Lisalu

So far it's just sugar that seems to be my arch-nemesis. I can eat some sliders and be ok, but if sugar is in the mix, I'm doomed. I allow myself a couple small squares of 86% dark chocolate a day. Really, I couldn't eat more if I tried, it's so potent. Other than that, no added sugar. Hard, but better than bingeing on it and freaking out. Inch by inch, row by row...

Globetrotter, you absolutely have *every* reason to complain. Your body is tuned for the next famine, but barring that, it's just a raw deal to be so efficient with calories. It sucks. All of us, though, weigh less than we used to and are probably in better physical shape.

Nannie G, I'm between 5'2" and 5'3" so 124 is more on me. Funny story: I decided to bite the bullet and weigh myself yesterday. Got on scale in housemate's room (it's hers afterall) and I weighed 123.8 w clothes. Brought scale to bathroom, removed clothes and stepped on again 126.6. I wigged. Moved scale back to it's old position in the bathroom between the toilet and the sink and stepped on it again. 122.8. Ha! I was loosing and gaining weight by the moment depending on where the scale was. God knows what I actually weigh, but I probably haven't gained much if any. I need something to keep me on track but I'm not sure the scale is it. Had a couple ounces of boiled beef for breakfast. Bleh, but it is the most prudent way to start my day. Gave up sugar (again) at the beginning of June. Carbs in general, sweets in particular, are my downfall. Glad you al are here. Seems easier with all of you.

I'll be 2 years out at the end of this month and I am struggling. I just can eat so much more than I used to and that's so scary. I visited the doctor a month ago and weighed in at 124. I was wearing clothes and had eaten breakfast so maybe naked morning weight would've been 123. Still that's up 3 lbs since last year at this time. I know it's not that much but I'm afraid that I've gained more since. I've been too freaked out to get on the scale for a month. Basically anxious about this whole thing.

Hey Globetrotter, nice to hear from you. The Cornell plan looks like this: 3 meals and 1 high protein snack per day. Protein first, then veggies, then whole grains. Avoid concentrated sweets. Heres a link: http://www.cornellweightlosssurgery.org/pdf/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

Yikes, typos, sorry everyone. I can spell, capitalize and punctuate, but I cannot proofread!

Thanks Dee, for your response. i too gave up sugary stuff for lent even though I'm no longer a Catholic. Somehow the discipline of lent from youth is still with me; stuff I couldn't give up in January becomes easier to give up beginning Ash Wednesday. Lately I've been reducing the carbs too. This morning my weight was 120.8, Hurray! I can eat more than I used to be able to, so I think it's important for me to concentrate on Protein and vegetables and to limit carbs. I'm back eating artificial sweeteners and though I don't think they are actually healthy, they are far better than the alternative. Sugar is such a drug for me. The sugar alcohols have side effects which is a good thing for me. I cannot eat a 100gr bar of SF chocolate because of the stomach cramps it causes. This means that my portion sizes are reasonable and not gluttonous--in the end a very good thing indeed. I think the weight thing will always be a struggle for me, but at least I have a chance of winning this battle now instead of trying my hardest and losing miserably. I feel pretty good of my protein-first diet. My BF and housemate are both on no sugar diets so I don't have loads of temptattion. My boy still eats sugar with abandon, but I can dismiss that more easily. Sugar now seems like pixie sticks or cotton candy--stuff you eat in your youth but wouldn't really ingest during adulthood.

For the record, my thinking has been clear, maybe even clearer than before the surgery. I haven't had any concentration issues (or no more than usual, I'm kinda ADD, lol).

I read some research about the fundus growing back in some patients. I think a google search of "neofundus" or maybe "neo-fundus" might kick up the article. Right now they think it comes from surgeon error, that is leaving too much of the fundus intact,rather than from overeating. It is a specter that scares the bejesus outta me.

Hey Coops and Mini-me, I remember you from when I first came on this site in 2010. I too have gained a few pounds from my preferred weight on 120. My housemate got a scale and I'm hoovering at 123. 3 pounds, no biggie right? Well it kinda is for me cuz I'm afraid it'll go from 3 to 13 to 30 to... Plus it's there because my eating habits have been crap. Gotta recommit to protein first and to laying off the sweets. Goodness but they are still my weakness

Recent research (sorry no citation) suggests that ghrelin producing cells located all over our digestive tract may beef up production to re-establish our ghrelin level. The good news is that if we have had post-VSG memory loss mediated by ghrelin levels, we should get those faculties back. The bad news is increased ghrelin = increased hunger and potentially weight gain. Rats. As far as memory loss due to dimished ghrelin production is concerned, I think we should bear in mind that high blood sugar levels can lead to memory loss too. I was pre-diabetic before so my brain cells were already in the cross hairs, so to speak.

LilMissDiva---Yes, I feel like that all the time.Maintenance has been surprisingly easy thus far. I still adhere to some principles: 3 meals, 1 snack, only 0 calorie drinks in between (though I'll allow myself a latte or a beer). I try not to drink during meals but occasionally I will. It's weird to not need to lose weight.

I reached goal in 6 months (I didn't have that much to lose and lost before the surgery) so I did hit the dating game skinnier than I had been for 20 years. It ROCKED. I felt sexy in clothes. I felt sexy without clothes. The guy was a bit fluffy---which I like, but it was so weird to have him be self-conscious about his weight but have me NOT be. We've since broken up but I feel so much more date-able than I have in the past. I may be the same person inside but let me tell you, men treat me differently.

