MegInNOLA

Congratulations!!! You look wonderful.

I don't think I understand the situation--they're saying nasty things to you because you're losing weight? If that's true, I'm just as befuzzled as you as to why that would be happening. Can you give us an example of what you're talking about, just so we're talking about the same thing?

Hey Amazon 13 (and hi Dana!): Let me tell you you're not alone in this. My husband and I are both sleevers. He was a BIG EATER pre-surgery--let me say BIG again. We used to plan our trips around which restaurants we wanted to be sure to hit. We made family-size meals for just the two of us. I never ate the volume he did, but I had my own issues with slow metabolism and eating junk. I used to lie awake at night in fear that I would, at some point in the near future, end up having a heart attack in my sleep--and having the paramedics saying stuff like, "Oh, well, geez, no wonder, look at the size of her," etc. etc. I used to walk around in a big ball of sweat from being so hot just from walking around. My long-term outlook was not very positive. Once my husband was sleeved (April 2010), he almost immediately reported to me that he wasn't hungry and actually forgot to eat on numerous occasions. He literally FORGOT TO EAT. To this day, he doesn't think about food very much--he does get hungry, as do I, but it's different now. I was sleeved in April 2011. We eat in an entirely different way now; we approach food differently. We still eat delicious, yummy stuff, but our definition of what that means is different--we still eat Tex-Mex, but we eat a lot less of it. We eat a lot more veggies and fruit. We have the occasional treat, but those are different, too--my husband is addicted to sugar-free popsicles, and I love Skinny Cow ice cream treats, which I have every so often (not daily!). I think once you're there, you will be surprised by how easily you slide into a new relationship with food. It will not dominate your thoughts or your life any more. You will enjoy it and you will be in control. It seems so much easier now to make healthy decisions, which makes it even easier to keep going and keep making progress. And you will be surprised by how much LIFE is going on around you--there's so much to do and see and be a part of when you're not worried about where your next meal is going to come from or if there's a chair you can comfortably fit into or if it's going to be hot (because that's another thing that changes--your internal thermostat shifts out of constantly being on "hot"). My husband had read online that people who had the sleeve were really surprised at their lack of concern about food post-op, and he never believed it would be that way for him, since he was such a huge volume eater. But it was exactly like that, and absolutely from the beginning. I actually worried about him, since he was just not eating very much after surgery and I was so used to seeing him put away massive amounts of food.... Now I know it was just how things go with the sleeve.

My standard restaurant protocol: 1. Order water--even if you're not going to drink it. It just keeps them from asking you over and over if you want a beverage. 2. When ordering, smile pleasantly at the waitperson and say, "I'd like the appetizer cup of French onion soup for my entree', please." If they say, "Will that be all?" or the less polite, "Is that all you want?", I say, again, with a pleasant smile, "Yep, that will do it!", hand them my menu, and turn my attention to my companions. 3. If a waitperson comes by and asks if there's something wrong with my soup, I just smile and say, "No, it's delicious! I'm just full," and leave it at that. I've noticed that since we end up going to the same places fairly routinely, the waitstaff get to know that I'm going to order one of a few things and that I will ALWAYS need a go-box.

I'm really sorry to hear about your frustrations. I totally understand why it would be difficult to not have the option of having the surgery. But with your particular condition, it kind of makes sense that your docs wouldn't necessarily want to remove any of your stomach--if you have a shortage of digestive enzymes, removing anything that might aid in the production or transport or appropriate application of those enzymes to the food you eat might result in even worse Protein digestion/absorption, and you don't need/want that. Sounds like you're already making strides to improve your quality of life through improving your diet. I hope you and your doctors find a workable solution for both your protein issue and your desire for weight loss. Best wishes to you.

Young adult: Long, tall, athletic, boy-shaped but big up top. Overweight adult: Apple, like a beach ball with arms and legs, HUGE up top. Postop adult: Long, tall, still big up top (even if they are shaped a totally different way), starting to feel lean again. Getting back to my boy-shape with boobs. LOL I have definite curves, but my waist isn't tiny, nor my hips particularly flared.

