ShelterDog64

I just had the 2-year anniversary of my VSG and I'm maintaining my 100 lb weight loss. It IS harder at this point, my restriction has relaxed a bit and it's not as insistent...I now rely on proper portioning and good eating habits vs letting the restriction keep me from overeating. I had very strong restriction for a year, slightly less until 18 mos, a small lessening after that and I expect it'll continue to lessen as time goes by.
You have to discontinue any old, bad habits: grazing, eating crap carbs, soda, overindulging in alcohol, not exercising. Use the first year wisely and you can and should maintain, but if you waste that first year by eating what you want and thinking you can do that long term, you might find yourself in the 'regain' group. Your sleeve is a tool, a helper...it's not a solution.

Hello Everyone-I frequently visit this site for inspiration and encouragement. I am 5 week’s post-op today. I am ecstatic that I am sleeved.
Lately though, I see a lot of posts about people gaining back what they lost and more. That is so discouraging to me. I know my sleeve is a tool. I know that my new way of eating is for life. The sleeve helps so much with Portion Control. My question is...do you eventually lose the restriction you feel while eating? I don’t want to lose that feeling of being satiated with just a small amount of food?
In my nutrition classes prior to surgery, the rules were stressed over and over. Eat your Protein first (at least 60 to 75 grams), no drinking with meals, stop drinking fluids 30 min before and no drinking 30 minutes after meals, 64 ounces or more of Water per day (still working to meet this goal), exercise and Vitamins. I am sticking to this now and working on my mindset to commit lifelong to this. My motivation for this is that the sleeve will allow me to eat less and succeed. Why do so many regain? Is there no hope to keeping the weight off permanently?

I had amazingly thick hair when I had surgery, and I'm here to tell you that even if you lose 75% of your hair, you won't die My shedding happened twice during the last 2 years, but my hair is almost back to normal.

I had amazingly thick hair when I had surgery, and I'm here to tell you that even if you lose 75% of your hair, you won't die My shedding happened twice during the last 2 years, but my hair is almost back to normal.

For your surgery, something to walk the halls of the hospital in, a charger for your phone and a chapstick. Seriously, that's it. You'll get all the other stuff you need from the hospital and you'll be discharged before you know it anyway. Gas X doesn't help with the kind of gas pains you get from laparoscopic surgery, so I knew I didn't need that. Those dry mouth sprays are nasty to me, so I just drank Water when my mouth felt dry (win/win!). I would never take my own pillow to the hospital (staph/strep/pseudomonas/MRSA/other ick) so I just asked for extras until I was comfortable.
At home, you need to drink water and Protein Drinks, so having a couple of options to choose from is great. You need a reliable scale, I opted to spend the $$ to get one that synchs with my Fitbit, so I have a record of every time I stepped on the darned thing. A couple of water bottles that make you happy are nice to have...I filled a gallon container every day, still do, and made finishing that my goal. You won't be able to do it for the first few weeks, but it was nice to be able to just look at it to know how much I'd had that day.
Things I wish I hadn't wasted money on: a Nutribullet (which I used for a month and haven't touched since) , tons of different Protein powders (I found the ONE and threw the rest out, should have tried them individually or a couple at a time), too many Protein Bars, too many clothes in the early months.

Mostly, you need supportive people and a realistic idea of what the immediate post-op period is going to be like Good luck!

My program gave me this formula, to help ME determine what my loss needs to be in the different phases to get me where I want to be.
In the first 3 months, you lose x amount of weight. In the following 3 months, you'll generally lose 1/2 of whatever number x is, which is then number y. And then in the following months, you can lose 1/2 of y, for as long as you chose to eat/exercise in a way that puts you in weight loss mode, for number z.
I want to lose about 110 lbs. My goal is 50 lbs in the first 3 months, so x = 50. I'll lose half of x in the 2nd 3 months, so y is 25. Then in the subsequent months, I can continue to lose 1/2 of y monthly, so z is 12.
x + y + (as many months of z as I chose) will get me to my desired loss...50 +25 + (12 x3) = 111. I could be at my goal in 9 months if I work hard and stick to my plan. I've lost 45 lbs in 9 weeks, so I'm on track for that first goal. It really helped me to have interim goals and to have some sort of expectation of weight loss. Of course, this could all go out the window if I don't continue to lose as I have, but I have no reason to think that I'll be anything but successful as long as I continue doing what I've been doing. Good luck!

For your surgery, something to walk the halls of the hospital in, a charger for your phone and a chapstick. Seriously, that's it. You'll get all the other stuff you need from the hospital and you'll be discharged before you know it anyway. Gas X doesn't help with the kind of gas pains you get from laparoscopic surgery, so I knew I didn't need that. Those dry mouth sprays are nasty to me, so I just drank Water when my mouth felt dry (win/win!). I would never take my own pillow to the hospital (staph/strep/pseudomonas/MRSA/other ick) so I just asked for extras until I was comfortable.
At home, you need to drink water and Protein Drinks, so having a couple of options to choose from is great. You need a reliable scale, I opted to spend the $$ to get one that synchs with my Fitbit, so I have a record of every time I stepped on the darned thing. A couple of water bottles that make you happy are nice to have...I filled a gallon container every day, still do, and made finishing that my goal. You won't be able to do it for the first few weeks, but it was nice to be able to just look at it to know how much I'd had that day.
Things I wish I hadn't wasted money on: a Nutribullet (which I used for a month and haven't touched since) , tons of different Protein powders (I found the ONE and threw the rest out, should have tried them individually or a couple at a time), too many Protein Bars, too many clothes in the early months.

Mostly, you need supportive people and a realistic idea of what the immediate post-op period is going to be like Good luck!

For your surgery, something to walk the halls of the hospital in, a charger for your phone and a chapstick. Seriously, that's it. You'll get all the other stuff you need from the hospital and you'll be discharged before you know it anyway. Gas X doesn't help with the kind of gas pains you get from laparoscopic surgery, so I knew I didn't need that. Those dry mouth sprays are nasty to me, so I just drank Water when my mouth felt dry (win/win!). I would never take my own pillow to the hospital (staph/strep/pseudomonas/MRSA/other ick) so I just asked for extras until I was comfortable.
At home, you need to drink water and Protein Drinks, so having a couple of options to choose from is great. You need a reliable scale, I opted to spend the $$ to get one that synchs with my Fitbit, so I have a record of every time I stepped on the darned thing. A couple of water bottles that make you happy are nice to have...I filled a gallon container every day, still do, and made finishing that my goal. You won't be able to do it for the first few weeks, but it was nice to be able to just look at it to know how much I'd had that day.
Things I wish I hadn't wasted money on: a Nutribullet (which I used for a month and haven't touched since) , tons of different Protein powders (I found the ONE and threw the rest out, should have tried them individually or a couple at a time), too many Protein Bars, too many clothes in the early months.

Mostly, you need supportive people and a realistic idea of what the immediate post-op period is going to be like Good luck!

This just makes my heart hurt. You need to be able to vent your frustrations and negativities in this space as well as in your 'real' life. This surgery thing is HARD. Yes, in some ways it's easier than doing the diet and exercise thing again, only to regain, but in other ways it's the hardest thing EVER. I am very, very lucky in that I have an amazing support system, and I've needed them at many points during the last 2 years. I got frustrated and quit posting here a while back, but reading this makes me realize the debt that us 'vets' owe to our support groups.
So, to answer your original question, I had a pretty clear goal in my mind and always looked at the goal as something that I absolutely could attain. Some days when I'd get on the scale and it would be the same as the day before...that was defeating but I truly believed in the surgery and in the plan I was following. So I'd give myself a little pity party then get back to it...and I exceeded my goal within a year. I've had my plastic surgeries and I don't feel like a WLS patient anymore, I feel like a normal, thin-ish woman who eats small amounts at a time and doesn't feel self-conscious when I go out.
Again, this is HARD. I don't think there's any way to adequately prepare ourselves for the crap, mental and physical, that's coming in that first year post-op. The hormonal changes, dealing with our personal relationship with food, accepting all the praise from everyone who sees us (this was the hardest for me...it got to where when someone would say 'Oh my gosh, you LOOK GREAT' I'd think 'damn, I must have looked BAD'), the saggy skin and being dehydrated and constipated or the opposite...it's just a long, complicated slog. But I can tell you that after a couple of years, it CAN be awesome! Yes, I still need to log my food, avoid carbs, exercise and be aware of my old habits, but it's easier and more routine every day Message me when you hit 2 years out...I want to know where you are and how you feel!

This just makes my heart hurt. You need to be able to vent your frustrations and negativities in this space as well as in your 'real' life. This surgery thing is HARD. Yes, in some ways it's easier than doing the diet and exercise thing again, only to regain, but in other ways it's the hardest thing EVER. I am very, very lucky in that I have an amazing support system, and I've needed them at many points during the last 2 years. I got frustrated and quit posting here a while back, but reading this makes me realize the debt that us 'vets' owe to our support groups.
So, to answer your original question, I had a pretty clear goal in my mind and always looked at the goal as something that I absolutely could attain. Some days when I'd get on the scale and it would be the same as the day before...that was defeating but I truly believed in the surgery and in the plan I was following. So I'd give myself a little pity party then get back to it...and I exceeded my goal within a year. I've had my plastic surgeries and I don't feel like a WLS patient anymore, I feel like a normal, thin-ish woman who eats small amounts at a time and doesn't feel self-conscious when I go out.
Again, this is HARD. I don't think there's any way to adequately prepare ourselves for the crap, mental and physical, that's coming in that first year post-op. The hormonal changes, dealing with our personal relationship with food, accepting all the praise from everyone who sees us (this was the hardest for me...it got to where when someone would say 'Oh my gosh, you LOOK GREAT' I'd think 'damn, I must have looked BAD'), the saggy skin and being dehydrated and constipated or the opposite...it's just a long, complicated slog. But I can tell you that after a couple of years, it CAN be awesome! Yes, I still need to log my food, avoid carbs, exercise and be aware of my old habits, but it's easier and more routine every day Message me when you hit 2 years out...I want to know where you are and how you feel!

I had amazingly thick hair when I had surgery, and I'm here to tell you that even if you lose 75% of your hair, you won't die My shedding happened twice during the last 2 years, but my hair is almost back to normal.

For your surgery, something to walk the halls of the hospital in, a charger for your phone and a chapstick. Seriously, that's it. You'll get all the other stuff you need from the hospital and you'll be discharged before you know it anyway. Gas X doesn't help with the kind of gas pains you get from laparoscopic surgery, so I knew I didn't need that. Those dry mouth sprays are nasty to me, so I just drank Water when my mouth felt dry (win/win!). I would never take my own pillow to the hospital (staph/strep/pseudomonas/MRSA/other ick) so I just asked for extras until I was comfortable.
At home, you need to drink water and Protein Drinks, so having a couple of options to choose from is great. You need a reliable scale, I opted to spend the $$ to get one that synchs with my Fitbit, so I have a record of every time I stepped on the darned thing. A couple of water bottles that make you happy are nice to have...I filled a gallon container every day, still do, and made finishing that my goal. You won't be able to do it for the first few weeks, but it was nice to be able to just look at it to know how much I'd had that day.
Things I wish I hadn't wasted money on: a Nutribullet (which I used for a month and haven't touched since) , tons of different Protein powders (I found the ONE and threw the rest out, should have tried them individually or a couple at a time), too many Protein Bars, too many clothes in the early months.

Mostly, you need supportive people and a realistic idea of what the immediate post-op period is going to be like Good luck!

Maybe because too many patients are keeping their WLS a secret and are telling people about "all the hard work and good dietary habits" that brought their weight down? If more people would be completely honest about how the surgery was the big game changer instead of talking about it "being only a tool" and it's "still incredibly hard work", the general population would be more informed.
Sometimes I think WLS is still be seen as this "dirty, little secret" that has to be hidden in the back of the closet.

Yes, indeed surgery is the key factor. One of the things that I have recognized over the years of being in this game is how little dietary style influences ones weight loss after surgery. Back in the good ol' days 20-30 years ago WLS patients were often advised to just "eat like you always have, just less...." and that generally worked quite well - for the year or so, give or take, that they were losing. Maintaining that loss was not so successful with that approach, obviously, as they never changed what got them into trouble in the first place, and they often regained just as they did when doing diets in the past, though usually somewhat more slowly owing to the restriction that they had.
Back when low fat diets were "in", people did just as well with their WLS as they do today with low carb and Keto diets being the big thing. The important thing is developing good long term eating habits that one can maintain forever, and none of the popular fad diets do that for most people, and they tend to regain when they get tired of the diet.

I am sightly disappointed about my slow weight loss. I am a month out and have lost about 22lbs so far since surgery but 41 since I actually started the process.

What isn't disappointing though is all the benefits I have received since losing that 41lbs. I recently went to Greece to recuperate from the surgery for 11 days and I immediately noticed lots of things that put a smile on my face. The seats on the airplane were nowhere near as tight, I was able to turn over on the sunbeds without problems, this used to be such a struggle for me. I was able to lay on my back on a sunbed without automatically feeling that tightness in my throat that made me aware that if I fell asleep on the bed I would snore, huge difference!
Walking for miles when before I could literally walk half a mile and then have to lean on something to stop the backache. I might be losing slow but I really don't care, the improvement this surgery has already given me is enough compensation.

Obviously, the surgery is the biggest part of the weight loss...no way could I have done it without being sleeved. I REALLY followed my nutrition plan, religiously, for the first year. No 'cheating' or whatever you want to call it...I buckled down and did my program. I pushed Protein like crazy that first year, and ate very few carbs. I lost mostly body fat and not much of my muscle due to eating that way. I was very lucky, having the surgery put my fibromyalgia, early arthritis and psoriasis into remission; it also lowered my blood pressure so much that I left the hospital off all meds. Those changes in my inflammatory pain made it so much easier for me to exercise, which in turn made the weight loss go faster. I lost about 50 lbs in the first 3 months, 25-ish the next 3 months and the remainder of my loss was slow and over the rest of that first year. I only exercise moderately, I'm just much more active than I was at 262. My fitness level is much better; for example, we just went to Alaska and I was able to hike over 15 miles a day for days on end, without any preparation.
Now I'm moving into the time when my restriction has eased up a bit and my stomach is more tolerant of foods. I had quit tracking and have been just eyeballing portions, and I gained 4 pounds on my 2 week vacation. We drank beer or wine daily, and I had dessert several times, so the gain wasn't a surprise but it did remind me that I have to put in the effort to track, watch my alcohol intake closely and skip Desserts. I've already lost 2 of the 4 I gained, which is a relief. It's a life long effort, aided by the restriction of my sleeve, not a miracle cure...and it's the best thing I've ever done for myself <3

For your surgery, something to walk the halls of the hospital in, a charger for your phone and a chapstick. Seriously, that's it. You'll get all the other stuff you need from the hospital and you'll be discharged before you know it anyway. Gas X doesn't help with the kind of gas pains you get from laparoscopic surgery, so I knew I didn't need that. Those dry mouth sprays are nasty to me, so I just drank Water when my mouth felt dry (win/win!). I would never take my own pillow to the hospital (staph/strep/pseudomonas/MRSA/other ick) so I just asked for extras until I was comfortable.
At home, you need to drink water and Protein Drinks, so having a couple of options to choose from is great. You need a reliable scale, I opted to spend the $$ to get one that synchs with my Fitbit, so I have a record of every time I stepped on the darned thing. A couple of water bottles that make you happy are nice to have...I filled a gallon container every day, still do, and made finishing that my goal. You won't be able to do it for the first few weeks, but it was nice to be able to just look at it to know how much I'd had that day.
Things I wish I hadn't wasted money on: a Nutribullet (which I used for a month and haven't touched since) , tons of different Protein powders (I found the ONE and threw the rest out, should have tried them individually or a couple at a time), too many Protein Bars, too many clothes in the early months.

Mostly, you need supportive people and a realistic idea of what the immediate post-op period is going to be like Good luck!

