Clementine Sky

There are risks involved in any surgery, but there are also risks in not taking decisive action to recover from obesity before it corrodes your health and likely shortens your life. Obesity can be profoundly destructive, and the longer you are obese, the more damage it can inflict. I assessed the risk of the VSG and compared it to the long-term risk of not having the surgery, then decided to go for it. My BMI fluctuated in the low 30s. That's "mild" obesity, but the worry was that as I age it would become increasingly difficult to control my weight, and my BMI would rise to the morbid stage. My reproductive endocrinologist was the one who recommended the VSG because I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, and other patients my age and size have benefitted from it. If you're wanting to have more kids in your future, achieving a healthy weight can help.
That's in addition to lessening the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart problems, some types of cancer, and the damage caused to your frame from excess weight over time.
For me the only negative to having the surgery at a lower BMI was my insurance refused to cover any of the costs, so I had to pay for it on my own. It was a worthwhile investment! I sailed through the surgery with very little pain or discomfort. Besides dry-heaving on the first day and having unbelievably intense cramps (my period started during surgery), I felt fine. I was anticipating being in more pain and more tired than I actually was. I had a mild allergic reaction to the surgical tape used on my incisions, and got itchy little welts from it, but it healed quickly. I had a few stomach issues in the first couple of months, but nothing severe. I'm a professor on my feet for hours a day, and haven't taken a day off since the fall quarter began (three weeks after my surgery).
It is important to know that it's very common for people to regret the surgery (though I didn't) in their first month post-op and have what's known as "buyer's remorse." This is when your body is healing, you're still on a restrictive diet, and you are craving normalcy. The feelings pass for the majority of people. It's also important to know that since you are starting at a lower BMI, you'll likely lose weight at a slower pace. Don't feel discouraged, and don't compare yourself to others who've had surgery and are losing much more rapidly. In the eight months since my surgery I've gone from being in the "mildly obese" BMI to comfortably within the "normal" weight range for my height. My weight loss has been much slower than those who started off with higher BMIs, and I've had several stalls along the way, but it has come off. I've gone from a size 14 to a 6/8, and am still losing. I feel lighter, happier, and more confident. Hopefully the same will be true for you.

2016 vs. 2021. I'm in better shape than I was in my 30's.

Hi! This is my first time logging on in 2020.
I definitely am very grateful to have had the VSG, in August of 2015. I was miserable and just receding from life. I reached my goal weight in 2016, and then my dream weight in 2017 - the lowest I'd been since I was 14. I perhaps got too thin, down to a size XS / 2, and I'm tall. But I felt amazing and began receiving compliments from strangers and friends alike on looking beautiful, and I felt beautiful.
Unfortunately I regained some weight in 2019 after some dental disasters (I have several baby teeth that lack permanent roots, so they need to all be pulled and replaced with implants) required that I eat nothing but soft food. And then I regained again in 2020 after experimenting with fertility treatments (which weren't successful, sadly) and falling back into depression. I've gained a few more while quarantining since March. Grocery shopping became one of the few out of the house activities after we transitioned to working online, and I slipped into past habits of eating for joy and out of boredom.
My BMI is currently 26, so I'm not too far out from being in a healthy weight range again. I just want to get back on track and prevent continuing regain. I started tracking my food again on MyFitnessPal, and cleaned out the kitchen of temptations. I am hiking more often and going for scenic drives when I'm feeling restless to get out of the house. I returned here for motivation / camaraderie. I hope you are all doing well!

update for you all almost two years out and feeling great
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Clementine welcome back! I think a BMI of 26 is generally pretty good considering most of us started at 45+!!
Keep up the hard work. It IS hard work. For life. I am also not one of those lucky ones who lost the weight and never looked back. But I refuse to let my weight win, and I refuse to have had this surgery in vein. I am focused and on track.

Julie, good to hear you're also keeping focused, 10 pounds is very achievable and you know what to do.

