Malin

Also, the smell of my coworkers' lunches. I can't take it.

It does seem weird not having tuna on a cracker! BUT....not time for that yet. It's just extra carbs you don't need anyway, right? Focus on that protein!
But...whenever I see cheezits in the store I wince a little. So I completely understand!

WONDERFUL! See, the investment in yourself...it's already paying off! I would absolutely hate to give myself insulin shots every day. I have to give my dog insulin , that's bad enough!

Change in tastes really surprised me. I used to hate cottage cheese. I like it now. Cake, not so much. I had a nibble this weekend at a party. It tasted so weird.

I am 4 weeks post op and for the last week and a half my sugar levels have been 119 or lower!!! Doc says that I can stop taking insulin, but I still have to check and to see if it gets up to 141 to inject. So far all is good and I am beyond thrilled! To all those Neigh Sayers that told me this surgery wouldn't be good for me.....UP YOURS!!!
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Please get help before the surgery. It would be very dangerous to sabotage especially in your beginning months.
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I over prepared. I bought way too many items based on what I read here. I purchased way too many different types of Protein drinks and such. Wasted way too much money on things I never used.
I wasn't prepared how fast the transformation happens. I felt like I got my sexy back after a couple of months, and now nearly six months out and almost at goal my confidence is at an all time high.
Just need to keep the motivation going.

3rd day update: today I finally felt much better and I was able to drink 73 ounces of liquids, with 62.7 grams of Protein. I've also been doing tiny "laps" of the first floor. I'm still exhausted, even though I took several naps, so I'm heading to bed!
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My doc said that most people will struggle to get their Protein and Water in for the first 8 weeks. The plan was to get as much of it in as you can and slowly reach goal (80-100g protein/day, 64+ oz H2O/day). When I saw him 2 weeks post op and told him I wasn't hitting my goals, I was disappointed in myself and thought I would get a talking-to from him. He just patted my leg and said I was doing great and that I'm still healing and will hit my numbers as long as I follow the program. He was right! lol!
But I still have to work on making my Water goals. I can't gulp water anymore. I am MUCH better now, at 12 weeks I was able to take some big drinks but would still get queasy if I drank too much too fast. at 15 weeks I'm able to get 8 oz down in about 20 minutes without trying too hard or feeling bad.
It's a journey so "doing everything right" doesn't mean it will go perfectly. There will be some ups and downs, some back slides and some leaps forward. Our metabolism is a magical creature that sometimes eludes us. lol! It doesn't like the body losing so much of it's stockpiled energy and will slow down thinking we are dying of starvation. Then it will realize, nope, gotta dump some energy now! and bamn, 3 lbs gone overnight. lol! Or, that's how it will work for me sometimes. I have stalls every few weeks. I'll have a week where I don't lose anything or even go up a lb even though I'm doing everything right and increasing my water and exercise slowly every day. Just got to kind of throw up your hands, realize we are only in control of so much and keep on keeping on.

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No you all are just annoying. I've never heard people make this much noise about leaving an internet forum..
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Thanks everyone for responding...and very good points about people being concerned. I really do get that, as I'm sure I might have the same response.
I have told some of my coworkers, even, even before my surgery because I was going to be off 2 weeks, and I knew some of my close coworkers, who know that I do not take 2 weeks off work even though I could, would worry. It was just interesting because I've literally shocked some people with how different I look, but so many people have commented that aside from the weight difference, that I look younger and much healthier (music to this 46 year old lady's ears!), so it's just odd that people would worry I am sick.
But, I'd rather have the occassional odd reaction to my weight loss and keep right on enjoying this new life! Plus, eventually I'll reach my goal (only about 33 lbs away now!) and once people get used to the new me....the comments will stop, and I'll just be me again.
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Well said.
Indeed, there are plenty of experienced patients still posting here. They just don't post several times a day but have valuable things to say.
And there will be more veterans here soon. If a patient one year out or more is considered a veteran, there will be more soon. Veterans are a growing community as well just like the newbies.

