Nana22

Hello All,
I am so excited today. This is my 2-year anniversary. I met with my surgeon today for my 2 year follow up and I do not have any issues or medical complications.
I started the journey at 235 lb. Today I am holding steady in the 140s. Yes, almost 100 lbs. I do not have any complications. I am still adhering to my program. I am not food deprived in any way. I feel really blessed.
I came to this site when I was doing research and when I started the journey. I stopped being a regular here maybe about a year post surgery.
I just wanted to share to people who are starting the journey or are early on in the process, be careful because sometimes there's negativity here or sometimes there are some scary stories about scary outcomes. Each person has their own unique journey. I feel really blessed that I did not have any complications and that it was not really hard to adhere to my program. I will be honest, when I first got home from the hospital, there was quite an adjustment. But most of those adjustments are due to your body going through the healing process. So the challenges that you experience right when you get home are not the same as you go through the process. I also want to share with newcomers that you really want to do your emotional work before you start this commitment and you want to be really clear and honest with yourself that your motivation is healthy and that you're doing this for the right reasons. If you need to work on yourself emotionally, this surgery is not going to do that work for you.
All the best to everyone going through the process. Don't have any shame about choosing this option. There's still only a couple people in my life that know, and I'm totally fine with that. I don't have any shame about it, it's just that I'm sure some people won't understand the choice. That's okay because they don't have to. I made this choice because I wanted to be healthy. And today, on my two year anniversary, I am healthy!
Take care of yourselves everyone. Success is possible. It just requires that you do your part in the work.

Nana22, I had a similar experience. I weighed 220.7 lbs the morning of surgery on Dec 29th and weighed 228 the following evening from so much water retention & gas? I think we have to hold on to a lot of non-scale victories.

Being 5 days post-op, I have already noticed being able to breathe easier when sitting in a car with a seatbelt on and my knees not hurting or breaking when I walk down the stairs.

While the head hunger is real and I am counting down the days until I get to pureed food (thanks for those suggestions, btw), I already feel like the procedure was worth it even though I experienced a few surgical complications (required a transfusion and an emergency EGD with the second surgery for a burst internal blood vessel and now body hives), I can already see the benefits of tracking water, protein, and planning out my meals throughout the day!

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1. Who moved my car seat back? Oh, nobody. My butt is smaller and I'm sitting further back.
2. What? Do gold necklaces stretch? Oh, no. My neck just got smaller and now the chain looks longer.
3. Painting my own toenails.
4. Fitting in most any chair.
5. Not worrying about getting stuck in chairs with arms.
6. Not worrying about a chair breaking (mostly outdoor chairs). Been there, done that.

I no longer have to wear wide shoes or plus size clothes.

Idk about weird but it was surprising when the towel fit around me again without a gap.

Wiping my own butt without breaking my back trying to reach 🤦🏼‍♀️

Love reading all of your experiences. They have been such a help to me already. I hadn’t posted because I was stuck on “what do I know?” and didn’t want to show myself a fool. My surgery was 12/21/22, so here is my experience so far…
lactated ringers IVs are the devil! I went home one day after surgery weighing 11 lbs more than checking in the day before.
pain was tolerable with medicine for the first few days. Tylenol only from day 4 out. Today is day 10, and I haven’t needed even Tylenol for the past three days. ICE packs are my best friend when I get ahead of myself and do too much around the house.
Two days of Clear Liquids taught me the real meaning of “to sip” very quickly. Hiccoughs are mild for me, but definitely a sign of having hit the full mark or drinking too much to fast.
On puréed stage now. I’m not as impressed with the ricotta bake as I thought I would be. Puréed Deviled eggs though…. Amazing! Chili, refried non-fat Beans, chicken salad, and chocolate egg-pudding (everything pureed) are also on the menu. Trying to focus on packing as much Protein into that two ounces as I can.
I had purchased a used vitamix a few years ago. If you can find one or afford a new one, I highly recommend it. Beats my immersion blender by miles. Makes bulk cooking for the week much easier too.
SERIOUSLY follow that 10 lb lifting requirement. Really hurts when you don’t.
BEST part of the past 10 days is todays weigh in. 219.8 this morning!!! I had come home weighing just over 244. I know most of that is Water weight, but oh does it feel good! Especially in the way my clothes fit.
Happy travels to full health all! And a very happy new year too!

