MegInNOLA

Ouch, sorry to hear. Roast beef still does that to me--you're probably going to be able to eat it just fine in a couple of months. Try it again after a few weeks. :-) The slimes are when you feel way too full or like you can "feel" the food in your stomach, and your body begins to produce excess mucus and saliva--your mouth waters like nobody's business. It's all in preparation for easing the food's way back out of your body, if you get my drift... and then frequently, when you are finally sick, there's a bubble or two of that material that preceds your food on the way out.... ick, sorry if graphic, but you did ask about the slimes. They're not fun.

WOW, VST family, I have been waiting a week to post! Last Tuesday, I got on the scale and was so excited to see 199 for the first time since grad school (more than 25 years ago). I couldn't post because the site was down--talk about your frustrating moments. Then I had an out-of-state job that included a lot of physical exercise and a fairly limited menu--I ate very little for four days and had long working days (I'm a musician, and this was a conducting gig that involved many hours of rehearsal a day for a couple of days). Imagine my surprise and JOY to jump on the scale this morning and see 196!!!! I thought my losing was kind of over; last month, I had slowed to a 5-pound loss in that month, and I was sort of expecting that maybe this month I'd lose 3 or 4, but nope--with the combination of seriously increased exercise and limited food intake, I am in Onderland and only 1 pound away from achieving a normal BMI for my height (which is 6'2"). So now, I have lost 110 pounds in 9 months and I am THRILLED. I've got 1 pound to go to get to "normal," and 6 pounds until GOAL, which I AM going to achieve soon. YAY SLEEVIE!!!!!!!

That's how it feels now. You'll get used to how it feels one bite before total fullness. It took me a while to realize I should be eating until I wasn't feeling hunger, not until I felt full--it's a subtle difference, but it makes a serious difference in how I feel after eating. It's part of the "new normal" that is life with the sleeve. :-)

(HUGS) So sorry you're feeling so icky post op. I was, too--and I actually woke UP from surgery really angry with myself with a serious case of buyer's remorse. I mean I was MAD!!! I felt horrible--I was mad at myself for getting to the position where surgery was really the only lifesaving option for me, and I was mad at the pain and mad at the whole thing. That lasted about a day, and I realized that it was a done deal and I could probably better manage my emotional upset by trying to get a handle on what I was going to do now. So I did. Things were not great in the beginning--I had lots of excess acid, threw up every day for the first seven weeks, had a lot of problems finding food that my sleeve would tolerate, etc. etc. Would I do it again? In a New York minute!!! With all of that, I would do it again, because it flipping worked (is working). Nothing else I tried worked. I know this is going to keep me at a proper weight for the rest of my life, and I am thrilled with the results. It was a drastic step, yes, and a lifechanging surgery in a lot of ways. But hang in there--the first few months are rough, no doubt, but when you start to see/feel the results, hopefully you'll come to appreciate (dare I suggest "love"?) your sleeve. I know I'm so very happy I have mine. Hang in there, sweetie--it's awful, no kidding, but it gets better with time. Take your time--no rush. Let your body heal. Take care of yourself. Try to imagine yourself minus the excess weight--it will be here in a few months!

Hey June13sleever: My "goal" of 190 is kind of an arbitrary number selected by me because I remember being 190 at some point in my thinner past. :-) My surgeon didn't set a goal for me; my dietician's goal was 212, which would still have left me in the "overweight" category. My sleeve journey has been sort of different from others', I think, in that I don't actually actively try to lose--I mean, I don't feel like I'm dieting, I'm certainly not working out (which I'm in the process of changing)--I just sort of eat what my sleeve will tolerate, trying to follow the "Protein first" rule, take my Vitamins, and live life. So honestly, 190 is just a number, and I'm pretty sure I'll go lower than that, but I'm not doing anything special or trying to hurry to get there. At this point, I'm much smaller than I have been in 30 years (currently wearing loose size 14's, down from tight 26/28's). So I'm not sure what my final, maintenance weight is going to be--right this second, I'm 1 pound away from a "normal" BMI for my height (6'2"). I feel pretty sure there's more weight that can come off--I can see it around my thighs and belly. I'm hopeful that starting an exercise program will help me get those areas more toned. I would like to wear size 10/12, which I think is possible/probable by summer--and I want to wear that size simply because of the clothing options it opens. :-) I don't really care what eventual weight I end up with or what size--I know I'm healthier and I'm going to live longer and have a better quality of life, even if I don't lose another pound or another inch from right now--so anything that goes away after this point is lagniappe, as we say around here--a little unexpected something extra. My skin is okay. I'm 49, so it hasn't bounced back like a 20-year-old's, but my face/neck are okay. My upper thighs look like they have melted. My belly, eh, not my favorite, but not horrible; I'm not going to be wearing any bikinis, LOL. Underarms are sort of loose but not horrid--and I do a lot of upper body work for work, so I suspect those will tighten up as I go. Overall, can't complain, especially with clothes on. :-)

