katanne

The best advice we all can give you is to do your research.This is not the easy way to lose weight but it can help.I imagine at your weight now you are overwhelmed.If you decide this is right for you you need to be 100 percent in.It will change you.If you are using food to comfort you that will be gone.It is not any fun to give up all your vices and crutches and deal with what is bothering you.You will trade your habits for a new life.It is worth it.But only you can decide if this is the right time or process for you.

After many years of being overweight and then obese, health issues (diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, GERD) started to take hold of my body. It was like I was in a death spiral. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago and lost significant weight and that put all these health issues into remission. There are trade-offs in life. I traded my love of food for good health. I don't regret it.

Did a great workout before which helped, but also cutting out a little carbs to even out this weekend and increasing cardio a little
I feel so much better today than I did yesterday.
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Soup. Lots of Soup.< /p>

Many go through a period of regretting the surgery and I was among them for about 1 month.
I am 3 years out, down 150 pounds, and have maintained at goal for about 2 years.
However, 5 days post-op, I had internal bleeding and almost died. My BP was down to 65/25 and an ambulance transported me to the hospital in a huge snow storm. Had a second surgery on an emergency basis. I regretted the surgery for a while and mad that I risked my life and almost died.
But when the weight started falling off and all of my health issues disappeared I embraced having the surgery.
Now 3 years later my life is so much better than before the surgery. I'd do the surgery again even if I knew about the second surgery being needed.
Follow the process and use this tool to change your life and get healthy.
Andrew

@@donyaki I'd say more people than not hit a stall around 3 weeks. I did and have gone on to lose 70+ lbs...don't freak out!

I went in for RNY on 11/23/16 and came out with the sleeve due to twisted intestines. So now (after researching everything for RNY after deciding to go that route) I am now catching up with sleeve research.
I don't regret the surgery. Even though my pain is coming from the upper right incision and that hasn't dulled much it's not bad enough to take pain meds all the time. I generally only take one at night before I go to sleep.
I don't crave food or want to eat anything (yet) and I watch a lot of cooking shows. What I did before surgery was had a 'last meal' at the fast food places I usually went to. McDonald's, Taco Bell, pizza and for the most part as I was eating my last meal I realized "this is crap". It didn't taste great and I was just eating it because it was easy to go through a drive through rather than cooking etc. But for the things I truly loved (like tacos) I created versions I could have without guilt when I'm back on solid food. (Using mini peppers as taco shells so I get the crunch - I have a texture issue so I hate things that are all one texture) - using 90% beef or ground turkey/chicken. It's all in the spices. For pizza I will use a cauliflower base, grilled chicken etc.
Today I started full liquids and managed to drink 11oz Protein shake (20g protein) for Breakfast with no problems. I'm about to get dressed and take a walk around the block. It's baby steps. Think ahead so you have something to look forward to.
I have lost 8 lbs in 3 days. That makes me smile.

For those of us who had complications or who are sick, things like the normal healing from major surgery, the psychological challenges, the new routine of Fluid and food ingestion, exercise etc, are made so much more difficult.
It can feel like just too much. The trauma of overcoming all the adversities that you didn't plan for, on top of the ones you did plan for, can feel so upsetting.
Especially when so many other people are seeming to go through such a different experience.
I do think that there are different paths of the "regret" issue.
The people who are left with life changing, permanent issues, can certainly be understood for feeling regretful.
People who are just cross because they can't eat the way they used to for fun, addiction, social interaction etc need not really regret too much because they will eventually be able to eat around their sleeve.
Then there are the "normal" post op patients just trying to align their minds to what surgeons did to their bodies.
And the answer to all three is that by year one post op, it will be better.
Maybe not right or even okay but certainly better than the initial first three month battle.
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I'm 8 months out and I can honestly tell you I totally regretted if for the first 3 months. It was a tough road for me psychologically. I had so much head hunger and had to re-learn how to manage stress. The key for me now is to walk off my stress, not eat it, but that took a LONG 3-4 months before I got a handle on it. Now down 80 lbs, at goal, walk/running 2-3 miles a day, left a 22 year career in law enforcement to start a new job with new possibilities and new goals. This is the BEST decision I ever made for myself getting the sleeve. Hang in there, I promise it gets better but you MUST invest in yourself and find what works for you!

