they go.

Just got a call from the Navigator at the Cleveland Clinic...received final approval from my insurance for the surgery!!!!! Now I have to wait for the surgeons nurse to call to schedule! EEEEEEEEE! I'm so excited!!!!!!

I'm on Day 2 of my 2 week liquid pre-op diet and all of you are very lucky! I'm only allowed liquids; as in broth, Decaf coffee (no cream), decaf tea, SF Jello, SF popsicles, and I added a Light and Fit Yogurt in the mix since I am having difficulty getting in 800 calories. Yesterday I only managed 590 calories total. I had a headache all day too. I of course can use Protein shakes, but can only have a total of 60-80 grams of Protein daily. With a Premier Protein shake, they are 30grams of protein for one, so if I do 2 a day, I only have 20 more grams of protein for the day. It's a bit tough, but doing okay so far. I am drinking chicken broth for lunch (2 cups equal 20 calories and less than 2 grams carb with 2 grams Protein. So it is my go-to to fill my stomach up when I get hunger pains.
Hanging in there. Again, you are all lucky your surgeon is allowing so much actual "food" in your pre-op. Good Luck to you all.

But I do eat clean...doesn't mean those natural "veggies" don't cause gas. Some of us are just blessed with insides that are musical!

So proud of everyone! Glad to hear y'all are doing so great!
I haven't made it to Onederland yet, but I am 63lbs down!
Keep up the good work everyone!

I was prescribed the same med and after taking it for a couple days I stopped because I had horrible horrible diarrhea from it (explosive and burned!). I told the doctor and he kind of blew me off on that and said it was best to take it to prevent gallstones than to get them and have to have surgery. At that rate, I'd rather do surgery! I am 3-1/2 months out and haven't taken them. So far so good (knocks on wood).

I fear for our children, I really do.

Excellent points made in this thread.
We are living in some very disturbing times.

It seems as if respect is at an all time low and entitlement is at an all time high. Throw in a handful of religious fanatics, political terrorists and we have a recipe for disaster. Scary times.

People are killing police officers. Police officers are scared and some are trigger fast. Terrorists are gunning down people in nightclubs and running families down with trucks. College campuses are under attack, high schools are using metal detectors.
Innocent people are losing their lives around the world because of senseless hate.
Yet here we are, on this forum, worried about who is eating crap, drinking and smoking four days post op? People are fighting about straws, about carbonation, about f'ing popcorn? People are pointing fingers, cyber stalking, name calling, accusing, getting defensive, cursing at, reporting, conspiring against... All because they don't "like" someone they never met?
I'm not crying innocent, I'm certainly no angel, but I am tired. In light of all that is happening in this world, is a post that can easily be skipped, or a poster who can be ignored, really worth all this nonsense?
Personally, I'm done. Have at it, folks. Do what you want to do. Live your life, eat what you want, ask for advice and love it or hate it, take it or leave it. It's your choice.
While you're doing all that? Hug your kids, call your mother, text your best friend, smile at a stranger, give a homeless guy a gift card for a meal, take Cookies to a neighbor, pay the toll of the lady behind you...
Tell your loved ones how much you care about them and take a minute to care about a stranger, too.
Spread a little love. Please.