Introversion

Welcome. Nope, I didn't struggle with committing to the surgery. Once I made up my mind to have surgery, I pursued the course and did everything possible to make it happen. Prior to surgery I was a classic yo-yo dieter. I could lose large amounts of weight, but never kept if off for the long term. I had lost 200+ pounds over the years by losing 50, regaining 60, losing 60, regaining 90, and so forth. I was determined to avoid another miserable cycle of yo-yo loss/regain. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I would attempt to eat with the others...you can always improvise by eating a few meatballs from a spaghetti plate, or 1/4 cup of steamed veggies if offered. Good luck to you.

It's normal for our tastes and preferences to change post-op. However, I never lost my affinity for artificial sweeteners. I use saccharin (Sweet 'N Low) and aspartame (Equal) to sweeten my coffee and iced tea. Some are vehemently opposed to artificial sweeteners, but I use multiple packets daily. I am 2+ years out and have used these sweeteners for years. Of course, your mileage may vary.

There's an insightful thread with several participants who are successfully maintaining. They've shared what has been working for them: https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/399537-sleeve-veterans-what-makes-you-successful-long-term/ Good luck to you, and congratulations.

Yes, it's totally normal. Look up the "3 week stall," also known as the "third week stall." This phenomenon is so common it even has a name. NOTE: the third-week stall can start anytime during the 2nd and 4th postoperative week, but usually starts at week 3. You are probably entering your stall / plateau slightly early. Just keep doing what you're doing and try to stay off the scale...the stall will bust. Also, unless you were super morbidly obese (BMI greater than 50) at surgery, it's unlikely you'll be a 30-pound-a-month loser. Good luck to you.

I returned to work after two weeks, although I could have gone back after one week. Back then, I worked 12-hour shifts as a floor nurse at a small hospital. My energy level was somewhat low for 6 weeks post-op due to a phenomenon called post-anesthesia brain fog. I felt a low level of fatigue and mental fuzziness during that time. As always, your mileage may vary. Good luck to you.

I didn't start eating Halo Top ice cream until I was more than 2+ years out. Be mindful that Halo Top has 20+ grams of sugar per pint, which may cause some carb-sensitive people's weight loss to stall and plateau if they eat it during their active weight loss phase. Yes, I know...one serving is half a cup (4 ounces). However, few people stop at half a cup, especially those who are triggered by treats with simple sugars. I can tolerate the sugar rather well since I exercise at a vigorous intensity six days per week. It doesn't bother me, but your mileage may vary.

I don't consider myself a long term success case. Like OutsideMatchInside, I was sleeved a little more than two years ago. But since this forum considers people who are at least one year out 'veterans,' I'll respond. I maintain a somewhat low body weight of 118 to 120 pounds by incorporating flexibility into my food choices and lifestyle. I "never say never" because that rigid line of thinking got me into trouble prior to WLS. I don't deprive myself. I consume in the 2000 to 2300 calorie-per-day range in maintenance. I run 20+ miles per week, lift heavy weights 3 times weekly, and cross-train with other aerobic exercises such as the stationary bike, elliptical machine and stair mill at the gym. I don't avoid entire food categories such as carbs and fat. Since my activity levels are high, I tolerate carbs well. When I lived a more sedentary lifestyle, my carb tolerance was piss-poor. An astute doctor who specializes in obesity medicine said, "If you didn't like the way you lost your weight, you won't like the way you'll need to maintain your weight, so you'll regain." Essentially, the good doctor is saying that the habits we adopted to lose weight will mostly be the ones we use to maintain our weight loss. If we did unlikable, unsustainable things to lose weight (e.g. cabbage soup diet, 2 hours of daily exercise, constant deprivation, HCG shots, expensive foods, NutriSystem, very low calorie plans), we tend to abandon these ventures after a while and the weight often returns. In essence, I currently enjoy the foods I eat to maintain my weight. I currently enjoy the 60 minutes of daily exercise I obtain to maintain my weight. Since I liked what I did to lose the weight this time around, I am now liking the daily tasks needed to maintain my weight loss. I don't know what life will look like for me at 10 years out. However, I am both cautious and optimistic about the future. I live and learn from those who succumbed to pitfalls that led to regain. Good luck to everyone.

I don't think anyone on this forum 'hates' you. Personally, it isn't worth my energy to hate an individual with whom I'm not acquainted in real life. Let me get one thing straight...I've never regained. I maintain a lowish body weight of 118 to 120 pounds via making decent food choices and maintaining high activity levels, yet you speak as if everyone who sounds the alarm has failed at their post-WLS maintenance efforts. Also, sounding the alarm is not synonymous with excuses.

Bingo. You hit the nail on the head. People with brand new sleeves or fresh gastric bypass pouches often do not realize the stones that lie in the road ahead. Initially, surgery alters a person's biochemistry favorably to promote weight loss through hormonal changes. This is known as the honeymoon period. In the beginning, the surgically altered person has a diminished appetite and can lose weight without a great deal of effort. But over the years, the intestines become more efficient at caloric absorption, especially in those who have undergone gastric bypass. This phenomenon is known as intestinal adaptation. Intestinal villi adapt to being bypassed by enlarging and increasing their surface area to absorb more calories, priming people for weight regain. The bariatric surgery patient is several years out and scratching his/her head, wondering why the number on the scale creeps upward rapidly even though eating habits are the same as before. They don't realize that the human body is a marvelous piece of art that will find any way to extract every last energy source (read: calories). Sleeve and lap band patients usually regain by backsliding into bad habits. Gastric bypass patients often regain via the intestinal adaptation phenomenon discussed earlier, but backsliding into bad habits is also a noteworthy culprit. Most obese and formerly obese persons have bodies that favor fat storage rather than fat burning. Hormonally, there are differences between us and our naturally thin counterparts. Obesity is not curable, ever. Obesity can be forced into remission by achieving a normal body weight, but our bodies will always fight to get back to where they once were regardless of weight loss surgery.

