SteveT74

Before:

After:

Liquid is suppose to pass through or you wouldn't get hydrated properly. If you're able to drink without discomfort, that's a good thing. You'll see the difference once you start eating solid foods. I sometimes wonder whether my stomach was made small enough since I feel like I still can eat a lot---but then I try to east a burger and I am full after 6oz (I am 7 months post-op). I can still eat plenty, which is a good thing to be honest. You want to be able to eat healthy foods and have a healthy lifestyle. The biggest changes are hormonal and that's what really drives weight loss. The mechanical restriction is only a part of the process. In the end, I can't argue with the results. I am down almost 80 pounds in seven months and I am in the best shape of my life! No regrets here!!

I am totally with you guys. There are some days where I feel no restriction and can eat a 12oz steak and other days when I am stuffed after 4oz of hamburger. There's no real rhyme or reason. Nevertheless, eating heavier foods like chicken or steak will fill you up faster than other foods like salad, nuts etc. (which I slider foods). If you watch your calories and make sure you are sticking to a healthy diet, it's not a big deal though. As much as we may think that the weight loss is a result of the restriction from our sleeved stomachs, I am convinced that most of the weight loss is caused by metabolic and hormonal changes caused by the surgery (and lifestyle changes that we make along the way if we are making the most of this opportunity).

Honestly, there is really nothing to be scared about. If you read some of these posts on the forums, you'll read some people that are having bad post-op experiences etc. Those experiences are far and few between. Most people that have an easy recovery don't post to forum because everything is going smooth as silk. Of all the surgeries I had in my life, this was one of the easiest recoveries. I had no real pain after the surgery at all. If anything, I felt like I had a serious ab workout at the gym and was sore--but nothing more than that. I had some discomfort from gas for a couple of days, but again--nothing crazy. I have had much worse!! For the slight discomfort (and mean slight!!!!), the benefits have been unbelievable. This surgery gave me my life back!!!!! Well, I should say it helped me get my life back. The surgery helps, but I had to put a lot of effort in on my part. I stick to my new healthy lifestyle religiously! I am very careful about what I eat and I work out a lot. I don't mind at all because, unlike past experiences with diet and exercise, this time I actually see the results big time!!! If you qualify for the surgery, you really should have it--and commit to changing your lifestyle so you never have to go back to where you were before. This surgery can be the opportunity of a life time if you are willing to make the most of it.

I really don't think eating too fast is really going to be much of an issue for your (at least not as much as you think). During the first few weeks/months post op, you'll eat slowly--because if you don't you're feel like total crap and puke. Maybe you'll do that once or twice and you'll change your behavior to avoid the consequences. Later on--after you heal--and are able to eat normal food, eating fast won't cause you to feel sick--then it's the same as it is now. You need to change your behavior so you can recognize when you're full and not eat so quickly that your brain doesn't have time to register what's going on in your stomach. This is just something that takes practice. If you're a fast eater, it's also something you may screw up from time to time. You'll be ok though. You need to follow the rules, but if you screw up a few every now and then--no biggie. It's only when you ignore them altogether that you will have significant problems.

Agree... go for compression shorts. I also use a compression shirt. It holds everything together--no jiggling. You look pretty good in them too. You can put your regular clothes over them. It may feel a little weird for the first 20 minutes or so, then you forget they are on.

That's terrific. Sixty pounds down is awesome!

Great job Brenttx!!!! That quite an accomplishment. You're unrecognizable from where you started. You must feel sooo much better!!!

24 minutes ago, Lolo 2020 said:

Thanks Steve ! Yes very happy ! About 5-6 lbs to goal !

I have 11 to go, but I also just changed my goal from 170 to 174.5. I guess that's cheating???? JK, I think I would look sickly at 170 and frankly 174,5 probably wouldn't be sustainable for me (despite what that stupid BMI chart says). At this point, I am not actively trying to lose weight. If it happens, it happens. I was actually consciously increasing my calorie intake (planned out using MFP) to find a level where I am comfortable and maintain my current weight. Ironically, as I increased my calorie intake, I think that broke me out of the stall I must have been in (didn't really bother me since I was happy where I was) and I started losing again. Go figure! I am not used to losing weight without making a herculean effort. We'll see where things end up.

