Official Ongoing Gastric Sleeve Maintenance Thread

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I like that term too. Goal sleever. I want to be a happy sleever, not a struggling sleever. For the most part, I am very happy. It just makes me mad

when I eat perfectly, just like I did in the losing phase, and I can't get that 4 lbs off.

I think it means more exercise and I exercise all that I have time for

[camellia 0]

How many of you guys in longer term maintenance, have started to get actual hunger back? Not "I really want that" but "*whine* I'm sooo hungry I don't think I can wait two more hours to appease that growling monster in my belly!!" I have such a constant intense hunger preop, and almost never eat to fullness but eat a lot. I am very worried that, a year or two out I'll feel starving but be unable to "appease the monster."

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Are you taking a PPI? Acid in the tummy feels just like hunger.

My only other thoughts are you eating a lot of carbs? If I eat carbs, I am starving all the time.

[Raine 170]

Hello Ladies,

I have to say you are all a God send to me. I am just post op 9 days now and no where near where you are, but I know I will be one day. The main reason I did this was for my health. Prior to surgery I took 20 pills daily to try and maintain my numbers and one day post op and I was down to 10. I expect that to go lower too!

Going through this as you all know is an emotional roller coaster. One of my biggest fears was what if in the end just like every other time I couldn't maintain it? What if I can't control how much I eat etc. I know I will be able to this time because of the tool.

I started this journey last June at 240lbs, this and that and that and this happens and was not able to have the surgery till April 27 this year. In the meantime I was determined to at least lose something while all the "stuff" was going on and by the time I did my pre-op diet I was 206. Not bad but at the same time I knew in my mind that if I didn't get this done that it would be just like the last time and the time before that and so on and so on and I would gain it back again.

I read everything and anything about the surgery and what to do and the possible complications etc. Now, my mind has caught up and I am reading all the NSV's and success stories and how to maintain and their trials and tribulations. My goal weight is 140lbs ... for now. I'll see what my numbers are then and how my body feels at that weight but this time its not a matter of if I'll be able to do it but when I'll get there.

So after all that I will be following you all as I have been doing for the past month, and grabbing all the inspiration you share!

On a side note, I am going shopping this weekend for shoes for my sisters wedding and decided I was going to buy a "little black dress" in a size 8. Nothing crazy revealing, I am 44 years old! But I have ALWAYS wanted one and never thought it "appropriate" for someone my size through out my life, anywhere from a 16 to a 22. It will hang in my closet until I am able to fit into it and then I am going to make hubby take me out for a night on the town! LOL

Again thanks for sharing everything that you do!

Raine

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Raine!! Congratulations, you are now on the "losers side"!!! Welcome! Your stats are just about what mine were. Don't underestimate what you can do, which is what I did!!! I thought I'd be happy with a size 12, a size 10 would be heaven! Little did I know what I could really accomplish! At the seminar I attended pre-op, two months before surgery, I weighed 227, I lost 23 lbs and weighed 205 they day before surgery!! I reached goal in just under 5 months! My surgeon's goal that is. (150 lbs) I got there lickity split, I couldn't believe it, my secret goal once I saw how great I could do, was, like you, a size 8!! I am now wearing 4's and 6's....I am up and down, 13 - 16 lbs under my surgeon's goal. I wanted a 5 lbs "pad" - who knew??!! I definitely underestimated what I could do!!! Just wait!!! I'd have thought I'd be "too thin" - no way, I am "big boned". Guess what, I'm not!!! LoL Life is good and NOTHING tastes as good as thin feels!!! Good luck, there will be ups and downs, we just deal with it, it's part of the journey!!! Enjoy the ride!!!

Hello Ladies,

I have to say you are all a God send to me. I am just post op 9 days now and no where near where you are, but I know I will be one day. The main reason I did this was for my health. Prior to surgery I took 20 pills daily to try and maintain my numbers and one day post op and I was down to 10. I expect that to go lower too!

Going through this as you all know is an emotional roller coaster. One of my biggest fears was what if in the end just like every other time I couldn't maintain it? What if I can't control how much I eat etc. I know I will be able to this time because of the tool.