So good to hear from you!!! I always appreciated your insight. 5 years out myself asof this April and in my happy range though I need to tone! Stay well my friends.

Hi! This is my first time logging on in 2020.
I definitely am very grateful to have had the VSG, in August of 2015. I was miserable and just receding from life. I reached my goal weight in 2016, and then my dream weight in 2017 - the lowest I'd been since I was 14. I perhaps got too thin, down to a size XS / 2, and I'm tall. But I felt amazing and began receiving compliments from strangers and friends alike on looking beautiful, and I felt beautiful.
Unfortunately I regained some weight in 2019 after some dental disasters (I have several baby teeth that lack permanent roots, so they need to all be pulled and replaced with implants) required that I eat nothing but soft food. And then I regained again in 2020 after experimenting with fertility treatments (which weren't successful, sadly) and falling back into depression. I've gained a few more while quarantining since March. Grocery shopping became one of the few out of the house activities after we transitioned to working online, and I slipped into past habits of eating for joy and out of boredom.
My BMI is currently 26, so I'm not too far out from being in a healthy weight range again. I just want to get back on track and prevent continuing regain. I started tracking my food again on MyFitnessPal, and cleaned out the kitchen of temptations. I am hiking more often and going for scenic drives when I'm feeling restless to get out of the house. I returned here for motivation / camaraderie. I hope you are all doing well!

Hi! This is my first time logging on in 2020.
I definitely am very grateful to have had the VSG, in August of 2015. I was miserable and just receding from life. I reached my goal weight in 2016, and then my dream weight in 2017 - the lowest I'd been since I was 14. I perhaps got too thin, down to a size XS / 2, and I'm tall. But I felt amazing and began receiving compliments from strangers and friends alike on looking beautiful, and I felt beautiful.
Unfortunately I regained some weight in 2019 after some dental disasters (I have several baby teeth that lack permanent roots, so they need to all be pulled and replaced with implants) required that I eat nothing but soft food. And then I regained again in 2020 after experimenting with fertility treatments (which weren't successful, sadly) and falling back into depression. I've gained a few more while quarantining since March. Grocery shopping became one of the few out of the house activities after we transitioned to working online, and I slipped into past habits of eating for joy and out of boredom.
My BMI is currently 26, so I'm not too far out from being in a healthy weight range again. I just want to get back on track and prevent continuing regain. I started tracking my food again on MyFitnessPal, and cleaned out the kitchen of temptations. I am hiking more often and going for scenic drives when I'm feeling restless to get out of the house. I returned here for motivation / camaraderie. I hope you are all doing well!

I started off at 315 pounds in October of 2017. I list 35 pounds in almost two years on my own before surgery. In August 2019, I had gastric sleeve surgery and have lost another 90 pounds so that I am down a total of 125 pounds. I only have the two headshots but can’t get over the difference. (I used to avoid getting my picture taken). I lost a second chin and discovered my clavicle. I have gone from a 3X to a L in clothes.
My only regret is that I didn’t have the surgery sooner. The second picture is from my 6th month follow up and I was at 205 at the time. I am averaging about 5 pounds a month weight loss.

It's so encouraging to read that you've already lost 8 pounds! Congratulations! This year has also been very challenging for me - our house was damaged in a fire in California, and my parents' house damaged in a hurricane in Florida, plus massive dental issues making it so that I can only eat soft food. It's so hard to stay on track with eating when your life has been derailed. But you're back on track!
I don't know how much I've regained because I haven't gotten back onto the scale, but I can't fit into the tiny jeans I very comfortably wore last summer. I should eat more beans since they are soft and high in protein.
Could you please share a link to some of your favorite recipes?

It's so encouraging to read that you've already lost 8 pounds! Congratulations! This year has also been very challenging for me - our house was damaged in a fire in California, and my parents' house damaged in a hurricane in Florida, plus massive dental issues making it so that I can only eat soft food. It's so hard to stay on track with eating when your life has been derailed. But you're back on track!
I don't know how much I've regained because I haven't gotten back onto the scale, but I can't fit into the tiny jeans I very comfortably wore last summer. I should eat more beans since they are soft and high in protein.
Could you please share a link to some of your favorite recipes?

