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This week will mark 6 months since I had VSG surgery. It’s been a strange and wonderful 6 months in a lot of ways. The biggest factor that finally got me on the WLS track was my mobility. I blew out my left knee many years ago (twice, actually) and have had several surgeries. My leg is permanently bent from arthritis, and at 320 lbs I limped very badly and my mobility was extremely limited. Eventually, my right knee began to break down & last year my orthopedic surgeon told me that we needed to plan on double knee replacement surgery for this year. I knew that the longer I could hold that off, the better it would be, so I started looking into WLS instead. My ortho surgeon told me that for every 10 lbs I lose, I’ll take 40 lbs of pressure off my knees. With that kind of ratio going on, I knew I needed to do everything I could to lose weight & keep it off. I have been active on this site since last March, and I have learned many valuable things here and made some great friends. My postop experience has been really good, and I’m very thankful that I didn’t have a lot of complications. I haven’t struggled to stick to a smart eating plan, and I haven’t had any major episodes of craving or binging on carb-heavy foods. I have occasionally indulged in sweets or crunchy salty Snacks, but the volume I take in now is very small. I feel like when I give in to those temptations now, it’s more like it should have been all along…have just a little, enjoy it tremendously, have no guilt afterward, and then pick right back up with smart food choices. I don’t feel the need to stuff my face and my portions are well within a reasonable amount. On average, I eat between 800-1000 cals per day, 80-100g of Protein, 60-80g carbs, and 30-50g of fat.

I feel like I have control over what I eat. There is no food that I define as something I “can’t” have, so maybe that’s part of why I don’t feel a longing for certain foods. I haven’t had soda yet, but I had pretty much stopped drinking soda more than a year before surgery. I've had a few sips of champagne twice, but that’s the only carbonated drink I've tried. I enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail 2-3 times a month. I used to eat refined carbs, especially potatoes and bread, at every meal….and I mean literally EVERY meal. I don’t know if I've just gotten used to not having those foods on a regular basis or if my body has gotten the sugar/carb imbalance back under control, but I don’t even really miss those things. When I have indulged, it’s been only with really excellent versions…like freshly baked bread or a few bites of Pasta made from scratch at a nice restaurant. So far, I haven’t even been tempted to have plain old sandwich bread or a hamburger bun or pasta from a box.

I try to keep in mind that things may change as I get farther out, so I need to remain open to changing my habits as needed. I exercise regularly, and I have been genuinely shocked to discover that I enjoy it. I focus on the positive things, and I don’t beat myself up for small stuff. I have way more good food days than bad food days. I have way more weeks where I get to the gym at least 3 times than weeks where I slack off. I am far more active in regular activities…I stroll around the mall, I walk around downtown, I walk more around my school campus, and I don’t avoid going places where I will have to walk. Six months ago, I could not stand or walk for more than a few minutes without pain. Today, my leg is still bent and I still limp a little, but it’s so much better than it was. At almost 90 lbs down, I have taken nearly 360 lbs of pressure off my knees. I can walk and stand for much longer, and I can enjoy activities for a lot longer before I start limping. Because I still need to be very careful of my knees, at the gym I focus on weight lifting and strength training instead of using the treadmill or elliptical. I love being able to see improvements every single week, either in the amount of weight I can lift or the number of reps I can do. My handicap hang tag expired about a week ago, and I felt good enough and confident enough to make the decision not to renew it. That was huge moment for me, and one I am so thankful to have achieved.

In general, I’m a person who doesn't feel a lot of anxiety or worry. I was a pretty happy person preop, and I’m still a pretty happy person. I never questioned or second-guessed my decision to have surgery once I was postop, because there’s really no going back. There’s only forward, and I knew it was completely up to me to make that be good and positive or filled with doubt and self-sabotage. There are a lot of places in this world where I could receive negative messages about myself…my own head does NOT need to be one of those places. I try to treat myself the same way I think I should treat others…with respect, kindness, and the benefit of the doubt. I don’t beat myself up over stumbles and I try not to measure myself against someone else. I deserve my own best efforts, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of living that philosophy over the last 6 months. Each of us has a path to travel, and I know that my experience is just that…my own experience. For me, WLS was a great decision. My ability to participate in my own life has improved dramatically, and I'm so grateful for that. I’m excited to see what the next 6 months will bring!

