LUCK

Stick to your diet and don't cancel if you don't have to. It is so much easier than you think. You need more discipline for the pre-op than you will after the surgery. I am 2 years and 7 months out and still have maintained my weight loss and know it was the best thing I ever did. I just ate a bag of cheese nips and I did have a Jr. Whopper yesterdy (I ate the whole thing) but I eat healthy too. Just know you will be able to have whatever you want in small quantities and your stomach doesn't know the difference. The depression comes from not being able to eat everything you love because food has been all of our best friends probably. It is going to be so easy you are going to wonder what you were freaking out about.. If everyone could handle the pre-op diet perfectly then none of us would have ever been in the shape we were in to need the weight loss surgery, right? You are going to be so much happier which means a better mother for your kids...

I started having bad night sweats after I lost my weight. I asked my neice who is an OBGYN and she said that fat cells produce estrogen and when you are overweight it produces excessive estrogen which can cause weird hair growth, acne, etc. Once you lose weight these issues will probably go away. Also, EVERYONE, make sure you eat lots of protein because the estrogen issue coupled with weight loss and not enough protein will cause the opposite effect, lots of hair loss.... I'd rather have hair in strange places....

I've decided to put my two cents in since I read that there are not many postings from older VSG patients. Although I didn't have as much as weight as most to lose I had a family history of diabetes, stroke, cancer, etc. I had my surgery in May of 2007. It was the best thing I ever did. I went from roughly 220 pounds to 146. I am 5'7" and went from a size 16 to a size 4-6. Two and 1/2 years later I have to use a little more discipline when it comes to eating but it has truly been a breeze. I can eat anything I want in moderation and when I misbehave, I gain a couple of pounds but it is fairly easy to lose. I had been overweight for about 20 or so years.

It is frozen, not dried. WalMart has tons of it frozen for $1.68 a bag and I boil it for 8 minutes and it makes them soft and plump. I have tried them also in the Ziploc steamer bags but they are better boiled. You can refrigerate what you don't eat out of the bag and just zap them in the microwave.

BM's are normal, thanks for asking :lol0:. I do eat pretty much anything and everything I want just less of it. Life is too short to not have what you want. Moderation is the key. I can eat ice cream, but just a scoop because it is all relative and one scoop feels like 2 cups (which is probably what I used to eat). I also eat alot of edamame. I snack on it at night. Very good for you and even if you don't like it much at first you grow to love it for some reason. I probably eat 1500 calories a day on average without weight gain. I don't exercise unfortunately but I am going to start one day soon!

If you are only on .25 of Xanax it shouldn't affect your appetite but everyone has different issues with meds.

The first several weeks I didn't really feel like eating anything at all but I made myself because I was getting weak. The more I forced myself the more I got used to eating and the better my throat felt. I always drink Smoothies (don't know if you have a Smoothie King). The Gladiator drink has 40+ grams of whey protein in it and I you can get them to put fruit in there and vitamins even. Heck, try something other than protein. I ate pudding, whatever because some calories even though they are bad ones are better than none at all. I couldn't really tolerate cheese at first BUT cheese with saltines went down easier...strange. Hang in there...I told my co-workers today that I was walking to the post office a different route because less men would be whistling at me on the new route..ha ha.

Seriously, same with me. Some days don't think much about it and other days I graze ALL day long. My fullness does come very suddenly so I eat what I know i can eat (which is a whole sandwich) but I will still only eat half and then eat the other half 30-60 minutes later or whenever I feel a little hungry again. I NEVER drink much which is terrible, I know. I drink Gladiator smoothie Kings almost every day. Don't know if you have one over that way or not. You are eating WAY too fast....pace yourself!

I do get hungry very often but just a little something makes it go away. I snack ALL the time, so much that people make fun of me. I still love to eat! I also have much better luck eating dry foods, like crackers, crunchy things, etc. My weakness is chicken salad with Old London bagel crisps. I still have to work on drinking enough because I am not a big fan of Water, etc.

A little Xanax is not going to hurt you on an as needed basis. I would try grinding my chicken (like chicken salad). Strings (shredded) chicken would be difficult to swallow. The world is not going to end if you put a little light mayo and mix it in there to help it go down. Chicken salad is my favorite thing to eat. I buy it locally and it is kind of like putty and has very little mayo in it but tons of protein. Take heart in knowing that very soon you can have anything in moderation. Try to focus on something else because your anxiety will get away from you if not. Positive thoughts!

You are not self centered silly. You sound alot like me and I know your symptoms are very real but I also know that sometimes I can focus too much about something and work myself into a tizzy. Stress can do some crazy things and they are all "real". Try more hot liquids. Also, although you are not supposed to drink AND eat at the same time, I would still take tiny sips of water, etc. while I ate because it felt that things would get stuck in my throat. NOBODY should follow my lead on this but I still drink coffee and some coke, etc. It has not stretched out my stomach or anything like that. Of course, moderation... I promise it will get easier! Do not say you are in a bad place...keep telling yourself you are in a good place because you are so lucky to be where you are right now.

Your welcome. No, didn't follow low carb diet. I tried to eat sensibly but didn't always follow the rules. As long as I got my protein in and wanted to eat a couple of oreos I would. Now I probably eat too many sweets but I am getting back on track with more vegetables and fruit. I need to lose a couple of pounds....I know...that sounds pitiful doesn't it? I knew that I was not ever going to follow a low carb diet the rest of my life so I eat anything, just in moderation.

It will get easier. I did not have the trouble you are having. At first it was difficult but got easier with time. Again, saltines and cheddar cheese saved my life! For some reason it was the perfect consistency for me because it wasn't runny and it wasn't hard to swallow after dissolving it in my mouth. Can't say enough about it. Not to mention it took the hunger and weakness away. All of this is very emotional and possibly you are just stressed out about it all and finding it difficult to swallow. I know it sounds crazy but I had the same symptoms when I got a divorce.. I couldn't swallow and everything got stuck in my throat...stress related. If they don't see anything then possibly it is a mental thing and maybe relaxing more about it will help you. I promise, it gets very easy and you will have no regrets!

I had to have food so I read up on what other doctors approved and although I am not suggesting this I ate saltines and cheese. Once chewed they literally dissolve in your mouth and are considered a soft solid. If you paid for your surgery out of pocket because your insurance didn't approve it and you have ANY complications from the surgery your health insurance probably wouldn't pay for it and a leak or whatever could cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars so that in itself should be enough to make you behave.. Your stomach is in NO way healed and you could do yourself major harm so stick to your plan, you can do it!