Tiffykins

We all have food issues or we wouldn't have had 85% of our stomachs removed, so we understand. I just know that it's much more difficult to make "the best" choice in food the further out you get from surgery. I can eat twice as much as I could at 2-3 months out, and it takes effort to eat chicken over mashed potatoes or mac-n-cheese. I really focused during the first 6 months to change my relationship with food because I knew that I had to make a lifelong change, or I'd end up fat again or not get to goal. The sleeve only does so much for us. The rest is on us(mentally and emotionally) to make the decision on how and what we feed our bodies. I would recommend getting rid of foods that would tempt you, set a menu, get a routine and schedule, and be disciplined. I promise you that almost 18 months out: NOTHING (and I mean nothing) tastes as good as being this thin FEELS ! ! !

I had an amazing day/night yesterday ! ! ! I had my normal Breakfast with my girlfriends, then a meeting on base with my husband's squadron leadership, then Mexican for lunch with an old friend, then I had a jewelry show about an hour away and was so worried that it was going to be a FLOP ! ! ! But, it ended up being an amazing show at $1100.00 in sales, so for literally 5 hours of "work" including travel time I grossed $330.00 ! ! ! The mister had a big to do dinner ceremony with a special Lt. General, and we both got home late, but it was a fabulous day/night ! ! ! Today, we're just relaxing at home, the kiddo is at a friend's house, and it's just quiet and peaceful. I'll have another show tonight, and then home to hang out with the guys ! ! !

It has to do with the tannic acid in the red wine. Iowagirl here on the forum explained it best. My surgeon never gave me a straight answer. He just said to avoid it so I followed his directions. I have lost my taste for most red wines. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't make me feel "good" like whites do now. Here's the post where Iowagirl explained. She's made some great posts about acid/stomach issues/pH of certain drinks and even why plain Water bothers some of us. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/5477-booze/page__p__51479#entry51479

Bullshit on a petty rant, I'd be livid as hell, and you're a better woman than me if you don't say something to him. He lied to your daughter, he totally backstabbed you, and your daughter deserves to know the truth. I hope you feel better hun. Stomach bugs suck regardless if we have surgery or not. I wasn't a puker before surgery, and would avoid it at all costs. The nausea is a killer, and it just makes for a miserable existence. Hang in there, hun. If I have to, I'll come there and get my mad ninja skills all up on his ass ! ! ! He deserves a swift kick to the ass for his snide, asinine and downright mean comments and lies! ! !

During my losing stage, my guidelines were 30gr of carbs per day. I lost really fast, and my surgeon wanted me to slow down my loss so I added in more carbs and calories around 4-5 months out. But, I still rarely got in more than 50gr of carbs per day. I honestly didn't have room for carbs. Once I got into maintenance, I ate whatever I wanted, added juice for calories and carbs to get my weight loss to stop.

I agree with the warm fluids. I've never heard of Protein drinks causing weight gain and even by adding stuff like fruit may increase carbs, but seriously I've never heard of anyone gaining weight on straight Protein shakes. It is true your body is shock, but on a mere 300 calories a day, any humans body would be in shock and hang onto every little pound, nutrient, calorie that you're taking in. Eating with pain is not supposed to happen unless we overeat. I measured my portions and stopped before I ever had any pain. 300 calories is ridiculous, sorry I'm not trying to insult your medical team, but that's absurd. Oatmeal does swell up at least that is my experience, but it isn't like you can stretch out your stomach by having 1/4 cup of runny oatmeal or cream of wheat. I've never heard that our bodies will get energy from fat stores. We burn fat by building muscle, and calorie deficiency, but I know when I was on full liquids only (300-500 calories a day), I was beyond weak and needed to nap often. I wasn't walking much at all because I was restricted on activity, and if I walked more, I would have needed more calories. Your body needs fuel, good fats, calories, fluids and nutrients. I think guidelines are just that guidelines, and nothing should be set in stone once a patient is out of the danger zone of leaks and complications immediately post-op. Every person is different, every body works differently, and what works for 100 of their other patients might not work for 10 others.

A stall at this stage is normal so it's probably not from your "one bite", but if you're eating a lot of carbs and sugars that will not help the issue. If you really want to get control of it, do it now. Don't wait 2-3 months to try change those habits because it only gets more difficult the further out you get from your surgery.

