How is everyone doing 3-5 years out?

[FishingNurse 1,210]

@@Oregondaisy I added up my calories on Easter, and it was 3000! Yikes. I know with certainty I can easily weigh 300 pounds again in a year. No problem. All I have to do is eat candy and cheese cake and pick all day. So glad I am able to get right back on my usual diet after a day. That is something the sleeve either gave me or helped me learn - that one bad day or meal shouldn't become reason to continue. I sure hope that never changes.

There are days I have gone beyond 3000 calories easily! I could TOTALLY go back to 262 pounds. I won't... but I totally could. I have to pay attention. I feel like the sleeve makes this sooooo much easier. I am feel lucky everyday that I had this procedure!!!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

@ Oregondaisy have you considered changing your relationship with your friend? Example, have her come to your house or meet somewhere food neutral? I know you are still recovering from surgery so are limited what you can do so my suggestions are just brainstorming ideas . Meet for a short walk, or an activity lile bunco or cards or craft hobbied - something keeps hands busy that you aren't tempted.

Changing lifestyle and relationship with food also means changing things with some people.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Sorry...posted too soon...

I heard a study once about "willpower" and weight management. Thin people don't have more willpower they just habitually don't set themselves up for failure. Example...resist once (at the grocery store ) rather than finding the willpower to resist a million times a day once the junky food is right there in front of you. When you know a relationship is "toxic " for you it's better to change it or end it.

You have often lamented in the past that all socializing is around food. That would torture me and I spend more time with people who are active and away from food now to help me. It's still hard because others seem to be able to stay slim on alot of food...but such is my fate.

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. It would be great if she wanted to go for a walk with me. She just would not do it. I'm having trouble walking at all since my surgery. The surgery made the sciatic worse and now my left leg really hurts if I walk very much. I am very discouraged that when I tried working out at the gym, I was in pain for days.

[It's all new 453]

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.

In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.

The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.

As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

At 4+ years out I look at myfitnespal and see a lot of junk! I am around 12 pounds over goal range, went through my moms death and a couple of weeks ago my little companion dog of 16 years... I have no kids.... I really think feeding the emotions have me stuck in my routein... I can eat 3000 cals too, but luckily not often... I do have days were I semi-fast... once or twice a week, that helps in the long run. I am very happy with my sleeve, but it is hard to keep the course of success all the time. I do keep getting back on the horse... with good eating habits and exercise... then falling off just as often!

[swimbikerun 1,038]

@@feedyoureye Exactly! I start to wonder why they do not hype those farther out and get their ideas on things.

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

It's really hard. Nothing changes in the world after we have surgery. There are still parties, holidays, friends who encourage us to eat and snack, stress, etc.

It will never be easy. The one thing that saves me is I am never really hungry. If I can not listen to my head hunger, I can actually go though my day without eating very many calories. I can't do it for very long, like weeks at a time, because there is always that temptation out there in the world and I lose my willpower.

[swimbikerun 1,038]

@@Oregondaisy Can someone please notify Alex Brecher and have him put this post up in the memorable category. Sums it up.

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

I'm not really sure what you mean by the "memorable category" Is there a memorable category that I don't know about?

He can make this topic a sticky.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Gosh I have a way from this site for quite a bit now. I'm actually hiding from my reality. My reality is that I am 3.5 years post opt and in the last few months I have gained about 12 lbs. My lowest was 143 and my highest as of this morning is 156.6lbs. I have times where I eat a lot of junk food. I'm sure I can eat up to 3000 calories in junk when I'm in an emotional spot and just don't care. Other days, I can keep the calories low and focus on mostly Proteins. but I am a carb addict and I tend to tell myself lies and postpone the inevitable watching what I eat. This is not the easiest journey for sleevers but a good reminder that this is just a tool. It helps to read that others have the same struggle and hear suggestions given. My bariatic case manager has told me that if I eat more than 1200 calories, I will definitely gain weight. I of course have tested this only to discover how true it is by the reality of my weight gain. So today is the day that I am on proteins and keeping the calories really low. I also had an incident where my cat spelt half of my Protein Drink. Yayyy that helped cut calories there.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Hi Skinny! I am in the same boat as you...

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there.

In my third year I was taken off my B12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days.

The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe.

As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

@It's all new

When you were in the weight-losing phase, did you eat very low carbs?

If so, how low were your carbs? And for how long?

Thanks in advance for your response.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I am under goal (just barely!) and on a daily basis remind myself how happy, lucky and fortunate I am to be worried about whether I am in the 150s versus 140s... as opposed to my previous realities in the 300# weight class. I remind us all that EVERY single woman in America, especially the middle aged among us, fight with those few pounds. Be a bit gentler with ourselves ladies! Please!

I saw pix of myself from a recent vacation and I thought i looked fat in my 2 piece swimsuit... it nearly killed me to see the photos. My dear sweet boyfriend thought I looked hot all covered in mud from the natural mudbath/hotsprings.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Feedyoureye this is a good reminder that I need to be focused and not let my negative thoughts and negative emotions get me off track. It is just so darn easy to get off track.

This last weekend I went to Las Vegas and looked at my body in the mirror and I looked so fat! So much skin that it did a # on me. A 10 lb gain can take us up one cloths size. It reminded me that I can't eat like normal people even though it feels like I can sometimes. I almost died when I was able to eat a 6" sub from subway. So now I have to have perimeters placed. I am also working on emotional part of where I just don't care.....or am just too lazy to fix myself something healthy.

Not to mention it's not as easy to take off some weight as in the past. Typically I could eat under 1000 calories and loose. Yesterday, it was a struggle to stay under and did cut back on the carbs had basically Protein shake, Protein Bar, and a cheese quesadilla and I gained an ounce! Just so frustrating....

Sorry for the vent, I will have to come on here more often for the support and the reminder that I still need a support system in place. I just forget sometimes that I have this surgery......

Have a great Tuesday everyone....