sushi5912

Of course you should talk to your doctor/therapist (when you find one), but I wonder if it's the carbs that are derailing you. They certainly do for me. I was pretty good in the beginning about tracking my food and macros, but since I mostly eat the same thing all the time, it got pretty boring so I stopped. However, I've been losing weight steadily in the 8 months since surgery. That said, over the summer I started eating more carbs that usual - lots of fruit, an occasional wrap here and there, a chai latte, etc. And I noticed a few things. One, I started getting hungrier. Two, my weight completely stalled (and in fact, went up a few pounds). And three, I noticed that unlike protein-dense foods like chicken, most carbs went through my sleeve with no problem - I could eat them all day if I wanted to. So I've gone back to (mostly) what I had been doing before (low carbs - not quite Keto but pretty close) and guess what - my weight is starting to go down again on a slow but steady basis, my cravings have stopped, and I'm more mindful about what I eat.
We are all different, what works for one may not work for another, but perhaps you really do need to think about the carbs you are putting into your body and if that makes a difference. The sleeve has forced me to eat less per sitting and has reset my body to help me lose weight, but I've quickly learned that I cannot go back, even a little, to eating what I used to eat before. It's too slippery a slope. Which sucks because there are a lot of (high carb) foods out there that I love but that I know I probably won't eat again for a very long time (if ever). I know you're an aspiring gourmand, but you may have to channel that energy into foods that are good for you and your sleeve. Also, I don't know how old your kids are, but you may want to talk to them about having only good foods in the house for a while (so no pringles or ice cream) to help you stay on track. Temptation is a hard thing to get over, and it takes a long time to truly get over the things we love (if ever). In any event, good luck.

I hope that you find the answers that you are seeking. My reason for having surgery boiled down to the sheer amount of food that I was able to eat in a single sitting. I wasn't a huge processed food snacker. I was able to eat 5-7 cups per sitting, which didn't hurt me when I was eating veggies and brown rice. It did hurt me when I ate something bad though. Unfortunately, eating 8 slices of pizza, and 5 tacos on a cheat day derailed my progress during the other 6 days of my diet. I didn't have surgery with the hope that it would make me not want pizza or tacos. I had it with the hope that I would possibly be able to eat 1-2 slices of pizza or 1 or 2 tacos. I also knew that cutting that 5-7 cups down to a more manageable 1-2 cups would make a huge difference in the amount of calories I was taking in on a daily basis. I really had no idea that I would be eating 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of food per sitting.
Since surgery, I have had both pizza and tacos. I have made them myself though. Cauliflower crust pizza loaded with veggies, a very tiny amount of sauce and a very tiny amount of mozzarella cheese. Veggie sausage, egg white and spinach tacos made with 1/2 of a Flat-out light wrap. I could eat a little over 1/3 of a 9" cauliflower crust pizza, and it would be just over 150 calories. The tacos would be a little over 160 calories. That is a win in my book.
I once took a month long nutrition class (for insurance purposes) that said that you can contribute at least 20-30 pounds of your excess weight to each group of bad foods you eat. If you eat salty Snacks, sweets, fast food, drink alcohol.....Each of these groups can really pack on the pounds. I think that everyone must realize that this surgery doesn't help as much if your problem is snacking on processed junk or eating fast food unless you yourself are willing to change. 5 ounces of candy is A LOT of calories. 5 ounces of Doritos is A LOT of calories. 5 ounces of ice cream is A LOT of calories. These are all sliders, have almost no nutritional value, and will not make you full. Even a small cheeseburger and small fry from McDonalds will carry almost 550 calories. Have that 2 or more times per week, and you could still wreck your progress.
There was a bariatric doctor that said that if you want to be successful in weight loss, you must do the right things at least 90% of the time. You will have stalls, but you can still lose fat during these stalls. Get back to your program. If you must snack, find healthy snacks that you like eating. I like crunchy veggies and raw nuts, but have an occasional turkey roll or two (turkey breast slices, cream cheese, chives).
Remember, no surgery is going to overcome the brain's urge to eat junk food or processed food. You've got to learn to have that every loooonnnnggg once in a while, and hopefully, in the case of junk food....Make better choices about what you have. You can have a salad anywhere. Just don't pile on the dressing, croutons and/or tortilla strips. LOL!
You can do this. It won't be easy. I won't be fun. It WILL make you stronger. It WILL be worth it in the end.

