Ailly

Your body is adjusting and needs time heal. The best thing you can do for yourself is to put the scale away and focus on getting in your Protein. Your weight is going to fluctuate as you lose/retain Water, put on muscle from exercise etc. Stepping on the scale everyday does more harm than good. Hang in there and trust that if you make smart choices regarding food, protein and exercise, the weight will come off. You can do it!

Your body is adjusting and needs time heal. The best thing you can do for yourself is to put the scale away and focus on getting in your Protein. Your weight is going to fluctuate as you lose/retain Water, put on muscle from exercise etc. Stepping on the scale everyday does more harm than good. Hang in there and trust that if you make smart choices regarding food, protein and exercise, the weight will come off. You can do it!

Your body is still adjusting and needs time to heal. My Vitamin and sugar levels didn't get back to within normal range until I was 6 months post-op. It's difficult to not want or expect immediate results after having a life changing major surgery. But our bodies don't operate on the same time table as our minds and needs time to catch up. Your lab results are not abnormal for someone two months post-op. Hang in there, work hard, take your Vitamins and supplements and stay positive. Give your body some time to recover from the major changes it is going through. It will get better. Keep your chin up.

Congratulations on recieving your date! You always have someone to turn to on these forums, that is what we are here for! All the fears you are feeling are totally normal. You will do great! Just remember that you are doing this to live a longer, healthier and happier life. What other people think of you is not important. How you feel about yourself is what matters. Do what makes you happy. All of those people don't have to live in your skin. Let their insecurities be their problem. Make smart choices when it comes to food and excercise and you will see results. This surgery sets you up to be successful and you can do it! The first few weeks are the toughest, once you get through the emotional stuff, let rest fits into place. Congratulations and Good Luck on your journey!

Congratulations on recieving your date! You always have someone to turn to on these forums, that is what we are here for! All the fears you are feeling are totally normal. You will do great! Just remember that you are doing this to live a longer, healthier and happier life. What other people think of you is not important. How you feel about yourself is what matters. Do what makes you happy. All of those people don't have to live in your skin. Let their insecurities be their problem. Make smart choices when it comes to food and excercise and you will see results. This surgery sets you up to be successful and you can do it! The first few weeks are the toughest, once you get through the emotional stuff, let rest fits into place. Congratulations and Good Luck on your journey!

This is a tool to help you lose weight, just like joining Weight Watchers or TOPS or Jenny Craig is. It is nobody's business whether you have had WLS at all. You can beg off by saying that you are scheduled for some minor surgery. Anyone who asks beyond that does not deserve an answer. You will find that this is not the 'easy way out' that people who have not had it think it to be, but it is a tool that will require you to remember how to eat properly. It is an amazing journey, and one that should help you succeed. The first couple weeks are not easy, but after that the routine becomes easier. You can do it! We are here to help you!

You've done a great job advocating for yourself--a year-long fight with your insurance company is a huge undertaking, and you WON!
You'll win this next battle too; the battle for a new you and a healthier day-to-day life. Remember that the decision to tell anyone is up to you. YOU have all the power over that--nobody can make you do anything you're not comfortable with. If you don't want to tell every person you deal with at work, then that's perfectly all right; that being said, it is helpful to have as large a support system of family/friends as you can. Make the choice that works best for you. No matter what, you know the folks in this forum are in your corner!

Congratulations on recieving your date! You always have someone to turn to on these forums, that is what we are here for! All the fears you are feeling are totally normal. You will do great! Just remember that you are doing this to live a longer, healthier and happier life. What other people think of you is not important. How you feel about yourself is what matters. Do what makes you happy. All of those people don't have to live in your skin. Let their insecurities be their problem. Make smart choices when it comes to food and excercise and you will see results. This surgery sets you up to be successful and you can do it! The first few weeks are the toughest, once you get through the emotional stuff, let rest fits into place. Congratulations and Good Luck on your journey!

Congratulations on recieving your date! You always have someone to turn to on these forums, that is what we are here for! All the fears you are feeling are totally normal. You will do great! Just remember that you are doing this to live a longer, healthier and happier life. What other people think of you is not important. How you feel about yourself is what matters. Do what makes you happy. All of those people don't have to live in your skin. Let their insecurities be their problem. Make smart choices when it comes to food and excercise and you will see results. This surgery sets you up to be successful and you can do it! The first few weeks are the toughest, once you get through the emotional stuff, let rest fits into place. Congratulations and Good Luck on your journey!

Congratulations on your success!

This seems harsh and passive agressive to me. (Not what VST is supposed to be about.) In my opinion, why post at all if it's not constructive? Better to just leave it alone and move on to a different topic that you can add value to.

