livvsmum

I'm sorry you had a bad time. Hopefully you can use that as motivation! It was originally a bad vacation experience that motivated to get my butt in gear and have the surgery. You might surprise yourself! If you have seen my before and after pictures, you can understand that I never would have imagined it either! Good luck to you! Thank you! Get somewhere fun this summer so you can Celebrate your success!! Thank you! :-) Aww...thank you! So sweet :-)

I suppose some may be able to handle "the old foods" in moderation, but I learned early on....about 7 months post-op....that's not me! Having something sugary, carby, etc can set off days or even weeks of bad eating. I was a food addict. When I open that door to let those same triggers back in, yeah....doesn't work. And you will find (as it sounds you have) that with time, you can eat pretty much anything and things that may have made you sick in the beginning don't now that you've healed completely. And yes. I actually have a friend who had her sleeve revised to a bypass, and she hasn't lost a single pound more. They are both tools. The key is in how you use your tool.

Thank you! You will, I am sure!!

I have to say that the fact that you've already committed to seeing a therapist for your food issues speaks volumes about your commitment to success. I started seeing a therapist at about 7 months post op and SO wish I would have sooner. It has made all the difference for me. The therapy is the one piece of this whole process that I think is overlooked, left out, or not stressed enough by many surgeon's programs. Sure, we all go for the "psych" eval, but let's be honest, that does not address any of the big-picture issues. To speak to your concern on always watching, counting, planning, etc. You are right on both accounts. IF you stick to the program, it will cause you to think about your eating a lot. In a lot of cases, that's not a bad thing. I tracked everything religiously on myfitness pal for the first 2 years and I learned a ton by doing that. I also don't think I would have been as successful if I hadn't done that because it's so easy to lose track of carbs or calories if you're not watching. But you're also correct that it can trigger eating disordered obsessive thoughts and pre-occupation with restricting food if that is something that you struggle with. For me, my eating disorder went from binge eating (pre surgery) to swinging the total opposite direction with extreme restriction (post-surgery). That is when I sought out therapy because it was scary. I will say though, that yes, absolutely if you want to be successful count every gram of Protein, carbs, etc during that "actively losing" window. But after that, eat what is good for your body. You can ease up on the tracking a bit and follow the "general" guidelines of protein first, veggies second, fruits for treat, very few carbs that process as sugar. Once you reach and maintain your goal, you're able to relax a bit, as long as you aren't relaxing by falling back into your own bad habits of the past. You will navigate the journey for yourself and you will do what you need to do to be successful. Basically, you adjust to a new normal.

I think that's totally normal. Once you get the date it becomes way more real. I remember having second thoughts once I got my date. I just kept going back to a blog post where I wrote all the reasons I wanted the surgery along with my bucket list of things I hoped to do with my family after the surgery. That got me through. Thank goodness it did! I'm so glad I went through with it. Good luck!

I totally get that! I have been rather shy and embarrassed about this as well. Most of my friends and family have been pretty supportive, but others have seemed almost disgusted. My father being one of them I have an immense amount of respect for him and don't want to disappoint him, but he is one of those people that has just never struggled with weight. He firmly believes that if I just tried a little harder the weight would just come off. He doesn't understand that for me it just is not that simple. It is a little discouraging to be honest, but I still believe I am making the right choice. I understand about the age thing too. I am only 25, so people generally seem to hold the opinion that I am lazy and am using surgery to "take the easy way out". *snort* AS IF this is easy in any way lol Wow! That is so inspiring! I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions? How did you overcome the psychological aspect of not being able eat/chew for those first few months? And what about afterwards? After the first year or so, did you ever get back to a relatively "normal" diet? Obviously I don't mean back to the same eating patterns, but for example if you wanted to eat a slice of pizza at a birthday party would you be able to? What was the recovery from the surgery like? Was there a lot of pain? Sorry for all the questions! I have more but I'll hold them back in reserve haha I am here for you! It looks like you will be having your surgery about a month ahead of me. How has the process been for you so far? Hi Sarah! Looks like we will be having our procedures at about the same time! The 20 pound weight loss requirement may seem daunting, but I am sure you can do it! From what I understand, we have to go on an all liquids diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery anyway, and if what I have read is correct, most people lose at least 20 pounds during those 2 weeks anyways. So that might make it easier for you lol. How did you overcome the psychological aspect of not being able eat/chew for those first few months? And what about afterwards? Honestly, it wasn't hard the first couple of weeks. I was basically just trying to get enough Water then. There was some head-hunger, but if you stick to what you need to do, that will pass. After the first year or so, did you ever get back to a relatively "normal" diet? Obviously I don't mean back to the same eating patterns, but for example if you wanted to eat a slice of pizza at a birthday party would you be able to? Yes, after everything completely heals, much to my dismay, I realized I could eat pretty much everything. I tried the whole "everything in moderation" approach for a little, and that didn't work for me at all. I am a sugar addict (including carbs that metabolize to sugar). I can't have just a little. Just a little would set off terrible cravings and week-long eating binges. So, I am a stick to the plan religiously kinda gal. What was the recovery from the surgery like? Was there a lot of pain? Recovery from the sleeve surgery was pretty basic for me. I didn't have to take any pain meds once I left the hospital. There was a little discomfort, but not what I would call "pain,." The biggest thing in recovery was adjusting to eating/drinking again and being super tired. It took a good 6-8 weeks before my energy came back up to normal levels.

