biginjapan

Same here Charlotte! I'm 49 and had surgery a little over a month ago. 27 pounds down and I swear it's all come from my face and neck:-) I don't remember these wrinkles the last time I successfully dieted about 6 years ago. Anyway, I've read that the rapid weight loss doesn't give your skin a chance to heal at our age. Wish I would have done this in my 20s. In time, with good hydration and a good moisturizer it should get better. I may find some laser treatments along the way. What type of treatment do you get?

I have lost well over 100 pounds on 3 occasions, not to mention the countless tines I've lost 10-30 pounds. I have a 100% failure rate at keeping it off. My hope is this will help me keep it off. Without surgery you have about a 2% chance of maintaining a 100+ pound loss for 5 years. That tells me trying to do it on my own yet again was a waste of time and energy.

At 17 days out I'm still a little in the "what the hell did I do?" stage. But I know it'll get better. So I listen to those who are years out and would do it again in a heartbeat. I want to be that person someday.

I can totally relate, except I'd been dieting over 35 years. I've gained and lost probably 400lbs. I'm afraid to do the math!! When my weight was creeping up again, I started running through my diet repertoire to decide which one to go on next, but I was sure I'd just gain it back so I had a consultation with my surgeon and never looked back. I'm sorry your insurance doesn't cover it. But if there is any way you can swing it financially, do it!! I have zero regrets. It's been a bit of a roller coaster and I've had a small regain, which I'm losing now, but all in all, I'm a success!!

Most of my life I was a healthy weight up till 2008 when I married and started having kids. Stress and boredom got me where I am today. My goal weight is at a normal bmi, because that's where I can literally feel myself being again. It'll put me at 23.2. But because I'm older and have had kids (body changed), I don't mind 150-160 either, as long as I'm pumping muscle. If I'm not working out 🏋 with heavy weights, then I'll shoot for 145. But then again, I really don't care to think of numbers. If I'm happy and healthy without all this fat, then that's what I'll take. 😊

My lowest adult BMI was 23, which I was at for barely 6 months. I was a healthy overweight person most of life, active in a lot of sports and eating fairly healthily. So yeah, I'd like to get back there. My goal is to hit 24 BMI, cause I can't imagine myself any thinner, plus, it gives me some wiggle room in case I do regain a little with the "bounce back". But who knows - I may change my mind if and when I get there (which will admittedly be quite a while from now).

You are making a life changing decision and some will understand and some won't. When I had my Gastric Bypass ( 6-16-14) my true friends were there for me and supported me through the whole thing. My sister told me I was taking the easy way out. She said I should just go to a nutritionist and go on yet another diet. My primary care physician was against it saying I should just go on a low fat diet. I have been on every diet known to man and I would gain weight on the diets. But, I do not regret for one second that I had my LIFE SAVING Surgery. I lost 146 pounds and went from a size 28 women's down to a size 9 juniors and am off all medication for my heart, arthritis, and diabetes. I am free of diets forever and healthy. If you do this you will be free of a over weight sick body. Love yourself, do it for yourself and do not let those around you bring yourself down. I wish you a speedy recovery from surgery.

Wow - great story and I think most of us here can relate. Good luck with your surgery on Monday!

It does seem like most people settle for not being obese and their Drs encourage that. Even though physically I am about as small as I want to be clothing and size wise. I want to get down as low as possible. I don't think I have to lose to 25 though, if I lose to about 27/28 I can get to 25 with skin surgery.
The only reason I want to go as low as possible, hopefully to a 24 or 25 BMI is because I am still young and with aging I am going to end up regaining some. I would rather have enough bounce room I never end op obese again.
I also think near the end it is so hard to get that last weight off people just give up instead of continuing to feel like they are failing.
Many people also have a lot of their identity wrapped up in being fat, and they don't want to give it up.

