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I remember it only taking maybe 3-4 weeks or so. Now, 2 years+ out from surgery, I was just looking in the mirror this morning and thinking how remarkable it is that they have faded completely. I have no reminder left that I even had the surgery.

I had trouble with eggs at first. It takes a little bit of time. Now they are a go-to for me.

It is tough! You are right! I mean, afterall, if sticking to a strict diet were easy, wouldn't we all have done it and skipped having surgery? You've got this. I promise you the end is SO worth the journey. .

That's a tough one! Kudos for you for everything you already do! First of all, after surgery, focus on the new eating habits. Exercise is not going to make or break you in those first few months. Is it important, of course! But I wouldn't let that deter you from surgery because it will work regardless. I didn't start formally "working out" until 4 months post op. I wish I would have sooner, but in any case, the weight came off just fine during those 4 months I wasn't. But, when you are up to it, you could try doing something that you could do with the kids? I sometimes will stream workout videos and my little ones think it's fun to do their version of it along with me. Or we go "on a run" together - ie - I run, they ride their scooters, bikes, etc.

I agree. I love getting my favorite "pre-sugery" subs as a salad. You still get all the flavor without the bread. Great choice!

I am currently 27 months post op and maintaining comfortably. There is a point where your stomach is fully healed and the swelling goes away and you may feel like maybe you are able to eat slightly more at one sitting. Just because you can doesn't mean you have to. I also find that if I keep hydrated I am never truly hungry like I was before surgery. hunger changes. Like it's more of an empty feeling than a ravenous hunger. Also, how I eat the day before impacts my hunger levels. If I've gone off plan and eating a lot of carbs and/or sugar I am craving those things and super hungry the next day (or two). But if I stick to the plan and get a lot of Protein in, the next day I'm feeling good and I'm feeling satisfied. You just have to learn to make it a lifestyle change instead of a diet. I would have to work really, really hard at eating lots of food and unhealthy kinds of food if I were to gain the weight back.

I agree it may be something along the lines of heartburn. The only time I ever felt truly hungry was when I needed to adjust my heartburn meds. But also, eggs did take me a while to be able to stomach.

I definitely didn't find that. Greek yogurt and 2% cheese sticks are staples in my diet during the actively losing phase and now in maintanence too.

I was close to your starting stats at 5'7" and 278 pounds. I agree with others who have said there really isn't a whole heck of a lot you can do. Skin is just that....skin. There are so many factors that determine if you'll have a lot of excess skin or not including age, elasticity, hydration, genetics, etc. I am "fairly" young....was 34 at the time of surgery,.....and I hydrate A LOT. I didn't have huge, huge amounts of excess skin, but after a 140+ pound loss I did have enough to warrant insurance covering a tummy tuck and panniculectomy for it. I am an avid runner and fitness freak and no amount of weigh lifting or ab workouts was getting rid of that skin. Does it happen? Yep. Would I let it deter me from sleeve surgery? Heck no!

Awesome!!

I had a tummy tuck and panniculectomy at about 19 months post op. At that point I had lost 140ish pounds. I have before and after pictures in my blog (linked in my signature) and I think on my profile picture here. I was able to get my insurance to cover it, so I only paid my small co-insurance fee. Second to my sleeve surgery, it was the very best decision ever. It was a tough surgery to recover from , but I'm so glad I did it. I'm now in the process of trying to get my upper arms covered by insurance. After that, I think I am satisfied. :-)

I did not have a drain for my sleeve surgery. I did have 2 of them for my tummy tuck though. worst ever.....

That's a tough stage that you are at. Your choices are so limited. Everyone has given you lots of good ideas. I don't really have food ideas to add. I will add though that I remember feeling SO emotional, angry, sad, irritable, etc at that point that you are at. You are starting to really feel the "loss" of your go-to choices. For me I was also dealing with the loss of my go-to coping mechanism, emotional eating. You really are learning a whole new lifestyle. I promise each day will get better and once you get up to full foods, a whole new world will open up! :-)

Hopefully it's not a very physically demanding job. I returned to a desk job 2 weeks after surgery. It was fine except I was SO tired. Like a new level of tired kind of tired. Completely drained. It took a good 6-8 weeks to really get back to full energy. B12 shots helped. Also, plan on taking your food with you and plan, plan, plan in advance. It takes so much stress off you to have your food/snacks and not have to figure it out on the fly and make poor decisions.

