Danny Paul

I eat a hard boiled egg and a yogurt for breakfast every day. I don't eat anything else for breakfast.

A very difficult concept for me pre WLS but post WLS it's not only ok it's a necessity if you want to maintain your weight loss AND your new found good health.

I was attending one of my group sessions last week and a person who had had a gastric sleeve two years ago spoke at the meeting. The person said the first nine months were a dream come true with a weight loss of 125 lbs and reaching goal. This person went on to state that taking the weight off went pretty much to the surgeons plan. At first, this person measured and weighed all foods, made sure to eat proteins first and did not mix water with food and did moderate exercise such as parking the car away from the building and walking the stairs. By the one year mark old habits started to creep back. The need to eat processed foods and snacks came back. Why? Because goal weight was met and because it was so easy to lose the weight. This person thought that snacking and eating off plan would be counterbalanced by more rapid weight loss. Well, as the pounds crept back getting them off wasn't as easy as it was in those first nine months. With that came a feeling of hopelessness and the cycle that made this person obese to begin with started all over again. By this persons two year anniversary 85lbs was regained. This person was brave to tell us this story and to warn us that WLS is not the end of our obesity. In fact, it should be a wake up for us that our success at a healthy life is a struggle each day. This person is looking into a revision to gastric by pass but one wonders if long term success will be maintained or is this person doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past? For those of you with long term success you truly are remarkable, dedicated and an inspiration and I hope to learn from you and your successes as I read about them here on these forums.

Good info. Mahalo

She had WLS in May, about six months out and she's going back to the same "diet plan" that made her overweight? Excuse the pun but that seems to be a recipe for weight loss disaster. I was advised that this is the time to reset what you allow back into your eating universe. Try keeping as much of the bad stuff out and the odds are you will be more successful with long term weight loss. Keep up the good work.

I did the same. As we are fortunate to get healthier let's use our good fortune to help those not a fortunate.

I have the same experience. With the weight loss I definitely feel the cold more.

As a compulsive over eater I can't eat like a normal person. Just as an alcoholic can't drink like a normal person. I don't drink because my drug of choice is food. It has and will always be. That's why every day is a struggle for me. Keep vigilant and try to get support from where ever you can find it.

In my mandatory pre op group meeting the nutritionist said something that made a lot of sense later on post op. When you get WLS you can wipe your food choices slate clean. You can now decide what foods you want to introduce into your new food universe. If ice cream or candy contributed to you being obese then you can make the choice of not introduce them back into your food universe. I take that advice to heart and did an inventory of the foods that I can do without and found that candy, ice cream as well as processed foods, fast foods and sugary drinks lead me to be not just obese but morbidly obese. For the sake of my health I can't introduce these things into my new food universe. (Not even in moderation) Not mention that I am a compulsive overeater and these foods will trigger me into eating other bad foods and will eventually get me to eat badly again. Everyone has their own take on what will make them successful post surgery but for me, I can't introduce these things into my new food universe. I have a hard time enough working on maintaining my weight loss and keeping my health, I don't need to repeat past behaviors that I know will only harm me. Food for thought (Excuse the Pun)

I messaged you

I messaged you

The is so true for me. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until recently and I'm so grateful that I did. Combining my surgery which is a fantastic tool and getting outside help with a therapist and working the Over Eaters Anonymous steps I've gotten better with controlling my over eating compulsions. Like you said, I take it one meal at a time. Good luck to you and good luck to everyone else. Also, as the holidays roll around I need to be more mindful of my food choices.

At three weeks I was still on 2 ounces of pureed food. At that stage I couldn't even think about eating something as solid as fish. I know the feeling that you experienced. I get it when I eat too fast (still learning to eat slower) the only thing that works for me is walking, patting my chest like burping a baby and spitting out the slimes. I don't eat or drink anything until I get over the episode. It's rough, we have to retrain ourselves to eat slower and in moderation. It takes time. Good luck on your progress.

One reason we over eat eat is due to our emotions. What is the underlying factor that is making you feel down? Is it the surgery itself? Is it the fact that you gained weight? Once you can identify the what you can work on the why. The Why is your response to eat. Is there another outlet that you can use beside food? 11 pounds isn't too much to take off at this stage. Another poster had more than twice of your regain. Look deep and find the solution, it's there. Find out what is making you feel this way. Once you do that you can try to remedy it. But why is food your only option to get you through the tough times? After you find out then you can start to work on getting back to basics as far as eating. Good luck.

A nine pound weight gain in two years isn't too bad Now it's time to work it off. Remember it's a lot easier to lose nine pounds than 20. Make it your goal to lose three pounds a week. In less than a month you'll be back to 185. From there you can work off more of you want.How is your restriction after 2years? One piece of advice I get from my nutritionist and doctors is to stay away from the carbs. They slide right through your restriction and you can over eat them. Instead stay with the proteins. i know as time goes by we tend to get back into the bad eating behaviors. Now is the time to reverse your weight gain while it's still manageable.

