redroses47

Hi Julie. You have received some great support and advice and my experience was the same. I think I felt the sadness pre-op because my surgery happened so fast and post-op, I lost the taste for a number of old favourites. It does return though - your desire for the things you like - but you may also find that your tastes really have changed. For me, I don't like coffee or sweets any longer and those were staples for years for me. Your body will get back into the groove before you know it. I am five months out and I am pretty much back to my 'normal' but I eat very healthy as this is what I gravitate towards. I kept a food diary for about 4 months until I knew for sure I was getting my daily requirements and I am confident where I am now. Rest assured things will get better!

Hi all -- I'm entering my 4th week and getting "lumpy" mushy stuff to eat . . . but the thing I've been struggling with emotionally is saying good bye to food -- I mean, I just don't really like it anymore. Nothing tastes good, nothing is really the same anymore and it makes me sad that at one point, I liked everything (ha -- I know what comes from liking everything). But I guess my sadness is that I just don't really enjoy eating -- and it's not the binging-kind of eating I'm mourning, it's the enjoyment of ANY food I put in my mouth. Now, food is kind of like medicine -- I know I have to eat it to stay healthy, but if I could, I would just avoid it all together. And it makes me soooo sad because I really enjoyed eating, I loved new flavors, etc. Now it's just "eh."

I'm hoping some of you all can give me your great words of wisdom -- I've just been so sad this past week and I just can't foresee a future where there is NOTHING I enjoy eating . . .

Sorry for the downer post . . .

Whoa ... one week out and you are thinking salad, salsa and subs? Don't even go there for at least a month or so. You are healing!! Liquids and soft foods are the course for now. Think soft, bland and creamy (Soups, yogurt, etc.) .. foods that don't require a lot of work from your stomach for digestion. You will have those foods again that you like but just not now. You may even find your taste buds have changed too. We get used to eating certain things and even crave them but you may be surprised to learn that you may not even like some things. Mine was coffee and anything sweet .. my desire for either is completely gone. I am 5 months out now and I can eat whatever I want but I don't. I still choose the healthy route and the weight continues to drop.

Maybe check in with your nutritionist? Good luck and be good to yourself!

It's still so very early for you. Please take it easy and don't worry too much. The rules are the same .. focus on water/fluid intake, your Vitamins and Protein intake, too. Your body has gone through it's own 'trauma' and is healing itself. Everyone is different in their physical reactions so don't be too hard on yourself. Only consume what you feel you are able and the rest will take care of itself. If you are feeling really lousy, see your doctor.

The scale .. it's the bane of our existence. You will see movement - we all do. Good luck.

As others said, check with your doctor or nutritionist for the guidelines.

Interestingly, for me, I was a solid daily coffee drinker for 25 years. I haven't had a cup since my surgery. No desire .. no cravings. It smells good but tastes awful to me. My adoration of Starbucks is now gone :thumbup:

I have learned that everyone's journey is different but one thing is certain, a good one or two stalls are in everyone's future.

Myself, I lost on average 20-25 pounds per month until about a month ago. (Yes, my weight fell off very fast.) My scale slowed to a crawl but the inches still fell away. I only lost about 7 pounds in the past 4 weeks but the scale is moving again.

Don't be a slave to the numbers. Yes, easy for me to say but it's true. You lose some, your weight shifts, your clothes fit differently .. repeat :thumbup:

Nothing like a high Protein diet to mess with your system :thumbup:

The initial stages are tough and in my case, I didn't consume any fiber until I was at least a month along although I had no issues. I believe for me the reason was that I drank at least 8-10 glasses of Water and that certainly gets things moving. Around the 6-week mark, I started eating Fiber One Cereal twice a day (about a 1/3c per serving with a few blueberries) .. no issues at all.

Hi Sara. I had written a 3-month update in July so I will provide the link and you can read about my experience so far.

http://verticalsleevetalk.com/vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-surgery-vsg-success-stories/7704-3-month-update.html

Since I wrote that, I have lost 97 pounds and 7 sizes.

I had a straight sleeve done (no revision) so the cost will probably vary. You will need to contact them for details on the cost but I hope that isn't your driving force. PSSC were excellent and treated me very well and they still do. They have a two-year program to follow your nutrition and fitness goals.

My surgery was done by Dr. Peter Billing and he was wonderful .. I can't say enough about him. If you google him or Dr. Robert Landerholm (another one of the WLS surgeons), you will find a lot of positive information on both.

Hope this helps and good luck in your journey.

Dear eloquent blue,

Can you tell me of your sleeve story and the cost at Pugent Sound ? I have a Lapband and want to have it removed to get a (VGS) Vertical Gastric Sleeve, but I want an excellent, experienced surgeon.

I am private pay and i may have to go back to Mexico to get this done, but I would prefer going to Pugent Sound.

What can you tell me about your experiences, your procedure, your MD ?

Peace, Sara *note: Love your saying at the bottom of your page.

After a very rapid weight-loss, my scale hasn't really moved in the past month but my clothes continue to get looser. So I know for a fact that my body is shifting my new weight around and I continue to donate my clothes at an alarming rate. I went shopping the other day for the first time in months and I have dropped about 7 sizes. Incredible to me, to say the least.

I am 4.5 months out and I have found my hunger has really wavered since surgery. I can say for sure I had zero hunger until about three months along and I find I can eat more than I used to. Still listen to your cues and make your good choices.

Thinoneday .. way to go!! Gosh, how frustrated you must have been but things are moving along again. :confused1:

Only my immediate family knows. I may feel more comfortable telling people as time goes by but I am enjoying keeping this secret close to my heart for now. My ride has been wonderfully successful so far so I want to keep this one for me, for now.

As far as I know, there are no physicians in Vancouver doing this work or else I would have gone myself. There is a surgeon in Victoria but his wait-list is 3-5 years long.

I went to Puget Sound Surgical Centre in Edmonds, WA.

Google their site .. tons of information there

Are there any doctors doing the vertical sleeve in Vancouver bc or Washington state?

Thanks Christie for sharing your thoughts .. I truly appreciate it.

This emotional eating thing really strikes a chord with so many people but post-op, I realized it was a habit .. not any sort of nutritional need on my part. I can't imagine running to the kitchen for two tablespoons of what .. cheesecake? .. because I can't eat more than that. I am being cheeky of course but my recent stresses made me realize that I am used to reaching for the fridge door yet now I have no room or desire to eat. This alone is a huge freedom that I wasn't expecting.

You worked on yourself, too .. you have a lot to be proud of. I think I am a bit ahead of the game in terms of the weight loss but I am paying for it with lack of energy but I try to do something physical every day. It's hard! I look forward to seeing your progress, too

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this. You have really touched me. I am at 2 1/2 months so was excited to read a 3 month update. I am at almost 60 lbs lost right now and hope to be at about 70 lost when I hit my 3 months on Aug 20th but we shall see I think the fact you have been able to overcome emotional eating is incredible.... that is exactly what this is all about. I have only had one instance of nearly eating emotionally since surgery but usually it is the farthest thing from my mind. I love this new freedom! I am so sorry for the trauma you have gone through. Those things are extremely difficult... but I can relate so much to how you said that it showed you that you wouldnt revert to old behaviors. In 2008 my dad had a heart attack and was unconscious for 8 days and not expected to survive. At that time I had broken two addictive behaviors - nail biting and excessive gum chewing - and I was so thrilled that I made it through that experience without reverting back. I couldn't believe I made it through that and still had long fingernails. I did however, turn to food and my weight got even worse following his heart attack. Even though it should have made me realize how unhealthy I also was, and do something about my weight, instead I hid behind emotional eating. I am so happy that now this seems to be changing... have been working on it through therapy for about 6 months prior to surgery too so that was extremely helpful.

Please keep us updated as you go along... I just loved your post.

Thanks, Carla .. much appreciated!

Congrats on your amazing loss, we have the same surgey date, I have a sleeve sister! yay! I hope you continue to do well and sorry for all you've had to deal with.

Thanks for your kind words.

Oddly enough, the records from both my surgical office and my nutritional office have a discrepancy on my starting and pre-op weights so I am not 100% sure what the number is. On average, I have lost 20-25 pounds each month so the difference is about 10 pounds or so (I thought it was double that). My weight loss is starting to waver a bit but I am shrinking to quite an extent so if it's not the scale, it's the inches I will post another update on my birthday in September.

You are doing great, too .. keep up the good work!

You're doing fabulously! I'm sorry for what you've been through but I"m happy you were able to deal with it ok.

Has all of that 82 lbs been since surgery or did you lose any of that on a pre-op diet?

I had surgery one day before you and I'm not doing that darned good! LOL

When I went for the pre-op assessment, the psychologist and I spoke about life's tribulations and I left there thinking I can handle anything .. not realizing what was about to hit me. So yes, I was very challenged but the weird thing is that food wasn't tempting at all. This surgery seemingly removed my desire to eat or even have hunger pangs so being challenged yet getting through it as best I could is where I feel my success .. not just on the scale. Thanks for your words.

great post, I enjoy reading what everyone has to say. I love the fact that through all your trials that you have stayed your course, and learned new things about yourself and how to deal with challenges. It goes to show that this surgry will not only change our body but our mind if we let it.

Thanks so much and well said Life does throw us curve balls and these were two I was not expecting however I am doing the best I can. I suspect my tiredness is related to both issues .. healing takes awhile. Thanks again.

I'm sorry for your loss and glad for your loss (of pounds)! Life has a way of throwing us curveballs and looks like you did a fabulous job. Healing from your sibling's death will take time, the relationship too, but you are on a life changing course... there's no turning back! Continued success on the weight loss!

Thanks, Deb .. I have enjoyed every moment of this change and while it was a huge adjustment at first, I am cruising now :thumbup1: I will stay in touch.

OMG. 82 pounds in 3 months!!! That's EXCELLENT. Keep up that hard work. Your story is inspiring to those of us who use food to cover our emotions. Yes thanks for sharing. I and I'm sure others appreciate it too. Please keep us updated with your continued success. Best wishes.