Progress pictures.
SW: 250, 5'6"
Surgery date: 10/15/18
1/2/19, 216 lbs.

6/16/19 183 lbs.

I didn't notice this until I posted, but I seem to have lost a double chin.

I am 8 weeks post op (today), the picture below is 4 months pre-op vs 6 weeks post-op.

I posted this on my status update, but I wanted to share here too! Under my ultimate goal. Super excited! (2.5 months post-op and in the first pic) Halfway goal and goal! Great job to everyone!!!!! Love to everyone<3

Update: I hit 160 this morning!

I can relate to this post. 4 years out from VSG and after 144 pound loss I have allowed myself to gain 60 pounds. I am ashamed of myself even typing that. I'm so embarrassed that for about 6 months I just did nothing. I'm through the woe is me part of this slip up and I am back to fighting. 9 days ago I started Keto. I am 4 pounds down and I can feel the inches melting. This is reminiscent of when I lost weight right after my VSG surgery. I am excited because Keto food is really good and I don't feel l like I am missing out on anything. This time I plan to exceed my prior weight loss and get to my goal weight. Thank you lark60 for sharing this post. It is encouraging to me to see that I am not the only one in this situation and with some perseverance and determination I can do it. We all can just one day at a time. Hugs to you all!

So I am 5 years post sleeve. I managed to get within 5 lbs of my goal and slowly slipped back into bad habits. When I went for my annual PCP appointment and saw the scales were reading 175, I almost cried. I hadn't been weighing myself over this past year due to my house flooding and all my stuff was in storage for 6 months. I realized that I had been wearing stretchy leggings and hadn't tried on a pair of jeans in a year (again everything was in storage and I bought a few comfy outfits to tide me over till the home repairs were complete) I went through my kitchen and pulled all processed foods, bread, flour, sugars, root veggies, fruits, cereals, Pasta and rice. I gave these things away to my neighbors.
I researched diets and weight gain after sleeve procedure. I have started following a modified Keto diet. I say modified because I try to keep my Protein at 80 grams a day. So basically I have replaced carbs with healthy fats. My next step back on track was to come back to this site and read the different topics.
It has been 2 weeks on my version of Keto and have lost 8 lbs! I still have problems eating enough calories and know my metabolism is slow so I eat what I can and spread a meal to be a 1/2 cup meal and 1/2 cup snack 2-3 hours later. I have found some great recipes online and have bought a few books about Keto diet. I have read up on resistant starches because I have not taken Beans out of my diet. They are my source of Fiber and some protein. Since I only eat a couple tablespoon full of beans, I am testing the theory about resistant starches by eating the beans cold. Apparently when certain foods are cooked and then cooled, the carbs crystalize and become resistant to digestion (but are great food for gut flora). I bought a new scale (my old one was lost in the flood) and have started keeping track of what I eat. Coming back to this site and writing my story will help me keep on track to getting back to my goal weight.

Ta da! I'm 63yo today! Lost 50lb in 3 months. Feeling good and enjoying life.

So here's my before picture at my max of 304lbs- 21stone 10 for the uk people

and now my latest picture , 88lbs later!

hey world!!
7+ years PO
i do fluctuate a bit - but for awhile now, i am actually 1.3 lb BELOW goal!!
who would have thunk?😉
kathy
congrats to me!!!!

I'm in the same boat. I had dental surgery about 6 days ago. I am still eating soft foods.
(1) To lose weight, high Protein low carb. (2) To stop or slow down your weight add a reasonable amount of carbs back in. Low glycemic carbs don't spike your blood sugar (whole wheat, sweet potatoes, brown rice- nothing white or processed)
I have a few pounds to take off. I'm taking advantage of being on soft food's. Amazing that my restriction is back.
I am having refried Beans, canned chicken and mozzarella cheese. I do mashed cauliflower (tastes the same as mashed potatoes to me) Isopure Protein Drinks. Hydration and protein all in one Tuna fish ranch flavored Scrambled egg's or egg whites I'm missing vegetables. I've pureed them. Made a green smoothie. yogurt sugar free popsicles and Jello (be care full of cold and hot to avoid pain) Hang in there.

