Hello all! I am scheduled for surgery Dec 7, 2017. I am not really scared of the surgery, however, I am terrified of life after the surgery. I am a foodie. I love to entertain and feed others. I am excited for my surgery and "new life" it will bring. I have some questions i was wondering if yall could answer for me?

1. I am currently 5'6" 305 lbs. Realistically how much can i expect to lose post op?

2. Is eating after surgery difficult? what foods do you mostly eat? how much?

3. How much food in one sitting do you eat?

4. How long after the surgery do you start to feel "normal' again or get back into the swing of life?

5. Do you have alot of excess skin? If so have any of you had a "mommy makeover?" If you have, how long after surgery did you have the plastic surgery?

6. If you had to do it all over again would you do it? Was it all worth it?

Thanks to all for any help!

God Bless

Kelly

How much you lose is up to you. Typically they say about 60% of excess weight but it can be more or less depending on your ability and desire to exercise and eat right. But the battle isn't with your stomach- it's with your mind. We have an addiction and you have to treat it as such. And getting active will help. I took up swimming because I have bad knees and it's been great.

For a few weeks to a few months eating will be much different than you're used too. Full very fast. EAT SLOWLY. If you overeat I guarantee you will only want to do it once. Follow the plan your doctor gives you and don't deviate. They have a reason they do what they do. You will gradually be able to eat more but never like you used to. I just had my first ice cream in 4 years. 1 scoop filled me up. And no real desire to have more. The quantity you'll be able to eat will vary depending on what you're eating and how fast. But don't push it. I've had to find other things to replace my eating. I can still eat most things just in much smaller quantities. I don't do rice or much pasta or potatoes as they fill me up very fast and no room for the healthier- and tastier- things.

I felt great after surgery. Told the doctor I've had worse paper cuts. No pain, no gas, no upset stomach. But I'm one of the lucky ones. Expect some problems like gas and just have a heat pad ready - it helps. There can be complications- that's true with any surgery but, again, follow instructions for hygiene and type of food.

Excess skin? Oh yeah! I've lost about 250 pounds and I look like a partially deflated balloon. But I'm working at losing some more to have skin removal. Need a BMI of around 35 before that happens. How long again is a matter of how much and how fast you lose.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! I wish I had done it 10 years before I did. But fear kept me from trying. I heard a quote bt Will Smith. " God puts the best things in life on the other side of fear." How true!

Finally I would recommend a book called Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies. Very informative. Good luck

4 hours ago, skinny18 said:

Hello all! I am scheduled for surgery Dec 7, 2017. I am not really scared of the surgery, however, I am terrified of life after the surgery. I am a foodie. I love to entertain and feed others. I am excited for my surgery and "new life" it will bring. I have some questions i was wondering if yall could answer for me?

1. I am currently 5'6" 305 lbs. Realistically how much can i expect to lose post op?

2. Is eating after surgery difficult? what foods do you mostly eat? how much?

3. How much food in one sitting do you eat?

4. How long after the surgery do you start to feel "normal' again or get back into the swing of life?

5. Do you have alot of excess skin? If so have any of you had a "mommy makeover?" If you have, how long after surgery did you have the plastic surgery?

6. If you had to do it all over again would you do it? Was it all worth it?

Thanks to all for any help!

God Bless

Kelly

I am 11 months post op and I am down 105lbs. Starting was 290 and I am 5'2"

Eating was sometimes difficult before. I mostly eat meats and vegetables. How much I eat depends on the density and the volume of the food, but approx. 1c of food per meal.

I felt normal about 4 months post op when I no longer had to think about what food phase I was in.

I do have A LOT of excess skin. I plan to have plastics, but most plastic surgeons require you to be weight stable for 6 months prior to surgery and I still have approx. 35lbs left to lose before I hit maintenance.

I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was totally worth it. I went from a person who huffed and puffed getting from the front door to the car to a person who routinely RUNS for an hour at a time. I went from a person who exists...to a person who lives.

The diet right after surgery will be hard. Clear liquids, then full liquids, then puree, then soft foods. My dietician said half a cup of food per meal. 1000 calories per day is the goal. 80 grams of protein per day is the goal plus 64 ounces of water. I will be honest with you, it is very difficult. I am a food addict and it has been very hard. I miss all my old foods. having said that I am glad to see the pounds falling off.

I am 5 weeks post op and down 24 lbs.

I was feeling great and back to normal within 3 weeks- except for food intake.

Two week liquid post op protein diet was really tough, but once I was able to start soft foods, I haven’t had any trouble and feel back to normal - I can eat in public.

A Couple of tablespoons at a time, whatever soft food I’m eating is all I can fit in. And of course my water.

I would absolutely do it again.