I wanted to start a thread because I am pre op and wanted to ask the veterans what they wish they knew before they were sleeved. I love this site and find it much more informative because it is people's experiences, not just what your surgeon tells you.

Aries - It just isn't for me...I thought my initial regret would pass in time, but it hasn't ..it only intensifies..so I am one of the few who truly regret the surgery...if you go to any thread about regret such as Would You Have Weight Loss Surgery Again? ..I have gone into great detail. In a nutshell, I miss my life before surgery, unhealthy or not. I don't like not being myself. I am not myself, eating & drinking this way. I miss me. I miss my old life. But, it does get easier each day. I am growing to accept my circumstances more each day. Trying to make the best out of one of the worst choices I have ever made. That's all I can do & advise people to make sure it is for them before they do it.

Healthier2day1227 - Glad you liked my sense of humor. I give funny answers all the time. I can be serious, but too often everyone is so darn serious about what others think, they fail to realize #1 It's probably none of their business, and 2) you can be lighthearted about it!

I wish I had known it would be several weeks before I felt good again or had any energy. You read about people posting how easy it is and how they had so much energy so quick - not my experience at all. I also wish I had known that some people do everything right and still don't lose weight, or lose much. I am not one of them, but now at month 5, I am still doing everything right, and I'm not losing much, and I have a lot to go. The surgery is a risk in many ways, and there is no way to know the outcome and how your body will respond.

Aries - It just isn't for me...I thought my initial regret would pass in time' date=' but it hasn't ..it only intensifies..so I am one of the few who truly regret the surgery...if you go to any thread about regret such as Would You Have Weight Loss Surgery Again? ..I have gone into great detail. In a nutshell, I miss my life before surgery, unhealthy or not. I don't like not being myself. I am not myself, eating & drinking this way. I miss me. I miss my old life. But, it does get easier each day. I am growing to accept my circumstances more each day. Trying to make the best out of one of the worst choices I have ever made. That's all I can do & advise people to make sure it is for them before they do it.[/quote']

What you miss the social part of your old life where u could eat and drink more and not feel out if place ?

There's a lot I knew but still wasn't prepared for. Like my leak. I knew it was a risk but I did everything by the book and it still happened. I figured I'd be ok as long as I followed every rule to a t. Never accounted for faulty staples.

Also, immediately post op, I wish I knew my dad would have to come out and install handicap rails for my toilet! Didn't realize how low it was until I went to pee feeling like my guts would flop out of stomach, went to sit and yelped because I thought I was free falling

I wish I'd known that even though Water is 'the best' liquid' date=' I can drink iced tea, hot tea and coffee and live, thrive and survive!!! For the first three months I was constantly watching the color of the toilet water and was scared I'd end up in the ER needing an IV. I survived but when I went for my 3 month checkup, I was telling the nurse it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to drink that much water.....she said 'Just drink liquids, but make sure they are not sugary and not carbonated' My life changed at that point and I've been fine! I also wish I'd know FOUR OR FIVE years ago what I learned three years ago. What a wild ride, I've loved every single minute from the time I woke up in recovery. I've had an easy time, and I have fun. Just wait, one year after surgery, you will NOT believe how different your life is!! My advice as a 'veteran' sleever - I weigh every morning first thing....I have done this for over three years now. I started two months prior to surgery - log your food starting as soon as you get home and feel up to it. Better yet, get on myfitnesspal NOW and get in the habit. See how different your calories and Protein are now compared to post op!!! Use a salad plate, to this day I use one 90% of the time. Tonight, I pulled out the 'good china' - AKA paper plates. We had a left over Mexican casserole and refried Beans....and I make HOMEMADE chips in the oven with corn tortillas. I put 1/3 cup of casserole and 1/8 cup of fat free refried beans on this big ol' plate.....I said something to my husband about how empty my plate is, the amount looks like soooo little, on a salad plate, some nights it looks 'full'. LOL It's all a head game, psychological!!!! I added my four chips and it didn't look quite so empty. BTW, it was the perfect amount, I felt just right. I don't like to feel "FULL". Last but very important, weigh and/or measure your food from day one!!! I was measuring my broth when I got home from the hospital, all 1/8 cup of it!!! LOL All these things keep me very aware of where I am, this is my new life, it is habit. I have been maintaining for 2.5 years. Surgery isn't a magic bullet, but this has been easy to me. No hunger makes it much easier to resist if I need to or want to. Forced portion control was just what I needed. Good luck!!! I think this is longer than I intended, I'm sorry!!![/quote']

