shriner37

I just got home after a 12 day road trip. This included an 8 day Florida vacation with friends and family followed directly by a 4 day California business trip. I ended up eating meals out several times a day and consumed alcohol on several occasions. This morning when weighing in, I am at exactly the same weight I was when I left. One could consider this a failure - I didn't lose an ounce in 12 days. Or, one could consider it a success - because of the limitations of the sleeve I was able to travel for 12 days and not gain anything. I'm choosing to look at it from the positive perspective. If I had not been sleeved I am certain this trip would have added 3 or 4 pounds that I would have to work on taking back off. Because of the sleeve, even though I was traveling I was conscious of my meal selections and able to enjoy myself without coming home to a big gain to worry about. No it's time to get back on track with good meal choices and exercise to kick the weight loss back into gear!

@@Athenyx I travel extensively and have found that overall the process is much easier after the sleeve. There are obvious benefits - seats and seat belts fit better and the tray table now has room to open all the way. But there are other benefits... Before surgery I drank large amounts of liquids, such that a couple of restroom trips would be necessary during a 3 hour flight. Now I can make 3+ hours without even getting out of my seat. Also, hunger isn't a big issue like it was before surgery, making a long flight easier. I try to take some healthy Protein Snacks with me in my carry-on. I'm not sure where you are on your diet progression but I've found that some almonds and a cheese stick can go a long way to satisfy me during a flight. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be allowed to take Protein shakes through security, but if they are allowed on your program at this point it might also be worthwhile to take a couple Protein Bars with you.

@@choicemun It sounds like you have reached a decisive point in your life. I was in a similar situation. I had been heavy, to varying degrees for years. I had finally reached my highest weight ever and was facing type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and other health issues so I decided to act now and save myself. Any surgery has risks but I believe the risks of being obese and all the health issues that go with it far outweigh the risks of weight loss surgery. Recovery takes a little time, and everyone's experience is different, but for me it was well worth going through. The last thing I'd mention to you is that the surgery is only a tool to help make the weight loss journey successful. It takes a commitment on your part to be successful. You must commit to following the pre-op and post-op eating programs. You must commit to a program of exercise. You must change your eating habits and lifestyle in order for it to be effective long term. Surgery does make that easier but you have to make a commitment to success. If you do so, you'll be happy with the results.

As @@2goldengirl said, there is no specific answer to the question. The answer depends on you, on how diligently you follow the program, on how you change your lifestyle and behaviors going forward. The sleeve is only a tool. The results depend on how you use the tool. Pre-surgery weight loss is always a good thing because it reduces surgery risks and makes recovery easier. But as a specific answer I think you can assume that the percentage is from your old "normal" weight before starting your journey, as almost all surgery programs involve some pre-op dieting. Last thing to keep in mind, the percentages you quote are the amount of "excess" weight loss, not total body weight. Most programs use the MetLife height/weight tables to determine what an "ideal" body weight is, and the amount you are over that is your "excess weight".

Yep, it is right out of the KC Bariatric manual. Had to get it off the shelf to quote it! :-) Keep in mind that the manual is designed to be a general guide for everyone. Each of us has specific requirements and react differently to diet, exercise and nutrient balance. I'd say if it is working for you then it isn't an issue. It sounds like you've already talked with Laura about it. I like a hot breakfast in the morning so I usually make a small Egg Beaters omelet with some shredded 2% cheese. It fills me up for the morning and is a good Protein source. A few weeks ago I started adding a Quest bar each day for a mid-afternoon snack, but then read several posters on here saying that the Quest bar slowed or stopped their weight loss, so I took them out of my program this week. I'm trying hard to get 60-80 grams of protein a day without supplements but it isn't easy. Good luck on your journey!

I didn't really try to keep my surgery a secret from family, close friends, my boss or co-workers. I think being male might have made a difference as I really don't have any friends or associates who would act negatively or create uncomfortable situations. As I progress through my weight loss I am occasionally surprised when I encounter someone I haven't seen for a while or who wasn't aware of my surgery. Their reactions are very interesting and I have to remember that they weren't among the group I told about my surgery so my weight loss is a surprise to them.

I'm not sure what program you are on (I see you are also from Kansas) but my surgeon's dietary guide says that after week 8 "you should no longer be drinking Protein shakes except as an occasional meal replacement". It sounds like you are using it as a Meal Replacement but not just 'occasionally'. Not to disagree with my doctor, but I have a friend who had VSG and achieved her goal using a different surgeon and program. She told me that the key to her success was consuming protein at a higher level than her program required. She did add a shake or some protein supplement each day. I honestly think the key is getting in enough good quality protein. A shake is probably a good replacement for breakfast, maybe less so for lunch or dinner where you are likely to get a broader range of nutrients from dietary selections. And congratulations on great results!

