Search the Community

This will do... The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker Snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free Cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of Protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

I might have LOL'd just a bit as well -- it's a whole new world out there! No but truly, if you've never been much of drinker, starting with 3 drinks in your tiny sleeve might have been too fast a start! Also, drinks have different alcohol content, so that could have been a factor. I love the fact that you were out and having a great time though, and have awesome friends to watch out for you. Bummer about the hangover - that's never a good feeling. I have been a social drinker for years, and I've done 2 wine tastings since surgery. The first time I was very cautious and had exactly 3 sips. I was with friends (but my surgery was a secret so they don't know), so it was my test run to see if I'd feel it. I didn't (I'll admit I was a bit disappointed after all the hype about drinking after surgery). This week was my birthday and I did a flight of 4 wines, but I asked for half pours. It turns out half pours are still too much! At glass 3 I could definitely feel that I'd had alcohol, I was only sipping small amounts and I didn't finish any of the half pours. I probably had 2 sips per glass, but where before my surgery that would have been nothing, this time I could tell it was affecting me by the 3rd wine. So, I feel like my safety must be around 5 or 6 sips total. I like to drink socially, and I try to never get very impaired, so whenever my next social drinking occasion is, I'm going to try for 5 sips and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing your story!

I caught myself sleeping on my stomach the other night and well im a big tummy sleeper, I did change to my side just because im still a bit tender. As far as alcohol there is a video that explains about that. I do have to say its all up to u. If u go thru this journey do u really want to still hVe the bad habits we had before?

Three and a half drinks last night over a 5-6 hour period.. Lots of water and some food in between and I STILL promised the Irish boy sitting next to me that I'll be his NEW BFF and I'm pretty sure I kissed a man with Maori tattoos on his chin. I'm 40 years old and up until last night, I've never been intoxicated... EVER.... I thought I was doing good with pacing myself and eating bits of food etc....WRONG. So glad I looped in my friends PRIOR to going out of the possibility of alcohol affecting me differently because BOY, did it EVER....but fortunately they kept me in check and took me home and tucked me in... BUT now as a special added bonus..Now I'm hungover and ridiculously nauseated... Who gets hungover on three and a half drinks???? OK, just wanted to share the experience. If you choose to drink post sleeve, please be sure that you have friends who will watch out for you.. or drink at home.

There are many challenges. will you think ahead and not put yourself in a place where you have few options but to eat poorly? how much alcohol is in your life? ( no judgement, just huge amounts of calories and bad choices if alot has been imbibed). will you tire of the limitation and being unable to eat like your friends and therefore stretch out your sleeve or will you eat slider foods? there have been very successful young people but they were willing to change their attitude to food and exercise. for me it was "am i willing to do whatever it takes?" i waited years to get the surgery until the answer was a resounding yes. I wish you the best of luck.

Glad you jumped back in LV. You have a lot to contribute here, and sometimes, for me, contribution is what helps me get to the next day. I don't have a lot of drugs and alcohol use in my family (my dads dad was a long time member of AA) but lots of mental illness. People have their problems, families have their problems, its just part of being human, we are not alone in that.

