Luana526

Finally! Now I feel comfortable venting because I know there are others out there like me!
When I went to the informational meeting back in July, there were five or six people in front of the room speaking about their experiences. They were at various stages of post-op and all had either lap band, sleeve, or bypass. They were all deliriously happy--almost like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" happy. As people were asking questions, I raised my hand and explained that I have two good friends who have had gastric bypass and I had just finished a "girls weekend" with the both of them and for two days I watched them pushing food away, most of the time in disgust. I said, "I want the surgery and I want to be successful, but I don't want to loathe food." Oh, you won't, you won't, I was assured.
Today I am six weeks post-op and I have lost 31.5 pounds, including the 14 pounds pre-op. When I was on liquids, I actually had an appetite. I was a little scared because I had read a lot on here of people saying their appetites disappeared. Well, fast forward to where I am now and I find myself repulsed by virtually all foods. And I didn't want this! Everybody made it sound like "you just won't be able to eat as much." There are the usual "suck it up" and "this is what you signed up for" responses on here, but that doesn't help because this isn't what I signed up for. I specifically asked the group of people during the informational meeting if loathing food was going to be a possibility. I didn't weigh 218 pounds because I simply loved food. I weighed 218 pounds because I ate too much of the wrong foods coupled with very little exercise.
Furthermore, it would have been nice if someone had been honest about what that "full" feeling really feels like. It's not a "Thanksgiving full/satisfied" kind of feeling. It's something totally foreign (very hard to describe) and very unpleasant. Not because I'm eating too fast or too much or not chewing enough. It's just being at that stomach capacity and feeling even more repulsed by food. I'm actually shocked my weight isn't coming off faster because there are days I'm lucky to take in 700 calories.
I asked several people who had already had the surgery, "Am I going to go into a restaurant and look like a freak because I can't eat?" Noooooo, I was told. So last week my husband and I went out to a very fancy restaurant (no kids was the best part!) for our anniversary and he ordered baked clams as an appetizer and I had not even a whole one. When my salmon came, all I could get down was a tiny forkful. The waiter came up to me twice to ask if everything was okay and I finally said, "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Could you just wrap it?" So he did that and I spent the rest of the time watching my husband eat. I never went crazy in restaurants (almost always brought a doggie bag home--I'm more of a grazer) but I sat there thinking, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lesson learned: don't take a bite of anything if you want to even remotely enjoy your dinner.
Two days before my surgery I sat down for a few hours with a friend who was 10 months post-op from the sleeve (and looks fantastic, by the way) and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to a friend's house for Pasta dinner that night and he was going to bring a Protein bar and have that. I said, "Can't you just eat a meatball??" I wouldn't like that kind of attention drawn to myself but apparently it doesn't bother some people.
My best friend is one of the bypass gals I had the girls weekend with and she said, "You'll find that you're just satisified with a lot less." I told her the other day that I would not use "satisfied" as a word to describe what I feel when I'm done eating. When a waiter has to box up my entire dinner so I can eat a tiny portion of it the next day . . . well, "satisfying" doesn't jump out at me. It was more frustrating than anything.
All in all, I am happy I had the surgery and I love losing the weight and knowing I'm never going to see those numbers again on the scale. But I don't feel that anybody prepared me for the downside of any of this. A few people said their tastes changed dramatically and I hate, hate, hate the fact that I can't sit down and enjoy my morning coffee any longer. It has no attraction to me whatsoever. You might as well put a cup of urine in front of me. I tried a sip of wine the other day and it had even less attraction to me, and I used to enjoy a glass with my husband after the kids went to bed. It's not going to kill me not to have wine, but I didn't want it to repulse me the way it does. And I'm sad that I can't sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone. "Hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee" just doesn't give me a tingle any more, and I miss that. I now know that post-op means you will be a very different person afterwards in so many ways and since I'm only six weeks post-op, this is just going to take time and getting used to. There are a lot of changes to deal with. Not the least is which that I'm not used to spending this much time eating! It takes me over an hour to eat a Protein bar!
Right now I can barely get anything down, and that unfortunately includes the chewable Vitamins. Anything remotely sweet makes me want to gag. I am seeing the doctor next week and we're going to have to put our heads together to come up with a plan because I need an alternative to those disgusting Vitamins. And don't even get me started on how nauseating the shakes are! I manage to make my own shakes with fresh fruit and a scoop of unflavored protein in the blender, but the chocolate and vanilla shakes--so done with those. Oh, and here's something I never expected: I cannot--absolutely cannot--drink plain Water. Must, must, must be flavored with something. Plain Water disgusts me.
Whew! So glad I could vent. Please save your breath with the "you signed up for this" because nobody--nobody --was honest enough to tell a lot of what I'm feeling (including all the psych visits I had before surgery), and I'm obviously not alone. While I still would have had the surgery and technically have no regrets, I would have preferred to be a little more prepared for all these new (and sometimes unpleasant) feelings.
As with anything, it boils down to how badly you want the rewards. There are plenty, but there are sacrifices, most of which probably just take getting used to. Someone recently asked me about the whole experience and I said I'm very happy to be losing weight and glad I did it but the whole process, in my opinion, is not for the fainthearted.