On 5/22/2019 at 11:15 AM, anl1990 said:

Is anyone else losing suuuper slowly? I don't know if it is because foods are so easy to eat again, or what, but I feel like I get a lot of stalls. Still down about 45 lbs since I started this journey, though - I will take what I can get! And I am hoping now that I have been walking nearly every day that will help get the weight loss going again. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Weight loss with VSG isn't suppose to be super fast. The honeymoon period with VSG is believed to be between 18 months and 3 years (most of falling somewhere between 18 and 3 years--so don't think at the 18 month mark you're done losing). In short, most VSG patients aren't hitting their goal weight until they are 18-36 months post-op. If you're a December 2018 Sleever you're still very much at the beginning of the journey. Those are of that may be closer to the end (or so we may think) probably started out with lower BMIs to begin with. I was a 38 to start (something aroudn there). I didn't have as far to go, so I guess I had a head start. If you started out with a BMI over 40 or over 50, you're going to have a longer journey to goal. That's a good thing. If you need to lose 120 pounds, you really don't want it to all come off in 6 months. Even with bariatric surgery, that would be an excessive rate of lose and probably not healthy.

On 5/21/2019 at 9:46 PM, Lolo 2020 said:

Take renee, here’s a current pic - almost to goal ! I am in blue !

Hello there skinny!!! Huge difference!!!!!! Night and day!!!! You must be over the moon!!

You aren't going to see the pounds falling off everyday. It just doesn't work like that. You just need to stick to your program. You' have a diet and you need to follow it. You're working out 4 days a week, which is great. Keep at it and when you exercise make sure you are giving it 100% effort. Dial up you effort on the diet to 100% going forward. You can't worry about what you did yesterday, worry about what you're going to do tomorrow. Plan your meals in advance and track your calories. You're body is going to stall. I had a 2 month stall on the scale, but during that time I lost 1.5" off my waist and 1.8% body fat. Eventually the scale started to move in the right direction again. The one thing you can't afford to do is to let the scale discourage you and react by getting depressed and blowing your diet. pizza is definitely not your friend!!!

On 5/20/2019 at 3:56 PM, catwoman7 said:

I agree with everything she said. I think it's good to go back to basics (dense Protein first, then lots of non-starchy veggies - they're both very filling!!). I couldn't do 600-800 kcal this far out. It would be way too restrictive for me, and I'd just be setting myself up for a binge. Everyone's caloric needs are different. I start losing weight if I drop down to 1500 or below - but YMMV. Start tracking your food and see where you're averaging calorie-wise, and then drop down 100-200 calories and see if you start to lose. If a week or two goes by and you're not losing anything, then drop down another 100-200 calories. Rinse and repeat. A lot of it is trial and error. At some point, you'll find your sweet spot where you start losing again.

This seems like sensible advice. With respect to some people giving advice that are still only 5 or 6 months post-op (like me), telling someone that is 7 years post op to drop down to 800 calories a day is not good advice and it's not reasonable. It's easy to say that when you have lots of restriction. I am 5 months out and I couldn't live on 800 calories at this point--no f--ing way!!! I am eating at least 1500 a day, but I am eating healthy and I am working out 2 hours a day. It's working well for me and I am pretty much where I want to be in terms of weight and health. However, I know that if I am not careful I could end up back where I was before surgery and I would want to get back to where I am now by any means necessary.

As for the pouch reset, I guess it can't hurt. However, there's no evidence that the so-called "pouch reset" actually does anything to reset your "pouch"--which we don't even have since that is a RNY thing. Also, to say it's OP's fault for not following the guidelines after 7 years is very unfair. Sh!t happens!!! 7 years is a long time and any of us can end up in OP's position. The fact is the VSG is great, but it's not enough for everyone. There are other procedures that may be better for OP and that's for her and her doctor to discuss. Revision exists because a high percentage of bariatric patients regain for lots of different reasons.

