NtvTxn

My advice is, follow your physician's instructions. You have a line of staples in your gut......you do not want to do anything to risk damage. Otherwise, you don't want to get off track, keep your eye on the prize. It's worth it.....keep yourself busy with getting in liquids!! Start good habits if you haven't already, weigh in the morning, weigh and/or measure your food, when you can start eating......log on my fitness pal. Make it part of your new life. Get into it, get excited, this is a wild, wild ride. Enjoy it!!! These things are what I attribute to my success, they are all as natural to me, three years out, as breathing!!! You'll be surprised at how different your life is, one year from now!!!! good luck!

We have a patient started support group, one of FOUR I attend each month!! The other three are at area hospitals here in Plano....Our group is 'informal' - we do not have speakers. It is held at a local restaurant on the third Saturday of each month (Tomorrow!!) at 12:30. This place is known for healthy choices, healthy portions and lets us have a room in the back!! I think this is our sixth month/meeting.....our first one there were less than 20 and 47 have RSVP'd for tomorrow. Kevin, who started this group, introduces himself and give us a brief description of HIS story, then we go around the room and everybody else does the same. We visit, do questions and answers. Like I said, it's informal but it's good. We have had people who are pre-op and I'd say I'm one of the veterans that is furthest out. (3 years last month) It is good to have this meeting on a Saturday, there are many who cannot attend one after work during the week. I hope this helps. (West Texas? Where at?) Oh, the name of our group, THINspirations!!

I asked Dr. Davidson's nurse, and she said, and I quote: "Whenever you will have as much fun as your husband"

and petite = short, 5'3" or less (I think it's 5'3") I believe there is woman's petite too

From what I understand there are some doctor's here in Dallas that don't even offer them any longer

I really struggle with this too, but it can and does happen. There was a lady at a support group last month who'd gained half her weight back, 70 pounds. You'll eventually eat more, which is why it's important NOW, during the honeymoon period, to make life long, life style changes. If you eat a little of this and a little of that, stuff you should not.....you can still lose, albeit as a slower pace.....but like you said, you can eat less than a half cup. A year from now, eighteen months, 2 or three years you can eat more. I am never suppose to eat more than a cup of food at one meal and I can't even eat a cup, but I can eat 3/4 or 2/3's, depending on what it is. If I ate high calorie foods and skimped on Protein, I guarantee you, I'd gain weight back. All of it? Who knows, I'm not going to risk it. I do not feel deprived, I eat anything I want, including a little ice cream.....but not every day and certainly not if I've gone up a couple of pounds. I weigh every day.....and if I need to, I cut my calories by 100 or 200 and I'll drop the couple extra pounds. There are those who avoid weighing, don't log their food, don't weigh and/or measure, so two years out, when they can eat as much as I'm eating now. If you're grazing on chips and Twinkies and high caloric nuts (thrown in because they have protein), then they are going to gain. This is NO different than prior to surgery, the difference is, we have a tool that makes it easier to resist and that is how we maintain. It does not just happen.

The weird things is his cholesterol was 182, BP was always normal - low normal!!! He has the yearly blood work, has for years and years.....never a problem. He didn't have a heart attack, chest pains, shortness of breath. They did the heart cath and found a 95% blockage, called him very lucky!! Doc said the numbers don't have to be high, everything can look fine and people will have a heart attack. I am curious too about the fat free, low fat and full fat. Everything changes, look at all the surgeries that are done laparoscopically now!!! I personally think that VSG will eventually become the 'Gold Standard' for WLS - in the future, when there are stats from those of us having surgery recently. That is just my humble opinion!!! BTW, Jeff, you look great! Congrats!

You'll get there, I would be money on it!!

I didn't do full fat prior to surgery, so I cannot and will not start now. The only fat free I do is skim milk, otherwise, low fat....sour cream, 2% cheese etc. My husband's cardiologist and cardiac dietitian both want him to use low fat or no fat in dairy, so that would take precedence, no matter what.

Twelve lbs in three weeks is quite an achievement, your glass is half full, not half empty!! Celebrate, do a happy dance!!! Congrats!! Eating less is GOOD!!! At three years out, I cannot eat a cup of food, I PRAY that I never can. I love where I'm at. Before long, you'll be eating a little more and in your mind, freaking out because you can!! I STiLL ask my husband, "Did I eat a lot?" He says I have the digestive tract of a hummingbird or field mouse!! Love it!

