Dooter

Ok, all you sea-faring sleevers- I'm the queen of queazy here, and I have not been on a ship since getting sleeved. So- my question is: Does the sleeve (a.k.a. "smaller stomach") mean LESS sea-sickness, or is there no change because it's an inner ear thing, or what's the scoop? I get all kinds of motion sick- airplane, car, small boat, big ship- you name it. Capt. Derel, I hope you see this! What are your best tips to avoid getting green on the high seas? (Do I write for a tabloid or something? WTH?)

I've been wondering about the process of healing along the staple line of the sleeve. I know on my surgeons website, there is a description of the stapling and then sewing up the outer edge of the staple line. Does the stomach itself actually start to grow together, sealing things up, or is the leak factor entirely dependent upon the staples and sewing?

Hey all- Dooter here. I haven't been on here in a while, but this thought has been plaguing me, and I need to get it out. -Let me preface this discussion by saying I am GLAD I had the sleeve surgery, and I would not change it for the world. I had NO complications and I lost 102 pounds in eight months, and for that I am grateful. I needed to do that quickly for my own sanity and health. HOWEVER- that said- DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT think for one teeny tiny minute that having surgery and dumping a bunch of weight is going to fix your head and the behavior that got you here. Not gonna happen. During the "honeymoon" period where you can sneeze off five pounds at a time and you're never hungry after your teaspoon of food, you can't imagine EVER returning to old feelings and desires. I am here to tell you that it sneaks back in a little at a time. A taste here, a taste there... "oh look. I've gained a pound. well, that was salty food, I'll just drink more Water tomorrow." HORSE HOCKEY!!!! That's where it starts. Your old head trips creep in. Hiding food. Eating junk now, figuring you'll just shape up "next week" or "tomorrow." Tomorrow never happens and you've gained 30 pounds back. Yes. With your itty bitty stomach, you have gained 30 pounds back. It can happen. Or worse, you gain it all back. That can happen too. The reason I am writing this and being to harsh about it is that you are a person who is considering, or who has gone through a MAJOR life changing surgery. SO CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!! Be vigilant. come out of that honeymoon with your armor on! You WILL stop losing at one point and your body will begin to fight you as mine has. The diet my surgeon gave me no longer works at this point in the game, as my metabolism is stuck in cold molasses and it has taken a personal trainer/dietitian to get it moving again, and it is majorly hard work and painful and distasteful at times, but I have another 100 lbs to lose AFTER the 30 lb regain is gone. ​Have somebody close to you hold you accountable for exercising and eating right. Splatter it all over Facebook if you have to (I did) so you'll have MANY people holding you accountable! Do what you have to do to reach your goal. Don't settle for less and don't eat crap. And don't think that surgery is the final solution. It's a tool that will get you halfway there. The rest is up to YOU and no one else. Thank you. That is all.

Thanks! LOL Yes, it IS a slippery slope. Here's my advice: If it tastes good, spit it out!! Ok, not quite that bad, but close. Food is no longer a tool of soothing the psyche and de-stressing. It's fuel for the body. I have trouble looking at it that way. I get a craving for something with frosting and LOOK OUT. I'll mow ya down. That's my battle right now. The stinking cravings. If you increase your calories, do it with Proteins, veg, fruit and quality carbs. (brown rice, whole oats, quinoa, etc). Preaching to myself. God help me. As far as foods being left permanently in the past? In theory, yes, all the "bad" food should be left behind, but I tell you, as soon as you tell me I can't have something- that's all I want. SO- I have to learn to have an altered relationship with these foods. Maybe...get to "x" weight and you can have such and such small treat. I don't know. I'm still learning dude. i'm 45 and still learning to live with food. It's not like crack or booze, you can't just walk away. We have to eat. It will be a life long battle and lesson. I pray you have great success.

That's the proper attitude. Never let your guard down.

I am very happy that I got the sleeve done and would do it again in a heartbeat. It is a GREAT tool that I have at my disposal, but I have to use it. I will always have food issues, as will most of us on here, so we have to stay on top of it.

The issues come back. You must be prepared for that. Like I posted earlier, you WILL still have a smaller stomach, so that's a help, but empty carbs and sugar slide down with no problem and weight gain is EASY if you're eating the wrong foods.

There is an initial time period in which you lose the most weight. The sign that it is over is that you stop losing weight with the diet and exercise you've been doing. You start to feel like you're beating your head on the wall to no avail. That is where i became discouraged and turned to old comforts. I also had a very stressful time in my life right then, and I did not exercise the amount of self control i needed to. I continued to exercise, but the cravings were kicking in, and I was GIVing in. Then i started on the tasty alcoholic drinks. Don't drink your calories. The Grehlin figures out a way to start producing again, and the hunger pangs return. HOWEVER- you DO still have a smaller stomach, so like Diva said, you can still work your tool. Stay with protein and veg first. I strayed from that rule. Still struggling. When I get hungry, I get almost manic. I suddenly feel like I have no ability to make rational choices. So I was giving in to sugar cravings, and started that ugly cycle. Trying to break that yet again. I AM thankful to still have a small stomach, or i'd weigh 500 lbs by now. So... there's that...

