Some questions for you.....

[callalillyland 0]

Hello all,

I am rather new here, however have been contemplating the VSG since last year.....

My question for those of you that are well out from your actual surgery is this:

Since I can NOT seem to stick to a "diet" that works for me (WW, Atkins, Will Power *LOL*, Low-Carb ect, ect)

How am I supposed to follow / stick to any sort of "diet" with the VSG = Pre/Post/Maintenance....

This is my only sticking point. I am not afraid of the actual surgery (self pay) or recovery ect....

Will this surgery help me NOT have hunger? Will this surgery reduce my constant need for sugar? Will this surgery help me at all if I can't stick to a "diet" now???

BTW- if I do (when i do?) have surgery, I am going back and forth between Aceves and Kelly. Being self pay, of course cost plays a factor, but do not mind paying more for a more positive outcome. With Kelly being almost 3K less though, I am leaning towards him as of now. I was fully decided on Aceves, however, with such great reviews here on Kelly has made me rethink Aceves and start my research on Kelly....

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and reply!

~Calla

[Rootman 1,101]

Being sleeved 4 months ago my appetite is almost totally "ruined". Pre-sleeve I would come home in a daze with my sugar dropped too low and eat everything and anything in sight. I ballooned up to 375+ pounds. Now I have to force myself to eat, can only eat a small amount and get terrible pains and gas if I go a bite or two over my limit. I am FORCED to eat less and frankly with no real appetite WANT to eat less. I've lost 108 pounds in 4 months. I am told that my appetite should perk up in the 6 month range. I am also never truly hungry, I get a small funny feeling that I can easily ignore. I call it by an old fashioned word - for lack of anything else - "peckish".

Now, this being said, there are no guarantees that it will work for you. I've heard of a few people that are still hungry after the sleeve, the are a vocal few. I've heard of still others that can and do eat too much and don't lose - they too are a vocal few. I've even heard of a few out and out failures, people who get the sleeve, lose their weight and then gin it back by constantly noshing on the wrong foods. Then there is the people whom it works and stays working for, they are the majority.

If you have serious, deep seated psychological food issues then it may warrant addressing them first before the sleeve. If, like most of us, you just just love the high calorie, low cost, plentiful food we enjoy too much and simply overeat because it's there - the sleeve should work.

See my sig for me Mexican sleeve surgery site.

[callalillyland 0]

Thanks much for your thoughtful reply!

quote name='Rootman' timestamp='1302122391' post='134450']

Being sleeved 4 months ago my appetite is almost totally "ruined". Pre-sleeve I would come home in a daze with my sugar dropped too low and eat everything and anything in sight. I ballooned up to 375+ pounds. Now I have to force myself to eat, can only eat a small amount and get terrible pains and gas if I go a bite or two over my limit. I am FORCED to eat less and frankly with no real appetite WANT to eat less. I've lost 108 pounds in 4 months. I am told that my appetite should perk up in the 6 month range. I am also never truly hungry, I get a small funny feeling that I can easily ignore. I call it by an old fashioned word - for lack of anything else - "peckish".

Now, this being said, there are no guarantees that it will work for you. I've heard of a few people that are still hungry after the sleeve, the are a vocal few. I've heard of still others that can and do eat too much and don't lose - they too are a vocal few. I've even heard of a few out and out failures, people who get the sleeve, lose their weight and then gin it back by constantly noshing on the wrong foods. Then there is the people whom it works and stays working for, they are the majority.

If you have serious, deep seated psychological food issues then it may warrant addressing them first before the sleeve. If, like most of us, you just just love the high calorie, low cost, plentiful food we enjoy too much and simply overeat because it's there - the sleeve should work.

See my sig for me Mexican sleeve surgery site.

[Foxbins 625]

I can only speak from my own experience, but the "diet" I had to adhere to was the immediate post-op diet. I paid a lot of money for this surgery and didn't want to do anything to mess it up post-op, so I stayed on liquids as long as I was supposed to (even though it was hard toward the end and lots of people here eat food pretty early after surgery). I moved to pureed foods and ate what I was supposed to and in the amounts I was supposed to and to solids and so on. I am so grateful that the surgery took my hunger away so that I no longer plan my life around eating, I am just not hungry anymore. I have not had any sugar since Clear Liquids when I did drink some diluted apple juice and I do not crave sweet things anymore the way I used to. Sometimes I want "dessert" after I eat but I have a tablespoon of Greek yogurt with some sugar-free Torani Syrup in it and I am happy with that. I am on a low-carb "diet" now because I want the weight off me as fast as possible and because I am older (56) and hypothyroid I figured I would give the surgery a boost, but lots of people here eat whatever they like and still lose weight because you just cannot get in a huge number of calories if you are eating Protein first, there is no room in your stomach. Plus, like I said, i'm not hungry so I am eating because I have to, not because I need to.

