What is your restriction like 1 year +?

[sleevedup 46]

Hi All!

I am planning on having VSG in December and like many of those pre-op, have been obsessed with this forum and just generally reading up on VSG. When I first started considering surgery, I had no idea that weight re-gain was a definite possibility. I was very ignorant, really believing surgery would be a cure all. However, the more I researched, the more it became very clear that VSG is a tool and that there is a definite level of work behind it.

But now, I am feeling still a little confused. I sometimes read people talk about having little restriction post-op (1 year +) and say things like "I had to do all the work now." Sometimes, this makes me feel like restriction is just gone and this is very discouraging. Now, I understand that you still have to make the appropriate food choices and that eating slider foods is a sure fire way to pack on those pounds. I am also aware that there is more restriction in the first year too, but some of the posts make me feel like restriction is just gone after the initial honeymoon stage.

Could anyone shed some light on this please?

[joatsaint 2,814]

I'm just about to start my 21st month post-op. I still feel my restirction, but after Frankensleeve healed, he could hold more. So, it's still there, but the swelling has gone down and there's more room.

The 1st 10 days, I couldn't eat more than 1 bite per meal. And for the following 3 months, I was only eating about 3/4 can of Soup per day.

After 6 months, I could hold about 4oz per meal.

At 9 months, I could hold about 6 - 8oz per meal.

At 1 year, I was up to about 12oz per meal.

Now I can hold up to 16 oz, depending on the type of food. Any kind of meat fills me up much faster than vegetables. With meat, I start feeling full at about 8 oz.

The restriction feeling is not the same as being full pre surgery. That old good feeling of "oohhh I'm so full" was replaced by "oh! that hurts! I ate one bite too many." In the beginning, I had to eat slowly and learn my limits to keep it from hurting. After a few months, I learned how much I could safetly hold. Now I can look at a portion of food and know how much I can hold, it's an unconscious habit.

And if I don't stay aware of how much I'm eating, I could easily overeat, just by going back to my old habits. I could go back to grazing all day (even though I'm not hungry) and put much of the weight back on. But again, much of my new way of eating is now an unconscious habit. So it's not real hard to stick to the amounts and types of healthy foods I should eat. The discipline to stay on track does not take the same effort as it did pre-surgery. All my cravings and hunger pains disappeared the day after surgery, and never returned. I can walk past donuts, cake and pie, want some, realize I'm not hungry and walk away (most of the time :-P).

Now there are some foods (slider foods) that do not easliy fill me up - popcorn and Peanut Butter are the 2 I can think of right off, but it's very easy to limit my intake. That old need to eat till I'm bursting is gone. That makes it soooo much easier.

I've seen people posting about things they can never eat after surgery. And miss being able to eat them. I can understand that, but at the same time, I would be glad I couldn't eat the food that made me overweight.

I haven't had that problem. I been able to eat anything I wanted, but even if I knew going in that I couldn't eat certain foods ever again, I'd still have done it. I was ready to do anything to reset my life and get the weight off.

I try never to tell anyone what to do, this is major surgery, no matter how casual the media makes it look. And there are people that have had complications, but VSG was what I needed to get my life back. And I'd do it all over again, even if the odds of surviving it were only 50/50.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

My restriction is still very tight. At almost 16 months out, I can eat 1/2 cup some days, 1.25 cups others. Four - six ounces is my max with firm Protein but it must be moist or I can only do 2-3 ounces.

I've not found sliders yet and bread, Pasta and rice stick horribly. I cannot drink at all 30-45 minutes after I eat or I will vomit.

My full feeling is uncomfortable and one bite too many means I'll probably toss the entire meal.

I'm honestly thrilled with my new reality even though it is more restrictive than my research told me it would be.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Oh! And my NP told me get your capacity "maxes out" at about a year to 18 months. She said I'm probably as unrestricted as I'll ever be. Only time will tell!

[Bufflehead 6,358]

My limit for meat is right about 3 ounces cooked. I can do a couple ounces meat plus a couple ounces of veggies or Beans. I can eat more fruit, maybe around 4 ounces. For really moist foods (yogurt, cottage cheese) I can eat 4 ounces plus maybe an ounce of fruit mixed in. So it varies a lot depending on what I am eating.

I really have to stay away from slider-type foods like nuts, Protein Bars, Cookies, crackers, and candy because they tend to not engage my restriction much at all.

[JanetPRN 496]

In the beginning, I could only eat tiny amounts. I learned quickly to maximize my nutrition during my meals. I learned that carbs filled my up too much and left me feeling empty. Proteins kept me feeling nourished and comfortably full. This is all still true for me. When someone says they have to do the work now, my personal thought is the "work" is about the choices we make. Do we choose to exercise or do we choose to eat Fritos or ice cream on the couch? At 12 months out I have lost 84 lbs and have passed my goal and I , for one , am never going back. If you prepare yourself to accept , and not challenge, your sleeve, you should do fine.

[marfar7 1,533]

I'm 13 mths out. While I can eat more than at say, 3 mths, I'm no way close to what I could eat pre wls (had the band in 2009 and sleeve revision last year). I don't measure my food. Never have. So the only way I can tell how much I can eat is by how many bites I'm able to take. At 3 mths, I could take about 8 bites of any given food. Now, at 13 mths, I'm able to eat about 15-20 bites. About 1/4 of a chicken boob, a few bites of potatoes, and a few bites of broccoli.

Where I find I have the biggest problem is late night snacking. After 8pm it's like I don't even have a sleeve. I can graze all nite. Been trying to curb this. Instead of popcorn, I will eat 1/2 an apple with almond butter. Instead of cheese Its I'll have a chunk of jack cheese

I'm definitely a work in progress. I'm about 15 lbs from goal and I know I'll eventually get there. The first 100 lbs are easy peasy compared to the last 20.

Good luck!