hello everyone .... And thanks for sticking around. From someone that's been on this site for a long time.... Since 2009.... from time to time a change is needed.... We should never let a few bad apple spoil the whole bunch.
Never is it ok to allow any person/persons to make anyone feel bullied, belittled, unimportant, dumb... Etc. We are all here for basically the same reason.... To be with people that have been in our shoes... We all started at the same place. We were all obese and looking to make a change in our lives for the better. We found this site looking for answers. Answers to questions no matter how large or small. I'm sure if you thought of the question... someone else is thinking it too but may be afraid to ask. NO ONE has all the answers.
So I say.... ask... I'm sure someone here may have an answer... if not, must of us will say... Check with your DR.
So stick around... there are still plenty of the Vet's here with years and years of experience, knowledge and advice to give. Lots of amazing people here with amazing success stories to aspire too...
I'm not going to say the thought of leaving didn't cross my mind... it did. I was going to only because i didn't like the drama..... Then that night I got a PM asking if a member could share my Before/Afters with a coworker... I said sure and the next message was how encouraged he said she was to start her very own journey. THAT.. makes it all worth it... so I stay to try and encourage those who are to come behind me, like I was encouraged all the years ago...

It's very normal to be nervous about the surgery and what life will be like post-op. I think all of us go through a mix of nervousness and excitement.
As for some good puree ideas, this site has some good recipes (especially the baked ricotta!):
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

Only a handful of people know about my surgery. To those that don't and ask me how I lose weight all I say is I eat a little and work out a lot. I'm not lying - I do eat very little and I do work out a lot.

I said nothing. It's my journey! I eat smaller portions, Protein and increased Water. I'm so Not a private person so yes hard. But because people aren't educated on this surgery and what it's for, say nothing. You will find a lot of negativity. And it's usually from those who are skinny and/or healthy. And the surgery isn't a quick fix. It takes a lifestyle change.
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I usually say I had wls but sometimes when I feel like a smart ass I say something like my husband locks the refrigerator or I've been banned from the grocery stores.
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As a private person usually I would keep my surgery and weight loss journey to myself but I have done the complete opposite. I am 100 percent proud of my decision and am open about it with co workers, friends, family, etc. It is your life and your choices, do what feels best just for you.
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Only a handful of people know I had surgery. For the others--including the neighbors in front of me, etc.--they don't know anything.
IF someone asks, "what are you doing to lose weight?" [present tense]; or "what did you do to lose...?" I say "I really had to let go of the carbs, so I mostly eat high Protein, etc." Fact. I tell them how wonderful it is to have steak, crab, eggs, bacon, etc.; no carbs, no white stuff. Plus the neighbors now see me walking some, so they conclude that has helped, as well.
IF it's someone I know very well, and I KNOW they are struggling with their fat (and are depressed, etc), AND I feel I can trust them, if they ask, I will tell them I had wls. Or I may ask "have you thought about wls/the sleeve, etc.?"

And you thought political ads were the worst?
January ushers in a completely different-- but equally irritating ad campaign—dieting and weight loss commercials.
Bariatric dietitian Elizabeth Anderson caught some TV this weekend --cheering on her New England Patriots (!!) and checked out the latest promotions for a skinnier 2017.


You've got pills, powders, exercise gadgets and diet programs, all new and improved for the fastest, easiest weight loss EVER.
Now before I launch into my diet rant, let’s clear the air about some of the exercise plan promises.
Any exercise expert worth their salt will tell you those lean bodies you see—the glistening, tanned ones, are not made by any exercise alone.
They’re realized with very strict diets and exercise.
Exercise alone just cannot yield these results.
But what I want to really vent about today is the popular diet ads.
One popular diet program I saw advertised extensively this past week boasted,

“Lose 14 pounds in two weeks!”


