Restriction 20 months post op, what does it feel like?

Just thought I'd share for those who are wondering what it feels like close to two years out. Yesterday's dinner was 3 oz of baked fish (including skin and bones which were left on the plate!), a tablespoon of swiss chard with tomato, one forkful of sweet potato mash and the wonderful salad I prepared and so much wanted, had to be given to my dad who gladly helped me out with it. I was full.

the day before, for lunch I had measured out 3.5 oz of my favourite filet mignon and some grilled zucchini and red peppers. There was leftover steak and my Golden got a treat with the veggies that he loves.

Then dinner that day was a veal stew cooked in a pressure cooker so the meat was really nice and tender. I was comfortably full on 3 oz total, meat and vegetables and a drop of juice/sauce.

i had lunch out in a Chinese restaurant yesterday with a (very) slim friend who is Chinese and has her entire stomach. We ate the same thing more or less. She had half a bowl of rice which I did not and I had wonton soup which she did not. Otherwise we split a beef dish and a shrimp dish and I took leftovers home. 

For breakfast I can eat two soft boiled or fried eggs. If hard boiled or scrambled for some reason only one and a bit fits.

i can eat 4 oz of greek yogurt or cottage cheese and 1-2 oz of hard cheese like gruyere or gouda and feel satisfied. 

I never had the foamies and have not thrown up for the last over 10 years. No issues with tolerances, digestion or transit either. The sleeve did not change that. I get the sneezies signal when I may put too much pressure on my vagus nerve. This does not happen too often - I usually feel satisfied enough to stop before. 

I can eat untested but probably unlimited quantities of chips and other such sliders. The list is endless...unfortunately. 

Life is great!! I feel great! All my co morbs are gone and I look like I did when I was 30 (plastics were a little helpful in this although my stomach is still not as flat and nice as that of my 16 year old daughter's...or Jessica Alba's...that's never gonna happen and I have accepted this, with some difficulty, but, yeah...). 

And yes, I still want to lose 4-10 lbs but I am good where I am too. Content. It is actually my strategy - keeping the finish line at a very short and visible distance keeps me pretty much on track. 

I don't stress though about small fluctuations of a couple of lbs. I weigh every day and I adjust as necessary but I never feel like I am on a diet or being deprived. And I still love food.

I eat full fat everything and yes I do drink red wine once in a while and I have had bites of deserts and chocolate and such over the 20 months. And while I limit carbs naturally I would say, I have had some bread and some rice and some pasta and potato also over the months. Oatmeal, muesli and granola too and I eat nuts, fruit (fresh and dried) and use real butter and olive oil in cooking and baking.

oh and no problem getting my protein and liquids from the get go and labs are fine. I still have a protein coffee once in a while. And protein hot chocolate at night. 

Wishing you all a happy VSG day!

It sounds like you are in your happy spot and that is a good thing. You have done an amazing job of this and should be very proud of yourself. We have taken this journey together and I cherish the friendship and support you have given me these last 20 months. Congrats my friend. 

 Thanks Bob!

 Bob!  Missed seeing your when the MI boards went dead and you laid low here.

Thanks for this post , Julia.  I am 11 months out and  can eat anything as long as not too much and that I take my time.  I do get the foamies if one spoonful too much but have never vomitted. I agree with you in keeping the goal in site.  I would probably like to lose 10 more lbs but I will not stress over it.  At 64, I will not have any plastics so I need to see how my body looks at a given weight. I have followed your journey and it has given me courage to follow mine.

Thanks,

Nancy

Great job Nancy! And age (64 is still very young!!) should not deter you from plastics if you really want them! I just got the boobs done and my implants are supposedly good for 10-15 years so I will be having them re-done when I am 60-65!!!  It is never too late!!

What are foamies? I'm only a week out.

My experience is a back up from the esophagus of slime.  It is not vomitting, just slime.  It is not pleasant and will happen if I ate too much or too quickly.  It never happens when I eat on the light side- undereat the sleeve quantities.  I feel better and no slime.

It was thoughtful of you Julia to post on the realities of restriction, particularly since you are a larger sized sleeve sister.  I commend you for still being faithful to measuring!  I thought I was crazy, because I have the same issues with eggs.  If they are cooked hard (scrambled) I can only eat one, and sometimes that can actually cause me problems.  I now eat them cooked softer as well, but would have trouble putting down two as I usually have a piece of toast and a forkful of hashbrowns with it.  

For the readers-

I have a sleeve somewhere up in the 40's (I think 42 of 44, can't remember anymore), I am 2.5 years out, and a VERY tall frame clocking in at

6'2".  What Julia posted is very similar to my experience- perhaps a smidge more in my case.  Here are a few examples of what I ate over the last few days.

Lunch yesterday- about 8-10 sauteed shrimp.  Pretty full after that, no other food with it.

Dinner- salad (smaller than a typical dinner size at a restaurant by far), 2 Pot Stickers, and about 4 asparagus spears.  Not overly full on that, but very satisfied.  

Snack (but could have been a meal): 1 cup homemade ice cream (greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, almond milk, splenda)

If I eat steak for sure 4 ounces and a small salad is my absolute max... and I cannot usually do 4 ounces.  2-3 ounces is more like it. 

I have tested the slider thing (not that I am proud of this).  I can put down a sleeve of Oreos, a couple servings of chips, cups and cups of popcorn... you get the idea.  Just because I have excellent restriction it does not shield me from being to significantly overeat some types of food- and it is always the crap food that delivers high calories in small quantities.  

But with that said, I am as of this morning 7 pounds under goal and maintaining has been going great.  Like Julia, I absolutely never feel deprived.  I would add to that- if I go through a period where I am making poor choices a couple times a day for a few days I feel like crap.  I think this alone really helps me from gaining a ton, because as soon as I switch back to clean eating I feel better.... and rapidly.  I suspect it has something to do with my blood sugar levels, but I will take motivation in any form I can get :)

Mmmmmmm Oreos! Yummmmmm!!! Thanks for chiming in. Your experience is always balanced and helpful.