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

3 weeks stall is here!

3 days and I am not losing weight on the scale . More gym, still 800 calories and nothing. I embrace the stall as it was said here many times.

I know it is a matter of time before it kicks off again as I am doing the right thing. I need to be careful because I believe that head hunger is coming up. I had a "working lunch" at work with catering and absolutely nothing I could eat. Frustrating. Food looks good and I thought I was hungry when it was not the case. I had to step out to get my shake, hiding so nobody would notice. I can't wait to come back to a "normal" life even if it means eating one mini sandwich and not a dozen like I used to . Anyway it is such a small price to pay for all the benefits the sleeve is bringing me.

Yes embrace the stall you will soon be losing again. It is all worth it in the end.

Couple of more days and the stall is still there . I try to walk and be active. I have been eating less proteins and I feel more tired. I also believe this is the reason for the stall. I need to get back on track . I tried some soft food and also some meat (turkey and a few bites ), and it went well.

I just come back from my appointment with my so called nutritionist. We had a huge argument. At first she confused me by telling me to stay on liquid 2 weeks more when I am already 2 weeks doing it. Then she said I was taking too much Proteins per day (90-100 g) to which I answer that first of all, I do sport and I don't want to lose muscle. Proteins give me the energy I need and I don't feel tired. I also told her I drink 2 liters of Water a day, so plenty to not expose my kidneys. Then she was not coherent on the kind of purées and Soups I could drink. Very frustrating. She recommended to drink plenty of fresh tropical fruits juice (yeah, I can take the blender with me at work). I asked her about the high sugar content and she admitted it was a downside but plenty of Vitamins.... To which I answer I take vitamins and minerals everyday.... Painful and waste of time. I believe I will follow other recommendations I found from hospitals and doctors on the Internet. I left the room when she suggested to replace cardio with yoga.

Good on you for walking out.

She's a fucking idiot -- uninformed and passing along wrong information to people who need good info.

Jeez!

I just come back from my appointment with my so called nutritionist. We had a huge argument. At first she confused me by telling me to stay on liquid 2 weeks more when I am already 2 weeks doing it. Then she said I was taking too much Proteins per day (90-100 g) to which I answer that first of all, I do sport and I don't want to lose muscle. Proteins give me the energy I need and I don't feel tired. I also told her I drink 2 liters of Water a day, so plenty to not expose my kidneys. Then she was not coherent on the kind of purées and Soups I could drink. Very frustrating. She recommended to drink plenty of fresh tropical fruits juice (yeah, I can take the blender with me at work). I asked her about the high sugar content and she admitted it was a downside but plenty of Vitamins.... To which I answer I take vitamins and minerals everyday.... Painful and waste of time. I believe I will follow other recommendations I found from hospitals and doctors on the Internet. I left the room when she suggested to replace cardio with yoga.

Good on you for walking out.

She's a f**king idiot -- uninformed and passing along wrong information to people who need good info.

Jeez!

Yes. I also forgot to mention that she made me climb on a machine supposed to calculate my muscle mass, fat, water and bones weight. It seems that I have around 90 pounds of muscle. Then I was trying to explain that it is physically not possible for me to have the same Protein intake (the famous 60-70 grams a day) as for a woman of 160 pounds that would have 60 pounds of lean muscle. Any fitness instructor, website or magazine would also customized to protein intake in function of the activity and goals. Giving the same recommendation for everybody is just dumb. Anyway, I am looking for a different NUT, but not easy to find one that is experienced with VSG patients. I've seen another one that wanted to put me on a regular hypo caloric diet...of 1200 Cals a day when I am barely reaching 900 a day. I guess I need to contact other clinics / surgeons that are used to VSG to get names of the NUT they work with. I'd it does not work, I will stick to the program I found on the web (Ottawa hospital) which is very detailed. For anybody can recommend me a website or program, it would be great.

Couple of more days and the stall is still there . I try to walk and be active. I have been eating less Proteins and I feel more tired. I also believe this is the reason for the stall. I need to get back on track . I tried some soft food and also some meat (turkey and a few bites ), and it went well.

I agree. Please resist the urge to restrict your food (especially your protein) when you are on a stall. It is counterintuitive, but restricting is the worst thing you can do.

Embrace the Stall!

http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I'm an emotional up and down eater too and I've wondered if now is right. Which comes first, the surgery or controlling the emotional eating? I'm such a black and white person, it's helped me to think of surgery as a rebirth. A chance to shift my life and the death of other habits and thought patterns. I understand the desire to be "selfish", but it's really not. Self care is critical to life. I'd recommend getting your sister and friend on board, no matter how vulnerable it makes you. You need a team.

And I am so sorry about your child. I couldn't not say that. I can't fathom the loss and I applaud your steps forward in life while grieving.

Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

Couple of more days and the stall is still there . I try to walk and be active. I have been eating less Proteins and I feel more tired. I also believe this is the reason for the stall. I need to get back on track . I tried some soft food and also some meat (turkey and a few bites ), and it went well.

I agree. Please resist the urge to restrict your food (especially your protein) when you are on a stall. It is counterintuitive, but restricting is the worst thing you can do.

