All of my December sleevers...

[Chloe1Zoey 2]

Wow that's great!! I was sleeved 12/09.. & down 19( 50 lbs total post op& wit required classes)

[cygnusatratus 73]

So my sig tells my story pretty well. 8 steady months of losses and I've been playing with the same 5 pounds for the last 5 months. People that hadn't seen me in a year were like "wow" but inside I'm so discouraged and consider myself a failure. I still have so far to go and the sleeve has stopped working for me. The restriction is still there and feels like it did at 6-8 months but I don't think it's enough or something. I'm about to go back to basics of low carbing and counting calories but my body seems to have settled into a 36 BMI comfort zone, WITH the sleeve and I'm really not satisfied with that when I had hoped for so much better.

[UndercoverBariatricGal 167]

So my sig tells my story pretty well. 8 steady months of losses and I've been playing with the same 5 pounds for the last 5 months. People that hadn't seen me in a year were like "wow" but inside I'm so discouraged and consider myself a failure. I still have so far to go and the sleeve has stopped working for me. The restriction is still there and feels like it did at 6-8 months but I don't think it's enough or something. I'm about to go back to basics of low carbing and counting calories but my body seems to have settled into a 36 BMI comfort zone, WITH the sleeve and I'm really not satisfied with that when I had hoped for so much better.

May I suggest you not eat any complex carbs at all and see how that works for you I'm not placing judgment but a lot of people say the sleeve fails them but I notice they eat ALL the wrong foods.. Instead of NO NO foods try for example 4-6 ounces of of yogurt with maybe two small turkey/light sausages for Breakfast then for lunch have a few slices of turkey/deli chicken slices with a slice of low fat cheese and maybe a half of a greek yogurt then for dinner some baked chicken with any salad/ green leafy veggie..... and if you want a snack go for another yogurt or a salad.. The sleeve is not failing you.. Your choice of foods most likely are hurting your success.. No bread no rice no Pasta no sauces no sugar these are the things that in most of our cases made us fat let them go and see how low carb high Protein works for you.. If you can tell me you not loosing weight eating that then yeah I agree But deep down inside you know like I know your not eating the best food choices mix it up a bit have tuna no crackers no bread have some baked fish no bread if you throw in the complex carbs your going to have little to no loss.. I have tried to throw carbs back in my diet bad idea i gained 5 pounds back fast its not for everyone some people can eat carbs and get away with it and some like my self cant. I feel like your slapping yourself in the face if you dont put your best foot forward after having this surgery you allowed someone to cut you open take away more then half of your stomach and for what? To fail? It shouldn't even be an option! I wish you well.. Change your mental on what your allowed to have and I can assure you that the sleeve is working just fine!

[UndercoverBariatricGal 167]

Okay so question? A year out how much can you get in.. For me depending on what it is 4-6 ounces max meat is always 3-4 ounces softer foods like yogurt/oatmeal (4-5) i can push 6 but know I feel very full when i do...I still measure some of my foods because I dont like to waste food. and with the sleeve I would say a lot goes to the trash so I learned to only make what I think im really going to eat or can freeze or what have you. I have food still not touched from 2.5 months out it got so bad I stopped buying meats and stuff and force myself to eat whats in my freezer so that it wont get freezer burn therefore wasting more money. The sleeve is a funny thing I tell you.. I swear if I really look in my deep freezer and my present limits I have 2+ years of meat in there.. SMH so no more wasting money..

[kscdvm 78]

So my sig tells my story pretty well. 8 steady months of losses and I've been playing with the same 5 pounds for the last 5 months. People that hadn't seen me in a year were like "wow" but inside I'm so discouraged and consider myself a failure. I still have so far to go and the sleeve has stopped working for me. The restriction is still there and feels like it did at 6-8 months but I don't think it's enough or something. I'm about to go back to basics of low carbing and counting calories but my body seems to have settled into a 36 BMI comfort zone, WITH the sleeve and I'm really not satisfied with that when I had hoped for so much better.

I agree with undercoverbariatricgirl. The analogy I make is to school.

