bikrchk

For me, portion control is exactly what I wanted and what I got with my sleeve. I tend to explain it to others in terms of, "my OFF-switch was broken and I got it fixed." I'm 2.5 years out and eat pretty much what I like when I want it, protein first. I've maintained about a 90 pound loss since month 9. After about the first 9 months there wasn't much that didn't agree as long as I maintain small portions. Rice is one of the things that 'gets me' occasionally but I don't really consider it a loss. Spicy food doesn't bother. I don't drink with meals and don't miss it. I drink alcohol. Not to excess but a few times per week. I THOUGHT I was okay with carbonation. Went back to diet soda after year or so. Drank it for 6 months in moderation until I realized was killing my stomach. Reflux returned and kind of burning (ulcers?). I was already taking 40mg of omeprazole 2xday. So I stopped the daily soda. Felt MUCH BETTER within about a week. Not that big a loss. Bai coconut drink makes a fine sub. You learn not to crave what makes you sick.

Chick fila regular or grilled nuggets 6 piece off the kids menu. Cheap, high protein and even the fried option only has 200 calories! Firehouse lite menu turkey cranberry or green turkey sandwich (minus most of the bread by the time I'm done. I just can't hold it). Any Jimmy Johns unwich (love the BLT). Kids taco meal at Chipolte.

I waited about 4 months. Had a Bloody Mary which was very tasty but HUGE! Took me all night to sip it down and it pretty much became dinner. Didn't bother me probably because I took it slowly and only had one over the course of several hours. Now 2.5 years out, I drink a few times per week, one or 2 working it into my weekly calorie limits. While I was losing I religiously recorded everything and worked it in as any "treat" while maintaining protein and calories for the day. I look at it as just another treat I have to keep in balance now.

I'm a sleeve but my general instructions (given to sleeves and bypasses) were to limit rice especially in the beginning. 1. It tends to swell up in our tiny pouch. 2. It's a low value food ( no protein, all filler). 3. In my experience, it floats in my tummy and I simply couldn't tolerate it for the first 6 months as it came back up in reflux / fomies. Still not a fav.

No you probably won't just stop losing weight if you change nothing. If you continue eating less than you are burning weight loss will continue. What I did ... When I reached about 145 I decided to enter maintenance. This was about 10 pounds higher than my original goal but I was easily in a size 4 and my medical problems were no more. I didn't think I needed to be smaller. So I made some food swaps. Full fat cheese, real sugar (in moderation) nuts and Peanut Butter, more good fats like avocado and salmon. I continued to Protein supplement to at least 75g per day, continued my workout habit etc. I calculated my BMR on MFP and added calories to that # till I leveled off. I did lose down to about 137 but bounced back up to 143-147 where I've stayed for 2 years. If I hit 150, I cut back until I'm back in the zone. It's a balancing act for sure but one I'm managing.

I used to have to take miralax daily, then I started a daily probiotic. Problem solved. FYI, it can take a few weeks for that to kick in, but its no longer a problem.

A week is tough on some folks. Personally, I planned for 2 weeks off and a week working form home, but went back to the office after 6 days and was fine. I never needed narcotics, only spent one night in the hospital and had no complications, but even for those with no complications that is not everyone's experience. What would you do if you planned for a week and either had a complication or just recovered more slowly and needed two, (or more)? Plan for the worst and hope for the best. A week is tough on some folks. Personally, I planned for 2 weeks off and a week working form home, but went back to the office after 6 days and was fine. I never needed narcotics, only spent one night in the hospital and had no complications, but even for those with no complications that is not everyone's experience. What would you do if you planned for a week and either had a complication or just recovered more slowly and needed two, (or more)? Plan for the worst and hope for the best. A week is tough on some folks. Personally, I planned for 2 weeks off and a week working form home, but went back to the office after 6 days and was fine. I never needed narcotics, only spent one night in the hospital and had no complications, but even for those with no complications that is not everyone's experience. What would you do if you planned for a week and either had a complication or just recovered more slowly and needed two, (or more)? Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Fairlife milk (double protein) P28 (protein) bread products in the health market section in the freezer

Yes they do... And I think its about 50% fat prejudice\the "invisible" obese person, etc., and 50% that I AM DIFFERENT inside and out now. So people smile at me more, notice me more, hold doors, annoying surveyors approach me at the mall now when they didn't see me before... And all of that can be attributed to fat prejudice. However, with the weight loss came a confidence I've never experienced before. I like me more now that I'm not in constant pain, sweating to hike a flight of stairs, guilty about what I ate or that I just had to waste more $$ on yet larger jeans, and yes, I'm more confident in my appearance now. You can say all day long that you are the same person after a monumental weight loss, but if you managed a monumental weight loss, (whatever the means you used to help get there) you are a changed person. I'm MUCH more pleasant to be around. I'm more productive. I'm more confident. I can DO more. Is it so hard to understand the people are drawn to that over the person I was in the other package? I think not!

I think other people have as much body dismorphia about our weight loss as we do sometimes! I had people telling me to stop when I was around the same weight as you, though you have an inch on me. I ignored them and went on with my Drs plan. He told me I was good at about 160, (my health problems were resolved) but I could feel free to find a comfortable weight down to 135. I went down to 145 and decided to stop reaching a low of 137 once. I've lived in the 140-150 pound zone for maintenance for 2+ years. Incidentally, the comments about getting "too skinny" stopped after others got used to my "new normal". They consider me "fit and healthy" these days.

This is very normal while your stomach is swollen. If it's primarily a problem at night try putting 6" lifts under the head of your bed for a while. Also, if you're not on an acid reducer or not taking it twice per day, check with your doc. Many patients will take a PPI for life after the sleeve. I know I will. Mine got MUCH better after the first month and I was able to return my bed to the flat position. Good luck!

For me supplementing Protein allows me to maintain variety in my diet. If I did not use at least one "protein product" per day, it would be very hard for me to meet my goals. That said, are there days I can meet 80+g of protein without a supplement? Sure. If I eat a LOT of chicken breast and hamburger, lol. Additionally, I rarely ever use a "shake" to supplement. I DO, make Protein Bars or balls using nuts, Peanut Butter, dried fruit and honey supplemented with added whey. I DO use protein bars, typically as a snack or desert. I DO occasionally make a protein mug cake for desert or munch Quest protein chips. I DO purchase specially formulated Pasta made with quinoa or bean flour for a protein boost. I DO use P28 protein bread, bagles and flat wraps instead of regular bread at home. I consider all of that supplementing protein given it's not "whole food" but packaged products. But it's rare for me to ever "drink" my protein, (or any other calories).

I was told mine does a 90% sleeve. Doesn't seem possible I've lived for 2 and 1/2 years with a 90% reduction but I sure have. Thrived in fact! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I get it. After years of "it physically hurts" to exercise, I'm just grateful that I can do it now and never regret having exercised! Do I LOVE getting up at 420 am 5x per week? NOPE! But I've found that it's manageable for me to save a favorite show in the ever as something to look forward to while I'm riding my bike to nowhere. And I REALLY LIKE how I feel when I do it regularly.

I was first in on a Monday morning and released by noon the next day.