brittu

I lost all my excess weight after being sleeved in 2010 and got 20 pounds below my original goal: 256 >> 155 >> 132. A few years later I settled in at 155ish and maintained there until menopause when I had to work with my doctor fight back to 155 from about 170. I stayed 155ish until injury + anti-depressents followed by Covid and I ballooned up to 195. Yikes! Like others have said, getting back to the basics with protein first and no slider foods reminded me what a great tool a sleeve is. I also decided to do intermittent fasting which works great for me since I have very little hunger. Since I can't eat much, only eating during a 4-6 hour window every day motivates me to eat healthy and keeps my calories low. It also keeps my insulin low so I burn fat well and my metabolism and energy are high. I wasn't happy about all the regain but I'm so glad I had my sleeve to lean on to get me back to eating well and losing. A very good reminder to not let things go more than 5-10 pounds. Hopefully I've learned my lesson!

I'm 10 years out. Two eggs scrambled with just is just slightly more than I can fit. But chips, popcorn and icecream? Space seems unlimited. Basically if I stick to the first advice my doctor gave to always eat protein first I'm very full and can't eat again for quite awhile. My capacity hasn't changed in years.

I’m considering a revision but am doing intermittent fasting for a few months and returning to the eat Protein first basics before I decide. Fasting worked well with my sleeve until Covid, antidepressants and menopause did a triple wammy regain-wise. Very frustrating since I’m 10 years out. I plan to use fasting for maintenance regardless, just thinking that greater restriction would be nice to have. Interesting to hear what others are considering.

I've had two surgeries with Dr. Mary Lee Peterss in Seattle and I have arms and legs planned for December. She's fantastic and amazingly humble to boot. I took 6 monthe to decide and met with Dr. Dry, Dr. Egrari and a couple others. Dr. Peter's afters just looked better, especially breast lifts. Mine are frankly the best I've ever seen, very natural. Overall my results far exceeded my expectations as did the care. And she's cheaper than the others too. Can't wait to do the rest.

My goal was to be an 8 but I ended up a 4. I wouldn't have thought I'd be that small. I've gained a little weight since I had lipo in July, very weird, but I'm still a 4. But I definitely think sizes have shifted. What's now a 4 would have been a 6 20 years ago.

I did, it was several months before I felt like eating much. I got a little nauseaus or full so fast it wasn't pleasant. So I kept working with shakes and softer foods. I also ordered quite a few things from one of the bariatric Protein sites which I still eat - sloppy joe mix, protein Cereal, pudding. Nice small servings with protein that really satisfied me. I'm about 15 months out now and can eat quite a bit more. I'm below my goal weight by quite a bit but have decided to lose a little more to make my upcoming plastic surgery a little easier (less lipo I hope). Your slowdown is normal. At first it comes in big bursts and then nothing off and on over 4-6 week cycles. Eventually I just steadily lost 2-3 pounds a week until my body decided it was done at 137 pounds where I've been for about 6 months. Don't worry about the stalls. Your body is working it all out. Sometimes you'll even shrink in size even though the scale doesn't head downward. You should probably up your calories to the 800ish range. It's hard to keep your skin and hair healthy and your weightloss really isn't any faster at the 500 calorie mark. But it was a month or so before I could get mine up there. You're doing great! Britt

I found that unflavored protein power was really helpful. I could mix it in to soups and other foods I could eat during the mushie stage and get more protein in that way.

I hate sliming. I had a lap band for three years that ended up slipping. I slimed all the time and it only got worse after the band slipped. I've spent hours in pain alternating between sitting feeling like I was drowning and bending over the toilet bowl praying the inflammation would go away and liquid would drain through. Since I was sleeved it only happened once and it was at about two months and with meat. It's never happened again. For the first few months many meats took some extra work to eat - with sauce, cut small, with cheese, etc. I think my stomach just needed time to heal and for the swelling to go down. Now I rarely feel uncomfortable at all unless I overeat. pizza dough, Pasta and bread can feel a little gummy so I don't choose those foods very often or only in very small amounts. eggs work great in all forms (my lap band hated them). Honestly, I think the reason they all work well is that I've become really conscious about not eating past the satisfied point. Even just one or two extra bites can make me uncomfortable for 20-30 minutes and I've come to dislike the feeling enough that it's a very good deterrent. I don't hurt or hurl or have pain like I did with the lap band. I just feel stretched and full like I used to if I overate at Thanksgiving. I didn't mind it so much then, but now I don't like it. The sleeve has changed my relationship with food in a lot of ways, I generally make better choices just because I can eat so little I don't want to waste my appetite on foods I don't love or foods that aren't healthy. I have lactose intolerance too and I'll probably need to do more about it than just take lactaid. It's just hard to stay away from milk products and get enough Protein in. And I can't stand sweet things any more. They make me feel queasy. I had dumping for the first few months but don't know. So I've wondered if my aversion to ice cream and frosting is just mental or if there's a real physical component. They just taste too sweet and I don't get any pleasure out of it. I tried a small square of my son's birthday cake, I was really looking forward to it, but I ended up just tosssing it after a bite or two. I felt sad for a minute but it passed. Just like my moment of grief about three months in that I would never eat a huge meal again passed. I felt sure the sleeve would work for me but how well it's worked, how much my approach to food has changed and how much more I'm like my thin neighbor still manages to amaze me. At any rate, it might be too soon for your tummy for hamburger or it might need more moisture or you might need to eat even less. It'll take some experimenting to get to a point that you have a feel for which foods and how much work best for you. And it'll get better as you heal. Hopefully that'll be just a one time slime for you.

