November 25th is one year post opp for me and I wanted to share my observations for the year. Here you go....

Unwarranted Pre Opp Fears:

• I was super worried about complications and recovery and felt like I was seriously risking my life. In reality, surgery was a breeze. I had 2 or 3 uncomfortable days and then was quickly back on my feet.
• I dreaded pre and post opp diets. The pre-opp diet was harder for me, because I knew that my food days were coming to an end and I sort of had to mourn all the things I loved to eat. The post opp diet wasn't fun, but since I really couldn't eat anything (nor did I have any desire to), it wasn't all that difficult. Now that period is just sort of a distant memory.
• Standing out for eating like a mouse / not being able to dine socially -- I have a job that entails a lot of entertaining, business lunches and dinners and was really worried about this. In reality, it's been no big deal. After a while, I got used to ordering the right stuff and just picking away at my plate. When I'm done, I just put the silverware on the plate and the waiter whisks it away. This is actually what most people without eating issues do! It turns out the big eaters and the table are really focused on their plates and not yours. Every now and again, people will make a comment like "you barely ate" or "was the food not good", but they're very easy to dismiss away.

Pleasant Surprises:

• I started the process at 255 (275 highest ever) and was hoping to get down to about 200. That goal seemed like a big stretch because the best I ever did on my own was 225 and that was by starving myself for months and working out like dog and I was only at that weight for about 5 minutes. About 9 months after surgery, I bottoming out at 175 and currently hover between 178 and 182. I didn't think my current weight was even possible, but it turns out I feel and look great at this weight. I wear a medium shirt and have a 33" waist, down from xxl and a 42" waist. This is just shocking to me.
• Everything is easier. sleeping, tying my shoes, clipping my toe nails, sitting in airplane seats, shopping for clothes, exercising, playing sports, etc.
• My joints feel better and my frequent head aches have gone away.
• I was pre diabetic, had high cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure. All gone.
• Not having food monkey on my back. I still think a lot about what and how much I'm eating and have some bad habits (see below) but the monkey is gone! For as long as I could remember prior to surgery, I woke up every morning hoping that I wouldn't overeat that day and went to bed every night feeling guilty about all the eating. Food just doesn't occupy my mind like it used to.

Annoyances:

• Every once it a while, it would be fun to man down a big meal. I recently went to an amazing new BBQ joint in town and it would have been a great time to wolf down a huge plate of smoked meats and sides and wash it down with a few beers. That's just not possible. I had a glass of wine before the food came and ate about 20% of the plate of food I ordered and was absolutely stuffed.
• It would be nice to eat and drink at the same time. Breakfast with coffee, lunch with Iced Tea, dinner with Wine -- I've been doing this for 40 years but again, that just doesn't work with VSG. Sometimes I eat and sip (small sips) but that's about it.
• I was prescribed omeprazole (prilosec) right after surgery to control heart burn. If I take it everyday, I have zero heart burn. If I stop taking it, I have a little (not horrible) heartburn. I was kind of hopping to not have to take a pill for ever, but I think that might be the case.

Bad Habits / Struggles / Watch Areas:

• Slidder foods -- chips, ice cream, candy, etc. I can pretty much eat these foods in the same quantities as pre opp and will munch away if I'm not watching it. I've found that the best strategy is to eat the good stuff (proteins) first and then there's really no room for junk. Starting with the junk first is a bad idea.
• Alcohol -- I liked to drink pre opp and that hasn't gone away post opp. In fact, since food is much more effort, drinking sort of becomes easier. I now see why people caution about the dangers of substituting.
• Eating too quickly or too much. Food still tastes good and if I'm not concentrating, I can still eat too much and really regret it. This happens less and less now that I'm 12 months out, but it's still something I'm always watching for.

In sum, VSG was the best decision I ever made. If I could go back in time, I would have done it 10 years sooner. Comments or personal messages / questions welcome.

This is a great post! Thanks for sharing!

