successful sleevers?

[Dametris 110]

If you work with your sleeve, losing weight post-op is easy. This is the easiest I have ever lost weight with the least amount of stress.
The most important thing is to follow your post-op diet strictly the first 6 months. The stages of the post-op diet is not just to reduce complications but to also change your relationship with food and teach you to eat again properly. People advance their stages, don't follow a plan and miss that chance.
The first 6 months you are healing so you have the most restriction. This restriction is a great tool to enforce healthy eating habits and make them natural. Example, a proper portion of meat for anyone is 3 to 4 ounces. Post-op you have to work up to eating 3 to 4 ounces of dense Protein. The time it takes to work it to that and learn you are completely satisfied with that amount teaches you proper Portion Control and makes it normal.
Also after living on Protein Shakes and Water for weeks, the simplest foods taste delicious. Baked fish is suddenly a feast, veggies a delight. Going without and slowly introducing healthy foods resets your attitude about food, but you have to let it happen and work with your program not against it.
A lot of people advance their stages or eat slider foods because they are easier to eat and they miss this mental reset.
You get a one time shot at the easy mental reset post-op. If you miss it then you have to try and retrain yourself later on, on your own and it is just as hard as doing it pre-op.

People that regain usually reintroduce carbs early and/or think they can eat how they did prior to surgery just in smaller portions.

The one person I know personally that had surgery 5 years ago, never hit goal and has regained half their loss (They are a bypass patient). Never changed eating habits. Ate the same way just smaller portions, and then followed fad diets. Never learned nutrition, never tracked food. Now they have regained and are a loss on how to lose it. They can eat normal portions of food. Their tool offer a them no help and they haven't learned any lessons.

Hopefully you are having surgery at a center of excellence. I was given a book and several handouts on how to eat and live for the rest of my life. I don't eat everything they allow because they have far too many carbs on the list for a former diabetic like me, but I followed my food stages. I follow the portions and I still look at my book for guidance. Picking a good program and a good surgeon is another key to success.

Thanks for the encouragement I truly appreciate it & it's well rec'd[emoji16] my sleeve surgery is 6/1 & I just want to be as successful in this journey as possible [emoji41]

Sent from my S8+ using BariatricPal mobile app[emoji41]

[Dashofpixiedust8 1,469]

Thank you! That makes sense what your saying and I never thought of it that way. I'm with a hospital that's a center for excellence in Philadelphia. I'm self pay so I haven't had the insurance guidelines to follow pre op, but I go this week for a nutrition appt. Thanks again for the advice!

Where are you getting yours done? I had mine at Penn last year.

[kimmarie_36 18]

I'm getting it at Penn too with Dr. Williams

[Dashofpixiedust8 1,469]

I heard he's good. I had Dr. Dumon, he was very good.

[kimmarie_36 18]

I heard he's good. I had Dr. Dumon, he was very good.

That's awesome. I think they have a great program there. I've been happy so far but also nervous! Do you ever get to any of the support meetings?

[Dashofpixiedust8 1,469]

That's awesome. I think they have a great program there. I've been happy so far but also nervous! Do you ever get to any of the support meetings?

I do. I went to the one in April but missed May's. I wanted to go to the one in June but I will have had my panniculectomy 5 days prior so I will most likely not feel up to it lol I will be going to the one in July though. Have you been?

[kimmarie_36 18]

I do. I went to the one in April but missed May's. I wanted to go to the one in June but I will have had my panniculectomy 5 days prior so I will most likely not feel up to it lol I will be going to the one in July though. Have you been?

I went to my first one this past Saturday at Presbyterian. Maybe I'll catch you at one sometime. Good luck with your upcoming surgery! Are you getting that done at Penn too?

[Dashofpixiedust8 1,469]

I went to my first one this past Saturday at Presbyterian. Maybe I'll catch you at one sometime. Good luck with your upcoming surgery! Are you getting that done at Penn too?

I usually go to the ones at the Perelman center. Thanks! I am! All my doctors are at Penn, I find it's easier for them all to keep track of me even though I live in Wilmington.

[kimmarie_36 18]

I usually go to the ones at the Perelman center. Thanks! I am! All my doctors are at Penn, I find it's easier for them all to keep track of me even though I live in Wilmington.

I would have preferred to go to the one at the Perelman center as I find it easier to get to. So maybe I will catch you there at one sometime. Definitely it's easier to have everything through the same place. Good luck with it! I'm sure it's exciting to have come this far!

[Dashofpixiedust8 1,469]

I would have preferred to go to the one at the Perelman center as I find it easier to get to. So maybe I will catch you there at one sometime. Definitely it's easier to have everything through the same place. Good luck with it! I'm sure it's exciting to have come this far!

Definitely! Thank you! It has been a crazy journey!