Hey ladies and gents! I'm going to be a self paying VSG patient hopefully no later than summer '16, the date keeps getting pushed back because life and stuff. Every time it gets pushed back I keep doubting myself and second guessing my desire to get the VSG. It's one of those "Have I really tried.. I mean really tried", "What if it still doesn't help?", "Why do I even think it would work for me!?" kind of thing. That last question led me back to the wonderful people of this forum and my question for y'all is [if you haven't guessed it already] why do you feel the VSG was a success for you? Was it simply because it didn't allow you to eat so much? Was it because you can no longer tolerate the things you use to love and you just can't have them anymore? I need some words of wisdom from the people who have been there/done that because I'm really second guessing my decision even though I know it's what I really want and I feel like it will give me a fighting chance.

I had VSG on March 6th and it was the best thing I could do for myself. After years of yo-yo dieting it was the best tool to help me. Before surgery I was taking 2 blood pressure pills and one for high cholesterol. When discharged from the hospitalI no longer had to take those medications. having the surgery has helped me to eat healthier and I have have lost 56 pounds so far. before surgery not only was I overweight I also was diagnosed with Lupus and fibromyalgia and boarderline diabetic. I think VSG has helped me become more aware of what kind of foods I was eating, I have to have protienm then veggies and drink water! It has helped me make make healthier choices. You will do well! I was second guessing myself, but I am glad I did it.☺ Use the time that you have to research, check out this blog, the members who are here have all been there done that and can help if you have any questions ! Good luck in your journey!

Edited June 4, 201511 yr by Elizabethe Glickel

It worked for me because it drastically limits the amount of food I can eat. Because I eat so little, it needs to be of highest quality nutrition. Eating Protein first fills up your sleeve "real estate' to where there is very little room for veggies, so your best option are the non-starchy ones because they are lower in calories and carbs.

While you are waiting to decide, here are the basics of many of our plans that you can get familiar with:

1. Eat mostly protein, and plenty of it. (gravy does not count as protein)

2. Eat more non-starchy veggies than you used to - the greener, the better.

3. Eat less fruit than you are used to. (apples, not apple pie)

4. Try not to eat starchy and sugary foods. They make you hungry for more starchy & sugary foods. (bread, Pasta, rice, pastries, (usually white in color)

5. As much as possible, avoid foods made in a factory.

6. Drink Water until your eyeballs float.

7. Don't become part of the sofa. (You have no doubt heard of he saying "Dance like nobody's watching".......so at least do that. I crank up the music while I am doing housework - it helps)

One thing I noticed on the pre-op diet was that the best way to reduce salt intake was to not eat the foods that I had a tendancy to put salt on (partucularly potatoes and noodles)

I wish you the best. Delay is not denial.

It did for me exactly what I wanted it to. I expected to lose 70% of my excess weight. Right now I'm at about 73%. It worked like a charm.

I wanted to be able to easily control my food intake and not have to struggle with some stupid diet that worked short term at best. That worked too. There are many days I sit around and wish that for just one day I could eat everything I wanted. But wasn't that the problem to begin with? Yep. Now I don't worry about portion control and self discipline. The sleeve does it for me. I do have to watch the junk food and sweets intake. It's easier to eat more of those things than it is healthier foods. On occasion I gain 3-4 pounds. I make an effort to eat better and the extra pounds go away.

I know I say this a lot, but I cannot stress enough the importance of the emotional and psychological implications of WLS. If you can get pre op counseling then do it and take it seriously. If not read up on the subject and prepare yourself the best you can. It's work to adjust to the sleeve itself and even more work to pull yourself together after your security blanket is gone. The security blanket is food.

You can do it, you'll be a better person because of it, and somewhere along the road you will lose weight and look better than ever. I hope you get everything you want from the decision you make.

