GwennyPenny

Congratulations you look amazing

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For me it’s a very personal decision and I’m doing it for me.. only my parents, husband and one very good friend knows.
I have a girl friend that had the surgery and people always discount her weight loss because of having the surgery and I know how hard it’s been for her.. so I’m just keeping it on the DL [emoji6]

People who do that annoy me so much. If they think having half their stomach removed or intestines rearranged is the easy way out they should try it! It takes a lot if courage and determination to do this and do it well. I wish you all the best on your journey. Only tell who you want to tell it's your body.

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Yes that is what I'm saying

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Here I am in 2012 at the Minnesota State Fair. I was probably near my highest of 400. I looked very masculine back then, even when I didn't have short hair.

Here I am last month after getting my makeup done for a friend's Halloween-themed wedding (I went as Mary Poppins).

And lastly this was me a couple of weeks ago after finally getting a haircut. Down 185 pounds and look more feminine than a few years ago.

Almost to goal. May 2013 I started pre-op, surgery was Aug 2013.

Look at YOU!!!!! Wow those pics say it all!!! That’s so awesome!!! You must be so over the moon, that’s the most AMAZING change in 15 weeks ever girl!! Yaaay!!! I’m so happy for you!!
I can only HOPE to get down to what I was at 19- that was the best time of my life, & I was so active. I got married at 19 actually, & I think I was about 150-155lbs & I’m about 5’8.5” to 5’9”. So was pretty thin! We’ll see though, truly Ide be happy at 170 though! Seriously!
Heres me before my surgery and me now at 6 weeks post op. I think I see a difference but it’s hard when you see yourself daily...I hate that! But I def see it in everyone else’s pics!!😜

Thank You, went into surgery around 10:20 am and woke up around 3pm. The Dr was able to do the bypass I felt like a truck had ran me over but am feeling a lot better now, I’m only in pain getting in and out of bed. Just drank my first medicine cup of Water but had to do it very slowly.

Hi GwennyPenny,

Thanks for asking, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner and it went pretty well. I stuck to Turkey and green Beans and had a spoon on macaroni and stuffing and a small sliver of pumpkin pie but I felt guilty afterwards but I was able to control myself and stopped. I thought not drinking would be a challenge but I actually didn’t even desire any alcohol so overall I think it went well; Monday is right around the corner.

Congratulations! That's something I haven't even imagined yet.. But you have made me think maybe one day

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I had no choice because of previous abdominal surgeries and adhesions so I had the RNY bypass four months ago. I have a lot if friends who have had the sleeve and ate happy. I don't personally know anyone who has had the bypass which was why I joined the group. The only one that seems to be a huge issue now is the band. Some with the sleeve choose to revise and have the bypass down the track for various reasons. I'm kind of glad I had the bypass because as the surgeon said I don't need to be doing it again. I had a hiatus hernia that was found and fixed during surgery which was good. Go with what you and your surgeon think is best.

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I spend a lot of years as a young fat teen then woman. It's sad that so many people do make remarks that further dent your self esteem and make you feel fat and unattractive. I had men who were more than happy to hook up for sex but not in public or in front of their friends. It took me many years to realize that's on them not me but there was a huge amount of damage done. When I met my husband I was big he was recently divorced from a lady who was a size 2. It didn't make any difference one way or the other to him. He has stuck with me through mental illness and depression and loading weight on to 407lbs. Now I am in the 200s and he is so proud and happy for me. We have been together 27 years and had a beautiful marriage and the weight has never been an issue for him other than my health. You look amazing! Keep that confidence and don't settle for less than you deserve. I hope you don't mind d but I showed my husband tour pic and told him the story. He said those men must have rocks in their heads she's beautiful and looks like a real woman who is healthy and not a stick insect lol and the guy on here who said you were a little "thick" must be a bit thick himself.. Thick in the head!

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Great job congratulations! When was your surgery? I'm about four months too
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My neighbor who is like a stick insect told me she lost 20kg using mind over matter and it's the same reason her boob's are perky because that's how she's told them to be! She wanted me to try it. I said first off your boob's are perky because you are 30 and have no kids second if I could have willed away 200+ lbs I would have done by now! The other ones who annoy me are the ones who say..well done on the weight-loss oh wait you had surgery didn't you? People who think having half your stomach removed or your intestinal tract rearranged is the easy way should try it! I mentally slap people who say it lol [emoji23]
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I was the same I just kept nodding off all day. Good luck with the rest of your recovery!

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Thank you. I need to look at them myself. Some times I don't think we see ourselves losing until you see a photo

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Just thought I would show you my progress pics. The first one is 2 week pre-op 367lbs and the second one was two weeks ago  

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My surgery is Dec 6th but my husbands surgery was last Dec he is 5lbs from his goal weight. He drinks at least 2 shakes a day. He lost all his weight in the 1st 6-8 month's. Protein is very important for you health, muscles and weight loss. There is a calculator app that will tell you how much protien you need for your specs.
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My surgery was Sep 6th and I have lost 60 pounds so far. I was told to sip on a Protein Shake throughout the day (do not use it for meal replacement) until I was able to get 60 grams of Protein per day and then to get off the Protein Shakes because it will slow the weight loss. I was also told to get off "SLIDER" food as of my 2 month follow up. I asked what Slider food was and was told it is anything with liquid type consistency that slides right through my pouch without stopping (I was eating cottage cheese for Breakfast and lunch and they want me to eat more solid food). They wanted me to eat more solid food so it would stay in my stomach longer and I would get more of the nutrients from the foods I was eating.

