Seems so crazy to me that I may have actually found the "magic bullet!" I know it's a tool and the majority of the work falls to me in terms of eating right and exercising.

But that has never been my problem. My problem is over eating to the point where exercise seems impossible and hopeless. Diets have been nothing but a way to gain even MORE weight when I was done.

The thought of being full without over eating seems like a dream! I know it's crazy but I have never really been able to mentally connect the fact that, in a nutshell, consuming yummy chips makes my life a living hell. Logically I know it does but there's a gap between logic and my brain when it come to food.

Now I'm going to be installing an internal switch that is going to connect it for me. At least for some period of time, which is why I need to make sure I change my exercise, eating, and habits before the switch gets turned off! I need to have all these new lifestyle changes cemented in!

How long do I have before the weight loss slows down and I am "able" to eat too much?

The amount of food you eat will increase slightly as you go through this journey. But it from from like 3-4 oz, to like 7 oz. It's not a whole whole lot. It's what we put in that limited space that really makes the difference. We all are going to slip. But the best thing to do is stay away from the foods you are helpless with for a while. Some say until goal. I say until you don't really think about them anymore. If you're 6 months out and you really don't care if you have a chip or not... Try one. Your body may not even like them anymore. I know cakes and muffins and brownies are my weakness.. I know I will forever have a problem with them, because I still think about them all the time. So I just steer clear of those things. As long as you eat protein first, you shouldn't have a problem.

The first 3 moths or so are when you are likely to see the most extreme loss. Most continue losing at an excelerated rate for the first 6months or so.

But more important than that is you have to understand, this is not the "magic bullet" it is not gonna do his for you. It is a great tool, kinda like if Weight Watchers was a carpenters hammer, then the sleeve would be a wrecking ball. Though there is a huge difference between them there is 1 big thing they have in common. They're both useless without someone using them.

You are gonna end up finding that with all that restriction your gonna want to learn to nourish your body on your limited capacity. The way you view food is going to change completely. Embrace it, and try not to be too harsh on people around you that can still eat way too much. This is the hardest part for me.

As far as being able to eat too much, you'll be capable of that very early on. If you so chose. I could drink 5000 calories today if I chose to. But I just don't want that anymore.

Once again, Star is right on the money!! You will always have a tool to help you control your portions, but what makes up those portions is up to you. My weakness is cheetos, so I control that urge by allowing myself a single-serving bag of them once a month. That's what works for me. Other than that, I don't keep them in the house.

For me, the first six months were rocket-like as far as weight loss. I dropped weight like crazy. At about 7 months out, I hit a plateau, which was a weight that I stayed at for nearly 10 years on my way up the scale. My weight loss, in pounds, slowed way down. BUT, once the weight loss slowed down, I started shape-shifting. I can almost watch my body change from week to week, and my measurements and clothes sizes reinforce that. I started in a 24/26 and I'm now in a 14/16. I'd be in a smaller size pants, but I have a bit of a tummy still.

One thing that really affects how fast I lose pounds is that I got really serious about exercise. I have muscle and definition in places I didn't know I could have muscle and definition before. I had a body fat analysis at my doctor's office recently and it shows that I am within .01% of the amount of muscle I should have in my body for my height, even though my BMI is still in the obese category. That means that I am converting fat to muscle with exercise and that I've managed to protect my heart muscle from significant damage from rapid weight loss. That was a major worry of mine. My pulmonologist is also thrilled with my improved cardio fitness.

The sleeve is a tool, but if you work it right, you'll be able to reach goal and to reach goal in a healthy manner. After all, it's not just about the pounds; it's also about enjoying your life and all of the newfound abilities that come with weight loss. If you're not sure what I'm referring to, please visit the "powder Room" and "Man Room" forums here on VST!

Good luck on your journey!!

Quote: "that means that I am converting fat to muscle with exercise and that I've managed to protect my heart muscle from significant damage from rapid weight loss."

I know I should be more knowledgeable in this area; however, talk to me about the potential damage to your heart muscle from rapid weight loss??? Just want to understand better. Thanks!

