MegInNOLA

I'm pretty lucky that my sleeve doesn't really tolerate sweets or a lot of foods people tend to think of as "treat" foods.... Pre-surgery, my diet consisted of things like croissants, large sweet coffee drinks, fried foods, pizza, hamburgers, etc..... it pains me to admit that I put myself into the situation where I needed the sleeve in the first place!! (STILL frustrated about that, even though I absolutely love and am 100% grateful for my sleeve!!) Post-surgery, it's like a switch has clicked off--I know that my sleeve doesn't like flour products like Pasta or bread from experience (ick), and it doesn't like high-sugar products (double ick), and I just can't handle the taste, texture, or mouth-coating effects of fried food now (ick), so.... in order not to get sick or feel horrid, I just avoid those things. I tried some of my old favorites a couple of times after being sleeved, and they made me sick. They somehow don't even tempt me now--I seriously can't explain my almost total lack of desire for these same foods I used to eat daily, unless it's some kind of self-brain-washing that happened without my really thinking about it. I do get a kind of dumping syndrome from certain high-sugar foods (nausea, chills, overall ickiness), so I have to be kind of careful. I do have treats occasionally, like half of a not-too-sweet cookie, but I can't eat them on an empty stomach or I get sick, and when I've already eaten my "good" food, there's not a lot of room for that kind of "treat." And they don't FEEL good--they may taste good, but they tend to make me feel physically bad, and that's the key for me. I'm a wimp!! I don't like to feel physically ill. One of my new favorite "treat" foods is a couple of Jordan almonds--they have a kind of crunchy candy shell around an almond; one or two of those is pretty much my limit. I also enjoy some pumpkin spice flavored almonds that I got at the grocery store--they're yummy and satisfy my urge for a sweet, crunchy snack, but there's plenty of good nutrition in there, too. My husband and I have become quite the cheese snobs--we have a Whole Foods market nearby that has a "try it for $4 or less" bin in which they put odds and ends from the cheese department, and we both snack on thin slices of excellent cheese--we've enjoyed comparing and learning and finding new favorites. Other people's treat foods don't really do it for me any more. Again, if you had told me that my sleeve would change the way my brain works, I'd have laughed at you, but it just really seems to have done just that--I absolutely do not crave the things I used to pre-sleeve, and I know it's because I know they make me sick when I eat them, so why go there? Don't know if this helps at all, but I would say try to think of all of it in terms of choices you're making--not things you "have" to do or "can't" do, but things you choose to eat or not eat. Takes some of the pressure off. Choice feels better than rules, somehow.

WOW! You look great! You're a real inspiration!!

Looking good! Keep on rocking your sleeve!!

You look wonderful! Congratulations! And I love the dress, too--you look fab in it!

Not only are you rocking those jeans, but NYDJ definitely do not use vanity sizing, and I think they run a little snugger than a lot of brands--so not only are you in a size 0, you're in a size 0 of NYDJ!! WOW. Congratulations!!!!!

Way to go!! What a great feeling that must be!!

I also still cannot tolerate eggs in any form (scrambled, boiled, egg salad, whatever)--and I ate them practically daily before being sleeved. You will probably need to try different types of protein as you go and see what works for you. It might be that chicken is great shredded, or maybe tuna, or cottage cheese--my point is, you will find your "go-to" foods with trial and error, and you will also find some foods that your sleeve just doesn't like any more. Mine hates grilled chicken but tolerates boiled chicken in tiny bits in soup--so I can have soup if it's "smushy." I can eat Wendy's chili but not a hamburger patty. My sleeve LOVES dairy and veggie sources (beans, peas, lentils), so I'm okay with protein variety, but it took me a while to realize that eggs, grilled chicken, tuna weren't working any more. You're also eating kind of early, I think--- maybe start out with some yogurt (Greek has extra protein), but watch out for excess sugar--that's another thing that makes my sleeve freak out. You can make some sugar-free pudding and stir in some protein, too, and if you zap up some cottage cheese in your blender with a little sweetener, it makes a nice protein-rich topping for jello or pudding or melon (when your doc says you can eat that). Keep portions small and undereat--try to eat until you're not hungry, not until you're full. HUGS to you, and best wishes! You've got a great tool--now you are in the learning-to-use-it-to-best-advantage period.

