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Measure your portions and stick with that as a guide. Don't rely on "full" to tell you when to stop eating. It's a very bad habit we all learned too well. Eating till we were full is how we got fat in the first place. And as for feeling hungry, like others said it's probably acid or thirst. Take a PPI (or increase your dose), try chewing tums or Rolaids when you think you are hungry, and drink more.

I was on liquids for three weeks and never even thought about eating anything at 11 days postop. I couldn't eat more than a couple tablespoons at a time for at least a couple months. Probably took 6 months before I could eat 4oz at a time. There's no reason to rush to eat....you've got the rest of your life to do that. Be thankful for your restriction. Just work on meeting protein and fluid goals every day, don't worry about how much you can eat, take things as slow as you need and don't push the limits of your tiny tummy.

Took me 3 months to lose 17 pounds. And I was ecstatic. Chill out. You didn't get fat in a few months and you aren't going to get skinny in a few months,either. Just stick with the plan, get 60-80g protein, 64oz fluids (more is better), take your vitamins, don't worry about calories, replace your lofty expectations with realistic goals and SOTFS!!!!

At two weeks I was still on liquids (no way I could eat more than a couple tablespoons even at a month out). But I was sipping Protein shakes, juice, Gatorade, decaf tea, broth, cream soups, drinkable yogurt, etc non stop all day every day, taking my Vitamins and meeting Fluid and protein goals. I was working 8-10 hours/day at a physical, on my feet all day job and went home pretty tired every night. So a family reunion would have been a piece of cake. Hope you have just as easy if a recovery and Have fun! PS I don't suggest trying anything new, food wise, at the reunion. Would hate to have a bad reaction (from either end) in that setting.

Well, for one thing, the cherries and wassa crackers and fruit and low fat yogurt (low fat = high carb) are only fueling your carb cravings. Go back to absolute strict protein/veggies only and see what happens to your cravings. When I find myself vearing off path, I'll even spend 3-5 days on the good ol prep liquid diet to clear the junk out of my system and get my head back in the game. Secondly, your next call should be to a therapist or counselor rather than your surgeon's office. Their help and the mental tools they can give you will be far more vital to your success than some preppy nurse's generic response. Long term WLS success is a direct result of changing behaviors, and your sleeve has really little to do with it. Find someone that can help you learn how to get through life without turning to food.

You have two choices....you can do the things necessary to lose weight and maintain that loss, or you can choose to indulge in the behaviors that led to your obesity in the first place. Which, of course, will lead to the same result. Like @@Dub said it really is that simple. @@FrankiesGirl gave some good detailed advice on what to do but I'm pretty sure you already know what you should be doing. If you can't change your behaviors on your own, you need to seek professional help in the form of therapy or counseling, because it really is hard to do. The importance of the psychological changes you need to make in order for WLS to be successful far outweigh the physical changes made by your surgeon. That's the part people just dont seem to get. fortunately I paid attention to the advice from veterans before I even decided to have surgery, so I was prepared to make the changes. But it's never too late to turn yourself around. You just have to want to. And, BTW, sleeve to bypass won't work without behavior changes, either. Success or failure is up to you, not the type of surgery you have.

4 gallbladder attacks. 2 hours of writhing on the bathroom floor in agony, puking and nearly passing out as a result of gallstones formed during my rapid weight loss. Finally had it taken out 2 years postop.

I agree with Babbs. I let myself keep losing till I got to the point I was feeling a little too thin. I actually started upping calories in the form of more fruit, fat and whole grains when I hit my personal goal, but still dropped another 10 pounds. It was just a matter of continuing to increase calories until I reached a balance and quit losing. I'm glad to have that extra bounce, but wouldn't want to go any lower. But on the flip side, I've stayed here for so long (over 1 1/2 years) that I now consider this my goal weight. If I went back up to my original goal I would have to kick my own ass. Not that it wouldn't be a perfectly fine, healthy weight, but I'd have to buy all new pants.

My surgeon never had me count calories. Just grams of protein and ounces of water. Lost over 100% of my excess weight and maintaining easily by following the basic bariatric friendly diet plan.

A hiatal hernia is basically an enlargement of the hole in your diaphragm where your esophagus passes through it. When the hole is too big, the stomach bulges through it into the chest cavity. It's not uncommon in overweight people and can be a cause of reflux and chest pain. it obviously needs to be repaired during VSG or the sleeve can't be shaped correctly. And the sleeve will just protrude back up through the hole if it's not repaired. An umbilical hernia is a hole in your body wall at your belly button (where your umbilical cord used to attach). Anything could potential pop through and look like a bulge under your skin. It's usually just internal body fat, but if a loop of intestine comes through, it could strangulate and cause serious problems. It's not particularly related to WLS and repairing it or not has nothing to do with the outcome of a VSG procedure. When I had my gallbladder removed, 2 years after my VSG, the surgeon actually created an umbilical hernia in my abdomen. He pulled the gallbladder out through my belly button, but the sutures he used to close the incision did not hold. So now I have a hole just above my belly button that I can literally stick my finger through. And the arrogant prick won't do anything about it. I have a $6000 deductible and don't particularly feel like having another surgery anytime soon, so I just keep poking the bulge back in and hope nothing vital comes through.

My sleeve is a bottomless pit when it comes to popcorn so I usually stick with those mini 100 calories bags. But I recently discovered Orville Redenbachers Garlic Butter and Sea Salt popcorn (insert drool) and they are regular sized bags. Since I could easily eat the whole thing, I start out by dumping 1/2 of it in the dog food bowl (he likes popcorn, too) so I'm not tempted to polish the entire bag off by myself.

Probably a troll

I don't know who put the crazy thoughts in your head, but I have seriously never heard of anyone thinking 17 pounds in two weeks was slow. I lost 17 pounds the first 3 MONTHS after my surgery and I thought that was fabulous. If you don't change your expectations to match reality then you are going to be a very sad camper in a couple weeks once your loss comes to a complete standstill when you hit a stall and your weight loss slows to a much more normal rate.

I had both of them in my soft food stage.

2 LEEPS and 1 cervical biopsy....5 out of 10 done without anesthesia and Mo..Fu...er they hurt! Endometrial Ablation 2 out of 10....outpatient no pain meds needed. Gallbladder surgery 2 out of 10....discharged 2 hours postop needed no pain meds. VSG 2/3 out of 10....discharged 16 hours postop, still no pain meds needed. Cervical vertebrae fusion surgery....8 out of 10, with a couple moments of 9/10. LOTS of pain meds required. Gallbladder attacks before surgery 12 out of 10. Meds couldn't touch the pain.

I am drinking Twisted Tea from a straw right this very minute. AND eating popcorn. I have no doubt I will burst into flames at any moment so I'm sure this is my last post. It's been nice knowing you all.....

I had a lifting restriction of 20 pounds for 3 weeks. After that I was back to lifting 40-80 pounds. But these are weights I was used to lifting everyday before surgery at my job and at home. It wasn't like I just jumped into a new "weight lifting program" fresh out of surgery. Other than someone shoveling snow for me twice postop, there was nothing I couldn't do for myself. But check with your own surgeon about what physical restrictions you will have. I think mine was one of the more generous ones and I was in strong, good physical shape to start with As for the ticker, click on the "Hello HorseChik" at the top of the page and select My Tickers from the pull down menu. Your weights get entered under My Surgery.

I guess the best thing is to talk directly to a recruiter.

@@Sharpie sounds like you've got a great setup. So nice to have family close by. BTW, Does your hay man travel? I have to load, unload, and stack 8 tons of hay by myself every year....80 pounds at a time. But I guess that's why I never have to go to the gym . And I consider myself very lucky to not have to clean stalls. Harrowing the corral 4-5 times a year is all the manure maintenance I have to do. Have a great Memorial Day....

Yep. The whole no hunger thing certainly didn't apply to me, or most people that post on forums. First off, Gherlin is produced in other parts of your body. Secondly, most hunger is really just head hunger anyways, especially if it's certain foods you are craving. If you were really truly physically hungry, a bite of bland, dry chicken would be just as satisfying as a piece of your favorite cake. In the end, success after WLS all comes down to winning the mental battles and changing your eating behaviors. And the only way to get rid of craving sweets is to stay away from sweets completely. Some people can do moderation but some people can't and have to completely abstain. For them it would be like telling a crack addict to just smoke "a little bit". Like all addicts, finding a good therapist or getting counseling is the only way to develop the psychological tools needed to make your physical tool work. If you aren't already getting this kind of help I strongly suggest it.

Starting to see a therapist at 2 years out was the best thing I ever did. I'm learning a lot about myself and the tools she has given me to help deal with my head issues are even more beneficial than the tool my surgeon gave me. After all, obesity is not about the food, it's about emotions and behaviors.

Bariatricfoodie.com and theworldaccordingtoeggface are both good recipe sites.

If you like quick, easy meals, get a vacuum sealer. I make big batches of whatever, divide them into my portion sizes, freeze them then vacuum seal them. Then they are ready to pop in the microwave anytime, even months later with no freezer burn. I had Thanksgiving leftovers well into March this year. (Tip - freeze first, then vacuum, in order to avoid all the liquid getting squished out)

There is not a single lean cuisine out there that is not loaded with carbs. I'm not as familiar with weight watchers but I imagine they are similar. Protein costs too much to put very much of it in frozen dinners. The Atkins meals may have a little more protein, but even with those you are getting a sh**t ton of sodium, binders, fillers and other not so healthy ingredients.

2 1/2 years out. Been maintaining 10+ pounds below goal for 19 months. Moderation, rather than abstinence works for me.