cmf1267

To anyone whose post-op. Does the head hunger subside after the 1st month? Does the surgery in the first month help you combat it since you're still healing and can't eat much?
Just wondering what to expect. thanks.

I didn't even know what head hunger truly felt like until after the surgery. That second week was the worst. I knew my stomach was not hungry, but I was salivating and craving every bad food I had ever eaten. But once I started soft foods, it all went away. That first bit of food you finally get to eat is the best food you have ever eaten. Suddenly, those are the foods you want, not the old bad foods. And the best part is, you get to have them, and you get full really fast.
So yes, the head hunger can be very real at first, but goes away as part of the process. The farther out you get from those bad foods, the less you will want them.

It's baffling how anyone would think we would be better off by staying obese. Yes there is a chance that your surgery could have complications, but the chance of complications from obesity are much, much higher.
I had a few doubters when I first announced I was having the surgery. But after losing over 100lbs they have all changed their tune. But the best defense against the negativity is simply not giving a rat's behind what anyone else thinks.

When I was 19, I had stats similiar to yours and I wish I would have done. I went to Mexico alone and had surgery. I didn't tell my mom, who still doesn't know, but the rest of my family knew and were supportive. If this is what you want -- DO IT! This is your body, your choice! Neither of your parents have had your journey, walked in your shoes or dealt with your thoughts about your body image. I hope that when you are healthier and happier, they come around, but absolutely do NOT live your life to make someone else happy!

There's ppl on YouTube who said in their videos that they failed their psych eval and then got a 2nd opinion - passed and had the surgery & did very well. I wasn't told I had to see a psychologist (I think I actually made an appointment with a psychiatrist) I would think that your psychiatrist who has treated you for 12 years would be the authority on whether you would do well with surgery.
Personally I think its more than ridiculous that after 1 session with a psychiatrist/psychologist that they can know you well enough to know whether you'd do well with surgery.
Personally - I'd check with your insurance or your surgeon & see if you can use your own psychiatrist to do your eval. Good luck to you and I hope it all works out.

before i started on my WLS journey i weighed 289lbs. when i decided to take the journey i was 277lbs. so i lost 12lbs before i even started you could say.
on the liquid diet my doctor wanted me to lose 10lbs before surgery - mission accomplished.
with 48lbs lost after surgery- which was june 26 (i am 7 weeks post-op), and 12lbs before the journey.
and as of today (8/18/12) i am 229lb.... total of 60lbs lost.
hope this helps you.

my doctor gently suggested I lose 20-30lbs pre-op while doing my required 3 month weight management. I followed their low fat, low cal diet with a few "mardi gras" moments (one last time having fried clams, cold beer, pizza, steak). I got really serious about it 2 months prior to surgery and lost 25 lbs by surgery day. Not only did it make 25lbs less to lose post-op but I believe it put me in the right frame of mind for post-op.
Good luck to you!!!

My doctor required 15 in about 3 weeks I had only lost 11.4 pounds, I was so nervous going to my preop appointment, I thought for sure he is going to cancel. He was very pleased to see that I gave it my best effort. Do the best you can. Go to a gym or do an exercise video something I was working out 2-3 hours a day. You can do this!!!!

I would run not walk to another psychiatrist for another opinion.
Also, in my AETNA bariatric policy criteria it states that depression in and of itself is not a reason to deny the WLS. Maybe your policy states something similar. I would also send in an appeal based on the fact that your long term psychiatrist should be considered the expert on HIS PATIENT when it comes to mental status issues.
And as far as the psyche labels go (" passive dependent") -- most of us walking around could be labeled something. It becomes a psyche issue when it becomes a debilitating factor in your life. Is this a current issue in your life? If so, maybe the surgery is not right AT THIS TIME.
Also, being fat has been what has weighed on my life. I have always persevered but every single moment was a struggle due to self doubt and self loathing because of fat. I think it's tough not be labeled depressed when being fat filters every part of your thought process. I personally believe that depression should be considered one of the co-morbidities. How many morbidly obese people do you know who are not depressed at some level. I'm sure there are some who have healthy a self esteem and psyche but I think the majority are depressed and many who say they aren't are kidding themselves.