WooHOO!!! Congratulations all around--I'm joining you in your happy dance! I bet that felt awesome!!!

I totally agree--I NEVER used moisturizer before and always had slightly oily skin. Now I know it has to have been a result of my diet. Post-surgery, eating a mostly low-fat, no-fried-foods diet, my skin is very dry, and I've been investigating all kinds of cosmetic creams and wrinkle helpers, plus body and hand lotions.... very unusual for me. Happily, it hasn't gotten painful or itchy, but yeah, MUCH more dry. And we just had to turn the heat on in the house--we're looking into getting some humidifiers so we don't both crackle and peel......

Bad habits: I do not exercise. I drink 2 iced coffees with real Hershey's syrup (only a tablespoon or so) on a typical day. I don't eat breakfast--never could handle it. I do eat a few almonds around 10 or so. I eat WAY too fast. I don't eat and never have been able to eat the recommended amount of protein; my blood work shows that everything's okay, though, so I'm not worried about it--and I feel good. Good habits: I do not eat baked products, flour, Pasta, fried foods, or sweets (other than the chocolate syrup in my coffee); sleeve doesn't tolerate them very well. I do not eat fatty Protein foods and have almost become a lacto-vegetarian (again, not on purpose--sleeve just doesn't tolerate them well). I routinely take Vitamins and supplements for the first time in my life. I stay well hydrated. I weigh every couple of days to make sure things are still okay.

Congratulations!!

Hey Longer-Life: I'm not really sure what you're asking, but if it's about bite size, I used a baby spoon, if that's any help. I took realllllly small bites at first, since I had a LOT of restriction and what felt to me (and still does!) like a very picky sleeve; plus my sleeve seems to still be really small, and it was REALLY small right at first. And yeah, I used to only be able to eat a couple of bites using a baby spoon--more if the food was semi-liquid, like yogurt, but still not very much. I still get full pretty fast, although I can definitely eat more now than before. I do still have issues with protein-dense foods like meat, chicken, and eggs and tend to stick with dairy and vegetable sources for Protein, since I can eat a bit more of those (still not a lot, mind you, just more than a couple of bites). I can still only eat one piece of tuna sashimi (around 1 ounce), and even that is challenging for my sleeve. But I can eat 1/2 c. of cottage cheese or yogurt. I think it's all about what works for each individual.

Love it, love it, love it!!!!! You just keep right on rocking that sleeve!!!! I also have walked into Lane Bryant just to "see" what's available and walked out without anything because I just can't do it any more.

For me, it was a matter of learning to eat until I wasn't hungry instead of eating until I was full. There's a huge difference. :-) Full now feels really uncomfortable and is nauseating--if I eat too much (or too fast!), I get that uncomfortable sense of pressure and the need to burp--if I do burp, sometimes that will relieve it, but if it doesn't because I really have eaten too fast, sometimes that has led to needing to throw up. NOT pleasant. I now routinely undereat my sleeve to allow room for those digestive juices without giving me that pain and pressure.

Man, y'all are way better than I was!! I could tolerate melon (watermelon and canteloupe), grapefruit (which I ate almost daily for a few months), and a few bites of tomato up until about a month ago. Right around Halloween, I tried salad again and discovered that my sleeve would finally tolerate it!! So my advice is, if it sounds good, is healthy, and is on your doctor's/nutritionist's list, give it a small try and see how it feels in your sleeve. You'll know pretty quickly if it's going to be something comfortable for you. If not, try it again in a couple of months.

What you're feeling is called "restriction." It's what your sleeve is designed to do. :-) Burping can make a little more room in your sleeve, but remember that it's kind of important to under-eat your sleeve to leave room for all that digestive juice that's going to come rushing in to digest the food. It is really easy to over-eat at the beginning, and you will throw up if that happens--again, nothing wrong, just exactly what your sleeve is designed to do. As you progress and heal, your sleeve capacity will increase and you will be able to eat a bit more at each meal. A couple of bites per meal right now is 100% okay and normal. Tiny bites, chewed well, and with a few minutes in between bites--I'm still working on the "eating slowly" part, even at almost 8 months out. Hang in there! You're just starting your great adventure!