There are some long termers over on Obesityhelp.com Here is the link for the one member here that I believe is 3 years out, they have posted a few times, but typically it seems that most "vets" are out living life and they don't frequent the board very much. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/user/954-luck/ I have several posts for members 2-5 years out bookmarked on obesityhelp.com I have never read any personal stories of hunger returning to what it was pre-op. Most report an empty, gnawing hunger ever 3-6 hours, they eat a small portion and go about their day. If you'll do a search up in the top for "hunger after sleeve" maybe you can get some of the other stories from members on here. Ghrelin is also made in the pancreas so we're not completely without it. Even though I have no physical hunger, I still crave certain foods, I still love food, and sometimes the fat girl wins, and I eat whatever I want. It's not a magic bullet, but it does work when you eat Protein first to keep your body satisfied longer. Here are the studies for ghrelin levels if you're interested: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18376181?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum http://www.bernhard-ludvik.at/download/pub/2005_ref61.pdf With the sleeve, it's strictly restrictive so you still have make good choices. If I wanted to, I could still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake, but I could do that with the band or RNY. Nothing fixes decision/choice making except us making the constant effort to feed our body properly. The sleeve does offer portion control, and major restriction immediately, but it's not going to keep you from eating poor food choices that will inevitably impede your weight loss. Best wishes in your research.

WOOT WOOT CONGRATS ! ! !

You really should consult your surgeon. For my program guidelines, alcohol should be avoided for a minimum of 3 months to give the sleeve time to heal, and it's even more preferred to wait until you are at goal weight to indulge in alcohol. Alcohol is just wasted calories, but if you're not strict then you can indulge once your doctor releases you do so. I personally wanted to wait until I got to goal, and not waste calories on drinking.

I think about 95% of people some sort of stall. I never had a true stall (14 days without an ounce lost), but the closer I got to goal, my loss slowed down. I didn't experience a stall for the first 6 months, and then I was a few pounds from goal and hit a 10 day stall, then BAM dropped those pounds plus 2 to drop me below goal. If you follow your post-op dietary guidelines, push Protein and fluids, the weight loss will continue, plus working out, building muscle mass can slow down your loss, but you'll be losing inches. A pound is a pound be it a pound of fat or muscle. Fat is lumpy and takes up space, muscle mass is lean, and takes up less space in our bodies so when we build muscle, it burns the fat, and we trim down even though the scale may not be moving. I recommend taking your measurements at your neck, breasts/chest, upper arms, upper thighs, waist, hips and calves. Your clothes might fit differently even if the scale isn't moving much because you're muscles are growing, and the lumpy, bumpy fat is melting away. Mentally prepare for a stall by realizing that your body can not continue to lose a pound a day for a year. Take your measurements, and document your progress in pictures so you can physically see the changes. If you hit a stall, analyze your intake and make sure you're staying on course food wise. Stalls happen, the rapid weight loss can't last forever, but you can continue to lose at a good rate by sticking to the rules. I dropped 115lbs in 6.5 months so it's possible to lose all your weight, and keep a steady loss going.

There's only one member here that's more than 2 years post-sleeve. I'm nearly 18 months out, and experience zero real hunger. My stomach never growls, I still have to remember to eat, and I've been maintaining for the last 6 months extremely easily. I eat like a normal person now, at least my perception of normal. I can stretch my meal out, and eat all of what you listed above. Yesterday for lunch, I had a small salad, 4 saltine crackers, and cup of Soup with 4 more saltine crackers, big glass of sweet tea, and I split a marshmallow fluff/walnut brownie thing with a girlfriend. So, for me that's pretty stinkin' normal. Last night for dinner, I made parmesan chicken (baked breaded chicken breast), with angel hair Pasta. I ate about 3 oz of chicken, with marinara sauce and literally a few bites of pasta. The chicken filled me up, but I wanted some noodles, and was content with what I ate. Everyone that I've seen post that still has some degree of hunger all state it's not the same as with their band, or pre-sleeve if they weren't a revision. For me, it's an empty feeling, and if I go too long I get a bit grouchy. I had the same issue as you do with my band. I would eat, the food I ate would satisfy me for about an hour, then the food would slip through the pouch, and BAM hello ravenous hunger. If you'd like to add me to your friends list, you can pull up my blog from my profile, and within my blog are tons of research links, dietary guidelines, articles and other information about the sleeve. The one link that was most interesting to me is the one that studies plasma ghrelin levels post-sleeve vs. RNY and Band. As for the acid reflux, I never had it pre-sleeve. But, I know just as many band patients on a PPI as I know sleeve patients. I choose to remain on my Prilosec. The risks are so minimal that I'm not concerned, and I truly believe in "why fix something that isn't broken?". For me, I'll pop a Prilosec every day to not be hungry, and to not deal with reflux. Some people wean off of their PPI 3-6 months post sleeve. Some do not or can not wean off of it. I probably could at this point, and kept saying that I would, but I'm not in any hurry to test the proverbial "reflux waters". A few have been successful on weaning off without real major reflux, but I enjoy spicy food, and acidic alcoholic beverages, plus some of them report getting hungry a couple of hours after eating. For me, it's pure laziness, and I honestly love, love not ever being hungry. Don't get me wrong, I still love food, and have an appetite, but I don't want to be ravenous hungry like I was with my band or pre-band. Immediately post-op, the small stomach doesn't realize it needs to make less acid, and PPI protects the healing staple line that's the reason why most sleeve patients go on a PPI. The sleeve is honestly the best decision I ever made. I hated life with the band, and don't miss it at all. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to shoot me a message.

