SwanRose

Hi there!
I have found that once I had the surgery, food no longer has the same attraction as it did 8 months ago. I use it truly as a form of fuel for my body. I don't allow it to comfort me any longer. I don't allow it to entertain me.
You will feel different after your surgery - I did. Around the 1 month mark, I really thought eating was a chore. It became bothersome. "OMG, I don't have 20 minutes to sit down and slowly eat a scrambled egg!" I enjoy food now, just not as much of it and I enjoy different kinds of foods - but it's in an appropriate way now, not the dysfunctional way I used food a year ago. I no longer want to sit down to a huge bowl of Pasta and copious amounts of bread. (Ugh, thinking about that made my tummy a little queazy!). Now I get excited when my husband grills an awesome steak with some grilled veggies. Or if I eat out and we have Mexican food - the insides of a taco with some great salsa are a favorite. Maybe a couple of chips, but I want to save room for the main event.
Your worry is valid, but that's going to be the old you. The new you will learn to have a healthy relationship with food.
Best of luck to you!

Had my surgery yesterday around two and here are some things I discovered that I hadn't heard on this forum yet:
1. They pump you so full of fluids constantly that even if you don't feel like waking you are up to pee every hour so you might as well.
2. Peeing takes forever. With all the anesthesia and pain meds it's like trickle, trickle, trickle.
3. Hiccups are the worse form of pain. Waking keeps the gas at bay, but hiccups come before the belching and it will cause you to miss a step to say the least.
Hope this helps any unsleeved lurking around here like I was for months trying to figure this process out!

Sometimes when I go for my post op visits I can't help but giggle thinking most of these people have seen me passed out naked lol. Then again, they've also seen my internal organs...

A family member of my husband's - someone of whom I was very fond - died recently, and I didn't attend the memorial service. I made some convincing excuses - it would mean leaving our pets unattended for too long, it was a hot day and I might get car sick on the long drive, etc- but the truth was I didn't want to be seen.
Even in my smartest clothes I knew I'd look like a bag lady next to all the family and friends there. While my husband was gone for the day I had plenty of time to think about how my life was getting smaller and smaller as I got bigger and bigger. If I carried on like that, I realised I'd soon become a virtual recluse and I don't want a shut-in life!
I started researching surgery the same day.

I'm also having a few What-Am-I-Doing-? moments, thinking I'll never be able to eat this/drink that again. There's a quote from a UK TV show I saw years ago that helps me -
"You can't move forward without leaving something behind. It's a fact of life, there's nothing you can do about it."
So since I definitely want to move forward from where I am now - waddling, unfit, can't walk round the block without my back aching like hell - then there may be some things I will have to leave behind. The bottom line for me is that it's worth it.

I'm also having a few What-Am-I-Doing-? moments, thinking I'll never be able to eat this/drink that again. There's a quote from a UK TV show I saw years ago that helps me -
"You can't move forward without leaving something behind. It's a fact of life, there's nothing you can do about it."
So since I definitely want to move forward from where I am now - waddling, unfit, can't walk round the block without my back aching like hell - then there may be some things I will have to leave behind. The bottom line for me is that it's worth it.

I've always preferred whole food based Vitamins over chemically synthesized vitamins. They provide a lot of micronutrients, cofactors, enzymes, etc. that enhance absorption, bioavailability and who knows what else science hasn't even figured out yet. I take Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women - 2 capsules/day. (Which is 1/2 the recommended dose). If you don't want to do capsules, Source of Life Gold is also really good and has liquid, chewable and tablet forms. I also take a B12 sublingual and a D3 5000 gel cap 3x week. My 6 month bloodwork was perfect.

Dr. Garcia was a wonderful surgeon. He spent time with me before the surgery going over what he would be doing and answering any questions I might have about the surgery. He was very friendly and his English was pretty good to very good. We didn't have much of a language barrier at all. The nurses were very friendly and competent although the language barrier was a problem from time to time and we did a lot of gesturing to figure things out. Dr. Garcia came in to check on me himself after surgery and also the day of my release. He made sure any questions I had were answered and that I was assured that my surgery had gone very well. He did emphasize that I needed to keep walking in order to get the gas out of my system and to help alleviate any pain I was having. He also made sure that I knew to follow the aftercare plan and that I had the phone numbers to contact them afterwards in case I had any questions once I got back to the US. I highly recommend Dr Garcia and the staff at Ready 4 a Change including Alma, Melissa, Rosie and Samuel. They are all so friendly and willing to answer your questions at a drop of a hat. I could call at almost any hour and get ahold of someone to answer my questions which was a big relief. Not only was Dr. Garcia a competent and worthy surgeon, but his bedside manner was bar none. I would recommend using Dr. Garcia and most definitely the staff at Ready 4 a Change to anyone. They are a wonderful company and I consider them friends now.