A week after my surgery my wife and visiting daughter were whispering in the kitchen. Turns out they were debating whether to order Chinese food or have some soup. It turns out that they didnt want to eat Chinese food in front of me right after my WLS. Honestly, I couldnt eat anything and watching them eat Chinese food didnt make a difference. I was drinking liquids at the time and was having a difficult time just drinking liquids. So, having family eating in my presence days after my WLS didnt make a difference. It’s a different experience for everyone

Think about this, you're having a problem communicating with the doctor now when you're not in any type of medical distress. What do you think will happen when you experience a problem? What type of post op assistance do you think you'd get from this doctor to help you succeed? I have low tolerance for poor customer service especially in this day and age. If this doctor is in private practice there probably is no one to complain to. If he is affiliated with a group or hospital try to reach someone there and lodge a complaint. I would go elsewhere. This is surgery that you are embarking on. It's a major undertaking and you need to have 100% confidence in the person who is operating on you.

I get that feeling when I eat or drink too fast. I had to learn how to eat and drink much slower. I also find that if I eat dense proteins such as nuts and some types of fish like salmon I also get that feeling. Eight weeks is a short time post surgery. Your body is getting used to the changes and you're learning new things vis a vis on what your body can tolerate now. As time goes by you'll get used to the changes and how they affect your body.

Prior to surgery I went out to eat 3-4 times a week. After surgery I didn't feel comfortable eating in restaurants so I stayed home. When I do go out to restaurants I tell the person that I'm with to order two entrees. I'll eat what I want from the second order and they can take home the rest. It seems to work fine with everybody. Ask hubby to order another entree and eat what you want. He can take the rest home and have something he likes for lunch the next day. Let's also keep in mind that you went down the WLS road once before. What made you do a revision? Was it for medical reasons or did you fail at losing and maintaining the weight loss from the sleeve? If it's the former, what has changed to give you a better shot at long term success? Did your husband sabotage the weight loss from your sleeve as well or was it something that you did? If it was you, what did you change to be successful this time around?

At three weeks I was in my puree stage. Eating 2ounces at a time and drinking at least 48 ounces of water each day. Did you consult your surgeon? It is very difficult to eat in the early stages but you seem to be at the extreme edge of what might be normal. A call to the surgeon couldn't hurt.

I had a sleeve at 60yrs of age.I never thought of WLS because I throughly enjoyed food and the social life I built around it. That said, I had so many ailments such as diabetes , high BP, high cholesterol, etc etc. With all those ailmemts I also took a large amount of medications. Those medications eventually would have caused havoc on my liver and/or kidneys. I was a yo yo dieter who realized dieting was not the answer. It was a great first step. The weight comes of fast and the results altered my health for the better. The next step is to maintain the weight loss and to keep my new found health. For me every day is a struggle with food but, I'm learning to eat better, be a mindful eater and not to cave in to my food cravings.

2. Practice mindful eating: sit, chew, and breathe with your food! Actually look at it. Taste it. Smell it. Use your senses! Appreciate what is on the plate. This way your brain will signal "satiety" and you'll be less likely to overeat. One of the best pieces of advice for those of us who are fast eaters or rush through our meals. After WLS it's best to eat slowly, enjoy each bite and give your brain time to catch up to your stomach. Prior to WLS it was a race to see how much I could eat in the shortest amount of time, take a deep breath and continue. Today it's mindful eating, taking small bites and enjoying each one for a longer period of time. I stopped all carbonated beverages pre op on the advice of my nutritionist. I don't miss them and I substitute them with plain water or a sugar free mix like Crystal Light.I continued it after WLS because It's just a preference of mine. I associate the diet soda with my past eating habits. I would go into a restaurant order a cheeseburger deluxe and a dessert and say it was ok because I'm washing it down with a diet soda. One less trigger food or drink in my recovery from compulsive eating is a good thing for me.

I went to two county fairs and I brought my own food. Went so my Grandson and other family members could enjoy it. I did take a bite of a hand rolled pretzel otherwise I stuck to the food choices I brought with me.

I had GERD prior to surgery. After a month post op it subsided and went away. Haven't had any problems with GERD at all since my WLS.

First off congratulations on your initial weight loss. 110lbs is a considerable amount. Next you went through the expense and pain of skin removal so you're pretty much invested in YOUR weight loss success. Is the weight regain causing your depression or is it something else? There are strategies that can help you. First, do you have anyone close by to work with you with a plan of action? If so, then get a plan of action together. Plan your meals, take them to work with you, Concentrate on the 80 grams of protein first, have rescue foods handy such as protein bars, 1/4 cup of mixed nuts, etc. Have your friend text or call you or you call them at least once a day to see if you are doing well with your action plan. ( This makes you accountable to someone). Remember it's "the little things" like parking away from the building, walking a few flights of stairs or just standing at your desk instead of sitting all day. Ask those close to you for help. Making yourself accountable to others will help to get you back on track. I have two people I reach out to each day. My sponsor in Overeaters Anonymous and another member of OA who also has WLS. It really helps if you have others working with you.