NewStarter

Hi Misti, I envy you not being hungry during the pre-op diet. I thought I would die of hunger, though to be honest, some of that may have been psychological. If you're like most people, I don't think you'll have any trouble "knowing when you're full" post-surgery. For the first month or so, even when all I consumed was about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of protein shake or a small bowl of cream soup, I felt like I had just eaten THANKSGIVING DINNER. I would say, just go with the flow for a while, and the surgery will take care of eating issues while you develop new habits. For me (and many others!) eating tends to be a bit of a negative experience for a while right after surgery, so you don't need to worry very much about eating out of boredom or stress. You'll be busy sipping your water, making sure you take your vitamins, and you will "re-learn" eating routines. It will be interesting to see if you develop hunger feelings after a few months. I thought I'd never be hungry again, but after a couple months, I did start feeling hungry again. It's just that I fill up very quickly now, where it used to be that I would eat a very large amount before feeling full.

Today is such a happy day for me! Finally, I'm down into the 100s, and I don't ever want to go back to the 200s. My history is that of a "yo-yo" dieter. The last time my weight dropped below 200 was in 2008, and it only lasted a couple of months. (phentermine prescription weight loss program). I've been very eager to get here and frustrated because most of August for me was a "stall" period. My weight see-sawed around 204-202-204-203-202. The truth be told, a few weeks ago, I was probably taking in too many carbs and snacking a bit too much, but I also think right around the low 200s is kind of a "set point" for me. It just seems to be a threshold that's been hard to cross. What I did when I finally got disgusted at losing no weight was, for a couple days, go back to protein shakes and super-light fare... something like the soft and mushy diet of cream soups. After just a couple days, that seemed to "shrink" my sleeve a little, and it became easier to get full faster. So now, the scale is moving down again, with a 3 pound loss this week. I am SO DELIGHTED with the sleeve and the results I've seen. Being 54 years old, I am not seeing weight melt away super-quickly like some of the younger people, but almost every week since the surgery (except for the August fluctuation) has brought me closer to my goal. I feel so, so, so much better! I don't dread getting dressed in the morning. My clothes are starting to fit again and hang right on me. I no longer wear black stretch pants every day. My life no longer revolves around being obsessed with what there is to eat in the refrigerator or whether I can get away with hitting the drive-thru at 3 in the afternoon. And, my husband is starting to be proud of me again. I'm so glad to have done this. It was expensive but worth every cent of the cost. My next goal is to weigh less than my husband (he weighs about 190). Yippee!! Happy Day!!

Hi Member, My surgery was May 9. I do remember having a brief stall right around the same time after surgery as you, when weight loss slowed down. Just keep following the plan, and it happens! You asked how much and what I eat. First off, I've been lucky, because my sleeve seems to tolerate most any food in small quantities. About the only things I can't deal with are "rubbery" or hard foods like ground sausage or dry or rubbery chicken or veggie patties (I used to love them! HATE them now!) and cooked mushrooms, which make me instantly throw up. Also, soft bread mainly turns me off; and if I eat more than a bite or two of it, it makes me feel like I have heartburn. Here is a typical day for me: (1) Breakfast - one egg and some fruit or a piece of crisp toast; -OR- 2 pieces of turkey bacon and fruit or toast; -OR- bowl of oatmeal with fruit; -OR- mini-bagel with cream cheese spread. (2) lunch - piece of meat leftover from dinner the night before cut up on a salad; -OR- small bowl of Soup (about 1 cup); -OR- tuna salad over lettuce or a tomato; -OR- Protein bar from costco (210 calories, 10 grams protein). (3) Afternoon snack around 3 - piece of string cheese or 2 oz of smoked salmon, sometimes half a banana or some other fruit (4) Dinner - piece of meat a little smaller than a deck of cards - steak, hamburger, chicken, pork, whatever and some cooked vegetables or a small salad or fruit. -OR- sometimes a starch-based food like risotto or Pasta, but I try not to do that very often. As far as the sleeve stretching, I'm no expert. My doctor did tell me at 4 weeks, "Make sure you MEASURE your food, or you'll stretch your sleeve and end up right back where you started from." I think he was exaggerating somewhat, but I do think the sleeve will stretch (and shrink) small amounts. Also, eating carbs makes a lot of people hungrier, and sometimes you can sneak in more calories with soft foods like rice, potatoes, and pasta. I found that by doing the Protein shake and simpler foods for a couple days, when I went back to my "regular" diet, it seemed like I could feel the solid food filling up my sleeve more easily. Maybe it didn't shrink, but it felt like it. Also, you asked me about exercise. I'm a college teacher and had the summer off. I took it REAL easy most of the summer, lying around reading books, taking afternoon naps. I like to work in the garden, and recently I've been starting to go for walks. But so far, no big exercise programs. I do need to work on that but figure I can get into it slowly. It gets easier when there's less bulk to move around. My husband says when we walk together that I'm MUCH faster than I was last spring!