I'm at 4 months post-surgery and I haven't lost any hair yet. I keep waiting. Tried to prepare myself. Nothing yet. Crossing my fingers that it sticks around. As a side note, I had back surgery last year (for those who speak of anesthesia causing some issues/body trauma)...didn't lose any after that surgery either. I do keep my Protein intake solid, not a clue if that's helped.

I am a bowel queen haha.

Ok
1. Polyethylene glycol (laxaday) really helps with softening the stool. For a lot of people this is all they need. Some take 1 tsp a day. But I recommend a full dose per instructions
2. If you can feel it in the rectum, microlax is amazing. You will have a movement within 5 minutes. It is a stimulant laxative. Sometimes I struggle with incomplete evacuation and this helps.
3. Milk of magnesia, as you mentioned above, but it takes awhile to work.
4. Bisacodyl -softener meh, but it works
5. If you are still on analgesic medication, take docusate sodium or copacetic to help.
6. Citramag- this is if you have Constipation in the small bowel
7. Sennosides at night 8-16mg. This is a stimulating laxative as well. It helps, but can cause cramping. Best to take at night.

I have been impacted before and had to manually disimpact myself.
If you are fresh from surgery, do not take stimulating laxatives.

I have been so constipated that I have had approx 10kg of stool in my system. This required an oral fleet enema.

I recommend highly PEG/laxaday. It is a powder that you add to a drink. Tasteless, works well, and does not cause cramping. I like to have it in a savoury broth or a tea. You can even add it to coffee.

Happy pooping

I can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since my VSG. I rarely visit bariatricPal now, but found it enormously useful leading up to my surgery and during post opp. As I contemplated surgery, one of the things that kept me up at night was what would happen way down the road. As a give back to the community (and a little therapy for me) I've committed to posting annual updates. You can see my posts from previous years down below. Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions or comments.
Year 4 Update:
Highlights
I often forget that I even had the surgery. This is probably is the biggest positive change from year 3 to 4. Don't get me wrong, when I'm stuffed after eating 4 chicken wings or a half a burger, I know why. But, I'm no longer obsessed with post surgery eating strategies or worried about people wondering what's going on with me. After 4 years, my old friends and family seem to have forgotten that I was the fat guy and my new friends and coworkers never knew me that way. More importantly, I have started to forget about myself as the overweight person. I'm basically a "normal eater" and have no problem with any foods whatsoever. Four years ago, as I contemplated the surgery, stories from newly post opp people scared the daylights out of me. Stuck foods, explosive diarrhea, allergies, blah, blah, blah. I had a tiny bit of that early on, but it dissipated quickly. Now, I can eat whatever I want without issue. The VSG constriction mechanics still work well. I still get full quickly, especially if I sequence Proteins first, veg's second and everything else after that. Yes, I can "eat around the sleeve" but that takes a lot of effort and can backfire. I literally just finished a spaghetti and meatball dinner with my family. I ate two golf ball-sized meat balls and about 4 bites of Pasta and am completely stuffed. It was a salad-plate sized portion. Pre surgery I would have eaten 2 dinner-plate sized portions and still wanted more. When I see big eaters go to town on huge portions, I just look on with amazement. I'm an active person now participating in racquet sports, golf, hiking, skiing, yoga and playing with my kids. I believe these activities would have been impossible, or at least extremely unlikely, without the VSG. Pre surgery, at age 39, I was already bowing out of most physical things. Adding 4 years and whatever weight I would have continued to pile on, things would be much worse. Being able to do fun physical activities vs. waiving from the sidelines is a huge benefit that I can't emphasize enough. Life is significantly better now. I had low to medium heartburn following the surgery and took a daily 20mg of omeprazole to manage it. My heart burn has actually decreased and now I only take omeprozole every 2nd or 3rd day. I don't need any other meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.. Lowlights
Weight management is NOT a given. This last year, I put on 10 pounds, which is definitely frustrating. What happened? For me it came down to snacking and drinking alcoholic beverages. VSG doesn't help with either of these bad habits whatsoever. popcorn, chips, candy, nuts, crackers and cocktails all go down just as easy as before. For the first year, eating was such a hassle that I naturally avoided this issue. That "benefit" is gone forever. Now, I have to watch it like everyone else. I weigh 205 today, down from 275 at my high. Had I not had surgery, I believe I would weigh over 300 today. BUT, I want to be 185 and that 20 lbs seems very daunting to loose. Everyone once in a while, I eat too fast or too much and need to throw it up. As soon as I swallow the last ill-advised bite, the physical reactions become obvious -- forehead sweat, runny nose, sneezing and, obviously, a feeling of full stomach / chest. Recognizing the symptoms, I have to make my way to a bathroom and bring up the excess. It's not physically painful or anything, but just a little embarrassing and disappointing to me. This probably occurs once every month or two. As you can see, highlights far outweigh the lowlights. Overall, I'm thrilled with the results 4 years out. I really struggled with the decision to have surgery and delayed it for several years. At the time, it seemed like I was amputating a leg. I regret stressing out about it so much. Now I reason that I had an enlarged stomach that needed to be "right-sized." That's not medically true, but that's how I feel about what happened. In that context, I had a relatively minor procedure with a HUGE outcome.
I don't think about my VSG often and don't expect to post again until next year. I do want to give back and help others -- like so many on this site helped me. If you have questions or comments -- post publicly or PM me.
Familyguy.

These are amazing and inspirational pictures GwennyPenny. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks GwennyPenny - this gives me more fabulous pictures from people here to inspire me. Thanks!

my progress so far