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Yes, definitely do your research and seek out the negative stories as well as the positive ones. Too many people make this decision - and it IS a drastic one - without educating themselves on all possibilities. Complications are rare but that's no comfort to you or your loved ones if you wind up in the 1 percent. I started by researching the band. Being the cautious planner that I am, I did a solid several months of looking into the procedure and honestly, what I found was upsetting. Too many complications, too many repeat surgeries, too many with damage to the stomach and far too many people not losing the weight. When I saw many were revising to sleeve I started researching it as well. And honestly? The first time I read about the procedure I was horrified and thought it was far too drastic. I did some metabolic testing and saw another nutritionist (sixth or seventh time, I think) and did another dieting attempt. During this period, I kept researching the sleeve, just watching and waiting, without really being sure it was right for me. At some point (perhaps it was the results of the metabolic testing or the failure and regain I suffered on yet another diet) I decided to more seriously consider the sleeve. All told, I did a solid year of research on the sleeve and spent several months researching three different doctors before making my decision. I went in knowing what to expect and I feel I had a smooth recovery and adjustment because of that. Well, as smooth as life can be when you find yourself without your usual emotional crutch and unable to indulge in the overeating you enjoyed so much! But it was the right choice for me. Time and research are all that will tell you if you want this surgery. Being cautious is commendable. Being prepared is imperative. I'm very happy and would do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'd love to take my mom and sister to get the surgery done, too! But it's easy for me to say that when I suffered no real complications. Good luck. Ask questions and read everything you can find here. There are some old threads here that are immensely informative and still relevant today. Search out all of the experiences you can find and make a choice once you're fully educated on the pros and cons of this surgery. ~Cheri

...that any time a person shares a negative experience their honesty is called into question. We do not question the people that hop on VST immediately after starting a new account to rave about losing 120 pounds, do we? Guess what? One percent (or more, depending on what stats you're reading) have complications. Many more than that have a rotten time healing, or a horrible time eating, or don't lose as much weight as they want. Do not expect them to be cheerful, happy and bright while experiencing a personal hell they likely thought would never happen to them. It doesn't matter if they knew it *could* happen. Nobody thinks they'll be the one percent! (And "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!") It's wrong to constantly cast the blame on the person experiencing less than satisfactory results, too. Really, lots of people succeed on Weight Watchers. Should we be calling everyone that doesn't (i.e., every one of us sleevers) a failure and chastise them for eating in a way we don't consider "perfect" or ideal? Should we turn around and tell them how we've had fantastic results and if they haven't, they aren't trying hard enough? Because honestly, that's exactly what ticked me off the most about my doctors and "friends" prior to surgery. Why do people that couldn't lose traditionally insist on applying a one-size-fits-all mindset to life post sleeve, when it didn't work for them prior? Guess what? Not everyone posts here daily, or has a fully fleshed out profile. Again, to call only those that post negative experiences to account for this is unfair. It's offensive and off putting to see people get into actual internet brawls over these things. It detracts from the overall value of a thread if I have to read through ten pages of people calling each other names and calling the OP a liar before finding the one or two actually useful things in the thread. Lately I've seen several threads where as soon as someone dares to share a negative experience, they're called a liar or a fake. That's pretty darn hostile, and an awfully quick judgment to make. Any one of us could realistically be fakes. This is social media, people! I, personally, feel that negative experiences are just as vital and important to these boards as positive ones. People researching the sleeve need to know all possible outcomes. Complications are ACCIDENTS and could happen to even the most skilled surgeon. People suffering after choosing this surgery should also have a place to share and vent, the same way people that are grumpy about a three day "stall" are given the ability to do so. Making this place hostile for the people that choose to share their negative experiences is detrimental to the community at large. And I find it offensive. It's one thing to be frustrated with people for posting the same things or for failing to do their research (things I, myself, have been guilty of venting about here), but to attack people for simply sharing their own experience is taking it a bit far in my opinion. And I have a lot of opinions. And of course, I'm always right. ~Cheri

