Tiffykins

Thank you so much ! ! !

Yes, I know some of them use splenda.

I do eat anything and everything in moderation, BUT I didn't follow that guideline during my losing phase. I stuck to: 600-800 calories no more than 30 grams of carbs (ALL carbs, none that net carb, good/bad carb crap, a carb is a carb in my book) 60+ grams of Protein 64oz of clear fluids That's what got me to goal, and I stuck to it. I didn't waiver, I didn't want to lose slowly, I didn't want to worry about maintenance until I got there. I could not have celery, raw nuts, veggies/fruits for 3 months because they are more difficult to digest, and transit time is different after surgery. Certain foods still hang out in my sleeve for a long time even at 20 months out. I still can not eat edamame without burping it up 3-4 hours later, and that's chewing it to a pulp, but I still burp up little chunky pieces of edamame. As for oatmeal/cream of wheat/cereal in general, I avoided it during my losing stage with the exception of when I hit full liquids, I could have super thinned out cream of wheat and the warm Cereal felt good on my stomach so I had it a couple of times. I didn't fret over carbs during the first couple of weeks because hydration was the focus. Once I got to mushies, I adhered to the guidelines very closely. Carbs are a slippery slope for many. I personally do not get the "eat a carb, crave a carb" thing that other people experience. Maybe it's because I lost that during my losing stage, and my body just runs better when I eat a balanced, and nutrient dense diet. I do keep white carbs in check, but if I want a sourdough pannini sandwich, I eat one. I just make sure that my next meal is majority of protein. It's just what works for me in maintenance. I do eat chips, pretzels, Cookies, cake, junk food, but again, it's a slippery slope, and I could easily gain by eating junk food because it slides right through me.

I was constantly hungry with the band. I would eat my portion (that is if I could eat that day), and then the food would pass into the big portion of the stomach, and boom, I'd be hungry again. Keep researching, read many people's stories, and check out the research articles.

Forewarning, this is going to be a huge post: I had the band and revised 8 short months later to the sleeve. The band has the lowest and slowest weight loss with the most long term complications out of the 2 procedures. The sleeve works like the band is advertised to work without all the b.s. band complications. If you're a member on obesityhelp.com check out the failed weight loss forum, the revision forum, and the band forum and you can read story after story of bandsters looking for revisions or struggling to lose weight, and essentially dieting and depriving themselves of good food because the band causes major issues with some foods such as dense meats and lettuces. Here is some statistical information and research links for you if you want more than just personal horror stories on the band. This study is directly from the band makers, it shows 1 in 4 band patients need a 2nd surgery within 3 years to either repair, replace, reposition or remove and revise to another surgery after being banded. On top of the other complications listed which shows 88% out of 299 patients experienced complications with adverse effects. I've highlighted some key points. Best wishes in your research. Think TWICE, CUT ONCE ! ! !

Protein is notorious for causing constipation. Make sure you are pushing clear fluids, and if you think you need a stool softener I highly suggest Miralax. When you mix in water, crystal light, etc etc, let it sit for about 10 minutes, stir, and it will totally dissolve. I would not use a stimulant laxative because they typically cause more discomfort.

Davinci and Torani are the brands that seem to be most popular. You can find them at Sam's club. I think you can find them at other retailers.

I think we all want to give ourselves another opportunity to do it ourselves, but honestly, I kept doing the same thing, and got the same results. I never had issues losing weight, it was keeping it off that was my toughest issue. For me, I was tired of riding that rollercoaster of emotions, the up and down, the constant hunger, the working out like crazy, the deprivation without results. The sleeve gave me the freedom to live a life of moderation and I know without a doubt that another trip to Weight Watchers, or doing Atkins without surgery would have given me the same results I got over the last decade. I'd lose weight, and gain it all back. You do have to be mentally prepared for all the changes, but it's the best decision I ever made for myself and future health.

