Babbs

I was 47 when I had the sleeve! 49 (yikes) now. I feel and told I look 39. One of the best decisions I've ever made. Yay for us 40's folks!

Isn't it great?? I'm very rarely physically hungry at 2+ years out. Usually if I'm working out like a mad woman or have gone too long without eating is when I can honestly say I feel hunger. Otherwise I try to eat on a schedule whether I'm hungry or not just to keep satiated and not get to that hangry point and make bad decisions. A bit hungrier than I used to be, but nothing like before surgery!

@@Alex Brecher This member has been banned for trolling. Why?? kathy Kathy, I heart you

And this was the other concern. I certainly believe in making sure there isn't a medical reason why the child is gaining weight, but then after that, leading by example is all you can do. No amount of criticizing, cajoling, begging, or chastising will make someone lose weight. And when people who are obese or have been obese bring up 'concern' for a loved one about their weight, it's really almost hypocritical in my eyes. We know how hard it is, and we also know that we didn't do anything about it until we were darn good and ready to, either. I mean, nothing like making the kids weight this front and center issue to make her feel like she's completely not good enough. A loving talk about your concern and a visit to a doctor is about all you can do other than leading by example and encouraging them to exercise with you and cook them healthy meals. My opinion. And this comes from experience.

@@Chicken Lady@@higher RE: See @@LipstickLady's explanation. That was the concern. If you would have simply asked the question a bit differently, I would have interpreted differently. No harm, no foul. Calm down. I interpreted as "My friend's kid is FAT and I have to do something about it!" And @@higher, I don't need your sympathy nor do I want it.

Around 6-8 months out, it seems our bodies start adjusting to the calorie deficit and things seem to screech to a halt for a lot of people. I honestly think that's where they get the statistics of "60% of excess weight loss is average with surgery". That's about what we kind of automatically lose without really "trying". After that, it's time to shake things up a bit by upping your Protein and calories to shock your body into losing again. It's also really important to stay as strict as you can about not letting too much sugar and simple carbs back into your diet. Protein, veggies, good fats, nuts, and maybe some low sugar fruits like berries. No processed stuff. Lots of Water. And although you say you don't have time to exercise, find a way to move more, whether it be taking the kids out for a stroll, parking further away from work or school, or taking the stairs as opposed to the elevator every chance you get. Your body is complacent now. Time to shake things up to get to your desired goal.

All surgeons are different. Mine only requires 20-30 minutes after we eat. In my opinion, that's sufficient. As far as drinking the sludge for your CAT scan, it will depend on how far out you are from surgery. It would take me an hour to drink 16 Oz of Water the first few months after surgery, but as time went on, I could drink much more quickly. By a year, I could drink 16 Oz of water in a matter of minutes.

I had 2 consults, and both surgeons wanted me to have maintained my goal weight for a year (which I had at that point). They said the results of the surgery could be damaged if you gained or lost weight after the surgery. I'm amazed you found someone to do it before you're at a stable weight?

Don't feed the troll, folks. There's not a surgeon on earth with any sort of ethics that would do that surgery.

This post brought to you by the same person who posted this: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/378631-how-much-can-you-eat-as-years-after-the-sleeve-how-much-does-the-sleeve-stretch/ Me thinks we have a Trolly McTrollerson on our hands.....

If you have a sleeve, it's really hard to stretch it out. It's the natural progression of things to be able to eat more as time goes on. That's why it's never a good idea to count on restriction alone to help. Weigh and measure your portions, and eat healthy, non processed foods. Having shakes for a couple days will help make you feel like the restriction is there, but honestly, it just is what it is. It's not really going to "shrink". Just stick with the rules of WLS: Protein first, low complex carbs, low sugar, lots of Water and no calorie/very low calorie beverages and move more. There's really no magic trick to this. It's just all about going back to basics and sticking to it 95% of the time.

You're fine to drink 2 weeks before surgery. A lot of ppl drink the night before surgery lol! I'm not one of them, but I don't think 2 weeks beforehand is any big deal. Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App Lol! It's always HILARIOUS being wreckless with our health, isn't it??? Lol!!!

Why can't you drink the shakes? Have you tried different ones to see how you do with them? You could also use plain Protein powder and use it in your food to supplement? How about eggs, tuna salad, refried Beans, chicken salad, seafood salad, or Soups and chili's? Can you eat that stuff? All that stuff is high in protein, and with added Protein Powder you would get the additional boost.