I posted on the other thread, too, but I just can't get enough of saying it: Sleeved April 18, 2011, lost 100 pounds so far. (BIG GRIN)

Congratulations!! It's nice when the scale reinforces all your hard work. :-)

Yep; my doc requested some specific supplementation--a B-complex (I was able to find a gelcap instead of a tablet, yay) and a separate B1. I have repeat readings at the end of this month, but I have to say, I feel a lot better as far as energy levels go. I wasn't feeling horrible before--in fact, I wasn't feeling bad before, but now I'm feeling better, if that makes sense. I've been on these supplements for a couple of weeks and can definitely feel a difference already.

YES! I completely understand; I threw up every day for the first 8 weeks, also--you know what it was? I needed to be on Prilosec--even though I wasn't feeling any kind of heartburn or having a lot of "acid-y" feelings or taste. Once I started Prilosec, I was able, finally, to stop throwing up!!! What a happy thing--getting sick on a daily basis is not only a drain on your physical energy, it's demoralizing, too. It's like your body is fighting against you. If you're not taking an antacid, and I mean a good one, call your surgeon and see which one his office recommends, and then if that doesn't help, try another one--sometimes folks need a combination of different types of antacids, even just for the short term, to get things under control. I was able to stop the Prilosec at 5 months out and have had no trouble with acid or excessive throwing up since then. HUGS and best wishes to you!!

You look wonderful! Welcome to the Century Club! Fantastic job!!!

Hey Sharon, looking GREAT! Congratulations on your 9-month--let's kick the rest of it to the curb in 2012!!

Whoop, whoop! It is a BIG DEAL to be able to buy whatever you want/need without all that stress! Congratulations!

I totally agree with the above poster, "I don't even want it as much as I used to." YES--and I also don't know if it's physical or psychological, and I don't much care either way--it's just great that that's how it is!! I, too, walk right past the stuff I used to crave--it doesn't even enter my mind to pick up a package of chips or a cupcake. It just doesn't even "click" into my brain. I know where the Protein bars are on the shelf, or the nuts, and the Water in the refrigerator case, and that's where I go, without really thinking about it. If you had told me a few months ago that would be how it felt, I wouldn't have believed it. On the subject of whole foods, I am going to tweak my intake a bit to try to add a few more whole-grain type foods into my diet. I know my sleeve likes them. At this point, the Vitamin benefits outweigh any potential slowing of weight loss; if I don't lose a single pound more, I'm still thrilled. I, too, get most of my protein from dairy and vegetable sources; I realized that I could be eating a cup of Beans (pinto, black, baked, whatever) over the course of a meal and a snack for 14-15 g of protein, getting all the good Fiber and all the Vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that come in plant-based foods--so now I eat beans a LOT. Sleevie likes them and so do I. Since I don't eat eggs or much meat (I like it, but my sleeve doesn't), vegetable sources and dairy are really important. Carbs, yeah, but more than carbs. I definitely steer clear of most sugar and flour. I will say that low-carbing has been a HUGE benefit for a large number of people on this forum; it really is all about YOU and what works for you--if you are in the least carb-sensitive, your loss can stall out really quickly with too many carbs.

Hi fellow sleevers: YES, I finally hit the century mark!! I was sleeved on April 18, 2011, so it's just over 7 months out. I am so thrilled to reach this milestone! My progress has been pretty fast, I think. The first couple of months, I had sincere buyer's remorse, because I had excess acid and was sick every day for 8 weeks! Then the folks on this forum advised me to take Prilosec, and that solved the problem; I took myself off of that med at 5 months with no residual problems. My husband was sleeved a year ahead of me and has been encouraging from the beginning. I've had amazing support and positive reinforcement from friends, family, colleagues, and students, and that has been a huge help and a tremendous source of happiness for me. I would absolutely recommend this procedure to anyone struggling with their weight--now my outside is starting to match my inside, and my "fat suit" is never coming back!!! The attached pics are one of me from a cruise last Thanksgiving and one from this morning, so almost a year's difference. :-) I still have a ways to go, but as I told my husband a while ago, if I don't lose another pound, it's still been 100% worth it.