Tony B - NJ

When my Surgeon submitted the paperwork to the insurance company he gave me a tentative date which was about a month away. I had my approval in about 3 days. The Surgeon said it sometimes takes 2 weeks for approval but he scheduled me anyway because he felt approval was inevitable given all the documentation and testing I completed.

I experienced this last night. I am still on the preop diet and went for an 8 mile bike ride after dinner. After I got back I felt really dizzy and a little bit nauseous. I had checked my sugar earlier in the afternoon and it was 96.

I am curious how those who have had the VSG surgery lost weight on the pre op diet vs what they are losing after the surgery. Is the rate of loss the same? Faster? Slower? Easier? Harder? I have lost 21 pounds in a little over 2 weeks pre surgery and if this continues I will meet my goal really quickly.

I think the ship to open his heart may have sailed.

2 hours ago, lianejennely said:

I had mine august 20th!

Details? How are you feeling?

1 hour ago, Itstamy said:

Sept 14 nervous about starting pre diet

Don’t sweat it. It is not nearly as bad as it seems. Stick to it as they lay it out and it will be fine. Hardly hungry at all and I am almost 2 weeks into the preop diet.

Glad I am not the only obsessive one for this subject. It took me a long time to decide to do this and now that I have my mind made up and all the prep work done, I want to charge forward and get it over with. Thanks for responding!!

On 2/12/2020 at 3:54 PM, AcidArmor said:

Hi all,
(VGS)
I wanted to get some outside opinions.

Firstly, I will say I am following what my dietician has directed. They want me to do a 3 month supervised diet which is fine, but they want me to cut out almost all carbs.

I understand that getting the high Protein is important and I agree. But my main concern is their opinion on things like brown rice, oatmeal, bananas and telling me not to eat ANY of it (even in small amounts).I feel like after surgery I would definitely try re-introducing some of those foods in small amounts because I believe they are healthy.
I can tell my bariatric center is one of the ones that struggles to understand vegetarianism in detail, as everyone there pushes the Protein and meat being easier (but no one has actually told me to eat meat or anything). It just seems strange to me that 3 whole months before surgery they only want me eating protein sources and vegetables,low carb fruits and no grains or anything at all. I have seen other surgeons in various places suggest different restrictions on diets and not all of them ban all carbs.

I am at 38bmi and I don’t need to lose much before the surgery so it isn’t like, a rapid weight loss diet or anything pre-surgery.

They sort of act like any carbs aren’t good for you. I understand immediately after surgery protein is top priority so getting in any carbs would be pretty difficult. It’s more-so that before and after permanently they are kind of saying to ban grains and things like that. But I know there are people eating a vegan diet etc and we’re able to re-introduce small amounts of carbs just fine.

I am completely willing to cut down on carbs a lot, but has anyone else run into this experience ? My goal is to figure out a diet that works for me as a lifestyle and provides me with nutrients- before and after surgery.

Just looking for some input from people who have gone through the surgery and how they handled this/what they are and if they agreed to long term elimination of most carbs.

Thanks for any help!

A couple misconceptions I wanted to make sure you were clear on:

1. The pre op diet has nothing to do with how much weight you need to lose BEFORE surgery. It has to do with shrinking your liver. A fatty liver can be present no matter what your weight. Low carbs will help you get to that point. That is why they do that part of it.

2. If carbs are so healthy, why are all of us who struggled with weight and came to surgery so heavy? Many of us indulged in heavy carb, comfort food type diets. High fat and high carb are the enemy.

3. Small amounts of carbs are and always have been fine if they are taken in moderation like anything else, but it must be AFTER getting enough protein in your body. That will be the challenge.

1 minute ago, Kayla Joy said:

I'm out for September.

In the beginning of the month I got diagnosed with covid, bronchitis and pneumonia. I have been on oxygen for a while so my lungs are shot and the surgery is canceled until further notice. I guess it's just not my time yet.

I wish you all the very best in your journey!!!! I'll probably be stepping back from the platform for a while and focus on healing up

Congratulations everyone!

Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Tough break. I have been keeping myself clear of people for the past couple weeks to ensure I don't pick up the virus. less than a week to stay clear and get this done.