I started at 232 lbs and want to get to 150, and then I'll see how I feel. I'm 5'8 and 150 was a good weight for me in my 30's. With regard to surgeons, I have no regrets whatsoever in having mine done by Dr. Aceves. No post-op pain or nausea, sailed through recovery, nice hospital. I recommend him highly.

[Stacy160 201]

No question about it, you still have to do the work, at least after the first few months when the sleeve's doing it for you. The thing is the sleeve makes it finally possible do actually DO the work you couldn't do before.

[Tiffykins 672]

One of the topics will probably be deleted because in the Forum rules it does state to NOT double post as it's confusing, and crowds the boards. It takes time to get replies, and in the meantime, you can read through the forum and use the "search" feature to help find other replies to your topic because these questions have been posed and replied to 100s of times. So, a lot of people don't want to repeat information, or they're out living life and your post will get replies when everyone logs on.

To answer your questions: These are based on my experience, and yours could be ultimately different since we are different people, have different post-op programs, and needs.

Will this surgery help me NOT have hunger? I am never physically hungry even at 22 months, my stomach never growls. I never feel hunger, but that doesn't mean that I do not have an appetite. Nothing, none of the surgeries turn off the brain to saying "Hey, that cookie looks good, eat it". So, while I have zero physical hunger, I do still love food, and have to make the best choice on what goes in my mouth. Some VSG patients report true physical hunger, but they also share that they are satisfied with their portions, and the hunger is not the ravenous hunger they experienced pre-op. There's no guarantee you won't be hungry. Physical hunger and head hunger are 2 different things. You'll have to figure out the difference between the 2 and work on those issues.

Will this surgery reduce my constant need for sugar? You don't need sugar. You want sugar. And, NO the sleeve will not take away your want for sugar. Will the VSG leave little to zero room for junk food if you make the best food choice first(eat Protein first), yes. That's how the sleeve works. My recommendation especially if self-pay is to start seeing a nutritionist, have a set menu, and be disciplined. If you have food issues, there is absolutely zero surgical option that will keep you from eating crap food. I personally love junk food, but it makes me feel like crap so I don't eat a lot of it. I indulge here and there. BUT, the key here is that I do not want to gain weight therefore I have to make the best choices. I can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake. The big thing is that I have zero desire to have a milkshake. I do eat ice cream, chocolate, and other sugary goodnesses, but I keep them in moderation. Instead of having a milkshake or hot caramel sundae, I have a kid's scoop of sorbet or no sugar added ice cream. Also, working with a counselor/therapist that has experience with bariatric patients can help you work through food issues.

Will this surgery help me at all if I can't stick to a "diet" now? I never felt as if I was dieting. Even when I was doing low carb, I didn't have room for junk food when I wanted to focus on getting in Protein. I do not diet now and eat a very balanced, nutrient dense diet every day. You have to make the choice to eat the best foods to fuel your body, and lose weight. Ultimately, the decision is up to you on how successful you will be. Surgery is NOT a quick fix, nor will it keep you from making not so great choices. BUT, it will keep your portions smaller, if you want to get in your protein, you'll follow the guidelines and be successful. Self-sabotage is a big issue with WLS, and it happens a lot. I never had an issue dieting, I could lose weight, but keeping it off was my challenge. The sleeve did give me the best of both worlds being that I have constant/immediate restriction, and I'm not hungry.

Best wishes in your research.

[Lilu 65]

Hello all,

I am rather new here, however have been contemplating the VSG since last year.....

My question for those of you that are well out from your actual surgery is this:

Since I can NOT seem to stick to a "diet" that works for me (WW, Atkins, Will Power *LOL*, Low-Carb ect, ect)

How am I supposed to follow / stick to any sort of "diet" with the VSG = Pre/Post/Maintenance....

This is my only sticking point. I am not afraid of the actual surgery (self pay) or recovery ect....

Will this surgery help me NOT have hunger? Will this surgery reduce my constant need for sugar? Will this surgery help me at all if I can't stick to a "diet" now???

BTW- if I do (when i do?) have surgery, I am going back and forth between Aceves and Kelly. Being self pay, of course cost plays a factor, but do not mind paying more for a more positive outcome. With Kelly being almost 3K less though, I am leaning towards him as of now. I was fully decided on Aceves, however, with such great reviews here on Kelly has made me rethink Aceves and start my research on Kelly....

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and reply!

