sirensiren

I had my VSG at a BMI of 31 (obese, but not morbidly so)- I was having joint issues, breathing problems, and I also have Hashimotos.
I am now at a perfect BMI of 20.5 and stable here (have been for 6 months!) and I am so glad I did it. While many may think it's only sound to get it done if you are over a BMI of 35, I was struggling to stay at a BMI of 31, and getting surgery when you are in better shape rather than worse is always ideal for your recovery, not to mention the adjustment is easier on your body and prevents issues like loose skin.
I say this all accepting that I was certainly at the "thinnest" someone should be who gets VSG- there is no reason for someone who is in good shape or only recently gained weight to go to the measure of having restrictive surgery. Though VSG is considerably "safe" and not as invasive as some other surgeries, it shouldn't be taken lightly. I have struggled with my weight and over eating all my life- I still enjoy eating, but not to the extreme extent that it sent me into emotional roller coasters before.

I was certain I was B-12 deficient (vegetarian), but once I finally got my labs back from my physical I turned out to be deficient in nothing except Vitamin D (which is apparently quite common!).
One of the things that makes VSG great is that you do not have the same risk of malabsorption as some surgeries- that does not mean that you are in the clear, but certainly do not be too fearful. I thought for certain I was going to be deficient, but everything is better than what it was when I was overweight!

I had my VSG at a BMI of 31 (obese, but not morbidly so)- I was having joint issues, breathing problems, and I also have Hashimotos.
I am now at a perfect BMI of 20.5 and stable here (have been for 6 months!) and I am so glad I did it. While many may think it's only sound to get it done if you are over a BMI of 35, I was struggling to stay at a BMI of 31, and getting surgery when you are in better shape rather than worse is always ideal for your recovery, not to mention the adjustment is easier on your body and prevents issues like loose skin.
I say this all accepting that I was certainly at the "thinnest" someone should be who gets VSG- there is no reason for someone who is in good shape or only recently gained weight to go to the measure of having restrictive surgery. Though VSG is considerably "safe" and not as invasive as some other surgeries, it shouldn't be taken lightly. I have struggled with my weight and over eating all my life- I still enjoy eating, but not to the extreme extent that it sent me into emotional roller coasters before.

I am happy to see I do not eat way more than others, I find with certain foods I can eat quite a lot.
My typical day is about 1600 calories.
I start with 2 eggs in the morning
Workout
Protein bar and a banana
Veggie Curry
More Veggie curry!
dinner or some sort
More eggs typically
I eat quite often, and recently realized I wasn't getting enough Water, so that is actually a new concept to me- I am getting about 80 ounces a day.
I am 1.2 years out

Long story short, I have been suffering with vertigo/confusion that I have attributed to possible anemia.
I called Dr. Kelly, and even though it had been a year since surgery (November 7th) he answered my call right away and spoke with me at length about what blood tests I should be getting done and what to look for. He was not defensive about the surgery either, just helpful.
He also gave me his new e-mail address unprompted, and told me to please follow up with him.
I am really glad I chose a surgeon who did such a great job and was so involved, but also a year later- when he has NOTHING to gain from being so helpful to me and responding right away, manages to still impress me.

Long story short, I have been suffering with vertigo/confusion that I have attributed to possible anemia.
I called Dr. Kelly, and even though it had been a year since surgery (November 7th) he answered my call right away and spoke with me at length about what blood tests I should be getting done and what to look for. He was not defensive about the surgery either, just helpful.
He also gave me his new e-mail address unprompted, and told me to please follow up with him.
I am really glad I chose a surgeon who did such a great job and was so involved, but also a year later- when he has NOTHING to gain from being so helpful to me and responding right away, manages to still impress me.

I went with Dr. Kelly.
My close friend went with Dr. Garcia a few months later.
I ultimately had the better experience, but she still loves Dr. Garcia and had a great experience in Mexico with her care. Dr. Kelly has (I could be wrong on exact numbers here) 12 years of experience, Dr. Garcia has 2-3.
Here was the difference in our experiences: A few days after surgery, I had symptoms of being allergic to one of my post surgery medications. When I called Dr. Kelly (on a Sunday at that) he called me back within 20 minutes and spoke to be at length, and called me again the next day to follow up.
When my good friend was having dysphoria and odd flu like symptoms after surgery, she called A Lighter Me and the hospital that Dr. Garcia performed the surgery at, and it took an entire 3 days to hear back from either. She ultimately went to the ER here and discovered she was severely dehydrated. Had she had Dr. Garcia's direct phone number, she may have heard back far sooner, but the hospital ultimately she be prepared for things like this and ALM bears the responsibility to be available to patients before and after they have their money.
I have total confidence that Dr. Garcia is great, my friend is in superb shape and is quite happy! I am quite happy with my decision to go to Dr. Kelly, and I'd recommend him first soley based on our two experiences. I think they are both great choice, and as you'll see patients of either doctor will recommend the one they went with!

