No honeymoon period....I can eat more than WAY MORE than I thought....BLAH!!!

[sleevesearch 14]

10 lbs lost per month is not a slow loser.

Average weight loss for any human is 1-2 lbs per week (this should be okay for everyone). Us sleevers expect more because of our restriction.

I am definitely a slow loser at a steady 2-4lbs lost per month

Just my .02

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Samantha! You are so welcome!! I just noticed, you lost 43 lbs pre-op! I'm truly impressed!! Kudos to you!!! You really are doing a great job!! Realize and Celebrate this journey, the ups and downs!!! I have to add to my last post....WW does work....but only for a while. I am not sure it is EVER a forever thing. I've know scads of people who've gone and lost weight, but NONE that have kept it off, EVER!! We've only kept it off as long as we attended, and nobody goes to meetings forever. I know people may attend AA meetings forever, but not WW meetings!! Anyway.......good luck!!!!

NtvTxn Thanks for the words of wisdom! I will definitely keep it in mind

[mandems mom 3]

Thanks! Your doing great and sounds like you are felling good! Thats awesome!

I eat fruit....not processed fruit cups....grapes, melon, etc...

Hip, fresh fruit still has natural sugar and high carb content which is why most docs will tell you to consider it a treat...almost like a dessert. It will spike your blood sugar so be careful with it!

[Loooou 30]

AGAIN! Speaking from MY PERSONAL experience so far..

I cant judge your calorie intake AT ALL! ur body is not mine, your weight is not like mine. When I asked my doctor about the calorie intake he insisted that I shouldnt even bother about counting them not AS FAR AS I dont drink them! and even that " I cant even come closer to drinking my carloies as I did with the band"

So you can tell me u eat 1500 calories a day ( healthy balanced meals) I wont care much and sorry if I am sounding offensive to anyone here who consumes far less than that.

I DONT COUNT CALORIES! I know someday I will need to when I am so closer to my goal, but now all I care about is being logical and balanced about what I put in my mouth.

IF I had a fried (PIECE OF Whatever) in my lunch I wont cry all day about it cause it was just a tiny piece.. and most probably its in my favorite food ( fish/sushi) which is nothing more than 40 calories - if we are speaking calorie wise- but before WE COULD CONSUME a whole bunch of fried stuff fried fires.. and even fried banana in one sitting with a total of 2000 calories and more.

I hope my post is making sense to you, and since it might not, I just dont want to be so direct with it so some ppl will feel they can go crazy about unhealthy stuff.

With that said. I honestly feel, U are missing FAT from ur diet!

Yes there are some kind of fat in ur chicken thigh but may be few in ur one time cheese or deli turkey but u are lacking a good kind of good fat... SO I WILL SUGGEST, NUTS! .. cashew, peanut any other good source of nuts.. replace ur fruit intake with some of those.

I was so much concerned about my body's ability to process ( weight loss) again after I was struggling with my band and nearly starving myself.. but I find it is still responding .. slow respond but u are not the same person who had the band years ago.

you are a much lighter one now.

So I would try snacking more often, changing my food ... instead of the hardboiled eggs, try some white cheese in the moring with some shredded deli meat or what ever man, just change ur menu.

GO FISH for somedays instead of chicken.< /p>

Lay low with the fruits, I never lost with fruits .. although they are the healthy and good. If u cant give up fruit for sometime, try new fruits.. I remember u love watermelon? right?.. I know it makes me retain so much Water.

Finally, DRINK MORE WATER! the more nuts or salty stuff u will consume u will be more able to drink more, u will visit the restroom more often, u will flush more often! which is a good thing.

I know u have read all what I just wrote a lot before, but I believe that having small meals every 4 hours has helped me.

best of luck!

[mandems mom 3]

Mandems Mom - Don't get down and don't set your expectations so high, 20 -30 lbs in in the first month or two??!! OMG - this is a marathon, not a sprint! I averaged 11 lbs per month!! I reached my surgeon's goal in five months! A total loss of 78 lbs yes, but 23 of that was before surgery. From June until November, I lost 55 lbs. and everybody was amazed, proud, shocked!! Now I'm 14.5 lbs under goal. I went up and down, up and down with a lb or two on numerous occasions, yes, i have weighed every single day, I still do....but I knew it was part of the journey, I knew I had to deal with it. I was following the doctor's directions, so I KNEW I would lose the weight. You'll do fine....a year from now, you are going to be happy as a clam!!!!!!

