Lucky03

Sept 9th and looking forward to a new start!

Sept 9th and looking forward to a new start!

I'm 10 months post op. Chest weight training is your friend in the Moob fight (Lift heavy) 2-3 Times a week to build the pectoral muscles especially incline bench press barbell and Dumbbell.

Can't stress enough...bench press! Incline/decline...it works! Moob-free for 8 months!

Posted this in the general forum, but, was mainly getting responses from women. Wondered what your guys' take was? Thanks:
I am 31 years old and have basically done whatever I wanted (within reason) whenever I wanted since mid-college. I'm self-employed in the financial industry so I have been able to take off on a vacation, golf, or whatever reasonably easy (since I didn't have to ask my employer first.) This do whatever, whenever mentality is partly why I'm in the shape I'm in, I love to eat... and eat good.

One of the things that I'm most worried about is the possibility that I won't be able to drink carbonated beverages such as beer or alcohol in general after surgery. I'm not an alcoholic by any means, but, I have a lot of fun. And drinking on the golf course or during a cocktail hour in business settings has been a big part of my life over the past 10 years. Not to mention, most of my friends like to kick back and drink on the weekends.

I'm confused because I have read many things that a lot of folks aren't able to handle alcohol or drink carbonated beverages at all... Yet, I have a good friend who had the surgery and in some ways, I wouldn't hardly notice a difference in his eating/drinking unless he had told me. He still drinks a few beers, drinks a ton of wine, and some mixes and seems to be fine. The main area I can see a difference is that he seems to get drunker quicker.

What are your experiences? What is the norm? Is it just that this surgery affects everyone differently? I mean, I am obviously willing to give up some of this for my health for my family... But, I'm just trying to figure out what to expect. Any input is appreciated. Oh, and my surgery is scheduled for this coming Monday. Thanks.

I did not have any alcohol until I was back on regular food which was about 2 months post op.
Now I do have an occasional drink but I have had to change my ways a little. Beer I have to drink really slow because of the bubbles and once it gets warm I am pretty much done so I don't drink beer too often. I can handle mixed drinks just fine but I stay away from the sugar heavy mixers. I do not have any issues with a vodka tonic although I do drink a little slower so I don't get too buzzed and so I don't have any issues with the carbonation.
One odd thing I have noticed is that when it comes to wine I am ok with white but some red wine will make me nauseous almost to the point of throwing up so I have been avoiding red wine. You may notice your tastes changing after surgery also.
My advice is to just lay off the alcohol for a little while after surgery to give your stomach time to heal and then slowly reintroduce it back into your life but as everyone else has mentioned your tolerance will change so be aware of that.
One last thing, even though I have had to change my drinking habits no one has really even noticed. On the weekends after softball games the team always heads to the bar that sponsors our team. I can still hang out with the boys and enjoy myself just like I always did!!

Surgery tomorrow at 730!

Hi, I'm Jerry and I'm scheduled for my VSG a week from today, on September 9th!
I was originally scheduled to get sleeved last year in December, but my insurance at the time (UHC) denied me because, as I say, "I wasn't fat enough for long enough". The policy my employer had through them had a special clause that required I have a BMI over 40 documented for 5 years -- and, unfortunately I had dropped below that 4 years ago during a doctor visit (it was like 39.8 at that time). Luckily, I changed jobs later in December and my new insurance, Aetna, is covering it without a problem.
Frankly, the timing worked out great -- had I done the surgery last year, I would have been starting the new job almost immediately after the 2 week recovery. Also, as it turned out, my brother passed away the morning I would have been scheduled for surgery, so it was all meant to be.
I've got that combination of being a bit nervous, but also very excited. I think my nervousness is more about the recovery time, I want to get back to my regular schedule ASAP.
My journey into this has taken many years. My brother had bypass surgery in 2002 and had an amazing weight loss -- he was over 450lbs, and lost about 180lbs the first year. Although I wasn't that big (I was taller, and was at 325 at the time), I knew I had to do something, but I went with serious diet and exercise at the time. That transition did get me into the healthy habit of regular exercise, which I continue to this day. However, not changing my eating pattern has caught up with me. I'm now back where I was in 2002, even though I exercise 6 days a week. My body has adapted, and I don't put out the effort I did back when I started. I also used the fact that I exercise so much as an excuse to overeat, and to tell myself I need more than anyone else my size. My doctor encouraged me to look at this as an option for the past 3 or 4 years, seeing that I had the exercise part down, but was gradually gaining weight and developing co-morbidities that come with the territory. Last year, I finally came to the conclusion that I needed the help that the surgery could offer me and decided to go for it. I know that the sleeve will get me back into a healthy eating pattern, so for that I'm excited and hopeful!
Jerry
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