52 minutes ago, Louise is gonna Lose said:

Lolo 2020 I'm glad to hear that you still have trouble with dense foods. Mine is more with dense Protein than anything else. I can only eat about 1 oz of chicken or salmon. I too prefer, eggs and tuna salad and other soft things. My restriction is amazing. I was sleeved 12/20.

Funny, I don't really feel much restriction. I was able to easily eat a 12oz steak last week (16oz on the bone). I guess I do have restriction, since that did fill me up and before the surgery I could have probably eaten two steaks. :-) I have been complaining about the lack of restriction since after the surgery, but I guess everyone is different. The weight came off so something is working for me.

@TaeRenee Keep up the great work!! Big difference!!! 75 pounds is a lot of weight!!!!

8 hours ago, BostonWLKC said:

After WLS, I Gain A Little Weight When I ... eat too much Peanut Butter :/
But it’s so good

... oh and vodka haha

You may want to try Naked PB powder. Naked PB Just add a little Water and you can get the PB fix without the guilt. It's loaded with branch amino acids that are really good for you!!!

Guys, on a separate note, any of you guys have issue with loose skin and stretch marks? I have been trying different products, but if you guys have recommendations for ones that seem to actual help---I am all ears (eyes?). I am not loving the loose skin or stretch marks at the moment (or the big scar from the surgery which is worse than I think it should be).

@lolo2020, I am not sure that the benefits wear off entirely, but it depends on what benefits are really working best for you. If this is just about restriction, your capacity to eat will increase over time. Call it stretching for the sleeve or something else, but it happens to everyone. Your stomach will never go back to the size it was before the operation. I suppose it could if you abuse it, but it's unlikely that will happen. It will get larger though over time. Even if you can eat 1.5 plates of food--you probably could eat 2 or 3 before the operation. That's still a big reduction in quantity--not as much as right after the operation though. However, if your filling your plate with Pasta and fried chicken, 1.5 plates will send you back into obesity quickly. On the other, the sleeve (even at a larger size) will still be an effective tool if you're fill it with healthy foods.

The other benefit of the sleeve (and probably the most important benefit) is the metabolic effects of the surgery. I am not really sure how long the metabolic changes caused by the surgery last. Maybe they are permanent, but my guess is that these benefits also slow up over time. The studies just aren't conclusive on this. I don't think that you're capacity to eat or your metabolic changes ever go back to what they were before surgery, but the effects may still lessen over time. In the end, maintaining this weight loss comes down to how we use our time during this honeymoon period. If we use this time to change our lifestyles and get healthy new habits, I think the benefits will be sustainable in the long run. That said, it's not easy to predict the future and the long turn outcomes for VSG patients 5-15 years out is still yet to be determined.

One thing is certain, if we don't make major changes to our diet and exercise programs, we will not be have successful journeys. I know that no matter how the world sees me (and I am thin now--not just thin for me, but really in good shape thin), I will always be an obese person that struggles with weight. I am doing very well right now and I am 100% committed to this program. I want this to be a lifelong success. I also know that if I am not careful and let things slip, I will end up back where I was eventually--even with the sleeve.

Here's the deal--and I am going to tell it like it is. I didn't get fat by accident. I did it to myself over time--making excuses for why it was ok to eat badly and not exercise. I lied to myself and anyone that asked. I had a great excuse for everything---but it was all BS. I am not going back to being that person. There is nothing cute or beautiful about being fat. I used to joke about it all the time when I was heavy--but it's not funny at all. Being fat sucks!!! Feeling ill and sweating through my shirt just walking up stairs sucked!!! Being too tired to play with my kids sucked!!! Having constant back and knee pain sucked!!! Having to take injections for Type II diabetes sucks!!! I having to take 12 pills every night before bed for all my medications sucked!!! Having high blood pressure sucked!! Everything about being obese sucked!!!! Not being able to buy clothes off the rack in a normal store sucked!!! Being told that if I don't change my eating and exercise habits I may not be alive in 10 years sucked!!!! I am finally where I need to be in terms of weight and health and I pledge to God I am not going to squander this second change!!! No f**king way!!!!! I worth more than that and I have too much to live for!!!!

