HaddocksEyes

That muscle mass is gold in the bank - keeping it intact helps keep your metabolism up! YAY for the weight loss!

Some people never regain their hunger and then others get it back just as strong as it was before the surgery. It's a specturm really, between the two extremes, depending on each person's individual anatomy, hormones and I am sure a bunch of other things. I got my hunger back..however..before the surgery if I wanted a huge plate of food and felt deprived if that didn't happen. Now, I am happy with the smaller portions and have a sense of freedom from food that I have never in my life experienced. Food no longer is the focus at family gatherings or social events. I can pass up a donut or cake or any other sweet treat and not feel bad or upset over it. Sure, I look forward to tasting certain foods. i still enjoy eating and still love macaroni and cheese. If appropriate (meaning I have planned for it in my daily meals), I just eat a little bit for a taste and then move on. But it's not like it was before.

I do not regret my decision at all. I did not have any serious co-morbidities going into the surgery other than a high fasting blood sugar from time to time. My only problem was being so overweight, so it was a struggle for me to decide to have the surgery. The one thing going through my mind was that I could make myself unhealthy through a life-long complication BECAUSE I had the surgery. However, I knew if I didn't do it, I would either stay morbidly obese or I would continue to get fatter and serious co-morbidities would eventually be my lot. I did not suffer from serious complications. Just the normal heartburn and constipation. I don't even feel like I had surgery until I eat and my stomach reminds me that it's not so big anymore. Good luck!!

At 9 weeks out, I am totally feeling what you are saying, so thank you for verbalizing it so well. I can eat a little over a cup of food and if I am not careful with my choices, I can easily go over 1,200 calories if I choose foods high in fat and calories. With each day that passes, more and more of the responsibility to keep from getting "sloppy" (not tracking food, not exercising, making bad food choices, etc.) is on me and not the sleeve.

I went to my doctor today for my two month visit today. They were very nice but honest that I should have lost a greater percentage of weight by now. The nurse said that now is the time to really exercise. She said by 6 months my body could adapt and I could find that what I have been doing no longer works for me. Then she went on to say that at 12 months, I could find myself doing everything right and still not losing weight. I said I was fine losing 10 pounds per month but she said in 4 months, I may not be able to do even that if I start hitting plateaus. So up until now I have been very relaxed about the rate at which I have been losing weight. My mantra has been "marathon and not a race". But now I am a bit scared because I remember how hard it was to lose weight prior to surgery. It scares me to think that I could go back to that. I defintely have restriction when I eat and I stop when I am full. Then she mentioned the sleeve getting bigger - well, I started to sweat just a bit thinking I am being TOO relaxed. On the bright side, she said I can start really challenging myself when I exercise (meaning I really need to make myself sweat instead of taking a leisurely walk around the block) and I can start lifting weights. YAY! Any people that are 6 months out and beyond care to elaborate and give an opinion on what was said? Just a moment of your time would be great. THANKS!!

A little over two and a half weeks.

I just posted a thread about this so I am glad to see you mention it as well.

THIS!!!

I think it is really awesome you have lost that much in one month. At two months, i am almost at 30 pounds lost. And I am okay with that. I don't know if this is comforting for you but for me, I know whatever I lose is not ever coming back. I also know that even if it comes off slowly, it WILL come off because it HAS to. It's very empowering because before when I dieted pre-surgery, I always would think "how long is this going to take?" and "can I keep up this strict diet and exercise regimen long enough to lose all of this weight?" When I would lose slowly (which I would always do) I would just get so discouraged. As many have said (and it's so true) this is a marathon and not a race. Enjoy each hurdle as they come, knowing you have the tool to finally succeed.

LOL - I was good until I got to the "stank eye" part. Yeah, the decaf on the keyboard due to my uncontrollable laughing. I'm only two months out and have lost 30 of the 140 pounds I need to lose, so unfortunately, I don't have any advice as the people around me (at work primarily-those who would possibly come up with comments like that) haven't really paid attention to the fact that I am thinner. However, I saw your fun personality shine in this post and had to respond. You sound like a really neat person!

No Subway yet (I'm two months out). Not a Jamba Juice person before this but my doctor said to kiss drinks like that goodbye because of their high carb/sugar content. Not supposed to have juice either of any form for the rest of my life due to the same thing. But everyone's doctor is different, so you may not have the same restrictions.