Been thinking about you girls... I've read all the posts that I've missed, and I truly love you all! My mind is foggy and I'm not sure I remember how to type! It sounds like some exciting news for some (vacations yay) and weight loss for others hooray! And holding steady for others (which is a feat in itself sometimes) an adventures in dating for others! Daisy he sounds like a superficial judgmental guy that lacks a filter. Trust me don't settle! Ok my week, it's been a mind game. I have had a rough time with food. I've done my fasts. I went over a little bit but trust me my mind wanted me to go over all the way! I've fought hard this week with insatiable hunger. I've talked about the "hole" and the need to fill it before, this week the hole was bottomless it seemed, and there were plenty of times I felt like falling into the abyss of it. I've been in a depression. Losing weight does not change everything as you know. I think part of the mind, mouth stomach struggle this week is a combo of things. The foods I ate last weekend just fueled my appetite that's for sure! And that in itself is so depressing! I'm coming up on my year, and it's a heady time. thinking about where I have been, where I still need to go and the struggle that I will always live with. It's not so easy for some of us huh? Just like life, it's the luck of the draw sometimes. Halloween is next week. It is driven by candy yeah? and I'm hoping to avoiding buying anything I like... So sweet tarts it is. Halloween is also my brothers birthday.. Addiction..... What can I say here, he was addicted to drugs and alcohol, he was also a successful man. Who fought his addictions tooth and nail so successfully sometimes.. a lot of the times actually. One day he got tired of fighting... He plays on my mind, because he was the stronger of the two of us I always felt. He was also my other half we knew each other's demons more so than anybody else. We were each other's witness to our past. You know our addictions were different, but actually he was fat as a child and it was most unacceptable to him. It was worse than drugs or alcohol to him.. His weight fluctuated a bit as an adult but like I said it was unacceptable. As long as he looked good that's all that matter and he did look good he spared no expense on his upkeep and went to spas and anti aging centers. He presented to the world, a very accomplished, well groomed, fit man. But behind the scenes the "hole" existed for him too. That hole scares me. It's about so much more than food, food is just what I fill it with. Even with the years of therapy it still exists.. Wow. If you read this far I applaud you! It has been a rough week. I have my anchors that help keep my from going to far adrift my husband my children (ok the are more like albatrosses sometimes ) And you guys... So here I am to fight another day.

Almost all of us are addicts, even if many are in denial before surgery! I was absolutely in denial about my disordered eating. I was certain that surgery was going to be my fix because my issues were completely due to insulin resistance (and type 2 diabetes), hormones and genetics. Fast forward to reality and nope, disordered eating doesn't disappear with surgery. My experience is that it gets much easier to deal with in the early months post op. All the way up to at least a year out, it was very easy to say no to food. Eating was a chore. I was really able to focus on changing my bad habits in for better ones. But the sad truth is that it never goes away. We are truly like alcoholics. We don't get to start binges or poor habits again without repercussions, and possibly a downhill slide that ends with the foulest of post-WLS words: REGAIN. I'm three years out. I was so sure somewhere in my second year that I'd beaten my addiction, that my habits were fully changed and that I was absolutely in charge. And don't get me wrong, because it's still far easier to stay on top of my habits or to break the cycle than it was with my whole stomach. But it's still a challenge sometimes. I used to think I had a skinny girl inside me that wanted out. The truth is more that there's a really hungry fat girl inside me, and she wants to eat all the food, all the time. It doesn't matter to her if I'm physically hungry. My obesity did not stem from actual hunger! It stemmed from years of poor habits, binges, overeating and an absolute inability to walk away from the junk food. And that, my friends, doesn't go away post op. Yes, you can replace those habits and those cravings. And yes, it's much easier to do it immediately post op. But the longer I'm around here the more I see that it's actually a rare few that chug along more than two years post op demon free. The rest of us still fight our food demons, and while it's an easier win than it was pre-op, the sad truth for some of us is that the fight doesn't end. ~Cheri