My husband left the hospital with his sleeve and off all diabetes medication. Definitely check with your physician, but it's my understanding that if your diabetes is "type 2," it is most affected by your diet, and once you're sleeved, you don't really eat as much or the same types of food that trigger the higher blood sugar; thus, you don't need the metformin. But definitely check in with your physician. My DH happily left that, and all his diabetes medications (he was maxed out on 5 different meds!) behind immediately post-op.

Coops, you've given me inspiration to get my own new swimsuit in preparation for getting to the pool and exercising!! We have a beautiful pool on campus where I teach, and faculty are allowed/encouraged to use the health facilities... now, you know I haven't done that, because I hate exercising--which is so NOT a good excuse or a reason for anything. I've just been practicing avoidance about it, and there's not a reason. If you can get a bathing suit, I can get a bathing suit, and I can get my butt into the pool. Swizzly, I, too, have "melted thighs" (love the description, even though I definitely do NOT love the thighs!), and I'm hoping that swimming with all the kicking will help get things a little less melted looking. I'm going to get to goal soon, I hope, but I don't know if that's really "the" goal for me. I just arbitrarily picked 190 as a goal weight because I remember being 190 at some point in my thinner past. My surgeon didn't set a goal, and my nutritionist said 212 (I think I'm remembering that wrong--that would keep me in the "overweight" category). I'm at a BMI of 25.0 right now, so one more pound until "normal" BMI, but I really don't know where my body is going to end up weight- or size-wise. I'm okay with that, in a strange sort of way. It's not like I would be doing anything radically different as far as eating goes if I were actively trying to lose or actively trying to maintain. Is that strange? My sleeve just tolerates particular foods, and that's what I eat. I mean, I stay away from things I know are horrid for me (for the most part), but I don't count anything. I decided at the beginning of my journey that I was going to eat healthfully, I was going to relax, and I was going to establish a "new normal" for myself that was closer in line with what "naturally thin" people did. I think I've managed that from the eating perspective, but the puzzle piece of exercise still isn't fitting for me. I think things will tighten up with exercise, yes? Maybe? I'm 49, so maybe not.... experienced exercisers, do you truly notice a difference in how your body is shaped? Sort of a stupid question, really, because I'm sure you do, but help me get motivated here!! I'm happy with my weight loss so far and with my anticipated goal, but not happy with my level of fitness or "tautness," if you get my drift. I jiggle WAY more than I did before being sleeved--I guess all that fat was tightly packed or something.

Woot! Congratulations! I know how much you're looking forward to cute summer clothes--me, too! And I think it's great that your example has helped others think about surgery as a possible option for themselves. :-)

Well, yes and no. When I got out to eat with friends, I usually get something "snack-like," or order an appetizer and share with the table--nobody notices how much I'm eating. When I go with business colleagues, I typically order an appetizer and/or soup--again, if you focus on conversation and/or business, nobody really notices, and even if they do, most of the time, they don't comment. The one time someone did comment (someone said, "Wow, you aren't eating much!"), I simply grinned and said, "Yeah, I don't like to feel all full and sleepy when I'm working," and they left it alone. I always order soup, if there's something tasty and sleeve-friendly available, as I can eat a bit more soup than other foods. However, now that I can eat salads, I order "the smallest side salad" with dressing on the side, and I sort of nibble on it while talking.

You look fabulous! Congrats on your 1-year sleevaversary. :-)

Hey congratulations! Sounds like you're well on your way to normal. :-) Keep rocking that sleeve!!