I lost 145lbs. And, yep, I've got loose, wrinkly skin, my thighs are flabby because I don't work out so that would help tone up, but I am a size 2. So, I guess in my little mind, I'll take the little bit of loose, wrinkly skin over the fat rolls, and skin folds I had while being 270lbs. I have flabby arms, the skin on my stomach is wrinkly, and I have a baby fat roll that I can't get rid of on the lower part of my abdomen. But, in all honesty, I could careless. I miss my boobs more than anything. It's nothing that keeps me awake at night, I don't have nightmares about it, my husband still finds me attractive, and gorgeous loose skin and all. I do have more noticeable crows feet around my eyes, but other than that, I don't let these little things bother me too much. Of course, Botox, and plastic surgery is on my wishlist for the very near future, but even then, I'm sure there will be something that I don't like about my body. In the grand scheme of things, I'd prefer to have my loose, wrinkly, flabby skin over the fat rolls and co-morbidities and misery that came with being fat. Moisturizing and exfoliating helps with the skin, and time. Genetics, age, and how long you've carried your weight will determine what it will look like post-surgery, and years after goal. My skin is reabsorbing nicely. Every month my arms get a bit less flabby, and every month my stomach looks less wrinkly. There is no magic cure for all the years of abuse I've done to my skin by being fat, and stretching it out to the max with being 270lbs on a 5'2" frame. No amount of wraps, laser treatments, rubs, lotions, creams will repair the damage of being morbidly obese for 10+ years.

Since we don't have a pouch, our stomachs will only shrink so much on liquids but once you go back to eating solids, your stomach capacity will change again. I noticed a big change in the quantities I could eat at around 7-8 months out, but good news is that I can't eat more today than I could back then, 10 months ago. The swelling goes down, and our stomachs become acclimated to consuming solid foods, and we inevitably can eat more. BUT, the sleeve doesn't "stretch" like RNY or Band pouches. Like I said, I can't eat more today than I could 10 months ago even though it's twice as much as I could eat at 2-3 months post op. I had to go on full liquids right before my gallbladder surgery in February (8 months post sleeve), and I noticed once I started back on solids my restriction was a bit more limited, but about 2 weeks back on solids, I was back to eating 3-4oz of dense protein per meal.

Don't give up on yourself! ! ! When in the past have you ever lost this much weight, and had a fighting chance at keeping it? Cut carbs for a few days to get rid of the carb monster, and focus on Protein especially if you're going to start working out. Push fluids and you'll see the scale move again ! ! ! Remember we didn't get fat overnight, we won't get skinny overnight! ! ! You can do it ! ! !

I used the healthy request 98% reduced fat soups, and mixed with chicken broth, or Water. I didn't even bother mixing with milk. I didn't eat more than 4oz(1/2 cup) per meal. Did the yogurt have fruit in it? I noticed that any of the yogurts that had fruit, it seemed like they had this slimy sugary stuff that didn't go down all that well. That's why I went with greek yogurt mixed with different things to avoid the carbs, and the Chobani and Fage Greek yogurts were always smoother for me. You just progresed a food stage so your body is still healing, it's going to take some time for it to get used to new consistencies in the food. It doesn't last forever with the sleeve. I never really slimed or productive burped with the sleeve like I did with my band once the residual swelling went down.