We're leaving for the airport shortly, I'm on my way! Kindle, Haf & Adoptive mom (and anyone else scheduled in MX this week), my name is Sherri Parsons, if you want to get together at the hotel at some point, maybe the Marriott front desk can help us find one another. I have spikey blonde hair, purple glasses and I'll probably be with my husband.
Good luck to all and thanks for the experiences of all who have gone before us. Your stories and tips have been super helpful to me!
Oh - I lost 16 lbs on my pre op. I have to figure out the tickers now.

We're leaving for the airport shortly, I'm on my way! Kindle, Haf & Adoptive mom (and anyone else scheduled in MX this week), my name is Sherri Parsons, if you want to get together at the hotel at some point, maybe the Marriott front desk can help us find one another. I have spikey blonde hair, purple glasses and I'll probably be with my husband.
Good luck to all and thanks for the experiences of all who have gone before us. Your stories and tips have been super helpful to me!
Oh - I lost 16 lbs on my pre op. I have to figure out the tickers now.

I had surgery with Dr. Ortiz @ OCC July 11. lost 116pounds/ no problems. Definitely plan on going back for plastics in September.

Truth & gutz, if you're going to bash mx surgeons please do it with facts. This is a help forum not a rumor/scare mill

Can I just go on the record and say I'd really like a chicken strip? I'd sell my second born for one.
That is all.

Can I just go on the record and say I'd really like a chicken strip? I'd sell my second born for one.
That is all.

Kindle, HAF & Adoptivemom, I'll be there 12/15 - 12/20. Hope we can all connect!

I look forward to having some broth with all of my fellow sleevers in TJ next week 6 days and counting!  If any of you want to add me on Facebook it's www.facebook.com/heartsofstone

For some reason (maybe it's my background in international relations) but I find it strikingly funny/ironic that the remains of my stomach will be a permanent resident of the sovereign nation of Mexico.
I know Medical Tourism isn't new and I'm sure I could battle the red-tape here in Estados Unidos to try and help with my first-world obesity (thanks, Nixon for all the corn syrup!) but I am not a patient patient.
I've lived in the US, UK, and Australia, and I can't wait to experience the Mexico healthcare system. Somehow I feel badly about our immigration policy given that I'll be leaving behind 75% of my stomach to return to my capitalistic lifestyle back north of the border.
There's something really strange to me that there is such scarcity of good, real food. I just moved back to the US from a year in Oz and while I was a bit aghast at some of the culinary offerings down under I am struck by the pervasiveness of processed, synthetic, chemical, and genetically-modified foodstuffs that have invaded our food system.
Why aren't we angrier about these issues? If competition is supposed to force the optimal outcome why do we have substandard food as the norm in the United States?
I'm grateful I've kept my portion sizes to AUS standards and I'm grateful I have the opportunity to make a huge change in my life including elective surgery and an amazing health club for continued life improvement. I actually took a job in Colorado to ensure that I was in a healthy environment and had access to organic foods. I rented an apartment right near a great health club and I have a job that allows me time to get surgery and time to go work out. I am lucky, I am fortunate, and it's time I take advantage of it all.
At the end of the day I'm left thinking: this all shouldn't be so complicated.
No one knows how to eat properly because we've been fed misinformation all our lives.
Time to get simple I s'pose.

My surgery is Monday. I can't even IMAGINE what a year out will feel like. Guess I'll find out! I'm just thrilled to lose some on my pre-op, it gives me faith that this will work for me.

