Tiffykins

Pork rinds ! ! !

I'm 15 months out, and I'll be brutally honest with you. Pre-op, I was a major volume eater. I loved, loved, loved that totally stuffed "thanksgiving day" full feeling. It was comforting, and I would do it to myself almost every night and then go to bed stuffed, fat, happy and full. I wouldn't eat Breakfast, ate junk for lunch, and then would gorge myself at dinner. It was nothing for me to put away a footlong meatball sub, bag of chips and 3-6 Cookies plus a couple of sodas. Today, I can only eat 3 meatballs, and a few chips, and I absolutely love it. I have never been able to feel satisfied. I've never been in control of food. Today, my relationship with food is completely different. I did have one fleeting moment of buyer's remorse last Thanksgiving. We were visiting my in-laws, and I was only about 5.5 months out. I ate my tiny portions of everything offered. I sat there and watched my family stuff themselves. I excused myself from the table, and went outside, kicking rocks, telling myself how stupid I was for doing this to myself. My husband came out to check on me, and he said 'you know you can have more later'. But, that wasn't the point, I wanted it all right then and there. I went back inside 20-30 minutes, and saw everyone in their food induced comas, stretchy pants, and I felt amazing and ready to go do something. They looked miserable, they were so tired, and here I was ready to go climb the mountains in WV. I was so elated that I felt so great, and it really hit me that I didn't really miss the huge portions. Life with the sleeve is absolutely amazing. I literally eat anything and everything I want. I eat dessert, I eat a bit of everything that I prepare, and I'm extremely satisfied. I can eat more today than I could at 2-4 months post op, but my portions are still small. I'm never hungry, and I'm in control. I eat 2-4 times a week with my girlfriends, I have a cocktail at 2 of those lunches, I share a dessert with one of my friends, and I'm not missing anything. I just eat to live instead of live to eat. I have zero regrets, and would do it all over again to be living this life I have right now. It is possible to have a little bit of everything that is offered including CAKE ! ! ! It's all about moderation, and balancing out calories, and your nutritional needs. There's days when all I want is veggies, and you know what, I eat veggies. Do I miss Protein on those days? Yep, but I make up for it, and I eat a balanced, healthy, and nutrient dense diet. I still eat junk food, but instead of an entire bag of Funyuns, I can have 5-8 chips, and put the bag away. I can eat a couple of cookies instead of the entire package. I can enjoy a small slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake instead of the half the pie. It's liberating, it's amazing to walk away from the table. The only thing I feel like I sacrificed was an unhealthy relationship with food. For the first time, I'm behind the steering wheel, and food is just idly sitting in the passenger seat. Best wishes in your research, and do some soul searching. Go in mentally prepared, and weigh the pros and cons of surgery vs. the pros and cons of staying fat and dieting for the rest of your life. I had zero issues losing weight. It was the keeping it off that I struggled with the most. With the sleeve, my hunger is gone, and I know in my heart of hearts that I'm be able to maintain my current weight. It isn't always easy to make the best choice, but the sleeve sure as heck makes it a lot easier.

Absolutely zero regrets. I was a band to sleeve revision. It was the best thing I ever did. I had horrible complications, extensive recovery, and I would do it all over again to be living this life that I have today. I'm 15 months post revision and loving life.

You'll be okay. I promise, just Protein focus, and you'll do great. I just know a lot of sleeve patients talk about that eat a carb, crave a carb phenom thing. I don't get it, but I guess it makes sense.

I was hungry without my Prilosec. Acid definitely causes hunger. Try tracking your calories, carbs, Protein to see exactly what you are getting in. If you're staying within your guidelines, then you aren't eating too much. Even at 15 months, I can barely 1/2 of a bean burrito from taco bell, 1/3 is more like it for my sleeve. BUT, that doesn't mean your sleeve is broken or mine is too small. Everyone has different anatomy, and you might be able to fit more in. My program has people on liquids (clear and full) liquids for the first month so I can't really relate because I was barely on mushies, and bread is a total no no during the losing stage. Some people get "eat a carb, crave a carb". From what you listed, it seems like pretty carby stuff between the bread, tortilla, breakfast sandwich which could be triggering some hunger for you. Pack in protein foods, and see how your hunger works out for you. If you stay off Prilosec for too many days, you might have some breakthrough reflux, and the hunger might not get resolved immediately if it's caused from acid. Prilosec takes a few days to kick in to full effect.

At the top of the forum go to USER CP(control panel) On the side panel click "Edit signature" In another browser window or tab click on: www.tickerfactory.com Make your ticker with a PIN so you can edit your weight Once you get to the end of the ticker page, highlight, and copy the bBcode. Come back here, and then Paste that code into your signature box. Click "Preview Signature" to ensure it shows up to your liking. If it does, hit "save signature". If you want to add other information, you can change the font, color, size etc etc in that format as well.

It's the best decision I ever made. The band destroyed my stomach tissue. I lost 140+ pounds with VSG along in 10.5 months. I'm healthy, happy and feel amazing ! ! !

Here's both the articles on hair loss: I believe it has to do with our hormones as well(damn that estrogen) because we do not read about men losing their hair like we do. Also, I lost hair when I had my son, when I had my gallbladder out in February, and post sleeve. I never lost hair with my band. But, I barely lost any weight either. I shared one of the articles earlier in the post, but here is both of them. Telogen Effluvium: eMedicine Dermatology Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss Here's the webmd publication Effluviums (Telogen and More): Causes, Treatments, and More

PPI = Proton Pump Inhibitor This prevents the production of acid in our stomachs. It reduces the chance of developing acid reflux post-op, and protects the staple line. Prilosec (Omeprazole the generic name), Prevacid, and Zegerid are all available OTC. Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Prevacid are all available by prescription. Protonix and Nexium are only by prescription. Some insurance companies won't pay for Nexium because it is extremely expensive. I take Prilosec in the prescription form only because I get my RX for free as a military spouse. The sleeve sometimes makes reflux worse. Other times some patients experience zero reflux or their reflux is resolved with the sleeve. I choose to continue to take my Prilosec because I do not want to deal with any possible reflux, or false hunger. Zantac, Pepcid, Tagament, are all H2 blockers. They treat the symptoms of reflux, and are typically used to treat ulcer patients. They work differently than PPI. I don't take any other type of PPI or H2 blocker. I do not have reflux, and didn't experience it with the sleeve full on. I developed some false hunger after eating around 6-7 weeks out, and I consulted some long time sleevesters, and they all directed me to information on acid causing false hunger.

Get some pediatric electrolyte supplements. Here in the US it's called Pedialyte, or some Gatorade. If you can have yogurt, eat yogurt because the good bacteria in the yogurt will help neutralize your stomach bacteria. Right now, it's a liquids in, liquids out. Use baby wipes on your bum to prevent irritation. It does get better once you get to full liquids and mushies.

Not that I drink that often, but I am an "afternoon cocktail" kind of girl when out to lunch with my girlfriends. I also socially drink a couple to a few times a month. With all that said, my alcohol tolerance is back to pre-op standards. I can drink several rum/cokes, or 2-3 glasses of wine over the course of 5-8 hours, and catch and maintain a good buzz. If I throw some shots in there, yeah, I get a bit more buzzed/drunk, but I rarely drink shots. I pretty much quit drinking at home because it was so boring. If I'm out with the girls, or out at a party, I enjoy having a few drinks, and it hasn't negatively affected my loss, or maintenance. I just make sure I tank up on Water before I head to bed. I don't get hangovers anymore either which is a welcomed change:thumbup:

It typically starts around 3-5 months post op. I also wanted to throw out there that I had my gallbladder removed in February, and my shedding started again in May. It wasn't as severe, but I still lost more hair than normal shedding. It only lasted 2 months.

My hair pre-op was super wavy almost curly to be honest. But, now it is stick straight. I have little to no volume even at 15 months out, and my hair quit falling out around 6.5 months out. I do have major regrowth. I have new baby hairs growing in all over the place, and the hair that started growing back in several months back is 7-9 inches. I still have some chia pet hairs that stand straight up on top of my head that are only 2-3 inches long. My stylist predicted that my hair won't be back to "normal" pre-op volume for another year.