Love reading all of your experiences. They have been such a help to me already. I hadn’t posted because I was stuck on “what do I know?” and didn’t want to show myself a fool. My surgery was 12/21/22, so here is my experience so far…
lactated ringers IVs are the devil! I went home one day after surgery weighing 11 lbs more than checking in the day before.
pain was tolerable with medicine for the first few days. Tylenol only from day 4 out. Today is day 10, and I haven’t needed even Tylenol for the past three days. ICE packs are my best friend when I get ahead of myself and do too much around the house.
Two days of Clear Liquids taught me the real meaning of “to sip” very quickly. Hiccoughs are mild for me, but definitely a sign of having hit the full mark or drinking too much to fast.
On puréed stage now. I’m not as impressed with the ricotta bake as I thought I would be. Puréed Deviled eggs though…. Amazing! Chili, refried non-fat Beans, chicken salad, and chocolate egg-pudding (everything pureed) are also on the menu. Trying to focus on packing as much Protein into that two ounces as I can.
I had purchased a used vitamix a few years ago. If you can find one or afford a new one, I highly recommend it. Beats my immersion blender by miles. Makes bulk cooking for the week much easier too.
SERIOUSLY follow that 10 lb lifting requirement. Really hurts when you don’t.
BEST part of the past 10 days is todays weigh in. 219.8 this morning!!! I had come home weighing just over 244. I know most of that is Water weight, but oh does it feel good! Especially in the way my clothes fit.
Happy travels to full health all! And a very happy new year too!

Let me preface tis by saying I'm not a Christian. I have nothing against Christians, I just happen not to be one. Kinda like I'm not Jewish, Buddhist, or Hindu. I'm just not. ANYWAY.... so I'm talking with a few people that I went to school with back in the day, and I told them I had the sleeve done and you would think I just burned down an orphanage or something. I just defiled God's temple, I should have had more faith in the Lord to guide me through this tough time and not desecrated His temple, I should have talked to my pastor about it and went to God in prayer before making a decision like that, and if God brought me to it He could have brought me through it. Ok, WHAT???? How did I become sinner #1 just by having a surgery that is literally saving my life and helping me to be healthier? There was no way I was getting into a holy war with them over this (oh, there's a lot I COULD have said, but it really wasn't worth it) so I dipped out of the convo and came here to rant about it. Things went so sideways so fast that I'm still confused how we even got there.

Hello. Jacquie here. Newbie. December 21 is my surgery date. Tomorrow I'm going full-on pre-surgical diet although I've only had Protein Bars for the past several days. I ordered a bunch of Protein Shakes and Vitamins that will be here tomorrow.
Unfortunately mine has not been the best of all possible experiences to date. My surgeon -- I really like him. Unfortunately, he has been in the process of splitting his practice with another surgeon, and he's also had some office turnover, so the brunt of scheduling all the labs and various medical clearance appointments...making sure my prescriptions have been dealt with...I feel like it's been a very D.I.Y. process, unfortunately. And subsequently I'm probably more afraid than I need to be.

I've been home one full day and it's been scary at times and then absolutely fine the rest of the time.
It's scary having to drink Soup and figure out if you're full or if you're just psyching yourself out.
Hiccups hurt like a cow is jumping on your chest.
My tongue has its own fur coat, which is gross to the max.. I need to invest in a tongue scraper ASAP.
I woke at 6 in pain, took a tramadol, and slept for another 4 hours. It's been a weird day.
I'm still so happy though, no regrets whatsoever.

So.. sipping is the key. With your 20 seconds between each one. It sounds tedious, but you won't forget when you get that bubble of pain or have to run to the loo because your stomach is literally too full.

