Life Change: Sleeve Gastrectomy 9.2013 - 89 lbs. lost

I can't believe that it's been five years since I had the sleeve surgery and that I haven't made an update in over two years!

This past year hasn't been a good one where my weight is concerned. I went up to 207 lbs. and each new pound I saw on the scale disgusted me because the only one I could blame was myself! So, in July (2018) I decided to get back on track. I swore I'd never be over 200 lbs. again and there I was. I found myself having to buy bigger clothes and not being comfortable in my size 12's anymore. I even had to pack away things I couldn't wear this summer. It was disappointing.

In July, I joined a local TOPS group, for accountability, and decided to do something I've always fought doing: count calories. I found an app called Lose It and I've been using it to track my diet. It allowed me to set a goal weight (180) and to say when I wanted to lose it by (October 30). From there it gave me a daily calorie count (1540). This app is very easy to use and comes with a TON of food options already programmed in, so logging what I eat is a cinch. I can also track proteins and carbs.

So going to TOPS and using the app has been a great combo for me. I've lost 20 pounds since early July and I've created some good habits along the way.

The biggest thing for me is feeling good about myself. When I see my weight start to climb it only causes me to feel negativity and I hate that. I don't like feeling down and because I've struggled with my weight throughout my adulthood, it's a definite trigger to how my moods are. The fact that I've been able to lose 20 lbs. by simply tracking what I'm eating is yet another "duh" moment in my life. The only reason I gained the weight was because I got lazy and wasn't caring enough to pay attention. I'm not promising it won't happen again, but every failure creates a lesson learned (some lessons need to be relearned multiple times). As I write this today, though, I am feeling great and happy that I've stuck to the goal I set in July.

What I'm eating these days -- Breakfast doesn't vary much. I eat the same thing for lunch everyday. I love how it tastes and it's satisfying and easy. I prep six salads on Sundays and have them ready to go in the refrigerator so that there's no prep in the morning's before I leave for work. I grab a salad, a protein and that's all I have to do. Dinner varies a lot. I really watch my calories so that helps to determine what I'll have for dinner. Here are some specifics:

Breakfast: protein bars (140-190 calories), greek yogurt (100 calorie)
Lunch: salad made with romaine, tomatoes and greet onions, plus some sort of protein: chicken, chicken/tuna salad, deli ham/turkey, and something crunchy like tortilla strips.
Dinner: fish, chicken, veggies, soups. Dinner is usually a variety of things.
Snacks: tic-tacs (these help a great deal if I'm craving something sweet), protein bars
Beverages: iced tea (I make it at home and use Stevia to sweeten), water, diet coke/pepsi

Here is what I've learned:

There is no magic cure for losing weight and keeping it off. No surgery is going to keep it off without my dedication and consistent awareness to what I'm choosing to eat.

As much as I would love a lifetime 'cure', I can confidently say that the responsibility for my weight is all my own.

Being prepared on a DAILY basis is KEY to controlling my weight. I try to always have a protein bar in my purse and I keep a few in my desk at work. Preparing salads on Sunday is an important choice I make each weekend.

Eating out: I will eat out, from time to time, but I'm best if I've prepared myself ahead of time. I review menus and try and make my choice before I arrive at the restaurant.

The Scale: I weigh myself every morning. When I don't do this, it's too easy to lose the awareness factor of how I'm doing/behaving.

Falling off the wagon: we all do it and it's okay to have a night off or a day off or a meal off. Just don't have high expectations that your weight won't climb if you fall off that wagon too often. Eating a meal or treat that isn't in my regular daily plan isn't going to ruin my weight. I just have to know that I can't do that everyday. I've fallen off the wagon three specific times since I had the Sleeve. Each time I've been able to bounce back.

Losing weight: I have found that with the Sleeve, it's not difficult to lose weight. I've not been starving myself since July and 1560 calories is sufficient (most days) to satisfy me. There have been times where I'm feeling like eating everything thing in sight, but that's the ebb and flow of being human.

Exercise: Eh. One of these days I'll do it more. I walk everyday -- sometimes for 20 minutes, sometimes longer.

Excess skin: I have it. It's never left. I know if I exercised I could lessen it. My belly bothers me the most. Toning up my legs and butt and belly is my next step and I struggle with finding the motivation to do it. :(

So that's my two-year review! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Starting weight: 254 Current weight: 184

I'm just shy of the three-year mark for having the Sleeve Gastrectomy. September 30 will be my three-year anniversary. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for choosing to take the step to change my life. I've settled in the mid-180s, which it a good weight for me to be at. I'm wearing a size 12 which was my goal when I started out.

So how is it going? Well, I'm not going to tell you that it's easy street, because it's not, but I will tell you some details of how it's been. There are positive and negatives.

1. I am able to eat more.
I judge this by something very simple: an English muffin. One thing I found very satisfying at the beginning of my Sleeve journey was having an English muffin with peanut butter at night. It was a treat and for whatever reason I've not grown tired of it. In the beginning I was only able to eat 1/4 of a half of an English muffin. On average, now, I can eat about 90% of an entire muffin. I can't ever finish an entire one. That gives you an idea of how much I'm able to eat. I know it sounds like I should be able to eat more but I only give you this example as to how far I've come with quantity of food consumption.

2. I eat often.
I eat often throughout the day. This is for a variety of reasons: stress, hunger, boredom. I try to be careful about WHAT I'm choosing to eat and to recognize WHY I'm hungry. I do allow myself treats but even now I find it difficult to eat big amounts of anything, which I consider a good thing. I do find myself wishing that I could eat like used to -- to feel that fullness that I can never quite attain now -- but again it's a blessing to not be able to reach that point.

