NMJG

Yes it can stretch. No it can't stretch to its original size. You can get an endoscopy to check stomach size, but IMHO the problem isn't your stomach, it's your head. WTH are you doing eating pizza anyway, dude? Once in a while is one thing, most of us fall off the wagon from time to time. But if you are gaining then I am thinking you are eating pizza and the like more than once in a while. I strongly recommend that you see a mental health counselor, not because you are crazy (well, you might be crazy, but that isn't my point . A counselor will help you with the mental issues involved in losing the weight and keeping it off. You can still lose the weight. But you've got to fix the stuff that is keeping you from succeeding first. Even bypass patients with no stomach regain the weight if their head is not in the game. None of the surgeries is a magic solution, they are just tools. We've all been there. Head issues are the hardest. Best of luck to you. Talking to a nutritionist is an excellent place to start

A couple of years for me. I was looking into the band, but the info session I attended really recommended the sleeve, although they did all three procedures. My insurance would not cover the sleeve then. As soon as the sleeve became eligible I went for it. Took about 4 months from that point.

What a very thought provoking piece. Thank you for sharing it.

I have teenagers, that's how I know LOL.

I think I will change my username to SharpeiButt.

Yes, there are so many more big girl clothes than there used to be. Lane Bryant was the only game in town for so long, and their stuff used to be hideous. No Venezia label and Cacique and cute styles like now. It was a lot harder to dress nicely back then if you were above a 14.

Anyone else found that they are fitting into tiny sizes that are much smaller than you know you should be? Check this out http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/04/daily-chart-1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing When I was 20 and 140 lbs at 5'6" I wore a size 12. When I was 35 at 140 lbs I wore a size 10. Now at 53 and 145 lbs I'm a size 8. WTH? Anyone who uses patterns and sews their own clothes sees this - those patterns use the old measurements. On the Simplicity site I am a size 18. Of course, my favorite store is Chico's because their sizes are 0, 1, 2, 3. Read that as small, medium, large and xl. This is the only time I will ever be a size zero lol. Ah....vanity sizing!

Amy, I think you posted this to get some tough love, so I'm gonna give it to you. Get yourself back to basics: Protein first, then vegs, then carbs. You know what to do. Get all your Water in. Try a new exercise or do something you at least like (walk in the park? Swim? Bike ride?) try to do something every day, even if it is just 30 minutes. You know how hard it was to get to goal. 10 lbs is a great time to get yourself back in the saddle. You can do it I know you can. We all believe in you. ...hugs....

Bella, your symptoms are pretty alarming. What does your dr say? Constant period is not normal at all.

Caramel is good, too, and lemon or orange...

Yes, 1 cup ricotta, one egg, and torani. Taste it for sweetness. It's easy to put in too much torani. When you can tolerate fruit, try a half cup of blueberries and even a bit of lemon zest in it. Put it in a microwavable dish and cook for a minute or until it no longer jiggles. Makes 2 servings (or maybe more if you are eating tiny amounts still). I eat it hot or cold.

1day....this is a troll http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=forum+troll

Try ricotta cheese. You can eat it plain, or with a bit of pasta sauce and mozzarella, or make a "cheesecake" by adding an egg and a tbl of sugarfree vanilla syrup and microwave for a couple of minutes. You can get ricotta in fat free or low fat. Very high protein.

You may not need surgery at all, many people don't. You can also get a lift without augmentation if you choose.

Stop freaking out Weigh yourself weekly or less. You will lose. Your body just needs time to figure out what the heck you did to it.

You are quite the pioneer LOL. Glad you learned from this and are willing to share your experience. It's so hard in the beginning figuring out what works. When I ate out early on it was eggs, cottage cheese, egg drop soup, and a bit later on I could handle refried beans, chili, sashimi (no rice like sushi,) mashed cauliflower and the like. Best of luck to you.

Well, since you asked, why have surgery and then stop before you are where you want to be? It's your body. If you are satisfied where you are now, by all means go into maintenance. You look great. But if you think you would like to go lower, I say go for it. Heck, you can always gain it back if you don't like it. I have a small frame at 5'6". My bmi is normal, but I still have a fat waist leftover from my giant jelly belly, so I'm going for a low bmi, but that's just me. My dr supports a bmi at the low end of the scale.

Yes, very very common. Stay the course and it will pass. Read the link in my signature.

Oh yes. Wrinkles! Ick. I use Roc products from France. I get them at Costco. Microdermabrasion helps and chemical peels.

Mine went from 9 1/2 Medium to 9 1/2 Narrow. I am literally walking out of my old shoes, my feet slide around so much. Also, before I only wore slides with a nice soft thick sole. Closed shoes or very flat shoes were too uncomfortable. Now I wear little short booties most of the time. And very flat thin soles are OK.

yes. Click on the user's name and then click on Report User (right side of the screen).

I had it after surgery during liquid stage, it was great - tasty and soothing. The sodium probably isn't great if you add a touch of soy sauce, but I didn't care and it did not hurt me.

This is a pretty common response. You can probably do a search on "freaking out" and find a ton of posts. It's normal. You'll do fine. Best of luck to you.

If you are cleared by your doctor for all foods, it's probably fine. The pearls are just a type of tapioca. But, beware of the sugars - those teas are very high in carbs and even if you get sugar free, the pearls themselves are very caloric. Probably not a good choice for losing weight, IMHO.

Syntrax Matrix Peanut Butter Cookie is great. I aad an extra spoonful of PB2 powder to make it more peanuty.unjury chicken broth flavor - great alternative to sweet Protein shakes.Isopure Protein drinks, sort of a gatorade-ish type of liquid. Most people like one flavor over another (so experiment) and some people add 1/2 Water to cut the intensity of the flavor. You can also freeze them into ice pops. They are expensive, but you can buy one bottle at GNC to try it out. Amazing Meal hemp and pea Protein Powder (Whole Foods), they have a number of flavors. Very different than your whey Proteins, has a nutty grainy texture. I like the seasonal flavors (they had pumpkin last fall).Last, any of the vanilla flavors are a good choice, as someone mentioned. Besides Torani syrup (my cabinet looks like a barista's - a dozen different flavors LOL), but also plain old extracts work great (almond, lemon, orange, etc.). I also sometimes add cinnamon and nutmeg to vanilla - tastes like Horchata.