OneYearLater

At this time last year, I was dressed in my preop gown and socks waiting to be wheeled into the room to start my new adventures. It’s crazy that it was exactly a year ago. Boy. It’s been a joy, and rough, and wonderful, and frustrating and so many things. I have been a super super slow loser. I started at 268 and have lost a total of 63 pounds in a year and I have worked SOOOO hard for every single last one of those pounds. I’m only 5’3”, so I still have a LONG way to go. I won’t lie, I started into this thinking hey...this will easy peasy. How could it not? I have no stomach and won’t be hungry. It’s not. Sure at first, you may drop pounds pretty quickly, but Head hunger is no joke folks. NO JOKE. You start thinking you are hungry right after you JUST ate! How is that possible? Head hunger. Have I been perfect and only eaten protein with very few carbs? Most days yes...all days...no. I work out just about every day with the bike and weights and keep my calories at about 800 a day. Some days I’ll eat more or less and gain and lose regardless. Still haven’t solved the elusive puzzle on what works perfectly and sometimes have stalls for months! It’s been a rough journey but at the same time wonderful. I have discovered so much more about myself along the way. I have so much more self control than I thought I did, I’m stronger than I ever thought I could be...and I make mistakes. I’m also human and can get right back on the saddle when I fall off. As disappointed as I get with myself at my slow loss at times, i realize that I NEVER would have been able to do this on my own. For those of you doubting our decision...it works. You may not see the amazing and fast results some do, and that’s ok. Everyone is different. Keep plugging along. You can do this and it was a great decision. i’m on my way to my appointment with my surgeon for my last check. I’m kind of embarrassed that I didn’t get under 200 like my goal was at least by this point. I will get there...when my body is ready for it. I’m going to keep plugging along! I guess I wanted to write this for anyone that has recently been sleeved and is feeling discouraged about not having the kind of results you see others have. Assess if you can make any changes to what you are doing and keep going! You do YOU!! You got this!!

I eat 1/2 cup egg beaters, about a 1/2 Oz of feta cheese and 1 tbs of deans french onion dip mixed in for flavor and it’s great! A good amount of food and fills me up for about 160 calories and lots of protein.

Boy am I glad to see your response! Since you are a few years out, it really helps me to see that you are maintaining at a significantly higher calorie amount than when you were in your losing stage. That has always been my concern that I would be screwing up my metabolism so much by being a low amount of calories for a long time and eventually I would get hungry again and would fail trying to stay really low with hunger. Thank you! You give me hope!

Hi folks, I was sleeved September 7, 2017 and after about 5 months out (March), I hit a stall that I couldn’t get out of. Months and months go by....nothing. Granted, I didn’t gain any weight either, but haven’t been able to lose any. I’ve had some other challenges as well...around the time of the stall, my gyno put me on hormones for pre-menopausal stuff. I have stayed at about 1,100-1,200 calories and work out about 4 times a week doing cardio for 30-45 minutes and light weights. Still haven’t been losing. Went to see a nutritionist who said to up my fiber and water. Still nothing. I’m getting close to my 1 year and really want to get this weight off before then, so I took my doctors advice and went back to basics eating like when I first had the surgery. I’ve FINALLY started to see pounds drop. Yay! I’m hoping this is just a stupid concern and unfounded, but I’m concerned about my caloric intake. Back to eating this way, I’m taking in about 700-800 calories a day. I’m finally losing, but after a period of time, is this caloric intake sustainable??? I want to lose the weight but eventually I’m going to start feeling hungry again, right? I am worried about messing up my metabolism so much that if I eat more than 800 calories after I reach my goal, I’ll be stuck at such a low caloric intake that will just be impossible to continue with and eventually start gaining weight back. I guess I’m looking for some folks that have been at this for a while to get an idea of what kind of caloric intake you were at while losing and what caloric intake you are at to keep from gaining? Thanks for any advice you can give.

