What's your advice to sleeve newbies?

I was just writing an email to someone and it dawned on me that this might be the start of a good thread.

My advice is to take FULL advantage of the first six months. That is the easiest time to lose weight. Your stomach is the size of a cigar, finger, it's small and round. It won't stretch out to a banana size/shape for a few months and this time frame it is easy to lose weight. Since it is easy to lose weight a lot of people just sit around watching pounds melt. If you put forth effort during this time frame you lose faster and get to goal sooner.

If you are a band to sleeve and your port site hurts the first two weeks... yeah, I got nothing. It hurts. Consider it initiation to the revision club? HA! :thumbup:

Anyone else?

Congratulations on your amazing weightloss. Did you notice your appetite increased overtime? Everyone is telling me the first six months is the best and then your appetite returns somewhat, at least. Did you ever have a problem with vomiting and if so did it go away with time? I had my sleeve done 2/18/09 and I am so happy with the weigthloss so far. Wow, 100 pounds is incredible! Keep up the good work!

I was thinking over my decision to band vs sleeve and after reading more on this forum, I have decided the band is for me. I don't have those complications and I only needed 2 fills. I know my weight loss is slower but hey, it took a long time to put it on. What's the hurry now?

So I was wondering, with the sleeve, since your stomach is smaller, I would assume your body works less to digest food--it shouldn't take as long either. So for those of us with eating disorders, what keeps you from grazing every couple of hours? What changes your eating behavior other than the portion size?

For me, the utter physical misery of PB slime hack gag vomit spit foam for at least 2 hours after a "bad band episode" definately reinforces change. I have to change my eating behavior in order to avoid that! I either have to chew more, slow down, and be more conscious about eating to avoid negative, physical pain. I'm kinda like Pavlov's dog I guess. Isn't that a distorted wierd way of justifying it?!

The sliming, puking, and overall stoma spewing is exactly why I didn't want the band anymore. I don't want to foam like a rabid dog anymore.

Head hunger and grazing behaviors are no different with a band than a sleeve. Same rules apply here. They are both restrictive procedures, just different techniques.

For me a sleeve works just like a band that actually works. So small food quantities apply the same to you as me. So I would throw your questions back at'cha. ;o) What keeps you from grazing? What changes your eating behaviors? Aren't you eating smaller quantities too? See what I mean? We both have restrictive procedures, for us a sleeve merely works better.

The band is right for some, the sleeve is right for some. The hard part of WLS is that it is like a pair of shoes. You can eye the shoes and think you know they will fit but until you try them on you don't know if they will be a comfortable fit or not.

Not sure if that makes sense but that is the best way I can explain.

So I was wondering, with the sleeve, since your stomach is smaller, I would assume your body works less to digest food--it shouldn't take as long either.

Nope. Our stomach takes just as long to empty food out of it as it did before.

The only difference is that there is less in there than before. And if you put too much in, you definitely get negative reinforcement.

So I was wondering, with the sleeve, since your stomach is smaller, I would assume your body works less to digest food--it shouldn't take as long either. So for those of us with eating disorders, what keeps you from grazing every couple of hours? What changes your eating behavior other than the portion size?

I am assuming that you also stay full longer. I have the band and I can eat a regular normal sized portion that someone who does not have the band can eat. I am sick to death of fills and unfills trying to get the perfect spot.

I know when I did have restriction with the band, I stayed full and did not think about grazing because I felt so full, the thought of eating did not even enter my mind.

Then I started throwing up in my sleep, and that was the end of that! Then it was time for an unfill and it's been

a real dilemma trying to get it right ever since.

You asked and we listened!

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