NtvTxn

I guess I am old and forgetful, or just plain dumb, but I NEVER asked Dr. Davidson how much I could expect to lose. His job was to remove approx. 85% of my tummy, then the ball is in MY court. I don't want to do all the number, I'm not sure what percentage of my excess weight I lost. I lost 83 lbs. I lost 23 prior, the rest I lost in six month. I wear size 4's and 6's. Never in my wildest dreams did I think THIS would happen. I under estimated what forced portion control could/would do. I would have been thrilled in a size 12, size 8 was far fetched, or so I thought. I'm three years out and looking back, I still think this 'tool' allowed me to do what I needed to do.

... I'm hangin' my head too. I have NEVER exercised, not really, since surgery. I decided early on.....I wanted to make life changes. I know ME, I know I am LAZY and I know I have the attention span of a four year old. I did NOT want to lose weight in part with exercise because I was gung ho.....lose it, get bored and quit, only to regain part of my weight. I reached goal in just under five months, * doctor's goal * and my goal, five lbs less, a month later. 1200 calories keeps me where I need to be, it's been easy and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I make choices and not having 'real' hunger, it is much easier to make WISE choices most of the time. I weigh every single day and if I'm up 2 or 3 lbs (and yes, I swear, it CAN happen over night!!), I adjust and it comes right off. Some times it's Water, some times it is Pasta or Mexican food. Weight gain can happen so fast, but keeping track, keeps it easy. If I were to weigh once a week or once every two weeks....or YIKES, once a month...and were to be up 8 or 10 lbs, that would not be as easy to handle. I know how fast it can happen!!! Anyway....hardly any bread, seldom any at home, I nibble, some times more than I should, at restaurants. No chips, almost never. Sooooo, you are NOT alone. I too confess!!!

I was on and off a diet for 30 years. I lost 50 lbs three different times. 20 lbs - 30 lbs, more times than I can count. I did WW, took pills, saw a nutritionist, Medifast and the last time I took pills, it cost me over $500 to have my heart checked out. Thank the Good Lord I was fine, but after my Fen/Phen scare, I swore I'd never take another pill again. I never did. Of course, I'd always gain whatever I lost, back, plus a little. When I made THE decision, I was struggling to maintain 228 lbs. I hated it and again, I was trying to accept the weight I was at, which hurt me all along. I accepted 165, 175, 185. At least I was under 200 lbs. Then I woke up and it seemed like overnight I was AT 200.....it went downhill from there. This is by far the best decision I've ever made for myself personally. I love it, I haven't had a single minute of buyer's remorse. I've been thrilled and excited beyond belief from the moment I woke up in recovery. If you do this, enjoy every single minute, every change......it's a wild ride and well worth it!!! I love my new life, the new me. I hope this helps, a little!!

Oh, the head games we play. It takes a while, and at almost 3 yrs out, I still look at my jeans and think 'NO WAY WILL THESE FIT' - I know it's all in my head. I still have my husband point out women in the mall that are my size. It's easy for me to look at them and see the real them, but when I look at myself in the mirror, although i don't see the 228 lb me, I don't REALLY see how I look to others. I've been shopping in the missy dept....it took quite a while for me to not automatically go to the womens dept. It is so weird....but it keeps me aware of how my life is now, my new life. You do deserve this, enjoy every single minute of it!!!!! Just wait, you'll be in a six before you know it!!

I maintain at 1200 calories per day, give or take 50. I never took in more than 800 when I was losing. This works for me. I get all my Protein in with food, I hated anything protein shake'ish so by 2.5 months post-op, I did it all with eggs, 1% cottage cheese, steamed shrimp, tuna....the usual stuff. The hospital where I had surgery has two registered dietitians, who do nothing but deal with WLS patients. They don't focus on carbs at all unless a patient isn't losing. I was afraid I was going to have to watch something else on MFP - luckily that isn't the case!!!

I have no idea if mine is set where y'all can see my food diary. Someone please let me know!!!!

i think i figured it out. thanks y'all. feel free to add me!

I've been doing MFP for a while now, but just recently (the past week, actually added someone. Well, they added me) I just went to add a couple of you, but it looks like we have to do it via email or face book. Is that correct?

I'm Stratusphr

You'll do fine, I'm sure of it!!