Your expectations about this surgery are way out of whack. I'm honestly curious where you got the idea that you were going to lose 45 pounds in less than 2 months? Unless you're 400 pounds, it's absolutely ridiculous not to mention unhealthy. The average weight loss with surgery after the initial large losses is on par with normal dieting of 1-4 pounds a week, depending on how heavy you are. I lost an average of 2 a week. Some weeks more, some weeks less. It took me a full year to lose 85 pounds, and another few months to lose 7 more. This isn't some kind of race. Keep doing what you need to do, calm down and manage your expectations and you'll get there. Instead of spending time fretting about what you're not losing, spend it learning as much as you can about exercise and nutrition so when you get to where you want to be, you can actually keep the weight you're so anxious to lose off. Because in the grand scheme of things, THAT'S what's most important.

You know what? I'm sick of hearing about being "rude". I was stating an opinion. Apparently an opinion that differs from everyone else is now considered rude? I'm still not quite understanding why this mother is allowing her friend to help her make medical decisions about her daughter? Is she not capable? And where is this child's father? Why isn't he involved? I raised my own kids and never had friends asking medical questions about them on my behalf. I guess I think it's kind of strange. How rude of me!

Do they even test for that? I've heard of nicotine tests pre op, but not THC. Is that an insurance requirement for you?

Good luck! You've done incredibly well, and skin removal will just help things along. I have no doubt you'll find a way to get it done! You're a true inspiration!

Yes, you guys do lose faster. And you suck. Okay now I'm bowing out because this is the guys' room but I just had to say it.

I was just wondering what I would do in your situation, and my surgery was 2+ years ago, but I just remembered this: I didn't have a "liver shrinking" diet because my surgeon doesn't believe in them. I was still eating low carb and high Protein before surgery because I was constantly in 'diet' mode anyway and used to eating that way. Just Clear liquids the day before and nothing after midnight. So I had sort of a "food funeral" the weekend before surgery when we went to dinner at my favorite restaurant. I still ate a protein and a veggie, but I also had one of my beloved craft beers. A great big one, too. I think if my surgeon had specifically told me not to drink, or put me on a pre op diet, I probably wouldn't have. But honestly, it didn't even dawn on me I shouldn't. So I did. But only had the one, because I'm just not much of a drinker. I'm not going to tell you to go against your surgeons orders, but if you just limit yourself and don't get falling down drunk, I don't see an issue with it. Make sure you're practically drowning in Water for the next couple of weeks, also. Keep in mind this is just the beginning of the rest of your life. These choices are going to come up daily, sometimes several times a day. To be successful, we've really got to learn to live in this non bariatric surgery friendly world by picking and choosing the best choices for US to become successful. If the sum of those choices equals success for you, no problem. But if they are causing you NOT to be successful, it's time to take stock and evaluate why you wanted the surgery in the first place. There's my 2 pennies. Whether you wanted it or not

Yup. Head hunger is a B. I cried the first week when my husband ate an Egg McMuffin in front of me, lol. It goes away once you start eating more 'normal' food and feel human again.

Easy. As soon as you can get all your protein from just food alone.

@@katie09/21/2016 I've seen hundreds of posts from people (including me) who have eaten all their Protein, taken Biotin, Zinc, Omega 3, stood on their heads and did a rain dance, and NONE of it prevented hair loss. So a surgeon patting someone on the head and telling them to just eat their protein and take their Vitamins and they won't lose any hair IS FULL OF CRAP. Believe it or not, they don't know everything. Most of the time they know NOTHING about what happens to us after they operate. I mean, just the fact that none of them even mention the 3 week stall tells me that. If they spent the hours and hours on these forums like a lot of us do here, they might actually learn a thing or two, lol.

Same. My sister was super awesome about me having it done. She actually said I inspired her to do something about her weight (and I'm sure not wanting to be the fattest sister, lol) And oh boy did she, lol. She went to Weight Watchers and became a total fitness fanatic and now weighs less than I do, lol. But oh well. I'm glad I inspired her to be the healthiest she's ever been in her life, because I am, too!

Just tell them you're doing low carb and high Protein and exercising more. Which would be true, right? Here's a little misnomer about WLS that people seem to not understand. Sure the weught loss is quick at first, especially the first few weeks. But honestly after that we lose weight at a more average rate that a typical dieter would. So honestly the weight loss shouldn't raise anymore eyebrows than if you were actually dieting.