Suppose you sign up for a class. You check the syllabus and know what the rules are, what the homework is, and when the tests are. Half way through the class, you have a C average. Some of your classmates are getting an A and you wonder what the difference is. Are you going to class everyday? Are you studying every night? Do you do all the homework? Do you take advantage of the teacher's office hours?

So, the sleeve is a tool. You signed up for it. Now you need to take full advantage of all it can teach you. Your sleeve gets bigger with time, but hopefully we will be retrained to eat appropriately.

I'm a rule follower and these are my rules.

1) Protein first. At least 70 gm per day. (Usually more like 80 to 90)

2) 64 oz of Water per day. For me, no caffeine or pop. Diet coke is a gateway food for me. Haven't even had a sip since before surgery.

3) Fat less than 45 gm. (Sometimes I get up to 50 but I try to keep the weekly average good)

4) Carbs less than protein. So if I eat 95 gm protein, my carbs are usually 70 to 90

5) No bread, no Pasta, no potatoes, no rice. This is my rule, not my nutritionist. Again, another gateway food group. I did have some mashed potatoes with gravy over the holidays but it made me crave more. The only "bread" I eat is lunch on a sandwich thin- whole grain of course.

6) weigh yourself once weekly

7) record your food diary daily. I use myfitnesspal. I don't beat myself up over a bad day because I can look at my weekly average and see that I did okay.

8) my doctor's office wants me to contact them if I gain 5 lbs. They don't want us to wait until it is 10 or 20.

9) Exercise 3 hours per week.

10) Take my supplements. Calcium and Iron need to be separated by 2 hours.

So, take advantage of all your resources and if it still isn't working, call your doctor or see a nutritionist.

[UndercoverBariatricGal 167]

So my sig tells my story pretty well. 8 steady months of losses and I've been playing with the same 5 pounds for the last 5 months. People that hadn't seen me in a year were like "wow" but inside I'm so discouraged and consider myself a failure. I still have so far to go and the sleeve has stopped working for me. The restriction is still there and feels like it did at 6-8 months but I don't think it's enough or something. I'm about to go back to basics of low carbing and counting calories but my body seems to have settled into a 36 BMI comfort zone, WITH the sleeve and I'm really not satisfied with that when I had hoped for so much better.

I agree with undercoverbariatricgirl. The analogy I make is to school.

Suppose you sign up for a class. You check the syllabus and know what the rules are, what the homework is, and when the tests are. Half way through the class, you have a C average. Some of your classmates are getting an A and you wonder what the difference is. Are you going to class everyday? Are you studying every night? Do you do all the homework? Do you take advantage of the teacher's office hours?

So, the sleeve is a tool. You signed up for it. Now you need to take full advantage of all it can teach you. Your sleeve gets bigger with time, but hopefully we will be retrained to eat appropriately.

I'm a rule follower and these are my rules.

1) Protein first. At least 70 gm per day. (Usually more like 80 to 90)

2) 64 oz of Water per day. For me, no caffeine or pop. Diet coke is a gateway food for me. Haven't even had a sip since before surgery.

3) Fat less than 45 gm. (Sometimes I get up to 50 but I try to keep the weekly average good)

4) Carbs less than protein. So if I eat 95 gm protein, my carbs are usually 70 to 90

5) No bread, no Pasta, no potatoes, no rice. This is my rule, not my nutritionist. Again, another gateway food group. I did have some mashed potatoes with gravy over the holidays but it made me crave more. The only "bread" I eat is lunch on a sandwich thin- whole grain of course.

6) weigh yourself once weekly

7) record your food diary daily. I use myfitnesspal. I don't beat myself up over a bad day because I can look at my weekly average and see that I did okay.

8) my doctor's office wants me to contact them if I gain 5 lbs. They don't want us to wait until it is 10 or 20.

9) Exercise 3 hours per week.

10) Take my supplements. Calcium and Iron need to be separated by 2 hours.

So, take advantage of all your resources and if it still isn't working, call your doctor or see a nutritionist.

