blizair09

But the question is -- is the regain the fault of the sleeve or because the person didn't change their relationship with food and use the sleeve as a tool to its full potential? You say that you eat meticulously, but what does that mean? How many calories do you take in per day? Carbs? Protein? Water? Do you track everything you put in your mouth? What do you do for exercise? I don't say this as a dig at you personally. It is just that most of the cases of regain that I have read about have been because the people didn't make the true LIFESTYLE changes that they needed to make to be successful long term.

Fingers crossed for you!

Wishing you all the best tomorrow!

How many calories are you taking in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much water do you drink per day? Do you track everything you eat and drink? What do you do for exercise?

At 6'0", I weighed 397 pounds when I started my journey in March 2016 with my six month pre-op diet program. I decided on the sleeve because the idea of re-routing my insides bothered me. I think that it is more about what you do with your tool than anything else. I embraced a keto way of eating for the entirety of my six-month pre-op diet program, and lost 99 pounds by the day of surgery. I have continued that way of eating post-op (even through the food stages), and I have lost an additional 102 pounds (I got below 200 pounds for the first time in 19 years recently), and now I am only about 16 pounds away from my goal (180 pounds and a normal BMI). I am hoping to get there by the end of the summer. Changing your relationship with food, staying on your plan, and getting up and exercising are keys to success with this journey. Too many people on this site get one of the surgeries and then seem to do nothing with it. They lose some weight during the "honeymoon phase" (when it is all but impossible to not lose weight), and then it all goes to hell when any more weight loss (or even maintenance) requires good decisions about food and drink. Talk with your surgeon and together you can decide which procedure is right for you. But making sure that you are ready to deal with the mental battle of the journey is the best thing you can do for yourself. Good luck!

I eat about 8 times per day, so there's no opportunity to miss food. I eat less than 20 grams of carbs per day, so I won't have many of the things I used to eat to excess, but I don't miss those things. I spent months and months getting my head in the right place to be successful. Weighing under 200 pounds, being active and healthy, and living life mean so much more to me than any pizza, hamburger, cookie, or cold beer.

This. I avoid carbs like the plague, because I have a terrible carb addiction and the only solution for me was to purge them from my life almost completely (outside of cottage cheese and green vegetables). That being said, I agree with what @OutsideMatchInside has said. I can eat in a keto fashion long-term, so that is what I do. The difference between a diet and a way of life is sustainability. Find what works for you and stick to it. The important thing is that you are making progress toward your goal.

My surgeon is in the same practice that you are using. I went to the office in Metairie and had my surgery in Slidell. I found the six month program to be the best thing that could have happened to me. When I met with the NP the first time, she laid out all of the insurance requirements, and I decided then and there that I was going to make the most of the six months since I had to do it anyway. I lost 99 pounds during those six months (from 397 to 298), but, more importantly, I re-defined my relationship with food, embraced change in eating and drinking, and got a handle on my food demons BEFORE the surgery. That turned out to be such an important part of my journey and has made getting another 100+ pounds off since the surgery easier, too. The immediate days and weeks post-op are tough. Really tough. And tackling some of the mental hurdles before you actually have the surgery will make those days a little easier to manage. Granted, your six months are almost done, but you do have some time left to get started. Good luck!

Good for you! Keep up the good work!

I was sleeved on September 28, 2016. My insurance required a six-month pre-op diet program. I embraced a low carb way of eating at the beginning of that six month period, and I lost 99 pounds (from 397 to 298) by the day of surgery. I have lost an additional 102 pounds since the surgery, now weighing 196. I have 16 pounds to go until I reach my goal (which I hope to hit by the end of the summer). I have had numerous stalls throughout the process. Pre-op, I lost 3 pounds per week almost every week. Post-op, I lose 8-10 pounds in as many days, and then I stall for a couple of weeks, and then the cycle repeats. If you follow your plan, embrace a change in your relationship with food, and get active, you'll be successful, but keep in mind that the weight won't just fall off. You have to work hard for it. Good luck!

I was a basket case for the week before my surgery date, and I stayed that way until they wheeled me into the OR. But nothing about the surgery experience was as bad as I thought it would be. You are completely normal and justified to be nervous. Hang in there, and it will be over before you know it. Good luck tomorrow!

I usually took my nap after the walk. The walk was in 2 parts. My spa (tanning, hydro therapy, message, etc.) is 1 mile from my house. I would walk there, have the services, and then walk home.

@Joann454 It will get better. My first 2 days post-op were pure hell, but by Day 3, everything started to improve and then steadily improved every day after that. By the second week post-op, I was able to walk 2 miles every day. Fatigue was an issue for me for a solid 2 months post-op, though. I took a six week medical leave from work, and I took a get-in-the-bed nap every single afternoon during those 6 weeks!

Good luck!

Agreed. You need to get your protein up. Protein shakes and protein powder were key for me in the first few weeks post-op.

Congratulations!! Keep up the great work!

Even though it will be a tough conversation, and she probably won't want to hear what you have to say, you need to talk to her about getting professional help from a psychologist and a nutritionist. All of the revisions in the world aren't going to matter one bit if she doesn't change her relationship with food. The surgery allows for weight loss during the "honeymoon phase" pretty much regardless of one's eating habits. That changes soon. The majority of this journey is about the mental game. If she's eating all of that crap on a regular basis, she's losing that battle. Good luck. I know this isn't easy, but I'd definitely have that conversation before she puts her body (and your checkbook) through more trauma.

It depends on how you define "enjoy life." In my case, I am happier than I have been in years and years. Weighing under 200 pounds is a dream; my relationships with people are stronger; I get out and am active every day; I don't hide in the shadows; I don't carry around shame anymore. The list goes on and on. Part of my success in this area is that I spent the six months prior to surgery getting started, losing weight, and redefining my relationship with food. My insurance required the six month diet program, so my thought was why wait, get started now. By the time surgery day came, I had lost 100 pounds (from 397 to 298 -- I weigh 197 now). Dealing with the physical realities of the surgery and the first days and weeks post-op was MUCH easier because I had done all that work on the front end. (Stalls weren't as frustrating because I had already lost a massive amount of weight; food stages weren't as severe because I had already changed my relationship with food; mourning was limited because I had already gone through that stage, etc.) I'll never eat like I used to eat again. I accepted that long before they ever made an incision. And I am SO okay with that. What I have now is worth so much more than any pizza, hamburger, pasta dish, dessert, or cold beer. Good luck!

I agree that there is no reason to be hateful to people. That being said, A LOT of the time, people aren't being hateful; the poster reacts badly to good information and advice. Example -- a man that posts on here and has had great success over a long period of time (he's a beast if you look at his pictures) gave some relevant, honest feedback that wasn't hateful or even the slightest bit rude a few weeks back. The OP reacted terribly, and the thread turned into another internet war even though nothing out-of-the-way was said. Many people on here want the following kind of response: "Oh [insert polite, "southern" noun signifying concern], everything will be alright. Listen to your body. Just get back on the horse. Bless you." And some of the things being posted are alarming, dangerous, and destructive on top of just generally being counterproductive to losing weight and improving one's health. (Look at some of the posts that get the most "likes." Many of them are just like my example.) It is almost criminal that some doctors will operate on people that are so insanely unprepared for surgery or post-op life. But this whole enterprise is a business, and these forums are evidence of that every day.

I took off for six weeks after my surgery. My fatigue issues were severe through 8 weeks post-op, so I'm glad that I did. (I took a get-in-the-bed nap every afternoon for those six weeks!) Physically (aside from the fatigue), I was better after 2 weeks, but I used that time to devote myself 100% to my protein and water goals, advancing through the food stages, and walking. It was time well spent. I would recommend taking as much time as your personal, professional, and financial situations will allow. Good luck!

I have a list of 25 milestones and I mark them off as I meet them. I wrote these when I first started my journey at the beginning of my six-month insurance-required pre-op diet 14 months ago. I am up to milestone 24 now. Just 17 pounds to go until goal!

Do yourself a favor -- stay off of the scale for at least a month post-op. Stick to your plan, make meeting your protein and water goals your full-time job, and let your body heal. The weight will begin to come off in its own time.

Let's see -- what are some of my favorites? Swedish fish, peeps, pizza on day 3 post-op, chicken fingers and fries during the pre-op liquid diet, ice cream as a full liquid, putting protein powder in a milkshake, alcohol during the first month post-op, a pork chop in the first week post-op. And there have been countless others; these are just the ones I remember off the top of my head. (And most of these posts come in the form of yes/no questions -- can I eat swedish fish? -- can't ice-cream count as a liquids? -- etc.) Yea, I have sparred with some folks in some of these threads -- mostly because I want better for people. But probably 1/2 to 3/4 of the people I've encountered on this site really aren't making lifestyle changes, aren't changing their relationship with food, and aren't going to be successful long-term because of their decisions and their inability to get a handle on food. And those people will be blowing up these forums for a while, and then they'll disappear until they come back months or maybe even years later talking about how WLS failed them and they need a revision to one thing or another. And then the cycle will repeat. For those people who are super focused on what they need to do to be successful pre- and post-op, this gets really frustrating. Yes, it's probably better to just ignore these kinds of posts, but, again, many folks just want better for these people, make a comment, and then commence the next internet war. There are a handful of people on here who are successful and thoughtful. I stick around to see what they say. Everyone else can eat/drink/post/etc. whatever they want to. I'm just going to enjoy my 200 pound weight loss, and work on getting this last 17 pounds off by the end of the summer.

I'm 8 months post-op, and I'm still not to 1500 calories per day yet (and I am a 6 foot tall man).