I used to drink Diet Coke/Coke Zero a lot - at least 16oz a day, but often twice or three times that amount. I had that habit for about 20 years. I gave it up cold turkey 3.5 years ago and I haven't missed it since (this was long before I ever decided to have bariatric surgery). Yes, I did have some cravings in the first couple weeks afterwards, but I was able to overcome them, unfortunately with other sweet things, like chocolate. I've heard from people that giving up soda also curbed their sweet cravings, but that wasn't the case for me. In fact, my sweet cravings went into overdrive. But eventually I was able to deal with that too.
Based on what I've read, here are the reasons why any kind of carbonated drinks are not recommended, at least for the first six months (or ever):
while it does not stretch your stomach, it probably feels like it does, and can be very uncomfortable for you you should be trying to keep the acidity of your stomach down, not increasing it empty calories - do not be fooled by the "sugar-free" label. Yes, you may not be consuming calories, but the rest of your body (your pancreas in particular) still thinks you are and will secrete more insulin to deal with the anticipated sugar rush. Of course, there is no sugar, but what happens over time is that you end up becoming more and more insulin-resistant and/or pre-diabetic/diabetic (if you aren't already). if your stomach is full from carbonation you won't have room for the food you really need soda, for many people, often accompanies other foods they shouldn't be eating, like pizza or burgers or fried food or chips or...You may have trained your body for years with those kinds of associations. It may be a slippery slope to start drinking soda again and not want a bite or nibble of something to accompany it. most people who admit to drinking soda weekly or somewhat regularly again have lost most of their weight and/or are in maintenance. That's a much different situation than being within 6 months of major abdominal surgery. In the end however, it's up to you.
To the OP: I noticed that your profile says that you are pre-op. Like so many other habits (coffee, smoking, alcohol, etc) this is one addiction that you should probably get a hold of before surgery. The more you can deal with these things beforehand, the better.

Wow - great story and I think most of us here can relate. Good luck with your surgery on Monday!

I used to drink Diet Coke/Coke Zero a lot - at least 16oz a day, but often twice or three times that amount. I had that habit for about 20 years. I gave it up cold turkey 3.5 years ago and I haven't missed it since (this was long before I ever decided to have bariatric surgery). Yes, I did have some cravings in the first couple weeks afterwards, but I was able to overcome them, unfortunately with other sweet things, like chocolate. I've heard from people that giving up soda also curbed their sweet cravings, but that wasn't the case for me. In fact, my sweet cravings went into overdrive. But eventually I was able to deal with that too.
Based on what I've read, here are the reasons why any kind of carbonated drinks are not recommended, at least for the first six months (or ever):
while it does not stretch your stomach, it probably feels like it does, and can be very uncomfortable for you you should be trying to keep the acidity of your stomach down, not increasing it empty calories - do not be fooled by the "sugar-free" label. Yes, you may not be consuming calories, but the rest of your body (your pancreas in particular) still thinks you are and will secrete more insulin to deal with the anticipated sugar rush. Of course, there is no sugar, but what happens over time is that you end up becoming more and more insulin-resistant and/or pre-diabetic/diabetic (if you aren't already). if your stomach is full from carbonation you won't have room for the food you really need soda, for many people, often accompanies other foods they shouldn't be eating, like pizza or burgers or fried food or chips or...You may have trained your body for years with those kinds of associations. It may be a slippery slope to start drinking soda again and not want a bite or nibble of something to accompany it. most people who admit to drinking soda weekly or somewhat regularly again have lost most of their weight and/or are in maintenance. That's a much different situation than being within 6 months of major abdominal surgery. In the end however, it's up to you.
To the OP: I noticed that your profile says that you are pre-op. Like so many other habits (coffee, smoking, alcohol, etc) this is one addiction that you should probably get a hold of before surgery. The more you can deal with these things beforehand, the better.

