DLovelySleeve

13 hours ago, Shell ???? said:

I’m in the same boat I’m 2 years out in March and I’ve regained exactly how much I’m to scared to look lately but it was 5kgs a few months back drinking alcohol has been the biggest issue as I get drunk fast but I use to never drink prior to surgery now I do every night except the last week I’ve stopped
I can also eat bread and chocolate and lollies I was sleeved and wish I had chosen RNY so I’d atleast get dumping and not continue to eat bad things
I snack all the time and don’t exercise I’m miserable I
Was self pay and cannot believe I’m having these issues now I was so good in the beginning so strict
Please let me k ow how your going with your weight loss

I will most definitely let you know how things are going with the weight loss. Snacking and drinking are my 2 biggest challenges as well, but I keep reminding myself of everything I sacrificed to lose the weight and I just can't let it fall by the wayside.

14 hours ago, bjcarver said:

I am also part of the regain club. I have gained 32 pounds over the past 7 months. It’s the most annoying thing but entirely my own problem. It all started when I began grazing throughout the day, which my surgeon told me would cause weight gain. I started eating carbs with no restraint. I began drinking sodas daily after 3 years of drinking them like 1 time a month. I started using straws and starting eating whatever I wanted.

I have started the 5 day pouch reset diet and have lost 4 pounds so far due to the liquids only phase. Hoping that after these next few days I will have better restraint and I WILL be watching what I am eating- Protein first, veggies second and carbs third. No more sodas daily! Back in the gym at least 3 times a week. I know we can get the weight back off, we know exactly what it takes.

You're so right!!!! We know exactly what it takes. It's just a matter of doing it. I will say that it is not easy though. I reciognize that I have definitely started some really bad habits and have triggered some of my food addictions. Last night I found it so hard for me to resist grabbing fast food on the way home. Smh... I won that battle thought. Yay!!!

15 hours ago, sleevedinseptember said:

Thank you so much for starting posting this topic - I am in a similar place. I'm close to two and a half years out from my surgery and have regained 20 pounds in the last 6 months of 2017. I was down to 172 pounds and closing in on my goal of 165. I am completely at fault - I started a grad nursing program and allowed/used the stress of that as an excuse for eating more than I should as well as foods that I should not eat. I also stopped drinking enough Water, tracking my food, going to my support group and overall focusing on my progress. I did keep up the gym but as we all know, the food part is most important.

Anyway, I've been working to reincorporate all the things I learned and did before for success - good food choices, tracking, Water, sleep, gym etc. Good luck and I hope to check in and see us both making progress! I know we can do it!

Wow, I knew that I wasn't the only one struggling with regain, but it sure feels good to actually see and hear from others in the same situation. I am even more excited to lose the weight back off now that we can all do it together! :-)

Hey ya'll,

So I was terrified to get on the scale because I was afraid that I would no longer be in Onderland, but I am happy to say that I caught it just in the nick of time. I weight in yesterday at 199.7!!!! Talk about mixed emotions! I was so happy that I was not over 200lbs, but also disappointed about the 35.7 lbs weight gain. It's just what I needed though to lite a fire under my butt to lose the weight back off. I refuse to get ay bigger. Anywhoo, just thought I would share. :-)

39 minutes ago, Ms skinniness said:

I regained due to eating crap... reverted to bad habits and mostly StarBucks Frappacinos. I graze a lot. When I eat chicken, it does fill me up...

OMG, I cannot tolerate Fraps. I tried, but no bueno. It triggers dumping for me. chicken definitely fills me up as well. I just had a very small salad with chicken and it's been taking quite some time for me to get through it.

2 hours ago, Dimples58 said:

Good morning,

i was just curious, did drinking alcohol effect you any different than before the WLS? I was told that we wouldn't be able to tolerate drinking the least amount and that one small dip would put us over the edge quickly. What was your experience and do you drink?

