I am reading the forums closely and have been thinking about this surgery for 6 months...are my hangups any of your regrets? Do you ever think that if you just followed the post op guidelines/menu that you would have been successful without surgery? Do you regret family occasions of eating out? parties? (my family does not support and likes to eat out a lot and celebrate (they are thin without food issues) Are you able to NOT tell friends and family (outside of spouse). And can I mention pasta? I just cannot imagine life without bread or pasta. I am italian from an italian family and how do you do that ? If you do not expect the rest of the family to change their eating habits, how difficult is that? (they probably would not want to eat out or celebrate less if that makes sense

Edited August 21, 20179 yr by Bigsuzy1969

On 21/08/2017 at 2:38 AM, Bigsuzy1969 said:

I am reading the forums closely and have been thinking about this surgery for 6 months...are my hangups any of your regrets? Do you ever think that if you just followed the post op guidelines/menu that you would have been successful without surgery? Do you regret family occasions of eating out? parties? (my family does not support and likes to eat out a lot and Celebrate (they are thin without food issues) Are you able to NOT tell friends and family (outside of spouse). And can I mention Pasta? I just cannot imagine life without bread or pasta. I am italian from an italian family and how do you do that ? If you do not expect the rest of the family to change their eating habits, how difficult is that? (they probably would not want to eat out or celebrate less if that makes sense

1. No. I tried following post op diet before, could not as did not have restriction.

2. I still eat out 6 weeks post, eat a starter and take rest home, no issue.

3. No one knows other than my mum , no issue. I don't tell random people info they do not need to know not hiding it , but I dont care what anyone thinks. I wanted my mums opinion , so I told her.

4. I am allowed pasta if I want it. and bread. But I do not want it, you can not imagine it now as you have not had the surgery, but bread makes me so full, I just do not see the point now. I used to eat alot of those stuff. You could probably have a few pieces and be done with it. I know some peoples plans are low carb. I am not low carb but it happens without trying. Say I have a plate with potatoes, veg and meat, I eat the meat first, then have a bite of spinach, and I am full, so do not eat the potatoes.

5. At the end of the day you know why you want to do this surgery, for me it was for my health, to be alive and well with less health issues for my children, so I do what I can to make it work. Many people find 'Reasons' why this may not be for them. For alot it is just the fear of the unknown. I have NO regrets.

I am only 6 weeks post. No longer on blood pressure meds, and overall healthier.

P.s I would never Expect anyone to change their habits for me or because of me, responsibility for ourselves, and the decisions we choose to make is something we learn along the way. My friends order pizza,I was on liquids so I CHOSE to stick to my plan, its hard at first, but when you start seeing improvements in your self whatever your goals are, its exciting and worth it

Goodluck with your journey.

2 hours ago, dreamingsmall said:

1. No. I tried following post op diet before, could not as did not have restriction.

2. I still eat out 6 weeks post, eat a starter and take rest home, no issue.

3. No one knows other than my mum , no issue. I don't tell random people info they do not need to know not hiding it , but I dont care what anyone thinks. I wanted my mums opinion , so I told her.

4. I am allowed pasta if I want it. and bread. But I do not want it, you can not imagine it now as you have not had the surgery, but bread makes me so full, I just do not see the point now. I used to eat alot of those stuff. You could probably have a few pieces and be done with it. I know some peoples plans are low carb. I am not low carb but it happens without trying. Say I have a plate with potatoes, veg and meat, I eat the meat first, then have a bite of spinach, and I am full, so do not eat the potatoes.

5. At the end of the day you know why you want to do this surgery, for me it was for my health, to be alive and well with less health issues for my children, so I do what I can to make it work. Many people find 'Reasons' why this may not be for them. For alot it is just the fear of the unknown. I have NO regrets.

I am only 6 weeks post. No longer on blood pressure meds, and overall healthier.

P.s I would never Expect anyone to change their habits for me or because of me, responsibility for ourselves, and the decisions we choose to make is something we learn along the way. My friends order pizza,I was on liquids so I CHOSE to stick to my plan, its hard at first, but when you start seeing improvements in your self whatever your goals are, its exciting and worth it

Goodluck with your journey.

thank you for this!

7 hours ago, Bigsuzy1969 said:

thank you for this!

Not a problem Any other questions, I am happy to answer bare in mind I am not that far in , surgery was 4th July

On 8/22/2017 at 0:49 PM, momislosingit84 said:

I have a digital food scale that I still use for some things like when I'm making a recipe or meal that will be more than one portion so that when I put it in the Baritastic app so I can get my portions right for tracking. I weighed everything those first few months. Weighing is more accurate than using measuring cups. After awhile I could eyeball most things and get pretty dang close to what the scale says. I would highly suggest getting one. I bought mine for $14 at Walmart.

I have a digital Weight Watchers scale...I just needed to find it! Spent the day cleaning out cabinets, and there it was! I am happy to say there was more turkey than I expected in an ounce. I had 1 ounce of turkey and 6 ounces of crab bisque soup, and I feel great! Since the soup was liquid I was able to eat a bit more of that...and now I'm done for the day. I have cottage cheese and mango (fruit cup in light syrup) at about 11:30...so I feel like I did a really good job today. The scale helped me to know I was on the right track and didn't overdo it!

Okay, so I have a friend that had this surgery approx 3 yrs ago. In my mind I thought, why can't she just stick to a diet? If she worked out regularly and ate healthy then she'd lose weight.

Fast forward 3 yrs....this is the best thing I ever did! I have done WW, slimfast, starvation diets, prescription meds, cleanses, Atkins, gluten free, paleo and I was able to lose and gain a zillion times. I was also diabetic and had high cholesterol. (off all Meds now) I had the surgery in Dec and I realize it's a tool to help me. I can still eat everything - I eat bread, pasta, pizza - everything! I just have a signal in me to stop now. I'm down 60 lbs since December, I work out 4-6 days a week. I do get a bit disappointed now and again when I sit down to eat something I've been looking forward to and have to stop after 3-4 bites b/c I'm full (but that's a good thing!)
I still go out to eat and I usually bring a little cooler in my car b/c I know I'll have leftovers. Another good thing is that my husband and daughter are now eating healthier.
Good luck with your decision!!!

2 minutes ago, Sandee29 said:

Okay, so I have a friend that had this surgery approx 3 yrs ago. In my mind I thought, why can't she just stick to a diet? If she worked out regularly and ate healthy then she'd lose weight.

Fast forward 3 yrs....this is the best thing I ever did! I have done WW, slimfast, starvation diets, prescription meds, cleanses, Atkins, gluten free, paleo and I was able to lose and gain a zillion times. I was also diabetic and had high cholesterol. (off all Meds now) I had the surgery in Dec and I realize it's a tool to help me. I can still eat everything - I eat bread, Pasta, pizza - everything! I just have a signal in me to stop now. I'm down 60 lbs since December, I work out 4-6 days a week. I do get a bit disappointed now and again when I sit down to eat something I've been looking forward to and have to stop after 3-4 bites b/c I'm full (but that's a good thing!)
I still go out to eat and I usually bring a little cooler in my car b/c I know I'll have leftovers. Another good thing is that my husband and daughter are now eating healthier.
Good luck with your decision!!!

Thanks for writing! I would have to say that when I read your part about "When I go out usually bring a cooler" my heart sank, because I thought you were going to write, "so I could bring my protein shake". LOL but then it was for leftovers! Yay! We go out to eat probably 3 times a week as a family so it is a big consideration. I am actually looking into the endoscopic sleeve and I must say that when I read weight loss stories like yours, I wonder if the regular sleeve is not a better choice. Thank for writing!