My starting weight was almost identical to yours...I was 218 pounds on surgery day. I lost 33.5 pounds in the first 3 months.

Are you taking them on an empty stomach? They really should be taken with food. Multivitamins contain the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Without food, these vitamins won't absorb properly because they need to be taken in the presence of fat molecules (read: food) for our bodies to derive any benefit from them.

I felt fine...no pain, no nausea, no vomiting, no gas. But, my body itched like hell. I recall asking the post-anesthesia recovery nurse, "I'm itchy. Can you give me a shot of Benadryl or Atarax, please?" She gave me a quizzical look and said, "You must be a nurse or something." I said, "Yes, I am."

My arrival time was 6:30 a.m. and surgery time was 8:30 a.m. I checked in, proceeded to the surgical suites, changed into a hospital gown and bonnet, had my vital signs taken, urine tested, and an IV line started. The pre-op nurse completed her admission assessment on me. Then the CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) collected a quick history on me by asking me questions. Then the operating room nurse explained what would happen to me. Finally, the bariatric surgeon told me the surgery would take 30 minutes at the most and obtained an informed consent from me to proceed with the procedure. I was wheeled back to the operating room, given the IV cocktail of benzodiazepines, and fell asleep perhaps 10 minutes later. I awakened in the recovery area because the surgery already happened.

And thank you for reaching out for help. It takes a great deal of courage to admit there's a problem, and even more courage to ask for assistance in solving it. In this day and age, too many people complain about problems but refuse to resolve them. It's as if they find comfort in the art of complaining. So it's refreshing that you want to tackle your issue. I'll be rooting for you.

Don't be fooled...it is very much possible to overindulge with any type of weight loss surgery. Look at Carnie Wilson, one of the most famous gastric bypass recipients...started at nearly 300 pounds, got down to 150 pounds, then regained two-thirds of the weight. Anyone can regain with a lap band, sleeve or bypass through overindulgence. Those who are still in their honeymoon periods never envision it happening to them, but the slippery slope always looms. Forewarned is forearmed. Never say never.

You'll start feeling better by the 4th day as your body switches from CHO-burning to fatty acid burning as its main substrate (source of fuel). The low energy, headaches, shakiness, and other symptoms will disappear if you keep plugging at it. Good luck to you.

Your losses will become slower as time passes. That's the natural progression of things. As an aside, I lost 15 pounds during my first month with the sleeve. Thereafter, I lost at the rate of a whopping 6 pounds a month. Yep, you read it correctly: 6 pounds a month! However, I'm not sweating it. The long term result (maintaining our goal weight) is far more important than losing like a house on fire during the weight loss phase. The important part is I lost 100+ pounds, attained my goal weight and have been keeping it off. Good luck to you.

While I don't have Hashimoto's, I do have hypothyroidism. I'm able to maintain a fairly low body weight of 118 to 120 pounds on 2000+ calories a day with heavy weightlifting 3 times a week. The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolic rate will be, and the more you can eat without the risk of regain. I also run 20+ miles per week.

Personally, I started seeing a mental health counselor a few months prior to reaching my goal weight. Since I had a history of self-medicating my emotional traumas with food and other distractions prior to weight loss surgery, I wanted to slay the dragon before the dragon had a chance to slay me. I know the feeling of sadness you speak of. It feels like a bottomless pit. Until you address the sadness (read: a telltale symptom of depression), I suspect you'll continue to self-medicate by overeating. Perhaps some professional help is needed? It's okay to be weak in the moment and admit that we may need to mobilize help to solve a problem. I wish you the best of luck. You've got this.

Well, another one bites the dust...

Although I've never cooked spaghetti squash, I always make yellow squash casseroles (yummy). Zucchini squash ranch meatloaf is another go-to home-cooked meal for me. Squash is such a versatile vegetable. It's also nice that the price of squash becomes more affordable during the warmer months.

Your math is a little faulty: May 17 was less than 2 months ago. You were actually sleeved 8 weeks ago if the day of your procedure was May 17. This means you've lost 20 pounds per month, so you're doing fantastic!

It took me 4 months to lose 40 pounds, yet I'm not griping. Your weight loss journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race, while fast and crass won't last. The final result is more important than the speed at which we lose the weight. I've lost 100 pounds, attained my goal weight, and have managed to keep the weight off. That's what's important. Good luck to you.

You've lost 64 pounds in a little more than 2 months out. You're doing better than most. When is the last time you lost 64 pounds in 9 weeks via diet and exercise? I'm sure the answer is "Never." As a comparison point, it took me a whopping 8 months to lose 64 pounds. You lost 64 pounds in less than 3 months, whereas it took me 8 months to accomplish that. Yet, I'm not complaining. Realistic expectations are important. You didn't become morbidly obese overnight, so the weight is not going to melt off overnight, either. What matters is changing your habits to maintain the weight loss for life. There's no point in losing weight like a house on fire if you backslide into old habits and start regaining. Good luck to you.