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Hi Everyone! I’m having my VSG surgery tomorrow, april 3rd and i plan on documenting my journey here. I’ve searched and read countless threads to try and anticipate what tomorrow will be like so i thought i’d create this topic to document and be able to look back on how things went. I’ve been in the pre-op requirement journey since october 2023, my requirements were pretty flexible: 10 days of nutrition, psychological and art therapy as well as physical activity classes in a specialised facility - there were also mandatory support group meetings to attend during the past 7 months. I also did not have any pre-op diet as my surgeon doesn’t require any weightloss before performing the surgery. I’m happy with the team i have working with me, and the clinic has a great reputation. But, obviously nerves have started to kick in and for the first time i’m actually scared. What if something goes wrong during surgery ? I guess these are normal thoughts, just trying to get through the stress and get to the other side of the surgery so i can concentrate on the long road ahead :) I’ll report to the clinic at 8.30 am tomorrow, and my surgery is scheduled for 10 am. Hoping everything goes well !! Fingers crossed.

Since my surgery in 2017 I've lost my weight loss powers. I'm a mere mortal when it comes to weight loss. That being said I do the following: 1- Weekly weigh in and log it in 2- Stop eating at 7PM and start again at 7AM (I usually go to 9AM) 3- Eat the same thing every day. For me, Breakfast greek yogurt and hard boiled egg, cup of coffee Lunch, tuna fish, sardines or salmon from a can (no additives such as mayo) dinner broiled or baked seafood with a salad. I will also eat a costco protein bar if I need it. 4-Excercise, for me 3x at gym nothing too strenous just 30-45 on treadmill 5 degree incline with a brisk 3.5 mile speed walk Very Very difficult to stay within 5-10 pounds of goal weight then try to get back down. Vigilance and sorry to say obsession are my keys. It's a struggle every day.

Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla. For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs. For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel. Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs. Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps. It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!

so when i had my WLS, when i got home one the next afternoon, i was just under 2 lbs lighter. but when i had my plastics, 2 days later (i was in hospital longer) i was 5 lbs heavier...and i was like 115 lbs at the time so that was a lot considering my frame. like @nickelchip my hands where like inflated balloon paws...(i'll see if i can find a pic)

I can't believe it. I got on the scale this morning and it was 244.5 lbs. I've officially lost half of the weight towards my goal! I'm down 76 lbs since my highest weight and 63 lbs since surgery. And I'm not even 5 months out! I really didn't think it would happen this quickly. And weirdly enough, I feel smaller now than when I was this weight before. Weight distribution is a funny thing. Here's a pic of me pre-op at about 312 lbs, and two pics of me from today! I have so much more energy and mobility now. I'm so grateful to myself for having this surgery despite my fears and concerns. It has been SO worth it! Big thank yous to all of you guys for supporting me as I go through this, I really value this forum and everyone who posts here! ❤️

Thank you too! Recovery has been really smooth so far. The hardest part was my overnight in the hospital—my nurse refused to let us sleep and wanted us to drink two ounces of water per hour, which felt impossible at the time. Once I got home, I was able to do it no problem. Everything seems to be healing well and I haven’t had any digestive issues or needed pain meds, which has been a blessing.

I think I seen in another post that you are having trouble sleeping. Loss of sleep can certainly make you feel like you are losing It. Have you spoken with your team to see if they have any ideas that can help. It’s possible your medications are just not absorbing properly. Maybe Check with them to see if they can safely adjust the dose or try something different alltogether. After you get some sleep you may find that the depression and anxiety subside. If not, it will depend on how problematic it is. Many times Depression can be helped significantly by just getting outside in the fresh air and sunlight (or by using a special lamp Designed for seasonal affective disorder that can be purchased on Amazon). Light exercise can also help if you are cleared for a walk. Even better if you can get a friend to go along with you. Most anxiety can be reduced through meditation. Guided meditations are available on you tube or apps such as the calm app. If formal meditation is not your thing, many hobbies require mindfulness. I suffer from anxiety and I crochet. Focusing on the pattern and counting the stitches takes just the right amount of mental energy to pull my focus and help me relax. Believe it or not since I started crochet I have been able to cut back on my anxiety medication by more than half. Many people also Find adult coloring books to help With stress and anxiety. If Crafts are not your thing, just google anxiety reducing hobbies and you will find things such as puzzles, writing and reading have been proven to reduce Stress and anxiety. If you are still struggling with depression and anxiety that are bothersome i would contact your team. I am not certain but they may be able to prescribe something for you to take temporarily to help you to feel more like yourself. If not hopefully they will have some more ideas because you are definitely not the first one to go though this.

Best advice is to get back into contact with your therapist (if you saw one as part of your pre surgical process) or ask your team for a referral to one. They will help you work through the why behind your bad eating habits & help you develop strategies to manage when those situations (stress, anxiety, boredom, past issues, life in general, etc.) arise. Then go back to how you were eating when you lost that 50lbs. You don’t need to go back to the very beginning. Meet those protein & fluid goals. Eat your protein first, then vegetables & only if you can any carbs you are allowed (look for whole or multi grain low prices see versions). Keep your fat & sugar (real, artificial or alternatives) low. Check your portions. Return to tracking if you did it before to check your getting your nutrients in. Maybe catch up with your dietician too to help you get back on track. You can do this.

Yeah i'm 4 mths post op from the modified duodenal switch and I have struggled with water nausea and issues with water tasting gross/weird to me. I feel like my taste buds have changed a bit after surgery and I can't stand the taste of water filtered from the tap anymore. I am trying to find a bottled water than I can tolerate, but isn't too expensive. Thankfully I tried gatorade zero and that has helped me, but I am STILL struggling to drink 30+ ounces a day. Have you tried flavoring your water? I just got gatorade zero powder to cut down on the extra plastic and to try to drink more water. Hopefully that does the trick!

That's what made me nervous, too. People don't understand that the surgery doesn't make you lose weight, but that it's all the work you put in after.