I'm pregnant so I eat more than I used to, but my weight gain is normal for a pregnant lady and I figured it can't hurt to contribute. Here's yesterday which includes two meals out with local Kyrgyz people: Breakfast: Protein coffee (2 scoops Syntrax chocolate truffle with 10 oz. coffee and some ice); later on, 1/3 cup of oatmeal with dried blueberries (homemade) Snack: 1 hard boiled egg Lunch: 1 cup of shorpo-a beef broth soup that has carrots, potatoes and beef, but I skipped the actual beef; 1/2 cup choban (tomato, cucumber and dill salad), a few bites of cabbage salad (a vinegar based slaw, almost) Snack: 1/4 cup dried cranberries and 1 oz. Gruyere Swiss Dinner: 1/2 cup chickpea salad; 1/4 cup plov (rice with lamb, veggies)...after about a billion cups of tea while them men did toasts of vodka, I ate about 1/2 cup of roasted eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper, a small piece of lavash and maybe 1/4 cup of hummus with fresh vegetables Normally I'd have a small snack before bed but I was so thankful to be home (even with my vodka-soaked husband, poor guy) that I went straight to bed with just a glass of Water. I have to really guess on a lot of the nutritional info since I didn't make two of my meals, but MFP has me at roughly 1,300 calories (I aim for 1,400-1,600 a day in pregnancy) so that's not terrible, I guess. And I'd venture that my intake really was closer to 1,500 because I didn't make the food. This, honestly, is real life for me these days. We eat out with our counterparts a lot and I can't control what will be served. All I can do is not eat meat...and they think I'm crazy for skipping that! I drank water between meals and countless cups of green tea...which I paid for when I was up and down all night. Pregnancy is so glamorous. Oh, and I'm about 2.5 years post op. ~Cheri

Ouch, sorry to hear this. Yep, I think that you're probably going to want to reward yourself with some coverup work once you're at goal. None of mine really had a huge impact with my weight gain so they look just fine with my loss. The only one I worried about was the one on my neck...I thought it might get saggy with the loss since my face was so bloated before. But I didn't have an issue so there you go. Good luck and I say worry about it later. If you decide on plastics after that will also impact any tattoos placed in certain areas so wait until you're sure you're done with your body before you get new ones or start coverups. ~Cheri

I did Miralax until about nine/ten months post op and it helped immensely. I've already had...erm...issues in the past and didn't want to cause a new problem due to the irregularity. Every other day I'd do some Miralax in my morning drink and I was fine. After that point, I started incorporating more grains and fibrous veggies and that took care of the problem naturally. You don't want to rely on any OTC remedy for too long, but from everything I've read and from what my own doc told me, the Miralax (and generic) are safe and won't cause an issue. And if you like them, prunes (or the aforementioned prune juice) work, too. In fact, if you have a Vitamix or similar, any juice made with fruit or veggies with peels will take care of the issue for you, too. ~Cheri

Congrats on your new sleeve! The gas-x helped one of the other gals that was sleeved the same day as me, but it just caused me discomfort. Try it and see if it helps. What worked best for me was walking every single chance I got. I did laps and laps of the hospital and by the time I left the hospital the gas was no longer an issue. For a day or two, ouch! The gas loves to settle in my left shoulder whenever I have a lap surgery and it's no fun. Wishing you a speedy recovery! ~Cheri

Sounds pretty normal. I do recommend an inexpensive food scale, though. Then you'll know for sure what you're eating. It really helps, because much like our brains see our bodies as larger while we're losing, they're also unused to seeing our portions of food as what they really are. It takes a lot of practice. I'd weigh everything for several months, until you're absolutely sure you can eyeball it...and even then? I still weigh every now and again just to double check myself! Don't fret. It's hard to eat but if you eat too much, you're going to know it because you'll feel discomfort and that last bite will come back up. All sleeves are not created equal, so you might tolerate more of a dense Protein than someone else - but that doesn't mean you're eating too much, it just means you tolerate more than another person! Good luck, and congrats on your new sleeve, ~Cheri

Just do what you can. I remember going from a pre-sleeve love of eating and obsession with food to post op, feeling like eating was a chore and hating the fact that I always had food or drink in my hand so I could meet my goals! It certainly helped me break some of the food addiction, though. Just focus on hydration first post op (dehydration is the most common issue you could encounter and prevent on your own) and Protein second. You'll eventually find a schedule for eating that's best for you, and sorry to say, it's not likely to be the one you've got there. That's a full time job! Good luck, ~Cheri

