Spinoza

A resounding yes from me to making soup and then pureeing it - that what got me through the full liquid and pureed phases. I had a little stock of tiny tubs frozen too

Mine was 800 calories a day max for 2 weeks. There are so many different approaches in different centres but they're all aimed at shrinking the liver to make the surgery technically easier. Good luck with yours!

I've gone from 40J to 36 H. Doesn't seem as dramatic a shift as some others here! Almost at goal, so I think I'll be here or hereabouts moving forward. Have been buying less expensive bras during my weight loss phase but really need some proper scaffolding moving forwards.

Best of luck - I think you won't regret your decision.

Fab to hear you're doing so well @Terrybelle Onwards and downwards

I totally agree, a 10lb regain at 18 months seems not unusual after the sleeve. Can you go right back to your post op diet - protein first, veg second, and then stop when you're full? Eat slowly, no water for half an hour but drink plenty of water between meals? Are you tracking religiously - could slider foods or high calorie low nutrient foods have become the norm for you? Also, if you could fill in your weight loss statistics in your profile it would really help people to advise you.

Mine took until about 5 months to start and was/still is markedly increased general shedding. I think it's just about tailing off now at 8 months. I've had worse before when doing VLCDs - that seemed to be much heavier but not last as long. No actual patches but definitely visible thinning, e.g. at the temples. No regrowth as yet but fingers crossed that will come now, or at least when I hit maintenance! Good luck, hope yours isn't too problematic for you - definitely not my favourite side effect of the surgery. Well actually weight loss is my favourite side effect, so I'll take a bit of hair loss to get that!

Hi Mel, I have read your post a couple of times and although I don't have experience to share, because I'm still in my initial weight loss phase, I wanted to thank you for telling us how you are - It's really helpful to read about how people do in the long term. You're right - 15lbs doesn't sound a lot at all because I presume you lost a stack of weight in 2016, but I totally get that you're not happy with that - I don't think I would be. The best thing is that not only have you called it at this point, you've come here where you will get loads of support and people with the same experience to help you! AND you've identified that it's your life stresses that are triggering it, so that's the first step to getting it sorted. I've seen people here who regained and who did various things to try to lose again. Would it be possible to get some help with your life issues first because then the eating might be easier to tackle, rather than being another issue to beat yourself up about? Then could you go right back to your post-op diet for a while? Empty the house of all those 'punishment' foods and fill it up with protein-based snacks. I absolutely love deli meats - chicken or turkey or pastrami slices that are easy to grab when you're grazing, tins of tuna you can make into a salad really quickly and that will fill you up nice and quickly. High protein yoghurt, etc. Start drinking more water if that has slipped. Finally it sounds like you really need to find another gym - could you do that? Or as the others say, a home exercise regime? That has a double benefit in that it should lift your mood a bit too. Do you have family or friends who you can talk to and who can support you? I don't mean nag, only you can decide it's time to switch things around again, but just to be there for you as you do it? I know when you aren't feeling good it can seem impossible to change things, and it's easy for some random stranger on the internet to try to fix things 'for you'. It's not like that here though - people will all identify with your current position, lots have been there and lots of us will be in the future. It would be brilliant if you could let us know how you do. Maybe do just one thing differently this week and see how that goes. All the very very best. 15lbs will be hard but it's totally doable isn't it? Your sleeve is still there and it will help you. So will we. xx

When I say too thin for me I mean I remember my mother saying years ago that after a certain age when losing weight you have to choose between your face and your arse (pardon the vulgarity) and I intend to choose my face because more people see that

My surgeon asked me what I wanted to achieve in my life (I said to get back to running again, and laughed inwardly as I said it but of course I am now)! He told me that the average loss was 60-70% of excess weight and I'm already past that. My final completely arbitrary goal is 160 lbs but honestly if I stopped losing today at 170 I would still view that as an *enormous* win, even with the chance of a regain in year 2 or 3, which happens to a lot of folks. My 'ideal' body weight is apparently 145 (just went to an online calculator), which I think would be too thin for me. I have no intention of restricting my diet in order to maintain some unachievable final weight that I have in my head - I've spent a lifetime doing that. I want to relax into my new life and enjoy it!

