BelgianGuy

Your new stomach is rather small and apparently many patients experiment lots of pain from the carbonation. And in general, the carbonated drinks are not very healthy, and since you can still drink your calories after the sleeve, it's easy to cheat.

My mom had a lap band and revised it to a sleeve, it's been three years now. She enjoys the occasional glass of wine of beer (really slowly though) or some pizza but hasn't gain a pound from what I can tell. I guess it's fine as long as you do it in a moderate manner. I don't think WLS means you have to stay away from everything... Be your own judge I guess.

Biking is great! I was biking even when I was at my highest weight. Well it's a national sport in Belgium and we have nice enough infrastructure (and lovely countryside roads). I have a 350$ mountain bike equiped with lamps and all, so I go on the road with it as well, even if I prefer "dirt paths" (not sure if this is a correct English colocation, but hope it'll do). It's one of my favorite sport ever, it's really pleasant (so much more than running) and it gets you actually far if you want to I bike 12 to 15 miles three times a week, hope I'll be able to do more soon!

Hi, I have had the surgery and I am 23 as well, I already had seen so many obese persons (including me) with their neverending struggle to diet/lose weight, etc without any sucess, and I was so fed up with my weight and all the other problems. There is nothing to be scared about, this surgery is not that painful (well it is during a week, but yeah 80% of one your organ was removed. Also you won't be missing class too much, I have been given a one month "holiday" after the surgery, but after two weeks I was feeling well already. Having the sleeve will change your feelings about food, I personally no longer crave fat food. You have to eat slowly and actually start to enjoy what you are eating rather than shovelling industrial quantities of food down your throat without asking questions. So yeah, I was scared too because I devoured so many things all the time, but now that I had this surgery, it seems that this past behaviour is relatively absurd. It's not a diet, it changes too many things (and permanently for the most). I know there are differences between what's following the surgery from my country to the US (I keep reading about Protein shakes and weird stuff like that, and I don't understand a thing about these approvals/insurances things), but the results are astouding and I feel way better even though it was quite recent (end of February). Cheers!

Well as someone from Belgium, I do hope I will be able to sip a bit from a trappist beer in the future But I never was a big soda fan, except maybe Dr. Pepper, but really occasionally.

It really bugs me that some surgeons say you should not use it. Sleep apneas are not to be played with, especially post-op...

I used to play the drums in a grindcore band before, now I play for myself from times to times, but it's difficult with the pissy neighbors, can only play during the day when everyone is at work am I am not :/

This doesn't make any sense, I had to have mine to avoid having pulmonary problems. My surgeon made it very clear I even had to bring it to the recovery room.

I keep reading people having Protein shakes and pre-op diets and I never was told to get any of this Good luck with the surgery!!

Good to hear you are fine, be sure you rest enough and follow every instruction you have received! Cheers

Risks are already really tiny and most of the leaks happen within the first three days (and they almost never happen). I was quite worried about that but my surgeon told me that after six weeks, you are risk free of having a leak.

Don't worry, English is my second language as well, it was pretty difficult to find an interesting and/or active bariatric community on the internet that was non-English speaking anyway!

I was sleeved on the 25th of February, this far I have lost 38lbs. I go to the swimming pool twice a week for two weeks now and try to bike 2 to 3 times a week if the weather isn't awful as hell.

I am only 23, but ever since I was 17, I have struggled with obesity. Before I was rather thin and healthy, but due to some anti-depression meds, I started eating a lot and also drinking a lot. I used to navigate between 125kilograms and 95 kilograms, and sometimes I would gain 10kilos in only a month when I could not bare not eating or drinking. It was starting to screw with my personality and I was becoming more and more depressed, even nihilistic at times . Some sort of downroad spiral. So that's why I chose this surgery, it's radical, it puts you clear limits and rules, and unless you are crazy and/or are unable to feel pain, it's impossible to eat as much as you used to, and it completely changes the way you think about food, etc. I know it's not a "miraculous" surgery, and that I can screw it all if I am stupid enough to do so, but it's only thing I have found that has stopped my obsession about food and alcohol. Whenever I see how much I eat now, I just feel plain disgusted by my old habits, and I sure never want to be like that again.

I had this as well, they only gave me a nose mask and I sleep with my mouth open (how charming ), it all went better when I had an hybrid mask. If your mouth is still really dry in the morning after the use of the hybrid mask, then you should ask a humidifier. Can't wait to get rid of my cpap though...

I had regrets the very first week when it was painful to move and everything tasted disgusting but I still had to eat. But after that, every regret went away: no more eating 4 plates to be full, no 24/7 hunger anymore, and also the amazing results I was getting! It's a bad moment to go through but most of the people on the forum look rather pleased by their surgery when they look back.

After a month and two weeks and almost 40lbs down: When you start to know what being cold feels like!

I had to bring mine to the recovery room and could not skip a night with it for two weeks post-op, really weird you were told otherwise.

I think liquids pass through quickly, but still having two at the same time will inevitably fill you more. I was adviced not to drink 30 before and after eating. But a tiny bit of liquid with food shouldn't ruin your whole surgery (if you have reintroduced normal foods) but then again I am not a surgeon or a doctor

@@Wayward Traveler, I was simply told that liquid would take place in your rather small stomach and if you eat at the same time, you will be quickly full and it might feel quite painful plus you would not be getting enough food.

The insecurity I was feeling, the fact I was hating myself mentally and physically, that every pleasure in life was turning into paranoid trips (going to the restaurant, sitting in the train, swimming, travelling, etc). And also the fact that I am young (23yo) and that I discovered I had sleep apneas. Wow if my health was that terrible at 23yo, how the hell would I manage till my 40's! I wanted to end all these problems for good.

If you love it that much, you can eat a bowl from time to time, as long as you don't make an habit out of it since it hasn't got a high nutritional value.

I think it's normal! More than half of your stomach is gone, the rest is swollen and you just had an anesthesia! I felt pretty tired and very very cold at least two weeks and a half after the surgery to be honest. It's a bad moment to go through, but it does not last long Cheers!

I never ever received any restriction toward coffee or thee (caffeinated), I have started drinking thee 4 days post-op and I have started drinking coffee one month after (just because it took me long at first and cold coffee tastes like sh*t). I don't know about sugar though since I like my coffee black... Maybe stevia? I just think that if you drink caffeinated coffee or thee be sure to drink enough Water

After two weeks, I would be dead tired after 2 or 3 miles, but I used to walk and bike a lot before the surgery. Don't go too hard on yourself, it's already good that you walk everyday!