Try increasing magnesium, as mentioned by others, to improve sleep and many other ailments triggered by magnesium deficiency. I found this a good read (not academic, but still is based on some studies) http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/peak32.htm The article targets magnesium deficiencies as it applies to athletes, but there is also general information for everyone. From the article: Eating Habits Associated With Low Magnesium Intake You tend to eat white flour products instead of wholemeal You have a low intake of green leafy vegetables You don't eat much in the way of nuts and seeds or Beans and lentils You regularly consume sugar or sugary products You drink alcohol regularly You follow a calorie-restricted or high-Protein, low-carbohydrate diet Possible Symptoms Of Sub-Optimal Magnesium Intake Muscle cramps, twitches or tremors Regular or excessive fatigue Feelings of irritability and/or lethargy Frequent mood swings, including depression Pre-menstrual bloating Restless legs at night We generally have an issue with the last eating habit by nature of being a VSG post op. We eat low calorie diets, high protein and low carb diets. My daily protein consumption tends to be above average to support athletic activities. I identify with item 2, 3 and 6 from the eating habit list. The magnesium supplement I am trying is called Natural Calm: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Calm-Raspberry-Lemon/dp/B00BPUY3W0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382710890&sr=8-1&keywords=natural+calm The recommendation is to take 2 tsp (325 mg) daily. Others have mentioned they take 1 tsp in the morning and 1 tsp in the evening. This is consistent with the the body being able to absorb 100-150 mg most efficiently in a single dose. Took it last night for the first time and noticed I woke at 6:30 am, feeling refreshed, after going to bed at 10:30pm. I still use the melatonin to fall asleep, but the increase in magnesium ions in the body will promote a restful sleep. After all this research I have done (sleep is important to me for many reasons!!), it is now clear why I started having sleep issues when increasing protein and working out hard month 5 (now month 15). You can look into increasing magnesium if you like, but as for me, It certainly makes sense. Really helps with constipation if you struggle with that. There are so many ailments that are fixed when the magnesium levels are sufficient in the body. I will let you know how this goes in 1 month.

I'm young and live in the city. I go out to happy hours regulary, and have a glass of wine almost every night. Don't judge me... lol. Just be sure to log the calories and adjust your food for the day accordingly. At first you may feel the effects of alcohol faster, but that didn't last too long for me. I think the original poster's statement: "I still want to be able to live my life with moderation..." is a the perfect attitude. I do and eat pretty much everything I did pre-band, just in moderation. I love my band, but I don't really think about it most days.

I didn't drink during the two week pre-op diet. But I did have one last trip with friends to World of Beers. I love Belgium Trappist ales, so it was my last time to enjoy bottles of Chimay and Rochefort for a long time. I definitely don't plan on giving up drinking forever. That's just crazy talk. Even my doctor told me that eventually I'll be able to drink again, just that I'll be an cheap date since the alcohol will enter my system so much quicker. I'll also only be able to have maybe one drink and have to drink it very slowly. I'm also a fine wine connoisseur and have a decent amount at home. I am not giving up on those bottles since far too much money is invested. Most of the bottles won't reach their peak for a few years, so I've got time on my side.

I don't know much at all about food addiction, but I do know about addiction in general. In most addictions, people do not really want to change until they reach their bottom. Or until the pain of staying the way they are is greater than the fear or pain of changing. When you just know you can't keep doing what you're doing. When you feel you absolutely must stop letting the addiction rule your life. For example, an alcoholic or drug addict craves the next drink or the next fix, but that craving has taken over and someone's life just keeps getting worse and worse. In these addictions, you must want to change, otherwise you're not ready and it won't work. While it's difficult to sabotage the sleeve, I guess if there's a will, there's a way. Unfortunately, some addicts never get ready and wind up dead, in jail or killing someone else. As was said above, you will be able to eat your favorite foods again, most likely, but it will be months before that will happen. One of the many reasons I'm getting the sleeve is because it will take away my hunger to a great extent. I am so tired of being hungry all the time.