Here's my list for choosing VSG over RNY for my revision: I could have had RNY very easily, but I fought for VSG. 1) Malabsorption of fat/calories only last 18-24 months (after that the villi in the intestine regrow), but the malabsorption of nutrients/vitamins are for the rest of your life. Not a fair trade off if you ask me. 2) Blind stomach left behind that is difficult to scope, but can still get ulcers and cancer. 3) The whole pouch/stoma thing is not natural. I had a pouch/stoma thing with the band, and it sucked. I loved the fact that I would have a normal stomach with my pyloric valve intact. 4) Regain stats with RNY are downright scary 5) Long term complications related to pouch dilation, vitamin/nutrient deficiencies and the number of patients seeking RNY revision to either DS or ERNY were just too high for me 6) Dumping syndrome only happens to about 30% of RNY patients. For me, if I can't keep my hand out of the cookie jar without some form of sick self-punishment of puking, nausea, and fatigue then do I really need to have WLS? I knew I had to change my relationship with food regardless of which WLS I chose. 7) I like my NSAIDS. With RNY, they are a complete NO NO. Also, in the future, if I were to need to take steroids, I didn't want to worry about them eating my pouch. 8) I have a lot (like 10) friends in real life that all struggle tremendously with RNY especially those that are 5-8 years out. I have one that just had her 4th surgery related to her 7yr old RNY. My other dear friend is now on Iron infusions every 4 weeks because she can't eat iron rich foods, and iron pills irritate her pouch so badly. 7 out of 10 have regained at least 40 pounds, and only 4 of them experience dumping, but it's not as severe as it was for them when early out. 9) That no hunger thing is awesome with the sleeve. The fundus being cut away and removed from the body, removes the main source of Ghrelin production in our bodies. At 15 months out, I'm still never physically hungry. I love food, I eat, but I'm not hungry. I was always hungry with my band. I would eat, be satisfied with the small portion in my pouch. Then food would pass through, and I'd be starving again. It was a miserable cycle. The stats with VSG and RNY on weight loss are neck and neck. The studies out there for gastrectomies (partial or full removal of the stomach) for cancer and ulcer patients gave me peace of mind that for my long term health, VSG was the answer to my weight loss surgery needs. Best wishes on your research. I have tons of links and information in my blog on here if you'd like to read some of the stats. I'll add you to my contact list so you can access my blog if you'd like. Look for the blog post called "Just to bookmark this" it's lapband information, but at the bottom of that post, there are lots of links for VSG.

Read my blog, I have tons of info for the band and the sleeve, plus my own personal story with the band. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to send me a message on here. I answered your other post regarding pregnancy and VSG as well.

The stomach isn't used to not making enough acid for our big tummies. So, the PPI protects the staple line, and acid reflux is common with the sleeve especially the first 3-6 months post-sleeve. Over production of acid can also cause false hunger which is what I experienced before going on Prilosec. My surgeon doesn't put his patients on it immediately after surgery either, but some deal with the acid, or deal with the false hunger. I chose to do neither, and pop my Prilosec religiously.

I had the band, and wouldn't recommend it for anyone that wants to get pregnant. My reasons are numerous, but the main ones are: 1) the food restrictions SUCK, you can kiss lettuce, bread, most raw veggies good-bye, and all of those things are vital to a balanced diet 2) If you have morning sickness, puking with the band is highly dangerous and can cause a major slippage, erosion. Pros for the sleeve and pregnancy: 1) The sleeve gives you a normal, functioning stomach, just smaller in size. 2) No food or medication restrictions 3) No malabsorption I'm 15 months out, and my husband and I are currently TTC. We've been not preventing since I was around 8 months post-op. I was at goal, my labs had been fabulous, and I was getting into maintenance. Most surgeons don't want their patients to even try for 12-18 months after getting to goal. BUT, there are some extenuating circumstances that led us to trying now. My age, my husband's career, some other personal fertility issues that I don't discuss publicly, the lovely Air Force sending him overseas again, and my previous pregnancies/miscarriages all played a role in me being released to try earlier than the standard. We've been diligently trying for the last 4-5 months, charting, ovulation monitoring, and all that good stuff. We're not rushing it, but we never know what the Air Force has planned for us. The key to any WLS and pregnancy is to get out of ketosis. I haven't been in ketosis for nearly 9 months now. I eat between 1500-1800 calories, 100 grams of Protein, and around 100gr of carbs per day now. My body is in better shape today than it was when I had my son at 21 years of age. We'll see what the good Lord has planned for us, but we're hoping to be pregnant by the end of the year. Even though surgeons do not want their patients to get pregnant during their losing stage, it happens, and I've always read that they have to get out of ketosis, and ensure they are getting in calories, carbs, and their Vitamins. The baby will take what it needs from the mother's system. It's the mommy's body and system we have to protect.

I would use Prilosec OTC if I didn't get my scripts for free on base. If you choose to go with Prilosec, let me know, because I get coupons for it all the time. I talked to my surgeon about Prilosec OTC, and he told me if I ever forgot to call in my refill or was out of town and forgot my RX and had to use OTC, to still follow the RX directions to wait 1hr before eating after taking it. I know a lot of people really like that new one called Prevacid.

I'm not sure why he would want you off of them, but I can tell you that during the first 1-3 months your hormones go insane anyways. I was a mad woman, thought the world loved me one day and hated me the next. The fat stores estrogen, and when we burn fat so quickly, all that estrogen floods our systems. I know some surgeons require their patients to go off of their hormonal birth control, but I thought it was more related to the increased risk of blood clots.

