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My doctor told me I need to wait 6 weeks before I do anything more than walk around (on the ground, not on a treadmill!). Remember, your body has just undergone major surgery and needs time to heal! One thing my doctor told me was that I might be feeling energetic enough to exercise but if I do its likely that I'll burn out quickly. Your body needs to put that energy towards healing. I know how frustrating it is, I am 12 more days away from the earliest I can be cleared for exercise and it's killing me! However, after hearing from my surgeon about a patient who ignored his advice because she felt so energetic that she hopped on a treadmill, only to faint, hit her head and wind up in the hospital again, I decided I wouldn't take my chances!
I know you want the weight to come off quicker, and I know it sucks to wait, but you'll soon have the rest of your life to exercise to your heart's content. Just take care of yourself with rest and relaxation for now.

My doctor told me I need to wait 6 weeks before I do anything more than walk around (on the ground, not on a treadmill!). Remember, your body has just undergone major surgery and needs time to heal! One thing my doctor told me was that I might be feeling energetic enough to exercise but if I do its likely that I'll burn out quickly. Your body needs to put that energy towards healing. I know how frustrating it is, I am 12 more days away from the earliest I can be cleared for exercise and it's killing me! However, after hearing from my surgeon about a patient who ignored his advice because she felt so energetic that she hopped on a treadmill, only to faint, hit her head and wind up in the hospital again, I decided I wouldn't take my chances!
I know you want the weight to come off quicker, and I know it sucks to wait, but you'll soon have the rest of your life to exercise to your heart's content. Just take care of yourself with rest and relaxation for now.

Would it be helpful if you pre-made all your meals, measured out all your Snacks, etc. and kept them in containers in your fridge? That way you can be sure you are eating the correct portion sizes and the right stuff. You could even make a schedule and eat "on schedule," just until you get back in to the routine of things. Also try introducing the "rules" again slowly, one at a time (eating slowly, chewing well, half an hour waits between meals/drinks, no fizzy drinks etc.).
So many of us have psychological issues when it comes to food (it's probably how we've ended up this way!), so getting into therapy to address the root of the problem will probably help to ensure long-term success.
All the best

I probably would have gone for a french fry in the future (although I was never a big french-fry eater), except that my new stomach REALLY hates potatoes in any form! (thank God)

At the end of the day, no matter what we strangers here on the forum say, the decision to go through with the surgery is still yours! If you are truly feeling uncertain (not nervous -nervousness is normal!), but seriously uncertain... then it's important to give yourself the time to come to an informed decision. Ask all the questions you need to ask, weigh the risks vs. the benefits, and ask yourself if you are willing to commit to everything you need to do to ensure a safe and smooth recovery. Is it possible to postpone the surgery? That way, you are not committing to having the surgery or cancelling the surgery entirely.
For me personally, I chose to have the surgery not because of my weight, but because of all the health problems attributed to my weight or exacerbated by my weight. I'm in my 20s and have PCOS, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, an inflamed gallbladder, diabetes, and sleep apnea. I was taking more medications than my grandparents ever did. My gynecologist said I would almost certainly develop uterine or ovarian cancer in the next 10-15 years. And all of this was at a BMI of 32.7. For me the risk of going through the surgery, and giving up the ability to consume large quantities of food, was well-worth the trade off of a healthy, happy life. I am only 1 week post op and my blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels are normal. What I'm trying to say is, only you can look at your own situation and decide if WLS is the best choice for you, and if so, which type would be best for you (if something reversible would make you feel more comfortable, maybe you could look into the lapband).
I wish you all the best, whatever you decide!

My BMI was 32 the day of surgery. I had the surgery because of my health problems: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea and PCOS. I'm 26 years old and was on more medications than my grandparents ever were. Despite all these comorbidities, due to my low BMI, I did not qualify for any type of coverage here (in Canada), and self-paid for the procedure down in the U.S. Weight loss is a nice by-product but my main goal was to reverse my chronic health problems (particularly diabetes).

That's very strange. She shouldn't have been "testing" you. It sounds like her personal opinion of bariatric surgery was getting in the way of her ability to do her job properly. Talking you out of the surgery is NOT the purpose of the psych evaluation.