How do your fat grams look? I added in avocados, peanut butter and nuts (almonds/pistachios/macadamia) to increase my fat intake when I was trying to maintain, and I continued to lose weight. I was increasing calories and fat, but still losing. It might not just be calories, your body might need more fat.

I agree. Regular yogurt is just icky now. I stick with greek yogurt as well. If I want to add sweetness, I just add sugar free pudding powder, or sugar free syrups to sweeten it up. I still use it for all recipes that call for sour cream. I rarely buy sour cream anymore.

Nope, I'm the same way with my b12

I've tried numerous chewables, and Celebrate Multi complete are my favorites. I also use their Calcium Citrate Plus 500. These allow me to only take 4 chewables per day which is better than the 8 I was taking with the Citracal petites. As for the gummies, most of them do not have 100% daily value of the most recommended vitamins/nutrients. Iron being one of the most highly suggested. Yeah, they taste great, but they are not complete Vitamin unless you can find one that has iron, Vit B, A, E, D, K, selenium, copper and zinc that actually gives you 100%. I had zero issues swallowing pills of any size. For the first 6 weeks post-op, I couldn't swallow anything larger than a regular M&M, but your guidelines might be different. Some surgeons requiring crushing of meds and dissolving in Water or taking them with applesauce. Thankfully, I never had to endure that process. Whichever vitamin you do chose, just make sure you are taking the proper serving amount to get 100% daily recommended value. There are liquid options as well. I order a few things from vitacost.com and I know they have several liquid calcium and multi formulations available by different manufacturers. A sublingual b12 is typically recommended since we can not absorb that particular vitamin properly post-op. You can find sublingual b12 at any retailer that has a pharmacy section.

I've always been a Vitamin taker. After surgery, my thought process didn't change, but I went a couple of months without taking Calcium because I just was living life, going, going and going, and hated being tied down by taking 6 fricken pills a day on top of my 2 multis. I had a long "come to Jesus" talk with myself. 1) I put my body through hell with surgery and major weight loss to gain health, right? Why in the hell am I half-assing taking my Vitamins? ? ? 2) Did I really want to end up with deficiencies that take months to get back up to normal levels after working my ass to get healthy? ? ? 3) Is it really fair to my body to make it suffer long-term out of pure laziness, and lack of consistency with my calcium? Those the top three questions I asked myself, and then I really got serious about my vitamin regimen. I only take 4 chewables each day. 2 multis and 2 calcium citrate, both from Celebrate vitamins. I pop a sublingual b12 about 3-4 days per week because my last levels were double the high normal range so I was able to cut back on that one. I'm an extremely logical person. For me, and me alone, I could not find a good enough reason to let the vitamins go if I had gone through surgery to attain better health. There are tons of published studies out showing that even a "normal" person's body can not get enough of the macro and micro nutrients from food. So, I figured if I'm barely getting in 1500-1800 calories a day, and the majority of my calories come from meat and dairy, how in the hell is my body truly getting enough of everything it needs? ? ? Taking vitamins for me is just as important as brushing my teeth, or bathing every day. It's a habit, and while I don't personally like carrying spare vitamins with me every day of my life, I do it because I know in the long run, it's going to have more a of payoff.

:bananahuge: Sooooooooooooo Happy for you ! ! !

Is it by a civilian surgeon off post/base?

I wish I could tell you that it gets better. BUT, my experience has not been that it's "easier" to make the best decision. I can eat 2-3 times the amount I could at 2-3 months out. I still love food, and it tastes good. I have figured out ways to cheat with the sleeve. So, nope, it has not gotten easier. Does my body run better on Protein, yes. Does my body want to sleep off carbs, yes. Do I always want to eat protein, NO, and my body tells me I've overdone it. Grant it, I have changed my relationship with food. I am never physically hungry. I can not eat shitpots of food. I can not binge on junk or I feel icky. BUT, it's not any easier than it was pre-op to say "no" to that 3rd Peanut Butter cookie. The sleeve gives great restriction, the sleeve has removed all of my physical hunger, the changes and new habits I made during my losing stage have given me a great advantage, BUT, the decision-making, the making the best choice still falls on me, mentally. Surgery only keeps me on the straight and narrow for the majority of the time. Reviewing my pre-op pictures, and seeing 129.5lbs on the scale scares the absolute hejeebies out of me so I rely on fear of getting fat again, and really focusing on my health to keep me from overindulging.