Deb

That's exactly it, Maddie .. learning to make changes from old ways that were harmful, damaging and repetitive. Thanks for your words .. I appreciate them.

That is great news. You have had great success. I am sorry to hear of the emotional struggles you have had to face but so proud of how you handled them. It is very encouraging to me personally to know that yes, there are other ways to handle such situations. thanks for sharing, best of luck to you.

I hope I inspired you in some way to continue your journey. I had read a number of stories when I first had my surgery and I remember thinking that I hoped to have similar success. You will .. this surgery is a gift of change.

Congratulations! You are doing great....82 pounds in 3 months is awesome! I appreciate you sharing your experience. I am getting close to getting a date for surgery and sometimes I wonder what the hell I am doing.....then I read a story like yours and remember. Thanks for sharing.

Hi everyone. I thought I would give an update on my progress .. my surgery was three months ago today. All I can say is that it was a complete life-changing experience.

I am not someone who suffered any pain or acid reflex post-op and with what I have read here, I am a rarity to some degree. To me, my weight has literally fallen off so far (82 pounds today) and with that loss comes zero desire to eat any junk (sugar/carbs were my downfall) and eating healthy is so easy. I love it.

I have lost 5 sizes and my wardrobe (which was very impressive at the start of this *lol*) has diminished to almost nothing. I was sure I would have gotten about 6 months out of it but come September, it's time for new clothes. I have my three-month post-surgical appt in a couple of weeks so I am excited about seeing the surgeon again.

I am eating about 5-6 times a day and it's very small portions .. maximum about 2/3 cup at any time. My day typically looks like this:

Fibre One Cereal with a few berries & milk

Greek yogurt for a snack

Soup, tuna salad, chicken or some other high Protein lunch

Protein Drink

More high Protein and veggies for dinner

High fibre snack in the evening

That's it pretty much every day. I am not bored and I do mix it up once in awhile but food isn't my focus but rather a necessity. I take all of my Vitamins every day as well about 8 glasses of Water. It's a struggle some days because I may be tired or just simply not hungry but I focus on protein (60-70 grams), Water and fibre. I calculate an approximate intake of about 800 calories, of average. Sometimes a bit more .. but never over 900 calories. I tend to gravitate towards Soups and 'easy' foods because as soon as protein hits my stomach, it's like a dam and I eat very little after that. I want to chew, you know? *lol*

Physically, I can do quite a bit more yet I still struggle with tiredness. I have had no sugar or caffeine since March so maybe this it the 'true' me in terms of my energy level. I realize little food and rapid weight loss plays a big part but exercise remains a bit of a chore. I need to work at it more. I sleep more now than when I did as a teenager.

I am looking to lose another 100 pounds however I am feeling pretty good even now. I told no one except family. Friends and co-workers are noticing now. I am not someone who really lacked confidence but talk about a boost!

Since my surgery, I have had two very stressful events happen to me .. the end of a personal relationship and also the unexpected death of one of my siblings. Healing was a challenge at first but I learned that my emotions are front and centre when it comes to dealing with myself. I have read a lot about people's emotional eating and how they handle it post-op and for me, I didn't feel compelled to race to the kitchen. I cried and let it out. Talk to people .. it works.

I have had very little hair loss ... a little .. but not much. I have a lot of hair to begin with so perhaps I had 'spare' to lose but so far, so good.

I 'fit' differently into chairs, my car, my shoes .. there are differences all around me. It's been exciting to see and feel these changes and I know the best is yet to come. Socially, I have been out a few times as I am in the 'let's do lunch' environment and I am constantly amazed how much people eat vs. what I now eat. I can't imagine my life prior to surgery anymore .. my capacity to fill myself is so little. My desire is even less. I have had no alcohol to date and plan to stay away from it for at least 6 months. Again, no desire or pressure to even have it so it's not an issue for me. I am razzed a bit by dinner companions who wonder how I can 'get by' with just a bowl of Soup but I find that soup is the easiest thing for me to order and consume without getting immediately stuffed by a chicken breast or salmon, etc.

Anyway, that is my two cents. Thanks for reading and I wish continued success to the other sleevers :thumbup1:

I am about 2 1/2 months out and I definitely notice a bit more Hair loss. My hair is very long so when you see strands on the floor that are 2-3 feet long, you pay attention! The same thing happened to me when my son was born (c-section) .. surgery in itself, for me, causes hair loss. My previous experience wasn't drastic so I am not expecting to worry about this too much .. my hair grows pretty quickly anyway.

Thanks for the responses .. I guess I will give it a shot and see what I can cook up!

Is anyone using this product for a Protein or Fiber boost?

In searching for recipes, it seems it is used very similar to soy crumbles (chili, sauces, etc.).

Any ideas or feedback? Thanks!

For years, you could set your watch by my 28-day schedule .. it was that regular without fail.

My experience post-op, I am dealing with the complete unknown. No consistency with schedule or anything however I think it will eventually go back to what I was before.