Hey Lash, congratulations on both your 1-year surgiversary and the -100 pounds!!

I know it's so frustrating! Hang in there, though, because your sleeve is really still healing (and will be for a few months!)--sometimes stuff works one day and not the next. Even I had this happen yesterday with some ham, and I'm 9 months out. It's just something we have to deal with, but it does get better and much less frequent as you get familiar with your sleeve's capacity and individual foibles. Maybe try dairy and see if that sits a bit easier in your sleeve. And don't worry if you're not getting in all the food you think you should--you can't do what you can't do. Be kind to yourself and do what you can and don't sweat it--it will all get better over time. Hugs!!

CAM, a couple of "live and learn" tricks for small sleeves: 1. Think about eating in terms of fueling--try eating more frequent, smaller meals, snack sizes. I probably eat 6 times a day now, but volume-wise, each meal is between 1/4 and 1/2 c. of food. 2. Investigate lots of Protein options--my sleeve prefers dairy and veggie protein, although I can eat hamburger and shrimp with minimal problems. Most animal protein is still hard for me--right after I posted to you yesterday, I ate some ham that came right back up--and I'm 9 months out and have eaten ham before with no problems. It's an ongoing, sometimes frustrating process, I guess, but there ya go. I think we small sleevers just sort of learn to deal. 3. Carry "safe," tolerable food and utensils with you. In my car, I have a couple of packs of almonds and some plastic spoons--that's in case I want some yogurt, which I can find almost anywhere, or some Soup, which a lot of groceries are starting to carry hot and ready to eat. 4. I use a standard fork to measure portion size--careful in restaurants that use those huge forks, though. Since I can handle between 1/4 and 1/2 c. of food by volume, I realized that I could cut out a portion of food that is a fork-full long, a fork-full wide, and a fork-full high. I confess I usually poach off my husband's plate--it looks to the rest of the world like I'm getting a big bite of his food, but it's my entire meal!! Some things I already know my limits on: I know I can eat 3 good-sized boiled shrimp and a couple of shreds of lettuce. I know I can eat 1-2 TBS of taco-style (loose) hamburger meat, maybe mixed with a bit of refried Beans. Etc. You'll get to know your favorite foods and how much of them you can tolerate. I can almost finish a regular carton of yogurt (6 oz?) but no way could I eat that much of most other foods, for instance. 5. Include a protein food every time you eat--cheese, milk, Peanut Butter, hummus, bean dip, nuts, whatever--for satiety and help meeting your protein requirements. If your sleeve likes dense protein (tuna, chicken, steak, whatever), celebrate! and include that frequently. I definitely eat fruits and veggies, just in super small amounts, and usually blended up or chopped up in soup. But I also love salad. When I eat veggies or fruits, I also include protein in the form of milk or cheese or nuts or whatever else is in the soup (beans, always, and sometimes zapped up chicken, depending on what kind of soup it is). I also can't tolerate the Protein shakes, but if you can, those might be a great option longer-term for a small sleeve. So yay for small sleeves! They can be the most frustrating things ever, no question about it, but in the end, they perform their job beautifully--mine is really doing exactly what I wanted my sleeve to do, even though of course it makes me crazy sometimes. I also feel like I'm going to have the tool in place long term, and it's teaching me to eat in a healthful way that I can continue in the years to come.

I hate Greek yogurt, too. Never could find a brand I liked. Early in the full liquids phase, I realized I was going to have to figure out a Protein source, so I used legumes--Beans, peas, Peanut Butter, soy products--all of which can be blended, mashed, hidden in other foods (I snuck rinsed white beans into smoothies--yummy and completely not "beany" flavored). I also smushed up cottage cheese into a creamier texture, and that worked well. You might also try ricotta cheese with sweetener, vanilla, or cinnamon on it--I liked to put some orange or almond flavor in there and stir--it's like eating cheesecake filling, but good for you. :-) I use the lower-fat ricotta because I prefer the texture to the full-fat one.

I've had a "no stairs" rule for the last couple of weeks. Trying to get some extra walking in whenever I can. Still working to get "real" exercise in..... time and "want to" factor!

