Eight Months Out

[Marauders 1]

Next week will by 8 months post surgery. I have been happy with the weight loss. I have gone from 280 lbs to 168. Overall, I have done a great job of sticking to it. I exercise regularly and really monitor what I eat. With that said Yes, I have snacked but rarely and No some days I do not exercise but I follow things pretty closely. The weight came off prett well but now things have come to a standstill. Some say that will happen between 8 and 10 months post op and the body will start to gain weight without an increase in calories. That is what seems to be happening to me now.

For those newbies or those thinking about the surgery just keep in mind you will get results but it is a tool. You will start to see some changes like food not tasting quite the same as it did before. Like they operated on your taste buds. As for exercise - do it - if you are struggling try something - anything but get moving. The hardest thing after surgery is more psychological - the fear that after going thru everything that when you reach a pleateau that that is the end. It is not. You may hit a plateau or two but keep doing what your doing it will come off. A couple of things you can if you did a plateau however like increase the intensity of your exercise - really create a sweat. Change the type of exercise you do - if your using a treadmill switch to a bike or a hard walk. Drink more Water and watch your carbs.

If you have a support group that you can attend put everything else aside and attend it. They are great. It helps so much to be in a room with others who have had surgeries and just talk about many of the same things as this site but you get the human interation. If you don't have a support system then visit here. Do not try to do it alone. At the start when the weight comes off you will think you don't need any help but you will. Many have joined weight watchers and attended the weekly meetings. They have a good support system and it keeps you motivated.

You will notice things with family and co-workers as well. SOme will say things like "you cheated" or "took the easy way out". Yes, that is stupid but that is how some people think. The easy way out is not commiting ourselves to a major surgery and the risks involved but you will have people say that. You might also see friends be less supportive than you would think - some of it is jealously some just don't want change but you will see it. Also, what you do DOES affect other people. YOU have opted for the surgery so you have to balance the best way to handle it. If your married then you struggle to find a balance between not having certain triggers in the house for food however, that is not fair to others in the household after all why should they suffer for what you chose. There will always be a McDonalds weather you choose to have the surgery or not and you will HAVE to face those issues. You will have those that just don't get it - they will say "oh, just eat you look great" or something like that. IT will happen so be prepared.

There will be times when you are not hungry but just feel like chewing or feel the need to eat. Keep lots of Protein available and keep the water cold. Hard boiled egg whites are great protein and only 17 calories.

At the start you will feel like you are alone. You will not be sure what to eat, when to eat. You will be concerned your not taking in enough protein or water and sometimes you just won't. That is normal. Do the best you can. Eventually, drinking water will not be an issue so don't get upset if you can only drink limited amounts of water - do the best you can and work up to it.

As I said it has been 8 months for me but things have slowed down. My goal is 155 lbs. I had gotten down to 164 and started to gain without doing anything different. I have heard about a bounce as the body adjusts but being so close to my goal was hard. For my weight I should be taking in 2300 calories to maintain however I take in about 1000-1200 calories a day plus I burn about 500 with exercise. Knowing that a pound of fast 3500 calories if I were to reduce my caloreis from my maintain 2300 calories by just 500 calories a day I would lose 1 pound a week. Well I have reduced my maintain calorie number by 1,000 and added anthoer 500 calories for the execise and logically that should allow me to be losing 2-4 pounds a week now but that is not happening.

It is just something I have to work thru.

I wish you all the best. I know we all say it is a tool but it is. You will do fine but the harder part will be afte the 6 months post op and that is when you will need to work a bit harder.

One more note: This is a journey. Take it one day at a time. Your stomach is now about 70-80 smaller so many of the things that were difficult will be bette but you can't drink milkshakes all day without gaining. You have to change your diet. Things will be different but better. With your full size stomach we always had a goal but when we got close somethign would blow it - a holiday, birthday or summer BBQ. Now you have a smaller stomach and that will not change -ever. So use the tool.

