blondebomb

For those of you who have had recent surgeries, remember that you might not lose any weight at all in weeks 3-6 after surgery. That is normal and expected, but if you keep following the rules, the inches will still be coming off. After that, the weight will start coming off again too.
For those of you regretting your choice of the sleeve, my doctor says that statistically, bypass patients lose the quickest, then sleeve, then lapband. BUT..... After 18 months or so, they all end up at around the same percentage of excess weight lost. So the difference is not as big as you might think.
What it boils down to is what we put in our mouths. It sounds like some of you didn't get much advice and nutritional counseling prior to surgery. In my opinion, that's criminal! So here's a site I've found that provides a lot of valuable information about the entire process. It covers all stages of the program, including advice on what to eat, what not to eat, what Vitamins to take, and what exercise you should try to do. There are a ton of web sites providing this type of advice, but this site seems pretty comprehensive. Good luck!!!
http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/

I think I got what I expected, or maybe a little better. I lost more than 140 pounds,or 95% of my excess weight, (and 100% if I call this weight good ) in about 14 months. I've kept it off over a year. It's hard work but so much easier than before surgery. I could have never lost 10 pounds a month on any diet because I just couldn't get to and sustain the needed caloric deficit to do that.
Sometimes I think if I would have had the bypass I'd have lost more, but I'm still happy with my decision to have the sleeve. Not sure that last 5-10 pounds lost would add any value to my life.
Looking back, I remember feeling like it was not coming off fast enough. I worried that every pound I lost would be my last. I understand the fear that somehow, something isn't right. I know you see posts "I lost 100 pounds in 6 months!" but that's not the norm. Most people lose 8-10 pounds a month. This is a time for learning new habits. Contrary to what they say, it takes way longer than a few months to learn new eating habits, and it's way easier to slip back into old ones. At 2.5 years out, I'm still learning.

I chose the sleeve because it has a natural eating pattern with no worries about dumping or malnutrition. Sure, I still need to eat the right foods, but it's a hell of a lot easier when you only have a tiny stomach to fill. I always knew it was just a tool, not a magic wand.

@@Kacherry
Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Have you since visited with your doctor for after-care? Has he/she given you a post-op diet at all to follow? If not, may I suggest visiting hospitals in your area that may have support groups for WLS? You might be able to start one if there aren't any. You could also go to a dietician on your own, and if you have insurance, your PCP might be able to prescribe this for you. There are also lots of books available on the subject, with ideas for post-op diets. This is a long journey we are on, I wish you the best on yours!

I just gotta ask....what did your surgical team tell you about WLS? Do you have a dietician or nutritionist on board? Did they explain ANYTHING to you? I, too, was self-pay, and paid more than you, from what you said you paid. I can't understand where they went "wrong" in letting you believe there would be no work on your part. Maybe you should go back to them and demand they give you the information they obviously have not given you regarding the WHOLE program. You, at least, deserve nutritional counseling.

Well, I called that. You are starting out a MUCH lower weight than so many others! So 18lbs in a month is beyond amazing!!

I do think that many people have very unrealistic expectations (and not a lot of basic nutritional education) about the caloric value of food and the caloric deficit necessary to lose a pound -- or 18 pounds or 100 pounds.
To lose 18 pounds in a month (assuming none of that was "water weight" -- which most of us lose during the pre-op diet) you have to eat a deficit of 3500 calories per pound lost or in the case of 18 pounds that's 63,000 calories fewer than your body needed to maintain its weight.
Put another way, that's a caloric deficit of -2,100 calories a day. Frankly, my dear, that's a caloric deficit that's impossible to achieve by doing Weight Watchers. Bottom line is in losing 18 pounds in a month that's more weight than you "deserved" to lose, looking at it purely from caloric deficit perspective.
You are doing GREAT! Relax. Enjoy it. You're going to lose the weight anyway. And you've got a lot of other tools to develop. Nutritional education, for one.
The ultimate benefit of WLS is not just about how fast you lose -- it's about how the sleeve can help you maintain a weight loss. But you'll still need those other tools (what you eat, eating slower, not drinking with meals, exercising more than we used to, etc.)

LOL! Seriously? You thought you were paying for, what, magic?
FYI, I lost 10.4 pounds after Month One post-op. I'm now at goal (hit it 8-1/2 months post-op). FTR, I did not lose 10.4 pounds in a month via Weight Watchers ... EVER!

I gotta say I'm happy as a clam! I am at almost 6 months out, have lost just about 60lbs, and am close to the 65 percent of the excess weight loss. Pretty good for under a year, without working too hard at it (I just have so much on my plate right now, I'll get to it, I promise!). The surgery met my expectations, and I have to say I am CONTENT. If I lose more, great. If I don't, I am still SO MUCH BETTER OFF than I was, and healthier than I could have ever thought I would be again. So contented, I am competing with my cats (4) for LOUDEST PURR AWARD!!!!

