SKCUNNINGHAM

Your body is still going to go throught the same cycles as it did pre-WLS. The bounce in weight due to your cycle is normal. Do some reading of previous threads (the search feature is handy) that talk about this, and you will find you aren't alone. Every woman on here can tell you how her menstrual cycle affects her weight loss journey. It will take you a few months to identify yours. Try not to let this get you down. You are in a life-long race here. Don't let one bad step onto the scale, or a routine swing in weight depress you - it is only a tiny blip on the road to success. Good Luck. Sharon

If I could have asked for Jesus directly to heal me (like he did so many in the times talked about in the New Testament) I would have asked for him to heal me from being fat - to heal me to be a "normal weight" person. So, I did ask Jesus to heal me - be guiding the hand of my surgeon - by helping the people that were involved in my surgery in the hospital - by giving my husband patience to make it through my recovery - and for myself to have the strength and wisdom to do what was necessary to use this tool correctly and to change my life. Jesus gave me what I prayed for.

At 8 weeks out I was eating 500 calories a day. I would strive to get in my 60 grams of Protein a day. I counted everything I put in my mouth - grams of fat, carbs, and protein. I had 3 meals and 2 Snacks per day. (one mid-morning - one mid afternoon) Let me ask you some questions You aren't drinking while you eat are you? Are you waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink? If you eat when you drink, you can eat more than you should - and you won't get your full signal. The liquids cause the sphincter at the bottom of your sleeve to open up and release your food into your intestions earlier than it should be. Are you eating your alloted amount of protein first at the meal prior to anything else? Are you chewing everything well, and stretching what you eat out to last 20 minutes? You won't fill satisfied until you've been eating 20 minutes. Have you identified what your full signal is? When you get the full signal, do you stop eating? The goal is to eat the amount we are supposed to and stop as soon as we are full. Everyone's full signal isn't the same. If you haven't identified what yours is, you need to do that. I look forward to hearing your answers - then the "oldsters" on this site can help you more with what to do.

Wow, I hadn't thought of cooking in a tagine after WLS. My husband spent 20 months in Morrocco prior to us getting married, and I spent 10 days over there with him. I remember how great the food was that was cooked by this method. This will be my next "foodie" purchase!

It is normal to feel like "#/*!" after surgery - your body does not like to be cut on. It took me a couple of weeks to really be over the surgery - as it did with my other non-WLS surgeries. For the nausea, I drank broth (either chicken or beef or veggie) and used GASX strips. Somehow, the combination of a GASX Strip with a broth "chaser" - sipped slowly worked. Sometimes I used mint tea, warm with spenda instead of the broth with the GASX. I also used FAMOTADINE morning and evening and sometimes mid-day early in my sleeve journey. FAMOTADINE is prescription Pepcid. I also used PRILOSEC in the evenings for the first 8 or 9 months. It does get better - just give it some time. The #1 most important thing right now is to focus on getting your fluids in to keep from getting dehydrated. Dehydration will land you back in the hospital. Tiny sips throughout the day is the way to go.

Wow - that is a great NSV! You are a very beautiful woman - congratulations on all your success.

In addition to the ones above: - who in his/her office can you call if you have questions after you go home? (Get the phone number). - what are the symptoms / side effects that IF they occur once you go home, you need to be worried about? I assume you already know the following: - How long has he/she been doing the sleeve surgery? - How many sleeve surgeries did he/she perform in the past 12 months? - How many sleeve surgeries has he/she performed in total? - How many of the doctor's sleeve patients developed a leak? - Has the surgeon had any patients die after sleeve surgery? If so, what was the cause of death?

I think my sleeve could provide the sound effects for a movie all about plumbing. It has calmed down some as the months pass. Certain foods (cucumber does it for me, too) stimulate it to perform even more than usual. GASX strips help mine calm down.

I, too am a past 50 sleever. Wow, wouldn't it be great if we could have been sleeved in our 20's and not have to waste the last 30 years doing all those other things we did to lose weight? I had my epiphany about the sleeve recently. Clean eating alone is not going to do it for me as I approach maintenance. I must embrace regular exercise and make it a part of my life. Forever. (Gulp) I wish you success on your sleeve journey. Sharon

I am so sorry you are feeling poorly. This is the routine I did when I was in your point of the sleeve journey. I took a Famatodine (pepcid) every morning, ground up. When I would feel nauseus, I would take a GASX dissolving strip and drink warm broth. If I was tired of broth, I drank warm mint tea sweetened with artificial sweetener. Somehow the combination of the GASX and the warm drink settled down my stomach. I drank Propel or crystal lite(watered down) in addition to water. I didn't like the water really cold. I took Famatodine and Prilosec before bed. The protein drink I used was ISOPURE PLUS both the grape and punch flavors. I ordered it from Amazon and had it shipped to my house. I hope you start feeling better soon.