FIDO - Forget It, Drive On You will not ever be able to achieve 100% compliance with your new routine. They key is to keep those variances to a minimum so they don't become routine. We need to accept our dietary slip-ups and failures in the proper context. One poorly selected meal won't ruin your sleeve or change your overall program outcome. The key is to recognize when we stray from our programs and correct ourselves before these things slip into our routine and become the new normal.

This month is the five month anniversary of my sleeve surgery. Next week is a big company meeting. I had set a personal goal of achieving 50% weight loss by that date. I will hit that goal or be within a pound of it. My rate of loss has seemed slow to me but after looking at the charts I realize it has been pretty steady with great progress, just a bit slower than I'd anticipated. So far I've been very pleased with every aspect of this journey. Here are a few of my victories and observations post surgery. Victories: Weight loss - 55 pounds - halfway to goal Clothing sizes - Went from (men's) size 46 slacks to 40, size 19 shirts to 17 1/2, size 4xl t-shirts to 2xl sleep apnea - Gone Type 2 diabetes - Gone Joint aches, pains and stiffness - Gone High blood pressure - went from 2 meds to 1, and only half the dose of that one Other NSV's: Airplanes - went from almost needing a seat belt extender to being able to put the tray table down all the way Travel - can now sleep in most any hotel bed without needing the mattress and pillows to be 'just right' Stairs - I used to be winded at the top of a flight of stairs, but can bound up them now with no issues. Exercise - much easier now and I have more stamina. Some observations: Stalls - I've found that I stall easily and really need to watch my program closely. Diet - It's a tight balance - too few calories and I stall. Too many and I stall. Hunger - I never realized how much of my problem was "head hunger" or bored snacking until the real hunger went away. Snacking - is an insidious enemy and can derail progress without you knowing it. You have to account for everything you eat. Alcohol - I can have a drink or two without problem, but it does stop my loss for a couple of days. Better save it for maintenance. I lost weight rapidly for the first couple of months but have noticed now I've settled into a fairly steady rate of loss of around 2 pounds per week. I'm fine with this rate as long as I can keep it going. Over time it will require more exercise to maintain but at this rate I should hit my goal weight at about my one year surgery anniversary. That is now my new goal.

This is a very interesting topic. I had a conversation with a friend who had been sleeved and reached goal. Her advice to me was to take in as much Protein as possible - as much as 90 to 100 gms per day. The only way I could manage this was to add a supplement daily. For a while I added a shake, but for convenience sake I started swapping out the shake for a Quest bar daily. I've noticed my weight loss slow to a relative crawl in the past month or so, and this might well be part of the problem. Even with the Quest bar I'm staying around 1,000 to 1,100 calories per day. I thought it was some Snacks sneaking in and that may be also part of the issue. I just never thought the protein bar might be the problem as well... Guess I'll stop the protein bar and either add a shake back in or just skip the extra protein altogether and see what happens.

After reading an informative and humorous post from another member who discovered a problem with his daily diet, I took stock of my situation. My weight loss has slowed significantly again over the past couple of weeks. At first I thought it was just another stall, but after a look back I realized that my diet had changed and that I was likely sabotaging my own weight loss. Over the past couple of weeks I've slowly allowed some calorie dense snack foods to creep back into my diet. Mostly nuts but also some pita chips and pretzel chips which were in the house with hummus as a snack for when some guests were here. I haven't sat down and eaten a bag of chips or a bowl of nuts, but I have found myself grabbing a few almonds here and there or a handful of pita chips as I walk between the kitchen and home office. Working at home yesterday I realized that every time I came through the kitchen for a glass of Water or a restroom trip I was stopping to grab a handful of something to snack on. After thinking about it and doing a little math I realized I was probably adding 200 to 300 extra calories a day with this stuff, and hadn't been accounting for those calories in my eating program. That may not seem like a lot to a regular person, but to a sleever who is trying to maintain 900-1000 calories per day, these calories are significant and impactful. Just passing along my experience for those who may also be facing challenges in losing at the rate they want. This made me remember that the sleeve isn't magic, it is a tool that we have to use correctly to attain our goals. And that every calorie counts.

I was allowed to drink decaf after the first couple of weeks, but was to avoid caffeine for two months. I'm now back to having two cups of regular coffee a day (sometimes three if I'm traveling) and have had no bad effects.

