longhorn

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

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

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.

A year ago today I: Weighed 295 pounds Took BP meds for high BP Was borderline diabetic. I was basically there. Took cholesterol meds for high cholesterol Used a CPAP machine for snoring Got tired after running 1 mile Had aching joints and knees Was generally disgusted with myself and my inability to control the volume of food I ate Was worried I'd not see my daughters get married and see my grandkids born Was ashamed of myself Today, 1 year later: I weigh 177 pounds No BP meds No diabetes. Great blood test results. My cardiologist actually said I'd made him the happiest he had been all month after he examined me. No cholesterol meds No CPAP machine. No snoring. Best shape since a young kid. I exercise substantially. Running 5-10 miles daily. I did a 5K in 24:44 which is pretty fast for me. No aching joints or knees New clothes. New confidence. Belief I will be around for a long time to enjoy life and watch my kids Celebrate their important life events. Went skydiving, zip line through the jungles, and several other adventures I could have never done before. Not ashamed of myself. More of a quiet happiness and pride at what I've become versus what I was. It has been an amazing year. Never could have wished for anything better when this process started. I wish each of you the best in your journey! Longhorn

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

10 months out now. My doctor originally told me a good target I could expect to hit was 205lbs. My plans were to hit 200lbs. At the time that sounded so unreal I knew I'd be thrilled if it ever happened. When I hit 200 I was thrilled. But I went ahead and set a new goal for 185lbs. That seemed achievable at that point. Today I hit the 185 goal. Yea!!!! Now comes the strange feeling. For so long before sleeve and after I've been in constant thought mode about losing weight. If I was not losing weight then I was likely gaining weight. So my focus has been on losing, losing, losing. My reaction right now is to establish a new goal (say 175lbs) to aim for. I don't really need to lose any more weight. But my fear is if I'm not losing then I'll be gaining. Maintenance is something I have no experiecne with either in actions or in mindset. I've read others discussion on their maintenance transition. It seems to have come fairly natural for many. Maybe it will for me as well. For now I'm staying more on the keep losing mentality cause I can't help myself. Having said all that....God bless the sleeve and the health that has been restored to me. I could not be happier and would not want to imply otherwise. Although maintenance mode is foreign to me if its like everything else it won't be too hard to figure out.

Guys, I'm mentally preparing for becoming a post op VSG. Wondering about foods after recovering from surgery. I'm a picky eater and pretty much a meat and potatos kind of guy. Never big on veggies. When looking at the recipes forum on this site I see things for squash, quiche, tuna and other related chick foods. I know I won't be able to eat much. But what about hamburger, fried chicken, BBQ, etc. Small amounts possible? Unless my taste buds change drastically (which I have read on here sometimes happens) I will be in for more than a food quantity shock. It will be a major food quality shock. I know the 'man foods' I'm talking about are not great for you. But when I can only eat a 1/2 cup then it does not seem like it will really matter. Not when I'm used to eating massive man portions:001_tongue: What has been your experience?

Everything is back to normal and has been for several months. The ladies who told me not to worry in those early days were 100% right. It took a couple of months but after that I was able to eat anything and everything. That is still the case. I still fill up fairly quickly which is a good thing. But I can eat a surprising amount sometimes. It realy does vary. Some days I get full pretty fast. Others days I seem to be able to eat more. Of course some foods still fill me up quicker. Breads and potatos are in that category. Other foods I can eat quite a bit. I could not be happier with everything. Those who did not know me before would now watch me eat and just consider that I'm a fairly light eater and think nothing more of it. And I never had to learn to like squash or the like. I eat man food thank God. The only negative side effect is that I'm cold all the time. I'm having to take a light jacket with me everywhere. My wife says it's because I've lost all my 'insulation' and that may be true. I used to be pretty warm blooded and never thought about being cold like this. Thanks for asking. Good luck to you!

I play tennis as well (4.5 level). I remember playing a pretty serious singles match just 2 weeks after surgery. It was no big deal. I maybe struggled with energy level towards the end of the 2nd set. But it was great to be out again hitting. You will be fine and back out on the courts in no time.

It will be 7 months for me next week. I've lost 90lbs so far and have hit the target my doctor had set for complete weight loss after a full year. So I'm way ahead of his schedule and only 5 pounds from the goal of 200 I had set for myself before this all began. I think I'll be revising my goal to be more aggressive and see if I can get down to 185. I truly never thought this possible before. Ever being below 200 again would have been a laughable thought. I've had a couple of minor stalls along the way. One major stall that lasted for almost 2 months. But in the last 2 months I've really stepped up my exercise regimen. I'm working out like crazy. Twice a day walking/running . 3 miles in the morning. 4 miles in the evening. Pretty much every day with the rare occasional day off. That has kept the weight loss rolling even though it comes off much harder at this point. I could improve my eating habits. I really don't pay much attention to what I eat. I've never counted calories or anything. I don't eat big (can't) but I eat whatever my dear wife cooks. I'm sure if I quit eating all carbs and never occasionally cheated with some M&M's I could do even better. But I could not be happier. It's funny. Although I've been dropping weight for 7 months it seems like the last 15-20 pounds have really got people noticing. Suddenly everyone is like holy cow! What are you doing? You are skinny. Dont lose anymore? Ha ha. I think it's one thing to lose some weight and be a 'less fat' person. It's quite another to go all the way (or almost in my case) and truly be a normal weight person. That really wakes people up to your changes. Today was my official weigh day. I officially moved out of the obese category and I'm now officially just overweight. I have every intention of keeping it going and getting to a near normal level and getting below 200lbs soon. I love the sleeve. I also appreciate this site and the helpful insights it has provided for me along the way. Although I don't post much I do check it out from time to time and am usually encouraged. Sorry for the long post. That's it from me. Longhorn

I'm at 5 1/2 months out. I've been losing very small amounts of hair. Certainly not clumps. But it has been noticeable to me. But I don't expect it will get worse and I know it is not noticeable to anyone but me.

I can swallow pills. No problem. Just had to wait for the stomach to heal. So you should be able to resume any supplements. At least from the 'ability to swallow' standpoint. Of course, your doc should be advised of whatever you are taking to be on the safe side.

Well, you know. I don't want to brag or nuthin', but......:biggrin2:

Dude. You had to go there. Psst...there are ladies on this board and they seem to frequent the man room. Topic best avoided IMO. You'll find out for yourself soon enough.

Don't know the scientific numbers. But my sleep apnea disappeared right after my sleeve. I have not used my CPAP machine since. I don't snore anymore according to my wife. No problem nor more for me. Yipee.

It may seem like a hard change now. But honestly your sleeve leaves you little choice in the matter. You will eat small portions...guaranteed. The hard part is more of a mental thing getting used to it. But it will happen. You will be fine. And you will have energy. That was never a problem for me once I was initially recovered from the surgery.