laceemouse

I think there are a couple of issues here. One is that most people have a hard time seeing the weight loss on themselves, when they look in the mirror they still see their former fat self. It helps to look at pictures of yourself before the surgery, comparing them to current pictures. Also, taking measurements helps. Once you see the numbers getting smaller and smaller it may sink in. BUT it usually does take time for the mind to catch up. Also, were you overweight for a long time? Or did you used to weigh 170's, as an adult, and feel good at that weight? People who have been overweight for a long time (or all their lives) don't have any idea what they will look like at lower weights. They have a hard time picking a goal weight because of that. I know for me I weighed in the 140's in high school and thought I was huge. I look back at pictures now and can't remember myself ever being that small. At my current age I don't even know if it would be possible for me to ever get that low again but I also don't think I am going to feel small until I get really low. Are your clothes too big? That would be a good sign in my book! Another thing to keep in mind is we can't choose where we will lose the weight. People will start looking small in their upper bodies, and their faces will look skinny, but they will still be big on the bottom. Women will lose their boobs but still have a big stomach or butt. It's sad we can't pick and choose where we want the weight to go away first

Gallstones are common after weight loss with or without surgery. I had to have my gallbladder out years ago after losing a measly 40 pounds on Weight Watchers. Now I am awaiting my surgery date for VSG and I am so glad I already had my gallbladder out.

Not really, getting enough Water and Protein is crucial. As she said, she woke up dizzy and weak. No one can live for very long on zero calories, and not getting enough water will land her back in the hospital. Dehydration is dangerous. When someone has just had major surgery they need to heal completely before worrying about dieting. Complications after surgery are not fun and can take a long time to get over.

I don't have anxiety and have never needed to see a counselor. I was normal weight in high school, gained some in college but lost it back, was normal weight when I got married and normal weight when I got pregnant the first time. I too have graduated from college, I have been happily married for almost 29 years, birthed and raised 4 kids (homeschooled them as well!) Every other aspect of my life is pretty awesome. I had 4 pregnancies in 6 years, gained a lot of weight, never lost it all back and continued to gain even after the last one was born. I can tell you, for myself anyway, I am hungry all the time. I rarely drink soda or eat junk food, I don't eat when I am emotional, I don't binge. It really doesn't take much, just a couple hundred extra calories a day, to pack on the pounds over the years. Unlike most people here I haven't lost and gained back over and over again. The most I have ever lost is 40 pounds, and of course I gained it back and more. I usually can't stay on a diet for more than a couple of weeks, I am TOO hungry. I will eat a healthy dinner, and an hour later I am hungry, in the kitchen looking for something to eat! For me, the sleeve is all about being able to feel satisfied with less food. I don't know why I can't do that without the surgery, but I can't. And the older I get the harder it gets. In 10 years I will be 300 pounds if I don't do this thing! No one knows for sure what causes obesity. Eating too much and not moving enough, yes, but hormones? Maybe a combination of things?? Keep in mind that the average person who loses 50 pounds has a 2% chance of keeping it off for 5 years. The odds with surgery are MUCH better! And I need to lose twice that much. It isn't just about looks either. Being 100 pounds overweight will take 10 years off my life. You shouldn't feel like you are weak if you get surgery. Go on YouTube and watch videos (search VSG, WLS, etc) You will be amazed and inspired!

Maybe try other groups out there? Maybe someone will have more recent experiences? I just know that when nursing you need a lot more calories and it would be hard to get them for the first few weeks or even months after surgery. People can hardly get any in for quite a while. Hopefully a nutritionist will help/answer questions. I was starving through every pregnancy and while nursing, which was the start of my weight problem. But I am glad now that I didn't have any restrictions on eating back in those days. Best of luck to you.

I haven't had WLS yet but I had my gallbladder out years ago, similar surgery in that it is also done via laproscope. The gas pain happens because they fill your abdominal cavity to blow it up so they can see what they are doing in there. The gas is trying to escape and can hurt in the shoulders, neck, back, etc. I felt it in my right shoulder, it killed. I found that the only thing that helped was walking, walking, walking. And pain pills when I wanted to sleep. I can't understand why Gas X would help, the problem isn't really IN the digestive tract. But some people swear by it so???

Maybe call the doctor or nut and ask? In my support group the other night there was a young women (in her 30's maybe) who is 5 weeks out and still feeling like you do, napping every day, etc. The nurse who runs the group had some ideas for her. Sorry I can't be more help, I am pre-surgery. I do fear the same thing happening to me, I have never been good at having energy while barely eating, hence the reason I can never stay on a diet long enough to lose weight.

My surgeon is phasing out doing the band as well. He feels that many people "abuse the band" and then blame the band. Here is my theory, with the band you still have that big hungry stomach under there, growling to be fed. Just like any other diet it will work for a while when you are super motivated, but after you get tired of being hungry you figure out ways to eat around the band. I have heard of people drinking milk shakes, etc. While I understand that ANY WLS is just a tool and we still have to work at it, the restrictions or the other surgeries seem to help more people long term (not all of course, you can always gain back if you aren't careful) I didn't like the idea of the band when I first heard or it. I understand people like the fact that it is reversible but I don't like the idea of that object being in my all the time. Now many people are having slippage, corrosion, etc of the band. Some people are successful with it but lots of surgeons are not happy with the stats.

