bogeydog

Have you tried one of those abdominal binders? I found that to be helpful in the month after surgery. You can get them at any drugstore or at Walmart.

Ok -- i never post anymore but saw this and felt compelled. I too worried about these percentage numbers before my surgery. I mean, to go through such a drastic remedy and only lose slightly over 1/2 of my excess weight would still leave me pretty overweight. But, as everyone here has said, each person on here is individual and numbers are just numbers and don't define your journey. So, i took a leap of faith -- mostly faith in myself and had the surgery. That was 13 months ago. Here are my actually numbers. I am 46 years old and 5'4. I went from 220 lbs to 135 and am in normal BMI range. I went from a tight size 16 (so probably an 18) to a size 4-6 (except at old navy, where i am a 2 -- i love old navy). In other words, i have lost over 100 percent of my excess weight. I am not a nazi about my food or exercise. While all of those "numbers" are awesome, they are not the best part. The best part is that my life no longer, for the first time in my adult life, revolves around food or what the scale says. My day is not defined as good or bad based on what i weigh or what i ate. I don't define myself as good or bad based on that criteria anymore either. That is freedom. Enjoy your journey.

My surgery date was June 11. Day of surgery I was 217, 37.2 BMI. I am now at 178, 30.6 BMI. I have gone from severely obese to "just" obese -- another 4 pounds and I am in overweight territory. Woo hoo!

I had that too. It goes away within a week. I am 4 weeks out.

Happened to me too. Read it could be the stress of the surgery combined with the hormones.

Patrick -- I know you are having your surgery next week and my thoughts and prayers are with you. I had the exact same doubts you did and asked the exact same question. I was sleeved June 11. While everyone's post operative experience is different, here is what no one told me that turned out to be my answer. I don't have any problem with eating foods I shouldn't right now because the idea of food -- any food -- grosses me out. I cannot imagine trying to eat a hamburger or fries or donuts or anything like that, and I am pretty sure that if I did it would make me really sick. While I am sure that this will change, by then I will have a month worth of detox -- at least- under my belt, which means I don't have to worry about kicking this stuff, just not restarting. If your experience is like mine, trying to keep away from junk will not be your biggest problem -- forcing yourself to eat will be. Getting used to being tired and giving yourself time to recover will be. Keeping hydrated will be. Staying away from McDonald's and mexican - no. I have lost 25 lbs-- all post op and I still can't believe it. You've got this -- good luck.

My taste buds have also changed. Anything that used to taste sweet now tastes sickly sweet. But frankly, isn't that a good thing? My sweet tooth is what got me into this mess.

Top gun is right. The stomach is basically a holding area where digestive fluids break it down until it can be absorbed by the small intestine. Not a single bit of absorption happens in the stomach.

Carolina and future -- I live in Greenville and grew up in loris -- about 20 minute from Conway, so familiar with both areas. Good luck to both of you.

Good decision -- you never know, but it is really hard to anticipate the fatigue you will feel. I am 2 weeks out and just had to send my daughter as her dad's date to our scheduled lady antebellum concert.

I have been cleared for mushies -- I just don't want them. I don't want anything.

Maybe it is just me, but i detest food -- just the thought of eating makes me sick. I have to force anything down and I know I am not getting enough calories. When will I be able to stomach ( no pun intended) the idea of food? I was sleeved 6/11. I don't want to love food the way I used to, but I don't want to hate it either.

I researched that same issue about not having your stomach and what would you do and here is what I determined. Your stomach is a holding organ -- it just holds the food prior to its entry into the small intestine. Even if they had to remove your entire stomach -- and this had been done before - they can create a pouch out of the top of your small intestines that would serve the same purpose. So while difficult, not impossible to go without one.

I was sleeved on the 11th and I am also so tired. I am due to go back to work on monday and I cannot put it off -- I am the boss and it's been a Miracle to get them to leave me sorta alone for the two weeks. I will be taking off at 2 every day next week and then I am only working 2 days the week of the fourth, and I still don't know how I am going to make it. Please tell me that by a month out I will be semi-normal or I don't know what I am going to do.

You can buy a binder at almost any drug store. Best money I ever spent.