Finally! Now I feel comfortable venting because I know there are others out there like me!
When I went to the informational meeting back in July, there were five or six people in front of the room speaking about their experiences. They were at various stages of post-op and all had either lap band, sleeve, or bypass. They were all deliriously happy--almost like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" happy. As people were asking questions, I raised my hand and explained that I have two good friends who have had gastric bypass and I had just finished a "girls weekend" with the both of them and for two days I watched them pushing food away, most of the time in disgust. I said, "I want the surgery and I want to be successful, but I don't want to loathe food." Oh, you won't, you won't, I was assured.
Today I am six weeks post-op and I have lost 31.5 pounds, including the 14 pounds pre-op. When I was on liquids, I actually had an appetite. I was a little scared because I had read a lot on here of people saying their appetites disappeared. Well, fast forward to where I am now and I find myself repulsed by virtually all foods. And I didn't want this! Everybody made it sound like "you just won't be able to eat as much." There are the usual "suck it up" and "this is what you signed up for" responses on here, but that doesn't help because this isn't what I signed up for. I specifically asked the group of people during the informational meeting if loathing food was going to be a possibility. I didn't weigh 218 pounds because I simply loved food. I weighed 218 pounds because I ate too much of the wrong foods coupled with very little exercise.
Furthermore, it would have been nice if someone had been honest about what that "full" feeling really feels like. It's not a "Thanksgiving full/satisfied" kind of feeling. It's something totally foreign (very hard to describe) and very unpleasant. Not because I'm eating too fast or too much or not chewing enough. It's just being at that stomach capacity and feeling even more repulsed by food. I'm actually shocked my weight isn't coming off faster because there are days I'm lucky to take in 700 calories.
I asked several people who had already had the surgery, "Am I going to go into a restaurant and look like a freak because I can't eat?" Noooooo, I was told. So last week my husband and I went out to a very fancy restaurant (no kids was the best part!) for our anniversary and he ordered baked clams as an appetizer and I had not even a whole one. When my salmon came, all I could get down was a tiny forkful. The waiter came up to me twice to ask if everything was okay and I finally said, "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Could you just wrap it?" So he did that and I spent the rest of the time watching my husband eat. I never went crazy in restaurants (almost always brought a doggie bag home--I'm more of a grazer) but I sat there thinking, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lesson learned: don't take a bite of anything if you want to even remotely enjoy your dinner.
Two days before my surgery I sat down for a few hours with a friend who was 10 months post-op from the sleeve (and looks fantastic, by the way) and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to a friend's house for Pasta dinner that night and he was going to bring a Protein bar and have that. I said, "Can't you just eat a meatball??" I wouldn't like that kind of attention drawn to myself but apparently it doesn't bother some people.
My best friend is one of the bypass gals I had the girls weekend with and she said, "You'll find that you're just satisified with a lot less." I told her the other day that I would not use "satisfied" as a word to describe what I feel when I'm done eating. When a waiter has to box up my entire dinner so I can eat a tiny portion of it the next day . . . well, "satisfying" doesn't jump out at me. It was more frustrating than anything.
All in all, I am happy I had the surgery and I love losing the weight and knowing I'm never going to see those numbers again on the scale. But I don't feel that anybody prepared me for the downside of any of this. A few people said their tastes changed dramatically and I hate, hate, hate the fact that I can't sit down and enjoy my morning coffee any longer. It has no attraction to me whatsoever. You might as well put a cup of urine in front of me. I tried a sip of wine the other day and it had even less attraction to me, and I used to enjoy a glass with my husband after the kids went to bed. It's not going to kill me not to have wine, but I didn't want it to repulse me the way it does. And I'm sad that I can't sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone. "Hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee" just doesn't give me a tingle any more, and I miss that. I now know that post-op means you will be a very different person afterwards in so many ways and since I'm only six weeks post-op, this is just going to take time and getting used to. There are a lot of changes to deal with. Not the least is which that I'm not used to spending this much time eating! It takes me over an hour to eat a Protein bar!
Right now I can barely get anything down, and that unfortunately includes the chewable Vitamins. Anything remotely sweet makes me want to gag. I am seeing the doctor next week and we're going to have to put our heads together to come up with a plan because I need an alternative to those disgusting Vitamins. And don't even get me started on how nauseating the shakes are! I manage to make my own shakes with fresh fruit and a scoop of unflavored protein in the blender, but the chocolate and vanilla shakes--so done with those. Oh, and here's something I never expected: I cannot--absolutely cannot--drink plain Water. Must, must, must be flavored with something. Plain Water disgusts me.
Whew! So glad I could vent. Please save your breath with the "you signed up for this" because nobody--nobody --was honest enough to tell a lot of what I'm feeling (including all the psych visits I had before surgery), and I'm obviously not alone. While I still would have had the surgery and technically have no regrets, I would have preferred to be a little more prepared for all these new (and sometimes unpleasant) feelings.
As with anything, it boils down to how badly you want the rewards. There are plenty, but there are sacrifices, most of which probably just take getting used to. Someone recently asked me about the whole experience and I said I'm very happy to be losing weight and glad I did it but the whole process, in my opinion, is not for the fainthearted.