That is a great feeling isn't it?
I've watched a friend of mine lose too, and she told me she had a moment where she realized she was no longer viewed as a "big girl" anymore, and how liberating that was- to no longer be seen by others and yourself as someone with a weight issue is fantastic. Most importantly, feeling better and watching your health get better is amazing and freeing.
Robbino- you'll be in better and better shoes every month! It was a wonderful decision and the road to getting to a healthy weight has been at times a confusing one, but a great one.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

This year has been the best of my life: last November I was obese, I had VSG with Dr. Kelly and after a few stalls, the weight starting melting off with the help of personal training and watching the content of my food! The love of my life proposed to me, and we got married in what was absolutely my dream wedding. I am more impressed with the man I married every day, and more in love and happy.
I am now at a BMI of 20 and I am actually modeling for fitness oriented shoots (I am on the muscular side now, holy moly!).
The unexpected experience I've felt creep over me in the past couple months: depression, a sense of lack of joy, a sense of something "missing". It's taken me months of feeling like I must be incredibly unappreciative or deeply unhappy with something in my subconcious, until a few days ago a light bulb went off: I am no longer able to use food as a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. It used to be that every meal I ate changed my mood- I would intently look forward to meals throughout the day, plan them in my head, then immediately feel guilty when those meals turned out to be 1000+ calorie indulgences. On the flip side, I would feel a sense of anxious accomplishment when I'd manage to get through a day eating light healthy meals (anxious because I never felt full control of staying on that "diet", and I'd manage to break it every time). I'm sure others can relate.
Now that I realize all this, it is so obvious to me why I was feeling something missing. It has finally set in for me that food is no longer a source of emotional roller coaster feelings of joy, despair, achievement, indulgence..now food is certainly something I may look forward to, but it does not rule my feelings anymore, and I find that after VSG I have a MUCH easier time simply saying "no" to the bad foods. I've also noticed feeling "full" does not have the same physical feeling, and I think this is likely an association for me that keeps that old feeling of indulgence and guilt away. Now getting full actually makes me sweaty, I feel like something is in my throat, and I get a little flustered.it is no longer a relaxing feeling like it once was.
I share this not to show off how fabulous I am with my tiny BMI, or sound like an unappreciative princess. I share this because I feel like others probably have and will go through this feeling of accepting this change in their life. When I read through "cross over addictions" I think some of the root issues are quite related to my experience. I believe my system of self reward is finding balance at this point, it's the best way I can describe it. I think you can go through these feelings at any stage of weight loss, but I certainly think getting to this stable point has actually fueled this sense of loss for me, oddly enough. In a weird way, I feel like my subconscious misses the chaos of that relationship with food! I certainly don't, and I hope others can benefit and relate.

This year has been the best of my life: last November I was obese, I had VSG with Dr. Kelly and after a few stalls, the weight starting melting off with the help of personal training and watching the content of my food! The love of my life proposed to me, and we got married in what was absolutely my dream wedding. I am more impressed with the man I married every day, and more in love and happy.
I am now at a BMI of 20 and I am actually modeling for fitness oriented shoots (I am on the muscular side now, holy moly!).
The unexpected experience I've felt creep over me in the past couple months: depression, a sense of lack of joy, a sense of something "missing". It's taken me months of feeling like I must be incredibly unappreciative or deeply unhappy with something in my subconcious, until a few days ago a light bulb went off: I am no longer able to use food as a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. It used to be that every meal I ate changed my mood- I would intently look forward to meals throughout the day, plan them in my head, then immediately feel guilty when those meals turned out to be 1000+ calorie indulgences. On the flip side, I would feel a sense of anxious accomplishment when I'd manage to get through a day eating light healthy meals (anxious because I never felt full control of staying on that "diet", and I'd manage to break it every time). I'm sure others can relate.
Now that I realize all this, it is so obvious to me why I was feeling something missing. It has finally set in for me that food is no longer a source of emotional roller coaster feelings of joy, despair, achievement, indulgence..now food is certainly something I may look forward to, but it does not rule my feelings anymore, and I find that after VSG I have a MUCH easier time simply saying "no" to the bad foods. I've also noticed feeling "full" does not have the same physical feeling, and I think this is likely an association for me that keeps that old feeling of indulgence and guilt away. Now getting full actually makes me sweaty, I feel like something is in my throat, and I get a little flustered.it is no longer a relaxing feeling like it once was.
I share this not to show off how fabulous I am with my tiny BMI, or sound like an unappreciative princess. I share this because I feel like others probably have and will go through this feeling of accepting this change in their life. When I read through "cross over addictions" I think some of the root issues are quite related to my experience. I believe my system of self reward is finding balance at this point, it's the best way I can describe it. I think you can go through these feelings at any stage of weight loss, but I certainly think getting to this stable point has actually fueled this sense of loss for me, oddly enough. In a weird way, I feel like my subconscious misses the chaos of that relationship with food! I certainly don't, and I hope others can benefit and relate.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

