hopeful333

Hello Everyone, just wanted to touch base with my fellow May sleevers. I am curious about results thus far and calorie intake. I am receiving conflicting information from my doctor (who says I should consume 1000 calories a day) and my nutritionist (who says I should consume 700 calories a day). I have been struggling and frustrated with my progress. I know where I need to tighten things up but am looking for support and encouragement. I have lost 28 pounds since my surgery on May 2nd. 41 pounds down from my highest weight. HW: 219 Surgery Weight: 205 Current Weight: 177 48 yrs old, 5’4”

So sorry for your loss Kathy😢

Hello and welcome. I am an RN and had the sleeve done in May. I researched about the efficacy and a little about the procedure but tried to not read too much about it so that I wasn’t overwhelmed. I did fine and had no complications. You won’t regret it.

I saw my bariatrician yesterday for my 4 month post op. She said that I should have lost 40 lbs by now. I have lost 20 since my surgery on 5/2/18. I know I need to exercise more and tighten up my diet by decreasing carbs and increasing protein. I am going to try increasing my calorie intake to 1000 cal as she suggested and pray that my weight loss picks up. I have only been losing a 1/2 to 1 lb every other week. I have a follow up with her in two months and want to be 20 lbs down by then. Feeling so low today! Current weight 184 Surgery weight 205 Highest weight 222 Surgery: Gastric Sleeve 5/2/18 48 yrs old, 5’4”

Thanks so much for the encouragement

Already on that, 😊

I am struggling and so frustrated. I had my last period the day of my surgery 5/2/18. I have not had one since. I am 48 years old, wondering if the surgery triggered menopause. I have PMS symptoms every month which are getting worse. I feel sad, depressed, cry too easily and get angry so quickly. I am upset because my weight loss is so slow and am afraid that I won’t lose the weight I need to. I lose 1/2 lb to a 1 lb a week if I am lucky, seem to stall frequently. I know I need to increase my exercise but just feel so miserable that I can barely get through the day. I feel like a failure, I weighed 206 on the day of my surgery and weigh 184 now. 22 lbs in 3 months when the doctor says I should be losing 10 lbs a month! Today is rough, crying and trying to work is difficult. Thanks for letting me vent❤️

Thanks for the encouragement letsgetgoing❤️

Thank you for your response. I have an appointment with my bariatrician this month. We do have a support group that meets twice a month, I haven’t been yet but maybe I will give that a try. I have lost inches for sure but continue to wrestle with food demons. I pick myself up when I fall and press on. I agree that my age is a factor. Thanks for the encouragement!

I am slowly losing weight and had a stall for almost 4 Weeks which finally broke last week. The victory is found in being able to wear clothes that were too tight previously and that I would have never worn out in public before. Surgery Date 5/2/18 HW: 222 SW: 206 CW: 185

Thank you for sharing that about the MM’s. It is so interesting that you experienced that because I had a similar experience with eating trail mix and a brownie in bite size pieces. Sugar is the devil!!! I will not fail at this. I am in a stall for almost 3 Weeks now but I had this surgery to make sure I succeed. Sure, candy and sweets taste good but the feeling I have about being a failure is not worth it.

Your friend gave you wise advice. A support system is crucial. I would be in big trouble without my husband and kids supporting me. Thanks for sharing. I am so grateful for this site.

SueperGal: Vent away!!! I can relate. I was sleeved on 5/2/18. My progress has been slow with a few stalls. I have been stuck for 17 days around the same weight (187). My surgery weight was 205, with my highest weight being 222. I am 5’4”. I am so scared that I won’t drop any lower than this weight because in the past, this is the lowest weight that I have been able to reach. When frustration kicks in I self sabotage and make bad food choices while beating myself up. I didn’t go through all of this and have the surgery to fail. I can’t quit on myself. This week has been rough. I have made some poor choices but I am aware and working on them. I am going to go to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting for the first time at noon today. I need support and help before I completely derail.

A 1, thank God

I take Colace 2 tabs daily to help things stay moving

Hello Everyone-I frequently visit this site for inspiration and encouragement. I am 5 week’s post-op today. I am ecstatic that I am sleeved. Lately though, I see a lot of posts about people gaining back what they lost and more. That is so discouraging to me. I know my sleeve is a tool. I know that my new way of eating is for life. The sleeve helps so much with portion control. My question is...do you eventually lose the restriction you feel while eating? I don’t want to lose that feeling of being satiated with just a small amount of food? In my nutrition classes prior to surgery, the rules were stressed over and over. Eat your protein first (at least 60 to 75 grams), no drinking with meals, stop drinking fluids 30 min before and no drinking 30 minutes after meals, 64 ounces or more of water per day (still working to meet this goal), exercise and vitamins. I am sticking to this now and working on my mindset to commit lifelong to this. My motivation for this is that the sleeve will allow me to eat less and succeed. Why do so many regain? Is there no hope to keeping the weight off permanently?

