JamieLogical

This past weekend I bought my first pair of size 12 jeans since I was in college. I'm pretty close to goal now (6 pounds to go), so I doubt I'll be getting down to a size 10. But then I see people who are still over 200 pounds fitting into size 10s. So I was thinking about how different body shapes and heights really affect clothing sizes. I've been in a size 10 dress since I was over 180, but even at 170 I'm only just NOW fitting into size 12 jeans. I carry so much of my weight in my hips and thighs! So for the sake of curiosity, please post your stats and what size pants you are wearing now. If you have photos, that's even better! My most recent gallery pics are unfortunately pretty outdated. I think I was 185 and wearing size 16 jeans in those pics. Weight: 170.2 Height: 5'6" Jeans: Size 12

Yeah, it's usually a good 40 minutes for me if I eat a full meal. I can usually drink a little sooner if I've only eaten a smaller snack. I think the real key is to not eat and drink at the same time. That's when you really get into trouble with flushing food through your stomach too quickly and not feeling full as long.

Where are you in the process?

In the early weeks, it's important to just eat on a timer. Your stomach is still healing, so you won't be getting proper "full" or "hunger" feelings. Measure your food and eat on a timer to make sure you are getting in what you need.

Congrats! That's a huge milestone!

2 hours? How are you possibly supposed to get all your Water in like that? My nutritionist told me 5 minutes before and 20 minutes after, but in reality, I can rarely ever drink sooner than about 40 minutes after, because I still feel too full from my food. Edit: seriously.... let's do the math on this. Say you eat 5 times a day: three meals and two Snacks, that's 12.5 hours a day that you aren't allowed to be drinking (not even counting the time it takes you to actually EAT). If you are awake for 16 hours a day, that only leaves 3.5 hours to get in your minimum of 64 ounces of water. That means drinking over 18 ounces per hour during the times you are allowed to drink. It was WEEKS post-op before I could get in more than 1 ounce in 15 minutes! Even now, 11 months post-op, it's pushing it for me to drink 8 ounces in a half hour....

Yeah, I know someone who had surgery with the same surgeon as me and had the same nutritionist and was told 65 grams of protein, but by the time I had MY surgery, they were saying 100 grams. I think it's definitely best to aim high. I usually get 85-100 grams of protein per day no problem and haven't had any hair loss beyond month 5. Of course, there are so many other things that could be a factor in that as well....

What does getting WLS have to do with losing muscle mass? Everyone I've ever seen/talked to has been instructed by their surgeon and medical team to increase exercise post-op. As long as you are exercising and not JUST relying on the eating restriction to lose weight, you will retain muscle while losing fat. My body fat percentage went from almost 50% to under 25% and I still weigh over 170 pounds (I'm 5'6").

I was severely fatigued the first several weeks after my sleeve. There wasn't really a lot I *could* do about it, other than get a lot of rest after work. Things really turned around for my once I was allowed solid foods and I was able to get in more calories each day. In those early weeks, I was lucky to be getting maybe 400 calories a day. Once I was closer to 800 calories a day, I felt human again.

You should definitely just weigh/measure out your food and eat on a timer in these early weeks. It can take a while for your nerves and swelling to heal after the surgery and for you to get proper "full" signals.

My nutritionist has been great! She checked in on me a lot in the early weeks/months and has followed up with me at least every three months. She gave me very thorough information about my pre and post-op diets. She answered all of my questions very promptly. Just about a month ago (so 10 months out), I emailed her because the formula of my Multivitamin had changed somewhat and asked if there was anything I needed to do differently because of that and she got back to me within a couple of hours... this was on a Sunday night! I would say of everyone involved in my surgery, she is the one that has been the most helpful and useful through this whole process. I only met and talked with my surgeon the day of my surgery, but I have had a LOT of correspondence with my nutritionist. If I had one complaint, it would be that she never gave me calorie goals, only Protein goals.

Hope all goes well!

@@travel_lightly Glad to hear you are doing better. It's a huge period of adjustment post-op and the early months are a lot of trial and error. It sounds like you are finding your path and learning how to live your new life. Keep on truckin'! You are going to have ups and downs. Even months out from surgery when you have really found your groove, things are going to happen in life that throw you a curve ball and you may not deal with them in the best way possible. The key is to look at the big picture and move on from any mistakes. Don't let poor choices one day serve as an excuse to make poor choices the next. Don't let yourself fall into destructive patterns. But, do forgive yourself and move on.

