I'm so lost

[#sohappybeingme 1]

I never even knew this app existed prior to today, but I'm so glad I came across it. My sleeve was performed on 11/23/2011 in which I was 230. Year to date, I weigh 175. I'm starting wonder if I've stretched my pouch because I feel like I should be a little smaller like maybe 155lbs. I did some research on the sleeve to find that the procedure itself only guarantees patients will loose about 55 to 60% of their excess fat. However, one of my former coworkers said her Dr told her she could loose as much weight as she wants. Although I honestly don't know how true that is. After reading about the success of others, I'm starting to feel like a failure. I'm sure of what to do at this point.

[lark60 431]

Welcome to the site! You can find great information to help you set and meet your goals. I would say to you that if you feel you need to loose more weight, go back to the diet you used while trying to loose those first 50 lbs. Drinking the Protein shakes (20 gms of Protein per shake) for 2 meals a day and one meal with "real food" is the best way to get back on the weight loss track. Skip the starches for a while (bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice and grains) so your body works on getting the stored fat burned. Don't snack between meals and drink 80-100 oz of Water every day.

Good luck and hang in there!

[ajustice 484]

Hi! Welcome! This is a perfect spot to get support and meet others just like you. I wish I had more advice but I'm not as knowledgable with the sleeve as I had RNY. There are some wonderful Sleevers around here so I'm sure they will reply soon. A good bariatric surgeon makes a commitment to his patients after such a life altering surgery. I would consult my

Previous surgeon to ask him about your progress. If you worked

With a nutritionist that might come to be helpful again. You are always welcome to get a second opinion from a reputable surgeon. Congrats on the weight you have lost! That's an awesome step forward!!

[#sohappybeingme 1]

Thank you ladies so much for the feedback. I'm going to go back to the basics. My surgeon advised me to eat every hours or at least 5-6 mini meals. So I'm gonna try having 2 Protein Shakes and one meal minus the Snacks instead to see if it works. I'd stopped drinking Protein shakes because I was burnout on the after taste but I've found two new delicious brands that meet my needs: Premier Protein and Prime Protein. Premier Protein has 30g while Prime Protein is a beef protein with 23g. Love them both. I started working out again which is a plus. Hopefully this will help.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Clinical studies that would yield statistics on how often pouches or sleeves are actually stretched are almost impossible to come by. Probably because they would require endoscopies to diagnose which would make large scale studies prohibitively expensive. That said, I suspect that stretching the sleeve (or pouch in the case of RnY) is less common than most folks believe.

What is common (pretty much unavoidable) is an increase in the compliance of the sleeve or pouch. A common analogy is that of a new balloon. The first time you blow it up it takes more pressure to inflate the balloon. The one hundredth time you blow it up, less pressure is required. The volume of the balloon has not changed - the compliance has.

If you're not doing so already, consider maintaining a food log. I use My Fitness Pal and highly recommend it but many are happy with SparkPeople as well. I've been logging for over two years and it is the most powerful tool I know of for weight management. With a little experimentation and fine-tuning, logs will increase your confidence a hundred fold. If you're interested, I'd be glad to share some ideas on how to get the most from your log.

Welcome to the forum and please come back often! There are a lot of great folks here who are more than willing to share their experience and their support on your journey. Have a great day!

[kimk1999 450]

The 50-60% number sounds about right. I remember hearing the statistics when I was considering the band or the sleeve. I chose the band but that doesn't matter here for this thread just a point of reference.

As some of the other have suggested - go back to the basics. How often and how hard do you workout? Do you vary your routine, intensity, workout style to change up your muscle memory? I'd suggest the 5-6 mini meals and try to stay under the 1200 (or whatever makes sense to your situation/goals). Make sure you get your Protein in. Research the different diets... Maybe Atkins (low carb) lifestyle will work for you. Maybe the traditional low cal will work. Maybe the eat right for your blood type or some other host of diet styles might work. I wish you the best!!

I've read a number of people on here that have met or exceeded their goal weight. The 50% studies is not a hard/fast rule. In order to obtain that statistic many people had to do better than that. With the right determination you can exceed it as well.

