JPM514

I never counted carbs and over 260 pounds lost later, I still don't count them.

I finally received the call for surgery, tomorrow I arrive at the hospital 5:30am. I'm excited, and nervous.
It's been emotional for me. I had nearly no support from anyone, this was all me. My partner had enough on his own plate that he couldn't be concerned. My friends had left my side when I discovered my father had cancer. There was drama related stress as well. Anyone who has loved ones who have cancer, or has personally been afflicted with cancer knows what I'm talking about. Sometimes you learn who your friends are when put to the test. My mother, who I'm close to, has forgotten the surgery and I can't blame her -
Plus my period started, lol.
Good times!
I've had good cries in private, but I also suck it up.
I'm optimistic about starting this next chapter in my life. It's bitter sweet. I've been looking back at how I got this big to begin with, and I find myself riding emotional highs and lows when confronted with the situations, people, and personal actions that got me this way. And I know just when I realized I wouldn't be able to lose it anymore the old fashioned way. I knew when and how I had screwed up my metabolism, and will power.
This process took over a year, and that's long time.
I've decided to pack very light. Throat spray, one pair of pajamas, undies, pads, slippers (slides) and the clothes on my back. My C-pap. Nothing more. No need. Gas X doesn't help with the kind of gas they pump into you, walking will. I didn't want to make a huge production of it.
I'm also proud of myself for hitting my twenty pound weight loss goal today. Everything connected to this moment kind of moved at a snail's pace, but also fell into place.
I feel so fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity for a surgery that many would like to have but cannot afford. It's a privilege for me to have this surgery. The pre-op showed me what I'm capable of. 20 pounds in 23 days is, AMAZING.
See those of you sleeved the same day as me or close to, on the other side of this, and the rest of you too. I hate saying see you on the "losers bench" - it sounds so wrong somehow. I get what it means but... still.
Besides, I'm not a loser, but a winner. So are the people who undergo weight loss surgery ~

I'm bearing my soul and body here. I couldn't be more proud of how my body has changed.
I've lost exactly 70 pounds since my surgery. Today marks exactly 24 weeks ( 6 months ) since my VSG surgery.
There's good, bad and ugly about VSG. A lot of days, I cried and wondered why in the hell I had this surgery, and what in the hell ive done to myself. Throughout this process, I haven't been able to REALLY see the changes. In my mind, I always see a 268 pound fat girl. Granted, I have seen the changes, seen the smaller clothes sizes, but still struggled with my self image in my head. But today that all changed....
I realized today as I was getting dressed that I had on the same exact underwear as the day I took my pre-surgery pictures. Then I realized that today marked 6 months since surgery. So, i decided to take pictures.
I haven't taken pictures in this process because of the absolute shame and disgust I feel towards myself. Shame and disgust are understatement words for how I feel about myself. Until today...
Today, I feel proud. For the first time, I can honestly say that I don't see "that fat girl" in the mirror anymore. It may not be pretty, it will never be perfect, but it's mine, and today I'm owning it, and FINALLY for once in my LIFE, I'm feeling proud.
It's NOT an easy decision to post these photos of me in my underwear. I feel absolutely vulnerable and exposed. Please be kind. It took all the courage I could muster to do this. The current pictures are not the best quality but the best I could take of myself at the moment.
All you new VSG-ers, stay the course and have faith. If you have body image issues as I do, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and you are not alone in the dark!
Much love from me to you all! ️️️
 
DOS: 12/13/16
HW: 268
SW: 256.6
CW: 186.4

You will be fine! You either want this or you don't! I am assuming you do! You have made it to this point! DON'T STOP!!!!
okay, I am 11 weeks out.....I made it and I LOVE FOOD! LOVE LOVE FOOD!!!
BUT! I LOVE ME MORE!
The liquids SUCK! yes.
I found that if I really need something to eat during my 2 wk liquid I looked up Protein Shakes, made ice cream.. FROZEN YOGURT with fruit, frozen sugar free pudding pops. SEARCH THE INTERNET. If it is liquid and you can freeze it YOU GOT THIS!

GOOD LUCK..SEE YOU ON THE LOSERS BENCH!!!
Kell

Me too! I am 25 and I just did it! another co worker I had is doing the bypass soon and he is about 27 or 28. so yes everyone in my group said they "wished they did it earlier".
so deff don't hesitate because of age. I also agree with another person who said do what's right for you! This is a big commitment. Well worth it in my opinion and I am only 2 weeks in but I am seeing results now and my relationship with food is changing alread which is great after struggling with food addiction for years

I had absolutely fabulous support from all of my friends and family, and I was still INCREDIBLY depressed for the first 10+ days post-op. I have heard this is fairly common, and will definitely get better.
I am so sorry that you have toxic people in your life. You don't need them! Getting on these forums is a great place to start, I think most of us are pretty supportive of each other.
Hang in there, and know that you are NOT alone! So many of us have felt the isolation, fear, regret, and sadness. It all levels out in just a few short months. You can do this!!

I think a huge influence on your depression is that you are alone in the sense that you seem to say you have no one to talk to. It also sounds like you have some other challenges within the family going on and therefor while you are going through this very challenging life changing journey (which effects your mind, heart, body, and spirit) it makes it more difficult to cope especially when your old coping mechanism of food is no longer available!
But there is hope!!! I know you can get through this tough time! I think one tip is connecting to people on here and exchanging numbers having someone to chat with over text or calls! I am a texter not a caller- if you want to follow me and message me we can do that. my surgery was may 11th.
But doesn't have to be me. I have connected with others who are in my area and also had this sleeve. it helps a lot to chat with them!
Do you have other social areas you could connect with others? church groups or hobbies or community? do you have any bariatric support centers around you? those are other places you can find some support that you need.
I pray and hope you the best on your journey! I hope your heart can heal and so that your body can too!
-Joe M.

Yes so I had my surgery on Thursday May 11... I work part time jobs so iit's a bit easier to go back because tomorrow and Tues will be shorter shifts. that's only a week and a few days out of work..and I have been busy the past few days too feeling more myself.
I will say everyone is different. They say because I am a young male I am recovering quickly. But there is hope that others can too! I know some people go back to work within a few days while others took 3 weeks like you said. my doctor recommended 2 weeks off and then I started picking up shifts sooner because I felt good.
Yes I think everyone's pre-op diet is for the purpose of shrinking the liver (and the splean actually) to make room for the surgeon to safely do the procedure. I had to intake only 1000 calories/day and I ended up having less than that depending on the day. Low fats, no sugars... ect. I lost 16 lbs from those two weeks!
Nausea - YES that was my biggest concern too!
So in response... I talked to the anesthesiologist about this concern. She offered me a motion sickness patch, and also I requested that she give me anti-nausea medication while coming off of the anesthesia! IT WORKED- no issues!
Then in the hospital as I woke up it was apart of my medication to have more anti-nausea medication and that also worked great!
So I would not be afraid to ask for all of the medication to help with your concerns!
Now I am what my surgeon labels "stage 3" which is soft puree diet. Its basically thicker Soups, ... pureed vegetables... oh and scrambled egg whites. Its simple but so much better than the liquid phase! Friday I will move onto the 4th stage which is soft foods and puree diet which allows for heavier foods/puree.
-Joe M.

Good luck to the last of the May sleevers! Thinking of you guys.

For all of you having surgery tomorrow:
Good luck my thoughts and prayers are with you!
You will all do great! You are ready for this! Take it step by step and remember why you are doing it! That helps with the post-op "regret"... tell yourself all day today and before the surgery why you are doing it. When you wake up continue to remind yourself that! You got this!
-Joe M.

Thank you guys so much!! This has been a huge relief to hear that I'm not so alone in this!!

Had mine the 23, this is normal, about 3 days from now it will be less. The area you describe is where they made 4 or 5 incisions and on the left is where they pulled your stomach out.

It's normal for it to feel tight. It will take weeks until you feel no tightness in your trunk but the pain will be much less very soon.

My surgery date is the 30th too.