Finally! Now I feel comfortable venting because I know there are others out there like me!
When I went to the informational meeting back in July, there were five or six people in front of the room speaking about their experiences. They were at various stages of post-op and all had either lap band, sleeve, or bypass. They were all deliriously happy--almost like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" happy. As people were asking questions, I raised my hand and explained that I have two good friends who have had gastric bypass and I had just finished a "girls weekend" with the both of them and for two days I watched them pushing food away, most of the time in disgust. I said, "I want the surgery and I want to be successful, but I don't want to loathe food." Oh, you won't, you won't, I was assured.
Today I am six weeks post-op and I have lost 31.5 pounds, including the 14 pounds pre-op. When I was on liquids, I actually had an appetite. I was a little scared because I had read a lot on here of people saying their appetites disappeared. Well, fast forward to where I am now and I find myself repulsed by virtually all foods. And I didn't want this! Everybody made it sound like "you just won't be able to eat as much." There are the usual "suck it up" and "this is what you signed up for" responses on here, but that doesn't help because this isn't what I signed up for. I specifically asked the group of people during the informational meeting if loathing food was going to be a possibility. I didn't weigh 218 pounds because I simply loved food. I weighed 218 pounds because I ate too much of the wrong foods coupled with very little exercise.
Furthermore, it would have been nice if someone had been honest about what that "full" feeling really feels like. It's not a "Thanksgiving full/satisfied" kind of feeling. It's something totally foreign (very hard to describe) and very unpleasant. Not because I'm eating too fast or too much or not chewing enough. It's just being at that stomach capacity and feeling even more repulsed by food. I'm actually shocked my weight isn't coming off faster because there are days I'm lucky to take in 700 calories.
I asked several people who had already had the surgery, "Am I going to go into a restaurant and look like a freak because I can't eat?" Noooooo, I was told. So last week my husband and I went out to a very fancy restaurant (no kids was the best part!) for our anniversary and he ordered baked clams as an appetizer and I had not even a whole one. When my salmon came, all I could get down was a tiny forkful. The waiter came up to me twice to ask if everything was okay and I finally said, "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Could you just wrap it?" So he did that and I spent the rest of the time watching my husband eat. I never went crazy in restaurants (almost always brought a doggie bag home--I'm more of a grazer) but I sat there thinking, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lesson learned: don't take a bite of anything if you want to even remotely enjoy your dinner.
Two days before my surgery I sat down for a few hours with a friend who was 10 months post-op from the sleeve (and looks fantastic, by the way) and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to a friend's house for Pasta dinner that night and he was going to bring a Protein bar and have that. I said, "Can't you just eat a meatball??" I wouldn't like that kind of attention drawn to myself but apparently it doesn't bother some people.
My best friend is one of the bypass gals I had the girls weekend with and she said, "You'll find that you're just satisified with a lot less." I told her the other day that I would not use "satisfied" as a word to describe what I feel when I'm done eating. When a waiter has to box up my entire dinner so I can eat a tiny portion of it the next day . . . well, "satisfying" doesn't jump out at me. It was more frustrating than anything.
All in all, I am happy I had the surgery and I love losing the weight and knowing I'm never going to see those numbers again on the scale. But I don't feel that anybody prepared me for the downside of any of this. A few people said their tastes changed dramatically and I hate, hate, hate the fact that I can't sit down and enjoy my morning coffee any longer. It has no attraction to me whatsoever. You might as well put a cup of urine in front of me. I tried a sip of wine the other day and it had even less attraction to me, and I used to enjoy a glass with my husband after the kids went to bed. It's not going to kill me not to have wine, but I didn't want it to repulse me the way it does. And I'm sad that I can't sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone. "Hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee" just doesn't give me a tingle any more, and I miss that. I now know that post-op means you will be a very different person afterwards in so many ways and since I'm only six weeks post-op, this is just going to take time and getting used to. There are a lot of changes to deal with. Not the least is which that I'm not used to spending this much time eating! It takes me over an hour to eat a Protein bar!
Right now I can barely get anything down, and that unfortunately includes the chewable Vitamins. Anything remotely sweet makes me want to gag. I am seeing the doctor next week and we're going to have to put our heads together to come up with a plan because I need an alternative to those disgusting Vitamins. And don't even get me started on how nauseating the shakes are! I manage to make my own shakes with fresh fruit and a scoop of unflavored protein in the blender, but the chocolate and vanilla shakes--so done with those. Oh, and here's something I never expected: I cannot--absolutely cannot--drink plain Water. Must, must, must be flavored with something. Plain Water disgusts me.
Whew! So glad I could vent. Please save your breath with the "you signed up for this" because nobody--nobody --was honest enough to tell a lot of what I'm feeling (including all the psych visits I had before surgery), and I'm obviously not alone. While I still would have had the surgery and technically have no regrets, I would have preferred to be a little more prepared for all these new (and sometimes unpleasant) feelings.
As with anything, it boils down to how badly you want the rewards. There are plenty, but there are sacrifices, most of which probably just take getting used to. Someone recently asked me about the whole experience and I said I'm very happy to be losing weight and glad I did it but the whole process, in my opinion, is not for the fainthearted.

