So I am 4 days out and not really sure about this whole thing. My biggest concern is that I've done so well on the pre-op diet, that I wonder why I don't just do this on my own... I have dropped 20 lbs in just shy of 3 weeksand wonder if going through with this is the best idea. I'm sure I'll do it, I just have some anxiety over it. Over giving up complete control I guess. I've always been such a self sufficient person that this is all so new to me. I've always had a self perception of being bulletproof and healthy, although during this whole process have come to realize that I have a lot of improvements to make.

I'm also quite nervous about recovery. I hate not feeling good, and really hope I can be back to myself quickly. What is motivating me at this point is that ski season is just around the corner and I got myself a shiney new season pass. Any words of advice or encouragement may help. Thanks all, I will keep you all updated as to my progress.

I am not a sugar-coater, so I'm gonna give it to you straight....this VSG journey is not easy by any means. It's a really big life adjustment, physically and emotionally. I understand your thinking about the pre-op diet and it almost makes sense until you think about what happens after 2 months of doing it and you begin to slowly cheat here and there. Eventually you end up gaining the weight back, and realizing that you need restriction to maintain weight loss.

I too like to be in control and think that I'm strong enough to do things on my own. I'm getting adjusted to my sleeve after having surgery on the 18th of October. I gotta tell you that I had buyer's remorse after I got home from the hospital and realized that I had to succumb to what the sleeve wanted versus what I wanted (which was to eat a massive plate of fried chicken and mac n cheez lol). You HAVE to pay attention to what you eat. You CANT cheat, not even a little bit. You CANT change your mind and have your old stomach put back in. It's a new dawn, a new day and a new stomach; you have to adjust your life accordingly.

My recovery wasn't too uncomfortable, but I think I have a higher tolerance for pain (I've lived thru 3 c-sections). My biggest issue was the emotional part of it, having to come to grips with the fact that I was accustomed to eating food at any time in any amount for no reason at all. I have finally adjusted to my sleeve and hardly have an appetite - in fact I have to remind myself that I need to eat and drink to stay hydrated and get some Protein in my system.

I would say to give yourself at least 2 to 3 weeks to start to feel "normal" again. Some people handle recovery better than others, so i can't really predict how bad you will feel. I can tell you that a positive attitude and staying here on VST to get answers and support really helped me. I realized that nothing good comes easy and that if I really want the sleeve to work for me, I gotta learn how to work it, and that's by following my doc and nutritionists instructions. In addition to that, you gotta learn how to listen to your body because your old stomach is gone. The new stomach has new rules, and if you don't follow them, she'll make you pay! LOL

Overall I have to say, this is the best thing I've ever done for me. I believe in the sleeve!

Good luck and best wishes!

I feel the same way you do, Ian. I am setting my VSG surgery date for this December and am beginning to wonder why. Everyone says that you have to eat right and exercise. Well, if I could do that I wouldn't be fat, in the position I'm in and needing the VSG! So I'm very worried and scared that the surgery will be a big flop for me. My only encouragement is that apparently everyone else who's had the VSG that is successful wasn't eating right or exercising either yet they seem to be doing it after the surgery. I have always been able to lose weight when I really wanted to BUT I always gain it back and more. That is what I want to stop...the yo-yo weight. I'm also very concerned about losing my hair. My BMI is 36 so I'm wondering if people with a lower BMI experience less hair loss since there won't be such a drastic drop in weight nor as much weight loss. Does anyone know? I believe Sleevie Wonderland is absolutely correct when she said after 2 months or so you will probably gain back the weight that you've lost on your own. I'm sure you are a lot like the rest of us and lose weight only to gain it back. The VSG is going to help prevent the yo-yo effect and help you maintain a slim presence long term. I wish you the best of luck through your journey. Please keep us posted as I intend to do as well.

Ian, I could write your post. I'm going to be having the surgery in December and just had my last weight supervision visit yesterday, so its becoming really "real" that I am doing this. The dietician visit just hit me like a ton of bricks, I feel kind of like I am in mourning for my friend food. I have managed to lose 25 lbs in my three months of pre-op dieting, and I get people asking (and I am asking myself) why don't I just keep doing what I am doing? I too am worried about the hair loss, and hoping to get my Protein and Vitamin ritual firmly established to help minimize....I am just really having cold feet. I am sure I will do it, too, but I am really doubting myself right now.

I think ultimately because I've managed to lose this amount of weight before, but then I gain it back, i know that something big has to change to make this finally work. And seeing the stats that most people who are morbidly obese (what is it, like 95%) will fail without wls....I don't really think I'm part of the 5%.

But I do worry that somehow I will screw this up or become so desperately unhappy because of my loss of food.

Sorry, I will get more positive soon, I know, but I'm in that "place" right now

July 2010 I weighed 305, by surgery August 2011 I dropped 70 pounds but in part I had two stomach ailments that caused about 40 of though lost pounds. I was down this road before got to 250 then back up to 305 then down to 235 for surgery.

