ReallyMeeeeUk

Thank you for your advice Tek. I was both thrilled and scared when I learned the news. Still feeling both, and I can see it is going to be a long journey.
I mostly rely on ready meals, so haven't much of a clue about cooking healthy. Also I am originally French and I can't see myself eating beige food for the rest of my life, like turkey with mash and cauliflower ?.
I guess this is going to be a longer journey than I thought, but I can see by your rely and the ones from others here, that I have joined a fine support group.
Thank you,
Maroux

I was sleeved the same day as you and was 231 the day of surgery. Today I was 213. I'm already on solids (since the 28th) and I've still be losing quickly. For me it has not been easy however. I'm hungry all the time and I'm having a lot of back pain, which is unusual for me.

My recovery was fairly easy. I had the "foamies" a couple of times from eating too much or too fast. Some foods felt bad in my stomach initially but I just put them on the list of "try again later." Eggs were probably the hardest to reintroduce. No matter how I ate them, boiled, fried, scrambled , I felt like I ate a rock. It was at least a year before I could eat them comfortably. After about 6 months I could eat most anything I chose to eat in small portions. I had very little pain after surgery. The worst part was finding out I was allergic to the surgical staples and had horrible dermatitis around each incision. I thought I would scratch my skin off. Removing the staples and a little hydrocortisone cream cured that. I was a slow loser but I tried not to compare myself to others. I just told myself, it will happen eventually! I never had a stall, all the way to goal. Now, almost 3 yrs later, I continue to follow the guidelines I was given, track my protein and have had no problem maintaining my weight. Sometimes I'll look at "junk food" and have absolutely no desire to eat it. All I have to do is look in a mirror and I think to myself, "I'd rather look like this than taste that!" I've now paid for 2 skin removal plastic surgeries (a lot of money) also and don't want to undo the progress I've made there!
I don't think you have to suffer to have great results. There is nothing wrong with having a smooth course. I've had 4 surgeries in the last 3 yrs and have followed "doctors orders" with each one and had great successful recoveries. I just don't dwell on any little "bumps in the road" in the process. With time it all works out. For me, best decision ever!

Hey guys I'm back to check in. To those of you still on the preOp diet and those of you worrying about what the future may hold: I had my surgery 9/10, am almost 2 weeks out and while there are some things I am dealing with that I will share, all of this has been so worth it.
I had the gas pains after surgery and while they seriously made me question what the heck I had gotten my self into, I forced myself to walk and stretch as much as I could and they dissipated pretty quickly (1-2 days). My reaction to the anesthesia was pretty rough, I was tachycardic and had to be put on oxygen for a bit after coming to. It took me at least a full 12 hours to be totally awake and get rid of the weakness in my legs. And lastly, today marks 27 full days where my intake has been liquid (including preOp diet) so I feel a little spacey and weak sometimes.
BUT, I get better every day, can walk further every day, my clothes get looser every day, and only have 8 more days til I can have my first taste of soft foods - gonna go for an egg with a bit of avocado I think...
Now for the hard numbers - I weighed myself this morning to get accurate numbers. I weighed 245 at the beginning of LRD and weighed in at 218 today - down 27 pounds. I already see a huge difference in my face and want to cry that I waited even this long to make this decision for myself.
I am an overthinker and worrier by nature, so if you are doubting or are worried and want to talk, I am willing to talk it through with you.
This is one of those times when you gotta take the leap of faith and trust that you have the drive to follow the plan and make this happen. The anticipation is killer but being in it and doing it, you're able to focus on the steps to take to be successful and it feels incredible to be doing something so productive for yourself.

Hello September 2021 VSG team! I had my procedure 14 Sept 2021 and have regrets thus far. I’m 9 days post op and we’ll on my way to recovery with little to no adverse complications to report. Weight loss 9 days post op 14 pds. I have found this app/form immensely informative and appreciate each and every tidbit of the individuals experience included in this shared journey. Be well.

Hello everyone, here is an update....its been a few days since surgery and I'm doing great already down 7lbs....I'm taking in 30mls of shake / water every 15 min per doctor orders. I make sure I walk and use incentive spirometer to prevent pneumonia. Sometimes I feel hungry but I think it's a head thing! My doctor wants me to get down 64 ounces of water a day and 2 60 gram protein shakes a day....I'm no where near able to do that yet, I can get down 1 30 gram protein shake and maybe 20 ounces of water. I'll keep trying though. I had my surgery in Monroe Mi for those of you who asked. Also after surgery I had hardly no pain, I slept most of day because of the anesthesia but other than that, I was up walking marathons they were very proud of me. I'm so excited about my journey I do not regret it so far! Good luck to all, keep us posted!

Y'all...... Surgery is next Tuesday (9/21) and I'm starting to question it alllllllll. What if I fail? What if this is just another thing I screw up and end up NOT losing weight, or worse, gaining weight? What if it doesn't work for me? What if I'm one of those people who loses 20lbs and then stops (not to negate a 20lb loss, that is GREAT, but its only a drop in the bucket for me)? I will never be able to forgive myself if I spend all this time and money and put my family through the stress of surgery, just to fail again. I'm not scared of the surgery of the rest of the pre-op diet or the work required post-op. But I am TERRIFIED of failing again and I'm not sure how to get out of my own head. Anyone else spiraling? How do we break the shame cycle?

ETA: Yes, I've done therapy and it was very helpful. Not currently attending, but am working through a self-paced program specific to binge eating/ food addition and shame. I know this is in my head and I'm taking steps to work on it, just crowd sourcing some encouragement.

