Hi,

I'm new to the forums and in the starting stages of obtaining a VSG. Just looking to see if there are any other men who were above 400 (or even close to 500) pounds before starting this journey and how life after surgery has been. Did you suffer any complications from surgery due to your size? Did your doctor make you do anything extra or warn you of any possible issues? Did you lose more rapidly than average patients? Did you lose any motivation when you had lost enough weight to lead a fairly "normal" life, even though you might still have a good amount of excess weight?

A little background...I'm 31, 5'10", and honestly can't bear how difficult my weight has made my life. Just this weekend my wife went alone to her sister's engagement dinner at a restaurant due to my fear the chairs wouldn't be supportive enough. (I typically avoid restaurant situations unless there's a booth with a table I can adjust, ideally half booth/half chairs.) I've avoided flying for a couple years, will only attend theatre or sporting events where I can be guaranteed an aisle seat, etc. It seems like in the last 60 or so pounds many social situations involving sitting have escalated from very uncomfortable to more or less unbearable. Healthwise, I have hypertension and am very likely will be diagnosed with sleep apnea once the results of my sleep study last week come in.

Look forward to hearing from any of you have started in similar situations.

I'm continuing to have a similar issue, but it is focused around my stomach. I have lost enough weight that family members have suggested that I'm starting to look a little "gaunt". I have been hitting the weights pretty hard to try to build back some of my lost muscle tone. Somehow, even though I am still dropping lbs, my body is still managing to pull weight off from just about everywhere but my stomach.

I'm down 180 at the 11 month mark. I feel the same way about the midsection. Im going to start more ab work to see if that helps some. I think all of us that were over 400 probably had most of our weight in the midsection. I guess it makes sense that it's the last area to go back to normal. At least I'm Hoping.

Aggietop

May have solved my shirt issue. Decided to wonder into Kohls for the first time in years. I was able to buy a shirt from the regular section and not big and tall. In fact, the big and tall shirts were too big. Got a button down shirt in a dark maroon or wine type color with small vertical stripes. It's really hard to see my inner tube now. I think the buttons and the vertical stripes take away from the mid section and focus more on my length. Pretty happy I'm getting right at the point where I can walk into any store and be able to get clothes. No more having to pay top dollar for off brand, poor quality clothes online.

What type of compression shirts are you wearing? Cause not all shirt makers are the same. I have worn, Rebok, Champion, Under Armor, and Nike compression gear. I tend to get a slimmer look and feel on the Nike and Under Armor shirts than I do the Rebok and Champion. You may also want to look at going down a size perhaps. When some of my older stuff wasn't compressing down the mid section enough I dropped down a size in that seemed to do the trick for me.

What kind of shirts do you guys wear? After losing 200 pounds, the weight has settled around my mid section. It's like I'm wearing and inner tube. I wear a 2x shirt and it is a little baggy around the shoulders and chest but gets tighter around the middle. I do wear a compression shirt but it only helps a little bit. I need something that gets wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. Seems to be the complete opposite of what a men's shirt should be.

Planks have helped me and my mid section out a lot.

I'm down 180 at the 11 month mark. I feel the same way about the midsection. Im going to start more ab work to see if that helps some. I think all of us that were over 400 probably had most of our weight in the midsection. I guess it makes sense that it's the last area to go back to normal. At least I'm Hoping.

Aggietop

What type of compression shirts are you wearing? Cause not all shirt makers are the same. I have worn, Rebok, Champion, Under Armor, and Nike compression gear. I tend to get a slimmer look and feel on the Nike and Under Armor shirts than I do the Rebok and Champion. You may also want to look at going down a size perhaps. When some of my older stuff wasn't compressing down the mid section enough I dropped down a size in that seemed to do the trick for me.

What kind of shirts do you guys wear? After losing 200 pounds, the weight has settled around my mid section. It's like I'm wearing and inner tube. I wear a 2x shirt and it is a little baggy around the shoulders and chest but gets tighter around the middle. I do wear a compression shirt but it only helps a little bit. I need something that gets wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. Seems to be the complete opposite of what a men's shirt should be.

Currently using an insta-slim compression shirt. I did recently go down a size. It's a big of a struggle to put it on. I'm not sure I could go down another size.

Planks have helped me and my mid section out a lot.

I'm down 180 at the 11 month mark. I feel the same way about the midsection. Im going to start more ab work to see if that helps some. I think all of us that were over 400 probably had most of our weight in the midsection. I guess it makes sense that it's the last area to go back to normal. At least I'm Hoping.

Aggietop

What's your planking routine?

What's your planking routine?

I have a plank app on my Android phone that I use that goes over the different types of planks there are. I started off doing knee planks in 1 minute intervals for three sets. Then I would move to the traditional plank set and try to go at least 45 seconds to 1 minute intervals for three to five sets. (Traditional plank is where hands are up in like a push up stance but shoulders and back are flat straight. Then forearm planks are like the same as traditional except that you are on your forearms instead of straight up with open palms down on the ground. Those I do for 45 seconds to a 1 minute intervals for three to five sets. Finally raised hand/leg planks are the hardest ones for me to do and I tend to do those in two to three interval sets for about 15 to 30 seconds each.

