VSGAnn2014

!?!?!?! What happened!?!? Two months after I was sleeved (in 2014), my dear hubby was diagnosed with cancer. It went into remission during his chemo treatments. Yea! But 6 weeks ago we learned that his cancer has come back and more aggressively this time. So his doctors decided (and hubby and I agreed) to treat it aggressively with more powerful chemotherapy. The first chemo treatment a few weeks ago knocked him on his ass -- so much so that he's been in big trouble. His white blood cells / platelets are in the basement -- barely any at all. He really could have died and still isn't out of the woods. Also this week at home, he passed out twice and hit the floor due to not following my instructions about staying seated when I am out of the room. So some of my additional NSVs for the week are that he didn't: (2) get a concussion, (3) have a stroke, (4) have a heart attack, or (5) break a hip. The good news is that he is slowly improving. But he's still weak as a kitten and negotiating hard with me to let him drive by himself. Men! Jesus!

NSVs this week -- * Decided a week ago to kick my new dark chocolate habit -- and haven't had a single bite all week. * Hubby didn't die. Not kidding. Really. * I finally had time to take a shower. (And that's what they call burying the lead.)

Well -- as is often said around here -- maybe you're acting differently now, too. Social interactions are chock full of subtle, subtle cues. It's possible your cues have changed.

I gotta say -- these balloons don't sound so great. Has anyone here tolerated their balloon well while they were also losing weight?

So cool! Those new physical achievements feel amazing. Congratulations.

6 months. In addition to not wanting to put extra acid in my still-healing new sleeve, I didn't want to add any empty calories in my first six months post-op, which is the easiest / fastest weight-losing period. I was not a fast loser and was uber-focused on being successful long-term. Yes, the sleeve is a great tool -- and without it, I couldn't have lost 100 pounds. But my greatest tools post-op have been and will be focus, planning and discipline. That's a hard truth for some to hear.

@@David Oso ... great thread topic. For me, treats come in two forms: Stuff and experiences. Massages sound wonderful. Like @@Kindle I need them, but had forgotten how good they are for me. Thanks for the nudge, @@Inner Surfer Girl . Facials would be a great reward for me -- not sure why I haven't recognized that before. I don't have anyone to do them now, but this thread inspires me to find someone! Likewise, pedicures are a treat. Again, not sure why I don't do that more often. Hmmm. Long, hot baths are a weekly treat. I have a great jacuzzi tub and can now easily get into and out of it. That's one thing I missed so much doing when I was so heavy pre-op. Clothes in smaller sizes (most of them bought at a high-end resale boutique) were my best rewards when I was losing. But I'm at maintenance now and have a whole new wardrobe, and the thrill of buying new clothes has waned. But I keep a list of wardrobe items I'm still missing. When I find those items at great value (finding "deals" is part of my shopping fun) I pounce. Even though those purchases aren't scheduled or tied to weight changes they still feel like rewards. I also collect and enjoy drinking fine wines / liquors (especially single malt scotch) and enjoy discovering new ones in liquor/wine shops. Our biggest reward (really a necessity!) is long cruises. If we could, we'd spend half the year on nice cruise ships. But the truth is that the greatest joy comes from appreciating all the stuff we already have and the adventures we've already had and could create more of daily if we just made a little effort. Gratitude can lead us to all the treats and rewards we will ever need. (Feeling very grateful this morning.)

I hope everyone here really gets this: There is no way anyone -- your surgeon, your nutritionist, another WLS veteran -- can predict how many calories another person needs to maintain or lose. I am 70 years old, was sleeved 18 months ago, and now weigh 135 pounds. I've been at or below goal for nearly a year. I probably average 8,000 steps a day (walking and daily activities). I do yoga occasionally. I don't lift weights (unless you count 3 pound weights "resistance training"). My daily menus average 1700-1800 calories and 90-100 grams of Protein. I don't count or worry about carb grams, since my body is incredibly carb-tolerant. I have a friend who's in her early 50s who's also been sleeved and is also in maintenance. She weighs around 150 post-op. She is just as active (if not more so) than me. If she eats over 1100 - 1200 calories a day she gains weight. And carbs are very unkind to her. Life is not fair. I don't know why I drew the long straw. I'd NEVER have predicted this is what my maintenance calorie budget would be. Bottom line is that you simply have to find out what combination of foods works for you -- to keep you healthy, energetic and maintaining easily. And then you have to accept that. And learn to make it work for you.

