YeaMe

I have a ton of girl's nights out. I didn't not go out for the first 3 1/2 months to get myself on track, and frankly, had no desire to because I was so focused on my plan. I realized I had the rest of my life to go out. Now, I go out frequently. I don't necessarily drink each time, but if I do, I will order a glass of white wine, or vodka/cranberry. I limit myself to one because of the empty calories, and I have it before I put any food in my stomach so I'm not eating and drinking. One thing you will find, that can sabotage you, is when you are a little buzzed you will be looser on your food choices. Believe me, I was a 4-6 drink person when I went out. I've been saving a ton of money because I now have 1 to zero drinks, and always split a meal with someone. You have to make a commitment to yourself that it is what you really want. If you do, it makes it a lot easier to comply.

I too had a hiatal hernia and it is a very common practice for them to fix it at the same time as doing the sleeve.

That is good news. Keep focused on the future.

I personally would not have had the energy to enjoy a vacation like that. I never took pain meds once I left the hospital, but I was very nauseous for 5 days, dizzy for about 14 days, and no energy, I mean ZERO, for 5 weeks. Some people feel fine within a week, some it takes 6 weeks or more. There is no way to predict how you will feel after the surgery. I would put off surgery until after the trip. There is a LOT one needs to focus on the first 3 months after surgery.

The stalls can be very frustrating but I have come to realize, I am usually ALWAYS in a stall, until one morning I step on the scale and it goes down 3-4 lbs. I don't get it, but there is no getting around it. Just know that it will come off if you follow the rules. Best of luck!

I talked to my surgeon about it. He said if he knew of a prevention he would be a billionaire!!! There is nothing you can put on topically or take orally that will change the outcome.

The people on either side of my cubicle can still hear my stomach growl. They have finally stopped verbally commenting after 5 months , but now send me IMs with unwitty remarks - feed that thing before it attacks someone, etc..

I am five months out from VSG and fortunately only have 16 more lbs (my goal, which may change) to lose. My dilemma is clothing. Example - this morning I was getting dressed for work and now only have one pair of pants that fit. Really!?!? Last week I had 4. What happened over the weekend - I only lost 1 lb! So the problem-I have to dress in "professional" clothes - that's their term - meaning suits/jackets, etc. I have tried the thrift stores but they don't seem to carry much work professional - well, not true, if I want to dress in the 80's they do. I just can't afford to buy clothes over and over and over, as I have probably already spent $800 in the last 4 months! I will go out again and buy a few staples, but literally nothing in my closet fits so I don't even have a M-F outfits. My trainer finally told me I HAD to go out and buy new workout clothes, which I did. My question - when is a safe time to go out and purchase a new wardrobe? Once you reach goal? Wait 6 months after reaching goal? A year, 2 years? I see people's weight seems to fluctuate in the first 2 years before it settles down, or just possibly the people who post. Advice from those that have been there would be appreciated.

There is the dreaded 3 week stall, 6 week stall, and pretty much stalls through the entire journey. It WILL happen, it WILL pass. Just keep yourself on track and probably off the scale.

My daughter and I were discussing this topic over the weekend. As we were waiting at a stoplight, a gentleman was walking the median with a sign asking for money saying he was homeless, but had on nice clothes, designer shoes, and smoking a cigarette. I told my daughter, maybe I should try that but with a sign telling the truth, NEED MONEY FOR BOOB JOB! We laughed, but then my daughter said, people would respect the truth and you would probably get enough money in a couple of weeks.

Introversion - Out of curiosity, what was your calorie range during weight loss?

I was self-paid too and chose to have my surgery near my home in the states. It thought it would be more expensive, but I decided it was worth it to have the pre/post-care that I feel is important, and in case something went wrong. I had a friend who went out of the country and she struggles because she doesn't have any post-care. I'm sure it depends on the doctor/facility that you go to as to what type of pre/post-care they offer. It was important to me to sit down with a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric nutrition. I thought I knew everything, but realized I knew very little. My insurance didn't cover surgery either, but I had a hiatal hernia fixed and they ended up paying almost 95% of hospital expenses, though I did have to pay my surgeon's fee of $5,000. I wasn't expecting them to pay much at all. It was a nice surprise.

I think that a majority of people are scared about surgery and doubting it because there are so many what ifs: will I have pain; will I have complications; will I lose weight; will I be able to change my eating habits. You can ask these questions to 10 people and get 10 different responses. Complications are rare and this is one of the safest bariatric surgeries available. Of course I was hesitant about altering my body, but realized after 40 yrs of dieting I was still obese and I needed to go a different direction. As far as pain, I had very little, just nausea. Transitioning into post-op life, I am almost 4 months out and so far there are just a few things that have been hard. Eating too fast and not chewing enough - both of these you can start working on before the surgery (which I did not). Success so far - I am elated with not having the carb and sugar cravings that controlled my life. My primary food sources are protein with a few complex carbs. As of now, I can say this is the best decision I have ever made for my health. The one worry I still have is the long term outcome. I just have to stay focused and realize this is a "forever" change and going back to eating fast and processed foods will only take me back to square one again. Only you can decide in the end if this is right for you. Good luck!

You said it yourself - I feel my diet has increased and I haven't been exercising. That's exactly why.

Thanks all for the information. Hitting goal right now for me is a scary thing. I keep telling myself over and over that when I hit goal, it doesn't mean I can start eating Mexican, Italian, sweets, etc. again like all my friends think I can. Maybe I will just keep it to myself when I reach it. It just means that I eat my 3 oz of protein and then some veggies, which I have been missing. I'm not sure what is harder, training my brain or my friends, a few of which I'm thinking about trading in! I know it will be a lifelong process and one I hope to master.