Yeppers, pretty much for my guideline anything that could be blended or pureed counted as a much. Chicken, egg and tuna salad were staples during that stage for me. It was so much easier to get protein in from food, and I was so excited to hit mushies.

There isn't really anything we can do to stop it. It's pretty common after a traumatic surgery, and/or major weight loss/dietary changes. Here's an article that explains it. Telogen Effluvium: eMedicine Dermatology You can use various hair growth products. Folicure Extra care shampoo really helped my hair as I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped. I never took Biotin or any other pill form supplement to help. I massaged my scalp, cut way back on heat processing, air dried my hair, and used little to zero hair products during that time. I used Nexxus Dualiste anti-breakage shampoo and conditioner in conjunction with the Folicure shampoo because it can dry out your hair. I know it's disheartening, and frustrating. I was extremely sad about my hair, but it is temporary, and hair grows back. I have tons of new growth, and I just got creative to make the loss not so apparent. I had tons of hair, gorgeous wavy, thick, coarse hair pre-sleeve. Now, it's quite a bit thinner, and fine, but I'll deal with it to be wearing a size 0-4 depending on the brand of jeans I buy. I figure my ass looks way better now so I don't have to focus so much on my hair.

I hit goal around December 28-29th, and had zero issues maintaining until this last week. I did speak with my nutritionist and my surgeon about my diet, and transitioning into maintenance and out of weight loss stage. I upped my carbs to 50-60 grams, Protein at 60-70, and getting in my Water, hanging out around 950-1000 calories a day. I get all my protein from food sources, have zero food restrictions, and do occasionally have a couple miniature candies. I truly can't fit much more in my sleeve. My goal was 150, I hoovered around 147-148 for the last 3 weeks or so, and then on Friday I hopped on the scale and realized I had a 5 pound loss that put me at 143, today I'm hitting 141. I didn't work out last week only bc the husband was on stand-by for Haiti relief, and I didn't want to have to deal with him getting called out, and me not being there to see him off. It was super stressful, and I wasn't mentally or emotionally into working out last week. This week, I'm getting back on track with my exercise regimen. I strength train 3 days a week, bowl on Wednesday, then one day of intense cardio. I do ab, leg, butt, and thigh workout every day. I have a call into my surgeon, but he probably won't be able to call me until Wednesday. My plan is to keep eating the recommended amounts, and get back to the gym until I hear from my surgeon. I'm looking for any advice, or suggestions. I just had labs pulled on January 15th, and everything was perfect. No deficiencies, no issues with any of my levels, my Chem 20, CBC, Iron, vit d and d3, folic acid and B12 and an extensive thyroid panel are all within normal ranges.

Check out seitan and tempeh for meat substitutes. I posted a ton of recipes in the recipe forum when I was struggling with meats, and went with seitan for a bit. Tempeh was "okay", but I preferred seitan. It's high Protein, and always left me satisfied.

I would use some ground white pepper, ground black pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and a couple of bay leaves. Remove the bay leaves before eating. For an italian twist, garlic, thyme, oregano, basil, and some crushed rosemary would probably be tasty. The Beans will probably release enough salty flavor into the mix, but if it's lacking on salt, a few shakes of Kosher salt. If you want spicy, some creole seasoning. For a more seafood flavor, some old bay would probably mesh well, and give you a nice gumbo flair. That mix is kind a mish/mash on flavor profiles. With the mung beans being sweet and typically used in Asian dishes, with the anasazi beans being used in Mexican/Spanish dishes, you can make a varied dish. If you wanted to go more Asian, I prefer yellow curry powder, white pepper, some light soy sauce, and you could Water chestnuts for some texture. Ground ginger, or fresh grated ginger root, a little sesame or fish oil just to add that Asian flavor sounds yummy to me.

My heart truly breaks for you because I know your towing a line that you weren't mentally nor emotionally prepared to tow. The quality of life you were living with the band was deplorable, and I hope at some point you can reflect on those times, and realize that things will improve. Your family did put you in a horrible situation, and the guilt of "inconveniencing" them, and disrupting their lives is not a weight you should have to carry on top of what you are were already dealing with. I can tell you that my life with the sleeve is fabulous, but until you confront, and deal with the other emotions that you are struggling with, you aren't going to believe me. I know you are hurting, and I wish I could make it better. I wish I could convince you that you will be happy with the sleeve. I actually don't think it has to do with the sleeve as much as you are extremely resentful because you did it for everyone else. But, I can't imagine you were happy with your quality of life that the band had you living day in and day out. You had just accepted it. I want you to find joy, and peace in your life. Best wishes Carrie, and I appreciate your message. I just haven't had a chance to reply.