Kaguragetshealthy_87

Following because in my psych eval, he actually suggested I switch to medical Marijuana.

So as the title suggests I am mad at myself. Not looking for sympathy just more as a warning to those who are about to have the surgery or just had it.... I went back to all my old bad habits. I lost my mom less than a year afterwards and the depression set in. I'm gonna try and get help for where my brain is at. I've gained just about all my weight back. And I know I can get it off but it will take time. Any advice on where to start as far as the gym. Hugs
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When I started this in 2013 weighing 258 lbs. The most I ever weighed and after diets worked (I was down to 175 in 2008 for a little over a year) they never were permanent. I'm going to burst a lot of bubbles now, neither is the sleeve BUT IT IS WHY I CAN NOW KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF. Let me explain. It is now 8 1/2 years later and I am down to 178 for well over a year now. A year before that I was up to almost 230 again. Not because of how much I ate, but what I ate. I was a carbohydrate addict. I've been living 2 1/2 years on Keto. I have NEVER CHEATED even on vacations, and we take a lot. It is so easy these days to be on Keto and eat what you want since just about everything is made low carb with the exception of good bread, my favorite. Now, here's how the sleeve comes in to this. Many ways. First, I was pre-diabetic and all my family, parents, siblings and uncles are, or were diabetic. The 20 lbs just after I took on this adventure at least kept me out of diabetes. The best thing was that it kept me from eating too much at a time. I could eat all day but not a lot at a time. I have had no problems eating anything I was told that I could never eat again before the surgery. Now, I was actually fluctuating from 230 down to 200 but would eventually get back up to the 230.
Here's the thing. I have an eating disorder, didn't know it until a year ago. It's called Avoidant Restrictive food Intake Disorder (ARFID). My symptoms are that I've NEVER tasted or eaten, poultry, seafood, most vegetables and no steak, pork chops, in fact the ONLY meats I eat are sausages and cured meats. I will not eat a sausage unless I know that it's only made with beef or pork or both together. I love pizza and Pasta and of course bread, so those are the hardest things that I have to avoid with Keto, but here's how I do it. I will order a pizza and always say extra sauce because I'm not going to eat the crust and need to scrape the toppings off the top (so it doesn't cook into the bread). Here's the thing, the crust flavor bakes into the pizza, so I never really miss the crust other than with my eyes.
Anyway, 2 1/2 years later I live with it and like I said I don't cheat and the urge to cheat is driven away with this thought. Everyone tells me you have to have a cheat day once in awhile. You know you've told yourself that on each of your diets. Here's the problem with that. Next week I'll think, I didn't gain weight on the last cheat day, I can do it again, and so on. I still truly live for food, but now it's 90% sausage (good hot dogs) or ham, bacon and salami. Just think, you guys can have all the chicken, fish and steaks you want. Load them up with butter. Since I limit myself to 40-50 carbs a day, I eat a dinner roll at a restaurant and load it with butter. Anyway, here are photos of before and after. I'm now 71, very healthy OH, and because of the sleeve and Keto (and some pills) my blood numbers have all been perfect for the last two years. I mean perfect when my Cholesterol and Triglycerides were always high. My glucose is 94 and A1C is always around 5.4. 

Onederland! It's been 30+ years since a 1 was the first digit in my weight! That's 93 lbs since surgery.

we have people on here who've had great success with both surgeries. Yes, statistically the bypass yields somewhat greater weight loss than the sleeve (but we're talking 70% vs 65%, so it's not THAT significant), but stats are stats - you have people who fall on either side of those percentages - including people who lose 100% of their excess weight, and people who lose 30 or 40 lbs and then gain it all back. Honestly, I think your ultimate success has a lot more to do with how committed you are to your plan than which surgery you have.

I'm having a mini bypass in about a month. I haven't told anyone and i really don't want to. 7 yrs ago I had gastric balloon which didn't help much and it was thrown in my face a few times. So I don't want to tell anyone. But obviously I will be in hospital for two days. What procedure can I say I had instead?
I know we need support. But this one I'm going alone. My support will be you guys. Not my family.

I’ve never admitted these things to anyone, let alone on a public forum. You are not alone though. I’ve struggled almost all my life with chronic illness (immunodeficiency) starting in childhood, developing many medical conditions and symptoms over the years, disability, metabolic disorders, always fighting my weight, my self image, being on the autism spectrum, adhd, ocd and so on. But through it all, through a rough childhood. My own health challenges, my mother having spine surgeries and needing my help and support. I never had a life. I just have, I guess ... survived. I fought to lose weight alone - I guess it’s going on twelve years ago now if I had to guess. But never could hang on to it. I found myself losing ground. It was either fight for Bariatric surgery as a tool to finally help me or totally give up.

