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Thank you so much for all your support it means a lot to me. I did not have to do a pre op diet just Clear Liquids 24 hrs before surgery so that was good You will probably be hearing alot from me as I don't have support at home everyone on here is so great. Busy day hospital call to preregester it's making it so real now

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Bouff,

I got my sleeve in Naples.

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My name is Linda and I am 66ys old. I live in The Villages,Fl. Currently completing the Pre-op checklist. No date scheduled yet but last checklist item appointment is March 11th. So pleased to connect with others my age. Amazing stories and great information in this Boomer forum.

Here in Florida there is a TV/Radio group called "Growing Bolder" featuring

wonderful people like us living life to the fullest. That term is my new manta...not growing older but "bolder" with our life choices. I am in and ready for the Gastric Sleeve journey. Thanks for all your fabulous posts!,

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Good luck to you on your journey to a better way of life and health.

I know the Villages, been there many times and loved Two Jays. I lived in Oak Run in Ocala before I moved to AZ and absolutely love it here.

I had my sleeve 1 yr ago today at age 66.

Everyone is different w/the surgery. I haven't gained or lost any more weight in months but I feel healthier everyday. I went back to doing Qigong and Tai Chi classes 4x a wk. My BP is now normal as are all my blood tests from my 1 yr check last week. I'm more active and like being a size 14 compared to a 18-20.

It's not a miracle cure but I have no regrets.

Sherry

My name is Linda and I am 66ys old. I live in The Villages,Fl. Currently completing the Pre-op checklist. No date scheduled yet but last checklist item appointment is March 11th. So pleased to connect with others my age. Amazing stories and great information in this Boomer forum.
Here in Florida there is a TV/Radio group called "Growing Bolder" featuring
wonderful people like us living life to the fullest. That term is my new manta...not growing older but "bolder" with our life choices. I am in and ready for the Gastric Sleeve journey. Thanks for all your fabulous posts!,

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Good luck you will be fine.. Its been a year for me and 86lbs down. best thing i ever did,I am also 67 and feel great I have a lot more to lose but off a lot of meds able to walk with out a cane. and i can breath lol :rolleyes:

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Hi, Linda,

I am 68 and live in Naples in SW Florida. I have heard a lot about The Villages but never have been there. Take your time fulfillng all the pre-op details and get all your ducks in a row. What I noticed about post-op recovery was that I did not seem to heal as fast as the younger members of the bariatric "crowd." I read all the posts about people getting into strenuous activity and going back to work within a week and I knew that would not be me. I am retired so who cares!

Anyway, I planned to follow the doctior's orders to the letter and to baby myself as needed. I got two new electric/and heated recliners - one for my husband and one for myself - and spent a lot of post-op time healing. No one can tell you the length of time you will need but YOU. I made a big pot of nice, gelatinous, chicken Soup (no noodles) and froze it in ice trays - removing the frozen cubes of Soup and replacing them with soup that would freeze into cubes. I kept the frozen cubes in a plastic zip bag in the freezer. All I had to do was select a few cubes at a time and heat them up in a bowl in the microwave. I lived on chicken soup for a week or more following the operation. (not that I was hungry, I wasn't, but I wanted to keep up my strength.) I still use those liquid Protein drinks and also now eat "regular" food - just not much of it anymore.

Another thing: Everyone has second thoughts and gets bad advice from well-meaning relatives and friends. Don't let them scare you. My sister-in-law kept trying to put the fear of God into me, and yes, she still is overweight! There are people who mean well, but don't want you to change, although they might not be aware of their own motivations. Put up with them, but do your own thing. If you are placed on a pre-op diet - show your commitment and follow the diet. I was surprised that even during pre-op, drinking those liquid Protein shakes actually satisfied my appetite. That never happened before, but I think it had to do with kicking the carbohydrate and sugar habits. Your system really does adjust. Stay with it and good luck!

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I had my sleeve surgery Feb. 11th, but my clinic has not yet told me any calorie intake to aim for. Has anybody else, among all of you who seem to be doing so well, been given a calorie number to aim for daily ? I read on some sites, that people who had lost all excess wgt. had been taking in between 600 and 800 calories / day!! That seems as if it would put you into " starvation mode". That was not senior folks though, maybe the youngsters can do it differently. I'm staying around 1,000 calories/day and have lost 38 lbs. , but wonder if this is a good idea. At any rate, I'm feeling much better and have more energy, although my arthritic knees haven't shown any improvement yet.... I'll be patient :)

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I can tell you what my experience has been re calories.

I'm a woman who was sleeved in August 2014 at age 68. I'm now 69. :)

I started at 235 pounds. I lost 20 pounds pre-op and have lost 60 pounds post-op. I have 5 pounds to go to goal (150 pounds).

Below are my typical daily calories / Protein grams:

Month 1 - 500 calories, 60 grams (couldn't have eaten much more than this if I'd tried)

Months 2-4 - 800 calories, 60-80 grams

Months 5-6 - 1,000 calories, 80-90 grams

Months 7-8 - 1,200 calories, 95-100 grams

My surgeon's bariatric PA (who's very knowledgeable about all things bariatric) urged me to raise my calories first to 1,000 and then to 1,200.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. :)

Edited by VSGAnn2014

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Thanks All for the wonderful supportive information!

My surgery(Gastric sleeve) will be April 1st!

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I am 73 years old. Had the surgery Feb. 2014. I have lost 92 lbs. Have passed my goal a while back. I had trouble walking and need a walker. I figured if I kept on gaining weight I would eventually be house bound. After weight loss my meds were cut tremendously. Blood press is great , cholesterol at the low end of normal. The weight loss has made a tremendous difference in my life. Weight loss surgery is a life time commitment. Stay with it.

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my fitness pal, its really good

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@@Cococat

Hi, I'm 66 and just starting this journey. I got the green light from my PCP on Tues and am going to a seminar next week at the bariatric center.

I read your post #142 about Medicare and want to thank you for the information. I have been wondering if they would cover the surgery. I also have several other problems, Pre-Diatebtic 2, high BP, high choles., sleep apnea, COPD. All these things move me into the morbidly obese group.

I've been reading and researching all of the options. It's not an easy decision and it's not an easy out.

Do you know if Medicare covers the three main different surgeries? Sleeve, By-Pass, Lap-Band.

Any information would be helpful.

Thanks

Cathy

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I have to say, after reading all the success stories here, I am really encouraged about getting this surgery. The sooner the better! I have also fought weight all my life. I've probably gained and lost more than 3 of me by now.

I'm 66 and I want to get off all the medications I'm on and be able to enjoy time with my beautiful granddaughters!

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Hi, I am 66 years "young." My primary insurance is Medicare with AARP Suppliment. Just had Sleeve done April 1st. Everything has gone very well and I feel so much better than I ever anticipated. So happy to share anything you would like to know. Research everything. Bariatric Pal is excellent resource. Loved the Big Book on Gastric Sleeve.

Good Luck with your decision!

Linda

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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