CowgirlJane

Oh don't misunderstand me.... once people are morbidly obese they almost can't get the weight off without the surgery. I wrestled with this for a year before deciding to commit to the sleeve. All I am saying is that people CAN fail at any WLS and it is a mistake to think any different. I love the sleeve, it is so much better then the lapband, I am no longer freaking starving all the time - it has improved my life immeasurably, but I would never give the impression that success is slam dunk or easy... especially over the long haul.

I have noticed different people define a stall differently so it is sometimes an apples to oranges comparison. i have had periods of time of slow losses and I have had a week where I didn't lose anything. The scale measures weight only, so as you lose and gain Water (can be related to so many things!) you can see fluctuations unrelated to your fat loss. Sometimes you are rearranging body composition even as the weight loss is slow (this is especially true later on in the journey). I think this little article is helpful to understanding the "Reasons" behind it all. http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

When were you sleeved? I just walked for about the first 6-8 weeks and joined the gym after that. I was too tired to do much more and it worked out fine.

My surgeon has revisions (I was too!) go slower on the food transition. I was still on liquids at your phase. If you are only getting 10 oz of Water I am guessing that part of why you feel horrid is dehydration. Yes, I know you just got some Fluid, but it sounds like you do need to refocus on liquids and worry about Protein later. You have gotten great advice I will just add that I couldn't really tolerate plain water. Warm herbal tea with a bit of stevia was a lifesaver. Once I started drinking that, my whole tummy just calmed down as plain water was irritating. I am sorry you weren't warned. I was fortunate enough to have a doctor that told me what to expect and recovery from the sleeve is harder then recovery from the lapband surgery. I personally experienced the first about 6-8 weeks as pretty tough - feeling tired, hard to get water in, hard to adjust to eating etc. However, over the long term the vast majority of the people not only lose more weight, they feel better living with the sleeve too! Hang in there, it gets better!!!

Thank you for posting this - you have been through a lot with your sleeve (leak and a stricture!?!) not to mention the family crisis. I think you are so smart to be taking this head on, but I think it is a testament to the sleeve that you have lost as much as you have. Not sure about your history, but for me I could easily gain 20-30# in a year not lose 90.... Proud of you for your accomplishments - you are an inspiration.

Well, initially I gained weight from all the fluids...lol. I ended week one with a 10 pound loss, but I had only lost 8 pounds on the preop diet so that makes a big difference. If you lost a bunch preop you might not lose as fast. Remember that super fast initial weight loss is Water loss as your body releases the glycogen a bunch of water goes with it. My advice nearly 11 months out (I know you didn't ask, but I am giving it anyway) - don't worry too much about comparing yourself to others or get hung up on day to day or get stressed by stalls or any of that. just keep working the sleeve, following the guidelines and the weight WILL come off. Promise.

I didn't care for the apple, but I thought their chocolate truffle and vanilla were really good.... well, by Protein Drink standards. I wound up buying tubs of those. For the fruity ones, I mixed them with ice in my magic bullet so they were kinda like slushies. There were pretty good - but I still liked the choc and vanilla the best. I guess I must not be too crazy about them as I still have several packets from that sample pack! Shoulda had them over the summer as I just get too cold now having icey drinks like that!

I personally think that while the leak rate MIGHT be 1%, I think the overall complication rate is higher... I think I saw a study that suggested around 2-3% since leak isn't the only complication. I was a band to sleeve revision and the surgeon told me that our risks were probably "about double" that of a virgin sleeve. Scared the crud out of me, but I was in a pretty bad way at 308 pounds, 52 BMI so finally decided I was going to die of obesity if i didn't take the risk. I thank God on a regular basis how well this has gone, no complications so far, and that while I am not at goal I am a normal sized person and my life has changed for the wonderful! It is so scary to read about the complications, but it makes me so happy to read the "happy endings" when people get over it and get back to the business of losing weight and being healthy!

