tiredmama

Hi all. I just logged on to this site for the first time in years. Yesterday I went in for my annual check-up. I skipped it last year because I was terribly ashamed of how much weight I had regained. When I hit the 5-year anniversary of my sleeve surgery, I decided it was time to face my fears and scheduled an appointment. I've gained back more than half of what I lost after my surgery. In addition to feeling terrible about it all the time, having had to buy bigger clothes because nothing fit and being embarrassed whenever I reconnect with someone I haven't seen in a couple of years, I also now have a set of bloodwork results confirming what I deeply suspected- I have already reversed some of the health benefits of my weight loss. I cried during the appointment and the (new) nurse practitioner was very kind. I was honest with her and shared that I know exactly what I am doing wrong but I continue to turn to food emotionally, eat the wrong foods, and graze. I explained that the surgery helped me initially when I felt a lot of restriction but it did not in any way change my emotional dependence on food for self-soothing. I never found alternative coping strategies that were even close to as powerful for me as emotional over-eating and numbing myself out with sugar and carbs. I told her that I have a complicated and stressful life and, in addition, I lost my beloved father unexpectedly a few years ago and he had been the greatest source of unconditional love and acceptance in my life. The dog I adopted to help me through my grief was hit by a car and died in December. I'm in perimenopause and my hormones are all screwed up. I know intellectually that food won't solve any of my problems but the desire for comfort is much stronger than my willpower. This has been my pattern my entire life. The nurse practitioner listened. She reminded me that regain is extremely common. Not sure what comes next but I appreciate the chance to share my story with all of you.

Thank you for the encouragement and advice- I will definitely check out all the "head work" resources- I didn't know that term.

Recently had my one year check up. I would like to lose about 25 more pounds and I asked my surgeon for his best tips at this stage when I no longer feel a lot of restriction. He told me to up my Protein intake to 80 grams per day,be consistent about always eating protein first, avoid liquid calories, don't drink with meals, and drink lots of Water 45 minutes after a meal when I start to feel like I want to eat a little more, and no eating within 2 hours of bedtime. I am curious if any of you get advice from your doc at annual check-ups and what tips they have given you to stay on track.

179. Tough week for me. I am going to kick it into gear and have declared the month of August as a NO EATING TRIGGER FOODS period, which means zero candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, white breads or crackers, pretzels, or chips. Basically if it has added sugar or is processed, I'm not going eat it. August 31 will be my 40th birthday and I will be so happy if I can be at 175 by then, which would officially be not obese according to the BMI charts!

178

Forgot to weigh in- CW is 179, goal is 175.

You might have hidradenitis supervita (guessing in the spelling) a good dermatologist should be able to help

I wanted to avoid dumping syndrome so I chose the sleeve.

Please add me. Current weight is 178. Challenge goal is 173.

I am also mostly vegetarian (I do eat some fish.) I am one year out and have 60 pounds but am not yet at my personal goal of 155, which I think would be size 12 in clothes. I lost almost nothing from months 6-10 but then I gave myself a big kick in the butt and have been able to start losing again by eliminating all sweets and walking 3-4 miles every day. Now I am losing about half a pound per week- slower than I would like for sure but steady enough to help keep my motivation high. The no sweets really is a key for me because my sugar addiction is fierce and as soon as I have a little having more is all I can think about.

Same shoe size here but much more comfortable in a variety of styles.

For me what your doc said was about right - I started at 238, lost 10 pre-surgery and was sleeved June 30, 2014. Next 40 pounds came off pretty easily in the first 4 months after surgery. Since then I have to work hard for every pound- I have lost 60 pounds total and am trying to lose another 15 but I only lose now if I am very careful about my eating and exercise ALOT.

I love the Chobani tubes- they sell them in the regular yogurt section but they freeze really well and are high in protein and low in sugar.

I am 10.5 months post-surgery and haven't lost anything in the past 4 months. I have really stepped up my exercise in the past month- I am walking at least 3 miles every day- and still the scale has not moved. I feel good and seem to still be losing inches but technically I am still obese. I am not willing to be more restrictive with my eating- I am making 80-90% good choices and treats are occasional and small- I had the surgery so that I could be a normal weight without having to always be on a super restrictive diet because of the smaller portions. Turns out my metabolism is so bad that the smaller portions aren't enough to get me to my goal. I am super demoralized. My doc's advice was to never eat to the point of feeling full. That requires way more willpower than I have!