But will it fix the rest of me? Those deep rooted insecurities? My separation from the rest of the world due to chronic illness? I honestly cannot say that weight loss will fix these things. Especially not my chronic illness or disability. It’s like my doctor expecting miraculous changes when I just wanted to ease the burden on my body and at least be a healthy weight to better navigate.
it’s easy enough for people to say get out of your comfort zone. Been there done that, it’s gotten me nowhere but disaster and my chronic illness deeper into a decline. Of course this is just from my perspective. I’m not in a situation where I meet people. I can’t put myself out there. It’s not that simple. Nor is it Even for healthy people to do so.
I’ve never discussed it and I won’t even flat out say my own situation in detail either since this is a public forum because people can be condescending in their response to something like this. I remember someone once telling me that she thought I liked being stuck. As if I haven’t spent my whole life fighting every step of the way.
sometimes you need to just step back from yourself and take an objective look at the why of it all, what your hopes and expectations are, and where to go from there. Decide that you are worth it and take the leap forward and maybe you will find where you want to be.

Hi there, I don’t have exactly what you are looking for but have some thoughts about confidence. I have just scheduled a few consults and am >300 lbs and have continued to date. Not everyone is interested in me. That’s fine and I don’t let that stop me. Therapy has gotten me to a place where I see myself as strong and confident despite my imperfections
I found reading Brene Brown’s books or watching some of her Ted talks on the power of vulnerability, shame, and the power of imperfection very useful.
Now there is weight/size but after surgery there may be extra skin, stretch marks, and even regain so my one piece of advice is to try to think of all of those physical “flaws” as battle scars from fighting a disease that not everyone has to deal with.
If people you date don’t give you the respect you deserve then screw them. You are strong in your imperfection and deserve better.

Hi I’m 34 and looking forward to having the sleeve next year. I’m really hoping this surgery will boost my confidence and help me get back into the flow of dating. I’m so tired of being used, closet girlfriend or finding out I’m a side chick. Oh that’s hard to even write. It hurts and has caused me to kinda shut down on the dating. I’ve always been very out going, confident and enjoyed dating and I can’t wait to be there again.
I’d love to hear some uplifting stories of dating success after survey.

Not a fan of the shakes but saying Protein doesnt matter and to only eat one meal a day is a little out there in my view.

These pictures were taken 2.5 months apart, same shirt… new me! This surgery has changed my life and I’m so, so grateful.

HW: 242
SW: 230 (VSG 9/13/21)
Left: 204
Right: 181

As of today, my BMI is 29.8 and I am officially overweight. Sounds kind of funny to be happy to be classified as overweight to those who have not struggled as obese for many years. I am super motivated to get to my next goal! I have set up many interim goals for myself to shoot for that are more attainable than a long term goal. My next goal is to get below 200 pounds (8 to go) and then to hit 100 pounds lost (15 to go). After that I will set up goals for BMI levels until I get to where I feel comfortable at a particular point.

Don't be discouraged! At first, I only lost a few pounds after my gastric surgery - literally about 5 during the first two weeks. Then I stalled for a week. THEN the pounds started really coming off.
I listened to a friend of mine who told me not to worry what the scale said - to look more at how my clothes were fitting. She even went as far to say that the scale would discourage me and then I may revert back to my old habits which would mean that all my pain would have been in vain. She was so right! I've gone from a 22 dress size to a 14 dress size! And I've lost a little more than 50 pounds at this point!
I'm on my way to the gym for the first time since my surgery! I feel great - good enough that everyone says I'm glowing! And while I haven't kept to my diet (because living in New Orleans, I NEED food THAT TASTES GOOD!!!) , I am still eating smaller portions and cutting back on sugar. I am losing about a pound and a half a week now.
I just want to encourage you and anyone else that needs it - to KEEP THE COURSE and KEEP THE FAITH!!! As hard as it is, STAY OFF THE SCALE FOR NOW! Weigh yourself in a month if you want, but for now, use your clothes as your guide! The looser they become, the more you will be encouraged! After all, that's really what matters - that you feel comfortable in your clothes!
The very best to you and all of us! Again, KEEP THE FAITH! YOU WILL WIN!!!! 💜💚💛

Well, a couple of thoughts pop into my mind. One, a pouch reset involves going back to the basics of eating focusing on Protein, watching your portions, tracking everything you eat, and drinking enough Water. It's that simple. Your pouch probably is still functioning like it should. My second thought is that you're experiencing head hunger if you're hungry all the time. Boredom. Stress. Habit. That's a harder habit to kick, but you can do it by limiting yourself to 3 meals a day plus a snack.

I find online dating is full of scammers pretending to be somebody that they’re not. I just don’t feel safe doing it anymore. My plans once I get my surgery and get to the point where I can be active again is to start going to meetups like hiking and biking. That’s a great way to meet people in general and then who knows.

It is very different from surgery center to surgery center. The best person to ask is the scheduler or NP at the surgery center. They will tell you what you need to do, including appointments, when to stop taking certain medications, special soaps to wash will before surgery, etc.

Okay, I can totally hear you on this. Same thing here. I'm 3 years post-op. COVID and life wreaked havoc in my life, lost my 16 year old fur baby . . . 2020 and 2021 SUCKED!
But I finally saw a sign that said, "Remember why you started this." and it hit me - - - I had to get my health back.
I was embarrassed by my weight gain because after WLS and reading some of the forum posts where people gained weight back, I thought "Oh! I'll never be one of THOSE people!" HA! I am!
But I finally found light at the end of the tunnel on November 22nd. Something finally just clicked in my head. I started going to the gym and I've been 35 out of the last 40 days. I joined Weight Watchers two weeks ago and as of this morning I've lost 3 pounds.
I have depression, which it sounds like you probably have after all that you've been through, and I see a counselor every 3 weeks. We do online video conferences. It's very helpful to talk about my stressors and fears.
You are NOT a failure! Forgive yourself, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and join me on a journey to refocus on our weight in 2022.