I agree! I went through this extreme because I wanted to get good weight loss that I couldn’t do on my own without this tool. That why it’s been so disappointing losing NOTHING for all those months. I’m starting to see some results now that ex lowered my calories to about 800-875, but it’s starting to stall again I think. I’ll have to see how things go because some days I do start to feel a little weak from my blood sugar levels getting too low (type 2 diabetic).

TRUE! I need to just be grateful for right now when I can still eat this low of calories and not feel the hunger and enjoy every moment of it instead of worrying about what it might be like later. I’ve always been s planner so it’s hard to get out of that mode, but you’re right. I need to just appreciate the now.

This is encouraging...thank you! I don’t plan on going back to eating the way I was which got me into this mess in the first place with the weight gain, but I also don’t want to stay at a cal level this low for the rest of my life if my hunger starts to come back some!

That makes a lot of sense. My doctor said to stay about that in calories but I guess I’m different and need to be lower to lose with that being my maintenance intake. I’m just hoping it doesn’t lower too much continuing to eat this low but it doesn’t sound like it does from what you guys are saying. Yes I do resistance and weight training along with my cardio. I can probably increase that some as well as I’m going along to stay safe with my metabolism. Thank you!

Thank you for the responses! I’m just wondering if after “hunger” starts to come back if people are still staying at that low of caloric intake. I don’t have too much of a problem with it now, I’m just really worried about once one year, two years hits. I know some folks that had the surgery many years ago and gained a significant amount back and can eat a lot more than when the first year passed, so I’m concerned because I certainly don’t want to go down that road!

I went about 3 months with no period after my surgery and out of he blue.....bam. a non stop period for almost two months hat was so heavy that my hair started falling out and I had to go to the emergency room for a blood transfusion. I’m 49 ( was 48 when all of this was going on) and my doctor said that sometimes surgery will screw your cycles up for a while then come back. I finally ended up going on hormones to start an early menopause. If you truly are post menopausal...consider yourself super duper lucky that you didn’t end up having to go through all of the menopause ups and down like so many women do!

People lose weight for various reasons...and some of the reasons aren’t necessarily positive. From the pics and amount you lost, it’s defnitely obvious that you lost and you look great! It doesn’t sound like you are particularly close with the people you work with and it’s possible they may not want to say anything for fear of offending you or bringing up something that you might be sensitive about. Some people don’t like to talk about weight period and some people lose weight from illness or depression so they may be being cautious. I wouldn’t take it personally. You look fantastic. Shoot! I remember long ago I commented to someone that I know after not seeing her for a while that she looked great and that she looked like she lost weight. She was upset with me for thinking that she needed to lose weight. Yikes! Never mentioned anything like that again to someone unless I knew for sure they were trying!

I did the classes back in 2010 here in San Diego. I lost about 25 pounds during that time, already had my gall bladder removed a couple of years before, so any possible roadblock they look for didn’t exist. I was the first to have my surgery scheduled and I would say my surgery was scheduled maybe a couple of weeks after. It all kind of depends on if there is anything happening with you that might delay things so it’s different for everyone.

Try Genepro protein powder. I buy it from gnc. You need a very small scoop for 30 grams of protein and can mix it with crystal light.

Hi all, My surgery was on September 7th and I've lost 20 pounds since then ...woot woot! Well here it is....I'm moving into my 3rd week and BAM! it's been about 3 days and my weight has stayed the same if not 1 pound gain, lose, gain back. Ugh. I know....this is by far the most loss I've had in such a short amount of time, but still can't help put have that little panic happen even though I've heard of the 3 week stall before. I guess my questions are....what did you do? Did you just wait things out? Did you change things up at all? What helped you get over the dreaded 3 week stall?

I also had the surgery of course for weight loss but also to get off the diabetes meds. My numbers have been great and the doctors told me not to start any meds until it went over 180 for fasting glucose readings. Well, it's been slowly creeping up and this morning it finally went over that magic 180. Am till on the soft puréed food phase and eat very low carb. Ugh. I am really hoping that I'll start seeing it drop again after my body adjusts more.

Me too. I originally had the band but it dislodged soon after. I've since been diagnosed with diabetes and decided to revise into the sleeve to help with it. Blood sugar was great the first couple of weeks but is slowly starting to creep up again. Disappointed that I'll have to probably start up low doses of insulin again but glad that it's less meds than before still. It's so hard to understand why it's raising again considering that I eat such low low carbs right now (2 1/2 weeks out)

I was banded last September and since then my weight loss has been INCREDIBLY slow. Although I know that I am definitely eating less than I normally could before being banded, I still never felt what I have thought of as real restriction. Even though I obviously have tried to chew my food well, I hadn't had any repercussions if I didn't chew as well and I know I can eat way more than a 1/2 cup of food to a cup if given the opportunity. I haven't had any foods that I have had difficulty with like it seems most people here do. It's felt so much more like dieting like before the band and so frustrating that I went through a surgical procedure to feel the same way I did before. I know that it's just a tool and it's on me, but it really felt like my tool wasn't working at all since I had only felt short period of what felt like restriction right after a fill. Well, I haven't been to the dr for about 3-4 months now. It just kind of seemed pointless. No matter what it felt like the fills weren't helping. All of a sudden about a month ago, something happened. I got really sick (not band related) and was throwing up most of one day and unable to eat. For a couple of days, I couldn't keep anything down except liquids. Ever since then, I suddenly after about 3-6 bites of food, I'm a crazy belching fool and have to stop eating immediately and actually feel full to where I am not having to MAKE myself stop...I have to stop because I feel really full. I can no longer handle bread or rice and if I don't chew my food into oblivion, I'm GOING to feel some pain from it...so I do with everything now. I know this probably sounds kinda stupid, but is this the way it's SUPPOSED to be? It seems like it probably IS and I've really just not gotten to where I was supposed to be before and maybe am.....or is my band too tight or did it slip from all the throwing up? I'm thinking if it slipped, I wouldn't be able to keep liquids etc down, but I can just fine. I'm hoping that this is what the band is supposed to have been like all along and I'll finally get some good results and with a little less of the feeling like i'm doing everything on my own. To be honest, it's nice and I'm kind of scared of going back to the dr and having him remove some fill etc and going back to where I felt nothing again...

Has this happened to any of you? I'm hoping I'm not alone on this...although sometimes it feels like I am! I've been going MONTHS now and gaining and losing the same 2-3 pounds over and over. I was banded back in September last year. I have had periods of time with small losses once in a while when changing things up. The last thing I changed was going to the 3 meals a day with no snacks. I was losing small amounts for a while and it stopped again. It was SO hard considering that my work day starts at 3am sometimes. Stretching 3 meals out for that long was WAY too hard and I still try to do it, but sometimes add in a small snack if I can't stand the hunger pains anymore. I work out every single day for about 1 hour to 2 hours with things like the elliptical, the bike, turbo kickboxing and body pump trying to keep it changing so that my body doesn't get too used to things. My caloric intake is anywhere from 900-1500 depending on how hard I've worked out. I DO feel some differences in the way my clothes fit and even though I'm in a smaller size than I normally would be at this weight ( 5'3" size 14/16 at 215). Depending, sometimes I can go about 4 hours or so without being hungry...and other times I feel famished after 2. I eat proteins first, don't drink sodas, drink tons of water, sometimes I can eat only about a cup of food..other times, I know I'm eating more, but I'm still tracking the calories. The last time I went to the Dr., he opted against a fill saying that you just lose slow with the band and he didn't think a fill would help since I can go as long as I can. I've really only lost about 30 or so pounds since surgery weight since last September (more if you count the weight I lost pre-surgery on my own). I'm just kind of at a loss with what I'm doing wrong. I don't even like meeting with some of the people in my support group anymore I'm one of the only ones that did the band...everyone else did the sleeve or the bypass and are losing a ton of weight. I started out as one of the smallest people needing to lose the least amount...and now, I'm probably the one that has lost the least amount and am probably the one that has more to lose than everyone now! So frustrating.... Has this happened with anyone else???