You should be able to have broth, ask your doctor why you can't. A lot of people seem to feel they need an abdominal binder to hold things tight, ask about that too. Oh, and the best thing for gas is walking, walking, walking.

Gastric bypass.

I plan to find an unflavored I can handle, I haven't start trying them yet but will once I get a surgery date. I think those sweet pre-made shakes would get old really fast and getting enough protein from your food would be hard the first few weeks or months because the sleeve can only hold so much. People mix unflavored with jello and pudding mixes, water with flavoring like Crystal Light, even things like Cream of Wheat and soups. You can puree the soup and put it in that (just watch the temp, if you mix it with something too hot it will clump)

Thank you and congrats! Great job! I have been staying low carb also. I am allowed "all foods" now also and I LOVE LOVE LOVE salads. Always have. But there isn't enough Protein in a salad. But I'll admit, I find myself ordering them often since I don't really like meat. I've never been a meat eater. I always try n pick out my chicken and eat it first. One restaurant salad will be 3-4 meals for me. But again, not the protein I'm needing. Wish I was more keen of meats. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App There are vegans and vegetarians who are post WLS. Do a search and figure out what they eat.

I will be 54 on October 20th and just got approved for the sleeve. Hoping to get a surgery date next week! You guys are all very inspirational.

As far as I know, you don't choose the size of your sleeve, the surgeon makes that decision once in there. People with less to lose tend to lose much less the first few weeks and lose more slowly. Meeting "goal" has a lot of variables, but it helps to remember that the more someone has to lose the more loose skin they end up with (usually) and that skin does have weight, though generally not as much as people think. Also, if a person has been extremely overweight for a long period of time their bones become more dense to support their weight. So, their bones actually weigh more. And muscle weight more than fat. So getting down to a certain BMI doesn't really tell you much, there are so many other factors to consider.

Sorry no one is answering you, I don't think this is very common. You are not going to be able to breastfeed after the anesthesia or while you are on pain pills so it will be a while. I would also be worried about being able to hold the baby comfortably against your tummy when the incisions are tender. How long do you plan to breastfeed? I breastfeed each of my 4 kids for 12 to 18 months. I would be worried about nursing a growing baby while hardly able to eat anything. Most people are living on VERY few calories for several months after the surgery. I went to my support group at the hospital where I plan to have surgery (waiting to get my date!!) There was a young mom in there who is 5 weeks out from the sleeve. She is exhausted! She can't eat much solid food yet. She is surviving on Protein shakes. She was crying because she feels like it is taking her too long to get her strength back. She naps every afternoon (her kids are in elementary school) and feels bad about it. The nurse who runs the group gave her reassurance and pointers. She will be okay. But I can't imagine taking care of a baby, especially nursing, on top of that!

Many people do everything right and still have hair loss after WLS. Actually, it can happen after any weight loss. It doesn't just happen to people with other health problems or people who don't take their Vitamins or people who already have thin hair. It can happen to anyone, and often doesn't start until several months after surgery. The good news is it will grow back.

You are in a very stressful situation right now, stay safe!!!

I got my approval 3 weeks after everything was sent to the insurance company. My surgeon's office has told me they will contact me tomorrow or Friday with information about the next step. Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

My surgeon says no beer ever again because of the foam. A lady in my support group tried a beer several months after surgery and regretted it, very painful. But many people here seem to be fine with it. I can't imagine drinking a beer or wine or any alcohol slowly. Yuck. You gotta need a buzz bad to enjoy warm booze. Gross. Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

I can't imagine any ethical surgeon doing that to you, even self pay because if you have complications they would be responsible. Have you tried counseling? Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

Yes, I very rarely have "munchies". Thank you on the congrats! I lost 130 lbs and then gain 40 back. Now I'm doing the Sleeve. I am excited because fasting for 16 months was really, really hard. I'm happy that I will get to eat real food again within a month or so! lol! Ok, thank you! I have a call into my doc but I was planning on a two week hiatus. Kind of like, don't smoke weed while my body is still only on the liquid stage. But hopefully I'll hear back soon. Tinctures are available but I tend to be very sensitive to ingested marijuana so I am thinking I would stay away from it 100% till I'm well healed. Stress, anxiety, anti-nausea and pain relief. My gallbladder went bad and it caused a pancreatic attack so I've been using it pretty regularly right now to stop the nausea (as well as ondansetron or whatever) as well as it reduces my abdominal pain. I've been using it that way since I ended up in ICU in February. I used it for stress and anxiety now for about 5 years. I was on anti-anxiety pills but I hated them and their effect on me - I felt like a druggie who would just sleep away my anxiety and I wasn't really living. So I worked with my doc and my Medical Marijuana distributor on a strain that helps stop my anxiety attacks as well as has reduced my issues of dealing with stress and repetitive thinking. Keeping a bad gallbladder can be dangerous, it can rupture. And pancreatitis is terrible. They should remove your gallbladder when you have the sleeve, right now you are just masking that pain. Ask your surgeon about it. Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

A leak makes you really sick, I think feeling full sounds wonderful. Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

My insurance requires a patient be 18, but they are all very different. Best of luck to you!! Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

I would ask your doctor, some people don't give up caffeine at all. Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App

I don't think it's ever too late to get back on track eating healthy. I haven't had my surgery yet but I know for me I am going to have to track everything I eat for the rest of my life. Otherwise I will go back to mindless snacking. I am tired of being obese.Watch some WLS and VSG YouTube videos. I get very inspired watching people's journeys, they shrink before your eyes!! Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App