NtvTxn

The first time I was in a stall, when I asked the office nurse about it, she said up protein and fluids. It worked every time. I've heard people say they've been told to up calories. Common sense should tell us, increasing calories didn't make up lose weight prior to surgery....that has not changed. Stalls are just part of it, if we aren't eating stuff we should not be eating during our honeymoon period, then everything is like it should be.....it's part of it, and it will end. It's frustrating but then we wake up one morning, get on the scale and two or three lbs are gone!!!

Oh Lordy, I know what you mean about five cups of coffee. I am on #3 so far. For about four months, I've been making a small pot mid-afternoon. I was at a support group last night and the clinical psychologist was talking about caffinated (sp?) drinks, especially coffee. Right this minute, I cannot tell you what he said.....I think I may have blocked that part!!! LOL You can lay off the Half & Half, like you said, for a week or so, and see what happens. You are running??!!! I wish I had YOUR oomph!!! Also, something else to think about......cheese, even 2% cheese is HIGH in calories. When I started maintainence, I had to get MORE calories and initially bought some cheese and also got some roasted almonds. I realized that even though they are both considered good Snacks, both are very high in calories. I believe a fourth cup of nuts is about 200 calories. At almost 3 years out, a fourth cup is not a lot. Eating cheese once a day as a snack and eating nuts once a day......and then if I WANTED something else.....it was way too much, those calories add up quickly!! Now days I'm buying LF Graham Crackers and Natural Peanut Butter....a little PB on a graham, I'm addicted, I think!!! It's all about choosing, even now...especially now. I can eat a half serving (1 full cracker) with a little PB on it, 3x's a day now that I'm in maintenence. Or yesterday, I had that twice and once I had an orange. I was having a morning snack, but recently cut that one out. I eat lunch at 11, so it was just a 'habit' that I'd developed. This continues to be a learning experience!! Good luck!!!

I agree, I don't normally do fat free. We drink skim milk, we have for over 20 years, but it took 2 years to slowly go from whole milk, to 2%, to 1%, half % then to skim!!! LOL Fat free Half & Half is good, I am sure there is a taste difference if you were to DRINK it, but adding it to 'Bold' coffee.....it tastes the same in my opinion. Other than those two things, I always go with 'Lite' - 1% cottage cheese, Lite Sour Cream, 2% cheese - and in fact, the dietitian who Dr. Davidson's patients see says, "I'm not going to ask you to eat anything I won't eat" She says go 'Lite', we don't have to do FF. Yay! She also said she isn't going to tell us 'no coffee' because she likes to have hers every morning. Gotta love that! LoL

Sure, I don't mind at all, but I'm three years out. Do you want an example of now? To maintain and stop losing, I had to 'play' with calories to see how many I needed to add to stop losing. That sounds crazy, doesn't it? Let me know and I'll do the best I can!!

After I reached goal, I started using FF Half & Half. I decided that it was a luxury I didn't want to indulge in that often. I drink about four cups of coffee at home every day, sometimes five. That was way more cream than I needed. We DRINK skim milk, but now I do not get Half & Half for home, I buy a quart of 2% to put in my coffee. The only time I use Half & Half now is when we go to StarBucks, which is anywhere from one to two times on the weekend. When we are there, I STILL use 2% but I put a 'splash' of cream as well. It's a treat now.

You were instructed correctly!! At a week out I was getting about 300 calories per day and I was so worried I called the doctor's office. I was fine, they said worry about protein and liquid! At a couple months out I was getting between 400 - 500 and NEVER had more than 800 calories per day until after I reached goal and had to start adding calories in so I'd quit losing. I maintain with between 1150 and 1250 per day.

I have a couple of family members, on my husband's side....who do NOT acknowledge that I've lost over 80 lbs. Seriously??!!! LOL The ones I'm speaking I suspect hate it that I've gone from being the 'biggest woman in the room', to 'the smallest', or at least close to the smallest woman in the room. They could do the same thing, but one would have to give up several glasses of wine per night and the other would have to give up her several Dr. Peppers a day habit. Congrats to you....keep up the good work!

It's been almost 3 years and my 'top 3' haven't changed. 1) Waking up to a collarbone! 2) Having a sales lady call me small (Me, is she serious??!!! That's what I was thinking) 3) Trying on a size 6 GAP jeans and realizing they were too big. I got a size 4 and inside I was squealing like a four year old!!

I don't know all your particulars, but I'm just under 5'7" and June 11th will be three years for me. I am taking in 1200 calories per day. I don't know who told you that, but be careful. At five weeks out, I was lucky to get in 400 - 450 calories per day. I NEVER went over 850 during my losing phase. All my labs were always good, I was getting in ALL my Protein with food starting at 2.5 months. My doctor and dietitian were not concerned at all with my low caloric intake. I was very strict with myself while I was losing, NOTHING sweet and of course I avoided and still avoid fried food and bread is at a minimum. I reached goal in just under five months. Nothing is off limits, but I pick and choose what I put in my mouth. Good luck.....weigh and measure your food. I also suggest weighing every single morning. I did and still do. I go up and down, did when I was losing too, but that is just part of this journey. I am in control now and I want to keep it that way!!!