Yep, it's the one "bad" habit that I've noticed has been sneaking back in lately. I'm 20 months out, and just recently started wanting to munch at night. I stick with beef jerky, or pork rinds since both have little to zero carbs, and it satisfies my salty/crunchy thing. Most of the time I can ward off the "want", other days I cave and raid the pantry. Problem for me is that the "making the best choice" is a lot harder now than it was a year ago. But, it's something that I know I'll deal with for the rest of my life, and being diligent really does help me stay out the kitchen.

Slider foods are foods that slide right through. Foods that do not stick with us long like dense Protein. At this stage, you're going to be eating sliders such as yogurt, cottage cheese, sf pudding/jello. Those are sliders, but right now depending on your diet those are foods that will go right through here in a few more weeks. For me, bread, Pasta, rice, most carbs such as chips, pretzels, crackers are all sliders for me on top of the logical ones such as mashed potatoes, yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding/jello/custards. As time progresses, you'll be able to eat larger quantities. That is the reason behind making eating protein first a habit. When we at dense protein first, there really is little room for sliders.

Are you tracking your food intake to see how much you are actually eating? If you are active, you might not be getting enough, and you might actually be hungry. If you have post-op guidelines, are you following them? Do you have a guideline that you should be following, and maybe you aren't getting in enough Protein, or too many carbs? From what you've posted, it does sound like too many carbs for my guidelines that I followed for my losing stage. But, I don't know what your guidelines are, and if you're eating sandwiches then you should be able to get in some dense protein. Breads and carbs are going to go right through. You've got restriction, but it doesn't sound like you're eating foods that are going to stay with you very long.

If you end up self-paying, save every receipt. Even for travel, prescriptions, meals out, supplements, every single receipt because when/if they ever do start covering it, they MIGHT, retroactively reimburse you for it like they did for the band. I called again today, and it's still NOT a covered a procedure, and I spoke with a claims manager here for Tricare South, and I called Tricare West as well. I confirmed again that all the ICD-9 codes for gastrectomies for weight loss are not covered by Tricare Prime outside of MTFs, and it is NOT a covered procedure with Tricare Standard or Tricare for Life.

If you can get an ICD-9 code, I would really appreciate it. We have 2 military wives on the board right now fighting to get coverage with civilians so this information would be extremely helpful. I had 4 surgeons tell me "NO problem", submitted the paperwork, got denials even as a revision patient. Like I said, I've had friends appeal, peer to peer reviews, and file congressional complaints to get coverage for a sleeve with a civilian so if you actually get it, please share how on God's green Earth, this civilian surgeon is working the system to get them approved by Tricare Prime.

Many of y'all know I used to work out big time. Weight training, one hard day of cardio, and major toning. In February, I had my gallbladder removed, and kicked the workout bug to the curb (Doc's orders for 6 weeks post gb removal), and never got my mojo back. SO, in attempts to put it out in the universe; DECEMBER 1st, I'm hitting the gym again. I have a mini-gym in my garage, and I'm going to start lifting again, and do 2 days of cardio and toning. I'm flabby, and jiggly everywhere except my calves and lower thighs. I can only attribute that to wearing heels constantly. I know I'd do better with an accountability partner, but none of my friends here have the time to workout. I'm going to have to do it on my own. Since I get up so early in the morning, I'm going to get back into a routine. Unass the recliner, and get toned up again. I might be a size 2, but under these rocking skinny jeans, I'm jello-like and it's getting on my nerves. My husband is super supportive, but I'd like to throat punch him when we work out together so that's not a good idea. I love him, but when we workout together, I would like to gently smother him. Anyone else struggle with routine working out? I hate walking, and tedious working out really grates my nerves. I'm hoping to see marked improvement by March/April, and maybe just maybe be in a bikini by next summer. I'm going to do 4 days a week. 1 hard day of cardio, and 3 days of lifting and toning exercises. No more excuses of "there's not enough time", I have tons of time, it's the motivation and drive that's lacking. I did secretly buy a bikini top and hid it in my drawer so I can have a "goal" to work towards, so we'll see how this goes. If anyone wants to join me, keep each other accountable, let me know ! ! !

