i can't be the only lapband/sleeve failure - but it sure feels like it!

lak200

hi everyone!
i'm new to MFP but not weight loss/gain! i've just written my first blog entry tonight and it tells the cliff notes of my weight journey.
i was looking for a group of sleevers since that was my last surgery and hope to gain a lot from reading your posts.
i've got a new/renewed attitude about my weight loss and one of those changes is walking in the morning. it's already 10pm here so i need to get to sleep so i can be up by 4:50 to get moving.
please ask anything and i'll answer honestly - sorry this was so short but i wanted to at least say hello. i don't have any 'friends' on here and am not sure how that actually works - but i'm open to learning new things!
have a great evening and hope to 'talk' more soon!
lori aka lollie
#committogetfit

pawoodhull

Hello Lori. Since you are still working on getting the weight off and haven't quit, I don't know that I would consider you a "Failure". I am 3.5 years out from sleeve surgery, have not made it to goal yet and just had a 10 pound regain. I am however not ready to give up, so I'm back to working the plan and working towards getting below 200 and maybe all the way down to my "ideal" weight of 160. I'm not a failure either, for the same reason, I'm still trying. I'm sending a friend request. Hang in there! You don't have to done until you want to be.

Pat

jaada2014

Hi! I had the lapband surgery in Jan of 2010. Just last month, I had a revision surgery because the band didnt help me at all. In fact, I gained about 60 pounds. Having the sleeve has been a new thing for me but Im confidant that it will help me in the long run. Stay in couraged and know that you are not alone!

homerismyhero

Like PA said- you're not a failure as long as you're still trying and still holding yourself accountable. This forum is a great tool for that - that and MFP in general keeps me honest. I know someone who is getting a revision soon after having bypass 10 years ago- and then twins. I wonder if a revision after WLS will be considered routine at some point- it's really that difficult to keep it off. I'm 10 months out, 120+lbs down, and find it a struggle every day to keep active, stay with in my calorie goal and be accountable. Sometimes I get tired of it too- but I haven't taken a break from it because I'm so afraid that I'll never get back on track- I think everyone who has WLS has some of those fears.

rpyle111

Lori,

In addition to the really good and thoughtful topics that come up on the groups (which you've found!), adding a good cross section of friends helps me see into the daily struggles and successes of folks at all stages of the WLS process. You will find that you will feed off of the excitement of newly sleeved folks, and help fill out the picture for pre-surgery folks. It helps me when I struggle.

Feel free to send a friend request!

Rob

lak200

thanks everyone! i appreciate the comments. i guess i used the word 'failure' because i didn't have a huge loss after i got sleeved - i pretty much set myself up watching a friend and comparing myself to him and 2 of my cousins that had the surgery ... my mindset was 'well they've lost this much' and 'they can't eat that much' - i just always felt i had to be the same.
i've since put those thoughts out of my head and am starting anew with this exercise and weight loss journey. i hope to remain active on the boards and my blog. i'm a major facebooker due to my community involvement and side business, but want to keep this separate. i'm just not ready to share this part of my struggle with everyone. i do post my walks and checkins at the gym and everyone on there are very encouraging, but that's all i choose to share there.
thanks again - and i hope everyone has a great evening!

loriloftness

Welcome! I'm sure you'll find this community very helpful and supportive.

TheBitSlinger

For what it's worth, I've learned in the last 2 years that I succeed at what I make a priority.

candacet36

The most important thing to realize is the sleeve is not magic. You have to do your part and even when you get to your "goal weight" you still have to be diligent and work at it daily. I have given myself a 5 pound range...5 up and 5 down....it is hard to stay in that range.

I wish you the very best and when in doubt go back to the basics of water water water and protein first! YOU CAN DO THIS!

Mangopickle

candacet36 wrote: »

The most important thing to realize is the sleeve is not magic. You have to do your part and even when you get to your "goal weight" you still have to be diligent and work at it daily. I have given myself a 5 pound range...5 up and 5 down....it is hard to stay in that range.

I wish you the very best and when in doubt go back to the basics of water water water and protein first! YOU CAN DO THIS!

This!! I give myself 1360 cals a day and a 5 lb range. I am still stunned at how little food a normal wt for ht person gets. Sure, you can eat more if you exercise more but I cannot rely that I won't get stuck at the office or have my schedule rearranged-and , honestly, aside from clogging I have limited interest in exercise. My biggest focus is never , ever medicating with food. No matter who dies or gets cancer I refuse to turn to food for solace. I also decline to celebrate with food. I don't make an issue of it but I no longer do the week long foodapalooza planning for some family event. I show up-have meat and veg and enjoy mingling and I stay away from the buffet.

lak200

candacet36 wrote: »

The most important thing to realize is the sleeve is not magic.
... go back to the basics of water water water and protein first! YOU CAN DO THIS!

but don't we alll want that 'magic' loss to happen! lol lol
i so get the 'you gotta work' part - i realize and own the fact that i was so extremely lazy after my sleeve - no where near the diligence i had after the lapband procedure. after that one i was actually scared to eat certain things - with the sleeve not so much. i'm paying for that lack of diligence now.

every day is a new beginning. i'm thankful to be alive and to continue to work on myself!

renovagirl

Lori, you can do this. Losing weight is 90% mental. Meaning you need to make a conscious effort to make good choices. Personally, I didn't have an automatic huge loss after being sleeved. I didn't allow myself to think I could eat anything and everything but in smaller servings. I needed to focus on protein, keep my carbs around 30gms/day and watch my calories. It's something I "battle" every day. I have come to accept there are some foods I will never eat again because they are trigger foods and yes, they are "bad" for me. At 3 1/2 years post surgery (going from 236 to 133) and having just reached goal again after a 50lb regain last year, I know that I would rather be thin and healthy rather than give in to that chocolate chip cookie

liz1531

I think it's hard for us to figure out what works for us because we look to other people and try what they try and then think of ourselves as failure is when it doesn't work for us. I'm finding what works for me.

I'm also band to sleeve and per my doc it's common for us to not have the same success as a virgin sleeve. Anywho... I have found that I fell right back into old patterns because I like what I like! I simple can't live eating boring fish and veggies. Ew, gross! And if I don't like what I'm eating I'm setting myself up for failure. So in the last few weeks have discovered something that is working for me... portion control! Instead of buying a tub of ice cream and trusting myself to dish it out in small portions I bought 150 calorie Skinny cows. One of those fills me up and takes care of that craving at far fewer calories than that Starbucks brownie!

So for me planned portion controlled spurge are what works for me. Planning meals I enjoy in smaller portions works too. I am trying to stick to 1200-1300 calories a day which means I won't lose like my counterparts eating 800 a day but I also stopped losing my hair when I upped my calories. I also have room to eat more than 1/4 cup and have been able to do 1/2 - 3/4 since my first month out!

Thanks for the folks saying we aren't failures because we're still on the horse we just haven't finished the race yet!

lak200

liz1531 wrote: »

So for me planned portion controlled spurge are what works for me. Planning meals I enjoy in smaller portions works too. I am trying to stick to 1200-1300 calories a day which means I won't lose like my counterparts eating 800 a day but I also stopped losing my hair when I upped my calories. I also have room to eat more than 1/4 cup and have been able to do 1/2 - 3/4 since my first month out!

thanks for these comments! i've also been watching portion control since the 1st - and i'm sooooo glad i'm not the only person that can eat more than those lil portions the dietian was showing me before surgery. i can sit w/a bowl of salad & not have a problem eating it - i just try not to right now.
again - thanks for your reply.

liz1531

My latest and greatest is despite my higher calories I've hit mass hair loss stage. It's so gross! I also stopped losing so I'm trying so hard to get down to 1000 cal days but I love food and won't eat stuff that doesn't taste good to me. Unfortunately what taste good aint fish and broccoli! I need to find another way.

bikrchk

It doesn't have to be ALL fish and veggies to be successful! I find if NEVER over eat, exercise moderately, (by moderately I mean 45 min on a stationary bike at a mid-level pace, at home 4-5 days per week while watching House of Cards in my DVR) and eat clean 85% of the time, I manage really well. I've found new favorites, (went through the Skinny Cow phase myself, one every night for several months, now it's popcorn instead), and ways to make old favorites cleaner\higher protein, (P28 bread, quinoa pastas, etc). If you can find ways to have what you love, it won't feel like a "diet". No "diet"=no guilt. If I can work it into my day while meeting my protein\calorie goals, it's fine. Much more of a mental game for me about what I "like".