Indymom

I've only thrown up once (from eating too fast) in 21 months. It felt more like spitting up rather than the full-blown vomiting that happens with having the stomach flu (or drinking too much tequila!!).

Do you track on MyFitness Pal? I would register there and have the system calculate your recommended calories to continue losing 1-3 lbs/week. It seems to be pretty accurate. I try to stay at 1200 cals/day and if I earn a lot of exercise calories, I try to eat some of them back. You need to be sure you don't reduce your calories to the point that you end up in starvation mode . . . that can throw you into a stall.

I try to get the 'wok smart' items like the pepper chicken, mushroom chicken, etc. I do love a bite or two of the beijing beef or orange chicken, but the breading bothers my sleeve a bit. I can now eat a few bites of noodles too which is a yummy splurge. I can also eat a couple bites of their potstickers which I love with the potsticker sauce.

I believe my sleeve is a tool to keep me from overeating to excess like I did pre-surgery. I want to eat like a "normal" person . . . and most "normal" people I know enjoy treats in moderation - alcohol, sweets, crunchy salty Snacks, etc. Today I ate a healthy lunch, and then stopped by a pitch-in some of the girls from work had and had a couple bites of a brownie and half a chocolate chip cookie. Before my surgery, I would have eaten a huge lunch, and then hit the entire pitch-in buffet and filled a plate or two. I do know that there will always be red-light foods for me (salt & vinegar potato chips, movie theater popcorn) but if I find myself craving one of those things, I get the smallest portion available.

My daughter eats the yogurt ranch. I'm personally not a huge fan, but she loves it and I'm glad she doesn't know it's good for her. . . like most kids she thinks ranch dressing is a food group!!

Yep, like the others - much less sweating post-surgery, and I'm ALWAYS cold when I'm in the office or in A/C (was previously always HOT!).

My nutritionist and surgeon said no worries about drinking before eating, but they do recommend waiting until 30 mins after. I will sip occasionally when I am eating (if it's spicy, etc.) and I don't really pay attention to the clock after eating. However, I do find that if I eat to fullness, drinking is uncomfortable for a while.

I drank decaf after surgery (mixed it with my unflavored protein, milk and a little splenda). The decaf irritated my sleeve more than caffeineated does. I now drink a cup in the morning, sometimes a second one later in the day. I try to limit my caffeine as more than 2 caffeinated drinks a day make me really jumpy.

At 21 months out, I find that my tolerance has returned to about where it was pre-sleeve. I am a fairly frequent social drinker - usually no more than a few beers/glasses of wine/mixed drinks, but I've had a few wild nights out (i.e. bachelorette parties, etc.) and it hasn't really bothered me. I think it's slowed down my weight loss and is keeping me from getting to goal, but I'm pretty comfortable with where I am right now and I do enjoy my cocktails from time to time. The carbonation of beer doesn't bother me, but I find that I prefer draft to bottled, and I typically need to pour it into a glass. Right now my favorite is Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - a great summer beer!!

I'm technically not in maintenance yet, since I'm still 18 lbs from goal. However, during the holidays I've had trouble continuing weight loss so I'm OK with maintaining until after the first of the year. I've found that I've not been doing a good job of tracking my food and my exercise; however, I believe that I'm still sticking around 1300-1500 calories a day and I've been able to maintain my current weight with that target. I think with maintenance, it's a matter of trial and error to find the right balance of daily calorie intake and exercise to keep from losing or gaining. I've read a number of posts (mostly on OH) where people have had to increase their carb intake to maintain their weight rather than continue losing.

Those of you feeling regret early after surgery, be strong and hang in there. It was awful for the first few months post-op . . . I felt miserable! I hated being limited to bland, mushy foods . . . even though I wasn't physically hungry, I missed the ability to eat the things I liked (like spicy foods, crunchy foods, etc.). However, now at 16 months out, I'm able to eat just about anything I want. I still try to focus on my protein - lean meats, cheese - veggies, and fruits - but I don't deny myself the things that sound good. I've eaten potato chips, I've eaten sweets, I've had a few sips of soda. I remind myself that I didn't get obese from a handful of potato chips or a bite or two of chocolate - I got obese because I ate a whole bag of chips, 2000 calories in one meal from Taco Bell, or a supersize meal from McDonalds. Now, I choose to make good choices. If I have to eat fast food (because let's face it, sometimes our schedules don't permit otherwise), I eat a cheeseburger with half a bun from McDonalds, or a fresco chicken soft taco from Taco Bell, or a small roast beef sandwich with only half a bun from Arby's. I enjoyed tastes of all my favorite things during Christmas dinner, but concentrated on the protein - and once I had my protein, I was too full to eat too much more. It's a mental thing, and with my sleeve, I'm able to enjoy a few tastes of all the things I love and still remain compliant and on track with my weight loss. This is easily the best thing I ever did in my life for myself. So those of you who are early out from surgery, hang in there, because it does get better!!

Popcorn can be DANGEROUS. Big-time slider food . . . but the little 100 calorie bags are good portion control.

I'm past a year out and mine still makes noises periodically!

Nope, I've never tracked my vitamins . . .

At 15 months out I still almost always have a scrambled egg for b-fast, sometimes with a bit of shredded cheddar. Now I also have room for a piece of wheat toast with a bit of PB & jam. Sometimes I like to do a breakfast scramble with diced canadian bacon, sliced mushrooms, diced tomato and cheese. YUM!