Another refreshing reminder from this man. Thank you!
Another refreshing reminder from this man. Thank you!
"Lee, by "own it!" your daughter means that you should be proud of your accomplishment and understand that you deserve this. Not because you have to pay it forward or backward to justify your own benefits. She means that this is YOUR accomplishment, and accomplishing that for yourself is enough. You do not have to fix everybody. And you do not owe anyone for the benefits you have earned. They are YOURS!" Ann2
Hello to all and thanks for posting here. I celebrated 2 yrs post op on May 1st so am 2 yrs and 2 and a half months now post op. I am finding it difficult to maintain now, but not nearly as difficult as before surgery. I leveled off at about 160 lbs and easily stayed there for many months. Then it was 160-162, then as of late up to 165. The last few weeks I have been very bad with eating and am 167.8
This has to stop NOW! It is not because of the surgery or my appetite because I have not had any real hunger since the day of surgery. I fell into the bad habit of grazing, after all it was just a little bite here and there, but we all know the damage that can do. My weakness has always been sweets and the bad carbs go down so easily.
Bottom line is that tomorrow I am doing the 5 day pouch test and will get back to basics. I've also incorporated drinking some fluids with eating and not observing the 30 minute rule before/after meals for liquids. So too, I have not exercised in months and thus the extra flab especially on my underarms and inner thighs is jiggling way too much for me. I have lost muscle, I am sure. So...I have to get back to some regular exercise, even if it is only walking on a regular basis. I need to tone and use some weights also.
All in all, it has been an up and down journey as we are all human. It is a tool and I have to make full proper use of my sleeve.
I will NOT go back to 252 lbs, a size 24 and I am bound and determined to work it and stay honest.
Wishing everyone the very best. Don't let summer and tempations get in your way. Stay in control and work it baby...work it!
TINMAN..you have such a great outlook, I know we are ALL different, but for me, your words are truly refreshing.
I am adapting some of your advice concerning protein and water, and know that some days I will do better than others. NOW, this is a big problem for me and wonder if others have the same problem. EVEN at a year out..I STILL EAT TOO FAST. I laughingly say that I go into a state of unconsciousness when I eat and when I wake up..lol..IT ALL GONE..:-(..
I feel this is another strategy I need to focus on and really practice to lose some more...as I have said, 20 more pounds would delight this lady. I am not striving for a bikini body, just love walking upstairs and finding I could do it three more times with no sweat!
Tara, thank you for suggesting this discussion. How brave of you to start it off, as well. I've tried to be completely honest in my postings...expressing what is challenging as well as the good side to the sleeve. As many of you have expressed, after nearly 1 1/2 yrs, it's not as easy as it was initially. I expected to be nauseated when ingesting sweets and fats but, alas, those devil foods are my downfall. As Mary shared, sweets and fats go down easily and don't give me any problem. I wish I could say the same about the protein-filled foods I SHOULD eat. BECAUSE the bad stuff goes down easily, it's sooo easy to reach for them. "Good for me" foods, for the most part, don't taste like they used to. (Chicken absolutely disgusts me!). My favorite pre-surgery food, steak, doesn't even interest me because the flavor is gone. One constant since surgery is that I'm never hungry...not a single time! But, as before, I don't have to be hungry to eat or to eat the wrong things. (Can someone explain to me why I can eat a boatload more of "slider foods" than I can of the protein rich foods? Why don't they take up as much room in my little tummy equally, Tin Man or Mary?). I was told I could never eat bread again and up until about 3 months ago, not a bite of bread passed my lips. Once I tried it and it didn't cause a problem, I'm not scared of it anymore and I'll eat donuts, bagels, and sandwich bread. I haven't gone CRAZY on bread; it's just that I'm eating it now when I didn't for such a long time. I did the pouch test last week and lost about 4-5 but I'm still up about 16 lbs from my lowest. I, too, expected to weigh a lot less than my scale shows me. I've gone from a size 24 to a 12. I'm thrilled to be a size 12. I look good in it and my doctor is pleased, telling me not to worry about the number on the scale. I know that I am large-framed so I'll never be a size 2 but I thought I'd be an 8 or a 6. Now, I realize I'm not being realistic. Friends tell me not to lose any more because I'll look "gaunt" therefore older. I git that because I'm told now I look 20 years younger. My sister-in-law keeps reminding me that I'm able to do so much more now than a year and 1/2 ago. I walk a lot farther before the hip pain kicks in. I'm not out of breath anymore. I'm much healthier!
As you all have said, I WONT GO BACK! I'm sooooo pleased and feel so blessed to have had this surgery (and a paniculectomy to get rid of that disgusting apron!) and I don't want to disappoint myself, my husband, my family and my friends by letting it get out of hand. I HATE TO EXERCISE BUUUUUT I plan to join a boot camp group at work when then new school year starts. (Our PTO is going to pay for the trainer. What great support we get from our PTO!). With your help and support, I'll get these extra pounds off and continue to be a much happier "senior".
Thanks again for this opportunity to share and I'll be watching to see what the rest of you say. Till then....