My brother-in-law takes every opportunity to tell folks my story when we are out together, especially in buffets where he is explaining to the food workers why a big guy like me takes such small portions. He starts with,"His stomach is the size of a small banana!"
You would have to know my brother-in-law,... heart of gold. I think he is really proud of the courage I exhibited by going through with it.

nope i dont think u r overreacting! mine is a secret and i only told a select few. now if someone that i didnt tell knows about it, that would upset me! but at the sametime, now that im down over 100lbs, i am more open to talking about it but not to telling the world!!!

It's not like I won't tell someone if they asked me. I have and I am fine with that if 2 of my coworkers are gettin it also because of me I just don't like the fact of people putting my stuff out there for all to see it should be MY choice of who I want to tell

I don't expect the world around me to ever change. I am the one that chose to have this surgery and the world is going to stay as it was. I am the one that is going to have to deal with my eating issues in this world.
I hope this doesn't come across mean as that is not how I mean it. I just know 5months out I had battles bigger than I ever could imagine before surgery and they all came out after and I was slef medicating for everything with food.

Hi Everyone,
If you are sitting out there with a lot of questions like I was 4 years ago, I want to tell you that I was 63 when I had my surgery in Mexicali, with Dr. Aceves—I believe he is the very best you can find to do your surgery. I lost 105 pounds and YES I have kept it off for 3 years now. It took me 14 months to lose 105 pounds.

My ONLY regret is that I didn’t have it done sooner. It is unquestionably the very greatest thing I have ever done for myself! I will be honest and tell you that the 1st month after surgery will be the hardest month you will ever have to do. During the 1st month you will be making lifestyle changes, letting your body heal, and start to retrain your “OLD” thinking brain to the new ways in life—this is a struggle because you “Old” thinking brain has been used to ALL the food you have been eating all your life. But, it is only 30 days and you can do this! It is NOT a miracle cure, it is a tool to allow you to lose the weight and maintain it for the rest of your life.

What is a typical day in my life like now? I want you first to know that I do not ever really feel hunger anymore—again your old brain will try to tell you that you are hungry—we call this “Head Hunger” because it really isn’t real. Now I just know that I need to eat small amounts of healthy food during the day. I have now changed how I cook and I now crave healthy things—I know it is hard to imagine that you will do this, but it is true. Yes, I do have desert –but I have learned how to bake in a healthy way. I have a great Low Carb Cookbook that allows me to eat a lot of things I loved in my past life and they are healthy now.

So this is what my day is like:
· I get up about 7:00 am put on my walking clothes and shoes and go for a nice brisk walk for 2 to 3 miles with my husband. Believe me I didn’t start out walking brisk or this far. Do the best you can, but do SOMETHING for exercise. Sometimes in the evening we will walk 2 more miles.

· I return home take a shower and for Breakfast I have a Premier Protein Drink. I still to this day have a Protein Drink for breakfast and that is all I need.

· I do all the normal things anyone else does during the day, like clean the house, grocery shop, laundry, and plan the meals, work in my yard. I am also own my own business where I am an Instructor in 1st Aid, CPR and AED to people in my community.

· lunch usually is some kind of a salad or I have some protein—usually chicken, with some fresh veggies, some fresh fruit.

· I have an afternoon snack, maybe something that I baked from my Low Carb Cookbook. There are some great products that are healthy to have too. There are all kinds of things you can snack on that are OK
· dinner is always about 2 oz of some kind of protein. I eat, chicken, fish, or Pork. I eat very little red meat—and I always loved red meat in the past, but I found out that my tastes have changed a lot after I had surgery. I always have some kind of fresh veggie, maybe in a form of salad and then fresh fruit. I eat about 1,000 calories a day sometimes a little more depending on how much exercise I do. I NEVER feel deprived.

Part of keeping the weight off is finding ways to cook that make it taste good. You can learn to convert some of your old recipes to being healthy too. I do have desert, but not every day. Sometimes just the taste of something will satisfy your need for it. Food NO longer controls me I now control the food and the amount.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. I just want you to know that you can be this successful too. I have written a lot of things over the past 4 years, and I have information for those who are thinking about having surgery if you want any of it. You can be successful too.
I remember thinking what if I am the ONE person this will not work for, because I failed at everything else. So you are not alone, because many of us have thought all the same things that you have. I think the best things that you can do, is ask all kinds of questions. Check on who is doing your surgery. Like anything there are good and bad doctors out there, and I want you to be safe and have the very best you can have.