Ha! No, I have five stepkids. One is married and already has a son and one is out on her own exploring the world. The other three from his first marriage still live with their mom. Eh, my hubs was snipped and clipped but then he met me and we decided to have bonus babies. Clearly, our situation was exceptional. I mean, you just can't keep awesome genes like that to yourself. You've got to share them with the world. The world isn't as appreciative as I thought it'd be, though. Especially when we've got the whole crew together in a restaurant or store at the same time. Actually, the comments all make me laugh. Except the ones that try to ask me what religion I am, as if wanting a large family requires a religious affiliation. Oh, and one time I was mistaken for my husband's oldest daughter. That was kind of creepy/flattering...I mean, she's 22 and it would be nice to believe I could pass for less than thirty. But as his daughter? Ugh, heebie jeebies. ~Cheri

Feeling a little better, I take it? Congrats on making it into the twos! And please, you'll be at goal before you know it, and then we'll have to steal your kitten. Don't get too attached! ~Cheri

There are two or three threads out there specifically titled "You can gain weight" so yes, it's entirely possible. As for the stomach stretching like that? NO WAY. But you don't need a stretchy stomach if you choose to eat high calorie foods that slide. It's easy to consume enough soda, alcohol, ice cream or even chips and Cookies to gain weight if you choose to do so. No, not immediately post op. But definitely in maintenance. The sleeve relies on restriction. If you eat around the restriction, it's as if you never had a surgery. That said, I think it takes effort. It means completely ignoring everything you know is right. It means indulging in self destructive behavior. It means that instead of eating a pizza in a sitting, eating a piece every single time you have room. And you'll know what you're doing. You won't be able to mindlessly eat an extra thousand calories at dinner because you won't have room. You'd have to choose to do it. It's a tired line but no less true for that: The sleeve is a tool. Just a tool. How you use it is entirely up to you. Overcoming bad habits and being honest with yourself about what/how you eat is critical for long term success. ~Cheri

I think for many of us vanity enters in to some extent. It wasn't my primary reason for surgery, but certainly feeling "normal" and being a smaller person entered into the equation for me. I was diabetic and could hardly chase my toddler twins around. I took one look at my family, and realized that even wearing a 20/XXL and weighing 242 pounds I was the smallest woman. I didn't want this for my daughter - to grow up feeling like being so unhealthy and morbidly obese was the norm. One of my biggest reasons was the chance for my diabetes to resolve. I didn't want to suffer the complications of out of control diabetes for the rest of my life. So yes, I wanted to be healthier. But I wanted to be healthier by being smaller. Being skinny never entered my mind. I have never imagined myself as skinny or ever thought I'd even get this small, to be honest. My husband calls me skinny, but he just likes his ladies heavy! A realistic expectation would be to start with either a low weight you've accomplished in the past, a weight you enjoyed when you were there before or to resort to the BMI chart to pick something not in the obese range. You will not know how far you can go until you're losing. The last pounds are a challenge for many of us. I also caution against picking a scale goal as your ultimate goal. It's a sad fact that many of us don't reach them or if we do, are unable to maintain them. Your body will decide where it's happiest - and that will be the point where you can easily maintain your much smaller size without living on a diet. And that may or may not coincide with what you pick as your goal. Many people here have had to mentally struggle with the idea that they won't hit what they consider their ultimate goal, or with feelings of failure if they do manage to touch on it but are unable to sustain for the long run. All of this to say, the ultimate goal here for every one of us should be long term maintenance. NOT a number on the scale or a size of pants. It should be getting smaller, getting healthier, dropping the emotional food baggage and being able to live that way (and happily!) for the rest of our lives. The loss phase seems long while you're in it but it's one or two years of your life. Maintenance is forever. Speaking to that, maintenance and working out HOW to maintain is by and far the hardest part of the journey. Oh, recovery is a challenge (that darn liquid diet and the discomfort of surgery) and yes, learning to eat and track your food isn't easy, either. Dealing with minor annoyances like lactose intolerance or the need to take supplements and a PPI are no fun. But learning why you're obese and stopping the bad habits forever is without a doubt the hardest thing you will do for yourself. It is also the most rewarding. Acknowledging destructive behavior and stopping it is very difficult for some of us. Many people that do not adopt a healthy, moderate lifestyle and break those bad habits prior to goal will struggle in maintenance. I urge you now, before surgery, to consider not just losing the weight but HOW you plan to do it. I do not feel that anyone should approach this surgery like a diet. By that I do not mean we should eat the way we did prior to surgery. But I feel that simply restricting calories and carbs down to very low levels and rocketing to goal in nine months does not teach us what we really need to learn here. And that's how to live like normal people, like people that have never had a weight problem and people for whom food is just food, and not something to crave or binge on or feel guilty about. I wish you the best of luck. There are some very great threads out there - some on the post op board and some on the success board - about the loss expectations and how to live out there. Even take the time to check out the weight specific board, the vet board and the maintenance threads. These are the people that had surgery and made it to goal...and are living life afterward. Our perspective is different because we've hit the other end of the journey. We can tell you from experience that post operative discomfort or a liquid diet are very small challenges in comparison to living a totally new life. And make sure to read both the positive stories and negative ones, to have a fully informed expectation! Read stall threads and slow loss threads, not just the threads where people fly to goal in six months. You need a well-rounded idea of all the possibilities before surgery, because you do not know what camp you'll be in afterward. Be well, ~Cheri

