former_vbg

It's not my job to ask someone a million questions. Not to mention, it's none of my business whether you have had therapy or not previously. Believe it or not, there are an AMAZING number of people who do not get therapy in advance of this surgery. I know someone down in TX who was self-pay in Dallas who did practically NO research and went off what her surgeon told her. Didn't go to any seminars, didn't do any of her own research, and to this day doesn't even know hardly anything about the other types of WL surgeries out there. Oh, and btw, she has only lost about 35# since her surgery nearly a year ago.
So, again, I'm not going to play million questions to someone. I can't read minds. I'm hear to offer support, give advice when I think it might help and I'm also here for me to get the support I need to finish my journey. I expect to be around after I finish, but my point is- if you are going to look for advice from other people, don't expect them to ask you your history before they give you advice. That's the job of a therapist. We are just people here to support one another. If you don't like the advice, then do not take it- nobody is forcing you.

Too funny!!! I'm single, so I can toot at home as much as I like. Sometimes though when I can feel one coming, I have this fear that I won't make it out of hearing/ smell range quick enough. Then, god forbid it just sneaks up on ya. This actually happened to me when I was in a guy's cube at work. I was doomed. I was sitting down and he was showing me some stuff on his computer. I knew if I stood up, I wouldn't make it out of the cube, so I was hoping my butt would keep the smell in the chair--- yeah, that didn't work. He didn't say anything, but I know he noticed. I was quite embarrassed but pretended like nothing happened. Those poor office chairs..... I tell ya.... sure makes a person think twice about getting a used office chair for one's personal use... LOL

So nice for everyone to hear ups and downs of surgery.
I'm over 20 months out and have gained back about 7 lbs from my bottom weight. How? I eat what ever I want, sadly. I know mentally not to do this but unlike dip40so I have the ability to eat anything without restrictions. Rice, bread, Pasta...all of it without any issues. After surgery I have also obtained quite a sweet tooth which I did not possess before. Bad habits have crept back in like eating quickly which allows more food and then an unpleasant full feeling. Yikes. Bad me.
So, do not follow me and just continue to say no to bad food items. After that 6 months a newbie sleever keeps trying to see what you can and can not have. Better just to continue to say no to food items you should just steer clear as you should on any healthy eating plan.
While I do not feel I will regain all my weight, yes it is possible to pack back on the pounds. My girlfriends think I look better with these few pounds that my lowest weight. Still under surgeons goal weight by quite a bit but above my personal goal weight.
Advice? So stick with a healthy diet always after VSG and do not go looking for trouble, because you will find it..

Rosy, I was going to suggest perhaps checking into therapy. I've seen some of your other posts and know that you've been struggling. I'm considering doing it after I'm sleeved because I know I eat emotionally. As everyone says on this board, the sleeve isn't a magic pill; it's just a tool. There's still work we have to do. I think former_vbg was just trying to help.
I sincerely hope you start feeling better about your decision. Unfortunately, there isn't anything you can do to reverse it. And I think it's important for everyone to know that it isn't always rainbows and sunshine. But there's nothing we can do other than give you support and encouragement. And that's was vbg was trying to do.

Please know that it is MOST DEFINITELY possible to gain any weight back that is lost at any point. The sleeve is a tool and it is up to us to use the tool to the best of our ability. Yes, it does restrict us, but depending on the choices we make that restriction can vary. Watch the processed foods, stick to lean Protein, veggies, etc. Get your exercise program in place and stick to it.
For me, I became lactose intolerant almost instantly after surgery. I honestly didn't mind it because that meant chocolate (my favorite "food group") would make me ill and have me in the bathroom with exploding diarrhea within 10 minutes. I am still moderately lactose intolerant, but I now can have small amounts of chocolate and other milk products, but very small amounts. Too much makes my stomach cramp badly for hours, sometimes an entire day depending on what it is I ate. I have about the same amount of restriction as I did after surgery.
You are doing the right thing by reading other posts and asking questions. The first few months are probably the most difficult while you move through the liquid stage to the mushy stage and then figuring out what your body can tolerate and how much. Just remember to try and make the best of the honeymoon stage of your surgery.

