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I was always a big fan of veggies which never reflected on my weight sadly enough. But obviously did when it came to testing for coronary artery blockages which is high risk in my family DNA. All clear. I recently had a colonoscopy. Preventative testing at the urging of my doctor. I was worried with my recent RNY surgery in April to do it but was told they only check the lower colon, so it was safe. All clear. Fiber does do a body good. Even had a mammogram. A OK👍 During my soft food phase I made big pots of vegetable soup. Very soft veggies went well for me. But I was craving salad. I waited till I was given the green light at 3 months for raw, but it gave me the foamies. I still am cautious when eating them and prefer to avoid till further down the road. I was able to eat fresh tomatoes from the garden eventually but had to spit out the skin at first. Baby carrots are another I have no problem with. Go figure. I think it's the lettuce giving me issues. Stir fry is another love of mine but can't do half cooked veggies either. Eventually I will. I would advise waiting OP. Raw veggies are really hard on your healing tummy. Even more so if you try them before you are supposed to. You will find out like me that even after getting the OK, avoiding getting sick trumps the cravings. But everyone's different. YMMV. GL

Thank you. A very interesting article. My heart breaks for children who are dealing with obesity related health & emotional issues we didn’t have to until we were adults & had them had some knowledge & strategies to manage aspects of these issues ourselves. The toll of obesity on one’s physical, psychological & emotional health & well being is almost immeasurable. It is known that high & ultra processed foods increase production of our hunger hormones & reduces the production of satiety hormone. But companies won’t stop producing these foods & the convenience & lower prices make them very attractive to families. The comment ‘trying to limit meals to one plate’ is also endemic of the excessive portion sizes people accept as being appropriate & ‘normal’. If children aren’t introduced to healthier & better food choices & cooking methods, like vegetables, home cooked meals, etc., they will never develop a taste or appreciation for them. I am horrified by children & adults who don’t know what some fruits & vegetables are let alone know how to cook or eat them. Same with other foods. Education about better & more nutritional eating is fighting a losing battle against multinational companies, convenience, price, advertising, etc. It is more & more becoming a wide spread generational problem. Many strong opinions on whether children should or shouldn’t have surgery or be placed on medication. The decision to go down either of these routes or not is truely one of life (or quality of) & death. Nor is it easy. The child & family must be well educated about their options, the impacts & the lifestyle changes necessary for success so they can make the most informed decision to best benefit the child whatever route they decide to follow. Well that’s my opinion (& rant for today).

