*Lexie*

I came across this article today about the toll obesity can take on a family but it sure seemed to take a toll on this poor guy. And he had gastric bypass in 2000. This really is not a magic cure. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/17/hector-garcia-obesity-photos_n_6492354.html

Welcome!

@Aprile3211 Great post, I completely agree. @xmaleengyx - I did have a catheter but they put it in after I was under anesthesia and removed it before I woke up. And ask your doctor about it if it makes you that nervous. Also, if you are really anxious about surgery, there's no shame in asking your doctor to prescribe something to help calm your nerves that you can take even up to the morning of surgery. Surgery and recovery is such a brief part of this that you forget about it very quickly. As for the alcohol and such, my psych said there is nothing we can't have (once we're healed) but there are things we shouldn't have. You will not explode if you have alcohol within a year of surgery. I am choosing not to drink alcohol because I don't really like it and it's not worth the calories but that's just my personal choice. You will not die if you drink diet soda after surgery. Doctor's generally say we should stay away from it but some people choose to have it again once they are healed. Same with caffeine. I think taking tiny bites is important early on but I think they get a little bigger than a eraser size as time goes on. It is important to chew well and I'm trying to break myself from a lifetime habit of not chewing my food up well. When I don't, I do get sick because the food gets stuck and it's a little painful. Some people never have a problem with this but I am a slow learner so I'm still working on it. I take one Multivitamin a day and my 3 month labs came back with everything completely in the normal range. It's something I really should have been doing before so I don't look at it as difficult. Hang in there and do a lot of reading on this site. It really helped calm my nerves about a lot of things.

I had mine taken out years ago but my surgeon will automatically remove it during the WLS if patients still have them. Rapid weight loss causes gall stones which result in painful gallbladder attacks. When I had mine out, I was dressed and leaving the surgery center within an hour of waking up. It's usually a very simple surgery with a quick recovery.

This is what my doctor said (and we know that they sometimes say conflicting things). He said that the standard stomach can hold approximately 4 cups of food. After the surgery and healing, our sleeve should hold approximately 1 cup of food. That would make the sleeve 25% the size of a stomach. I guess the question to veterans would be, can any eat 3 cups of food in one meal. If so, that would mean that the sleeve stretched to 75% of a normal stomach.

I'm a straw-wielding rebel. Never drank coffee and I've had a little caffeine here and there but do try to stay away from it. I had a smoothie when I was about 3 months out and it was delicious. I could have had one sooner without any issues I'm sure.

So many that it's hard to think of just one. I really like Lose Yourself by Eminem.

@AvaFern I enjoyed your post too. Definitely going to keep that in mind.

1. I would do it again. I've lost weight before but the difference here is even when my heart isn't into it, I can't really fall off the wagon like I used to. At least at first, it takes some of the choice out of dieting and makes it much easier to succeed. 2. Most definitely and I'm going to try to keep this to the biggest things. I'm surprised at how much I've thrown up. I've thrown up more in the past 3 months than probably my whole life combined. Mostly it's my fault for not eating slow or chewing good enough and apparently I'm a slow learner because it still happens a few times a week. I was also surprised that I didn't lose weight faster. I have since made peace with this but I had certain expectations and was disappointed when I didn't drop the weight at the rate I expected. And finally, I was surprised to find out how much of an emotional eater I am. When you can physically no longer medicate with food, it's exposes those little emotional nerves. I didn't realize I was doing it to the level that I was. But I still have the urge to eat a really big, fattening meal and I know this is an emotional and irrational urge but a real one just the same.

For me, changing my calories either up or down for a day or two will work. When i was eating around 700 calories, I went up to 1000 for a day and it helped. Now that I'm eating around 1000 most days, if I think I'm getting stuck, I might drop down to 600-700 for a day or two and that does the trick.

I was weighed the day of surgery.

@dropdeadweightdiva Of course you don't. You have lost more pounds than you have left. That is so inspiring!

Today's weight is 208.

I can't wait to write this exact same post!! Congrats, it's a really big deal.

This is definitely true for me. I'm looking forward to being able to master eating small bites slowly so I don't have so many issues with food getting stuck and making me sick.

Hi, I had surgery in September. Weight loss has been slow but steady. I had a hiatal hernia repair during my VSG too. So nice not to have heartburn all the time anymore. I'm anxious to get below 200, so close. I still have issues with eating too fast, taking too big of bites or not chewing enough and getting food stuck. Maybe I just have a really skinny sleeve. LOL I am working on it though. Trying to be more mindful when I'm eating.

My weight loss was that slow too. I lost around 14lbs the first week and a half and then didn't lose a pound for 3 weeks. But then I started losing a steady 2-3lbs and week and it does add up. It was really hard for me when people told me to be patient so I won't say that to you. Just try not to be discouraged and stressed.

@laurashelby Popcorn is not off limits for everyone. It's my absolute favorite food and I've been able to handle it without any issues. I just eat soooo much less than I used to. I found SkinnyPop which is really healthy and I just have a little at a time. 39 calories per cup.

@smile121 I definitely had some of the same concerns that you do and I'm not going to lie, when you do stop eating your feelings, it's a little tough. My doctor's office offers really good post op support and I'm using it all. They are even adding group therapy soon and I'm going to take advantage of that. My only advice is to not let fear hold you back.

@auntiemel My surgery was 3 days after yours and I've started to notice that I'm shedding much more hair than usual. I'm the person that every stylist says has more hair than anyone they've ever seen so I'm not yet to the point of being concerned. One thing I considered doing if I do lose too much hair is getting extensions. Anyone try that and have success with it? I've never done it before but always wanted to.

great!

It seems unethical to ask that question. Even if they were trying to figure out if you could handle the physical rigors of the job, it's better to ask questions such as "can you stand for long periods of time" or "can you lift 25lbs". The only other reason I could think they would want that information is for their insurance carrier but it's still not needed. I wouldn't include it.

And use small plates, it will make it look like you're getting more food!

The time will go by fast. Congrats!

Insurance can be so frustrating. Congrats on your approval.