familyguy

@EducatingtheMasses I'm so glad you found it useful. The first few weeks aren't pleasant but hopefully every week gets better than the last. IMO it's a good tradeoff vs. living life with a 100 pound weight tied around your neck. Good luck and feel free to send me a message anytime.

Friends, I had my surgery back in Nov of 2013. It was a huge decision for me at the time and I anguished over it. All the information on this website was super helpful, both before and after the surgery. One thing weighed heavily on me was the long term effects of the surgery, so I committed to giving annual updates on my experience back to this forum. This is my seven year update. Posted below is my last update, with the previous nested within. I weigh about 205 right now and my weight continues to fluctuate within about 10 pounds. I would really like to weigh 190, so like most normal people I'm working on losing a few pounds. With that said, back in 2013 I weighted 275 and was headed for 300+ quickly. I have zero doubt that without having the surgery, I would be in very, very bad shape today and have no regrets about the decision. Positives: I've been able to enjoy a "normal" weight life style for the last seven straight years. I'm off all meds. I fit comfortably in coach seats on the airplane. I shop for clothes in regular stores and it's easy to find a size that fits. I'm between a L and XL for shirts and have a 36 waist. My bones and joints don't ache. I can exercise, play golf, ski, etc. comfortably and enjoyably. I happily and naturally eat "normal" size portions and have no "trouble" foods. My meal (whatever it is) basically fills on a salad plate. Two eggs and a piece of toast is a full breakfast. Lunch could be a regular sandwich with nothing else or a half sandwich and a small side. Dinner could be a tiny 5 oz steak and a small portion of potatoes and veg. Importantly, these are all full portions for me and totally satisfying. I love food and definitely look forward to eating (head hunger) but I rarely experience physical (stomach growling) hunger. I used to take omeprazole daily for heartburn, but it's unnecessary now. Occasionally, I'll take a Tums but only a few times a month. Since 7 years have gone by, none of my real old friends even remember me as a big person or ask about my weight. Anyone that I've met since wouldn't even know to ask -- they just view me as a normal weight person. When I tell them I used to weigh 275 the reaction is always "no way!" Occasionally, the old pictures come out and everyone gets a chuckle. I don't see myself as a fat person. Negatives: I'd still like to loose 15 pounds. Even with the gift of not being able to eat much, my ideal weight of 190 requires more work. Reducing snacking, sweets and more exercise is what's required and WLS does nothing to help on those fronts. I'd say WLS solves 80% of the challenge but the last 20% goes back to the basics we've heard all of our lives. If I overeat or eat way too fast, I will need to throw it up. This happens about once a month. It typically occurs when I eat something that's really good and I gobble it down too quickly. About 2 minutes later, I will feel pretty uncomfortable. I can wait it out and eventually it will go away. But more often than not, I just head to the bathroom and get it out. It's kind of gross to be honest. I have always liked to drink alcohol -- beer, wine, whiskey, mixed drinks and so on. IMO, drinking doesn't have any increased impact as a result of WLS -- I'm not more of a "light weight" than I used to be. But, as a practical matter, I do believe that it's easier to over drink following WLS. If I'm out to dinner with friends, they have starter courses, main courses, desert and so on. It's pretty easy for me to pour another glass of wine or order another scotch, while they eat through the evening. I would caution folks that like to drink to pay extra attention to this tendency following WLS. (BTW, I'm doing "dry January" right now:) That's about it. In sum, the sleeve was the best decision of my life. I hope this helps folks that are wondering about how things play out way down the line. If you have questions, you can DM me and I'd be happy to share thoughts. Good luck and look for another report from me next year.

I posted this in the guy's room, but thought woman might also find it useful.

