PamK

I had my sleeve done on Feb 2013. It's been 4 years. I didn't loose all my weight - started at 273 & made it down to 211. I am currently 223, but I did gain a bunch (was up to 248) I lost 24 pounds by eating 2 fruits a day, 3 servings of proteins & 2 low calorie veggies a day - OH & most importantly, 1/2 my weight in ounces of water (200 pounds drinks 100 ounces of water). I believe when I had it done, my doctor said it was still very new & I wouldn't be able to loose more than 70 pounds. So I didn't (I guess I'm very influenced! lol) Now he said it was a most popular method of the gastric surgeries & everyone is having BIG success! I need to have my gall bladder out. So I found out my gastric sleeve surgeon also takes care of this surgery & is part of my insurance. His opinion is, while he is taking it out, He should either tighten OR redo my sleeve - depending on what needs to be done after doing some tests. And as long as my gall bladder doesn't flare with pain & I can wait a bit, (for insurance approval?) he can do them at the same time. I would only have to recover once. It's tempting - but do I want to start over? Am I not able to do this with my existing sleeve? Would I be sorry if I didn't get a "tune up?" I'm only 5'1" so yes, 223 is still morbidly obese! Would you start over?

The goal is to keep it tight for as long as possible! I believe my "solid" food was a spoonful of jello in that first month. Take it slow & when it does allow you to eat more - it's not by a plateful, it's forkful to forkful (also use the tip of a desert size fork to start). I think I was eating less than a toddler! If you wish to eat ... say chicken, make sure it's moist & mince it, then chew well! Your main meal even at this point is your shakes! Good luck! It does pass & will become a distant memory!

I remember when I first had the sleeve done, my doctor told me the longer I held off having solid foods, the more weight I would loose. Eventually you will be able to eat, but then it's only a few bites. 4 years later, I am still limited on how much I can eat in 1 sitting, but it's more than I could eat in that first couple of months. I believe he had me on shakes/broth/water for the first month. Then I was able to introduce soft foods after that. Need to find something else to do in the meantime. As for your medication, I would take my tiny pills, 1 at a time & would have crush the larger pills & mix with my water to swallow (as long as the bottle doesn't say, don't crush). Had mine done in 2013 & if I remember correctly, it took a month to feel ok with medication & about 3 months to eat an entire egg in 1 sitting. In the meantime I would eat 1/2 & then a couple hours later, eat the other 1/2. Your doing great! Getting a sleeve done was a big commitment & you will be glad as you see the scale go down!

I had my sleeve done 3 months ago. I lost a ton of Water weight right away (about 18 pounds) and then my body said, whoa, and I lost nothing for the next month. Now, I'm finding that I am dropping weight at about 2-3 pounds a week. I get my protien in by drinking only 1 shake a day that has 30 grams of protien, and then eating the rest. The best shake I found is from costco. It's called Premier Protein & it comes in chocolate & vanilla (or at least that's all they stock!). I only like it cold, so i may have 1/2 in the morning for my Breakfast & a few hours later drink the rest as my snack. Of course it takes me about a half hour to do so each time. I have been eating a small can of tuna around 2 p.m. for my lunch - which has 12 grams of protien & I use a smidgen of mayo (you still need some fat) turning it into a wrap w/ one romain lettuce leaf. Then I eat a small dinner w/ my family & then a fruit snack or cheese stick if i'm short on protien at the end of the day. Best thing is, I don't feel deprived, I'm trying to move more & it's working. I think the plateau I hit after the first few weeks was just the body getting used to the new eating plan & I also gained a pound or 2 in the beginning, but it's just that I wasn't drinking enough. I returned to my unsweetened ice tea (that I love) and found I was drinking more & the pounds started dropping again. Good luck!