I started this journey last June at 240lbs, this and that and that and this happens and was not able to have the surgery till April 27 this year. In the meantime I was determined to at least lose something while all the "stuff" was going on and by the time I did my pre-op diet I was 206. Not bad but at the same time I knew in my mind that if I didn't get this done that it would be just like the last time and the time before that and so on and so on and I would gain it back again.

I read everything and anything about the surgery and what to do and the possible complications etc. Now, my mind has caught up and I am reading all the NSV's and success stories and how to maintain and their trials and tribulations. My goal weight is 140lbs ... for now. I'll see what my numbers are then and how my body feels at that weight but this time its not a matter of if I'll be able to do it but when I'll get there.

So after all that I will be following you all as I have been doing for the past month, and grabbing all the inspiration you share!

On a side note, I am going shopping this weekend for shoes for my sisters wedding and decided I was going to buy a "little black dress" in a size 8. Nothing crazy revealing, I am 44 years old! But I have ALWAYS wanted one and never thought it "appropriate" for someone my size through out my life, anywhere from a 16 to a 22. It will hang in my closet until I am able to fit into it and then I am going to make hubby take me out for a night on the town! LOL

Again thanks for sharing everything that you do!

Raine

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I finally got that extra few lbs off. It took logging in my food at my fitness pal to see where my calories were wrong and lots and lots of cardio. It feels good to have gotten rid of the carb monster and I am not craving sweets at least.

It's very easy to put on 3 lbs if I have a weekend of social gatherings where goodies will be served. It's still hard to say no to brownies which are about my most favorite things. It seems like there is junk food everywhere all the time. It takes a lot of willpower whether I am sleeved or not.

[pumpkin07 32]

Hi you all. I haven't been on here in a while because life got busy. I guess at 5'1" I am determined to maintain 146-149 lbs. I wanted to lose a lil more, but I didn't want to struggle so I guess I'm happy where I am. For the most part I'm a size 8 now. My skin is a little larger still than I'd prefer, so I can't imagine if I was a size 4. I look pretty good at this weight, just slightly chubby. I still have a pooch on my belly and a slight crease in my back but not ROLLS anymore. The skin is improving over time. I did go to a cardiologist to get a stress test and heart monitor bc my heart rate was low and I had some weird symptoms when I was heavy that I avoided checking into. There may be an electrical problem that is minor, I have to go for a follow up but the doctor said it was nothing to worry about. My dad has had a pacemaker for 25 years so I need to watch it. But the pacemaker did save his life bc his heart kept stopping. But it is something I honestly worried a lot about so I'm proud I went to check into it and look forward to my follow up. I did just get lasik surgery for my eyes because my glasses were getting too expensive and I am out and about so much now and wanted to wear cute sun glasses, etc. So now I'm 20-20! I can't wear make up on my eyes yet, but once I do I think I will look a lil different and better. I guess next for me could be a lift/tuck but maybe in a year or so. I never had surgeries and now I've had 2 in less than 2 years! But I am sure eventually I'll get some kind of lift/tuck. I just don't want anything that makes me look like a patchwork quilt haha. I'll go for something as natural looking as possible. My husband said I used to have monster boobs and now he fondly calls them his 'critters'. haha He is happy though. I did not lose all of my breasts perhaps because my weight loss stopped at this point. But I'm happy they are smaller, believe me! I don't even mind losing a lil more there. They are not so much in my way now!! I lost my libido for like a year after surgery and now I'm better, so he is happy about that too. Ultimately the surgery brought us closer although we were always fine. It makes me feel good that he met me kind of at a chubby time, and then I got fat, and now I'm just a lil cuter and smaller. He loved me through it all and never pressured me and I appreciate that so much. When I was at my highest weight of like 220 I was just absolutely mortified. I am short and did not carry it well, and I am so thankful he hung in there and supported me and didn't pressure me. He totally wanted it to be my decision. But I will tell you this, without this surgery I would NOT have ever lost the weight. I was on a slow slow trend upward and just somehow lost the ability to control what I ate. My appetite had really increased as well as eating the wrong foods and not drinking enough fluids. So in a sense, this surgery long-term saved my life. I realize that now. Now food is almost a non issue in my life, although I love food still. It just isn't the focus of my life. I really wish I could have had the surgery 20 years ago, because I just was never comfortable being overweight. I was thin as a teenager and I felt 'cute'. I did not like the way people looked at me as a fat person, or the way I felt about myself when I was heavy. It was hugely embarrassing to me. I am happier after having shed this problem. The surgery not only takes care of the physical, but for me it enabled me to refocus my emotions and my attention on other important things in my life like my teenager that is needing attention and my 4 year old who needs to be chased and tickled. And on my husband who likes looking at my lil skirts a lot haha. I was never sure if I was a food addict emotionally or if it is a physical drive that comes from having a big stretched out belly that drives your appetite. I'm not sure how this surgery would be different for someone that did have an eating disorder that was emotional. But for me, its alllll good once I adjusted into it.