Hey Dimples58,

Soooooooo.....drinking after wls is truly different for every person. I was also advised by my medical crew that I would not be able to tolerate much alcohol, BUT this was not true for me. I can drink a sailor under the table. Lol! This is not good though because it's a lot of calories and causes weight gain. My first attempt was a shot of whiskey about 6 months post op and I felt nothing. The only time I feel it quickly is if I don't eat first.

27 minutes ago, chrys129 said:

I've returned to BP due to regain as well. I need to get refocused. I'm a little over 2 years our and 2017 kicked my butt. It's entirely my own fault. I was heartbroken by a betrayal and also started a new job and went back to old bad habits of using food for comfort. Stopped running. Drank a lot of alcohol. Sigh

I gained back 50 of the 115 that I lost. I'm starting new with Protein goals and 64oz Water daily. Getting my arse moving again. Etc. But it was a learning experience, a scary one, to see how easily I could screw up my own health even with the surgery.

Over two years out and everything I eat still hurts: meat, cheese, veggies. Potatoes, Pasta, and bread are the most painful for me. It's probably a blessing,even if it's a total bummer sometimes.

My regain was a lot of liquid calories and learning to graze throughout the day. Lack of exercise. Bad food choices (when it ALL hurts, it isn't very motivating to avoid certain foods) A combination of a lot of things. But my restriction is still there. I eat like a toddler. Lol

Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app

We're two peas in a pod. Starting fresh today. Yesterday was a transition day. Healthy meals, but wine and dessert. Today, I am tracking my food and Water via MyFitnessPal (DLovelyL) and will also be rejoining my gym.

1 hour ago, Sullie06 said:

She said it was rougher in the early days but now she's more used to not eating bread products and she says it helps her maintain but she does miss it. Just goes to show how different this journey is for all of us.

So true!!!

22 minutes ago, Sullie06 said:

I have to be real careful because I do love bread, especially morning bread products (bagels, muffins, biscuits, flavored breads), but at the same time I like that I can still enjoy these items on occasion. I try and limit my intake but I will have half a bagel or a sandwich from time to time. I have a good friend who is 4 years out from the sleeve and she cannot tolerate bread at all, like even the smallest amount makes her feel awful and she struggles with it.

Wow, 4 years out and still cannot tolerate bread? That's rough.

15 minutes ago, Diahanna said:

Thank you so much! I have really been really struggling with waiting in between bites. This is the biggest change for me and I'm glad to hear it won't always be that way. I bought a timer and I just sit here and push food around with my spoon. But if I hurry I end up not feeling good. Lol

You're so welcome!!!! It kind of sucks in the beginning, but trust me, it gets better.

14 minutes ago, Diahanna said:

If I'm never able to tolerate bread again, I won't be mad. I know it's a big trigger for me so I will consider it a bonus if I get sick thinking about bread.< br /> Which reminds me, my sister was cooking pork Breakfast sausage on Christmas morning and the smell was so overwhelming I started to feel like I was going to vomit. I was curious if my surgery had something to do with that because I have always eaten pork sausage. I didn't attempt to eat any, just the smell was making me ill.

Yeah, I did experience that as well. I also noticed that my taste buds changed. Everything tasted really salty. Which was weird because I was a salt lover. Now, I can't stand food that tastes salty.

12 minutes ago, Sullie06 said:

bread is almost a slider for me, really weird because you wouldn't expect it to be one but I could probably eat quite a bit of bread with no issue. It just doesn't seem to trigger my restriction when I do eat it on occasion. I say avoid bread as long as possible because it can be a trigger food for sure. How many of us used to love putting back a footlong sub? For me, the bread was the best part.

OMG!!!! I would be in trouble if bread were a slider food for me. I would have never lost weight! Smh..LBVS! #RecoveringCarbaholic

2 minutes ago, Diahanna said:

DLovely, I posted this but nobody has answered so I figured I'd run this by you.

