Bluesea71

Faxxy- I'm a little over a year out from surgery (April 2014) and I want to give you a glimmer of hope that things do get better. I really don't feel like I've had the surgery at all at this point. I'm living life at goal weight and I'm able to eat/consume any drink and beverage I want (just in smaller quantities.). Now with that being said, my tastes have changed post-surgery. I no longer want or desire soda. I get sick at the thought of eating a sandwich or a lot of bread products. My lifestyle has changed over the past year. For some reason this process was easy for me. I have to be honest, when I read your post and your follow up responses, I was reminded why some fail after weight Loss surgery. This tool requires that you make lifestyle changes. I'm going to give you a little tough love and I hope you know my heart is in the right place because I want you to be one of the successful statistics. If sonic fast-food chicken nuggets is your idea of a great protein source, than we have a problem. None of us can continue to do what we were doing up to this point. You must re-train yourself to make healthier lifestyle choices. In the early stages after surgery, it is tough. It's hard to eat a lot of things. Trust me, this stage is really, really short lived. There WILL come a time when you CAN eat and drink anything as you get further out from your surgery date. This is where the danger lurks. You will either 1) stop losing any weight or 2) gain back any weight you lost if you continue old destructive lifestyle patterns. I know the first few months post-surgery are hard... But the 6 months post surgery are when you have the opportunity to lose the greatest amount of weight. Work it while you can!!! You can do it. You have a whole online community here to support you! ????

Sorry - I wanted to address your specific question about whether the weight loss can be controlled. The answer is YES! Everyone's journey is different, but people typically lose a rapid amount of weight at first. This begins to slow down as the weeks go on. Those starting out at a lower BMI won't lose as much as someone at a higher BMI. For example, the first month I lost about 20 pounds, month two 9 pounds, and averaged 2-3 pounds per week for the first 6 months. At some point I was lucky if I lost 2-3 pounds per month and now I really am not losing much of anything as my body seems to have found a place where it's comfortable.

Only on Bariatric Pal will those of us with "only" 100 pounds to lose be considered tiny. ???? 100 pounds is a lot of weight to lose. Period. I started this journey with a BMI of 39 (238 /5'7") and thanks to the sleeve reached my goal weight of 150 before a year's time. Never in my life have I been able to lose weight so easily and for the first time in my life, I'm really not worried about gaining it back. Maintenance will take some effort, but it is SO much easier not being hungry all of the time! The good news is those if us starting out with a lower BMI have a greater chance of losing 100% of our excess weight post surgery (compared to the 65% average). Good luck with whatever you decide. It's the best decision I ever made. I know I was really worried what it would be like to live with this surgery. I can tell you now 14 months post-op I can't really tell I've had it except I get full after eating a small quantity of food. Otherwise I feel normal.

Have you never had explosive diarrhea? Yup. That's pretty much it!

The cost is minimal. Don't buy too much ahead of time as your tastes will change. I still have 3/4 of the protein drinks I purchased a year ago I never consumed. I should probably throw them out, huh? ???? Add up what you spend on fast food, take out and regular grocery shopping now and I guarantee your food bill will be a fraction of that. There are supplies you can buy but you really don't need them. I compared the process to buying a new puppy. You go into the pet store and buy all these products thinking you need then but you never really end up using them. I did the same thing pre surgery. The most useful thing I found to have post-surgery was disposable Dixie cups so I didn't have to wash endless dishes for 2 bites of food!

I agree with what Kindle said above. I am 14 months post surgery and I chose the sleeve because I wanted to continue to live a normal life. I wanted to continue to eat many of my favorite foods and not have to worry about malabsorption, dumping syndrome, throwing up or any of the other side effects I hear about more often with gastric bypass and the lap band. I was able to reach my goal weight within a year and its amazing how certain foods don't even appeal to me anymore. I don't even crave soda let alone worry about overeating anymore. I think there's no perfect choice though. It takes research in finding the best choice for you. I didn't start out with a high BMI. I was 241 pounds at my highest at 5'7" tall. If I had a significant amount of weight to lose, I probably would have chosen the gastric bypass and dealt with the malabsorption and dumping. I don't understand the appeal of having to deal with Lapland shots/fills on an ongoing basis or throwing up if you eat too much. I really don't feel like I've had surgery at this point. I have a new "normal" which I quickly adjusted to. Best decision I ever made.