That is 100% up to YOUR surgeon/nutritionist. Every program has a different plan, so no one here can give you an answer.

Glad to hear all went well! Hang tough these next few days/weeks. There will be some pretty low lows, but it will be worth it in the end!

Most surgeons will take the time to talk to you directly if you so desire. I personally didn't talk to my surgeon directly until the day of my surgery. I mostly spoke to my nutritionist and the cardiologist (who I was directed to talk to with any questions about medications pre and post-op). Size of the bougie is actually pretty irrelevant when it comes to the success of the patient, but if that is something that is important to you, you have EVERY right to as and receive an answer before proceeding. You should definitely ask any questions that will help put your mind at ease and make you more confident in your decision!

This came up in another thread and I've been meaning to post about it. Wasn't really sure where to post it, but here seemed as good as anywhere. So, I'm pretty skinny now. I had a Tummy Tuck a few years back, but I'm lighter than I was then, plus by the time the swelling from the surgery had gone down, I had packed on more pounds. So this is definitely the skinniest I've been with a flat stomach. I have visible bloating in my lower abdomen from time-to-time now and it's something I've never had to deal with before. I assume I probably did get bloated when I was fat, but I was so big, it wasn't visible. Now I feel like it's an issue I probably need to address and come up with some remedies for. Any recommendations?

Glad to hear it! Self-pay can be daunting, but there are affordable options if you keep an open mind and it is definitely worth the long-term investment in your health and happiness!

Something that's pretty disturbing to me now that I'm so thin is that I can visibly SEE when I am bloated. Like I can see my lower abdomen protruding. This always happens when I'm backed up and haven't had a BM in a couple of days. And I agree with you, it always seems to correlate with a stall on the scale.

I didn't qualify through my insurance, because I didn't have a five year documented history of a BMI over 35. However, my situation was different from yours. I didn't have a gap in my documentation, I had lost 90 pounds "on my own" in 2010/2011 and gained 80 of it back by July of last year. So even though I was back over a BMI of 40, my BMI had been well below 35 for a big chunk of the previous 5 years. I really felt like my insurance company was punishing me for at LEAST trying to lose the weight on my own before resorting to surgery! My options were to stay fat for 3-4 more years so I had the 5-year documented history or self-pay. I chose to self-pay and spend those 3-4 years as the fit and healthy person I am now!

I'd suggest posting this in the Mexico & Self-Pay Gastric Sleeve Surgery forum here. BariatricPal is actually affiliated with several surgeons in Mexico, so I am sure you will get a response from their coordinator, at the very least. I had my sleeve in Mexico, but I was not a revision, so I am not sure if the process would be any different for you than it was for me. One thing you will need, if you don't have it already, is a passport or passport card for crossing the border.

I paid with a cashier's check. I'd be surprised if any surgeon wouldn't take that as a payment option, since it's as good as cash. I was required to scan and email a copy of the check in advance of my surgery though, so they would actually pick me up from the airport and transfer me to the hotel and clinic. I guess that's understandable. They want to be sure you are legit going to show up and pay before sending someone across the border to fetch you.

There are actually some studies and schools of thought about performing VSG on teenagers as a preventative measure. It's been a while since I read up on it, but there does at least seem to be some medical rationale for it. But, like with most research and studies, people have varying opinions. Edit: a quick Google search on "sleeve gastrectomy on teenagers" turned up quite a few links to studies and articles about the debate.

My suspicion would be that if you haven't been to a PCP in that long, there might be some extra steps for you that will prolong the process. Most insurers seem to require documentation of weight history and weight loss attempts in the past. Otherwise you might be required to jump through more hoops and complete some supervised diet program before proceeding.

You are only a month and a half out. The pounds drop FAST in the early months. Eventually it will slow down and as long as he keeps working, he can catch up to you. I don't think he can truly believe that you took the easy way out after seeing what you've been through during this process. And when you get to the point where you are killing yourself to lose half a pound a week the same way he is, he will see that it is no "easier" for you than it is for him.