I am one year and 2 months out. I must say it has not been very good for me.I started this journey at 210 lbs and now weigh 171 lbs. That is only a 39 lb weight loss in a year. To me this is a FAIL...I will say that 6 months post op I took a drink of a soda for the first time and missed it so I started drinking them again. I knew it was a no, no but was never really told why. I have since found out that the carbination will expand your pouch and it will NOT shrink back to the small size it was. So you can bet I have not had a soda since. I have been frustrated since about 2 months out. I never really felt restriction, although I can not eat as much as I could, I can eat way more than 6-8 oz. Which is what they told me my max would be 6 oz. I do feel like I have kinda given up. I stopped working out and started to eat whatever about 2 months ago, after my 1 year follow up. I have since gained 8 lbs. So on Monday I deceided to go back to 2 shakes a day and 1 low cal, low fat high protein meal and lost 7 lbs. But I should be down at least 50+ pounds by now per my DR. My goal weight is 130, and I really really want to get there. I spent way to much money, blood, sweat and tears to only loose 39 lbs and not get my life back. If anything I feel worse. I have such horrible pain in both my knees that started 4 months post op, and on some days I can hardly walk. (which has been part of the lack in exercise). If there is anyone out there who has had trouble from day one or not, that might have some words of encouragment or a better way to make this work I am all ears. I hate to sound like a cry baby, but I am desperate.

What did your doc say at your yearly? I was just curious to hear his reaction...

Well all you can do is look forward now. Now you know no soda. And as much as you think you feel no restriction, not being able to eat as much is restriction. You are back on the right track, and just for the record 39 pounds is 39 pounds. Now you realize you are not done with loosing. Now you must get back into loosing mode. So stick with proteins, stay away from sliders, and try to log onto my fitness pal. Just so you can keep track and can become more conscious of what you are eatting. Best of luck.

He was not happy with the weight loss. He asked what I had been eating/drinking. I told him the truth, and he said the biggest problem was the soda and lack of exercise. Oh and not enough protein. I have since changed that but still the weight is not coming off.

Stop beating yourself up now. Here are a few things I would suggest in my opinion and if you've done them already, I'm sorry to sound redundant:

1. Sign up with an online tracker today, like my fitness pal or one of the others.

2. Clean your kitchen of any no no foods immediately. Shop for only the foods you are allowed to eat.

3. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and know you can do this. Find a mentor, partner in this endeavor. And get with a support group ASAP.

4. Make a list of all the things you can do instead of eating the wrong things---includings eating out with friends.

5. You made the decision over a year ago to lose weight---that decision is still in you wanting to come out.

You were right to come on this site to ask for help and support. Above all ask your God or Higher Power for guidance. Hugs & blessings sent your way. Remember: today can be your first day!!!

You've already had some really good responses...

Just a little note from me... firstly, you have maintained your weightloss, regardless of how much or how little it feels... that in itself is a positive thing that you should focus on... give yourself encouragement and a pat on the back for that alone.

Also, fail, in my books, is a four letter F word... you are not a failure! You might of slipped off the wagon as such but that doesn't make you a failure. Be kind to yourself. It sounds like you already know what to do, and it also sounds like you are now ready to do it which is why you have come on here... get back on the losers bench... be patient and things will start to move again. Try not to fixate on the scales either, this will send you potty... measure yourself and use other ways to determine you 'overall' success.

Remember, the sleeve has no expiry date... you can work with it.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you get on. =]

Remember' date=' the sleeve has no expiry date... you can work with it.']

I love this! Good luck with getting back on track.

Oh gosh I'm sp afraid this will happen to me!!!!

Amytug, this won't happen to you unless you let it happen. The OP has taken responsibility for herself and is trying to get back on track. GO, SkinnyAgain!! You CAN do this.

Artsy gave you a very good starting point. You know you need to eat 70g of Protein per day and drink 64+oz of Water. Start with that, then gradually add in some exercise. I understand kneee pain. I have RA in my knees. But, it IS possible to find exercise that will not make your knees hurt. Walking short distances is a great place to start. Find a recumbent exercise bike that you can use and start doing it. Even if it's only 5 minutes a day to start, you WILL get better at it. It's GREAT cardio for a beginner.

Start lifting small (1-2 pound) weights. Do as many reps as you feel comfortable with; I started with 10 reps each for biceps curls, front arm raises and triceps kick backs. I'm now working out at a gym where the minimum weights on the machines are 30 pounds and I'm able to do more than the minimum for many of the exercises.

