VSGAnn2014

Thanks to all for posting your experiences here. It's good education for many folks.

I like that!

I can tell you what my experience has been re calories. I'm a woman who was sleeved in August 2014 at age 68. I'm now 69. I started at 235 pounds. I lost 20 pounds pre-op and have lost 60 pounds post-op. I have 5 pounds to go to goal (150 pounds). Below are my typical daily calories / Protein grams: Month 1 - 500 calories, 60 grams (couldn't have eaten much more than this if I'd tried) Months 2-4 - 800 calories, 60-80 grams Months 5-6 - 1,000 calories, 80-90 grams Months 7-8 - 1,200 calories, 95-100 grams My surgeon's bariatric PA (who's very knowledgeable about all things bariatric) urged me to raise my calories first to 1,000 and then to 1,200. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

YOU are my hero. (Truth is, we're both doing great. )

Hullo, all. HW 235, SW 216 CW 155 SD 8/18/14 Only 5 pounds to goal (150 pounds). I'm buying and wearing size 10s now. I imagine I could get down to 8s before this is over. But it's already pretty surreal to me. And it's gone so fast! I've had no complications. The whole thing has been pretty easy, actually. I've tracked all along (MFP), used a Fitbit, feeling great, doing great. But we've also had a rough time: In September, I had my gallbladder out. In October, hubby was diagnosed with cancer. He's through radiation and almost through chemo and is already in remission -- what a champ! In December our beloved dog died unexpectedly. In January, hubby's son died (of a stroke). And this week, hubby's 96-year-old dad was diagnosed with cancer. We're both very optimistic people and are really welcoming the hope of spring and the joy of summer. Through all this, my WLS and my weight loss program was a welcome distraction from "real life." Through all of hubby's challenges he has been amazingly supportive. And vice versa. Going through life is so much easier with good people who love you. Five more pounds to go, and then I'll be on the "maintaining side" of this journey. A whole new deal, huh? I wouldn't have given the world to have missed this journey. I think VSG surgery is brilliant. It's given me a completely new lease on life. Wow!

I thought it might be a full moon ... but nope, the next one's not until April 4. Craaaazies comin' out of the woodwork.

Thank you, Babbs. I've been wanting to post this for days.

Thanks for the extra info, jackersducky. You've gotten some great advice already. I like that you're going back to see your surgical / NUT team. That's a great move. It bothers me considerably (more than it should ) that you and your fiance are living with two other people who keep your kitchen a mess. Sounds like it's time to lay down the apartment housekeeping law. Their behavior would be unacceptable to me. Good luck to you on making your environment a safer place to become healthy. Only you know what's required on that front, so I'll not make any other specific suggestions. Best wishes.

And it's not even a full moon -- next one is April 4. I dunno what's going on.

@@jackersducky It's very hard to offer any constructive advice with so little information. Do you want to tell us more about what's going on with you / your eating / your lifestyle / your environmental factors affecting your weight gain?

To the lurkers .... Yeah ... don't do this ^^^^.

@@Cleo's Mom You seem emotionally invested in this thread and may not realize this, but (in my opinion) your remarks above are abusive. Maybe you should consider taking a short break. Best wishes to you.