I had some feelings of "what did I get myself in to" but when I get on the scale, I lose all that. Yes it is difficult to get in all the nutrients that are needed but I try my hardest not to stress over it. I carry a Water bottle with me everywhere and I have my Protein shake in the morning and eat lunch and dinner. I will not say that it has been easy, it has been difficult because although I am not hungry I still crave different foods but it is getting easier day by day and now that I can eat more solid foods it is alot easier. The only issue that I am currently having is sharp upper right abdomen pain. Sometimes it is so unbearable. I cannot lay on my sides or bend over at all. I am 4 weeks post op. Other than that I dont regret my surgery! I just get a little frustrated with the cravings sometimes. Everytime I see pounds lost when I weigh myself it makes me feel so much better! It is all gonna be worth it!
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Depends on how long you are staying in.. I took a lot more as I was in for a few nights (planned stay)
Toiletries, mobile and charger, kindle and magazines, lip salve (dont use if you are on oxygen!), pillow for journey back home (if in a car), Gas strips (even if just used to freshen your mouth and nothing else!, 2 nightdresses, comfy outfit for going home and flip flops. Im sure I might have taken other things but can't remember

Gas X strips. Make sure your shoes are slip one and baggy comfortable drawstring or elastic pants. God bless
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Yes, I read to bring loose pants so when you walk around u will feel comfortable instead of wearing only the gown. Yes something for your lips and a spray for your throat. A lot of people state that their throat hurts because of the tube their put in your throat.
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Like suzzzz said, get your Protein however you can, doesn't matter from food or shakes. Personally, my restriction was so tight I couldn't get enough solid food to meet goals for a long time. For example, I couldn't eat more than 1/2 an egg at a time for at least 6 months. I also wanted to make sure I was incorporating a balanced diet including fruits, veggies and whole grains, so I drank Protein Shakes for several years. Still do when I'm on the run and too busy to sit down and eat
One thing I would suggest is spreading your Protein out through the day. You've got almost none for breakfast and then over 50g for dinner. A lot of studies indicate that our bodies cannot absorb more than 20g protein/hour. Maybe try having that shake for breakfast instead.

As long as you get your Protein in it is fine to have only one shake or no shakes if you can make that work. I am 5 mths out and still have a shake for Breakfast. It starts my day out right knowing I ha e so much protein right away. And it keeps me full for 3 hrs.

Yesterday I was able to eat enough Protein and only had 1 Protein shake. The Protein shakes are meant to help you get Protein if you aren't able to consume the protein you need with actual food. Am I wrong to only have one? I'd prefer to not have shakes at all and just get protein from the foods on my list of what I can eat.
Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast
1.5 oz natural Peanut Butter - 9 grams protein
1 4oz sugar free applesauce (my pills mixed in with it)
lunch
2 hard boiled eggs with a tablespoon of mayo - 12 grams protein
1 4oz serving sugar free pudding
snack
2oz pureed chicken - 15 grams protein
2 tablespoons mashed potato - 1 gram protein
dinner
4 oz pureed turkey - 18 grams protein
4oz Protein Shake - 34 grams protein
TOTAL PROTEIN = 89 GRAMS

I lost all my weight and then some so the "norm" is not always the case. I followed the rules to get to goal quickly and wanted to worry about maintenance when I got there. I've been easily maintaining my current for over 6 months with the sleeve.

If you went on the charts, I needed to lose 48 pounds to get to a "normal" BMI of 24.9 or 155 pounds at 5'6". At 65%, that would have only lost 31.2 pounds in a year. Well, I lost 70.8 pounds in less than 9 months. Seems like a lot of us on here have met our goal or are very close to it in 1 year or less.
I wonder if this is a stat for all WLS as a whole? I know there are some who struggle with losing the weight on VSG, but it seems to be a small percentage. And, I don't mean that to sound as trite as it probably does in writing. I so feel for anyone struggling with any weightloss - VSG, RYN, DS, Band, calorie counting etc. We've all been there and know the scars of those battles.
As far as getting to where I am ... I wish I could say it was all me and my strict compliance, but I haven't done very well at all on the exercise and haven't been such a stickler on the carbohydrate counting either. Having said that, I know that more exercise will help tone me up more & get off the last 7 I want to have gone by Christmas.
All of that is to say, I don't know why your nut told you this. It does sound a bit defeating, doesn't it? Maybe use it as a way to motivate yourself to "beat the numbers". Show them that your sleeve will take you to your goal!