Embrace the Stall!

http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Thank you so much for that link. I have read it a few times and it really helps. I believe that we are very (too?) focused on our progress and any stall or tiny weight gain can end up in a moral drama . Good news is that I am on a stall but o can fit in trousers I could not close last week. Something is still happening!

I'm an emotional up and down eater too and I've wondered if now is right. Which comes first, the surgery or controlling the emotional eating? I'm such a black and white person, it's helped me to think of surgery as a rebirth. A chance to shift my life and the death of other habits and thought patterns. I understand the desire to be "selfish", but it's really not. Self care is critical to life. I'd recommend getting your sister and friend on board, no matter how vulnerable it makes you. You need a team.

And I am so sorry about your child. I couldn't not say that. I can't fathom the loss and I applaud your steps forward in life while grieving.

Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

First of all thank you for your kind words. Yes it is extremely difficult but I have to admit that in some weird way the VSG helps me to focus on myself and my future life that I imagine healthy with my wife and daughter . Without the sleeve and because of the pain I am in, I would have ended up eating all day long and probably drinking too, because you know, I have the perfect excuse for self destruction. I knew it would happen soon or later. The week after our loss, I literally starved myself and lost 14 pounds. I knew it would be temporary. That is why I had to get the surgery. My surgeon was very supportive. My life since then changed so much. I am not hungry but I experienced head hunger. I even tried once to eat something I was not supposed to (a tiny piece of bread with some turkey ham, not something crazy). The bread was NOT a good idea. I ended up throwing up. It calmed me down for a while. I read a lot about head hunger and so far I think I know how to control it. I was not able to repress any binge eating in the past and it depressed me. I am also a black and white person and the sleeve definitely put me on the "right side" of what I need to do.

So tomorrow is my one month anniversary and I have the feeling it is getting worse. I had to go on a business trip yesterday and today. I took my regular breakfast and went to the airport. Once I arrived my colleagues insisted to go to the corporate canteen with me. I could not refuse since I have not seen some of the guys for a few months . Then there was the dilemma on what to eat. Choice was either lamb in a gravy sauce or some fish in a white sauce. Side dishes were steamed carrots and quinoa. I went for the fish, few carrots and the quinoa. I eat very little , was extremely careful with chewing, no drinking and so on. After a few bites of the fish I had a couple of carrots and one bite of quinoa. Then I started to have a hiccup that did hurt me a lot. I had to discreetly go to the bathroom where I threw up the entire lunch. I notice I had a lot of saliva with the food, evens kind of foam. That was weird. Sorry for the gross details but that worried me. As soon as the sleeve got empty all the discomfort was gone.

Then in the evening I had to join them for drinks. And we went to a pub...with a nice selection of craft beers. They all tried different ones when I had an apple juice. After a few rounds (for them) they decided to go to a burger place ...And I went back to the hotel and bought a yogurt and some turkey ham (another bad idea) on the way. Same thing happened, plus a heartburn. I had to take my PPI to calm down. Today I had a yogurt, a protein drink I took with me, so unsweetened ice tea and a protein bar for lunch. No issues. I guess I can't go to restaurant yet. I am wondering what I am going to do next week as I am going on a business trip to India. I better bring everything I need. I am wondering how long it will be before I can have some kind of social life again.

I think you need to bring everything with you next week. Especially if you have any sensitivity to spicy food. Once you are a little further out this will get a lot easier. I got sick once at a Chinese restaurant early on. Be careful of rice, I think it is a trigger food and not good for you anyway. Just hang in there, it will get better. Once you can eat all foods you learn to just eat smaller amounts and you can tell easier when you have had enough. Good Luck. Travel is the hardest.

Thank you Kaitlyn. I think I will follow your advice and bring what o need. I have to start traveling again, and that is a concern for me. I used to deal very well with spicy food but that was before . Regarding rice, I read enough bad experiences stories on this forum for not trying it yet.

I remember the first time I had the foamies. For me I was about 6 weeks out . I was on holiday and we went out for a meal . I ate too much too quickly and that was my mistake . The pain and discomfort were real and frightening . I know now that if I do the same again that it will happen again. Things do improve and we learn what we can and can't do . Take all you will need to India and you will be fine . Slow and steady and you will get there you are doing very well

Thank you Chris. I really freaked out when it happened. Lesson learned. Great news is that the flight company has special dishes with bland food for people that have digestive issues. I already booked mine. I will share here what it looks like [emoji4].

So... I am now in India. The bland menu on the plane was actually a joke. Bread, butter, Rice with vegetable, cold cod fish with Mayo....and so on. I did not eat much, as you can imagine.. Good that I had my protein bars with me. The only thing I had was an omelet on the second flight.

Overall I depressed the flight attendants by returning full trays with the same question every time: do you want something else? Nope. I don't need anything.

Since I did not sleep much on the plane and yesterday was rest day in the hotel, including a good workout session in their gym, which is actually very nice. I skipped lunch (sleeping), made a shake before sport and I ordered smoked salmon and tofu for dinner. that was the only thing on the menu without spices.

Traveling is more challenging that what I was expecting and requires full attention and creativity (

I need to get tips and tricks so it gets easier. Within Europe or US it is not that hard, but in some other locations it could be very challenging.