Hugs,
Suzanne
Sleeve 10/21/2008
Lost 105 pounds
Dr. Aceves- Suregon

Today i woke up and weighted myself and hit 299 lbs. I haven't been this light since my late 20's. I have lost 159 lbs since nov 2 2011 on that day i weighted 458. So i feel great I run 3 mi every morning 5 days a week. Sometimes I miss food. But i went from 6xl shirt to 2xl, pants waist 58 to a 46, not bad. I dont regret anything I love my sleeve. I have post a before and after pic. Good luck to evryone.

I am being sleeved on Tuesday the 21st..... only 5 days away. I am on day 3 of my liquid diet, THe first two days were HELL with terrible headaches, day three isn't bad at all...but here it is fellow VST'ers.....I have become total food stalker!!!
I have been researching all kinds of receipes and foods for post op. Had to walk all over Sams Club today and see what kinds of foods I can eat and how much Protein things have. Im in total food porn mode!
I havent cheated one bit...and the food I am looking at, researching, writing down, and licking my lips over is all healthy protein options.......but it still feel scandalous. LOL

You missed the answer....they take out the stretchy portion which not only is super stretchy (weather you have 10% stretchy or 30%) and leave the muscle and non gremlin (my favorite word lol) producing area. If you have more left you won't be successful because the stretchy portion won't restrict.
That said, a year or so out you will be able to enjoy just about everything you want but hopefully will have learned to get your basics in. Xmas dinner can be throughly enjoyed....just not three plate fulls with a side of pie (which I saw someone do this Xmas and was astounded when they started complaining about being unable to lose weight....while eating an entire pie!).
I digress . this isn't a cattle car surgery. Current studies suggest the route that is taken now is a good one. If (as with all medical technology) things change, well then they will change. Is this something you want to wait for?

I found a site, but my computer died !! but it has to do with a certain size, they found if to small, or to big it just does not work...they stick this tube down your throat and into your stomach and they staple along that if you go to youtube there is surgeries on there you can watch even. It really made me feel better seeing what they are going to do to you.

It is scary and I have some doubts every once in a while - but I know I've tried over & over to lose weight and can never keep it off and I've never been able to lose enough to get down to a healthy weight.
You're doing this for your health. That's what I have to keep in mind (and then I think about all the cute clothes I'll be able to wear when I get to a healthy weight!!).

I knew I'd get no support from my husband so I didn't even bother to tell him until my surgery was scheduled. He tried to talk me out of it for TWO hours. But no one knows me and how I've struggled to control my weight like I do. The next morning he said he realized I didn't tell him to discuss it, but to notify him. LOL He's catching on. Then he joined me on the pre op diet and has since lost 20 pounds on his own. Do the right thing for you and others will follow!

I exercised before surgery. I worked with a trainer 3x per week for 30 min. per session, concentrating on strength training, and I walked 2-3 times per week for 45 minutes. Following surgery, I started walking again right away but it was a few weeks before I could walk the full 45 minutes 3x per week. At six weeks, I was cleared for all exercise and I returned to strength training in addition to walking. After I dropped to merely overweight, I gave up the trainer and switched to a group weight training exercise class 3x per week.
I did not stall once during the losing phase, although some weeks I only lost a few ounces. I have been maintaining since March without an issue. I'm able to eat more junk food because of the exercise, and that's great for me. I am glad to be able eat healthy foods and feel full and still have extra calories for the occasional margarita or sweet or salty snack.
I do have saggy skin, but I lost more than 100 lbs and I'm 56 years old. I can see the muscle under the skin, and that does look better!
Lynda

Yeah, when I started to really notice that I was losing muscle mass, I figured I would rather have too much protein intake than not enough. If my body was in the mood to make muscle, I wanted it to have the components it needed readily available. Yes, the excess would most likely be converted to glycogen/fat, but I was OK with that. I just didn't want to lose any more muscle.
I tell you what, I am most likely the person NOT to follow, unless you want to work out a ton. When I was running 30 miles a week, doing a race every month, doing HIIT and weight lifting twice a week, I was consuming at least 160 g protein and at least 200 g carbs, daily. My calorie intake got as high as 1,700, on my best days. Not something you would typically see in a sleever. But, I was losing inches. I think in this phase, I went from a 35 waist to a 32, but lost less than 10 pounds.
BTW, my excess skin is better, but it is still there. I am going to wait for my 2 year surgiversary for a plastics consult. I figure everything will have settled into place by that point. At a year out, I can still see things firming up in that dept.

