educationrulz

I've been drinking sodas since about 4 months out. I might have started a little earlier with flat ones but I can't remember exactly. At almost one year out, I drink sodas every other day or two or three. I wasn't a diet soda drinker until I had to lose weight fast on my preop diet to qualify for surgery. Now, I alternate between mostly diet and occasional regular soda. Soda is the only liquid I can't drink fast. I take baby sips and one lasts forever, but I almost always throw out at least half of my drink instead of sipping on it until it's gone - especially if it's regular and not diet. I try to keep the calories down as much as possible because soda was my biggest weakness preop. Like Tiff, I don't care for artificial sweeteners, but I've decided to stick to mostly diet since I really don't drink that many in comparison to other drinks I usually have. I had hoped to not have them be a part of my post op diet, but they crept back in. I can say with all certainty that my relationship with soda is very different than preop. I now have a soda when I get the taste for one, but I can easily resist if I feel the need to. I don't HAVE to have them and I don't HAVE to finish them. I also only buy diet drinks to keep at home. My occasional regular calorie sodas are when I am at a social function or on the run and get the taste for one. They definitely don't give me the same "pleasure" that they used to. I won't say they taste bad, but it's not the same feeling - which is a good thing because it makes me less addicted to them. I know that doctors don't want weight loss patients to drink sodas and that I am breaking the rules. I don't want to encourage others to do it. I'm just describing my experience with it. As far as my stomach goes, I can't say that it seems to have stretched beyond what is typical for a year post op. I'm still only able to eat a fraction of what I could preop and I'm still losing pretty steadily - with a few stalls here and there. I just don't have enough soda in my stomach at any one time to cause stretching and bloating. I feel way more give in my stomach when I eat close to my limit than when I'm sipping a soda. I just don't get the whole "soda stretches your stomach thing"...

Congratulations Tiff - on the sprout and the half lemons. I've given some thought to having another baby (even in my advanced years) if I'm lucky enuf to meet a great man in the near future. But I am freaked out about not being able to give the baby the proper nourishment. I still don't feel like I can really eat a decent amount for most of my meals. I rely on Protein drinks to even get close to 60 grams a day. How can we balance the limits of the sleeve and the "eating for two" thing??

-slipping into size 12s like butta (starting size 22) -can't remember the last time I sweated while engaged in normal, daily activity, like moving around getting dressed in the morning. used to be an almost daily thing. -i too have put "booth fear" behind me. i can slide into any restaurant booth with room to spare. -made it through a slight regain/stall after vacation and I'm back on the downswing again. it is amazing to be able to get back on track so much easier than before surgery.

I'm not sure if I have much to offer that will help you, so I do send my best wishes your way and to mbridgeman. I noticed that you said you sometimes feel pain when you eat even though you don't throw up. It sounds like you might be ignoring your full signals. I think it's great that you can eat anything - but that doesn't mean you have to eat anything ALL the time. Schedule some treats into your weekly meal plan and then focus on Proteins and some healthy veggies the rest of the time. It's not as frustrating when you know you'll be able to have a cookie or small slice of cake soon. Most importantly, STOP eating when you feel that pain twinge. Get up and put the remaining food out of sight for at least 10 minutes when you get that twinge. You'll start to realize that once you've moved on to the next activity, you won't think about the food as much as you do when it's still in your face. This has been very helpful to me - especially when I have something really yummy that my mind keeps telling me I have to eat more of but my stomach really isn't interested. This whole deal is definitely a work in progress. You still have the tool you need to be successful so don't give up on yourself. Take it a day at a time and try to incorporate some positive habits while not focusing so much on the negative. Like Dawn said, a Protein shake for breakfast every day works for me. Eating every three hours is fine if it's a healthy protein choice most of the time. Good luck with your journey.

I'm TOTALLY looking forward to taking my daughter to Disneyworld this year! I took her 2 years ago and walking around was a little bit of a struggle, even though I was fairly active at the time. But, this time I'll be sporting some size 14s - maybe 12s (down from size 22) and will be able to bounce around just like my daughter. I plan to laugh, ride, and nibble on a yummy turkey leg.

