CashmereAndBones

So this is my second post (and yes I am back from traveling now so I will promptly reply to each person (: ). I've been doing so much research and watching so many Youtube videos on VSG and I keep going back and forth on whether I should proceed with the surgery or not. I still have 4 more weigh-in's before I'm done with the 6 month insurance coverage thing so basically 4 months until I can proceed to make a date. Sometimes I feel like yes this is exactly what I need, something to restrict my stomach and make me full quickly so if I eat like a half of an apple I'll be full for hours and can survive off of that and then a small salad with protein for dinner and that's it (plus water, tea, coffee). Making healthy choices but extremely small "meals" (obviously after the first few post-op required stages). But then I think well I do want that BUT I am not 100% convinced. Why can't I just make healthier, smarter, portion controlled choices now with the help of a dietitian and personal trainer so I don't have to undergo VSG? Technically you're not getting fat removed but shrinking your stomach to make it so you can't eat a lot but you're still following an extremely restricted diet, why not just do the same diet without the surgery? Is portion control too hard? Can anyone tell me why they got the surgery rather than just eating what they would have with the VSG but not actually getting it surgically done? I keep going back and forth because part of me like I previously said definitely can benefit from a difficult, but doable lifestyle change but another part of me thinks why can't I just do this on my own? What's stopping me from eating now what I would if I were post-op? I'm glad I still have time to decide but I'm just so confused right now. Now the second part I just want to say (STOP READING IF YOU GET TRIGGERED EASILY) there is your disclaimer. I want to better myself, make changes and eat healthy. I just don't want a lot of scars, loose skin scars (if I need body contouring) and I want to be able to have that once in a blue moon treat myself if it's a girls night out or birthday or vacation, etc. I don't want to fall into a depression because of fomo (fear of missing out), I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up sparkling water, sugar (in strict moderation, but I hate sugar free since it's just "sugar" but chemically made so it's not real sugar) and especially the whole drinking and eating rule. If you have any feedback or thoughts that would be much appreciated, thank you everyone and I'm happy to be back (: xo, CashmereAndBones

Wow!! The immense amount of feedback, advice, encouragement and similar thoughts I've received from all of you is amazing. Thank you to EVERYONE for posting, I really truly appreciate all of your posts and while a bit overwhelming it gave me a lot to think about and a lot more questions and reading to do! You all are amazing human beings and I'm so glad to have found such an amazing support system with such positivity. Eventually I will respond to all of your posts directly but for now a general one since I have some homework I need to get to and I don't want to rush my responses! Thank you all once again, truly heartwarming comments <3 Best to everyone!

You're absolutely right. Right now I am not ready for the procedure. But the good thing is I still have 4 months to keep doing research and asking questions and watching Youtube videos and hearing other peoples experiences to get my mind, body and soul ready for this journey! I am going to see a dietitian July 31st (not through the VSG doctor, I see their nutritionist mid August). As of now I'm not emotionally there but I think that's why we have to go through the 6 month process to make sure this life changing surgery is the right fit for us! Thank you for your feedback and if you have any other advice I'd love to hear you out! Best.

This post made me feel so much better, we're all human, we do human things like eat things we're not supposed to and slip past that fine line of good and bad! But it goes to show that you can still lead a "normal" life with little to no repercussions as long as its not a constant reoccurring thing! Thank you so much Matt!

You as well I hope your journey is a good one, I'm always here if you need a friend to vent or just converse with (: just keep doing your research and some Youtube videos I found very helpful. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJGHPqGhf1TOLpJ4hUVF08w I love this girl she's awesome, not sure if the link posted but on Youtube her name is Clusie L, check her out!

Yes the honeymoon phase is crucial to succeeding I just don't want to feel like I'm constantly counting calories and not living a flourishing life when I move to Los Angeles. I remember flashbacks of when I was anorexic and would literally count EVERYTHING, from lettuce to carrots, fruit, coffee (black), etc. I just hope I don't fall into those tendencies again, also thanks for the follow up post of cheats and everything (: all the best Ash!! <3.

Thats great to hear that you can still enjoy a "normal" life and eat with friends but have portion control (: made me feel at ease.

