MandoGetsSleeved

As someone who started traveling less than 3 weeks post surgery, my biggest advice is to make sure you load up on what you need before the day starts (proteins that you can "safely" eat) - Just keeping enough snacks/food that you know you can tolerate easily during the flight rather than relying on whatever they provide you. For me, an aisle seat was key on long hauls also just so that I could get up and walk if needed. Extra water for the flight was also very helpful. Mostly, enjoy the extra room! That was seriously a game changer for me. Before surgery, I'd panic if I had to fly coach wondering if I'd get a seatbelt that fit or have someone beside me that was just disgusted at my presence.

@Hey Man - I feel your pain here. As others have stated, it's really a mental game. I'm dealing with it myself and HAVE opted to go for the "pouch reset" - or as I call it ... the "OUCH" reset. Going back to the basics seems to put me in a better mental state and reminds me constantly of what it took to lose the weight initially and what I have to do. Personally, if I try and make small changes one at a time, I find myself cheating and going back to deluding myself (I just ate a small bowl of chili, I just ate one slider, I just ate a scoop of ice cream, etc -) whereas if I go full bariatric - track, weigh, ONLY meals (vs snacks) make fluids a priority; it's actually easier for me mentally.

Thank you for this timely post - I'm 4 years out and have gained ~25 from my lowest. For months I've stuck my head in the sand and pretended it wasn't happening. Got on the scale Sunday, felt sorry for myself - blamed it on work stress, home stress, etc - Decided to log in here on Monday and this was the first post I saw. THANK YOU again for the wake up call. I restarted tracking yesterday (let's hope it sticks this time!) and rather than "just eat", purposely made better choices, got my protein in - Found that if I eat what I'm supposed to, I really do get full quickly. The tool works, you just have to let it.

UGH - Just UGH - I'm an idiot. I KNOW what to do.... but can't seem to get back into the game. Up almost 15lbs from my lowest and can't seem to get it back under control. A couple of weeks ago, I put some slacks away because they no longer fit comfortably. It just about made me sick to toss my "goal pants" on a shelf. As I type this, I'm thinking I need to go back to where I started. Put those bad boys back in the closet, try them on weekly (like I used to) until they fit right again. STOP wearing the comfortable stretchy leggings that I wore when I was losing weight... It's so easy to get comfortable at this point. I guess this is really just a rant (and a warning): don't get comfortable. Pay attention and BEFORE things get out of control, get back on track. It's much easier to lose 5 than 15. I tend to be a social eater/drinker vs. emotional so I know that I need to make sure I have the right (raw veggies and fruit) foods available when in social gatherings instead of the "standard" snack foods (charcuterie boards are my absolute downfall). Knowing I will have an adult beverage, making sure I'm also drinking a water in between to at least slow myself down.... Putting on those ill-fitting shorts at home to remind myself NOT to over indulge. Make small changes every week instead of trying to go all-in with a "pouch reset" (which I fail miserably at every time I try). Take pictures and compare. Anything it takes to remind yourself of WHY you did this to begin with. TRACK - Whew, I can't say that enough... TRACK. My failure to track is why I am where I am. When I see what's going in, it's a real eye-opener.

Thank you all! One thing to edit/add is that I consider the "pouch reset" a myth also from the perspective of shrinking my stomach, but consider it rather a "mind reset" of what I did in the beginning and getting back on track mentally. As @Arabesque says, weighing myself daily - Another mental reset for me. I can easily stick my head in the sand if I'm not on the scale, so no matter how painful it might be (especially after my last cruise where I went overboard with the um... adult beverages like sweet martini's), sometimes it takes that dose of reality to get you back on track. I'm back down to my standard weight (was easier than I thought to lose 10 when I paid attention which is a problem in itself), I still want to hit my goal of 155 - One day.... One day at a time. Glad I stopped by here this morning - Getting ready to head out on the boat. Was initially going to pack the standard stuff, but inspired to change it up: Cut up veggies for snacks, more water and Gatorade Zero, less adult beverages in the coolers. Will make sure to take a picture and compare to a year ago so I remember WHERE I want to be vs. where I am. Thanks ladies and gents!

