Hello,

First I would like to say hi to all and hope all is well. I have been checking out this forum for several days and decided to post and check things out even farther.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Dave and I am very intently cosidering the sleeve but to be honest I am very comprehensive and excited at the same time. Just some basic info about myself. I am 31 years old and have always been overweight. I have always been active and pretty healthy overall but always overweight. A few years ago I weighed myself and when I saw 375 ish, I said enough is enough. I became more aware of what I was eating, when, etc.... I was able to get down to about 315ish. At that time I was eating very healthy and walking/jogging 9-15 miles per week. Even with doing that for most of that summer I was unable to drop another pound below 315. My body loved that weight and would not budge no matter what I did. That fact makes me very very nervous about even doing this surgery as I am apprehensive of not being able to lose enough to justify the cost and the risk. I don't have diabetes, htn, or sleep apnea. I have had blood work checked for high cholesterol and thyroid disorder and all is absolutely perfect. The doctor and nurse actually gave me a weird look when they looked at the numbers and said that it could not be better!! Weird but hey it is what it is, right??

Anyway, I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask of you guys as to learn from the experience... I have looked over many many pages here and still have some questions that I didn't see.

I look forward to any and all info that you guys are willing to share!! Thanks again, Dave.

The good news is you won't have to watch YOUR surgery.

My doc tried to show me some pics of my stomach that he took out. No thanks!

Hi Dave, Your story is very much like mine. I was 105 lbs overweight at 285 and could not lose more than a couple lbs no matter how hard I tried. It's difficult to eat like a bird when you've got a stomach the size of a football and convince yourself that you feel fully nourished. Like you, every time I went to the doctor and they took my vitals and blood work, he would state that I have good numbers for a fat boy. Problem was, I felt like crap....no energy, no flexibility and unable to do alot of things I should have been able to do. When my left knee started breaking down, I said enough is enough. I started looking at WLS and made my decision to go with the sleeve after talking with a bariatric surgeon. I began the two week all liquid diet on April 2 (the hardest part of the whole thing) and had my surgery on April 16. Since then, my appetite is under control and I have done all the work that was required by the doctor. Now, ten weeks post surgery, I am down 60 lbs and 6 inches on my waist. I feel great, do 4 miles a day on the treadmill about 6 days a week, can do 120 situps and am very glad I had the surgery. I know some people have had post-op problems but they were resolved. Some people don't lose as fast, but then, those same people admit that they aren't following the program 100%...same old denial of habits that got us here. My advice is that since you are basically healthy now, you have the best chance of being successful with this program with no complications. I won't say it has been easy, but I will tell you it has been worth it. Go for it...and good luck.

. I won't say it has been easy' date=' but I will tell you it has been worth it. [/quote']

You said a mouthful there.

I am gonna ask a question that I know is very subjective and is not set in stone but it's relevant to me.

How much weight on average do you lose with this sleeve??? A friend of mine has had it and dropped over a bill! He was very vigilant with it for quite a while then got a little laxed and is still losing. This may sound stupid, but I don't want to be skin and bones. I have always been bigger and would really like to hang between 225-250. I know that sounds stupid but I figure it's better to have a little "reserve" lol. I guess what I am saying is that I would hope that you could get a decent weight and actually be able to maintain there and not be able to stop if needed. This kinda goes back to my earlier posts with concerns about needing your stomach to work for you. Stupid things maybe but legitimate concerns in my brain at this point.

You guys have been great with sharing your stories and experiences. I really appreciate it and am still on the fence about what to do. There is a seminar on Saturday that I am considering attending to check things out even more. Just confused as to my best options right now.

Hi Dave, Your story is very much like mine. I was 105 lbs overweight at 285 and could not lose more than a couple lbs no matter how hard I tried. It's difficult to eat like a bird when you've got a stomach the size of a football and convince yourself that you feel fully nourished. Like you, every time I went to the doctor and they took my vitals and blood work, he would state that I have good numbers for a fat boy. Problem was, I felt like crap....no energy, no flexibility and unable to do alot of things I should have been able to do. When my left knee started breaking down, I said enough is enough. I started looking at WLS and made my decision to go with the sleeve after talking with a bariatric surgeon. I began the two week all liquid diet on April 2 (the hardest part of the whole thing) and had my surgery on April 16. Since then, my appetite is under control and I have done all the work that was required by the doctor. Now, ten weeks post surgery, I am down 60 lbs and 6 inches on my waist. I feel great, do 4 miles a day on the treadmill about 6 days a week, can do 120 situps and am very glad I had the surgery. I know some people have had post-op problems but they were resolved. Some people don't lose as fast, but then, those same people admit that they aren't following the program 100%...same old denial of habits that got us here. My advice is that since you are basically healthy now, you have the best chance of being successful with this program with no complications. I won't say it has been easy, but I will tell you it has been worth it. Go for it...and good luck.

How were you able to get thru the process so quickly if you don't mind me asking????

Once you get to your goal you can up your calories until you are just maintaining. You can also add in weight lifting and do less cardio, once you get to that point.

A couple concerns that come into play as well....

Working in a hospital I don't get any regular breaks for meals and have days that I rarely sit down so...

1. How do you stay hydrated??

2. Do you find that you absolutely "must" keep a regular eating schedule??

3. How do you guys handle having pain control post op??

4. With the different NUT and MD diet restrictions, how do you go about that?? I have seen a bunch of

different ones noted here with different guidelines.