My stuff's in my signature--but I'm 6'2", so quite a bit taller than you. I started in a tight size 26/28, 3X/4X; now I'm in a comfortable 14 on bottom, 16 on top (still have some of the girls left, LOL!), size L or XL, depending on the article of clothing. Just had my wedding ring resized, since I figure I'm pretty much not going to drop too much more from my fingers at this point. :-)

Thanks, everyone! I still have more to go--just going to take it one step at a time!

CoffeeAndMagazines, me too. Super small sleeve, really picky, couldn't eat much volume/variety, etc., etc. Yep. Took a long time for my sleeve to calm down. I was frustrated and frequently felt like I had maybe made a bad decision. HOWEVER, at around 6 months, things improved dramatically. I don't know how and I don't know why; I do know that now, I'm thrilled that my sleeve is still really small and pretty picky, since I've had GREAT results in terms of weight loss and I have learned how to manage and how/what/when to eat. That feeling of stuff being hung at the bottom of your esophagus is from slightly overeating--and yeah, I know you're probably only eating a few bites at a time. We super-small sleevers have to manage differently from other people. Try eating a bite and see if you're still hungry; don't worry about eating until you're full or until you've finished whatever food is there. Measures don't really help until you know how much your particular sleeve can tolerate comfortably. Eat for loss of hunger, not for fullness; this took me a long time to learn, but it's been key to being able to eat comfortably--that and figuring out which foods Sleevie cannot tolerate. If I can "feel" the food in there, I don't eat it again for a few months, if that makes sense. And yeah, it does get a lot easier as you go. I promise!! I couldn't eat chicken or turkey until literally this month, and now I can. So you can see that I'm still healing and making progress, and I'm 9 months out! I can eat a little more, but not much more, probably around 1/2 a cup--less if it's dense protein--and about a cup of thin Soup (1/2 c. of thick or creamy soup). You know what, it's okay. I eat small, frequent snack-size meals, and I'm doing just fine. :-) You will, too.

Wow. I can eat shrimp, but 3 large ones are my limit. I love them--and they're low in calories, too! I actually prefer them boiled and chilled, shrimp cocktail style.

My niece had a panni and then got pregnant with her daughter--her stomach is actually really flat a year and a bit post-baby, so the tightening seems to have held up fine. I say go for the surgery, if it's something you feel strongly about. No need to borrow worries about the future just yet. Good luck with everything.

Okay, y'all, deep breath! :-) I know it's seriously frustrating. We just went through possibly the worst season for eating healthfully that we have. You have each lost a substantial amount of weight already. Bodies lose weight at different rates and in different ways. You may each be experiencing a stair-step loss, like I did and like thousands of other people do, in which you lose on a pretty straight line down for a while, then level off--then you'll lose some, then level off--then lose some, then level off, etc. etc. repeat. And the further away from surgery you get and the less careful you are with your diet (smile), the longer those plateaus grow. So here's what I suggest: Check your intake and do what you can to clean it up. Focus on Protein first, then veggies. Try to eliminate really high-carb foods (flour, sugar, fruit juice) and added fats that you don't really need. If you eat carbs, be sure they have additional nutritional value (for me, this means dairy and fruit are in). Put simply, no flour, sugar, or junk--eat real food, protein first. Next, move a little every day. Find a sustainable exercise program, maybe even just walking, that you can do every day. Nothing radical, nothing dreadful, just moderate, get-off-the-couch moving around every day. At some point, we will all stop losing weight because we will get to our body's ideal for our intake and energy expenditure. It's going to happen. But if you're still a ways off from your surgeon's goal, you still have opportunity for loss. Use your sleeve to best advantage! Be sure you're taking in plenty of fluid--dehydration can actually slow your loss and make you feel fatigued and icky. HUGS, y'all. All is definitely not lost--you're just hitting a new place in the weightloss process. :-) When you hit a plateau, be sure to stay on your program and measure; that's when I lose inches as my body sort of reshapes.

My surgeon didn't require any sort of x-ray or pre-surgery diet. I think a lot of surgeons do things that their insurers require and that the patient's insurers will pay for. Ask and be sure that you're comfortable with the answers. M.

Wow, you are zooming!! Keep up the great work!!!

Nope. I couldn't feel anything different at all and still can't--just can't eat as much. :-) Oh happy day!!