7carol3

I too had little to no complications after my surgery. I have lost hair over the years, but I am a picky protein eater. I refuse any kind of protein shake on the market, so my bad. I was NEVER close to being bald, nor did I have bald spots. I have very curly hair and no one ever noticed that I lost any hair. At the beginning of my journey I could only manage to eat 1/3 of a container of Greek yogurt in one sitting for breakfast. I now have no problem eating the whole container and sometimes I have a handful ( 1/4 cup ) of high protein granola mixed in. For me, portion size depends entirely on what I am eating. I can eat a ton of cucumbers or lettuce and spinach. But I still can't eat an entire crabcake. I couldn't finish an entire filet mignon even if that was the only thing I was trying to eat. If I'm trying to eat only protein, I can't pack in too much in one sitting. Maybe the size of the palm of my hand. Half of that if I am eating veggies too. I can definitely eat a lot more now and agree with @aroundhky that the sleeve is a tool that needs to be used properly or your results can be reversed. It takes work to maintain the weight loss. You have to put in the time and effort. I can drink soda, but I get a terrible stitch in my right side (always my right side) and it doubles me over in pain so it TOTALLY isn't worth it!! I stick with water. I do like to drink Bai coconut water for a change up. I'm not a coffee drinker but I like tea and I do drink that. I have had low iron and low vitamin D but I fought those battles when I weighed 265 pounds so I don't feel that is a complication. I am a bit of a hermit and I don't like milk so there is my Vitamin D problem. I have a thyroid condition which makes battle with iron. I take a prescription for GERD every night, but I did that at 265 as well. I have acid reflux if I eat or drink anything other than water too close to bedtime. Again, my bad! Even at 7 years out I still do things wrong, we are human. I am very proud of the fact that I have never overeaten to the point of vomiting. I think it is important to know your sleeve and how it feels. Eat slowly and stop just shy of feeling full because sometimes full hits you quickly, depending on what you are eating. Watermelon almost always gets me, funny enough. There isn't really anything I can't tolerate but food in general just isn't as appealing to me anymore. I don't love dill pickles like I used to. I can't stand to smell eggs cooking. Eating a hard-boiled egg is hard for me because it is so dry, I have to put hot sauce on it, if I eat one that is. I usually just put them in salad. I eat a lot more avocado and Greek yogurt now than I used to. Anything else I can bore you with...just let me know...I'm here to help!

I’m seven years out. I’m just an old married lady but you’re welcome to follow me if you like @7carol3 in Instagram. Looks like lots of great progress on here!

I’m back after a long time away as well. We’re both had our sleeve done around the same time. I know you’ve got the determination to get where you want to be. I’ve managed to maintain my 265 to 155 weight loss. Seven years out, I guess that makes us success stories!

Preach! Not to mention the mental ups and downs, at least for me. My journey was just as difficult mentally as it was physically. Four years later and I'm still not living the easy life. Ha! Ha! Thanks for posting that Rogofulm.

I had a coworker tell me I was taking the easy way out. Now ALL of us know that every weight loss journey is a struggle. There is NEVER an easy way. I wish I wasn't such an open book and could be more like The Post Op, but I never have been. We just have to pat ourselves on the back for the wonderful things we accomplish and overcome the negativity. Yay us!! I so agree with Rogofulm, my sleeve is just the tool I use to maintain a healthy weight, naturally. It's still not easy but it is worth it!

Congratulations! You're well on your way!! I only let my doctor weigh me for the first year. I had the same opinion as you...I would not be a slave to the scale and obsess about it. Good job!

Because of where I am in this process, I can tell you that is true! I never thought I would forget to eat when I weighed 265 pounds. I dreamed that someone would ever be able to tell me I was too skinny and needed to eat something. Now that I'm on the other side, it gets very annoying. People have the best of intentions for the most part but they wouldn't have confronted me while eating a footlong sub at Subway to tell me I was too fat...so why is it OK to tell me now that I need to eat because they think I'm too skinny? Again, it's a walk a mile scenario...you don't understand it until you go through it.

I'm glad no one has said this to you Jeff!! I wish I hadn't heard anyone say that to me!!. I've heard it on two different occasions. People Magazine has had several cover features of people who have lost weight "the natural way". I guess there is a stigma attached to everything, no one is exempt. I tried telling those who said this to me that this is merely a "tool" like an exercise bike or an elliptical, that if you don't use it properly the weight loss will be temporary. They just don't get it. This process has taught me that you truly have to go through what someone esle is going through, walk a mile in their shoes, to understand. I've learned to form fewer opions of people based on this so I've become a better person for their remarks. They still make me feel bad but...I'm working on that too! You can get rid of the fat girl body, but it is hard to get rid of the fat girl brain!!

It looks nice!