anniedebbie

Yeah obviously higher starting weight will be different..
I guess I'm one of a kind I started at 322 and got to 165 within the first 9 months

For me it was life changing in every sense.
The surgery was quite simple, minor pain at the incision areas, but aside from that really no serious pain. Thankfully, I didn't have some of the 'gas pains' that others have. No nausea, vomiting or extreme discomfort. Not really very hungry for the first few weeks either.
I'm not sure if it's common practice, but right before my surgery and at my 6-month check up I had a "Myers Cocktail" which is basically a bunch of Vitamins given through IV. Really helped with recovery and energy levels during a time where you really can't get much energy from food.
YMMV, but for me recovery was super fast. I was eating pureed food by day 2 and solid foods by I think the end of week 2. Don't worry too much about calories in the beginning. Regardless of what you eat, you won't be able to eat much. Refried Beans were a lifesaver for me the first few days on pureed foods, and the Ricotta bake that you see mentioned so much here was also a staple.
Couple pieces of advice (again, everyone's different but some of what I see on here leads me to believe that the issue is more frequent than some others):
Pay attention to your Water. Sounds silly, but right after surgery I had no interest in drinking anything. I had to remind myself to drink water. So I started carrying around my water everywhere. That helped. Kept me sipping throughout the day. One of my biggest issues pre-op was that I ate fast, and when I say fast I mean really really fast. I honestly believe that was a huge part of my weight gain as it led to difficulty digesting, overeating, etc. Use the time in the beginning to re-train yourself on eating slowly and chew chew chew chew chew! Even your liquids. Even your pureed food. Even your smoothies. Chew it all. Sounds weird, but helped me monumentally. Don't try to jump into exercise too early, but don't put it off too long either. We all do this to bring about changes beyond food. We all want to be more active, make healthier choices. It's easy to want to jump right in, but I would wait until you get clearance from your doc (ask) to start, because any injury can cause complications with the surgery or set you back in your recovery or both. Also, you don't want to wait too long because it's WAY TOO EASY to fall back into old habits. Ask your doc at every checkup if you're cleared to exercise and when you are, get moving. Have a plan ready to go. Start with walks and move into beginner plans if you have to and then progressively take on more as you can, but start. Don't get discouraged with stalls. They happen. For some they happen sooner than others, but I think most of us experience them. Just stick to your plan. There are some good articles on here about how to work through stalls. Stalls will hit your ego a lot harder than your overall progress, I promise. Keep with your plan, and you'll push through. Use this time to change what you eat. Just because you can't eat as much of something does not mean that it's a good thing to eat. In the very beginning (first 1-2 weeks), you just need to get something in. Once you start back on solid foods, make sure you're choosing healthy foods. That doesn't mean you have to count calories, macros or any of that. Of course you can if that's what helps you, but I would use this time to find what works best for you. Since you can't eat a lot of different foods, chances are when you start back on solids you'll likely be eating only 1-2 different foods at a time. There won't be 3-4 sides, etc. It's a good time to see how different foods make you feel. Some people do great on a high-protein, low-carb diet. That didn't do it for me. I stuck with the physician's plan for the first 30 days (high protein), but I wanted something more balanced and more sustainable (for me) long-term. I made the change to go to a whole-foods based diet, and it's what I still do today, almost 5 years post-op. I stay away from anything processed as much as I possibly can. This doesn't limit me as much as other diets and it worked really for me. Try foods and see how they make you feel. Weed out the ones that leave you feeling bad, bloated, tired, etc. Enjoy what you couldn't enjoy pre-op. When you get out there and start enjoying the things that you may not have been able to do before your surgery, it's automatic motivation to stay on plan. If you have activities or certain things you have had to sit out because of your weight, having the opportunity to do them is like being a kid again and doing these activities for the first time. Remember those experiences. They will get you through any challenges you might face. Remember that times do get challenging, but that's why you're here. There's a lot of support here. I'm sure you have family and friends to help in that arena as well, but there's something about talking with people who've experienced everything you're going through. Don't forget that we're here. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I hope this gives you some encouragement as you start your journey. Best of luck to you and please keep us in the loop with how everything is going!

I'm a little more than 7 months out and have lost 130 lbs including the 23 I lost pre-op. I had a little nausea after surgery but was pretty much fine after 24 hours. The gas pain was uncomfortable but for me, not terrible. It got better over time.

Not gonna lie, I was ridiculously hungry at first and was surprised by that. I thought they'd done my sleeve incorrectly! But it got better after I got past the liquid phase.

Now, I'm healthier than I've been in years. I can walk, move, just do everything more easily. I have no regrets at all!

