Saxons

I haven't got any insights, but feel your pain. I was 265lbs (51 year old female 5'9"), and I am stuck on 193. Goal is 175,but I just can't budge. It's easy to say watch your caloric intake, no snacking etc etc. If we were all good at that, we wouldn't have needed surgery in the first place!

Me too! My appetite has shrunk remarkably. Even if I think I am hungry, after a few bites, I feel full. It is a bit frustrating that when you are eating something that tastes delicious, but you can't take another bite. I do love a rare eye fillet! I have learnt my lesson though. If I try to eat more when my tiny tummy pouch is full, I will end up in the bathroom vomiting it all out. I probably eat/drink the wrong foods sometimes (who doesn't love a nice sauvignon blanc?!) which has slowed my weight loss, but I am happy where am, and my goal. For reference, I am an Australian size 12, which is an American size 8. I want to get to Australian size 10, USA size 6.

I am from Australia, so we think in kilos, not pounds. So you have lost about 9kg in a month. That's ok, I think. I am surprised that you can eat steak and sides. At that 1st month point, I was still restricted to Optifast twice a day (surgeons orders) and struggled to get through one! I lost 10kg in the first month (22 pounds). Even now, I have a hard time getting through a 200 gram steak (which I think is 7 oz?), and can never eat sides. I usually order an entree from a menu as my main. Luckily, if I can't finish my meal, I have a husband who can! I am 18 months out and have lost 40kg (about 90 pounds). Still got 10 kg (22 pounds) to go until I reach "wedding weight!! But I am quite tall at 175cm so everyone is telling me not to lose any more. I have done it slow and steady, and am delighted that I have no loose skin at all! Best wishes. It's early days yet for you. Keep positive!

It's probably different for every one, but if I eat high protein, particularly beef, pork, salmon... Then I can barely get 2 spoonfuls in. Then I want to lay down on the floor and sleep. I get very sweaty, rapid heartbeat, and dizzy. It lasts about 30 minutes. I tend to think of it as a prolonged "ice-cream headache". It is horrible, but it will pass. Burping helps! I do suffer a lot of gas and diarrhoea. That gets miserable. I was sleeved January 2018. I am 85 pounds down.

I am 18 months out, 40 kilograms (88lbs) down and I am still uninterested in food. It's distressing to my husband because we used to eat out at restaurants quite a bit, and now there is no point, because I can only have 3 bites or so and then I am full or sick. It's also left me not interested in cooking either. With small taste testings along the way and the cooking smells, I am completely not wanting to eat anything when I have finished cooking. He hates eating by himself. I don't have an answer, but it's not getting better for me. But I am still losing weight.. About 7kg now from goal. I heartily wish I could have lost weight without the surgery, I wish I had thought more about what life would be like eating so little, and this was irreversible. Do I have regret? I get a lot of dumping (yes I know that sleeve pts are not supposed to suffer from it... But I do!) and I get a lot of nausea and dry retching. Yuk.

I totally get you on this. I had yet another person yesterday tell me that I looked fantastic after losing 80lb. I am cranky too. So obviously I didn't look ok before. This annoys me. I still care about people who are struggling with their weight. They need the same affirmation that I am getting now. Why do people hate obese people!?

Hey there.. Don't be so hard on yourself! None of us would be having this surgery if we were SO good at following diets and exercise. The surgery is a fantastic tool. You just simply can't eat even a quarter of the food you used to, so you will lose weight in the early days no matter what you eat. As time goes on though, that dramatic weight slows, and then you might stall if you are still are eating foods high in sugar and carbs. I think this is the hard part. I am 14 months post sleeve and have lost 75lbs which is great because my goal was to lose 90lbs. That would get me into a healthy BMI range. So this last 15lbs is harder than the first! Do I regret it? No, because I feel physically so much better, I have been taken off my blood pressure and cholesterol meds, I have dropped 4 dress sizes and found my cheekbones and my waist again But yes, eating out is difficult, I suffer from dumping which can be awful. And sometimes food tastes SO good, and I get frustrated that I can only eat 2 mouthfuls. And this is the new status quo for the rest of my life. I wish I had been strong enough to lose the weight without the surgery, but it was too much for me. Now I am ok with that... I wasn't in the beginning. Good luck... You will be awesome! Trust me!

Oh thanks for all the replies! I am relieved to hear that there are other sleevers who suffer dumping. Some posters are adamant that sleeve patients definitely do not get dumping. The suggestion to diarise and track my food intake is a good one. Might make it easier to pin down what is causing it. And yes, then I could take that information with me to a new dietician or nutritionist.

I know.. That's what I thought too! Sleeve patients dont get dumping. I have to disclose here that my hubby is a doctor as well, and he is perplexed by my dumping symptoms. He has taken my blood pressure and other observations when I have the symptoms, and they are definitely real. I am drenched in sweat, my heart rate races to over 120, and my blood pressure drops dramatically. I become breathless and dizzy. I have seen our cardiologist and I check out ok with my EKG and echocardiogram. Should I see a new dietician? Am I reacting too much to protein? My husband is not in the field of bariatrics, so I will need to see a new surgeon. But what can they do anyway? Is this what bypass (or RouxnY) patients suffer for ever anyway? Good grief, it's miserable. I am starting to resist going out for meals and getting quite down about it.

