Hey everyone, I'm new to the board, and based on what I'm reading, I wish I would have found this place much sooner.

I'm set up for VSG on January 5th and start my fast tomorrow.

I've been scared out of my mind for weeks and playing pros and cons (Gee, I can't wait to lose weight, but I wish I could still eat this)

I've finally come to the mindset that this surgery will make me more normal. As my doctor said "You shouldn't be able to sit down and eat a 12 inch subway sub, loaded with everything, chips and a drink!"

I'm a 42 year old single Dad with a 10 year old daughter. She's one of my biggest supporters.

Gonna go read more, but thanks for this forum so I know I'm not alone with what I've been feeling.

Welcome to the site! This is a great place to be. You will find alot of support and love here in addition to your daughters.

I will not lie....I am 4mo. out and I still find myself wishing I could eat a big burger and fries or a big chinese meal. But it only crosses my mind for a moment and I remember how much better I feel now.

Best wishes to you on your new journey!

You will have a new way of eating to get used to for sure. But, it's not that hard ... it helps that it physically hurts to eat too much.

Good luck on your journey. Definitely be thinking about what you can eat post-surgery. You will want to have that on hand when you get home from your VSG procedure.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the replies!

I've got my foods read (I think)..I have enough Carnation Instant Breakfast to float a battleship. I started my 8 day pre op fast this morning, so far so good.

I've got my mashed potatoes, refried beans, soups etc for when I can start to eat again.

I'm lucky that I am having mine done at Penn State Hershey, I got a "user manual" that helps me along with planning, cause Lord knows, I'm not a planner, but I'm going to have to get in that mode if I'm going to succeed with this.

Hi and welcome to the forum ! ! ! You'll love the sleeve, and honestly, I feel more normal today than ever. It's the best thing I ever did for myself. I no longer want to eat huge meals, and by definition, I was a major volume eater and have lost all desire to consume huge portions. It's kind of a mind twist at first, but once you get a plan down, and stick to it, life becomes much easier.

Best wishes on your journey, and if you need anything let us know ! ! ! We're here for you as well.

Hey there Mark! Welcome to VST!!! It's nice to have you here!

This new tool is going to be a big learning curve, but once you figure it out and you see how fast the weight is dropping and how soon you reach a new smaller size, you will be ever so thankful! It will make you *want* to stick to the smaller portion sizes and pay attention to your full signal. Not only that, it's just NO FUN to be too full. It's really unpleasant...

All the best to you in your new journey!!! I'm sure you AND your daughter will love the new you!

Welcome and you are going to love your sleeve!

Hi Big Dawg, Good Luck with your January 5th Surgery. I will be having my surgery on the 10th of January. I know some of the nerves you are feeling, but soon we will be so glad that we have gotten this tool to help ourselves be healthier. Let me know how you are doing! Be Free

Good luck with your upcoming surgery. This is definitely not an easily made decision to have surgery, most sleever's I know their only regret is that this wasn't much of an option 5-10 years ago!

Good luck to you! I'm a newbie to this site and have only been considering VSG for about 24 hours now. I think I would just about kill <kidding?> to not "volume eat" any more. I really just want to not feel hungry all the time. It is sounding like that won't be an issue with VSG. I hope I can eventually eat an inch of that 12" sub or a bite or two of that cheeseburger. (Yes, I'm the type of person who CAN eat just one potato chip if I set my mind to it and am not trying to get rid of the constant hunger!) I'm good at eating healthy most of the time now (healthy foods; not healthy quantities), but I don't do well long term (e.g. more than 6 months or so) with "you can never eat XXX again" -- that just makes me crazy! I haven't gotten far enough into the posts to see if there will be things I'll NEVER be able to eat again....

Hi Katydyd - the sleeve is GREAT! I haven't experienced real hunger since June 11th, the day I had surgery. My "new hunger" started a few months ago, occasionally I'll get an empty feeling and I'll know it's time to put something there! It's very strange because when you don't get hungry, you don't usually know when you are full, that's why it is best to weigh and measure you're food when you're home or kind of 'divide' it on your plate when you are out, so you don't over eat. I hope it stays this way forever, now I eat because it tastes good and because I know I NEED to!!

I was told at the seminar, this is NOT a diet, it is a way of life. Nothing is off limits except carbonated drinks. They can give us gas, cause burping, be uncomfortable and some doctors think they can stretch our new little tummys. I'm not sure about that, but sugar free or regular, they're not good for us and not having cokes is not a big deal for me. This is forced/enforced portion control, which is just what I needed!!! No regrets, not for one minute!!!

Good luck to you! I'm a newbie to this site and have only been considering VSG for about 24 hours now. I think I would just about kill <kidding?> to not "volume eat" any more. I really just want to not feel hungry all the time. It is sounding like that won't be an issue with VSG. I hope I can eventually eat an inch of that 12" sub or a bite or two of that cheeseburger. (Yes, I'm the type of person who CAN eat just one potato chip if I set my mind to it and am not trying to get rid of the constant hunger!) I'm good at eating healthy most of the time now (healthy foods; not healthy quantities), but I don't do well long term (e.g. more than 6 months or so) with "you can never eat XXX again" -- that just makes me crazy! I haven't gotten far enough into the posts to see if there will be things I'll NEVER be able to eat again....

Good luck tomorrow is your big day!