You are soooo new, everything will get jump started again, be patient and keep doing what you know you should. I have a couple of questions. HOW do you get that much Protein in per day this soon? I'm just curious as to what you are eating. How many calories are you taking in? At five week out, it was a huge effort to get in 50 - 60 and I was getting 400 - 500 calories a day.

At one week out, you are still in the beginning stages of healing. The new little tummy/sleeve will not be totally healed and 'relax' for about six months.....I think that is what I was told. This was major trauma you sustained!!! You're swollen and my guess is you are still retaining water. When I was discharged, I weighed a couple of lbs more than the day of surgery and at my one week visit, I had lost that couple of lbs. At my two week visit I had actually LOST two lbs. It will happen, there is no choice. 85% was removed, forced portion control!!

That is exactly what my dietitian told me. Up the protein and liquids. I am a little iffy on the full fat foods that someone was advised to eat. Has anyone looked at the FAT in cheese??!!! It may have a little protein, but not enough to justify those calories, even in 2% milkfat cheese, waaaaay too many for me!! My grandson's pediatritian told my daughter, "nobody over the age of 2 needs whole milk" We were told in our seminar that if we are not drinking skim or 1%, make the change. She did tell us that she would not ask us to eat something she will not eat. (that included FF cottage cheese, sour cream and cheese) She asked that if we had not, we should start buying Lite, or low fat. My family switched to skim 25 years ago and I have always bought lite. Switch BACK to full fat anything, just doesn't sound like a winner to me. Of course, I have always taken what is told to me and I sift through and use common sense. That does not make sense to me. In the beginning we DO eat so little, I remember eating an eighth cup of Soup and being Thanksgiving full.....but at 3 yrs out, I can eat 2/3's a cup, some times a little more. It is still not a LOT of food, but they don't ever want their patients to eat more than a cup of food at one time. I need 1200 calories to maintain, if I went from 2 cups of skim a day to two cups of whole milk. There is no doubt I'd see it reflected in the scale....or else I'd have to cut back somewhere, I'd have to adjust what I eat. No way would I risk it.

Absolutely, it is all Water retention. I'm lucky, I've always done this and I always have a prescription for a low dose water pill. I don't have to take one very often, but pizza gets me every time, Mexican food....occasionally!! I can tell I'm "swollen" before I get out of bed because my fingers feel 'fat'. LOL I take a pill and before noon, I'm back to normal.

I agree with you. It is VERY helpful to me and for me, it works. Like you, it keeps me focused. Going up a little has never depressed me or any of the things others talk about. I don't ever want to take this for granted, I am below Dr. D's goal and so far, it's been easy for me. For ME, it would be overwhelming if I got on the scale once every two week or once a month and had gained 10 lbs. I know how quickly ten lbs can appear out of nowhere, or so it seems!!! I can eat a piece and a half of pizza and the next morning I am up 3.5 lbs and my wedding ring won't fit. That cheese is so darn salty! I admit, I'm obsessive and love my sleeve. All of this weighing and measuring.....and yes, weighing, it's part of my life. My new life, where I AM IN CONTROL, food is not. I am glad to know I'm not the only one.....and without hesitation, I highly recommend weighing every morning.

Wait!!!! Don't throw the scale out!!!! Continue to get on it every day so you KNOW where you're at!!! No matter what my mama said, 'Ignorance is NOT bliss!!!!' You will go up and down....but if you are logging your food and if you will weigh and measure your food.....you will know if you're doing what you want to be doing. If you are, then you'll see the scale to start back the other way, I promise! I'd go up and down for a week, and one time 10 days, before it went down and stayed down. Then on to the next lb or two!!! I am almost three yrs out and I still log my food and weigh and measure my food. It's my life, it's habit and to me, it's fun. I am obsessive about knowing my caloric intake, even at three years out!! I know that if I go over 1200 calories for a few days, I'm going to see the scale go up two or three lbs. Don't worry, you'll be fine!!! Are you logging and weighing/measuring your food? You're early out, so did you just start adding regular food in?

Like you, I weigh every single day....going up or down does not bother me, it's part of it. The thing is, if I'm up 2 or 3, I KNOW and I can do something about it, easy! If I weighed once a week or once a month - yikes. We all know how quickly we can gain 10 lbs.....that would not be as simple to get a grip on. Dr. Davidson told me to weigh, so I could nip it in the bud if the scale went up.

