JamieLogical

As of yesterday, I was back under 200 pounds, so that was an exciting milestone! I have been tracking my food, walking each day, doing a long hike on the weekends, and the weight has been coming off at the expected pace. I am averaging about 1300 calories a day in consumption and my watch says I am averaging about 2300 calories a day of burn, which works out to an average calorie deficit of 1000 per day and I am right on that target of losing 2 pounds per week. I am really pleased that my metabolism seems normal and that my restriction still prevents me from eating too much in a single sitting. I had a long chat with my husband about how "dieting" is so different this time around from when I had lost weight pre-surgery. This is my first time really trying to lose weight since my surgery and it is definitely much easier than it used to be.

Thanks for the tip! I will give it a try.

I took calcium in the beginning and eventually my doctor told me I didn't need to take it anymore as I was getting enough calcium through my diet.

I should have mentioned a bit about my health other than my weight. I continue to take omeprazole, a multivitamin, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-12, and a probiotic daily. All of my lab work, including cholesterol are in healthy ranges every year at my annual physical. My blood pressure has also remained in a healthy range.

Hi everyone! I haven't been on this site in a VERY long time, but I am currently on a new weight loss journey and I thought I would report in with my experience and the hope that some of you newbies can learn from it. I had my VSG surgery on 9/1/2014, so 10 years ago this month. At the time of my surgery, I weighed ~260 pounds and I am 5'6". I have lost and gained weight a million times before that, with my highest weight ever having been 277 pounds. In the first couple of years after my surgery, I was able to get below my goal weight (165) all the way down to 154. During that time I trained for and ran in a half marathon and a full marathon, completing the full marathon in September 2016 (almost exactly two years after my surgery). I separated from my then-husband in May of 2016 and our divorce was final in December 2016. My life took a very different path after that and I did not stick to my healthy diet and exercise. I met my current husband in February of 2017 and while I love him dearly and he is THE BEST, he is a bit of a hedonist and we definitely supported each other in our hedonism. I became a connoisseur of fine craft beers and we have a large friend group who we go out with or have get-togethers with several times a week. I not only stopped running but stopped exercising altogether. Both my current husband and I put on weight in the seven years we have been together, especially during COVID, and I got all the way back up to 234 pounds! Last year, my husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and, in April, we resolved to turn things around together. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds and I am on my way down to my new goal weight of 180. So, here are some things I want to report, trying to lose weight again for the first time since immediately after my surgery: The restriction still works! I cannot eat much more than about 200 grams of food in one sitting. Once I cut out snacking and stopped drinking as many calories (beer), it was easy to rely on my sleeve to restrict my daily caloric intake. My metabolism is still normal. As a 5'6 female weighing 203.2 pounds, I still burn ~2100 calories per day just by living, according to my Garmin watch and it definitely tracks with the calorie differential I am logging and the weight loss I am seeing. I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I usually have to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to drink anything after I eat a full meal. Being overly full is still an unpleasant feeling. Before my surgery, I used to love the sensation of being "stuffed." Since surgery and to this day, it is still uncomfortable for me if I overeat in one sitting. Not a pleasant sensation at all, but not painful like it was in the very beginning. I can still get dumping syndrome if I'm not careful. If eat too much sugar too fast, usually in the form of ice cream or a milkshake, I get dumping syndrome and it is VERY unpleasant, fortunately, it is very rare. Food can still get "stuck." Every once in a while, mostly when I am eating turkey or pork it seems, food can get stuck and it is completely miserable. Be sure to thoroughly chew your food!!! Especially dense meats. My advice to anyone who is post-sleeve and still losing weight or trying to maintain their weight: Snacks are the enemy! It's so easy to get in extra calories by eating smaller amounts between meals. Your sleeve won't help you at all with this. Drinking your calories is easy and dangerous. I haven't given up my precious beer entirely, but I have cut back and I am mindful of the type of beer I am drinking as some types are more caloric than others. You can just as easily drink your calories even if you don't drink alcohol. Be wary of soda, milkshakes, energy drinks, juices, and too much cream/sugar/syrups in your coffee. Keep up with the exercise. It doesn't have to be training for a marathon like I did in the beginning. Currently, my husband and I take a ~mile walk after dinner each night and we try to do one, long, 4-5 mile walk/hike on the weekend. Just that moderate amount of activity can make a big difference. Be mindful of calorically dense foods. Even though I can only eat 200 grams at a time, if it is 200 grams of junk, it can have a LOT of calories! I hope the lesson that all of you take from this post is that the sleeve is a tool and it is all about how you use it. It can work for you, even 10 years out, as long as you use it correctly.

Just like all surgeons in the US are not created equal, neither are all surgeons in Mexico. Just because someone had a bad experience with "some surgeon in Mexico" doesn't mean you are at any higher risk there than you are in the US. There are many FANTASTIC and fully qualified surgeons in Mexico. Dr. Illan is one of them. I am sure you have done your research in choosing him. And you can also take heart that BariatricPal has done their due diligence in vetting him before partnering with him. Don't get discouraged because of some vague anecdote about one patient's bad experience in Mexico.

So happy to hear you got your date! You are just a few weeks away from the losers' bench now!

I didn't bring a family member with me, but it is very common to do so. With the specific surgeon I used, bringing someone would have cost me airfare and food and that's it. They would have covered my companion's stay in the hotel the night I was still in the clinic. I know some programs do charge for that extra night in the hotel for your companion. I would highly recommend discussing the surgery with your PCP ahead of time and making arrangements for them to order regular blood work post-op. My PCP saw me at 2 months, 4 months, 8 months, and 1 year post-op for check-ups and blood work. Most surgeons in TJ will provide work note or complete FMLA paperwork for you. Just be sure to ask when you are researching surgeons. As for recommendations, I had my surgery with Ariel Ortiz at OCC and definitely would recommend him. I have also heard many many good things about Dr. Illan lately. He is directly affiliated with BariatricPal and I know they fully vetted him before partnering with him.

Zantac is not a PPI.

Oh yay! Glad they finally have you rescheduled!

@mylighthouse That seems pretty cool. I like the idea that the "crust" is made from chicken and cheese. Wish they had a smaller minimum order to try it out. $70 is pretty pricey to find out you really don't like it!

I definitely agree that you need to put it behind you. In real life, you can't be perfect 100% of the time. The best you can do is try to make good choice 80-90% of the time. If you beat yourself up for making a bad choice once in a while, that can lead you down a path you don't want to end up on.

I ate pizza today! But I am at goal and maintaining. Did you eat the crust? It would be a little surprising if your restriction didn't kick in from that much food in one sitting. I haven't tried a personal size pizza, but I know that I can usually only do about two slices of pizza in a sitting and only if I just eat the toppings off of one of the pieces and not the second piece of crust.

Has your surgeon explained why you aren't allowed protein shakes? Mine wanted me to eventually be able to replace them with "real food", but recognized how challenging it would be to achieve protein goals before being back on solid foods without them. It seems *highly* unlikely that any VSG patient would be able to reach protein goals at only two weeks out with no supplementation. Also, I find it insane that you are already working out at only 2 weeks post-op. I wasn't cleared for anything more than "brisk walking" until 60 days post-op. Of course you are tired if you are still consuming energy to heal, burning calories from working out, not getting enough protein, and probably only getting about 400-500 calories a day at best! How could you possibly NOT be tired?

The longer the better. People drive themselves crazy weighing right out of the gate and get disappointed because of swelling and fluid retention. Also, you should know that about 90% of WLS patients experience a stall around three weeks out. So if you do weigh at week 2 and don't see much change at week 3, don't freak out!