My doc does a 90% sleeve. 90% of my stomach - GONE! wasn't sure how a person can live like this... BUT I DO! And happily too! Looking back, I did the work... take supplements, still focus on Protein, exercise 5x per week, etc and it was really manageable for the first year and 1/2. But now... Now I have to WORK to maintain. (Like everyone else). I put on a few pounds and it's a struggle to get it off again, but it DOES come off when I work at it and force a return to good habits. Definitely NOT easy but so worth it!

No i expected this to be something i had to work with. I watched a tonne if videos and lurked a bit on online forums and general consensus was that this operation was a tool to help you lose weight not a miracle cure. So it has met my expectations.

I didn't think the weight would just fall off. I did my research before choosing to do the surgery and I know the sleeve is just a tool. The rest of it is up to me. I still have to eat properly and exercise in order to succeed.

Nah, I expected it to be hard work, and it is. But not nearly as hard as it would be without the sleeve! I get full now. That didn't used to happen. Or if it did, 20 minutes later I felt empty again. Now I can refill with Crystal Light and I'm good to go for a while. So if you're not already, make sure you get the fluids in. The more the better!

No trouble, thank you for sharing your experience with me. It's all so new, and such a sensitive subject. I guess that I've been so used to criticism, that I tend to overthink things...

good work Alex !

No soda on my diet ever again. Causes to much gas and burping or what have ya. I got fatter and fatter on diet coke over the yrs and the chemicals made me crave more and more food. Regular is and was a no no for me empty calories ton of sugar.

I was sent to wls by 2 of my specialist who I trust with my life in what's best for me. I have over a dozen dxs I deal with chronic pain from SLE, fibro, polymyalgia and hashis to name a few. I did an online submit to this surgeon they called me within a wk..I did all the preop classes went thru all dr required protcol met with surgeon did research my ins was 100% I got my date when I wanted it the month before I had every emotion 2 wks I was scared the 48 hrs before I was thinking all kinds of things. But I did it..35 yrs of yoyo weight and knowing I needed intervention was best..

I saw the article and photos of the woman who had WLS and a friend of hers took those clever before and after pictures that showed her as famous characters from TV and history. It's called 'The Beth Project'.
I also saw comments associated with this article and they were horrible. Alot of 'why not just diet' or 'just do it the right way'. Alot were even worse than that. It made me realize that so many people unknowingly think WLS is some type of cop-out. I didn't understand because my family and friends are so supportive but it seems that the vast majority of people have a very negative attitude about WSL...at least when it comes to comments online. My goodnes...such hatred out there for overweight people. It's very sad.
Check out her pictures by the way. They are really good.

good work Alex !

Well this has certainly been an interesting read
Just my 2 cents worth....
When I had my fairly large babies, I had the option of having and epidural or not during delivery. Heck that made my deliveries so much easier and pleasant. When I asked my mother who was an undiagnosed type 2 diabetic, if she would have gotten epidurals during her deliveries ( she had 9 children and they got larger with each baby, one being 13 lbs, 9 oz delivered "naturally"), she said "of course!" Why go through that without help if it's there?
Same with wls. Why not?

I totally understand the guilt feeling, still dealing with it myself. It doesn't help when people say "oh you don't need surgery, you can do it on your own" and even my Primary Care doctor said "that's extreme, you haven't given traditional dieting a fair chance". Well I have been trying for over 20 years!! Come on people! If I could do it on my own I think I would have by now! I've tried everything, including prescription drugs! I'm not even sure this is gonna work but I gotta try!

At 67 and almost 385, oh how I wish I had taken the "easy way out"!! All these years of weighing almost 300 pounds (at my all time highest now), the pain, emotional and physical, embarrassment, wearing ugly clothes, physical limitations........everything. Even if I had it done 3 years ago when I was 85 pounds lighter. I can't believe I have been losing and gaining hundreds of pounds for so many years.
Take the steps now. It will NOT be easy for ANY of us young or old. It is far from taking the easy way out. It is taking necessary steps to improve and extend your life. DON'T miss out on those precious years that cannot be relived.
Louise

I don't struggle with this feeling because it's not easy.
I somewhat struggle with the possibility that others will perceive this as taking the easy way out, but then I realize that most people that haven't had WLS don't know **** about it and therefore their opinions don't matter.
If it was easy, every overweight person would do it. If it was easy, it would just be "the way." It's not easy. It's a complete lifestyle change FOREVER. It's relearning how to eat and properly treat your body for life. You didn't cheat. You did what you had to do to take your life back. I refuse to take this second chance at living to the fullest for granted.

When I made the decision to have surgery, that was it for me. I wasn't scared, I didn't cheat, I set goals, I was laser focused. It wasn't until I was at the hospital and the nurse had just given me the IV that I broke down. I couldn't believe that I had allowed myself to get this way that I had to have surgery to fix it.
I promised that day no going back and I've maintained that laser focus. Find your moment.

Hi yes I was doing a bit better but I am now feeling sick all the time if I do eat I feel sick if I don't eat I feel sick! I am now doing walking round the local park while my kids scooter and I push my baby boy in his buggy, so I am getting some exercise! I have had a blip where I haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks nearly but I am trying to exercise to help lose some! Another 2 weeks and I can start swimming which is great as my daughters go back to school next week,