I SO wish I would have had this surgery when I was your age. I waited until I was 34, and that is my ONLY regret. I think the biggest issues is that this is not a diet. You are having surgery to permanently alter your anatomy to help you increase your chances of living longer with a better quality of life. It is not magic though. You are right. It is hard work. But to me, it has NEVER been a diet. It's just not a diet. A diet is a temporary change in eating habits to lose a certain amount of weight. This is a complete change of lifestyle. For me it was a complete change of eating habits, exercise habits, lifestyle choices, committment to dealing with the emotional issues underlying my over-eating, etc. It was a holistic approach for me. I honestly don't think the surgery can be successful in the long term without thinking of it as a whole life over-haul. Good luck to you! I know you can do it!

I had a tummy tuck and panniculectomy 1 year ago. You can read about the process on my blog (linked in my signature) specifically going back and looking at the April/May/June posts from 2015.

Welcome! You are definitely in for an exciting time of change in your life! I don't think you will regret it! I decided to have the sleeve surgery because I wanted to be able to do more things with my children, actually LIVE my life instead of watching from the sidelines, and improve my chances of living a very long life. I had surgery about 2.5 years ago and have lost over 130 pounds. It has been absolutely life-changing. I've done things I never in a million years would have thought I would be able to do like run a 1/2 marathon, I adore taking different exercise classes like barre, etc, I am very active with my kids all year long, I am able to walk into any store and pull something off the rack and buy it without thinking twice about it fitting, I've worn bikinis for the first time in my entire life, and I have worked hard to be kind to myself. It's not just magic though. It takes A LOT of work. Not just with being careful to stick with the eating plan, but also I had to do a lot of work on myself to get at the root of my over-eating and self-sabotaging patterns that I had for years with food. It's been a lot of hard work, but so worth it. Good luck on your journey!

Yes I felt that way. It makes sense because everything else we've tried didn't work. The sleeve WILL provide you the tool you need to lose weight. If you stick to the plan it will work. But you have to work too. It is not magic. If you view it as a lifestyle overhaul instead of another diet destined to fail you will be more successful in the long run

Here are mine. I'm 2.5 years post op. I've lost 130+ pounds.

Every experience is different. I couldn't have gone back in 5 days. I went back after 2 weeks & was SUPER exhausted even at that point.

My symptoms were easy to dismiss & ignore. If I would have paid attention & gotten treatment sooner it wouldn't been so much better. My symptoms are the following: -extreme fatigue (think full body exhaustion) -lack of motivation; apathy -craving ice & mints (pica-non food cravings) -always FREEZING -irritable -depression -heart palpitations -shortness of breath -lack of endurance doing my routine work outs -restless legs -muscle soreness -lack of ability to concentrate

Thank you! 1 week down, 2 to go, then :-) How frequently do you need treatments?

Mine was about the same. My insurance didn't require that I lost weight, just that I participate in the program, so I just had to maintain (which obviously wasn't a problem.....)

It's an hour-long IV treatment. And yes, looking back I can see lots of symptoms that I disregarded bc I had no idea I had a problem.

I was told to take my Iron with C and to not take near the same time I take Calcium (or eat high calcium foods). Since you are three years post-op, how long have you been anemic? Did this just happen or has your iron been low for a while? I am just curious. I was anemic pre-op, but so far have not had an issue post-op (probably because I no longer have severe menstrual bleeding since I started menopause and have been taking supplements). I hope you start feeling better soon! It was absolutely fine until my 2-year post op blood work. Looking back , the symptoms probably started 2 months or so before that

I wonder if it's the same kind I'm getting. She said it's a new version of the Iron & it doesn't take as many

My hemoglobin was a 7 & Iron was a 1 after the 3 months of oral supplements. She said usually it's a two-dose transfusion treatment, but we would have to see if it helps I guess. I definitely don't feel any better yet

You do them every week? They didn't want to do any more blood tests when I started treatments bc my levels were so low. Before my 2nd treatment today they are doing lab work that I believe included b12

Thanks for the tips! It was a prescription Iron supplement, so I'm not really sure...there wasn't an active ingredient list on the bottle or anything. I did take with calcium though as I read that would help. The IV iron should bypass any of those absorption issues though, going straight to your system and bypassing the gut. It's just frustratingly slow I guess.

You look amazing! Congrats!

That is awesome! Great time too! I still remember how awesome it felt completing my first 5k. I've done lots of races since then, inluding much longer ones, but there was NOTHING like the feeling of completing that first 5k and realizing you were capable of doing more than you ever thought. Congratulations to you!

I definitely lost the most weight in the first year. Once everyting completely heals, you are able to eat more "kinds" of foods, and it becomes easier to allow old habits back in. Maybe that is why for a lot of people weight loss slows after that point. I agree with others though, there is nothing magical about 1 year. As long as you stick to the plan and make it a whole life change, and not a "diet" you will continue to lose.

Yes, I remember being just totally drained. Not just tired, but physically exhausted. I think it started to get better around 5 weeks post op and then by 8 weeks my energy was completely back and better than it was before.