The one thing about this website is that only we who have had the surgery or thinking about it UNDERSTAND what we have gone thru all our lives. It is not a decision we did quickly and we have all probably done as much research as any doctor or nurse. Certainly more than any dietiticain we have ever met. We have all cheated and fooled ourselves that it was anything else but eating too much and too many calories. THe thing about this site and support groups are you soon learn you can't kid a kidder. We have all done it. We have gotten angry at the scale, we have moved that thing an inch to get the best reading and then when it showed something we would get on it multiple times a day. We let a little number guide or lives. We have grazed in the middle of the night and eaten cake batter, we have struggled and succeeded and then lost and we have done it so many times others would not understand. Finally, we had to make a decision and that is why we are all here.

In this new way of living you will meet medical professionals, doctors, nurses and dieticians and all will have book knowledge but they will not really understand. No one really understands but those of us who have lived it. You will get conflicting information from others who have had the surgery, nurses etc. One will say you have to take a particular kind of Calcium like calcium citrate, my particular doctor said any calcium will do including tums. You will compare notes and one doctor will say you can't have carbinated drinks because the bubbles expand in the stomach and another will say that is foolish the reason is because they stimulate the appitite for more sweets - BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER. Listen to all the advice and DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.

A lot of this is mental. We have spent a lifetime thinking about food a certain way and that does not go away quickly. We will go to a restaurant knowing we can't eat it but order it anyway because we used to. It will look and smell good but what you did before you surgery will not work now. Your mind is the same person but our bodies will not be. IT will be like two different people living in one form. The mental part is hard. I remember how devisted I was when I hit a plateau for a week and was about 60 lbs down. The emotional aspects of feeling that the surgery did not work or was not working was hard. Day by day I would get angry with myself for undergoing this surgery for just 60 lbs and all the "medical pro"s " were no help. THe thought of the surgery not working is very hard to deal with but then WOW - you will get on the scale and be down 5 lbs and it will start again. Realistically give yourself a hard year to work. Commit to it. You will lose much of the weight in the first 6 months but after that it will come off slower. We can help with mental part so ask all the questions. People here are great. .

Good luck sleevers - you can do it. You will be frustrated and scared and wonder if its working but it does and enjoy your new life. Yes, you will be able to fly without your body going to someone elses seat, you will be able to go to a football game and fit in the stadium seat, you will be able to do so much more and it will feel great. Those are non scale victories. Enjoy them.

[favoredone 590]

Thanks for the info and advice!! You've done great!!!! I hope things start moving for you soon!!... Good luck and thanks again!!!

[RRcubed 2]

This is a great post. Thanks

[longer-life 139]

Your kindness comes through. Thanks so much for this. It is very inspiring. I hope some of the oldies chime in and help you out with your current struggle. You might want to consider posting a thread about that. You never know what great tidbits you can get.

Again thanks and congratulations on your attitude and awesome weight loss!

[Darla5060 68]

Next week will by 8 months post surgery. I have been happy with the weight loss. I have gone from 280 lbs to 168. Overall, I have done a great job of sticking to it. I exercise regularly and really monitor what I eat. With that said Yes, I have snacked but rarely and No some days I do not exercise but I follow things pretty closely. The weight came off prett well but now things have come to a standstill. Some say that will happen between 8 and 10 months post op and the body will start to gain weight without an increase in calories. That is what seems to be happening to me now.

For those newbies or those thinking about the surgery just keep in mind you will get results but it is a tool. You will start to see some changes like food not tasting quite the same as it did before. Like they operated on your taste buds. As for exercise - do it - if you are struggling try something - anything but get moving. The hardest thing after surgery is more psychological - the fear that after going thru everything that when you reach a pleateau that that is the end. It is not. You may hit a plateau or two but keep doing what your doing it will come off. A couple of things you can if you did a plateau however like increase the intensity of your exercise - really create a sweat. Change the type of exercise you do - if your using a treadmill switch to a bike or a hard walk. Drink more Water and watch your carbs.

If you have a support group that you can attend put everything else aside and attend it. They are great. It helps so much to be in a room with others who have had surgeries and just talk about many of the same things as this site but you get the human interation. If you don't have a support system then visit here. Do not try to do it alone. At the start when the weight comes off you will think you don't need any help but you will. Many have joined weight watchers and attended the weekly meetings. They have a good support system and it keeps you motivated.