Yeah - unless you develop lactose intolerance, most foods won't be an issue. And even the lactose intolerance improves for many around a year post op. Until my pregnancy I was able to tolerate everything except ice cream. For me, that was no big deal. I'm not a huge fan, anyway, and opt for sorbets or ice cream made with coconut milk instead if I want to indulge. You never really know if you'll be one that does develop it, but in my case, it was already showing itself prior to surgery. It wasn't a huge surprise when it was an issue, after. As for beer, that's a funny one. I also enjoy beer but found that in the beginning (first year post op) it was difficult to drink a lot. Not that I needed much...but I didn't really drink beer to get drunk, if you understand what I'm saying. I wanted to sit and enjoy a beer or two but for me, at least, drinking beer post op was a little like drinking a meal. I'm sure the fact that I tend towards wheat or dark beers didn't help. That said, I can drink a beer now, and I'm sure I could have two if I wanted but I never choose to do so. The only advice I have when it comes to incorporating these foods is that you need to be making sure you have the room in your diet for them. Count them into your calorie/carb counts and know going in that it's not the ideal choice. But there is nothing wrong with consuming these foods in moderation, if you're not experiencing a problem with them. Also be mindful of triggers. If you can't eat a single, small portion of ice cream or drink a pint of beer without feeling like you need a pint of ice cream or a liter of beer...well, you'll need to address that. The sleeve helps restrict quantity, but both of these food items are sliders and nothing will stop you from consuming too much of them. And while we're not bypass patients, sometimes a sugar rush can cause dumping syndrome, so I'd go slow and steady with just a few bites or sips the first few times you incorporate these foods, or you might experience unpleasant side effects. Most especially if you plan to low-carb after surgery. Good luck, and thank you for asking questions BEFORE surgery! Research is important, and many of us vets take the time to post specifically to help out the folks that are thinking about these questions prior to their operations. ~Cheri

Ha! Between the two of us, my husband and I are expecting number ten (seventh daughter, though, oy!). Everyone says the same thing. My husband always says, "You know, when I was young they told me to find something I'm good at and enjoy, and do that for the rest of my life..." He took that advice seriously. Honesty...after the fourth kid? It's not so hard to adapt to one or two (or three or four) more. ~Cheri

You both look fabulous. It's so nice to see such a happy couple, just thankful to be together. I hope you guys have many, many more years to enjoy each other, and your new, smaller bodies! ~Cheri