Amazing.

Oh I love reading this thread - we all have different approaches and they're all valid. I told my husband and children, my work manager because I needed time off and couldn't lie, and nobody else, and am not going to. I do get the occasional twinge of guilt when family and friends comment on my weight loss but as far as they are concerned I am 'strictly calorie counting' (which technically speaking isn't a lie). I would rather live with that occasional guilt than deal with/respond to their reactions, whether supportive or critical. I don't like a fuss. That's just me though. To each their own Good luck whatever you decide.

Also @SleeveDiva2022 love your new photo - what a transformation already!

And, just to prove how suggestible I am, I went and bought a load in my grocery shopping this week after reading this thread.

That's the August 2022 people's thread - jump right in!

Welcome and good luck with your journey Steve. You will get so much support and information on this forum, it's been an absolute lifesaver for me. Post plenty and get to know folks. There'll be an August surgery thread on the sleeve forum you should join so you get to chat with people at the same stage. You won't regret this - the pre-op diet is rough for some people (and 3 weeks is a long one) but for me it honestly wasn't bad at all - have done 800 calorie diets so many times in my life and this was a means to a very wanted end! Best of luck, I hope it all goes smoothly for you

Not the worst thing to cheat with and you have everyone here's sympathy, it's really REALLY hard. I agree, I would tell your team just in case though. Good luck with the rest of your preparation.

125 down is just amazing! I do get the occasional day of bad eating - not too many - but I try to get back on the horse the next day with protein first, which has worked so far. Vacations are difficult - eating goes all topsy-turvy. Good luck with the 10lbs this month - that was almost my maximum rate of loss right after surgery!! It's about a pound a week now but I'm happy with that. How much more would you like to lose in total @ForMyOhana?

Soooo pleased for you @DaisyAndSunshine You deserve every last pound of your loss. Bring on the next phase! And remind me I said that this time next year, LOL).

I just ate it with a spoon straight out of the tub and it was totally yum - one of my favourites.

Really glad you didn't come to any harm and I totally understand that craving - I've had so many different cravings at different stages! Could you try some clear stock or bouillon when the others around you are eating proper food? Or just take yourself away from the dining room for a few weeks? It's such a short time and it's so important for your long term health, as the others have said. Otherwise - forgive yourself, you are human as we all are. We're all here to support you - all the very best on your journey - you'll be telling us about your 100lb loss in no time I'm sure

Hi guys - we've done 8 months now, how are you all doing? I like this thread because I can look back and see my journey - never did a thread all to myself. All good here - I'm 8 months and a week post op, current weight 173 and total loss 103lbs. BMI 25.5. In the last month I have averaged a loss of 1.25lbs a week, which I'm thrilled with. Ideally I would love to lose another stone but that's in the lap of the gods. Either way I'm extremely happy to have had this procedure. Eating a bit more (volume-wise) in the last few weeks as my hunger has properly returned now - it never really left, but I had a few weeks of what I called full-hunger, when I had eaten what would have filled me up before but it just didn't any more, even if I waited 40 minutes or so, so I've been upping the portion sizes - just a little - and I'm feeling properly full again. I suspect this is going to be a pattern until I reach my new weight. I'm eating more or less all foods now - still protein first veg second most of the time but I have had occasional bread, no pasta no rice but a small slice or two of pizza etc. and it's all sitting well with me. Trying to average 1200 calories a day still but at weekends I go over that and I'm not beating myself up about it. Would love to hear from you all - or at least the people who are still visiting this board 8 months on. Hope you're having the time of your lives - I certainly am.

Sounds awful. Have you tested yourself for Covid? Hope you feel better soon.

Hi all, Just wanted to thank you wonderful people for your support and wisdom over the last 9 months. I've lost 100lbs as of today. My weight loss is really slowing down now but I'm so happy with where I am that anything more will just be the icing on the cake.

So are you on a stricter pre-op diet this time? What went wrong last time?? Best of luck anyway.