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Energy levels after VSG?



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How are your energy levels in the weeks and months after surgery? I have a very busy fall and I'm worried about having the energy to get my work done. My options are surgery in early August with 2.5 weeks off (but liquid diet for the week of extended family vacation) or mid-August with 1.5 weeks off (still requires a few days of liquid diet on vacation) or wait until next summer, which I don't want to do.

My job can be stressful. I can take some half days but I also have some required long days. But if I have to be on the liquid diet during the whole vacation, I will have to tell my whole family and I might be cranky.

So my questions are:

Will having an extra week to recover help me start back full throttle? So much so that it's worth being on the liquid diet during the whole vacation?

How will my energy levels be after a few weeks and months? How long before you could work long days with decent energy?

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Im 8 weeks out and my energy level is just now returning to previous levels. If i dont stay hydrated it really takes the wind out of my sails.

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I went back to work at 1 week but I have a desk job and work from home if not traveling. I was able to work long days but dragged ass at night. I didn't get my full energy back until the end of month 3.


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My surgeon gave me a reprieve from the full 10 days in the liquid diet. I was in vacation for 2 weeks got home on a Saturday started the diet in Sunday and had surgery on Thursday. I had an amazing recovery (I'm 3 weeks out). Because I had a bmi of 40 and am a lower weight patient starting at 223. He said it would be fine. I had a really active vacation and didn't over eat in it I think it helped.
Check in with your doc and maybe there's a modification to the liquid diet he would allow- like no sugar or low carb. Just a thought...


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First, just have surgery ASAP. The longer you are heavy the more damage you do to your body.

Energy levels were weird for me. I would have a lot of energy, huge bursts, then I would be instantly exhausted and need a nap.

The first 6 weeks your body is working over time to repair itself. My Dr said the first 6 weeks are for healing not weight loss. You are having the majority of a major organ removed and it sends your body into freak out mode. It is working overtime to heal and repair all the incision and cuts and reconnect nerves and make sense of what happened. That takes a lot of energy and you are not consuming a lot of calories.

If you are very diligent with your eating, and keep your calories over 600 (which believe me can be hard), 800 would be better and keep your Fluid in take up you should be okay, but you can't guarantee it and no one can tell you.

I have a high pain tolerance and it was easy for me to push myself after surgery (which I regret, I should have rested more, it is major surgery). Everyone is different, you don't know how you are going to be after surgery until it happens to you.

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I went back to work after 10 days. The first week back I had to leave early a few days to take a nap. Once I got to week 3 and could eat more my energy has been better. I'm working 40+ hours, not my pre-op 60+. I could work more but I'm making a conscious decision to take better care of myself.

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I went back to work a few days shy of 3 weeks the first 2 weeks no energy but after that I'm just as energetic as before hand my biggest prob is I work a remote job and struggle to get my Protein in averageing 70 g per day

Hw 325 cw 270 Sw 292 gw 190

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I went back to work after 7 days. There is no time of the year that is not busy for me and I typically work 6 days a week 60-70 hours a week.

The energy level thing has been a mixed bag. I find I am less focused than I was before surgery, tend to be moodier (my period so far has stopped since surgery) and need about an hour more of sleep at night.

On the other hand I wake up easily in the morning, experience being more rested than before surgery and physically just feel a lot better.

In addition I no longer have diabetes or borderline blood pressure. My Vitamin D levels are normal and the subway commute (which in NY involves lots of stairs) is no longer daunting.

I have had to change my sleep habits to have this work. I no longer stay up until 2 am.

I feel like my energy levels are just returning. But I would not trade it off the benefits the surgery gave me.




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Thanks everyone! I'm going to call tomorrow and see if it's possible to schedule for a week earlier.

Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

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I had my vsg on 6.22, and I felt great from the end of week 1. I found it hard to sit still at home, and ended up organizing closets and drawers and things to keep busy. I took naps daily for the first 2 weeks, so I was grateful to have been given 3 weeks off work. I am not quite a month out, and I feel normal, but with more energy!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using BariatricPal mobile app

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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