I reached goal pretty quickly. My physician's goal for me was 150, I reached that just a few days shy of five months. I wanted to get down to 145 and did that a month later. I kept losing, and had a hard time stopping. I reached a low of 132 and that was too low for me. I added a couple of Snacks a day and gained back to 145. I never thought I'd NEED to gain weight. I maintain between 144 and 148, which is what I'm comfortable at. I was very strict with myself until I reached goal, but now I eat like a naturally thin person.

Thanks you! Prior to surgery I was wearing size 18's and 20's. 1X and some times 2X. I bought a pair of men's Levi's and they were a 36x34 - that about killed me! June 11th will be three years!

Congratulations!!! At one time, I just knew I'd be happy as a pig in mud if I could get down to a size 12. Well, I underestimated what I could do with this new little tummy of mine. (I call her Sylvia) I got to a 12, lickity split!! I knew I could go lower. My new goal was a size 8. I kept going and going. I haven't tried on other brands, so I don't know what others fit like, I like Gap, I have several different styles. I wear a size 4 and on a 'fat day' I'll wear a 6. At almost 3 years out, I still look at these jeans and think 'NO WAY'!!!! Just wait, look at how quickly you got to where you are. Amazing, thrilling, shocking....it's a wild ride, enjoy every single minute!!

Hey all you NE Plano folks!! One of my fellow Forest Park sleevers has started an informal support group that is meeting for the 2nd time on Saturday, March 23rd at 12:30 PM. The meeting is taking place at Season's 52, it's a restaurant located at the Shops at Legacy. (I can give you the address, if needed) This group was a lot of fun last time, there is not a 'speaker' but we all ask and answer questions. There was one pre-op, in fact he was on the liquid diet, and there were two ladies who were four and five years out. The food is great, smaller, healthier things to choose from than we have at many restaurants. I had chili with Beans, but there we all sorts of things to choose from. This is very convenient for those who find it hard to attend a support group during the week and is also great for those of us who live in Frisco, Allen, Richardson or NE Plano. What a fun way to support and meet others who know and understand what we are going through. Bring your 'cheerleader' if you want. My husband seldom misses attending a meeting with me. Everybody is invited, no matter where you're at in your journey....even if you are just thinking about surgery and want to get answers. Send me a message and I'll give you the email address to RSVP to Kevin so he'll know how many to expect. He does need to let Season's 52 know. It's fun....join us! - NTV TXN

I am certain you can lose the weight and then maintain. The lack of hunger makes it much easier to make wise choices. Good luck!!!!

I'm attending a support group meeting tomorrow evening, and we are suppose to bring a dish. I am at goal and really eat anything I want, although I pick and choose and whatever I eat, I eat much less. Anyway, I wanted to take something most everyone could eat.....and I didn't want to have to keep something hot. I think this is brilliant! Ranch dip. 1 Regular Ranch Dip envelope 1.5 cups of Plain, Non Fat Greek Yogurt It is GOOD and I do not eat Greek Yogurt.....I DO however use it as sour cream. It is replacing 2 cups of sour cream! I'll take carrots, celery and raw zucchini for dipping!

Yay, I DID IT!!! The picture is there!

I'm really not sure HOW to do this, but I'm trying to add a picture from my gallery. Oh my, I barely remember this person.

I'm not sure, I've never seen that option. I THINK you can report someone maybe, if a post is offensive or SPAM. I know this doesn't help much. I'm sorry!!!

Now you've heard everything you didn't even know you might want to know all crammed into one thread! LoL We are here to serve!

It may or may not matter, I don't know for sure. Mine is a 32 and after several months of reading everything I could find, I knew I had two requirements in my physician. 1) I would only go to a doctor/facility that had the Center Of Excellence stamp of approval 2) Bougie size no larger than 34 It was not difficult to find that. I narrowed it down to Dr. Davidson and Dr. Nicolson, both in Dallas. The bariatric nurse I had a lot of contact with at Dr. Davidson's office was a revision patient. She'd had gotten her sleeve 7 years prior to me with a different physician. She said it had been fine tuned a lot since then, hers was a size 36 and she thought patients with a smaller bougie were more successful. She said in her vast experience, patients with a 32 or 34 seemed to have an easier time reaching goal. She did add that there were a few doctors that she dealt with that frequently used a 31 and there was a higher pecentage of complecations with those patients. It's been easy greasy for me. No problems before and none since surgery. It isn't a magic bullet, but it sure makes making wise choices much easier.

I have read so many times about asking for a 'to go' container ahaed of time, but I've never done it. I need to remember. Many times my husband and I share. I do like to bring home some for another meal or two. It's nice, especially when he's going to be leaving town for a day or two! I am sooooo glad to know I'm not the only one who find the on line menu and nutrition information before leaving the house!! I seldom EVER walk in without seeing a menu and knowing something about it ahead of time. I have also gotten into the habit of asking them to not brush it with butter, whatever it is. It seems like butter is brushed on almost everything. We went for Breakfast the other morning and I ordered two scrambled eggs, and thought to ask if they'd be scrambled in butter. She said yes, but they can use spray instead. I do have them bring butter on the side if I am going to have toast. My husband gets it dry and I just want a half a piece. I like a TINY bit on mine, so when on the side, I control how much is added.

What you said is good advice. I'm almost 3 years out and I STILL keep an on line food log. I also measure or weigh all my food when I'm eating at home. Eating out is a little trickier. I started using fitday.com prior to surgery but just a few days ago, I started tracking on myfitnesspal.com I like them both, they are different, but not. I just want to make sure to keep track of protein and calories. It's my new way of life. I'm in control.