I would recommend getting on a B12 regimen and having your doctor check your B12 levels. I would also recommend you take Calcium supplements. Does your multi Vitamin have extra Iron in it? You need take one with iron in it. Good Luck. Sharon

I am approaching my one year anniversary on February 12th. I have had a good first year, have lost all but 10 pounds of my excess weight, and have made many behavior changes. But I have always been worried (scared!) about being successful in maintenance, since that has been my lifelong pattern. I have lost close to 100 pounds 4 times previously, and haven’t successfully kept it of for more than a year or two after achieving goal. I did something positive to help me get into maintenance. It is another “tool” to help me be a healthy smaller person – just like the sleeve itself is a tool. (That’s my NSV – I did something positive for my maintenance). I enrolled in a class taught by the nurse that runs the WLS support group at the Baylor Carrolton (Texas) hospital. Baylor is a big medical system in the Dallas area, with hospitals in several suburbs of Dallas and the main facility in downtown Dallas. My surgeon, Dr. Nicholson was the head of the WLS program at Baylor Plano. I chose to attend the support group through the Carrolton office, since it was closest to my office. The class is “The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients”. The class is several sessions, with each session focusing on one of the Success Habits. The material in the class is based on material by Colleen M. Cook and developed by the Bariatric Support Centers International. The material includes a book, workbook, website membership and additional information given in the individual sessions. The Success Habits Principles are now taught in hundreds of bariatric support groups each month and are recommended by many Bariatric Centers of Excellence (per the material – I haven’t verified this independently). It is great material for those in the losing phase and those that are going into maintenance. The premise behind the material and the class is a survey of patients who had WLS surgery, and what behaviors are in common for those that are successful versus those that are not successful. The average time from surgery for the patients was 7 years. The average amount of weight lost was 103 pounds The habits are follows: PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: I recognize that I alone am responsible for my success and failures PORTION CONTROL: I understand the importance of satiety and understanding my body’s signals NUTRITION: I make good healthy food choices each day. FLUID INTAKE: I drink the right amount of the right kinds of fluid at the right times each day. EXERCISE: I have adopted the habit of exercise as a regular part of my lifestyle VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS: I take good quality vitamins each day to support my good health. Sounds simple, right? Well, I have taken classes on the first two classes and I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH – particularly about accountability. I am not scared like I was about maintenance – these classes are really setting things out for me in a clear way that I think I can successfully do going forward. And, if I hit a bump in the road in the future – I think I will be able to recover – rather than spiraling out of control. If there is interest, I will set up a sub-forum for the “Success Habits” and have threads for each habit, or each key learning I have from the classes. I am so pumped up about these classes; I am considering taking the classes to become a Support Coach for WLS patients. Let me know if you are interested in hearing more about this on this sight. Sharon

So far (11 1/2 months out) I am more lactose intolerant now than I was pre-sleeve. I can't drink milk or eat icecream without sever repercusions. I can eat yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese - which I really enjoy. I enjoy yogurt much more now than I did before. I really enjoy the taste of raw veggies more now than before - they taste much sweeter. Fresh corn, sugar snap peas, or carrots amaze me with their natural sweetness. I don't really miss Pasta, rice or potatoes - a couple of bites and I am satisfied. I use these as a garnish on my plate now. More than 2-3 bites, and it fills my sleeve up uncomfortably. Fluffy bread does the same as pasta, rice or potatoes. I avoid it. I can do a little corn bread now and then. If I indulge in a "real sweet" desert (not a SF pudding or fudgsicle) usually 2-3 bites and I'm done. Don't want any more. That is as surprising as if my dog started spouting Shakeperean sonnets to me! Overall, I seem to enjoy everything more since I am eating less quantity. I guess it follows the old line of thinking - if you only got to see one sunset a year, wouldn't you enjoy it more?

I love this tool! Wow!

I created a new Sub-forum. If you search for the group "Success Habits" you will find it. I posted the first topic on the first Habit, PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY. Hope it helps.

Lissa - you look great! I agree with a cami - you could absolutely go out in it. I, too, love the Flexees brand. It is great to see you enjoying the sweet taste of an NSV. You give so much to everyone on this site, it is nice to see you having a victory and celebrating for yourself. Best of luck to you. Sharon

Give me a price for the multi, the iron and the B12 and I will buy them from you. I am in the Dallas area (75474) to calculate the shipping costs.

