I hate this surgery.

[Mason 122]

Mason, I think you on the right track in your thinking but I dont think you have only 6 months to figure it all out. I hit a little ambivilence at 7-8 months but then got back into the swing. I am 13 months now, 138# lost and still rocking that sleeve better then ever!

Thanks for sharing this. I hope I have the same leeway. Doing my best to make the necessary mental changes before it's too late.

You might miss food, but it was the bad unhealthy food that got us here. Why bother do surgery if your not mentally ready? Not trying to sound harsh but dam the surgery is only a tool and the rest comes through behavior modification. Leaving bad eating habits. You might want to get further counseling because I think you are having a hard time divorcing unhealthy fat foods. Is not easy but please please don't give up so easily. Best of luck.

I agree with this 110 percent but I have to add that it's just too damn bad they haven't figured out a way to remove 75 percent of our 10,000 taste buds along with 75 percent of our stomachs! It would make things a lot easier if food didn't taste as good now as it did before the surgery.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Interesting, most food just doesn't taste as good to me anymore. Maybe it isn't taste, it just doesn't give me the "hugs" that food used to. I find it is alot more satisfying to get comfort and joy from my family, friends. people I see reguarly at the gym, the barista down the weay and heck even online support over my old "buddy" food. My point is, I am in full contact with the rest of the world!!!!

[kyllfalcon 768]

alley-gator

you are getting a bunch of great responses

i have to jump in here and say something about gettinMeBack

holy moly OMG girlfriend - you should be one of the many " poster child/board successful sleevers "

you look amazing!!!!

WooHoo

i think the guys will have to put their sunglasses on when they see you

alley-gator see what you can look forward to???

you might have to take a couple of deep sighs - get it together, but you can and will be successful, i know it

Proudgranny, you are the best!! You always jump in and swaddle the downhearted with common sense, love and an optimistic but realistic point of view. We're blessed to have you!

[Decembersleever 154]

I understand your frustration. I am two weeks out today and currently in my first stall. But - I know that it's temporary. This forum has been a life saver for me. When I'm having a tough day, I start looking for posts from people with similar issues. I always find one! I'm especially thankful for the people who are still posting 4, 6, 12 months out. It really helps to see where they are at today compared to where they started. I was at a KU basketball game last night (ROCK CHALK!!) and with a group of people in a hospitality room. There was so much food there and I had 3 little bites of mashed potatoes and my stomach started telling me .... enough. It was frustrating to see all that great food and not be able to eat any of it. The old me would have plowed through the cheesy chicken, mashed potatoes, cheesy broccolli and the whole dang bowl of m & m's directly in front of me. I had a 1 minute pity party and then moved on.

As I climbed the many stairs to my seat - I noticed that I wasn't huffing and puffing like usual. I got to my seat and didn't have to have 5 minutes to catch my breath. I also took up a bit less space in my "seat" and then I remembered why I did this in the first place. I know me. I had ZERO control over portion size. I would eat everything in front of me and more. I'm on a journey - it's not always going to be easy but it WILL BE WORTH IT. Give yourself time to adjust and listen to everyone on this forum. They are smart people who have paved the way for us. Good luck to you.

[Mason 122]

Interesting, most food just doesn't taste as good to me anymore. Maybe it isn't taste, it just doesn't give me the "hugs" that food used to.

A lot of members report that food doesn't taste as good to them after surgery as it used to but, truthfully, there is no physiological explanation for that result. I think the explanation lies in your second sentence.

Upon realizing and accepting that food cannot be consumed (utilized?) in the same way as it had been, some patients adjust by emotionally decathecting (withdrawing psychic energy) from food and then reinvesting that energy into other things, e.g,, family, friends, new hobbies, etc.

I hope I get to that point. Right now I am dealing with this mind/body conflict in which my eyes are registering how little I've eaten of food that tastes every bit as good as it used to, while my stomach is telling me that I'm full to the brim (after just a few bites). It's both a relief and a strange mental sensation at the same time.

[carstanger 346]

Have you talked to your nut or psychologist? Do your friends know so you can get support. I'm 66 and was sleeved 2 mo ago. Made it through all the holidays etc but I brought Proteins, drank virgin Bloody Mary when out to dinner last night. Our friends ask what I can eat and make sure they have it or I belong something i know I can have. Don't get me wrong! I have questioned my decision but am down 31 pounds and finally in wonderland! Only down one size as not losing in my stomach yet! You can do this!! We are here for you!!

[carstanger 346]

I can't have any breads or that type of carbs until after 6 mo out!

[Carey 22]

You aren't alone! I feel that way too!

I think the first month or two is the hardest. I am almost 6 months out and things are much better. I'm losing about 3 pounds a week and it adds up quick. Keep your head up, it will get easier.

[fatGreek 20]

This thread' date=' in particular, has placed the fear of God in me: Rapidly Gaining Weight 2 Years Post Op Sleeve Surgery. Members write about regaining 20, 30, and even 42 pounds back after surgery.

Here's my personal take on this. I've got three to six months to redefine my relationship to food or: 1) I'll never reach goal, and; 2) I'll start regaining the weight I had lost. I've got up to half-a-year to make moderation (as opposed to abstinence) a new habit or, basically, I'm screwed.

I consider myself blessed in that I was never a "grazer," i.e., someone who eats frequently and between meals out of boredom or habit. My problem with food was that I ate too quickly, never heard of Portion Control, and raided the cupboard at night for carbs (terrible night hunger). From everything I've read, this surgery does a nice job of addressing this particular kind of problem eater, especially in regard to the hunger pains as they completely dissipated four days after surgery.

