Well, the surgeon had to make the decision to switch me from Roux-en-y to vertical sleeve gastrectomy, but the surgery was done successfully yesterday and I'm at home recouperating now. Still trying to get rid of the last of the very uncomfortable gas, but I feel okay. Not very interested in putting anything in my stomach right now, but I'm trying to get fluids and Protein shakes down...it's just VERY slow going. I get at most maybe 2oz done per hour right now. As the gas pain and general discomfort subside, I'm sure it'll get easier. Unfortunately, apparently the mesh that a prior surgeon used to repair an umbilical hernia was the wrong type, and resulted in my intestines scarring into the mesh such that he couldn't do anything without risking damage to my intestine, so he made the judgment call. I'm glad for that, I don't want complications if I can help it. It's just a bummer because that's what I've been feeding my brain with for over a year and I haven't really read up on VSG, though I imagine it's going to be much the same, behavior-wise.

Anyway, I'm glad to have it behind me and now I just want to make a full recovery and get on with this business of losing weight and getting fit.

On a side note, my pre-surgery weight was 351.2 - I lost over 35 pounds leading up to surgery. Not bad!

Edited September 25, 20169 yr by PorkChopExpress

Way to go, PorkChopExpress! The next 100 will be gold.

"When all is said and done, usually more has been said than done. "

Edited January 12, 20179 yr by Fredbear

Enduring a bit of a plateau right now, which is frustrating but to be expected. I am still in a large calorie deficit, so it seems my body is just rebelling a little bit right now. I also think my blood pressure medication is causing water retention, and I hesitate to take a water pill because of the diuretic effect...it's already hard enough to get my water in for the day, I don't want a water pill making me dump all of it. I tried taking it for a week and was getting pretty dehydrated. I may just switch to doing it every few days and see how that works. Otherwise, things are pretty good. I am wearing a 2x hoodie for the first time in...I don't even know how many years. It feels a little snug but everyone says it looks perfect. I think I'm just not used to wearing clothes that fit that way. I've gravitated toward loose clothing for so long now, it's a real change.

Small update...my plateau finally broke, and it was the result of actually increasing my calorie intake a little bit. I am now sitting at around 1,200-1,300 calories a day and the weight loss has picked back up again. I've started back at the gym again, just adding cardio. Over the past couple of months, my endurance and general condition has improved so much. When I first moved back to Colorado from California in mid-November and started delivering parcels for Amazon Flex, it was exhausting. Now, I barely break a sweat...so it was time to get back to daily cardio workouts.

A great NSV is the fact that I've gone from a 52 waist pant worn below my waistline (and gut) to a 46 waist at my ACTUAL waist. I made the mistake of not measuring my waist before I started this process, so I'm not sure what it actually was...but I'm betting I started around 56" or so. So probably 10" off my waist to this point. I'm also fitting into 2x clothing now, down from 4x.

My wife just had her first appointment with a surgeon, she's planning on getting the RNY during her summer break (she's a teacher). She's been impressed with the weight loss I've achieved thus far and is excited (and nervous) about following in my footsteps. It's the been the best decision I've made though, I wish I'd done it 10 years ago. Still got a ways to go, but it's coming!

It's been a couple months since I posted, life has been really hectic. I'm in the midst of studying to change careers, since moving back to my home state of Colorado...started becoming evident that I wasn't going to have much luck finding work in my field (video editing), after having spent 17-18 years growing a career in Los Angeles. Not exactly sure why, but it does appear that my amount of experience combined with having spent my career in LA is working against my finding work. So I'm studying for my real estate license.

I've continued the weight loss, although I did hit a nasty plateau that lasted for about three weeks. Pretty frustrating, but it eventually broke about a week ago and I dropped three pounds that week. So I'm now down to 258lbs, which I haven't been since I can't even remember...probably the early 1990s, I would guess. I'm developing that loose skin "apron" at the bottom of my belly now, and my muscle mass has been annihilated by the restriction. That's probably part of why the plateaus happen...the body just isn't burning the way it used to. It's almost time to start hitting the weights, I think.

One really fun experience was when my three young nephews came over for my daughter's birthday. We all went out and played basketball in my parents' driveway, and I was running, shooting and playing like I hadn't done since I was young. My stamina was great...probably played for at least an hour. Of course, my muscles were incredibly sore the next couple of days, but I had all kinds of motor. It was a really fun feeling.

My food consumption is sitting at somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600-1800 calories a day now, I think. Still trying to keep the focus on protein, but I've incorporated a variety of other stuff and am having no problems with anything, anymore. I can eat a 6" flatbread turkey sandwich at Subway now...but that's the whole meal. I can also chug fluids again pretty well, on an empty stomach...which is a nice thing to be able to do again, since sipping got real old!

The honeymoon seems to be nearing its end. I am at a point now where I feel like my portion sizes are satisfying both physically and mentally, even though people still ask if I'm getting enough to eat (when they don't know I have had surgery), or if something is wrong. I don't need to follow the rule of not drinking before I eat, however I do still have to refrain during and after, for about 30-40 minutes. My average calorie intake now is probably around 1,800...and my TDEE is somewhere around 2,800 without extra exercise. So I'm generally in a 7,000 calorie deficit every week, which manifests in an average of 2 pounds lost per week...however I do experience plateaus that last a couple weeks.

Now I'm interested in gradually increasing my caloric intake as I lift weights, to support regaining my lost muscle mass. I've lost a TON of muscle, through this process. However, having taken off around 135lbs so far, exercise is WORLDS easier now. Overall, I'm feeling very positive about being able to take it the rest of the way, on my own steam. The surgery has enabled me to get within spitting distance of my goals and it no longer feels like a giant mountain to climb, but a reasonable hill.

On a side note, my wife just came home yesterday after having followed in my footsteps, by getting the gastric bypass. So she's about to experience the process, as well. I'm glad I went first, so give her support and advice while speaking from experience.

As someone just starting out on this path (I've only been to a seminar and am
waiting to be scheduled), reading your journey here from the beginning has been a great help to me. I look forward to hearing more!