It is your call but I don't think I could have gotten rid of the last 50 pounds without it. I am now starting month 4 and 10 pounds from goal. I eat normally, had a normal piece of lasagna and salad for dinner. Had a normal omelette and glass of milk for Breakfast.

Only pain I had was while in hospital for which they gave me good drugs. After getting home the only inconvenience was sleeping in a chair for ten 10 until I could stretch out on a bed without staples (to close the incisions not internal) pulling on my skin.

It is easy to think - I can do it, only you can know if you can "continue" to do it for the rest of your life without the surgery. The surgery is not a cure just a device, you will always have to watch how much food you put in but it helps. I don't regret the decision I made.

So here it is: whats done is done! Can't go back now!

I have a feeling you will change your mind in a few weeks! Hang in there. We all "could have" lost the weight on our own. We did and gained it back, multiple times. You are feeling like this cause you feel like crap post op. We all had these thoughts. I could not lose 50lbs in 3 months on my own ever! I feel and look better than I have in years-- I am going to make my goal for once and maintain. Cause of the surgey. I know deep down I couldnt do this alone and thats ok!!

You will be feeling and looking great soon and know you made the right choice. I enjoy any food I want in small portions now and I love it!!!

_{Five years ago I lost 80 pounds (for the third time in my life) by changing what I ate and exercising like a maniac. No diets, no programs, just changes I thought I could live with long term. I was very happy with how I looked and felt, and then pound by pound I put it all back on. AGAIN! It was devastating to my self-esteem.}

_{I decided I deserved all the help I could get to lose the weight again, and this time to keep it off. Pre-op I lost over 20 pounds in about 5 weeks, and I discovered what a difference high-protein, low-carb makes in terms of weight loss and sugar cravings, but it never made me doubt my decision to go ahead with the surgery.}

_{So here I am, just over 4 months post-op, getting within spitting range of my lowest weight from last time (which took me over 18 months to achieve). I've lost over 80% of my "excess weight" by my surgeon's calculations. I haven't had to do much clothes shopping, just digging out clothes that have been in storage for years. I know maintenance is still going to be a challenge, but I think it's doable this time, and I have confidence I can succeed. I enjoy my workouts again, and I have SO much energy.}

_{I am seeing fairly substantial hair loss, and have been since almost immediately post-op, but I'm blessed with really thick abundant hair, so nobody notices it but me, and it's temporary, and a price well worth paying.}

I can't remember who said it on here....but he said when people would ask him "Why can't you just stay on the preop diet and keep losing weight?", his response was "Can you hold your breath for a minute? Yes? Well, can you hold it for an hour?" In other words, yes, we can ALL lose weight on a liquid, crash diet for 2 weeks, but really? You certainly can't maintain it and eat that way forever! NO one can....not even someone who's naturally thin!

That's why diets don't really work. ALl the research proves it. People who lose a substantial amount of of weight through diet and exercise almost always gain it back, plus some. Less than 5% of these individuals keep it off for long periods of time, and there hasn't been enough research done to see if it would stay gone for 10 years or so.

I am three weeks out and am sooooooo glad I did this. You are in the worst time right now...sore, tired, swollen, sick. It will, and does, get better!!

I've been doing the same thing! The thing is, I've never been able to stick to a diet or make a life-style change that would allow me to keep the weight off. I even gave myself a few extra months to lose weight after I was approved for surgery. My surgery is scheduled for 12/14, so I don't have to tell you how that worked out. I with you the best of luck in your WLS journey.

HD

A few misunderstood my original post, I am still pre-op, I am scheduled for Tuesday, and very nervous about it too. I had my pre-op physical tonight after work that proved my being fit for surgery. I lost an additional 9 lbs since Monday, and my blood pressure is lower then it's been since high school.. so all is well.. i hope I can get this behind me and be wildly successful with this. Thank you for all the encouragement. I know this is the right move, just been tough talking myself into it.

Of course we will lose weight on the pre-op diet, that is what it is meant to do. Don't physc yourself out. Most of us are overweight because we are unable to make the permanent lifestyle changes to keep the weight off. That is why the sleeve is so successful because it is making the permanent lifestyle change for us. It won't fix our mind and how we think, but I feel in a way it will help with that too. If you eat too much you hurt wich sends the signal to the brain not to do it. Same with drinking/eating too fast and drinking or eating bigger bites or gulps. So I feel like we are just retraining our mind and body to be healthy and thin. By the time we are able to eat real food like 6 months down the line we will be thinner and better prepared to handle our own food choices.

So yes you could back out and stick to the diet you have been given for pre-op, in fact at my surgeons office many people decide to do that. But you know what will most likely happen? You will get fed up with the diet, quit, and probably go back to your prior habits that put you in this situation in the first place. That is what most of us have done our entire lives .I say stick with it, you will be so happy you did. :biggrin5: