NtvTxn

Maleeka - I'm going to be blunt! There is nothing, and I stress, NOTHING magical about some of us losing weight at a faster rate. Granted, some of us lose quicker than others...but, at just under five months I'd lost almost 80 lbs. - I was at my doctor's goal. Over the next 3.5 weeks, I'd gotten to MY goal, which was five lbs less than Dr. Wonderful. Until I reached my physicians goal, I didn't have anything I shouldn't. NOTHING sweet passed my lips. I've been getting the hang of maintaining since Dec. (surgery was June 11, 2010) At one point last spring I was 18 lbs under the doctor's goal and I was worried about HOW TO QUIT. I had to up my calories a little, I switched to 1% milk and as my nurse told me, 'don't be so rigid'. I added a half piece of pumpkin bread every Friday to my menu! Star Bucks pumpkin bread is great!! I mangaged to put on six lbs - I wasn't looking good....I now am between 138 and 142. This is where I'm comfortable. Anyway...........up your Protein and fluids, cut out ALL the sweets. Don't sabatage yourself. They have stressed to me that YES you can stretch your tummy if you continue to over eat. 'Just because you can, doesn't mean you should' Good luck, you CAN do it, but there is nothing magic about it!!! Surgery doesn't mean we don't have to still make wise choices!!

If you can have surgery BEFORE Thanksgiving, I wouldn't hesitate. I had NO hunger, not eating Thanksgiving food would not have been a problem!! I would NOT want to be on the pre-op liquid though. If you can't schedule it before Thanksgiving, try to get it where your liquid diet starts after that holiday, have surgery before Christmas. Like I said, wanting to eat should not be a problem. I would NOT cook, just because. I don't know if I'll ever make that 'feast' again - I'll have it at our house, but everyone else will have to bring the bulk of the food.

My surgeon's physician assistant said that you CAN stretch out your new tummy, just like you could stretch your tummy prior to surgery. It you are eating protein like you should, the point is for it to stay there and keep you full as long as possible. With by-pass, I think food "by-passes" a lot and moves on out quicker, but we have a fully funtioning stomach, just smaller. Ask your doctor, his nurse, physician's asst. - someone there in his office.

That is definately more than I could eight weeks after surgery. One of my favorite sayings is: "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" I'm sixteen months out - I still keep an on line log and when I'm at home, I weigh or measure my food.

My surgeon does worry about carbs at all unless someone is NOT losing - I never had a problem losing, so I never had to cross that bridge.

Hi Meggs - I am 16 months out. I eat between 1000 and 1200 calories per day to maintain. During my losing stage I was averaging 675 calories per day. I reached my surgeons goal in just under 5 months. 78 lbs, 22 of that was prior to surgery. I am now 10 lbs under goal. Keep on track, you're getting plenty of Protein. Good luck!! Stacy

You sound normal to me! I ate just like you, very little. I was never hungry and ate because I KNEW i needed to eat. I gave up the Protein drinks after a few days, it took me all morning, it would get warm and I'd add ice....it's like it kept growing!! Ugh. I found the 3.5 oz bullets. Did they taste good...NO, but I could take a few sips several times a day, hold my nose like a kid, and bam, over 40 grams of protein! I couldn't stand to drink the Protein Drinks, I thought they tasted terrible, so this was no different, just quicker! I had surgery in June of last year. I still cannot eat a lot, although it is much more than initially. It freaks me out some times. I liked eating a tiny bit, but I am maintaining easily and am about ten lbs under goal. I had no problems, one incision took a while to heal, but no other issues. Drink tea, Water with lemon and maybe a stivia...whatever you can get down and keep your protein up. Good luck!! Stacy

I attend a support group here in Dallas every month. Love it!!!

