Hello, I haven't been on this site in so long, I loved the support it gave me and probably my first mistake was not logging on. Anyways, I had my surgery 11/10 and am really struggling now. I lost about 90 pounds with 30 pounds to go. I got depressed that I wasn't losing faster and had major issues last year that I just couldn't focus on losing weight. So I feel I wasted a year. I have put on about 7 pounds but still have very good restriction when I eat the right food. I never lost my hunger but I know a few bites of food and I'm full. I am a junk food junky and I don't exercise. Believe me I know what to do but would really appreciate any advice.

Do you think its to late for me to still lose weight with the sleeve? And how would you go about getting back on track?

Thank you,

Janine

Hi Janine and welcome back! I think its never to late to lose weight. I'm only 2 months out, however I have read lots of posts here about a "boot camp" or "5 day pouch test" to help you get back into the groove. If you google it, there is one specific to sleeve. Also, exercising and logging your food into something like myfitnesspal to track your Protein, cals, etc. would help.

http://www.5daypouchtest.com/

Here is a link, but its for rny. I don't know if it helps for sleeve, but you can check it out. There may be posts on this vst site as well for the boot camp.

LilMissDiva posted a boot camp somewhere on here. Good luck and let us know how you do! :-)

It helps me to log into my fitness pal and view other peoples diarys. Please request me as a friend. Im just starting this journey. my name on my fitness pal is lowe1961. And set up your account so people can view your diary.

That is the great thing about the sleeve, it is so much easier to get back on track. I am also 2 years post op, and I still follow a lot of the the post-op guidelines. No drinking with meals, Protein first, lots of fluids. The biggest thing for me is keeping the junk out of my house. If it is not there, you can not eat it. I think this is the biggest part of my success. The sleeve did not give me more will power and it didn't change my tastes. I still love the bad stuff, and if it was in my house, I would eat it.

Also, the 5 day pouch test is a good idea. It is tough, but it is meant to help you get rid of those carb cravings. The more high sugar high carb foods you eat, the more you crave them.

And look at it like this. You lost 90LBs! That is a great accomplishment. And, yes, you gained back 7lbs. But without the sleeve, you probably would have gained back all 90 and maybe then some! If you have great restriction and you are committed to trying, you can do it!! The sleeve is a great tool, work with it and you will do great!

I know how frustrating it is to be stuck and having other issues happening and the emotional eating hitting us at the same time. When I get off track, I go back to the basics. Protein, protein, protein and some veggies. I realized that I am making my eating habits of working on the protein. LilMissDiva's basic boot camp really helps getting back on track and it's really basic and easy to follow. Here it is:

The BASICS BOOTCAMP:

For 5 STRICT DAYS I will eat only...

Proteins: Seafoods, Poultry and eggs, Dairies, nuts/seeds including Peanut Butter.

Veggies: Green only.

Fruits: None.

Breads/Cereals/Other Carbs: None.

Fluids: One gallon of Water (128 oz.) or Protein drinks.

Avoid: Sugar and Sodium

Once the 5 days are over, I am pretty much over the Sugar Carb Demon. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate carbs! I do need them to live a healthy life and since I workout a lot it is important I have them. However, I need GOOD carbs. Whole grains, fruits, veggies... But I don't need processed sugars. White carbs, in cereals, breads, rice... etc.

I am only one month post op and I hear that this can happen to people and it scares me. I know getting this surgery is no quick fix its actually the hardest thing I have ever done and still know it is going to take will power and discipline to reach your goal and stay there. Just think back to how you felt the day you came out of surgery and all the pain you went through don't let that go to waste after what you endured. You lost so much weight already and just a little to go. You can do it find something that really motivates you and focus on it. Find a work out that is fun say bike riding or Zumba something that doesn't feel like exercise but will melt those pounds you can do it!

I can relate with how you might be feeling. I think sometimes the hardest part is just "getting your head" back in to things. I haven't had the sleeve yet, but I had lost over 150lbs once...only to gain it all back. Just like you, I know "what to do" to get back into it...but it's a matter of getting my mind and motivation back in the game. Try not to beat yourself up about a 7lb gain...we all stumble here and there. Something I try to do is to say to myself: "I've stumbled but I can be RESILIENT. I deserve to give myself a chance to turn this around". Maybe it sounds hokey, but I think it helps So often I catch myself turning to the "all- or-nothing" way of living or thinking too...Either, A) I'm doing ALL, by food journaling/exercising/making thoughtful choices, and feeling like a 'success' because I'm losing...or...I'm doing NOTHING, by going back to the junk food/stop exercising/being complacent, feeling like a 'failure' only because of one or two initial slips that sent me into that all-or-nothing mentality. (Again, that's just me, of course!) But maybe you might be feeling similar too sometimes(?) If that's a part of your challenge as well, maybe it's good to put your situation into perspective. You've lost 90 lbs. (not too shabby.) Sure you've gained 7lbs...but news flash: you're not perfect. No one is And +7lbs over 2 years is probably a heck of a lot less than gains you might have had before the sleeve...aaand that's still an 83lb loss that you've triumphed in protecting!! It's never too late to start losing again. You're resilient, and you got this one.

Thank you for the great advice. Its nice to know people you really don't know you are so supportive and helpful. I think the boot camp is a great idea and something I will do after Christmas (I know I shouldn't wait but it will be too hard). When I stopped logging my food on my fitness pal is when I gained the 7 pounds. So keeping a food journal is something I know that works.

Good luck to you guys on your weight loss journey:)

Janine,

What kind of junk foods do you have a hard time with? The reason I ask is, I recently found that the monster cravings I've been fighting a losing battle with are much relieved with a couple of amino acid supplements. I always thought my problem was emotional eating, and that's definitely something I have to watch and find better coping strategies for, but I felt like some kind of crazy person obsessing about sweets. Now that I'm on the supplements, it's 100 times easier to eat right. I guess sometimes our bodies are trying to tell us something!