15 hours ago, FLPhoenix said:

I just had my appointment to set my surgery date yesterday. I didn’t realize yesterday’s appt was to set a date within 30 days. So by my surprise my date is September 29th. **** just got real! 😳 Excited and nervous. I have only had general anesthesia once to take out my molars 🤣 The only other major surgery was a C-section, I asked my surgeon if any of his female patients can compare the pain to that and he honestly has never asked. If any of you have had a c-section before I am curious if it is similar or less pain than that. Thanks!

My wife had 2 C sections and I have known people getting the sleeve. The people that got the sleeve were up and functioning fully a LOT sooner. Think about the incision. For the C section it is a large cut all the way through and with the sleeve you have only small incisions. I think the danger of it breaking open and the sheer pain would be much worse with the C section. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

yes...it would really destroy me if that happened to me this week.

The powdered form of the Premier latte is not caffeinated but...it does not taste like the premixed...it is way too sweet and has a strange after taste. The Premier chocolate is pretty damned good if you add just a tablespoon of powdered Peanut Butter which also gives it a Protein bump. Only a 30 calorie increase.

I am less than a week away from my VSG (8/31) and I am so worried that the Governor of NJ is going to force some sort of elective surgery shutdown like he did last year. I have gone through a lot over the past few months and it is so close now. Anyone else going through this?

I think for most of us waiting for our surgeries, it is always in the back of our minds that it could get cancelled. I am scheduled in less than a week and have been pre op dieting for 2 weeks now and would be so upset if it got cancelled!!

8 minutes ago, ChubRub said:

I don't know how much your husband weighs, but there's a really easy way to lose around 180lbs before you even have surgery....just saying!!!

Seriously though, I can't even imagine having a spouse so unsupportive that he refuses to pick you up from the hospital. It's not just being a bad spouse, it's being a bad person.

Only thing I can recommend is counseling (for you) to realize your worth and help deal with your relationship.

Good luck!!!!

That is hilarious! I agree with you, get rid of the bum! Chances are the amount of stress a person like that is giving her had a lot to do with putting on the weight. Stress and aggravation can really add on the pounds through stress eating, depression, not wanting to exercise etc, etc.

2 minutes ago, codevsg said:

Shelly, so about a week on pain meds?

I was hoping just a few days, but that makes sense. I read somewhere it is 2-3 weeks for incisions to heal and 6-8 weeks for the staple line to heal.

I gave myself two weeks of recovery and plan to go back to work after that. I have a desk job and work from home so I am hoping it won’t be too tough.

I’m really on top of liquids, Proteins, and walks. I think that will help. Taking about 4oz and hour.

Feeling okay after morning pain meds.

My doctor told me that there is a decent chance I could go back to work in a week. Some people have actually gone to work in a couple days based on their pain level. I plan to take just the week and go back to work at my desk job.

Mine took a couple days as well. Luckily up here in South Jersey the surgeries are still going on and Covid is not quite as bad right now as it is in Florida. Good luck.

43 minutes ago, Jjsdrm1021 said:

Everything is complete. Insurance approved. Now I have to wait for the freaking hospitals to allow elective surgery. I am having my Hiatal Hernia repaired and a RNY. I am ready to goooooooo.

I don't know about you but I was incredibly surprised how easy Tricare approved my surgery. I was expecting a hassle from them.

On 8/12/2021 at 4:03 PM, Ashley_vsg_2021 said:

Maybe you’re being more mindful because you know what awaits on the other side .. I too was losing weight more than usual. Granted I made adjustments like less bread, healthier swaps etc but I was just excited and more on it because i knew what was to come

I think this is exactly what it is...being more mindful of what you are eating. I am seeing the same thing. I lost 20 pounds in the last couple weeks just for tracking my calories, setting a 800 calorie limit, walking more and totally taking bread out of my diet which is the most difficult thing for me because I LOVE bread. Being Italian, we east bread with just about everything. I have thought that if I can do this by myself, why not just keep it going, but I know I will drift off the plan and end up putting it back on if I do not have the assist of the sleeve long term.