At the end of the day, no matter what we strangers here on the forum say, the decision to go through with the surgery is still yours! If you are truly feeling uncertain (not nervous -nervousness is normal!), but seriously uncertain... then it's important to give yourself the time to come to an informed decision. Ask all the questions you need to ask, weigh the risks vs. the benefits, and ask yourself if you are willing to commit to everything you need to do to ensure a safe and smooth recovery. Is it possible to postpone the surgery? That way, you are not committing to having the surgery or cancelling the surgery entirely.
For me personally, I chose to have the surgery not because of my weight, but because of all the health problems attributed to my weight or exacerbated by my weight. I'm in my 20s and have PCOS, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, an inflamed gallbladder, diabetes, and sleep apnea. I was taking more medications than my grandparents ever did. My gynecologist said I would almost certainly develop uterine or ovarian cancer in the next 10-15 years. And all of this was at a BMI of 32.7. For me the risk of going through the surgery, and giving up the ability to consume large quantities of food, was well-worth the trade off of a healthy, happy life. I am only 1 week post op and my blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels are normal. What I'm trying to say is, only you can look at your own situation and decide if WLS is the best choice for you, and if so, which type would be best for you (if something reversible would make you feel more comfortable, maybe you could look into the lapband).
I wish you all the best, whatever you decide!

Thanks for the warning! I hope your healing goes better from now on

Thank you so much for sharing this! I am just over a week post-op, and started puree foods for the first time yesterday. I was SHOCKED when I realized (and found out the hard way), that I could only eat about a teaspoon comfortably.

Thank you for sharing that! I've been doing so well post-op, my stomach is digesting things well, I'm not in any pain, etc. that I was thinking about talking to my surgeon about going a little faster through the post-op diet phases, but now I won't even bring it up! I don't want to put the idea in his head. I'll just keep cooking for my family

Thank you for sharing that! I've been doing so well post-op, my stomach is digesting things well, I'm not in any pain, etc. that I was thinking about talking to my surgeon about going a little faster through the post-op diet phases, but now I won't even bring it up! I don't want to put the idea in his head. I'll just keep cooking for my family

I won't have my sleeve until 12/16 and am 7 days into the liquid pre op diet, so I get it's hard, but...
I have worked as a surgical ICU nurse for almost 2 decades. I know exactly what happens to those who don't follow instructions. I'm sure some get away with it, but I've seen enough patients who ruptured their stomach staple line by eating the wrong things too soon. Once you've watched a 30 year old women fight for her life for months on a ventilator, overwhelming infection, multiple surgeries, only to lose in the end, because she ate half a chicken 1 week out, cheating is not an option. I've personally taken care of a few patients in the same situation, some lived, some didn't but it was a hard road either way. Why risk that? I don't say this to scare anyone away from the procedure. I was scared. Spoke to my surgeon and his experience is the same, he hasn't personally had a complication in his patients unless they were non compliant. It's a relatively safe procedure, and the surgical team does all they can to educate us, but some people just seem to know better or maybe should have never passed the psych. eval.

At the end of the day, no matter what we strangers here on the forum say, the decision to go through with the surgery is still yours! If you are truly feeling uncertain (not nervous -nervousness is normal!), but seriously uncertain... then it's important to give yourself the time to come to an informed decision. Ask all the questions you need to ask, weigh the risks vs. the benefits, and ask yourself if you are willing to commit to everything you need to do to ensure a safe and smooth recovery. Is it possible to postpone the surgery? That way, you are not committing to having the surgery or cancelling the surgery entirely.
For me personally, I chose to have the surgery not because of my weight, but because of all the health problems attributed to my weight or exacerbated by my weight. I'm in my 20s and have PCOS, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, an inflamed gallbladder, diabetes, and sleep apnea. I was taking more medications than my grandparents ever did. My gynecologist said I would almost certainly develop uterine or ovarian cancer in the next 10-15 years. And all of this was at a BMI of 32.7. For me the risk of going through the surgery, and giving up the ability to consume large quantities of food, was well-worth the trade off of a healthy, happy life. I am only 1 week post op and my blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels are normal. What I'm trying to say is, only you can look at your own situation and decide if WLS is the best choice for you, and if so, which type would be best for you (if something reversible would make you feel more comfortable, maybe you could look into the lapband).
I wish you all the best, whatever you decide!

