Cape Crooner

I haven't been here in five years, but I thought I should share what I've learned on this journey...

1. My sleeve was a very minor surgery. Less than 30 minutes passed between being knocked out and the recovery room. Quite frankly, I think this option should be more widely available for marginally obese people. Unlike the other bariatric surgeries - which change your plumbing, this is simply the removal of the stretchy part of the stomach.

2. Think long and hard about who you tell. I told a handful of family members and I think that was a mistake. I suggest you either tell everyone, or just the absolute minimum (spouse or care giver). Within the first year I was sure everyone knew and I felt I was being dishonest.

3. The honeymoon is real. For 18 months it's virtually impossible to gain weight, but after that, you most certainly can. My smaller stomach can hold 8-10 ounces of food and get refilled after about an hour. If you fill it with sugar or fat and keep refilling it, you can certainly get back all your weight. I initially lost about 90 pounds and that was too much. People kept asking me if I had cancer. I've since put 25 pounds back on and while I wish it was 15, it's fine. My weight is what it was when I was an athlete in college. I have used my reduced weight and energy to excercise and I think that has helped. I generally do 100,000 steps a week. Again, eating/drinking the wrong stuff and not exercising would surely lead to more weight gain.

4. I no longer count calories, but I do have a few tricks to keep things in check. I have designed a menu with a lot of 200-500 calorie meals and I have 3-4 of these every day. I burn enough EXTRA calories a day exercising to offset the calories I drink (I only drink 100 calorie cocktails - nothing sugary).

5. There's a lot of good and bad information on alcohol on this site. I waited 6 weeks (the European guideline) and the eased in with weak cocktails and wine. I don't think it hits me harder, but since I'm likely to have less food in my stomach, the effect is to be hit harder. I can see no reason to wait 6 months or a year other than minimizing caloric intake. The Sleeve is a timeout from your bad lifestyle, but it's not a permanent timeout. At some point you'll create a new lifestyle that will include birthday cakes, pizza, French fries and booze. You need to manage around all of these risky consumables. You should think about it ll as you enter your journey, never stop reevaluating, and constantly adjust.

I hope this helps someone...

Sleeve 2 years ago today. 281 HW 197 CW. Pretty much no more hunger suppression. 90-100,000 steps a week.

What do u do a day to burn 2500 cal.

Exactly! The same thing I was told but some people disagree.

I'm been gastric sleeve last January 9 and I'm on post operation for two months and nine weeks later.. but pop soda and iced tea not good for gastric bypass after surgery

Well try it!
There is a reason for everything.

Carbonation can stretch the sleeve.

Take comfort in the fact that after a while, you won't even remember what your "last meal" was. Or if you do remember, you will look back on it and [mention=314994]cruelirony[/mention]!

We are not made to eat chemicals. Look around at all the sick people, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, children all have add, adhd. That specifically comes from eating unhealthy fake food. Mac n cheese and nuggets are NOT real food. They are chemically altered imitations of food.
Do some research before calling my post illiterate. Read some labels. We are not made to ingest chemicals no matter how small an amount or how safe they tell us it is.
Look at the diet of a healthy person. Trash and junk food are not a part of it. Diet sodas are a chemical Soup.
It is your body. If you feel good about what you put in it then that is your choice. But don't try to sugar coat a post that is made to help people who genuinely struggle with addiction and are searching for a way to break it and eat healthier. That's who this post is for.

I was sleeved a year and a half ago. There is nothing I can't eat that I ate before. Oh yeah, I cannot eat more than 8 ounces of anything!

You'll never be deprived of a "taste", so there's no reason for a food funeral.

Now, if you're wanting a pig out overeatingathon - what good will that do?

I have been on this forum for over two years and have found that carbonation is definitely not a myth. Most doctors that are asked say to not drink carbonated drinks. Period. It can and has had a negative effect on not only losing weight but also keeping it off. So I would follow my surgeon's instructions regarding carbonation.

Hey [mention=314751]palinne[/mention], sorry to hear about your troubles, but happy to hear you've dealt with them and are ready to back on track. That's the biggest hurdle, truthfully.
Where to start is a pretty personal decision, and I would say to look back at what worked for you after your surgery initially. For me, I eat a whole foods based diet and try to stay away from anything and everything processed. I don't count calories, carbs or anything like that. It works for me.
It was hard to break from the processed foods in the beginning, but once in a rhythm, it became second nature after a while. The key for me was to have meals frozen and ready to go for those days where it's just too crazy to cook from scratch. I normally make large batches of things to have on hand for those crazy days, or to freeze and have again down the road. I always have grilled chicken, veggies cut and washed, fresh fruit, and hard-boiled eggs around for quick Snacks.
Best of luck!

I asked my surgeon and she said it had a lot of acid in it. Bad early on before your stitches heal. Potentially bad if you have or develop acid reflux. I took 6 months off and drink 2 cups in the morning and an ice coffee every day.

