CowgirlJane

I wanted to let you know that I deleted your duplicate post... as I am sure it was unintended! Many days of the week I make a fancy egg Breakfast. I sautee some frozen veggies (usually bell peppers or brocoli) and a sliced up low carb/high Protein chicken or turkey sausage. I then whip up some egg beaters in my little magic bullet blender and pour over the sautee. I often top with sliced tomatoes and a bit of cheese, let it cook a bit more on the stove and then place under broiler - I get a puffy egg dish that is high protein, low carb and has veggies. I usually eat half in the morning and the other half for lunch or a later meal. I often have salads with some salmon or tuna or something on it. I eat alot of shrimp. I eat berries everyday. Sometimes I just have grilled fish or chicken. I do go out to eat, but usually order a "protein item" off the appetizer menu. I don't eat much fruit - sugary. I avoid carby, junky food altogether. I eat zero fast food as that stuff is poison to me.

Okay, what surprises me the most about this story is that I would NEVER criticize someone for a decision when it is too late, cannot be undone - I mean what is the point? Even if she was "right" it's not like you can get your previous oversize stomach back. I think you handled it very well ... if it were me, not sure I would want to associate with her because seems like she could really be a negative force especially if you ever run into frustrations or problems (stalls etc) I have been blessed with people who are either openly supportive or have the decency to keep their mouths shut. BTW, I didn't tell my extended family in advance of the surgery. I told them afterwards, by email. I asked for their support and told them I understood not everyone would agree with my choice - and they could please keep that to themselves. I got a lot of congrats, good decision, good luck... and some silence. After about a year, the silent ones finally spoke up and said something like "I didn't feel comfortable that you did this, but i am so happy to see how successful you have been" Truth is, they don't need to agree, they just need to not be an obstacle or detractor of my success. Friends and family should support us or at least not try to derail us...

It took me 14 months to get to my initial goal of losing 150# (I weighed 158). This morning, I weighed 142 - so I have lost about 15 more pounds since Feb 2013. My personal belief is you should absolutely maximize those first 6-12 months as it is easier to lose weight then - do view it as a sprint, BUT, then realize that if you keep working the sleeve, following healthy habits you CAN maintain or continue to lose. The sleeve doesn't expire, what happens is that people fall back on their old ways... and the closer to normal weight you are, the harder it might be to lose. goal is a fairly arbitrary number and you can keep having successes (losses, maintenance) even after "hitting" it.

I have to add... your user name is perfect... and oh so true. You make your own "luck" and you make your own happiness. Sometimes peace... and recognizing that you started where you started, you are where you are and now what is the best path from here is the way to think...

Congrats on becoming a vet! It is easy to get discouraged, not just by the scale, but LIFE. I think it is important to keep the perspective of focusing on how much you have acheived - both health benefits, mobility, looks etc rather than comparing yourself to what you envision as "ideal". You would be shocked at how many women at a "normal" weight despise their own looks. It really is a waste of energy. I was told by my NUT and found it to be try that as long as you keep "working it" the sleeve will keep working for you. You CAN continue to lose weight as a vet, just keep on keeping on. I know what you mean about sometimes thinking how long the journey is - for me, when i weighed over 300# it seemed impossible to get to a normal size/weight, but i did it. I too thought about the ladies who were "only" 75-100# overweight... but in the end that doesn't really matter. It only matters how I live my life, not how I compare to anyone else. I can be bad about Vitamins sometimes... and then get back on track, but I implore you to get your Protein in. As you are losing weight, adequate protein can help maintain your muscle mass. It can also prevent hair loss and other unpleasant things like that. Anyway, keep posting on the vet forum! Welcome!

I am indifferent to this and while I can understand why it is interesting to people early on... I want to share this little story. I weigh within 5 pounds of my best friend. She is 2" taller. Somehow, I am several clothing sizes smaller and have been deemed "thin enough" by pretty much everyone around me. She is normal sized, but has some visible excess fat. I have a muscular body type, I apparently carry weight differently and perhaps the lifelong obesity history makes me "heavier" on the inside so the scale/height/BMI thing is really just a rough guideline. Comparisons really can take the joy out of your successes because there is always someone who SEEMS better based on stats.