Carol, congratulations on your success thus far! I agree with Likasulema--you've come so far and are pretty close to goal, so I'm sure you're wondering what's going on. A lot of people who are emotional eaters gravitate towards carbs when they need a "fix." I don't know if your issue has ever been emotional or stress eating, but if so, that would explain the carb cravings. Carbs give you a quick hit of sugar and bump your endorphins up, helping you physically feel satisfied, and that substitutes for emotional satisfaction. Some folks can't really eat processed carbs even in moderation because they get these triggers to eat more. I might suggest these steps: 1. Remove everything that you know to be unhealthy from your home. If you have a mate or kids, let them know what's going on. Just remove it--give it to a food bank, donate to your local church's youth group (they'll eat anything!), or find some other way to get it out of your house. 2. Replace that unhealthy food with beautiful, fresh food that looks and smells good and is healthy for you. Carbs are GOOD for you in the form of veggies and fruit. And once you get them home, prepare them and keep them in the fridge. When the carb cravings strike, fix yourself a big salad or have a sliced apple. Your sleeve will kick in and you will get full, and your body will be healthier for the nutrition. 3. Be kind to yourself. I firmly believe that our entire food production system is geared towards promoting foods that get and keep us fat and sugar addicted. Let's face it--there's no money to be made in simply providing fruit and vegetables. Nope, to make money, they need us to buy processed foods, and wow! those are super easy to get hooked on, both from a chemistry perspective and from a convenience/availability perspective. It really helped me feel more in control when I realized that my body was designed for real food and would eventually respond positively to getting real food--the cravings really do go away. It's not that you're somehow "at fault" for craving carbs--the foods we routinely eat are sort of geared towards us continuing to have those cravings!! (Insert wry smile here) Screw the establishment and eat fresh. :-) 4. Lastly, if you really are having an emotional/stressful time, maybe talk with someone about it who has dealt with these issues before. Seeing a counselor prior to having surgery was a really helpful thing for me, and I know a lot of people on this board have also seen therapists, counselors, and other caring professionals for help with emotional or stress eating issues. I am 100% sure you can get through this and get to your goal! You are strong enough to do it, and you are worth the doing. Ditch the junk and maybe add a few more minutes on your treadmill--you're going to see goal before you know it!! (HUGS!!!)

Yep. I'm at 16 months out now and can eat more than I used to, but still pretty small amounts. I loved your phrase "nutritionally relevant." AMEN. That, I think, is the secret, more than anything else. Make sure everything that goes into your body is nutritionally relevant. That eliminates every form of junk, "empty" carbs, extra fat, and food that will ultimately not help anyone reach goal weight. I might even say to aim for nutritionally OPTIMUM, which for me means deliberately choosing high-nutrient foods (veggies, fruits, low-fat Protein sources) to fill vitamin/mineral requirements IN ADDITION TO the supplements we take. There are a gazillion helpful substances in veggies and fruit that cannot be duplicated in a lab--choosing optimal food is especially important when our volume capacity is so low and our energy requirements so high! You wouldn't put low-grade fuel into a top-notch engine; it's worth it to treat our bodies like the Ferraris they are!!

It's okay--I know it's strange, but some bodies just don't "do" the same volume as others for lots of reasons. I wasn't able to eat much at that point, either, max of 1/4 cup of food--I stayed at that same volume until almost a year out from surgery! The trick is to maximize your nutrition and see if a schedule of mini-meals helps you keep your energy up and your metabolism running high. From around 3 months to around a year out, I typically ate 5 or 6 "mini-meals" through the day. A mini-meal might be part of a container of yogurt or 2 tablespoons of almonds/cranberries or some cheese or 1/2 a Protein bar... there's lots of options. I will say that even today, my most typical eating pattern is that of probably 5 mini-meals over the course of the day... today, for instance, I ate 1/2 a Breakfast cookie and some iced coffee for one mini-meal, then about 1/8 c. of fresh mango and some roasted asparagus for another; now, I'm about to go have a few small slices of cheese with a couple of crackers. That's what I mean by "mini-meals." This method of eating helps me get in enough nutrition IF I'm smart with my food choices and keeps my blood sugar steady and keeps my energy high.