This might be to simple, but you are weighing yourself at the same time of day, wearing the same/similar clothes? Water weight can be significant, and you might haven been a bit dehydrated when you weighed 243. I would suggest to only weigh yourself once a week. I am 14 months out and I used an app that graphed my weight loss. Sometimes I plateaued, and then I would lose 5 points in a week. Nevertheless, so far I have lost 80 pounds. Don't worry, it will happen for you!

I find this a bit worrying for you. I am 13 months out, 80 lbs down, and no way could I eat more than 1 egg in a meal, let alone 2 plus sausage. I find protein SO filling! Are you getting enough fluid? Thirst can be mistaken as hunger. A good protein shake with all the vitamins would be a better option rather more food.

Hey Michelle, Nurse Practitioner here. Sounds like you have developed surgical adhesions. Difficult to treat and unknown why it happens to some and not others. Google it and see what you think.

I am interested in this as well. I am due to have a routine colonoscopy, and am a bit alarmed about the prep too. I know there are low volume, and split volume preps available, but they still need to be augmented with extra water. Anyone with a sleeve had this done recently?

I think that gastric sleeve patients who gain the weight back probably have issues with "grazing". Snacking throughout the day on "slider" foods such as ice cream, chocolate, custards etc. My problem is not that, because I don't have a sweet tooth, nor was I a grazer. Mine was all about portion control. I would eat huge portions of seemingly healthy Chinese stir-fry with white rice, and be astonished that I gained weight! My choices of food weren't bad... Just far too much. That's why the sleeve has worked for me. 65lb down and 20lb to go.

Awesome! You must not only look fantastic but feel SO much better health wise. Great job!

I am a nurse practitioner and RNFA. Not sure how the surgery itself could be causing dry eye, but if it occurred immediately after surgery, it could be because your eyes weren't fully closed and sealed during the case. The anaesthetist usually will close your eyes, and tape them with their choice of adhesive. Otherwise the extremely dry and cold air of an OR could damage your eyes.

You could have a leak...I would be contacting your surgeons office asap. Fingers crossed it's not.

No, I didn't take Biotin specifically, but I took (and still take) a high quality multivitamin every day. It has biotin in it. Fortunately I didn't suffer any hair loss at all. I also haven't suffered any loose skin or stretch marks, but I do think that's just the luck of having good genes. Never had any problems during pregnancies either, and I stacked on the pounds and lost them then as well.

Sorry for the very late reply, but thank you! Since the end of July, I have only managed to lose another 10 pounds, so I am now 203. We did go to Europe on a cruise for a month, and I definitely ate and drank too much. So I was kind of happy that at least I didn't put ON weight during September. I am dying to get under 200 before the New Year. My renal failure is a bit worse, but the physicians think that could be because I was still taking blood pressure medication. Now that I have lost 60lbs, the medication is too strong for me and making me dizzy and faint. That means that I also probably wasn't getting enough blood flow to my kidneys. They have taken me off the meds and we will see if it improves things. Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Hi all, sleeved on Jan 31,2018. SW 265 and am 5ft 8".CW is 205, so only 60lb down. I need to lose another 25 or 30lb, but it's taking forever. Just recently returned from a month long holiday in Europe, so way too much eating and drinking. BUT I didn't gain any weight, so guess I should be happy about that. I know and understand protein requirements and limitations of carbs and sugars in or diets, as well as regular exercise. If you say it really quickly, then it doesn't hurt at all! But seriously, if we all found that diet and exercise easy to follow,then we would never have needed bariatric surgery! So I get a little frustrated when posters boast about their "new" diet plans that they follow religiously and their exercise that they do 5 days a week. How come it's all of a sudden so easy to do?

I am a January.. Sleeved on 31st. Preop weight was 261, now I am 213. My goal is 170 as well. To be honest, I thought I would have lost more by now, but I have had a few hurdles along the way. I have kidney failure, take major immunosuppresives (think Prednisone but worse) and have been knocked around by a couple of kidney infections in the last 2 months. Not what you want when your kidneys aren't working properly. So I have chronic anaemia because of the kidney failure. It's not dietary, my iron stores are fine. It's related to my bone marrow and the drugs. Anyway, all of this means that I get very tired, so exercise is nearly impossible. Walking up our stairs at home wipes me out. But imagine how much worse I would feel if I was still carrying an extra 50 lbs around! I will be happy if I can get down to at least 180 by the end of the year. I have decided it's not a race, and it will happen, just more slowly. The only benefit of having to be at the hospital so often and having my blood taken every 2 weeks (I feel like a pin cushion!) is that I know my numbers exactly. I think my diet is pretty good, but my renal doctor is trying to balance my high protein diet, with the extra stress that places on kidneys. So I have to stay under 50g protein which is ok. I have to keep my hydration up, and I sip all day long from a measured sports bottle so I know how much I have had. I have to take vitamin and mineral supplements anyway, and I have been fortunate not to have ANY loose skin or hair loss. That might be just because the weight is coming off more slowly. Anyway, I have just been started on weekly EPO injections to try and improve my anaemia and fatigue. Hopefully then I can start some gentle walking and light weights. Cause at the moment, a grandma of 90 is fitter than me!