I can see how well-intentioned folks are attracted to this message.
It’s a no-brainer plan:

· delicious looking food (brownies! Pancakes! Pizza!)
· super-fast and significant results
· comes with the endorsement of a well-known and liked
celebrity What I’ll ask you to consider before digging out your credit card though, is all that tiny fine print at the bottom of nearly every screen of the ad.

“Typical weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week.”


That’s quite a discrepancy people.
Would you feel disappointed if you spent money on two months of prepackaged diet food and lost the ‘typical’ amount of weight—4 pounds?
I would be, since I can’t even diet for half an hour.
‘Knowledge is power’ sounds like a Power Rangers slogan but if you realize these ads are preying on your trigger points, you are going to be a lot more cautious in your purchase decisions.
I don’t want to be discouraging here. It’s natural and healthy to want to improve your health at the start of a new year.
I simply want you to do that as a savvy consumer.
One who resists ‘too good to be true’ or exaggerated promises and invests in sustainable strategies for long-term, permanent weight loss.

Your body is trying to heal and needs to hold onto Water to do so. No worries! The early days are about healing from surgery and learning how to drink and eat. The true weight loss (fat loss) happens later.
Put away the scale! If you must have a record, do once weekly weigh ins. (And maybe let someone else do the record keeping!)
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I had decided I wanted this procedure done, and when I heard my insurance didn't cover it, set out to looking for somewhere affordable, and of course someplace that I could trust. I had read reviews of several places - there were a few that were MUCH more expensive, and also a few that were cheaper. I emailed Bill a few questions, and was pleasantly surprised when he responded almost immediately. I filled out the health questionairre, then called Bill to discuss scheduling. I was really impressed with how organized they were - I went and watched the video of the Oasis of Hope hospital, and started reading everything I could find on Dr. Illan. After I got my surgery date, Stacey sent me the pre-op diet. I had a couple of questions for her, and also, got very quick responses.
The day of the surgery, my wife and I flew to San Diego. Memo, a driver for BP MX, picked us up at the airport. He was awesome -put us at ease, told us all about the area - got my mind off the surgery.
When we arrived at the hospital I was very impressed. I met several staff members, filled out some paperwork, and got ready for the pre-op tests. Somewhere along the way, Dr. Illan came in. He is nothing less than awesome. I had tons of questions, and he was so patient, answering everyone of them. Even my wife was impressed when he said he considers every patient a member of his family, and treats them as such. I pretty much lost any fear I had after that point.
Surgery went well - the nurses were awesome, as were the other doctors I worked with. The valets treated my wife like a queen - walking with her to Starbucks, taking her out to dinner - she was well taken care of.
The hotel at the casino is very nice. The rooms are very spacious and the people there were very friendly. We met our valet Juan, and he was incredible. He showed us the town and also showed me how to live with my new sleeve in the real world - this really turned out to be more like a vacation than a medical journey!
I need to mention this site too - if you ever have questions or concerns, Bill, Stacey, even Dr.Illan! are right there to respond - you will never feel like you're in this on your own!
I would recommend, without hesitation, Dr Illan, Bill, Stacey, and BP MX - I'm excited to be on this journey - and glad I picked BP MX to help me!

I think more people have those thoughts than don't!
But the thing is, the main point of the surgery isn't really losing weight. As someone who has lost 60+ pounds on 3 different occasions and 10 pounds countless times, I can tell you there are plenty of less drastic ways to lose weight.
The point of this surgery is maintaining weight loss. The chances of being able to do that without surgery are ridiculously low, but with surgery they are decent. The most recent and best study I saw for people with morbid obesity like myself showed that 1 in 677 can lose and maintain a healthy weight without surgery. My experience shows me I'm not that 1. Of course, YMMV...
VSG 1/20/17 HW: 325 SW:294 CW: 290

My goal weight was 165, which is actually 10 pounds "overweight" by the BMI charts. The lowest I got was 153, but that was definitely too thin for me. 165 is my happy space.
To the OP, here are some pics for you. My highest weight was 270, my weight in the "after" photos was around goal of 165. I am 5'6" tall.