3. What my day looks like with food choices
Breakfast: Chobani Mix-In Greek Yogurt -- I have one almost every morning. I eat at 9AM. I don't eat until I get to work due to how busy I am. This works for me and my schedule and it helps me to get to lunch time without any snacking. On the weekends, I'll mix it up and have other things, but throughout the week I stick with the yogurt. It's easy and tastes like I'm eating something I shouldn't be.
Lunch: I eat a variety of things at lunchtime. Salads, sandwiches, burgers, leftovers from dinner. I incorporate protein with EVERYTHING I eat still. I don't go crazy about measuring or counting. I just use my common sense. My stomach is a great judge of when to stop eating. I'll talk more about that later.
Dinner: A variety of dishes with chicken, salads, casseroles.
Snacks: cheese, pretzels with peanut butter, veggies and dip, baked chips. The list here is pretty long too. I don't always stay on the straight and narrow. I do allow myself to have sweets, but I try to stay aware of how often and to not eat them often or in great quantities.
Beverages: I was totally hooked on sweet tea (yes you read that right) but cut it off cold-turkey because my weight started to climb, so I no longer drink that. I drink water, diet-pepsi from time-to-time and not much else. I'm not a coffee drinker nor do I drink alcoholic beverages.

4. My Stomach
My stomach is still very sensitive to overeating, to ice cream and to milk. The ice cream and milk cause me to have a stomach ache. It's almost instantaneous, so I avoid those things. I really miss eating ice cream or having a glass of cold milk. As I mentioned before, I have definitely increased the amount of food I can eat at one time, but there is still a restriction there. My stomach will start to feel uncomfortable if I've had too much. I will still get stomach aches and need to lay down if I overdo it. So even though my stomach has stretched over the past three years, it's still keeping me in check and helping to control how much I'm eating. As much as it can be a pain, I am happy that it is still reminding me to control myself.

5. Gaining Weight
It is possible to gain weight for sure. I went up to 191.5 this year and was so disgusted with myself. I had to put myself under a microscope and get myself back on the straight and narrow. Cutting out the sweet tea was a huge change and I saw the pounds melt off quickly. Within a few weeks of making that change I had dropped 7 pounds. I also started getting outside and being more active. I say this because the Sleeve isn't a magic bullet to long-term weight loss success. It still takes ME being aware of what I'm eating and drinking, and it also requires me to constantly be aware of the stresses in my life and how I react to them.

6. Drinking with meals
I am not able to drink with meals. This is a rule that was set-forth in the beginning (by my doctor). Drinking fills me up and if I eat and drink together I tend to not eat as much which makes me hungry soon after, and I get a stomach ache if I'm not careful about mixing the two. So I avoid it. I've gotten used to not drinking with meals (not that I still don't want it), but it gets easier with time.

7. Alcohol
I don't drink alcohol. I've tried but it gives me a huge rush within the first minute of drinking and then it's gone just as quickly. It's not enough of a satisfying experience to drink so I just don't do it. I was never a casual drinker so I don't miss it nor do I feel I ever want it.

8. Exercise
Exercise is different for everyone. I have found that I like to be outside and have taken up kayaking this year. I also walk a few times a week.

9. The Scale
I used to weigh myself everyday before the Sleeve and for the first two years after. I don't weigh myself every day now. I check my weight a couple of times a week. I use my clothes as more of a judge on how I'm doing. They usually don't lie to me. :)

10. How do I feel?
Life has settled into routine at this point. For a while actually. The things I wrote about are status quo and I'm used to them. As much as I don't care for a belly ache they help to remind me of where I've been, what I've attained, and where I want to be. It's a reminder of why I chose to have the Sleeve. Just like with the seven pounds I gained earlier this year, every step backwards is a positive. It's not always easy to view my life like that, but I try to push the negative aside and remember how far I've come in three years. It's not a struggle to keep the weight off as long as I don't revert to how I used to eat before the Sleeve. If I see that I'm a pound or two heavier then I question why and make a change. I feel good. I feel light and I'm still amazed at the energy that I have. It's such a stark contrast to when I was 70 lbs. heavier.

The Sleeve has done nothing but good things. It's not been an easy journey but it was a worthwhile and valuable step for me to take.

Starting weight: 254 Current weight: 183

It's been just over two years since I had the Sleeve surgery. I'm still doing really well -- thank goodness.

Just to warn everyone, the weight CAN come back. I've actually gone up to 186 but I told myself I'd never go above 185 so I'm being very careful with what I eat and especially with what I drink. I rarely drink alcohol, that's not my worry, but I do drink sweet tea so I've cut back on that and have been sticking with unsweetened ice tea for the most part. I have found that with very little effort I can drop a few pounds. I am still in a size 12 but with the few extra pounds my jeans are a little snug, and I will not buy a bigger size so it's a good judge for me and how my weight is going.

I'm still eating only about 1/2 (if not less than that) of what I ate before I had the surgery. I find this to be good news at this point. If I go out to eat I can eat about half of what I'm served. It's a great judge as to what my stomach can accommodate.

I've talked before about the stomach ache I get if I overeat. That still happens. I get a stomach ache and then I instantly want to go to sleep. This feeling only lasts for about 20 minutes but it's very unpleasant. This is also a good reminder to stop eating even if I want more. The pain is not worth the few extra bites.

I am disappointed in myself for getting back into the 180s but it's also a reality check for me -- which never hurts. The first two years have been such a change in my life and the weight loss wasn't difficult to achieve, but I know that from this point forward I am going to have to be overly cognizant of the choices that I'm making, not only with what I'm eating but with what I'm drinking.

Hopefully my next update will have me back in the 170s! Happy Holidays everyone!