Tummy Stretching? Opinions!

[BJean 16]

Oh gosh I just don't have that kind of time to devote to having a meal. If all I can eat is a couple of bites then I just accept it and leave the table. I am actually a happy camper when I can only eat a few bites. I know I will need to eat something again in an hour or two so I just get busy and then when I feel like I need something else to eat, I have some of what I didn't eat at the meal or I have some kind of snack. I consider that uncomfortable feeling my best friend.

Sometimes I have the old kind of expectations about eating a meal. Especially if I have worked hard at preparing the food or if I have been really looking forward to going to a certain restaurant. But after the initial disappointment of only eating a few bites, I pat my tummy and think halleluia! I'm going to be not only a "normal" person again, I'm going to be slim and attractive! Whoo-hoo!!

[goodlife 3]

I'll probably be the person that stretches their stomach out. lol

I can't seem to get the hang of stopping before I'm overfull.

I eat too fast even when trying to make a conscious effort to not do so.

I guess some old habits are really hard to break.

[BJean 16]

I'll probably be the person that stretches their stomach out. lol

I can't seem to get the hang of stopping before I'm overfull.

I eat too fast even when trying to make a conscious effort to not do so.

I guess some old habits are really hard to break.

You know, I'm a band to sleeve revision. I think that the time I spent coping with the band prepared me for the sleeve. Who knew that the awful band experience I had would actually be a benefit! But I do think it has made a difference for me adapting to the sleeve.

Btw, if I am eating with others who are eating fast, I too fall into the old habits. It seems like the less I eat, the more my husband eats and the faster he eats. Odd, huh? :confused:

[NtvTxn 1,262]

It makes perfect sense to me. I still feel funny in the 'Missy' section, like I don't belong there!! The did surgery on our tummy, but our brains have not caught up!! I still cannot believe the 1x and 2x swallow me, it doesn't seem possible. I've gotten a few things for 'future' and wonder if I've jinxed myself, but I KNOW I'll be there. I had a $10 off at Victoria's Secret and bought M panties. MEDIUM!!! I know they'll fit, and my guess is I'll be able to wear them by Christmas, but it still all seems like a dream! I've gotten rid of so many of my 'big' clothes, but some of my sweatshirts and my sweaters I've hung on to for some reason. By the time it is cold, I will have lost MORE weight, I don't know what I'm thinking. I've taken six bags of clothes to Good Will, I guess maybe I just want to drag it out! Congrats on buying and wearing a medium NOW, isn't it the greatest feeling? I slipped into a pair of size 12 Capris last week....I cannot tell you the last time I wore a size 12!! The day before surgery I was wearing an 18! I have another pair that are a 12 that are a little snug, (different brand) but I got them anyway, they'll fit in a couple of weeks!! I love my sleeve, this surgery was the best thing I've ever done for myself! I feel great! The weight is coming off slow and steady...which is the healthy way to do it!! It's fun sharing these stories with those of you who can understand how exciting this stuff is! Keep me posted on how you're doing, I love hearing about it!! :confused:

NtvTxn, I definitely do think I'm going through the same slow realization because I had to buy new lingerie and pjs and there was only a size "medium" in some gowns that were on sale. It was such a fantastic sale that I decided to go ahead and get 2 for future when I reach goal. However I got home and even though the tops are fitted, they fit! I bought size XL in the other stuff, thinking I'd be thrilled not to be buying a 1X or 2X. But they XLs are actually too big and I have to return those.

Some people seem very surprised when they see me. Others act like there is nothing different about me. I feel slender but I know that even though I'm much smaller than I was, I'm still overweight for my height. So I don't want to feel too contented with this size. Does that make sense to you? All the dieting and rebounding I've done has made me distrust the mirror and my own commitment to being a slim person. I never realized how big I was unless I saw myself in a photo. That never stopped being a shock to me. Crazy as a loon, huh?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

You can't really go by my weight loss time frame because I did lose the weight with the band. when I started having band problems and had all my fill removed I gained 20 lbs. back very quickly. When I got sleeved, I lost that 20 plus 17 more very quickly. So really, with the sleeve I have only lost 37 lbs. I lost that in a few months.

I really try not to drink things with artificial sweeteners either, because they really bother my urinary tract/bladder. There are some out there that are sweetened with Steveia which is the most natural of all sweeteners.

I was at support group tonight and my band surgeon was there. He is doing sleeves now and talking people out of bands. He told me that at 15 months, my sleeve has stretched all that it is going to stretch.

[pumpkin07 32]

BJean

I am with you. I drink Kool Aid with sugar, very diluted. Also Iced Tea with agave or sometimes a little sugar. I am not losing weight really fast, but gosh, I guess fast enough.

I also have an aversion to chemical sweeteners of any kind and frankly will rarely drink them/eat them. It makes no sense to me. I know sugar is unwanted calories, but I just really try hard to minimize it. I like a little flavor in my drink.

But I will try to arrowhead Water.

I don't really have any issues with drinks though. I have done this since the beginning with the kool aid. Usually it is 1 of those little packets each day.

[BJean 16]

Well pumpkin you've lost 58 lbs and that's nothing to sneeze at! Good job! You're more than half way to goal too.

My dentist said that if you use artificial sweetners enough they react like sugar on your teeth. And I've heard that once you get used to some of the artificial sweetners, your palate gets used to the sweeter taste of them and you need more sugar than ever to satisfy the craving you get for something sweet. I've seen a whole lot of people, including family members, who are obese and they drink diet Coke almost exclusively. What started out as saving calories turned into a detrimental addiction.

ODaisy, that's good news about the maximum stretch achieved by 15 months. Gives me a little more confidence that my sleeve will continue to be my best friend even after I'm at goal. I do understand that each person is different though and your doctor may leave a smaller or larger pouch than mine did.

[BJean 16]

NtvTxn, sounds like ours heads are in about the same place. I'm still getting used to the new look that proper fitting bras have created for me. Since I've worn the same bras for years - minimizers - I didn't even realize that they have come out with tee shirt bras. They're great. I invested (big time) in 5 of them. Now I'm already beginning to think I shouldn't have bought so many. I may be going down another size soon and I only got them a couple of weeks ago. I hope this isn't TMI!!

[Lisalu 89]

I read some research about the fundus growing back in some patients. I think a google search of "neofundus" or maybe "neo-fundus" might kick up the article. Right now they think it comes from surgeon error, that is leaving too much of the fundus intact,rather than from overeating. It is a specter that scares the bejesus outta me.