[#sohappybeingme 1]

Clinical studies that would yield statistics on how often pouches or sleeves are actually stretched are almost impossible to come by. Probably because they would require endoscopies to diagnose which would make large scale studies prohibitively expensive. That said, I suspect that stretching the sleeve (or pouch in the case of RnY) is less common than most folks believe.

What is common (pretty much unavoidable) is an increase in the compliance of the sleeve or pouch. A common analogy is that of a new balloon. The first time you blow it up it takes more pressure to inflate the balloon. The one hundredth time you blow it up, less pressure is required. The volume of the balloon has not changed - the compliance has.

If you're not doing so already, consider maintaining a food log. I use My Fitness Pal and highly recommend it but many are happy with SparkPeople as well. I've been logging for over two years and it is the most powerful tool I know of for weight management. With a little experimentation and fine-tuning, logs will increase your confidence a hundred fold. If you're interested, I'd be glad to share some ideas on how to get the most from your log.

Welcome to the forum and please come back often! There are a lot of great folks here who are more than willing to share their experience and their support on your journey. Have a great day!

Thank you. I'd really appreciate it. I tried to log in the beginning but lost interest. It's obviously more important than I thought

[#sohappybeingme 1]

The 50-60% number sounds about right. I remember hearing the statistics when I was considering the band or the sleeve. I chose the band but that doesn't matter here for this thread just a point of reference.

As some of the other have suggested - go back to the basics. How often and how hard do you workout? Do you vary your routine, intensity, workout style to change up your muscle memory? I'd suggest the 5-6 mini meals and try to stay under the 1200 (or whatever makes sense to your situation/goals). Make sure you get your Protein in. Research the different diets... Maybe Atkins (low carb) lifestyle will work for you. Maybe the traditional low cal will work. Maybe the eat right for your blood type or some other host of diet styles might work. I wish you the best!!

I've read a number of people on here that have met or exceeded their goal weight. The 50% studies is not a hard/fast rule. In order to obtain that statistic many people had to do better than that. With the right determination you can exceed it as well.

Thanks Kim. I'm feeling extremely motivated by the support. This app and the WLS community is so helpful not mention helpful. I just started working out again this past Friday. So getting back to the basics in addition to the workouts should give a good jump start. How has your band worked for you? I've met a couple of people who've had it and they had great things to say. I gave it some thought but my Dr didn't offer it as an option.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Clinical studies that would yield statistics on how often pouches or sleeves are actually stretched are almost impossible to come by. Probably because they would require endoscopies to diagnose which would make large scale studies prohibitively expensive. That said, I suspect that stretching the sleeve (or pouch in the case of RnY) is less common than most folks believe.

What is common (pretty much unavoidable) is an increase in the compliance of the sleeve or pouch. A common analogy is that of a new balloon. The first time you blow it up it takes more pressure to inflate the balloon. The one hundredth time you blow it up, less pressure is required. The volume of the balloon has not changed - the compliance has.

If you're not doing so already, consider maintaining a food log. I use My Fitness Pal and highly recommend it but many are happy with SparkPeople as well. I've been logging for over two years and it is the most powerful tool I know of for weight management. With a little experimentation and fine-tuning, logs will increase your confidence a hundred fold. If you're interested, I'd be glad to share some ideas on how to get the most from your log.

Welcome to the forum and please come back often! There are a lot of great folks here who are more than willing to share their experience and their support on your journey. Have a great day!

Thank you. I'd really appreciate it. I tried to log in the beginning but lost interest. It's obviously more important than I thought

Good for you sohappy! There is a learning curve with logging so I encourage to commit to it, right now, for a ninety day period. Make that 90 day commitment to log everything you eat and I think you'll be amazed at how logging will change your approach to managing your weight.

Obvious first step is to download MFP (or any other app but I'm most familiar with MFP and like most, it's free). Once you have it, go to settings and complete your Profile and Fitness Goals. There are a number of other options but those two are the most important. You'll enter height, gender, age, your goal weight, starting weight, your weight loss goal (e.g. one pound a week), activity level, net daily calorie goal (optional) and exercise goal. From this data MFP will calculate a daily calorie goal. Note that the calculation is done with a "one size fits all" formula that cannot take into consideration that you've had bariatric surgery. It really doesn't matter since you can always configure the goal to anything that works for you later on. Note that once you get a little further along, customized settings (not available from the app) for just about everything can be made from the MFP website. And those changes made from the website will automatically be synchronized to your phone.