I can tell you I learned the hard way to take my Vitamins. My bariatric doctor initially presented it (I thought) as something that might be important sort of......he didn't really say if you don't take it you'll get weak and dizzy and sick and so forth. I definitely am one of those that need the vitamins. I am very busy and I don't pay a lot of attention to my diet per se like counting veggies and Proteins and carbs. I sort of follow the basic rules and leave it at that. I sooooo would like my life to slow down, but unfortunately this is just a busy time of life for me with 2 kids and 2 businesses. We plan to retire in less than 10 year so there is no rest just yet for me. But back to vitamins...maybe it is just the surgery itself that creates such a huge need. I never took vitamins before surgery, so this is new. As long as I take them, I'm fine. It took me forever to find vitamins I could live with bc they either upset my tummy or made me gag. I have a very very very strong aversion to the taste of vitamins and have struggled through the myriad of options until I found an Iron tablet from Celebrate, a B12 sublingual from Celebrate, a clear capsule multi from Celebrate, a clear capsule calcium citrate w/magnesium and D from Vitaworld, and D3 from Vitaworld. This seems to be the solution for me as I taste nothing but the sublingual which is totally tolerable. I can now take capsules with absolutely no problem. I know I annoyed people bc I resisted the vitamins for a long time. I kept trying to do the cheap ones which hurt my stomach, and then I bought the expensive chewables until finally I would gag at the site of them and ordered something else! That was the beginning of a solution. I literally bought 3-4 rounds of vitamins before finding my right mix. It was expensive so I'd try to struggle through, but in the end blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh just couldn't. If you hate vitamins, just trust me and look for gels and capsules as it is much better than not getting the vitamins at all if you just avoid them bc you hate the taste. The chewables only work if you eat them haha.

I still eat a ton of sunflower seeds for some reason, this is my snack of choice. I sometimes crave my old comfort foods, but it is in my mind bc when I eat them it is not as satisfying. I am more satisfied by quality food not fast food or fried food or chips. But it isn't like I won't try it here and there but certain things are now pretty gross to me. I drink still my staples of coffee, weak cherry kool aid, iced tea. I will say I've stayed much more hydrated post surgery than ever and I'm very proud of that bc I think I used to live in a very dehydrated state. I drink a coke if I 'need' one, but rarely really want that bc of the bubbles. Sometimes though I can drink a lil coke instead of taking a prilosec if I feel I just need to belch. I don't take a lot of prilosec anymore, very rare. I don't mind the prilosec but it is expensive and also just don't believe in taking medicine if I can avoid it because you really never know long term effects of doing that. That is just the way we live in my house - we don't take a tylenol if a nap will do or a massage. I love home remedies and so forth. But not a fanatic, just practical.

