I don't know where to start so I apologize in advance if my story is not that easy to follow.

I am a French guy of 42 years old living in Spain (Barcelona) and I have been fighting with overweight my entire life.

I am currently at 280 but went up to 350 several years ago (for 5 ft 11).

I have been told my entire childhood to finish my plate, so no waste (and also the dish, so no left over, right?).

I am also an epicurean and enjoy food, cooking, craft beers (favorite one is from a US microbrewery) and of course wine.

I have been playing rugby for over 15 years so the overweight damage was under control and I also built up some muscles under my layer of fat.

I have been trying all kind of diets, the latest one was called Dukan diet (basically an "all you can eat protein" one) that showed up pretty effective (went down to 220 in a year) but did not help me with my eating disorder....

I thought I was arrived to a decent level and all the cravings I had were not bearable anymore, so back to 280..

I am a big eater. I have always been a big eater. I don't snack, don't have a sweet tooth, but I can eat a full T-Bone and still feel hungry.

I reach a point I can't get me food sick anymore and it drives me crazy to see I can't control it.

I still do sports (cardio and weight lifting) so I consider myself in a decent shape for a big guy like me.

I need a physical barrier to keep the wolf inside of me. On top of eating a lot, I also eat fast. All the don't dos.

I have been reading everything and anything about bariatric surgery. the book from Andy Butler was an eye opener.

I believe that VSG is right for me. I found my surgeon, and I was scheduled for March 22. I even started to post on that.

Then my life took an unexpected and dramatic turn on March 7. Our baby boy of 21 months passed away, My heart is broken since then.but for some reason my decision on the VSG is stronger than never.

I was also diagnosed with pneumonia (bacterial) on March 11 and today I went for another set of X-Ray after a week of heavy antibiotics. I am recovering very well, even if I still cough. I have been doing all of my prep op tests and everything looks good for my surgeon.

It seems I am a go for March 22, but still need to be confirmed on next Monday.

I want to be done with my life as it is today. I want to stop feeling tired in the morning. I believe I have sleep apnea even I never tested for it.

I want to be more active than I am now for my 6 year old daughter. I want to go jogging with colleagues, I want to feel comfortable on a bike. Aisle seats on plane should not be an obsession.I don't want to become a customer of my company that sells products for diabetic people. I want a new me. A new image. Healthier, stronger, dynamic and different.

Obviously I lost my appetite for a couple of weeks now. I am suffering everyday and I don't see how I will be able to ever fix my broken heart.

At the same time, I have the impression I also need to recenter my attention on myself, be a bit selfish and get ready for that incredible challenge that VSG is.

My wife is worried but supportive, my sister thinks I am crazy and my best buddy tried to convince not to do it. I did not tell anybody else and won't. I am sharing here because I believe it is the right place and the people that are making this community are an inspiration.

Everybody has a different story but the common point I noticed while reading is that there is a lot of respect in the comments and no judging.

Please don't mention condolences or that you are sorry for my loss if you post on this. I assume you are if you have a bit of compassion. This is not the goal of my message. I am looking for tips, experience, real life feedback.

I know I am on an emotional roller coaster and that what is coming will be huge, but at the same time, I am convinced I need this.

Thanks.

Mico

You will do just great. The worst bit of the whole thing is over now. You will soon feel very pleased and relieved its behind you

Kind thoughts coming your way from me here in Wales

Thank you. Wales... Lots of memories there . Spent quite some time in Cardiff and Bridgend. Still have friends there. Take care. Mico

About to leave the hospital. The removal of the drain was by far the worse part of the overall experience! Hopefully it is done. Ready to go for a nice walk since the weather is lovely. Needs to clear my head and focus on my recovery. Stacked up broth, Isopure, and protein powder. 10 days of liquid diet ahead . I am so NOT hungry that I don't think it will be a problem, but you never know. Update soon. All of you take care.

Mico

Last night was a bit rough because of the gas. Especially in the shoulders. Pain killers fixed it. I am amazed that my sleeve reacts so well to protein drinks and even coffee with skimmed milk . No acidity, no heartburn. I can take all my liquids and proteins down and I already feel a lot more energized. I also barely think about the wounds. So far the journey is amazing. What I love the most is the lack of hunger . I have family home and they cooked home meals that I would have died for before and that are not appealing at all now. I hope it will remain as is for a long time!!!

Great to hear Mico!

I dropped 8 pounds since Tuesday and 25 since March 7th. 820 calories a day on liquid diet seems to be the right number for me. I may try some light elliptical tomorrow in order to sweat a bit. I still have an issue with long walks. I tried this today for an hour but gets bored. I don't want to do a major effort but rather some easy spin without resistance. Let's see how my body reacts. Did anybody try mild sport that early?

Thanks. Mico.

No more gas pain. What a relief! I have been doing light elliptical (as walking fast). No issue and it helped to clear my mind. I tried a liquid yogurt and added protein powder in it. Big mistake . It stayed on the sleeve most of the afternoon. Have not felt so full in a long time. Back to the shake and broth. I can drink my water intake without problems as long there is a flavor in it. Raspberry / cranberry and mint are my favorites. Of course there is no added sugar but Stevia

You are doing really well !

Thank you Chris. I am so dedicated to it and really want to reach my goal. Tomorrow back to work. I hope I'll have the energy to ho through the day.

I am sure you will be successful. Don't try and do too much too soon when you return to work. At the end of the day you have had an operation and you need time to recover. All the best for the next few days and beyond !

Today is my first week birthday on the surgery. Happy birthday to me! I've been dropping on calories the last 2 days to 600 and increased my water intake around 2 liters a day. I went back to work today and it went well. Not too tired. I even put a pair of Dockers pants I bought but never wore before (38 w). Now they fit ok (still a little tight). I am losing a pound a day so far. I am at 258 this morning. My goal is 195. I will get the stitches removed in 2 days. I am REALLY looking forward to starting weight lifting again and cardio. I guess I am still 2 to 3 weeks out . This is an amazing journey. Not being hungry all the time and becoming indifferent to shops (especially bakeries), food smells, vending machines , etc is a blessing! One regret so far. I should have done it 10 years ago.

Yes I wish I had done it sooner. 5 years ago or so I looked into the lap band but decided against it, fast forward to this time last year more weight on and feeling so miserable and depressed. I bit the bullet and got on with it and as a self payer was able to get my op sorted . So glad I did this!

Same here. I looked into the biggest joke ever (gastric balloon) and I was close to do it. Then other things happened and I lost 60 pounds with diet and sport but within a year I put 50 back. At least I did not top on the weight I lost. No need to say that I was pretty upset with myself and depressed. I did not have the strength to start a diet again knowing I would be starving all day long. I know it was a huge investment as a self payer, but I also know I would not screw this. So far so good....and one step at the time.

Another day at work, more intense and no issues. Today some colleagues had lunch delivered to the office . Usually I would have been craving of hunger at lunch with nice smell of well cooked Spanish dishes....but now I noticed that if my head remembered very well, my stomach remained completely indifferent . This is magical. I scheduled a shake at 1 pm that I took at 5 pm. I can drink plenty of water now (as long as there is flavor). And I lost my daily pound. I can't ask for more. I am 9 days post op and I am thinking about remaining on liquids an extra week. Did anybody do that? I am worried about purées since my episode of liquid yogurt and protein powder was not a success.

I thought walking was boring, so I got a dog now I have to walk every day.

Edited March 31, 201610 yr by OutsideMatchInside