Back in 2012/2013 when I was contemplating my VSG, I spent hours scouring this website, which I found incredibly helpful. In fact, I don't think I would have gone forward with the surgery without it. As a "pay it forward" I committed to providing annual updates to the community. I missed my year 5 update last November, so here goes a 5.5 year update. Prior updates are linked below, in case you're curious about annual progression. Enjoy and feel free to comment or ask question, if you think I can help. This year was probably my toughest since having surgery in terms of weight management. I took on a new job that was particularly stressful and involved a lot of travel. That led to some bad eating habits. I also used to weigh myself every day and sort of stopped that for a year. Low and behold, my weight increased from ~ 195 to 218, which was my highest by far since having the surgery. My clothes got tighter (and I grew out of some) and I generally felt like ****. My lovely wife basically called me out and said "what's going on?" The truth was I just lost discipline and abandoned the basics. The biggest contributors were SNACKING and carbs. I was constantly eating between meals and choosing more carb options during meals. The sleeve provides little defense against these behaviors. I can eat as much popcorn, potato chips and candy as anyone. And during meals, the sleeve doesn't restrict as much against carbs like bread, rice, potatoes, etc.. The solution for me was just attacking these two bad habits. BTW, cutting out the carbs sort of solves the snacking issue too. By that I mean, no carbs means no chips, candy, etc.. I allow myself as much cheese, beef jerky, quest bars or veggies for snacks as I want. For me, I can eat a piece of cheese and be done. Not the same for chips. With those changes, my weight dropped back down to 198 (my current weight) in about 2 months. While this situation was a bummer, it's still child's play compared to what would have happened pre surgery. I wouldn't have gained 20 pounds, but rather 50 or more. And it wouldn't have been so easy to drop it with behavioral changes. Other general observations 5.5 years out: Positives: I'm a totally "normal" eater. That means I naturally eat portions that a healthy, non-weight issue person would eat. For breakfast I have 1 or 2 eggs and a veggie sausage or some yogurt. For lunch I eat a salad with some protein or a small sandwich. For dinner, protein (small steak, a hamburger, 1 or 2 pieces of chicken) and a veg. Even 5.5 years out, I'm still completely full after those normal portions. In sum, the sleeve still works just fine and hasn't stretched out or anything like that. I can eat anything. No stuck foods, etc.. Of course, some things fill me up faster, but I generally view that as a good thing. The weight is staying within a reasonable band, although not perfect by any means. Today, I weighed in at 198. At my worst pre surgery, I weighed 275 and was headed for 300+ fast. Post surgery, I went all the way down to 175. I'd like to weigh 190, so like most people you talk to in the world, I've got those 10 pounds to lose. Ever since I had surgery, I've been able to participate in all sorts of activities that would have previously been out of the question. I regularly walk, golf and now a lot of hot yoga. My knees and joints were killing me with all the weight and all that's gone now. I sleep better. I'm off all meds! Pre surgery, I had to take meds for cholesterol and heart burn. I was pre diabetic and was considering meds for that. Post surgery those meds became unnecessary. Most surprising is that over the the last 18 months, I've even stopped taking omeprazole for heartburn. I don't get hungry like I used to. I've always liked food and eating, so I do continue to think about food (head hunger), but I rarely physically feel hungry. No growling stomach ever. Negatives: Once in a while (5 or 6 times per year), I eat past my stomach's capacity and vomit it up. This is always frustrating and I kick myself for still letting it happen. Weight loss surgery is NOT a silver bullet. For the first 12 months post surgery it seemed like magic. Weight flew off and it didn't seem like I would ever gain it back no matter what I ate. Not true 5.5 years out. I still need to think about my weight and diet. If I forget or get lazy / complacent, I gain weight. I need to weigh myself every day. I need to lose 10 pounds. Managing weight is still work. I elected kept my surgery a secret, expect for just a handful of people. I'm not sure I'd do that again. I was pretty embarrassed about having to have a surgery to get my weight under control. Since I eat normal now and it's been so long since I lost the majority of my weight, the "how did you do it" conversations don't come up any more. But when I interact with really obese people that are friends, I'd like to be able to talk about my experience and try to inspire them to consider surgery. Secrets in life aren't that fun. Yes, I could always reveal what I did to everyone, but it seems silly at this point. So that's all for this year. Having surgery was the best thing I've ever done for myself. My only regret is having waited until I was 39. I wish I would have done it 10 years earlier! Thanks for reading and your support. Familyman