How you think is how you behave. If you believe you CAN do this, then you can. If you believe that you CAN'T do this, then you can't. Only you can change your way of thinking. This tool is permanent. YOU can start working with it any day of the week. Make today that day.

Please let us know how you're progressing. I know you're going to be successful at this and you will be Skinny Again!!

Dr nick was my surgeon too. Did u like him? I didn't like the fact he never came to see me post surgery. Best of luck getting back on track!!

Do you have any idea what size your sleeve is?

I am 3 years out and there is no way I can eat 6-8 oz. I get mad sometimes because I can eat a lot more now than I could at one year. I can eat 8 oz of yogurt, but no way could I eat an 6-8 oz steak.

Even though your sleeve seems to be on the larger size, you can still do your part by making sure your carbs are healthy carbs from vegetables and not white carbs such as rice and Pasta. The Protein you eat should be lean protein. Tracking it all on

a site such as myfitnesspal, like everyone suggests, should show you exactly how many carbs and calories you're consuming.

Good luck. You can do this!

I first want to say thank you to everyone for the advice and encouraging words. About Dr. Nick, I do like him but agree that he should play a bigger role in post op. I didn't see him after surgery till my 1 yr follow up. As for my pouch size it is a 34 bougie. I have noticed that most success stories that I have read are a 32. ( by that I mean they met their goal and then some in a much shorter time period) that's not to say that this is true for everyone. I also noticed that the 32 comes with more issues as far as being able to handle the protein. I askex the Dr about this and he said the differance is so small it shouldnt matter but I really think it does.

So I deceided to go back to the basics. I started with just protein shakes 3 days ago. Today I deceided to make a salad with a 6 oz salmon . I was only able to eat 3/4 of the salmon and I was done. I didn't even make it to the salad. So I think it is working. A week ago I would of ate all of it plus a glass of tea. Today I did not drink with my meal and it made a big differance. I felt the restriction and knew I was full. I will keep everyone posted on my on or off scale victories that I hope will come soon. Thanks again for the support.

Hi Skinny again.....thanks for coming onto the VS forum and letting us know what is going on with you......it's the first step to continuing your (already successful) journey. I think I can speak for all of and tell you that 39 lbs is an amazing weight loss; (just try lifting two 20 lb weights!). And losing 39 lbs the traditional way would have been much more painful and slow (IMHO). I didn't know about the carbonated drinks so that information is very helpful for all of us! Thank you. I don't drink soda but I do drink sparkling Water which I will stop immediately.

This entire thread has been humbling to read.....I am 7 months out, started at 204 at surgery and have lost 53 lbs, not that much more than you, but I feel like an entirely new person! But I am only losing 1 lb a week for the last 20 weeks and I am happy with that because I never feel like I'm dieting, I just eat very small amounts. Also when you lose slowly I think it helps my skin adjust so I don't have loose skin in places.

I think the advice of writing everything down (even if it's for a month or two) will be very helpful to you. I write a blog every Sunday and it's one of the things that keep me happy with the decision; all I have to do is go back to the first weeks and see the difference between now and then; I would take now (even though I'm not at goal either) over THEN anytime!

Good luck and come back when you need us.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am pre-op with 4# before I can get a date. Hearing what happens 2-3 years out causes me concern, too. In fact so much so I wonder if I will have the vsg surgery at all. Seems like a big sacrifice for uncertain benefits. Hope I don't put a damper on this post. Forgive me.

I am wondering if I have the stamina and patience for this marathon journey. Why did you want surgery in the first place?

This surgery is just a tool; you will not do as well if you don't change your habits for life. Ask a skinny woman how she keeps her figure. You Ai find a Lot of them watch their portions and rarely eat the bad stuff.

Dear K33, don't let my set back or anyone'en set back stop you from doing something that can give you your life back. I can't speak for everyone, but if you don't use the tool properly it will not work, and that was my mistake. I was eating and drinking all the wrong things. This is a lifestyle change and not a miracle surgery it takes hard work dedication. (something I was not doing which led me to my temppeary hiccup.) I did not post my set back to discourage anyone. Like all my fellow slevers said 39 lbs is a victory and with their advice it helped me to remember that. That's why we post to help one another. Regardless if I ever meet my goal weight, the VSG was the best thing I ever did. I should mention that I was diabetic type 2 and now I am not. There are many reasons why I wanted the VSG, mostly I wanted to be able to move around and enjoy life with my kids without feeling tired and fat all the time. I am not saying it is easy, (diets are easy) it is hard work but you can do it and will not regret it if you do. And if your ever in a slump just go on here and they will put you back on track, like they did for me. Btw Today is 8 lbs gone since last Monday. Back in my way.