I remember reading that It takes your skin 2-3 months to adjust every time you lose weight, so losing at a slower pace can help you in some regards. I found this to be true. There would be times my skin would look horrific and a month or so later, would snap back into place. Most of us lose rapidly in the beginning, but things slow down over time. I considered myself a somewhat slow loser the entire time, but I think that was in part because I started out at a lower BMI. I'm now at goal weight (95 pounds lost) and have very little loose skin except on my abdomen. Several other factors determine how much extra skin you will have. Genetics, how long you were over weight and how much you were overweight probably have the biggest impact.

Sorry - forgot to record my weight on monday 5/11. I was 151.6. A very slight movement but not much! ????

Offense: called former fatties Barriatric Bozos Request: Kick my ass if need be Evidence: online dictionary definition Outcome: I'm still okay with whatever you bozos say ???? http://i.word.com/idictionary/bozo

Wouldn't it be a dream, though, if people understood that they can take whatever feedback they are given (no matter what it is) as positive or negative? That's it's totally up to them to interpret it how they want? Oh, only in my happy place... We all view things through our own "life filter" which alters how we interprets things. I wish people understood this and paused before reacting sometimes. I know when I have a strong reaction to people, places or things, an old wound has likely been reopened and its probably less about the issue at hand. If nothing else, the only person I want to decide what kind of day I'm going to have is ME. I'm not about to let any of you Bariatric bozos bring me down. I crack myself up sometimes.... ????

I attended my one year post-op class yesterday for people who had weight loss surgery in April and May 2014. It was a big class of about 50 people. I was shocked when only two people (myself and one other person) raised their hand when asked who had reached their goal weight. Everyone else in the class fell into the statistical had lost "65% of their excess weight" category. Many had lost a smaller percentage than that. The biggest concern now one year out was experiencing plateaus and weight gain. Everyone in that class had experienced success and had lost weight. Everyone reported being off medications, C-PAP machines and living a healthier and fuller life. Still, you couldn't ignore the disappointment most shared that they may still be 50-150 plus pounds overweight post surgery. My take away and message I want to share with those newly sleeved - work your sleeve while you can! Those first few months of rapid weight loss are key! It will slow down every month until one day you won't lose anything at all. I think I was able to reach goal easy because I was a low BMi to begin with. Maintenance is going to take work though and there is no slacking off once you get to goal! It takes a lot more work to lose the weight after the first year. Work that sleeve while you can!!!

Please, please, please don't misunderstand my post!!!! The journey becomes DIFFERENT as time goes on. My post wasn't meant to discourage anyone at all and I will be the first one to apologize if it offended you or anyone else! I was just given a reality check that what I was told pre-surgery is actually true. As time goes on, the pounds don't rapidly fall off with little effort as they did in the beginning. I think anyone a year or more out from surgery would agree with me, no? It's more about lifestyle choices and effort. The journey becomes more challenging later on. Maintenance is challenging too.

I want to respond... But I can't view people's signatures on my iPhone BP app.... So I don't know what kind of response you're looking for. Bahahaha ???? I'm in a consultation group in my profession and what works for us is to state in the beginning (before we present a case) what we are asking/looking for from the other group members before hand. Maybe people can start doing that? People also need to understand that this is a PUBLIC Internet forum. You put it out there, you're going to get feedback. Both positive AND negative.

I had the same hernia discovered during surgery and repaired the same time I had my sleeve April 2014. I experienced no additional complications because of it and have never had heart burn, reflux or anything. I never had to take any of the prescription medications for heartburn post-surgery. Do you have a history of gerd or acid reflux? I never even knew I had a hernia as I didn't have any symptoms (even though I was told it was really bad!). It's true that those with gerd/heart burn pre-surgery are advised to go with gastric bypass as the sleeve can make it worse. This is something you should discuss with your surgeon, not the techie doing your test

My dietitian/program at Kaiser has nuts on the banned list forever as it says its too hard on the stomach to digest. Of course they seem to be ultra conservative with all of their rules in general. They also ban coffee forever and at 15 months out, I'm not about to give up my one cup in the morning! I also snack on cashews and almonds on occasion. If I eat too many at once it does hurt a little. It's a different hurt than what I experience when I eat too much food on occasion. Eat them slow and chew them up really good. Wait until your well adjusted to solid food.

Try melt away Vitamins. I get these on Amazon and they are delicious! Seriously, I can't wait to take them every night! They melt away on your tongue. No chewing involved and they taste like candy. I experienced major upset stomach issues every time I took regular vitamins. Never have had an issue with these. You will need to add a Calcium supplement as well. I found Amazon to be the cheapest place to buy them but they are also available at Target, Walgreens and other drug stores. I just got my one year labs back and everything was perfect.