My surgery was with Dr. Aceves and he has a strict nothing but walking policy for 12 weeks. My sleeve surgery was easy, I had no pain and the recovery was quick. I was a serious Pilates girl before my surgery and I followed his instructions. Even then, the month I started exercising I ended up with a large abdominal hernia - caused in part by having a diastasis (separated abdominal muscles) after pregnancy, and in part from all the incisions I'd had from multiple surgeries. I had to have hernia surgery right away. Even though I've had many surgeries (including a c-section) the hernia repair was far harder than I expected. In fact, I can still feel the tug from the mesh and sutures and my surgery was in October. So... while not trying to scare you I would suggest that you take it slow, follow your doctor's advice and work your way up to strength and fitness.

Give yourself some time and just sip, sip, sip and do the best you can. You still have a lot of swelling and will for awhile. Post op I was on clears for 10 days so I got Isopure and watered it down - that might be an option if thinner drinks go through easier. I drank it so much I couldn't take the taste so I cut it with grape juice that had a strong enough taste to cover the kool-aid jello-ish nature. There are similar drinks at GNC. They have very high Protein counts. I definitely empathise - I'm 6 months out (and 60 pounds down) and still have tons of trouble with protein. Mostly because I'm tired of it. My hair started falling out in serious quantities a couple of weeks ago so I'm motivated to kick it up as much as I can. But I also know from having had a lap band that it's temporary. And I think it happens as much from the shock of the surgery and weightloss as it does the lack of protein. I didn't have trouble with protein when I had a band - I could drink a lot more. Take care!

That was a huge milestone for me too. I hated weighing so much more than my fit, 6ft husband. Now I'm 25 pounds less rathern than 40 pounds more. And just 10 pounds away from my lowest pre-sleeve lap band weight. It never occurred to me that other gals had the same "less than the hubby/boyfriend goal". What a great success for you!

Let's see... here are some things to consider. Here's my story. I had a band for 3 years. I was successful until my band slipped and I had serious enough complications that my quality of life wasn't too good and I started regaining weight. Once that I happened I also had to admit to myself that the band was farily unpleasant even when I was losing weight. I hated the feeling of food sitting at the top of my stomach and I had frequent sliming and stuck food issues. But I had just kind of been in denial about all my issues because my weight loss was good. I fought for insurance coverage for revision for over a year so I had lots of time to do research. My insurance would cover a new band but not a revision to anything else. It was a long, soul-destroying process - no point in detailing here . For a revision, I was willing to go anywhere in the country or Mexico and I spent a lot of time reading boards and researching stats. I also found out about the sleeve and spent lots of time researching it and bypass. I also went to an OH conference, met with several surgeons, did phone consults, you name it. I even watched video of all of the surgeons I was considering doing the procedure. I admit it, I'm a compulsive researcher. Surgeons - in Washington I felt the best choice was Dr. Billing at Puget Sound Surgical. He's done more sleeves than other surgeons in the area. He's pioneered a technique he refers to as a "lap-sleeve". He's always interested in learning and sharpening his skills - I found him to be both confident and caring without the arrogance that afflicts so many surgeons. Dr. Billing removed my lap band in October of 2009. Because of the insurance issues we didn't convert at the same time. He would have but his preference was to wait because he was concerned about damage to my stomach and giving it time to flatten back out and heal before doing the sleeve. The only two other surgeons I was willing to go to were Dr. Cirangle in SF and Dr. Aceves in Mexico. In June I did end up going to Dr. Aceves. I had a scheduling issue and had to have my surgery during a specific week. I also lost my legal case and had to self-pay. Dr. Aceves and his staff were fantastic and I appreciated have 3 full days of care in the hospital. Late this summer I developed a serious hernia. My abdominal wall was separated from my sternum to below my belly button. My primary care doc actually sent me to Dr. Billing who did the repair surgery three weeks ago. Other surgeons could have been kinda pissy in this situation - after I, he didn't do my sleeve. But he understood why I had to go to Dr. Aceves and was more than happy to help me. Once again, he was great, I trusted the surgical decisions he made, and I'm doing well. (He also told me my sleeve looked great and took a picture of it for me while he was in there - nice since he wasn't the surgeon who did it). Bypass or sleeve for revision: I did a huge compilation of research on revisions as part of my legal case. You can read my summary. The bottom line is that a sleeve is an appopriate revision for a failed lap band patient. Dr. Billing believes that sleeve will overtake bypass and may completely replace lap band surgery in the next 5-10 years just because the outcomes are so good. He said something really interesting to me a week ago when I had a follow-up. He told me that his sleeve patients, even his revisions, are far and away his happiest patients. They feel great, they have little to no complications and they seem to have little or no difficultiy maintaining their weight loss. http://vsgappeal.blogspot.com/2010/07/summary-appeal-letter-studies-and.html In my case I had regained my lap band weight loss and was back at 236 when I had my surgery in June. I'm already down to 174. I really didn't expect to lose that quickly. What really amazes me about my old band vs. the sleeve is that it's not just about limiting my volume. I don't know whether it's the grehlin being gone or just how quickly the satiety switch gets set off in a smaller stomach but I just don't really crave food or want to eat to fullness. When I first started eating solids I ate too much a few times and it was really uncomfortable. I backed off a bit so I wouldn't get to that point but it's really more than that. I just feel find and completely uninterested in food after a few bites so it's very easy to stop before my little sleeve is packed full. Somehow the sleeve changed how I feel about food - what I want to eat and when I feel like pushing the plate away. I haven't heard anyone I know say that about their gastric bypass. I also was uncomfortable with the other health issues of bypass like dumping and malnutrition. Another suggestion about surgeons: I've met most of the surgeons in the Seattle area who do weight loss surgeries. I think most are good doctors and are well intentioned. But every surgeon's opinion is colored by their own experience. They have what they do well, they have their comfort zones, and some are more willing than others to push beyond them. Sleeve is new and some surgeons are just now starting to look it it. Others, like Cirangle and Billing, have been doing them awhile and feel confident in the technique and in the successes their seeing with their patients. Dr. Lauter has done some sleeves but not a huge amount. He seemed like a great guy to me but it's worth considering that if he's most comfortable with bypass then that's what he's most likely to suggest to his patients. And it stands to reason that he would. All in all I'd say my research shows the sleeve to be as good and in some ways a better revision option than bypass. I prefer Dr. Billing to other local surgeons and would suggest meeting with him if you have the time to come up north. Even if you don't go with him it's good to have another medical opinion. Take care. I'm sure whatever you decide will be right for you. Happy to answer any questions you might have. At just about 6 months in to my revision I'm no expert but I can certainly share my own experiences so far.

