Kindle

@@Kaila312 did they give you an estimated volume that your sleeve stretched to? Seems to me it doesn't matter if it holds 4oz or 40oz, if you are staying around 1000 calories there has to be more to your regain than just sleeve size. Keep us posted.

How did I become obese? Mass quantities of food and alcohol...... 12" sub with 2 bags of chips and large soda, 1/3 pound burger with a plate of fries followed by a piece of cake, lots of vodka, whiskey, rum and beer (my liquor store bill often exceeded my grocery bill), a pint of Ben and Jerry's, a whole Tombstone pizza, A tube of Nestles premade cookie dough. Basically I didn't have that chemical trigger that told me to stop eating because I never ever got full.

Unless your surgeon has a major screw up there should be almost no blood loss. Everything is cauterized as it's cut except your skin incisions.

I'm just over two years out. I didn't eat "off plan" until I was under goal, 100 pounds down about 7 months post. I could then eat pretty much anything and everything (in smaller portions) without regain until about 18 months out. Since then I have to be more mindful. A weekend of crap eating results in a couple pound gain. I've had to resort back to protein/veggies only or even liquid Protein diet several times in order to knock off those gains. Maybe she will be a rare exception, but odds are your sister's eating habits will catch up with her eventually. I probably wouldn't suggest holding her as an example for your eating habits

Congrats! My very first NSV was that my rings fit. Funny I lost finger fat before anywhere else. Too bad they are all too big for me now.

Geez, nice to know I'm not entirely alone

No, Kindle, that was the beginning of your beginning. I've always had this theory that I swear to be true:-----most men suffer from "HGS" when it comes to being compassionate and caring of a woman's heart. "HGS" stands for "Hanging Genital Syndrome". It has always occurred to me that when one's genitals hang freely from the body, it causes drag throughout the body--eventually the brain. Dragging of the brain causes cellular damage --leaving one cold hearted and obsessed with one's damage causing hanging parts. Of course, not all men suffer from this ailment---just those insensitive sods out there in Never Never Land. Lol But don't get me wrong. I don't dislike men. I'm not a crazy nazi feminist that wants to degrade the male sex. I love men. Some of my best friends are men. Sure, I've been in love and I've had my heart broken. But I've had mostly good relationships and never been emotionally or physically abused. My parents have been great role models, being happily married for almost 55 years. My disinterest in dating and having a relationship stems directly from the fact I am a non-social, selfish person. I wanna do what I wanna do when I wanna do it. Single means not having to compromise or negotiate. And the fact Is I prefer to be at home alone with my cats or on a trail with my horse and dog rather than interact with people (male or female).

I'm with @@AvaFern on this one. Other than when I was really early postop and physically couldn't fit more than a couple tablespoons of food or liquid in my sleeve, I've never really followed this rule. For one, it's kind of leftover from the bypass rules and isn't as applicable to VSG. Bypass patients don't have their pyloric valve so yes, mixing fluids with your meal will flush the food out quicker, possibly causing you to feel hungry sooner which could possibly lead to you eating too much too soon. But VSG patients still have their pyloric valve and this controls how fast your stomach contents empty, It's not just an open stoma. I found I got hungry every 2-3 hours whether I drank with meals or not. And since my head ultimately decides what, how much and when to eat, not my sleeve, it really doesn't matter if I drink with meals or not. BTW, I'm just over two years out and have beem maintaining below goal for 16 months. Part of the journey is figuring out what "rules" you need to implement for your own individual long term success. None of this is a one size fits all thing. (Although I strongly recommend following your surgeons instructions to a T immediately before and after surgery to ensure a complication free surgery and recovery)

Are you getting injections? You may have to switch to them postop. I'm sure you have already consulted with your surgeon on this.

I'm in luck. I have the Bariatric Advantage pills and they are methylcobalamin. . Chewable pills or sublingual? VSG patients typically can't absorb oral B12 anymore.

I take my B12 sublingual same time as my multi. Multis typically have a boatload of B12, so it's OK to take them together. It's only because of our lack of intrinsic factor that we now have to take it sublingually or via injections. And, BTW, take methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin as its the easier form for our bodies to absorb.

@@Valentina that's a great idea! But again, married people get birthday , wedding and anniversary presents...we still get ripped off. As for Valentine's Day, it hasn't been a biggie for me even when I was dating. The very first love of my life ruined it by getting engaged to someone else on Valentine's Day 1987. We had dated off and on all through high school. I was a freshman in college. He was in the Army, stationed at Ft. Bragg and I found out he had been cheating on me from his younger brother. . But it sure felt good pounding his glass ring into a pancake before returning it. Guess that was the beginning of the end for me.....

I'm 25 months out. Reached my lowest weight (12 pounds below goal) about 9 months post and have maintained within 4-5 pounds of that low weight for 16 months. Other than keeping a rough tally of Protein and fluids in my head, I have never measured or tracked my food. Despite it being recommended, I knew it was something I would never do. Didn't like it with conventional diets and certainly didn't want to do it for the rest of my life. For me, I had surgery so I wouldn't have to. The closest thing to tracking I do is my weekly pill dispenser so I remember to take my supplements every day. I eat certain things every day....quest bar, Protein shake and Greek yogurt with ground flax seed and apple pectin for the Fiber. Other than that I eat a variety of veggies, fruit, grains and different protein sources every day....pretty much whatever I'm in the mood for. Eat just until satiated, never full, and after two years I can eyeball my portions pretty well.