Yes, I am supposed to take one pill, three times a day, right before Breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 6 months.

I'm two months out and everything I have eaten has been tolerated if that helps. I can eat about a cup of food at a sitting if it is not dense food (like chicken or turkey). I have not yet tried steak - not quite ready for that.

So glad to hear that you are feeling better!!!

Congratulations on getting through the process! My recovery was very similar to yours - yes, there was pain but it was manageable. Once the swelling subsided, I was able to drink and eat more and more. I don't even feel like I had surgery until I eat and feel the restriction - that's how normal life is for me now. My energy has almost completely returned and I am almost as active as I was pre-sleeve. I do think that the doctor you choose is one of the most important success indicators. The sleeve in many aspects takes more finesse than the Roux.N.Y, at least according to my doctor. Each patient is an individual, with individual inside anatomies and stomach curvature. The number of surgeries he or she has performed is important, as well as their skill in suturing and attention to detail. My surgeon uses the typical titanium staples but then goes and hand sutures as well just to make sure that no stone has been left unturned. However, no matter how talented a surgeon we have, we are the other part of the success equasion, both before and after the surgery. Your general health before and after the procedure, as well as diet and exercise compliance is important.

So sorry to hear that. But the upside is that you are consuming good amounts of Protein and I hear that the best way to fight a cold is to do just that. I hope you are feeling better!!

I have not been talking to my husband for five days now and he refuses to talk to me too. It started over his smoking, which I just cannot stand anymore. He smoked before and while we were dating but quit before we were married but then started again about 3 years into the marriage. I let it go because I loved him and because we had a small child. I had nowhere to go and couldn't support myself and I don't believe in divorce. Over the past 17 years things got better and I obtained two degrees and we had another child. Now, my children are both teenagers and one is getting ready to head to college. I work full time now and make a pretty decent salary. I've felt over the past couple of years that something needed to change and I became increasingly unhappy with myself, both personally and professionally. Health-wise, I've been testing as a borderline diabetic for years now. I've been in denial about that part, thinking the test was just a fluke and so on. When my knee went out last year, so much so I needed surgery, I knew that I had to do something. The doctor told me if I do not lose weight, I am looking at knee replacement surgery sooner rather than later and that the other knee will eventually suffer the same fate. I had been looking into weight loss surgery prior to the knee surgery, but never thought it was really for me. There's the denial again. I realize that the surgery will change everything. I've expressed to him that I know things will change, but they have to because I can't go on like this anymore. I've told him that he has to change too because how we live our life together has caused both of us to be unhealthy. I've really been harping on the smoking because I don't want to see him die from cancer, stroke or have lung disease. He's about 70 pounds overweight too, so that adds to the issue. I've banned him from smoking anywhere where I can see him and I told him I don't want to smell it or know about it. I did this because it was the only way I could think of to deal with the fact that he continues to smoke and probably will never quit. He got mad at me because he feels like he should be able to do what he wants on his own property. We live on acreage so there are places he can go where I can't see him. The other night he got into bed and smelled like smoke. It made me so mad because how dare he come into our bed right after he finished smoking. It hurt me so much that he would do that too - it was a big slap in the face to me. I said some things to him that weren't nice. I called him a d**k, and I almost never swear or call names because it's very hurtful to the other person, but I was so mad and hurt it just came out. He tried to apologize to me via email the next day, but when I wrote back that he needed help from a psychologist or psychiatrist trained to help people with addictions in conjunction with a smoking cessation program (with a support group!) and he hasn't been talking to me since and I haven't been talking to him unless I have to. I'm not talking to him because what is there to say that I have not already said so many times? It just seems like a huge waste of time to me to try and hash this out because it is clear to me he doesn't want to quit and believe me, I know I can't make him quit. The times we have talked he looks at me like he can't stand me - this angry glare with contempt mixed in. Yes, I get it that I have an addiction too. The irony of that is not lost on me. But what I can't stop thinking about is that I am trying to get rid of my addiction..I am actively doing something to quit. I keep thinking that he will never quit and I will have to watch him die while I get healthier. It's so scary. He's tried the pharmaceutical route and none of the pills they normally prescribe are helping him. He's tried the patch and the gum and even e-cigarettes to try and wean off the regular one and those things haven't worked either. I wish there was a surgery for him too that would be the tool he can finally use to quit. He's not a person to air things and be up front about stuff in a relationship, but I am. You know what I am thinking and I am honest. He's more the passive-aggressive type. But when he really wants something, he will put his foot down and when he does, I know he is serious and I give in. He's really mad right now. I've never seen him act like this before. I don't know what is going on. I don't know if this is stemming from the fact that I am having surgery and he is scared about it. I don't know if he just is finally done with me and I just now forced him to realize it. I can say these things here that I could never tell anyone in the "real world" because I tend not to share things with people - I'm the one always trying to lift others up with positive comments and support. I feel so down and terrible - I have bad thoughts running through my head right now and they all say that what is happening is exactly what I deserve. That I should have never said anything and that I have no right to tell him to quit because it has to be his decision. Everything I was so sure about is in doubt. I am wondering if he will want a divorce and if I will have to move out of the house. I just don't know up from down. He was supposed to take me to the surgery and then take me home again. Now I am not so sure. I am just wondering how many of you have gone through something similar and what happened? How did you resolve the issues between you and your significant other? Why did something similar happen to you and was there anything you could have done differently to make it better or to stop it from happening? Not having the surgery is not an option, I do know that. Thank you in advance.