This afternoon we went to Chili's for lunch. My wife ordered her usual Swiss and mushroom burger and I ordered a bowl of chicken mushroom Soup. It took me about 20 minutes to consume exactly 10 spoonfuls. My wife ate the rest and commented how, before the surgery, I needed all of about three minutes to knock off the entire bowl.

It felt good, in an amazing sort of way, to feel so satisfied after consuming what was probably no more than 1/2 cup of Soup. Sorry to repeat myself but I must write this again: This surgery is emancipating.

Can't wait to feel how you do!!!

[elektrik_rose 63]

@gettinMeBack Congrats!!!! You look amazing Girly! My weight is mostly in my belly, I can't wait for it to come down like yours did. Keep up the good work!

I love all of you guys responses! Yesterday was the first day I had close to 90g of Protein. It truly does get better. Also, I agree that food taste different now. I don't know if it's mental, but about 2 weeks before surgery, food started to taste different. I have to say, I enjoyed some bland soft chicken with a McDs packet of Spicy buffalo sauce yesterday that was amazing and some salmon and glazed carrots today. Keep an open minds and as my lady on Bariatric Foodie says 'Play with your food.'

[Jazzpoet 2]

I totally regret it. I lost 10 pounds in the 1st week, nothing since then. I miss food, I miss eating. I am at a notre dame football party & I want to have a good time, but I can't without food. I have some sort of roadblock to change..people say "oh I don't crave food" I still do. "oh I don't care about eating." I still do. I wish I never would have done this. Sleeved 12/20 and wish I was back where I started.

You have to give yourself time. I could never have participated in a social gathering like you did with friends so early after surgery. Make the first month after surgery time to spend on you alone. What really helped me was the group therapy sessions I participated in before the surgery. After meeting for the initial psychological test, I was recommended to join a therapy group for seven sessions. It was help by the hospital psychologist. Those sessions really helped me deal with the "mind" aspect of my cravings and my bad behviors with food. We set small goals and changes in behavior every week and it really helped once I had the surgery. You may want to seek out some therapy. Hope you find it gets easier!

[Holly5.3 423]

Its normal to have regrets or buyers remorse after surgery! It's a lot to deal with emotionally as well as physically! We didn't get to being at the point of needing WLS because we have a good healthy relationship with food, on the contrary! Don't let your food addictions (mine is flour) cloud your mind. A year after surgery we can eat everything, but just a smaller amount.., just like fit people eat! It's like being pregnant .. For your health and the baby's, diet is altered before and after delivery, and we do it because we have to. Think of the surgery the same way. The hard part is temporary and the rewards are priceless!

[castiel 66]

I had my surgery the week right before Christmas. Man, was that hard! Everyone was eating around me and all I could have was Tomato Soup. I stalled 10 days post op after losing 20 pounds and then nothing until 1/7. We stall at different time.

I found that the first 2 weeks the head hunger was the worst. You miss food, but now I'm 24 days post op and most (not all) of my head hunger is gone.

I does get easier and the stall will break. Give it time <3

[Mason 122]

What Exactly Is A Stall?

The last time I was on Weight Watchers (June 2011 through February 2012), I lost an average of .9lbs every week and I followed the program religiously.

Forum members report first month losses of 20, 30, and even 40 pounds and then refer to a two- to three-day hiatus as a stall?! I don't get that.

The body morphology has to catch up with the tremendous weight loss. That necessary phenomenon isn't a stall. A "stall" is what I experienced during my last month on Weight Watchers: no movement at all in close to 30 days.

A massive weight loss of 20, 30, and 40lbs in one month cannot reasonably be referred to as a stall.

I am only 29-days post-op but what I see is a two- to three-day "body adjustment (or catch-up) period" followed by another one- to two-pound drop on the scale. This is normal. You can't expect to see the scale drop every single day for an extended period of time. No one loses weight like that, not even malnourished cancer patients in the end stages of their disease.

What I've noticed is that during this "body adjustment period," I will not lose pounds but mass. My stomach will tighten a bit more and areas that used to have fat will have less (or no) fat.

On many other forums, they have a list of definitions of commonly used terms that members can refer to. Maybe we can agree that a "stall" means no movement on the scale for a minimum of seven days when weight loss was reasonably expected. Obviously, if I am consuming 3,000 calories a day, I can't reasonably refer to my failure to lose weight as a stall because I shouldn't expect to lose any weight.

The point of this post is not to be picayune (nor is this directed at anyone in particular) but to alert forum members to the fact that, when it comes to weight loss, mindset is everything. If you expect to see the scale drop every single day for weeks and weeks on end, you are unnecessarily setting yourself up for frustration, disappointment, and resentment.

I have lost 23lbs in 29 days: that's just over 1/3 of my excess weight in less than one month. The scale doesn't move every day nor do I expect it do. If I had experienced even 25 percent of this kind of weight loss on Weight Watchers, I NEVER would have signed up for the surgery.

Do you know how long it took me to lose 23 pounds on Weight Watchers? It took 26 very difficult weeks or half-a-year! This surgery has expedited my weight loss by a factor of 83 percent!

Should I be bummed-out, depressed, and resentful because my scale remains still for as many as three continuous days at a time? Should I refer to that three-day hiatus as a stall? Of course not.

Knowing what to expect and having reasonable goals are critically important to maintaining a healthy and positive mindset.

[golden1002 32]

I think we all were you were, in the begging but the 2end month your outlook on things change! You see your body changing and your whole out look is in a better place. You feel better and you start looking at the brighter side of things. I'm coming up on 1 year in Feb 20 and I have lost 122 pounds and I'm so happy that I had the surgery now... So will you. Just keep strong :-)