Izuri

I worried this too. I even still sometimes worried it about 20 pounds out, like "Is this all I will lose? Maybe I will stall and not end up losing any more!" But here I am over 50 pounds down and less than 3 months out. You will do great =)

Maybe treat yourself with a few holiday foods you love before you start your optifast diet. Then you won't feel like you cheated yourself out of your holiday foods. Have a pre-holiday dinner with your immediate family? Maybe you could add a little peppermint or pick the chocolate flavor when you're going to be around treats or have some sugar free hard candy on hand for a treat when you have to be around goodies?

Did you move anything heavy? Even after the healing period where you can't lift I have pulled my side muscle too hard doing something and been in pain for a few days. I try and still take it easy on my side though I'm almost 3 months out. Do you have your gallbladder still? That can show up as right side pain under your ribs.

I am. You could ship it to me and send a few bucks and I could forward it to you through USPS/Canada post or you could come pick it up if you're in Michigan sometimes.

Thank you for the information and congratulations!!!!

You have a few very valid points as others have mentioned with the stop obsessing and whatnot, but I feel like your approach to the whole subject is brash and that tone comes across strongly in many of your replies. I don't mind a debate that much, and this one was interesting to read, because when I was early out I got yelled at by a bunch of people for being on the opposite side of the topic and wondering why someone would intentionally go against their doctor's orders. Like that day, I still maintain that I think people should follow their physician's plan, because this surgery is not a one size fits all and not all of us have the same mindset/starting place that others do. This is not to discredit researching on your own, but I feel like I researched my physician enough to trust his judgment on my post-op plan, be it because I will put myself at risk of physical injury, because it will help me lose weight faster in the beginning, or because it will help me build new habits having a structural diet. All of those actually sound like very good and educated reasons to follow a post-op diet as your doctor recommends. Some people have very real addictions to food and for some one or two steps down the wrong path is a hard thing to come back from. For this reason, I think your post is far overreaching in its generalization that cheating is fine. Cheating is fine for you. I do worry that people will use this an excuse to continue down a path that lead them to being obese in the first place. My goal is not to be vindictive or chastise, cause I know that I am by no means perfect, but I love to see people succeed. Every time I see a success on this community it makes me genuinely happy because these are people I have talked to or who have encouraged me or vice versa and I feel connected to. I am happy for you that your choice of foods is going well for you. Personally, I would not have been able to eat many of the things you are eating so soon out. Now that I'm a little farther out, I'm still glad that I didn't eat them, because most days that go by I want them less. I still get cravings, and once in a while will satisfy them, but the slow pace has given me time to evaluate my choices more clearly. I am not clouded all the time by my food addiction. I'm not sure where exactly else I was going with this post, but to let people know (When I was pre-op I came to these boards all the time reading everything I could find) that there are multiple sides of this and that just like you would follow your own doctor's advice on other medical problems, that it may be best to at least have a dialogue with your doctor about what you feel and how you eat. If you are having problems, maybe it is best to work with your doctor to overcome these or find ways to fit things that you enjoy into something that will continue to better your health. Doctors don't read minds and realize that their patients aren't compliant - this information can give them a far better understanding of where you are so that they can treat you better. They are not an enemy forcing you to follow a plan, they are a health care provider, there for you, to help you be healthy. For me, the idea of "cheating" brings me back to a place where I was hiding food, eating things I shouldn't be, eating far too much. I want to be able to have a level headed honest conversation with my doctor who is there to help me through this process. And to the OP - I would be interested if you could ask your friends/family who are bariatric surgeons, nutritionists, anesthesiologists if they could point us toward some research on these topics. I'm sure that they've attended many seminars and have a wide knowledge base on the subject, but I think it'd be very interesting. I've looked myself on PubMed and some of the journals that my nursing school provides, but I haven't had as much luck finding actual studies relating to VSG and post-op diet comparison/information.