You look amazing, many congrats on your success ! ! ! As for the crappy comments, look at them, give a little smile and say " Jealousy is like a bad cold; I hope you get well soon." Turn and walk away.

Are you getting in enough clear fluids?

I would bet you're retaining water, but losing inches. As muscle mass builds, those muscles need water to repair and build. That's why the scale can up and down. Anytime someone has a stall, my recommendation comes from other vets that I talked to before I had surgery. They all say the same thing, shake things up, increase calories 100-200 calories a day for 5 days then drop back down, or increase protein and water intake. Sometimes our bodies just need time to catch up. You've done so amazing thus far, hang in there, the scale will move again ! ! !

Here are some other threads on hair loss after surgery. It's a combination of things. Change in diet/calorie intake, anesthesia, trauma to your body after surgery etc etc. There is nothing you can do to stop it, good news is that it grows back. The 2nd link has articles that explain the hair loss. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/9817-the-hair-diaries/page__p__85627__hl__+hair++loss__fromsearch__1#entry85627 http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/9393-hair-today-hair-tomarrow/page__p__83200__hl__+hair++loss__fromsearch__1#entry83200

If you have food issues, none of the weight loss surgeries will fix them. You can eat around every single one of them, you just have to decide what you are willing to do to be successful. If you can't or aren't willing to make the necessary lifestyle change, and commit to a lifelong change then none of the WLS will help you long term. It's been proven time and time again with all of the surgeries. They operate on our stomachs, not our brains, and unless we change our way of thinking about food, then removing 85% of your stomach isn't going to fix the problem. The sleeve does restrict your food consumption, but you can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake if you choose to do it. You'll have to focus on your post-op dietary guidelines, and make better choices. As for loose, saggy skin. What's worse a little wrinkly, saggy skin or fat rolls and co-morbidities from being obese? Which is worse a little tummy fat, loose skin on the upper arms, or heart disease or diabetes from staying fat? Honestly, I'll take the loose skin, and tummy fat I have over injecting myself with insulin every day of my life to combat the side effects of diabetes. Moisturizing helps, exercising helps, but overall, most of us have loose skin that repairs and reabsorbs over time. I'll never have a bikini body, but I rock my skinny size 2 jeans like an 18 yr old at the ripe age of almost 34.

Many congrats ! ! !

Order an appetizer or soup, and explain it away very casually. Be breezy and non-chalant about it, like "I'm just not really all that hungry tonight, or I ate a snack before dinner, and knew I shouldn't have, but I ate a super light lunch." People are really simple minded about these types of things, and I realized when I didn't fret over it, people just took it with a grain of salt. I noticed the less I worried about it, the less people around me worried about it. Talk, laugh, focus on the experience and not the food. When you have pre-plated meals, I would eat tiny portions of everything, move food to the edge of the plate, and leave space in between so the bottom of the plate could be seen. I would even go so far to take a dinner roll, eat a couple of tiny bites, and then tear the bread up and leave little pieces around my plate. When the server comes around, and you're done, pass your plate off to them without making a scene about it. I honestly only had 1 server say anything to me and I was still on mushies at the time. She was convinced something was wrong with the chili I had ordered because I only ate 1/2 of it. I convinced her it was fabulous, but I had eaten a late brunch and wasn't all that hungry. End of conversation.

It really is pretty effortless to lose weight with the sleeve, and while some may view low carbing it a "diet", I surely did not. I think the only reason I didn't see it that way is because at every meal, I never had room for wasted carbs if I wanted to get my protein in from food sources. I puked on protein drinks so I had no other choice to low carb it if I wanted to get in 3 solid ounces of protein per meal. I also realized that my body runs best on low carbs, my energy is through the roof, give me more than 2-3oz of mashed potatoes or mac-n-cheese, and I need a nap. I saw it as a lifestyle change, and a lifelong commitment to better choices. So, if it ended up low carb then so be it. I never had a stall, not one week passed that I didn't lose weight so obviously something went right for me. And, I think that's the key to individual success, doing what works best for each person, and how they want to lose weight. I could have taken a year to get to goal with over 125lbs to lose, but really I'm not an endurance girl, and I wanted to sprint to the finish line and worry about maintenance later.

If you will drink 2oz of clear fluids every 15 minutes, over the course of an 8 hour day that is your 64oz of clear Fluid intake. I broke mine up into 2- 4 hour sessions because I had to wait 30 minutes after eating to drink. But drinking the 2oz every 15 minutes works wonders.