I'm not sure if there is already a thread here for cancer survivors or people who currently have cancer, with the sleeve or pre-sleeve? Would love to know that I'm not alone! I am a bladder cancer survivor. I have my 2.5 year scans coming up next week, along with all my pre-testing for my sleeve surgery. I have my story all printed up already because it's a long one...but I wanted to see if others have gone through cancer here? I believe it puts things into a different perspective if you've come through cancer. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer when I was 42. We found out that I was pregnant, surprise! We had already lost two babies, our son Daniel in the second trimester and then an early loss. We are foster parents and had already had three failed adoptions as well. When we found out I was pregnant, they did an ultrasound. They could not see the baby, but did find numerous tumors in my bladder. There started a whirlwind of tests, day surgeries, chemo, and finally major 12 hour surgery in March 2011, to remove my bladder and rebuild a "fake" bladder inside of me. 2.5 years later, I'm recovering still, have a hernia the size of a basketball due to the surgery, and need to lose some weight before I can have my "big" hernia surgery to fix my hernia, and start living again. My story This is what we consider to be our "last chance" at having a child in our lives. I'm 45 now. I've lost three children and two years ago lost my bladder and uterus to cancer. We've fostered children for years and had four failed adoptions. Last chance adoption. If we can afford it. My life reads like a soap opera. When I was 11, my sisters and I were hit by a car while waiting for the school bus. My little sister Kathy didn't survive. I was raised by a wonderful Mom and an abusive alcoholic Father. And then I married an abusive, drug addicted husband. Stayed with him for 12 years until I had the strength to leave. In 2001, I met Mark, the most wonderful man ever. We married in 2003. In 2005, at the age of 37, Mark and I conceived our first child. In 2006, I gave birth to our son Daniel, too early for him to survive. Later that year, we lost our second child. Fast forward to 2010 (time spent between 2006 and 2010 resulted in our becoming foster parents and having three failed adoptions). At the age of 42, I found out I was pregnant. Went for an ultrasound, where they found numerous tumors in my bladder. I lost the baby and started chemotherapy in Dec 2010. In March 2011, I had my bladder surgically removed, along with my uterus....losing any chance of having our own baby. But, in the end, I was/am currently cancer-free. We named our third baby "Angel" for saving my life. We became licensed as foster parents again, and had a 15 month old baby girl placed with us. On March 1, 2013, after living with us for over a year, baby girl was taken and given to an Aunt in another state. Failed adoption number 4. Through all of this, my husband Mark has been the best friend, nurse, Father, husband, caretaker ever. He deserves to have a child. WE deserve to have a child. We've looked into adoption and have started the process, which could take years.

I think that would be like going to an AA meeting and asking if anyone there is an Alcoholic. MOST people get fat by eating which in turn means your addicted. I am sure there is exceptions to the rule however like complications with the surgery itself those numbers are small. Purely my opinion though.

Hello my name is Kelli (Beach Lover) and I am a carbaholic! It is an addiction just like alcohol and we have to recognize it for what it is. I have learned this about myself and I know that I have to stay away from the darn things. Don't be surprised if you spend the next 24 hours cravings all kinds of stuff!! Ignore the cravings so it will back off. Few carbs only good ones! This is my biggest strategy for losing and maintaining once I get to that point. You did terrific for calling on help you knew you were weak so you took action! Good for you that is a victory in and of itself!! Be proud of that and hide the brownies!!

I confess that I have eaten Hershey's chocolate miniatures, tortilla chips, salsa and cheddar cheese, have not exercised since July and had 2 alcoholic drinks for the first time in a LONG time and i wonder why my weight has stalled...duhhhhh

I can’t believe that October 24, 2013 will be my fifth bandiversary. In June, 2008 my best friend gave me a beautiful journal. My first posting? I was going to start a new diet! I wrote: · Exercise daily · No white stuff · No bread (I guess I meant no wheat bread) · No Alcohol · Write my food down daily · Keep track of points · Drink 8 glasses of Water daily Obviously I couldn’t do it because the next posting in my journal was on October 20, 2008 when I began my liquid diet in preparation for surgery. Some of the things I worried about then? Giving up control! Little did I realize that that band was going to help GIVE me control. I wondered if a year later would I be thin, or would I be satisfied? A year later I was in Onderland! Not only that, I had measured myself before and after and I’d lost over a yard! Satisfied? Oh, yes! In January, 2010 I started exercising. I went to boot camp at 5:30 a.m. five days a week. I don’t know what I was thinking when I signed up, but I loved boot camp! And it really helped change my body and got me losing again. By the end of that year I was 9 pounds from goal (the goal my doctor had set). Then, I stalled. But I wasn’t unhappy because I could now shop in regular stores. Most of all, I wasn’t consumed in my mind by thoughts of weight loss and self loathing. I thought that I looked like a “regular” person. It’s true that I wasn’t as thin as I wanted to be, but I certainly wasn’t fat anymore! That lasted until this year and, for some unknown reason, I’ve lost an additional 10 pounds. It just came off. The other day my husband actually said to me, “Are you still losing weight? I think you’re getting too skinny!” Never in my life did I think I’d ever hear that again. So thank you God, Dr. Davtyan, all of you on LapBandTalk who supported me in this journey. A special thank you to my sister who was banded two months after me and has her own success story.

