whats was your biggest challenge?

[girliegirl 49]

hi.... im curious as to what you might say was the biggest challenge/adjustment for you to overcome since you had the sleeve done? was it a complication from the surgery? was it just wrapping your head around the new lifestyle? was it trying to be active? no drinking with meals? or something else?

[Recycled 2,182]

Prior to surgery, quite often I would be rushed doing things throughout the day and not stop to eat. It never posed a problem as I would usually stop in at some fast food joint late in the day all famished and go about ordering three times what

anyoneI should be eating. Then I would spend most of the evening non stop eating till I was uncomfortably full and then hit the sack to deal with Gerd and reflux.

The challenge now.......?? My new stomach holds about 2.5 to 3 ounces tops. Doesn't matter when I eat, that's all that's gonna fit. (no stretching allowed). And at 3 ounces a pop and all the 30 minutes before & after drinking thingy, I need all the meal opportunities I can get during the day to get enough nutrition to stay alive..........So if I miss any during the day, there is no making up for it later. My daily routine seems to be absorbed with thinking, planning, or whipping up something to eat. (and it's a learning curve cooking up 2 ounce portions) I even need to plan for it if I go somewhere. Takes a lot of getting used to.

I know, I know.......small price to pay. I'm not complaining mind you......just saying it takes getting used to. Enjoy.

Oh, I forgot.....I'm also faced with the challenge taking longer to eat 2 ounces than I did eating 10 pounds before.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Recycled

[Southjerzjoy 40]

Prior to surgery, quite often I would be rushed doing things throughout the day and not stop to eat. It never posed a problem as I would usually stop in at some fast food joint late in the day all famished and go about ordering three times what

anyoneI should be eating. Then I would spend most of the evening non stop eating till I was uncomfortably full and then hit the sack to deal with Gerd and reflux.

The challenge now.......?? My new stomach holds about 2.5 to 3 ounces tops. Doesn't matter when I eat, that's all that's gonna fit. (no stretching allowed). And at 3 ounces a pop and all the 30 minutes before & after drinking thingy, I need all the meal opportunities I can get during the day to get enough nutrition to stay alive..........So if I miss any during the day, there is no making up for it later. My daily routine seems to be absorbed with thinking, planning, or whipping up something to eat. (and it's a learning curve cooking up 2 ounce portions) I even need to plan for it if I go somewhere. Takes a lot of getting used to.

I know, I know.......small price to pay. I'm not complaining mind you......just saying it takes getting used to. Enjoy.

Prior to surgery, quite often I would be rushed doing things throughout the day and not stop to eat. It never posed a problem as I would usually stop in at some fast food joint late in the day all famished and go about ordering three times what

anyoneI should be eating. Then I would spend most of the evening non stop eating till I was uncomfortably full and then hit the sack to deal with Gerd and reflux.

The challenge now.......?? My new stomach holds about 2.5 to 3 ounces tops. Doesn't matter when I eat, that's all that's gonna fit. (no stretching allowed). And at 3 ounces a pop and all the 30 minutes before & after drinking thingy, I need all the meal opportunities I can get during the day to get enough nutrition to stay alive..........So if I miss any during the day, there is no making up for it later. My daily routine seems to be absorbed with thinking, planning, or whipping up something to eat. (and it's a learning curve cooking up 2 ounce portions) I even need to plan for it if I go somewhere. Takes a lot of getting used to.

I know, I know.......small price to pay. I'm not complaining mind you......just saying it takes getting used to. Enjoy.

[Southjerzjoy 40]

I'm sorry I was just going to say ditto to what he said and copied his post 2 times. Ugh. This site confuses me today.

[1Day1Life4Now 882]

I agree with the previous poster. I feel I am always planning, preparing or eating and I can't ever go anywhere or do anything without having all of the logistics planned out. It's not impossible or anything but it is difficult and takes a lot of getting used to.

[LIL RED 62]

Ditto

[Seela 1,187]

While I totally agree with all of the above, I went in very educated and knew that would be the case from the beginning. For me at 4 1/2 months out the biggest challenge I'm facing is clothes. I don't stay the same size for more than a couple of weeks so my wardrobe is VERY limited and, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sick of shopping! Plus it's expensive. I know, boo hoo, but honestly between that and trying to figure out what size bra and panties to buy, its a constant never ending ordeal. Did I mention expensive?

Edited March 6, 2014 by Seela

[McButterpants 2,846]

I was totally unprepared for the emotional/psychological aspect of this journey.

I had not addressed my emotional eating, sneaky eating (eating when no one was home), stress eating or anything like that. In essence, I didn't address the real issues of how I got to be over 250 pounds.

Since surgery, 3.5 months ago, I've had to address my emotional issues on the fly. Support groups and forums like this help.

[Madam Reverie 2,958]

For me and at the start, it was how little I could eat. Consequences - nutritional deficiencies, hair loss, tablet taking for the rest of my days. Basically irrational fear.

3 months out, mourning one of my biggest pleasures - which was eating like a pig, effectively. Consequences - feeling like I had been cheated. This of course is ridiculous, because when you see the weight coming off, you start to feel like a new human being and know how much good you have done yourself, because you have removed the ability to gorge yourself.

6 months out, realising my stomach has relaxed a bit and I can eat far more now. Knowing that the last 20lbs are going to be hard bloody work to get off and that to maintain this for the rest of my life, I am going to have to be REALLY careful that I don't graze, don't max out on my calories - because it is now easy to do.

For me, the biggest challenge across the board has been accountability. I was and am highly accountable in every area of my life. food, I had no accountability. Now, I have full accountability, because I actively chose to have half my stomach cut away.

If I cock this up? The only person I have to blame is myself.

[able2cope 193]

My biggest challenge is the drinking... waiting half an hour before eating, and then half an hour afterwards...

[SleeveNZ 219]

Eating and drinking ... miss that!

[MichiganChic 3,262]

My biggest challenge is not grazing. I was used to just putting whatever I felt like in my mouth, whenever I felt like it. Now I have to make a conscious decision NOT to do that every day. I could easily be 300 pounds again if I let that happen. The sleeve doesn't really help combat grazing, and particularly if you choose slider type foods.