I used to drink Diet Coke/Coke Zero a lot - at least 16oz a day, but often twice or three times that amount. I had that habit for about 20 years. I gave it up cold turkey 3.5 years ago and I haven't missed it since (this was long before I ever decided to have bariatric surgery). Yes, I did have some cravings in the first couple weeks afterwards, but I was able to overcome them, unfortunately with other sweet things, like chocolate. I've heard from people that giving up soda also curbed their sweet cravings, but that wasn't the case for me. In fact, my sweet cravings went into overdrive. But eventually I was able to deal with that too.
Based on what I've read, here are the reasons why any kind of carbonated drinks are not recommended, at least for the first six months (or ever):
while it does not stretch your stomach, it probably feels like it does, and can be very uncomfortable for you you should be trying to keep the acidity of your stomach down, not increasing it empty calories - do not be fooled by the "sugar-free" label. Yes, you may not be consuming calories, but the rest of your body (your pancreas in particular) still thinks you are and will secrete more insulin to deal with the anticipated sugar rush. Of course, there is no sugar, but what happens over time is that you end up becoming more and more insulin-resistant and/or pre-diabetic/diabetic (if you aren't already). if your stomach is full from carbonation you won't have room for the food you really need soda, for many people, often accompanies other foods they shouldn't be eating, like pizza or burgers or fried food or chips or...You may have trained your body for years with those kinds of associations. It may be a slippery slope to start drinking soda again and not want a bite or nibble of something to accompany it. most people who admit to drinking soda weekly or somewhat regularly again have lost most of their weight and/or are in maintenance. That's a much different situation than being within 6 months of major abdominal surgery. In the end however, it's up to you.
To the OP: I noticed that your profile says that you are pre-op. Like so many other habits (coffee, smoking, alcohol, etc) this is one addiction that you should probably get a hold of before surgery. The more you can deal with these things beforehand, the better.

Interesting, I have researched this extensively and it's simply no true. The sleeve procedure removed the stretchy part of your stomach.

There is absolutely no medical research that suggests a post vsg stomach can be stretched by a few bubbles. In fact, if you overeat (which is how our original stomach got stretched in the first place), it still won't stretch, you'll just throw up!

I am am posting this in hopes of helping everyone who has a diet soda addiction. I know its hard to break any addiction as I myself am working through a sugar addiction. I have broken the soda and fast food addiction over the last few years so believe me I inow the addiction is real. But you can do it if you arm yourself with some information about the foods and drinks we consume that are truly harmful for us. Knowledge is power and I want all of you to feel powerful and strong as you embark into a new food lifestyle.
First, if you have Netflix, look up these movies and watch them over and over. "HUNGRY FOR CHANGE" & " FOOD MATTERS" . They will also lead you to other movies about food that can change how you view the foods you eat. I truly believe that actually knowing what you are eating makes it easier NOT to put it in your mouth in the first place.
Diet sodas are a cocktail of chemicals that destroy your body all the while wanting you to believe they are safe and healthy to drink. You can actually CLEAN YOUR TOILET with coke products. Try it then think about putting it in your body.
Fast food is not real food. Go buy a mcdonalds burger, your favorite and place it on your counter and wait for it to spoil. It wont. It will not break down because it is not real food. Would you really want to eat something that isnt real food? These small thought process changes really do help you change your perceptions of food. And if we can change our perception ,we can change our life. That is a fact in every aspect of life.
We have all embarked upon a journey of serious body modification (surgical intervention) to make a real change in our lives. To bring health and wellness and true changes to ourselves. Our bodies are becoming temples. Bring your spirit into this journey as well. Learn about the nasty, foul, and disgusting items out there that are not real food. See them for the demons they are and do not allow them into the temple you are building.
I wish all of you success and I look forward to seeing you all someday on the losers bench.

The further away from diet coke you get the worse it taste when you go back. I am 6 years off of soda and you couldn't pay me to drink it again. It's nasty!!

That I don't know! Hopefully someone who runs this site will read this and be able to give us an answer.
Also - in the "status updates" bar on the left, just below the title there is a space that says "What's on your mind?" You can add your update there too, or do you not see that either?

