meggiep

Am I correct that Plication the stomach remains intact, just folded? So you still have grehlin, the hunger hormone. SO hunger would, unfortunately , stay. I am one of the lucky ones with no hunger since surgery day- and I so appreciate it. I feel for all of you who still get hungry. xoxo

Thanks- it does help! And it makes a lot of sense too! I am going to see how that works for me- and no, I can't eat many fruits and veggies anyway- we are talking 4 green beans or 2 apricots from our tree. Always protein first and no room for much else! I can't even imagine fitting a half cup! xoxo

I use gummy multis and they go down fine. I just wish they didn't have 3 carbs each!

Consider yourself very lucky! Many of us are very carb sensitive- I followed a 1000 calorie diet for three months last year and lost NINE pounds total. I just do better low carb. To be able to do well just counting calories- well, your sleeve will do that with you very effectively! You should have great results. Kelly- I just found out that one of the people I have emulated on this journey, Juliarh , does not include fruits and veggies in her carb counting- that sounds like an ideal approach- and lo and behold that is what my RV triplet Kelly is doing instinctively! By the way- doesn't it just BITE that some of our Vitamins have carbs? My Calcium chews have TWELVE in three of them, and my gummie vitamins have SIX in two so that is 18 right there. Sigh.

I don;t think I ever realized that you don't count fruits and veggies! Since you are the person I want to emulate that is valuable to know ;-P WHat do you keep your carb count to for the the things you do count? I think in counting net carbs I sort of do the same, but not quite. Did you use Protein drinks during the main part of your weight loss? I have always wondered if you had access in Paraguay! One of my problems with only being able to get 1/4 cup in is that it is hard to get that balance of different foods plus get the Protein. How did you do that?

I do net carbs- carbs minus fiber- but I look at both! Fatsecret.com lets you select the things you want to show in your food log and I show carbs, fier, net carbs, fat, and calories.

I don;t think you need to worry about calories right now! Popsicles should go down easily and you might even want to get the full sugar ones to get some calories and energies in there! Also pudding, cream Soups, anything that slides. I also found Propel easier to drink than Water and it has electrolytes in it. Good luck to you!

Kelly- I do kinda snack- or more I try to have at least four meals a day, plus my two Protein drinks (one chocolate, one unjry chicken) but I can fit only 1/4 cup- no more- believe me I have tried! There just is so much I can do calorie wise with that. I do have a snack sometimes in between- most usually a couple of the ripe apricots from our tree as I love them so- but two is all I can fit! (No peels) Also- I am usually full for at least 2-3 hours so there is just so much eating time! I know I could get more calories in with slider foods but the carbs just aren't right for me. That said, when I do slow down a bit I tend to add some carbs for a day or two and then go way down again and that seemed to do the trick as after doing thst I lost 4-5 pounds each time the week after. I am very pleased though- I can't complain about my progress!

Wowza! That is amazing! You are just roaing forward! That is just awesome- I am so happy to hear that! Connie read the article and linked above about stalls- it will help! Just keep on task and don't worry about the numbers. Up your Water too. I have one pound to go to 50 lost so of course I seem stuck at 231! ;-P I also have a hope of being 225 by 7/27 as we are going to Kauai to shoot a wedding and a luau birthday. We shall see! My biggest issue is still getting in enough calories. I know that is supposed to help but I don't think I have EVER been to 800, and mostly I am around 500-600. If my sleeve was just a little bigger! ALl in all though I love my sleeve, and I am so happy I did it.

Bryn I was not attacking you but I took exception to you saying that the OP's post was the first to bring out the difficulties encountered post-op. I think Irene hit the nail on the head when she said we tend not to see that in our pre-surgery excitement. Post after post after post with the same lament about troubles drinking, nausea pain, vomiting, weakness etc. - you will see it here over and over. You will also see the same people almost universally comeback and change their tune as they start eating real food and start realizing the benefits of their sleeves. I also have found a wealth of information on You Tube- and in fact the rich gift I received from others is what inspired me to do my own You Tubes. I love this place- and to me the more ability you have to be you and express your opinion the better the forum- and unlike the above poster I find that here in spades.