I use a treadmill. Mine is chilling in storage in Virginia right now because 1) hauling it to Central Asia would have been too much added weight to my shipment and 2) I would have needed a transformer and one of these regulator boxes to use it. Too much trouble. But I LOVE my treadmill and actually hop on it every day in my normal life. My husband cannot stand running indoors, but I have an old injury in my ankle (screws and damaged ligaments) and don't like to risk running on uneven ground. I also have young kids at home and dropping everything to run to the gym isn't a real option. We won't even mention that the only suitable gym here is at the Hyatt, and clear on the other end of town, too. I'm pretty sure my treadmill is the item I miss most that's in storage. I'll ooh and aah when I finally get to unpack it in a few months! For me (a busy mom/housewife that has a huge number of social obligations already) nothing beats being able to get in a short bit of exercise even at ten pm, wearing flannel pj pants and a sloppy tee shirt. It's better than nothing, and as my two years in Bishkek has proven, without my treadmill? I do nothing. I chase my kids, cook or bake all day, go to meetings with the international community and come home with no energy to get dressed and drive to the Hyatt for any reason. I never fold mine up and I leave it in a room where I pass it every day. It's usually away from the kids' rooms but near where our computers or a television is posted...this means I'm guilted into hopping on every night when I'd otherwise waste those hours on the laptop or watching television shows I could really care less about. For me, this works quite effectively. Your mileage may vary. ~Cheri

The only thing I'm going to contribute here is that I urge any new and researching folks to wait out the results of this thread before jumping to conclusions. It is a physical impossibility for a properly sleeved stomach to first of all, stretch that much, especially that quickly (especially during the swollen healing phase) and all without the pain and vomiting that follows a sleever eating even a bite too many. Second, to stretch to the point where you could rapidly regain 20 pounds is something I have never, ever seen here. Anyone I've seen regain has regained on sliders. And immediately post op? No way. Anyone that's been operated on can see there is something missing here - either on the OP's or surgeon's end. I reserve my own judgment for when we know more, but acknowledge that we can't ever really "know" anything about this situation because we're trusting in social media without any way to prove anything. Remember those first few days post op? I clearly remember not being able to sip more than three spoonfuls of broth in the hospital because that much made me feel full. All sleeves aren't equal, but none of us can fit the quantities as discussed by OP on other threads, even at seven weeks post op. So, let's not panic, everyone! Wait and see if anything more concrete comes from this, because this isn't even a case of getting a bypass instead of a sleeve. I have friends that had a bypass and none of them bounced back or were able to eat like that, either. In fact, I'd argue the bypass surgery was harder on all of them than my sleeve was on me! OP - sorry you're going through whatever situation we have here. I hope that you won't disappear before filling us in on the rest of the story. ~Cheri

Oh, I know. It's a sad fact that far more of that loose skin is here to stay than we want. Let us know if you manage to get partial coverage. I wonder if you can get it covered and want more work - if they'll just let you pay the difference. Say, if you wanted a full tummy tuck instead of just the panni. Let us know! I know that I'll self-pay anyway, but it's always nice to hear how people have things done. No way am I trusting a Tricare doctor that doesn't regularly do plastics to slice and dice me in a far more risky surgery than the sleeve. ~Cheri

Thank you for the update and clarification. I'm very, very sorry to hear about the long road to recovery your sister is and will remain on for some time. I hope it gets easier for her, but I better understand where you were coming from. I truly believe that both positive and negative feedback about the sleeve is very, very important. There are real risks. Yes, they're rare, but when you or someone you love winds up in the 1%, statistics are not reassuring. Your final input was what really hits home. I self-paid but still did a huge amount of research before having my surgery. For years I went back and forth between nutritionists and physical trainers and spent a small fortune on pills, diets and weight loss programs. I'm not saying WLS was the only solution. But I will say that there are a huge number of people that wind up on VST already sleeved with ZERO idea what to expect, what to eat, not knowing the warning signs of a leak, etc. And many of these folks are covered by insurance! It's appalling - and it's very scary that on the one hand, some of us have to fight our insurance for simple things like our kids' allergy meds but other folks are getting handed a pass for surgery after less than six weeks of working up. I realize this isn't the norm, just as I realize that your sister's very real horror story isn't the norm. But having a very active thread out there (all the nonsense and name calling in the middle aside) and almost forcing newbies and researchers to stumble upon it is important. Too many people avoid any type of posts about the complications - or even about simple things like stalls and normal post operative discomfort. The very idea your sister had, that it wouldn't happen to her, is what many with complications have - in some cases I think education would really help adjust the expectations people have. So, all that to say thanks again for posting and sharing this story. I pray your sister can eventually recover and that you will continue to advocate on her behalf and support her while she's suffering. ~Cheri