I'm not sure if there is already a thread here for cancer survivors or people who currently have cancer, with the sleeve or pre-sleeve? Would love to know that I'm not alone! I am a bladder cancer survivor. I have my 2.5 year scans coming up next week, along with all my pre-testing for my sleeve surgery. I have my story all printed up already because it's a long one...but I wanted to see if others have gone through cancer here? I believe it puts things into a different perspective if you've come through cancer. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer when I was 42. We found out that I was pregnant, surprise! We had already lost two babies, our son Daniel in the second trimester and then an early loss. We are foster parents and had already had three failed adoptions as well. When we found out I was pregnant, they did an ultrasound. They could not see the baby, but did find numerous tumors in my bladder. There started a whirlwind of tests, day surgeries, chemo, and finally major 12 hour surgery in March 2011, to remove my bladder and rebuild a "fake" bladder inside of me. 2.5 years later, I'm recovering still, have a hernia the size of a basketball due to the surgery, and need to lose some weight before I can have my "big" hernia surgery to fix my hernia, and start living again. My story This is what we consider to be our "last chance" at having a child in our lives. I'm 45 now. I've lost three children and two years ago lost my bladder and uterus to cancer. We've fostered children for years and had four failed adoptions. Last chance adoption. If we can afford it. My life reads like a soap opera. When I was 11, my sisters and I were hit by a car while waiting for the school bus. My little sister Kathy didn't survive. I was raised by a wonderful Mom and an abusive alcoholic Father. And then I married an abusive, drug addicted husband. Stayed with him for 12 years until I had the strength to leave. In 2001, I met Mark, the most wonderful man ever. We married in 2003. In 2005, at the age of 37, Mark and I conceived our first child. In 2006, I gave birth to our son Daniel, too early for him to survive. Later that year, we lost our second child. Fast forward to 2010 (time spent between 2006 and 2010 resulted in our becoming foster parents and having three failed adoptions). At the age of 42, I found out I was pregnant. Went for an ultrasound, where they found numerous tumors in my bladder. I lost the baby and started chemotherapy in Dec 2010. In March 2011, I had my bladder surgically removed, along with my uterus....losing any chance of having our own baby. But, in the end, I was/am currently cancer-free. We named our third baby "Angel" for saving my life. We became licensed as foster parents again, and had a 15 month old baby girl placed with us. On March 1, 2013, after living with us for over a year, baby girl was taken and given to an Aunt in another state. Failed adoption number 4. Through all of this, my husband Mark has been the best friend, nurse, Father, husband, caretaker ever. He deserves to have a child. WE deserve to have a child. We've looked into adoption and have started the process, which could take years.

I wonder how long before these ingredients get regulated like tobacco and alcohol? Not that i want the gummint in my business but some of these do have health/regulatory implications.