Feeling terrified is completely normal! You are having surgery, the reality is that it's scary as heck for most of us. Does that mean it's not worth it? Absolutely not. This procedure can be completely life changing - and every second of it has been worth it to me, all the ups and downs. If I could go back, I would make the same choice, no hesitation. You can do this! Keep yourself busy to keep your mind off stuff, make a list of possible outcomes and how you'll handle them, and make a list of reasons you want this - maybe include pre-surgery pictures, measurements, etc. Let us know how everything goes =)

I thought I would miss stuff a lot. There have been times when my brain has tricked me into thinking I do. The truth is that I really don't. I thought I wanted pizza for about six weeks. I finally decided I would try one piece a week or two ago and all it tasted like was greasy blah and made my stomach do turns. I loved candy pre-op. I used to eat a piece almost every day. I don't miss it and the further I get out from having it, the less I think about any of it. I still will allow myself treats here and there, but it's not as difficult as I thought it would be, at least not at this point.

Do you measure out your foods? Maybe measuring and recording would help you stay on track. If you feel like you're taking the word unlimited too far, then maybe you already know what points you have your downfalls at. I doubt that you are getting in enough veggies to really be way too much physically, but if you're fueling your food addiction, implement strategies to curb this. Post pictures on your fridge of what a normal portion looks like and force yourself to stick to that. Drink a full glass of water before you eat to help fill you up. You can do it!

Ok, first off - Deep breath! You had a major surgery and are going through some major changes right now, it's a hard process. Week 2 I was still using my pain medications some. Do you still have any left? Are you cleared to take liquid Tylenol? If so - make sure you are taking it every 6 hours or so to keep the pain away, sometimes you need to try to treat pain early before it gets to severe. When I'm working with patients I encourage them to not wait until they absolutely need their pain medication to take it, but to try and take it at regular intervals so that they aren't getting a large amount of rebound pain. Then, when you have it under control you can slowly start to taper down as your body is ready. If you have not been cleared for liquid Tylenol or your doctor has not prescribed a liquid pain reliever, call them! If you are having a ton of pain, they need to know about it. Second - You are a week or a little over a week out. You are gonna have pain, you are gonna have to move slow, drinking is gonna be difficult. If at any point you are not getting at least half of your daily fluids down you need to let your doctor know. Dehydration is a big issue with this surgery early on and you don't wanna have to be rehospitalized. It is so frustrating to have to sip sip sip, I know! It drove me crazy some days. But it does get better. I know everyone says that and while it's going on it sure as heck doesn't feel like that, but it does. You will be able to drink regularly or near regularly again in a few months. Your stomach is swollen right now. This is a gross example, but the only one I can think of. Think of a pipe in your sink that is getting clogged, it lets less and less water through - when your body is healing you have fluid and different factors in your body that are creating your esophagus to swell, creating this narrow opening. You just cannot force more down than there's room for. Get some rest and call your doctor if it worsens or continues. Try and remind yourself why you did this - bring out the before pictures, take your current measurements. Write a bunch of ranting journals in your blog (This really helps me =p), treat yourself to a movie on demand, suck on some ice chips instead of trying water, get moving around - getting your blood moving is a big factor in prevent blood clots and promoting healing, get enough rest, if you can't sleep, take some benadryl liquid. Hang in there, it WILL get better.

Yayyyy!!! I can't wait to eventually join you in onederland, congratulations!!

It seems like you've had quite an incredible journey getting to the point where you are now. It's an emotional thing to realize how far you let yourself fall out of your own life. But look how far you have come! It is amazing, really and you look fabulous. You deserve to enjoy every bit of this change, and it seems like from this point on you will be making all those wonderful memories with your family that you will look back on and be proud of. Don't stress too much about the past - you were strong enough to overcome your barriers and make a difference for yourself and those you love, it is really an accomplishment.

Oh gosh, 40 pounds? I had lost about 20-25 at my one month I think. My doctor said I was spot on normal. I wouldn't worry yourself about it, almost all the posts that I have seen here in my time have been around the same weight lost as you and I at that point.

I just want to say you are brave for re-booking and admitting to yourself the reasons you're scared. It's a big surgery, and a scary thing. That doesn't mean it's not worth it. Being obese for the rest of your life and getting sick? That scares the crap outta me too! I freaked out for almost the whole week before surgery, but I made it through and am on the other side and I can say that it is 100% worth it. I would not trade a moment I have had since surgery - because I finally am living my life. I don't know what your particular experiences have been, but I had given up so much to let me food addiction take over my life. I isolated myself and was really down on myself mentally. I am not perfect now, but I feel comfortable engaging in more activities. I know there were risks with my surgery - and not everything post-op has been flowers and cheer. But I wasn't really living for myself then, and I am now. Anyway, I wish you all the best, and I really hope that everything goes well for you. If you are really anxious, I would follow others' advice and schedule a time to talk to your doctor before surgery. I also got some really good advice here the week before surgery. I can't remember who told me, but someone said I should write down every outcome I could think of and how I would handle it. Having a plan really did help. Plus I worked the days leading up to surgery so I'd gotten myself so tired that the night before I pretty much collapsed in my bed. Let us know how things go, and we'll be here for you all the way.