Good luck my friends!

Why are you angry before anyone's even said anything. You want help. But you'r asking us if we can stick to the rules why do we need surgery? There is no need to be rude. and I can't believe that is a serious question.
I had this surgery because I needed help or I would have died. The surgery has given me focus. And I couldn't do it without it.

That sounds very frustrating! I think you should call your dr. Maybe you have a thyroid problem? Try doing a different exercise like spinning or barre. Those are my gotos because I can move my legs fast on a stationary bike in a dark room ( and I can't run) and barre you don't even wear shoes! So they are low impact. Maybe you just need to get your heart rate up a bit rather than walking - if that's what you are doing for exercise. I also think it's ok to treat yourself- just not every day. Know at the beginning of the week what your plan is and enjoy a bite of something good. I hope you get the results you want soon!

I appreciate the encouraging responses. And I understand the rules about Protein first and avoiding carbs. I’m amazed at you all who can follow them consistently and I admire you! My point is I feel the same as I did before surgery and I believed surgery would help me not have so many cravings in between meals or think about food so much. Because resisting what temps me is just as difficult as it was before surgery. Like I said I’m seeking a therapist to address this. This is a great tool because it makes us eat less at one time. For some people it takes away their cravings too which is what I was hoping for. I definitely need to do better about counting carbs and switching up exercises. I use MyFitnessPal.

Thank you!

This is painful to admit. My worst fear has come true that I would blow this. I have lost 30 lbs since my surgery in June but have only lost 3 lbs in the past 2 months. I was doing well but the last stall messed with my head and I’ve gone back to old habits of snacking, grazing and mentally obsessing about what to eat. I eat very highly nutritious clean foods (I’m an aspiring gourmet cook) and occasionally grab 5 pringles or a spoon of ice cream when my kids have It out which feels like a compulsion I can’t control. For one solid month I was staying under 1200 calories, 75 grams protein/day and no loss and yes that includes every gram I put in my mouth. And it was taking every bit of my will to stick to that. I’m grateful my recovery was a breeze, no problems drinking Water and getting my Protein in. But I feel the same as I always have. My cravings are not changed. My appetite is the same and I can eat anything. Of course now I can only eat about 6 ounces at a time. I wait to drink water as long as possible because it does wash the food out of my stomach and I am hungry about every 2 hours. And I read what you all say. The scolders who say why do you eat foods you aren’t supposed to? And I wonder why you all who are able to stick to your food rules need this surgery? I wish I knew what makes me different. I am seeking a therapist to discuss this because I can’t stick to food rules after seeing no results after more than a month of white knuckling it and nothing happened. And my message is it’s true this is no magic tool because I feel the same as I always have. I have quit gaining which is good but I still have at least 70 lbs to lose. I’m 40, feel super healthy, always have lots of energy, I am passionate about many things in my life, I sleep great, love my job and personal life balance and I’m grateful for my health. I’ve been walking since surgery in fact the nurse who tried to wheel me out of the hospital said I was the first bariatric patient that ever asked to walk out at discharge. I have felt normal since day one!

I am scheduled for metabolic testing and I’m curious to see what I’m burning daily and hoping I can get motivated again. I’m so down about this and back to feeling powerless like I did before surgery.