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Wowwwwwwwwwww this was exactly what I needed to hear! Congratulations on your success even with the slight weight gain, u still managed to stay on top of things. I definitely will do these things and try to stay where I want to be weight wise. My goal is to lose 120lbs being that I'm hoping my start weight will be 260 or 250 , starting my diet next week . But , every thing u said is so helpful and informative! Thank you!!!!! I have to just stick to the plan and try to not go astray, and if i do quickly try to bounce back before weight gain. Omg I'm excited, its definitely easier said than done[emoji28][emoji28] but im hopeful. [emoji175][emoji175]

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And congratulations on year 2 post op!!! Well done[emoji173]

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Wowwwww this is so awesome and practical!!!!!! Thank you so much for these tips , its reassuring

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I do not miss going to business meetings and looking to see if I am the fattest person in the room....
I do not miss that I WAS always the fattest person in the room
I don't miss shopping in the plus stores

I will not miss going to the doctor, no matter what my ailment, and being told "you have to lose weight first"
I will not miss being unable to tie my shoes
I will not miss getting rid of my "fat clothes" and all of my multiple-sized clothes in my closet (skinny clothes, skinny + 20 lbs clothes, skinny + 40 lbs clothes, etc)
I will not miss having to shop online for bras (and paying $75-$100 each!) because department stores don't carry my size
I will not miss the back and hip pain from just standing up
I will not miss having to get a seat belt extender on planes - and not being able to reach under the seat in front of me for my bag
I will not miss having an extremely hard time finding cute clothes that fit
I will not miss being dependent on other people for simple things I used to be able to do myself
I will not miss my back scrubber in the shower, because I'll be able to bend down and wash my feet without it

I will definitely not miss being treated like I am ignorant and that my ideas have no value.
I will not miss the crude comments or the farm yard animal sounds made when I walk by.
I will not miss the absolute disgust on people’s faces when I speak to them
I will not miss always hiding in the shadows
I will not miss being the biggest in the room, yet the most invisible
I will not miss the aches and pains that come with carrying so much extra weight
Most of all, I will not miss my boys being embarrassed by having such a fat mom!

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.

Would the Question Protein chips be ok to eat? They have 4g of carbs and 19g of protein. Would help with that chip craving

@anniedebbie
Congratulations on your surgery date.
SIx years out, living healthy has become habit.😁 . There is no weight loss surgery secret. Follow your surgeon and dietitians plan. Be consistent not perfect.
This can be done long term

I just had my sleeve yesterday! I'm finding it a little difficult to sleep this first night post-op, but it might be more about the hotel bed than the surgery.

SG2020 HW 294 SW 270 CW 270

Welcome! I am pretty new too. I hae my surgery july 14th. I am very excited! Get ready for your life to be changed!

Hello everyone, my name is Michele. I am scheduled to have my sleeve performed 8/26/20. I am excited to begin this journey and enjoy reading and learning techniques to be successful on my journey with the tool I receive.

Wowwwww this is so awesome and practical!!!!!! Thank you so much for these tips , its reassuring

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And congratulations on year 2 post op!!! Well done[emoji173]

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Wowwwwwwwwwww this was exactly what I needed to hear! Congratulations on your success even with the slight weight gain, u still managed to stay on top of things. I definitely will do these things and try to stay where I want to be weight wise. My goal is to lose 120lbs being that I'm hoping my start weight will be 260 or 250 , starting my diet next week . But , every thing u said is so helpful and informative! Thank you!!!!! I have to just stick to the plan and try to not go astray, and if i do quickly try to bounce back before weight gain. Omg I'm excited, its definitely easier said than done[emoji28][emoji28] but im hopeful. [emoji175][emoji175]

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Thank you for that! Keep it simple is what i need to remember

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Wowwwww this is so awesome and practical!!!!!! Thank you so much for these tips , its reassuring

Sent from my SM-N970U using BariatricPal mobile app

And congratulations on year 2 post op!!! Well done[emoji173]

Sent from my SM-N970U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wowwwwwwwwwww this was exactly what I needed to hear! Congratulations on your success even with the slight weight gain, u still managed to stay on top of things. I definitely will do these things and try to stay where I want to be weight wise. My goal is to lose 120lbs being that I'm hoping my start weight will be 260 or 250 , starting my diet next week . But , every thing u said is so helpful and informative! Thank you!!!!! I have to just stick to the plan and try to not go astray, and if i do quickly try to bounce back before weight gain. Omg I'm excited, its definitely easier said than done[emoji28][emoji28] but im hopeful. [emoji175][emoji175]

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U look phenomenal!

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