Faith Mare

...to share a before and after photo.
I still have 10-20 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight - but at 1 year post-op from my VSG it seemed like time to be brave and share it with everyone... so here is pre-surgery vs. now.
Despite needing to lose another 10 to 20 I am still pretty proud of my results so far!

I agree with what you are saying about Whey Protein. My nutritionist is saying that there are two types of whey protein, whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate and in his opinion, once you had surgery, isolate was more completely absorbed.

I had surgery on 1/22/18. Sharing a few tips from my dr just in case you're interested.
He recommended Protein Shakes with whey Protein 4 oz a a time sipping every 15 minutes. He said the whey protein is more rapidly absorbed into your body and will help with Hair loss and overall nutrition. I like the muscle milk drinks and the Premier Protein shakes. I'm trying to get in at least 60 oz of protein each day but if I can't then I'm not beating myself up..
I too have been finding it difficult to get the Protein Drinks in and the amount of Water needed. Gatorade G2 is great and he recommended that as opposed to propel and Vitamin water since G2 has electro lites. I find it easier to drink than regular water.
The other thing I've been doing is walking as much as I can to help remove the gas from my body. I still nap during the day because my body is still healing but try to move as much as possible.
Just take it one day at a time. Keep us posted on how your doing.

The substance is at least partly the issue because the substance is doing something to alter your brain's chemistry. Sugar is shown to be almost as addictive as heroin. There is a reason that heroin is sometimes cut down with table sugar.

That's very insightful! food is also a strong addiction. One of the advantages to this surgery is that it kind of forces you to break that addiction. This will make you so much better at your job because you will be able to identify with your clients on a whole new level. In some ways, your newly developed insight will help you to have long success.

My feeling is that I'm a recovering food addict. My addiction is to food and it will not go away. Each day I have to make the choice to not let food run my life. In the past my world was centered on food. Going out to eat 3-4 times a week, getting together with friends at restaurants, looking to eat that next dish I saw on the food network. Today my focus is on my health. The main reason for my WLS was due to all of my medical conditions and the amount of medications that I was taking to control them. Eventually, the medications would have caused me to have liver and kidney problems and the underlying problems would only progressively get worse.
WLS has given me a jump start to better health. I know that eventually I must make the changes needed so that I don't let my food addiction take over take my life again. I'm trying each and every day by trusting in the process, trusting in me and most of all taking it one day at a time. If I break up my recovery by a single day I seem to manage it well. I don't want to overeat one day and say I'll make it up tomorrow. My mindset has to be that I need to stay in the parameters set for the day and to reach that goal. 80 plus of Proteins, 64 ounces of Water, 30 or less of carbs, 1,200 or less calories. To do this I stay pretty much regimented as to what I eat. I don't stray off the plan and I don't experiment much. As I said in the past I'm the guy who can't just have one so I decided on taking none.
I go on multiple WLS forums to get the expertise of the those who have succeeded over the long run. I don't look at how others have failed since I have many ways myself to fail. I need to see what others have done right and try to incoroporate those things for long term success. So, you're right to say that there are similarities to others who are addicted to other things.

Congratulations on your surgery and progress thus far. Many people find it difficult to meet their daily Fluid and Protein requirements. This is because there bodies are in a major heal mode. Just keep working towards those goals and at the end of the first month you should be there.

I had my sleeve done this past Monday 1/22/18. pain has consistently reduced since then and I was discharged from the hospital Wednesday morning. I really only take pain eds at night at this point but have noticed that unless I take extremely small sips of Water that I get a very brief cramp so it is impossible to get 64 ounces of water down in a day. I think I had the normal regrets and questions about whether I did th right thing and even started resenting things when I saw the oversized steak or hamburger commercials on TV. I even had the f...its yesterday and decided it would be a good idea to have a small piece of ham, because I wanted it. Well that entitlement didn't last long and I found that pain and throwing up was a pretty good means of letting go of those resentments. New day today, I made a Protein smoothie this morning with greek yogurt, some Protein Powder and some frozen fruit in my Nutriblast blender. It seems to be going down pretty easily. I'm intending to go back to work this monday. I run a treatment program so I'm not digging ditches. No difference in my mind between sitting at home and sitting at a desk at work. I am also finding some very amazing similaraties between the things I am mentally struggling with and the process the clients in the program I run go through in their recovery journey.

