Niki King

I hit 140lbs lost today, 74 since my surgery August 8, 2017. I stalled for about 4 months but last week added some carbs to my diet and upped my calories a bit and I started to lose again -- almost two pounds this week already. I think the amount of exercise I am doing was putting me in starvation mode with the low carb diet I've been following.
I'm having a few issues, can't eat meat or dense foods like broccoli without pain, still have chronic Constipation. I'm getting scoped, Upper GI and Colonoscopy in a week or so to see if there is anything wrong or if it's just my tummy is a slow healer. I also have been having hypoglycemic (extremely low blood sugar) episodes if I eat sugar, which thankfully I don't do very often.
Despite those few bumps in the road, I'm very happy with how things are turning out. I have more energy than I've ever had. I'm feeling wonderful and couldn't be more pleased with the reduction in pain in my back, which is why I opted for surgery in the first place.
Sleeved 8/8/17 HW: 315 SW: 248 CW: 174 Height: 5'9" Age: 50 GW: 150

I hit 140lbs lost today, 74 since my surgery August 8, 2017. I stalled for about 4 months but last week added some carbs to my diet and upped my calories a bit and I started to lose again -- almost two pounds this week already. I think the amount of exercise I am doing was putting me in starvation mode with the low carb diet I've been following.
I'm having a few issues, can't eat meat or dense foods like broccoli without pain, still have chronic Constipation. I'm getting scoped, Upper GI and Colonoscopy in a week or so to see if there is anything wrong or if it's just my tummy is a slow healer. I also have been having hypoglycemic (extremely low blood sugar) episodes if I eat sugar, which thankfully I don't do very often.
Despite those few bumps in the road, I'm very happy with how things are turning out. I have more energy than I've ever had. I'm feeling wonderful and couldn't be more pleased with the reduction in pain in my back, which is why I opted for surgery in the first place.
Sleeved 8/8/17 HW: 315 SW: 248 CW: 174 Height: 5'9" Age: 50 GW: 150

Before: (August 2017) 155.5kg (343 lb)

May 2018 - 92.3kg (203.5 lb)

As do you!! Awesome pics!!!

Yes, you can definitely have the sleeve and be healthy as a vegan. It will require some planning and attention to detail--I'm moving that way right now. I've eaten vegan at several points in my life, once for a 2-year stretch (broken by an up-close encounter with bacon). After being sleeved and dropping the weight, I now realize that my goal wasn't/isn't just to be thin; it's to be healthy, and I'm starting an exercise program and looking for the most optimum nutrition way of eating that I can find. For me, since my sleeve is uber-picky and still really small, veganism is going to be a challenge simply from a volume perspective--and I suspect this is the case for a lot of us.
Protein is in almost every food in some form--you can read a lot about plant-based diets and Protein just from a simple Google search, so I won't bore you with that here. But the big issue is immediately post-op. You're going to want to find some quality Protein drinks that use soy-based protein (not hard to find, happily!) and avoid dairy and/or egg protein. After that immediate post-op period, you're probably still going to need to supplement with Protein shakes just because you won't be able to eat enough legumes/beans/nuts/tofu to cover your protein requirements as your sleeve heals. That being said, some of the best sources of vegetable protein can be soft/mushies (think Beans, tofu, nut butters).
At this point in my sleeve career (I'm 13-1/2 months out), I eat small, frequent meals--the challenge for me is going to be switching out of dairy into exclusively plant-based protein, as I have been relying pretty heavily on dairy as a protein source (my sleeve doesn't tolerate a lot of animal-flesh Proteins, except for shellfish and occasional lunch meat ham or turkey--and those sometimes don't work). I'm going to have to learn to be more proactive in eating beans/legumes at almost every meal in some format--happily, white Beans can be hidden in smoothies at Breakfast (sounds gross, can't really taste it, thank goodness)..... stuff like that. I'm going to have to plan my meals instead of just going with the flow; I'm not thrilled about that, but the trade-off is worth it.
Anyhow, keep us posted!

Went on a trip of a lifetime and was miserable most of the time because my feet hurt and I couldn't keep up to doing everything I wanted.

What was the final thing that you encountered that made you say this is enough? I have had numerous.
1. Lack of energy and disinterested in activities that used to make me extremely happy.
2. Missing out on my son's first time at Six Flags since I couldn't buckle the seat belt on the first big roller coaster he wanted to ride and explaining to him afterwards why I couldn't go on (combination of anger at myself and wanting to cry)
3. Not being comfortable at all flying because the seat is too small, seat belt very tight but can't put tray table down
4. Avoiding restaurant booths with tiny seats
5. Nickname big guy every job I've ever had by some skinny boss
6. Custom dress shirts needed to get a collar big enough to close to wear suits to work and still very tight and uncomfortable
For me, trying three different kinds of expensive prescription weight loss pills / appetite suppressants (Contrave, Belviq, and Phentermine) only to watch the scale continue to grow over the past six months was my breaking point that I needed to do something drastic.
Thanks so much for the support,
Jim

I had a bypass. Had to have it reversed and converted to a sleeve. I had complications with the bypass and my awful surgeon chose to take care of it that way. I ended up with major scar tissue and had to deal with a stricture for 6 months. Anyway I'm good now but just experiencing this dump ing. My surgeon said sleeve patients can have dumping. Basically I have an intolerance to sugar and dairy and carbs and also get sick from too much at once
Today I haven't had any carbs and have had no issues. It's rough to not have any carbs though because I drop weight super easy and I definitely can't lose much more!