~Calla

Well I had waited to see about having my WLS surgery because my sister had the surgery and I wanted to see how hard it would be for her.She was as you described she is addictive to food could not follow a diet. It was not worth the money she paid. This will not be a quick fix it is a change of life and you have to be willing to change. My sister lost 50 pounds before the surgery and lost 100 pound after but her food addiction took over and now she has gain all of it back. I am telling you this eventhough I have not had my surgery yet. Because of her I delay my choice for three years because I thought I was going to fail like her. I sat down and spoke to my self and did a pros and cons list. And also started to exercise more and worked on how much food i would take in. I started slow and did not call it a diet. If I ate two protion of meat then I went to one for a week the next week lower something else and now I eat small protion but the weight lose is not fast enough to help my diabetes. Ever person is different but so far I have two people that have to have the surgery. But I have a pre-op support group that are successful. Waiting for clearence counting the days good luck

[feedyoureye 3,087]

I still have hunger. I can't eat much though, and this keeps me on track. At the same time I am working on a plan to keep the eating healthy and in line with weight maintenance in the future. I started an exercise plan two years before getting the the surgery, so I know I can stick to that. The sleeve is a tool, you should probably get some counseling and whatever you might need before and during your surgery to make sure this works in the long run for you, I hear that it does get harder further out, most weight is gained back at three years and beyond.

[MovinForward 2]

I think its great you are thinking of everything because its not a quick fix, I know for me It has helped my hunger so much in the sense I simply can't eat like I used to.. But my body tells me no more, even if my head wants more... I know I cant do it. Its nice to not be able to eat it and push myself into meaningless eating.. I Think everyones situations are different and I know for me as well knowing my belly was smaller helped, Before surgery it was so hard... but after it was so much easier because I had the help of the sleeve . Best of luck!

[tntransplant06 20]

Well, there's really no "standard" answer for this. You have to want to do it. I can tell you that I've never been able to lose more than 40lbs on a ANY diet due to Migraines, hunger, and boredom with the diet. I did this bc I wanted to be able to succeed. My main goal was to cure my diabetes. The skinny part was secondary. I've never been skinny so I don't know what I was missing. So, one week after my surgery 2.5 months ago, I no longer have diabetes. Normal blood sugars. So, that very reason made this all worth it. But, on the skinny aspect....I never knew how wonderful and liberating this could be. I stayed on the post-op diet STRICTLY until I was able to eat Mushies. It really wasn't hard and that's because you simply don't want any food. It's like when you have the flu, you don't want to eat (only you don't feel like sh*t, food just isn't appealing). I was able to start mushies a month out and I was craving things like Doritos and crunchy stuff. I put a Dorito in my mouth, chewed it up, and spit it out. I was truly amazed at how rotten it tasted. It was not appealing at all. (Doritos were my FAVE before---could eat 1/2 a bag in a sitting, no prob--now, if I eat them, I only eat about 5 pieces and that's all I need/want) When normal food was allowed (a week later) I ate some crackers, some soft fruits and, yes, gasp, some bread. I do not believe Carbs are evil...you just have to choose the carbs wisely. Whole grain bread and crackers, fruit and such. Now junk carbs, I do eat in moderation. I read labels religiously and only take what I think is "worth" it. (usually under 150 calories) I'm at almost a 50 lb weight loss in 2.5 months so I think I'm succeeding. IT IS LIFE CHANGING, and there will be times, if you like to eat, that you will be pissed and wished you didn't do it. I've done that when I've been out to eat, but to be honest, going out to eat has lost it's appeal bc of that very reason. I don't want food to be my main focus in life anymore. I still struggle with certain mental aspects of it, but I understand that will probably go away. If not, well, I'm healthy and I made the right choice. I want to see my kids grow up and go to the beach and go on airplanes w/out embarrassment. I want to LIVE not just EXIST and that's why I had the surgery. Only you can decide if you are willing to change, and maybe change in ways you're not ready to do. The surgery makes it happen, but not necessarily makes it easier. I can't say that the surgery removed my hunger completely like some on here claim, but for those first few weeks, that was definitely the case. I'd say after beginning real foods the hunger started appearing. BUT, it's not like prior hunger. It's some rumbling, but not the GET ME FOOD NOW hunger or I'm going to give you a Migraine and make you throw up! Sample: Today at Breakfast I ate 1/2 a bologna sandwich and 3 bites of pea salad. That was at 8a. Now it's 11a and my stomach is just starting to think it's hungry. I can deal with it for about 45 minutes and then I'll eat. I try to make myself wait a while, but definitely not more than 45 minutes after it begins. If I do, I get SUPER HUNGRY and tend to eat too fast and too much and then I see that food all over again about 15 minutes later (if you get my drift) There will be new rules you will have to follow in the form of what your doc says and most importantly, what your new stomach says. PS..I was self-pay, too...money well spent.

