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At this point you aren't even eating regular food. Get protein and liquids in and make good choices. Choices should be easier now, but you have to choose wisely.

K - Congrats on your weight loss!!! It's nice to see I'm not a lone. One thing to keep in mind, I should have stated what most of us heard early on. The first year post-op is the honeymoon period. It's the easiest during that time to lose the most weight, so make the most of it!!! You're right, it took all of us I suspect, to get to where we were when we chose to do something permanent about it. I know I had dieted for about thirty years. I'd lost 50 lbs two, maybe three occasions and I'd lost 20 or 30 lbs more times than I can remember. Of course we ALL KNOW what happens....we gain what we lost back and an additional five or ten lbs for good measure. It was a never ending cycle, my weight was constantly on my mind it seemed. Now days, food, my weight and amazement at what has changed, occupies a lot of my thoughts, but now it's fun. Like I said before, I feel like it's me that is control now, not the food. I knew it had gotten bad when I 'accepted' my weight and just struggled to MAINTAIN 225 lbs. Good luck to all of you, we're lucky, I wish we could shout it from the rooftops. There are so many people I see out and I'd like to tell them, 'there is a way out, there is hope' - but we just can't do that. Oh well. Have a great weekend!

Sadly, I do NOT exercise, not during my five months of losing, or since then. I park far out in parking lots and I walk the mall as often as I can....window shopping etc. I know me and I KNEW I must make LIFE STYLE changes with food because I have the attention span of a four year old. I did NOT want to lose weight due to exercise because I know I'm lazy and get bored easily.....and knew that if I lost weight this way, as soon as I stopped, and I assure you, I'd stop.....I'd gain weight. So other than my 5 lb weighted ball that I 'play' with every so often, (i finally realized that bat wings were not going anywhere no matter what I did, short of plastic surgery) I reached goal, then lost enough to have a 'pad' and I maintain totally by being a bit obsessive and at times 'rigid'. I go up and down a few pounds just like my non WLS friends. All I do is cut back a little or add a little, and it doesn't take much. I log, weigh and measure my food when I'm home.....today I was busy all day, I met a friend in a neighboring town.....my calories today, just under 800. I will weigh less tomorrow that I did this morning. This is my new life, and it's pretty easy. I don't 'diet' EVER. I may cut a snack out but it's not a big deal at all. This may not work for everyone, but for me, it's a breeze. I pray that I'll be saying the same thing five years from now.

cheese and shrimp quesadilla??? Where did you find that? It sounds delish!!!

Cara, Good luck! You will not regret this surgery. It makes life so much easier, staying on track with our weight, so much easier! It was a struggle just to maintain 228 lbs., losing at that point wasn't even really a thought. I had gotten to the point that I'd "accepted" that size and fought to stay there and not get heavier. I'm so glad I made this decision. Again, good luck, I'd love to hear how you're doing!!! stacy

I'm not on myfitnesspal. I guess I should be, everyone else is. What is the deal, can you 'visit' with others on this site or what???

June 11th will be three years for me. I reached goal in just under five months and kept going. The dietitian told me to add calories back into my diet to get all I needed to maintain and gain back a little if I needed to. I was looking 'gaunt' and needed to put about fifteen lbs back on from my very lowest. Grazing, snacks....???!!!! I'm comfortable doing that, I'd done it for years, although I'd broken that habit. Now though, it's easier to back off if necessary. I put on several pounds and then I started this maintenence business! My question is this....what do YOU snack on??!!! I'll split a piece of Star Bucks pumpkin bread with my husband and I am pretty sure I'm addicted to LF Graham Crackers with a little Natural Peanut Butter on them. 2 large crackers is one serving, 140 calories. I will eat 1.5 a couple of times a day. I like the Snackwell's vanilla cookies, but I'm backing off those a little. I was keeping nuts in the house, but for a fourth cup, the calories are way too high, I don't care how 'healthy' they are. So, any ideas for something new? Last week I was thinking back to earlier in my journey and I picked up sugar free choc pudding and sugar free jello. I like them both with a little FF or SF Cool Whip or Reddi Whip. C'mon, help me out here, my brain is numb I think!! Oh, I also have Whole Wheat Shredded Wheat, I will eat a half cup, dry, just to snack on. It's good for me and I love the 'crunch'.

Prayers are with you!!! You'll do great. A year from now you'll be shocked at how different your life is!!! Find a support group, if you haven't. Where are you having surgery at? Mine was at Forest Park Medical Center back in June 2010. No regrets, a wild ride, enjoy the journey. It's fun!!!

Thank you!! I feel good and cannot believe I'm four months away from 3 years out. Life is good, I still weigh every day, like someone else said, a few lbs is easy to handle, ten or twelve, not so much!!! Life is good for all of us, I think. No regrets, ever!!

Hi Queen of Crop!! I had surgery June 11, 2010, I'm going on three years. Like you, sleeve surgery surpassed my wildest dreams. I would have been happy as a pig in mud had I gone from 228 to 170, size 12. It happened so quickly I KNEW I'd underestimated what I could do with my new little tummy!!! It was a wild ride, I loved every single minute. Never a second of buyer's remorse!!! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!! I never thought I'd have WLS, and when I did start entertaining the idea, I considered the lapband. I changed my mind pretty quick when I started reading about sleeve surgery. I made the right decision. I love shopping, I am finally use to seeing the NEW ME in the mirror, but I still like my husband to point out someone who is similar in size. It is strange to see others who are my size. It is easier to see they are small, tiny, skinny.....all three words that have been said to me, about me. I still find that shocking. I was standing in line at Michael's last week, of course there is candy there at the check out. I was actually looking to see what I'd like that would more than likely trigger a migraine. The lady behind me said something about the candy and then said "You can afford to have some, I cannot" and she patted her mid section. I said something like 'None of us can, not really' - but I still know that I cannot and should not eat candy. Of course every so often I'll have something, but candy is not a treat I ever really indulged in prior to surgery.....it still feels strange to have somebody say that to me when I KNOW THE TRUTH!!!! I guess folks cannot look at 'us' and know just by looking. Do you find yourself feeling similar to this??!!!

At not quite three years, I've been able to eat 2 eggs for about a year. I've never been told by anyone that more than one egg is bad. In fact, Dr. Davidson's dietitian told us at the seminar that the egg is the 'perfect' protein. I'm not sure why, but an egg or two is my fall back food when I need to get in additional protein.

I have so many, but I guess my favorite is discovering I DO have a collarbone! Feeling my shoulders when I shower, it is so strange, it is STILL so strange that I feel 'boney'. I love that I can shop in the missy dept. Other than the 'big girl', mens or children stores, I can find something to wear in any store I walk into. The 'fat me' still giggles inside when someone calls me skinny, thin or small. Serioiusly, me???!!!! LOL I love it that my husband can pick me up and when we cuddle, he has said I'm so little sometimes he thinks I'm fragile. Nope, still the old me, just in a smaller package. I can't imagine ever going back to that life and I can't imagine the head games we play ever going away. They do keep me on my toes though, so it's not bad!!! I love this thread!

Talk to you physician. I felt NO hunger, I still don't. I do feel empty at times, I call it my NEW hunger....but that didn't start until about 14 months out. In the beginning, the first month, maybe two. I couldn't eat but about an eighth of a cup of anything at one sitting. At almost 3 years 1 cup of oatmeal is almost too much. They told us prior to surgery, we should never eat more than 1 cup. Eat 'under' your sleeve. Weigh and measure your food when you are home. Do you feel what some refer to as 'head hunger' or is it honest to goodness, I'm famished hunger with a growling tummy and all? Find a support group in your area and GO, you'll find it helpful, I'm sure!

I totally understand. I've lost and re-gained 50 lbs three different times in my life. 20 or 30 lbs, more times than I can remember. Of course, an additional 5 or 10 lbs would creep up on me too. This is a GREAT tool, I've never had buyers remorse. I wish we could shout about it from the roof tops!!!

Good morning Ms. Skinniness!!! From looking at your ticker, it looks like we are similar in stats from the beginning. Cutting out all wheat products, yikes, that will be difficult, or at least it sounds like it would be!!! I am not on myfitnesspal, I've kept a food log on fitday.com from the beginning. What do I eat you asked!!! I'll give you an example of my day thus far, and what I have planned, then I'll tell you what else is pretty common for me most days. I ate two scrambled eggs with about a half an ounce of grated 2% mild cheddar cheese in them. I ate 1.5 LF graham crackers (2 full ones are 1 serving) with Natural Peanut Butter on them. Probably about .33 - .5 TB. We had grilled chicken Saturday night and there is one thigh left (no skin, of course). I am going to heat it up and eat .25 cup of 1% cottage cheese. A high Protein lunch for sure!!! My husband is not going to be home at dinner, so I have leftover round steak, cooked in 98% FF Cream of Mushroom Soup, mashed potatoes and corn that I'll eat. I haven't weighed the steak yet, but it is about 2.5 oz. I'll eat maybe .25 cup of the potatoes and a couple of TB of corn. The cream of mushroom soup makes the meat so soft and easy to eat.....and is nice 'gravy' for the potatoes. This isn't a new thing I cook, I've cooked round steak like this for a good fifteen years!! I will have a couple more Snacks today. Grahams and peanut butter, maybe some Wheat and Bran Shredded Wheat. Oh, I've had 1 cup of skim milk and several cups of coffee. What I normally eat for Breakfast, when I don't have an egg or two, I eat cottage cheese with a little canned fruit in lite syrup. Once in a while I'll have a couple of pieces of cinnamon toast. Whole wheat bread and I don't eat all the crust, so not quite 2 full pieces. I'll make French Toast, although it's rare. I can eat maybe 1.5 pieces and yes, I do use syrup! (lite, not sugar free) Many days I make tuna fish.....solid white in Water with 1.5 TB of Lite Mayo and maybe a small dill or sweet pickle. Half the can is about 13 grams of protein. I'll eat it on Special K crackers, 10 or 12. Sometimes the mini club crackers, 10 or 12. I do not fry things, but I didn't do that prior to surgery, it makes the house stink!! I cook basically just like I always have. A casserole, spaghetti, grilled fish, beef or chicken along with a steamed veggie or two and I normally always have the cottage cheese on hand as a side. There is you have it.....oh, I like to keep a frozen bag of shrimp on hand, especially if I need to cut back on calories for a day or two. 3 oz is a lot of protein and LOW in calories, I'll eat 3 or 4 oz for lunch, steamed with cocktail sauce. Yum!!! So, what do you eat??!!! Any new ideas??

What a great idea!! Thank you!!! I just wrote it on my grocery list, I'm going to pick some up. Use to, prior to surgery, I'd snack on chips, cheese Its and that is all I can think of, although I know there were other things. It seems like a life time ago. Now days, Cheese It's aren't in the house and chips are not something I eat very often. The only chips in our house are Baked Dorito Scoops, my husband eats them with sandwiches, but the only way I like them is if I happen to make guacamole and NEED something to hold it!! I think cutting chips out of my normal diet has been very helpful, as well as bread. I seldom eat bread at home, a piece of toast with an egg occasionally, but not normally and I buy Lite English Muffins every so often and will toast one and then use 1 slice of 2% American Cheese between the two sides. Pretty good Protein and it's good for a change. I usually eat a couple of eggs or cottage cheese with peaches or pineapple.

Good morning and good luck with the insurance stuff!! As far as maintenence, it's been really easy. The hardest part was stopping the weight loss. MY goal was 5 lbs less than my doctor's goal. I got EIGHTEEN lbs lower than HIS goal and was freaking out. I was looking bad and my size 4 jeans were getting too big. Size 2's are not easy to find really....so I knew it was time to take action! (all about shopping/priorities!!!) I talked to Dr. Davidson's dietitian and she had me add calories (snacks or additional small meals) to my diet. She said once I got to where I was comfortable, I'd have to play with the calories to see what I needed to maintain. Snacking, what a novel Idea, didn't that get me to where I'd been???!!! Oh well, I could not eat much at a sitting, so I added snacks and it worked. I got back to where I wanted to be, anywhere from 3 - 7 lbs below Dr. Davidson's goal and then figured out I NEED 1200 - 1350 calories a day to maintain. I still measure and/or weigh my food when we eat at home, and I do keep a food log. I also weigh every single morning. Dr. D recommends it, always has. He says it is easier to take off three or four lbs than it is ten or twelve. Oh so true!!! Anyway, I've lost 81 lbs, give or take 2 or 3, depending on the day. It seriously is EASY. I still don't get hungry, my 'new hunger' is an empty feeling, NEVER a "OMG, I'm starving" feeling. NEVER! I can eat something, or I can ignore it. My issues before was snacking, which is bizarre, now I must snack to get all my calories in.....and portion control. When we get sleeve surgery, we are signing up for FORCED portion control. That is what I needed!!! I was never a 'coke' girl, so soft drinks weren't a problem, but if I wanted something, I ate it and would eat more than I should. Two donuts rather than a donut hole. An entire Mexican food platter rather than an ala carte enchilada. I will get rice and beans off my husband's plate, about 1 T of each. At this point, THAT seems like a lot of food.....logically I KNOW it isn't!!! It IS a lot more than I could eat 18 months ago, but I still have GREAT restriction, if I eat too much, it is uncomfortable. I gained five lbs during the Christmas holidays and all I had to do is cut back a tiny bit here and there and lost it. I love, love, love my sleeve. I promise, you will too. It is life changing!!! Good luck and you can ask me anything!

I did not like the liquid Hydrocodone, aside from the chance of addiction, I didn't like the way it made me feel. Anyway, the pain, for me, was not worth taking the 'big boy' meds during the day after I was discharged. I took liquid Tylenol and used a heating pad during the day and got Tylenol #3 and took it at night. I sleep on my side and when I'd turn over, it was a little painful. I only took it for not quite two weeks. I had problems with one incision, the one right by my belly button. The others healed nicely but that one fought me every step of the way!! They had me put triple antibiotic ointment on it and it didn't take long for it to be all better!!

I'm a grazer and I like sweets. Ugh, what a curse. I must graze throughout the day to get in all the calories I need to maintain, otherwise, I lose weight. Who'd have ever thought this would be an issue??!!! The thing is, now I do have SOME self control and I get more than enough protein in every day, so I'm not too obsessive about this.

I'll be at three years this June. I think I will always track, I use fitday.com. Like weighing every morning, it's a game....and I'm always amazed at how quickly calories can add up, then some days, I'm under. This is my new life.....and I like it, a LOT!!!

I agree, had mine not used a 32, 34 MAX - I would have left Davidson and used one of the other 'Center of Excellence' physicians here in Dallas. It does 'stretch', or relax, as you heal. By 18 months it should be what it is going to be. At least that is my experience. The first month I could sip my soup, eat SF jello or whatever, and only consume about an eighth of a cup at a time. Of course we are swollen and it takes quite a while to totally heal. Now, going on three years, depending on what I am eating, I can eat about 1 cup of food at a time. I am always asking my husband, "Did I eat a lot?" To me, it seems like a LOT of food....of course, if I try and picture what I could/did eat pre-op.....it is not much food. I still have great restriction and if I eat to much, it is NOT comfortable. I still don't get hungry, I will feel empty, but not true hunger.

They call the first year the 'honeymoon period'. It is when you can lose the most....but you must stick to the program. No cheating. They told us at the seminar, this is not a diet, it's a new way of life. That is fine, BUT until I reached goal, I treated this as the most important diet of my life. NOTHING sweet, nothing fried.....touched my lips!!! Carbonated drinks....NEVER. Alcohol, every so often AFTER reaching goal. I didn't touch a thing until after I'd been at goal for a good six months. I reached goal quickly, but I was, as my nurse said 'rigid'. It worked for me. I weighted or measured everything I ate when we were at home, I still do most of the time. I still keep an on line food log. Now at almost 3 years out, I feel like I live like a naturally thin person. Life is good, and I never feel deprived. Sometimes I have something sweet more than I should......but with little or no hunger, it is easy to lose a few lbs after vacation or Christmas!!! (still no hunger but my 'new' hunger is more of an empty feeling!!) Good luck!!

BTW. There is a doctor here in Dallas (Dr. Jay I think) he does a 30, but some folks think there are a few problems with that size, which is the smallest that I know of.

Mine is a 32. Dr. Davidson apparently makes the decision when he gets in there, but it would either be 32 or 34. His nurse had this surgery by another physician approx. 8 years ago, it has since been perfected, but hers is a 36, she said she thinks the smaller ones are better, in her opinion. She lost weight but not as successful as she is seeing with the patients with the 32's.

I'd say the first, most exciting thing that happened to me after surgery, was seeing my collar bone. It looks great, I am going on three years out and I STILL like seeing it in the mirror!!! Congrats!!