Wow. As previously stated, I have struggled since my surgery to intake food and liquid. I am constantly tired and weak due to lack of Fluid and/or calories. I am being monitored by my dr. and have been assured everything is OK. Just going to take longer for my tummy to heal. SO, being able to take in a small serving of food loaded with Protein is a victory for me and a sign that I am healing and that maybe soon I will be able to intake enough calories/fluid to sustain me adequately through the day. By feeling "full", I did not mean stuffed or had too much, it just meant I was no longer hungry and felt satisfied. This is also a big thing for me since I have not been able to take in ANYTHING without the misery. So, yeah, I am going to Celebrate another step towards recovery. I appreciate your defination of how *I* should feel when *I* eat, but I would rather listen to what both my doctor and dietican have told me to look for and feel.

I despise liars. I wouldn't stoop to her level and say something rude, but I would secretly wish the fat fairies left a huge deposit for her overnight.
Water Aerobics? Yes, Water aerobics, a couple of Beans, a hell of a climb up that beanstalk, and to a surgeon (or gym).
I respect privacy, but she needs to get her story together.

I am still preop but I am looking to see how pregnancy has been since surgery? How long after surgery? One of my main reasons for surgery is because I want another child... of course have to find a decent man as well LOL...

I'm 21 months post-op and I still can't eat a full meal from a resturant. You can go to any resturant you please but since you are 4 weeks post-op I would recommend the Soups, chowders (if you're not lactose intolerant), seafood (crab always went down nicely for me it soft) you can't go wrong with appetizers. Places like the "Cheesecake Factory" have the "Skinnylicious Menu" or the "Small Plates and Snacks" that are alot smaller plates then the rest of there menu you still will probably not be able to eat it all at this stage but it is cheaper and a lot less to take home.
I hope this helps. And Happy Valentine's Day to you enjoy your night! :wub:

I haven't been on these forums in so long!!! A lot of life changes/busy schedule kept me away but I have to come back to share good news with all of the amazing online friends who have been there for me throughout this entire journey.
1.5 Year Post-Op Stats:
Highest Weight: Around 360
Current Weight: 190
Biggest Size: 34 / XXXL
Current Size: 12 / L
The topic title is "Forever21" because I've never been able to shop at that store for pretty and cheap-y clothes my entire life though desperately wanting to - and now it's become a staple of my college wardrobe.
I can't believe I'm under 200 lbs. I didn't think I would be so successful since I have PCOS. I haven't had any complications from the surgery, with the exception of hair loss (which seems to be recovering) and brief bouts of acid reflux (not significant enough to be a concern).
My life? Well, I'm doing things i never dared to dream about. Shopping, traveling, dating, exploring, and enjoying. I'm still not used to the positive male attention. Sometimes I freak about that I can "fit" into places and buckle plane seatbelts and stuff. Just enjoying life and living it the way I've always longed to. I am so grateful that I did this. I beg anyone who is hesitant or has fears of doing this surgery to come to me with questions, I will answer any.
But I must be completely honest and state that I do not, in any way, believe that the surgery is entirely or even mainly responsible for my success. It truly is just a "tool." I have put in a lot of hard work into getting the results I have. It takes a lot of serious time and dedication.
Funny mini-success:
-A guy I used to know asked me out, not realizing that he knew me back when I was over 300 lbs. He would not believe that it was actually me until I showed him my ID. Man, was he embarrassed!
You don't realize how truly overweight you were until you notice that new people you meet just accept you as "one of them" and not their one super morbidly obese friend. It's weird being part of the gym crowd. It's weird dating fitness enthusiasts and realizing they wouldn't have given the old me a second look. It's weird getting comments like "oh you wouldn't understand, you're not fat." Really, really weird. Making new friends and having them never know that I was (and on the inside, still feel like) super morbidly obese. I feel like I sometimes need to "come out of the closet" and confess this to them!
I still don't recognize myself in pictures/video, but in a good way. Sometimes I feel like the world/my reflection is trying to trick me into thinking that I'm average-sized, because I can't believe that I'm no longer so overweight.
I've been thinking seriously and I believe these are the most important steps to take in order to make the best use of this surgery and to hopefully get similar or better results than I have:
-Start a simple walking regimen at least two weeks before the surgery, and keep it up afterwards.
-Weight train. I'm serious. Don't put it in your "to do later" list. Start doing it now because the strength and muscle building will seriously burn fat and make your loose skin look SO much better.
-Take good Multivitamins.
-Don't ever get back on the cycle of eating sugary/fatty foods because it will be very hard to stop.
-DON'T cheat on your pre-op diet. Prove to yourself how serious you are about this.
-Avoid smoking/alcohol.
Some concerns/negatives:
-The Hair loss (somewhat resolved) now that my weight has stabilized. No weight gain so far.
-I no longer feel the same amount of restriction. I still can barely eat a fraction of what I used to, but now I can have a small salad, a meal of 4 oz Protein + side, and a tiny dessert. Basically, I can fit in the minimum amount that a healthy eater should be having. But it's no longer just 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese!
-It is still a little uncomfortable to have fizzy drinks.
I'm so happy with my life right now. I feel like people give me more respect and listen to what I say, which can actually be frustrating at times. People treat me immensely better, and although it feels good, I feel sad that it took all this weight loss for it to happen. I'm talking giving me free stuff, opening doors, going out of their way to do things for me. Why the hell am I getting special treatment? It still feels similar to unfair treatment I got from being obese, only now it is positive. I go out of my way now to treat everyone with equal respect and courtesy.
Update: I'm looking into getting surgery to remove a lot of the excess skin that I have. Thank you for all of the support in the past few years - I hope to have more great updates in the future!

I'm going through this now 9 wks post op. I feel pukey all the time and have gotten in under 100 calories per day for the last 6 days. Just making sure to drink my 64 oz of Water, take my Vitamins, not cry too much and have faith that this will pass. Here's hoping this rough patch passes quickly for you and you're feeling better soon!

I had my surgery on the 31 of October and I've lost 35 lbs

Little difficult to decipher exactly what your saying here because most letters are missing from half the words in your sentence. But I believe what you are saying is that you are basing your decision to have surgery on the chance that it MIGHT correct the symptoms of PCOS. There is no yes or no answer to that question. For some women, the weight loss does correct their symptoms and for some women it does not. There is no guarantee.

Little difficult to decipher exactly what your saying here because most letters are missing from half the words in your sentence. But I believe what you are saying is that you are basing your decision to have surgery on the chance that it MIGHT correct the symptoms of PCOS. There is no yes or no answer to that question. For some women, the weight loss does correct their symptoms and for some women it does not. There is no guarantee.

since PCOS is a syndrome, (i have it too)...every patient has different symptoms. i have severe infertility, and insulin resistance, but NO facial hair, acne or male pattern Hair loss. I also have been told that weight loss will decrease many of the symptoms, but since every patient is different, there's no guarantee WHICH symptoms it will eliminate.

Little difficult to decipher exactly what your saying here because most letters are missing from half the words in your sentence. But I believe what you are saying is that you are basing your decision to have surgery on the chance that it MIGHT correct the symptoms of PCOS. There is no yes or no answer to that question. For some women, the weight loss does correct their symptoms and for some women it does not. There is no guarantee.

Took one two days ago, had no problems.

Sorry this is far longer than I thought it would be. Maybe the illustration will help others visualize hte operation even if no one knows the answer to my question.
So I've been here almost 2 years now, I think I have a pretty good grasp on how the VSG is done but one thing escapes me: How do the sheared off stomach tissues heal together?
So picture this, take a regular white sock, say for arguments sake it's PINK on the inside and WHITE on the outside. Cut a small hole in the toe. This is your stomach, the cuff is your esophagus, the hole in the toe is where it is joined to the intestines at the pyloric valve. The heel (which should be to the RIGHT as you look at it to be anatomically correct) is the pendulous, the part that is cut off.
So during the operation a bougie, a long thin soft rod like thing is stuck down your throat and just barely into the intestinal tract (the hole in the toe). Let's say this is just a piece of clear tubing about as big around as a Sharpie marker. The surgeon uses an alligator looking stapler that has a sliding razor blade in it and clamps it across diagonally from below the hole in the toe to the lower area of the cuff - which cuts off the heel of the sock. The bougie ( clear tube ) is there to prevent the surgeon from accidentally cutting the stomach too small or possibly cutting the esophagus ( cuff) or pyloric exit ( hole in the toe ) off completely. The stapler is NOT snugged up against the bougie ( clear tube) but the doc just uses it to prevent cutting too much and to allow him to flop the stomach around and keep it taught. he pulls a trigger on the alligator cutting / stapling tool bites down and the blade slide UP the alligators mouth cutting both the near AND far sides of the stomach tissue ( sock ) while pressing hundreds of tiny little staples right through BOTH parts of the sock cleanly. Just like a staple in the corner of two pieces of paper only about 20 times smaller and in 3 rows side by side. He may have to reload his alligator like tool because the part he is cutting off is longer than the alligators mouth. He again lines the tool up where the first cut let off and pulls the trigger again, this time it cuts the pendulous ( heel ) right off. He now has a stomach ( sock ) without a heel that has a cut edge and is held together with tiny little staples. The stomach tissue is about as thick as two pieces of salami laying on top of each other. The cut off part ( heel ) is floating there freely all sealed up in a pouch as this alligator has TWO rows of teeth and the razor blade runs down the middle. He grabs it with his tools and pulls it out of the largest of the few holes he punctured in your belly.
Now for the part that I don't understand. Remember we said the sock is PINK on the inside and WHITE on the outside. Well her is this sleeved stomach with the heel cut off and the edge of the tissue being held together by a row of staples PINK SIDE TO PINK SIDE. that is UNCUT tissue. Now your stomach or most any other tissue does not normally stick to or heal together and form scar tissue when stuck together, so HOW and WHY do the inside surfaces of the stomach heal together? Is it the hundreds of tiny pin prick sized holes of the staples? Is it just the raw EDGES (not surfaces) of the tissue being held in close proximity that will produce scar tissue joining the edges and seal the the stomach?
Inquiring minds want to know.