@Clementine Sky
hey bud - nice to see you , sorry about circumstances.
since the implants are so expensive, do you have to delay getting things "fixed""
both sides, prob!! That's terrible - are you in pain, or "inconvenience? which is still terrible.
must be a funny/awful feeling.
soup, cauliflower are great suggestions. "maybe" chili, cottage cheese, yogurt
i agree as always, track your food in MFP
but...in my opinion, since your teeth/mouth are uncomfortable - i wouldn't worry too
much about calories etc (don't go crazy of course!) you have a different/sad predicament - hopefully you'll be able to fix teeth, sooner than later.
keep smiling😁
hugggggs
kathy

Hi, thread connects to the one I just created asking whether anyone who had gone to Mexico for WLS had also gotten dental work there. I have several baby teeth that lack permanent roots and have become problematic recently. I currently have temporary fillings in teeth that need to have expensive and time-intensive implants ($3000 per tooth), and was advised to avoid chewing with them. That is really difficult because the teeth are located on both sides of my mouth. I've been eating more soft foods and liquids lately, but that has caused weight gain since the food tends to be higher in carbs.
I lost weight following having the VSG at quite a slow pace, and I think this helped my body to adapt. It had been relatively simple to keep the weight off. I haven't had much of a yo-yo until recently. Last summer I lost a bit too much weight while in Africa, getting down a size 0. I gained weight when I returned to the US, which was positive. I got back to the weight I'd been maintaining. Lately I've been gaining weight much more rapidly because I'm taking a medicine that has a side effect of stimulating my appetite (for an unrelated health issue to weight and my teeth) and have been eating a lot more soft food that is high in carbs. Soft bread and muffins, Pasta, mashed potatoes. I'm considering going back on a liquid / soft food diet that is similar to what I followed post-surgery, but not as extreme. I typically eat a lower carb, high Protein diet, and that has not been as feasible with the dental situation.
I was wondering if anyone has tips on soft foods and liquids to have that are reasonably nutritious and can help me to lose the weight I've gained recently, while not causing a dramatic loss like a diet consisting of Protein Shakes and smoothies would.
I know this is a bit of an odd question, but would appreciate any help anyone could give me.

I try to remember that starches are the enemy. The more starches I eat, the more I want to eat, and the less room I have for foods that are actually nutritious! I have been eating healthy, complex carbs like fruit, but nothing refined. I never ate much fruit immediately after surgery, but I keep count of the calories, and It helps. Bananas, smoothies, even a lo-carb Tomato Soup might be helpful. But remember the Protein and try to track. You got this!

I'm so sorry you're going through this. If it were me, I'd buy an instapot, instantly! And then I would cook every kind of meat I could in it, then I would puree it if it still wasn't soft enough. I'd kick the carbs to the curb. If you need mash, then do roasted cauli mash, cook veggies until they are tender using frozen rather than fresh. Eat canned green Beans. Make Soups, stews in the instapot. They can be fully high pro/low carb!
You'll get the weight back off.
Do a green smoothie with a bit of Greek yogurt in it, blended with frozen blueberries and spinach for Breakfast.
Do canned tuna or salmon mixed with low fat cottage cheese and Walden Farms Chipotle mayo + Country Dijon and Vlasic Dill Relish for lunch! Just eat it with a fork! You can even blend it until smooth to reduce the chewing even more.
Then have instapot meals in the evening.

All very minimal/no chewing! But that stuff will still take more to fill you up. Cuz it acts more sliderish. Can you change off of the medicine that is causing your appetite to increase?