I just came back from my first support group meeting you are required to do two before surgery. The group is a mix of pre and post op. I am completely discourage I felt like it was just everyone telling you what you can never have again post sleeve. I know that it's a lifestyle change and things are hard after but just hearing all the post opts just telling you what you can never have again and the chewing slow forever and no Water with meals my brain feels like it's gonna explode and now I'm like what am I getting myself into. Support group had the opposite effect tonight [emoji26]

My surgeon told me soda stretches your stomach. So ultimately those of you who still consume theses sodas diet or not, your stretching your sleeve.


Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

You must be pretty tall, you don't look like you weigh 176!

I have a Fitbit. Is it easy to track food on the app? I now write everything down in snore book.

I had a bad experience with this. I told a handful of people and my 94 old mother. Everyone respected my privacy, but my mother didn't really understand how private it was. She told friends who I never would have told. I have told no one else, but my wife is afraid the word got out (6 degrees of separation).

My advice would be to tell no one, or pretty much anyone you consider a friend.

In 6-12 months, you'll be down 100 lbs and everyone you know will want to know "how'd you do it". And that's all anyone will want to talk about for 18 months.

Prepare NOW for how you want to answer that question!

I wrote about this in 2015 when I was sleeved. It's a hot topic and I got a lot of grief from others.

1. The big issue is babying your WLS post surgery. Not all surgeries are equal. Sleeves are the most minimally invasive and based on reviewing guidelines worldwide, I found them ranging from no wait (in England) to 1 year in most major US programs. I went with two months, but eased in very delicately. Speaking to doctors, I learned that the sleeve is pretty much healed after 6 weeks. I have also heard that a Gastric Bypass is less tolerant since you're no longer using the tough stomach tissue to process the  food you eat.

2. The next big issue is your liver. When you are losing a lot of weight in a hurry (like most WLS patients), your liver is working overtime. I waited until I was close to reaching my goal and drank extra  Water before and after my very weak  drinks.

3. Beyond those two major health considerations, the biggest is your weight loss success. Alcohol is empty calories and when we drink, we make bad food choices. I always counted the calories in my drinks, which kept me on distilled alcohol and Water. I also always planned what I was going to eat BEFORE drinking and stuck to it.

4. Although not a risk for everyone, transfer addiction is a real risk for people who may have been addicted to overeating or anything else. I have read many stories from people who never drank before WLS, but were addicted to eating or soda and became alcoholics after.

5. The carbonation myth has no basis in medical research. I researched it extensively and found zero long term issue from any doctors. I also observed that many obese people drank sugary soda all day long, which is why most programs tell us not to drink it. It should be avoided until tolerated following your surgery. I tried it after 6 months and it upset my stomach. Today, I can drink a little, but not much (12 ounces over a few hour timespan). Of course if you were addicted to soda or beer before WLS, be very careful.

These are the biggies, let me know if you have any further questions...

Wow yeah I might change my mind, I'm just so tired of eating meat though, so I want to see how salads do when I can eat them, and it gives me more variety.

Coke zero still contains aspertame, and a whole host of chemical additives. Do not be decieved about the dangers of those chemicals in your body. Would you drink a glass of  Water if I put just 1% of battery acid in it ?Just a thought. Also much congratulations on your weight loss! That is great! I know that took hard work! [emoji4]

As mentioned, I probably had one 20 ounce Diet Coke a day pre WLS. I was not addicted, just preferred it over ice Water with  lunch.

I was fairly addicted to nuts (after decades of low carb dieting).

I have zero concern about drinking 8-16 ounces of Diet Coke a week, but I am very cautious when it comes to nuts.

After WLS each of us happily discover things that once caused us to overeat are no longer a threat. We also discover new risks that never concerned us in the past.

I do agree that carbonation is a mild form of acid, but I think labeling it as toxic is not backed up by any real science.

I know plenty of very old people (over 90) who drink it many times a day and have not had cancer or any stomach problems - but these people were never obese.

I do question the whole science behind zero calorie anything - and I know that post WLS, we can still drink thousands of calories a day.

That's what concerns me...

Salads can be full of Protein though, no? Less lettuce more meats, eggs, and things like that? At least this is what I plan to do when I am able to eat salads again.

carbinionation blows up our tummies like a balloon and then it hurts and is gassy. I was told no carbonation for at least 6 months...if EVER. And I'm a full blown Diet Coke addict. But I haven't wanted any at all post surgery. Thank GOD.

Honestly, when I do drink Diet Coke it's like a gateway drug to all the other bad things I like.

I guess I should mention that I am 2 years out. I am hitting 150-200 grams of Protein a day. You won't always be limited to 2 ounce meals. There will come a time when you are able to actually eat about two cups (by volume not weight) of salad.

If  salad dressing is your main concern, try your hand at making your own. I'll take fage greek yogut and flavor it with any marinade I think would go well with the salad I am eating. The marinades have very little in the way of calories because they use no thickeners.They are mostly spices and vinegar. The yogurt takes the place of the thickeners and mayo base.

You can also make your own ranch dressing mix and blend it into plain yogurt. It's mostly buttermilk  powder, garlic, dill, parsley and a few other things. There are tons of  recipes online for yogurt based dressings.

I do low cal dressings or make my own, but what's the point if you're only eating 2 ounces and getting no Protein?