I am with you. I was sleeved on 2\2\2018 and have lost 51lbs, so my current weight is 211. I am pleased with the weight loss, but need to take off another 50lb to get to goal. The times that I am annoyed and disappointed with myself that I couldn't do this by myself (without a sleeve) are usually when we are eating out, or having something really nice for a meal and I can only eat 3 spoons of it. I often feel like I have punished myself and the dialogue in my head goes like this "You know, if you had been more self disciplined with dieting, you wouldn't have needed a sleeve and you would have been able to enjoy this meal". And so on. Except that is not true. And I have the benefit of being twice your age and probably have done 10 more failed diets than you. Bargaining and using food as the chip is not a healthy mindset. "I will starve all week, so I can eat out on Saturday night." and it sure wasn't working for me. So I decided to go get sleeved. But as it's already been said, the sleeve is only a tool. It is still freaking hard to make decisions at every single meal as to what you are going to put in your mouth. All the sleeve is, is a volume regulator. You can choose to fill that volume with ice cream or with salmon. With French fries or lean steak. So you know what? I reckon we are still doing the hard work. Making those food choices to be healthy ones. Cause hey, if THAT was easy, none of us would be here right? So ease up on your self. You are doing a great thing for your kids and your partner, but most of all yourself!

I don't exercise. Hate mindless and repetitive workouts in the gym. I do play golf twice a week and try to get out on the driving range once a week. Walking 18 holes takes 3-4 hours. My dietician tells me weight loss is 80% food and 20% exercise. Exercise is great for fitness and toning, but you won't lose much weight. So it's really about portion control, and cutting back on sugar and carbs. Beware of hidden amounts of these. Who knew that foods like baked beans, ketchup and tinned corn contains SO much sugar! The amount of sugar in bread is ridiculous. Read your labels before you eat!

Actually, at your early stage, I was thinking all of that. I was really quite miserable for the first 2 months. Bloating, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting when I ate foods that didn't agree with me... It's a huge change, not only for your stomach, but also for your head. Then, at some point, it's like you turn the corner. Trust me, it will get better. May not be magic, but it will feel more like "the new normal". Best wishes to you.

I am almost 4 months postop and have lost 45lbs. I was 265,and now 220, height 5'9. Goal weight is 160. My health is improving all the time. I had to cut my blood pressure meds in half because I was getting dizzy, and my cardiologist thinks that I will be off them altogether in another few months. I love being able to bend down to pick up things from the floor, wrap a regular bath towel around me, going down in clothes sizes and even a shoe size every month. I love that people are definitely noticing. Funnily enough, my diet was reasonably ok preop. Always loved vegetables, salad and fruit. It was my portion sizes and my carbs that were the problem. So the sleeve works well for me because I am forced to eat WAY less, and the only thing I have trained my self to do, is to avoid sugar and only eat really low carbs. So no bread, no rice and no potato. Eat your protein first, and by the time you eat your vegetables, you won't want carbs or sugar! I don't care about fat content and I don't count calories. I love fish and chicken. I also don't exercise.. Shock, horror! But I have no signs of loose skin anywhere which is probably more to do with luck and genes. I am a very keen golfer, so I suppose doing 18 holes a couple of times a week, walking, no buggy is exercise. Driving a couple hundred balls off the range can really tire you out and build muscle. I just hate exercising in a gym... Repetitive and boring to me. What I do miss after my sleeve is eating something and having to stop after 3 mouthfuls because I am completely full. But it tastes so good, I want more of it and can't. I do eat out quite a bit (business and social) and yesterday had the most delicious eye fillet with a red wine jus. 3 bites and my husband got the rest! Not a restaurant where you have children, so no kids menu. But I find those kids menus can be carb heavy anyway. I miss carbonated drinks. Had a glass of prosecco with lunch yesterday, nearly couldn't eat at all until that bubble of air came back up. Discretely of course! I do suffer dumping quite often, which is unpleasant and so I do dislike that. We are going away tomorrow to a somewhat exclusive resort for a week and every evening is a 5 course degustation. We have been there before, so we know how delicious the food is. And now I am sad because I know that I will only be able to eat maybe one bite of each course! But overall, I am very happy because I don't think I could have restricted my portions without feeling hungry. The sleeve takes care of that.. You simply aren't hungry! If you are an emotional eater, love bread or are addicted to chocolate, then that might be a problem. You really just have to work out what your weak points are, and decide whether the sleeve is right for you.