You will notice things with family and co-workers as well. SOme will say things like "you cheated" or "took the easy way out". Yes, that is stupid but that is how some people think. The easy way out is not commiting ourselves to a major surgery and the risks involved but you will have people say that. You might also see friends be less supportive than you would think - some of it is jealously some just don't want change but you will see it. Also, what you do DOES affect other people. YOU have opted for the surgery so you have to balance the best way to handle it. If your married then you struggle to find a balance between not having certain triggers in the house for food however, that is not fair to others in the household after all why should they suffer for what you chose. There will always be a McDonalds weather you choose to have the surgery or not and you will HAVE to face those issues. You will have those that just don't get it - they will say "oh, just eat you look great" or something like that. IT will happen so be prepared.

There will be times when you are not hungry but just feel like chewing or feel the need to eat. Keep lots of Protein available and keep the Water cold. Hard boiled egg whites are great Protein and only 17 calories.

At the start you will feel like you are alone. You will not be sure what to eat, when to eat. You will be concerned your not taking in enough protein or water and sometimes you just won't. That is normal. Do the best you can. Eventually, drinking water will not be an issue so don't get upset if you can only drink limited amounts of water - do the best you can and work up to it.

As I said it has been 8 months for me but things have slowed down. My goal is 155 lbs. I had gotten down to 164 and started to gain without doing anything different. I have heard about a bounce as the body adjusts but being so close to my goal was hard. For my weight I should be taking in 2300 calories to maintain however I take in about 1000-1200 calories a day plus I burn about 500 with exercise. Knowing that a pound of fast 3500 calories if I were to reduce my caloreis from my maintain 2300 calories by just 500 calories a day I would lose 1 pound a week. Well I have reduced my maintain calorie number by 1,000 and added anthoer 500 calories for the execise and logically that should allow me to be losing 2-4 pounds a week now but that is not happening.

It is just something I have to work thru.

I wish you all the best. I know we all say it is a tool but it is. You will do fine but the harder part will be afte the 6 months post op and that is when you will need to work a bit harder.

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

You have done great - congratulations! I bet this bounce you are experiencing will stop and you will get back to your previous weight. Good luck, and hope to see your around the forum.

Sharon

[SmokyMtnGal2011 10]

Great info especially about the "brain" being behind in the morph of your body. With your great attitude and determination, you will bounce over this stall and in no time be at goal. Great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mamamckinzie 92]

Thanks for sharing your story! It is always inspiring to hear from others about their sleeve journey! Only another sleever can truly understand!

[MsC 0]

A big thanks for this post! I am at just one week out and this is such helpful information for me. Congratulations on your commitment and great success.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Marauders, AT 9 months I am having the same experience as you. I have only gained 4 pounds, and am working to take it off, but the scale won't budge all the way down to my lowest weight yet. I am eating around the same calories as you (900-1200), 5' 9" and exercise 4-5 times a week. It is frustrating, and I wonder if I should eat more. The numbers just don't add up... but then again, I never thought calories in/calories out was all there was to weight loss/gain. If this is where I land from the surgery, I am happy. I just don't want to gain the 10-20 pounds some do around the 3 year mark without having a lower goal met.... We will see! So far I have done great with the sleeve... its a life saver! good luck with your journey, and thanks for taking the time to write such a heart felt post....

PS... take care with the Calcium, there are lots of studies that say that you need 1200-1500 calcium citrate a day to get enough to absorb in your system, and many with any kind of WLS are candidates for osteoporosis in the long run.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134527/?tool=pmcentrez

..."Calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D should be monitored regularly in WLS patients. Calcium supplementation of 1.2 to 1.5 g/day and ergocalciferol dosing of 400 IU daily are recommended [135]. Calcium levels are maintained at the expense of mobilization from bone. Thus, it is important to note that secondary hyperparathyroidism manifests as a late consequence of calcium deficiency [136]. Treatment may require daily calcium dosages in excess of recommended amounts to prevent it [137,138]. In that calcium carbonate requires bioavailability of stomach acid, calcium citrate should be used to help correct the deficiency [93].".....

[Loleta 0]

Thankyou very much Marauders.

I am about to embark on the weight loss journey. I have my first app with the surgeon mid November. I love what you wrote and I am going to print it out and put it on my fridge to remind myself that it 'does work and I need to keep working at it'. It's a beautiful pice of writing and I wish you continued success in losing those last few pounds.