Here's what I have to live for:

Here's a recent picture of me (I think it's from May 1?)

@Lolo2020 Sounds like you're doing great!!! Only five pounds from goals is pretty awesome!!! That's pretty much there if you ask me. For weight, I set my goal at 174 so that I would be under 25 BMI. When I set that goal, I figured that's the weight I would need to be to wear a size 32 pants and to have a body fat% under 15 (which were my real goals). I already hit those goals so I am not sure my goal weight is realistic at this point, but we'll see. I am about 11-13 pounds away from my goal weight (depending on the day). I still may be losing weight but it' snot like it's a steady stream of weight loss every day. It just seems that my heavier days are less heavy and my lighter days are a little lighter and it's just trending down a little bit at a time (maybe a half pound a week for the past few weeks). I'll take it.

@coexister If you're struggling with carbs, maybe you need to reevaluate whether they should be in your diet and, if so, what kind of carbs should be in your diet. I think the best approach to food is to plan out your menu in advance (the night before or something like that). If you have a plan of what you are going to eat and how much of it (you need to weight things out so you know what you're consuming), then you're more likely to stick to the program and not go off the plan. You can't blame "saboteurs" for screwing up your diet. Ultimately, you're responsible for what you put in your mouth. I have got an 8 year old and a 3 year old, so we have plenty of Cookies and bad things in the house that I can't eat. For me, it may as well be like I am deathly allergic to that stuff--like a peanut allergy type thing. Eating that crap isn't an option for me anymore. Instead, I a make sure my diet has enough volume foods like lettuce, spinach etc. along with nutrient dense foods to make sure that I am getting the nutrients I need and I still feel satisfied (which I really do). I can live on a Keto style diet forever--although I have added more carbs because I need more Fiber (but the net carbs are now kept under 40 a day--I was at 20 or less for the first three months that I was on solid food). As for exercise, you just do the best you can. If all you can do is walk, walk as much as you can and make part of your routine each day. Once you have a routine that blocks out 1-2 hours a day for exercise (walking in your case), then you can add other types of exercise once you're healthy enough. The scheduling change will make that possible so you're still used to a healthy routine. This is the time to fine tune your lifestyle while you're still getting the full benefit of your sleeve.

Hey guys. Just checking in on my fellow December 2018 sleavers. I am chugging along on my weight loss journey. I am down. I was a low BMI patient so I lost most of my excess weight in the first 2.5 months post-op. Since the end of March, it's been slow going with the scale. I have only lost about 7 pounds since March 7, but I did lose about 1.5% off my body fat 1.5" off my waist since. I am pretty happy with where things are at the moment. I would like to lose another 5-10 pounds--but that would only be to give me a little cushion against regain (maybe?). I still have a healthy appetite, but nothing like I did before surgery. That said, I probably eat more than most bariatric patients at this point--but I am very careful about what I eat. I don't cheat at all--not even a little bit.

Yesterday was a tough challenge. My daughter had her 8th birthday party yesterday and we served pizza and an ice cream cake from cold stone creamery (dark chocolate fudge and salted caramel ice cream with angel food cake. I realize that it's very easy to fall off the wagon--it's how ended up starting to regain after every diet I was on before in my life. I can't have "just a little bite of this" or "a taste of that". Sure, I could a few times, but one little bite can become just a little piece and escalates from there. Even though I am thin and in really good shape right now, I am never going to be a "thin person" like someone that is naturally thin his/her whole life. The potential for me to become heavy again is always going to be there. So, I am going to always have to be that much stricter with my diet and exercise. So, I came up with a plan to deal with my daughter's party. First, I made sure to eat before her party something healthy (salad with grilled chicken and bolthouse low carb/low cal dressing) and I promised myself a yummy snack after the party (pumpkin seeds, pecans and a piece of ChocZero dark chocolate (very yummy)). It may not be as exciting as ice cream cake, but it's still yummy to me. I was able to get through the party without taking even the tiniest bite of anything. You have to have a plan and stick with it to make this process successful. As an added bonus, I felt no guilt today.

