rhondarina

I'm more than 6 months out. I don't regret anything. I never regretted it at any point. Some people have issues some people don't. Fortunately, I never had any issues. But I think topic headings like this are more likely to bring out the people with issues than not. I know its a concern of anyone's before they have surgery, but try to put everything into perspective.

I could take in way more liquids, soups, and liquified foods than was recommended at my first two weeks. I felt no restriction. It was good because I didn't have to worry about dehydration. When I started eating solid foods I felt restriction. So I wouldn't worry too much about that. I think they should tell newbies that you may not feel restriction on liquids or mushy foods. Plus your stomach in that point has been severely injured/cut so the nerves are still healing. You may not feel the fullness feeling due to the fact that these nerves have to reconnect and heal but it doesn't mean you are not full.

I think when you are obese there is too much emphasis on the pleasure and enjoyment that food brings you. I was the same way. I thought I would be devastated because food was one of the few things that actually brought me joy. But several months after surgery, I just find the enjoyment from food diminished and now find pleasure in doing other things like writing and photography and that sort of thing. BTW I can eat a salad. I just had one last weekend. I do eat balanced meals just smaller. I still go out to eat with my mom on occasion even though I can't eat much.

I was the worst food addict and binger before surgery. I'm a lil over 6 months out. No I don't enjoy eating like I used to. But I still eat. I actually don't miss it. I find enjoyment in other things now.

Congratulations!

How did you resolve this?

I'm struggling with this right now. Especially with food in already small containers like individual yogurt or pudding. I feel like I have to eat the whole thing if its open.

I don't have true insominia but I do have trouble sleeping. Like I'll wake up at 3 in the morning and it will take me an hour to go back to sleep. I thought it was just me but its something I definitely noticed after surgery.

No offense but I remember you Really Rosy saying in another thread that you ate until you were stuffed, you said that you had to eat the whole container at one time if it was open. Someone told you that you could bust your staple line and it could lead to serious injury or death, and you wanted proof. If you've changed to measuring your portions that's great, but I think we all know the surgery is only one part of the weight loss process, there is a lot of mental baggage that we overeaters have to deal with too to be successful.

I think starvation mode is mainly a myth. But I do think your body has controls so that it doesn't lose too fast too quick.

Please don't listen to your friends and family on this. At your height and weight you are obese. I know friends and family don't want to see you hurt, and they are mostly scared that the surgery may hurt you. But your weight will ultimately hurt you in the end.

I'm the same. Liquids go down really easy. That includes pureed/liquified foods. I can eat 4oz probably 6oz if I tried of yogurt. I'm almost 3 weeks out. I really trying not to push myself though. Even though I know I can eat more of these mushee foods I try to limit myself at one sitting. Something I noticed I can't eat really is mushy potatoes. One or two bites and it makes me full. So I think once I go to dense proteins, I will feel restriction. As it is now, I usually feel very little restriction.

All of the WLS forums offer a lot of support. I don't really have any friends here and I don't have a husband or boyfriend, so I literally had no one to talk to about this in real life. I went to the hospital alone and left alone. So its possible to do it alone. I wish I would've had someone there like my mom or sister but there weren't available. I was doing this for me anyway and I made it through.

Are you drinking protein shakes? Maybe you should supplement. Also your blood pressure may be out of wack if you are constantly dizzy. If the dizziness is just from lack of calories, you can increase your calories through liquid protein supplements.

I guess it depends really. The only time I've ever dieted successfully and lost weight, I lost it through strict Atkins and exercising. I loved eating low carb while it lasted. But the carbs always come back in my diet. Going forward from surgery, I really don't want to restrict my carbs that much, because I don't want to be super low carb, get to goal, then start adding them back in and go out of control. My plan was to just eat regular small amounts of anything (Protein first and according to my dr's plan) in the first 6-10 months or first 100lbs lost, and then maybe when I need to kick it up a noch and lose the last 50lbs be more conscious of my carbs. But I often see the opposite, I see people who are very low carb, and then fizzle out when they can eat more, and start eating more carbs in their diet and then reach a stall at around a 100lbs loss and struggle getting their carbs back down.

Those stories would freak me out too. But I've been lurking WLS boards for years and have read true horror stories about every procedure. But the thing I found is, people who have complications tend to be more upfront about it than people who have the surgery and never have any complications. Like very few people make a specific post to say I'm 6months with no complications, even though many are. Especially with VSG there are many more that make it through the procedure complication free, than have complications. But the complication risk is always there. It is a risk when you have this surgery as with any surgery. I had my surgery on December 19 and luckily had no complications and I'm able to get all my liquid and protein requirements in so far.