I hated Protein Shakes even the no flavor one had an after taste to me, I did them for only the first 3 months then depended on food intake for protein... My hair is fine and I always seem to have enough energy I only take Vitamins from time to time because my blood work shows my food intake is doing me just fine all my levels for everything are normal I usually take in 800- 1100 calories a day it depends on my day nuts will definitely increase my count but I throw them in every other day as a snack I love salad but try to get my meat in first I always try to get at least 3 ounces when I do tuna/fish/chicken then I focus on the veggie of choice I have not had any rice for over a year i only do manicotti when I choose pasta and I can count on 1 hand how many time in a year i have had that.. so translation I have done hardly no pasta I have had very little potato's same as pasta I can count that on one hand too and I dont do any sugar unless its already in the food I purchased I might have had some form of bread product about 10 times in the year and its usually one slice with turkey meat and low fat cheese and light mayo and so on .. translation I am doing fine blood level wise without all the protein products and so on and I have been very successful in weight loss without all of that.. everyone is different I am due for more blood work soon and as long as it says Im normal I will continue with what I been doing if they say I need it which I doubt since I feel fine then I will do what needs to be done.. Come on sleevers stop cheating yourself out of success change your mind set and make changes so that you can feel as good as the sleevers who followed their doctors instructions and let go of the complex carbs if your not loosing find foods that you not only enjoy but that will keep the scale moving down. Don't give into food you can do it!

[dparonyan 4]

Started over 2 days ago. No carbs

A little yesterday but feel so much better. I will not let food control me.

I know if I make the right choices I will do better at weight loss. I've been upset at myself at all the wrong foods I have been eating.

I can so this!!

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Okay so question? A year out how much can you get in.. For me depending on what it is 4-6 ounces max meat is always 3-4 ounces softer foods like yogurt/oatmeal (4-5) i can push 6 but know I feel very full when i do...I still measure some of my foods because I dont like to waste food. and with the sleeve I would say a lot goes to the trash so I learned to only make what I think im really going to eat or can freeze or what have you. I have food still not touched from 2.5 months out it got so bad I stopped buying meats and stuff and force myself to eat whats in my freezer so that it wont get freezer burn therefore wasting more money. The sleeve is a funny thing I tell you.. I swear if I really look in my deep freezer and my present limits I have 2+ years of meat in there.. SMH so no more wasting money..

Great question, and I'd also love to hear how much others can eat. I think I can eat too much (not that I do very often)- like easily as much as 4-6 oz dense Protein, or 8 oz of other things like vegetables/salad. I also avoid bread, rice, Pasta, don't drink pop, don't drink with meals, and get in about 75 gm protein a day.

I think more in terms of volume, and I know I can easily hold a cup of food, maybe more depending on what it is. I wish it wasn't so, and I've been careful not to over eat, but it's just the way my sleeve is. I wish I had more restriction than I do, because I could easily eat enough to gain. Even so, I'm thrilled with my results so far, and I would do it again. Even though I can eat more than many, it's still much less than before, and pretty much like the normal population of people.

The weight is not coming off like it did - no matter what I do. I agree that it's partly due to what we eat, but I think there is more to it than that. It's also got to do with age, activity level, genetics, and probably other things we don't even know about. Having said that, I think we can all get the weight off - it's just harder for some than others.

[cygnusatratus 73]

I'm with you all. Notice I didn't say I consider the sleeve to be failing. I consider myself to be failing. I had hoped however that the restriction would allow me to keep losing past this point and it's discouraging that my body has chosen to make this it's stopping point and to make weight loss difficult again. I know I need to count carbs and calories again, and I know it's going to be a struggle. It was just so nice to lose and not have it be a daily struggle, a soul sucking up and down battle. I appreciate what the sleeve has given me so far and I appreciate that it will be easier going forward to eat less and harder to gain weight. But let this be a cautionary tale that the easy magic doesn't last very long and don't let small amounts of snacking creep in and don't let Carb Monster get his toe in the door because he's a bully and a party crasher and a homewrecker who's hard to evict and it's hard when the rest of your family loves him as much as they love you and want him to stay.