Last May 2010, 3 months out of surgery, I bought a suit for the end of year program at my work (a school) and it was $332.00 from Talbots plus shoes. It was gorgeous. It was probably like a 14/16 if I remember right. I still have it because I think I could have it tailored down. Beautiful. This year, gosh 15 mos out of surgery, I bought a cute bright dress at Ross that is also very appropriate (not as elegant but it is just a simple ceremony) for $15.99. hahahahaha That is the most fun of surgery, right? THE CLOTHING!!!. This particular Ross store, for whatever reason, had like a 50' line of size 8 summer dresses. I bought 3 summer dresses that are not appropriate for work but will be great for anything else in the summer such as our cruise vacation, and 1 nice dress for the awards night. tada.......$60 bucks. Yesterday I wore one to the beach over y bathing suit. I NEVER EVEREVER wore summer dresses before and now they are a staple in my closet. I probably have like 6-8 summer dresses now. My husband loves that. I also have 2 very small skirts that are not super short, but above the knee. They are as comfortable to me now as shorts to wear a little skirt somewhere.

The ONLY problem I truly have is I need smaller bras and have got to figure out where to buy them as I bought the smallest at Lane Bryant about 9 mos ago and need smaller...so that is something for me to figure out as I bought Lane Bryant bras for years and years and loved them. And the other problem I have is how to stop buying clothes. I'm pretty good, but I tend to only want to buy fun clothes and I dress like crap for work. Now that I can wear cute little summer stuff, forget it, I don't buy dress pants and suits and so forth.

Deep down it is because I'm just wanting to playyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and not work. hahahaha

Best wishes everyone. Thanks for the support here. I love you all and wish you all only the best.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

I've lost so many inches in my bust, it is unreal. I was buying 42 bras, and I just got a new one yesterday, size 34. I'm actually down 11" - it's so neat because my bras just fit and feel better, they don't bother me, they don't "roll" and the straps don't slide down on my shoulders. I haven't figured that out!! I got this new one at Kohl's, it's a Vera Wang, they are on sale. It was just under $20.

Hi you all. I haven't been on here in a while because life got busy. I guess at 5'1" I am determined to maintain 146-149 lbs. I wanted to lose a lil more, but I didn't want to struggle so I guess I'm happy where I am. For the most part I'm a size 8 now. My skin is a little larger still than I'd prefer, so I can't imagine if I was a size 4. I look pretty good at this weight, just slightly chubby. I still have a pooch on my belly and a slight crease in my back but not ROLLS anymore. The skin is improving over time. I did go to a cardiologist to get a stress test and heart monitor bc my heart rate was low and I had some weird symptoms when I was heavy that I avoided checking into. There may be an electrical problem that is minor, I have to go for a follow up but the doctor said it was nothing to worry about. My dad has had a pacemaker for 25 years so I need to watch it. But the pacemaker did save his life bc his heart kept stopping. But it is something I honestly worried a lot about so I'm proud I went to check into it and look forward to my follow up. I did just get lasik surgery for my eyes because my glasses were getting too expensive and I am out and about so much now and wanted to wear cute sun glasses, etc. So now I'm 20-20! I can't wear make up on my eyes yet, but once I do I think I will look a lil different and better. I guess next for me could be a lift/tuck but maybe in a year or so. I never had surgeries and now I've had 2 in less than 2 years! But I am sure eventually I'll get some kind of lift/tuck. I just don't want anything that makes me look like a patchwork quilt haha. I'll go for something as natural looking as possible. My husband said I used to have monster boobs and now he fondly calls them his 'critters'. haha He is happy though. I did not lose all of my breasts perhaps because my weight loss stopped at this point. But I'm happy they are smaller, believe me! I don't even mind losing a lil more there. They are not so much in my way now!! I lost my libido for like a year after surgery and now I'm better, so he is happy about that too. Ultimately the surgery brought us closer although we were always fine. It makes me feel good that he met me kind of at a chubby time, and then I got fat, and now I'm just a lil cuter and smaller. He loved me through it all and never pressured me and I appreciate that so much. When I was at my highest weight of like 220 I was just absolutely mortified. I am short and did not carry it well, and I am so thankful he hung in there and supported me and didn't pressure me. He totally wanted it to be my decision. But I will tell you this, without this surgery I would NOT have ever lost the weight. I was on a slow slow trend upward and just somehow lost the ability to control what I ate. My appetite had really increased as well as eating the wrong foods and not drinking enough fluids. So in a sense, this surgery long-term saved my life. I realize that now. Now food is almost a non issue in my life, although I love food still. It just isn't the focus of my life. I really wish I could have had the surgery 20 years ago, because I just was never comfortable being overweight. I was thin as a teenager and I felt 'cute'. I did not like the way people looked at me as a fat person, or the way I felt about myself when I was heavy. It was hugely embarrassing to me. I am happier after having shed this problem. The surgery not only takes care of the physical, but for me it enabled me to refocus my emotions and my attention on other important things in my life like my teenager that is needing attention and my 4 year old who needs to be chased and tickled. And on my husband who likes looking at my lil skirts a lot haha. I was never sure if I was a food addict emotionally or if it is a physical drive that comes from having a big stretched out belly that drives your appetite. I'm not sure how this surgery would be different for someone that did have an eating disorder that was emotional. But for me, its alllll good once I adjusted into it.