Hi NtvTxn, I appreciate the pep talk. I do realize that it's a marathon, it just seems that the vast majority of people lose tons of weight right off the bat and I'm totally going at a snail's pace. My calorie intake is nowhere near Hip's, but I'd estimate it's between 500-700 per day and it was around 300 for the first 2 weeks so I thought for sure that my body would drop a ton of weight during that time. I lost about 5 pounds pre-op but was only able to do the pre-op for 4 days before I had surgery due to a quick schedule change. Even from June-November, you lost an average of 13-14 pounds per month...that's more than twice as much as my 6 pounds. I'm psyching myself up so that I don't get discouraged. At this point, a loss is a loss is a loss and as long as that keeps happening and there's no gain in sight, I can deal with it taking a year to reach my goal (70 pounds lost).

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Actually, I lost 55 lbs between June and November, exactly 11 lbs per month averaged out. 70 lbs, lickity split will be gone. Just think, every lb, God willing, we will lose and it will be forever this time.

My first 2 weeks was nothing, just like you said, as far as caloric intake. Isn't it weird how you don't have the shakes or get headaches??!! I mean seriously, how do we not just lose 20 lbs in that amount of time?? I know, I mean I KNOW I was getting only 275 to 300 calories per day. I was drinking Protein bullets, so I was getting no calories with those shakes....I swear, most of my calories back then were with the 2 cups of milk I drank per day!!! Do keep in mind, I'd go up and down during my entire losing stage...I WOULD gain a lb or two, hold on to them for several days and then all of a sudden they'd be gone and I'd move on to the next lb or two. I NEVER could understand HOW I could gain two over night when I'd done nothing different, and I never ate anything I shouldn't. For some reason this is NOT uncommon! Don't get discouraged, think of this as a 'great adventure' and enjoy it. As soon as you really start seeing a difference and you NEED to buy a new pair of jeans or whatever....it is soooo exciting! Even now, I am maintaining, but weight is redistributing (sp?) or something. I'm still losing and inch here a half an inch there. It's really strange, I haven't lost 'real weight' in several months. I have three or four lbs that I go up and down with...that is my 'maintence weight' - but still, the losing inches is strange. Hang in there....and KNOW it's happening, the end result is amazing, I promise you!!!!

Hi NtvTxn, I appreciate the pep talk. I do realize that it's a marathon, it just seems that the vast majority of people lose tons of weight right off the bat and I'm totally going at a snail's pace. My calorie intake is nowhere near Hip's, but I'd estimate it's between 500-700 per day and it was around 300 for the first 2 weeks so I thought for sure that my body would drop a ton of weight during that time. I lost about 5 pounds pre-op but was only able to do the pre-op for 4 days before I had surgery due to a quick schedule change. Even from June-November, you lost an average of 13-14 pounds per month...that's more than twice as much as my 6 pounds. I'm psyching myself up so that I don't get discouraged. At this point, a loss is a loss is a loss and as long as that keeps happening and there's no gain in sight, I can deal with it taking a year to reach my goal (70 pounds lost).

[Hip 2]

AGAIN! Speaking from MY PERSONAL experience so far..

I cant judge your calorie intake AT ALL! ur body is not mine, your weight is not like mine. When I asked my doctor about the calorie intake he insisted that I shouldnt even bother about counting them not AS FAR AS I dont drink them! and even that " I cant even come closer to drinking my carloies as I did with the band"

So you can tell me u eat 1500 calories a day ( healthy balanced meals) I wont care much and sorry if I am sounding offensive to anyone here who consumes far less than that.

I DONT COUNT CALORIES! I know someday I will need to when I am so closer to my goal, but now all I care about is being logical and balanced about what I put in my mouth.

IF I had a fried (PIECE OF Whatever) in my lunch I wont cry all day about it cause it was just a tiny piece.. and most probably its in my favorite food ( fish/sushi) which is nothing more than 40 calories - if we are speaking calorie wise- but before WE COULD CONSUME a whole bunch of fried stuff fried fires.. and even fried banana in one sitting with a total of 2000 calories and more.

I hope my post is making sense to you, and since it might not, I just dont want to be so direct with it so some ppl will feel they can go crazy about unhealthy stuff.

With that said. I honestly feel, U are missing FAT from ur diet!

Yes there are some kind of fat in ur chicken thigh but may be few in ur one time cheese or deli turkey but u are lacking a good kind of good fat... SO I WILL SUGGEST, NUTS! .. cashew, peanut any other good source of nuts.. replace ur fruit intake with some of those.

I was so much concerned about my body's ability to process ( weight loss) again after I was struggling with my band and nearly starving myself.. but I find it is still responding .. slow respond but u are not the same person who had the band years ago.

you are a much lighter one now.

So I would try snacking more often, changing my food ... instead of the hardboiled eggs, try some white cheese in the moring with some shredded deli meat or what ever man, just change ur menu.

GO FISH for somedays instead of chicken.< /p>

Lay low with the fruits, I never lost with fruits .. although they are the healthy and good. If u cant give up fruit for sometime, try new fruits.. I remember u love watermelon? right?.. I know it makes me retain so much Water.

Finally, DRINK MORE WATER! the more nuts or salty stuff u will consume u will be more able to drink more, u will visit the restroom more often, u will flush more often! which is a good thing.

I know u have read all what I just wrote a lot before, but I believe that having small meals every 4 hours has helped me.

best of luck!

Thanks for the tips. When I had the band I NEVER counted ONE calorie so I know exactly what your talking about. Ill give the nuts a try...LOVE pistachios! I will try your suggestions as well and mix it up a bit. Thanks again.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

AGAIN! Speaking from MY PERSONAL experience so far..

I cant judge your calorie intake AT ALL! ur body is not mine, your weight is not like mine. When I asked my doctor about the calorie intake he insisted that I shouldnt even bother about counting them not AS FAR AS I dont drink them! and even that " I cant even come closer to drinking my carloies as I did with the band"

So you can tell me u eat 1500 calories a day ( healthy balanced meals) I wont care much and sorry if I am sounding offensive to anyone here who consumes far less than that.

I DONT COUNT CALORIES! I know someday I will need to when I am so closer to my goal, but now all I care about is being logical and balanced about what I put in my mouth.

IF I had a fried (PIECE OF Whatever) in my lunch I wont cry all day about it cause it was just a tiny piece.. and most probably its in my favorite food ( fish/sushi) which is nothing more than 40 calories - if we are speaking calorie wise- but before WE COULD CONSUME a whole bunch of fried stuff fried fires.. and even fried banana in one sitting with a total of 2000 calories and more.

I hope my post is making sense to you, and since it might not, I just dont want to be so direct with it so some ppl will feel they can go crazy about unhealthy stuff.

With that said. I honestly feel, U are missing FAT from ur diet!

Yes there are some kind of fat in ur chicken thigh but may be few in ur one time cheese or deli turkey but u are lacking a good kind of good fat... SO I WILL SUGGEST, NUTS! .. cashew, peanut any other good source of nuts.. replace ur fruit intake with some of those.

I was so much concerned about my body's ability to process ( weight loss) again after I was struggling with my band and nearly starving myself.. but I find it is still responding .. slow respond but u are not the same person who had the band years ago.

you are a much lighter one now.

So I would try snacking more often, changing my food ... instead of the hardboiled eggs, try some white cheese in the moring with some shredded deli meat or what ever man, just change ur menu.

GO FISH for somedays instead of chicken.< /p>

Lay low with the fruits, I never lost with fruits .. although they are the healthy and good. If u cant give up fruit for sometime, try new fruits.. I remember u love watermelon? right?.. I know it makes me retain so much Water.

Finally, DRINK MORE WATER! the more nuts or salty stuff u will consume u will be more able to drink more, u will visit the restroom more often, u will flush more often! which is a good thing.

I know u have read all what I just wrote a lot before, but I believe that having small meals every 4 hours has helped me.

best of luck!

Excellent post Looou!!!

It's true, I think it sounds like the 3 most things that can change Hip in your diet might be to eat less fruits or switch them for the less sugary types (if you have the patience for that) and in place perhaps switch them for higher Protein Snacks with more GOOD fats. I think fats are way too vilified... we NEED fats. Also, drink more Water if you aren't already (I didn't see you mention that I don't think).

Best of luck to you!!! We are all in this together, its really a learning curve, even for us ex bandsters.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Don't forget "Natural Peanut Butter" - high in calories for a TB, but GOOD fat and oh-so good and the natural PNB has no partially hydrogenated anything, no additives. It's all good!

AGAIN! Speaking from MY PERSONAL experience so far..

I cant judge your calorie intake AT ALL! ur body is not mine, your weight is not like mine. When I asked my doctor about the calorie intake he insisted that I shouldnt even bother about counting them not AS FAR AS I dont drink them! and even that " I cant even come closer to drinking my carloies as I did with the band"

So you can tell me u eat 1500 calories a day ( healthy balanced meals) I wont care much and sorry if I am sounding offensive to anyone here who consumes far less than that.

I DONT COUNT CALORIES! I know someday I will need to when I am so closer to my goal, but now all I care about is being logical and balanced about what I put in my mouth.

IF I had a fried (PIECE OF Whatever) in my lunch I wont cry all day about it cause it was just a tiny piece.. and most probably its in my favorite food ( fish/sushi) which is nothing more than 40 calories - if we are speaking calorie wise- but before WE COULD CONSUME a whole bunch of fried stuff fried fires.. and even fried banana in one sitting with a total of 2000 calories and more.

I hope my post is making sense to you, and since it might not, I just dont want to be so direct with it so some ppl will feel they can go crazy about unhealthy stuff.

With that said. I honestly feel, U are missing FAT from ur diet!

Yes there are some kind of fat in ur chicken thigh but may be few in ur one time cheese or deli turkey but u are lacking a good kind of good fat... SO I WILL SUGGEST, NUTS! .. cashew, peanut any other good source of nuts.. replace ur fruit intake with some of those.

I was so much concerned about my body's ability to process ( weight loss) again after I was struggling with my band and nearly starving myself.. but I find it is still responding .. slow respond but u are not the same person who had the band years ago.

you are a much lighter one now.

So I would try snacking more often, changing my food ... instead of the hardboiled eggs, try some white cheese in the moring with some shredded deli meat or what ever man, just change ur menu.

GO FISH for somedays instead of chicken.< /p>

Lay low with the fruits, I never lost with fruits .. although they are the healthy and good. If u cant give up fruit for sometime, try new fruits.. I remember u love watermelon? right?.. I know it makes me retain so much Water.

Finally, DRINK MORE WATER! the more nuts or salty stuff u will consume u will be more able to drink more, u will visit the restroom more often, u will flush more often! which is a good thing.

I know u have read all what I just wrote a lot before, but I believe that having small meals every 4 hours has helped me.

best of luck!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Don't forget "Natural Peanut Butter" - high in calories for a TB, but GOOD fat and oh-so good and the natural PNB has no partially hydrogenated anything, no additives. It's all good!

Totally agree! Only one thing, I tried to make the switch to natural and I just couldn't get used to the taste. I switched back to my other PB - but it's still not a bad choice. That's something I really enjoy post op. 1 TBSP of PB snack will get me the rest of the evening which is usually my danger time. Here's the weird thing, I totally HATED PB pre op...

If anyone likes the Natural that is definitely the best way to go though.

[swizzly 901]

That's something I really enjoy post op. 1 TBSP of PB snack will get me the rest of the evening which is usually my danger time. Here's the weird thing, I totally HATED PB pre op...

I'm the same -- I didn't hate PB pre-op, but I didn't really like it and rarely ate it. Now I LOVE a spoon of PB as a snack. I can't get the natural kind here, so I use the normal bad one too.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

I definitely know what you mean. I had to switch, but it took me a while to 'like' it. My husband had a stent put in due to a blockage, two years ago....because of the partially hydrogenated stuff, we switched, chips and Oreos also left his diet!! LoL He immediately liked it....not me. Now I can't eat Jif or Skippy....just because I finally developed a taste for this other....but it DID take a while!!

Totally agree! Only one thing, I tried to make the switch to natural and I just couldn't get used to the taste. I switched back to my other PB - but it's still not a bad choice. That's something I really enjoy post op. 1 TBSP of PB snack will get me the rest of the evening which is usually my danger time. Here's the weird thing, I totally HATED PB pre op...

If anyone likes the Natural that is definitely the best way to go though.

[Loooou 30]

Hip, I wish u the best of luck and I know ur body will start responding soon! It is just trying to tell u something and u need to figure it out:) it is after all Urs!.. keep us posted please, we all learn from each others experiences.. someday I will be where u are or someone will be there and these kind of posts keep us from just freaking out and knowing we are not alone.

MissDiva! thanks hon! I also didnt see him mentioning the holly WATER! I wish Hip is pushing Water as much as he can! and may be more.

Speaking to exbandster like urself and Hip makes me so much relieved u have no idea!! but u are the one who seeded faith in me when I first came to this boards! I know it will happen to him cause it happened to u! I think there is no exception with the sleeve except for complications which are rare and thankfully solvable!

Best of luck to all of u and yes there are different sources of fats! we just need to search and see whats really compatible with our new self!

[emilygrace 5]

I would be so pissed and discouraged if I went through the surgery and didn't have restriction. What I don't understand is what your surgeon has to say about this. I mean, his or her job was to make your stomach small enough that you have restriction. If they didn't do that, I would be beating down the door demanding a revision. The issue of metabolism post band is one thing (and not something I'm that familiar with as I never had a band), but regardless you should not be able to eat 5 or 6 oz of anything at 5 weeks postop as far as I can tell.

[luvthe8r 4]

I am so glad I read this post. I am in the same boat and thought it was only me. I am very frustrated! I am 2 months out and I don't feel any restriction. I have never pushed it horribly far and don't want to because this was my last resort and I don't want to know I can eat as much as before. I definitely have to watch everything I put in my mouth because nothing tells me it is time to stop. I feel no different than I did before surgery and I was a self pay, so I am even more frustrated that I am out a big chunk of money and had major surgery. I know the amount I have lost looks really good but I have gained 2 lbs this week and figure it is because I didn't track my calories. I was eating between 600 and 800 and at my last Drs visit, they said I should be between 800 and 1000. As soon as I did that, I either haven't lost anything or have gained, so I think maybe that is too many calories for me. This is so much harder than I expected it to be!!! I would give anything to be one that had a really good restriction!