Justinh125

I fluctuate a bit every month (probably every day to some extent depending on fluids and such.)

You're gonna be fine! Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!! What a blessing! My surgery day was the first day of the rest of my life too! It's been a blessing, but in many wonderful ways I wouldn't have expected.

I know it will be a blessing for you as well.

For me, (and I'm diabetes in remission and over a year post-sleeve,) too much artificial sugar gives me GI problems. But in general, I still keep an eye on my glucose, so I try not to load up on starches and whatnot.

High-five...you'll be fine

I've got a few....

Last was yesterday!!!!

Mine used a 36, but the difference between 36 and 38 isn't much. Take the "french" number and divide by pi, and you get diameter.

Before/After selfies with 16 months after. This stuff works!

I had one at 8 weeks that lasted about a week, and then not again for 12 months. I just kept shrinking.

You look like a robot now though. Otherwise I'd say you're doing great!

I wouldn't worry about it. VSG doesn't usually affect the valve at the bottom of your stomach, and it will stay more open if there's not solid food in your stomach. So fluids sort of just pass through. If I don't have any solid food in my stomach, with fluids I barely notice I've had the surgery.

If your surgery was just this month, it's nearly 100% that you still have plenty of restriction and will for a long time. It took many months before my sleeve was fully healed and not inflamed.

This is before, and today (around 16 months post-surgery.) See if you can tell which is which.

I hope it works this time...one is from like 2 days post-op, and the other isn't quite 5 months.

When people tell me that VSG doesn't work or that it's "too hard" or something, I try to point out that I failed (miserably at times) with every other thing I tried, and my size was starting to kill me. I was starting to have a variety of extremely serious health problems because I was such a big guy.

Do some people consider bariatric surgery some kind of "cheating" or "easy way out"? Yes, some people think of it that way. On the other hand, when my mother was treated for breast cancer (and the treatment worked and she's happily living her life now,) did she "cheat" by going to doctors that specialized in cancer and used the most modern treatments to help her?

Or did my mother simply utilize some powerful medical tools that likely saved her life so she is still a happy, healthy woman to this very day? And if it was the later, what is so wrong with that?

Way I see it, I found a serious, but helpful medical solution to a serious set of health problems. I commend anyone who has had success through other means. I tried many other things and failed every time.

But neither of those above photos is a "Photoshop" or anything. That's not even 5 months. So I see it as: I found a "tool" that would help me with the main thing that always ruined healthy eating plans in the past: extreme hunger.

With VSG, when I'm hungry I have one of my small-portioned meals of the day, and that fills me up completely. Later I do the same...etc....

Most importantly, and I can't say this enough times, I NEVER feel deprived...nor do I feel the sensation of "I want seconds but I'd be the only person and don't want to look like food monster or something..."

When eating with others, I fix a small, appropriate plate, eat slow, and enjoy my meal and my closest family understand why I have to stop or why I can't go back for seconds...Simple physics, as there is no "room" for the extra food to go.

So sometimes it feels bad to "take credit" for my accomplishments. But on the other hand, I've known people who had the exact same surgery with the exact same doctor on the same day, and some of them have lost very little, if anything.

I hope it works this time...one is from like 2 days post-op, and the other isn't quite 5 months.

Given everything my surgeon said (as I was at 240lbs and 5'4",) I figured I might drop 20 or 30 lbs in my first year at most, but even that would be very good for me. My size was causing serious health problems.

To my surprise, it did not happen that way. Instead, the pounds just started flying off like in the infomercials that air late at night/early morning. I ate (and still eat) whenever I'm hungry and enjoy every bite until I feel full and satisfied. Prior to VSG, no other diet plan did this.

Everything else I'd tried before helped in the short-term, but eventually I'd get so "hungry" that I would have an emotional break-down of sorts, and start eating again.

With this surgery, I still get hungry just like I used to. But I used to order a large pizza, sides, and at least one other entree when I'd order pizza. I had no regard to the financial or biological costs of eating all that food so rapidly.

Today, I don't have to order all that unhealthy food when I'm hungry.

The reason I LOVE the VSG solution is this:

I NEVER feel deprived...When I am hungry, I eat. I cannot eat very much at once, but what I do eat makes me feel very satisfied, if not completely full. In other programs I've tried, I couldn't just go eat anytime I was hungry and proceed to eat until I was full. With VSG, I can do that. That's why I think I will have long-term success. Because I don't feel even slightly "deprived." I eat the stuff I want to eat, including (sometimes) really bad "junk food."

Of course, I don't eat "junk" food every day, and I'm sure nobody's doctor would ever recommend eating high-calorie/low- nutrient food every day.

Unless the "angry hunger" comes on at 5 months or something, I actually think this is going to work where everything else failed. What a blessing!!!

-Jay

Here is before middle and after:

Not sure if y'all can see that or not...trying to post before vs. after...I swear !!!

Thank you!! I haven't tried a full yogurt yet. I take out half which is 3oz. I've heard so many people express how your sleeve is numb, don't want to chance blowing a staple.

It's profoundly unlikely that this would ever happen. You won't "blow a staple." In the beginning, with liquids, I didn't feel full or feel the "restrictions" the sleeve imposes. For me it changed as soon as I moved to pureed foods.

I would say right away, go with chewables, but your results may vary based on what others say. I chew 2 multi-vitamins every day.

You will be fine. During the pre-surgery part, they will start an IV and pump plenty of fluids into you at that point, so you probably won't be thirsty or hungry.

Unless of course I eat too fast or don't chew enough...then I get reminded real quick!

Yep, happened to me today after lunch. I was driving to the county lockup to visit some clients and had just had some lunch, and scarfed it down too quick....I had to stop at a gas station to get sick. I still sometimes make those mistakes. It's a work in progress.

Naughty boy! LOL!

Awesome job Sarah! Congratulations! You look gorgeous!

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. And every year at Burning Man, I make a point to go to the "Girls Name Sara(h) Party" because I'm a big fan of girls named Sarah,

So this is right before surgery and then another from this most recent weekend. And yes, I know the suit is a little big for me now, but I haven't had a chance to have my suits altered yet...Still, there's about 40lb difference between the 2 photos. Apologies for the low resolution....better pics in the future...

I guess we all have to start eating subway sandwiches...

Well, I stay away from them because of the bread...too much carbs for me since I'm diabetic in remission. But I think it was his age more than the Subway that helped him not have loose skin. Also he walked a ton...he was a student at IU Bloomington when he did all that, and he walked all over their huge (but very beautiful) University campus while he was doing his "Subway diet" thing.