This year has been the best of my life: last November I was obese, I had VSG with Dr. Kelly and after a few stalls, the weight starting melting off with the help of personal training and watching the content of my food! The love of my life proposed to me, and we got married in what was absolutely my dream wedding. I am more impressed with the man I married every day, and more in love and happy.
I am now at a BMI of 20 and I am actually modeling for fitness oriented shoots (I am on the muscular side now, holy moly!).
The unexpected experience I've felt creep over me in the past couple months: depression, a sense of lack of joy, a sense of something "missing". It's taken me months of feeling like I must be incredibly unappreciative or deeply unhappy with something in my subconcious, until a few days ago a light bulb went off: I am no longer able to use food as a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. It used to be that every meal I ate changed my mood- I would intently look forward to meals throughout the day, plan them in my head, then immediately feel guilty when those meals turned out to be 1000+ calorie indulgences. On the flip side, I would feel a sense of anxious accomplishment when I'd manage to get through a day eating light healthy meals (anxious because I never felt full control of staying on that "diet", and I'd manage to break it every time). I'm sure others can relate.
Now that I realize all this, it is so obvious to me why I was feeling something missing. It has finally set in for me that food is no longer a source of emotional roller coaster feelings of joy, despair, achievement, indulgence..now food is certainly something I may look forward to, but it does not rule my feelings anymore, and I find that after VSG I have a MUCH easier time simply saying "no" to the bad foods. I've also noticed feeling "full" does not have the same physical feeling, and I think this is likely an association for me that keeps that old feeling of indulgence and guilt away. Now getting full actually makes me sweaty, I feel like something is in my throat, and I get a little flustered.it is no longer a relaxing feeling like it once was.
I share this not to show off how fabulous I am with my tiny BMI, or sound like an unappreciative princess. I share this because I feel like others probably have and will go through this feeling of accepting this change in their life. When I read through "cross over addictions" I think some of the root issues are quite related to my experience. I believe my system of self reward is finding balance at this point, it's the best way I can describe it. I think you can go through these feelings at any stage of weight loss, but I certainly think getting to this stable point has actually fueled this sense of loss for me, oddly enough. In a weird way, I feel like my subconscious misses the chaos of that relationship with food! I certainly don't, and I hope others can benefit and relate.