What's your planking routine?

I have a plank app on my Android phone that I use that goes over the different types of planks there are. I started off doing knee planks in 1 minute intervals for three sets. Then I would move to the traditional plank set and try to go at least 45 seconds to 1 minute intervals for three to five sets. (Traditional plank is where hands are up in like a push up stance but shoulders and back are flat straight. Then forearm planks are like the same as traditional except that you are on your forearms instead of straight up with open palms down on the ground. Those I do for 45 seconds to a 1 minute intervals for three to five sets. Finally raised hand/leg planks are the hardest ones for me to do and I tend to do those in two to three interval sets for about 15 to 30 seconds each.

Appreciate that!! What's the name of the app? I have an Android too.

I love seeing the boys!!! You guys tend to hold back on pics!!! Congratulations!!

I'm Greg, Paramedic from Illinois. Currently am scheduled for Gastric Sleeve on January 25th in St. Louis. I'm 5'9, 413lbs , have been overweight all my life. To be honest, for years I didn't want to even think of having Bariatric surgery, cause I was under the impression it was an easy way out. Well, since November first I've been educating myself and have learned there's nothing easy about this decision or new lifestyle. I've always put others first in my life and love my career. Now it's time to save myself. My surgeon has already put me on a two clear liquid diet prior to my surgery. This is hard, but I'm committed, I'll admit have come close to cheating. This amazing thread I have found is worthwhile. Thank you. If anyone could offer suggestions or support would be greatly appreciated. I will post pics before and after, but to be honest I'm not computer savy.. Thanks again to everyone.

I'm Greg, Paramedic from Illinois. Currently am scheduled for Gastric Sleeve on January 25th in St. Louis. I'm 5'9, 413lbs , have been overweight all my life. To be honest, for years I didn't want to even think of having Bariatric surgery, cause I was under the impression it was an easy way out. Well, since November first I've been educating myself and have learned there's nothing easy about this decision or new lifestyle. I've always put others first in my life and love my career. Now it's time to save myself. My surgeon has already put me on a two clear liquid diet prior to my surgery. This is hard, but I'm committed, I'll admit have come close to cheating. This amazing thread I have found is worthwhile. Thank you. If anyone could offer suggestions or support would be greatly appreciated. I will post pics before and after, but to be honest I'm not computer savy.. Thanks again to everyone.

Greg,

As someone who lost 254 before surgery and a total of 351.6 overall, neither way is easy. It requires hard work, dedication and perseverance. Best of luck!! Should you ever want to chat, please message my FB page. Just mention I sent you there from BP. All the best!!

This is a thread I posted a few weeks ago; http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/386049-transformation-tuesday/

Greg, I know exactly where you are coming from because it is exactly how I felt before surgery. I had been obese my entire life, but had never considered surgery because I figured "I would still have to diet anyway, so why bother with the risk and expense?" Even when my family physician raised the possibility, I still only went through the motions for a few months, convinced that I would never have surgery. Oddly enough, something changed, I made the decision to do it, and have never looked back. I could not be more glad to have done it.

Sal is right, it is not a quick fix and involves a lot of hard work to stick to the plan. But you know what else is also hard work? - being 518 lbs like I was. It takes a lot of planning to navigate the world at 518 lbs. The surgery helped to give me a reset button to refocus my priorities around healthy eating and exercise. I have to decide to do both every day, but I am in much more control of things than I have ever been at any point in my life.

If I can ever answer any questions or lend any moral support, don't hesitate to drop me a PM. The guys on this forum were an invaluable source of info and support to me all along my process, so you are in the right place.

I'm Greg, Paramedic from Illinois. Currently am scheduled for Gastric Sleeve on January 25th in St. Louis. I'm 5'9, 413lbs , have been overweight all my life. To be honest, for years I didn't want to even think of having Bariatric surgery, cause I was under the impression it was an easy way out. Well, since November first I've been educating myself and have learned there's nothing easy about this decision or new lifestyle. I've always put others first in my life and love my career. Now it's time to save myself. My surgeon has already put me on a two clear liquid diet prior to my surgery. This is hard, but I'm committed, I'll admit have come close to cheating. This amazing thread I have found is worthwhile. Thank you. If anyone could offer suggestions or support would be greatly appreciated. I will post pics before and after, but to be honest I'm not computer savy.. Thanks again to everyone.

Welcome to the thread Greg, glad you could join us. You said you have having your surgery in St. Louis in a few days, do you mind me asking who your surgeon is? Also I am in St. Louis as well and if you ever want to reach out to someone that is local in the area I'm more than willing to meet up and talk. My only advice, once the surgery is done, follow the meal plans. Don't cheat it cause you will pay the price. I know my black ass sure did.

Dr. Ricks at DesPres