Most of 2011 was a total loss for me. I was sort of in a funk with everything. I didn't do anything most of the year. I mean nothing. I started a highly stressful job back in december 2010 which has sucked the life out of me but I couldn't find a new one even though I have really tried. I gained 20lbs this year (up until December when I had VSG) putting me back to my all time high of 320. The highlight of my year has been the entire VSG process which happened very recently. The thrill of finding out that my newly changed work insurance covered it, to the thrill of finding a surgeon, getting my date, and then finally having the surgery. I did all of this by myself. And I'm very proud that I was able to accomplish this. I had been dealing with WLS exclusions in insurance or no insurance for the last 10 years. Then out of nowhere the new insurance change at my job in the fall, allowed WLS. I think 2012 will be my year for sure!

I can't wait to buy clothes again. Honestly, the more I crept up to being a solid 26/28 the more discourged I was in buying clothes. I think the last nice dress I bought was a size 26 and it was honestly a bit tight, I probably needed a 28. The fact that I was beginning to max out of plus size stores is what scared me the most. That was in September. Most of my adult life I've been a 22/24 which is still big, but I felt I looked good.

Flying always gives me anxiety. I hate being squished up next to someone. I feel bad for the other person that my body is crowding them. I found in the past few years I was flying less and less. So I had my surgery out of state and and to fly there. I looked into several airlines. But I ended up choosing Spirit Airlines. Mind you, their regular seats are some of the smallest in the industry but they have something called a big seat at the front. Its not quite first class but its a first class size seat. I choose the big seats for my flights back and forth from Las vegas to OAkland. It was a total of 60 dollars extra (30 each way). It was very worth it to me. It was comfy, gave me room to stretch my feet, and the seat belts are bigger and I didn't need an extender. So I would recommend the big seat by Spirit Airlines definitely.

Yes these stories are crazy. My surgeon said that the last leak he had was about 10 years ago when this lady ate steak and raw broccoli a week from surgery. Ridiculous! But I've also seen people on youtube, forums and blogs who've had rny and vsg and within the week or two weeks from surgery they are talking about eating tacos, burritos, cheeseburgers, ice cream, cake. I am definitely compulsive and an overeater, so I understand the thoughts and the compulsion but acting on it where you could endanger your life, I don't understand. I don't think people understand how serious non-compliance can be to their health. Sure some people are able to stuff themselfs without having a leak but who wants to be in the group that does have a leak and requires extra surgery or ends in complications?

I was the same way. I had my first presurgical appointment with my surgeon in early October. He told me to lose about 10-20lbs before surgery. Then I got the insurance approval process started. Once I was approved in late October to have my surgery on December 19, I went on a binge. I had everything.Everyday I would tell myself I was going to stop drinking pop and start my diet. I had wanted to loose down to about 300 by my surgery day. But it didn't happen. I got in the habit of ordering a 10 piece nugget, large fry, a Mcdouble, ice cream at McDonalds everynight. This is on top of about $10-$12 dollars worth of snack cakes, candy bars and pops everyday I would get from the gas station. At the time of my first appt I was 315 by early december I had gained to about 323. Then two weeks before surgery I knew I had to cut it out, I definitely didn't want to weigh more than I did at my first surgical appointment on my day of surgery. but I still couldn't manage a full liquid diet. I tried everyday to just drink liquids but I ended up doing two shakes in the morning and Soup or eggs at night. Then two days before my surgery I went to Burger King and got a jr. whopper and large fry, and later had some cheesecake and 2 big cream puffs. I'm truly addicted to food. But on my surgery day I was 313, so I had lost some of the binge weight. Food addiction will always be a struggle but since I've had my surgery, I've been totally compliant.

I wish my insurance paid for more time in the hopsital but they only give one night.

I'm haven't had VSG yet but I have had periods where I weighed less. In 2008, I lost about 70lbs, so I was around 260. Even then I noticed people started treating me different. Then I gained it all back. over the next couple of years. I definitely notice that people are shorter with you, don't pay attention to what you say, I am more invisbile, people don't smile as much etc. I think self confidence plays a role but is not the only factor. I wasn't particularly self confident at 260 but I still felt the difference. I imagine when I get to a normal weight I will really notice a difference.

Yay for you! I'm being sleeved in a couple of weeks by Dr. Jossart in San Jose. Can't wait.

You look amazing in both the before but especially the after. :thumbup1: