Officially Not Fatty Matty

I have told three people (besides my wife who was present and three weeks later had the procedure herself). I too just say I’m making better food choices and exercising more. When I told my kids i was having surgery i said “I’m having another surgery that will hopefully help ease my back pain, they’re going to remove some excess tissue” (been in horrible pain for almost 4 years now. Two legit back surgeries and countless injections with no help). I ended up telling my oldest son the whole truth recently and he paused.... then laughed and said “everything you told me was true!” I only have him weekends and he’s starting to get....ahem.... husky... so when he’s with me he now follows my diet and goes on walks with me.. also told my mom and a sister I didn’t know i had until an AncestryDNA kit revealed a long held secret at the age of 43 (I’m like a walking Mory Povich episode, just without the yelling).... I honestly don’t care who knows I’m just not that social to begin with and own a small business where it’s me and my wife 99% of the time so I have really no one left to tell. She is keeping it from her family because they’re some of the most judgmental $&@%#s i know...

12 days post op. Was going mental on the liquid diet plan my dr put me on. Noticed my wife’s post op plan from a different doctor had some significant differences.... so I googled a bunch of post op diet plans and hit the personal jackpot with the Mayo Clinic... puréed egg salad allowed... two small spoonfuls filled me up (first time I’ve felt full) and for the first time in since preop felt normal again.. stayed full feeling for well over an hour. it’s not like I picked one from Dr. Nick, so I don’t feel too cheaty. This was yesterday and today I’m back to liquids only but it really did a good job resetting myself mentally. No idea why I’m sharing this.....

Two things to watch out for.... certain foods are “sliders” where they more easily pass through preventing you from filling up. I can theoretically eat as much avocado as I want, it just doesn’t seem to fill me up, but a half a baby cucumber will sit in my stomach for what seems like an hour or two. I don’t know if what is a slider for one will also be a slider for another but it’s worth knowing about these in case that is what’s happening. The second thing it could be is if you took a drink after eating... it’s not like the water or whatever will cause any damage, it’ll just aid in emptying your stomach faster so you don’t feel as full for as long (or at all). That’s actually the one thing I have the hardest time with, I can’t stand eating and not washing my mouth out with a drink of water when I’m done, don’t like the little tidbits and flavors that linger. So I’ve had to learn to just accept it or take a mini baby sip just enough to swish around and clean out my mouth.

This is definitely a question for your surgeon. I rode in a car for five hours the day after and I was fine, but with a flight you have to worry about air pressure changes. Even though the cabin is pressurized they don’t keep the pressure the same as at sea level, typically they maintain the pressure equivalent as if you were at 6-8000ft. That lower pressure will cause gas pockets in your abdomen to expand. The effects of that I won’t pretend to know but I can’t imagine it would be comfortable if you still have gas surrounding your organs from the surgery. My surgeon required one additional day in the hospital for patients flying home. I would make it a priority to get ahold of your surgeon and find out his or her recommendation.

Whoop! Hope I can keep this pace going. I’m sure it’ll slow, my initial rolling seven day average was around 10-12 for the first couple weeks and it’s been hovering right around 4lbs a week since. Once I got past the low energy stage I feel like hyper-mode has been activated. No food issues. I’m capable of eating anything it seems nothing disagrees with me, just making good choices every day, and the restriction is still very high, an ounce or two depending on what it is. Ate some raw jalapeños even. I haven’t been this light since college (in the 90s). Doesn’t seem possible... wish I did this years ago.

Thank you! I have to be careful, my wife had vsg about 3 weeks ago and isn’t doing as well. She’s obviously excited for me and proud but I have to be mindful of her struggles whereas I feel blessed to have had no issues of significance.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/expert-answers/epidural-steroid-injections/faq-20058277 has some good info on why they space them out. I’ve had half a dozen give or take. They do little to help me personally so I’ve stopped. Tried medial branch block four times each side, same... two discectomies, the second one made it all worse. I feel your pain and hope you get some relief. It was one of the motivators that made me look at wls in the first place. I’m doing better 40lbs down so far, but would love to have a day without pain. Soon. I hope.

Love the outfit, my dude. Keep it up. I’m not there yet but when I’m ready I’m going to buy something besides a 3x black dri-fit shirt and I’ll be happy to join you.

I just feel like I need to add.... “I would like to speak to the manager!” 😜

I’m done with him personally. There was an OOTD For Men thread where a handsome man with a great outfit posted his picture and this “new and improved” completely fat shamed him. It was disgusting and I don’t see how he’s still a member here. If I can find the thread (I think the man deleted it) I’ll find someone to send it to to put an end to this crap. I’m not spending money or even advertising clicks here any longer while people like that are allowed to insult and degrade people who are trying to better themselves.

My antibiotic pills they gave me were huge like an inch long purple monsters and they had me taking the first one in the hospital the day after my surgery. I was surprised but it didn’t cause any issues. Also the acid pills and my regular meds. The only requirement was to do one at a time at first. In fact when I got home I tried breaking that huge one in half and it made it much worse, the coating on it helps it slide down and broken in half it felt like it was stuck at the top of my stomach.

The best way to do it? Her on top... kidding... sorry. How to do it? I don’t think there’s a one size fits all approach here. You’ll get it when you get it, or not. If you feel like you should be there but aren’t perhaps a sex therapist would benefit you. It’s such a personal thing. I had some bad things happen when I was a child and I was 40 before i could even try to initiate and to this day I do not feel comfortable initiating intimacy despite my wife knowing exactly why it’s so difficult for me, and despite me wanting it alll the time. It’s been a strain because she feels like it’s disinterest (which it’s not)... she knows my deal and has accepted it but it’s still an issue that sits under the surface... anyway I’m off rambling again. There’s so many reasons, physical, emotional, etc that it’s hard to say “do this” or “do that.” If you have a parter you trust talk to them about your feelings. just don’t give up and make assumptions about yourself. We are all broken in different ways and we are all capable of growth and change, just don’t give up.

My meal plan was exactly the same. If I got 200 calories a day the first week I’d be surprised. My wife’s meal plan allowed for full sugar Gatorade and jello for the first week only to ensure calorie intake was at a safe level until her week two kicked in which allowed for protein shakes, and eliminated the full calorie drinks at that point. Both of us lost the the same percentage of excess weight that first week so I didn’t seem to make a significant difference, and we both felt prettt fatigued too.

I went from never even considering surgery to surgery in 3 weeks pretty much on a whim. Self pay so no psych evaluation or anything like that. Once you get to post op there’s not much you can do but ride the wave for the first year. I’d think you’d have to put in some serious effort to fail that fast. You’re leaning good habits and whatnot now, and those will carry over post op, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to develop them into lifetime changes after. That’s the major benefit of surgery. Anyone can eat exactly what I’m eating everyday and have the same results without surgery, it just is a tool to pretty much force it. It’s up to us to keep it going in the long term. Keep up with your requirements, they are there to help and I’m sure they’re doing just that. You got this, but I do think it’s got to be something YOU really want, forever.

I honestly don’t know what I want my weight to be.. I really don’t. I’m 6’4”, was 334 at the start of my preop diet, down to 292 36 days later. When I graduated high school (I’m 45 now) I was about 250. I look at pictures of myself and everyone says how thin and good I looked, but I know I was teased about my weight even then. I guess I’ll aim for about 220 and just see how I feel and look. My brother and I are the same height but completely different frames. He looks normal at 180, but I think I would look way too thin... either way I’m really excited about the future, I’ll know my weight when I get there. Plan on building out a lot more muscle too that I’ve lost over the years so I know that’ll add to my count.... Time shall tell.

In the United States it’s a prescription medication so your doctor or some online “doctor” are your only choices. Just ask him or her. Millions of prescriptions a year are written for it and other ED drugs, they aren’t going to go home and giggle to their family about you asking, they aren’t going to ask you to whip it out and prove anything. Easiest prescription to get, almost no contraindications.

My wife and I both had sleeve, I had a drain for 24 hours, she did not. So for at least that procedure it’s up to your surgeon.

Your feelings are perfectly normal, many people have the same thoughts. Myself included. I’m four weeks post op and the first week for me I didn’t really process what I did, despite the obvious changes. The second week I had a few fleeting “omg this is forever” panics, particularly at night as I lay in bed with nothing but my thoughts. Now? Loving it. As soon as I started getting solids in and felt the restriction I was happy. Very few people know I had it done so eventually at holidays people will see my portion size and ask.. they’ll also see my weight loss, so I’ll tell them most of the truth... I’m eating less, I’m eating healthier, and I’m not going to gorge myself just because it’s a certain date on a calendar. Same would apply if I ate out. I’m already eating whatever I want (they’re all good choices though so that’s a new thing I’m enjoying). I honestly don’t miss the garbage and getting full on one egg or two grilled chicken bites is just as satisfying to me as any plate full of food i would have eaten prior. All the flavor is there, smaller nibbles doesn’t change that and I really think I’m taking longer and savoring it more. I hope you get better, I believe you will.

You will do this! I’m not a psychologist... that being said I really believe the effectiveness of our journeys are mostly set post op. This surgery is a tool - a powerful one - to give us the time AND restrictions to allow any of us the ability to learn new habits. These are the facts: you will have a few weeks of little to no food, low calorie intake, weight loss. You will have a long period of very significant restriction compared to your preop capacity. You will see enough weight loss to know these changes work. The length of time these things last IS enough time to learn and incorporate new habits into a lifetime solution. The line between pre and post op is so significant that the old ways (to me at least) are completely irrelevant. Some will not make it, but I honestly believe our errors or lapses before 0-Day do not predominantly define our success or failure post op. I had some food funerals the first couple days after getting my date set but I ended up starting my pre op diet early, then I had one more food funeral and I didn’t enjoy it at all, got back on the program. I’m four weeks post op today, down 37 lbs. I don’t regret my food funerals, but I also do not think “oh I wish I had this or that one more time.” Healthy small portions taste amazing. My tastes have changed, my outlook on the future has changed, I don’t crave garbage, I’m so excited when I get full on such tiny amounts of food. I know I’m capable of popping a donut hole every hour and sabotaging all of this, but for the first time in my life of yo yo dieting I truly truly feel like I’m in complete control and capable and willing to make better choices. I used to self sabotage without conscious thought... like I was some robot with a self destruct sequence always running in the background. That’s gone. I’m rambling (I tend to do that, sorry) but you can do this. This is such an amazing gift you’re giving yourself.

Mine lasted three days as well, and day three was by far the worst.

I had mine done for $4300 in Nuevo Laredo and my wife had hers done in Piedras Negras with Dr Alverez and it was around $8000. I went the Costco route and she wanted Whole Foods :) the difference between the two? Surgery wise I’d say very little. Her facility is much nicer with the “hotel” and hospital an all in one location, more people dedicated to her post op care. An extra night in the hospital. Mine was a night in a local hotel and one night in the public hospital in the city. With both I personally felt just as comfortable as any US hospital I’ve been in. She was not happy with my place because the language barrier, it didn’t concern me, I used google translate if I needed to and in the end it all worked out absolutely fine. Doctors are human and like any profession you have ones who care and ones who don’t, ones who excel and ones who just do the bare minimum. Infections and complications can and do happen anywhere, but in general this is a pretty quick and easy procedure. She’s still recovering (had hers done today) and I’m 4 weeks out and feeling great.

I’ve come to the uneducated conclusion that post op diets past the 4th week are so disparate that they are essentially meaningless. Mine was pretty honest when pressed about this, saying I could try anything I want and if it doesn’t work I’ll know, and short of gorging myself I’m not going to hurt anything at this point. I’m four weeks tomorrow but I’ve had raw veggies, chicken breast etc without issue but that’s me. I’m lucky in that nothing has bothered me, but I’m limiting solids to about 1oz and love the restriction. Obviously healthy choices are key from here on out so I’m not breaking out a box of donuts... but a nibble of x or y isn’t going to erupt out of my stomach like an alien. It’ll either agree with me or not and I can adjust accordingly. But I’m not a doctor, follow yours please and be comfortable in knowing you have a paid professional in your corner, not some rando internet poster like me. :)

Ahhh flawless mike (aka Superman) at it again. Reading many of your posts I’ve come to realize something... You sound EXACTLY like all the people that criticized us for not just buckling down and losing weight. Probably like the people who secretly think you’re weak for not “doing it the old fashioned way” and “I lost weight by dieting, you can too if you just try harder..”. Oh I know I know you don’t have to tell me.. it’s just tough love, honest advice, a little jab of motivation. Just like the “eat right and exercise more” and “it’s easy, stop eating like that” people we’ve all heard from in the past. Be better. Not everyone will be as perfect as you in this journey and not everyone needs to be reminded of their flaws at every chance you can find.

I’m 3 weeks post op and still easily get wiped out. I have days where I think I’m feeling great and take a brisk walk only to get totally exhausted. You’re not alone. Once we start getting more calories in things will improve. I’m around 500-600 a day still and it’s just not enough but I’m not interested in jumping into higher calorie meals just yet.

It’s gets a lot easier post op (at least it did for me). The first couple days you may be sore or just feel so different inside your abdomen that there is zero desire to eat. I’m three weeks post op and the first two weeks I felt what I assumed was hunger pangs but may have been remnants of the surgery. Either way, three weeks out and I honestly don’t even think about food. I have to set reminders to eat. It’s a strange feeling to get through the day and realize you forgot to eat all day and still don’t feel hungry. It’s important not to cheat here on out, but don’t beat yourself up about it. It happened, it’s over, get back to the plan and move on. You got this. You have to.