Well hell, I'll weigh in on this one! Sleeved in August - Had my first drink in September (birthday) - Only a single drink and no issues and didn't have anything else until vacation in February - I was SUPER excited that I could actually drink a whole beer. Again, no issues, just feeling a bit bloated after one so that was a good thing. Fast forward.... 2 years - I could drink like I used to. Mixed drinks like Martini's with no carbonation - like it's water. Fizzy drinks like beer or white claws - a little slower, but I can keep pace pretty well. What HAS happened now though, I don't get that happy buzz. I go from "just fine" to "OMG, I'm hammered" at some point during the day with no in between. It's a VERY delicate balance to make sure I stay in the "just fine" category as I've found that when I hit the "OMG, I'm hammered" stage, I don't remember things the next day. Fortunately, I'm apparently a very happy drunk that doesn't do stupid things... but still - I hate that I can't hold it like I used to.

First, degrading someone because of their weight is simply UNACCEPTABLE. Period. That being said, I may have a different take on some of this. I've been VERY open about my surgery with family, friends, and co-workers (I've actually had two co-workers have the surgery after they saw my success). I WAS fat. Seriously FAT. Even if people didn't say things, I know darned well they thought them. Maybe it's because I am/was so open about the surgery, people are more comfortable saying "DAMN, I didn't realize you were THAT big!" when they look at before pictures. It doesn't bother me at all. I take pride in my accomplishment and try to use it as an educational moment. On another note, one thing I find myself doing now is sometimes thinking about how this surgery could change someones life. Not from a "OMG, did you see how much food they are eating??!!", but rather seeing someone overweight, struggling to walk, out of breath, etc (just like I was before surgery) and thinking to myself (I would NEVER say anything unsolicited) MAN, surgery could change your life.... Anyway, my takeaway, is that people ARE going to see you differently. Some are idiots and are going to say things they THINK are appropriate because now you're "one of them" and offend you. All you can really do is be proud of what YOU have accomplished and if they offend you, let them know.

You've got this! You definitely haven't stretched anything out. The first few weeks figuring everything out is tough and it's pretty easy to freak yourself out. I will say that once you start eating real/solid foods, you'll notice that you get full VERY quick. A word of warning - Eat SLOWLY ... as in VERY slowly. Otherwise, you will generally feel absolutely miserable. I'm just over 3 years out and I can pretty easily drink and eat at the same time, so don't worry about that part. In the beginning, it's much harder to do. Only other warning I might give you is to be careful with grazing throughout the day. It can be a slippery slope to take what was (pre-surgery) a normal size meal for you and eat on it all day (been there/done that) thinking that you're only eating a little bit at a time. It can quickly add up in calories and sabatoge you.

3 years out for me and weighed myself this morning.... UGH - 10lbs up. Funny, as soon as I weighed myself, I thought of this forum and this was one of the first posts I saw. I think we lose the weight, get comfortable, and "forget" the WHY and HOW we got here. Something I heard over the holidays: "Wow, I am so proud of you for keeping the weight off" - Me thinking: (as I'm drinking a high calorie cocktail).... I'm pretty much a failure at the moment.... Here's the reality - I lost the weight, got comfortable, quit tracking, eating whatever and whenever I want - Results: 10lbs weight gain. For me, the trick seems to be: Be a slave to the scale, TRACK TRACK TRACK. and get back into this forum. Tracking and weighing seems to be the only way I don't lie to myself (as if my clothes don't tell me...). Get back on the forum and remind myself daily of what I need to do vs. what I want to do. Going to try and get back to the basics: fluids and protein - skip the boredom/stress snacking and nix the alcohol. Thanks for these posts and knowing we aren't alone in this journey!

