alwaysvegas

Fantastic year! I wish the surgery had been available 20 years ago, but I'm so fortunate to have had it now. Pre-diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high blood pressure...all gone! All the life-changes have been so positive that it feels like a new life in many ways.

You'll do fine! Welcome to the Losers' Bench in advance!

Please don't forget that all post-op recovery is just a blip in the radar of our lives. Life without sleep apnea, high cholesterol, diabetes, low-energy, and on and on and on. Recovery is just the start of a fantastic new life. Peace be with you!

When I did my psych evaluation, the therapist did ask me about sexual abuse in my childhood. There is a definite correlation between sexual abuse and obesity. I did not make the connection for many, many years, but I was sexually abused as a child and it had a HUGE impact on my weight throughout the years. I was sexually abused and it really did hurt me and did impact my weight. I really want everyone who was impacted as well to talk about it here. If you were impacted as well...and if you think it will help, please speak up with me.

Being honest during the pysch evaluation is the best thing you can do. You will still get the surgery, but you will also get some additional counseling that will help you be successful with your weight loss it the long term. This is not a bad thing. I chose to resume behavioral therapy post-surgery because I need to deal with stress/anxiety/self-esteem issues. I told the psychologist during my pysch eval and she thought that was a wonderful idea. Embrace the therapy as a tool just like the sleeve. You are helping yourself to be successful and that's a wonderful thing. Best of luck on your journey!

Four months out. No problems with liquids or protein. I just moved to solids and everything is fine. I'm a fast eater, so I do end up sliming once or twice per week, but it's great negative reinforcement. I do love having a definite limit to what I can eat and feeling completely satisfied. I can't imagine ever regretting this wonderful surgery!

Great suggestions! I have sugar free chocolate pudding and chocolate Protein bars on occasion. If you can control yourself and have a few Hershey's Kisses then have some. The sleeve is about helping with moderation, not to stop eating everything you love forever. If you feel you can't have "just a couple" then try and find a low-carb/low-fat substitute that will satisfy your craving.

I've bought so many new clothes because I feel so good about myself. I'm over 25 shirts and at least a dozen pairs of pants. I bought rather cheap clothes on the way 'down' but now that I'm reaching my target zone, I'm buying nicer clothes that will be my ultimate size. Today in fact I bought a new sports coat and I can't believe how slender I look in it! That's not vanity, that's me being proud of myself. There's nothing wrong with both taking pride in my appearance and congratulating myself on my work to attain a healthier me! Lord knows I put myself down enough over the years. Time to turn things around!

I had a ventral hernia repair the year before my VSG and I think the hernia pain was more intense, though even that wasn't too bad. With the hernia patch, I found it much more difficult to get up. I also found the VSG recovery time to be much faster. Although I was not a fan of the catheter. Cursed object! I was sleeved on a Monday, home by Wednesday afternoon, and clothes shopping on Friday! I took it very easy the whole time, no heavy lifting or quick movements, but I found the recovery to be incredibly fast. The VSG really felt like I did waaaay too many situps, which made a dull pain whenever I tried to get up from sitting or lying down. I found that sleeping on a recliner made it much easier to get up.

Mine lasted almost a month, but I had lost quite a bit on the way to surgery, so it didn't phase me too much. I wasn't delighted, but it eventually started coming off again.

Hi @@livanneluv! That's great that you're being so forward-thinking! You have the perfect attitude for being sleeve-successful! Although you don't need to start the Protein shakes, you might try out some different brands to see which one you like. You don't want to end up with dozens of shakes you hate. Even if you don't have to start shakes just yet, making any healthy positive lifestyle changes pre-surgery is a wonderful idea! We have so many lifestyle changes in addition to the sleeve that anything you start working on pre-surgery would be a huge benefit to you post-surgery. Some ideas: start walking daily start going to the gym a few days per week lower caloric intake lower sugar carb intake stop caffeine stop drinking sodas stop eating high-fat foods Best of luck to you!

3-4 oz portions of lean Proteins (generally chicken, egg, tofu, fish) will be your meal goal once you move past liquids. Number of meals will be 3-4 plus two Snacks. Much of what the surgeons/nutritionists do not recommend are foods that have caused problems with people. But it's all about your tolerance. My nutritionist/surgeon advise against pork and beef for 6 months as well as fibrous vegetables like celery, broccoli stalks, etc. The goal will to eat your Protein first, then if there is room low-starch veggies. I find that moist proteins (broth or sauce) go down best and you can make hundreds of variations of the easily-tolerated proteins even on the puree/mushee phase. It's easiest if you know how to cook and use spices/sauces. Almost all pre-packaged foods are garbage. The high-protein/low-carb bars are fine in a pinch, but you're much better off getting protein from natural sources.

Warmest congratulations! You'll be on the loser's bench in no time!

My therapist was wonderful. We talked for about an hour and covered: weight history, successes, failures exercise plans support system sleeve expectations alcohol/drug history relationship with SO and family eating triggers emotional wellness It was a wonderful experience. The therapist runs the bariatric support group twice a month and I always attend. It's very inspirational.

The time length for pre-op and post-op is a blip on the radar of our lives. Once you are done with surgery you are constantly moving back to "normal." Every day will be better!

