mich

This is so close to what has worked so well for me in the past. And what I'm trying to get back to again. I usually eat two protein meals, 3pm and 6pm, then finish with a piece of fruit around 8pm. I try to keep all my eating between noon and 8pm. The timing is not as important. But the order I eat seems to be the biggest impact. Water, protein drink, water, yogurt and vitamins, water, protein and veg, water, protein and veg, fruit.

Very brave of you to go to the doctors. I'm avoiding mine. Every other day I need to restart again. I have gotten a few good days in a row then fall off the clif. I weighed this morning and I'm at an all time high from my surgery on 8/2013. But I'm trying again this morning.

Thank you for sharing. I'm about the same distance out from surgery and hoping to get the scale moving in the right direction again. Your post is very encouraging!

I think I need to drop out of this challenge. I have always known I don't do well with weigh-ins, but thought I would try this challenge. And even this friendly supportive thread is triggering me. Thanks Susan. I'm out. Maybe it's time to look into therapy.... Good luck to all!

Yesterday's weigh in was 199, again.... Sorry to be late. Blizzard prep and also my baby turned 13 yesterday!

199 this morning. I'm going the wrong way!

Monday weight in. 197

Monday weigh in-198 Susan, can you change my goal to 189. Thank you!

Interesting. What made you try that?

I am also a life long sufferer of anxiety and depression. Sometimes it's hard for me to separate and recognize which one is effecting me most. I have visited a few psychotherapists over the years. But have such a fear of medication I have avoided that. I do lean more words anxiety. An expensive fish oil has been my main tool. A few years ago I added high dose Vitamin D and was surprised how much that helped me. I know everyone suffering from this is so different. I don't mean to imply what I'm doing may help. Just sharing. I can say I was unprepared for the post op anxiety and depression I felt. It was crippling for over a month. Thankfully I work at home and my husband was available to help me. But I do still find myself at times worrying about the future, and my sleeve. As far as worries about ulcers, I think they are more related to bacteria or a drugs, not so much stress or worrying. I will occasionally take aspirin and stress about it every time. My doctor says don't worry, and take enteric coated aspirin. I avoid Advil as much as possible. Losing weight has helped tremendously with the depression. But that seems to have made the anxiety more noticeable.

This is fascinating! Thanks for the info and links.

I'll join you all. My first challenge. The weight has been creeping up for months now! Current weight 199, goal weight 189 Thank you!

Thanks for the encouraging words Cowgirljane. I agree, when banded, full was up in the esophagus. Now it's like a normal stomach. And at times I find my self eating extra to feel full. For years I hated that diaphragm pain, full pain in my esophagus. I'm so happy to have regular full feelings! In my stomach where they belong. But now I am practicing daily to be content without any full feeling. It's a struggle. At times I will have some extra protien just to feel full. But I realy want to learn to do without that. When banded I never knew how many bites I would get. A delicious meal ruined by getting stuck on the first bite. Adjusting to the sleeve I see myself eating as much as I can. Like someone denied food for years. And on the flip side I had anxiety for weeks about trying to eat fruit. The first time I had an apple slice was surprisingly stressful! It took me months to get comfortable with fruits and vegetables. It's been an interesting year. I have high hopes for year two! OP, I walk daily 30-60 minutes, some yoga and weights occasionally. No pain with eating. If I overeat its like a thanksgiving dinner feeling, stuffed.

I am one year out from band to sleeve. I am happy the band is out. It was embedded in my stomach, the had to dig it out. That was after 5 years banded with good restriction. Imaging another 5 years? The sleeve is a mixed blessing. The first 6 months I lost about 20 lbs. the last 6 months I am just yo-yoing up and down and all around. My surgeon is disappointed. I'm relearning from 5 years of bad habits. Band surgery 255, revision surgery (band to sleeve, one surgery) 203 on surgery day (if I remember right) today 195. With the band I couldn't eat. I got stuck and vomited. I hated it. With the sleeve I can eat anything and never vomit. And to be honest, there have been many times I wish I could have thrown it up. To get rid of calories, not because of pain. When I went in for revision I said I want to stop puking and I want to not gain any weight. So really I got what I want. But several month at 183 were awesome. So now I want that too. It's so hard! The band physically stopped me from eating. The sleeve does not.