Several points: First, grazing is indeed quite different from eating a couple of nutritious Snacks a day. As @@AnA92212 says, grazing is mindless nibbling -- and usually it involves slider foods. Second, I have never stopped using Protein drinks. Eighteen months post-op, I still have a Protein Drink most mornings for Breakfast (my preferred one is the GNC Lean shake 25 swiss chocolate). Third, I really don't get this business about Protein Drinks not being "real food." I don't understand how "real protein" has to come with feathers or hooves still attached in order to qualify as protein or even as nutritious food. My last comment isn't motivated so much by posts on this thread as those on some other threads: I'm truly amused when I read posts by some who used to eat absolute pure crap and, as a result, were 100 pounds, 200 pounds or more overweight, who go nuts over how "unhealthy" they find protein drinks, Protein Bars, and "chemicals in food." Today, at or below my weight goal for almost a year, I eat very nutritious foods. I cook more than I used to cook. I work hard to get my "five a day" (veggies and fruits). I track my macronutrients, as well as sodium and Fiber on My Fitness Pal (great tool). And the last thing I worry about is whether 25 grams of my daily protein comes in a bottle or on a plate.

I no longer propose that everyone's body metabolizes food the same way or that there's a single formula for the number of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) at which everyone's body is happiest losing weight or maintaining their weight. But I do seriously believe that you need more than 41 grams of Protein daily to retain muscle tissue as you lose weight (whether you're doing weight resistance exercises or just cardio exercises or just moving your a** more than you used to). I will volunteer that for most of my weight loss phases I ate 80-100 grams of protein daily. I also ate plenty of carbs (my own body is amazingly carb-tolerant), and didn't even worry about the fat. I've lost 100 pounds and am maintaining at 135 pounds. I hope you figure this out fast. I really don't think your surgeon knows what he's talking about nutritionally, though. And protip -- not all nutritionists or even dietitians know what bariatric patients are dealing with. I hope the one you see is better educated than all of mine were.

I suppose by now you already know that those who choose WLS have to completely change their lives post-op and build a new, healthy lifestyle that they live for the rest of their lives. This isn't easy. Therefore, here's my reaction / advice to you: You're unusual in that you are already very heavy at such a young age. I would think that you are much more likely to be successful at getting healthy, no matter how you go about it, if you can address ALL the reasons (nutritional, medical/physical, behavioral, psychological, emotional, sexual, familial, peer, environmental, etc.) that have taken you to this place. Clearly, you're going to have to change so many things about your life IF WLS is going to be a successful tactic for you. I don't see how you can do that without a significant effort to unpack the factors and events that got you here -- and to do that I propose that you need to work with an excellent therapist who has a good track record of helping bariatric patients (and perhaps adolescents and young adults) deal with whatever they need to address. No matter what you decide to do, I wish for you the very best.

Yeah, reducing the size of your stomach and lowering your hunger hormone is SO different (not!) from: * Partial / full hysterectomies - and elimination of all the hormones produced by ovaries (and supplemented by meds) * Losing or donating a kidney * Replacing a heart / kidney / lung -- and, recently, I heard about the first uterus transplant * Mastectomies and breast transplants * Thyroidectomies * Orchiectomy (in the case of testicular cancer) Obviously (not), WLS is uniquely weird and will destroy your health and kill you. tl;dr STFU

I'm 18 months post-op and have been at or below goal for almost a year. Pre-op my sleep hygiene sucked (see below)! Now I'm sleeping so much better better than I did pre-op -- anywhere from 6 to 8 hours a night. My sleep quality and duration didn't change overnight (so to speak ), but has gradually gotten better due to: * Losing 100 pounds * Better nutrition (I'm healthier overall) * Better compliance with my antacid prescription (Ranitidine), so less reflux * Less late-night snacking -- so also less reflux * Less coffee / caffeine * Able to sleep in bed with my husband (I used to stay up late to watch TV in the living room recliner and wound up sleeping there or on the couch =- ugh!) * Less anxiety, generally * Daily meditation * More exercise (walking, yoga, stretching, some resistance exercises) and a lot more physical activity throughout the day (as a result, now I'm physically tired at night) * No longer suffer from stress incontinence (partially caused by poor pelvic conditioning and fat that presses on your bladder), so at night I don't have to get up to pee as often as I used to)

@@Elode ... does your plastic surgeon have a lot of experience working with bodies of bariatric patients? If so, I'd love to know who she is. (You can PM me if you don't want to post here.) Thanks, A.

