familyguy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I'm hopeful after reading your update. I love hearing from the veterans. I like to know the reality of being years out. What it looks like from a patient's perspective. It''s better then reading the random statistics. Congratulations on year four. See you again year five.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

It’s been three years and, as I did a year ago, I wanted to post my annual update. The two year update, which includes the one year update is linked below. Enjoy.
What's changed from year 2-3?
No longer a fat guy. I changed jobs and met a lot of new people over the year. Combined with the fact that I'm 3 years out from surgery meant being a fat guy, both in my head and as reflected by people around me, is a very faint memory. I had the surgery when my kids were 3 and 6. They don’t really even remember me being fat, until they see pictures which just makes them giggle. This is a good thing, but when I reflect back on the 35 years of being overweight, it still blows me away.
Portions Normalized. I really am just a normal (for a non-fat person) eater. I eat whatever I want, just normal portions of it. Breakfast might be 2 eggs and a piece of toast, lunch is a half sandwich and some Soup (or a whole sandwich without the bread), dinner is frozen dinner from trader joes or a small portion of just about anything. For those of you yet to have the surgery and can't imagine eating so little or those of you who just recently had surgery and can't imagine eating so much, I know it sounds very strange. Between years 2 and 3, I'd say the portion sizes really seemed to normalize. Here's the best way to describe it: Look at the nutritional information on something -- like a package of ravioli or a can of chili, etc. and find the serving size. That's pretty much what I can eat until I feel full and happy. In the olden days pre-surgery -- those suggested serving sizes always seemed like some sort of hostile joke!
Battling 10 Extra Pounds. I feel like I have to watch my weight and need to lose 10 pounds. This is new. I weigh 194 on a 5'11" frame, wear medium or large shirts and have a waist of 34 or 35 inches depending on the brand. Don't get me wrong, that's amazing. BUT, last year, I weighed 185, which did feel a bit better. I'd like to say that my weight has finally normalized, but that wouldn't be totally in line with how I feel. The point is that, just like about everyone else I know, I'm working on losing those extra 10! For the first year of surgery, I couldn't stop LOSING weight. In the second year, I rarely thought about my weight. Now, in the third year, I feel like I need to lose 10.
Health is Excellent. I just had my annual physical and everything is great. Blood sugar: Normal. Cholesterol: Normal. Same with everything else. I still take 20mg of Omeprazole for heartburn at least 5 out of 7 nights. It doesn't have any noticeable side effects and if I don't take it, I definitely get mild to medium heartburn.
Some Advice to Those on the Fence:
If you can, do it. Like a lot of people on this site, I'd say my only regret is not doing the surgery sooner. I honestly think (no scientific proof) that there is just simply something wrong between my head and stomach that resulted in me NOT having and "off" switch when it came to food. I'd watch other people that seemed to like food, get a plate at the buffet and then just eat a normal portion and stop. I'd go to the buffet, fill up a big plate and then get seconds and thirds. Even then, I'd probably just stop eating because I felt disgusted with myself or embarrassed, rather than feeling satisfied. This surgery really helped me in that way. As I noted above, I'm one of those small one-plate people now. By weighing a regular weight, life has completely changed. I wear normal clothes, can participate in all sorts of activities, happily sit in the back of the plane, etc, etc, etc. I wish I would have done the surgery when I was 21, not 39.
VSG helps Quantity, Not Rate or Frequency. You engineers might appreciate this. Basically, VSG allows me to eat much less quantity at any one sitting. It doesn't tell me which foods to eat. You will need to find ways to eat steamed salmon vs. fried chicken, broccoli vs. mashed potatoes, etc. In the very early days, I really disgusted by really fatty food and was also worried about Protein intake. As a result, I directed my eating towards healthier foods. Three years out, VSG no longer helps with those types of decisions. Furthermore, if you like to graze, VSG doesn't help that at all. I work in an office that has Snacks all over the place. It's super easy to grab a handful of mm's or a bag of doritos every time I pass by the snack area (actually that's part of the reason I'm up 9 pounds from last year). I just want to set expectations about what you’re getting and NOT getting.
Alcohol drinkers: Watch out. You can't eat much with VSG, but drinking is even easier than before. About 6 months ago, I felt like I was drinking too much and have limited my intake by a lot (1 or 2 drinks per night, not 5 or 6). I know, I know, still too much. My point is that this is a real risk area and something that needs to be considered.
This post is getting long enough, so I'll stop here. If any of you would like to reach out with a PM, I'd be happy to chat. Good luck.
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/355438-two-year-post-opp-upda/