Good morning Lake Lady! Isn't it great to be able to eat like a naturally thin person??!! I love it! Has it been a process with you? When I reached about 12 months out, I was a little freaked out because I AM eating about twice what I could at 5 months out. Like you, at the end of some days, I realize I've eaten 800 - 900 calories. I can do two things, eat nothing else - which is easy since my hunger is not like it use to be....it's wonderful if I'm up a few lbs and want to get rid of it....or two, I drink a glass of milk and have a graham cracker and use a little more peanut butter. I sooooo feel in control now. I am in the habit of snacking again, which really bothered me at first, but I KNOW that it's 'ok' - I NEED to snack or I'd be a stick by now. I didn't want to be unhealthy. Again, like you, I've never in my life been this small. I love shopping, even if I just try on something to SEE IF IT FITS. I still look at my jeans when I am going to put them on and think NO WAY!!! LoL

Hi NannieG - I think I said I'm eating "lite" Grahams - believe it or not, 2 full crackers is ONE serving! I will eat 1 cracker (which is half a serving) or 1.5 at a time. Initially I was measuring the peanut butter, but now I just 'eyeball' it. I use between a third and a half TB each time I have the grahams. I started using the Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter before I had surgery because it has nothing but peanuts and salt, none of the partially hydrogented stuff. This is on top of my 3 meals. After I reached goal, I continued to lose, my dietitian told me to start adding in healthy snacks to get the amount of calories I need...she also said to live a little. She suggested that when I get a steak that offers something like peppercorn or mushroom gravy, get it on the side a dip. I've done it, but boy, it's hard doing stuff that I did NOT do before surgery....it was quite an adjustment. I gained back several lbs, not quite up to my original goal, but I think my body is comfortable where I'm at. My doctor's goal was 150, it varies day to day, but on average I'm 10 lbs below goal. If I inched up to 150 I'd have a stroke!! I do NOT allow myself to get to 144. It's amazing how I can eat out all weekend and be up to 143, all I have to do it up my protein and liquids, like we all know is the key....and by Wed or Thurs I'm back to 140'ish. Try the grahams if you need additional calories, they're yummy!!

I snack on Graham Crackers (lite) with Natural Peanut Butter - something my mom loved - and now I'm addicted to it. I have it two or three times per day. I do love snacking, and luckily I NEED to snack to get in the calories I need to maintain. I seldom if ever snack on things like cookies, ice cream etc. I've had both in small quantites, but hardly ever. I find maintaining easy. I too weigh every single day. My doctor recommended it before I ever had surgery. He likes for us to watch it - if we start to gain or lose too much, it's easier to take control when it's under five lbs. Most of us can gain ten lbs and wonder HOW this happened, this can happen in a couple of weeks to many of us. The thought of HAVING to lose ten lbs because I was making bad choices is not something I want to deal with. This is simple for me so far!

Hi there, and thank you!! It's been a while since I've posted much of anything. We moved back to Texas at the end of July. It's been busy and hectic!! I am certain you will lose the additional 14 lbs. You aren't even a yr out!!! Good luck, it is good hearing from you!!!

The headgames we play are unreal!! It is difficult for me to THINK like a normally thin person, but I do eat like one. Thinking about food still consumes me! I hope it will stop eventually, I won't worry about gaining, did I eat too much, will my tummy stretch (there still isn't a standard answer, it varies!!). Shopping is fun for the first time ever....I wish my arms were better, but my tummy is ok. I'm 52, I don't want plastic surgery on anything. I'm fine with me.

I started drinking coffee and tea at about 6 weeks out. I was not told to eliminate anything except carbonated drinks...thank God!! Luckily my dietitian and the nurse (she'd have sleeve surgery) said that they wouldn't ask us to do something they did not abide by! I love my Star Bucks!!

I am sixteen months out - I've been maintaining since about mid-December. I finally got the hang of it, but did have a difficult time stopping the weight loss. How weird! I was at 132 once or twice, eighteen lbs below my doctor's goal and 13 below mine. I finally called the dietitian and was told to 'snack' - lighten up and enjoy. I've finally gotten the hang of it, and I think I'm eating like a naturally thin person. I managed to add calories and gain a little weight. I go between 137 and 143 now. I like 138 - 140.5 - I can gain 4 lbs over a weekend of eating out quite a bit, and on Monday, get back on track and lose it by Thursday. We are eating out more on the weekends since moving back to Texas. Dallas has endless new restaurants to try!! =) All in all, I am finding it pretty easy to maintain. It still 'scares' me, the thought of gaining it all back. Logically I know it is irrational, but I am certain all of y'all out there understand what I'm talking about. I can eat so much more now than I could six months ago, and waaaay more than I could at 3 or 4 months out. I will ask my husband, "did I eat a lot?" I am sure he thinks I'm a nut!! I can look at a stranger at a restaurant and see what is being eaten and am shocked at the quantity!! I remember I use to eat that much and I KNOW that what I am eating is what would be considered normal portions or less!! The head games....will they ever stop???!!!!!

I've read the nutritional values at the Olive Garden. My doctor doesn't focus on carbs at all unless somebody isn't losing. Yay, I don't think I could keep up!! I've never had that soup at OG, but do eat the Minestone. We always order the breadsticks without being brushed w/butter. Two things here....much better for you and you ALWAYS get fresh, right out of the oven bread. Same thing at Red Lobster - no butter or cheese. Takes a little longer, but they are FRESH!!!! At Olive Garden, my husband, who gets just pasta, will add chicken or shrimp, whatever I want. I'll eat the meat and a few bites of the pasta, very little. I do try and limit my carbs - I don't even think of it like that, I think 'bread, pasta, potatoes and white rice' I have not eliminated them, but nothing like before surgery, just a fraction!

I am currently, as of this morning, 10 lbs under my surgeon's goal and 5 lbs under mine. I've gotten down to 132, but 140 this morning. 132 was too low, so I let myself gain back a little bit. I'm comfortable between 137 and 141. I don't know if this counts as gaining weight back or not. At my one year follow up I was told to expect to gain 5 - 7 lbs as I stablize. It seems normal to me. I'm still wearing size 4 and 6 jeans. I eat whatever I want. Sharing pumpkin or banana nut bread from Star Bucks with my husband is something we do every Friday, and some times on Saturday too. I snack on graham crackers with Natural Peanut Butter two or three x's per day. I had to find something to add calories into my diet so I'd quit losing. I think I'm addicted, it's really good. I can go up and down 3 lbs easy as pie. If I gain a couple of lbs, I find it easy to lose it again in three or four days. Up my Protein and liquids - 'back to basics'. I love it that I feel in control - food doesn't control me!!! Life is good.

I'm 16 months out - early on, (2.5 months out) I used the Protein bullets to get all my protein in. They are only 3.5 oz, I'd sip a little in the morning, again at noon and then finish it up later in the day. Do they taste good? Well, no, but I'd hold my nose while I sipped and then rinse my mouth out - 3.5 oz is easy. I could not drink a Protein Drink. It would take me 2 - 3 hours, it'd get warm and I'd add ice. I knew it wasn't going to work, plus I hated the taste, no matter what I did to it!!! The bullet was easy for me! I worry that I'm eating too much because it seems like a LOT compared to 6 or 8 months ago. I just ate two eggs with a half oz of grated 2% cheese grated in them. I'm totally full. Some days I can only eat 1 egg. I'm not sure why that is. I can eat a half cup of 1% cottage cheese (the REAL Breakfast of champions) with a slice of canned pineapple. I can eat 3 oz of meat, with only an eighth cup of cottage and maybe a bite of a veggie. It really does seem like a lot, but I know it's not. I can eat 1.5 chicken enchiladas, it seems like only yesterday I could eat just one half (early on) and then 1 full one. I might take a bite of Beans and rice, but when I eat 1.5 - I don't eat anything else. I definitely still feel good restriction. I still do not experience real hunger, my "NEW" hunger is an empty feeling and just a little bit of that hungry feeling. Nothing that compares to before surgery. I love this sleeve - I've lost 88 lbs and have been maintaining since January. That's the tricky part, stopping the weight loss!!

You MUST up your protein!!! 60 grams per day is what I always strived for. I got in between 55 and 90 every day, I still do. My average is 65. You don't have to eat a LOT, just make it count. I've gotten ALL of my Protein in from food since 2.5 months out. The top things I recommend are eggs, 7 grams per, 1% cottage cheese, 13 grams for a half cup. Buy a bag of shrimp and eat that for lunch, it goes down easy, 3 oz is a TON of protein. I start and end each day with 8 oz of skim milk. 8 grams of protein per cup. Tuna is another protein power food....13 grams for a fourth cup. I mix up a can of white or light (in water) with 2 TB of light mayo. Add a pickle or two if you want to. Little dills are good. Also....drink fluids, I THOUGHT it had to be Water, but according to my nurse, just get liquids in, since I heard that, I'm getting in more than enough. I love iced tea, decaf or regular. Good luck, this too will pass, but the things I suggested will kick start weight loss, I'm sure of it....always worked for me!

I never did question my surgeon - I can't imagine there is a conspiracy to lie to us all. I mean the ONLY no-no was carbonated drinks. I can live with that, I would have been sad had he said no more pumpkin bread from Star Bucks, he did not. I share a piece with my husband once or twice a week now that I'm at goal. I do know that regular or diet cokes/sodas are not good for us. Report after report tells us this, between that and my doctor, that's good enough for me. This is just my humble opinion.

My doctor chose a 'goal weight' - 150, that would have put me just under a 25 BMI - I'm sure that is how he chooses a goal weight. My PCP agrees, a healthy BMI is what is important. I wanted to wear a size 8 - priorities! I hit his goal and my goal...and kept going. My mom always said I was big boned, but I'm NOT, who'd have guessed it!! LoL I am 52 yrs old and am go between 137 and 143 (141 this morning). My jeans are 4's and 6's. NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever wear this size. In 9th grade I wore a 9, then I gained weight....and when I got married at age 19, my wedding dress was a 9. It's been downhill since then! 50lbs with one child, 35 lbs with daughter #2. My advice is this - do not under estimate this surgery, this tool. It's amazing.

I never wore anything but the hospital gown and the non-skid slippers they provide. Someone suggested wearing to the hospital what you're going to wear home. Good idea. I didn't read or have any use for a computer. (i took neither) I watched a little TV, but very little. Lip balm is good, a travel sized pillow is good for your ride home. Use it between your tummy and the seatbelt. Take shampoo, lotion, things like that. I took make up and DID apply some before I left the hospital. I used my cell phone a few times. Seriously, you need very little! If they don't have a heating pad, take one. I used my heating pad after I got home quite a bit. It was better than Tylenol for the pain. I only used pain meds at night and only for a few days after leaving the hospital. These are my suggestions!

Dr. James Davidson in Dallas, $11,000, and that covers all visits up to one year. The only additional cost I had was the stress test pre-op. ($300) Insurance will cover that, but mine would go straight towards my deductable, and it wasn't worth it. Cash pay got a pretty substancial discount. Surgery was at Forest Park Medical Center....the Hilton of private hospitals. Top notch care, a nurse assigned to me at each shift. I had a hernia that was discovered, he repaired it and it did not cost extra. I give Dr. Davidson two thumbs up. Also, he has been listed as a "Top Doc" in the Dallas area for years.

Absolutely fabulous!!! Just wait, I never thought I'd wear a size 6. I've NEVER worn a size 6 in my life. I think I went from a 6x when I was a kid, to a size 14!! It's escalated from the 14 to a 20. Ugh....life is good now, I love shopping and love knowing I can walk in any store and find something cute! Oh....and the health thing, I know I made the right choice. No problems, but all sorts of things, including being obese, run in my family on my dads side. Not a moment of regret!!! Good luck....you're doing great!!!

My defining moment was after I saw my friend who'd been 'banded'. She'd tried and tried to talk me into WLS of some sort three yrs earlier when she did it. I was very against it, scared of any problems. Let me preface this with another friend had her stomach stapled not quite 20 yrs ago, way before it became popular. She had many, many problems, so I was not going to do that to myself. Well, we all know how the stomach stapling turned out....things have improved since then. I saw my other friend who had not had ONE problem. She'd lost 63 lbs and looked wonderful. She didn't die, didn't throw up every time she ate meat....I started investigating WLS. The sleeve seemed like a perfect fit for me. I love it, I do not regret doing it, I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!!