I don't normally post on this site anymore but for some reason came over today and saw your post. I had a lap band for 3 years and did great with my weight loss but not without struggle. I constantly got food stuck and ended up sliming or vomiting. It was difficult to eat lean Proteins but all the bad "slider" foods were easy to get down. I also found I could eat around the band - if I ate slowly and chewed well I could eat more if I really wanted to. All that being said I was doing well and was down 80 pounds, not too far from goal when my band slipped. I tried for months to get it working again and then learned about the sleeve. In the time it took me to fight my insurance company to remove the band, I started gaining weight. But last June I was finally sleeved. I've been losing about 10 pounds a month and the sleeve is everything I thought the band would be and much more. I have no complications at all. I can eat anything in small amounts and when I'm full I'm full - no eating for 3 or more hours. I also don't get hungry any more because when you're sleeve the hormon grehlin isn't produced any more. I also lost my taste for sweets. Tonight I ate 5 bites of steak, some steamed veggies, 3 bites of mashed potato and I was done. It all went down easily but I completely lost interest in eating as soon as I was full. With the band, I could just has easily ended up in the bathroom leaning over the toilet bowl spitting up mucuus and bits of beef. I'm not trying to gross you out, I just wish I'd known about the sleeve before I was banded. All in all I feel like my thin friends do. I'm mostly interested in healthy foods, eat until I'm satisfied, and set the rest aside. Once I went with my boys to get an ice cream cone and halfway through realized it didn't taste good any more. I just threw it away. Never in my life have I thrown away dessert. At any rate, I know the band works well for many people but it didn't for me and the statistics show that up to 60% of people with the band suffer complications in the first 5 years. If you can, it might be worth also considering the sleeve.

I revised to a sleeve in June and can't say enough about how great it is. No more stuck food or sliming and no hunger either. I can't eat around it, when I'm full, I'm full for hours. It's really what I thought the band would be. Don't get me wrong, my weight loss was great with the band, but it was a fairly miserable experience even before my band slipped. I just wish I'd known about the sleeve the first time around.

I had the same issue. I'd been doing great and started to gain weight. I had a slip and a very stretched esophagas. I tried my best to get things back in place but every time I was filled it just happened again. I ended up having my band removed last October and continued fighting the insurance company for the full revision. After regaining almost all of my weight I decided to self-pay and revised to a sleeve in June. I couldn't be happier with the sleeve. I've lost 45 pounds since June and feel fantastic. The sleeve is night and day when compared to the band - no stuck food, no sliming and no hunger. Also, my recovery was easier which seems odd. I can eat a small amount of anything, never have any pain or sliming and don't feel like eating again for hours. Because your body doesn't product the hunger hormone grehlin any more, most sleevers don't feel hungry. I feel empty sometimes but that's about it. Since I was a revision I really didn't didn't expect to lose 45 pounds in 4 months. As long as I keep working it I see no reason why I can't be at goal within the year. I came within 20 pounds of goal when my band slipped. If you are considering a revision it might be worth talking to a surgeon about the sleeve. Britt