Is it as daunting as it sounds?

[walklady 31]

I am having trouble wrapping my brain around daily dieting and exercising after getting the sleeve. Is this a sign that I shouldn't do this? I went to my second appt with the nutritionist yesterday and had only lost a pound and a half. I did pretty well with eating and exercising but dang it is hard! I'm not as excited as I was a month or so ago. I'm not planning to get sleeved until this summer. Any advice?

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[NWJill 119]

I was nervous about it pre-op as well, but I'm not sure I could have completely understood it pre-op. Pre-op the idea of such small portions and feeling satisfied seems crazy but now I am just done. I eat and I am full and that is it. I'm not saying it is easy, the pre-op diet and stages are not fun or easy but you work through them. I am 6 weeks post op and now a lot of what I am doing is routine and I'm not craving most of the bad stuff. I am glad that the time between my decision for surgery and the actual surgery was short, only a couple months, because I may have talked myself out of it and I'm glad I did it


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[HurricaneU 131]

What is the hardest part now that you are 6 weeks out? I am hoping to have my surgery in April.

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[AnneElliot 79]

Yes! On this site I am the minority. But I deeply regret my decision to do this surgery.

Eating is a FULL TIME job. You eat so slowly and have to time when you drink! Its so unnatural. You still have to eat healthy and excersise!

You have to drink a lot of Water, getting dehydrated is so easy. We simply have no stomach to hold Water.

Acid reflux is a constant reality. This is painful and there's a high probability most ppl will have an issue with it. If not immediately but possibly at 3 or 6 yrs post op. I didn't do this surgery to be on medication for life!

This the only irreversible surgery. Even the gastric bypass can be reversed if your life is at risk.

I would say try another hundred diets before tearing away a vital organ. We don't know how our aging process will be impacted...what if we need a heavy use of NSAIDs or face stomach cancer?? That's just me and something I wish I did. It's all too late. I can see how irational to think I will be healthy by taking away 80% of my vital organ.

Furthermore! Isn't it so scary that regain happens to most ppl! I lost most of my stomach and I can still regain? That can only mean that our stomachs are not the problem! Think about other reversible procedures where you have restriction and can still learn the same healthy food habits we should learn anyway.

All the best

[walklady 31]

AnneElliot,

Thank you so much for your honesty! I really appreciate it! All of the things that you mentioned have weighed heavily on my mind recently. I haven't read/heard that many people say anything negative except for that short time afterward when they regretted it but say that passed. I wonder if more people feel the way you do but are too embarrassed or whatever to admit it.

How long ago was your surgery?

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[HurricaneU 131]

Yes! On this site I am the minority. But I deeply regret my decision to do this surgery.
Eating is a FULL TIME job. You eat so slowly and have to time when you drink! Its so unnatural. You still have to eat healthy and excersise!
You have to drink a lot of Water, getting dehydrated is so easy. We simply have no stomach to hold Water.
Acid reflux is a constant reality. This is painful and there's a high probability most ppl will have an issue with it. If not immediately but possibly at 3 or 6 yrs post op. I didn't do this surgery to be on medication for life!
This the only irreversible surgery. Even the gastric bypass can be reversed if your life is at risk.
I would say try another hundred diets before tearing away a vital organ. We don't know how our aging process will be impacted...what if we need a heavy use of NSAIDs or face stomach cancer?? That's just me and something I wish I did. It's all too late. I can see how irational to think I will be healthy by taking away 80% of my vital organ.

Furthermore! Isn't it so scary that regain happens to most ppl! I lost most of my stomach and I can still regain? That can only mean that our stomachs are not the problem! Think about other reversible procedures where you have restriction and can still learn the same healthy  food habits we should learn anyway.

All the best

I dont want to sound like I am putting you down but I have to ask because Im close to having surgery and despite some of the negative reviews out there I wonder. Did you not know how hard the journey would be? Were you not informed that you stomach can stretch back? How long did you research? I am asking because I researched since May of last year and without having the surgery yet I think I heard alot of the pros and cons and just wonder if I will feel the same way as you afterwards? Despite you regretfulness, are you losing weight, feeling better anything positive?