Well, I am almost a year out from my surgery and I have LOTS of flatulence, but they are mostly noise makers. I suppose I could take Beano, but have difficulty with pills. It doesn't matter what I eat, I probably fart5 to 10x a day on average. Once in awhile they have a noxious odor, and there have been a couple of times when I couldn't move to another room where I was alone before it slipped out. The ones w/odor are usually silent. The sharts as being referenced here also happen to me, but that is almost always associated with eating food too greasy or has lots of milk product. I too have become lactose intolerant since surgery. I don't even think of drinking milk anymore. Yes, I know there is the soy stuff, but I can't get my head around how that would even taste. Maybe one day I will try it.

I'm 40, single, no children, just the 4 legged ones with fur (3 horses, 5 cats and until recent 1 dog who passed away). I am so happy to have the sleeve. It has changed my life forever! I love the compliments I get from friends! I love being able to walk into a room and feel confident about how I look. I have tried some online dating recently and although no "hits", it wasn't because of my weight. LOL I took a hiatus on the online dating for now because life is just too busy, plus I got tired of people playing games.
Anyhow, I love how much energy I have and wearing skinny jeans! I needed a new pair of black slacks for work, the ones I had were too big. I went to Walmart and it was kind of an odd feeling to have a hard time finding the smaller sized slacks. There were lots of bigger sizes. So, I took a size 8 off the rack, not always sure what size is going to work and so I took a size 6 also to take to the dressing room. I tried the size 8 and of course they fit but seemed a bit loose and since I still have a little bit more to loose, I thought I should try the size 6 and they fit great! They may even be too big when I reach my final goal. :-)

Wow I guess I'm kind of different. Im always excited to say how much I've lost especially to the ones who need help but to the skinnies you are right, it is none of their business because they are just being plain nosey lol. Like what's my weight loss got to do with you?

Or how about the ones that say, "you can't eat that" how the hell do they know what I can and cannot eat. I have actually had people stop talking to me at work over the amount of weight I have lost. Oh well then they were not my true friend.

Ok, so I've lost a lot of weight and yes I'm proud of it. I appreciate the compliments, but twice now I've been pushed to answer, "so how much have you lost?" My standard answer is "a lot", and I stick to it. Today marks the 2nd time I've been asked again and even a 3rd time, "how much?" This last person was a Senior Director at work in another dpt during a conversation. She is a nice lady and I know she was happy for me, but I just came back without flinching, say, "a lot and that's all I'm going to say". I only tell the closest of my friends the actual #, as it really isn't anyone else's business if I choose not to say. The 1st lady said, "I want to know so I can congratulate you". In my head I was like, "you don't need to know that to congratulate me." I don't need people whispering, "you know how MUCH she lost...???" I've lost 137# so far and still a few more to go. Even though I was heavy and looked it, I have always been pretty muscular so it is misleading to people how much I always weigh- even now. People guess me to be 10 to 15 # lighter than what I am. That's good, but I guess I'm not angry, just sort of venting cuz I don't get why people think they are entitled to know something like this.

Went shopping yesterday for festival clothes. I kept trying on size 5/6 pants and none fit right. About the 8th pair I decided to try on 3/4 and with just a little sucking in they were on. Big difference from 22/24 to 3/4. I still put my clothes in my 7 year old's drawer not realizing that they aren't his clothes.

Ok, so I bought nylons for the first time in years a couple months ago. Never got the courage to wear something though needing them. Mostly because nobody at work has ever seen me in anything but slacks, so I didn't want to get the million questions, "are you going on an interview?" "are you going to a funeral?". But, also because I have always had large calves even when I was thinner. I always felt a little self conscious wearing skirts/ dresses because of it. Anyhow, I just decided to go for it today. Wearing nylons is actually kind of neat. For you ladies, I was able to slide into the size "B"s with no trouble at all. Once I reach my final goal, I may even be able to wear size "A's".
Attaching a picture from last week at a friends house, the blazer was actually a little big on me. Sorry, no picture of me in my dress suit today. I've waited so long to wear many of these dress suits that I will either have to have them re-sized or give them away. I just felt like going for it today. It's so weird having the issue of having clothes always being too big... A good feeling though! It is actually more fun getting ready for work in the morning.
The winter time picture was taken Jan 12th of this year, the other one 5/6/12.  