When I was a little girl in England, watching all the cowboy shows on TV, I longed to be a cowgirl and ride the range. For my birthday next May when I'll be 10 months post-op I'm going on a group trail ride. I'll be up in the saddle!
(No experience needed, btw; the trail ride horses are trained to be idiot-proof.)
My husband bought me a little plastic horse that I'll take to the hospital with me in August - my symbol of everything I have to look forward to.

Years ago at Assertiveness Skills classes I learned the value of the phrase "No offense, but .... " said in a very calm and polite tone.
Examples: "No offense, but suggesting I lose weight with diet and exercise is rather insulting. I'm an intelligent person and I'm aware of all the conventional ways to lose weight."
Or: "No offense, but although you're entitled to your opinion, my decision to have WLS is a personal one and not up for discussion."
Or even: "No offense, but I would prefer that you keep your thoughts on the matter to yourself."
And then either change the subject or walk away.
Only my husband and one close friend know I'm having surgery. Post-op I think I'll have to deal with some comments, once the rapid loss becomes obvious. We live in a senior condo community; my husband and I are mind-our-own-business types, but some of our neighbors are real busybodies.

When I was a little girl in England, watching all the cowboy shows on TV, I longed to be a cowgirl and ride the range. For my birthday next May when I'll be 10 months post-op I'm going on a group trail ride. I'll be up in the saddle!
(No experience needed, btw; the trail ride horses are trained to be idiot-proof.)
My husband bought me a little plastic horse that I'll take to the hospital with me in August - my symbol of everything I have to look forward to.

Years ago at Assertiveness Skills classes I learned the value of the phrase "No offense, but .... " said in a very calm and polite tone.
Examples: "No offense, but suggesting I lose weight with diet and exercise is rather insulting. I'm an intelligent person and I'm aware of all the conventional ways to lose weight."
Or: "No offense, but although you're entitled to your opinion, my decision to have WLS is a personal one and not up for discussion."
Or even: "No offense, but I would prefer that you keep your thoughts on the matter to yourself."
And then either change the subject or walk away.
Only my husband and one close friend know I'm having surgery. Post-op I think I'll have to deal with some comments, once the rapid loss becomes obvious. We live in a senior condo community; my husband and I are mind-our-own-business types, but some of our neighbors are real busybodies.

Years ago at Assertiveness Skills classes I learned the value of the phrase "No offense, but .... " said in a very calm and polite tone.
Examples: "No offense, but suggesting I lose weight with diet and exercise is rather insulting. I'm an intelligent person and I'm aware of all the conventional ways to lose weight."
Or: "No offense, but although you're entitled to your opinion, my decision to have WLS is a personal one and not up for discussion."
Or even: "No offense, but I would prefer that you keep your thoughts on the matter to yourself."
And then either change the subject or walk away.
Only my husband and one close friend know I'm having surgery. Post-op I think I'll have to deal with some comments, once the rapid loss becomes obvious. We live in a senior condo community; my husband and I are mind-our-own-business types, but some of our neighbors are real busybodies.

This is the changes ive gotten 1 month post op
30lbs less
LETS KEEP ON GOING SLEVERS!! :)

When I was a little girl in England, watching all the cowboy shows on TV, I longed to be a cowgirl and ride the range. For my birthday next May when I'll be 10 months post-op I'm going on a group trail ride. I'll be up in the saddle!
(No experience needed, btw; the trail ride horses are trained to be idiot-proof.)
My husband bought me a little plastic horse that I'll take to the hospital with me in August - my symbol of everything I have to look forward to.

Candypants81,
Why is it that so many people think it's never occurred to us to try to eat less or exercise? I've never understood this.
The world is full of diet books, magazine articles and TV shows - and they think we haven't noticed?

