Jen35

Part of the reason I chose to have the sleeve surgery was because of my obsession with food and the volume of food that I would eat. Food was constantly on my mind: What am I going to eat? When can I eat again? What can I eat that will make me feel better? Then feeling guilty for eating "bad" foods and so I would eat some more to feel better. And the cycle continued. Dieting for me is not a good thing as it just reinforces my food obsession and labelling foods as "bad". I want a healthy relationship with food and the sleeve (along with counseling) is helping me get there. I don't tell myself that I can't have a certain food, but I do limit how much/how often I have it. If I told myself that I can NEVER have a cookie again, I will obsess about Cookies until a binge on them. That is how I operate. If I tell myself that I can have a cookie if I really want one then I know that it's always an option and only if I eat them in moderation. It's all in the mindset for me. This doesn't work for everyone, I know. And I am only 3 months post-op - I know that this is a life long journey. What works for me now may not work for me down the road. I am open to exploring new ways of doing things if this isn't working for me later. But I don't think that this mindset is unhealthy. My therapist certainly thinks it's healthy (and much healthier than my old mindset). The key is to make sure that I am consistently choosing healthy foods over less nutritious options.

Wow - 70 lbs!! You are beautiful! I bet you are feeling great too!

Awesome job and you look great! BTW, your tummy looked better at 312lbs than mine does now at 185 Guess we are all shaped differently. I'm also short. I would not show my tummy to anyone, EVER. Way to go!

Congrats! The amount you lose is really up to you and your determination. I am 15 weeks out and I've lost 60 pounds. Started at 244lbs. Best of luck!

I had this issue but it only lasted for the first couple months. I'm at 14 weeks now and I can enjoy food, but I can still only eat a little bit. Hopefully, you will get to a point soon where you can enjoy food again. I agree with another poster to use this time to change bad habits while it may be easier.

Wow! You are my hero ! Way to go and I would also like to see pics, please.

Hang in there! I can relate completely. I carry most of my weight in my belly and before surgery I had several people ask me if I was pregnant. I tried "hiding" my belly with cute empire waist type shirts - well THAT was a mistake. Apparently, people can't tell the difference between a stylish empire waist and maternity clothes. I've noticed that men never asked me, it was always women. Even when I was pregnant with my 2 kids, when strangers would ask/mention my being pregnant, my husband would get annoyed. His motto is you NEVER ask a women if she is pregnant, even if it's obvious (or you think it is). Women seem to think that it's ok for some reason. It's so rude! How about this - if I'm really pregnant and I want you to know about it, I'll TELL YOU!

I was told no NSAIDS also. But my surgeon said you have to weigh risks vs. benefits as with anything. If NSAIDs are the only thing that work, it would be okay for me to take them occassionally. But high doses or taking frequently can lead to ulcers, so we have to be careful. I have taken ibuprofen twice in 3 months for severe headaches (but I only took 400 mg each time).

Agreed. 2 for 1 surgery here! I had really bad reflux for many years and didn't realize it was a hernia. I was too chicken to get the endoscopy before. Surgeon required the endoscopy and found the hernia. He repaired it and I haven't had an issue with reflux since. Wonderful!!

If you are like me, I've always thought that if I lose the weight it will make me happy. I started therapy several months before my sleeve and had to come to terms with the fact that this isn't true. My weight wasn't the only thing keeping me from being happy. That said, I do have more confidence in my self which has led to more doors opening in my professional life. They are doors I could have opened at any time, though, I just didn't have the confidence! Hang in there things will get better. Reevaluate your friendships - if there are some that you value and want to keep, sit down with them and pour your heart out. If that doesn't work, they were never really your friends. I know what it's like to hate your job. Now I'm at a job that I really love and that makes all the difference in my outlook on life. You deserve to be happy. Go out there and find your Happy!

Down 59 pounds! Surgery on 5/22. Starting weight 244, now I'm 185. I feel amazing!!!

I have a TON of healthy cookbooks and that didn't work. Now if I had a personal chef to cook them for me....maybe that would have helped! My worst diet advice came from a personal trainer who was also my sister-in-law at the time. She was always promoting some fad diet. You know, eat these specific foods in this order each day. She also did that cleanse where you just drink Water with lemon and cayenne peper for a week. Whatever!

Yep, alcohol will pack on the pounds! Thankfully, I haven't been able to drink much - it just doesn't settle well. It's good that you acknowledge what happened and are taking steps to get back on track

I've had some "bathroom" issues but it is a common side effect from my gallbladder removal after my sleeve. Maybe this person had their gallbladder out after the sleeve surgery (as is common)?

Welcome to the forum! Lots of great information out here, I started on here at least 6 months before my surgery and it's a great resource. The sleeve is an amazing tool that has allowed me to actually listen to my hunger ques and only eat when I'm hungry (imagine that!?!) This was something I just couldn'd do before. As far as the food funerals, I didn't go crazy with it, but there were some favorite foods/places that I made sure I ate the week before my pre-op diet. But don't think of them as "I'm never going to eat this again", but instead "I can't eat this for a while and then I will eat this only in moderation". That is my outlook. I'm 3 months out and can eat about anything, but I'm able to control myself around these foods now. (It's amazing!) And some things, like fast food, french fries, etc, that I LOVED before, I really don't like now. So that's a good thing!

I eat throughout the day, meals and/or snacks. I just started tracking (I'm 3 months out) and I go more by calories. I agree with ms.k that I eat when I'm hungry. It's best for me to eat several times per day than wait until meal time and be starving because that is when I eat too fast/too much and I'm miseralbe. If I eat every 3 hours, that seems to work for me. I have that "emply stomach" feeling by then but I'm not starving. One thing I've noticed is that I'm not focussed on meal time now. What I mean: before the surgery, if it was meal time, I would eat (hungry or not) because I just wanted to eat. It was never a question of hungry or not, I always wanted to eat (so I guess I always felt hungry, lol). I didn't really know what hungry felt like anymore, if that makes sense because I never really listened to my body. The sleeve has changed that. Now I eat when I need to eat, meal time or not. I'm not constantly looking at the clock counting down the minutes till the next meal so I have a reason to eat. If my family is hungry at dinner time, I make them dinner, but I may not be hungry then. I may eat later. That has been the biggest revelation to me - eating when I'm truly hungry and actually being able to identify that feeling!

I agree! It may be scary to up your calories because it's become your normal, but you really can't sustain 700 calories that for the long haul. Your body needs calories to be healthy. I'm 3 months out and I eat between 800 and 900 calories and I've been very consistantly losing. I really havent' even had a stall yet. I'm trying to slowly increase to 1000 calories especially since I've been exercising more now. My ultimate goal is to get to 1200 calories and stay there. That is a healthy, sustainable calorie goal for me. I don't want my body to get used to such low calories that I can't lose and/or maintain at a higher level. Because, lets face it, eventually my stomach will be healled and I'll have the capacity (and the need) for more calories. I think for me the change in mindset is odd. I was used to dieting, trying to count calories and couldn't get below even 1600 consistently pre-op. Now I'm struggling some days to get in 800-900 calories. Everything has flip-flopped. It's so WEIRD, but in a good way!

My therapist has warned me about possible eating disorders on the other end of the spectrum. Most of us already had disordered eating (eating too much) so the tendency is there to go the other way (eating too little). Hopefully you get your appetite back (I did!) and it will get easier. Until then, since you know this is an issue, you should probably schedule your meals. Maybe every 3-4 hours and plan them out. Think of food as medicine for your body - you need it to heal and function properly. I would also start reading up on anorexia recovery until you can get to a therapist.

I had my hiatal hernia repaired at the same time as my sleeve. I really don't see what difference it makes to the hernia repair whether you get the sleeve or the RNY. I didn't even know I had a hernia, just really bad reflux. My surgeon did an endoscopy with the purpose of diagnosing the hernia so he could repair it during the sleeve surgery. He said with the hernia repair that I have a 50% of it coming back but it has nothing to do with the sleeve.

I am at 3 months and really starting to see the hair falling out:( I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and just started using their version of Nioxin called Nutri-ox. There is shampoo, conditioner and a serum. They also have a product called Toppix that I plan to use if/when you can really tell my hair is thin. It is a keratin fiber that electrostatically sticks to your hair and makes it look fuller. It doesn't come off untill you wash your hair. There was another thread here and some are really liking that product.

I discussed it with my PCP and he was very supportive, but I didn't see him for my 3 months of appointments, I saw my surgeon. It was just easier because he knew exactly what the insurance needed in the documentation. That may be an option for you. My PCP did have to write a letter stating it was medically necessary, so you may have an issue with that. I agree that it may be best to find a new PCP. It would be aweful to go through all the appointments and then your PCP not recommend the surgery.

I was such a crab on my pre and post op diets, that my husband would have been locked out of the house with his bacon if he attempted that!! lol I do remember when I was on soft foods licking the popcorn at the movies because I wanted it so bad! My daughter thought I was crazy

Hey there:) I had my surgery May 22nd with Dr. Kumaran at St. Alexius New Start. I'm down 53 pounds since my 1 week pre op. Feeling great! Nice to see some others from the St. Louis area.

I am 12 weeks out and I love grapes. I've been eating them for weeks unpeeled. I chew them well and I have no issues. Lately, I've been loving raw brocolli and no problems. I say as long as you go slow in trying new fruits/veggies, cut them smaller and chew well, you will be fine. If you try it and it doesn't work for you, wait a few weeks and try again.

That is a great experience:) I was at a deli and I mentioned that I can't eat much due to stomach surgery and the woman waiting on me said she had the lap band last year. Lost 110 pounds. We talked a bit and she let me order a half portion of anything. I also had someone at church come up to me and ask questions because she is thinking about the sleeve. It's nice to be encouraging to others and share my experience.