Hi February 2017 Sleevers,
It's been one month and a few days since my surgery. Wow! I'm loving the weight loss! Down 27 pounds which is over the top exciting! I thought I'd share some of my thoughts now that I've been at this for a bit. You might be here too or have already passed through this part of the journey. Every body is different.
Happy that many of my early issues have cleared up on their own. I no longer have stomach spasms. That was early on and they hurt. I no longer have acid reflux. Again, the first two weeks and it's gone. I had some dizzy spells early on as well but I attributed that to the VLCD and trying to get my Water in.
I still struggle with Constipation. I don't expect to go every day as I am eating only 600-800 calories a day. I usually think about it once a week and take some Milk of Magnesia at bedtime. Problems solved after my morning coffee:-)
I'm starting to notice my "full" feeling. It was hard at first because those nerves in my tummy were severed during surgery. I have been measuring my food and determined that I can eat about 4-5 ounces comfortably. I am still in the soft/mushy phase so I will have to re-evaluate when I move to the next phase, I'm sure.
It is hard work to eat and drink everything I am supposed to. Those nasty Grelin hunger hormones are gone. Yay! Consequently, I feel absolutely no physical hunger. I did feel a few days of head hunger and regret that I could no longer eat whatever I want but that has passed too. Having no hunger sounds like a great thing until you get to 8pm and realize you've only eaten 300 calories all day.
Sugar cravings are gone. I haven't had any sugar, processed food or processed flour since surgery. That was friggin' hard but I'm past the cravings now and it is awesome! My skin looks great now that the things I consume are truly nourishing. Another reason I have no hunger, I believe.
I'd love to hear how everyone is doing! What types of issues are you dealing with? Successes? Failures?
ta
Pam

I am a surrogate mother. I carried a child of whom I am the biological mother for a couple that could not conceive a child on their own.

I am not shy about talking about it, as it is part if my identity. When people hear about it, it usually brings up the same couple questions, and they move on.

For me, WLS will fall into the same niche. If it happens to come up, I'll talk about it. Mostly people will be curious for a few minutes, then lose interest.

They almost invariably dismiss the surrogacy conversation by saying, "oh, I could never do that." I imagine the surgery conversation would be the same way. They ask questions, then put themselves into your shoes to see if it would apply to them or someone they know.

There are a few really long threads about this that you can search for.
I didn't tell anyone, just a couple friends know. I have found it to be very beneficial that people don't know.
A lot of people say that people will question you or how you are losing weight but honestly even though you lose a lot of weight it doesn't come off overnight and people are not that curious. Most of the population think that diet and exercise work so if you tell them you are low carb and being active they will readily accept that.
I am literally 1/2 my size I was before and no one questions how I lost weight. They know I am active and when they spend time around me, they see how I eat. All day, lol but small portions. Most people are not willing to give up carbs on the level I have, so when people see how I eat, even at restaurants they don't question.
You can't un-tell, so it is best not to tell.
At almost 2 years I am finally to the point that I would feel comfortable talking about my surgery with people because I feel it could be so beneficial for some people. The only thing is, I don't want the fact I had surgery to be my identity and have people ask me about it all the time. I don't even feel like a WLS patient at this point and surgery seems like a distant memory. Being a poster child for surgery would be like a dark cloud that followed me around robbing me of my identity.

I am having gastric sleeve surgery on April 6th (yay!) and so far have only told a handful of people. I am a private person when it comes to losing weight because I hate the questions of "how is the dieting going?" "how much weight have you lost?" So this time around I really don't want to deal with it, plus I don't want to deal with the judgement involved. Also, I want to add that in the last four month I have lost 40 lbs on my own so people are already noticing that I am losing weight so I am figuring that they will just assume that I am continuing on with the weight loss after I have had the gastric sleeve surgery.
I don't live near my family and only see them once or twice a year so I am not worried about their reaction when I see them. I guess what I want to know is have any of you not told others that you are having this surgery and if so, how has it worked for you? What have you said to people when you have been asked about your weight loss?
People are just too nosy for me and I feel like it is none of their business. Maybe I'm being being too much of a b*tch about it. I don't know.