Congratulations Dorrie! Diva - you are always and inspiration - both on your focus on eating and your absolute dedication to exercise. PDXMAN - you are tenacity personified - with a huge dose of knowledge about the body's physiology thrown in. Thanks to both of you. Sharon

I lived on chicken broth (homemade by my dear hubby), beef broth (from the jar of concentrate, not boullion cubes), ISOPURE PLUS drinks (ordered from Amazon) and hot mint tea (decaf). Shortly after I found a couple of crystal lite flavors I liked. I also got the costco (chocolate) shakes and liked them, along with the EAS brand from Walmart (in chocolate and vanilla). I then branched out to the nectar brand powder (ordered online from one of the bariatric sites) and started making my own smoothies. I like the Vanilla Bean torte flavor, the chocolate truffle flavor and the Fuzzy Navel (fruit) flavor. Once you are ready, the fuzzy navel makes a great smoothie with a frozen bananna or some other frozen fruit in it. Good Luck. Sharon

One of the best lessons my mother taught me is "Life isn't fair - get used to it". I think LIssa's answer says pretty much everything you need to know - (I liked it so much I have it bookmarked in my personal "Words of Wisdom" file) You are 100% responsible and 100% accountable for your success with the sleeve. The sleevers that lose the weight the fastest after surgery are the ones that avoid the kinds of carbs you cheated on. It takes mental toughness and committment to break those bad habits we all had. The longer I have been sleeved, the more I realize staying thin is a mental game as much as anything else. If my mind and will are strong, I can overcome any passing desire for anything. I can find some other way to cofort myself than putting something in my mouth. Good luck on your journey. Sharon

I was in such a strange place mentally when I was at my highest weight. It was as if the real "smaller" me was inside this enormous person, driving her around and going through life. Sort of like when you are taking care of an altheimer's patient - you still love the person and take care of them but you realize the "real"person who you have loved isn't there anymore. I felt that way about myself - I took care of myself and went through the motions but didn't love myself. I was really in denial about how I really looked - avoided pictures if possible. I forced myself to take a picture on the first of every month during the process. I look at the pictures and study the differences from month to month. I take measurements every month (lot's of places) and study the differences in those too. I think my head caught up with my body at about 150 pounds. The size I am now is really what my mental image of myself is. If I get much skinnier, I will have to readjust again. I no longer am taking care of the "fat patient" that I didn't love. I have reintegrated my inner and outer selves. I don't ever want that un-integrated feeling again.

That is funny - glad you found the humour in an upsetting situation. Hope things settle down at the office and your sleeve journey continues to go well. Sharon

Meredit - I'm sorry your dad's family is not supportive. It is good you have other supportive people in your life. I would just practice saying to the non-supporters "I'm sorry I you don't agree with me on my decision for surgery. We will just have to agree to disagree on this. I love you no matter what." You recognize that with or without his support, you are going to proceed. Way to go! I admire you for your attitude. It bodes well (in my opinion) for your future success. Good Luck. Sharon

Yes this really works if you practice the correct behaviors and lifestyle changes. The sleeve is a really effective tool to help you lose weight, but it can't do it by itself. It takes concentrated effort on your part to get the maximum benefit from it. Thousands of patients have proven this really works. No, this won't work if you continue to do bad behaviors and make the wrong choices. Probably thousands of patients have proven this too - although a much smaller number than have proven it successful. It really sounds like you need to get to a counselor ASAP and get some insight into why you are undermining your own success. If you want to PM me to start a dialogue on what you should do and shouldn't do, I will be happy to share - I didn't want this response to be a long rant on what you should and shouldn't do - you probably know them anyway and are just choosing to not do them. . You are 100% responsible and 100% accountable for your success or failure to lose weight with the sleeve. If you fail - it won't be "the sleeve's fault". It will be your own fault. I really hope you change what you are doing and get some help to change whatever in your head is driving you to not do the right things. Best of Luck to you. Sharon

I think you should definately go to counseling - both jointly and maybe her alone. Could you eat the things that bother her when you are outside the home? Maybe have desert with lunch, or an ice cream treat on the way home from work? Would there be a way to add the calories back to your diet by adding an extra healthy meal (carb heavy) to your day rather than eat the junk calories? This would probably bother her less. Have you talked to a dietician about how to stay at your current weight? Good Luck.