Some of the changes I'm experiencing so far (other than losing 80 pounds, feeling immensely less pain, wearing size 10s, losing my agoraphobia) are ... Walking differently -- These days I'm standing and walking straighter, walking faster, pushing my shoulders back and tits out (better posture), experimenting with my still-changing center of gravity, not waddling back and forth (so much). This is important to me because how I move communicates so much to myself and to others about my physical and psychological vitality. How I stand and move teaches me how to feel about myself and teaches others how to respond to me. Suffering fools -- Many great jokes start out with "There are two types of people ...." Happily, most of us realize that people aren't easily sorted into two categories, although some idiots actually do believe that. (Laugh, people!) But seriously, folks, my responses to others' behavior and beliefs have always varied in the many degrees between critical and empathic. I'm semi-famous in my profession for (15 years ago) turning to another person in a room of 100 other professionals and saying, "Why don't you stop whining and just do your f**king job!" And that's how I feel on this board sometimes. I want to type, "You knew (or should have known) what you were signing up for when you had the sleeve. Just stop whining and comply with your program." On the other hand, there are people here who have major problems I can identify with whose mental and emotional agonies are completely understandable. Because I've been fortunate and not had any complications I seldom have any helpful advice to offer. But I have so much respect for their persistence and, in most instances, their eventual victories. Consequently I cut them major slack and wish I could help in some way. But others ... sheesh! Although I'm a left-wing, pinko commie liberal Democrat, when I read too many posts in quick succession from those who think the only socially responsible response to someone who's whining about not feeling up to par today is "Oh, you poor, poor baby!" I want to throw up. My own response to myself in situations like this is "Suck it up!" I really do believe that WLS was the best thing that's happened to me in a long, long time. So if you don't have a leak or a fistula or a stricture or gastroparesis or sepsis or other conditions that are quite serious and your life is horrible because "Water doesn't taste good anymore" or you're jonesing for pizza or you can't stop eating ice cream, my personal opinion (whether I ever actually express it on the board or not) is that you should STFU and comply with the f**king program. Of course, others' mileage may vary. But that's my take on it. Fat people -- I'm newly not fat. And I'm immensely relieved and happy not to be fat right now. But I'm also worried about becoming fat again. I'd be an idiot not to worry. Every time I've lost a significant amount of weight, I've gained it back and more. So seeing fat people makes me feel a lot of things simultaneously: relief, fear, worry, repugnance (at how their appearance reminds me of my formerly fat self and lifestyle), worry (wait, I said that already), and, oh yeah, worry. I have a lot more to learn about this. I haven't completely figured out yet how I could have let myself get in the horrific condition I was in prior to WLS. And yes, I do see some obvious connections between my remarks here and my remarks above re Suffering Fools. I'll continue to explore those connections with my shrink.

I'm gonna LOVE this thread! (Still thinking about my responses to it.) Thank you @@gowalking .

@@gowalking ... I hope you do start a thread about WLS patients' changing (?) attitudes toward heavy people. I'd love to explore my own attitudes (and hear others' perspectives) about that topic.

Yup. It's now time to move on without her.

My typical cals / Protein thus far: Month 1 - 500 cals (60 grams protein) Months 2-4 - 800 cals (70-75 grams protein) Months 5-6 - 1,000 cals (80-85 grams protein) Month 7-8 - 1,200 cals (90-100 grams protein) I'm 7 months and 1 week post-op. In all (pre- and post-op) I've lost 80 pounds (5 pounds 'til goal) and am still losing. I lost 6.2 pounds during Month 7, eating 1,200 calories. Good luck to you.

(This could be a duplicate response.) I'm 5'5", and my goal is 150. I am now 155. Did I say ... ?

@@Elode wins the internet!

LOL! The groceries thing HAS to be genetic. It's like they just killed a mastodon for you and brought you the best cuts. Love it! Try to relax and enjoy it.

I was a little confused by the OP -- not sure you were advised to eat or to not eat after dinner. But in my situation (only describing mine) ... Pre-op, snacking at night was the only time I really overate all day long. Therefore, for me, snacking at night is a "dangerous" situation. Therefore, I try not to snack after dinner. There's another reason one may NOT want to snack at night ... and that's GERD. Here's a fairly recent NYTimes article about the benefits of not eating for 3 hours before you lie down to sleep. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-of-eating-late-at-night.html?_r=0 Spoiler alert: "To stop the remarkable increase in reflux disease, we have to stop eating by 8 p.m., or whatever time falls at least three hours before bed."

Go, my child, and sin no more.

Yeah, that was me, not @@LipstickLady . I apologize for imagining that the loss of your profession as a therapist was tough on you and for saying I was sorry for your loss. My bad.

LOL! Re definitions, you might wish to look up the definition of "irony" and then re-read your own post (above). But seriously, folks ... we're not all going to agree about what's "rude" and what's normal back-and-forth on an internet message board. Although we all speak English, the members of this board enjoy significant cultural (and ideological and political and religious) differences. Peace out.

@@gal friday ... I don't have time this morning to point out the multiple instances of intellectual dishonesty and illogicality in your latest post. But I will observe that referring readers to a study about the psychological and moral shortcomings of internet trolling, then saying that no one here is a troll, then calling the OP with whom you disagree as someone who's cruel and desperately seeking attention sure seems you're creating some drama of your own. BTW, I know you must be frustrated professionally. I get that. And I'm sorry for your loss.