My wife and I had sleeve through Dr. Garcia. We are a month out now and have lost over 40lbs each (we did lose 10 pre-op though!). I loved the staff at Dr. Garcia's and would recommend it to anyone. The hospital isn't stunningly beautiful or brand new but it was clean and the staff to me was better than any staff I have seen at a hospital in the USA. The nurses were very attentive and a lot of them were very attractive to boot! My wife had a tough time with lots of vomiting on the night after surgery and the nurses were in her room non-stop helping her out and just being great overall. Also one of the doctors, the blonde that does the in house care, had sleeve done a year or more ago and looks amazing.
The Marriott was super nice and we actually went to the "Caliente" casino which is right behind the hotel. We got all the Soups and popsicles we needed from the hotel as well.
I went to Ready4Achange because someone on here recommended them and I don't regret it one bit. Dr. Garcia was great!

Dr. Garcia and Ready 4 a Change staff are the best. I had been pondering this surgery for years since 2008. I saw myself on a picture and immediately I knew I had to do something. I had been watching lots of you tube videos on the surgery and decided one day I will find the best surgeon, listening to some of the videos someone mentioned "Ready 4 A Change", not only do they have a great name but the results from people were incredible.
I put down my deposit, in 1 month I was ready. I told myself you gotta do this because my body ached, I was getting bigger and bigger and pain all over my body. I was treated like a queen. Stayed in the best hotel per Marriot Tijana, and in 24 hours had surgery and was up and walking. God was with me. He promised. I was positive and made everyone else positive too. It was private yet happy 7 people had surgery same time as me. Many of us were very private.........in one week I lost 10 pounds and felt great. I had no complications at all. 2 weeks later constipated, but took medication they gave me up until completion. 10 weeks post op I am 33 pounds down. People are starting to notice. I feel pretty good, hurt my ankle so have not yet really worked out, but on my way and excited. Ready for A change Needs to Advertise more with the names...
All The Best.........Pretty Cali Girl Sleeved.

3-4 times a day, for real. Fluctuations don't bother me a bit. I'm completely fascinated (yes, even almost 14 months out) that I only weigh 152 pounds.
FASCINATED.

When I was a little girl in England, watching all the cowboy shows on TV, I longed to be a cowgirl and ride the range. For my birthday next May when I'll be 10 months post-op I'm going on a group trail ride. I'll be up in the saddle!
(No experience needed, btw; the trail ride horses are trained to be idiot-proof.)
My husband bought me a little plastic horse that I'll take to the hospital with me in August - my symbol of everything I have to look forward to.

When I was a little girl in England, watching all the cowboy shows on TV, I longed to be a cowgirl and ride the range. For my birthday next May when I'll be 10 months post-op I'm going on a group trail ride. I'll be up in the saddle!
(No experience needed, btw; the trail ride horses are trained to be idiot-proof.)
My husband bought me a little plastic horse that I'll take to the hospital with me in August - my symbol of everything I have to look forward to.

GREAT, rest and above ALL else, walk walk walk...that's the ONLY thing that will REALLY help your gas and bloating discomfort sweety. Walk every chance you get. GasX helps, but minimally, walking the the true real medicine here. Good Luck. IN 4 days you'll feel better, in 7 you'll fee terrific!!

Great job. Rest away you deserve it!

Hi all- i can't believe that my surgery was monday morning and already i'm home and raring to go. well, sorta! first on the docket is a good shower and hair washing; hubs went to get my pain med filled, and kiddos are with the g-parents for a few more days.
i'm looking forward to resting and watching some good movies with the hubs!

Sparklingbeauty53,
I can relate to this. I've been blessed with good health and no serious co-morbidities (though I realize without WLS they could be waiting for me around the next corner), but any time I've (temporarily) lost a bit of weight before on a conventional diet I've had people say things like "Oh you must feel so much better now."
I always found remarks like this extremely patronizing. Who were they to assume that I felt bad before?
Even worse are those who will say "Oh you must feel so much better about yourself now." Because, of course, I must have really loathed and despised myself before losing those pounds!
Some people just have to talk down to you, it's in their nature, and even if they mean well it's very, very annoying. I used to join a group of ladies in our community pool for Water aerobics sessions but every single time I got in the Water one woman would come over to me, pat me on the arm and say "You just do whatever you can, dear." I never had any trouble doing the exercises, but she assumed I'd be incapable. Needless to say, I prefer going to the pool by myself now.
We have to put up with so much when we carry excess weight - being insulted by strangers, being misjudged as not very bright, even being misjudged as not very clean - but the thing I hate most is being condescended to.