Yep, I'm with Lissa (as on so many other things, LOL!!). I still think of myself as the fat girl, although I realize I'm not, and I certainly feel better now. My husband teases me that men are noticing me and I'm completely oblivious--because I went through so many years of deliberate invisibility (or as invisible as a super tall girl can be!) and because my mindset is sort of clueless about that. On the up side, it's getting easier--I'm more relaxed in group settings, don't mind being in crowds so much, look forward to social gatherings (before I would avoid as many as possible--who can enjoy themselves when you're worried you'll take up tons of space and it will be hot and you'll be all sweaty and uncomfortable, etc., etc., etc.). I'm really glad to say that I feel like I "fit in" with any crowd now, and, in fact, I'm sometimes the least "fat" person in the room. THAT was something strange. I think it just takes time. I certainly don't approach food in the same way i did as a fat person. Now it's about fuel and energy and feeling good, not about volume and treating myself (what a joke!) and the cycle of eating/guilt. I don't approach dressing in the same way--I enjoy shopping a LOT, and getting dressed in the morning is actually a lot of fun instead of a dreaded chore. I don't approach other people the same way--I feel more open, more confident, less worried that they won't take me seriously or will think that I'm somehow deficient or defective because of my size--and keep in mind, others always accepted me, treated me professionally, never made me feel awkward--it was always ME doing that to ME. I'm thinking that if we keep working at it in little steps, it will one day become our true new nature.

I have several family members who have had the bypass. My husband had the sleeve. I saw the differences first hand. Now, 2-1/2 years out from surgery, my husband is still slowly dropping weight, while 4, 6, and 7 years out (respectively), two of the three family members have gained back more than half of the weight they originally lost. This may be a lifestyle change issue, too--my husband has radically changed his eating habits to healthier choices, while my family members really haven't changed their eating patterns from before they had surgery. The typical post-op issues after bypass don't seem to be issues for them, since they can and do eat whatever they want, and without the volume control like we have with the sleeve, it's become a problem, I think. So yeah, fewer complications, lifelong volume control assistance, fewer problems with vitamin/mineral absorption, etc., etc., etc.

From this woman's perspective, a guy who's been working hard and getting results can definitely brag a bit--I like the swagger. :-) Earned confidence is super attractive. You walk the walk, you can talk the talk.

Well, nothing like starting a challenge and then dropping out of sight. But here I am, and I'm down a couple of pounds, losing typically slowly here at the very end. At least it's still coming off!! Starting weight: 180 Goal weight: 175 Current weight: 178 Strategies that seem to be working: 1. Cut back on the cheese--my cheese-a-holic nature is still present, but I have tried to stay away from it on a few days, and I think that has made a difference. 2. Eating less in general--I haven't been all that hungry. Don't know if it's the heat or what--don't really care. 3. Staying busy and moving around. Exercise is still not happening, but we've been re-doing my office and getting an apartment and our guest room cleaned out, painted, and arranged, and that's some physical labor. Goals for the next couple of weeks: 1. WATER. I am dehydrated. I need to focus on drinking even when I don't feel thirsty. 2. Greens every day. My lack of this now is just laziness on my part--I don't feel like cooking, because I'm not really all that hungry. But the nutrition benefits are worth the effort. 3. Stay busy, move around, burn calories. I'm not going to call it exercise. Good luck, y'all! Love to see everybody pursuing their goals and having good success!!

I confess that I've never counted calories or carbs or anything. I know from experience (at this 16-month and 1 day mark post-op) that if I don't eat enough, my energy tanks and my body holds onto every little thing. I would also seriously encourage you to get a thyroid check. My PCP told me that thyroid can be so inactive that your metabolism is SUPER slow, and it becomes almost impossible to lose any weight even with minimal intake. I'm on Synthroid daily now, and I can definitely tell when I miss a dose of that, too. Since you saw good results eating a bit more, that may not be your issue, but it might--it's possible that those foods kicked up your metabolism and you saw a net loss. Experiment and see. You'll find the right combination of things that keeps you in highest fat-burning mode.

You're going to blow through sizes like a crazy person. :-) It's part of the fun. Congratulations!!

You'll find some surgeons restrict it, and some don't care. I was given coffee in the hospital after my leak test (!) and I have enjoyed it every day since. I'm pretty sure it contributes to some acid issues.... Some people use this as an opportunity to wean themselves off caffeine (smart people!). I drink probably two coffee drinks a day--I like mine iced with milk, so I consider it a Protein source. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-) If you drink coffee, you need to pay attention to getting enough Water, as caffeine is a diuretic and can contribute to dehydration. You may also find, as I have, that caffeine hits you a bit harder now than postop--you may get jittery or feel breathless. Decaf is pretty good--I'm working on diluting my regular coffee with decaf to lower the punch.