You make such amazing points. It takes awhile, but the benefits of being trimmer are just so great, "food" starts to really take a back seat to the OTHER joys in life. Well, before joy, there is the absence of miserable things like the seat belt extensions, being able to fit in the seats etc... then, it just gets better and better!

142 this morning. I am quite sure my tummy troubles are acid since it feels better after starting up a ppi. What a shocker, I hope this doesn't mean serious trouble is heading my way ala Susan and Irene Steven was wowed - he noticed the weight loss and was the one that told me I am officially a skinny girl and to stop losing weight right now... perfect. I trust his judgment and it feels perfect to me too.

When I had excess skin, I still felt kinda fat. i knew in my head it was skin, but it looked like fat to me. I worked on alot of self acceptance, and I was "okay" with it preplastics, but ... i still felt like I had a good layer of fat. Yesterday a friend of mine said "you are now officially a skinny girl" - meaning I no longer need shapewear, cleverly disguised clothing. It is hard to explain, but post reconstructive plastic surgery I feel like I truly am at goal now. I suspect that the feeling of really looking more like a normal person is motivational for many - but only time will tell. I am 2.5 years out from my sleeve, still plenty of time to regain.

I felt like plastics was similar to getting rid of the 3X sweatpants...you know, dont need that extra skin anymore, not useful. It motivates me because I feel so confident in my body...really...best body since I was about 22. I am only 6 months from the reconstruction but it was a game changer for me.

Maybe shooting for 100% isn't realistic? for me, I spent over a year in turmoil on this decision. At the end of the day, I decided I had a 100% chance of early death with a side trip through disability on the path I was on weighing over 300# and not getting any younger. I too lost weight, would regain it, and then reached the point I couldn't even lose weight anymore! As a revision from lapband to sleeve, I estimated my risk of serious complications for the sleeve was 5% or thereabouts. Could I ever be 100% sure it was the right decision? no. but it felt like better odds than the path I was on.

So, I don't track calories so when I say I do 5:2 it is probably a bit more like the 8 hour thing. I try to focus on NOT eating all day long, that whole giving it a rest seems to make a huge difference! When I am using 5:2 aggressively, my "2" fast days are really more ultralow carb, and by inference low calorie days. I don't like using the word "feast" - my normal days are normal is all. I haven't done it in awhile because I am maintaining without it, but whenever I creep up I do 5:2 (my version) and it works great.

Okay, I am suspecting it is acid. I am trying a ppi for a few days - which I have NOT taken since early weeks post op. I don't feel like I have reflux or anything, but we all know how sneaky acid can be. Last night I met a friend for dinner and I had zero appetite. I was sorta dreading dinner. However, I ordered yummy grilled fish tacos and ate all the "innards" - left behind the corn torts and it caused no discomfort and i actually felt satiated. I had taken a proselec earlier in the day. So, one reason I wanted the appointment for next week to see if the ppi helped... then it is a good indication of the issue. I think a few more days of it might tell but this morning I am again at zero appetite. What is interesting is that I lost weight pretty rapidly when I first lost my appetite, but as we all know the body adjusts so I am maintaining even though not eating very much. I have also not been exercising much due to some other health issues - so pretty much off track on everything for the moment. That is okay... I will get back!

Hey swizz... how are you doing? which airport are you at? I am online all day - I keep a personal laptop next to my work one for checking in.

Well as my ex so clumsily pointed out when I got down to about 28 or 29 BMI that I was relatively small cuz everyone else has gotten so fat in the meantime. Some truth there. I weigh in the low 140s now and I definitely get the "too skinny" thing but I am not. I think i am just right .

Stomach bothering me again. I have an appointment to be seen next week..just to be sure....

So I am curious what you all think of the push toward local real life support groups sponsored by bariatricpal? It seems to me that there are lots of support groups in place in urban areas (at least in mine!) so I wonder what niche this will wind up filling?

