So I am 15 months post-op.....

Just thought I would share my experiences and what life is like for me as a sleever in maintenance. I made my weight loss goal ( a very modest goal in fact...) at about 8 months out. So I have maintained my weight loss with ease for the last 7 months. I chose a higher goal than many sleevers for several reasons....

1.) easier to maintain

2.) no lose skin. That's right people, I have no lose skin, my butt is still round and the girls are still perky!

3.) I am normal, curvy healthy and average. That's all I ever wanted!

4.) I wear normal sizes. I am in a 12 and as a nurse I wear medium scrub tops and large bottoms. I LOVE BEING NORMAL. (preop I was in 2x and 24s)

I don't really care that my BMI is not "normal" it never will be, I am happy and healthy. My surgeon and primary agree I am in a great spot.

So what do I eat? a typical day is about 2000 calories. I was eating 1400 a day for weight loss.... I got up to 1000 cals as soon as I could post op so I wouldn't tank my metabolism. I don't eat low fat anything, I don't drink diet anything, no sugar free toxic crap. I eat small and healthy amounts everything. I have a vanilla latte everyday.I eat cheese at least twice a day. I eat lots of fruit and veggies and of course Protein. I go out to eat, have dessert a few times per week. I eat like a healthy, normal person.

I still have started a real workout routine at the gym... I have a fairly physical job as a nurse and I take the dog for walks all the time, I plan to workout at the gym this winter for health purposes.

All in all my point is.... I am so happy I was sleeved!!

below is a before and after.....:-)

Thank you for that post. I love being a comfortable size 12 also!

I am 17 weeks out and 55lb down. My surgeon wants me to lose another 30lb. My daughter and husband think I look great now. And compared to pre-op, they are right. I too am taking the long way. I am 55 and do not like to exercise. I work long hours and eating around 1000 calories, I don't have the energy I would like. I have noticed that I still have an appetite, but luckily - (thank you sleeve), I can't eat too much! I'm dredding the day I don't feel full!

This is a great post. I've been very concerned about losing too much weight too quickly as I want to keep my curves and don't want loose skin either.

I look forward to eating like normal people lol.

So do you have any issues with any food types?

No issues at all! Hence the name "Sleeve of Steel" I am very lucky

At what point were you able to take in more food without feeling that awful food stuck in your throat feeling? I'm three weeks out and feeling so abnormal...you look awesome by the way!

I was feeling completely normal finally after 4-5 months. I took a while. It was worth the wait!

I love your post! I have said right from the beginning that you have to make changes you can live with for a lifetime. I never tracked or counted anything and my exercising has been sporadic because most of the time I am chasing after my 2 young children. I did make a lot of changes to my diet, but they were all changes that I could live with. I try to stay away from the white stuff, but that doesn't mean a piece of bread or an ice cream cone ever pass my lips. It may have taken me a little longer to reach my goal, but I reached it in 18 months and I have been maintaining for the last almost 6 months, actually dropping a little below my goal weight. I got the surgery done so I could live a healthy, normal life, not being controlled by food, making healthy changes, but not having to go on an extreme diet to get there! Congratulations on your success and your healthy view on life!

Thank you very much for sharing this. You look great! I'm very happy for your successful weight loss and maintenance. Keep up the good work!

Now these are the type of posts I really enjoy and appreciate! While I realize, and try to understand, the almost fanatical eating plan some sleevers are doing, I just don't feel that it's healthy. I do think we need to curtail the unhealthy Snacks and trigger foods, which for me is carbs, but I don't think that drastic dieting helps. For me, I need to use this sleeve restriction time to learn how to eat. Not to learn how to diet. I've got how to lose weight by depriving myself down like a pro, it's how to learn to live WITH food that I need to work on to be permanently successful this time. Am I losing weight slowly? Yep. But a pound a week works for me and I feel healthy and happy and not deprived.

So, thanks for this thread.

Thanks everyone! I really feel like I can maintain long term! No bumps in the road yet, I'll keep everyone posted ! :-)

I plan to eat 1200-1500 calories per day post op. preop I am on 900-1000 per day (liquid diet).

Brave girl to post in honesty. Yes!

My caloric intake is below yours on most days because we all are different, higher calories for me would mean weight gain. As you said, we all need to find where we are comfortable

Congrats, you look amazing!

Sleeve of Steel! You go girl! I am out 3+years and love myself just as I am. . I met my doctors' goal for me and even surpassed it by 12 LBS. I am a complete and total success. Do I resemble those runway thin magazine models? NOOOOO, do I want to? NOOOOO. . . I, like you, am very proud of me. . . for once in my life I love me! I hold my head up high (not too high, I'd give myself a nosebleed) and am so thankful for having had this surgery. Pre-op I wore a womens size 32 (4X) now I wear a 16/18 (Med/Large), depending on the maker. I can do everything a "normal" person does and no, I do NOT eat 500 calories or even count a stupid calorie anymore. . .I know my limit, I've learned that in this past 3 years. I haven't gained and am maintaining beautifully. . Good luck to all of you out there! It's great to be alive!

Sleeve of Steel! You go girl! I am out 3+years and love myself just as I am. . I met my doctors' goal for me and even surpassed it by 12 LBS. I am a complete and total success. Do I resemble those runway thin magazine models? NOOOOO, do I want to? NOOOOO. . . I, like you, am very proud of me. . . for once in my life I love me! I hold my head up high (not too high, I'd give myself a nosebleed) and am so thankful for having had this surgery. Pre-op I wore a womens size 32 (4X) now I wear a 16/18 (Med/Large), depending on the maker. I can do everything a "normal" person does and no, I do NOT eat 500 calories or even count a stupid calorie anymore. . .I know my limit, I've learned that in this past 3 years. I haven't gained and am maintaining beautifully. . Good luck to all of you out there! It's great to be alive!

Love to hear this!!!! :-)

Wow!!! Thinoneday, you go girl! 3 years out & still maintaining a size 16/18....totally Awesome!!! You are an inspiration & give me hope for a bright, thin future

Glad I found this post! I feel as though my goal weight is higher than most, but I know what I desire to look and feel like. I am only a little over two weeks out, but I feel like I am losing the weight a bit too fast. Tips appreciated!

Nice job Sleeve of Steel.

I'm 6 months post op and I've been eating 1250 calories a day since month 2. Some days I'm up over 1400. I still log all my food. The only rules I set for myself are 120+ grams of Protein a day and try to avoid the starches. If I do that, everything else seems to take care of itself. I don't have cravings for crappy food anymore, and I don't go hungry. I eat when I need to. I love working out and I do a variety if things, not the same thing day after day, so it's not a chore. I'm still losing quite well. I think being on too restrictive of a calorie deficit can only hamper your weight loss, not to mention sabotage your health.

For me, the key is finding what works and what you can maintain for life. Living healthy takes discipline, but if it's all consuming and tedious you're not likely to stick with it.