Sorry this is long....
The first thing I MUST address is the way in which some people talk to on another on WLS forums. Often, I will stumble upon a post because I Google a question looking for an answer in the moment rather than asking something that may have already been asked and waiting. I've noticed a lot of people being extremely critical of the questioner...
Here is an example (in a weak moment -MOMENT being the keyword - I might add... I'm on the liquid diet), I found someone asking if in the pure liquid post-surgery diet stage if they could have sugar free soft-serve ice cream. The first response was from someone who decided that rather than answer the question, they would provide an impromptu lecture on slider foods and how they should be dealing with food post-surgery. While I recognize posting on the internet opens you up to opportunities of criticism, I would hope that most people on weight-loss-surgery forums would have enough common sense to understand that most people on here are adults capable of choosing what they want to do. She didn't ask if she SHOULD eat the ice cream, she asked if she COULD eat it. I'm not saying the concern about slider foods wasn't without merit, but it wasn't warranted in this situation. Turns out, the poster just wanted to see if she could indulge in a lick or two in a social setting (a birthday party or something). She wasn't planning to enter a soft-serve eating contest. And even if she was... SO WHAT?! How does that impact the responder in any way? Why waste the time responding? The question wasn't, "What's an exmaple of a slider food and what are the dangers of a slider food?" UGH!
This leads me to another thing I'm really, really, really frustrated with. NOT EVERYONE HAS MENTAL ISSUES WITH FOOD THAT IS OVERWEIGHT OR UNDERWEIGHT OR IS INCAPABLE OF CHANGE OR INCAPABLE OF LEARNING WAYS TO COPE WITH FOOD ADDICTION. I am not saying it will be EASY, but it doesn't mean someone can't overcome their addiction. I know people from all ends of the spectrum who have accidentally overeaten at a holiday or party or have made a bad choice (food related or not) and I know many people who OBSESS over the food they put into their bodies and have done some serious emotional and physical damage by being TOO restrictive. Here's the point I am trying to make...
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU MAY NOT WORK FOR ANOTHER PERSON. And perhaps this is my unsound opinion, but having HAD WLS does not make you an EXPERT on WLS no matter how long ago you've gone; until you've gone to school and extensively studied psychology, gotten your doctorate, etc. etc. etc., no one wants to hear it unless they specifically ask you hey what SHOULD I do! SHOULD BEING THE KEY WORD!
Yes, some people may find it best avoid slider foods at all costs for the rest of their lives. However, other people will be able to indulge in a few bites of ice cream, or whatever and it doesn't undo all of their hard work or everything they've accomplished.
I have to say that I'm so disappointed when looking for answers to certain WLS-related questions to see so many people 1 - not answering the question directly, 2 - providing emotional/psychological advice, 3 - just not showing a little more compassion to people regardless of where they are in their journey, 4 - assuming you know anything about the person based on a question they've asked. And hey maybe you can tell they're making a huge mistake, but they may have worded the question incorrectly, they may be having a difficult time with something else in their life and they're searching for empathy from someone else who may have gone through something similar... the point is, a simple question doesn't provide you all the facts so stop assuming things about people because they've had weight loss surgery or are contemplating it!!!
On a related note, I'm so disappointed in the frequency in which I read people who start off by replying, "I'm sorry, but..." YOU ARE NOT SORRY! You are about to say something hurtful. If you have to say BUT after sorry, you're just not and you should delete your sentence and go read a book. Unless you're saying, "I'm sorry, but you're totally awesome and I love that you're realizing you're perfectly capable of realizing this is an internet forum and not a conversation with your doctor..." but rarely does it go that way.
FINALLY, I am so tired of reading things that are presented as black and white. I bet there are a bunch of people who disagree with what I have said... okay, fine, but does that mean I'm wrong? DISAGREEING WITH SOMEONE DOES NOT MAKE THEM WRONG AND IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU RIGHT. SOMETIMES YOU CAN BOTH BE RIGHT, WRONG, OR IN BETWEEN!
50 Shades of Grey? TRY A BILLION! AHHHH!
PS - I really need the pureed food stage to arrive... and fast.

I've been making this lately and it's so good and satisfying! (Im 8 months post op so no food restrictions as long as they are healthy)
BLT, but I use iceberg lettuce instead of bread. For me personally, I watch my carbs and don't worry as much about fats.
I use crisp bacon, Tomato, mayo, and iceberg.