I wrote about this in 2015 when I was sleeved. It's a hot topic and I got a lot of grief from others.
1. The big issue is babying your WLS post surgery. Not all surgeries are equal. Sleeves are the most minimally invasive and based on reviewing guidelines worldwide, I found them ranging from no wait (in England) to 1 year in most major US programs. I went with two months, but eased in very delicately. Speaking to doctors, I learned that the sleeve is pretty much healed after 6 weeks. I have also heard that a Gastric Bypass is less tolerant since you're no longer using the tough stomach tissue to process the  food you eat.
2. The next big issue is your liver. When you are losing a lot of weight in a hurry (like most WLS patients), your liver is working overtime. I waited until I was close to reaching my goal and drank extra  Water before and after my very weak  drinks.
3. Beyond those two major health considerations, the biggest is your weight loss success. Alcohol is empty calories and when we drink, we make bad food choices. I always counted the calories in my drinks, which kept me on distilled alcohol and Water. I also always planned what I was going to eat BEFORE drinking and stuck to it.
4. Although not a risk for everyone, transfer addiction is a real risk for people who may have been addicted to overeating or anything else. I have read many stories from people who never drank before WLS, but were addicted to eating or soda and became alcoholics after.
5. The carbonation myth has no basis in medical research. I researched it extensively and found zero long term issue from any doctors. I also observed that many obese people drank sugary soda all day long, which is why most programs tell us not to drink it. It should be avoided until tolerated following your surgery. I tried it after 6 months and it upset my stomach. Today, I can drink a little, but not much (12 ounces over a few hour timespan). Of course if you were addicted to soda or beer before WLS, be very careful.
These are the biggies, let me know if you have any further questions...

Today was my 1 month post op. I started the pre-op 6 weeks ago and am down 41 lbs and 21.75 inches

Any weight you've gained in the hospital is from your IV. They really pump you full of fluids. I made the mistake of stepping on the scale 3 days post-op and was bummed until the internet told me what it was. You WILL lose! And you're healing great with no issues! That's terrific. You will feel even better in just a few weeks.
I'm just over a month out and I feel like I have my life back. I had so much inflammation and arthritis in my body pre-op and that has completely vanished. I couldn't stand for more than 5 minutes at a time. I'd avoid social situations for fear of a lack of seating. I couldn't walk even shortest distances without wheezing and feeling like my legs would collapse. I felt guilty feeling like I had to make my friends accommodate me, and that was the worst.
I'm now walking great and further than I have in years. I don't have pain when I wake up and can even take the stairs without an issue. I feel great, and that's what I wanted most of all from this experience. The weight loss is a bonus.
Good luck, everybody!

Sleeved on 2/9 so one month to date tomorrow.
The good:
Down 29 pounds since surgery.
Walking tons, can't wait to start exercising.
No issues keeping food down

The challenges still:
Constipation has been and still remains an issue though.
Having tough time slowing down when eating
Still feel hungry between meals

Overall, happy with the decision and progress

Sleeved 2/21
Today was the first day I could have Water - was able to keep down a few sips of Propel. It was difficult in the hospital with nurses and doctors coming in often when all I wanted to do was sleep. I stayed 2 says due to vomiting. I was so glad to get home and finally rest.
My couch has been my bed since it is easier to sleep propped up on it. I found a center that does gentle workouts geared more towards people who are recovering from surgeries etc that I will attend starting Monday. They also have Tai Chi, yoga and other programs. I am still sore, fatigued, and a little weak so I am not able to go full blown into a gym yet. I am excited to begin more movement that will help strengthen my body.
Still working on getting Protein up and more fluids in. I had a hard time with Tachycardia and ended up in ER. It is more so after surgery due to imbalance of electrolytes and I had a little dehydration. I am on beta blockers now which are helping. My cardiologist felt it will get better as my nutrition gets better.
Good thing is my 1st 2 weeks I dropped 18lbs. I am not rushing to eat anything just letting my body guide me to when it is ready to move to the next stage. My nutritionist agreed and said it seems I am taking a little more time to heal. I have never had any surgeries before.
When the surgery was over I never had regrets just couldn't believe after all these years I finally did it!