Finally! Now I feel comfortable venting because I know there are others out there like me!
When I went to the informational meeting back in July, there were five or six people in front of the room speaking about their experiences. They were at various stages of post-op and all had either lap band, sleeve, or bypass. They were all deliriously happy--almost like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" happy. As people were asking questions, I raised my hand and explained that I have two good friends who have had gastric bypass and I had just finished a "girls weekend" with the both of them and for two days I watched them pushing food away, most of the time in disgust. I said, "I want the surgery and I want to be successful, but I don't want to loathe food." Oh, you won't, you won't, I was assured.
Today I am six weeks post-op and I have lost 31.5 pounds, including the 14 pounds pre-op. When I was on liquids, I actually had an appetite. I was a little scared because I had read a lot on here of people saying their appetites disappeared. Well, fast forward to where I am now and I find myself repulsed by virtually all foods. And I didn't want this! Everybody made it sound like "you just won't be able to eat as much." There are the usual "suck it up" and "this is what you signed up for" responses on here, but that doesn't help because this isn't what I signed up for. I specifically asked the group of people during the informational meeting if loathing food was going to be a possibility. I didn't weigh 218 pounds because I simply loved food. I weighed 218 pounds because I ate too much of the wrong foods coupled with very little exercise.
Furthermore, it would have been nice if someone had been honest about what that "full" feeling really feels like. It's not a "Thanksgiving full/satisfied" kind of feeling. It's something totally foreign (very hard to describe) and very unpleasant. Not because I'm eating too fast or too much or not chewing enough. It's just being at that stomach capacity and feeling even more repulsed by food. I'm actually shocked my weight isn't coming off faster because there are days I'm lucky to take in 700 calories.
I asked several people who had already had the surgery, "Am I going to go into a restaurant and look like a freak because I can't eat?" Noooooo, I was told. So last week my husband and I went out to a very fancy restaurant (no kids was the best part!) for our anniversary and he ordered baked clams as an appetizer and I had not even a whole one. When my salmon came, all I could get down was a tiny forkful. The waiter came up to me twice to ask if everything was okay and I finally said, "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Could you just wrap it?" So he did that and I spent the rest of the time watching my husband eat. I never went crazy in restaurants (almost always brought a doggie bag home--I'm more of a grazer) but I sat there thinking, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lesson learned: don't take a bite of anything if you want to even remotely enjoy your dinner.
Two days before my surgery I sat down for a few hours with a friend who was 10 months post-op from the sleeve (and looks fantastic, by the way) and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to a friend's house for Pasta dinner that night and he was going to bring a Protein bar and have that. I said, "Can't you just eat a meatball??" I wouldn't like that kind of attention drawn to myself but apparently it doesn't bother some people.
My best friend is one of the bypass gals I had the girls weekend with and she said, "You'll find that you're just satisified with a lot less." I told her the other day that I would not use "satisfied" as a word to describe what I feel when I'm done eating. When a waiter has to box up my entire dinner so I can eat a tiny portion of it the next day . . . well, "satisfying" doesn't jump out at me. It was more frustrating than anything.
All in all, I am happy I had the surgery and I love losing the weight and knowing I'm never going to see those numbers again on the scale. But I don't feel that anybody prepared me for the downside of any of this. A few people said their tastes changed dramatically and I hate, hate, hate the fact that I can't sit down and enjoy my morning coffee any longer. It has no attraction to me whatsoever. You might as well put a cup of urine in front of me. I tried a sip of wine the other day and it had even less attraction to me, and I used to enjoy a glass with my husband after the kids went to bed. It's not going to kill me not to have wine, but I didn't want it to repulse me the way it does. And I'm sad that I can't sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone. "Hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee" just doesn't give me a tingle any more, and I miss that. I now know that post-op means you will be a very different person afterwards in so many ways and since I'm only six weeks post-op, this is just going to take time and getting used to. There are a lot of changes to deal with. Not the least is which that I'm not used to spending this much time eating! It takes me over an hour to eat a Protein bar!
Right now I can barely get anything down, and that unfortunately includes the chewable Vitamins. Anything remotely sweet makes me want to gag. I am seeing the doctor next week and we're going to have to put our heads together to come up with a plan because I need an alternative to those disgusting Vitamins. And don't even get me started on how nauseating the shakes are! I manage to make my own shakes with fresh fruit and a scoop of unflavored protein in the blender, but the chocolate and vanilla shakes--so done with those. Oh, and here's something I never expected: I cannot--absolutely cannot--drink plain Water. Must, must, must be flavored with something. Plain Water disgusts me.
Whew! So glad I could vent. Please save your breath with the "you signed up for this" because nobody--nobody --was honest enough to tell a lot of what I'm feeling (including all the psych visits I had before surgery), and I'm obviously not alone. While I still would have had the surgery and technically have no regrets, I would have preferred to be a little more prepared for all these new (and sometimes unpleasant) feelings.
As with anything, it boils down to how badly you want the rewards. There are plenty, but there are sacrifices, most of which probably just take getting used to. Someone recently asked me about the whole experience and I said I'm very happy to be losing weight and glad I did it but the whole process, in my opinion, is not for the fainthearted.

Finally! Now I feel comfortable venting because I know there are others out there like me!
When I went to the informational meeting back in July, there were five or six people in front of the room speaking about their experiences. They were at various stages of post-op and all had either lap band, sleeve, or bypass. They were all deliriously happy--almost like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" happy. As people were asking questions, I raised my hand and explained that I have two good friends who have had gastric bypass and I had just finished a "girls weekend" with the both of them and for two days I watched them pushing food away, most of the time in disgust. I said, "I want the surgery and I want to be successful, but I don't want to loathe food." Oh, you won't, you won't, I was assured.
Today I am six weeks post-op and I have lost 31.5 pounds, including the 14 pounds pre-op. When I was on liquids, I actually had an appetite. I was a little scared because I had read a lot on here of people saying their appetites disappeared. Well, fast forward to where I am now and I find myself repulsed by virtually all foods. And I didn't want this! Everybody made it sound like "you just won't be able to eat as much." There are the usual "suck it up" and "this is what you signed up for" responses on here, but that doesn't help because this isn't what I signed up for. I specifically asked the group of people during the informational meeting if loathing food was going to be a possibility. I didn't weigh 218 pounds because I simply loved food. I weighed 218 pounds because I ate too much of the wrong foods coupled with very little exercise.
Furthermore, it would have been nice if someone had been honest about what that "full" feeling really feels like. It's not a "Thanksgiving full/satisfied" kind of feeling. It's something totally foreign (very hard to describe) and very unpleasant. Not because I'm eating too fast or too much or not chewing enough. It's just being at that stomach capacity and feeling even more repulsed by food. I'm actually shocked my weight isn't coming off faster because there are days I'm lucky to take in 700 calories.
I asked several people who had already had the surgery, "Am I going to go into a restaurant and look like a freak because I can't eat?" Noooooo, I was told. So last week my husband and I went out to a very fancy restaurant (no kids was the best part!) for our anniversary and he ordered baked clams as an appetizer and I had not even a whole one. When my salmon came, all I could get down was a tiny forkful. The waiter came up to me twice to ask if everything was okay and I finally said, "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Could you just wrap it?" So he did that and I spent the rest of the time watching my husband eat. I never went crazy in restaurants (almost always brought a doggie bag home--I'm more of a grazer) but I sat there thinking, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lesson learned: don't take a bite of anything if you want to even remotely enjoy your dinner.
Two days before my surgery I sat down for a few hours with a friend who was 10 months post-op from the sleeve (and looks fantastic, by the way) and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to a friend's house for Pasta dinner that night and he was going to bring a Protein bar and have that. I said, "Can't you just eat a meatball??" I wouldn't like that kind of attention drawn to myself but apparently it doesn't bother some people.
My best friend is one of the bypass gals I had the girls weekend with and she said, "You'll find that you're just satisified with a lot less." I told her the other day that I would not use "satisfied" as a word to describe what I feel when I'm done eating. When a waiter has to box up my entire dinner so I can eat a tiny portion of it the next day . . . well, "satisfying" doesn't jump out at me. It was more frustrating than anything.
All in all, I am happy I had the surgery and I love losing the weight and knowing I'm never going to see those numbers again on the scale. But I don't feel that anybody prepared me for the downside of any of this. A few people said their tastes changed dramatically and I hate, hate, hate the fact that I can't sit down and enjoy my morning coffee any longer. It has no attraction to me whatsoever. You might as well put a cup of urine in front of me. I tried a sip of wine the other day and it had even less attraction to me, and I used to enjoy a glass with my husband after the kids went to bed. It's not going to kill me not to have wine, but I didn't want it to repulse me the way it does. And I'm sad that I can't sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone. "Hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee" just doesn't give me a tingle any more, and I miss that. I now know that post-op means you will be a very different person afterwards in so many ways and since I'm only six weeks post-op, this is just going to take time and getting used to. There are a lot of changes to deal with. Not the least is which that I'm not used to spending this much time eating! It takes me over an hour to eat a Protein bar!
Right now I can barely get anything down, and that unfortunately includes the chewable Vitamins. Anything remotely sweet makes me want to gag. I am seeing the doctor next week and we're going to have to put our heads together to come up with a plan because I need an alternative to those disgusting Vitamins. And don't even get me started on how nauseating the shakes are! I manage to make my own shakes with fresh fruit and a scoop of unflavored protein in the blender, but the chocolate and vanilla shakes--so done with those. Oh, and here's something I never expected: I cannot--absolutely cannot--drink plain Water. Must, must, must be flavored with something. Plain Water disgusts me.
Whew! So glad I could vent. Please save your breath with the "you signed up for this" because nobody--nobody --was honest enough to tell a lot of what I'm feeling (including all the psych visits I had before surgery), and I'm obviously not alone. While I still would have had the surgery and technically have no regrets, I would have preferred to be a little more prepared for all these new (and sometimes unpleasant) feelings.
As with anything, it boils down to how badly you want the rewards. There are plenty, but there are sacrifices, most of which probably just take getting used to. Someone recently asked me about the whole experience and I said I'm very happy to be losing weight and glad I did it but the whole process, in my opinion, is not for the fainthearted.