This year has been the best of my life: last November I was obese, I had VSG with Dr. Kelly and after a few stalls, the weight starting melting off with the help of personal training and watching the content of my food! The love of my life proposed to me, and we got married in what was absolutely my dream wedding. I am more impressed with the man I married every day, and more in love and happy.
I am now at a BMI of 20 and I am actually modeling for fitness oriented shoots (I am on the muscular side now, holy moly!).
The unexpected experience I've felt creep over me in the past couple months: depression, a sense of lack of joy, a sense of something "missing". It's taken me months of feeling like I must be incredibly unappreciative or deeply unhappy with something in my subconcious, until a few days ago a light bulb went off: I am no longer able to use food as a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. It used to be that every meal I ate changed my mood- I would intently look forward to meals throughout the day, plan them in my head, then immediately feel guilty when those meals turned out to be 1000+ calorie indulgences. On the flip side, I would feel a sense of anxious accomplishment when I'd manage to get through a day eating light healthy meals (anxious because I never felt full control of staying on that "diet", and I'd manage to break it every time). I'm sure others can relate.
Now that I realize all this, it is so obvious to me why I was feeling something missing. It has finally set in for me that food is no longer a source of emotional roller coaster feelings of joy, despair, achievement, indulgence..now food is certainly something I may look forward to, but it does not rule my feelings anymore, and I find that after VSG I have a MUCH easier time simply saying "no" to the bad foods. I've also noticed feeling "full" does not have the same physical feeling, and I think this is likely an association for me that keeps that old feeling of indulgence and guilt away. Now getting full actually makes me sweaty, I feel like something is in my throat, and I get a little flustered.it is no longer a relaxing feeling like it once was.
I share this not to show off how fabulous I am with my tiny BMI, or sound like an unappreciative princess. I share this because I feel like others probably have and will go through this feeling of accepting this change in their life. When I read through "cross over addictions" I think some of the root issues are quite related to my experience. I believe my system of self reward is finding balance at this point, it's the best way I can describe it. I think you can go through these feelings at any stage of weight loss, but I certainly think getting to this stable point has actually fueled this sense of loss for me, oddly enough. In a weird way, I feel like my subconscious misses the chaos of that relationship with food! I certainly don't, and I hope others can benefit and relate.

This year has been the best of my life: last November I was obese, I had VSG with Dr. Kelly and after a few stalls, the weight starting melting off with the help of personal training and watching the content of my food! The love of my life proposed to me, and we got married in what was absolutely my dream wedding. I am more impressed with the man I married every day, and more in love and happy.
I am now at a BMI of 20 and I am actually modeling for fitness oriented shoots (I am on the muscular side now, holy moly!).
The unexpected experience I've felt creep over me in the past couple months: depression, a sense of lack of joy, a sense of something "missing". It's taken me months of feeling like I must be incredibly unappreciative or deeply unhappy with something in my subconcious, until a few days ago a light bulb went off: I am no longer able to use food as a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. It used to be that every meal I ate changed my mood- I would intently look forward to meals throughout the day, plan them in my head, then immediately feel guilty when those meals turned out to be 1000+ calorie indulgences. On the flip side, I would feel a sense of anxious accomplishment when I'd manage to get through a day eating light healthy meals (anxious because I never felt full control of staying on that "diet", and I'd manage to break it every time). I'm sure others can relate.
Now that I realize all this, it is so obvious to me why I was feeling something missing. It has finally set in for me that food is no longer a source of emotional roller coaster feelings of joy, despair, achievement, indulgence..now food is certainly something I may look forward to, but it does not rule my feelings anymore, and I find that after VSG I have a MUCH easier time simply saying "no" to the bad foods. I've also noticed feeling "full" does not have the same physical feeling, and I think this is likely an association for me that keeps that old feeling of indulgence and guilt away. Now getting full actually makes me sweaty, I feel like something is in my throat, and I get a little flustered.it is no longer a relaxing feeling like it once was.
I share this not to show off how fabulous I am with my tiny BMI, or sound like an unappreciative princess. I share this because I feel like others probably have and will go through this feeling of accepting this change in their life. When I read through "cross over addictions" I think some of the root issues are quite related to my experience. I believe my system of self reward is finding balance at this point, it's the best way I can describe it. I think you can go through these feelings at any stage of weight loss, but I certainly think getting to this stable point has actually fueled this sense of loss for me, oddly enough. In a weird way, I feel like my subconscious misses the chaos of that relationship with food! I certainly don't, and I hope others can benefit and relate.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be...
I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery.
Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement!
I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG.
After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese!
I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery.
If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

I am 4 months out and doing great, but with recovery I notice my capacity for food seems to "grow and grow". I know that this is reasonably the result of the healing process, and that my stomach isn't simply stretching out.
My question for people who have had VSG a year+: When did you feel like your stomach stopped accommodating more and more food?
I do realize that in reality the volume of my stomach is miniscule compared to what I used to eat, but a month ago I could just get through 2 eggs in the morning...now I find myself having room for a piece of toast as well.
I'd hope there is a point where it seems to just stay the same, and I can reasonably get through say...8 ounces of food give or take. Right now I am getting through an average of 6 ounces per "meal", and I am not losing, but I am stable (which is fine, because I am at a healthy BMI now).
I'd love some feedback, as it's hard not to be at least a little worried!
I have a personal trainer 2x a week and I am fairly responsible with my food choices as well, but if my stomach grows and grows I'm going to have to modify my diet to maintain a healthy weight, which I know is part of being healthy regardless of surgery.
What capacity did your stomach seem to stabilize to? How long did it take to reach that point?