All of the paperwork provided to me from my provider says no coffee or caffeine. Not just at one stage, but all stages.
I understand that during the initial weeks of healing (maybe) coffee might cause a problem. But it is expected that I an never have coffee again?
I drink my coffee Black - no cream, no sugar. Granted, I used to drink a lot of it - but I've been sleeved on 8/23 and am craving for just a few sips of my delicious beverage. I'm curious as to the roles coffee and caffeine can play on the success of this surgery.
So few questions:
1. Why no coffee?
2. Why no caffeine?
3. If allowed, when can I start having it again?
*Again, all on the basis of black coffee - no cream, no sugar (additives that would result in weight gain)

Has anyone who had reflux with the band not had it with the sleeve?
I never had reflux till I had a band the reason I had it was the band was too tight.
I was advised to have the bypass because of this.
Band was removed 2 months back but no revision to bypass due to the mess the band had made of my stomach (it had attached itself to my liver) I now need to wait to December to have the next stage.
But unsure I want the bypass now swaying towards sleeve but don't want reflux again x

My body odor has changed too. I'm 10 weeks post op and since my surgery I have not needed to wear anti perspirant. I used to use natural deodorant but would need to use antiperspirant every other day otherwise I could smell the BO. Now I don't get BO at all. Weird. I still sweat but there's no bad smell! (I am still using the natural)

I had the band in 2009 and went from 305-260 and stayed there at 260 until 2016. I finally went to the doctor in the fall of 2016 because I had been aspirating saliva almost every night, felt like I had pneumonia for most of the morning, and I had terrible acid reflux with a hiatal hernia. I also for most of those years had a dull pain with every swallow and sharp pain in my right shoulder. So they took Fluid out in the fall, I quit aspirating in my sleep, started gaining weight and only slightly improved acid reflux. My surgeon took out the band in April of this year and 2 months later did the sleeve and hernia repair June 23. It's been 4 weeks now and I have not had one day of acid reflux and have taken no medication for it! I'm eating soft foods and I get full and no pain! I'm loving this so much more. I have been in a stall since 1.5 weeks out but today the scale budged a little so now I'm down 19 lbs at 4 weeks out. I wish I had done this much sooner. And I'm grateful my surgeon was conservative by wanting me to have time to heal between surgeries. I spent years fighting my band instead of using it because it hurt and was not what I expected. I didn't feel much restriction, it just made me slow and hurt. I've been afraid I would "fail" at the sleeve the way I did with the band, but it's becoming apparent that the sleeve is a much more useful tool and I feel confident I can do this.

I totally understand. I'm the same with my bmi- I was 40 when I started. Is there a local support group you can attend? My hospital has one that I'm going to try next week. I think some face to face support helps.
Let's keep in touch and support each other!


Mich W
Hw 223, SW 217 CW 200 GW 135

I hope so. I'm still stalled. I've only lost 2 lbs in the past 2 weeks and I'm not even 4 weeks out. I feel great fortunately. Lots of energy. I just can't believe I stalled 1.5 weeks after surgery. Down 17 in all including pre op one week diet. It just messes with my mind because I'm eating carefully and less than 4 ounce meals and nothing is happening it seems! I'm just going to keep doing the right thing and hope something good is going on with this craziness. My starting BMI was 41 I think so it's not like I'm a "low BMIer" I'm trying to focus on my gratitude to keep from being depressed. So grateful I've had a breeze of a recovery.

It just depends on how well you can drink after surgery. I went back to work 6 days post op and could have gone sooner. I was so glad to fix my mind on something other than not eating! But I didn't have any problems getting in Water and Protein so I did not have low energy. I'm 3 weeks post op now.

Thank you for the encouragement. I too am surprised at how easy this is to get in my calories and if it weren't for MFP I'd probably be drinking more calories like from milk. I have been having some purees this week since liquid shakes go through my stomach so fast and I've been so hungry. I can eat 4 oz plain yogurt or cottage cheese easily and make myself eat slowly (10 minutes) I made very lean homemade chili and spaghetti sauce this week that I blended up smooth. My post op appointment is Tuesday so I'll ask him to look at my X-ray from when I was in the hospital to see if my stomach is normal sleeve sized. I just wanted this win today on the scale and I didn't get it. I know everybody experiences this, my fear is I won't be as successful as others.

2 weeks post op and stalled! How is this possible? I lost approximately 2 lbs/day the first week for a few days in a row and the scale hasn't budged in 6 days now. I'm down 11 lbs since surgery day and am using MFP to keep track. I'm getting 75-90 G Protein daily and 800-1000 calories/day. I'm so grateful to say I've had no problems. I can drink easily and I drink more than 68oz water/day. Has anyone else stalled this soon after surgery? I need to feel some renewed hope. Also today is my last day to be in my 30s, lol

Thanks everyone! I feel like I can eat a lot for where i am at. It's easy for me to get 700-800 calories, especially with drinking the shake...and I'm kinda worried about not losing. I am wondering if maybe I should cut out the shake and just eat regular food (see if I can meet my Protein needs) and that way feel more satisfied. They also only told me to try to get 50 grams of protein but maybe I should up that?

That's kind of the weird thing (hunger). I've learned after all these years that apparently there is a difference between head hunger and actual need for food. My head keeps saying "you should be eating something" and "a cheeseburger sounds amazing"
and today "go to taco Tuesday" lol. But my stomach, it's just not wanting any of it. I have not truly felt physical hunger at all since before I had the sleeve surgery 17 days ago. Weird! Because I kind of don't trust my hunger-meter accuracy at the moment, I'm trying to stick with a routine to make sure I don't get dehydrated or malnourished. Every morning I have a Protein Water with a Vitamin greens powder mix, gets most of my key nutrients in right away. Then mid day I'll have a Protein Shake with a banana and some nonfat milk and a little Peanut Butter in it. Mid afternoon I'll have a snack maybe yogurt or Jello. Evening I'll make myself eat something like puréed Soup. Then in the evening I take my chewable multi vitamin. So far that's been working ok. If I get ambitious enough I may try blending tuna and mayo like tuna salad, but have not tried yet. [emoji4]

Am having the lap band removed on April 17th and hopefully the sleeve done at the same time. Has anyone here had the lapband removed and have had to wait for a few months before having the revision to the sleeve? How many have had the sleeve performed at the same time as the lapband removal?
Thank you.

So after having my band in for about 5 years, it was removed 12 days ago and while they were in there it was revised to the sleeve. I was 110% gung-ho for this procedure, I've been fighting insurance for almost a year to get it. But now that I have it, I'm kind of freaking out. I am on the liquids and Protein Shakes only phase still, and I keep wondering if I'm ever going to enjoy eating food again like a normal person. I think with the band there was some degree of comfort knowing it wasn't permanent and that I could always loosen it if I wanted to. Now that I've had 80% of my stomach surgically removed, I am just panicking a bit because I want to enjoy my life, enjoy food and drink, and not feel like a freak when I'm out with friends family and coworkers at a restaurant. Am I the only one who's been here mentally, having a mini freak out? [emoji4]

Hello! I'm a 39 y/o professional (I work part time), mom of boys ages 15 and 11, and army wife of 18 years.

I was sleeved Friday and today is Tuesday, my first day on full liquids which is nice after just drinking broth and Water. I'm grateful to say I've had no pain post surgery. This is my second bariatric surgery. I was banded in 2009 at 305 lbs. I got down to only 260 and stayed there until last fall when I finally went to the doctor that I had been avoiding due to my shame because I had been aspirating saliva almost nightly for a year and the acid reflux had gotten bad. They took out Fluid and then I gained 10 + lbs quickly. I had the band removed in April and just got the sleeve 4 days ago. My new highest weight was 283. Day of surgery 279. Today 274. I'm having no problems drinking, in fact it seems too easy to drink and I'm so hungry already and all food sounds and smells so good.

I'm having trust issues with myself because I didn't follow the rules with my band which is why I never got below 260. I never quit sweets, I drank while eating, I grazed every time I passed something on my counter! And it is emotionally difficult fixing dinner for my family and not being able to eat! It encourages me to read all your success stories! I am worried I'll sabotage myself again and screw this up too. I haven't told many people because of my fear of failure. I keep telling myself just get through these liquid weeks and it will get better emotionally to be able to eat Protein and veg again... right? I naturally gravitate toward healthy, high quality clean eating food, I love to cook and am a true foodie. I just have loved it too much and has been the one place in my life where I've felt powerless. But boy, dinner time is tough!!!