Thank you for this post, and for all the replies. I am struggling as well. Had revision in August at 202, got down to 183 in November. Then went up to 194 by mid January. I had my 6 month follow up in February, was 191, and the intern I met with (teaching hospital) gave me such a hard time. He was so rough on me. Instead of my next appointment at one year they told me to come in at 9 months out for a weight check. I cried for hours after that appt. Anyway, I got back down to 184, and now I am eating my way back up. Was 186 on Sunday. This is so different from the band. I am eating too much. And not moving much. PMS is a killer, and I feel like a bottomless pit with no restriction. The only way the scale moves is if I eliminate sugar and flour. After a week or so I am anxious and depressed. I add in some carbs, feel better and happy, then drift into overeating and feeling out of control and the scale goes up. This is all I think about. Every hour of every day. What I'm eating and what I weight. Thank you for the tips posted. Starting again now.

This may sound weird, but I sprinkled sea salt on my tongue a couple times a day. It burns a little, but the thrush is gone in a few days. I get thrush after every surgery( c-section, band, sleeve). Nystatin makes me gag/vomit.

I read an article once that said when weaning off a PPI you are better off to go to a Zantac type acid reducer as a next step. Then gradually drop that dosage down until you stop. Stoping a PPI cold turkey can give you high levels of rebound acid that lasts weeks. That said my doctor says Zantac for life. I'm not happy about that, but I do it.

I was told two days before surgery eat light, the day before surgery clear liquids only, nothing by mouth after midnight. It was great! This was for my revision from band to sleeve last year. I think with my band surgery I was on a 2 week liquid diet in 2008. Same hospital and surgeon for both surgeries.

I had the band for 5 years and I will say the pouch story did not quite fit my experience. A funnel effect would fit. When the first bite of food made me stuck 1/2 the time, it's hard to think of it as a pouch. I would have to wait 5-10 minuets for the first bite to "pass" then I could usually eat my portion slowly. Sometimes I was done with only one bite. This is why I ended up choosing the easy foods, at least I could get them down. Dense fibrous foods would clog that funnel causing pain and sliming until it passed. This explained a lot!

I had the band for 5 years, the stuck/vomit cycle got worse every year. My sleeve was done August 2013 and I have not vomited even one time since then. It's wonderful! No stuck, chest pressure feeling, just regular full feeling like before band. Occasionally I will eat too much or something that does not agree with my tummy and I will feel sick, nauseous and hot for a bit. It's weird, but it passes in about 15 minuets.

Thank you for sharing this. Yes, yes, yes!

You are not alone. It took me a month just to start and feel normal. The first week after surgery my husband had to literally wrap his arms around me and lift me up from a laying position. At two weeks I felt like you described. But don't worry about stall and atrophy, that is just too much thinking. Over thinking is something I know well. It takes the place of all the eating we are not doing. But it can be just as harmful. The Premier Protein shakes over a few ice cubes are what got me through. Try putting some ice in what you have. The thick texture bothered me too, and this helps a lot. It will get better.

You are not alone. My surgery was in August as well. I lost weight through November. Then the holidays put back on 7 pounds, and I am struggling to get back down and start loosing again. I have been trying for weeks and I just keep losing and gaining the same few pounds. But I am determined to keep trying. One day I will break through and the scale will start moving again. Thanks Cowgirl Jane, your story helps a lot!

Vitamin D! I can relate to almost everything you said. Anxiety has been in my life as long as I can remember. My husband has never given me anything to worry about, but I still do. Losing weight and looking better helps me feel better, and when I feel better and I'm happier, he is then happier too. But I must say that I have been taking vitamins for years, and when I read vitamin D helps with anxiety I added 2000ui a day of a good quality vitamin, and I noticed real improvement in my anxiety.

I did this recently. I think you click on your name at the top of the page, then my settings, them member information or something like that. It's on a bar just under the my settings words.