Wow thanks for sharing your experience, it gives me hope. Congrats on your success!

I wish I had known it would be several weeks before I felt good again or had any energy. You read about people posting how easy it is and how they had so much energy so quick - not my experience at all. I also wish I had known that some people do everything right and still don't lose weight' date=' or lose much. I am not one of them, but now at month 5, I am still doing everything right, and I'm not losing much, and I have a lot to go. The surgery is a risk in many ways, and there is no way to know the outcome and how your body will respond.[/quote']

Good to know I will brace myself. Sometimes I scratch my head when I hear people on here describe stalls or ONLY losing 2-3 pounds a week. I'm lucky when I don't gain and I Celebrate losing 1 pound a week. I've been tracking since Jan and only lost 18 pounds. But I know after surgery and doing something drastic I will feel like I need more dramatic results.

I wish I had known it would be several weeks before I felt good again or had any energy. You read about people posting how easy it is and how they had so much energy so quick - not my experience at all. I also wish I had known that some people do everything right and still don't lose weight, or lose much. I am not one of them, but now at month 5, I am still doing everything right, and I'm not losing much, and I have a lot to go. The surgery is a risk in many ways, and there is no way to know the outcome and how your body will respond.

Are you kidding???!!!! You've lost just shy of 80 freakin' pounds in FIVE months!!!! Kudos to you, congratulations......you're a LOSER, and even if part of that was pre-op, that is fantastic!!! I lost 83 lbs total, 23 of that was prior to surgery....I reached my doctor's goal in five months and my goal, five lbs less, a month later. 60 lbs in six months, I thought I was doing great!!! I never thought I was losing too slowly, I celebrated every damn pound!!!! Your glass is MORE than half full, you need to see that!!! You are doing so good, be proud of yourself and don't give up and don't give in. You may have more to lose than I did, but you are losing it and on average, losing more than I did per month. C'mon, lighten up, give yourself a break. Keep up the good work, I don't know what your goal is, but you can make it happen with determination. Kick fat in the a$$ - you can do it!!!!

Are you kidding???!!!! You've lost just shy of 80 freakin' pounds in FIVE months!!!! Kudos to you, congratulations......you're a LOSER, and even if part of that was pre-op, that is fantastic!!! I lost 83 lbs total, 23 of that was prior to surgery....I reached my doctor's goal in five months and my goal, five lbs less, a month later. 60 lbs in six months, I thought I was doing great!!! I never thought I was losing too slowly, I celebrated every damn pound!!!! Your glass is MORE than half full, you need to see that!!! You are doing so good, be proud of yourself and don't give up and don't give in. You may have more to lose than I did, but you are losing it and on average, losing more than I did per month. C'mon, lighten up, give yourself a break. Keep up the good work, I don't know what your goal is, but you can make it happen with determination. Kick fat in the a$$ - you can do it!!!!

Thanks for the pep talk Not to worry, I'm not giving up, not giving in, not quitting. I do think I've done well, and wasn't really whining. Just to clarify, I said some people don't lose much, but I'm NOT one of them.

However, I'm a little stuck right now, since I've lost about 3.5 pounds during the month of May. I just think that people expect to lose weight steadily, and while some people do, many don't, and it doesn't matter that they are doing all the right things. It's just the way our bodies work. If people have unrealistic expecations about WLS, they will be disappointed, so I think it helps to share this type of experience, too.