[cygnusatratus 73]

Okay so question? A year out how much can you get in.. For me depending on what it is 4-6 ounces max meat is always 3-4 ounces softer foods like yogurt/oatmeal (4-5) i can push 6 but know I feel very full when i do...I still measure some of my foods because I dont like to waste food. and with the sleeve I would say a lot goes to the trash so I learned to only make what I think im really going to eat or can freeze or what have you. I have food still not touched from 2.5 months out it got so bad I stopped buying meats and stuff and force myself to eat whats in my freezer so that it wont get freezer burn therefore wasting more money. The sleeve is a funny thing I tell you.. I swear if I really look in my deep freezer and my present limits I have 2+ years of meat in there.. SMH so no more wasting money..

Great question, and I'd also love to hear how much others can eat. I think I can eat too much (not that I do very often)- like easily as much as 4-6 oz dense Protein, or 8 oz of other things like vegetables/salad. I also avoid bread, rice, Pasta, don't drink pop, don't drink with meals, and get in about 75 gm protein a day.

I think more in terms of volume, and I know I can easily hold a cup of food, maybe more depending on what it is. I wish it wasn't so, and I've been careful not to over eat, but it's just the way my sleeve is. I wish I had more restriction than I do, because I could easily eat enough to gain. Even so, I'm thrilled with my results so far, and I would do it again. Even though I can eat more than many, it's still much less than before, and pretty much like the normal population of people.

The weight is not coming off like it did - no matter what I do. I agree that it's partly due to what we eat, but I think there is more to it than that. It's also got to do with age, activity level, genetics, and probably other things we don't even know about. Having said that, I think we can all get the weight off - it's just harder for some than others.

This is about where I am. My surgeon uses a larger diameter sleeve than most because he has concerns about the safety of smaller sleeves, but he also said he staples very tight to the bougie compared to videos he's seen from surgeons that use smaller bougie sizes so ymmv. I need to measure and weigh my portions and I know sometimes it seems like I'm full a lot sooner than others, irregardless of food density, etc so who really knows what's going on in there. Plus the full feeling is a lot more tolerable than it once was. Which sucks a little.

[UndercoverBariatricGal 167]

I'm with you all. Notice I didn't say I consider the sleeve to be failing. I consider myself to be failing. I had hoped however that the restriction would allow me to keep losing past this point and it's discouraging that my body has chosen to make this it's stopping point and to make weight loss difficult again. I know I need to count carbs and calories again, and I know it's going to be a struggle. It was just so nice to lose and not have it be a daily struggle, a soul sucking up and down battle. I appreciate what the sleeve has given me so far and I appreciate that it will be easier going forward to eat less and harder to gain weight. But let this be a cautionary tale that the easy magic doesn't last very long and don't let small amounts of snacking creep in and don't let Carb Monster get his toe in the door because he's a bully and a party crasher and a homewrecker who's hard to evict and it's hard when the rest of your family loves him as much as they love you and want him to stay.

Okay I stand corrected and love that you openly admit your faults.. (hug) This is a first step. I want you to know I have reached goal and learned very quickly this is far from over I too allowed that monster back into my life and learned quick regret! I learned that reaching goal is not enough I learned that this is my new life and that we will always need to keep up on what we eat or we will be back where we came from (extremely overweight) Know its a daily struggle and it wont end so I'm saying this to all SLEEVERS not just you if you walked into this looking for a here and now fix you might as well give up now because once you reached goal it has just begun its far from over and welcome to your new life as you knew it! I know PLENTY OF PEOPLE who have lost all of their weight with Lapband/sleeve/bypass and have over the years gained it back I will not be that person because from the day I reached goal and went back to some of my old ways I excepted the change and now know this is a lifestyle not just a easy fix I am committed and refuse to be back where I was therefore assuring my continued success. Once you place your mind in that area you will continue to receive what you set out for the day you allowed them to cut holes into you and altering your body! DONT LET THE RESTRICTIONS BE FOR NOTHING! Fight for what you wanted all these years change your mindset and let it happen being on the slimmer side is so much sweeter I can assure you. Good luck to you and all our fellow brothers and sisters.. I wish you all great success.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

So true, Undercover. It is a mindset, and we must never let our guard down. It's a lifestyle change we have to make, and it has to be permanent. However, I'm wondering if new habits can ever really overcome a lifetime of old habits, when coupled with the abundance of food and all the other things working against someone trying to limit their intake. I do KNOW we can do this, I'm just saying for me, it will not be that I learned a new habit that takes precedence over an old one. For me, it will be hyper-vigilance to never forget where I came from, how hard I fought to get here, and how much harder I'm going to have to fight to keep it.

