longhorn

Ok, I see. 5 years since surgery does not make me a veteran. Guess it should be called the talkative vets forum. Thanks.

Have not posted in a long time. Was planning to do an update in the new (at least to me) Veterans Forum. I certainly meet the requirements of being a year out from sleeve surgery. I was sleeved 12/29/09. But it won't let me start a new topic. Longhorn

I tell you Jerry. At that moment I was a marine biologist!

I'm 3 years out. Lost 120 pounds and have kept it off. I can most definitly eat much more than I could the first year. However, still cannot gorge myself or 'pig out' like I could prior to surgery. I eat anything I want. Can eat a whole sandwich, burger, etc. But I'm quite full and satisfied at that point. Exercise has been my best friend. I'm now an obsessive runner. Not sure if that drives my increased calorie intake or not. But I know it's what keeps my weight in check since I really don't watch what I eat very closely. I don't go crazy but I do eat whatever I like and I do indulge in Desserts occasionally. I seem to have developed a sweet tooth that was never there before. Originally the sleeve gave me the opportunity for my life back. Now, running and the sleeve continue to allow me to keep things in order.

Great simulated conversation. I think I really like your buddies!! My recommendation. Don't tell them a darn thing. They don't need to know. You don't need them to know. And based on how you describe them I doubt they will ever even notice you are not eating the beer and wings. They will be clueless which is fine. You aint looking for empathy for them. Just fun. You can get the empathy from your wife or mom if you really want it. That's the path I took and it worked out just fine. Nobody ever noticed or asked a thing. And after I had dropped the weight they just thought I had got my inner athlete on cause I was running all the time. BTW.....we're the 3 best friends that anyone ever had, we're the 3 best friends that anyone ever had. Love the username!

I had my sleeve done in Dec 2009. It is easier to gain weight now if you are not careful. The main thing I do is stay on top of my exercise. I'm obsessive about it. Exercise, exercise, exercise. For me it's about paranoia. I don't want to gain the weight back. Exercise allows me to maintain. If I were to quit then I'm confident the pounds would begin to come back. You can do it. Just start walking. Frequently. Every day. Run if you like. But get going. You don't want to wait any longer. Start today. You know what you need to do. Do it! And good luck.

+1. I'm 2 1/2 years out. My sleeve has stretched. I can eat a 6 inch Subway fairly easily. In fact, I've been surprised how much I can eat in general. I won't scare you with the details. I can't 'pig out'. But I eat normal sized meals. You could not tell I had a sleeve by watching me eat. My weight maintenance does not come from eating less. It comes from my exercise program. I still have the throttle mechanism on gluttony thanks to the sleeve. But there is no question I could gain weight easily if not exercising or being careful. The sleeve was a magic cure for the first year. After that it has been hard work, better habits, and a healthy paranoia about gaining the weight back.

I think 12 is too young as well. But I'm curious. For those who believe this is too young. At what age/stage is the sleeve appropriate in your opinion? I'm just interested in others thoughts on the topic. Thanks.

I agree with OregonDaisy. Maintaining is hard work. It's easy to spend your time focused on this. After reaching or exceeding goal things eventually slow down. And you can eat so much more. At least I can. I can't pig out. But I can sure eat a normal sized meal no problem most days. Exercise has been my saving grace. Without it I know I'd gain back. With it I no longer lose weight but I do maintain okay. As somebody else said....the inner dialog does not go away. It stays there. I'm a normal weight fairly skinny person now. But that is on the outside. On the inside I'm a closet fat person who is always fearful of gaining it back. I'm okay with that. I prefer to be paranoid about it if that helps me avoid gaining it back. Overall, I could not be happier with this situation. And I'm not convinced this is much different than any lifelong skinny person. I think most of them keep tight tabs on their weight and take steps to remain skinny. It's just the way it is. This was a good question. I've enjoyed seeing all the responses and agree with most of them. My advice is to lose all the weight you can because eventually it slows down and gets much harder.

Way to go Tiffykins. Enjoy your walk at the zoo. Sounds like fun. And BTW.....you are a hottie.

Jeffrey, Yes, I'm a male. I'm a 48 year old father of 2 young adult daughters and a son who is a high school freshman. I'm glad you found my post helpful. There is lots of great information shared on this site and many posters with good insight and experiences to share. Best wishes to you. Longhorn

Interesting. I can certainly confirm being cold very often now. Never used to be the case. I've always assumed it was the loss of fat insulation and that still seems the most likely reason to me. I've never heard another reason suggested until your post related to the loss of Ghrelin. I still would not change a thing. I'd much rather deal with being more cold natured than with all the other issues I had pre sleeve. But your question is interesting none the less. I hope you get a response.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. For those asking about the running. I just started out walking every day and increased from there. Once I was in decent shape the next step was to ramp it up by running. Then running more and more. It is enjoyable and allows me to worry less about the types of food I do eat. I really don't worry about the food types. I eat what I want. Of course the sleeve keeps me reigned in still. As for motivation. I try to workout every day. I probably average 6 days a week. The days I feel tired and least want to work out are the days I force myself to do it. Most other days are not that hard. So far its all been worth it. I also consider it making time for myself. Just start working out. Slowly and then build up from there. You don't need a fancy gym or big class of people. You just need a treadmill or a street to walk/run on. The more you progress the easier it gets both as a habit and the actual effort involved. Anyways, that is what I've found. You can do it!!!!! Happy New Year everyone! Longhorn