Avoid dairy and sugar... at a least for awhile. Journal your consumption so you can pinpoint the triggers. My Protein Drink of choice is chocolate premier and yet it sometimes does not agree with me. When that happens I have to take a 2-3 month break and then I can tolerate it again . Weird.

I have a Problem with that as well. I can eat these foods when combined with something like rice or bread etc. - I seem to feel best on foods that have relatively balanced macros.

Field Roast is sooo good! Yeah, like the others said, it's very high in Protein as it's taken nearly all the carbohydrate out of the wheat.
I'm personally fine with bread, the thing I have an issue with is high fat, high protein foods. So while I loved Field Roast before surgery, now they make me really queasy and sometimes vomit. My NUT has asked me to eat less protein to try to reduce this (I'm becoming food averse, but that's a different story). So yeah, long story short, the burgers should be fine from your surgeon's view.

Pasta. They forgot the pasta. (and all the other grains)
---
Seriously now: if you can stomach the Vital Wheat Gluten you can eat it. If it doesn't agree with your body for some reason, don't eat it.

I'm 8 months out and am not yet at goal. By time I meet my Protein goals and get some non-starchy veggies in, there is only room (calorically) for a single serving of fruit, grains, or potatoes. Any more than that and the weight loss slows to a crawl.
Your gluten patties aren't a starch, they count as protein.
(I have personal reservations about eating concentrated gluten, but don't let my unfounded concerns change what you are doing).

That's a bid against carbohydrate-heavy foods. (They tend to provide calories without much nutrition.. and that can get in the way of meeting goals and/or weight loss).

If you have Celiac or other gluten intolerance it would be an issue. I've never heard of bread, wheat or gluten being incompatible with the sleeve - lots of people and some surgeons are into the low carb thing which generally means avoiding bread products, but nothing inherent with the VSG. I make sandwiches on occasion when i need a roadfood meal and did at times when losing for energy management purposes, and it has never been an issue.
In short, if its an ingredient of a veggie or meat substitute patty, I don't see any problem with it.

Gluten is the Protein portion of wheat. Some people are sensitive to gluten (as in celiac's disease). But that's another issue.
It isn't really the gluten we are usually concerned about.. it's either the carbs and/or the Gummy texture that is undesirable postop.

I feel like this. I am 12 weeks post op (sleeve) I've lost only 28lbs. I'm ALWAYS worried about what to eat, when to eat it, how to eat it etc. It's making me stressed and very unhappy. The worst part is I've barely lost 5 lbs in the last EIGHT weeks. So all the stress and worry isn't even working for me. I'm tired of it.

Went on a trip of a lifetime and was miserable most of the time because my feet hurt and I couldn't keep up to doing everything I wanted.

So, to update:
It would seem my body was preparing for a hideous, dehydrating stomach virus which I am still suffering from. Good lord, am I sick! I am sure the 2lbs and then some is gone, but I feel too awful to get on the scale so I haven't weighed myself. I guess I should shut up and let my body do her thing! Hope nobody else gets this bug!

I have been eating it since 3 months out

I was August 16. I am losing very slowly, although the past couple of days have not been the best for me nutrition wise.

HW: 419
SW: 361
CW: 331
GW: 219

Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

Honestly, I don't remember. It was right after my birthday and I had spent the week pigging out. I felt so fat and disgusting. I don't think there was any one thing I can point to other than I wasn't able to get myself under control.

I feel like this. I am 12 weeks post op (sleeve) I've lost only 28lbs. I'm ALWAYS worried about what to eat, when to eat it, how to eat it etc. It's making me stressed and very unhappy. The worst part is I've barely lost 5 lbs in the last EIGHT weeks. So all the stress and worry isn't even working for me. I'm tired of it.

I took my daughter to the Zoo, I had to say no to several small rides because weight limits were under 200lbs. Missing out on fun experiences and bonding with my daughter. Watching my sister take her on the marry go round. I don't want to let it happen again

Mine was after a bad break up from a 16 year relationship being told to leave my home in PA to go back to where I grew up in Brooklyn N Y. I gained 78 pounds from going into deep depression. Also have very bad lipedema in both my legs causing me pain and unable to walk like I want to. I'm still in my process with the clearances for my surgery. I hoping to have surgery in nov, Dec the latest.