I know most folks here can relate - I'm well over a year out and these last 10lbs to my "real" goal are just killing me. I jump back on the bandwagon for a week or so and lose 2-3 lbs and then gain them back for no apparent reason (other than hormones and such) which of course puts me in a mood to just give up and go back to normal maintenance... then again, lose/gain the same 2-3 lbs over the next few weeks. Particularly when everyone is commenting on how great you look and "WOW, you are killing it, you look smaller every time I see you." No dammit - I want to lose at least another 10-20 lbs... I know what I need to do, just can't seem to get in the right headspace for more than a week or two.

@BlondePatriotinCDA, oh how I wish it was muscle! It's fat.... It's crappy diet and laziness - hence the reason I'm back to the forum for accountability. I haven't posted in about a year and funny that this was at the top of the rants and raves. Thank you for the response and personally for me, the reality check. I'm up about 5lbs (consistently over weeks), so I definitely know it's not hormones and I KNOW I have to get back to basics. So what do we do in these situations? Log in regularly, track what you eat (so you can't rationalize poor diet), and look at pictures of yourself when you were obese. I NEVER want to go back to painful joints, embarassing pictures, and not being able to buy clothing from pretty much anywhere I wanted (Oh, and I spent a fortune on new clothes so I don't want to go through that either!). Thanks to all here for being a sounding board and reminding me of WHY.

As others have stated, sorry you are going through so many issues and I appreciate when folks state the other side of things. That being said, I would say that many (if not most) of us who have had the surgery haven't experienced the post operative effects that you have had. Personally, it's been 3 years for me. Without a doubt, the best decision of my life. I've been fortunate to have basically had zero negative side effects. This IS a life altering surgery. You won't be able to eat what you previously referred to as a "normal" sized meal. What we considered normal pre-surgery certainly wasn't healthy or we wouldn't have been obese... I believe anyone considering the surgery should read EVERYTHING (positive and negative) and make the choice that is right for THEM.

Congrats! You've done fantastic!! I'm almost 3 years out and can relate to much of what you've said with regards to hunger coming back and being able to eat quite a bit more. Just curious though, do you find that it "comes and goes"? There are some days I feel huge restriction - like I can only eat a few bites of something, and then others I am hungry all day. Doesn't seem to matter what type of food it is (protein, salad, or slider foods). Also, much like you, I've had no issues with any different foods (sometimes I wish I did!).

Bored - Best description I can come up with. Sitting here @ about 80lbs lost and in a stall. Why? Because I'm lazy and gotten complacent!! Joined the gym... haven't gone yet. The first 80lbs were beyond easy. I'm one of the lucky ones - No complications, no adverse reactions to any kinds of food/drink. All my friends/family are commenting on how good I'm looking and how proud they are. I'm even happy with where I am for now. Here's the rub - I'm happy (yeah, I know that sounds stupid) - Able to do more, feel better, and truly enjoying life. The problem? That's the black hole I get into. Happy = Family, friends, boating, food, etc and ultimately leads to my not following the plan. I've got at least 40lbs to go. Looking at the numbers, that means I'm "only" 2/3's to my goal. This is without a doubt the best decision I've ever made for ME - Now I have to figure out how to use this tool for the rest of my life - Not just for 80lbs. I know what I HAVE to do, now I just need to figure out for myself HOW to do it. I'm not much of a tracker (I manage to track for a few days, goes well, I get lazy.... you get the picture). The one thing that HAS worked is getting on the scale every day. I'm acknowleding that's what works for ME - it holds me accountable and makes me more aware of the slips and their ramifications. This forum is awesome for making me look at what I've done right and what I've done wrong. Seeing others with the same issues helps me know this is normal and often part of the process. I have a feeling that I'll be on here for a long time (if nothing else, just for reality checks).... So in closing, thank you ALL for your insight and comradarie. You've made this journey much easier to understand and relate to.

Welcome back @acbenford. Just an update from the OP - Still a horrible tracker, but daily weigher. Still working for me and if I vary more than 2-3 lbs I get back focused for a week or more and that settles be back into a better routine for several more weeks. Losing very slowly these days, but still losing so not complaining.