At the end of the day, no matter what we strangers here on the forum say, the decision to go through with the surgery is still yours! If you are truly feeling uncertain (not nervous -nervousness is normal!), but seriously uncertain... then it's important to give yourself the time to come to an informed decision. Ask all the questions you need to ask, weigh the risks vs. the benefits, and ask yourself if you are willing to commit to everything you need to do to ensure a safe and smooth recovery. Is it possible to postpone the surgery? That way, you are not committing to having the surgery or cancelling the surgery entirely.
For me personally, I chose to have the surgery not because of my weight, but because of all the health problems attributed to my weight or exacerbated by my weight. I'm in my 20s and have PCOS, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, an inflamed gallbladder, diabetes, and sleep apnea. I was taking more medications than my grandparents ever did. My gynecologist said I would almost certainly develop uterine or ovarian cancer in the next 10-15 years. And all of this was at a BMI of 32.7. For me the risk of going through the surgery, and giving up the ability to consume large quantities of food, was well-worth the trade off of a healthy, happy life. I am only 1 week post op and my blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels are normal. What I'm trying to say is, only you can look at your own situation and decide if WLS is the best choice for you, and if so, which type would be best for you (if something reversible would make you feel more comfortable, maybe you could look into the lapband).
I wish you all the best, whatever you decide!

At the end of the day, no matter what we strangers here on the forum say, the decision to go through with the surgery is still yours! If you are truly feeling uncertain (not nervous -nervousness is normal!), but seriously uncertain... then it's important to give yourself the time to come to an informed decision. Ask all the questions you need to ask, weigh the risks vs. the benefits, and ask yourself if you are willing to commit to everything you need to do to ensure a safe and smooth recovery. Is it possible to postpone the surgery? That way, you are not committing to having the surgery or cancelling the surgery entirely.
For me personally, I chose to have the surgery not because of my weight, but because of all the health problems attributed to my weight or exacerbated by my weight. I'm in my 20s and have PCOS, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, an inflamed gallbladder, diabetes, and sleep apnea. I was taking more medications than my grandparents ever did. My gynecologist said I would almost certainly develop uterine or ovarian cancer in the next 10-15 years. And all of this was at a BMI of 32.7. For me the risk of going through the surgery, and giving up the ability to consume large quantities of food, was well-worth the trade off of a healthy, happy life. I am only 1 week post op and my blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels are normal. What I'm trying to say is, only you can look at your own situation and decide if WLS is the best choice for you, and if so, which type would be best for you (if something reversible would make you feel more comfortable, maybe you could look into the lapband).
I wish you all the best, whatever you decide!

Just some food for thought from personal experience... when you decide who to tell, make sure you think about who they might tell and if you don't want them to tell anyone -say so!

Just some food for thought from personal experience... when you decide who to tell, make sure you think about who they might tell and if you don't want them to tell anyone -say so!

I feel your pain! My surgery is also on Dec. 9th and I'm on day 2 of my pre-op diet. I'm not on a liquid diet, just low carbs.... but limiting myself to 40g of carbs a day has been very difficult. I'm pretty miserable! I can't imagine being on a liquid-only diet. My classes are winding down and I have a lot of final papers and exams to get through before my surgery, so I'm already under a lot of stress, and not having food to help me 'cope' is frustrating.
But don't worry, we can get through this!

I'm shocked that your school will not allow a longer absence for medical reasons. Is there a process by which you can ask for an extension for coursework/exams or a deferral?

I was wondering how everyone here came up with their goal weight? Did your surgeon advise you, or are you following a specific ideal body weight calculation? The 130lbs I've listed as my goal weight is mostly an arbitrary number I picked within the normal/healthy BMI range for my age, height and gender. I'm a 26 year old female, 5'6.5, and the main reason I'm going through with the VSG is because it is the only hope I have to reverse my chronic health problems, and get off my medications. I have diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and signs of fatty liver disease. Also, if I have this many health problems at a 'low' BMI, it's scary to think what could happen if I put on more weight. Since the main goal and focus of the surgery has been to address the chronic health problems, I never gave any thought to a 'goal weight' and never discussed it with my surgeon. The reason I want to have a goal weight is because it's motivating to have to work towards something and a good deterrent for falling back into my old eating habits.