8 weeks since surgery and I think I am flunking this test!

[erenee 4]

I feel like I am the first Gastric Bypass failure. I lost weight before I could eat solid food and I have gained back 2 pounds since. I rarely feel full...I know I have to work at losing weight but I was hoping the sleeve would be a tool that helped. Honestly I sometimes think I am the placebo test patient, they removed my lapband but did they forget I wanted the sleeve when they were in there?

Being able to eat as much as I did before ( and some days I do) makes me feel horrible. I know "hunger" is in my head but I was hoping the sleeve would make it easier for me to feel full.

Every time I read that people can consume a cup of food at some meals ( like that is a lot) makes me nuts, I can easily eat 2 - 3 cups at a meal

( if not more!)

Am I the ONLY one?

[Stevehud 1,790]

you can always check with your surgeon if you are worried. I wil be honest doing a cup or more of food is certainly not doable by me, by any means. in a whole day sure, but not in one sitting. not by a long shot. i know im not being much help. but certainly bring it to your doctors attention.

[samuelsmom 670]

At 8 weeks post-op it is rare to be able to eat that much without making oneself ill. Do you feel anything at all when eating that quantity? I agree that a call to the doctor is in order.

[peacheeie 14]

You are not alone...I am about 8 weeks also (1/9) and have questioned my sleeve since I started with puréed foods! I understand how you feel. I was just at my doctor last week and asked point blank. I have all my or reports and I rarely feel restriction. I will be honest and say that yes, I have tested the sleeve (not wise) and nailed a regular piece of pizza with NO problems!! I had the band for 7 years and was so used to having restriction and I did well with it. I do love the fact that I have more freedom but in8 weeks, plus 1 pre op, I'm down 20 lbs. I only had 50 to loose but I too feel like a failure. I'm at the point where I'm about to go to another surgeon with all my reports and see what they have to say. I'm not loosing hope though but everyone I have know has been incredibly successful with the sleeve, however they have had at least, at least 100 lbs to loose. I asked my doctor and he said it would be slow with me and told me to lower my intake...really???? I'm stuck on the scale and I seriously eat, in total, about 1 cup of food, if that per day. When do you go see your doctor?

[Swampdoggie 477]

I think we former banders can eat more. And I definitely get hungry,ravenously so, and it's not head hunger. It really takes a lot of awareness to make sure not to overeat, because I don't feel a restriction. I've had no issue with vomiting or problems with any kind of food I've tried. Im at 6 weeks and could easily eat 1000 or more calories of the right foods. If I were eating the wrong foods I could probably manage 3000. I'm supposed to be around 750. I just hope the willpower habit will become ingrained because the tool is not as helpful as I'd hoped in curbing hunger.

[erenee 4]

Everyone, thank you for your responses. Peacheeie, I am in the same situation as you regarding the weight loss, I have to lose 60 and have lost about 18 lbs.

And Swampdoggie, I am right there with you about hunger.

I am going to call the doctor today, I will keep you all posted ( no pun intended )

[peacheeie 14]

Erenee....you and I are so on the same page, it's funny but it's not...lol! I have both my OR report after the sleeve and the OR report on the swallow test the following day. Not to sound stupid, but what particular words am I looking for? I saw the picture during my leak test and it was shaped like a round blog of coins....prob does it make sense but it reminds me when you have a scratch off lottery ticket and not reveals a "sac of cash w/a string tied around it" !!! I have also heard that restriction comes in time...wth??? Any new information?

[12thman 7]

Peacheeie- my story is just like your. My starting weight was 207 had a revision do to band failure and also diabetes. I have gotten down as far at 185. I started working out the lasts 3 weeks and I'm up to 188. Calories are set To 800 by me. Dr states not to count calories, eat three meals and stay away from carbs. I can eat more then 4 oz, wonder if I stretched my sleeve. Dr and RNP says my weightloss will be slow because of the band.

Edited March 24, 2015 by 12thman

[hockeydog 35]

I certainly feel restriction after having a band to sleeve revision, but the scale is moving very slowly it seems. I am 6 weeks out and have lost 18 lbs. I KNOW i'm eating the appropriate amts/types of food and am taking in between 600 an 900 calories daily (max). I have started to exercise, although not as much as I probably need to (i have a full time job, part time job, a family and am doing my masters).

i am trying very hard not to compare myself to others, but MAN....sometimes i give in to feeling sorry for myself as a slow loser. I just don't want to fail again.

I just worry that if the weight loss is this slow initially....how will it be down the road?

Thoughts anyone?

[12thman 7]

I called my Dr Monday and they told me with lots the exercising I'm doing I need to ramp it up to 1000 cal. I was at 800. I'm on the. I me for 20 min then lifting weights for another hour. I'll be honest with everyone. It's Easter there's candy around I might go over a bit. Lol.

[LSF 264]

I'm also losing slow but I do feel the restriction. I'm able to eat pretty much anything but not a lot. ( I have not had Desserts or pizza yet). The only bread I eat is a 1/2 of a sandwich thin toasted with tuna or chicken salad on top. I haven't done a lot of exercise because of work and waiting to get my foot treated. So far I'm averaging 10 pounds a month which I'm ok with. To me that's healthier than dropping 50 pounds in 2 months. But is does get frustrating reading about people losing so fast. But we were given a second chance with the revision. It just might take longer with some than others.

[GEAUX SAINTS 143]

I was on a stall for about a month, going up and down 1 or 2 pounds. For that month that I was in stall hell, I ate from recipes found Pinterest on the sleeve recipe page. I'm almost 8 weeks out and I kinda went back to basics. I eat either a scrambled egg or cream of wheat for Breakfast, then for lunch & dinner, I rotate between chicken breast, fish, or canned tuna mixed with mustard, cooked in coconut oil spray. I also eat one Greek yogurt for dessert. As a result, I've lost a pound a day for three days. I can only eat 2.5 ozs. I tried 3, but I was too full. BTW, I started eating at 1 1/2 weeks out. I'm talking "meat", not mushy, strained, or pureed! REAL MEAT!!! I just ate tiny bites.

So, I had the band for 8 years, until it failed me, and now, I'm "working" the sleeve. I'm not gonna loose sight again! I'm gonna work it and not let it work me. The band was so much easier..if I ate too much, I'd puke. This is so different, but so much more "normal", to me, anyway!

God luck to all of you who are suffering with eating more. I would definitely consult my doctor if I were in your shoes!!!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@GEAUX SAINTS - makes good points. Consult your doctor/nutritionist about how to adjust you intake to make this successful for you. In the meantime I would recommend staying away from binge-y and slider foods.

[Band07 374]

My sleeve never worked, Iv gained almost 15 lbs since my revision a year and half ago, I have xray pics to prove my "sleeve" is large and misshapen due to the damage from my band and my surgeon using a 42 Bougie. I'm revising to MGB.

[TammyDTM 391]

What is MGB? Forgive my ignorance...