From about the age of 14 I’d routinely skip meals to try to control my weight. I never ate the same volume of food as my friends or my family. All skipping meals did was kill my metabolism & I battled my weight bouncing 60-75kg until I was in my late 40s. That seemed to be my max & min weight range I always gravitated to. When I reached menopause I put on 30kg in about 2 years without changing my diet & couldn't lose an ounce over 4 years.
I think I eat more now then I did before surgery. I certainly eat more frequently then I ever did & that’s how I get my calories & protein in. I reach my fluid goal by sipping throughout the day & at night (always have water beside me). By drinking regularly I never seem to reach that oh my god I’m thirsty point anymore. Nor do I reach that I’m starving point either.
For me the surgery has been wonderful. It kick started my metabolism again & sorted out my hormones. It also made me truely analyse what, how & why I ate. Even though I ate pretty healthily before, I eat even better now. Dropped some food choices that were bad for me, added some that are better.
We are all different. We react differently to the surgery. We have different life experiences. We have different health issues, genetic makeups & physiological & psychological differences. They all influence how we are able to benefit from the surgery.
The surgery isn’t a cure. The average weight loss after about 5 years is only 65% of the weight you were to lose (to put you in the healthy BMI range). Some lose more. Some lose less. Some get to a weight higher then goal & are happy. Some get lower than goal. Some experience small amounts of regain while others regain more. Some maintain. Some causes for this are beyond our control. Some causes are in our control. You can’t predict your outcome but just be aware of the variables.
Best advice is to grab this opportunity & see how far you can take it.

Congratulations! I recently got my surgery date, for 9/30/21.

I always said that being morbidly obese had hundreds of different small inconveniences and downsides that just added up every day. 150+ lbs down and I have a whole list, some things I didn’t even realize were possible
Fitting into my wedding rings
Wearing straight size clothing, and being able to actually wear hot weather clothing
My thighs not rubbing against each other
Feeling energized and athletic, and excited to do things instead of dreading what I can’t do. I don’t feel exhausted by just hauling around my body all day.
Not being humiliated by pictures of myself
Yes, people treat you better when you’re normal sized. And yes, I’ll probably feel bitter about that forever.
Not having kids ask if I’m pregnant anymore!
And just a million other things. Just small realizations throughout the day of dumb, small stuff. I can fit in this small toilet stall, I can wear high heels and they don’t hurt, I can make a doctor appointment for something and have them take me seriously, etc. I could list things all day.

Surgery and losing the weight is 100% worth it. I still have 21.4 lbs to lose to goal, and even still I feel amazing each day.

Surgery went very well. Very little pain, just gas bloated. Very difficult to drink but keep trying. So far everything is better than I expected

I think it's just the different doctors and what they see work for them and their (previous) patients. It's probably also a case by case scenario with each individual patient. That being said...
The pre-op diet can be frustrating, but it's definitely doable. I've been living off of protein shakes, water, crystal light, and low sodium broth for 12 days now. If I can do it, pretty much anybody can do it (or whatever their version of "it" is). I will say this - I've given up on the broth. It accomplished nothing and has no benefit other than a different flavor. I just drink as much water as possible all throughout the day. That's the key for me.
It seems far off right now, but it will be here before you know it!

Bret

I lost over 200 lbs and had a TON of excess skin. I've since had it removed. It was easy to hide in clothes so no one knew it was there except for me and my husband, but I didn't like the way I looked naked or the way it slapped up against me when I exercised.
and no - it is NOT worse than weight loss. I would have taken that loose skin any day of the week over weighing almost 400 lbs again. ANY DAY.
here is a picture of me BEFORE I had the skin removed. Do you see it? Nope - easily hidden in the right clothes (long-ish slightly oversized shirt to cover the abdomenal skin, 3/4 length (or longer) sleeves to cover the batwing arms, and a very supportive bra).
and no, you are not too old. I am in my 60s.

Its been harder than I thought as well, going for walks and staying busy has helped me a lot. You can do this! your almost there!

I'm scheduled for VSG September 30th! I'm so excited.

So I just got a call from the surgeon’s office and they have to reschedule. Unfortunately there was an error and whoever scheduled (not just me, every surgery on my same day) didn’t realize that the doctor was out of town that day. They don’t know when my new surgery date will be - which is probably the most frustrating part. I’ll know more on Monday, but I’m going to stay with the pre-op diet as they said there is a possibility it could be earlier than originally expected. Ugh.

Best of luck to you all! It is a learning curve, but so well worth it. Just follow the plan and be kind to yourselves. Congrats on taking this step!

Woah, I’m 29th September in UK. Gastric bypass. It’s both exciting & scary! Have people had quite prescriptive Pre-op liver shrinking diets? Also my doc has recommended 6 weeks to recover. I’m thinking best to book more than you need & go back to work earlier. Than book 2 weeks & need 6! Anyway everyone ok this group seems super supportive which is great!

I am scheduled for September 29th. So excited I’m getting a gastric bypass.

I am 5'6". I put my goal weight at 180. It says BMI would still be 29.1 and overweight. Normal should be 18.5 to 24.9. I don't want to be thin-thin. Just normal. This scale is almost fat-shaming. I'm not going by the BMI. I'll go by when I feel good about myself.

That seems low to me! I wasn’t given an exact calorie goal either, but a goal to get in 70-80gms of protein per day. My protein shake is 30 grams protein, 160 calories. Chicken breast for 3 ounces is about 165 cals, 30 grams protein. An Ooikos triple zero yogurt is 100 cals, 15 grams protein. So that gets you at 75 grams protein and 425 calories. Not sure how I could have possible met my protein goal for only 300 calories.