Supersweetums

Not sure if you found one, but Dr. Carl LeRoux is great, but not sure if he is taking new patients.

I am 2.5 years post op. Some people say they no longer enjoy anything sweet, but everything tastes the same to me as it did before, and it still tastes good! I have to be careful not to keep certain foods in the house because I will eat them. I still have the occasional treat, but it is in moderation. My advice, if you know it is a trigger food, do not keep it around then it is not there to tempt you. The sleeve isn't magic, and you can quickly fall into old habits and eat "around" the restriction. Take the fist 6 months to year to really establish healthy new habits that you can live with for a lifetime.

I know how hard it can be. I was on post op diet at Christmas and couldn't eat anything. I think mourning food happens to everyone. We celebrate with food, and when that is taken away, you feel like you are missing out. I am 2.5 years post op and there are still some days where I wish I could just eat more! I then remember that if I could eat more, I would be heavy again. But having the sleeve doesn't mean you will not be able to have anything ever again. I still will have a small slice of cake at a party. However, I am not eating cake everyday. You have to find the right balance for you. Some people are able to eat things in moderation, others cannot. I can't keep chips around because I enjoy them too much. I can count on one hand how many times I have bought chips in the last 2.5 years. I know my limits and I know my triggers. The first month or 2 post op is the hardest and then it slowly gets easier. The way you eat will become so ingrained that you will start to think how you ever ate the way you did before.

I hear you! There are days that I just want to stuff my face, and then I look at the calendar and go "Ah, that's why!". I also have huge weight fluctuations during both Ovulation and right before my period. It drives me nuts, but I know it is just bloating. I will have a treat here and there, but I do not keep it in the house. I know if it is in the house, especially around TOM, I will not be able to resist. Damn those darn hormones!

I am almost 5'3". My surgery weight was 220.5 lbs (my highest weight was actually 263lbs, but I had lost weight before having children and managed to keep some of it off for a few years). I sit around 138lbs most of the time, although I do have fluctuations, especially around TOM. My goal weight was 140lbs because it put me just within normal BMI and I really didn't even know if I would get there. I had quit losing for about 3 months so I thought I was done losing, but then started losing a little more. It has now been a year since I reached goal and I am still maintaining the same weight!

I am glad you posted the link, I finally got my butt in gear and posted photos and even added an album!

This is similar to what I do. I didn't want to feel like I was on a diet when I had the surgery done, I wanted it to be a new way of life, and it is! I do weigh myself daily and it keeps me accountable. If I notice a change in the numbers, I start re-adjusting my eating. I have been sleeved for 2.5 years now and maintaining for a year, and so far it has worked for me. I am glad to see someone else who has had success without tracking because sometimes I feel in the minority and that some people think I am crazy for not tracking at all.

I hate going to buffets because it feels like a waste of money, but my family loves to go, especially my kids, they think it is great! And it is funny to read the article and see that I now go into like a thin person. I only have so much room, so I really choose what I want to eat and only pick the things I know I will really enjoy. Before, it was an attitude to get my money's worth. And it always bugged me that my naturally thin husband never ate very much when we went to one....I always thought "yeesh buddy, we are at a buffet, EAT!". Now I know why he is naturally thin, his attitude around food is so much different than mine used to be. I still struggle with adjusting my perception, but it is getting there!

I'll be honest, I do not track, and never have tracked. I have been sleeved for 2.5 years and have been maintaining for a year. I changed everything I eat, followed the rules, cut out the junk, but never wrote anything I ate down. For me personally, it would drive me crazy. I obsess enough already about what I am eating. I think everyone has to find what works best for them!