For those of you that don't know me, My name is Laura and I have a food addiction.
My addiction it is being managed through the sleeve and hard work, at the moment...
I have/had a food addiction yes, but I also have an addictive obsessive personality..
For the last year plus my life has been about the sleeve. It is my focus from the moment I wake until the moment I sleep.. My "social time" is spent here with others that live the same life now as me. They "get it", well most of them anyway.... There is commonality here and that is huge to me. After all, my food is taken away how else will "I fill the hole"?
Along with my time here, I spend time working on the mechanics of my sleeve life. I plan my liquids, I take great care to get them in. Time meals to come 1/2 hour after finishing a round of liquids. Try and start my liquids up an hour, if I can, after my meals. My meals are thought out to the extent that they are Protein and veg. These are the "rules" I live by.
In the beginning I have referred to the Water schedule as a full time job. And in a way after all this time my eating drinking schedule is still like a full time job. Or at the least a very choreographed dance I do....
If my day includes activities out of the "norm" it can disrupt my dance....
This past weekend life, and I should say one the more challenging parts of it "got in the way" of my sleeved life. It made me realize the road to hell truly can be paved with the best intentions.. My real life and my sleeved life collided with a force strong enough to knock my sleeved life off its axis a bit. I simply could not spend my time dealing with the all important dance of food and liquids and the support of friends..
Did I eat this past four days? Yes. Did I eat enough? To much? Protein? Trigger foods? Timed just right? I honestly don't know and didn't much care.
Did I drink my fluids?
No, that I can guarantee not. Unless you count take away coffees and chi tea.
In fact several days I'd notice that it was afternoon already and not a drop of water had past my lips.
All or nothing... The life of an addict.
But this does not work, it is not realistic if you want to succeed in the sleeved life and life combined. You need balance. I'm not good at balance I realized that this weekend. I am a one trick pony, a one hit wonder.. I will spend my next year trying to find balance.

Hola!!!
Just checking in with everyone and reporting that I was successfully sleeved on Wednesday Dec 4th I'm feeling good and just finished my first "drinkable yogurt" with a lot of sounds from my stomach, but no complaints.
b2b, glad you were able to determine that it's nothing serious. I wondered if maybe it was something liver related (liver problems can make you itchy everywhere). Look forward to hearing what the OCC says.

I just finished with my study and started using my machine 2 weeks ago. I'm also a nurse. Preop - hoping for February/mar date. Here's the deal..... Obesity causes increased work on the chest wall muscles and blocks the airway during sleep. Snorring is only one sign of apnea. You can never reach REM sleep (deep, restorative sleep) and or, the constant awakening (even if you don't remember it) causes stress. The stress the body goes through with sleep deprivation, especially chronic poor sleep, causes cortisol levels to rise. Constantly stimulating cortisol levels make it hard to loose weight- your body thinks it needs to hold onto fat. Also, the weight carried in the chest and abdomen make it hard to fully expand the chest meaning your air in vs air out causes an imbalance in O2 and co2. Increased Co2 causes higher cortisol levels. So see, it's a vicious cycle. The CPAP is also a tool for weight loss. Severe sleep apnea, untreated, has a 35% higher risk of cardiac sudden death and heart arrhythmias. This can complicate a surgical recovery, especially in people with really high bmi's. It was a requirement of my surgeon. My study showed mild to moderate apnea, but my bmi's is 49-50 so, if I want him to do surgery, I guess I'll comply. If I reduce my bmi's, the CPAP can go away. Uncontrolled sleep apne also increases bp (cortisol again). It's all the stuff happening in your body that you can't see. Wearing The CPAP is ok. Not a huge fan. But I'll stick with it if it helps me in my weight loss. And I hope it will be temporary.

Would be fun to get some Seattle area peeps together for coffee sometime!

Surgery was on Nov. 29. I'm feeling pretty good. Having some nausea troubles. Can't tolerate my shakes at all. Feeling fatigued, but hanging in there! Glad to be on the other side!!

I just finished day 4 of the pre op. Miso Soup and green tea have been life savers.

I am pre-op day 4, but just walked across the street from my office and picked up some Miso Soup from a japanese restaurant. It is saving me today!

Hi Ladies, just letting you all know that I made it safe and sound to the Marriott. Getting sleeved tomorrow! I'm ready but still nervous. Been travelling since 5:30am so I'm hoping I will be tired enough to sleep thru my nerves tonight

Healthbound, good luck!!

A day away from three weeks out and a week out from wisdom teeth extraction and I'm doing really well! Especially since I'm now into my purée stage and at first I had to force myself to eat. But now I look forward to my Protein Snacks lol dark meat chicken and fish are MIRACLES.

I'm in Seattle too, or rather Snohomish county, White House Black Market just opened an outlet store at Seattle Premier Outlets in Tulalip if that helps

Is anyone else going to Mexico for their surgery?

I'm in Seattle too, or rather Snohomish county, White House Black Market just opened an outlet store at Seattle Premier Outlets in Tulalip if that helps

I came across Hoosier's blog before I found this message board.  This was where I first learned of Mexico as an option (I had NO idea people did this!) and her blog convinced me to call OCC in the first place.  Thanks Hoosier!