NtvTxn

You won't believe what your life will be like, one year after surgery!!! Good luck & hold on tight, it's a wild ride...enjoy every minute of it!!!!

I was 50 when I had surgery, I'm 54 now. Life altering, that's all I can say. People tell me I look younger, I don't know about that, but I sure feel good. Shopping is fun, life feels normal as a thin person. I still obsess about food, but I'm in control now, food is not. It's fun NOT being the biggest girl in the room......many times I'm the smallest. I underestimated what I could do with this tiny tummy, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd weigh under 145 and wear 4's and 6's.

I didn't have anything until about fourteen months out, but I don't drink often. The only things I've really had are choc martinis, pineapple juice and Malibu rum and Kahlua and coffee.

BTW, I do NOT think the sleeve stop working, we might, but the sleeve does not. If I'm up two pounds, losing it is not a problem. It might be more difficult if you have eight or ten to lose, but I am certain it can be done. I have a friend who was injured, had back surgery and ended up gaining 30 pounds, she lost almost 150 the first ten months, so she KNEW what to do and she did. She's lost it and is maintaining!

It's absolutely true. I am almost 3.5 years out, I've been maintaining easily for not quite three years, but as time goes on you are able to eat more, so if your bad habits haven't been addressed, even though you can still eat less than before, weigh loss will slow down and it will be harder to get to goal. I made the most of it and hit goal at six months, by the time I was one year out, I could eat substantially more than the 1/8 cup I was eating that first month. My doctor doesn't want his patients to EVER eat more than a cup of food at one meal, I still cannot eat a cup of food. Hopefully I never will be able too. I think many people struggle after the honeymoon period (6 - 12 months) because they've let bad habits slip back into their lives. I was very strict with myself when I was losing. NOTHING that you'd normally consider 'bad'. Nothing at all sweet, fried and I limited Pasta, potatoes and bread....I still limit them quite a bit. I didn't eat real butter.....I was careful and mindful of every single thing that I ate. I logged it all, I weighed daily, I weighed and/or measured my food. These are things I still do today and I will have to do forever. They're as natural to me as breathing. I know how quickly I can gain, I have a comfort zone, and if I'm a half pound above my high end, I cut back my calories by 100 - 150 per day. For the first time in my life, I NEVER feel guilty about what I eat, for the first time in my adult life, I am not on a diet. I am in control, food is not. It's very liberating to throw food away. My restriction is still very good, I try and under eat my sleeve, if I FEEL full, it's too late, I'm miserable. I haven't been hungry in almost 3.5 years, I have what I call my new hunger, more of an empty feeling. I love my sleeve, not a minute of buyer's remorse.

Surgery was June 11, 2010. I've been maintaining since January 2011. It's easier than I'd ever dreamed it would be.

I don't like yogurt, Greek or otherwise, but my husband has gotten hooked on it. His favorite, and it's also reasonably priced is Lucerne, Plain Greek Yogurt. He adds a stevia and I change it up for him, right now I have some granola for him to add. Some times he'll add Grape Nuts, some time mini choc chips. Sugar is not a concern for him, but it's 10.9 grams per 8 oz serving.

My dietitian's instructions were to keep it to 10 mg of sugar per serving.

Hi Ashley, You're welcome! It is possible, I feel like I live the life of a naturally thin person. Develop good habits now, it makes life very easy in the long run. All the things I do, my "dashboard" is my new normal, as natural to me as breathing!!! Good luck to you, hold on tight, it's a wild ride, but OH SO FUN!!!!

My doctor doesn't want his patients to ever eat more than a cup of food at one meal. I am almost 3.5 years out and cannot eat a cup of food. Restriction is still really good.