This was a jumble of words!
Apologies.
I spent my 30th birthday, recovering, in the hospital. It wasn't too bad, everyone kept wishing me a happy birthday. It was nice.
Okay, goodnight!
- Jo

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Yes, once you feel that tightness - that's your restriction. Meals should not take more than 30 minutes to consume and not be more than 2 ounces in portion. I was forcing myself to eat a full cup of yogurt around 3 weeks because I was trying to get all my Protein in and my nutritionist strongly advised that was way too much (a cup of yogurt is typically about 5 oz) But you lose the most weight in the beginning and also don't have that hungry feeling so take advantage of it! Stay disciplined through the beginning and it will pay off! The first 4 weeks is the hardest but it gets better! Good luck!

Yes, if you eat until you "feel full" you will stretch your pouch. The restriction is temporary. Use it to learn how to eat differently. You're not much at risk at the puree stage, but you must still control your intake. During the restrictive period overeating may be uncomfortable or even painful--but not everyone experiences that physical sensation. Follow the guidelines provided by your clinic as to quantities. You will never again have this tool, so use it wisely.

Drives me crazy when people call every kind of hunger "head hunger." Head hunger is when you've just eaten a balanced full calorie meal and you see a donut and think you want it. THAT is head hunger. Or you've just eaten the last of your maintenance calories for the day....and your husband is eating ice cream in bed and you think...damn some ice cream would be good! That's Head Hunger. Or you have a carefully balanced small piece of pizza and a salad, and you think...damn, another piece of pizza would be better than this salad....that's head hunger again. Your nutitional needs have been met, but you are craving something that you don't really need.
When you've just had surgery and you are subsisting on less than 1000 calories a day....you are HUNGRY. Like, really genuinely hungry. So hungry, in fact, that your body's needs are NOT being met by nutritional intake, so it is consuming itself.
Anytime you are losing weight, by definition....your body is genuinely hungry. Your body is so desperately hungry, in fact.....that it is eating human fat (and hopefully not muscle) to meet its fuel needs.
Lack of food and consuming body=HUNGER.
Most of us are hungry. A lot. Being in denial about it and telling people they're lying to themselves about being hungry isn't helpful.
Hunger isn't a dirty word. It's ok if we're hungry. We've got a lot of stored calories and excess flesh to consume.
But YES, I am HUNGRY when i'm losing weight. And yes, hunger sucks.
Sometimes, I think this lie worsens the pathology of food addiction. We already have enough issues with a history of lying to ourselves about food. Sometimes honesty is healthier and better.
When I lose weight...I'm freaking hungry. It sucks to feel hungry, but it's necessary. It feels good to be thinner, it feels good to be healthier, and good health is worth it. I can handle feeling hungry. Enduring hunger is part of the work. Resisting cravings is another part of the work. Two different things. Both are tough.
Describing this honestly...is a hell of a lot easier to swallow, in my opinion, than "No, you're not hungry, your head is playing tricks on you."
We know better. Lies don't help.

At about 4am when I was doing one of my morning runs, a police car pulled up and stopped about 30 yards away, then turned on his lights and over his megaphone started sharing how proud he was of my losing weight so well, that he'd been watching me these months, and was personally invested in my success...
At 4am. Over the megaphone.
This went on for about a minute when the police academy on the street was starting their morning run, and over the megaphone he told them to congratulate me and shake my hand, so about 25 cadets ran over and did just that.
At 4am. Over the megaphone.
Thanks officers.
Tek

For awhile I looked like a terminally ill patient but after a few months of maintenance, my hair (finally lol) and skin recovered. I feel better and look better at my current weight (lowest) than I did at my goal weight of 140 lbs. I agree with Ms. SSS said, I think it is just a temporary phenomenon of rapid weightloss.

Btw, hair thins out regardless of size, it is the surgery itself, it can't be helped. It is not her fault. Her hair will grow back.