I've been stuck on a plateau for almost 3 months now. It's been VERY frustrating as many of you know that have plateaued as well. No matter what I was doing, I couldn't seem to lose any more for 3 months. I was working out anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours EVERY single day taking in anywhere from 1200-1500 calories. I tried changing around the workouts, adding weights, upping and lowering calories. I already do anywhere from 80-120 grams of Protein a day and wasn't doing a whole LOT of carbs...but was doing some in moderation. I think for the workouts I've been doing, you HAVE to do some. I've been pretty disciplined and just couldn't lose anymore. Sure, I was feeling my clothes loosen up and have gained a good amount of muscle, but come on..there HAS to be some point when you start seeing it on the scale right???! The number on the scale doesn't matter...ppppppffffffft! Let's be real....we want to see smaller numbers on the scale too. My doctor has been telling me to just eat 3 meals a day and that's it....no snacking in between each meal. Eat for about 30 minutes until you are full and satisfied...not bursting or stuffing yourself...but stopping when you are full. No Snacks in between, not even fruits or vegetables. I thought he was nuts. I mean, as long as I keep my calories down and am tracking everything I put in my mouth, who CARES WHEN I eat it right? and we've always heard nutritionists say 6 small meals a day etc...it just didn't sound right. I asked him....well, what if I get hungry in between? He said...deal with it.....you are GOING to get hungry sometimes. It doesn't mean every time you feel hunger, you put something in your mouth. Condition myself to just have the 3 meals. After the 3rd month of no loss, and him telling me to do it this way AGAIN I decided to finally try it his way. What could it hurt. It was tough the first day, I was used to eating small amounts through the day and writing everything down that I was eating. After a few days, it got easier and easier to not want to constantly be grazing and just have the 3 meals. I realized that the band really WAS working in that even though I could eat a good amount (more than half a cup that's for sure), it still really wasn't all THAT much in the grand scheme of things..and definitely not as much as I could eat before. After 5 days of this...I've lost 4 pounds. I'm sure it will slow down again eventually, but YAY!!! finally!! I was amazed that something like that actually made a difference. That is the only thing that I have changed. I'm not saying that it will work for everyone and I know that some people will not agree with this since everyone's doctors are different, but for those of you out there that have found yourself on a plateau, it's just throwing this out there in case it helps someone else. I do still make smart choices...I'm not scarfing down a plate of fettucine alfredo in 30 minutes, but it's been liberating for the first time NOT to be tracking every piece of food I put in my mouth and not obsessing over food. It's been working for me to get me off the plateau, so thought I would share in case it helped someone else.

I was concerned also about not getting enough calories in 3 meals since I work out so much. Also, really after looking back at my caloric intake for the past few months, I was taking a big amount of my calories for the day in the "snack" category which wasn't during my three sit down meals. The concern over not getting enough calories was why I have been hesitant to do the 3 meals a day like my dr has been telling me. After we discussed it, he told me not to worry so much about my calories. As long as I'm still making good decisions on what I'm eating and just doing it all in the 3 meals instead of eating through the day, the band will take care of how much I need to eat. Now that I'm doing the 3 meals a day instead of the grazing through the day in small amounts, I moved all the calories into the 3 meals. Because of this, I don't feel the need anymore to eat more meals through the day, because i'm actually FULL after a meal. It's the first time that I REALLY have been feeling my band working for me. Am I able to eat more than a 1/2 cup a day? absolutely... but it's about a cup to a cup and a half all together of food and i'm DONE. He always said the band would work for me if I would just let it. He was right... I never felt FULL because I was never eating enough to make me feel full in one sitting and was just stretching food out all day long. Other than a short period of tightness after my second fill, I've never really felt that the band was working for me. I believe it now. I just hope that it keeps up!!!