[juliarh 35]

I can NOT seem to stick to a "diet" that works for me (WW, Atkins, Will Power *LOL*, Low-Carb ect, ect) How am I supposed to follow / stick to any sort of "diet" with the VSG = Pre/Post/Maintenance....?????

I was never able to stick to a diet longer than 5 or 6 months -- today is my 7th month post-op and I'm still going strong -- I just don't CARE about food anymore. I don't know how to describe it other than that. So my eating is more out of necessity than out of want. Could I have done this 7 months ago? NEVER. I weighed 304 at the time of my operation and probably weighed even more than that at some point. I've NEVER been able to do what I can do now.

Will this surgery help me NOT have hunger? Will this surgery reduce my constant need for sugar? Will this surgery help me at all if I can't stick to a "diet" now???

A lot of people say they have no hunger anymore. I don't either. But there are some that do still experience hunger. I think it's a roll of the dice.

As for sugar, you won't be eating a lot of carbs the first couple of weeks out -- that will reduce your desire for them. If you continue with reduced carbs, you'll see that you don't really want sugar as much. However, I know that if I do eat carbs, I will immediately want A LOT of carbs. But everyone is different. I just happen to be super sensitive to carbs. So I decided that I was not going to make them a big part of my diet. That's a decision you will have to come to.

If you are intent on becoming healthy, you will use this surgery as a tool to help you lose weight. It's not magic -- there are plenty of people who struggle with losing because they believe the surgery will do it all. But we know that watching what we eat and exercising are the best way of becoming healthier -- and if you want to do that, the surgery will help you do that.

Hope that helps!

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Hi Callalillyand - I'll see if I can maybe answer your questions, or at least partially. First of all, when 85% of your stomach is removed, it's permanent, it isn't like going on a "diet". You aren't limiting a certain food group, making yourself do this or that for a period of time....get bored with it, go back to the same ol' same ol' and then put it all back on, maybe more. It's forced Portion Control. I have basically NO HUNGER.....I have had no hunger now for going on ten months. My 'new hunger' is an empty feeling, usually only at dinner time for some reason, and it isn't daily. It lets me know that I'm empty....but it IS something I can ignore if I choose to. Some people say they ARE hungry, I don't know if they really are or if it's all in their heads. I can only speak for me.

At Dr. Davidson's seminar we were told......."this is NOT a diet, this is a new way of life" - it takes a while to realize that, but I am finally learning to live like a naturally thin person. Let me stress though, not until I reached goal did I even try to do that. Until I reached goal, I was obsessive about what I put in my mouth.......I treated this as a diet, the most strict one I'd EVER BEEN ON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, nothing but carbonation is off limits, but I am particular about what I put into my mouth.....protein first, I know I must get the most bang for my buck. Nothing tastes as good as a size 6 feels. I've made life changes, I am not an exersise guru......not by any stretch of the imagination, so I know that I must be choosy about what I eat....I choose not to eat many things. Fried stuff seldom passes my lips, junk food....chips, white bread, bread is limited altogether. I can eat very little now days at one sitting and have to WORK at getting in enough calories each day to keep from losing more, but I am still careful about how I get them!

I would suggest you research your doctor, make sure he has the "center of excellence" stamp of approval, that is the best advice I got I think. Good aftercare comes with that, and that means he will also have a support group. Attend!!!! It's fun and informative!!! This is the single best decision, aside from marrying my husband, that I've ever done for myself!!!!!!!! Good luck.......and this forum.......good for getting questions answered!!!

Hello all,

(second post to see if I can get more of a response from some of you - forgive if that's not etiquette)

I am rather new here, however have been contemplating the VSG since last year.....

My question for those of you that are well out from your actual surgery is this:

Since I can NOT seem to stick to a "diet" that works for me (WW, Atkins, Will Power *LOL*, Low-Carb ect, ect) How am I supposed to follow / stick to any sort of "diet" with the VSG = Pre/Post/Maintenance....?????

This is my only sticking point. I am not afraid of the actual surgery (self pay) or recovery ect....

Will this surgery help me NOT have hunger? Will this surgery reduce my constant need for sugar? Will this surgery help me at all if I can't stick to a "diet" now???

I want to loose (and keep off!!!!) about 70 pounds...

BTW- if I do (when i do?) have surgery, I am going back and forth between Aceves and Kelly. Being self pay, of course cost plays a factor, but do not mind paying more for a more positive outcome. With Kelly being almost 3K less though, I am leaning towards him as of now. I was fully decided on Aceves, however, with such great reviews here on Kelly has made me rethink Aceves and start my research on Kelly....

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and reply!

~Calla

[callalillyland 0]

Thank you all for your sincere and thoughtful reply's! I very much appreciate it