I weigh it all too, or like with cottage cheese or something, I use a measuring cup. The 1/4 and 1/2 are well used!!! LoL You'll get the hang of it and it will become second nature. Hang in there!

YOU look great, your daughter is beautiful, and so are you!!! Congratulations!!! Isn't it fun to have something from our prior life. I have a pair of size 20 shorts that I could get two of me in!!! I'm glad I kept one thing.

You look fantabulous!!!!! Congratulations, the new us is fun, wonderful, exciting. Are we lucky??!!!!! Have a great day!

Dr. Davidson's dietitian told us that he NEVER wants his patients to eat more than a cup of food at a time. I am over three years out and I still cannot eat a cup of food, close but not quite. Some stuff, I can only eat a little over a half cup. This is GREAT, we don't want to eat much. I hope it never changes, never increases!! We are NEVER suppose to drink with out meals, that needs to become habit, natural....just the way you do things. You'll get use to it. Celebrate your new normal, this is why we had the majority of our tummy removed!!!! Good luck!!

Because we overeat and we're Americans, we want our money's worth. Big portions, buffets....we want to belly up to the trough and eat until we are past full. We know it's not good, we also know what smoking does, but yet, many still smoke and many more 'kids' will light up their first cigarette, today. The stats really don't matter to us, do they? If they did, we wouldn't be hanging out on this forum, pre-op or post-op. Our situation has little if anything to do with our physicians. If we can't shoulder the blame, I'm not sure success is possible, even if we have 85% of our stomach removed. I had this surgery because I was fat, overweight, chunky, chubby, big boned, as my mom use to say......whatever you want to call it, that is why I had this surgery. Portion control, forced portion control because I had little, if any self control when it came to resisting. Now I do. I know we like to blame mother's but it was not my mom's fault and it was not my doctor's fault that I was fat. When I look in the mirror and point, I'm pointing at me. I was big and it was my fault, and at this point in my life, I am a thin me, and it is due to my diligence and obsession to be this way. The doctor did the surgery, but he isn't with me, monitoring what I do. If I fail, it is my fault, not his.

and you have the right to believe what you believe, but when I was losing, I never got more than 800 calories per day, ever...and that was only during the last month. After the first month, and that first month, I did good to get 300 - 400, afterwards I averaged 450 - 650. I did very well, reached goal and did not starve. My body never thought I was, as far as I can tell. I am pretty sure I could have lived off the fat of the land for a good six weeks. So, I may be a freak of nature, but I've been maintaining for two years and seven months. I think that speaks for itself.

How far out are you? Are you hungry or are you eating because you can? Do you under eat your sleeve or eat until you are full? If you are full, are you uncomfortable?

I agree and I also wish it had been available and perfected ten or fifteen years ago. At age 53, there can't possibly be enough years left for me to shop as much as I NEED to to catch up for all the years I avoided shopping for myself!!!!!!

Jacksonville! We lived in Henderson for 20 years!

Dr. Ashmore, a clinic's PhD - he does their psyc evals.....and speaks at one of the support groups I attend. He says that all that 'messing up the metabolism' is not founded on fact. He says it's urban legend, a myth. He said that unless we are in a POW prison, our bodies are not going to go into starvation mode. I never 'bought that' anyway, but many people do. I cannot eat more than 1300 for more than a few days or I'll gain. At 1200 for more than a couple of days, and I'll lose. It is a fine line between losing, maintaining and gaining. I think you just may need FEWER calories to maintain, and about a hundred less than that to start losing again. You can do it!!! Good luck!

stratusphr

I'm a daily, almost obsessive logger! stratusphr - look me up and add me.

Out of all my NSV in the past three years, two stand out. Having a collarbone appear out of nowhere, I guess it is mine, I've claimed it!! Then a few months later, I was at the GAP trying on jeans and I slipped into a size 4 for the first time in my LIFE!!! Never in my wildest dreams!!!

At five days out I could eat an eighth of a cup of broth or SF Jello at a time. I measure it, even just broth. I am three years out and I STILL measure or weigh my food. I can eyeball it and be pretty close, but I want to make sure, I don't like feeling uncomfortable. Besides, I can keep an accurate logging of my food.

I THOUGHT I wanted to lose 60 lbs, but it happened so quickly, I KNEW I had underestimated what I could do with this new little tummy!!! I started out at 228 and lost 85 pounds. I go up and down, comfortably maintaining between 144 and 147. It was thrilling, exciting....just wait, you won't believe what your life will be like a year post - op!!!! Good luck!!!