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[AnneElliot 79]

I am two months post op.

I was thinking about why ppl suffer early on and then say it's the best thing ever. I think its because the human mind simply accepts it's new reality. There's also the shame associated with admitting that you made a irreversible mistake!

I was desperate to lose weight we all are. But we should not let BMI or a number on a scale lead us to these measures.

Think of other reversible procedures or simply implement what you would had to do post op anyway, eat healthy and excersise.

[AnneElliot 79]

@HurricaneU You can research to the ends of time. But reality is a whole other ball game. Did I know I could get acid reflux post op. Oh yea! Experiencing the pain on the hand is totally different thing. Not knowing what more I can do to stop it is maddening.

When you research it. It's still not real. It's only real when you're in it and there's no going back.

[HurricaneU 131]

AnneElliot was post op harder then you expected? 2 mos out now, do you have any regrets?

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[HurricaneU 131]

[mention=309597]HurricaneU[/mention] You can research to the ends of time. But reality is a whole other ball game. Did I know I could get acid reflux post op. Oh yea! Experiencing the pain on the hand is totally different thing. Not knowing what more I can do to stop it is maddening.
When you research it. It's still not real. It's only real when you're in it and there's no going back.

Thanks, thats what worries me, I know reading and experiencing is different. I just wonder if most of the regret is the struggle that passes with time because of the extreme process.

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[AnneElliot 79]

@HurricaneU the human capacity to adapt is remarkable. I will adapt to this new state of existence. But that doesn't make it easy or natural. Do you need this difficult and life altering path for weightloss?

Being thin does not equal healthy.

Reality is a bitch. Lol.

[triplethreat 257]

It's not as daunting not as it sounds. You will have a new normal, but it will take some time to figure out what that is. For me, the first six weeks were critical for understanding how to eat. Back then, 80 grams of Protein seemed like so much and it could be hard to get that much; and for the first two weeks, getting enough Water required that I really pay attention. It was easy to have too little. By three months I definitely had the hang of it all and by four months it felt very normal. I eat three meals a day and two Snacks. My stomach is tiny and I can't overeat in a single meal; I could, if I wanted to, snack all day, wash it down with water, and overeat that way. That's why I ensure that I eat regularly and plan snacks. Getting enough water is not an issue anymore. By two months post op I could drink 8 oz of water at once; some people can't, but I could. I can eat out, can go to any event and not feel awkward about what I'm eating. My blood sugar and insulin are normal. I can, for the first time in my life, run a mile. I can fit in the roller coaster seats and on airplane seats. I can buy clothes off the rack and know they fit. My Migraine headaches are gone (caused by HBP). I can go to the beach without being self conscious.

I chose sleeve because I wanted to retain the ability to absorb nutrients and because it's not reversible. Dieting is reversible. WLS is not a diet; it's a tool for loss and maintenance. You will have to accept that your relationship with food will need to change forever, but as with any toxic relationship, having healthy boundaries is essential. Every single day I am grateful for this tool and the minor issues-- taking Vitamins, having heartburn-- are a great trade off. Wishing you luck and peace with your decision!


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[walklady 31]

AnneElliot

Just wondering: do you have a low tolerance for pain?

Also, I thought most Bariatric surgeons require a BMI of 50 to do gastric bypass surgery now that the sleeve is more popular.


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[AnneElliot 79]

I actually have a high tolerance for pain. There was little pain post op from the surgery. Living with severe acid reflux is a nightmare on the hand.

I don't know the criteria for the gastric bypass. But unlike the sleeve, it's reversible in very critical cases.

I am an open book and honest. I wish I did something like the gastric ballon and I could return to being biologically normal.

The acid reflux issue is mechanical in nature. The sleeve is a high pressure system, there's simply no where for the acid to go but up to the esophagus.

All the best in your decision making process.

[walklady 31]

Thanks I think I may research the balloon. My family suggests the lapband but i said absolutely not! I have never heard anything good about them.


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