I can tell you I learned the hard way to take my Vitamins. My bariatric doctor initially presented it (I thought) as something that might be important sort of......he didn't really say if you don't take it you'll get weak and dizzy and sick and so forth. I definitely am one of those that need the vitamins. I am very busy and I don't pay a lot of attention to my diet per se like counting veggies and Proteins and carbs. I sort of follow the basic rules and leave it at that. I sooooo would like my life to slow down, but unfortunately this is just a busy time of life for me with 2 kids and 2 businesses. We plan to retire in less than 10 year so there is no rest just yet for me. But back to vitamins...maybe it is just the surgery itself that creates such a huge need. I never took vitamins before surgery, so this is new. As long as I take them, I'm fine. It took me forever to find vitamins I could live with bc they either upset my tummy or made me gag. I have a very very very strong aversion to the taste of vitamins and have struggled through the myriad of options until I found an Iron tablet from Celebrate, a B12 sublingual from Celebrate, a clear capsule multi from Celebrate, a clear capsule calcium citrate w/magnesium and D from Vitaworld, and D3 from Vitaworld. This seems to be the solution for me as I taste nothing but the sublingual which is totally tolerable. I can now take capsules with absolutely no problem. I know I annoyed people bc I resisted the vitamins for a long time. I kept trying to do the cheap ones which hurt my stomach, and then I bought the expensive chewables until finally I would gag at the site of them and ordered something else! That was the beginning of a solution. I literally bought 3-4 rounds of vitamins before finding my right mix. It was expensive so I'd try to struggle through, but in the end blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh just couldn't. If you hate vitamins, just trust me and look for gels and capsules as it is much better than not getting the vitamins at all if you just avoid them bc you hate the taste. The chewables only work if you eat them haha.

I still eat a ton of sunflower seeds for some reason, this is my snack of choice. I sometimes crave my old comfort foods, but it is in my mind bc when I eat them it is not as satisfying. I am more satisfied by quality food not fast food or fried food or chips. But it isn't like I won't try it here and there but certain things are now pretty gross to me. I drink still my staples of coffee, weak cherry kool aid, iced tea. I will say I've stayed much more hydrated post surgery than ever and I'm very proud of that bc I think I used to live in a very dehydrated state. I drink a coke if I 'need' one, but rarely really want that bc of the bubbles. Sometimes though I can drink a lil coke instead of taking a prilosec if I feel I just need to belch. I don't take a lot of prilosec anymore, very rare. I don't mind the prilosec but it is expensive and also just don't believe in taking medicine if I can avoid it because you really never know long term effects of doing that. That is just the way we live in my house - we don't take a tylenol if a nap will do or a massage. I love home remedies and so forth. But not a fanatic, just practical.