Finally! Now I feel comfortable venting because I know there are others out there like me!
When I went to the informational meeting back in July, there were five or six people in front of the room speaking about their experiences. They were at various stages of post-op and all had either lap band, sleeve, or bypass. They were all deliriously happy--almost like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" happy. As people were asking questions, I raised my hand and explained that I have two good friends who have had gastric bypass and I had just finished a "girls weekend" with the both of them and for two days I watched them pushing food away, most of the time in disgust. I said, "I want the surgery and I want to be successful, but I don't want to loathe food." Oh, you won't, you won't, I was assured.
Today I am six weeks post-op and I have lost 31.5 pounds, including the 14 pounds pre-op. When I was on liquids, I actually had an appetite. I was a little scared because I had read a lot on here of people saying their appetites disappeared. Well, fast forward to where I am now and I find myself repulsed by virtually all foods. And I didn't want this! Everybody made it sound like "you just won't be able to eat as much." There are the usual "suck it up" and "this is what you signed up for" responses on here, but that doesn't help because this isn't what I signed up for. I specifically asked the group of people during the informational meeting if loathing food was going to be a possibility. I didn't weigh 218 pounds because I simply loved food. I weighed 218 pounds because I ate too much of the wrong foods coupled with very little exercise.
Furthermore, it would have been nice if someone had been honest about what that "full" feeling really feels like. It's not a "Thanksgiving full/satisfied" kind of feeling. It's something totally foreign (very hard to describe) and very unpleasant. Not because I'm eating too fast or too much or not chewing enough. It's just being at that stomach capacity and feeling even more repulsed by food. I'm actually shocked my weight isn't coming off faster because there are days I'm lucky to take in 700 calories.
I asked several people who had already had the surgery, "Am I going to go into a restaurant and look like a freak because I can't eat?" Noooooo, I was told. So last week my husband and I went out to a very fancy restaurant (no kids was the best part!) for our anniversary and he ordered baked clams as an appetizer and I had not even a whole one. When my salmon came, all I could get down was a tiny forkful. The waiter came up to me twice to ask if everything was okay and I finally said, "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Could you just wrap it?" So he did that and I spent the rest of the time watching my husband eat. I never went crazy in restaurants (almost always brought a doggie bag home--I'm more of a grazer) but I sat there thinking, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lesson learned: don't take a bite of anything if you want to even remotely enjoy your dinner.
Two days before my surgery I sat down for a few hours with a friend who was 10 months post-op from the sleeve (and looks fantastic, by the way) and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to a friend's house for Pasta dinner that night and he was going to bring a Protein bar and have that. I said, "Can't you just eat a meatball??" I wouldn't like that kind of attention drawn to myself but apparently it doesn't bother some people.
My best friend is one of the bypass gals I had the girls weekend with and she said, "You'll find that you're just satisified with a lot less." I told her the other day that I would not use "satisfied" as a word to describe what I feel when I'm done eating. When a waiter has to box up my entire dinner so I can eat a tiny portion of it the next day . . . well, "satisfying" doesn't jump out at me. It was more frustrating than anything.
All in all, I am happy I had the surgery and I love losing the weight and knowing I'm never going to see those numbers again on the scale. But I don't feel that anybody prepared me for the downside of any of this. A few people said their tastes changed dramatically and I hate, hate, hate the fact that I can't sit down and enjoy my morning coffee any longer. It has no attraction to me whatsoever. You might as well put a cup of urine in front of me. I tried a sip of wine the other day and it had even less attraction to me, and I used to enjoy a glass with my husband after the kids went to bed. It's not going to kill me not to have wine, but I didn't want it to repulse me the way it does. And I'm sad that I can't sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone. "Hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee" just doesn't give me a tingle any more, and I miss that. I now know that post-op means you will be a very different person afterwards in so many ways and since I'm only six weeks post-op, this is just going to take time and getting used to. There are a lot of changes to deal with. Not the least is which that I'm not used to spending this much time eating! It takes me over an hour to eat a Protein bar!
Right now I can barely get anything down, and that unfortunately includes the chewable Vitamins. Anything remotely sweet makes me want to gag. I am seeing the doctor next week and we're going to have to put our heads together to come up with a plan because I need an alternative to those disgusting Vitamins. And don't even get me started on how nauseating the shakes are! I manage to make my own shakes with fresh fruit and a scoop of unflavored protein in the blender, but the chocolate and vanilla shakes--so done with those. Oh, and here's something I never expected: I cannot--absolutely cannot--drink plain Water. Must, must, must be flavored with something. Plain Water disgusts me.
Whew! So glad I could vent. Please save your breath with the "you signed up for this" because nobody--nobody --was honest enough to tell a lot of what I'm feeling (including all the psych visits I had before surgery), and I'm obviously not alone. While I still would have had the surgery and technically have no regrets, I would have preferred to be a little more prepared for all these new (and sometimes unpleasant) feelings.
As with anything, it boils down to how badly you want the rewards. There are plenty, but there are sacrifices, most of which probably just take getting used to. Someone recently asked me about the whole experience and I said I'm very happy to be losing weight and glad I did it but the whole process, in my opinion, is not for the fainthearted.