I'm 40, single, no children, just the 4 legged ones with fur (3 horses, 5 cats and until recent 1 dog who passed away). I am so happy to have the sleeve. It has changed my life forever! I love the compliments I get from friends! I love being able to walk into a room and feel confident about how I look. I have tried some online dating recently and although no "hits", it wasn't because of my weight. LOL I took a hiatus on the online dating for now because life is just too busy, plus I got tired of people playing games.
Anyhow, I love how much energy I have and wearing skinny jeans! I needed a new pair of black slacks for work, the ones I had were too big. I went to Walmart and it was kind of an odd feeling to have a hard time finding the smaller sized slacks. There were lots of bigger sizes. So, I took a size 8 off the rack, not always sure what size is going to work and so I took a size 6 also to take to the dressing room. I tried the size 8 and of course they fit but seemed a bit loose and since I still have a little bit more to loose, I thought I should try the size 6 and they fit great! They may even be too big when I reach my final goal. :-)

I'm 40, single, no children, just the 4 legged ones with fur (3 horses, 5 cats and until recent 1 dog who passed away). I am so happy to have the sleeve. It has changed my life forever! I love the compliments I get from friends! I love being able to walk into a room and feel confident about how I look. I have tried some online dating recently and although no "hits", it wasn't because of my weight. LOL I took a hiatus on the online dating for now because life is just too busy, plus I got tired of people playing games.
Anyhow, I love how much energy I have and wearing skinny jeans! I needed a new pair of black slacks for work, the ones I had were too big. I went to Walmart and it was kind of an odd feeling to have a hard time finding the smaller sized slacks. There were lots of bigger sizes. So, I took a size 8 off the rack, not always sure what size is going to work and so I took a size 6 also to take to the dressing room. I tried the size 8 and of course they fit but seemed a bit loose and since I still have a little bit more to loose, I thought I should try the size 6 and they fit great! They may even be too big when I reach my final goal. :-)

Everyone,
Words cannot express how grateful I am for your replies. You gave me the resolution I needed to tell my family tonight that I was making a decision for myself. Tomorrow morning, I'm calling my surgeon's office to schedule my surgery again.
They tried to talk me out of it, but all of their "reasons" were rooted in fiction: I won't be able to eat normal food again, I could die from malnutrition, that the surgery is untested, etc. I looked across the table at these obese people and thought about how they're concern was more about themselves than me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you all.

Like Dorrie said, everyone is different and you will get different responses. I will be a year out the end of June. Much of it depends on what kind of foods you are eating. If you are eating more dense foods, there is a good chance you won't be able to eat that much- maybe a small chicken breast and a small vegetable. If you are eating less dense foods, let's say potatoe chips, cake, and other foods known as sliders, you will be able to eat much more. That is true regardless of what stage you are at in your surgery. You will notice you can eat a litle more as time goes on. But, there are also some variables that can be difficult to compare apples to apples. What size bougie is your Dr. using? Is he going over the staple line to make it smaller than the size of the bougie, is he sewing outside the bougie, etc... What I'm getting at is that there is some evidence that the larger your stomach starts out can affect the volume of food you eat. I'm not saying it means a person will be less successful in their weight loss, but that people will notice a difference in what they can eat.
Anyhow, I know you are just looking for people's feedback, but I would recommend that you focus on following your Dr.'s plan and stay on track as best you can. Everyone's rate of weight loss will vary, as will many other things. The important thing is you have made the commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
Oh, and as for me on what I can eat right now. I am very satisfied with 1 egg w/a little salsa and 2 pieces of bacon. Depending on how the meat is cooked, sometimes I can't eat more than a few bites before feeling very full. If it's really tender like having been in the crockpot and the meat falls off the fork, I could probably eat a half a cup or so, coupled with a very small side of veggies.

I'm on my phone so I'll be short.
I'd never delay my surgery for someone else. I think you should 100% do what you want and feel necessary. It's your life. I don't know your family but it sounds almost like they don't want you to be eating a little but while hey are oohing out. " misery lives company". Of course. Don't know of that is true but it just seems selfish to me that hey don't want you to do something that could be IT. Diets do not work long term. You want long term.
You do something for you!!! Please don't do a dirt for someone else. You re setting yourself up for failure.
I hope I don't sound snarky, I care about you. And I'm having to defend myself a lot lately. It's maddening.

First, CONGRATULATIONS on having your surgery! Second, I applaud the way you approached this surgery. There are some people that don't do half that amount of preparation for their surgery and they tend to struggle the most once they have the surgery.
Welcome to the "loosers bench"!!!

A_C - I'm SO GLAD you had the surgery!!! Rest and get well soon! I'm with favored too... don't even THINK about playing softball silly!! LOL
One last thing, in agreeing with former, this type of surgery should IMO only be performed when necessary. Not everyone will need to have the gallbladder removed. I still have mine *knock on wood*, and I've had TWO WLS... so it's just not always needed.
Hugs to all.