LOL at the chicken gizzard. No, you're not going to VSG hell, @@BobbyD .

No. You're not going to stretch your sleeve. Really. I promise.

Hell, no! I'm very proud of you. Ultimately, whether we have surgery or not, we have to grab ourselves by the collar, shake ourselves, and go ... "WTF?! Get your act together, dude!"

Actually, @@Cervidae ... I think the credit goes to you.

This thread started with sadness. But I am just loving some of the stories that have been told along the way here.

Here's how I think about these feelings throughout the weight loss phases .... Y'know how when newbies are in their first week post-op and say things like this: "Am I ever going to be able to drink Water again?" "I feel like a failure -- I haven't lost any weight yet?" "Will the gas pains ever go away?" "Has else anyone ever regretted having WLS?" A few months down the line -- when we can drink again, have lost XX pounds, have forgotten about gas pains, and our only regret is not having had WLS earlier -- it's hard to remember our early concerns. I expect that in a few months, a year, or two or three down the road you are going to look back on these feelings (if you even remember them) and regard them the same way. This journey is so long. We encounter so much tough territory. And then we leave it behind. Last month's mountain is forgotten when we look up at the next one. It's good to feel what we're feeling and call it by its name. As a friend keeps saying, it's all good.

This is one of the nicest one-year surgiversary stories I've ever read. It sounds so ... weird word to use ... organic. Like everything fits together well. I'm very happy for you and send you good wishes for continuing success on all fronts.

It’s winter time and still cold and gray. The big holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year are over, but some of us haven’t weaned ourselves from holiday sweets and alcohol that crept into our daily and weekly menus. And now Valentine’s Day chocolates are on the horizon, not to mention Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day parties. Whether you’re slogging through your pre-op diet or you're trying to maximize your post-op weight losses or you're at goal and trying to figure out maintenance or you're a long-time WLS veteran – how do you stop occasional treats or variations from your normal eating routine from turning into daily bad habits? Specifically, what are some victories you’ve had in cleaning up your eating act?

The scale hasn't moved for four whole days?! This is a joke thread, right? Girlfriend, you are clearly not someone who can handle weighing every day. You need to get rid of your scales. BTW, you DO know about the three-week stall, don't you? If not, google it. It's all over the damn place.

P.S. Now, let's turn this thread back to the OP's question / topic. She deserves some more responses and other perspectives on this admittedly tough topic.