2 hours ago, Danpaul said:

We were all conditioned to not waste food. Remember Mom saying, eat all your food there are people starving in(pick a country). I've learned that I don't have to waste food in order to not work around my restriction. (That's what we do when we are full and continue to eat) When I eat and my restriction kicks in (thank goodness after 4 yrs I still have a pretty good one) I stop eating, put the food in a container, store in fridge and eat the next day. I will eat the same thing for a few days so that I don't waste the food but most importantly so that I'm not tempted to work around my restriction.

I went to a therapist. This therapist was recommended by others in my support group. I honestly didn't find her to be as helpful as talking and interacting with others who had the surgery.

One other note to the OP, your family has to be in your corner 100%. Mom should not have had a large dinner with you only days post op. That's like a recovering alcoholic who has sit through a cocktail party. It will not bode well. I also find that drinking plain Water or herbal tea helps control the craving to eat. It does two things, first the action of getting the drink takes your mind away from the food and the liquid helps to fill your stomach so that you eat less.

You say something very important here....the mother should not have had the dinner and it is like a recovering alcoholic going to a cocktail party. The difference I think is that the mother would NOT have her come to a cocktail party if she was an alcoholic or make an alcohol centered offering. The difference is significant because obesity is still one of those things that people STILL look at as an easily corrected behavioral issue. Most accept alcoholism as a disease and have empathy for those who struggle with alcohol while those same people have no empathy and in some cases disgust and look down upon those who have weight problems or unhealthy relationships with food. This is really backed up by the way society treats and supports those who are thin vs those who are overweight. Go on social media and see how all the "woke" people who are so empathetic toward race, religion, sexual harrassment etc but find a post about a fat person hilarious! It is a cultural problem that has lingered amongst all the political correctness.

On 4/23/2021 at 9:51 PM, ColoRad Gal said:

I can cross my legs and I don’t have to hold them with my hands to keep them crossed!!! 😁😁😁

I just tried this. It worked

The more I research about this, the more and more I see Doctors that simply will not do the procedure at all. Doctors who learned and were using it extensively do not want to do it any longer and are guiding people to the Sleeve instead. That tells me a lot. The long term success is not good from what I am hearing.

8 minutes ago, Monique1123 said:

I can honestly say that I am SLACKING on my Vitamins. I don't even have a good excuse. I have reminders on my phone and everything but for whatever reason, I forget to take them! Also Water, I used to get in 64 oz + every day and since surgery, I'm somewhere in between 32- 48 daily. I have been working out more now that I got the green light so I hope to see more improvements with my body over the next couple of weeks. However, you're right. I've heard that those who didn't start out on the high end of weight tend to lose at a slower pace.

Definitely get the water up. It is counterintuitive to drink water and expect to lose weight but if you do not then your body will store the water and hold the weight. Same with Vitamins and Protein, you have to feed it those things or it will put you into a stall. Before I started with all this I hardly drank any water at all, only coffee. I find it helpful to carry water wherever I am and to constantly take little nips of it. They make cups that alarm or set off a light if you are really bad at it. It is a necessary evil though.

Calorie cycling sounds a little dangerous to me. Eating low calorie for some defined period then going crazy with high calorie seems risky. I would be afraid that would cause a roller coaster effect with the weight loss or force the body into stalls when it is confused by high calorie and low calorie periods. I am obviously not a dietician, but from what I have experienced, I am not sure it would work too well.

3 minutes ago, Monique1123 said:

Thank you! It's mentally challenging for sure because up until my post-op yesterday I felt so depressed thinking I haven't lost enough. Exactly 20 pounds, in 1 month, and everyone around me has lost so much more.

Don't be discouraged. Look for things to keep you encouraged like fitting into different clothing or other non scale things that show you that you are making improvements. Everyone is different. You are not really on the high end of weight so some may have more to lose or have more Water weight that they lose at first that you may not have had. Water weight drops off quickly in the beginning so if you did not have that, it looks like you didn't lose as much, but effectively, you did. Try changing something...track your food on an app and BE HONEST with your entries. Don't use exercise calories saved as an excuse to eat more since you burned calories. If you stick to a 800 calorie diet AND burn exercise calories, SCIENCE will take over and you will lose weight faster. Also...ensure you are keeping your Protein up and taking Vitamins so you do not disturb your bodies balance.