Sorry to hear of this, but glad you shared your story - people need to hear the good and bad. My nutritionlist has pounded into my head the ways to keep that restriction feeling. Bottom line, early on, she gave me quantity guidelines to help me find the right place to be.... when my brain and stomach sensations were still working it all out and could not yet be trusted. Then, my hunger went away and it was practically a chore to eat. Then, when my hunger started returning she emphasized small quantities as the top priority. So far it is working for me even though I have a "bigger", at least in theory, pouch since surgeon used 38 bougie. I might be able to eat a whole cheeseburger, but the sleeve has given me the reduction in hunger so I don't feel the overwhelming "drive" to eat. I do eat 4-6 mini meals a day as avoiding getting overly hungry helps me from overdoing it. the only time I have a real problem with this is stuff like business trips where I find myself having alot of restaurant meals and due to work committments going too long between meals. I had the lapband for 10 years and I guess we are all different because I hated the food restrictions (ie in general I had trouble with dense Proteins and veggies but also rice), felt it drove me to eating slider foods. Also, i couldn't handle having any fill at all or else I would get horrid reflux. The worst part is that I guess I had a lot of self control problems because I often vomited in the early months especially because it just seemed like I went from really hungry to salivating and vomiting in a blink of an eye. I am thinking if I had better support and education I might have done better, don't know. I am nearly 11 months into the sleeve - so time will tell but so far I find it much easier to live with then the band, I don't vomit and at least so far am managing my portions well and have lost way better then I did with the lapband. It does scare me for the long term though.... this is why people regain, starting to eat too big of portions and/or resort to grazing all day. I hope they are able to find a good solution for you - it is so discouraging to do surgery and not get the results you expected. It was heartbreaking for me actually, so you definately have my empathy.

HaHa, wait until you hit a stall way down the road. For just a moment I wondered - am I done losing? nope, but for a moment I did wonder....

Right now the most important thing is keeping the volume "small" so I would say your current method is right on for the phase you are at. In general, I use measuring cups for volume and a a scale for weight and not try to cross over. I never consider a 1/4 cup to equal 2 ounces... because for most stuff that just doesn't work out. I sometimes weigh food, just depends what it is. for example, I had some sandwich meat that had nutrition info by the 2 ounces but i didn't know how many slices equaled 2 ounces. So, now, it depends on what I need to know to accurately track the Protein.

My NUT told me that early on you have some nerve damage and you may not actually feel the restriction. She had me carefully weighing and measuring - eating more by the scale and the clock then relying on stomach sensation. That did change, i am only talking about the first approx 6 weeks. One of the key differences with the sleeve is you don't have that pain signal, at least in my case, I didn't vomit everytime something was slightly too much. the band is like the punisher, whereas the sleeve is more like the help you control yourself. Trust me, over the long run the sleeve works a lot better. The NUT told me that at this stage one of the top priorities is to protect the baby sleeve and keep it feeling that tightness (or if you haven't felt that yet, keep it so when the sensations return it will be tight) I think you should be in the general ballpark of 1/4 cup to half cup MAXIMUM total food at a meal. For dense food, 1/2 cup volume is probably too much. If you are really hungry all the time, check that you are not dehydrated. Even now, alot of times when I say "I am hungry" what I really am is thirsty but my messed up system doesn't seem to register it correctly. Also, you should be on something for the stomach acid - a PPI or something. If you are not, get started. If you are, consider asking for a different type. Again, early on the acid felt alot like hunger. so, my words of encouragement are that I actually found it really hard to deal with food/hunger etc until about 6-8 weeks out. And then, it got so much easier and the weight just kept coming off.... This will get better.

I am wondering what the current "best practices" are for strength training. My goal is fitness, toning, strength, injury prevention (best way to protect joints is strong muscles) and to build enough muscle to help me maintain weight loss. Time efficiency is paramount - shortest workout with results. In the old days, we used to always do 3 sets, reps of 8-12 per set for each exercise. I am reading "Weight Training for Dummies" and they seem to be recommending doing 1 set per excercise for someone in my situation. Perhaps doing multiple exercises for a specific muscle, but only one set of 8-12 reps for that particular exercise. Any thoughts? In the past, I really enjoyed circuit training which incorporated aerobic with the strength training. Is that still considered a good approach? I have been strength training but want to up the ante and make sure I am getting the most from my workout.

Lets be clear, any weight loss surgery can fail. There have been a few posts by people who have not had expectations met by the sleeve. In some cases, their expectations don't seem realistic to me, but you should also know that it is possible to "fail" any WLS, although would be pretty hard with the DS. I think it is a matter of the odds (ie what results have others acheived, on average) as well as the risk/complications you need to endure. The lapband is appealing because true life threatening complications are rare. What was not known, at least to me 10 years ago, that the many non life threatening complications make your life hell, drive you toward slider foods and generally degrade the quality of your life. Anybody considering the lapband should go to some support groups and meet bandsters. Ask them questions about vomiting and food intolerances. Talk to people 1-2++ years out and ask them about reflux, ask them if they found their "sweet spot" and all that. Ask how many have to put the head of their bed on blocks to try to minimize reflux. I think you will find that early on, people are coping with the negatives because they are losing weight. At some point, many people have to get unfilled because they simply cannot bear the reflux and then the weight loss stops and eventually, the regain begins. There are exceptions, there are people who do well for longer, but most of them will eventually fall into this cycle of complications - even "minor" complications can be hard to live with if it is chronic.