I'm only 3 months out and my surgeon said the same, but if you look here a lot of people lost their excess weight and more! That is what the average person loses but I'm hoping to lose most of my excess by going to the gym and working my sleeve to the max. I lost more than half of what i want to lose now(about 60% of my excess), so I'm quite confident that I'll lose more, and I'm even thinking now that I don't wa\nt to lose that much more cause i think I'll be too skinny. So i guess it depends mostly on us and the way we work our sleeve and not so much on the statistics

I'm also in RVA! Getting sleeved next month, finally - I started the process in January.
I waffled for about a year before deciding this is something I really wanted to do. I had the same fears about never being able to eat my favorite foods again. After doing my research, I realized that since I'm doing the sleeve vs. the bypass, there are probably few foods that I will truly never, ever be physically able to eat again (since there's low/no chance of dumping with the sleeve, depending on who you ask.) That said, there are certainly a LOT of foods that I should eat very rarely or not at all, especially while I'm in the losing stage (vs. maintenance.) I decided I'm ok with that. Next Thanksgiving, if I want a bite of stuffing? I'll most likely be able to have it. I just can't have it often, or in large quantities anymore. For me, I look at it like...choosing not to eat carbs/fried foods/ice cream isn't a death sentence - but staying this weight is.
I also had a 6-month supervised diet requirement as well as a bunch of other appointments, and when I started the process, I wasn't 100% sure that I wanted to go through with the surgery. I started the 6 months with my PCP while I was still deciding, and about month 4 I started scheduling the other appointments (psych eval, nutrition, etc.) With my insurance, the PCP visits were the cheapest of the appointments, so I wouldn't have been out a ton of money if I'd decided after 3 months that I didn't want to do this.
You mentioned that you might regret not trying again on your own - could you look at the 6 months of doctor visits as that chance to try again? To see how much you can lose on your own while you're still jumping through the hoops for surgery? Then if you're happy with your progress you can always pass on the surgery, but if you're not happy you'll be that many steps closer to insurance approval and a surgery date.

You look phenomenal!

It has been almost 10 months since I had the sleeved and I am down 171 pounds 14 sizes down and total body loss 127 inches. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and follow the program. The sleeve is not going to do all of the work for you but if you work for it you can achieve your desired results. Wish I would have done this 10 years ago.

I had my gastric sleeve done January 11th. I weighed 333.1lbs.
I'm 10 months post op now and weigh 144.2lbs.
I've set new goal weights as I've gone along...first was just to get under 200lbs, then I thought I wanted my goal weight to be 180lbs. When I got there, I made the crazy goal of 150lbs never thinking I'd make it....but I did. So then I figured my goal would be 145lbs which puts me at a normal bmi...which I haven't been since I was around 10.
Now that I weight 144lbs, I've decided my final goal will 133lbs, which will mean I will have lost a total of 200lbs....and I'll do it, I know I can.
I never thought when I had surgery that weighing in the 130's would even be possible.
I've gone from wearing sizes 5-6x, and 28-30, now I wear smalls and mediums and am a size 8....I would be around a 6 if it wasn't for the large amount of skin I have around my stomach and thighs....but it's a price I'm more than happy to pay.
I've been extremely disciplined this whole 10 months. I can honestly say I've never put a bad food in my mouth...not once. I follow a very low carb diet still, drink about 85oz of Water every day and get in around 80oz of Protein. I take all my required Vitamins daily.
The gym has become a big part of my life. I workout around 5-6 days per week doing a variety of exercising....spin class, step  class, yoga, cardio machines....I like doing different things so I don't get bored.
Anyway, because I'm so close to goal, I just wanted to share this. And for the people who have a lot of weight to lose like I did....remember, you can do this! I'm living proof!!
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@@amf1025 -
I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with some medical staff and facilities. I have had similar experiences and I can tell you that it has only made me stronger and more determined to move forward with this surgery.
Being a very heavy guy myself (HW: 545, CW: 417, Height: 5'5") I have been hospitalized a lot for several health issues and have had some embarrassing and very upsetting moments with medical staff. I once wasn't able to get a CT scan because the table could not hold someone of my weight. It was upsetting and embarrassing but I have moved past that ordeal.
Just know that you are doing this for yourself and to improve your health and life. I haven't had my surgery yet, either, and am still waiting on a date for approval.
Good luck to you and keep your head up
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