I would go ahead and wait until you get back from your trip. You obviously have been doing pretty good without feeling like you have enough restriction, so you should be fine. Another reason is that you have a lot of fill already in there. Just a little more could push you over the edge to where you feel you have too much restriction...which would not make for a good vacation since you would potentially have to wait until you get back to get it resolved or have to see a different doctor in the middle of your trip. Just my 2 cents

Wow did THAT suck! LOL I've got 6ccs in a 10cc band and am feeling pretty good restriction and pretty satisfied for a couple of hours. I haven't had any issues with getting stuck before and even though I try to be careful with my bites and chewing...sometimes one gets down without really really getting it chewed as well as I know it should. I've been able to eat veggies, chicken breast etc with no issues, so I must admit I had gotten a little cocky that it wouldn't ever happen to me. Yesterday, I was eating a piece of turkey lunch meat and it wasn't that big of a piece. While chewing, this actually WAS one that I chewed up well. Well, when I swallowed..oh boy. I could feel that sudden stuck feeling in my chest that wouldn't clear. I actually started to panic! I wasn't like I was choking..but BOY was it uncomfortable. I started trying to swallow to get it down and burping (I guess this is PB'ing and sliming???) Walking....squaking around like a chicken with my arms, Finally.......TMI...here it comes!! My body was having NONE OF THAT.... and I ended up spitting up. Cockiness...GONE. Lesson learned. I don't EVER want that to happen again if I can help it. What a HORRIBLE feeling! BLECH!

I've been doing ok! I don't have as much of the fullness, so I think some of it was swelling. I do realize though that some of it is also me just WANTING to keep eating even though I'm already feeling full. Old habits that you have had for so many years sure are hard to break! My calories were down because I just really couldn't eat a lot, but now that the swelling is down, I am feeling some of the hunger coming back..although it's still a matter of phys hunger vs. head hunger that I have to sort out. I'm still working out a ton and because of that raised my calories up some, but MAN..even with all the working out, I think I REALLY just might be one of those folks that NEED a really low amount of calories to actually see the weight loss. Bummer for me....but I guess the point of all this was to eat less anyway. I'll have to live with it... I lost some weight since that second fill, but am finding that it's at a stand still again. I'm thinking of going back to doing the liquids for a few days to jump start things again...

I had my second fill a couple of days ago and i'm crossing my fingers and toes that this was it and not just initial swelling. I think I might have found my sweet spot! Before fills and even after my first fill, I could pretty much eat anything I wanted to and wasn't feeling any real fullness. I was stopping at what I felt was 'not hungry', but was hungry again not long after and white-knuckling it. After this second fill (all together 6ccs in a 10cc band), I definitely feel full faster (although I can still eat about a cup or a little more a sitting) and if I eat too fast or don't chew really well, I can feel it slowing down and getting a little stuck for a bit. and it takes about 2-2 1/2 hours to me to feel hungry again. Along with adding more Fiber to my diet, I'm seeing the scale moving down again...yay! Here is the problem (maybe self created), but is this REALLY it? if I get a LITTLE more, will it be even BETTER? Will I be able to go mabye 3- 3 1/2 hours before hungry instead of 2 -2 1/2... will I feel full after 1/2 a cup to a cup instead of a little MORE than a cup at a time? Am I ALMOST There...but should maybe get a little more to hit the real one..or should I just accept this as the right amount and be happy with what I have now? I'm thinking that I could have REALLY good success (even more than now) with a little more....but I also am scared of what if it pushes me over the edge and now I"m overfilled and having to unfill and start all over again trying to find it? I'm thinking that it's not necessarily as easy as just going back to the exact same amount I have now if I miss the mark next time? What do you guys think?

That's one of the same threads I think I read too and what scares me about overdoing it! I do think that I probably need to give it a little more time...but oh how wonderful it would be to finally not feeling like I went through surgery only to feel on my own anyway. I really hope this is it although I think that we all probably feel like well if THIS is good....maybe just a LITTLE more will work even better... Maybe I should stop being greedy ha!