Side garden salad from McD, Burger King, or Chick fil a- add 100 cal pack of nuts and go very light in the dressing and no croutons. Dunkin donuts has some good egg white options in a small tortilla or sandwich thin- can't remember exactly what they call it.

I had my 9month checkup last week and the tips they gave me for this stage are to limit eating to 3 small meals and 2 snacks max and if I get hungry in between to increase my water to fill me up or distract me. They also said that I cannot rely on feeling full to tell me when to stop eating because it will be harder and harder to feel the restriction. And to keep increasing the exercise.

My first 6 months after surgery went very smoothly. I lost 55 pounds and felt great. My weight loss had slowed down considerably but I was still losing, especially when I increased my activity level and stayed away from sugary foods. Then three weeks ago my father died. It was completely unexpected and sudden. He was only 69. We loved each unconditionally and were very close. I'm starting to get past the initial shock but still grieving deeply and I am turning to food to cope. I see myself doing it and try to resist but I have no willpower right now. Eating junk, grazing, not following the "Protein first" rule. I've also stopped exercising. My dad struggled with obesity his entire life. The last ten years of his life were especially difficult because of chronic hip and back pain and limited mobility. I tried to convince him to consider weight loss surgery but he was too afraid of going under the knife. He was incredibly proud of me for taking control of my health and cheered me on at every stage. He died from an undetected blood clot in his leg. I know the best way to honor my father's memory is to get back on track. But my lifelong habit of turning to food for comfort is rearing its ugly head and I haven't developed alternate ways of dealing with my sadness that are nearly as powerful and there's such a strong feeling of emptiness. I told myself I could have a week "off", then another one, but now it's been 3 weeks and I am getting really scared that I will sabotage myself and stop losing and the extra pounds will creep back on. I realize how stupid it is to try to numb my pain with ice cream and chips when what I actually want is my dad back but he is gone and I don't know how to find strength and self-control and discipline when I feel so vulnerable and lost. I am angry that surgery wasn't enough to take away the daily struggle. I need to be an adult and take responsibility for myself and my health but it's hard to do that when I feel like an orphan who is scared and alone. I will see my doctor for my 9 month check up in a couple of weeks and I will ask for a referral to a therapist who is knowledgeable about bariatrics. I am not in any danger- I know the difference between grieving and depression and I know that with time my sadness will become less intense. Just not quite sure what to do with myself in the meantime and afraid of missing out on whatever weight loss "honeymoon period" I might have left. Any advice for me? Thanks for listening!

My surgeon says absolutely no NSAIDS with the sleeve- I get migraines and Tylenol is really not effective so I asked him again at my 6 months check up and he reiterated that I should be off NSAIDS for life (but did encourage me to ask neurologist about alternative options if migraines are acting up.) I do have a history of gastritis so maybe that is informing his advice.

I was sleeved 7 months ago and have also been disappointed with my progress lately. I am down 56 pounds, which feels terrific, but stalls/plateaus are happening more often and lasting longer. I don't feel nearly as much restriction as before but I also don't push it- my problem is grazing more than portion size or poor food choices. I did "catch" myself letting a few pieces of candy creep back into my daily routine, which wasn't helping, so I declared February a "candy-free" month. So far I've stuck to it and I am very proud of myself. I think the advice other people have shared to try sticking closely to the rules for a few months to see if that can jump start your next stage of progress makes a lot of sense. I know first-hand that it's not easy at all to stay on track when you're not getting the results you want but there really isn't another choice- break the rules and you definitely won't get the results you want, right? Hang in there! We are all here for encouragement when you need it!

Hi folks! I am 6 weeks post surgery and having my first real stall- scale hasn't moved in 10 days. :-( I knew this would happen eventually (from these boards and my surgeon also warned me) but it is still bumming me out! Anyone have any tips to help get through a stall without getting too discouraged or anxious that it will last forever?

A different photo is showing up on my posts- can't figure out why!

Thanks all- seems to be an iPad problem.

I eat one of the cookie dough bars every morning- love them! I had tried all of the flavors and many are good but cookie dough remains my absolute favorite.

184

The Penny update was so disturbing to watch. The therapist tried to shake her into reality but didn't see to get through at all. I found myself wondering if her husband has some sort of intellectual disability. The whole things is just so terribly sad.