5. How long did you have to take before you could go back to work and have the energy??

6. How long was it before you actually felt "normal" again??

Parkers Dad, you are asking great questions.

I just noticed you are in Paris, Kentucky. I am in Frankfort, Kentucky, and am a little over 3 months out. I had all the same questions, and finally got my head wrapped around it.

First, I strongly encourage you to check out Bluegrass Bariatrics in Lexington. Dr. Weiss is a wonderful surgeon, and has extremely low complication rates. He personally gave me the confidence and assurance to proceed. I was even more fearful because unlike you, I did have preexisting health problems, plus I'm pushing 60! Ultimately the choice of surgeons is yours, but I highly recommend Dr. Weiss.

Second, as I mentioned, I have preexisting health problems, one of which is really crappy knees and osteoarthritis all over the place. Had one knee replaced two years ago, the other was scoped in 1998 and also needs to be replaced now. I take the strongest dose of a particular NSAID twice daily, plus one low-dose aspirin. It does not bother my stomach at all. I did have to go off all NSAIDs for a week prior to surgery and three weeks after.

I take some whopping big pills too with no problems.

I too worried about future stomach cancer or whathaveyou, and like the others, learned you can go right on without the stomach.

I hope we are helping you gain the knowledge you need to make a good decision!

Also, in answer to some of your questions:

1. How do you stay hydrated?? No help here - sit all dang day.

2. Do you find that you absolutely "must" keep a regular eating schedule?? For me, yes.

3. How do you guys handle having pain control post op?? They give you plenty of meds, but I didn't need them but for a couple of days.

4. With the different NUT and MD diet restrictions, how do you go about that?? I have seen a bunch of

different ones noted here with different guidelines. Dr. Weiss has a very "doable" schedule - two weeks preop on mostly Protein shakes with solid protein as needed to fight hunger; post op if doing well, released from hospital on full, not clear, liquids, advancing weekly to next stages if tolerated.

5. How long did you have to take before you could go back to work and have the energy?? I went back in three weeks, and worked all day each day, but again, I sit. Dr. will permit return as early as one week.

6. How long was it before you actually felt "normal" again?? Five to six weeks. And now I feel frickin fantastic.

I wanted to chime in here because I am a very unconventional sleever. My job is physically demanding, I am always on my feet and don't have much time to follow all the rules.

1. I certainly don't get in all my Water, I get in about 50 oz daily, not the 80 oz I need. But I seem to manage all right. I just drink whenever I can, wherever.

2. I do not have a normal eating schedule at all. My work schedule changes everyday, so I fit it in wherever I can. During the school year, when it is more stable, I don't even get the full 30 minutes to eat that most docs recommend. I usually get a quick 10 - 15 minutes break and eat then. I always keep Protein bars handy for a quick meal.

3. I had virtually no pain. I had some gas pains for the first two days and that went away quickly with walking. I even went on an all day trip with lots of walking on the third day out from surgery.

4. I was not a huge fan of my doc's diet plan -- it focused on a lot of fruits/dairy and not so much protein so I just snooped around and created one based on everyone else's. Most have the typical 3-4 week liquid/soft food diet with slow progression into normal foods. I tried one new food at a time to be safe, and found that my sleeve loves everything!

5. I went back to work two weeks after my surgery, I never had any problems with energy. Maybe it was because I didn't have any nausea or trouble getting down "foods". Some people on here do, and I am sure that is why they feel so weak.

6. I felt normal about three weeks out when I started eating more solid foods like refried Beans, tuna, cottage cheese and so on.

A couple concerns that come into play as well....

Working in a hospital I don't get any regular breaks for meals and have days that I rarely sit down so...

1. How do you stay hydrated??

2. Do you find that you absolutely "must" keep a regular eating schedule??

3. How do you guys handle having pain control post op??

4. With the different NUT and MD diet restrictions, how do you go about that?? I have seen a bunch of

different ones noted here with different guidelines.

5. How long did you have to take before you could go back to work and have the energy??

6. How long was it before you actually felt "normal" again??

Hey guys/girls,

I am still doing a lot of research and soul searching before making a decision on this as I know that once it's done, there is no turning back.

I have read and read and read more on this forum in the last few weeks than I have on anything in my life. I have read a lot of great information and got some great responses.

I see a lot of women posting about their stalls and some of their slow losses. I understand that women have different programming and typically lose slower than men. With that said, I would like to know how much the guys are typically losing and over how long it is taking. I know a lot of it has to do with diet and exercise but lets do an average here.

To any of you guys that have had your sleeves for a while, long enough to hit maintenence weights, how has that went??? Much regain and was it pretty easy to maintain??? Just looking for more info.

Thanks a bunch guys!

Parker's Dad, not a guy, just me again. I have yet to hit a stall and am four months out. I occassionally go up an ounce or two because going potty gets delayed sometimes, but eventually it all works out. I have weighed the same for no more than three days straight at any given time.

I do have a high metabolism. I do not exercise. I do not drink adequate fluids, about 16 oz. short every day. I DO eat the daylights out of that Protein, 80 - 100 grams. I DO eat about 1000 calories per day, limit carbs to 50 or under. I DO take my supplements as recommended.

It's a highly individualized path for each of us.

Keep searching, your answer will come.