I am 4 months out and doing great, but with recovery I notice my capacity for food seems to "grow and grow". I know that this is reasonably the result of the healing process, and that my stomach isn't simply stretching out.
My question for people who have had VSG a year+: When did you feel like your stomach stopped accommodating more and more food?
I do realize that in reality the volume of my stomach is miniscule compared to what I used to eat, but a month ago I could just get through 2 eggs in the morning...now I find myself having room for a piece of toast as well.
I'd hope there is a point where it seems to just stay the same, and I can reasonably get through say...8 ounces of food give or take. Right now I am getting through an average of 6 ounces per "meal", and I am not losing, but I am stable (which is fine, because I am at a healthy BMI now).
I'd love some feedback, as it's hard not to be at least a little worried!
I have a personal trainer 2x a week and I am fairly responsible with my food choices as well, but if my stomach grows and grows I'm going to have to modify my diet to maintain a healthy weight, which I know is part of being healthy regardless of surgery.
What capacity did your stomach seem to stabilize to? How long did it take to reach that point?

That is excellent! It's great to hear the perspective of a MD regarding Mexican surgeons such as Dr. Kelly, and I'm glad your experience was as positive as mine.
I truly enjoyed TJ and think I may even plan to visit just for fun and shopping this Fall (and I live in LA, which is full of fun and shopping!). The care was far better than what I've received here in the states to be honest, and Dr. Kelly showed genuine care for my well being and spent nearly an hour talking to me personally the night prior to surgery about my health history. I really felt taken care of. He never once exhibited signs of having substance abuse issues, which is something I am personally familiar with. As far as I know, there is one confirmed death than happened over a year prior to ALM disbanding from him.
Anyhow, I think the surgeons in Mexico deserve a lot of credit and confidence- they are under far more of a microscope than those at Kaiser and other USA hospitals because they rely entirely on private paying patients like us, and we all report back on each detail of the care. As I finish my small plate of green Beans and truly feel full, I must say I am extremely happy with my VSG results from Dr. Kelly!

I went with Dr. Kelly.
My close friend went with Dr. Garcia a few months later.
I ultimately had the better experience, but she still loves Dr. Garcia and had a great experience in Mexico with her care. Dr. Kelly has (I could be wrong on exact numbers here) 12 years of experience, Dr. Garcia has 2-3.
Here was the difference in our experiences: A few days after surgery, I had symptoms of being allergic to one of my post surgery medications. When I called Dr. Kelly (on a Sunday at that) he called me back within 20 minutes and spoke to be at length, and called me again the next day to follow up.
When my good friend was having dysphoria and odd flu like symptoms after surgery, she called A Lighter Me and the hospital that Dr. Garcia performed the surgery at, and it took an entire 3 days to hear back from either. She ultimately went to the ER here and discovered she was severely dehydrated. Had she had Dr. Garcia's direct phone number, she may have heard back far sooner, but the hospital ultimately she be prepared for things like this and ALM bears the responsibility to be available to patients before and after they have their money.
I have total confidence that Dr. Garcia is great, my friend is in superb shape and is quite happy! I am quite happy with my decision to go to Dr. Kelly, and I'd recommend him first soley based on our two experiences. I think they are both great choice, and as you'll see patients of either doctor will recommend the one they went with!

That is excellent! It's great to hear the perspective of a MD regarding Mexican surgeons such as Dr. Kelly, and I'm glad your experience was as positive as mine.
I truly enjoyed TJ and think I may even plan to visit just for fun and shopping this Fall (and I live in LA, which is full of fun and shopping!). The care was far better than what I've received here in the states to be honest, and Dr. Kelly showed genuine care for my well being and spent nearly an hour talking to me personally the night prior to surgery about my health history. I really felt taken care of. He never once exhibited signs of having substance abuse issues, which is something I am personally familiar with. As far as I know, there is one confirmed death than happened over a year prior to ALM disbanding from him.
Anyhow, I think the surgeons in Mexico deserve a lot of credit and confidence- they are under far more of a microscope than those at Kaiser and other USA hospitals because they rely entirely on private paying patients like us, and we all report back on each detail of the care. As I finish my small plate of green Beans and truly feel full, I must say I am extremely happy with my VSG results from Dr. Kelly!