VSGAnn2014

I had what could've been the easiest WLS recovery in the world. But no way in hell was I trying to eat 4 ounces of meat (salmon, fish, chicken, whatever) 2 weeks post-op . Go back to yogurt. What worked well for me was 2 ounces of refried Beans and melted cheese. Become more patient. This journey takes months and months to get back to what feels like "real food" and "normal" to you.

Rationalization is the superpower of the obese. A more common term is denial. We use this superpower to avoid feeling intense emotional pain about our obesity. Then comes the day when our denial superpower no longer works, and we "hit bottom." The pain that accompanies that thud can spur us into action -- to consider WLS, a last-gap option that seemed too drastic while we could still deny our drastic situation. Pain can be a good thing.

"Gallbladder" is the ticket! I had mine out 4 weeks after VSG surgery. Same surgeon. They really do look the same. BTW, 19+ months later, I can hardly see any of the scars from either operation.

@@CanyonBaby ... was thinking of you this morning and wondering how you are these days.

Thanks for that good info, @@melyssafaye ... did not know all that.

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Well, it's obvious she's unhappy. And the trouble with hanging out with unhappy people is ... well, you know, it's a bummer. If you really want to understand what's going on with her, you'll have to get her to open up about WHY she doesn't want to hear anything about your surgery. It probably wouldn't hurt her to say out loud so she can hear her words too WHY she's so upset about your upcoming surgery. If she's unhappy now, just imagine how she's going to feel when she gains another 100 pounds.

Truth is, most of us were big hot messes pre-op.

Ginger, this and other online forums have been great. I don't attend any in-person support groups (too far away), but unlike you my husband has been a great support person. So sorry yours has never engaged to support you. That's troubling. First of all, you can search the forums and read threads to your heart's content. These online forums have been amazingly helpful to me. But I'm an online / social media enthusiast. Second, you might consider finding a counselor / therapist / psychologist with successful experience working with bariatric patients. I've been working with one since 3 months pre-op. FYI, I'm 19 months post-op. Finally, I do hope you find an in-person group since you don't have any real-life support at all. In a community as large as Texas, I bet you'll be successful in finding at least one. Welcome here.

Your surgeon didn't tell you what to eat post-op? Yet you lost 96 pounds in 6 months? So what information are you asking for?

My friend in real life hasn't had WLS. I have no idea if WLS is implicated in the creation of kidney stones. Why don't you google "What causes kidney stones"? I bet you'll find, among other things, that there are many different kinds of kidney stones caused by many different things and multiple intersecting factors. And certainly drinking a lot of Water (64-80 ounces of water a day consistently -- not just every once in a while) helps a body in many ways. @@CowgirlJane says that her urologist says that from now on she's supposed to drink water with lemon juice throughout the day. Here's the thread Cowgil Jane started to describe her own kidney stone "adventure": http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/362162-the-second-most-painful-experience-of-my-lifeomgthis-was-bad/?hl=%20second%20%20worse%20%20pain

@@Cowgirl Jane (who posts here) and a friend of mine in real life who's also struggling with passing kidney stones now said they both gained weight and that it's temporary. My girlfriend said her urologist said that when a kidney stone is stopping up the works the kidneys struggle to release much urine from the body. The weight gain is from liquids your body is having a hard time getting out. When the stone(s) are all gone and all the channels are cleared, you'll lose the temporary Water weight. Makes perfect sense, eh?

@@FreeTheSkinny66 ... you're welcome. Google is your friend. There are many lists of WLS qualifying comorbidities, including these two: https://www.nationalbariatriclink.org/comorbidities-insurancequalification.html http://www.obesitycoverage.com/insurance-and-costs/pre-approval-process/comorbidities My WLS costs were covered by my Medicare and Medicare supplemental insurance (I had surgery at age 68).

I dunno if I'd have lost more weight post-op if I hadn't lost any weight pre-op. It's hard to have WLS twice and try out two different approaches to compare them. But seriously, who cares how fast you lose weight. I certainly didn't. FYI, my first month post-op I lost 10.4 pounds. Nineteen months post-op, I've lost 100 pounds, now weigh 135 pounds, and am easily maintaining. That's truly all that matters to me.

You should write one. "Diet cults ... What people want is a pill," he said, "But if you can’t have that, you want a diet that’s a functional equivalent of a pill: simple, tidy, neat, certain." Yup. Too true.

You don't feel like eating? Eat anyway. You're not a child. Act like the adult who made the decision to have weight loss surgery and to regain your health.