My doctor's plan mandates 600-800 calories a day though six months, longer if you continue losing well and have a ways to go to goal- as well as <40 carbs. Then you go to 1000-1200. I rarely am above 700 and often am challenged to get to 600 with my 1/4 cup capacity. I have two Protein drinks a day, one of them30 grams and an unjury chicken Soup that is 21. I have to have four high density protein meals to get past 600 and I can't always fit that in! I do the best I can, and people often recommend I eat more to boost things along but I can't- not without adding carbs- and I have figured out I am carb sensitive and I had best avoid them.

Seriously? You need to read more here! I knew exactly what to expect the first month! Have you been reading the posts of people during their first weeks? Gnarly! This question certainly did not bring these things to light, not by a long shot! This post surgery area is always full of fresh post-op detailing their struggles- you will see how miserable I was in my posts the week of May 9th and on by Vlogs. You will see this misery over and over, and also the kind experienced folks who chime in and tell you that it will pass and will get better.

I hope you are right. I think you mean everyone committed to getting there though. There is a significant incidence of regain, tiny tummy or not. And my surgeon does have a lot of experience following patients for ten years- so I trust is advice.If he is motivated by wanting the best results for me- then he and I are alligned on that! Here"s the thing....For ME- I want to use this time to work on my food issues. Carbs are obviously a huge trigger for me , and I want to try to deal with my danger areas while I get to goal. Already I find I am not attracted to those foods anymore and as I said- I am not feeling deprived. This is just MY way- I would never think it was what anyone else should do.

For the first two weeks I did not regret it so much as be shocked at how much more difficult it was than I thought it would be. I got all my Water and Protein in since day five and I know that helped me get my energy level back- and now, eight weeks out, I love my sleeve. I have firbormyalgia and everything I have read supports excess weight being a huge trigger for fibro. That was a big part of why I got the surgery, and my fibro is indeed much better. I had become a near recluse with pain issues and right now I am walking an hour a day with my husband and dog and then powering through a level III water aerobics class every night. I have so much energy and I am coming alive again! I wish I had the surgery years ago. I still love my food, all 1/4 cup of it!

You look slammin'! And very English ;-P Congrats on your loss and on your attitude!

I didn't mean me- I am in Redwood City and I would happily do Vacaville- my limits are only due to pain when driving in a car. I know that some are in SJ so Vacaville may be far and Hayward would be better for them.

That surgeon seems abusive to me! I would love him to have 85% of his stomach removed so he can walk in your shoes. For you to be afraid before you appointments is wrong, plain wrong. You have done really well! Crosswind my surgeon's experience is from 10 years of sleeves, including working with the surgeon who created the sleeve , and he says that our ability to eat expands in 6-9 months. I got honeymoon period from him, not from VST, though he calls it period of optimized weightloss. I laugh imagining him saying "honeymoon period". If you knew him you would know why! I actually envy those who are not as carb sensitive as me. But having figured that out rocking my sleeve isn't hard- it's easy- and rewarding. I am never hungry and never have cravings so I feel like a giant monkey is off my back!

Mine is Thumbelina. I was calling her Thumby for thumb size tummy. Any name you use- she runs things around here!