It's a tool that help you get control of your eating habits. My weight is coming of slow. I was feeling sorry for myself because I wasn't having that rapid weight lost like others. I would do it again, the thirty pounds that I have lost, remains off. Take this time to research on behavior modification, which will be your challenge and work on your exercise program. Good Luck

It worked for me because it drastically limits the amount of food I can eat. Because I eat so little, it needs to be of highest quality nutrition. Eating Protein first fills up your sleeve "real estate' to where there is very little room for veggies, so your best option are the non-starchy ones because they are lower in calories and carbs.While you are waiting to decide, here are the basics of many of our plans that you can get familiar with:1. Eat mostly protein, and plenty of it. (gravy does not count as protein)2. Eat more non-starchy veggies than you used to - the greener, the better.3. Eat less fruit than you are used to. (apples, not apple pie)4. Try not to eat starchy and sugary foods. They make you hungry for more starchy & sugary foods. (bread, Pasta, rice, pastries, (usually white in color)5. As much as possible, avoid foods made in a factory.6. Drink Water until your eyeballs float.7. Don't become part of the sofa. (You have no doubt heard of he saying "Dance like nobody's watching".......so at least do that. I crank up the music while I am doing housework - it helps)One thing I noticed on the pre-op diet was that the best way to reduce salt intake was to not eat the foods that I had a tendancy to put salt on (partucularly potatoes and noodles)I wish you the best. Delay is not denial.

My VSG was in May 2014 and I have lost all of my excess weight. The VSG worked for me because I followed my surgeon's program as closely as I could. From my observations, that is the most important factor determining success or failure. The people who seriously follow the guidelines almost always lose most of their excess weight. It is a wonderful tool. The VSG gives you some months (it varies) when you are more in control of your food intake because your hunger is greatly diminished, but it doesn't make your food choices for you. Most VSG patients can eat most things (although in smaller quantities) once their stomachs have healed.

You are wise to question yourself and learn about the successes and failures of others before committing yourself to surgery. When your surgery date finally comes, you will feel informed and confident. Good luck.

Speaking from the vantage point of an elder sleever (55+) ... I think the key consideration is that one can simply not hold as much when eating. By that I mean after a lifetime of being heavy and yo-yo results (I personally have lost and gained back the equivalent weight of several small people) its the consummate solution.

In the past, I would simply eat every meal as a giant meal. Buffets, eating out, fast food, heavy calorie deserts (think DQ) ... etc. But now, its simply a physical barrier to 'pigging out'. Mentally, I think those of us on the north side of 55 may have a greater capability of not experiencing mental hunger (or keeping it at bay). Simply because we are so so tired of being obese.

So, the end result of VSG is simple ... we now have a physical throttle to simply force us to stop eating after a small quantity.

To be fair, I am only a couple of months post-op, so perhaps that skews my perspective at this early juncture. I don't anticipate longer-term issues with grazing, and even if I am tempted to snack on something bad down the road, it is simply a physical limitation.

Great question, anxious to hear what others think.

-RC-

Edited June 5, 201511 yr by RaginCajun

I get asked this question a lot. My answer is always VSG saved my life. I had my sleeve 9/11/14. I have lost 111 lbs with 3 pounds to go. The sleeve gives me that portion control and I feel will be the key part of maintenance for me. I am so active right now. I am running 3-4 miles every other day. I am in the gym 5 times a week. It has helped me in gaining more confidence to pursue things that before I would not. I do have my moments that i do not enjoy eating because after 1 -2 bites I am full. Sometimes that drives me crazy. But I would not trade this decision for the world. I am off all my blood pressure medicines. I feel I am a better mother and wife. It took me 13 years to decide to have this surgery. So it is ok to take your time to make a decision.

God bless

I don't like to use the terminology that the sleeve "worked for me". I worked IT. It is a tool. If you use it in the right way, and do the outside work you need to do in addition to physical work - you will be successful. The big thing is being willing to do the work. I stuck to the basics to a "t" until I reached my goal weight (at least 70g of Protein, no more than 40g of carbs, and at least 100g of Water daily). The weight fell off and I reached goal (over 100 pounds lost) in 10 months. Without much additional "physical" or "diet" effort, over the course of the next 10 months I continued to lose and am now at my dream goal weight of 124 and maintaining.

I would say beyond the formula of protein, carbs, and water given above, the BIGGEST contributor to my success was being willing to do the hard emotional work to figure out why I was abusing myself with food in the first place. I didn't get to be nearly 300 pounds by eating normal portions or normal meals and Snacks. I have been going weekly to a therapist who works specifically with eating disorder and wls patients for well over a year now. I KNOW without a doubt that without that, I would have regained.

It is about so much more than the food you put in your mouth. And it is not about whether or not "the sleeve worked for me" but whether I worked the sleeve to its full potential.