Introversion

As far as women's sizes are concerned, many clothing makers have resorted to 'vanity sizing' in recent years. The size 12 of the 1980s and 1990s is now the modern day size 8. http://time.com/how-to-fix-vanity-sizing/ The reason for vanity sizing is mostly psychological. Designers know that women will be more excited about purchasing clothes that are labeled with a smaller size than the measurements would indicate. For many women out there, a size 10 on the tag is more invigorating than staring down at a size 14.

Yes, the tubular sleeved stomach can stretch. Yes, the stomach pouch of a gastric bypass patient can stretch. Stomachs are made up of smooth muscle, which is capable of stretching. My sleeve definitely has a greater capacity than it did during those first few post-op months. Plainly speaking, my sleeve can accommodate more food now. However, anyone who expects tight stomach restriction by itself to prevent overeating may be engaging in unrealistic thinking. At this point, the quality of food I place into my mouth is more important than the size of my sleeve. A person with a thumb-sized sleeve or golf ball-sized bypass pouch can and will regain all his/her weight if too many slider foods (e.g., chips, cookies, crackers, pretzels, ice cream, popcorn, donuts, mashed potatoes) are eaten. Slider foods do not produce a feeling of fullness or satiety. Therefore, a person who is determined to eat around the pouch or sleeve can accomplish his/her mission by overeating sliders. My personal saying is, "The road to weight regain is paved with Lays, Doritos, Ruffles, Ben & Jerry's, Fritos, Oreos, Breyers, and Chips Ahoy." It is all about choices.

You lost your first 40 pounds a tad bit more quickly than I did. You lost 40 pounds in 14 weeks, whereas it took me an entire 4 months to lost my first 40 pounds. I still have a thyroid, but have been hypothyroid for 12 years due to radioiodine ablation. It took me approximately 18 months to lose 100 pounds, so I was a slow loser. However, I am pleased that I have been able to easily maintain my current body weight of 118 pounds with daily exercise and an intake of about 2000 calories per day. So, while I was a slow loser, the sleeve did reset my metabolism in a favorable way.

I was sleeved two years ago. At the time, I was an RN house supervisor at a small specialty hospital. My role combined periods of busy patient care along with long stretches of sedentary downtime. I requested one week off and that's all I needed. My pain was gone by the fourth or fifth day post-op. However, I ended up taking a second week off even though I didn't need it because my employer at the time had refused to grant me time off for any holidays during the previous five years, so I decided to milk my PTO time and enjoy a "stay-cation." My problem was the post-anesthesia mental fog: for me, it lasted about six weeks.

My lifelong weight problems were due to several factors such as heredity, bad lifestyle choices, and an introduction to crappy processed food very early in life. From the time I was a toddler I ate canned Franco American macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, Rice-a-Roni, ramen noodles, and other cheap processed "foodlike" substances. Unfortunately, most of these foods are starchy and promote weight gain. My grandmother weighed more than 400 pounds when she died. She was obese many decades before the obesity epidemic took off. My mother was also morbidly obese at the time of her death. Although I think there's some genetics involved in my tendency toward fatness, some of my poor lifestyle choices were to blame. I am also hypothyroid and insulin-resistant. These two conditions are not good for weight control.

The cravings will be blunted and almost nonexistent during the honeymoon period of 6 to 12 months post-op. However, in most people the cravings return. This is especially true for many people who compulsively ate sweets and sugar. There are two types of weight loss surgery patients: moderators and abstainers. Moderators can moderate their intake of trigger foods and stop before falling off the wagon, whereas abstainers must abstain from their trigger foods because they will definitely fall off the wagon. If you cannot moderate your intake of sweets, you need to abstain or else you will regain your weight.

About a month after reaching my goal weight, I had my RMR tested and it was 1430. With daily exercise (running, hiking, stair mill machines), I have been able to consume in the 1900 to 2100 calorie-per-day range while maintaining tight control over my current body weight of 118 pounds.

I was sleeved 2 years ago. For the first six weeks post-op I felt too sluggish to do anything besides sleep, use the restroom, and go to work. The post-anesthesia fog affected me for weeks after the surgery. Nowadays I am a ball of energy who runs several miles a day and goes on sporadic hikes on nature trails in/near the city where I live. In other words, give your newly sleeved friend some time. Her body's been through trauma.

I have been hypothyroid for more than a decade. Once you are hypothyroid, you typically have the disease for life. As far as the results of my weight loss surgery are concerned, I have more energy than ever. I no longer feel sluggish or overly tired. By the way, I also suffered from autoimmune idiopathic hives for many years, but the problem resolved within months after bariatric surgery.

I weigh in approximately once a month. Some people need the reassurance and/or accountability of daily weigh-ins, but I prefer weighing infrequently because the process causes anxiety for me. Anyway, I have been in maintenance for about 7 months and my weight has been stable, fluctuating upward or downward by less than a pound.

I don't have Hashimoto's, but I have been hypothyroid for 11+ years. My weight loss with the sleeve was slower than most women my age. I am in my mid-30s and, after the first two months, lost at a rate of approximately 5 pounds monthly. I eventually lost 100 pounds and reached my goal weight in a little less than 18 months. What matters the most is that I have been able to maintain my weight loss with precision. My current weight fluctuates only by a pound or so. I am also happy about being able to eat in the 1900 to 2100 calorie per day range to maintain.