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I’m ten pounds from where I’d like to be but overall have had a good year. My constant issue is snacking junk but I do have my positive habits (exercise, water, protein) intact. How you doing?

I'm so excited and just have to share the news that insurance has approved surgery! I have been going through all of the motions since January and am so excited! A little about me: I'm 46, mother of two kids (10 & 7), and I teach 6th grade. I had medullary thryoid cancer and my thyroid was removed in 2008. Even though my thyroid hormone levels are within range, weight has been a problem ever since the removal of my thyroid. Have I mentioned that I am SO EXCITED?!?

I knew surgery was the only choice for me when my younger sister gave birth to her second daughter in February 2019. I was 389 pounds and my health had only been declining as the years passed. When I first held my niece I was hit with the realization that if I didn't do something then I wouldn't be around to watch her grow up. It broke my heart. I was only 31 at the time (I just turned 34 last month) and I was absolutely sure that I'd be dead before I turned 40 if things didn't change. I'd done numerous diets over the years and nothing worked so surgery was really the only option for me if I wanted to be around to watch her grow up as I'd been able to watch her sister grow up. It's one of the best decisions that I ever made for myself. And, since I made that choice, and made that change, my sister has given me my first nephew and my brother gave me another niece. I get to watch all three of my nieces (ages 12, 2, and 17 months) and my nephew (age 9 months) grow up without having to worry that I'm not going to be around for them. My family has always been my strength and has always helped pull me through the worst times of my life and the idea of not being around to watch the youngest family members grow up into these amazing and complex little people were what pushed me into making the choice for surgery. I'm grateful every day that I made that choice.

Yay! So happy for you! You look amazing!

Congratulations, such an achievement and you look amazing!!

Wow. Amazing transformation. Just keep doing what your doing!!

I had no problems at all with seasonings and like future skydiver (love the name I’ve always wanted to do it and now I’m not afraid of snapping the harness) said, it helped keep me on the mushies longer. For me, nothing felt any worse than pre op spicy wise, if I could handle it before it was the same after.

I used seasonings without any issue. Some people can’t do spicy early out like others said so keep that in mind.

46 year old male here, 13 months post op. BMI was just over 40, now it’s under 25. Starting weight 334, currently 195. Short answer: I wish I did this years ago, it’s been stupid easy for me. 1) It depends. I had no problem drinking water right away. Cold water bothered me for a few weeks but room temp water was fine. I was a chugger and drink in my sleep, I was worried about this but I’ve adjusted. I know exactly how many mini sips I can take (8) in a row and do it instinctively. 2) I’m a year post op and I haven’t thrown up. I’ve been close I think. Twice I ate way too fast without thinking. I said I’d never do it again after the first time…. and the second. Never had nausea or “x food doesn’t agree with me.” I can literally eat anything I used to with no difference in taste, smell or tolerances. Just less. Much much less. 3) I was given a giant antibiotic pill in the hospital right after my surgery. It was an inch long and thicker than a pencil. It caused no issues (took one each day for ten days). I also had no problem taking my regular BP meds, which now I no longer need anyway. 4) possibly. I probably had a two weeks or so after where I felt just tired but very shortly after my energy levels went way way up and I feel like I can work harder and longer each day. I haven’t had this much energy since I was a kid, and my calorie count is still around 1000-1500 a day depending on what I eat. 5) I’ve never dumped and now that I’m trying to find my maintenance calorie levels I’ve been eating high calorie foods (to keep volume minimal) without issue (peanut M&Ms). 6) I never had heartburn in my life. Until after surgery. They put me on… omeprazle or something like that… right in the hospital. It’s a PPI and I stopped taking it after a couple weeks (I’ve never had heartburn, didn’t after surgery so why keep taking it?) I got heartburn!! It sucked, I was scared, omg my first negative side effect!! so I took it again and it went away. When I stopped taking it it came back… so I took it again. Turns out it can have a rebound effect for some people. Once I read about that I just stopped it altogether and the heartburn went away after about five days or so and I haven’t had a single reoccurrence since. Am I unusual because I’ve had a really easy go of this? I don’t know. I know there ARE others out there who have also said it was easy. I do know is this (and I’ve said this before… sorry for repeating to those who have read my previous posts)… this forum is a wonderful resource for people to get info pre op, and to get help post op. That second part is a blessing and a curse. It’s easy to read all these posts where people having issues are trying to find help…. and to get a false impression of how frequently serious problems arise. Not too many people create a new thread to say “hey I’ve had no problems, this was so easy and I’ve been wildly successful beyond my even most optimistic goals… ok carry on.” But we are out there. Most people who fall into this category are probably just out in the wild, living their best life, this forum not anything they think about because they don’t need it. I’m sticking around to make sure people in your situation know that we’re out here. It can be easy, problem free, life changing, exciting, etc. On the flip side my wife also had the sleeve and has had a hell of a time. No problems from the procedure, no gerd or vomiting… just near zero weight loss but you can read my other posts for the specifics. Then there are those who do have medical issues from this, do have problems of all sorts of things. They’re real and I’m so sorry for them, and they do need this forum for advice and comfort and just to vent. I am in no way knocking them for doing what they have to do, but their collective voice is much louder then people like me and it skews perception. No one can tell you where on the spectrum you’ll land. If you take it seriously, know that it’s a just a tool to help you lose weight, make better choices, and are ok with the idea that you may have some ups and downs to cope with, you’re off to a great start. Me? I’d do this 100 times over just to feel the way I do today. I wish you the best. No matter what you decide. From a purely statistical point of view problems from being obese far outweigh problems related to getting sleeved. And unfortunately with statistics there are the outliers. But it isn’t a coin flip.

Nervous 😩… hope my surgeon don’t take too much stomach..😩