I'm scared my ED will come back ): modeling is something I've always wanted to do, I literally have dreamed about it since I was little. It can be a horrific industry at times but there are perks too. I'll play it by ear. Thank you for your feedback, best!

Thank you AshAsh1, great insight and the way you feel about chips is how I feel about pastries and lattes. FOMO and dumping is my biggest fear. So much to think about! Best.

PS: Just finished reading your article. You are gorgeous and I love those floral leggings! Keep on smiling (:

Thank you for the response, I actually am reading your blog now! And thank you for all the statistics. Lots to think about. I hope your surgery is a well and good one for you and I wish you so much luck as you are about to start a new lifestyle journey! Best of luck!

Hello! Thank you for a follow up. I do realize it is a life long commitment which is why I want to absorb everything I can before making a decision. Like I said I still have four months before I'm even allowed to set a date (if I choose to do so). I understand it's not fool proof and the questions I ask might be concerning but these are just things I want to know because I like to see how people at all different stages of post-op are doing and what they have and haven't incorporated back into their lives. Everyone does their journey differently so I'm trying to see all different prospectives and outcomes. I'm not asking these because I'm planning on getting the surgery and immediately going back to simple syrup lattes, fast food chains, pastries, etc. but I'm asking because I want to know if people dabble in them and what their outcomes have been. One person said they had snacked on some sweets and it was on a vacation and they hadn't lost as much that week as others but it's good to know I'm not going to have to be a robot after surgery with absolutely no leeway on anything. I've also had not only BED but anorexia at one point when I was at my skinniest and I was afraid that going on suck restrictions for the rest of my life might bring back those tendencies. But I see there are mixed reviews, some people stick hard core to the post-op lifestyle and others are a little more free with it. Thank you again for another insightful post AshAsh1 (: I hope you are doing well! If you have any other advice, have you gone on vacation and wanted something and took a few bites of like a cake? Have you experienced FOMO? How did you deal with all of this? And anything else you'd like to add would be great! All the best.

Hi AshAsh1, yes I saw you posted to my first post and I did make a little apology on there as to why I hadn't responded. You're a bit negative to just flat out say you wouldn't recommend surgery. Like I said I still have four months before I even have to set a date and make a decision so I'm very new to this and there are a lot of questions, fears and things I want to ask and have to come to terms with but that shouldn't be your determining factor for me as I'm still quite a ways away from making a decision so I'm exploring all my options and getting every bit of information I can from everyone on here. Maybe I'm not ready right now but that why I signed up on this website, to interact with users and get vital information so they can help guide me and give me the resources I need to make a big life changing decision and who knows. Maybe in time I will come to terms that what I want vs what I need will out weigh itself and I'll make that decision to get the surgery, maybe not, who knows but what I do know is like Missouri-Lee said on my other post is I need to "read, read, read and ask, ask, ask". Best to you and good luck with the rest of your journey (:

I will definitely check out your posts, thank you for all of your advice (: very sweet of you to take your time to reply. Lots of things to consider but for now I'm still going to proceed with the pre-op work and in four months I can make my decision from there. Best of luck to you!

I'm going to try for the next 4 months, well see where that takes me and from there I can make a decision. Thank you for your response and best on the rest of your journey!

I LOVE Obese to Beast, he's so sweet and funny! I watch him along with a few other people who lost the weight on their own. Thank you for putting all the projected weight loss expectancies and for your advice and time. I liked reading a little of your own backstory you put in the response as well! Best of luck with everything and I hope all is going well for you (:

Hey! Yes welp I've never stuck to a healthy, portion-controlled lifestyle because of many difficulties I've had in life. It's another excuse and I'm so sick of making excuses for myself. Your advice seems to not be the norm as most people said not to drink sparkling water and at least wait 30 mins post eating to drink something, how has this effected your weight loss by doing the opposite? And yes I want to be 125-130, I want to get into modeling. Everyone tells me how gorgeous I am and that if I just lost the weight I could model (NOT BRAGGING) but I remember one time a woman in a nail salon came up to me and told me how gorgeous I was and another time I was waiting for my friend's dad to pick him up from a diner and we were taking selfies outside and this woman told me what a beautiful face I had. So yeah 125 has always been my goal. I've actually been there before but I gained so much weight from undisclosed reasons, life sometimes just hits you hard! Thank you again for the advice (:

Hello everyone, So I haven't had my surgery yet. Still seeing the nutritionist and getting all the pre-op work finished. Haven't set a date yet but they said 6 months after my consultation so around end of October early November. That being said I'm going to Los Angeles with my mom on May 1 and I'm scared I won't be able to enjoy everything I have planned so I'm hoping to get some incite from others who are 5/6 months post-op and/or have tried the questions I'm going to ask below. Questions: Please be respectful and honest if responding (: I'm very new to this and these are just some wondering questions I had floating around 1. So yes, we all get the point of the surgery is to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle BUT that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves sometimes. My favorite food chain is in LA, In-N-Out Burger. Will I be able to eat a cheeseburger and small fry with like a milkshake? Clearly I won't be opting for this on the daily but we all still need to indulge in our favorites once in a while and I'm not sure how much of it I'll be able to eat I'm assuming maybe like 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of the entire meal. But does anyone have experience with eating cheeseburgers, fries and a milkshake on like a vacation or for just a little "cheat meal"? (Again, I get the point is to NOT eat these types of food but sometimes you have urges especially on vacations). 2. I absolutely LOVE sparkling water like La Croix and San Pellegrino, does anyone drink sparkling water on occasion? 3. Cocktails and Wine, I'm not sure about you but being 24 I like to have myself an occasional couple of social beverages, how was your experience with alcohol both mixed drinks (hard liquor) and wine? (Don't worry about beer I don't like it). 4. Not to generalize but I think a lot of people have a sweet tooth, I love the occasional scone, croissant, cookie, French macaron, etc. how has your experience with these types of baked pastries been? 5. Coffee. I'm ADDICTED to coffee and espresso beverages; lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, matcha lattes. How have these affected you and do you sweeten them at all or keep it plain? Can you sweeten them with like flavored syrups like a pump of lavender simple syrup or matcha powder? 6. Now I know the clear answer and feedback I'm going to get on this question but for those who aren't going to just simply says "QUIT!!!" then I'd appreciate an answer, don't answer this is you're going to lecture me on how bad this is in general regardless of VSG, I know it's bad, I'm not stupid but it's an addictive habit I'm trying to quit. Smoking. How have cigarettes or e-cigs like Juul's affected you? Does it bother your stomach or can you smoke without issue? If so how many cigarettes or Juul pods do you go through a day? 7. This is hopefully not going to be a struggle but when I eat I like to sip on water or unsweetened iced tea, coffee, etc. I know in the beginning you're supposed to drink like 30 minutes BEFORE consuming food. How soon after can you drink something? Also will there be a time when eventually I can have a beverage while eating a snack or meal? Or will I forever not be able to consume liquids and solids at the same time? Thank you guys so much for the support and I appreciate all of the insightful comments to come! Best of luck on your journey. xo, CashmereAndBones

Thank you for all of your information! Yes the doctor's told me I would have to stop smoking or do 0mg nicotine from a vape pen weeks before the surgery and like 3 months(?) after which isn't a problem. It's nice to see someone who's had nibbles and bites of those foods we crave and see that you're still doing very well. Thank you for all of the other advice to each question they were EXTREMELY helpful and I wish you all the best of luck with the rest of your journey (:

Thank you very much Missouri-Lee! You've been a wonderful help and put me at ease. I will take your advice as to "read, read, read and ask, ask, ask" because the more information I can obtain the better I will have with my final decision (: you are a wonderful person! Thank you again.

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't replied to anyone, I don't get email notifications I turned them all off and I've actually been away doing some traveling and taking time away from the internet. I didn't realize I'd get so many replies so quickly! I apologize if I have offended anyone for not responding. After reading all of the replies I want to thank each and every one of you for your time and feedback for my post! You've all given me some insight as to what I need to rethink and change in my life in order to succeed. Best, CashmereAndBones