I hate to sabotage @@betterme38 's "self sabotage" thread. But to answer your question, I was pretty strict. But not perfect. Probably did 95% of what I intended to do every day. Here's a post I made on my first surgiversary, which I posted on another message board: * * * A year ago yesterday I was sleeved at age 68. I knew I had the energy for one last shot at getting healthy. Like so many of us, controlling my weight was the one thing in my life I’d been unable to manage. Failing at that was a tremendous embarrassment and disappointment to me, not to mention the cause of mounting medical comorbidities that had almost sidelined me from life. A year ago I’d already been on this forum for 9 months. I could not WAIT to get my WLS show on the road. I’d already lost almost 20 pounds on a 2-month 1,400 calorie diet of my own and, later, my surgeon’s 14-day pre-op diet. I’d been practicing for months the behaviors I’d learned here—eating slower, chewing more, no more soda, a lot less coffee, no NSAIDs (ouch!), walking more (yea, Fitbit!), and my favorite tool of all—planning meals and tracking my food and drink onwww.myfitnesspal.com. Fast-forward to yesterday morning, my first surgiversary. I weighed in at 143 pounds. I feel great, physically and mentally. I look so much younger (I’ll be 70 years old in December). And I truly feel like I’ve been reborn. The New, Temporary Avatar I’m on the down-low about having had WLS. Basically, only hubby and two friends know about this. But so many online VSG friends want to know what I look like, so enjoy my new avatar while it’s up. It’s coming down soon. Tough titty. BTW, I’ll put up a full-body shot of me later. Again, tough titty. But this morning I didn’t have on “the right outfit” to show off my skinny ass. And hubby’s not here right now to take a good photo of me. How I Lost the Weight I was lucky—had no complications, had a great surgeon and team, healed well and recovered fast, and have had more non-scale victories (NSVs) than you could shake a stick at. I’m full of gratitude and amazement at all of WLS’s benefits for me. Below is a list of things I did (mostly pretty well) that led to my success. As always, your mileage may vary. This was my experience. Yours will be yours. • Ate the minimum amount of protein—at least 60 grams to start with (hit that target on Day Five post-op) • Ate Protein first at every meal • Drank 8 glasses of Water daily (or at the very least 8 glasses of liquids daily) Protip #1: Dehydration slows weight loss and makes you feel like crap. Protip #2: Our kidneys work overtime when we’re losing weight rapidly and need lots of water to function well. Protip #3: You can actually die from dehydration. • As healing happened and restriction eased, added healthy (colored) veggies, then non-starchy fruits, then whole grains • Took my vitamins/minerals and Rxs daily and on schedule • Ate 3 meals a day • Chewed my food well and ate more slowly • Didn’t drink 15 minutes before or 30 minutes after a meal • When I got hungry (not bored), I added one or two Snacks of healthy food • Didn’t graze between meals (note that “a snack” and “grazing” are different things) • Avoided / minimized highly processed, high-carb foods and slider foods like potatoes, white rice, white breads, crackers, Cookies, chips, ice cream Protip: These foods slow weight loss and, for some people, trigger binge eating. • Moved more than I used to move and gradually kept moving even more • Followed the Number One Exercise Rule for Old People: Don’t injure yourself! • Got some sunshine daily, which kept me full of happy thoughts and Vitamin D • Tried to sleep 8 hours a night • Minimized stress—for me, this meant I stopped sweating the small stuff and learned that most stuff really is small stuff • Am seeing a shrink, even though I’m not crazy, to understand better why I couldn’t or didn’t care for my health better prior to WLS and to learn how to do better in the future (as the saying goes, they operate on your stomach, not your head). Unsolicited Advice: I’ve been at or below goal for 4 months now. Here are some things I learned while losing weight and during maintenance (at which I’m still a newbie). Some of these things have surprised me. And as always, your mileage may vary. • Don’t feel pressured into telling the world you’re having WLS. Do what is best for you. Just know that “telling a few people” may not be the best way to keep your WLS private. There are a lot of mouthy people out there. • Don’t overeat, but don’t starve yourself either. As your healing continues, eat more healthy food and raise your calories gradually. Otherwise, you may wind up reaching your weight goal but only able to maintain it eating 1,000 calories/day. Ugh! At 143 pounds, my daily maintenance calorie budget is 1,700 calories/day. I am over the moon about that. I think it’s because I didn’t starve myself while I was losing weight. I ate 800 calories during Months 1-4, 1,000 calories during Months 5-6, and 1,200 calories during Months 7-8. As my calories went up, so did my protein grams. I still aim for 100 grams of protein daily. • Post-op, don’t just eat to lose weight—also eat to become healthier. Learn more about nutrition—macronutrients, trace elements, vitamin and mineral supplements. Read articles and good research. As smart as I thought I was, turns out I didn’t know nearly as much as I needed to know to care well for myself. • If you’re craving sugar, you’re probably already eating sugar. The only way I know to kill those cravings is to cold-turkey the sugar. • Don’t let anyone pressure you into having WLS. This is a life-changing deal. A year down the road you’ll probably be able to eat pretty much anything you want, although not in massive quantities at one time. And you’ll need to always be vigilant about your nutrition, meal-planning, eating behaviors, etc. • WLS won’t prevent binge-eating or emotional eating. It will discourage it, but it won’t prevent it. There are plenty of WLS patients who’ve learned to eat and drink around their tools. I personally know folks who’ve wasted their sleeve, bypass or band with (sigh) sweet tea, Mountain Dew, beer, Wheat Thins, ice cream, chips and dips. What those drinks and foods all have in common, other than being high-calorie and lacking in nutrition, is that the sleeve cannot challenge them. They move rapidly through the sleeve and into the small intestine. You can eat that crap all day long and never start to feel full. Remember, it’s a shame to waste a sleeve. Very, very best wishes to everyone out there considering a VSG or other form of WLS. You can change your life with WLS if you use your tool well. But you must understand it’s only one tool in a bigger healthcare arsenal that you must acquire and use daily. Thang ya. Thang ya verra mudge.