Can one of you lovely ladies explain to me the purpose of wearing these garments? Is it just to prevent swelling post surgery? I have always been anti-spanx as I found them horribly uncomfortable. The thought of wearing one of these garments is the part I dread the most about having a tummy -tuck! What do you wear over them? Can you wear jeans? I live in my jeans! Lol. First world problems, I know. ????

Just out of curiosity... When exactly were you last a size 10? Keep in mind that sizing has changed drastically over the years. I now wear a modern size 8 which is equivalent to the size 12 and some 14's I was wearing in the late 1980's and 1990's. I found a box of clothes in the garage I kept over the years (don't ask) and could barely fit into many of the 14s! Current sizing includes Size 0 and 00 which bumped everything up. It's a mind F**k if you ask me. I am at goal weight but I find myself wanting to lose more to fit into a "true" size 8. I still remember sizes 2,4,6,8 being reserved for only the tiniest of the tiny girls back in the day. Vanity sizing is just that I guess, to make us feel better about ourselves! I keep reminding myself that my modern size 8's are smaller than what my old size 20's were! ????

Do you know how to use the search button? If so, there are plenty of previous posts on the topic you can read in addition to the responses you may get here. I know it's a concern for many of us!

I think it all depends on your endurance pre-surgery. I was hiking half dome pre-surgery and hiked 20 plus miles in Yosemite 5 months later and hiking locally much sooner. I had a really easy recovery. Granola bars aren't the best choice anyway - just trade them in for high protein quest bars and you will be good to go

Funny... In my profession I work with a lot of people in recovery. Your posting reminded me of how sober people in recovery programs such as AA still refer to themselves as alcoholics. I think it is SO true of us too. we could be known as FF's FORMER FATTIES! LOL. All silliness aside, it's so true, there are issues we will be dealing with for the rest of our lives to maintain "sobriety" very similar to an alcoholic in sobriety. Those dealing with food addiction issues may benefit from the support Overeaters Anonymous (OA) can offer.

I am 13 months out from surgery (at goal weight) and frequent the BP boards for the exact reasons you stated. I agree that it is way too easy to become relaxed once you are at maintenance and let old habits creep in. I find "checking in" daily helps me with accountability and even though reading the same posts over and over again from the newbies about hair loss, Protein intake, incision care, the best Protein drinks to buy, Vitamins making them sick, etc. gets really boring after awhile, I'm also reminded of the rules over and over again that I should be following that I sometimes have become relaxed on! Reading these posts and sharing my experience helps keep me on track! I help them to help me! Sadly, it becomes all too common for those of us farther out from surgery to abandon the support of these boards. I think that is a BIG MISTAKE. The reality is there IS truth to a honeymoon phase. There will come a time were you will stop losing weight. There will come a time where you can eat whatever you want. I chuckle every time I read a post from someone who just had surgery worried that they can hardly eat anything. Now with that being said, I can now sit in a restaurant and eat like a "normal" person but my new normal is far from where I was pre-surgery. I know how big my new tummy is and I don't try and eat beyond it's capability. I still get a full feeling after eating 3/4-1 cup of food. Certain foods now make me feel sick (sandwiches) so I avoid them. I didn't come into this process with food addiction issues (PCOS contributed to my weight gain) so I had one less thing to make the process difficult. With that being said, I even find old habits starting to creep in. My tendency not to plan meals ahead of time and eat on the go was a biggie for me. I was finding myself eating out more than a few times this past week. These extra calories will add up over time. I'm being extra vigilant planning meals ahead of time this week. We all need to take a look at what contributed to our weight gain. Especially those dealing with food addiction issues. It is common to substitute one addiction for another. What I can say, is losing weight has been the easy part in this process for me. I was able to get to my goal weight without issue. What I wasn't prepared for was the process I would go through in accepting my new body. I still view my body with a fat lens at times and its only when I see myself in photographs that I realize how much weight I've lost! Anyway.... Welcome back! There's no judging here. The fact that you came back and made your post shows how committed you are. I applaud you for sharing your experience with others. Let the newbies learn from our mistakes. We will continue to pick ourselves up and carry on. This is a ongoing journey that never ends. We are all here to support you. ????

151.9 today and all week. That's a 2.1 pound loss. Finally some movement! Come on fat! Perhaps I will finally achieve one of these challenge goals! ????

Everyone's journey is different. You didn't state your starting weight, but the higher your starting BMI, the more weight you will initially lose after surgery. Enjoy this period, it doesn't last forever! I too had a very easy recovery and now 13 months post surgery (at goal weight!) have never had acid reflux or heart burn. Count yourself lucky!

My fit husband has actually put on a few pounds since my surgery as he frequently is finishing up my meals at restaurants that I can no longer eat!