PDXMan, I think you may have inadvertently answered a question for me that I didn't know I had. I've changed up my workouts (again) in the last two weeks and been eating more than normal. I've been actually hungry and it has worried me. But, while I haven't dropped pounds, I'm shrinking again. I had, in passing, wondered if I was stalled, but now I think that I'm actually in a muscle building phase again and my body is needing the extra Protein for muscle building.
I think I need to raise my protein goal for a bit. I have been concentrating super hard on abdominal exercises (along with the other stuff) because I have a plastic surgery consult this month and I'm trying to see what I can accomplish before then.

So, here is what I know from my experience, FWIW.
It was suggested to me that better endurance translates to easier recovery from major surgery. I had a membership to the health club for years, but did not go religiously. However, one month prior to surgery, I started hitting it hard. To increase my endurance, I did elliptical and spinning classes almost daily. 45 minutes minimum. Started low, but after the month, I was able to go for 45 minutes at a pretty high level. I would go over to the weights occassionally when I had time and was able to increase my weights by the end of the month.
Day of surgery (I was outpatient in Vegas, baby!) after taking a nap back at the hotel, I walked around downtown Vegas for a couple miles and took the wife out to dinner. Next day, we were all over the strip walking at least 5 miles. Same thing the next day, maybe even more. I felt great. I knew that my cardio workouts played a large role in my being able to do this. At my appt with my surgeon before I left town, I told him all this and he just laughed saying how incredible it was to do what I was doing. He believed it was my preparation that was responsible for this.
Now, when I got home, things were definitely reduced that first month or so. As Butter says, you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficeit. For starters, muscle can only be built from Protein, which is just about impossible to meet quota for the first few weeks post-op. Your calorie intake is so low, it can be tough to muster up enough energy just to make it through the day let alone take on a serious workout. Napping took priority over working out.
Fast forward two months post-op and I add walking/jogging around the neighborhood to the workout regimen dropping elliptical in favor or high intenstity interval training. As you can see from my signature, I'm dropping weight like crazy during this time. Almost too fast, if truth be told as my excess skin is really starting to show up. I am sagging from places you just don't want to sag. I have definitely lost muscle mass, but I am lifting weights and taking in over 100 g of protein daily. Buuuut ... still only getting about 900 calories a day. It is just difficult to get it all in.
6 months in I run my first 5K and actually do really well. Inspires me to try to be a runner. I basically only run and do HIIT and weight lift about twice a week. I cheat the rules of the sleeve to get extra calories in (drinking while eating) to be able to support my running efforts. I'm still dropping weight, but at this time, I feel pretty confident all of my weight loss is fat as I am able to increase my weights on the lifting side of things.
One year out and I've been at goal for several months. My exercise has been sidelined with knee issues, but I follow the sleeve rules pretty tight, so I am able to maintain. In my last 5 races, I have either won or come in 2nd in my division. I had never even ran a mile before in my life. Never had an interest in running, even hated it, to be honest. But, I don't think there are a lot of obese people who like running ... know what I mean?
What am I trying to say? This all started with cardio endurance training 1 month prior to my surgery. I know this was the basis for my recovery and transistion to a healthier lifestyle. Weight lifting ... yes, but only after I completed my cardio.
Good luck and keep us all posted on how you do.

I started lifting & exercising 5 months before my surgery. I lost 50 pounds Pre op.
I exercised 5 days a week for about an hour & a half. 30-45 minutes on elliptical or treadmill & 45 minutes on weights. I do low weights with lots of repetition so I don't build bulk, just toning.
I bounced back quickly after surgery. Walked at the hospital every hour (when I woke up to pee) & kept walking when I got home. I struggled a week after I got home cuz I couldn't walk far without getting exhausted. After 6 weeks my doctor cleared me to go back to my regular exercise program.
I'm down 47 pounds since surgery. Date: 5-18-12. So, 97 pounds total. And down 6 sizes in clothes. :-)