Helo Everyone. Im new to this so please be patient. Never been much on sharing thoughts and feelings with strangers but I know there are others out there like me going through this and Im hoping we can all benefit from each other. My story is simple. I am in territory sales and eat out alot for business and stay in hotels 3-4 nights a week. For the first 5 years I did not watch my diet or exercised like I have in the past. My lifestyle caught up with me and before I knew it I weighed 330 lbs. I've always had a stout build from working out and playing sports but this was ridiculus. For the past 5 years I have suffered for obesity, high blood pressure, gout and 3 years ago diagnosed with diabeties and sleep apnea. My wife had the surgery in June of 2013 and I saw the weight loss. I was tired of being tired and taking daily insulin shots. My blood sugar was out of control and causing me to crash several time a day. I tried staying on a diet and working out but saw little progress. I knew my eating habits would have to change but I needed something to kickstart the journey.

I had my surgery in November of last year. within 3 hours of surgery I was up walking on my own with little pain. My doctor only used 4 holes since I followed the pr op diet but did have to fix a hyernia for acid reflux. I was not throwing up after surgery and had no problem drinking after my leak test. I felt like I was doing better than others in the hospital at the time. I went home the next day with normal symtoms. My wife drove me home and I did not feel sick or in pain. The only pain medicine i took was 2 over the counter pain reliever the next day for sorness. I stayed to the diet of liquids and soupy soups for the first 3 weeks with very little issues except going to the bathroom. Sometimes I could not make it in time. The doctor explained this was normal and will get better as Im able to eat food again. My first real pain was when I tried to eat solid food for the first time. I had a 4 oz piece of fish, ate slow and by the time i got back to my hotel i felt like someone was stabbing me in the throat. Over time it got better but I still have to watch what I eat and how much. I was so nice getting back to eggs and potatoes after the liquid diet. I cannot descibe how good that was to eat solid food again after being on liquids for 4 weeks.

Drawbacks for me have been frothing from eating too fast, not getting in enough protein and cold feet and hands. I do take my vitamins every day and my blood work has come back very positive. My A1C went from a 7.8 to a 6.4 (very happy about that since diabeties runs in my family). My energy level is great and I do not require as much sleep as I used to. When I do sleep though I find myself wearing socks where as before I preferred it to be 65 with one sheet sleeping commando (drove my wife nuts). I do find myself napping on my days off or when I do have trouble sleeping due to my CPAP machine. I find I sleep better without it and do not snor anymore but my doctor wants me to keep using it.

The amount of food I eat and the choice of foods has changed drastically. I have not had a hampburger since before pre op and only eat chik-fil-a on occasion. This usually involves 4 chicken nuggets at best. Any fast food I eat involves a grilled chicken sandwich and I take off the bread and just eat the chicken. this is about all I can get down in one meal. Sometimes I have to eat half and come back an hour later for the rest. Now when I eat out with clients it involves chicken or fish with no steak or fried platters. I have splurged on a cheese stick but it did not set well. Crackers seem to do me better than anything. I find myself bringing more food home and ordering from the geatric menu (the card my doctor gave me has come in handy when questioned by the waiter). Any sides I cannot get down so I dont even try. I was told eat the protein first so I do. Not a problem for me since I have always been a meat eater. I used to eat more vegatables than I do now although I do take my vitamins daily. I find the hunger pains are very minor so sometimes I have to set my watch to remember to eat. This bothers me since I do not want to become vitamin deficient. I now work out when I travel but do not walk as much as I should since I work late and do make the time like I should. That is about to change though as the climate gets warmer. Hershey bars have become a real treat but only small amounts (1/4 at a time). Never craved chocolate before but now i have to be careful with the amount. more than a 1/4 of a bar will make me sick. I do not process sugar very well at all. I use splenda for a sweetner. Never drank much sodas but I do enjoy a daily glass of tea in the evening and decaf coffee in the morning although my stomach cannot handle more than 2 small cups. I know I need to drink more water so I carry it in the car. Still dont get enough and I can tell when I start feeling weak in the middle of the day. Word to wise, when they say drink water do it, it helps!

I am 4 months out of gastric sleeve surgery and making progress. I'm 60 lbs lighter and still working on the diet but I feel better and look better. After reading some of the horror stories from other blogs it really makes me nervous to see what this will look like after a few years so I am hoping to stay on the straight a norrow to avoid some of the pitfalls I have heard. Look forward to future comments and suggestions.