you.are.awesome. We are the ones blessed to have you on here. ~little ole' fish eyes, otherwise known as "little grasshopper"~

HI! There is light at the end of the tunnel. I was a serious sugar addict - bread, pies, Cookies, pastas...you name it, I probably loved it. Post sleeve, I am no longer a slave to the cravings. It's really amazing, considering how addicted I was before. It's like night and day.

Hi All! My surgery was on August18th. I am going into my sixth week post-op. I feel really good, despite suffering from acid reflux/heartburn. A week ago I progressed to soft foods and yesterday was the first time I had whole wheat bread and crackers. All went down the hatch without a hitch. Nothing that I have eaten yet has irritated my stomach, except it does not like ice cold drinks of any kind. I am losing very slow. I have been in a stall (that began at 3 weeks) for the last two weeks. This morning the scale FINALLY moved one pound down. I am not mad about that because for the first time ever, I KNOW I will lose weight and it will never come back again. It's just a matter of "when". I am going to the gym for the first time today, after I get off from work. I am excited about that. As soon as they give me clearance, I am going to hit the weights. To all that are having complications, I hope you are feeling better soon! To those that are plugging along without them, may your path continue to be smooth.

Hi Baby, I haven't experienced that but was just wondering how you were doing overall.

Yeah, that's a hard one. In the first few weeks, I learned just how close real hunger and head hunger are. I felt actual hunger from early out and still do. It's an empty feeling in my stomach..like I need to put something in there. I also have acid reflux and that feels like a burning but it doesn't feel "empty" to me. Hope that helped!

I don't miss being a slave to food. I don't miss the cravings and the need to pile a ton of food on my plate. I don't miss the huge portions I used to eat. This has been the best thing ever for me. Even though I am losing slowly, I am so happy with my decision. GOOD LUCK!!!

Hey, how did the bar go? Now that it is over, I bet you are super relieved! Great progress on the weight loss - I'm stuck in a stall right now.

I am seriously loving the freedom that this surgery has given to me. I was a big food addict prior to having the gastric sleeve. Like, to the point if I told myself I couldn't have what I wanted to eat, I would actually get mad at myself for telling myself no and then eat the food anyway. How crazy is that? I loved Pasta, Desserts, pastries and cheesy, starchy casseroles and well, anything "comfort" food I was there. It was beyond me how anyone could say they were hungry and then just grab a banana or an apple to eat instead of a sandwich and chips, or Cookies for that matter. Fruit and veggies by themselves? How boring! The old me that thought this way is now gone. Yeah, I still love pizza. I haven't had a slice since before the surgery and, you know, I am so okay with that. This must be how (I hate to say this but I can't think of another word to describe) "skinny" people feel about food. They like to eat certain things and enjoy their food but it's not the end-all-be-all of their existence. It's a sense of freedom that I have never before experienced - not to be tied up and limited by overwhelming cravings and desires for food. And portions? I always wanted a large dose of whatever it was I was eating - no demure portions on my plate. Now, I am okay with just eating a little bit of this or that (of course, abiding by my current restrictions as I heal). I'm not upset that I can't have heaps of what I like to eat. It's become more about enjoying the world around me rather than seeing how much I can eat at one sitting. And I think that is pretty cool.