Still struggling. Had to come back and read my own post for encouragement. LOLOL I'm on day two of a self-imposed liquid diet to shrink up my sleeve as much as possible. I have first-hand knowledge that this works. I'm about to start chewing on the kitchen chairs or something. Yikes. I WILL NOT REGAIN THIS WEIGHT!!!! I'll go down fighting.

Ok, I want to hear from our experienced sleeve people: If you've been sleeved long enough to have returned to a "normal" capacity- let's say...a year or more? How much can you hold at once? I've heard different things from everywhere on this forum. Some say you can hold as much as you ever did (SCARY!!!!) and some say "normal" is like, 4 ounces (sounds better!). Input please. Lots of it. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation. -danielle

Wow. I wrote this forever ago! 2 1/2 years out, and I can eat a lot more than i'm happy about. I can easily eat about 8 oz. of almost anything. Straight protein gets uncomfortable after 6 oz, but anything else.... I can hold too much, so i can't get sloppy.

Good to see ya Ja!!!! Congrats!!

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Be honest with your doc about this. You may need to decide if this is the right time in your life to do this. If you don't stick to the POST op diet it could kill you. This is very serious. Not sticking to the pre op diet and still smoking may disqualify you from surgery anyway. This is serious stuff. You MUST be willing to comply. It's time to change. Please speak to your doc or staff. I say this out of great concern.

Ok, so BIG NSV yesterday. Since before I had surgery 2 years ago, I dreamed of riding rides with my boys and knew it may never happen. We moved to Florida last year, and finally had a chance to visit Legoland yesterday. Not only was I able to keep up with them and their friends, I was leading the pack! AAAND riding roller coasters and other rides with them, and I didn't have to worry about fitting. There was ONE ride with a teeny car and the girl had to really push down on the bar to lock it, but that's ok! I've got a ways to go, but I've come SO far! I'm back on track with a trainer and we're going to get this job D O N E!!! KEEP WORKIN' IT PEOPLE!!!

OK, Well here's a guideline for you... right now my waist is 42 and my hips measurement right across the hip bones is at 45 and the very widest part of my butt about 6 inches below the hip line is at 52. With those measurements I fit in everything and only on one ride, two of them had to press on the bar to get it to smash down and lock. That was getting a little close for comfort, but it was a way smaller car than all the other. So, if that helps allay your fears any...

Oh, I was a big time hider. These are the things I have to start being honest about. We all do. Change is painful.

EXACTLY. Hey we're all in it together and this place is about truth, support and encouragement. I haven't lost anything in a year and a half and I didn't want to come back on here either, but I had a burden for this truth that I was realizing, so by Providence you have come upon it and I'm glad it is helpful. The rest of our lives are going to be a lot of work in regards to food and exercise. We can do it though never give up!

Good job.. You'll do GREAT!! You got this!! Patience.....

You're not losing too fast at all by standards of wls. Take FULL advantage of the next 4 to 6 months, because the loss will stop like hitting a brick wall. Make hay while the sun is shining.

Yup. It comes back. Full force. I was hoping not, but it did.

Every doc has a different idea of what is ok. My doc was ultra safe and had a VERY slow progression up to solids. Like... 5 weeks of gradual food thickening and texturing.

Breathe, woman breathe!!! Everything is going to be ok. (It is too early to be eating chicken! You can hurt yourself badly!) The grehlin is still working its way out of your system, and you're having thin foods (or should be), so hunger is inevitable. I felt ravenous for weeks. Be sure you are taking acid reducers and staying well hydrated. You WILL lose weight. Your body is trying to figure out what the heck you did to it and is rebelling by trying to hold on to what you're putting in. It WILL happen. Just relax, follow the plan and exercise. Not vigorously yet. SLOW, careful walks, but KEEP MOVING. Your exercise plan starts NOW. It's very vital to the loss. Most of all- be calm. Stress hormones will fight your weight loss as well. Just keep swimming. K?

Wow. What can you do today to prepare you to beat the odds.... well... I'm still trying to do just that, so I had a bit of a pie in the sky attitude, refusing to entertain the notion of old ways returning. I "felt" too different. I just KNEW it couldn't happen. Truth is...I feel the same as I did before but with a smaller stomach. (not discounting the weight lost, of course..) Same cravings, same stress eating... everything. What you can do is EXPECT your feelings and attitudes to return to how they were and have a good support system around you. People that will not let you slack off on exercise, and that you can count on to say "uuhhh.. have you put on a few pounds?" and you promise not to get mad at them. Also- if it's not in your house, you can't eat it! Don't drink your calories. Your diet may have to change when your weight loss is done. consult an expert. Your body is different than anyone else's. Don't take blanket advice for eating at face value. These are just a few tools I'm learning. I've got a ways to go...

Heck ya, I'm two years out and I get ravenously hungry. Have for quite some time. The good thing is I get full so much faster. I can still do a LOT of damage in a small amount of space though. The Grehlin is flowing again!