My350z06

Be fore I get into the nitty gritty of this post let me tell you about my background. I had the sleeve done on 11-2012 and was by far the best decision I ever made. I will advise anyone with a weight issue to proceed with this procedure. I weighed in at 393 pounds the day of surgery and after two and a half short years I got down to 218 lbs ( dream goal is 210). I have been large all of my life (311lbs in 10th grade) and at 38 years old I felt great about myself. I was losing 8-10 lbs a week at my prime and slowly stopped as I was able to consume more food but nothing to be alerted about. I noticed at my smallest weight I was very weak and kept telling myself I need to get stronger if I was going to maintain this weight. Before my procedure I could not control my food intake but had no alcohol issues at all. If I had 3-4 drinks a month and that would be a lot for me. Food was my deal back then not alcohol. So about two years ago I went out with the boys and one of them bought me a beer. I was like what the hell, I'll have one (first in 2 years). It took me about an hour to drink the entire bottle. As time went on I notice that the one beer turn into a six pack in a week then into a 12 pack over a weekend. I slowly started drinking regularly and with that I slowly started to put weight back on. I took a step back to evaluate what was going on just to find out that I was still consuming the same amount of food that I did before but my weight was increasing. The concern now is that the alcohol is taking over the place of the food issues that I had. Having a food issue pretty much all of your life was normal to me but now trying to figure out if you have an alcohol problem is what I am struggling with. How did this happen and why all of a sudden now? It took everything in me to get myself to have the surgery and now I am facing another hurdle to get over. To this day I am still struggling on this issue an I can't stress enough that if you get faced to introduce alcohol back in you diet please DON'T do it. You may think you have control but chances are you won't. This is a small reach out to anyone that may have had a similar issue. Please reach out if you think you may have any advice or a similar story. Thank you for your time Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I think for me I drink the alcohol because it was easier to do then actually having a meal. I still struggle to this day on certain meals but I have no issues having a drink to fulfill my needs. It's been 4 years since surgery and I have not had one soda because I would be miserable if I did it but I can pound down a 6 pack with no issues. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is great information. Thank you for your support Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you. I will get through this. It's nice to know I am not alone. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you for your response. I don't crave it. I didn't crave food before but I didn't know how to control how much I was taking in. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I just want to share my success with everyone. 384 at my heaviest 377 at surgery 226 today (13 months post op) 157 gone forever

I treated my sleeve as a "tool". The first six months was pretty much a trial and error situation. I stuck to the rules given to me by my Dr and then slowly started experimenting new foods. PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN. I know it sucks but it was a staple in my diet for the first eight months. As I was able to eat more food I stuck to straight solid protein and cut back on the shakes. Don't waste your time on carbs or bread because there is no value in it and it just fills you up. Portion size is key. My body told me what my limit was and when I felt that I stopped eating. I am not proud of this but I haven't stepped on foot in a gym. My career keeps me active which helped out. I am a strong believer that you want to have a better life and be healthier in order for this to work.

Thank you everyone. It hasn't been easy.

Yes I admit it, I have some serious man boobs going on right now and let's say most of my life. I was sleeved on the 5th of Nov and I was wondering if any males out there have lost their boobs. I know your out there so don't try to deny it.

1 week shy of 5 months. Down 95 pounds. Pick one was my heaviest and pic two was taken last week

I have the same plan as you. Cigna is based off of deductible program. They give you a set dollar amount every year ( mine was 1500) for routine dr appointment and after that you have a co-pay of 10% of what the bill is up to 5,000. After you reach 5,000 dollars out of pocket everything else is covered 100%. I was fortunate enough to be doubled covered with my wife's insurance that my co-pays were covered by her insurance do I didn't have to pay a dime for my surgery. I hope this helps.

My life changed on November 5th. I have always shy away from the camera so it was hard for me to find a before pic of me on my phone. The before pic has to be around my heaviest of 390 but surgery weight was 377. I am at 282 currently so a 95 lb loss. I hope the pics load

Thanks everyone

Sleeved 11/5 at 377 and now down to 283. Haven't hit a stall yet but I am over due for one. I haven't stepped foot in a gym yet but I do have a very active job that keeps me moving. I should hit the 100 lb lose mark my the end of next week.

Mine was seeing the scale hit 299 (about 3 weeks ago). I'm 34 years old and have spent over half my life well over the 300 mark. Down 87 pounds in 4 months

I totally understand your protein concerns but you need it to get through your day. I am 4 months out and down 85 pounds but the majority of my weight comes off when I hit my goals of 120 grams a day. The past month has been a struggle for me to get my goals in and I can feel it. I'm weaker and don't have the energy that I use to. I am lucky to get half of my protein goal in with normal food so that means I need shakes to fill in the rest. The problem I have is that I get board with my shakes which makes me not want to drink them. I have tried several different types and I haven't found any that I can fall in love with. I haven't ran into any stalls but I feel that I have been losing muscle in stead of fat which is not good. I hope this helps.

Are you getting your fluid goals in? I noticed that if I miss my fluid goals that the next day is ruff when I eat.

Las Vegas here too. Dr. Soong did my surgery.

I'm the Banquet/Catering chef at Paris.

My life changed on the 5th of November and I have never looked back. Surgery weight was 377 and now I am down to 309. I was doing great on protein and liquids for the first 8 week but the past few weeks have been difficult. I haven't had a stall yet unless you call dropping only 3 pounds in a week a stall. I haven't stepped a foot in a gym or have even looked at one yet. I do find eating is more of a hassle now than a since of fulfillment. I do notice if I don't get my fluids in for a day that the next day it's harder to eat. The most challenging part of this process has been with my career. I'm a chef in Las Vegas and I'm around food all day long. It's not that I want to smother myself in all of it like it was in the past but its a challenge now to even taste the food I'm creating. The best is yet to come for me. I have been large all my life and can't even remember when I was under 300 pounds. I should see that mark in about 2 weeks. Life is good for me and I wish all of you the best.