OK, you might hate me for saying this, but you just had a baby, give yourself a little slack. It can take up to a year to lose the baby weight (although you really do not have very much to lose). Plus, your hormones are still adjusting, and I am not sure if you are breast-feeding or not, but there is another whole ball of hormones! Now, I can relate to how you are feeling a little. I recently started a new medication which resulted in a 7lbs weight gain when I have been stable for a year, so change in diet! I had to stop taking the medication and now am stuck wondering if I can get the last of the weight off. I have been very happy where I was, feeling like I was eating a normal diet, eating properly without feeling deprived. Now I keep obsessing over these few pounds and it is just about driving me crazy! It brings up all my fears that I will regain all the weight I lost. I keep thinking if I try this or try that, maybe it will work, maybe going back to pre-op diet. But the truth is, I really do not want to do that. So I have decided to just eat properly the way I always have been watching just a little closer, relax, and see what happens in the next month or so. I have already lost 1 of the 7 pounds, so I am hoping I am on the right track. You are so full of amazing advice and you still belong here! I think you will find what works for you again! And I know it totally sounds so cliche, but hug your beautiful little baby and remind yourself what you just accomplished...you brought a new little life into this world. Your body worked hard and did what it is meant to do!

It is totally normal. They pump you full of fluids and air during surgery, plus swelling and recovery from a major operation. I actually gained 10lbs after my surgery and a week later still weighed more than when I left for surgery. Into the second and third week I lost 17lbs, so just hang in there!

I LOVE greek yogurt and eat it several times a day. My advice though, do not eat it plain! Most people try it and say they don't like it, but if they are eating it plain, it is not that great. I love that it is nice and thick and has lots of Protein. I always sweeten mine with flavored stevia (usually vanilla) and a splash of sugar free Torani syrup. Sometimes I add a few almonds and chocolate chips, sometimes I sweeten with lemon stevia and add raspberries, YUMMY! I would avoid the sweetened ones though. If you read the label, they are sweetened with sugar (most of the time) and very high in carbs and sugars. They might tasted delicious, but they defeat the purpose of something so healthy. I also recommend reading the label. If it says any other than milk, cream, and bacterial cultures, it is not true greek yogurt. Some companies add fillers like whey protein concentrate, corn starch, and Gelatin to thicken the yogurt instead of straining it, which is the true way to make greek yogurt. You can also make your own by straining plain yogurt, like someone said. I have also made my own using milk and a starter (a few tablespoons of plain yogurt for the bacteria). If you google it, you find recipes. It is really easy, just a little time consuming (hurry up and wait kind of recipe!)

If you are eating it plain, I don't blame you. I eat it all the time and love it, but sweeten it myself.

I am there with you! This Christmas I gained about 5 lbs all because of crappy eating! I got home (I was at families for almost a week!), started eating clean again, and lost it within about 3 weeks. I love to hear when other people feel like they eat normally, although normal now is not the same as normal before (I eat about the same amount of ice cream as you!). I know that you are very diligent about tracking, me, not so much. But that doesn't mean I do not watch everything I eat. I have young children (3 and 6), but they are used to what is allowed in the house. They have some snacks, but it is all stuff that I do not even like, so I don't touch it. Other than that, they eat similar to me, so they are learning good eating habits too! Even my husband lost weight (really didn't need too) after I had surgery because I just said it is not allowed in the house! Might sound mean, but no one benefits from junk in the house. I weigh daily to. It keeps me accountable. It fluctuates a bit from day to day, especially depending on hormones (things I would have never paid attention to before, hell, I would never even step on the scale before!). For me, it is just a new way of life, one that I can live with for the rest of my life and be happy!

Oh, and I just looked it up, a cup of spinach has a whole 7 calories!

I can eat a bit of salad, and I am lucky, it doesn't bother my stomach. I would say maybe a packed cup of salad is about how much I can eat. You know what though, if you were coming here and saying I can eat a whole big Mac, I would be a little more worried! Salad with grilled chicken is a great meal!

My surgeon told me that you can not stretch out your new tummy. Like OTR said, the part they remove (which should be about 85%) is very stretchy. They portion left behind is very muscular and stretches very little. So the people that regain are the people that, you are right, drink a lot of calories and eat a lot of slider foods that are high in calories (think chips, crackers, movie popcorn). I am 2.5 years post op and have to be diligent about what I eat. If I start eating too much crappy foods, I can gain very quickly. I know I will always have to be aware of what I am eating for a lifetime, that is reality. But it is not so bad! I know I can enjoy a small ice cream with my kids and not gain weight, but I can't keep chips and junk around in the house, or I would gain. I always say, set up your environment so that you can succeed!