Once you have your calorie goal you're ready to start logging. I believe that the most important thing to remember about your calorie goal is what I call the "Law of Average". Expecting to hit any calorie goal every single day for the rest of your life is unrealistic and unsustainable. More importantly, you don't need to. When (not if) you exceed your calorie goal for a day, all you have to do is reduce you calorie goal by 100-200 calories for the next day or two and you're right back on track with your average. Or let's say you have a challenging week and you gain a pound or two. Change your calorie goal for the following week (100-200 calories a day) and your weight will come right back down. You don't have to do that too many times before your confidence goes right through the roof. It works like a charm. I've done it many times.

So let's say MFP gives you a calorie goal (average!) of 1400 calories a day and you've configured it to lose one pound a week. Log your food for a week and see what happens with your weight. If you lose a pound, great! If you lose less than a pound or none at all, simply adjust your calorie goal down - nice and easy, 100-200 calories. Then log your food for a week and see what happens. Before you know it, you'll identify "your" number. This is the most foolproof way I know of determining "your" number. Even doctors can only make an educated guess. There are simply too many variables for them to be more accurate. But with "your" log, you're identifying "your" number based on what "your" weight is doing. Just remember, "your" number is an average!

That will get you started headed in the right direction. It's quick, it's easy and with the tap of a button, you can see exactly where you're at relative to your calorie goal at any point in your day/week. Little high after lunch? Just reduce your calories a little for dinner. Little low on Friday? Treat yourself a little on the weekend. In addition, you'll have information on a wide range of nutrients including Protein, fat, carbs, and a number of Vitamins.

So looking forward to your progress and please don't hesitate to ask (here or PM me) if you have any questions! You're gonna love the new you!!

[mommydaniel 7]

<p>Welcome to the site! You can find great information to help you set and meet your goals. I would say to you that if you feel you need to loose more weight, go back to the diet you used while trying to loose those first 50 lbs. Drinking the Protein Shakes (20 gms of Protein per shake) for 2 meals a day and one meal with "real food" is the best way to get back on the weight loss track. Skip the starches for a while (bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice and grains) so your body works on getting the stored fat burned. Don't snack between meals and drink 80-100 oz of Water every day.</p> <p> </p> <p>Good luck and hang in there!</p>

[BLB 8]

I never even knew this app existed prior to today, but I'm so glad I came across it. My sleeve was performed on 11/23/2011 in which I was 230. Year to date, I weigh 175. I'm starting wonder if I've stretched my pouch because I feel like I should be a little smaller like maybe 155lbs. I did some research on the sleeve to find that the procedure itself only guarantees patients will loose about 55 to 60% of their excess fat. However, one of my former coworkers said her Dr told her she could loose as much weight as she wants. Although I honestly don't know how true that is. After reading about the success of others, I'm starting to feel like a failure. I'm sure of what to do at this point.

I can relate, sounds like me!

[kimk1999 450]

Thanks Kim. I'm feeling extremely motivated by the support. This app and the WLS community is so helpful not mention helpful. I just started working out again this past Friday. So getting back to the basics in addition to the workouts should give a good jump start. How has your band worked for you? I've met a couple of people who've had it and they had great things to say. I gave it some thought but my Dr didn't offer it as an option.

I'm only a month out but I like the band so far. I get my first fill to make the band tighter this coming Friday. I like the adjustable factor with this option and that's it's either removable or I can switch to the sleeve or bypass if I need to later on. I'm an engineer and trained to look at failure modes with recovery options lol. Might not be the best approach for wls but that's how my brain thinks. I'm looking forward to this first fill because I'm so hungry right now. I like how the sleeve typically has a faster loss rate over the band and that's part of why I considered the band. My surgeon does both and we decided on the band together.

I second the suggestion for mfp (I'm on my phone and can't remember if I mentioned it earlier). There's a lot of people here that have a mfp account and we're 'friends' there too. It's another way to track your details while still encouraging others. I like seeing how many people are losing so much weight and keeps me motivated to stay at it.