I seem to have the sleeve of steel! I'm 7 weeks out and have tolerated everything, I have never vomited, and haven't been nauseous since 1 week post op.

I've been released to all foods, but I'm told its better to stay away from bread/rice/pasta until I'm closer to goal. Well, I had a few bites of leftover baked ziti for lunch, maybe 1/4 cup. It sat fine! No bloating, no fullness, nothing! I almost wish that it made me vomit. I hate knowing that I'm relying purely on self control! I know I should thank my lucky stars that I'm having such an easy time with food and Fluid, but I don't always feel so lucky!

I guess this is more of a vent? Thanks for listening/reading!

Keep in mind' date=' this advice doesn't work for everybody. It may work for you, but it would mean failure to me. I know....I've tried it. There are "moderators" and there are "abstainers". We each have to figure out which we are, then use that to help us reach our goal. But to say if one abstains will lead to certain binging....that's not true for us all. Quite the opposite. My binges have all been the result of allowing myself a small treat here and there....gradually wanting more each time, and more frequently.

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This is so true. My husband and I are completely opposite on this. Pre-op, I used to eat whatever I wanted (too much I'm sure) but then I was done. Didn't think about it again. I can keep a box of good, dark chocolates in the house for a month, and only eat one piece at a time and not crave it.

My husband can't do that. The chocolate calls to him. The ribs from dinner speak his name. He will eat it until it's all gone and then start to binge on other stuff. He can't do moderation. For the most part, I can.

But I too have a soft spot, a vulnerability....and it's sugar. Sugar triggers me something awful.

Once I start to eat sugar, I crave sugar. And I hunt for it. And boy can i rationalize why this one piece won't hurt me. See, the one piece doesn't. It's just the cake I want again the next day, and the reeses's Peanut Butter cups the day after that, and then the pie the following week,...and on it goes.

We both accept that we were addicted to sugar. We both know it does us no good. For that reason alone, I think if we never ate or craved refined sugar again, we might consider it a blessing. It's like not smoking that first cigarette.

I don't think we all got fat the same way so we'll likely not get thin the same way either. The key for each is to find what works for us, and support other's different choices.

Thank you for bringin this up! Everyone seems to be low carb cray cray on these boards. I know you need to watch your carb intake and all but I 100% agree with you. A 1/4 cup of ziti IS moderation. It's not like you're eating ziti everyday and even if you did at a 1/4 of a cup, you're definatly not taking in more calories than you're putting out. I am personally getting this proceedure as a tool to keep me from binging. Trust me, if I could eat just 1/4 of a cup of baked ziti I woudnt need the sleeve to begin with.

I totally agree with what you said...I will not turn one addiction into another......Going from worrying if there is enough for me to eat to worrying about what I eat.....Too much.....I eat a bit of everything...I put veggies, carbs and Protein on my plate and eat a bit of all of them....I can never finish a plate and that is okay with me because I think it is cool that I can't...Tonight I had lamb and orzo and cold slaw......it was all good and I am full....

1 cup of food is not 3 plate fulls..my tool is working...So is yours.....

I totally agree with what you said...I will not turn one addiction into another......Going from worrying if there is enough for me to eat to worrying about what I eat.....Too much.....I eat a bit of everything...I put veggies, carbs and Protein on my plate and eat a bit of all of them....I can never finish a plate and that is okay with me because I think it is cool that I can't...Tonight I had lamb and orzo and cold slaw......it was all good and I am full....

1 cup of food is not 3 plate fulls..my tool is working...So is yours.....

That is such a great idea and is really a true definition of the word 'balance'. I need some balance in my life with food. That doesnt mean I'll never go through periods of low carb or slide back into drinking liquids for a few days as needed but I'm just sick of diet after diet after diet before the sleeve. I crave balance now.

U know I was going crazy when I started coubting weighing food.. I was do stressed.. then I went to talk to my nut. And she said stop stop counting weighing just eat. Alwayd eat protien first. Lets say u order a chicken salad so ig u eat the chicken first you probobly won't have space for the rest. So there u go. And since then that's what I do. I just eat as I please. I don't have a protien limit or carb although I do stay away as much as possible. I'm 3 1/2 mths out and I'm down 65 lbs... she Lso said I was loosing to fast. But I'm eating fine and my vitamin s are fine. So I just stop stressing and just enjoy. I dont eat very much about half to a whole egg. Thats my portion size.

....... you probobly won't have space for the rest. .

For now. At some point everyone's capacity and hunger goes back up. For some people way up. Read the veterans forum a while. There aren't many people there who can just eat what they want with no thought to self control and expect the limits of the sleeve to maintain their weight.

Sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone.

Sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone.

If you're referring to me, you did not and I'm not trying to offend you either. Just offering my opinion based on what I've seen from so many others and what I went through personally.

I find I can eat more non Protein even when i eat it with protein. So I stick to protein first. Last week I had my Greek yogurt chicken salad and thought I would eat it with crackers. I could eat 4 whole wheat saltines and 1/2 cup chicken salad. Then I decided I shouldn't be eating crackers lol and the next day for lunch I ate only the 1/2 cup chicken salad and got full and stayed full longer. I did the experiment for 4 days. Two with crackers two with out. The results were the same. I guess crackers are a slider food.

Basically you have to figure out what works for you and what keeps you full. I have tried rice but it didn't seem to keep me full. I only ate two tablespoons though because I was afraid it will swell in my tummy.

I kinda wish bad foods made me sick..........

The first thing that came to my mind was......they did! If I hadn't eaten the bad foods I wouldn't be obese and in need of help. Carbs are nasty demons that are addicting and I just have to stay away from them. I know eventually I will have to allow some back in my life but for now it is just the smart carbs. I admire those of you who can add some back in but for me it's a no go. Best of luck on your journey!

I know how you feel. I keep saying the same thing I wish I had some negative reinforcement to help me.

The only thing I've eaten thus far that's made me sick was not peeling the skin off a cucumber. I wish I had more self control or better didn't push my boundaries to see what I could eat. This is hard. But I wouldn't change it for anything. Down 98lbs! Wouldn't of been able to do that prior to surgery.

I know how you feel. I keep saying the same thing I wish I had some negative reinforcement to help me.

The only thing I've eaten thus far that's made me sick was not peeling the skin off a cucumber. I wish I had more self control or better didn't push my boundaries to see what I could eat. This is hard. But I wouldn't change it for anything. Down 98lbs! Wouldn't of been able to do that prior to surgery.

I agree. I'm down 47lbs in2 months. Never would have done it before.

Bread and pasta feel like bombs exploding in my stomach. Sweet things go down no problem. I am actually jealous of people who say they get bouts of dumping syndrome after surgery. I have never vomited once since the sleeve, and there have been a few times when I probably ate too much. I put my best foot forward every day though. I keep going despite a "cheat" because I can't beat myself up about mistakes that already happened. I agree with Laura, though, it's best to avoid some things entirely as much as you can, especially in the beginning.