The first 4 days for me were really about just getting by and getting enough fluids in. I ended up staying in the hospital and extra 2 days because my potassium was low and I wasn't able to drink enough. Don't even worry about Protein or anything in that first little bit of time. You really have to focus on staying hydrated. Good luck!

Wonderful! Congratulations! I definitely had cold feet, especially as the surgery date approached. But I made a blog post early on about my "surgery bucket list" which basically had the reasons that I was having the surgery. Whenever that fear started to creep in, I would go back and revisit the post and remind myself of why it was so important to go through with. I mean, without the surgery, I'm certain I was headed to an early death or at the very least a lifetime of living from the sidelines with physical discomfort and increasing medical issues. I wanted more than anything to actively live a life with my husband and kids....and a long life. While no one can guarantee a long life, the surgery and getting healthy improved my chances of that. I just kept reminding myself of that. Now in retrospect, I can say it is the single best thing I have ever done for myself.

This is something I still struggle with 2+ years post op. I have been in therapy with an eating disorder therapist since about 7-8 months post op. That has helped tremendously with starting to see myself as I really am. I don't think it's something that just clicks for you some day....at least it wasn't for me. I had to actively seek out assistance in dealing with the emotional/psychological outcomes of food issues and body dysmorphia issues. I still sometimes will see a picture of me or catch a glimpse of myself in a window or mirror and be kind of startled at what I see. :-)

During the first week I definitely didn't get all of the Protein in. The focus for me the first week was fluids and keeping from getting dehydrated. It was difficult to drink Water and Protein shakes were a real struggle. That was about the only option though during the first week. Focus on getting your water in for sure. The protein will come.

I wasn't planning to, in fact in never crossed my mind. But I went to the bank to make a withdraw and they ask for my license and they had to call the manager out because they didn't think it was me. LOL. Kind of a good problem to have. We were getting ready to fly around the same time and I figured if the bank gave me problems there was always a chance the airport would give me problems too. So I paid the small fee (I think it was around 20 or 30) to get a new picture taken for my license.

So at a bit over 2 years post op, I still like to use a Protein shake as a meal replacement/protein boost maybe not "every" day, but a few times a week. I am SOOOO tired of just chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc. So I searched on pinterest for Protein Shake recipes to see what kind of fun "on program" types of foods I could add to the shakes to flavor them differently. I found several I am excited to try. But, I want to hear from you all. What protein shake recipes or "add-ons" have you tried that you really liked?

That is awesome! Congrats on all your hard work paying off!

You are in the driver's seat. The sleeve is just a tool. It alone won't make you lose or gain back any certain amount. It will help you get to your goal if you use it in the right way. Once you get to your goal, then it just becomes a game of maintenance. If you are really concerned about losing too much, I would consider meeting with a nutritionist once you get close to your personal goal so you can figure out the calories and nutrients you would need to maintain your weight as opposed to losing more.

For me, I would say the two things that have made me successful thus far were the following: 1. Follow the plan. Stick to your numbers. For me, I shoot for 70g Protein, less than 40g carbs, and at least 100oz Water daily. The weight flew off sticking to that. I "really" stuck to it though. I tracked everything I put in my mouth on MFP religiously and DID NOT deviate from the program until I reached my goal. 2. At around 8 months or so post op I started struggling to do what came so easy for me in the months right after surgery. I started to struggle with cravings and food choices again, much to my despair. It terrified me, so I sought out therapy with an eating disorder therapist. I have been working with her every single week since then, and I am now over 2 years post op. ONe of the first things she did in my first session was introduce me to Geneen Roth's writings, particularly "When Food is Love." By the title I thought, "pftt...that doesn't apply to me...." But when I actually read the book, I took pages and pages of journal notes because I couldn't believe how much it changed my life. Buy it. Read it. Re-read it! Good luck

I think if it's just a resting trip you would be ok. Just know that you will be exhausted, probably emotional, and you will need to take most of your food with you. I went away for work half way across the country 3 weeks after surgery and it was a challenge but doable. Good luck!

I hit my goal of losing 140 pounds by 10 months post op. I think if you are meticulous about every single thing you put in your mouth it does fall off very quickly. That's a good thing! Congrats!