I was sleeved on 12/14 so I'm only 2 weeks and 1 day out. I'm currently on purée only for 3 weeks and it's going ok. However, I'm finding it very difficult to wait 2-3 minutes in between each bite.

1. Why do we need to wait so long?

2. It's very hard to sit and look at food for 3 minutes and just pushing my food around with the spoon. Any ideas of what to do?

3. Will I always have to wait so long between each bite?

I'm just curious about this because I'm finding that this is my biggest struggle. I have noticed that when I eat too fast that my chest starts burning and I get nauseous.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Sure!

1. Because we need time for our food to actually make it's way down our swollen and sore esophagus and belly. If we don't wait, it hurts.

2. So, usually it is not recommended to do other things during meal time because that's how you find yourself not paying attention to how much you're eating, BUT until you can eat comfortably at a normal pace, fill the time between bites with other things like reading, conversations or any other hobby you may have.

3. Over time you will notice that you don't have to wait as long. Your body is healing and that's why you have to take it slow. Once healed you'll have to remember to slow down. Lol! :-)

42 minutes ago, Diahanna said:

I ain't gonna lie, it was Christmas morning and my family had cinnamon raisin toast and I'm only 2 weeks post op, I took a small piece no more than the size of a quarter maybe even a nickel and I was vomiting 5 mins later. I'm sticking with my purée and doctor instructions now after that fiasco. I just want to try it.

Oh yeah!!!! Been there, done that!!! Lol!!!!

2 hours ago, DLovelySleeve said:

Hey BlueCrush,

So my weight regain was SO my fault. Over time your sleeve will start to tolerate more foods. When I noticed that I could eat certain things without getting sick, I started exploring even more and reintroducing foods into my diet that I had no business eating such as bread, rice and pizza. I also drank a lot of booze in 2017 (struggling with depression). My exercise regiment suffered this year as well due to working 3 jobs. All in all, I stirred up a big pot of uh oh this year. On a bright note, I still have pretty good restriction (I still eat like a toddler) and believe it or not, I still never actually "feel" hungry.

Ultimately, I would recommend trying to avoid reintroducing your trigger foods and bad carbs (refined and processed carbs) into your diet. Your sleeve will stretch over time because it's a tissue and that's what tissue does, but we just have to be sure that it doesn't stretch beyond reason.

I hope this helps. :-)

31 minutes ago, timarland said:

Interesting, and thanks again for the detailed info - this is a huge help. One more thing though - when you say spit up - is that like a regular throwing up type thing, or is it just a build up of saliva and stuff. That's what I have (had) with my band - if something got stuck, my body would think that it was actually stuck in my esophagus, and it would start creating a **** ton of saliva trying to break it down or move it. That would just build up in my throat and mouth and I'd have to go somewhere and spit it out. Sorry for the gross details...

Lol!!! No need to apologize. This forum is the place for all of the nitty gritty. Lol! So, the spit up tends to be saliva, some food and oil. It's really disgusting. I don't eat a lot of greasy food, but i guess just the natural oils come up. It's definitely a clear indicator that I should have stopped a bite or two ago. I will be getting back to carrying my collapsable measuring cups to ensure Ia m only eating 1 cup of food.

2 minutes ago, BrittneyH said:

I didn't realize you couldn't eat certain things like bread! I thought it was just limited in how much. I am pre-op and still have so much to learn!

BrittneyH,

In the beginning bread will not be an option as it is too thick and will hurt really bad. There will be other foods that you won't be able to eat either. Everyone is different, but shrimp was hard for me to eat as well.

8 minutes ago, timarland said:

So once you get to your limit on the bread, how do you feel? Are you just full? Does it hurt? Do you feel nauseous? Sorry for all the questions - I'm a band to VSG revision - with my band, when I ate something I shouldn't (or didn't chew enough) food would get stuck and it hurt. Bad. Sometimes had to make my self throw up.

Thanks!