Are you guys sure you are stalled? The scale is just a convenient tool for judging progress since Water weight, time of the month etc. can greatly effect your weight on the scale. You'd be much better of combining your weigh ins with body measurements (hips, thighs, waist, chest) and body fat percentage (either with a bio-impedence scale or get an omicron handheld body fat monitor [preferable]). If I was just going by what the scale said, I would think I am in the world's longest bariatric stall. I have only lost 7 pounds in the last 8 week, but I lost 3.5" off my waist, 1.5" off my chest and my body fat is down 18% since surgery (on 12/17). None of that shows up on the scale, but this is more important than what the scale says. If you're losing muscle mass, what good is the weight loss.

OP, if you aren't getting exercise daily and you are straying from your diet plan---now is the time to get back on track. The surgery isn't going to get you to onederland on its own.

11 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

@SteveT74 I think you are making a lot of assumptions here, based on your own experience. There are a lot of different paths to success after WLS.

@ms.sss is under care by both her surgeon and a nutritionist, and they are both satisfied

And as anecdotal evidence, I was very low cal during my weight loss, many days very similar to what @ms.sss describes. I did not wreck my metabolism. I got under goal weight without intending to. I am now averaging over 1500 cals a day, and still struggling to not continue to lose. (Btw 1500 cals avg is basically eating all day, since I have a lot of restriction) Now will I be a "long term success"? I hope so, but I can't know for certain, just as you can't.

We are all so different. I would never assume that someone on a different, but medically supervised plan, is going to be unsuccessful.

I am not sure what you mean about assumptions. While there may be many ways to WL and more than one healthy dietary approach (points I fully agree with), you're making assumptions when you say her nutritionist is satisfied. That's not what I am reading. She says her nutritionist wants her to get her calories up, but not push herself since we know how that can go.

Moreover, I am not making far out assumption about OP's diet. She gives us the ino. OP said she's eating 5-600 calories and she's set goals of 70g Protein, 20-30 grams fat and 20 grams of net carbs. It doesn't sound like she's consistently hitting those goals if she's still under 600 calories, but I am going to assume she is for purposes of this response that she is hitting hose goals. If she hits those goals, she's eating 280 calories from protein per day, 80 calories from carbs and a max of 270 calories from fat--which adds up to 680 calories a day (although she says she's eating less than that), Based on this information, her macros are 41% protein, 39.5% fat (best case scenario) and 11.7% carbs. If she's at or under 600 calories a day, she's not actually hitting these goals and if her emphasis is on protein-- the balance is going to be heavier on protein and even lighter on carbs and fat. With such low calorie consumption, her present diet is likely not providing her with sufficient micronutrients in the long term. So, I am suggesting that if she is so restricted (bless her for that) it's hard to eat more calories in bulk that she is presently consuming, she can get her calories up by consuming foods that have healthy dense fats--like a handful or two of nuts a day that are high in healthy fats and protein. You don't need to eat a lot of nuts to get a lot of quality calories. This will get her where her nutritionist wants and will be manageable with a tight stomach. It will also help her in the long run potentially avoid some of the nutritional pitfalls that could happen (like Hair loss and other more significant issues).