I didn’t have to do the 2 week pre-op full liquid diet. I lost 20 lbs in the six months prior to surgery eating low carb, high protein and my surgeon said that was sufficient. I did clear liquids the day before surgery.

Yesterday was a failure. I made poor decisions regarding what I ate. I felt physically ill all night. Today, I got up and started over. Thought about why I got to this point in the first place of needing weight loss surgery. I deserve to feel better about myself and to look better. I will not stop fighting and I won’t quit on myself!!! These photos are from today, 7 week’s post op. I see changes even if only small ones!

Yes, and I felt awful physically and emotionally!!! I ate 5 pieces of dark chocolate, some ice cream, and a chocolate chip cookie all in one day. This was yesterday in fact. I am 7 week’s post op and feel like a complete failure. Today is a new day though...back on track. Food addiction is real and I hate it!!!

This is a list of protein suggestions from my Kaiser Bariatrician

Hi Betty- You and I had surgery on the same day and I am also a Kaiser patient. I had my surgery at Kaiser West Los Angeles. You can do this. I know that it is overwhelming but we committed to this change and need to just keep taking each day as it comes. As far as what to eat, www.kp.org/bariatrics/westla has information regarding what to eat at each stage including suggested calorie intake per day. Have you reached out to the Bariatric Dietitian/Nutritionist in your area? I have e-mailed mine and had a phone consult since surgery. Our vitamins are a must for the rest of our lives. The consequences of not taking them may not be visible but it will harm us. My motivation for taking them is my hair. Though I am could still lose a lot of it even with meeting protein goals and taking my vitamins, I have to do all that I can possibly do to try and prevent it. I am finishing up my chewable Bariatric Advantage Vitamins and then will move on to the pill form. I don't particularly like the taste of chewables but I do it all the same. The Calcium Citrate chewable tastes good so no issues with that. Every morning, I have a Premier Protein Shake, whether I feel hungry or not. It may take me two hours to get through it or 30 minutes, it all depends on the day. I then take my vitamin, probiotic, and Prilosec. I track what I eat and drink with the My Fitness Pal app and use a food scale to weight what I am eating. I have toddler utensils and small dishes to help remind me to eat slow and to train myself about food quantities. I am not an expert but I am willing to be here for you if you need support. I struggle too but am so grateful that I did the surgery. I am still working on getting enough water, and am currently in a stall with my weight loss which caused me to have a meltdown earlier this week. I have tried everything to lose weight and could only lose the same thirty pounds only to gain it back. When I took this drastic leap, I promised myself that I would work everyday to change my habits and lifestyle for the better. This site is such a blessing to me. I don't feel alone because of the people here and their willingness to support each other. We are still learning how to do this. Each day gets better and one day we will look back and see how far we have come. Hang in there! Staci

Proudgrammy are you saying that after 2 1/2 years you felt no restriction at all? You look amazing and I am grateful for your words of wisdom, just want to clarify about the restriction. Staci

Celebrating even the small changes thus far, 6 week’s post op tomorrow. In a stall right now and weight loss is slow but I am going the right direction.

I am six weeks post op tomorrow and am in a stall as well, for the past two weeks it seems. Yesterday was a horrible day, I reverted to my old habits when I am disappointed in my failure to lose weight. I sabotaged myself and ate some junk food. I felt physically and emotionally sick and so disappointed in myself. I chose to have weight loss surgery so that I can finally move forward in getting healthy and promised myself that I would not get upset over the pace of my weight loss. I picked myself up today, worked out as soon as I got up and today is a new day. I have been tracking my food with My Fitness Pal but didn't track the piece of cupcake that I ate yesterday because I was too ashamed. I love this forum because it is the only place that I can be completely honest. After reading about stalls on these forums, I know that they happen and will break as long as I keep following the rules.

Hello everyone. My surgery was May 2nd, gastric sleeve. As of tomorrow it will be 4 weeks post op for me. My highest weight was 222 in November 2017, when I started the journey towards WLS. My surgery weight was 207. I weighed myself yesterday and I weigh 193.1. (down 13.9 lbs since surgery, 28.9 lbs lost from highest weight). I am struggling with fear. Scared that this drastic surgery will not work for me. Constantly wondering with each stomach pain, am I hungry?, am I eating too much? I was upset when I realized that my weight loss since surgery is ONLY 13.9 lbs but I finally snapped out of that. I am losing weight and that is all that matters. The number on the scale is going down rather than up. Instead of worrying about failure, which leaves failure as an option I need to believe in myself and my tool. I struggle with food addiction but this tool gives me the ability to really think about what I am eating. I track my food and water intake with my fitness pal. Getting enough water is a struggle for me. I am doing well with meeting my goals in protein because of protein shakes (Isopure and Premier). It is really hard to figure all of this out., to condense to three meals and a snack instead of sipping on liquids all day. What constitutes a meal really? How many ounces at one time? All the information I have learned and been given, and yet...it is so unclear to me. My stomach has settled, not so many spasms. I try to listen to what my body is telling me. I am so happy I did this but it is difficult. This is the new normal for me. Best wishes to all of you!