I don't care one way or the other if anyone tells or not. After hearing about some of the people ya'll work with, I wouldn't want to talk to them either! I guess it just depends on one's personality and circumstances. Circumstances-wise: I have wonderful colleagues at work, and we all support each other with personal challenges. Several of my colleagues are overweight and walk together at lunch; we have a health/fitness directorate at work with a bariatric nutritionist on campus; we have an annual "Portion Off the Pounds" program and everyone in the CLASS shares their eating habits/goals; we have three gyms -- all free. Personality-wise: I was married to an abusive alcoholic for nearly 20 years. On top of that, I was GAY the whole time! With the help of therapy and Al-Anon, I came to see all of the secrets I'd been spinning/holding as TOXIC to me and my growth. So I started a personal policy of 100 percent honesty. Now, I'm very frank and open with everyone with whom I have ANY type of relationship; work, neighbor, family, volunteer, kids' friends, etc. My feeling now is: if they don't get it, I'm willing to invest the time in educating them about alcholism, domestic violence, equal rights, and -- yes -- bariatric surgery! If they're not interested in either learning something new about the world or about me, of if they just can't "stomach" it, fine. But if they are, then I've done some good in the world, expanded my circle of support, and opened someone's mind. All of those benefits are worth whatever risks I face. I am 100 percent me, honest, transparent and accountable 100 percent of the time. It's only made my life better and better and better. No "privacy?" NO PROBLEM! And no, I'm not stupid about cybersecurity/information security. In fact, it's part of my professional industry. BTW, I work for the Department of Defense with military officers from the Joint services and from all over the world, and I'm often the FIRST out gay person they've ever met. I get a lot of appreciation -- and a lot of disclosures from others! -- in response to my visibility. I'm sorry about my "shame" comment earlier. Obviously, that's not the case with everyone (although I'm sure it IS the case with some). But I never again want to live in fear of the risks of sharing ANYTHING about myself that's important to me. If I worked somewhere that imposed that risk, or had relationships with people who imposed that risk -- I wouldn't for long.

3 years ago today I had the VSG! So much has happened in the last 3 years in regards to my attitudes, abilities and awareness surrounding my body, what I eat, and how I exercise. I will do my best to keep this short! First and foremost, I am one of those people who had a surgical procedure to help me lose weight. And I hit a "low" weight and then, in the space of about 10 months, regained about 20ish pounds. Nothing is more humbling than being a "statistic" in this way. I had always heard that this regularly happens to WLS patients and a part of my brain said "oh that won't be me!" Haha. Lessons learned the hard way are sometimes the ones that stick with us the most. So if any of you have the question "is it possible to regain weight with the sleeve?" ...the answer is YES it is possible. The regain is actually quite easy. You quit tracking your food, you eat a few more calories than you need to, extra "treats" find there way back into your life, and you slack off on the exercising. Losing the extra regain...well notsoeasy. I have lost -12lbs of my regain and will continue to fight until the regain is gone. Here are just a few quick things that are true for ME, personally. 1. We can live on a lot less food than we think we can live on. If you take nothing else away from this post, please remember that statement. During the time that I had regained some weight, I found myself wanting to eat more and the truth of the matter remains that my daily caloric intake needs to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,400 calories or less for me to maintain or lose weight, regardless of how much I exercise. This is completely reasonable, doable and normal for me. And I am finally OK with this. (Yours may be completely different!!) 2. Don't underestimate the importance of exercise!! It's taken me a while to finally push myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to exercise, but I've found out what a really challenging workout does to me mentally and physically and I know when things get to easy that I need to push myself farther. If you have never exercised before in your life, then your goal is to GET UP OFF the couch and DO SOMETHING. And if exercise is not completely foreign to you, then you need to set some goals to push yourself harder. 3. Plastic surgery. I have not had any...yet. I went for an initial consult this past May. It was really hard to see how much damage being morbidly obese has done to my body and how much it would cost to get a nice "perfect" body. I've had a lot of time and space to think about what I learned at that consult and what I realize now, is that I'm not sure I can afford perfection. Or that it necessarily exists. I just know I could put one of my kids through college for what I was quoted for plastics. So I'm currently on the fence and in the mode of trying to be happy with where I am and not worry about chasing a down a body that might not exist for me. 4. I constantly drink Water. I drink (half-caf) coffee (usally 2 cups a day), I rarely drink alcohol and I never drink anything carbonated. I've been carbonation free for over 3 years now. I also rarely use any type of crystal lite, or flavor enhancers etc. Sometimes I drink plain (unsweet) tea. My net loss is somewhere around -90lbs. My husband is also sleeved and did NOT regain any weight. He is 2.5 years post-op and seems to maintain his more modest loss (-70lbs) more effortlessly than I do. He also can eat more calories than I do, so right there are complete differences among sleevers! I just don't think we can ever "give up" ...and there is no "finish" line! There might be a GOAL WEIGHT, but once you are there, it's still a journey to keep the weight off. And for that reason I'm eternally grateful to my VST 'family' for always being here! BEFORE VSG 2010 AFTER VSG 2013 (all of these photos have been taken in the last 2 months) SIDE BY SIDE