Quote: "that means that I am converting fat to muscle with exercise and that I've managed to protect my heart muscle from significant damage from rapid weight loss."

I know I should be more knowledgeable in this area; however, talk to me about the potential damage to your heart muscle from rapid weight loss??? Just want to understand better. Thanks!

It's mainly a problem for people who go on hunger strikes or massive starvation diets without exercise. Eating a proper diet (high in protein) and exercising regularly (and smartly), and you will not have any heart related problems stem from your sleeve journey.

But the heart is a muscle and it too will atrophy with a lack of exercise and Protein.

Raven, you've already got your answer...but I wanted to say kudos to you for asking the right questions. It sounds like you have the proper mindset to be very successful with your sleeve.

My pulmonologist was concerned that rapid weight loss would lead to deterioration of my heart muscle because of the lack of nutrients and Protein in many people's post WLS diet. He was rabid about reminding me to stay at or above my protein goal and that I should take my Multivitamins, even though he doesn't believe in Vitamin supplements for most of his patients. He really didn't want me to have WLS before I did it, but I've managed to make a believer out of him. My labs are perfect. My body fat analysis showed him that rapid weight loss after WLS does not have to destroy the heart muscle and he actually told me that my EKG is "sexy" when compared to last year's pre-op EKG.

Getting the protein and Vitamins in post WLS is super important to prevent damage to the heart. According to all the medical tests I've had, I've improved my heart muscle, which is even more important than better biceps, skinnier jeans, and lower numbers on the scale to me.

Lissa- how soon after your surgery did you start working out? I am scheduled for 9/25 and am trying to do more walking but as my weight has gone up my feet hurt more and more.

pretty-pink, I didn't start formally "working out" for a month or two after surgery. What I did do was start walking immediately after surgery, first up and down the hallway in my apartment, then around the small end of the apartment building, then the big end of the apartment building. About 3 weeks after surgery, I managed to walk around the lake in the apartment complex, which might be 1/4 mile. I felt like Rocky that day! I also started lifting 2 pound weights about 10 days after surgery. I'd literally do 10 reps each of biceps curls, front arm raises, triceps extension and skull crushers with those 2 pound weights. Once I got up to 100 reps of each without pain, then I switched up to 5 pound weights, then 8, and now I do 25-50 pounds depending on the exercise and I do those on machines/dumbbells.

I started on the recumbent bike at 5-10 minutes daily, working my way up to 30-45 minutes a day. I added in the elliptical about 2-3 months ago, starting at 2-3 minutes at a time. Now I do at least 30 minutes of cardio daily, plus weights and stretching.

Pre-op, I couldn't walk from the front door to the car without being out of breath. Since surgery, I've had more energy than I know what to do with most days. If you're just starting an exercise program, start small and add in little bits as you get better. There's no need to run out and start doing an insane program or join a gym immediately post-op. You need to develop a base level of fitness that you can build upon and add a little more as the workouts become too easy.

IF you want to see real workout gurus here, look for Lil Miss Diva, PDX Man, Keno, Mass Index, and Blackberry juice. THOSE people were my go-to exercise gurus and I still look for their posts when I have fitness questions. Me? I'm an amateur. Despite my exercise program, I still can't do the treadmill well, and walking outside is not high on my list of things to do. I have arthritis in my knees, so I'm always looking for low impact workouts. Zumba and other fitness classes are not for me. There are tons of people here who have added them in and are doing even better fitness-wise than me.

Thanks Liss! that makes me feel better!

It is less about how much you can eat and more about what you choose to eat. As others have said, this is a tool, what is needed is you to make the right choices in using this tool.

Think about, early on you could purée up a mars bar with a double scoop of Ben and Jerrys and drink that down for Breakfast. The volume would be the same as a Protein drink with a blended cup of berries but the utritional value is vastly different.

So try not to think volume, instead think about the value of what you put in your mouth. There is less room, and that won't change greatly, so you want to make sure what you put in that reduced space is the best it can be.