I have been creeping around here for months and finally decided to create an account and share. First though, I have to give great credit to my wife and family. My wife has been so supportive and flexible through the whole process. She has always been by my side, but during this process she read and learned about the changes, as much or more than I did. She has gone above and beyond with her support and care for me, all while still running a busy household. My kids are a constant reminder of why I did this -- so that I would be around for a long time. I wanted to be able to participate in life with my family. I also have to thank my surgical team and the care they provide. It has been great and truly lifesaving. I weighed 514-lbs on 9/12/22. I was a big boy to say the least. Shockingly, I was not in horrible medical condition. I did not take any medicine. Did not have diabetes or high blood pressure. I did have swelling in my legs, constantly sore/bad knees, and was very quick to be out of breath. I lived a very sedimentary live and limited my physical activity. I wanted to be able to be more active and be around with my family for a long time. I finally got up the nerve to discuss with my wife and she immediately got on board. I went through the program without an issue. Checked all boxes and completed all steps. Surgery was on 2/28/23 and it went well. I was up and moving that night, because that was one of the biggest hurdles to clear in order to leave. I was able to sip and keep liquid down. Discharged after one night! Incisions were sore, as expected. Gas was the worst, and not the good kind of gas that can clear the room when expelled (yeah, I am a guy), but the awful painful surgical gas, which took almost a week to fully go away. I was basically fully cleared by the doctor and back to work (in a nonphysical job) one week after surgery. My process was textbook, none of the complications that many have experienced, and I am lucky for it! This process has not been easy but has not been impossible. I have followed my plan, with the support at home, and it is working. I feel physically so much better. I am so much more mobile and active. I have never been happier. I have made changes to my daily life to support the process. My diet has changed but not radically. I eat a lot less and that is the biggest driver of my weight loss. I walk and am active in live, but I do not have a detailed exercise plan. I am still learning exactly what works for me, but most importantly I want others to know there are many routes to get to the same place. I try to get the big stuff right and not sweat the tiniest of details. My blood work at my six-month checkup was solid. Protein was on the low end in the range, but still acceptable. I was encouraged to keep on keeping on (shout out to Joe Dirt). They were comfortable enough to set my next follow up appointment out to one year. I was scared and nervous. I have had good days and bad days (constipation is AWFUL)! Most importantly, I wanted to share my story and I hope it can help others in some way. I never wanted to be skinny. I could care less what my BMI is. I wanted to feel better. I wanted to be able to participate in life with my family. And I am! I am no expert and I still have a long way to go, but I am happy and glad I had this surgery. As I have seen here, over and over again, we are all different, so what works for me may not for others, but I still wanted to share, and I hope it might be of some benefit to someone else. The non-scale wins are just the best! When I started this process, I was so huge that home scales couldn't hold me, so I would go months without weighing, but I knew good things were happening because of all the non-scale wins. Cherish those! This is a long (probably too long) post, so I will wrap. I recently weighed on my home scale (yeah, that's right, it now holds me) and I was at 288-lbs. If anyone has questions or wants more details about my journey, please let me know. I would be happy to share more.

I read this article in the New York Times this week and thought it brought up a lot of interesting issues. With the alarming growth of obesity in young people, including children, there are a lot of questions about when should a patient become a candidate for WLS. With my upcoming surgery, I've had a few conversations with my teen/tween daughters about nutrition/healthy eating, as well as some of the possible genetic components of weight gain. Both of my girls are active and not currently at risk, but I know that my younger daughter is physically a lot like I was at her age, and I would do anything for her not to ever have to deal with weight gain the way I have as she gets older. I hope I can teach them both good habits now that they can carry with them. But what happens when a kid is already so large at age 16 that their quality of life is impacted? What's the responsible/ethical thing to do with regards to a surgery that can't be reversed? This is a very interesting read. In case you didn't read it, here's a link (it should bypass the paywall for non-subscribers until the end of November): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/31/magazine/teen-bariatric-surgery.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7Ew.M7l-.QaJi8BjntPW_&smid=url-share

I’m on my full day at home pos op doing OK trying to get down some liquids, and protein in my soups. Other than that things are going well. I’m not having any nausea. It’s been a manageable process so far.

Super interesting thank you! My only co-morbidity was reflux. Interesting that the sleeve would be expected to cure that for 54% of people like me and bypass 63%. I had thought the differences in risks were much greater. I plumped for the sleeve because I knew that in the past when I lost a lot of weight my reflux settled and I thought I was gambling on it settling again. It did, but the gamble and the odds I based it on weren't right.

I think I was closer to six months out before I could eat them. Baby carrots still occasionally irritate my stomach, and I'm over eight years out.

As I lost weight, my equilibrium was off. Things shift and not only was my balance off, my bones and muscles ached. Between walking and a few adjustments from a chiropractor, it's greatly improved. I think it's normal to feel clumsy/klutsy because I sure did. My walking was most obvious. I tripped easily and stumbled over things. Now I purposely walk off road over uneven ground to help strengthen my legs and balance. I still have weight to lose so until I get closer to goal weight, I'm believing it can only get better. GL and hope you see improvements as you go too :)

2 months post op tomorrow (ah!) and still haven't cheated. Kind of can't believe it.

My surgeon considers it a full liquid...I blend it, strain it and add unflavored Protein powder and skim milk. Currently I am enjoying a blended, strained Black Bean Soup with added 0% Fat Fage and Protein Powder....I just can't do sweet all day! Of course, your surgeon and nutritionist are the last word!