I'm taking a multi and Vitamin D - 10,000 units because my bloodwork ALWAYS comes back very low on D. I live in Seattle so I can't expect much else! If the deficiency is still a problem post surgery I'll ask my doc for a standing prescription for the once a week dose. I've also cut back coffee to weekends only, cut out soda which wasn't difficult since I don't drink much anyway. Same with alcohol, I play on being alcohol free for a year after surgery. I'm drinking more water, which is why I stopped drinking coffee. I found I was drinking a few cups of coffee before work then NO water the rest of the day. I've also upped my skin care routine. I'm not a very vain person but I've heard that rapid weight loss can cause a little wrinkli-ness in the face. I have good skin - trying to keep it that way!

I'm 10 weeks, haven't been craving anything really. Heavy carbs or fatty/creamy/buttery things are too much for me, can't handle more than one bite or two then I feel ill. I'd mentally love to eat pizza, but the thought of actually eating makes me feel ill. Wish I could get more veggies down. They agree with me (cooked ones at least), but I just never get more than a bite after my protein, too full. I have found that ice cream, roasted pumpkin seeds, and alcohol (all no-nos) go down just fine I can't stomach carbonation at all, not even the tiniest sip.

I was told by my nutritionist.. 'you would really have to go some to stretch your stomach to its original size and regain all your weight'. As for my surgeon - he said 'yes, there is flexibility in the organ (that is what the stomach is designed to do) so if you overeat every day, you will, over time, stretch it out a bit. Conversely, if you eat little, it will shrink.' Consequently.. and my advice? Listen to your pouch and when it says stop - stop. Asking for absolutes on the 'average stretch of a pouch', is, although i'm sure that this is not your intention, like asking 'how much to the millimeter of alcohol can I consume before i can't drive a car'. There are guidelines provided us, based on average consumption levels and associated performance. Some people can drink more and process it more quickly, like some people can eat more and process it more effectively. Asking for any further specificity than that, is pretty futile. Only you know what your stomach tells you in comparison to the guidelines offered you. None of us know exactly the amount we can eat - because each food type has a different effect on us and this also changes day by day. For example, some days I can eat bread and some days, I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon than put bread in my belly. I just eat what I fancy and stop when I feel a fullness below my sternum. That feeling that if I ate another mouthful, it'd be up into my esophagus. That's the only gauge I know and that's all I have to go by. Best of luck in finding yours and being comfortable with it. More importantly; try not to freak out. You're not going to put all your weight back on overnight and if the scales do start going the other way, you know what you have to do.

I tried alcohol this weekend. (Im about 6 weeks out, and approved by nurse.) I wouldn't recommend it. It went down ok, but making bad eating decisions is way too easy to do while drinking. I had 3/4 shot of Jack Daniels mixed in with an ounce of water. It hit fast and hard. I think if I had had another shot I would have been completely trashed. I think Im going to do my best to stay away as much as possible :/ Hard to do when your skinny husband tries to get you to drink :/