Does anyone else hate the way they feel after they eat? That over full bloated yucky feeling inside your chest. I hate that we cannot drink while we eat... that has always helped wash down my food before surgery. I get so I don't even want to eat because of the way I feel. How does everyone else feel? I tried to eat slow but with my life everything's so hectic that I don't have time to stop and chew and chew and chew...

I have read hundreds and hundreds of posts on here both before and after my surgery. I have read about the stalls. Of course it's bound to happen. I wonder when it will happen to me, I thought. After reading so many posts, I've gathered that everyone loses a lot of weight that first month (one woman was near tears because she only lost 22 pounds the first month!). "Oh, goody!," I thought. "I'll get to see the fruits of my labor right away!" Wrong. I am four weeks post op today, and I've lost 14 pounds since surgery--and all but two pounds were from the first week! I've lost one pound in the last three weeks. I don't even want to get on the scale because it's too depressing.
I had this surgery as a last resort because ever since I hit menopause, the weight simply would not come off, no matter how much I exercised and how closely I followed a weight loss plan. Even Weight Watchers stopped working for me despite accounting for every bite and every point. Before surgery, I told the psychologist that my only fear was that I would be the one patient out of a thousand that simply was not going to lose weight. I'd be the anamoly . . . I pictured the doctor shaking his head and saying, "I just don't know why it's not working for you." And here I am.
I'm following everything they've told me: eating Protein, drinking Protein, drinking Water, walking my treadmill. After all that, I lose one stinking pound in three weeks?? I'm eating 1/100th of what I was eating in a day. How is the scale not moving? How am I stuck at the same weight for three weeks? And if I'm stuck here, how on earth am I ever going to reach my goal? I can't even break 190! And before you tell me all about the shock that my body is in, how it thinks I'm starving, etc., I've had several close friends over the years with eating disorders and starvation seemed to make them waste away. The only thing my body should be doing is shedding pounds.
I'm so disgusted. I can't even throw in the towel and say, "Screw this! I'm going to eat half a pizza!" because I can't eat more than two bites of anything! Hence, the venting. No need to post about what a whiner I am. I already know it. I just needed to vent. It's in place of that pizza, you understand.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of posts on here both before and after my surgery. I have read about the stalls. Of course it's bound to happen. I wonder when it will happen to me, I thought. After reading so many posts, I've gathered that everyone loses a lot of weight that first month (one woman was near tears because she only lost 22 pounds the first month!). "Oh, goody!," I thought. "I'll get to see the fruits of my labor right away!" Wrong. I am four weeks post op today, and I've lost 14 pounds since surgery--and all but two pounds were from the first week! I've lost one pound in the last three weeks. I don't even want to get on the scale because it's too depressing.
I had this surgery as a last resort because ever since I hit menopause, the weight simply would not come off, no matter how much I exercised and how closely I followed a weight loss plan. Even Weight Watchers stopped working for me despite accounting for every bite and every point. Before surgery, I told the psychologist that my only fear was that I would be the one patient out of a thousand that simply was not going to lose weight. I'd be the anamoly . . . I pictured the doctor shaking his head and saying, "I just don't know why it's not working for you." And here I am.
I'm following everything they've told me: eating Protein, drinking Protein, drinking Water, walking my treadmill. After all that, I lose one stinking pound in three weeks?? I'm eating 1/100th of what I was eating in a day. How is the scale not moving? How am I stuck at the same weight for three weeks? And if I'm stuck here, how on earth am I ever going to reach my goal? I can't even break 190! And before you tell me all about the shock that my body is in, how it thinks I'm starving, etc., I've had several close friends over the years with eating disorders and starvation seemed to make them waste away. The only thing my body should be doing is shedding pounds.
I'm so disgusted. I can't even throw in the towel and say, "Screw this! I'm going to eat half a pizza!" because I can't eat more than two bites of anything! Hence, the venting. No need to post about what a whiner I am. I already know it. I just needed to vent. It's in place of that pizza, you understand.