I started dating at 6 months post op. He already knew about the surgery so I didn't have to decide whether or not to tell him. I probably would have told anyway--I mean I eat like a bird now and clearly it's a bit odd. Dating was not a problem. I say if you like her, go for it.

Hey Blackberryjuice.I've been reading your posts for months and I'm sure you're really nice but 32DD? I hate you! I am now officially boobless! Add my boyfriend to the list of men who would want his woman heavier. Sheesh.

I'm 13 months out and have been at goal for 7 months. I find it both easy and hard. Easy because I seem to stay this weight in spite of not always exercising and eating pretty much what I like at meals. Of course I can't eat a lot of anything (well, compared to pre-surgery amounts) but I do eat plenty more than I could at the beginning. It's hard because I still have food issues. I eat too many sweets and not enough protein. Often I feel the urge to eat for emotional reasons. So I'm maintaining but I'm a bit nervous. I'd like to be taking better care of myself. I started going to OA and I feel pretty good about having the support. Definitely, I can see the emotional side of my food/weight stuff. Glad for this thread.

I'm a little more than 1 year out. My eating plan is 3 meals plus 1 snack a day with nothing in between. I'm below goal so I'm clearly doing something right regarding caloric intake. My problem is that I get sleepy after eating. I don't eat so much that I feel sick but I often want to take a nap. Does this mean that I'm eating too much? Does this happen to anyone else? If it does mean I'm eating too much, I'll probably have to go to 3 meals 2 snacks in order to keep my calories up. Wow, I never thought I'd ever say that!

Ate a very carby meal. Felt sleepy. Took blood sugar immediately before meal, immediately after and 1 hour after. Before: 92 Immediately after: 179. 1 hour later: 169. Not diabetic but not optimal. Looks like I should try to curb the carbs a bit. In the morning BTW, my fasting level was 85 and my sugar after breakfast was 116. All very good. It's those heavily carby meals I need to watch.

I did a google search after I posted. (Duh, should have done it before but didn't think about it.) Apparently lots of people have postprandial somulence (fun huh? It means sleepiness after meals) after gastric bypass. They think it might have to do with a relatively fast rise in blood glucose due to the bypass. That shouldn't be the case for us though. Then I saw an article about some neurons in our brains that are very sensitive to changes in blood glucose. Different people have different sensitivities with some folks getting sleepy after a very small rise in blood glucose. Also, some people seem to get more sensitive to these changes in blood glucose as they age. So for what ever reason, I seem to be a lot more sensitive to this than I used to be. I think I'll do some blood glucose monitoring before and after meals and see if I can find some correlation. Looks like I might have to cut out some carbs yet

Yeah, I'm 10-15 lbs below goal but still... I like eating too much to actively lose any more weight, but I don't feel too thin by any means. Of course I'd like to lose in the gut but retain or gain in the boobs and butt. OK, none of that is happening. I put on one of my mom's suits from the 1960's. It's a size 12 and it's just a little too big. A size 12! I'm 5' 2 1/2" and weigh about 121 lbs. I don't think someone can spend most of their life trying to lose weight and then just stop thinking like that. I don't need to lose more weight but it's hard to accept that. It has always seemed like a solution to a multitude of problems (ok, I know that's unrealistic but it is honest). Now I just have to live with the fact that tho I'm thin, I'm not young any longer or (ack) perfect.

Hi Everyone, My one year anniversary was 2 weeks ago on June 30. My top weight ever was 210 (with clothes and shoes). My weight this morning (in skivvies) was 120.4. My labs look great with the exception of D3 which is a bit low. All my premorbid conditions (hypertension, prediabetes, sleep apnea, psoriasis) have resolved. I feel great. OK, here are the before and after pics.

Here's a pic of my belly. Only about 1/2 of the scars are VSG related. The others are from my gall bladder removal. I'm 48 years old.

Thanks Jackie. I can see it in the chin/neck area. It's kinda saggy there. My belly is a wee bit saggy but not bad. Really I lucked out in the skin department---no stretch marks with my babies and my skin bounced back from weight loss pretty well. Soon I will post inappropriate fotos of my belly and scars.

Hey Earl, I think it depends on several things. If the dysfunction is being caused by nerve damage, you may not regain function. If it is caused by other stuff, the weight loss should help. Diabetes and hypertension are not great for sexual function. Hopefully when those things are under control, everything will get better. I trust you've tried the viagra/cialis type stuff. They improve blood flow, so they work for lots of diabetics. Of course there are the more radical therapies like implantable pumps, but you may never have to go that route. Intercourse is great, but I also encourage you to get creative. There's lots of stuff that you can do besides intercourse that can be fun and satisfying for both of you.Best of luck to you and your wife.

Globetrotter, great post and congratulations on the weight loss. I had my surgerversary 2 weeks ago and I share many of your thoughts. I can't believe l did this either. I'm happy as hell that I did but it still feels unbelievable. When I see people who haven't seen me for a while, they are always shocked. Usually they ask how I managed to lose almost 90 lbs. Usually I tell them. It feels so weird because now I'm a skinny chick saying I had weight loss surgery, which somehow doesn't compute in my head (though that is the goal of surgery of course). I too feel like a fat person passing most of the time. I go to OA and one member asked me if I had ever had a weight problem. I laughed. I guess she thought I was an anorexic or bulimic, rather than a former fat person. Best of luck. I think you can get those last 30 lbs off. You've come so far already.