Highest Weigh ~305
Weight, Day of Surgery - 275 Beginning BMI: 45.8
10 days after surgery - 253.50 (-21.5 lbs)
102 days after surgery - 215.5 (-59.5)
149 days after surgery - 198.5 (-76.5) IN THE ONES!!!! Current BMI: 32.5
10.5 mo. post surgery - 177 (-98 lbs). Current BMI: 29
16 months post op - 176 (-99 lbs.)
Hi! I'm 4 years out and today is my first day back on track too! I've gained 25lbs since surgery and like you stated, I haven't been eating good.
Someone yesterday told my to try the 5 day pouch test. Basically you drink protein shakes the first 2 days, soft protein the 3rd day and so forth.
Anywho, I googled it and while I was reading it, I started to remember the feeling of eating proteins first and then veggies, and the full feeling coming very quickly, unlike eating slidder foods which I never get full on. Good luck and We CAN DO THIS!! Thanks for your story!
I read through the whole thread and i'm glad someone started it. I am almost a year out and have had successful weight loss, but... I have to admit that i don't drink enough water, i don't get quite enough protein, i don't make it to the gym like I should, and unfortunately empty carbs go down really easy when i'm busy and 'need' something to eat. I don't want to be one of the people that I have seen that have had the surgery and are back to their starting weight 2 years later. So as part of this thread/forum I'm going to also do the pouch test and strive to go back to the regimen that was prescribed to us originally so that i'm doing the right things for myself otherwise what was it all for???? I will check back in and hopefully after a week we've all committed to getting back on track. Good luck everyone.
I will take a moment to explain this and hope this makes it clear for you. The reason you can eat more "slider" foods is really the reason they get the name slider. They "SLIDE" right through your stomach. Take a piece of bread and put it in a little water and see what happens to it. Same thing happens when it hit the moist acids in the stomach. Now take a piece of dense protien and put it in the same amount of water, little to no change. Your body has to work a lot harder to break down the dense protiens and this is the reason why you cannot eat as much of them because they hang around alot longer in the stomach. I hope this clears things up for you. GOdspeed on your journey.
Really great thread, thank you all for sharing! I have been having trouble with trigger foods (sweets), and protein bars have been a big part of the problem. Great for protein, but the damned things have calories, and I can't seem to stop eating them. I ran out tonight and went online and ordered two more boxes. After pulling up this thread I cancelled my order and will be starting 5 day pouch test tomorrow instead. I am a few weeks away from being a year out. I stopped losing weight around the first of the year, and have begun putting some pounds back on the last two months. So I have come to a fork in the road, and planning on making the "right" turn. Thanks again all of you, for sharing. Pleases continue on, you all motivate me so much.
This thread is both educational and horrifying at the same time.
"Lee, by "own it!" your daughter means that you should be proud of your accomplishment and understand that you deserve this. Not because you have to pay it forward or backward to justify your own benefits. She means that this is YOUR accomplishment, and accomplishing that for yourself is enough. You do not have to fix everybody. And you do not owe anyone for the benefits you have earned. They are YOURS!" Ann2
You were smart to cancel the order. I have never used protein bars for just the reasons you mentioned. I have always believed that you should eat real food because how else are you going to learn to eat in moderation? How will you learn portions, what helps you lose, and how many gms of protein you need? Bravo to you!
Protein bars have a lot of carbs too. I recommend a low carb protein drink instead if you need the protein boost. I realized I had substituted quest bars for candy...
308# 12/1/2011 Start of Preop Diet
300# 12/12/11 Lapband to Sleeve revision
158# Feb 2013 - GOAL lost 150# 14 months post op
150# 10/14/2013 - Plastics Dr Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico; removed 5.5# of skin
140# Apr 2014 - maintaining 168# weight loss currently. Very happy with my sleeve and plastics results!
Those have been my candy, breakfast, lunch and sometimes even dinner. I know how to get to net carbs out of total carbs, but I don't really understand the difference chemically. If that makes any sense. So I very stupidly thought those total carbs didn't count. It's also strange to me why I don't feel restriction with those protein bars, when I still get it with dense protein. Most people say they get full on them, but they only made me want another. So I really do feel like I am detoxing off of crack, lol! I guess it's just the way my body rolls, and I just have to accept that and deal with it. I hope the next few days go quickly! I am really missing those suckers, but I know in a couple of days they won't mean much to me. I will never buy another one, that's for sure.
Thanks for the explanation, Seth! I knew somebody could help me to understand that. I appreciated you so much!
Highest Weigh ~305
Weight, Day of Surgery - 275 Beginning BMI: 45.8
10 days after surgery - 253.50 (-21.5 lbs)
102 days after surgery - 215.5 (-59.5)
149 days after surgery - 198.5 (-76.5) IN THE ONES!!!! Current BMI: 32.5
10.5 mo. post surgery - 177 (-98 lbs). Current BMI: 29
16 months post op - 176 (-99 lbs.)
I am glad so many are finding this helpful(and terrifying). I am still doing better about making smart choices but still not perfect. Each day is a new days and another chance to do it right!
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