YES! You'll sort of get used to it. I'm assuming that some days you feel like grazing and other days you basically forget to eat?

Strange, I’ve been having the same issue lately. Blood work good, surgery in 2020. At first it was just dizziness when standing, but took my first hard fall earlier this week.

I'm gonna go old school - Take your shakes/protein water and don't worry about it. If you're comfortable telling folks about the surgery, my experience at work events was that everyone was really cool with it and often went out of their way to accomodate me (not pushing food or making it awkward when I wasn't eating).

Interesting take on this. Self reflecting….my “fat” days I think are either grazing days or when I get hungry (or think I’m hungry)

Super easy - A bit of Mayo, some mustard and stir it up. Once you're on solids add some chopped up pickle (wait for this for now) and/or jalepeno if you like spicy.

You just reminded me of how good egg salad was (FYI, another soft food that is AH-MA-ZING in the first few weeks of soft foods). Fixed it and YUM! Thank you and enjoy this phase.

Arabesque is POINT ON with the body dysmorphia. I went from a size 24 to a size 10. I'm currently obesssed with losing another 20lbs because there are days that I *feel* 300lbs. It's definitely a mind @*$& sometimes. Something stupid... I've been in 10's for a good year now - Yesterday I went to Banana Republic and bought a pair of pants - I didn't try them on and just KNEW I was a size 12. Got them home and my husband just laughed at them falling off me. We'll probably always have some sort of mind screw if you were overweight for a long time- whether you feel like you're a size 2 or a size 20, it's just part of the journey I think.

What Catwoman says - I'm almost 3 years out and the restriction is definitely still there. What you will learn over time is that some foods will fill you up MUCH quicker than others. Some will sit heavier than others. These will vary from person to person (I know, it makes no sense). Example, my buddy who had the same surgery at about the same time and with the same surgeon can eat a whopping 2 chicken wings before he's done. I can easily eat 3-4 of the same wings. Meanwhile, lobster - That guy can tear through a lobster like it's nothing. Me; I can maybe eat half of it. The only thing I can think of is the speed of which we eat because AFTER he eats that lobster he's pacing the floor and walking it off for an hour! I think what a lot of people figure out (I know I have) is you CAN out eat the sleeve if you try. This can be by grazing constantly, eating slider foods (anything that goes right through or you chew into nothing - think soft foods like ice cream or hard foods like potato chips), or contantly overeating. For me, I found that around 8 months or so that's where I found my new normal as far as how much I could eat at a normal meal and even today if I put more than 6-8ox of food total (protein and vegetables) on my plate I can't even consider eating all of it. Usually it's more in the 4-5 oz range total and I'm full and not uncomfortable at 3 years out.

CONGRATS! Words of advice... seriously eat SLOWLY and start with 1 egg. I thought people were smoking some serious drugs when they told me a single egg would make me full. I barely finished it in 20 mins or so and good grief, I swear it was the most glorious thing I'd ever eaten!

Gonna make some assumptions here ... You lost weight (quickly), felt great, found out early on because there was SO MUCH restriction that you could pretty much eat whatever you wanted and not gain weight because of the super small portions, quit tracking, quit weighing daily because clothes fit? Then slowly... noticed those new clothes were getting tight? If yes to all (or any) of the above.... well... life happens. Getting back on track is/was tough for me. It's easy to SAY "go back to the basics" - It's much harder to do (at least for me). My advice is to start tracking, change one thing at a time (leave one bad food that's become a habit at a time). Weigh yourself often. Don't let YOU lie to YOU. For me at least, tracking and weighing helps keep me in check. Even if it's just eating bad food one day or even multiple days (this weekend was steak quesadillas for example, but when I tracked them I was conscious of how many calories I was putting into my body and stopped at 2 pieces). Even if I get lazy and don't track, I weigh. Holds me accountable and keeps 2-3lbs from becoming 10-15lbs. Know you aren't alone in the journey - Know you're probably going to screw up. It's OK - Just let yesterday be yesterday and try to do better the next day. It's a marathon, not a sprint.