reidweaver

Hi, I had the sleeve done July 2012 and lost 83 lbs. A year later I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis (like Rheumatoid Arthritis with tendonitis thrown in) and my exercising slowed due to pain. Since then, I have slowly crept up 30 # and maintained, but I want to get back on track and lose what I gained plus another 20 # to reach my goal. I have been on 2 types of chemo for 2 years and am finally starting to feel better and hope to bring my bike to work next week to start riding. I really need to get my food adjusted to lose again and don't know how many calories and grams of protein/fat/carbs I should set as a goal. I'm using My Fitness Pal to track my food. Everything I typically find is for people just having had surgery. I would really appreciate your thoughts for guidelines for 4 years out.

I had my surgery almost a year ago, so I can share a little about what you are going through. There is a normal stall around 3 to 5 weeks out from surgery. It will last about 2 weeks. You have to remember, this is around the time when you are adding regular food for the first time. Your body is trying to adjust. You are in monitored starvation, you'll start losing again. To give a little of my background, I was 261.5 on July 24th, 2012, when I had the sleeve. In three weeks I had gone down 22 pounds and went from a size 24 to a size 18. The weight continued to go down an average of 11 lbs a month. I am now 80 lbs down without much exercising. (I am gone almost 13 hours a day with my job and have little time at home). My doctor told me when I hit 180 I would hit a wall. He was correct, but I think it is more that I was grazing a little and therefore, eating more. I have backed off of doing that and am losing again. I did not gain any weight while doing this, but did not lose either. My goal is 150, so I have 30 lbs left to lose. Most think I have lost enough, but I am 5'9" and 150 is not an unreasonable goal for me and I see the poochy abdomen and flabby tops of my thighs that could use a little weight loss. I am now down to a regular (not women's) 14 and love shopping for clothes (to my husband's dismay). This past year has been like winning the lottery. It has been a wonderful journey and I would do this again in a heartbeat. Don't despair about the stalls, they are a part of the process - learn the process and you will do well. Determine that you will NEVER go back to the way you were. Enjoy discovering the new you!

I made a lot of homemade cream soups. My favorite is dilled zucchini soup. Just saute veggies in chicken broth until soft. Puree adding seasonings and lowfat milk. Reheat and you're done. For Thanksgiving do a winter squash with a touch of allspice, or pumpkin with curry, or try parsnip with fresh thyme.

I have neuropathy as a result of an autoimmune disease I had. When I have pain in my legs it can be very hard to get to sleep and before surgery I was able to manage on Tylenol PM. After surgery, I asked our pharmacist and she recommended Children's Liquid Benedryl. It has the same effect as the Tylenol PM, but in a liquid form. Works for me and can actually use less than the pill form,