Last May 2010, 3 months out of surgery, I bought a suit for the end of year program at my work (a school) and it was $332.00 from Talbots plus shoes. It was gorgeous. It was probably like a 14/16 if I remember right. I still have it because I think I could have it tailored down. Beautiful. This year, gosh 15 mos out of surgery, I bought a cute bright dress at Ross that is also very appropriate (not as elegant but it is just a simple ceremony) for $15.99. hahahahaha That is the most fun of surgery, right? THE CLOTHING!!!. This particular Ross store, for whatever reason, had like a 50' line of size 8 summer dresses. I bought 3 summer dresses that are not appropriate for work but will be great for anything else in the summer such as our cruise vacation, and 1 nice dress for the awards night. tada.......$60 bucks. Yesterday I wore one to the beach over y bathing suit. I NEVER EVEREVER wore summer dresses before and now they are a staple in my closet. I probably have like 6-8 summer dresses now. My husband loves that. I also have 2 very small skirts that are not super short, but above the knee. They are as comfortable to me now as shorts to wear a little skirt somewhere.

The ONLY problem I truly have is I need smaller bras and have got to figure out where to buy them as I bought the smallest at Lane Bryant about 9 mos ago and need smaller...so that is something for me to figure out as I bought Lane Bryant bras for years and years and loved them. And the other problem I have is how to stop buying clothes. I'm pretty good, but I tend to only want to buy fun clothes and I dress like crap for work. Now that I can wear cute little summer stuff, forget it, I don't buy dress pants and suits and so forth.

Deep down it is because I'm just wanting to playyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and not work. hahahaha

Best wishes everyone. Thanks for the support here. I love you all and wish you all only the best.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am glad to hear the update!

I hate bras. I am barely an A now so it's really hard to find one I like. The little A bras are for little kids and they barely have any sides on them.

I really like the calcium citrate capsules that pumpkin was talking about.

I love the chocolate chews I get from Bariatric Advantage, but I don't like the sugar alcohol in them, so I get the rest of my Calcium from the capsules.

I get them at vitacost too. Vitacost is so great. You can get so much stuff there for much less money. I get my Protein Shakes and Protein Bars there as well as Biotin shampoo! Free shipping if it's over $49 otherwise

4.99 shipping no matter what you order.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

I guess I'll join this thread, I've gotten down to as low as 136, but that actually required effort, which I just don't feel like expending, lol. I seem to maintain quite effortlessly in the 139-140 range. Whenever I go up to 141, I just add an extra workout session and cut out a dessert, and that extra pound comes right off. Whenever I get to 138, I feel ravenous and I regain that pound the second I have something delicious. I guess my body has finally settled at its ideal weight! I don't deny myself anything, just try not to eat treats more than once a day, and balance them with exercise. And I make a point of having 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables/day. My stomach is definitely bigger now - I can eat a whole hot dog. However, I can also be content with half a Protein Bar for a few hours, or a handful of blueberries, and I still don't have any hardcore cravings or major hunger pangs. And I still eat way less than most - but no longer so little that it looks strange.

Oh, and since we're talking bras - my new size is 32DD! I always assumed that size was for super-skinny chicks with giant implants, but I guess I was wrong!

[Lisalu 89]

I'm 13 months out and have been at goal for 7 months. I find it both easy and hard. Easy because I seem to stay this weight in spite of not always exercising and eating pretty much what I like at meals. Of course I can't eat a lot of anything (well, compared to pre-surgery amounts) but I do eat plenty more than I could at the beginning. It's hard because I still have food issues. I eat too many sweets and not enough Protein. Often I feel the urge to eat for emotional reasons. So I'm maintaining but I'm a bit nervous. I'd like to be taking better care of myself. I started going to OA and I feel pretty good about having the support. Definitely, I can see the emotional side of my food/weight stuff.

Glad for this thread.

[pumpkin07 32]

Yes, I also have maintained at the same weight since a few months out of surgery. For me it has not become harder to maintain the weight I'm at, but I live with the fear of regaining the weight. But thank goodness this tool seems to keep me in check, blunders and all. So far.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

yes, it's easy to go up and down and let the occasional junk food from emotional eating creep back in. I do make sure to watch the scale very carefully though and that is my life saver. If I gain, it's right back to Protein only for a few days.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Thanks for sharing all... I am not at goal yet, but can see some of the same impulses in my own eating habits....

[Lisalu 89]

Hey Blackberryjuice.I've been reading your posts for months and I'm sure you're really nice but 32DD? I hate you! I am now officially boobless!

Add my boyfriend to the list of men who would want his woman heavier. Sheesh.