Well at least you guys have confirmed that my choice to never join a dating website was the correct one! But it also makes me think I'm the only single person on the planet that is perfectly happy being single. I outgrew the desire to waste my time dating back in my mid-30's. The only two dates I've had in the last 15 years were forced upon me by "friends" trying to hook me up after my VSG. one turned out to be a stalker who finally moved on to his next victim after 6 months of bugging me and the other was arrested for beating up the next gal he dated after me. I must say, the only downside to being single is the fact that no one ever throws us parties and we don't get wedding or bridal shower presents. Hey, just because I like being single doesn't mean I don't like presents!

I couldn't tolerate plain water or artificial sweeteners for 4 months. I drank pedialyte, Gatorade, Powerade, Sobe Lifewater, Vitamin Water, decaf herbal tea, milk, almond milk, coconut milk, coconut water, dilute 100% fruit juice, V8, and Sweetleaf Water Drops contain stevia, so I could use those. My current favorite beverages are Bai5 and Ocean Spray Pact, which both use Stevia and/or erythritol.

I've never found a need for it. I either order an appetizer, cup of soup, share an entree or take home leftovers. The children's menu rarely contains anything I'd want to eat anyways.....not many high protein/low carb choices. And if I ever want something special or a smaller entree I just order it, no one has ever asked for "proof" of my surgery.

Hey @@VSGAnn2014 I just saw your ticker. Congrats! You passed me and I now consider that a challenge . Glad to see you made it through the holidays unscathed (from a weightloss perspective). I know it couldn't have been an easy time for you. (Sorry for the interruption, folks)

I didn't post it on Facebook or announce it on Twitter or anything, but anytime someone asks about my weightloss I tell them I had surgery and I eat a healthy, high Protein diet. Anything other than full truth would have made me uncomfortable. I'm not a good fibber. The biggest pain was having to answer the same questions over and over from hundreds (yes hundreds) of friends, family, acquaintances and clients. But I got nothing but congratulations and support. Everyone knowing provides me with a sense of accomplishment and accountability. I am the shining example of successful WLS in Mexico. There's no way I will become that "I knew someone who had WLS and gained all her weight back" story.

Bottom line, I just put on my big girl panties and did it. Not only did I do it, I did it over the holidays with Christmas parties, birthday celebrations and a funeral. It's just part of the process I chose to undertake by having WLS. Keep focused on your end goal and don't get caught up in every little discomfort along the way. A good attitude goes a long ways and really, two weeks is a fraction of time compared to the months and years of being a thinner, healthier you. And if you think the preop is hard, wait till you get to maintenance! I've put myself on a voluntary liquid "preop" diet numerous times in the last year in order to drop those few pounds that tend to creep on. It's just another tool to use to obtain and keep that ultimate prize we all had WLS for in the first place. PS. And I don't wear big girl panties anymore.

I mixed them in a 24oz blender bottle, added ice and sipped on it at work all day. Then I'd make another one when I got home and sip on that all evening.

At two months I wasn't eating any carbs like rice, but like others said, there's plenty of non-rice sushi options.

I had a complete meltdown 2 days before my surgery, too. I had to pull over on my way to work because I was shaking and crying so hard. I had a major WTF am I doing panic attack. But I talked myself back off the ledge and thought about all the reasons I wanted WLS in the first place and all the pros and cons of going through with it. After that I was totally at peace with my decision and never gave it another thought. Over two years out and I still know it was the best thing I ever did. BUT....if you are not totally OK with your decision and completely committed to all the changes that are required in order to be successful then by all means, do not go through with it. The physical part of the surgery is really the easy part (barring any complications), but the mental part is forever. I've read posts from folks that probably weren't ready for the surgery and rushed into it and then ended up squandering their opportunity. Still others have backed out of surgery only to go ahead with it months or years later. They just needed more time and that's OK. Just go with what you really feel is best with no regrets one way or another. Backing out now doesn't mean you can't do it later, but once it's done there's no turning back.

How far out are you? I LOVE sushi and eat it all the time with no problems whatsoever. Ok, there is one big problem.....I can only eat 2-3 pieces before I'm stuffed . Always leaves me wanting more.

Awesome job! You look fabulous. Keep up the positive attitude, I truly believe that makes all the difference.

100% whey Protein isolate has WAY less lactose than milk. In fact, less lactose than some lactose free milks, so you may do fine with that. Besides the Jay Robb egg protein, I've also had and liked Spirutein (pea, rice and soy protein), Raw Protein and Raw Fit (sprouted seed protein) and other vegan Proteins. The only one I didn't like was hemp. Funky taste. The premier Protein shakes have milk protein concentrate, caseinate and whey concentrate, so will have a lot more lactose than the powders with 100% whey isolate.