I went through the same thing. That was actually the primary factor in me going on a scale strike and I'm still on it except for about once a month. The only honest suggestion I could give (outside of what you've already tried) is to be patient. I know that sounds like a crock of horse poop, but believe me - THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

I'm almost 8 months out and still have at least one Protein drink a day. My surgeon doesn't think I should still need them, but I told him I wouldn't get in a decent amount of protein otherwise. My sleeve is undergoing what seems to be another size adjustment in the last couple of weeks and I'm eating a little more than I could at 6 months. Even by the 6 month mark, there was NO WAY I could eat enough food to get in 60 gm of protein. Sometimes, I don't even get in 60 with a Protein Drink included. This is mostly due to a small capacity in my sleeve, but also due to the fact that I am determined to eat like a normal person sometimes. I want a few bites of a potato with my steak, a few bites of crackers with my tuna, and a few bites of bread with my burger. (When it comes to bread, it's literally like 2 bites.) But, at least I feel like a normal person when I eat. In exchange for that normalcy, I drink a protein drink - usually for breakfast since my sleeve doesn't tolerate food well in the morning. I'm slowly reaching the point where I can see that I will be able to get enough protein through natural food sources, but I intend to keep some type of drink at the ready at all times for when I have a low protein-eating day. I talked to an insurance case manager recently who was 4 years out from the sleeve. She said she still uses Protein drinks occasionally for when she doesn't get enough protein on a particular day. Athletes and bodybuilders use protein supplements all the time - who's to say we can't use them as long as we want to?

braz, This might sound like a load of BS to you right now, but "THIS TOO SHALL PASS!" I was right where you are 7 months ago. It took me WAY longer to feel somewhat normal (4 weeks) than it did alot of folks around here. I cried, moped, regretted, languished, got dehydrated, and almost passed out in the sun a few times. But, once I got through the initial fews weeks of painful swallowing and started getting some real nourishment in my body, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can't believe I ever stressed about drinking 2% milk! Boy did my body need that milk fat! Then, my clothes started getting really loose, and I was like, "hmmm, let me rethink this whole thing..." Now, I love my sleeve and I'm so proud of myself for taking this major step to improve my quality of life. It hasn't been easy by any means, but by my 6 month mark, I was 100% convinced that I had made the right decision - a far cry from how I felt in the weeks after surgery. If 6 months feels like it's a lifetime away, think about being overweight for 10, 20, or 30 years. (It's been 30 for me.) It makes 6 months seem like a blip on the radar screen. http://www.verticals...__1#entry104372

That sounds like a great surgical and travel experience. My hospital stay was soooo boring, and painful unfortunately. But, the floor and staff were great, so I can't hold my pain experiences against anyone. But, I did walk alot like you and I think that contributed to my overall fast healing. Congratulations on getting your sleeve! BTW, can you explain your ticker? It says 233 lbs gained. Is that how much you're wanting to lose?

Sounds like SOMEBODY hit the ole crack pipe right before the meeting! :hat: Is this dude going to be doing your surgery? If so, you might want to either have a one on one with him ASAP or talk to another doctor within Kaiser about a REAL postop diet. I posted a copy of my postop diet on my blog if you want to check it out. Best wishes.

I don't think we really need more. We just to be more vigilant about getting in fluids due to diminished stomach capacity. I found this on the Mayo Clinic website and it sounds comparable to what sleevers are recommended to drink: Every day you lose Water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water. So how much water does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? In general, doctors recommend 8 or 9 cups. Here are the most common ways of calculating that amount: Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter (about 4 cups) of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total Fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace your lost fluids. Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Although the approach really isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this easy-to-remember rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink. Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. For many of us, it is very difficult to get in 60+ oz of fluids in the early days postop. You will really just have to force it down all day until your sleeve relaxes a bit and lets you drink more than baby sips. I got slightly dehyrated in my second week postop because it hurt so much to drink anything. But, after that bad experience, I started keeping a bottle of something in my hand or close by at all times. Gatorade worked better for me in that phase. It will get better. Just stick with it.

I don't think this is unusual for someone starting out over 300 pounds. It should level off and slow down soon, which will be a good thing too because you don't want to keep losing like that for months and months. At some point it would probably catch up with you Healthwise. Congratulations on your surgery and weight loss!