I didn't have excess acid pre-surgery, at least not that I know about. Post-op, I wasn't given a prescription for it--after having terrible problems with not being able to keep anything down, the folks on this forum suggested omeprazole and it literally saved my life. I took it from about month 1.5 until month 5 and stopped. I recently started it again because I've been noticing continuing issues with night-time reflux (I wake up with a sore throat, horrid taste in the back of my mouth, stopped-up sinuses, and squeaky voice, not good for a singer!). So yeah, I take 20 mg every evening. I have an appointment to check on other possible meds, as I know this type of med is not necessarily the best for long-term control. But for now, it's working well.

What a great NSV! I'm so happy for you that you have such a wonderful and supportive family around you--celebrate that as they celebrate your success! Congratulations!

Coops, I'm so happy for you--so many great NSV's! And a lovely vacation coming up, too. :-) ENJOY!! GT, sounds like you've got a good plan coming up, even though you're going to have some rough spots. I'm glad you had time to decompress and chill--that is SO important for all of us to remember to do!! Welcome Momoslim! We have one more week until I have to go back to school for meetings, and two weeks before students return. My husband is going to be a full-time student this fall--turns out my university will give a tuition waiver for dependents and/or spouses who want a college degree, so we're taking advantage of it! We're really excited--he's always wanted to be a teacher but has spent most of his adult life as a computer tech. Now he's going to get to do what he's been secretly longing to do--and I'm really thrilled for him. He'll be in my building (he's a band geek and will be doing a music ed degree) so I'll get to see him a lot during the day. And I'm holding steady at 180--still have 175 as my "goal," and still doing what I usually do and waiting for the tiny drop down. :-)

Hey Wolfgirl, if you haven't had sinus issues before, check out laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)--I developed this after surgery, and one major symptom was what seemed like sinus drainage (but wasn't--it was coming from my throat, where stomach acid had caused irritation of the tissues, which were producing mucus to try to compensate). Are you on a regular antacid medication?

I bought a pair of boots with 4" heels (I'm 6'2") and I feel AMAZING in them--so I say GO FOR IT! I can't wait until it's cool enough to wear them again this year. :-)

Same here--I know my ticker says I haven't hit goal, but that's because I hit my first goal and adjusted it down again. :-) My weight loss slowed the closer I got to goal--we're able to eat more, and the type of food I could tolerate expanded, too. Like Lynda, I watch my weight--I have a 3-pound comfort zone, meaning that if I ever were to bounce to 3 pounds above goal, I would adjust my diet for a couple of days, but so far, I haven't hit that 3 pounds up mark. I have hit 2 pounds above, but I know that was water/fluid retention/hormonal stuff, and I really don't worry too much about it, and it always goes away. I do not eat junk food, so I think this might be the key to keeping the weight off. Healthy food in moderate amounts, kind of just like always-skinny people eat. I CAN tell the morning after I eat something salty--I'll be a pound over my previous day's weight from the fluid retention. It's a strange concept, getting used to a new "steady," normal weight--I keep getting on the scale expecting--gosh, I don't really know what I'm expecting, except that it's simultaneously cool that the number is so much lower than pre-surgery and uncool in that I'm no longer losing that pound a day like in the beginning. LOL But I'll take it!!

Sliming happens for the reasons above, as well as when you're trying to eat something your body isn't ready to handle (aka, the chicken, CraftyV). It may be on your surgeon's list, it may be something that everybody else seems to be able to tolerate with no problem, but for you, it's a problem food. I have had this issue from the get-go, and yeah, still can't eat chicken (or most other kinds of meat). I've learned to take it SLOW. When I got/get this type of reaction, I stop eating immediately. I avoid the offending food for a while and try it again in a couple of months. Sometimes I get lucky and can tolerate it. Sometimes I still can't. But I did get to where I could eat egg whites--and the only way I know that is by trying them several times over a period of months. Vegetable Proteins seem to be simple for my body to digest, and I get less of the sliming. So maybe switch away from chicken for a while and try it again in a few months. Focus on the other types of Protein and see if you can come back to chicken later. Hang in there--the whole thing gets so much easier as you go.

All right, COOPS! I think it's definitely a sign!! Run with it!

WOOT!!! Congratulations! I know you are over the moon--celebrating here with you!