There is a thread asking about what slider foods are....in addition to things that slide down like ice cream, pudding, Cookies, crackers...popcorn is a slider. I speak from unfortunate experience! On my birthday last Saturday I decided to allow myself for the weekend two of the things I steadfastly avoid- buttered movie popcorn from the theater where my son works, and ice cream We bought the four new flavors I had seen of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (for those who want to know ;-P- Bonnaroo Buzz- coffee and malt ice cream with a whiskey caramel swirl and english toffee, Red Velvet Cake- red velvet batter ice cream with chunks of red velvet and cream cheese icing swirl, Late Night Snack- vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge covered potato chips, and Clusterfluff- Peanut Butter ice cream with a peanut butter swirl and a marshmallow swirl and with actual caramel corn in it... we have always loved trying their wacky new flavors) and I planned to have a few spoonfuls of each spread over two days. The popcorn was a huge eye opener! Thumbelina, my sleeve, is 1/4 cup in size. No matter how I try to wish her a leeeetle bit bigger- nope- 1/4 cup and sometimes not even that. So I figured I would feel the usual restriction with the popcorn- which I chewed very very well out of fear of the kernels swelling, etc. To my shock I could eat a LOT more than 1/4 cup. I learned what a slider food is in an almost disturbing way. I would eat some until I did feel a little restriction, wait half an hour, drink for a while, and then have some more. I would say I could easily eat 2 cups without feeling restriction. The ice cream was also like that but I knew better than to go to town on it.... I actually kept my calories quite low those two "lost" days...because I didn't eat any "real" food except the morning Protein shake my husband basically insisted I eat! I felt pretty crappy physically by the night of the second day....and even more than that I felt really unsettled emotionally at how easily those foods went down and how easy it was for me to spend a couple of days off the routine I have been to totally committed to for the six weeks before that. I truly felt I had lost my moorings, which I have discussed a bit on my latest VLOG. Honestly I was tripping on it- thinking my sleeve was totally stretched, my weight loss was over, blah blah blah drama queen drama queen drama queen! It was actually a relief to return to my clean eating, which I have had zero trouble doing the whole time, but which I worried I would not be able to do now. My concerns about craving carbs were alleviated immediately, and the first protein meal I had Thumbelina told me she is 1/4 cup still, thank you very much. I also ate 1/4 of a biscotti, something my husband and I used to love snacking on....and when you choose those puppies to powder they too slide right on down. I feel I learned a valuable lesson about some of the things I face as I move forward to goal and then to maintaining- and for now I am happily back on my plan eating 70 grams of protein a day, less than 40 grams of carbs, more than 2 liters of Water, and exercising every day. (We did go for long family walks on the lost weekend because that was what I love to do- we went out to the bay and walked the dog for an hour both days and so at least that didn't go down the tubes!) I lost 0.2 pounds last week so I probably had an effect from the sliders even though I kept calories low. Back on track, I have lost 2 pounds this week. WHEW! My sleeve still works :lol: For inquiring minds? Bonnaroo Buzz was surprisingly good- not too heavy on the whisky flavor, Red Velvet was the traditional cake, sweet but not chocolatey, Late Night Snack was a bit odd- probably perfect for TOM!, and Clusterfluff was quite good- you can't go wrong with peanut butter!

Probably not....I lost only 0.2 that week and I have decided every week in this honeymoon period counts and I have wasted one! I will have a birthday again next year and I fully plan to be in maintainence (sp? I am a terrible speller!) then.Now, I do eat some fruit and veggies- our apricot tree is in full production right now- yumm! I just keep my carbs below 30-40. Most days under 20- it happens naturally with my low intake. Well I have a husband who loves to snack and can eat anything so clearing out the house is not an option. Truthfully though I am happier back on track! It was a relief last Monday to be back on my routine- and that means less than 0 grams because when I eat Protein first that is where it stops! I felt ucky enough to not be tempted now, and I am NEVER hungry. And yes, I lost 5 pounds this past week! Humming along again - yay!

Either Vacaville or Hayward is great for us- I just want my arms around Kelly and Irene and everyone else someday!!! Vacaville is about my limit though because of my nerve pain on driving.... and some of us are in San Jose- right?

I can't answer that as I still have mine- but I was immediately put on anti gallstone medication after my surgery. Sorry you had to go through this!

Stalls are totally normal and are part of the process. Read this! I post it so often it should have a sticky! http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

I veered off the course I have chosen yesterday too- had about 10 sun chips and then about 1/4 cup of ice cream (bonnaroo buzz and clusterfluff ;-P)- and I Just felt crappy today! I really have figured out I need to stay away from carbs for the most part It just doesn't work for me, emotionally or physically.