Any Protein that is a bit dry has the potential to get stuck in Sleeveville and cause some premature filling. As others have said, adding some moisture (broth, yogurt, sauce) to your protein can help it along in the sleeve. If you think of your sleeve as a narrow tube, dry protein will likely get stuck a bit on the way down, whereas a moist protein will likely slide down a bit easier and allow you to eat more. Of course, so soon after surgery and your tube might be very narrow. It will improve with time! Turkey is a definite moisture protein for me. Very small bites and plenty of gravy and we're good. And it all tastes great!

I could easily eat any of the following in one sitting: 1.5 large pizzas a whole chicken 2 Bomb burritos (the almost 1lb ones!) 4 cups of stir fry, especially General Tso. 3 lbs of chicken wings with BBQ sauce 2 packages of mac 'n cheese Taco bell 7-layer burrito, burrito grande, 2 soft taco, and some chips Now...4 ounces of whatever I'm having. And I'm actually enjoying the food more now. And I'm looooovin' it!

Congratulations on the new sleeve and welcome to the loser's bench! When I started working out again, it was more of just getting into the habit of walking and just going to the gym. The goal is not to be sore or winded after every workout. Get into the habit of going first. I started with walking for about 10 minutes in the morning and going to the gym for about 20 minutes four times a week. I started by just doing 20 minutes of cardio at the lower levels and no weights. As I got in the habit of going and started seeing results, I enjoyed working out longer and pushed myself a bit more every month and added weights. But I also did not overdo it because I didn't want to burn out. Now I go 4-5 days a week and do cardio + weights for about one hour total three times a week and cardio only for 45-60 minutes on the days, depending on how I feel. I gave myself a cap of 60 minutes because I'll burn out if I go more than that. Best of luck to you and continued success!

My first stall post-surgery (which started at the infamous week three) lasted almost a month. As long as my weight continues on a downward trajectory, then I'm cool with a stall, but it can be demotivating so soon after surgery. Hang in there and the weight loss will start again!

My progress is on my sig, but don't compare your progress with anyone else's. We all lose at different rates. Your goal is set by you, your surgeon, and your nutritionist. Set many milestones for yourself on your journey and enjoy both the scale victories and non-scale victories. Long-term success is all our ultimate goals. Best of luck!

I remember eating 3 large pizzas in one day. I also used to eat 2 of those 1lb Bomb burritos a couple times per week. I made a vow to begin breaking my food compulsions before surgery. For me, it made such a difference to my post-surgery outlook. I can still feel myself wanting to graze even on the healthier foods, but the compulsion is not nearly as strong as it was when eating the heavily-processed foods before I started changing my lifestyle. I love my sleeve! I do put on my XXL shirts just about every weekend when I'm cleaning the house or just lounging. I love to take a gander at myself in those shirts in the mirror. It's really an inspiration for how much I've accomplished and to remind me not to fall back into old lifestyles. Then I put on a medium shirt when I'm headed to the gym and really pat myself on the back!

Yes, I was approved for Insure Nutrition before surgery. Insure Nutrition will send a form to your surgeon's office for your doctor sign. I received my first case of drinks, Vitamins, and scar cream about a week before surgery. I believe I submitted the form to Insure Nutrition about 3 weeks to a month before surgery. Just call/email their office and they'll let you know.

Congratulations on your success! It looks like you need to spice things up with different sauces and spices! You can eat similar foods with different spices and have completely different meals. For example: Cottage cheese + italian seasonings + garlic powder Cottage cheese + Herbes de provence + tarragon Cottage cheese + cumin + cilantro chicken + italian seasonings + garlic + alfredo sauce Chicken + soy sauce + ginger + cilantro + PB2 + coconut milk Chicken + low fat cheddar + low carb BBQ sauce Chicken + cumin + chilid powder + cilantro + hot sauce + low fat cheddar + low fat sour cream eggs + tarragon + feta eggs + cumin + chili powder + low fat cheddar + salsa eggs + garlic powder + cottage cheese + pepper I find that low carb recipes tend to work really well with the sleeve. Just keep the fat moderate along with the carbs. Sites like lowcarbfriends.com provide many great recipes that you can easily tweek for the sleeve. Also check out bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com for more great recipe ideas! Best of luck to you!

I did Atkins for about 7 years and was quite successful at it with exercise. Obviously, I stopped and gained back the weight and then some. However, I never forgot how my carb cravings were curbed by Atkins and a low-carb lifestyle. I started eating low carb and lower calories pre-surgery and my nutritionist advises lower-carb, lower-fat, high-Protein post surgery. It seems nutritionists are looking more closely at glycemic impact/index now than Atkins. For example, certain legumes like lentils and black Beans are recommended because they're higher in protein and the carbs are lower glycemically so they don't impact insulin as, say, a potato or carrots would. I've found I can eat these lower glycemic index foods and not get into carb cravings later on. Yes, you could still binge eat, but in smaller quantities. However, if you wanted to eat a bag of Cookies, you likely could over the course of a day or maybe sooner. If you are still having binge feelings you need to talk to a bariatric counselor or a therapist. The sleeve will only help with physical hunger and portion control. We have to work on our heads. I highly recommend that you attend a bariatric support group with others who have had weight loss surgery. I find it incredibly helpful to discuss my journey and to hear others' journeys, good and bad. Best of luck to you!

Thanks @@BeagleLover! I wish that I had not let my health decline as far as it had. But no more regrets now! I love being on the right track and am trying to maintain that mindset.