Cleared with psychologist as of last night… thank goodness

Myfitnesspal is a good one for tracking food and Water.

I too had a GSV with a hiatal hernia repair AND I also take Synthroid and Omeprazole.
I began taking Omeprazole 20mg 5 years before my GSV because I did have acid reflux - and it was further suggested that I have GERD. At almost a month out... I still have Acid Reflux. Nothing has changed - Same amt of acid pours into the smaller pouch. I forgot to take my Omeprazole pill one morning and OMG did I suffer. Now that our stomachs are smaller, it is by far easier for developing gas to be pressure released upward and along with it, some stomach acid. So, I am still taking Omeprazole (as directed) and I'm "back to normal."
I strongly believe those who have had GSV and a subsequent RNY procedure AND/OR RNY or MGB out the gate do not have the same problems with acid reflux post surgery and beyond.
After two weeks, I also experienced insufficient intake and moved to soft foods. Bare in mind, you can use your food processor or your given process (your teeth) to chew chew chew chew. I moved to FF refried Beans, a little bit of cheese), avocado, and Sweet Baby Jesus... if you enjoyed pudding as a kid... get some FF SF Jello chocolate Pudding. 2, cups of FF milk (if you can tolerate milk products) and stir yourself up some yummy goodness. I have small containers and I split the batch into 4 and have two per day.
I just could not do some protracted all liquid diet without suffering dizziness, light headedness.
One thing I need to look into is if I am insulin resistant. Those who have normal levels - eat food and their system processes food and their body is able to utilize that energy more efficiently. So, that has been on my mind.
As a side note, there is a LINX device which can be implanted around the lower esophageal muscle that surrounds and closes the opening to the stomach which helps to prevent the contents of the stomach from back up into the esophagus (which is what reflux is). I know I'm a candidate for that but I don't think the surgical group that performed my procedure does the LINX procedure.
Drink, Drink, Drink... gatorade zero has helped me immensely.
Take deep breaths and you are still healing and will continue to do so for another 1.5 months. Talk to your NUT if you need encouragement to replace what you are eating with something that has a little more kick. Avocado - that does the trick for me.
Best wishes.

I strugged with the pre-op liquid diet and I did break down and have a yogurt on day 4. Just get back on track and keep pushing. The pre-op is the hardest part for some of us.

Definitely!! It’s a hard process but don’t buy into the all or nothing thought process. It’s a slip but if you move on it won’t make a difference to the overall process

Mistakes happen, don't be so hard on yourself. Do better from here on out and try to put the temptations where you won't see them.

One month.

Thought I would give an update here. VSG was done 9/14/2021, today is 11/14/2021.
THE GOOD:
Down 55 lbs from surgery, 64 lbs from the start of the pre-op diet, and 94 lbs from my heaviest weight. Hypertension and asthma diagnoses were officially withdrawn. Hypogonadism is under review. CPAP average setting went from 16 cm H2O to about 7 cm. Have an appointment soon to see if I need it any more. Depression has almost completely been put in remission. Went from 52/34 to 36/34 in the same cut of jeans, and actually need to go see if they have 34/34 at the outlet. Went from 4XL or even 5XL shirts to L or XL (mostly XL). Went from 15EE boots to 12D; my arch has returned, which shocked my surgeon and my PCP. Running and enjoying it for the first time ever. Way too many NSVs to count THE BAD:
Still occasional bouts of Constipation which mess up scale results, but then it all, um, resolves and the number on the scale goes WHOOSH. Had to fire my NUT for being a horrible person. Found a new NUT who is amazing and who does the same fitness I do. The extremely restrictive diet (especially under the old NUT's "guidance") caused a massive drop in strength, which did not help at work. It also caused me to stall out. The new NUT increased my intake from 600-800 to 1000-1400 cals a day, and WHOOSH went the scale once again. It actually hurts to sit down because my butt is bony. I'm cold all the freaking time, even when it's objectively-by-any-sane-standard not cold. Needed a chiropractic adjustment because my hips are not used to carrying 25% less of me and were hurting badly. Had to replace expensive work boots because they were giving me blisters. Clothes I can get from the Goodwill and Ross Dress For Less; work boots not so much. THE UGLY:
Eating too fast or even one bite too much means spending the next 30 minutes to an hour in great physical discomfort. It takes time for the full signal to arrive in my brain. Eating lettuce salad was, in hindsight, a really, really bad idea. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Some gnarly skin tags as my fat melts away, and the beginnings of some loose skin. Added in a daily dose of collagen peptides to help. One incision is still quite visible, though it's healed over. Starting to notice a little more hairfall, including head, beard, and chest. Still the best thing I've ever done for myself.