How did the surgery go? Let us know how you are doing!

I feel your pain - I took it very personally that I "failed" too. Plenty of surgeons are coming to realize that the band just doesn't work that well for many people.... I agree get rid of that dang thing first! I don't want to scare you, but my band was unfilled and yet about 2-3 days after having it removed my appetite went even higher!!! I was in hell - constant drive to eat. Have a plan for that in case it happens to you.

Just to clarify - I have been working out regularly since about Feb, so this is "upping it" as I am fitter and of course the closer to goal, the slower it seems to go. I had been doing Water aerobics 2X a week, strength training 2-3x a week usually done with an elliptical session. I am cutting back on water aerobics and doing more intense exercises now but the water aerobics is great for flexibility too. I am much stronger then I was, my shape is better then I expected considering how much I have lost so no complaints so far, just looking to maximize! What is HIIT?

Very low on the pain scale, fairly high on the misery scale. I woke with some naseau that was horrible. They had hit me with all the drugs to prevent it and were running out of options, but one last medication did the trick and it wasn't a big problem after the initial horrible waking up. I think waking up from surgery is both wonderful (I am alive!!!) but also terrible (my goodness I feel horrid). So, after the nasuea was under control, I felt better then I expected. I had a little gas pain in the shoulder but did lots of walking and it helped. The hardest part was the exhaustion and "blahs" I had the first 4-6 weeks post op in my experience.

I know he didn't mean it as an insult at all and I believe he is genuine that he loved me fine being heavier. However, it is hurtful that he has not said a word of encouragement, congratulations or otherwise acknowledges this massive change in my appearance. I don't know his motivation and in talking to him, I really haven't gotten an answer out of him. I believe it is more to do with him and his own state of mind then taking it as an insult or dig at me. It is still hard to take and that is really my larger point here.... not all of us are blessed with an army of gushing cheerleaders. Or in my case, the main person I want to be encouraging me on is notably absent. BTW, he is not obese himself, maybe 15# overweight so it is not due to that. You have to do this because YOU want to do it and that motivation has to come from within. If hubby isn't always supportive, be prepared for that because he is a person too and has his own issues/battles to fight. When it comes to an illness like obesity, it is like managing diabetes or something, it is nice to have the support but in the end it comes down to the "patient" to make it happen.

I think your calories are fine for that stage, but you will feel better, more enegetic and be able to be more active if you stay hydrated. That can also prevent some other issues down the road. I would encourage you to focus on getting the fluids in. BTW, protein drinks can be counted toward your 64 oz a day. I found warm herbal tea to be a lifesaver, easy on the tummy and also counts.

I didn't worry about all that too much preop, but now that I am living it, I do think of it. When I look in the mirror, I am not comfortable entirely with my looks. Lots of issues, but one of them is that my face doesn't look pretty. Well, it didn't look pretty at 300# either!!! but I guess I was at some level looking for the face I had when I was a hot 22 year old...lol I have gotten so many compliments on my looks (just not from hubby!) and the ones that stuck with me were about my face - about how I look just happy and gleaming. I guess that we can be our own harshest critics. Beauty is often more then a facial feature, or perfect skin or whatever, alot of beauty is the energy you radiate. People are attracted to happy healthy faces even if they aren't perfect.

I am so sorry. I have been through the pain of a divorce, and even when it needs to happen, it is still very difficult. I understand completely where you are coming from and my remarks weren't at all targeted at you (I think I missed your post first time I read through) - more just general advice that emotions run high during this time and to take care to not make rash decisions, especially in that first year post op. I also wouldn't quit a good job, sell my house or give away any kids during that time window...even though probably all of that crossed my mind over the last year.

I am confused. My BMI was 52 and I am certainly not the heaviest sleever. You are lucky to have dodged the lapband bullet though - they don't work well and especially not for people with a little higher BMI. It does take a lot of work to comply with the eating guidelines, I don't know what to tell you about that. I know that people who have zero time do this, but i had to rearrange my life to make room for working out etc.

I found that warm Water pool exercise feels great in the winter - power water aerobics in my case helped alot last winter. You might find it helps your aches a little, gets you out of the house, warms you up and gets you exercise! In general, being active helps me chase the blues away.

Mine was laproscopic too - still more comfy to sleep in the recliner the first week. I healed up just fine.