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I didn't know it, but turns out I love leggings! I went home for Christmas and delved into my sister's closet. She's always been thin and fashionable. After all the compliments I got on this Christmas Eve outfit I went out and bought two pairs of my own...on sale, of course!

I never considered it a stall unless it lasted more than 2 weeks. That means I only had one official stall between surgery and goal (actually gained 3 pounds and sat there for 4 weeks). Since I only weighed 2-4 times/month, I wouldn't have even known about shorter "stalls". Don't let the numbers rule your life! ????

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The first 3-4 months I certainly wasn't hungry.....eating and drinking was a chore and i seriously just wished I could spend the day NOT eating or drinking. But by the 6th month, I was getting my appetite back, and between 8-10 months I was just as hungry as ever. The difference is a small amount of protein fills me up. have to be careful of slider foods now because I could eat them all day long.

Apparently I have received many comments that I should have found offensive.... 1) I didn't think you were big enough for surgery (from a couple clients) 2) I guess I was just used to seeing you that way and never thought you were that big. (From a client and a friend) 3) I can't believe you lost 100 pounds. I never really thought of you as fat. (From my best friend/business partner) 4) this is great...you are finally the fat friend (from my "fat friend" after she had lap band) 5) ****, now I'm back to being the fat friend (from the same friend, after my VSG surgery) 6) you can stop losing now....I don't want you to get skinnier than me. ( from my hairdresser...and yes, now I am skinnier) 7) you must feel so great now ( from MANY clients) 8) your boobs completely disappeared....are you going to have plastic surgery? (From a friends' mother) 9) what size are you now? (From MANY friends and family) 10) aren't you bummed you can't drink beer? (From several friends) 11) I can't believe how much weight you've lost. (From many clients) 12) I'm so glad you are OK, I thought you might be sick (from several clients....I even got the cancer question a few times) 13) as long as you're happy (from several clients and my dad) 14) you have a lot more wrinkles in your face (a couple friends) 15) I've heard a lot of people gain weight back after surgery (a couple clients) Not to mention the many friends that are now trying to set me up on dates that never bothered back when I was fat. But seriously, I was never offended by these comments or even think they were rude. Just people honestly saying what they thought. I have no problem with that. Some comments certainly had tones of jealousy behind them, but who cares? They can't help how they feel and at least they say these things to my face, rather than behind my back. That's the difference between friends and enemies. I really just take all of it as a complement and move on. All of these comments simply boost my moral and self confidence (Like I need more of that ???? ). I guess the reason I've had so much positive support in my journey is because after reading this thread, my perception of positive seems to be a lot different than other's.

I'm a year out and I can consume anything except carbonated beverages. There are some things that do irritate my sleeve, though. Luckily they are all the things we shouldn't eat. Sugar, grease (fried foods), alcohol and coffee all cause gastritis for me. Sure I can eat a little of everything with no problems, but too much of those things cause a little upset and I end up taking Rolaids. Last week was especially bad. I satisfied my head with all kinds of yummy Christmas food and drinks at the expense of my sleeve. I'm actually glad to have that behind me. Now I'm back to making my sleeve happy.

Definitely.....I really do like the full but not stuffed feeling as I walk away from the table.

Ditto to what the others said. I used to STUFF myself. I wouldnt stop until I was uncomfortably full. Being full with a sleeve is different. There's nothing there to stretch, so when you're sleeve is full, it's FULL and it hurts at the top, where the esophagus comes in. I try to stop a bite or two before that point, because it's not a pleasant feeling. That's were the eating slow comes in so you can feel that fullness before it's too late. Picture filling a balloon with Water (a normal stomach).....it's gonna keep stretching long after the balloon is "full". Now try it with a plastic bottle(your sleeve).....the water will come spraying out the top if you try to overfill it.

141 today...sorry I'm late, I was out of town.

HW 238 SW 216 CW 141 TPL 98 TGP 88 Gained 4 pounds...pretty much what I expected since my 4 food groups last week were sugar, alcohol, fat and whatever other carbs I could cram in. I am actually happy to be back on the Protein train....my sleeve was starting to protest.

I got back yesterday, and stepped on the scale at work today. Gained the 4 pounds I was expecting to (top of my bounce range, still below goal). But like others, I'm back to plan today and my sleeve is VERY happy to have all the protein. It was not happy with all those carbs. But hey, my tastebuds and head sure liked em. ....maybe too much. But with healthy eating I'm pretty confident I will be back at the bottom of my bounce within a week.

See, those are the friends I do have and want. "Yes, those pants make you look fat". "No, that's not a good look for you" "don't cut your hair that short, it looks better long", "that hair color makes you look old". "That was a pretty stupid move", "Why do you keep going out with losers?" "Why do you let her push you around?" "Are you ever going to wash your truck?", "You need to brush your teeth...your breath stinks". "You're being a b***h"..... For me, honesty defines a relationship and I don't want to have to be PC with my friends, and vice versa. We aren't being mean or judgmental towards one another. My feelings aren't hurt when they say theses things. I consider it constructive criticism and fully expect it of my friends. I would be more hurt if they tried to be "nice" by not telling it like it is. And we continue to support and love each other despite our differences in opinion, bad decisions, hairdos, guys we date and weight gains and losses.

I guess the closest thing to a "bad" compliment I've gotten is when a friend said I look like a prepubescent boy. Once she said it, I realized how right she is.... No butt, no boobs, no hips, flat tummy, and thin, muscular arms. And I LOVE it!