Me, me, me! My BMI was 39 -- 235 pounds and 5'5". My three comorbidities were arthritis (knees - severe), lower back pain, and stress incontinence. FYI, I lost 100 pounds, now weigh 135 pounds, and have canceled my knee replacement surgery. Feel great. No lower back pain, and I haven't bought "pee pads" in 12 months.

I would NEVER have predicted I would wear a size 4. NEVER! When I was 235 pounds (highest ever) about 3 months pre-op, I wore a 20 Womans/Plus size in Pendleton suits. I never throw good clothes away, so I had plenty to wear all the way down through regular 14s. I even had a few "comfy" 12s in the closet. But after that the cupboard was bare. Then I had to buy some 10s, thinking I was "done." Then when I hit 8s I thought that was it and started to invest serious money in 8s. Nope. Wasn't through. When you get below 8s, you find that different manufacturers' / designers' / stores' sizes fluctuate a lot. I also wear some 2s and some 6s and even use some 8s separates. But 4s work best for me in jeans and most separates (Polo, Worth New York, etc.). Big pro-tip: The best news is that I found an amazing, local high-end consignment clothing shop that charges 10-20% of NWT ("new with tags") prices. They've really helped me build a great wardrobe. I hope you can find a place like that. Me, too, @@DavidOso ... the last 15 pounds made an enormous difference in how I looked. That's when I went from size 10 to size 4 (see above). That's also when my knee pain completely disappeared.

I've lost 100 pounds. It feels amazing. Healthy. No pain. Daily life is easy. Energy is unreal. Knee surgery has been canceled. I am in control of what I eat. I wear a size 4. I'm no longer agoraphobic or immobile. I feel pretty. I look amazing for my age. Want some of that?

@@Fame ... if you aren't drinking your Water or eating your Protein, then consider ... ... drinking your water and eating your protein. And see how things go after that.

Thanks for this thread. It's always so good to hear when a problem is identified and a reasonable plan of attack is developed and, even better, the problem is resolved. Wiki-tek. Love it.

MFP is working fine for me. I use it on my laptop. No probs at all.

Glad to hear you're able to be up and about again, CGJ. That's a big improvement. Loved your post. Starting is the tough part for me. 5-4-3-2-1 ... START!

Have you guys considered marriage counseling? I realize that the weight is HIS problem and only he can fix that. But it's also causing big issues in your marriage -- and it sounds like that's worth addressing together. And if he won't go to marriage counseling, I would suggest that you seek counseling by yourself -- maybe do that anyway even if you two are going to marriage counseling. This is a tough one.

@@Teachamy ... yes, this is maybe a bit on the high side, but I've averaged 1700 calories/day for many months now. I mostly walk outside for exercise. I also do a little yoga, stretching and floor exercises. But the winter and these nasty March days have meant I don't consistently do that now. And let me be very clear that I'm not at all a gym rat. However, I am so much more active than I used to be -- do a LOT more housework, run more errands, probably even fidget more than I used to. I can't say what will work for you, since WLS patients show considerable variation in how much and what kinds of food they can eat to maintain their weight. But I will offer this: When I was losing weight, my surgical practice's very well educated and experienced physician's assistant strongly urged me to eat more (not fewer) calories as my capacity increased. Specifically, she suggested that during months 5 and 6 post-op I eat 1,000 calories and during months 7 and 8 I eat 1,200 calories. She said that this would help my metabolism not get stuck at a lower level than it needed to be. Half a month later, I reached my initial weight goal (150 pounds). Then I, my PA, my NUT and my exercise consultant all agreed (based on my weight loss rate and history and my MFP macronutrient records) that 1,700 calories made sense as a maintenance calorie budget for me. But then ... very slowly over the next year while averaging 1,700 calories/day I've lost another 15 pounds. So obviously I need to be averaging more than 1,700 calories. In the last few months I've weighed from 133 - 138. I do NOT like weighing less than 135. That's why I've recently been eating more. This is just guesswork on my part -- but if you want to raise your calorie intake, do so very gradually. This will require you to actually track assiduously your food using something like MFP. Maybe raise it by 50 calories every week for the next month and see what happens. Then stay there. Then try that again. I wish we could just do a cheek swab and send it to a lab to see how much we can eat to maintain our weight. But it doesn't work like that. My own WLS experience and success has been ALL about observation and mindfulness. I don't worry about being perfect. Instead, I consider that everything I do just gives me more information to figure out how my body works. And believe me, 19+ months post-op isn't long enough to imagine I have it all figured out. P.S. I forgot to mention that I'm 70 years old. Was sleeved at age 68.