Hey Timarland,

I just feel full. If I overdo it, I spit up a lot. Actually, that is for all foods. If I eat too much, I spit up. Not sexy at all! Lol! Pasta on the other hand, will go down, but if I eat too much of that I get hot and start sweating like crazy. I've left pasta alone for the most part because of this. If I have it, it's usually a bite that I am stealing from someone's plate.

1 minute ago, Diahanna said:

Thank you so much! I thought my days of having bread were over. My friend who was sleeved in March said she still can't tolerate bread so I thought it was something that I wouldn't be able to eat at all.

Oh no, you will definitely be able to eat bread, Pasta, pizza, etc. You probably shouldn't, BUT your belly will eventually tolerate it.

You're welcome! :-)

14 minutes ago, Diahanna said:

Omg! So you are able to eventually tolerate bread?

Hey Diahanna,

Absolutely!!! Thick bread at that; like Bagels and texas toast. I can only do a couple of bites, but it goes down without a problem.

4 hours ago, swall22 said:

Thank you so much for bringing this up!! I’m about 2 years out. I sometimes do the 5-7 pound yo-yo and haven’t lost in a while. I started graduate school this year so I haven’t been exercising and not eating well due to stress and time restraints, which ultimately isn’t a legit excuse but still. I am scared I’ve stretched the sleeve and won’t be able to bring it back down. I think it’s because I sometimes snack and I also am not eating the best food so it’s easier to eat more. This year I definitely plan to stick to an actual plan and log food!

Hey Swall,

So, i too was afraid that I stretched my stomach and basically ruined my surgery, but once I realized that it was all in ym mind and that I really still eat like a 3 year old (lol), I was able to calm down. The biggest thing I think will help me this upcoming yhear with losing the weight will be meal planning. I am on the go a lot and that's how I fell back into fast foods. You're right about logging foods also. I need to do that.

11 hours ago, BlueCrush said:

Curious from the sleeve veterans, how does regain happen? Does your sleeve eventually get to the point where it's not restrictive after a few years? Grazing on junk throughout the day to get around the restriction? Still restrictive, but eating bad food instead of Protein with what little can fit? Combination? Other?

As someone who has lost and regained almost 100lbs several times in my life, regain is my biggest fear. I would love to learn from others experiences of what common gsv regain pitfalls to avoid.

I'm only about 2.5 weeks post-op. Thanks in advance!

Hey BlueCrush,

So my weight regain was SO my fault. Over time your sleeve will start to tolerate more foods. When I noticed that I could eat certain things without getting sick, I started exploring even more and reintroducing foods into my diet that I had no business eating such as bread, rice and pizza. I also drank a lot of booze in 2017 (struggling with depression). My exercise regiment suffered this year as well due to working 3 jobs. All in all, I stirred up a big pot of uh oh this year. On a bright note, I still have pretty good restriction (I still eat like a toddler) and believe it or not, I still never actually "feel" hungry.

Ultimately, I would recommend trying to avoid reintroducing your trigger foods and bad carbs (refined and processed carbs) into your diet. Your sleeve will stretch over time because it's a tissue and that what tissue does, but we just have to be sure that it doesn't stretch beyond reason.

I hope this helps. :-)

15 hours ago, Wendyfm said:

I find it easier to hold myself accountable if I weigh myself daily. That said, if I do miss a day I don’t panic.

Wendyfm,

Wow, you are so disciplined!!! Also, kudos to you for going 3 years without regain! you ROCK!!! :-)

Stella S,

You are SO right!!!! I find that I don't obsess over my weight like I used to, but as you've said it will definitely be a life long focus aka journey. I'm up for it though. We can do this!!! :-)

Hey Wendyfm,

Soooooo, I know I can't weight myself everyday. I will go straight OCD! Lol!!! :-) I do plan on weighing myself once a week on Sundays. I think I am going to start vloging as well so that I can have some accountability.