Preop diet was supposed to be 14 days, but I started 2 days early because I was afraid I wouldn't lose the required 5% body weight. 3 Protein drinks + leafy green veggies. Turns out I didn't need to worry....I lost 22 pounds instead of the required 12. Then I was on another 18 days liquids only after surgery, followed by 3 weeks of puréed and then soft foods. You can do this!!!

I never cheated on pre or post op. Followed orders to a T. Which meant a total of 34 days on liquids. WLS is much more of a mental game than a physical one. If you let yourself cheat once, it's just going to be easier to cheat the next time. And in the end, I feel just as good about winning the daily head games as I do about losing the pounds. Stay strong....

Yep, headache, fatigue and very crabby during my 16 day preop. The headaches got better after 3 days, but I stayed hungry and grumpy the whole time. Day 14 was my worst. But now it's all a distant memory and well worth every single minute. Just a measly 2 weeks out of your entire life! Time to suck it up... No one said it was easy.

Miralax is an osmotic laxative, which means it works by drawing water into the intestines. Yes, this can be interpreted as possibly "expanding" in your stomach, but with our tiny sleeves, liquid runs right through (thus the no eating/drinking at the same time). So as long as you drink plenty of water, or juice or whatever, when you take it, all of the action is going to take place in your intestines, not your stomach. Milk of Magnesia works by the same mode of action, in addition to neutralizing stomach acid. I take insoluble fiber everyday and it expands WAY more than miralax and I have never had any problems.

Sounds like you need to talk to a counselor or therapist rather than your surgeon. It would be best to deal with the mental and emotional aspects of your eating disorder because surgery won't fix that. Obviously you had success with the band, but you can damage and/or stretch your sleeve and have weight regain if the underlying issues aren't addressed and corrected.

Fiber is what worked for me. And it has to be INSOLUBLE fiber, not the soluble fiber found in the "usual" fiber supplements like benefiber and all those fiber chews and gummies. Soluble fiber will actually slow down your GI tract, often making constipation worse. Prior to discovering the wonders of insoluble fiber, I was taking Benefiber and Metamucil everyday. I would still have to take Milk of Magnesia every 2-3 days just to produce a BM. (And it was hard, compact and painful). Once I started adding insoluble fiber to my Protein smoothie everyday, I began producing a nice firm, yet pliable and easily passable poo every morning (occasionally every other day). Other people have good luck with prunes, prune juice, miralax and smooth move tea. Regardless, whatever you try, give it a good week or two before you declare it a success or not. These more natural remedies may not produce instant results like some laxatives, etc.

I am 12 months postop and I went to visit family for the holidays. I had no intentions of eating on plan and even spent the last month dropping below my bounce range so I could pig out guilt free this week. It's my first Christmas home in nearly 15 years and there are just too many holiday food traditions I'm not giving up. I've spent the last 5 days basically stuffing myself with sugar and carbs. I still managed to get in a few Protein smoothies, some sushi, shrimp, smoked brisket, chicken, veggies and fruit, but really nothing that resembled a balanced, healthy menu. I fly back to my place tomorrow and back to work on Monday. I'll step on the scale, enter it in the Holiday Challenge thread, and get right back on my normal healthy diet plan. I'm certainly not going to let 1 week off the wagon diminish all that i've accomplished. And neither should you. Just put it behind you and start back fresh this week.

For those of you bashing the author of this thread and getting all defensive, please take the time to re-read the OP. It was not judgmental or negative. She was simply describing her observations and asking our opinions.... .....

I had never heard of it when I was in my early stages but I never really had a problem with meeting Protein goals. Un jury unflavored and dozens of other protein powders and shakes worked just fine for me. That being said, the company's claims do seem to be scientifically questionable, so like Rocky1, I'd like to see independent analysis, including absorption rate and bioavailability. Is it a complete protein profile, containing all essential amino acids? I can't find any of the usual data that would clarify this. The company itself seems less than legitimate to me once I looked at the other products they sell....all "fad" supplements that claim to boost libido, burn fat, build muscle, increase testosterone, enhance male performance, etc. And of course, they all include the statement "these claims have not been evaluated by the FDA" . Here's the description of one of their products called "Kranked"....kind of hard to take them seriously.

I was never given calorie limits. Just a simple meal plan of with Protein and Water requirements. After protein comes veggies and eventually fruit and whole grains. My nut actually laughed when I expressed concern over the full fat dairy products she suggested. If you are following the basic rules and you don't overeat, you can't get in too many calories your stage. My personal feelings about restricting calories is that if you do, you cause stalls by starving your body. And If you do it for long enough, your body learns to live on limited calories and it will be hard to maintain goal when you try and eat more later on. I never tracked my food or calories, but I did a few spot calorie checks along the way.... 800-1000 calories in the first 3 months, 1000-1200 calories at 6-7 months, and maintaining 12 pounds under goal for the last 4 months at 1400-1600 calories. Very easy numbers to live with!

I'm in maintenance, AND on vacation, so my menu is gonna seem a little "off".... Had a homemade chocolate covered pretzel/peanut cluster with my coffee this morning. Then a small bowl of steel cut oats with flax seed, walnuts, blueberries and milk around mid morning. Drank about 16oz of Water while driving. Just finished a mushroom Swiss butter burger from Culver's (no bun)...now I'm super stuffed. Gonna drink another 16oz water starting in about 45 min Gonna have a 24oz piña colada Protein smoothie with 1/2 banana blended in later this afternoon. Family get together to play Mexican Dominos tonight. We are ordering pizza and I will eat the toppings and probably some leftover Christmas goodies. Maybe even have a cocktail or two. And I will finish the day with a big cup of Sleepytime tea. I'm actually looking forward to returning home and getting back to my normal food next week. WAY to much sugar and junk this week, but no regrets.