Over the holidays I ate a few meals (not days) that were typical holiday food, in quantities higher than my typical but no where near what I used to eat or what others can eat, and I gained 6 pounds! And it wasn't Water - it was fat. I've just about got it all back off, but it's taken 3 weeks. That was an eye opening, terrifying realization - one that I hope I don't forget soon!

[cygnusatratus 73]

I think, at least for me there was a hope that I could (with sleeve restriction) live a normal life without being obese the way everyone around me always seemed able to do (without sleeve restriction). Meaning they eat normally don't log every item they eat in myfitnesspal or weigh every item they eat or obsess about carbs per day or grams of Protein. I was just hoping that that the sleeve could be a tool to help me get there. I've eaten healthy for a long time before the sleeve and I'm not by any means overheating now. I was just hoping this would help me get to a more normal existence and relationship with food and my body and my health. Alas I'm realizing that despite the tool, I need to continue to obsess about carbs and calories and protein and Water and such. I think with the sleeve and the obsessing I can get back on track much easier than with either one alone. I was just hoping I wouldn't need to do that obsessing part the rest of my life. I know many of us are in the same boat or we wouldn't be here. Sure some have really bad habits or extreme overheating behaviors that if cured would probably be fine without the restriction, but for me it's always been a case of I have to be an extreme dieter obsessed with nearly eliminating carbs and seriously cutting calories to see any reduction in my weight. So thinks for being here and listening to me. I'm really just mourning the loss of that dream to be able live like a person with a normal metabolism without the constant attention to detail. Alas, I realize it can never be so now I'm ready to start obsessing about my diet again.

[cygnusatratus 73]

Also idk if anyone else has this problem but my surgeon and weight loss details to the left

<-------

Are totally not mine. I went to my profile and it is correct there but not when I post. The avatar and username are correct but everything after that is not my info.

[UndercoverBariatricGal 167]

First let me respond by saying all my info on the left is correct. I hope you get yours fixed. Then let me agree with you I also feel based on my past life and new restrictions I too agree with what you are saying.. I honestly don't see with all the restriction we do have how in the hell is it that we can gain weight but we do.. *sigh* I said from 3 months out that I should be able to eat WHATEVER fits in me and still loose weight because how can you gain with such limits but its not the case we still need to watch what we choose to eat and the intake of calories carbs and fat... I dont see why but the body is a funny thing.. Unlike some people who can eat anything and everything never workout and never gain, we are built differently we cant eat whatever whenever wherever and get away with it not even with restrictions i too wish I could reach goal then go back to bread rice Pasta potato's and all the other foods I miss and love so much but I realize quickly that I cant now dont get me wrong one or twice a week i can treat myself to one off beat thing or another but i choose not to because it triggers the want for them on a regular I just stick with the new changes and make it work for me.. We are all human trust me when I say daily I think of bad foods i want like pizza and cake and Cookies and chips and I just choose to say no its hard but i do it because I dont want to mess up the hard work i put in to get here. My new life is okay its not the happiest and at times I watch others eat subway sandwiches and pizza and large plates of food and it bothers me because 1 I know I cant do it and 2 because I really want that too. My lifestyle is changed by force and strength nothing more the old me is still there and since its been over a year I dont think she will ever leave mentally that is.. but I make the daily choice to behave and stay on track so that I wont ever have to wonder where i went wrong or fight to loose such a large amount of weight again i lost a whole teenager body off of me and I dont want her back on me either.. so with that said yes you can and I know you will be okay just go back to stage 2/3 and retrain your mental to what you know you need to do and not what you want to do.. Good luck.