I'm almost 3 yrs out, but when I was just sleeved, I was doing good to get 450 calories per day. I was worried, but they were not. Doctor asked if I felt good, had energy etc....and at 3 months, labs were great. I had and still have good restriction. I started getting ALL Protein in with food at 2.5 months. I reached MY goal in six months, doctor's goal for me just a few days shy of five months. There at the end of my losing, I averaged 700 - 800 calories per day. If I got 850, that was a LOT. I've been maintaining for a long time now and 1200 calories per day is what I need, give or take 50. Last week i decided to see if I still could lose, so I increased my protein from 60 - 65 to 75- 90. I lost two pounds!!! Yay, I can do it if I want to, it's good to know!!! I'd say INCREASE protein and liquids.....be aware of everything you put into your mouth.....log all food, I STILL do this, it's habit. I hope this helps, a little!

You look fabulous!!! Enjoy!

Anything pre- packaged, you can just about assume is a slider food. chips, Cookies, any donut...I consider bread a slider food. Cake, pies. In an eight oz bag of chips, there are over 1200 calories. If you take that bag and put them in a blender, the entire bag.....you'd be surprised how little is there, but the calories, they ARE there!! Slider foods are not just something soft that slides on down.....I mean, cottage cheese is soft, but packed with protein!!! I hope this helps!

Some days I really couldn't care less about eating, then there are some days I get the munchies. I'm sure it stress or boredom or any of those things that make us want to eat! Go figure. It has not affected maintenence....so far.

I am not quite three years out and last night I ate 3 oz (rump roast) of meat and a fourth cup of 1% cottage cheese. I can eat four oz if I eat nothing else. You many not have heard this before but try and eat 'under your sleeve'. Eat LESS than you CAN. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. I still weigh and measure my food when I'm at home, I KNOW what i can hold, and I try and eat a little less. Since I really don't get hungry and don't feel full until it's too late......it's pretty easy! I was told to do this early on. It's pretty good advice, or it has been for me.

You are so right, all are different. Dr. Davidson watches calories and protein. Carbs don't come into it unless a patient if not losing like he/she should. Thank goodness, prior to surgery I started reading all about carbs, I really needed a college course!!! In the six months I was losing, I ate between 350 (the first couple of weeks) and never ate more than 825 calories, and that was an effort! I never 'cheated' during that time, not one morsel of anything sweet.....not a french fry, nothing!! Now that I'm in maintenence, 1200 is what I need to not lose and not gain. I can go a little over, 1250, or a little under, 1150 and I'm fine. Last week I decided to see if I could still lose if I wanted to, so I kept my calories the same, but upped my protein to 75 - 90 grams a day. I can still do it, I lost two lbs!! It's such a fine line, it's fun to experiment and see what works.

Several tips that work for me and have made it easier to be successful. 1) Under eat your sleeve (just because you can, doesn't mean you should) Meaning, I am not experiencing 'real' hunger, and I stop BEFORE I have that uncomfortable full feeling. I could put a little more in there, but don't. Under eat it. 2) Log your food on line. Myfitnesspal or Fitday - both are good, I've used both over that past three years. I STILL log my food, you'd be surprised how quickly you can go over what you should and you'd be surprised the calories in some things!! 100 additional calories per day is 36,500 calories per year....and that equals about 10 lbs, which is why many of us have ended up getting surgery, 5 or 10 lbs a year over a course of 10 or fifteen years. 3) Three yrs out and I still weigh and/or measure my food. I know what my little tummy can hold, and the 'one bite too many' term is very real 4) I've weighed EVERY day since 2 months prior to surgery. Unless we are traveling, I weigh. I want to know where I'm at and what's happening, it's a game to me, it does not 'get me down' or 'depress' me if I'm up a lb or two, it keeps me informed and on top of things! It is much easier to nip 3 lbs in the bud than it is to weigh once a month and your 8 or 10 lbs heavier. Yikes! 5) Protein, protein, protein. I've lost 2 lbs this week just adjusting my diet a little. I wanted to see if I could. I've upped the protein from approx. 65 - 70 to getting in 85- 90 in the past 6 days. It's shocking....and I've done without NOTHING, including a 1.5 slices of mushroom pizza one night and a mini vanilla scone from Star Bucks. You'll do great - congratulations on all the good things that are happening in your life!!!! Good luck and remember, this is part of what works and continues to work for me....everyone is different!

Hold his feet to the fire sweetie!!!!! LoL