At 6 weeks I was still on soft foods. My doctor did allow me to advance to regular foods at that time (his usual time for regular foods is 8 weeks) as I had a trip scheduled and would be in hotels all week. I would say it depends on your physical condition and general health status. By 6 weeks out I was back to full strength and stamina and didn't have any problems. The biggest issue was sticking to the limited eating program while traveling.

Yes, after realizing the issue I tossed the chips and stuff and put the nuts away where they aren't readily accessible. I do use almonds sometimes for a meal (along with a cheese stick, a Lunchable or something) when I'm on a plane so I do keep them around, but need to get them out of sight so I don't graze on them.

@@Lisa_85 It's probably best to stop a little before you reach the point of being too full. I know I had to train myself early on to not eat to fullness. Before surgery the stomach would stretch to accommodate whatever we eat, within reason. After surgery the sleeve doesn't stretch like a regular stomach, so you can go from nothing to painfully full in just a couple of bites. I'm 4 1/2 months out and still sometimes miss the signal and eat a little too much. I've gotten better with it as time has passed, but it is something you have to learn.

Your surgeon should help you identify a goal weight specifically for you based on your body build, activity level and health status. There are some general rules of thumb though, that you can use to create an estimate. One common standard for determining ideal body weight for a height has always been the MetLife height/weight tables (you can search the internet for them). They are horribly optimistic but are used as the "ideal". The height they list is with 1" heels, so add an inch to your height if measuring barefoot. The amount of weight between your current weight and the "ideal" weight is considered your excess weight. In general, many resources indicate an expectation of 60% to 75% of that excess weight will be lost if the post-surgery program is followed correctly. So, for example if you weigh 250 pounds and the "ideal" weight is 150, you would have 100 pounds of excess weight. Expectation would be to lose 60-75 of those pounds, to a realistic goal weight would be somewhere between 175 and 190. Again, this is just one possible tool to help estimate expectations.

I'm seeing the same thing. I have read that it is pretty normal, and that after a couple of months the hair loss stops and the hair starts coming back.

I never stopped using them. My doctor told me that was an urban legend and had no basis in fact. One of the challenges of weight loss surgery is being able to get in enough Water and liquids. Drinking through a straw can make that easier.

I think that's WAY too much information WAY too early on for an online dating site. I guess maybe it's a guys perspective but I didn't really see it as that big of a deal. However, based on the replies here I thought better of it and changed the line to not reference WLS, instead just to indicate that I'm working on a healthy lifestyle and it would be nice to find an exercise partner.

@@frankenstein There are very few "never" things following weight loss surgery, mostly just "not for now" things. The recovery period does require some special diet and habit changes, and the weight loss phase (first year to 18 months) you will want to follow the new behaviors as closely as possible to maximize your success. As we progress post surgery we learn how to adapt ourselves to be successful. Pre surgery I drank beer regularly, and lots of it. I made poor food choices. I didn't exercise. It took 53 years for that bad behavior to catch up with me. Surgery has been the catalyst that forced me to change those behaviors. I couldn't be happier that I did. Many of the things you listed aren't really issues. I'm a little over 4 months post surgery. I used to guzzle Water before. I no longer need to now. I find that I'm satisfied with less. You can have beer (I had two last night at a special event) but want to imbibe only occasionally as the carbonation can be challenging and we frankly don't need the calories. As others have said, some of your concerns are about having to change lifelong patterns or lifestyle components to lose weight. Keep in mind that for most of us it was those very patterns and lifestyle items that helped us to become obese in the first place. We need to change those behaviors and actions to lose weight and improve health. Surgery provides a very powerful tool to help with that but you must have the desire, in your mind, to change those behaviors in order to be successful.

From a guy's perspective the experience can be very similar. I had a profile on Match for some time but set it to hidden last summer. I learned through this that the women I was interested in weren't interested in me. I guess I had 'champagne tastes on a beer budget' so to speak. This was actually a big motivating factor for me to go through WLS, so that I would be more attractive to those I found attractive as well. As I'm about halfway through my weight loss journey I decided to wade back into the mix to see what was out there, so I updated my profile and opened it back up this week. So far I've gotten three nice "winks" from attractive young women who claim to be in my area. However there seems to be some commonality to their profiles. First, they each only have one photo. Second, their profiles are very sparsely filled out, with no specifics as to what type of person they are looking for. Third, it's very easy to reverse search a photo using Google Image or Tineye. I've found at least two of them using photos of foreign fashion models. From my experience I've learned to become wary of interest initiated by the women on the site as almost always it's a scammer with a fake profile. Strangely, though, it seems like far too many of the women I encounter on the site have their sights set very high for their match. I'm between 5'7 and 5'8, and it is very disappointing to find that it seems that if you aren't at least 5'10 none of the women on Match are interested in you. I have to laugh when a woman lists her height at 4'11 or 5'0 and says her match has to be at least 5'10. Regarding the OP's scenario of the traveling guy, that seems to be a little worrisome. I'm not the guy she's referring to but I also am from KC but spend a good deal of time in CA for work (I have an apartment rather than a hotel room though). I don't even look for a match outside of my home territory as I think it reduces the odds of a successful relationship to almost zero. While it could be legit, it could also be someone who is just looking for some intimate fun while on the road. That's fair enough but it should be stated from the outset. Lastly, what are peoples thoughts about mentioning the weight loss journey? I decided to be up front about it and put it right in my profile that I had WLS and am about halfway through my weight loss journey. My thinking was that it shows I'm serious about improving myself and living a healthier lifestyle. Not sure if this is a good or bad idea.