Thanks, everyone, for the great responses. I will keep all these words of wisdom in mind while on my journey!
P.S. Yes, I lost waaay less weight on Weight Watchers, but the reason why I chose bariatric surgery is precisely because the other methods weren't working. So, yeah, I have high expectations. But as someone put it, once that weight is loss, it's not coming back. I know I have to concentrate on the direction of the scale, however slow it's moving.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of posts on here both before and after my surgery. I have read about the stalls. Of course it's bound to happen. I wonder when it will happen to me, I thought. After reading so many posts, I've gathered that everyone loses a lot of weight that first month (one woman was near tears because she only lost 22 pounds the first month!). "Oh, goody!," I thought. "I'll get to see the fruits of my labor right away!" Wrong. I am four weeks post op today, and I've lost 14 pounds since surgery--and all but two pounds were from the first week! I've lost one pound in the last three weeks. I don't even want to get on the scale because it's too depressing.
I had this surgery as a last resort because ever since I hit menopause, the weight simply would not come off, no matter how much I exercised and how closely I followed a weight loss plan. Even Weight Watchers stopped working for me despite accounting for every bite and every point. Before surgery, I told the psychologist that my only fear was that I would be the one patient out of a thousand that simply was not going to lose weight. I'd be the anamoly . . . I pictured the doctor shaking his head and saying, "I just don't know why it's not working for you." And here I am.
I'm following everything they've told me: eating Protein, drinking Protein, drinking Water, walking my treadmill. After all that, I lose one stinking pound in three weeks?? I'm eating 1/100th of what I was eating in a day. How is the scale not moving? How am I stuck at the same weight for three weeks? And if I'm stuck here, how on earth am I ever going to reach my goal? I can't even break 190! And before you tell me all about the shock that my body is in, how it thinks I'm starving, etc., I've had several close friends over the years with eating disorders and starvation seemed to make them waste away. The only thing my body should be doing is shedding pounds.
I'm so disgusted. I can't even throw in the towel and say, "Screw this! I'm going to eat half a pizza!" because I can't eat more than two bites of anything! Hence, the venting. No need to post about what a whiner I am. I already know it. I just needed to vent. It's in place of that pizza, you understand.

The procedure is working. It's a process and your body is responding to the shock of it. The fluids you got during surgery could explain it alone. Glycogen plays a big role, and your body is working to mobilize fat for energy use: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.php. During all of your frequent future and lengthy stalls, you may be losing inches instead. I found that I'd lose -> shrink -> lose -> shrink.
You're right. It is quite actually impossible to not to lose weight when you're complying with the post-op plan. The FitBit app, where I log my daily weight, graphs my progress. It isn't a straight and pretty line to goal. I've gained a few pounds back here and there. At first this made me panic. Then, I'd be happy by it! If I gained 2, I knew a quick 5lb loss was at the end of it. The human body is a very complex machine on a cellular level. No body is the same, and yours is just "doing it's thing". This journey is a long and emotional process. Your procedure is working and your body is processing.
If you take the steps to be successful, you will be. Period.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of posts on here both before and after my surgery. I have read about the stalls. Of course it's bound to happen. I wonder when it will happen to me, I thought. After reading so many posts, I've gathered that everyone loses a lot of weight that first month (one woman was near tears because she only lost 22 pounds the first month!). "Oh, goody!," I thought. "I'll get to see the fruits of my labor right away!" Wrong. I am four weeks post op today, and I've lost 14 pounds since surgery--and all but two pounds were from the first week! I've lost one pound in the last three weeks. I don't even want to get on the scale because it's too depressing.
I had this surgery as a last resort because ever since I hit menopause, the weight simply would not come off, no matter how much I exercised and how closely I followed a weight loss plan. Even Weight Watchers stopped working for me despite accounting for every bite and every point. Before surgery, I told the psychologist that my only fear was that I would be the one patient out of a thousand that simply was not going to lose weight. I'd be the anamoly . . . I pictured the doctor shaking his head and saying, "I just don't know why it's not working for you." And here I am.
I'm following everything they've told me: eating Protein, drinking Protein, drinking Water, walking my treadmill. After all that, I lose one stinking pound in three weeks?? I'm eating 1/100th of what I was eating in a day. How is the scale not moving? How am I stuck at the same weight for three weeks? And if I'm stuck here, how on earth am I ever going to reach my goal? I can't even break 190! And before you tell me all about the shock that my body is in, how it thinks I'm starving, etc., I've had several close friends over the years with eating disorders and starvation seemed to make them waste away. The only thing my body should be doing is shedding pounds.
I'm so disgusted. I can't even throw in the towel and say, "Screw this! I'm going to eat half a pizza!" because I can't eat more than two bites of anything! Hence, the venting. No need to post about what a whiner I am. I already know it. I just needed to vent. It's in place of that pizza, you understand.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of posts on here both before and after my surgery. I have read about the stalls. Of course it's bound to happen. I wonder when it will happen to me, I thought. After reading so many posts, I've gathered that everyone loses a lot of weight that first month (one woman was near tears because she only lost 22 pounds the first month!). "Oh, goody!," I thought. "I'll get to see the fruits of my labor right away!" Wrong. I am four weeks post op today, and I've lost 14 pounds since surgery--and all but two pounds were from the first week! I've lost one pound in the last three weeks. I don't even want to get on the scale because it's too depressing.
I had this surgery as a last resort because ever since I hit menopause, the weight simply would not come off, no matter how much I exercised and how closely I followed a weight loss plan. Even Weight Watchers stopped working for me despite accounting for every bite and every point. Before surgery, I told the psychologist that my only fear was that I would be the one patient out of a thousand that simply was not going to lose weight. I'd be the anamoly . . . I pictured the doctor shaking his head and saying, "I just don't know why it's not working for you." And here I am.
I'm following everything they've told me: eating Protein, drinking Protein, drinking Water, walking my treadmill. After all that, I lose one stinking pound in three weeks?? I'm eating 1/100th of what I was eating in a day. How is the scale not moving? How am I stuck at the same weight for three weeks? And if I'm stuck here, how on earth am I ever going to reach my goal? I can't even break 190! And before you tell me all about the shock that my body is in, how it thinks I'm starving, etc., I've had several close friends over the years with eating disorders and starvation seemed to make them waste away. The only thing my body should be doing is shedding pounds.
I'm so disgusted. I can't even throw in the towel and say, "Screw this! I'm going to eat half a pizza!" because I can't eat more than two bites of anything! Hence, the venting. No need to post about what a whiner I am. I already know it. I just needed to vent. It's in place of that pizza, you understand.