Go to a bariatric group for support, join a church or social group. Offer to help your friends clean house - swap cleaning dates, I used to do that when I was a military wife. Find a new hobby that has meetings - book group, painting, knitting, sewing, biking, anything. Volunteer somewhere. I know that family thing is hard, I haven't seen my niece Tina since her son was a baby 14 years ago and all of them only live 45 minutes away and not for lack of inviting them either. They obviously don't want me in their lives and my husband's nephew is the same and we are nice people and fun too. So don't think it is you.

I think a huge influence on your depression is that you are alone in the sense that you seem to say you have no one to talk to. It also sounds like you have some other challenges within the family going on and therefor while you are going through this very challenging life changing journey (which effects your mind, heart, body, and spirit) it makes it more difficult to cope especially when your old coping mechanism of food is no longer available!
But there is hope!!! I know you can get through this tough time! I think one tip is connecting to people on here and exchanging numbers having someone to chat with over text or calls! I am a texter not a caller- if you want to follow me and message me we can do that. my surgery was may 11th.
But doesn't have to be me. I have connected with others who are in my area and also had this sleeve. it helps a lot to chat with them!
Do you have other social areas you could connect with others? church groups or hobbies or community? do you have any bariatric support centers around you? those are other places you can find some support that you need.
I pray and hope you the best on your journey! I hope your heart can heal and so that your body can too!
-Joe M.

Hello, I am 28 and had my surgery 5/17/2017. I am glad I decided to do this at 305lbs. I do not have a lot of health issues currently but felt that I did this mostly as a preventative. The only thing that is hard is that I did not save up enough to cover the expenses from surgery and the time I am taking off of my full time job. I also decided to take the summer off from going to university to heal which has put me behind for graduation. However, I know of all of these sacrifices are going to be worth it. I will sleep better, I will be healthier and I will feel proud to be my sons mother and my husband's wife. I am doing this a little for cosmetic and mostly for my health in the future so I don't have to struggle with all of the problems I see weight alone can cause let alone the genetics that run in my family it could have been a nightmare to wait just 10 more years.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using BariatricPal mobile app

I wish I knew someone who is going through this that's my area. I need to go to support group. My mom is 10 years out RNY and doing great, that encouraged me to take a leap of faith.

Me too! I am 25 and I just did it! another co worker I had is doing the bypass soon and he is about 27 or 28. so yes everyone in my group said they "wished they did it earlier".
so deff don't hesitate because of age. I also agree with another person who said do what's right for you! This is a big commitment. Well worth it in my opinion and I am only 2 weeks in but I am seeing results now and my relationship with food is changing alread which is great after struggling with food addiction for years

Me too! I am 25 and I just did it! another co worker I had is doing the bypass soon and he is about 27 or 28. so yes everyone in my group said they "wished they did it earlier".
so deff don't hesitate because of age. I also agree with another person who said do what's right for you! This is a big commitment. Well worth it in my opinion and I am only 2 weeks in but I am seeing results now and my relationship with food is changing alread which is great after struggling with food addiction for years

I am 26 in four months and I did it! There are plenty , hundreds of people who did it in teens & 20s. I read about a 2 year old having it done overseas (not that I agree with it). You have to do what's best for you. It's a great tool.

Absolutely this. One size does not fit all. Hope you find it. 😊

Excess Protein does not go to sugar and to get to protein excess you would have to be consuming like 250 grams a day for months.
You should choose a way of eating that keeps you the most satisfied and that you can maintain for life.
I eat Keto but my protein grams are still higher than my fat grams because fat is higher in calories than protein.
So yeah my calories from fat are higher than my calories from protein but I still eat more protein than fat.

I either have red wine or whiskey and Water (depending on whether I want to have the carbs in the wine or not). On those days I do have drinks, I have to maximize Protein and minimize calories through Protein Shakes. Basically, I have to reserve calories for the alcohol, and since I'd rather be able to eat real food rather than drink, it has become just an every-once-in-a-while thing for me now. (No beer for me, though, since I won't do any carbonation...)
Good luck!