Again, that was a very nice pep talk. I think I will kick fat in the ass

A good friend had this surgery a year ago. She orders all her meals "to go", asks for a plate and serves herself only what she can eat. It's very empowering, plus, she gets to do all the talking while everyone else is eating.

Great idea, and food to last a few days.

Thanks for the pep talk Not to worry, I'm not giving up, not giving in, not quitting. I do think I've done well, and wasn't really whining. Just to clarify, I said some people don't lose much, but I'm NOT one of them.

However, I'm a little stuck right now, since I've lost about 3.5 pounds during the month of May. I just think that people expect to lose weight steadily, and while some people do, many don't, and it doesn't matter that they are doing all the right things. It's just the way our bodies work. If people have unrealistic expecations about WLS, they will be disappointed, so I think it helps to share this type of experience, too.

Again, that was a very nice pep talk. I think I will kick fat in the ass

You're welcome!!! I'll be your cheerleader!!! I just wanted to make sure you realize how amazing you're really doing!!! I think you're right, some people have unrealistic expectations. We all must realize we did not wake up fat and we will not wake up thin. Although, I can tell you, when you DO reach goal, you'll look back and be simply amazed at where you were just a year before!! It takes quite a while for your head to catch up with your tummy!! I still ask my husband to point out someone at the mall that is about my size.....why do I do that, you ask. Because I DO NOT SEE MYSELF like others see me, but I can look at a stranger and see what size they are. It is weird, but it is getting better. I no longer automatically go to the women's dept., I do know my size is in the missy dept. these days. Also, when I was losing, I never did hit a plateau like many do.....BUT, I did go up and down, up and down. What I mean is this, just about the entire six months I was losing, I'd lose a pound or two the next day, it was back, or some of it anyway. Next day, gone again. I'd do that with anywhere from one - three lbs for several days, then I'd wake up one day, it would be a 'down' day and it wouldn't come back....on to the next pound or two. The LONGEST I ever did the up and down thing was ten days. I didn't consider it a plateau. This was just normal for me. I never let it get me down for two reasons. First, I KNEW I was not doing anything I shouldn't and everything would even out....and second, several people at a support group meeting, who were 'veterans' described the same pattern. Have a great day!!

This an an awesome thread. Thanks for asking this. Now I'm off to go read the other thread that someone posted about this. My surgery is in 7 days

This an an awesome thread. Thanks for asking this. Now I'm off to go read the other thread that someone posted about this. My surgery is in 7 days <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Good luck with it!

My #1 is, I wish I knew how much control the sleeve would give me over that little voice. The one that almost constantly told me I was hungry. Just that one thing would have convinced me to have the surgery years ago. Everything else from the surgery is just gravy!

This makes me excited to be sleeved because my 'little voice' is a really BIG, LOUD, ANNOYING voice that has wayyyyy too much control over me. I can't wait to shut it UP!

I found I did research regarding intra op complications & post op complications however wasn't really prepared for the after effects..

Before surgery, take fish oil tablets/eat Protein for hair loss

Get a good moisterising cream u use daily to help your skin integrity

Know what medications u will need and how to take them.. Bc the Vitamins are over the counter, my dietition Told me what I needed yet never told me how to take them. I've been taking Iron tablets without Vitamin c/ which helps absorb it and takin it with Calcium tablets which channel eachother out.. So pointless.. So know why, when and how to take it..

The post op stuff didn't bother me.. It's stressful and exausting initially, but all forgotten In a few weeks.. My problem was not having the nutritional help afterwards. Knowing how many calories a day, what portion sizes were normal, what foods and when too eat..so really work closely with a dietition..

I think it's a good idea to have clothes ready in boxes with sizes, so when ur dropping the weight u can wear them.. I became too small for alot of mine which was a shame..

Have a good supportive network, people u can talk too.. I found eating out really difficult, however u find little places that do awesome Entrees or go to places that have cheaper meals etc so it's not a waste!

Excercise early in, bc you lose muscle fast so u want to restore it and not lose it bc it's very difficult to gain afterwards!

Hope this helps!