blizair09

I use a scale and measure the specific weight of everything I eat. I don't use measuring cups for anything.

When you say weight is creeping back on, how much weight are you talking about? If it is just a pound or two, you're likely experiencing the "three week stall" that almost everyone experiences. If this is the case, you should stay concentrate on meeting your protein and water goals, and the weight will start to come off again. If you have gained a significant amount of weight, I would talk it over with your team.

I use Milk of Magnesia anytime I have not gone to the bathroom by the third day. It works fast and effectively (usually within 2 hours).

I'd get them below 25. I have kept mine below 20 for almost a year now. It has been key to my success.

How many carbs are you having per day? That is probably part of your issue...

Congratulations!

Watermelon has a lot of carbs. I would stay away from it, but that's just me.

Fasten your seat belt and hang on. This journey is an amazing ride!!

I'm getting closer. I've lost 180 so far. 20 more to lose 200, and 37 to goal.

I abstained from alcohol throughout the duration of my six month pre-op diet program and the first 3 months post-op. And, even now (5.5 months post-op), it is an every now and then thing, and I adjust my eating on those days to still meet my protein goals while keeping calories and my 20 carbs aside for the alcohol. (So basically on those days, I eat 4 oz of plain grilled chicken 4 times. 480 calories, 96 g of protein, 0 carbs. This opens up about 600 calories and 20 grams of carbs for the drinks.) My team told me at the 3 month mark that it wouldn't hurt me, which is why I brought back at all. But it is not a regular thing. I'd rather have food with my calories and carbs than booze, but on special occasions, I can accommodate it. Good luck!

Let me begin by saying that I have been completely open about my entire weight loss journey , including the surgery, with anyone and everyone since I made the decision to do this and began my six month pre-op diet program almost a year ago. At 5.5 months out, I have now lost 180 pounds. And, trust me, people notice, and it always is a topic of conversation. How could it not be? And you know what, the surgery is probably less than 10% of those conversations. People are more mesmerized at the transformation and the hard work it took to make these changes in my life. Not one single person has said one negative thing about the surgery because, surgery or not, losing 180 pounds is an incredible accomplishment. Everyone has the right to privacy, and, in this case, the right to tell people or to not tell people, but it has been my experience that the surgery part of the equation is not the most prominent. Am I a poster boy for WLS? No. But, to these people, am I a poster boy for weight loss and changing my life for the better? Yes, I am. And again, how could I not be? You don't come across people who lose this kind of weight every day. To each his or her own on this one...

I was on clear liquids for a week post-op, and then full liquids for another 2 weeks after that for a total of 3 weeks of liquids. Yes, it is a tough time in the journey. By the end of the 3 weeks, I was over everything liquid. But all of you need to keep your eye on the prize. This is a short period in the grand scheme of things, and it is a time to really work on getting your head in the right place if you haven't already. The time will pass and you will get to start adding other foods into your diet very shortly. Food is supposed to be fuel anyway. If you stick to your plan and do what you are supposed to do, this journey can be life changing. But the sleeve won't do that for you by itself.

I am about 5.5 months out. If I go about 4 hours without eating anything (when I get wrapped up in work or an when I am out and about doing something), I am hungry in the sense that I know I need to eat because I am feeling weak, but that's about it. I also eat about 7 times per day, about 2 hours apart, so I don't usually get to that point. Overall, I wouldn't describe hunger as a big deal for me now. Though before I began my journey, my issues were less about hunger than they were with just eating to eat and then eating terrible things on top of that. There lies the mental battle which is the most significant part of this journey.

Since you were just sleeved, you might be a different case, but at about 6 weeks post-op for me, my belly button starting having a smelly discharge that was mixed with blood. It ended up being an infection (also causing a fever and related symptoms), and I had to take Keflex (an antibiotic) for a week to clear it up. I'd call the doctor to check up on it just to be safe.

You should really talk to your team and formulate a specific plan. 800 calories is really low for six months out.

For me, it began with cutting carbs down to 20 or less per day. Carbs (specifically bread, pasta, potatoes, corn, sweets, etc.) were really the root of most of my problems. Then, I had to work to train myself to look at food as more of a fuel and not a centerpiece of life. I had to work to quit making food a reward, an anchor of celebration, a comfort, a release, and a friend of sorts. I did this by focusing my energy on macro targets for the day and making my full consideration of what to include in my diet be based on the calories, carbs, fat, and protein it was giving me. Some people may not find this exciting, but I weighed 400 pounds, and I knew that needed to change. Over time, it sticks. But it is HARD WORK. I could fall off the wagon any day if I let my guard down. That is why I am so militant, and why I refuse to let that happen.

I eat 4 oz of cottage cheese (1/2 cup) with 1 tablespoon of Smucker's sugar free strawberry preserves stirred in twice a day (and I have since the food stages). I love it! I start and end my day with it because I like it so much!

One doesn't cheat. He or she makes a choice to disregard his or her surgeon's instructions. My advice is to not do that. There is a reason for the pre-op diet, and if one can't manage to adhere to those specifications, how would he or she adhere to the post-op food stages when it could literally be a life or death situation? Think about it...

I have this every day. Specifically, when I get up in the morning, and when I get out of the tanning bed. I'm about 5.5 months post-op, and it has been this way all along.

No surgery is going to help you be successful long-term if you don't change your relationship with food. Period.

I'd suggest upping your calories a little bit. Try to get between 1000-1100 a day and see if that helps. 800-900 at the six month mark seems too low. (I'm about 5.5 months post-op, and I've been between 1000-1100 for a couple of months now.) Good luck!

I go about once every 3 days. I'm 5+ months post-op now, and it has been that way all along. If I haven't gone by the third day, I take 1/2 dose of Milk of Magnesia. Good luck!

Yep. Militantly. I keep my carbs at or below 20 per day and have since I started my six month pre-op diet program March 21, 2016.

I told anyone and everyone about the surgery and every aspect of my journey since the beginning of my six month pre-op diet program on March 21, 2016. It keeps me accountable, and I am lousy at keeping secrets anyway. And, at this point, I have lost 180 pounds. It's pretty damn obvious that I have had some medical intervention to use as a tool to help me in my journey. Telling people educates them. I will never regret being open about everything.

To be honest, you have to make the time. You either devote yourself to your journey, or you don't. The sleeve is just a tool, and it will only be as effective to help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight as you make it. You have to change your relationship with food, eat and drink within defined parameters, and get up and move. If you don't, you will have put yourself through all of this for nothing. I'm not trying to be harsh; I'm just being realistic. Please don't squander this opportunity.