You got this! I was scheduled for surgery on May 30, 2017. I backed out at the last minute and regretted that decision up until the time that I had surgery last Thursday January 18th. Just follow your preop diet instructions and follow the doctors instructions. You’ll do great!

I know it’s not the same but I just had my gallbladder out and I’ve been told the pain is similar. For the gallbladder, the gas pain was the worst, but anytime I felt it coming on, I would get up and move. My stomach was sore, especially at the belly button, but nothing compared to the gas. All of my stomach pain went away in about two days, except for the big incision near my belly button. That pain lasted for about a week, but wasn’t terrible. I actually work from home and I was up and answering emails the day after my surgery. That gives me hope for my sleeve. My goal is to have the surgery on a Friday and be back to work on Monday. (Like I said though, I work from home so I can take breaks as needed).

Ask your surgeon how they manage pain. I am young (28) and have a high pain tolerance. I ended up with six incisions, one about 4 inches, and all I was given in the hospital was Tylenol. I have several doctors and nurses in my family and they were shocked. I was unable to even stand to use the restroom without crying. This really hindered me from getting up and walking after surgery, which is recommended to speed the healing process. Within about 4 days the pain diminished and Tylenol was more than enough. However, I do wish I went to a different hospital where my post-op pain would have been treated better.

Thank you! Good to hear that I definitely will make sure I go slow on the food when I’m able to eat. Thanks for the advice

Hahaha yes!! Look doesn’t matter when or where you started as long as you started it ! We saw the problem and we’re fixing it. I know many older women who still have spunk! Keep your eye on that prize. Everything is going to be worth it in the end and when you do get your before and after photos please share them with me no matter how far down the after is good luck with everything. You got this!

No pain from surgery at all. Zero, zip, nada. Go slow on the food and you will be good to go.

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Macky, my Bari-friend in Cleveland is about your age and is going to be sleeved next week. And Primrose, who won't be done until about March, my month is also a "youngen" like you. Boy sometimes I wish I'd had surgery before my body got so broke down but then I remember there's spunk and life force in this old gal and it keeps me moving towards the prize. My surgeon has a wall of success where he puts your before, after and a brief story of your journey. I'm gonna be there someday!

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You are absolutely right!!! And I love meeting young sleevers myself!! Feels good to have someone your own age that is going through the same thing as you. Although I love all the advice I’m getting from all ages! I will go into this being positive. I had a moment of weakness last week and almost chickened our but I kept telling myself this is gonna be so worth it in the end. I’ve been over weight almost all my life and I can’t even remember the last time I was under 200lbs so I can’t wait for that day. Thank you so much for the response and good luck to you on your journey I hope you get your surgery date soon!!

Whatever your decision may be, I wish the best.

Hi. It's common to be scared, anxious, or both. It's a big decision. Cheryl, what are most afraid of? Potential risks, pain, recovery, dietary changes, or all of them? Is your surgeon off-putting?
I had sleeve surgery on 12/28/2017. This is not the case for everyone BUT it was easier than I thought it would be. I didn't have nausea or vomiting in the hospital. I walked fairly easily with a folded blanket held against my stomach. I went home 22 hours after being admitted. I had a few fleeting moments of nausea the first 2 weeks and nausea all week on the 3rd week (lost 9 lbs. that week) but no vomiting. My pain at home was controlled with Tylenol and a large ice pack. And, other than getting enough fluids and Protein, the food progression has been easy to follow. My surgeon told me that it's 50/50 - patients who have an easier time and patients who have difficulties.
We don't know on what side of those odds you'll land. You know yourself and only you can know if you want to move past your fear and take a chance to be healthier with consideration to all that decision entails at this time in your life.
I wish I had done it sooner.