Everyone tells me I look 10 years younger after my weight loss. My face has changed probably 10-20 times over the last 20 months. My wrinkles/fine lines don't really show unless I'm smiling, and yes, I want botox and collagen because when I had fat, little round face, I had zero wrinkles. Not so much anymore, but I'll take wrinkles over fat rolls any day of the week. It's been a huge change in the shape of my face. I had a round face pre-op, it's now oval, and I have a distinct jaw line and chin which is a big bonus.

At 20 months out, the eating slow, chewing things to mush is not my life. I do not eat slower than my girlfriends or family UNLESS, I want to eat more. Stretching the meal over 45 minutes, allows me to eat more food. I haven't been chewing food to mush for a year now. I did it until I got into maintenance because I had to get in more calories until my body was settled. As for Protein first, I don't always, and will never follow that rule 100%. I love veggies/fruit, and especially salads. I eat salads 2-3 times a week, I get in plenty of spinach, and other veggies. Never was a big fruit eater so I have it on occasion. This whole difficulty with drinking is short term as well. Yesterday, I slammed 20oz of Water in 3 minutes. I think that's pretty normal. I had zero pain, I did burp once, but no discomfort. As for the drinking/eating simultaneously thing, I sip during my meals. Again, this is a way to eat more. If I eat a bunch of dense protein, the water kind of just sits there. But, if I eat meat and veggies, liquifying my meals can lead to that empty feeling because food gets soft faster and can pass through the pyloric valve faster. I never get hungry so I can not comment on getting hungrier faster if eating and drinking at the same time. I do drink wine with my meals sometimes, and alcohol relaxes my stomach and allows me to eat more food as well. Avoiding "drinking" with meals helps you keep a good satiety level with your meals. There is plenty of data out on partial and full gastrectomies for stomach cancer and ulcer patients that indicates they have zero issue consuming enough calories/protein/fat/carbs over their lifetime. Even though the "sleeve" is fairly new, it's actually been performed as a stand-alone since 2001-2002, research is slow to report, but gastrectomies have been performed for decades upon decades. The concerns you are reading about are for people that are still early out with major swelling/trauma from the surgery. Some heal faster, some take longer. I was one of those that took longer, and I relied on soft Proteins to get in my calories/protein goals. It was boring, but my body did not suffer. My labs have never been anything short of stellar. Bread, Pasta, rice, crackers are all sliders for me at 20 months out. Nothing gets stuck. Cornbread causes some discomfort, but all other types of bread really go down just fine. Early out bread did expand in my sleeve and I had zero room for anything else. Now, not so much. If I eat bread and meat together, say a hamburger, the bread goes right down without issue, and I can actually eat the same amount of meat, it's like it gets mushed up along with the protein and goes right down.

I stuck to mushies/soft foods until I was close to 3=4 months. Yes, it was boring, and eating was a chore, but I figured, I'd rather be bored with food than eat something that didn't settle well, or made me sick. At 4 weeks out, I was barely moving into mushies. Your stomach is still super swollen, and trying to adjust to food. I know you probably do not want to hear it, but time is really the only thing you can give yourself, and your sleeve. I did add a lot of seasoning to my food, and really got creative with recipes that gave the best flavors so eating wasn't as boring. Can you eat cottage cheese, yogurt, refried Beans, thin sliced deli meat with flavored cream cheese, laughing cow wedges? It does get better, but it all takes time.