I just wanna echo what some of the other members have said - My surgeon may not have the best bedside talk, in fact he's a very quiet guy and doesn't talk much aside from his questions, but he is a fantastic surgeon and has a great staff. Surgeons are not known for their bright personalities, and if he is still willing to answer you questions completely and you just don't really like his personality, I would try and overlook that. I made a similar comment to my mother before surgery (She has 30+ years experience as a RN working with surgeons) and she said that she has seen some stellar surgeons who really are not that great at talking to patients. Anyway, I would definitely go with the surgeon with the best record and staff. Plus, the staff are who are going to be taking care of you post-op, so your interactions with them will be far more than any interaction with your surgeon. Just my 2 cents.

So I have been trying to hold off from posting progress pictures because I wanted there to be a noticeable difference when I finally did post. I am down just under 50 pounds (-48.2 today) Pre-op Weight: 325.0 Day of Surgery: 318.0 Today: 276.8 I apologize for poor quality pictures - all I have is my cell phone. I will be trying to take clearer pictures soon. I also have ventured into the dating world! I made a profile on a dating website and have gotten some responses. I haven't gone on any dates yet, but the guy I am interested in asked me to grab something to eat sometime soon (I'm not sure if it's a date really). I told him about my VSG today and he seemed to take it in stride. I had told him that I was working on losing weight and stuff before, but I wasn't sure how the response to the procedure would be because people are so hot/cold. This brings me to my questions about dating. I have not dated a lot as an adult and I always worry about that awkward silence that happens sometimes. Do you guys have any tips for avoiding this? I am kind of an anxious person and this tends to amplify my awkwardness. I'd really love to have a great time when we go out and not worry so much. I may have to get one of my friends to help me pick out an outfit and stuff. Any general tips? Thanks!

Almost 50 and people are just starting to notice, but not many people have said anything yet.

Mostly my upper body. I can see my collar bones once in a while now. I have no more double chin. I have started to see it just a tiny bit on my stomach. My body is loathe to lose from my waistline/hips/thighs, so that's probably gonna be the last to go

Yay!!! I hope your surgery went well!

This is totally normal! I had such worries about this pre-op. What if I am having this major surgery and I lose hardly anything? And then again at my longest stall I worried "Is this all I'm going to lose and eventually I'm gonna gain right back?" But I was wrong both times. This is really a lifestyle change and you are going to do wonderful. It's so incredibly worth it. You are not gonna be some odd exception to the rule, you are gonna do awesome. Hang in there! Your surgery is just around the corner!

I gave myself 4 weeks. When I got back to work and was still tired, I was glad I did. If I had absolutely had to, I could have gone back at the beginning of week 3.

I found that once I switched to solid food my weight stalled for a while. I assumed it probably had something to do with fluid retention, which yours may too. If in a couple weeks you are still not on a downward trend I'd start asking questions, but for now you are probably recovering and retaining water.

It must be awesome knowing that this year everyone is getting that new thinner picture of you, you like so vibrant and happy! It's really a wonderful picture and you can tell that you've lost a lot!

This is a hard topic for me. Why are you skipping your period of liquid/puree? The reason for the periods of time is to give your stomach time to heal. Did you get a weekly plan from your doctor? They should have told you the time to stay on liquids and purees. I know it is really hard, but this is a major surgery, and in my opinion, it's worth giving up the food for. There are ways to deal with head hunger and cravings. I really hope you consider at least talking to your doctor about what you're doing, they need to know so that they can help get you back on track. They really don't make up rules for a reason and I don't want to see you end up with a complication that could have been avoided.

You should definitely notify your doctor of this. While it could be something simple, it could also be something serious. At least that way you know and maybe they can get it fixed - I can imagine that it's frustrating. I did just a quick search online and found a ton of reasons - varying from iron deficiency to increased estrogen.