I hadn't thought about this but it makes sense. Beta blockers tend to act by slowing the heart rate which reduces arterial pressure. One would reasonably think this would impact metabolism. I take a Calcium channel blocker (verapamil) which acts differently. The calcium channel affects smooth muscle contraction, so it prompts the arteries to relax and dilate which also reduces arterial pressure. It might be worth talking with your doctor to see if a switch from a beta blocker to a calcium channel blocker or some other class of blood pressure control would be beneficial. The good news for me is as I've lost weight I've seen a reduction in my BP and resting pulse rate. I've been able to reduce my BP medication dosage by half, and think I'm probably a month or two away from eliminating it altogether.

I was a cash pay which is an expedited process at my surgery clinic. It still involved a pre-surgery consult, EKG, psych visit, lab work, nutrition class and an EGD. The surgeon also required a one or two-week pre-op liquid protein diet right before surgery to reduce liver size. All in, it was about a month from the time I signed up to surgery.

I'm a little over 4 months post surgery, so I'm back on regular foods. Breakfast is usually a small omelet with egg beaters and some 2% shredded cheese. lunch is either a chicken breast with a few steamed vegetables or maybe another Protein based entree. dinner varies but can be another serving of lean protein with some vegetables, small chicken/cheese quesadilla, lean cuisine or maybe some Soup. If I'm in a rush a meal may be as simple as a piece of string cheese and some raw almonds. I've also found that some of the Lunchables make a good quick meal as long as you go with the ones with higher protein content. i add a Protein Bar or shake every day, and have tried to eliminate most all breads and starches from my diet, focusing on lean protein and vegetables. I will occasionally have part of a sandwich or a tortilla but it is not a daily occurrence. My target right now is to stay under 1,000 calories per day which is pretty easy to do as long as I stay away from any sort of Snacks or slider foods. I try to keep my protein intake at 80 grams or more per day. This is usually plenty of calories and unless I have some type of head hunger issue I don't find myself hungry. As far as liquids I have a couple cups of coffee each day. I've eliminated all carbonated drinks and usually drink Water with some occasional iced tea. At home to switch things up I'll have some Crystal Light. The biggest change here is seriously reducing alcohol intake. Before surgery I was a social drinker having beer a couple days a week. I've had alcohol a handful of times post surgery and found that once I got out of the habit I didn't miss it very much. If the setting is right I will have a cocktail or beer once in a great while but it has gone from a regular part of my routine to a special occasion item. If I do have a beer I need to pour it into a glass and let all of the carbonation escape before enjoying it. Generally not worth the hassle. MyFitnessPal is a great app and website for tracking calorie intake which I have found is the key to managing a successful eating routine. I've looked at various different options and it seems to have the most extensive menu of food choices. Whatever you choose to eat, someone has most always already created an entry for it. I also travel a lot and have found that eating in restaurants is still a little challenging. I can usually find a menu choice that works out okay, knowing I will only eat part of it. For a while I tried ordering off the appetizer menu because the portions are smaller but appetizer items tend to be high fat selections that are lower in protein, so I decided that it was ultimately better to order a good protein item from the regular menu and just leave some of it behind. For air travel I always pack a protein bar in my carryon bag, and if I'm traveling over a meal period will add a Lunchables or a string cheese and some almonds for the meal in the air. Good luck in your journey!

@@kennen08 This is really a discussion for you to have with your surgeon, who can review all of your specific medical requirements and help you make a decision as to which procedure is best. I had friends who had completed both procedures and did very well. I also work with someone who has had all three procedures (lap band, sleeve and RNY) and has failed with each of them. I opted for VSG because at my weight and medical status it seemed to be the best option. My surgeon agreed. At the end of the day it is really about changing your eating habits and lifestyle. Any surgery is only a tool to help you make that change and become healthier.