I have to ask, if you refuse to do the things you listed, what changes are you willing to make after having approx 85% of your stomach removed? After the doctor does HIS part, and we wake up in recovery, the rest is up to us. We have after all, made a lifetime commitment. There is no end date. I do all the things you listed and it does not feel like a diet, it makes ME feel in control for the first time in my adult life. Had I counted calories, had I been diligent 30 years ago, I might not have found myself sitting in the waiting room of a bariatric surgeon. I made 'healthy' choices, I thought I did, until my fitness pal told me differently, I didn't realize the calories some things contained. I believe it when they say we always underestimate when guessing at calories. You do not have to do what I do, but you must do something if you expect long term, forever success.

I reached goal in under six months. I've been maintaining for almost 3 years. For the first time in my life I eat without guilt. I enjoy food, I mindfully eat. Nothing other than carbonation is 'off limits'. I may choose NOT to eat something, or choose not to it something often, but making wiser choices is much easier. I have a dashboard, just like my truck does. I weigh every morning, I weigh and/or measure my food, I log my food on my fitness pal and track calories and Protein. Just like on my truck, if something is 'off' I know it and know it's time to change something for a few days. I cannot become complacent, I know me, it's a slippery slope. Ten pounds can appear in the blink of an eye, not so easy to drop at this point after WLS, although i don't know first hand, I have a good idea. Losing one or two pounds, not a big deal. Lowering calories by 100 - 150 per day, will send the scale in the other direction and it will all be good in several days. This is what works for me....again I say, I am never deprived, but everything is counted in MFP, I have ice cream, a jr. dip, once or twice a week. No guilt, this new normal is nice.

It was always good, but since I feel better about being in my own skin......wow.

It may be 'just a number' to some, but to me, it goes far beyond a number. It's part of my dashboard, that number let's me know what's going on 'under the hood'. That number is like a red light coming on in my truck. It lets me know if something needs to be checked or changed. Like you, if I don't see a certain number, or less (in my case it is 142 - 145) I take action, not a big deal, all I have to do is cut calories by 100-150 and the extra pound or two is gone in just a few days. It's as easy as that. I cannot become complacent, in my book, that is a slippery slope and I know how quickly I can slide!!

Too much pasta or rice is the worst, but anything, if i have one or two bites too many, I get the slimes and really don't feel good for a while....some times an hour or a little more. I try and always under eat my sleeve!!

I forgot to mention, Dr. Davidson tells his patients to weigh daily, so that's why I went and got one before surgery and started weighing! Until then, I only weighed whenever I went to the doctor, two - four times a year. Oh my!!!

For me, what I see in the mirror is not reality and why would I do that when all I need to do is step on the scale? I think if it is at all possible that a vet can possibly re-gain, then weighing every day is a no brainer...IF maintaining is important to them. We are all different, but to me, this is my last chance, I had 85% of my tummy cut out, I've sat in a support group with a woman who stopped doing everything she had done to lose the weight, She came back to a support group 70 lbs heavier. She cried, she was at a loss. I am not delusional enough to think it couldn't happen to me, I KNOW me and I know how quickly I can gain weight. No way, not if I can help it. What I do every single day is no problem, no real effort, it's my new life. I exchanged guilt and big clothes for being in control.....for the first time ever, I AM in control of food, it does not control me. I pray that I'll never become complacent.

Good morning! I am so sorry about the weight gain. All I can tell you is what I do, what I've done from the beginning. For me it is a total lifestyle change, as natural to me as breathing. I call this my 'dashboard'. 1) I weigh EVERY day. I KNOW how quickly I could gain eight or ten pounds, and that would be overwhelming to me. If I'm up a pound or two, I just make a change or two and it's gone in several days. 2) I weigh and/or measure my food when I am at home (eye ball it carefully when out) 3) I log my food on my fitness pal. Before discovering MFP, I used fitday.com and at the VERY beginning, I have a spiral notebook and wrote it down. 4) I attend support groups My comfort zone is 142 - 145, I weigh first thing in the morning, out of bed, go to the bathroom and on the scale. A pound or two is manageable, but for me, I cannot go by how my jeans fit, by that time I'd be up ten pounds and it would take me a few months to get that off, I'm sure of it. I must track my calorie, there is a fine line for me between maintaining, gaining and losing. I've been doing this for over 2.5 years, so I've got the hang of it, but I can never be complacent. Like I said, this is my new normal. This is why I call what I do, my dashboard, if a 'light' comes on, and to me, being up a couple of pounds, or my calories being above what I need.....those are my lights. I just change things up a little, meaning, I lower my calories by 100 -150 and that takes care of it. Make sense? My advice is, find something that works for you, something you can do forever, there is no end date, we've made a lifetime commitment.....and make it part of your life. Good luck, you can do this.