The "final straw" is actually a build-up of years of self-loathing. Harsh, I know, but a lot of you know that feeling of self-disgust. This past summer I turned down an invitation to my 35th high school reunion--and I really wanted to see a lot of the people there! Then--and here comes one of the many straws--a dear friend who had gastric bypass surgery got down to a SIZE SIX and looks unbelievable!! She started out at 420 pounds and I thought, hell, if she can do it, so can I! She's been a big inspiration for me. I also had to accept that it was going to take something drastic because everything else I've tried over the years has either fallen flat or resulted in gaining back the weight. I just got sick of it. I want to wear nice clothing! Oh, and yesterday I was dizzy and lightheaded (surgery was September 26) and I had my blood pressure taken and it was too LOW! Ha ha! Low! My doctor has changed my blood pressure meds to a lower dose because of the 26 1/2 pound weight loss (so far!). I felt pretty crappy yesterday but it's for all the right reasons!

I'm sure you're going to hear from a lot of people how FANTASTIC you look but I also understand that it's about how you feel. But on that note, wow! The last picture of you and your husband (you're in the black and white outfit) is really something! I'm 19 days post-op and I can't WAIT to look like you! But, again, I understand where you're coming from. We all went into this with an image of what we think we're going to look like. If it's any consolation at all, you do look great and you and your (very cute!) husband make an adorable couple!

Yes, my blood pressure is really low too... We need to exercise to get it up there. Before surgery, my blood pressure was high also. They took me off the meds. Congratulations!!!

Externally I was dead set against weight loss surgery, internally, I wanted and needed change. I had been on two rounds of phentermine, I had lost gained and lost gained. I was so tired of the rollercoaster and then one day my sister told me she was having the sleeve. I looked at her (now realizing with envy) and said "I would do it on my own, I didn't need help!"
She knew all to well my struggles as she had been on the same journey her entire life.
The final straw was just a few months later when my sister was about 2 months post op, and I called her crying, depressed again about my weight. She said to me "You can continue trying on your own without success for an additional 2-3 years, or in 2-3 years be healthy and happy." She was right and I began the process the following week.
My surgery is next Wednesday and I am READY for a change.... a good change.

Few reasons:
1. I have a bad knee due to breaking it several times. (The first time I broke it I was 12 and walked on it for about a week before I was taken to the hospital.)
2. My daughter. That being a big one, she loves going out and doing things. It's getting harder for me because of my injuries from a car accident and my weight compounding that issue.
3. Recently my fiance of 4 years (6'4 and almost 400 pounds) told me I was too fat for him and left us. Well recently left us, he always got on me about my weight.
4. I'm tired of being depressed and feeling completely hopeless about my weight. I don't want to sit around waiting to die.

I have 3 straws...
I was at my hair salon in November 2011 getting my hair colored and I went into the dressing room to put on a smock. None of them fit. I had to come back out of the dressing room and tell The stylist that they didn't fit. Next thing I know they are all looking throughout the salon for a clean smock that will fit. They couldn't find one so my stylist took his off and gave it to me (he's 6'3" and approx 240). I was 5'5" and 243. Needless to say I was so humiliated.
The next month I get a call from my dad who lives alone. He's 400 lbs and 6'3". He says he can't feel his legs (diabetic neuropathy). We go pick him up and he can barely walk. Then he falls at my house and he is so heavy that we can't help him up so we call an ambulance. It takes 3 large men to get him off the floor. Then it hits me. Watching my father in this state is what my little boy will be doing with me if I don't get things under control. I don't want to put him through what my siblings and I have gone through to get my father proper care. It was very eye opening.
In January, I start looking into WLS. This same month my little boy asks why we don't have any family photos. I made something up like I just liked taking pictures of him, but the reality is I never wanted my picture taken. This broke my heart. A few weeks into January and I run into a friend who had gastric sleeve surgery and she looked amazing. I decided that was Devine intervention a took the hint.
I had my 1st appt later that month and surgery in March. I still have problems with those darn smocks, but now its because they are too big for me. This has been the best decision I have ever made (outside of my marriage and my child of course)!
Thanks for reading.

Oh, dashofsunshine . . . I have a lump in my throat reading your passage. I feel for you! I just had my surgery on September 26. There are great things in store for you! You're going to be a new person and be SOOOOO happy!!!

Oh, dashofsunshine . . . I have a lump in my throat reading your passage. I feel for you! I just had my surgery on September 26. There are great things in store for you! You're going to be a new person and be SOOOOO happy!!!

Oh, dashofsunshine . . . I have a lump in my throat reading your passage. I feel for you! I just had my surgery on September 26. There are great things in store for you! You're going to be a new person and be SOOOOO happy!!!

When I first started posting on this forum in August 2013, I loved, and still do love, reading the stories of people who had hit certain goals. My surgery was in September 2013, and I knew the three postings that I wanted to make....the one year surgiversary post, the 100 pounds lost post (which is the exact pound that puts me into the normal BMI range), and of course, the day I reached my final goal weight.
My one year surgiversary was in September, so knocked that one out, but as of today I have lost 100 pounds and I am finally in the "normal" range on a BMI chart! In the past I have lost 80-90 pounds a few times, but never 100, and I am now 1 pound thinner than I have ever been over the age of 21. Also, 137 is the cut-off for my height between "normal" and "overweight", so technically my entire adult life I have been classified as "overweight" according to the evil BMI chart, and as of this morning, I am normal!!
Thirteen months ago I was sitting at my computer reading through all of these posts wondering if I should risk my life (surgery freaks me out) in the hope that maybe I could lose weight with a sleeve. I am now totally in the group of people that can say that the only thing I regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I have 8 pounds to my original goal and 18 pounds to 119 which was always my goal when I was younger. Fingers-crossed I will get to make my third posting sometime soon!
Thanks to everyone for all of their postings over the last year- it has been nice to not feel alone on the sleeve journey!

Oh, dashofsunshine . . . I have a lump in my throat reading your passage. I feel for you! I just had my surgery on September 26. There are great things in store for you! You're going to be a new person and be SOOOOO happy!!!