I respect you a lot SillyKitty and love your posts, but don't think your reprimand--soft as it may have been--was warranted.

her nutritionist would like to see her get the calorie consumption up. Moreover, the info I was providing isn't based on assumption, it's based on science. OP can continue to stick to this type of diet and be ok in the short term, but it's not ideal. If she's meeting her protein numbers (which I assume she is--so, yeah, that's one assumption), she's consuming at least 300 calories in protein. If she is specifically trying to go low carb and low fat on 600 calories a day, you're I would reasonably assume her actual protein intake is more than needed to meet her surgeon's minimum. At this calorie consumption rate, you're looking at macros that 70% plus in protein. If that's the case, she doesn't need to necessarily cut down on her protein, but those macros should be balanced out a bit or there will be nutritional deficiencies. I am sure that's what her nutritionist is concerned about in the long term. Short term (say over a 5 or 6 month period), this might be ok. However, since she had surgery on

15 hours ago, Bebeak said:

Like my title says; I'm 3 months post OP and I'm almost 6 weeks pregnant. Has anyone ever find themselves or know someone who's been in this situation? Was the pregnancy successful? My surgeon said while they recommend waiting 12 to 18 months post OP before getting pregnant, it's not impossible to do. I wanna know what to look forward to..... thanks in advance guys!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Congrats on the new baby!!! That's a wonderful thing, even if the timing isn't as ideal as your doctors might have preferred (hey, **** happens, right???). In the end, there is nothing more important that children and being good mommies and daddies--which also means we need to be taking good care of ourselves. I am sure you've heard this all before, but you really need to work closely with your surgical team, Ob-Gyn and your nutritionist during this pregnancy. It's going to be a big challenge for your to get in the calories you need for your growing baby and to keep your weight down so after you have your little one, you don't have an extra 30-40 pounds to lose. You can do it--but it's going to require a lot of extra work on your part. You can still exercise your @ss off during the pregnancy and sticky to a healthy diet created by your medical team (really stick to it!!). It will all work out well in the end! It's going to great if you put in the effort!!

12 hours ago, Mikeyy said:

Couldn't you hold back and take contraception so that your surgery hasn't been for nothing...

Seriously, could you be more of a d**k? Save your judgment for yourself.

Hey, you can go to the gym before your one month post-op visit when you feel up to it. You can't weight train of course, but you can certainly do cardio. You start of light--elliptical or treadmill. If you're up to it after a few days, you can take a spin class or increase the intensity on the elliptical or treadmill. Since it's cold where I live, walking outside wasn't an option when I had surgery in December 2018. The gym was my saving grace---pacing around the house just wasn't working for me. Congrats and you'll do great!!!

3 hours ago, GansettRam74 said:

Thank you for the reply and encouragement! Gets very frustrating at times after working my behind off at 45yrs old like I was in high school/college again and not see the scale move much lately. I took my measurements this morning and am down an inch in waist & chest so as you said, what I am doing is working, just not from a scale standpoint. Onwards I go with this marathon, not sprint. Going to look for one of those Omicron handhelds this weekend. Thanks again for the words and advice!

FYI, I just turned 45. I know that being a 45 year old guy trying to get back into shape has some unique challenges. We can't train the same way we did in our twenties, nor should you even try. What worked then, will not work now--not for the long term anyway. I am kicking my ass like you are. I am up around 4am to get to the gym by 4:30-4:34. I take a spin class five days a week (twice on Wednesdays). I then weight train intensively 5-6 days a week, mixing and matching supersets and drop sets. Focusing on compound lifts most days and then having one day of just isolation and "Big Lift Day" once a week when I do squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, bench press, kettle bell swings, lat pull and mix in pushups and rowing machine as part of a circuit. I keep the weight challenging but not max by any means. i have to focus on trying to perfect my form--I can't get way with sloppy form like I could 20 years ago. I always use a heart rate monitor so I make sure that I keep my bpm up into the high 130's low 140's on average. I'll spike in the 150's the end of a super set and then rest until my rate drops in the 120's and then start a new set (usually that means waiting 1minute to a 1:30 seconds). Forget what the scale says, I think just adding this one "Big Lift Day" into my routine really kicked my body into gear and got my muscle mass growing and definitely kicked up my testosterone a notch (which is great for getting rid of belly fat). If I didn't have extra skin around my mid-section from years of being obese, I would have a six pack now.

August 2018:

This week: