blizair09

Congratulations! I went from 397 pounds to 173 pounds, and a size 52 pants to a size 31. I totally understand how you feel.

You look amazing. All the best as you continue your maintenance!

What's the DU? Are you talking about a duodenal switch?

Any waiting period is probably determined by your insurance. I had to do a six month diet program before my sleeve (which was the best thing for me for absolute sure...).

Why are you gaining weight? What does a typical day's consumption look like for you? If you don't change your relationship with food, you'll gain weight after any surgery. Any of the available procedures are just a tool. It's the hard work that you make committing to change and making the right decisions every day that make you successful long term.

2 hours ago, jenn1 said:

Statics are interesting.

My surgeons office follows patients for five years. Many patients stop coming to follow up appointments at two years out. They admit, Statistics are not accurate.

I agree with @blizair09

What I have noticed...is if you don't change behaviors you will gain. Is that the same for all bariatric surgery types?

I knew early on I didn't want to be a statistic. Lost 120 pounds in six months and maintaining three years seven months out. Hope for the best in the years to come. I want this long term.

All of the folks in my life who have regained (which is almost all of them) never changed any behaviors and went right back to eating how they ate (and drank) pretty quickly after the surgery. (While they claim they eat smaller portions, those portions grew and grew as time went on, and the frequency of eating did as well...) Yes, they lost weight at first, but with the exception of my mom (who is still probably 50-60 pounds below her highest weight), everyone else gained back EVERY SINGLE POUND.

I'm like you. I put my body through too much trauma to gain any weight back. Not even 10 pounds. food is not that important in my life any more, thank goodness. I'll just stick to my Keto way of eating and my 2000 calories. That formula will not fail me.

@jenn1, congratulations on your success and maintenance!

I find all of the research and statistics to be interesting; however, I still believe that it comes down to an individual's commitment and perseverance to changing his/her relationship with food and finding a way of eating that is sustainable and that supports maintaining and healthy weight more so that which procedure he/she chooses.

I weighed 400 pounds when I started my journey. I never wanted the bypass and insisted on the sleeve from the very beginning. While the NP did talk statistics, she and the surgeon were very supportive. I have lost over 100% of my excess weight (I am below goal), and have maintained for several months beautifully. There is no reason to think will regain because I have no intention of not following a Keto way of eating, and I always keep my calories below 2000.

In my experience the people that don't lose their excess weight and/or regain do (or don't) do so because of the choices they make around food and drink. I realize that there are exceptions to this, but that has been the case so many times on BP and is definitely the case with most of the people I know that have had one procedure or the other.

Still, I do find the research interesting...

You did not gain 5 pounds of fat in a day. It's likely Water weight. There are going to be ebbs and flows (and stalls, stalls, stalls) throughout the journey. If that's going to frustrate you, try to stay off of the scale. (For instance, maybe only weigh once per week.)

Hang in there!

I told anyone and everyone from the first moment of my journey (the six month pre-op diet program). I have never had one person that has said one negative thing. And frankly, I wouldn't care if anyone did at this point. I have lost 225 pounds, weigh less than 175 pounds at 6'0" and look absolutely fabulous. There is no rational argument as to why this is not medically the very best thing that I have ever done for myself.

I will say that if your significant other has concerns that are not health related (e.g., I like you at a certain size or with "meat on your bones," etc.), be wary. As much as I didn't want to be stereotypical, my ex and I broke up after 8.5 years in July. We had a lot of issues the last year or two, but me getting smaller than him (and he lost a lot of weight himself -- non-surgically) was a BIG deal to him. Some people are like that, and it is better to at least think about that ahead of time than to let it hit you like a ton of bricks when so many other things in your life are changing.

13 minutes ago, survive.sleeve.slay said:

Aw, thanks, right back at ya! If you want to get the details on my story on YouTube, here's my link!

Wow. That's awesome. I was still in chemo for a few months so in my pre surg diet I only lost 17 pounds but I still have about six weeks to go, so who knows.

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My dad just beat Stage 4 Lymphoma with chemo. So proud of and for you. Go after it. Apply yourself and you will meet all of your weight loss goals!

All my best...

I have one egg with American cheese, and 1 piece of bacon every morning. I've worked myself up to a jumbo egg and 2 pieces of cheese, but I have done the same thing since I was allowed to have eggs during the food stages.

From my first day, I decided to apply myself during that six months. (I have BCBS Anthem, too.) I lost 99 pounds from the start of my journey to surgery day. It was the very best thing that I could have done for myself.

Make the most of that time. You have to go through it anyway!

Good luck!

@Travelher

Good to see you on here. I only get on BP occasionally these days, and it is nice to see someone from the "old days."

Glad to see that you have done so well! Congratulations!

I drink wine all the time. It causes me no issues and I have never gained one ounce from it.

I did wait until about 3 months post-op to imbibe again.

I promise that it will get better. If you apply yourself, your entire life can change. I am happier than I have ever been in my entire 42 years!

I suggest cutting your carbs to 20 grams per day and get your calories around 1200 per day. That's what I did for six months before my surgery and I lost 100 pounds by surgery day.

You can do it, but you have to put food away and make it work for you. Only you can find that strength and perseverance within yourself...

I am about 16 months out from my sleeve surgery. I have lost 225 pounds and have been maintaining below goal beautifully for the last 4-5 months. I eat low carb and have since six months before my surgery (almost 2 years now). That's how I keep everything in check.

I am in the best shape of my life. I look amazing, and socially, I am having more fun than I even did in my 20s. (And now I have the money to back it all up! )

The sleeve is only a tool, and it will only help you as much as you will help yourself. You have to redefine your relationship with food, set goals, and stick to them. That is the only way you are going to be successful.

My advice is to embrace your sleeve, throw yourself into being successful, and live and love your new life.

18 hours ago, Danny Paul said:

I enter all of my foods into my Baritastic app but I never thought to write a journal. If you guys don't mind, besides what you are eating and drinking what do you feel is necessary to write in your journal. Who knows, I might be missing something by not writing a journal.

I made notes about how I was feeling at certain points in the journey (physically, mentally, emotionally). I also listed various weight milestones in the context of my life (e.g., I was able to fit into a size XX pair of pants for the first time since whatever year, etc.). I also wrote about times that I was away on trips and was able to make my diet work for me and not against me. Stuff like that...

I go back and read my entire food journal every few months. It always gives me renewed inspiration when I do so!!

On 1/16/2018 at 4:55 PM, Sammy 10-30 said:

Maybe you have epilepsy and do not know it and did you your doctor recommend this diet bliziar? Most likely not being that the originator of the thread mention earlier that his nutritionist said NO, NO. I stand corrected maybe its not a textbook definition fad diet, just the one's taking the risk doing it makes this diet a fad, when the diet was design for other uses. "The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children". However, I am not buying for a minute bariatric surgeons will ever recommend this diet for any of their patients and I agree with Russ nutritionist advice that this diet is a horrible idea and worst advice to give to any bariatric patient, not knowing their full circumstances.

No, I do not have epilepsy, and I am not exactly sure why you posted such a nasty message. That's on you. If you don't want to eat low carb, then don't. But it is effective, and it is supported by not only by bariatric surgeon and his staff, but also by my PCP.

I've lost 225 pounds and am maintaining beautifully. I'll just leave it at that.

I do and have for almost 2 years now (including the food stages). My labs are perfect and have been since before I even had the surgery (as a result of my six month pre-op diet program 100 pound loss).

It isn't a fad and I am proof of that...

2 hours ago, Creekimp13 said:

You won't lose as much weight with sleeve as bypass, though.

I have read this statistic, but I must say that it really, in my opinion, is more about the individual person and his or her work toward goal than it is about which surgery he or she has. I weighed 397 pounds when I started my journey. I told my surgeon's staff from the beginning that I wanted to have a sleeve and not a bypass. No one gave me one argument. I have lost 225 pounds and have been maintaining for over 4 months now. But I have been 100% devoted to my journey, to what I eat (and don't eat), and to always doing the right thing. That, to me, means more than which surgery one chooses to have...

Just now, nancymm72 said:

I barely y get in 900 in calories

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Are you pre-op or post-op? If you are post-op, how long ago was your surgery?

1 minute ago, nancymm72 said:

I track and I still gained

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Did you reduce your calories and macros to account for your weight loss?

3 minutes ago, goldenbarbie said:

I don’t track food like that I honestly just base everything off Protein every meal protein, so far I lost 130. I’m currently 180 but 2 week ago I was 170

If you start tracking, this will give you some data and an opportunity to do some analysis to make the needed changes. That will help you get a handle on the problem.

My partner and I ended our relationship after 8.5 years last July. We were both very heavy (at my biggest, I weighed 400 and he weighed 315). He lost down to 200 without surgery, and at that time (about 3 months post-op for me), I was about 250. When I eventually got my weight below his, he had a very hard time with it. (I didn't realize how much of our identity -- in his head at least -- was wrapped up in him being smaller than me.) He was semi-supportive during the entire 225 pound loss journey; however, when it became inconvenient for him, he certainly acted out. (For instance, when I wouldn't drink alcohol for 9 months -- my entire 6 month pre-op diet program and the first 3 months post-op -- he was a b***h about it all the time...)

While we definitely had other problems, and everything worked out for the best, the weight loss did have a bearing on the whole thing. I hate being stereotypical more than anything, but it did happen...

@goldenbarbie

What does a typical day's consumption look like for you? How many calories do you take in? Carbs? Protein?

I'm not sure how much weight you have lost overall, but as your weight diminishes, the number of calories you need to maintain or lose diminishes as well...

Just now, Todd_196 said:

Just ran out on my lunch break to pick up a small Moleskin to make daily entries. Might as well start now to get into the habit. Might help me break one habit and pick up a healthier one...writing. I've been kicking around some short stores for years, this might be the catalyst for better things from a creative side.

Good for you! I really think you'll like it once you get settled into a routine.

I follow a low carb/high protein/high healthy fat way of eating and have done so for the past almost 2 years (including the food stages post-op). To many, this is a Keto diet; to me it is a permanent way of life. I have no intention of bringing carbs or sugar back into my life at any point. I worked hard to make food nothing more than fuel, and I am going to continue to live that way. (I know that this approach isn't for everyone, but it has helped me to lose 225 pounds and beautifully maintain that loss...)

I look at the word diet as "how I eat," and not a program to lose weight. I don't need to lose weight anymore.