Really, the only answer is for you to track what you eat and find where you lose best. It's different for everyone. I could not lose unless I ate between 700-900 calories a day. Too little and I'd feel hungry, deprived and irritable and my loss would slow. Too much and I'd slow. It took a few weeks of very diligent tracking to see what my optimal window was and to stick with it. In maintenance, that number is much higher for me. But again, I only found the right solution for me by tracking my intake and paying attention. Good luck. Your loss should start to slow now, because you're much closer to goal. You've shed a lot of weight in a short period of time. I don't know that you necessarily need to do anything to make yourself lose again, unless you've been stalled for a month or so. Slow and steady - it always slows down once you have less to lose. ~Cheri

Yes, you have the right attitude. Try not to be too discouraged. I shed that last 15 pounds over five months to get me to goal. Granted, it was more than my body wanted, but I was paying very close attention so I avoided a big bounce. I only bounced a couple pounds (2-4) and really am just as happy at that weight as I might have been at my exact goal. And there's always plastics. You've done a truly great job, and deserve to be proud. Congrats, ~Cheri

Yes, what really matters is what you think is a success. For the average person, anything over a loss of 20 pounds sounds impressive, because many of them have never even had to lose that much. scale goals DO matter, but they shouldn't be the only goal. If a scale goal is unobtainable for whatever reason, it's silly to feel like a failure after working so hard and shedding so much weight. I see people struggle with this all the time. I think it's important to measure success in terms of several different factors. Not the least of which, for me, is being happy with how I look! ~Cheri

I gained 11 pounds between surgery, IVs and the long flight back home. It actually took until the end of my first month post op to see a drop on the scale. Small fluctuations are normal. Recuperating from major surgery, tracking calories and eating a very restricted diet can give us the expectation to see a consistent drop on the scale. We want immediate results for our hard work and to prove to us that we made the right choice. But it's pretty normal for your weight to fluctuate from day to day, up and down. The only thing that really helps is adding in Water - fiddling with your diet is unnecessary. It's part of the journey that we tell ourselves we're ready for, but stalls, stops and starts (and even tiny gains) are perfectly normal and you will most likely experience them. Put the scale away as much as possible in the beginning. In my opinion, it's necessary to weigh daily in maintenance as it keeps you accountable. But in the early months it just makes you crazy and makes you obsess about what you're eating - a habit you should break in favor of adopting overall healthier habits. Weigh once a week or every few days and you'll like the results better. Good luck and congrats on your new sleeve, ~Cheri

Puree some nice and savory homemade potato Soup. Toss in a scoop of Syntrax unflavored for a Protein boost for good measure. Many are also allowed thin cream of wheat on full liquids - try that if it's allowed for you, and add in some savory spices or make it with broth to get away from the sweets. The long restrictive diet post op is very challenging, mentally. By the end I just wanted to chew food, even though I felt zero actual, physical hunger. You'll get through this and forget how miserable it was once you're fighting to eat an entire scrambled egg in a few weeks. ~Cheri

Sorry, he's a surgeon but I call B.S. Really, I do. Show me the evidence of a "magic window" with the sleeve. There isn't one. There are a lot of folks here still losing at the same, poky pace one and two years out. It gets harder to lose weight the closer you get to goal, but this is not a bypass, where you have a stretchy pouch and a short guaranteed window of malabsorption to do your work for you. Frankly, I'm kind of mad at your surgeon for even approaching the situation that way, to be honest. You're losing at a faster rate than I did - I lost more in my first six months than you but had no preop diet, whereas you shed 24 pounds before you even had surgery! On average, you're still losing more than I did per month. Do not let this discourage you. If I had stopped losing at one year, I still would have lost a tremendous amount of weight and improved my life in a hundred different ways. But I didn't stop - I kept on. And many others do, too. And you can, too, if you want to do it. And touching on my buddy coops' story, too - none of us are failures if we don't get to a particular number on the scale. Every day we spend weighing so much less than we did before, with improved health, improved confidence and an improved outlook on life is a SUCCESS. I never lost this much weight before surgery and I know I never could have gotten here without it. And coops may not like that she never got to the goals that were set for her (I still hope she can if she wants, but oy! her body is stubborn!) but she has managed to maintain a huge weight loss for more than two years. That's a huge success. Chin up. No magic windows here, it's a major reason why I opted for the sleeve. Eat properly, do whatever you can to get in shape and let it work for you. ~Cheri