That is a great list! Thank you for sharing. These are many of the same thoughts and fears that I have had or continue to have. Nice to hear they are mostly unwarranted!

• Alcohol -- I liked to drink pre opp and that hasn't gone away post opp. In fact, since food is much more effort, drinking sort of becomes easier. I now see why people caution about the dangers of substituting.

I agree with this, I am struggling since eating is still rough for me Im 6 weeks out and Wine goes down way easier then chewing chicken for 10 minutes then getting that full feeling stuck in my esophogus for an hour.

Great Post! My Pre Op Weight and Goal Weight are basically the same as your. You covered everything to the Letter. Question do you work out ?

Great Post! My Pre Op Weight and Goal Weight are basically the same as your. You covered everything to the Letter. Question do you work out ?

Hey Taylor. I do work out 3-4 times a week. I actually did pre surgery as well. It's much more enjoyable now without a 75 pound bag on my back!

I am almost 4 weeks post-op with gastric bypass and I would have to agree with all the comments you made. Of course, I can't speak yet about further down the road but the pre-op and right after pre-op are spot on. I too was worried I was putting my life on the line and frankly did not go ahead with my surgery 10 years earlier because of my fear of leaving my 3 children without a mother. Even though complications do occur my fears were absolutely irrational. The statistics simply did not support my "hypothetical horrors." Most of us are low risk patients and recovery is much much easier then a c-section or even childbirth. From the minute I came home from the hospital (2 day stay) I required no pain meds except for 1 single pill of Tylenol on 3 separate occasions and it was for a headache and two stupid incidents of trying to lift/push things that were too heavy on that first week home. Because I felt fine, I was forgetting I couldn't do all that I wanted to do. The biggest annoying thing at this point is getting enough fluids in. You have to keep sipping all day and I forget.

This is not bad and my 33 lbs weight loss is a dream come true. I can go up the stairs without my knees hurting and my blood pressure is normal. I FEEL GREAT.

Hardest day: First day of pre-op diet. I felt hungry just like you do when you start a diet, since then I never looked back. Post-op not hungry at all. Eat to live but no longer live to eat. I LOVE MY WLS (weight loss surgery).

@@familyguy Thank you for this awesome update. I am very encouraged and motivated by what you wrote. I had my VSG exactly one year after you, and today is day 3 post-op. I'm excited. Clear fluids are going well, I have no lingering pain, taking plenty of walks.

What you wrote really reinforced for me that the VSG is an assistant reminding you to do the right things. You wrote you can still overeat with chips and ice cream and such, but your assistant reminds you to start with Protein first.

How is exercise going for you?

I'm also encouraged because our stats are so close: I'm also 5'11" and my highest was 280, dropped to 250 pre-op and am shooting for 175 as my goal. It seems within reach.

What did you do when people asked you why/how you're losing weight? I don't want to lie to people and some know that I had some unknown surgery, but then there's so much judgment about that I don't want to wear a "I had VSG" nametag around the workplace.

Mark,

A huge congratulations on getting the surgery behind you! The toughest part is over.

On exercise: Like you, I started walking pretty much immediately after surgery and gradually ramped up from there. Now I do a regular mix of cardio and weight training. It's so much easier and more enjoyable to exercise without all the extra weight and you can really see the results.

On telling others: I choose to basically tell no one. My experience is that the general public views bariatric surgery as some sort of extreme, unnatural decision. I'm not embarrassed but I just didn't want to explain VSG to everybody. When people ask how I lost the weight, I tell them that I eat and drink a lot less and exercise more (all true). When they hear that, they lose interest and change the topic!

Anyhow, I'm really excited for you. Send me a message anytime you want.

@@familyguy thanks so much for your awesome 1 year follow up. I too feel that my heartburn will stay.... never had it before but that seems to be a common side effect. to me it is still worth it. Although I am only 3 months out, I feel the same about most of the items you describe above. feels so good to not have all that weight on me, things are so much easier and I feel better about myself too.

Thanks for sharing. take care!