Actually, Carnie has several options or did anyways before she went with the band. She could have and maybe should have opted for the DS. It is also possible for her to have the Sleeve, albeit only a handful of surgeons in N. America are skilled at doing that conversion and doing it well. She could have had the Rose procedure, which if memory serves me that is simply going in and tightening up her pouch from the original surgery. There may be something else as I don't proclaim to be an expert. Like most here, I am just hoping she can be successful long term with the band despite its poor stats for other patients. who have been banded. Only time will tell.

Honestly, I wouldn't go back to him- period. I don't know that you will find another WL Dr. to go to unless you are having any issues which doesn't sound like will be necessary. I had surgery out of state and while my doc was a skilled surgeon- he ABSOLUTELY SUCKED at bedside manner and couldn't give a rats @ss about how his patients do afterwards. I heard a lot of lip service, but it was all about the money honey. I haven't seen him since I had my drain out a few days after surgery. I see my PCP for my follow up and it was worked out BEAUTIFULLY! He is encouraging and yet still challenges me to reach my final goal which I am now very close to.
My suggestion would be to go see your PCP and ask him if he would be willing to see you for your follow ups. I go in every 3 months, but that has more to do with getting my depo shot on that routine. You can do whatever follow ups you want. By going in every 3 months, he sort of suggests a new goal for that time frame and because he is so encouraging I have always worked hard to even exceed it and I have every time!
Good luck to you! Dump that doctor- you don't need him anymore!

Well, i'm going into my 3rd year and let me tell you if soda stretches/ruins the sleeve then my doctor did a damn good job of sewing it together cause nothing has stretched or gotten ruined here. . . I love my soda and always have. . . it's a good idea to kind sip it slowly of course and let it go down all the way, but hey stretching and ruining isn't going to happen. . cause it doesn't just stop, it keeps going down. . . good luck!

Well, I tell you, my PCP is just tickled pink to take on my follow up care. I had my surgery in Dallas, but I live in New Mexico, so I can't exactly fly to Dallas all the time. (I wish I could, my surgeon is a doll!) My PCP is bending over backwards for me, as I am his first VSG patient, so it's a change of pace for him I guess. It's not the worst thing in the world. We've had the surgery, we know how to work it. Have a doc that looks after you. It will all be ok. Emlefe- you are doing FINE!! You are being a perfect ANGEL with your food. I'm one of the ones allowed to have all the things you listed and I've lost 40 lbs. Don't let him bully you. Your stomach only holds so much. You WILL be successful. Either because of him or in spite of him!!

I have never counted calories since having the surgery, however I do watch my carbs. I understand not wanting to be "on a diet". You can look at this a couple of ways. You had this surgery so you could loose weight and so if you want to take advantage of the honeymoon period, then that is the time to focus on what foods will make the most of that timeframe. The sleeve is a tool, and its up to us to decide how to use that tool. I don't get the impression you want to just eat "anything", but at the same time, you will want to pay attention to the foods you are eating that slow or halt your weight loss or worst case cause weight gain. I'm sure you realize that you can gain weight even with having this surgery by eating foods high in sugar and bad carbs.
So, to your comment about not wanting to be on a "diet", perhaps you want to look at this as a lifestyle change. Your sleeve will help keep you in check, but as you get further out you will be able to tolerate more foods and in some cases eat more. By that time, you want to have figured out what you need to be eating to sustain the goals you have set for yourself. It doesn't mean not allowing yourself little treats in moderation, but again, watching to see how that affects you during your weight loss journey and factor that in with where you want to be. We are human, we can't be perfect all the time. I don't deny myself something if I find myself just absolutely craving it, but then I know I am going to need to do some exercise to counter it- depending on what it was.
So, maybe not looking at this as a diet, but as a lifestyle change.

You are obviously in a great deal of emotional pain right now. Several have suggested that you find a therapist and SOON. Are you willing to do this? I think you need to be reviewing what you are eating with a nutritionist or at the very least your surgeon, what your exercise routine looks like, etc. You are comparing yourself to other people, and that is not going to work. Everyone is different for a multitude of reasons including metabolism, level of activity, genetics, etc.
Please find help soon! This board is an excellent source of support, but I really think you need to reach out to someone who can work with you on a 1-1 level to find out what is really going on to get you back on track. Are you willing to do this?