I was 301 day of surgery and I lost 90 pounds

I was 265 lbs and now I'm about 139.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using BariatricPal mobile app

Obviously, the surgery is the biggest part of the weight loss...no way could I have done it without being sleeved. I REALLY followed my nutrition plan, religiously, for the first year. No 'cheating' or whatever you want to call it...I buckled down and did my program. I pushed Protein like crazy that first year, and ate very few carbs. I lost mostly body fat and not much of my muscle due to eating that way. I was very lucky, having the surgery put my fibromyalgia, early arthritis and psoriasis into remission; it also lowered my blood pressure so much that I left the hospital off all meds. Those changes in my inflammatory pain made it so much easier for me to exercise, which in turn made the weight loss go faster. I lost about 50 lbs in the first 3 months, 25-ish the next 3 months and the remainder of my loss was slow and over the rest of that first year. I only exercise moderately, I'm just much more active than I was at 262. My fitness level is much better; for example, we just went to Alaska and I was able to hike over 15 miles a day for days on end, without any preparation.

Now I'm moving into the time when my restriction has eased up a bit and my stomach is more tolerant of foods. I had quit tracking and have been just eyeballing portions, and I gained 4 pounds on my 2 week vacation. We drank beer or wine daily, and I had dessert several times, so the gain wasn't a surprise but it did remind me that I have to put in the effort to track, watch my alcohol intake closely and skip Desserts. I've already lost 2 of the 4 I gained, which is a relief. It's a life long effort, aided by the restriction of my sleeve, not a miracle cure...and it's the best thing I've ever done for myself <3


Thank you for all the details! You’ve done so great, congratulations!

You need SO LITTLE. I’d say one comfy outfit to leave in, and chapstick.

Inaccurate beats the pants off of not having it at all! If the number decreases every day... does it matter if it's accurate, no, it's still decreasing thus fat loss is occurring.

I hit the scale at the same time every day, doing the same things before I get on the scale, every day. Weight measurements are equally as inaccurate... but that doesn't stop anyone from using them. Having another metric to use in my day to day, is SO MUCH better than going with JUST weight. Nowhere did anyone state that they are medically accurate etc... only that it's a very helpful item to have.

So, I stick to my recommendation to have extra metrics to view and track to help avoid getting frustrated because the weight metric might not decrease. More info is always better than less when tracking trends.

You and I have fairly similar stats and this post is SUPER helpful!

My program gave me this formula, to help ME determine what my loss needs to be in the different phases to get me where I want to be.
In the first 3 months, you lose x amount of weight. In the following 3 months, you'll generally lose 1/2 of whatever number x is, which is then number y. And then in the following months, you can lose 1/2 of y, for as long as you chose to eat/exercise in a way that puts you in weight loss mode, for number z.
I want to lose about 110 lbs. My goal is 50 lbs in the first 3 months, so x = 50. I'll lose half of x in the 2nd 3 months, so y is 25. Then in the subsequent months, I can continue to lose 1/2 of y monthly, so z is 12.
x + y + (as many months of z as I chose) will get me to my desired loss...50 +25 + (12 x3) = 111. I could be at my goal in 9 months if I work hard and stick to my plan. I've lost 45 lbs in 9 weeks, so I'm on track for that first goal. It really helped me to have interim goals and to have some sort of expectation of weight loss. Of course, this could all go out the window if I don't continue to lose as I have, but I have no reason to think that I'll be anything but successful as long as I continue doing what I've been doing. Good luck!

My program gave me this formula, to help ME determine what my loss needs to be in the different phases to get me where I want to be.
In the first 3 months, you lose x amount of weight. In the following 3 months, you'll generally lose 1/2 of whatever number x is, which is then number y. And then in the following months, you can lose 1/2 of y, for as long as you chose to eat/exercise in a way that puts you in weight loss mode, for number z.
I want to lose about 110 lbs. My goal is 50 lbs in the first 3 months, so x = 50. I'll lose half of x in the 2nd 3 months, so y is 25. Then in the subsequent months, I can continue to lose 1/2 of y monthly, so z is 12.
x + y + (as many months of z as I chose) will get me to my desired loss...50 +25 + (12 x3) = 111. I could be at my goal in 9 months if I work hard and stick to my plan. I've lost 45 lbs in 9 weeks, so I'm on track for that first goal. It really helped me to have interim goals and to have some sort of expectation of weight loss. Of course, this could all go out the window if I don't continue to lose as I have, but I have no reason to think that I'll be anything but successful as long as I continue doing what I've been doing. Good luck!