Just my two cents worth, and it's only my opinion, but the lower the calories the better. I couldn't get in 700 until almost 6 months out. I reached my doctor's goal in 5 and mine in 6. The PhD doctor that speaks at a support group I attend said that unless we are in a POW camp, we aren't going into starvation mode and low calories will not alter our metabolism. You can take that for what it's worth, but I went from who knows how many calories a day to starting out post op at 300, and never more than 800 when I was losing. I was very cautious about what I ate, that whole honeymoon period thing was forefront in my mind. This has worked for me, like this doctor told us, we had surgery to eat less. I've been maintaining for over 2.5 years. At 1300 I maintain, at 1400 I gain. If i drop back to 900 - 1050, I'll lose. It's a fine line, but I'm finding it easy to do, knock on wood.

I would also ask: Are you logging your food Attending a support group Weighing or measuring your food Weighing yourself daily ??? What works for me is doing all of the above, I call it my dashboard, just like on my truck I look at it daily and it will tell me if something needs to be changed or adjusted a little. I am 3 years, 4 months out, I've been maintaining for over 2.5 years. This is my new normal, as natural to me as breathing. At this point, I eat whatever I want, nothing is 'off limits' except carbonation. There are things I choose to not eat or not eat often, and this surgery helps make that pretty easy. I don't feel deprived and for the first time ever, I don't feel guilty. I need 1300 calories to maintain and I am having no problem staying at 1300 and many times UNDER by a little. It's easy to get more calories than you need, when I was losing, I never got over 800, but that was at the last, my average was 450 - 600 calories. I made sure I got all my protein and chose well. I am certain, with a few adjustments to YOUR dashboard, you'll start seeing the scale head in the right direction!! Good luck!

Not only will recovery take longer, you'll lose your hair!

How? Do everything you say you will not do or be prepared to literally work your butt off. Make it a lifestyle change, one or the other. What I do, it's a habit. It's as natural to me as breathing. I'm almost 3.5 years out. Reached goal in 6 months, maintaining for over 2.5 years. How do I know when enough is enough. I used that honeymoon period to absolutely weigh and/or measure all my food when I'm at home. I weigh myself every single morning and I log my food. That is how I know. It's what works for me. It is not something I will get bored with, these are not things that will have to stop if I twist my ankle and I'm not going to get so old I can't possibly go to the gym to do 4000 crunches, lift weights or exercise on an elliptical machine! You do NOT have to do what I do, this is what works for me...but rest assured, you must do something. Either become a gym rat or get a little obsessive. Anyone who thinks the doctor removes our stomach and that's the end of it. They were fooled or foolish. There is no end date, this is forever....it isn't a fad diet, but it is NOT a magic bullet, it is NOT the easy way out, you must do something, make changes one way or the other. I don't mean to be harsh, but some times reality just is.

I need 1300 to maintain, I do good to get that many in each day. Many days I am under by a couple of hundred. Seldom do I go over, and the times I have, it's 10 - 100 calories, never anything major. I FEEL like I eat constantly just to eat what I need to! I hope this never changes!!

Empty calories, and high in calories. I do have a non carbonated alcoholic drink every so often, maybe once a month, but I did not have one until I reached goal, I reached goal in six months and had a mixed drink at about fourteen months out. I hope this helps. My doctor said a year, some say six months. I'd err on the side of caution, but I'd also follow YOUR doctor's plan.

Heather, it was so nice to meet you. I wish we'd have more time to talk!