My favorite mex-grill place lets me order a kids meal, but most won't around here. I mostly order appetizers because all I want is the Protein anyway - I skip the sides pretty much. I like something like a shrimp skewer or perhaps a small salad with shrimp or chicken on it.

I had the lapband for 10 years and then revised to the sleeve. I know very little about the bypass except for some (probably irrational) reason I just didn't want that procedure. I think making pros and cons and listening to your surgeon's recommendations for you is a good idea. First surgeon I went to told me to not even consider the sleeve since my BMI was so high and I had already failed with the lapband. I went to the support groups and noticed that he pretty much did just bypass procedures... so it is clear there is quite a bit of bias even among surgeons. I went to a surgeon who recommends sleeve first, but certainly does bypass and even bands for some cases. I am very very happy with my sleeve, but only time will tell if it was really the best thing, right? In the end, all weight loss surgeries require commitment from YOU as the number one success factor. Longer term, complications, regain etc can happen with any procedure. Oh, and I still need Vitamins. Problem is that I still have to eat so little to keep my weight at a normal BMI that it is pretty hard to meet all nutritional needs that way. Maybe younger/higher metabolism people it is different... but even in maintenance I am a "small eater" Good luck!

My stomach has been bothering me. I think I will start back on proslect which I haven't taken in over 2 years. I have this nagging feeling something isn't right but starting with acid control seems logical.

I started out at just over 300# and I had lost 50 before people really even noticed the change. Do you think he is uncomfortable with the physical changes already or something else? I guess everyone knows this, but losing huge amounts of weight is a game changer in many relationships. In my case, the ending of my relationship actually wasn't about the weight loss. I thought the problems in our relationship were (at least partially) caused by my being so obese but turns out they had nothing to do with it so losing weight did not "fix" a dang thing. And then, i just couldn't take it anymore.

I have never seen a complication reported this way. A small percent have leaks and it is never known what causes them. It has been said you don't want to risk solid foods early as it could cause particles to get stuck. Trouble is some people can do everything right and still have complications while another doesn't comply with instructions and have no problem...luck??? My personal view is pick a great surgeon with an amazing track record of results and do what they say...hopefully improving odds of a great outcome.

Well, my ability to eat is returning, but my food capacity seems much less. I suspect it is the whole "eat less and you want less" at work. My weight has stabilized and I assume that I don't have a physical problem but it has been strange... after all this time of trying to manage hunger to experience the opposite problem.

Victoria, it is not hopeless. I don't REALLY know much about true stretching of the sleeve, but I DO know how to keep that feeling of restriction. They key is eating small quantities, eating low carb and avoiding sliders. Doing a week or something of a liquid diet can certainly help get that "restricted feeling" back, but you don't have to do anything that radical. My advice is clear the sliders/junky/celiac make you sick foods out of your house. DOn't buy em and you won't eat em. Focus on staying hydrated, not drinking with meals and eating basically dense Protein and veggies. Avoid or cut way back on fruit (sugar), liquid calories and anything that just goes down too easy (crackers, popcorn, etc.). Go back to basics. I am 2.5 years out from surgery and you may have read my post about shockingly losing my appetite. I think some of the replies hit the nail on the head.. once you get used to eating little, your appetite decreases. When you get used to eating lots... your appetite increases. If you really are binging, you might want to consider counseling or some kind of support group for food addiction. That is a tough one because we all think we are food addicted at some point - but me - I was mostly hungry all the time pre-sleeve.

Sounds like a great time Coops! I think I can report a victory. I had a great day riding on Friday then we went out for a bite to eat and just had a great time. I was going to go out to one of these meetup events Friday night, but wimped out. I was content - hear that?, content. Saturday I went shopping and at times felt like a waste of the day but I was happy. I have bras that fit now...woo hoo. Again, I was supposed to go do a social event but I got all dressed up and thought....eh.... I don't feel like driving so far in the bad weather. I had a nice evening at home alone with my pups. So, this is all good because i feel peaceful.