NtvTxn

Hey there! Yes, three years on June 11th! The time has flown by, it's hard to remember what my life was like 'prior'. I feel great, healthy, some times I even feel thin. LOL It takes a long time for our heads to catch up to our little tummys!!! I still have good restriction, depending on what I'm eating, I still can only eat 2/3 - 3/4 cup of food at a time, thank God!!! I was told at the seminar that he never wants his patients to eat more than a cup of food at a time. At three years, I think I'm at max. capacity, don't you? I still have no real 'hunger'. I have what I call my new hunger, which is more of an emtpy feeling, something I can ignore if I choose to. I also hope that this never changes. I keep thinking that this far out, everything should stay like it is now. No hunger makes it easy to resist if I want to, whereas before, resisting did not happen often!! It is so strange, at about 3 or 4 months out I could eat sooooo little at a time, I was only eating about 600 calories per day, but now, I need 1200 - 1300 per day to maintain. I eat off of a salad plate, but it is pretty full.....and in my "rational" mind, I know it's not a lot, but I still find myself asking my husband, "Did I eat a lot?" WEIRD!!!!! I love this new way of life, I would do it again in a NY minute, how about you??!!!!

It's our new normal, that's what I call it. It is a way of life that I can live with and be happy. You're right about the daily weigh in....keeps me on top of things and accountable. I don't like the UNKNOWN, I don't like surprises. Going up and down one, two, three lbs....that is what I do. Anything above 3 lbs that stays around for a couple of days, I address it and make adjustments for a couple of days. It's not a big deal. I love my sleeve, I love shopping and I don't even mind having my picture taken, even if I'm in the front row!! LoL

Pray that you can always just eat a little, it's wonderful and what we paid for, forced portion control. At three years out I cannot eat a full cup of food per meal. I WISH I was still just eating a half cup per. Early on, I could only eat an eighth of a cup, then a fourth.....etc. I can't complain too much, I still have good restriction.

I am almost three years out and last Sunday for the first time since surgery I actually ate a jr. burger, with American cheese and the bun. I have to tell you, I felt a little guilt too. Ugh, I have ordered a hamburger before but usually I'll take a bite of it and then take the meat off the bun and just eat it. We were out with our new Sunday school class after church and I just didn't feel like taking it apart, so I got the little one. Neither one of us got fries, so I had nothing else. I was full but I will not do this very often, I feel better just eating the meat.

I kept mine in the frig.

I'm almost three years out and "Stella" still talks to me. Yes, I named my sleeve! I think it is when I eat a little too much, not stuffed, but maybe a bite or two more than I should have eaten, that is when she talks back.

You probably aren't on 'regular' food, are you? That happens for many of us at week 6. Easrly on, I was getting 400 - 500 calories per day and my goal, set by my physician was 60 grams of Protein. Unless a patient is not losing, he doesn't worry about carbs.

Twinkies, chips, donuts, cake, Cookies.....the list is never ending.

At your height and weight, your BMI is 25.1 which is right at the 'healthy' line. I'm almost 3" taller than you and this morning I weighed exactly what you do, I'm at a healthy BMI. You can still afford to lose more, give yourself a "pad", if you want to. That's up to you. The nurse said I could lose to 130 and they wouldn't worry, but that is way too low for me. I couldn't stop the weight loss (I didn't know how to play with this tool) and I got down to 132 and made a frantic call to Dr. D's office, I looked gaunt, so I purposefully added calories and gained up to where I am now. I've maintained this weight for over 2 years now. I feel and look better, but it is all a personal choice. People are not use to seeing us 'small'

Yay, you are right behind me!!! I had surgery in June 2010! I agree with you 100%, set up our enviroment for success! It is easier since we have an empty nest and my husband had a 95% blockage....and had to have a stent put in, this was about 14 months before my surgery, so our life changed a lot at that time! Chips, Cookies all those things with partially hydrogenated oils in them....gone! If it's not here, we can't eat it, right??!!! Like you, I can go to Braum's (love them!) and have a jr. dip on a cone and I'm fine, I probably do this twice a month. It does not affect me, I just adjust. Also like you, I find I can gain quickly, but I think that's always been the case, I just did NOT pay attention to a few pounds pre op!!! Not like I should have been doing. Anyway, over Christmas, and this was a first....I gained six lbs. I watched it go up, because I weigh daily, but usually I'll go up a lb or two and then the next day or day ofter, I'm back down. I go between 145 and 147 and that is normal for me. I got up to 150 and knew I needed to cut my calories back to 1100 - 1200 and up my Protein. Less than a month later I was back down and stayed down to my normal range. Again, like you, I must be, I AM diligent about the amount I eat. I eat normally and I do not ever feel deprived, but I am aware of every single thing I put in my mouth. Thanks for posting, I'm really excited when I run across someone who is over 2 years out!! Congratulations!!!

No, mine changed when I turned 40!!!

Maybe you can answer this question that has had me worried for almost 3 years now! Can we stretch out our new little tummys? You say near impossible, is that accurate? It seems to me like we'd have to really work at it, but never the less, the times I've eaten too much, where I feel Thanksgiving stuffed...you know, that HORRIBLE feeling.....I still worry. It is ALWAYS when we've been eating out. When I'm home i weigh/measure my food, when out, I "eyeball" it, which is not quite as easy, especially when visiting with others. I don't get hungry so I really don't feel full like I use to, just all of a sudden I've had one or two bites too many, and boy do I regret it. Those are the times when I wonder, did I stretch my stomach!!???!!! Ok....if it is nearly impossible to do damage like that, HOW do people regain? How do you gain weight without stretching your stomach?? That is my question I guess, how do they gain? I know you can drink your calories and we could drink 2500 calories per day, maybe more...via alchol, milkshakes and soft drinks, but our tummy, how would that affect the size?? I will never stop thinking about this. I don't obsess, but it certainly crosses my mind.

We had a ton of doctors here, as well as Houston and everywhere in between. Good ones. Another option is starting your own. A man that had surgery the same place I did started an informal support group in far NE Dallas (Plano, Richardson, Frisco and Allen). Anybody can come, but he did this for those who have trouble going to one during the week or want another one to attend or one that is closer to their home. It's fun, we meet the last Saturday of the month at a local restaurant. It's a great restaurant, a lot of low calorie food, nothing over 475 calories, when you adjust it a little, like no bread or just eating the fish on the fish tacos, it's even less. This month will be our third meeting, we have on average, 16 people, a couple of those are 'cheerleaders' - my husband and another one or two! You'd have to connect with other patients though!!! If I were there, I'd help!! Good luck!

.. Hi Suzanne!! Everyone is different, all I can tell you is when I was 4.5 weeks out, I was doing good if I got 400 calories in per day. I was worried but my labs have always been very good and the dietitian asked me how I felt and about my protein. She said do not worry unless I feel bad/weak etc. At six months I reached goal and was getting between 700 - 800. What I want to ask is this, what are you eating? I'm three years out and cannot eat a cup of food at a time. I am maintaining at between 1200 - 1350 per day, but to get that, I have several Snacks. I cannot get that much in with 3 meals. This all trial and error, if you aren't weighing and measuring your food, I recommend doing that, I still do it. Also, logging your food on line is great! These three things, along with weighing every morning first thing....I attribute to my success, it's made it pretty easy for me.

that sucks and is unusual, I had surgery in Dallas, but it was across town, I do not attend that support group, the three I attend are with different groups of doctors, and everyone is welcome. We were living in Wisc when I had surgery, I attended a support group there, but flew home to Texas for surgery. Check around, have you called? That really is sad, for them too, they are limiting the experience of other patients.

I highly recommend joining a support group. There are several of us in the North Dallas area that are regularly attending two or three!! It's fun, imformative and believe it or not, there will be people who want to talk to YOU and ask questions. There is one that is more formal, with speakers, the one PhD that is there, he is great. The other two are more informal, a nurse and dietitian are there to answer questions, but we go around the room and ask each other questions. I started attending ONE a couple of months prior to surgery, that is when I got addicted to going!!! Head games....OMG, no truer words have ever been spoken!!!

If I had to drink one Protein drink for life, I'd continue to lose weight from throwing up. I hated them, I switched to the nasty little protein 'bullets' or 'shots' early on. Just as bad as the shakes, but only 3.5 oz. A few sips in the morning, a few at noon and finish it up at night, and I got 42 grams of protein. Some say the protein isn't 'as good' as the whey powder, but it worked for me. I never lost my hair and that was goal #2. Number one was to lose weight! Mission accomplished! These little jewels saved me, I could hold my breath and take a few sips, rinse my mouth out with Water and it was over. With the shakes, it would take me three hours to finish one, it's would "GROW" - I am sure of it!!!! LoL Dr. Davidson wants his patients off shakes and getting all protein from food as soon as possible.

Good morning! First, before I despense any advice.....my two cents worth.....look back on what you have accomplished so far!! On average, 14 lbs since mid January is approx 5 lbs per month. That said.....I will tell you my story. I've lost about 83 lbs total, 23 prior to surgery. That leaves 60 lbs I lost post op. I reached MY goal (5 lbs under Dr. D's) in six months. Dr. Davidson's nurse said I was a little rigid - but it worked or me. I was very strict with myself until I reached goal. I still WORRY about gaining it all back, but in reality, I am eating like a naturally thin person. At least I think I am. I don't ever want to get complacient and stop worrying, not crazy worry, but it keeps me aware of everything I put in my mouth. It is a choice, I do not mindlessly eat now days. For the first six months nothing sweet or fried passed my lips, not one time, NOTHING. Now though, I do eat sweets, but I do not over do, I will eat a few french fries, but it's rare and when I say a few, I mean five or six. I make choices, and if I am going to have a piece of cake at church, I will cut out a snack or two that day. I made 'choices' before, but it was all about portions, I ate too much for too long. Now, with no real hunger, I find it much easier to walk away and resist when I know I should. Now I'll list the things that I think have made this wild ride sucessful (so far) for ME. I have been logging my food on line since the beginning. I still weigh and/or measure all my food when I am at home. Eye balling it when out is more of a challenge, but I have gotten pretty good at it. I weigh every single morning. Dr. Davidson recommends it, accurately saying, it is easier to lose 2 or 3 lbs than it is to lose 8 or 10 lbs. That is true and I don't know about you, but I can gain 8 or 10 lbs or more....in a month!! I try and under eat my sleeve, which is best. Early on my caloric intake was LOW. At 3 months I was eating between 450 and 550 calories per day, but I made them count. When losing, I never went over 800 calories per day. Now I maintain at between 1200 and 1350 calories a day. My labs were good, I felt great and other than a couple short stalls, I lost weight consistantly. I started getting all my protein via food at 2.5 months. I keep a bag of frozen shrimp on hand all the time, I still try and have it around. It goes down easy and is high in protein. You can just 'thaw it out' or steam it. I always dip it a little in cocktail sauce. eggs, 1% cottage cheese and tuna fish were, and still ARE things I keep around. From the very beginning I started and ended every day with a cup of skim milk. I keep glass glasses in the freezer so I can have it iced cold!!! The milk gives me 18 grams of protein every day! When I ran into problems with a stall, I'd up the protein and Water. I mean seriously up the protein, it always got everything kick started again!!!! If you don't measure and weigh your food and if you're not logging, think about starting. You'd be surprised how easy it is to go over what you should, calorie wise. Something stuck with me at a recent support group at Baylor.....an additional 100 calories per day, every day is over 36,000 calories per year, which equals about 10 lbs. Think about how little 100 calories is!!! That is HOW I gained the weight, a few lbs one year, five the next. Then two......little enough to where I would just accept it. I didn't just wake up fat, it happened over years!!!! Anyway, good luck, you will lose weight, but you need to be diligent, pay attention to what you are doing. Our honeymoon stage is the easiest time for our weight loss.

I never ended up in the ER, but that was my fear!!! For the first three months I had a horrible time trying to get enough Water. (BTW, they told me that sugar free Jello counts as 'liquid') At my three month visit my nurse said just DRINK, avoid anything with sugar! I asked about coffee and iced tea, and although that is not what they want us drinking a lot of, she said JUST DRINK!!! Since then, I'm fine. I drink water, coffee and iced tea and am able to get plenty. She saved me, I'm sure of it. It's been almost 3 years and I STILL watch the color of the water in the toilet!! Good luck, it does get easier!

Nobody in Dr. Davidson's office told me any of this stuff. It might have made me have 2nd thoughts if they had!!!

Early on, my husband would order the 6 oz sirloin and you can add shrimp to an entree. We'd get the shrimp for me, and I always tell them NOT to brush it with butter. It's really good and would fill me up, if I wanted a bite of the grilled veggie, one would be just about all I could handle. Now days we'll order the med sirloin and I'll take about 3.5 oz. My DH will get the side salad for me and he'll get grilled veggies normally. I get the dressing on the side to dip lightly, but still I can only eat a little of it. I love the cucumbers.

LoL Butterthebean - It would seem that I'm an equal opportunity offender. I don't even have to type a bad word.

LoL - As Ron White says "I have the right to remain silent, I do not have the ability"

I'm not sure if we'll EVER quit worrying about gaining our weight back. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Part of me thinks if I worry about it, it keeps ME in control and aware of what I am doing.....then the other 'me' thinks, 'you will be fine' Oh, the headgames we play!!

How funny, if she is trying to keep everyone under control, she's failed miserably. I'm just sayin'