I think it's a real positive that you are so honest with yourself. Also, I would share with you that the pro-op "liver shrinking" diet was hands-down the hardest part for me of the whole thing. (Harder by far than the surgery and recovery, which seemed like a breeze!) I didn't have any major binges in the last week, but I cheated every chance I got in little ways. And felt horrible about it. You are nervous about the procedure coming up, you still have your full stomach so you're extra hungry and on a low calorie diet, and maybe you feel like it's your last chance to indulge in these comfort foods. I don't want to candy coat the situation for you (to use your pun), but just try to take the long view, if you can. The surgery DOES go easier if you tough out the pre-op stuff and follow the directions. And you still have four days left! Do your best. After the surgery, you won't be hungry again for a long time. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm a little over 3 months out, and things do change drastically. I'm down 40 lbs. since the surgery. It's not as fast as I had hoped, but it's pretty consistent. Good luck! p.s. If nothing else works, try the "scare yourself" tactic ... that's what I did. I was scared the doctor would stop the surgery if my liver was too big.

That is hilarious! I think it's blog-worthy!

Good luck! Will look forward to hearing about your experience after you get home.

Dear Community, This is a brief account of my surgery experience and first weeks after. I am 54, need to lose about 100 pounds, and researched this procedure thoroughly beforehand. My surgery date was 5/9. I just want to say that overall, it was (surprisingly!) much easier than I expected. I did NOT have a great deal of pain or discomfort, nor am I finding the post-sleeve eating and other routines to be that difficult. I'm so happy to have done this. As with most people, having bariatric surgery certainly WAS NOT my first choice! In fact, I was a bit shocked and insulted when my PCP suggested it to me 4 years ago. But since then (2009), having lost about 50 pounds and regained it TWICE -- and having developed some serious health issues -- I realized this had to happen. It did take a while to get my family on board. Since I've already told my "pre" story, I won't go in to all that -- you can read my earlier post. But suffice to say, I went in to this with "eyes wide open." I prepared an advance directive and a living will, too. It was difficult for me to know how to respond when the nurse, nutritionist, or someone else would say, "Are you excited about your surgery?" Well, no. I'm actually pretty scared. This is a desperation move, not something I'm doing for "fun." The pre-op "liver shrinking diet" was difficult for me, but I followed it pretty closely and worked at being in the best possible shape. My heaviest weight was about 255. I lost around 12 pounds in the 3 months it took to get prepared and "approved" for the procedure -- about 4 of that the last week. By the time May 9 rolled around, I was very happy the wait was over. Here are a few things I'd like to share about my experience: 1 - The doctor fixed a hiatal hernia I didn't know I had, which made the surgery a bit longer. That was something nobody had prepared me for ahead of time. Luckily for me, I didn't have much pain or trouble as a result of that secondary (necessary) procedure. A little chest ache was all. 2 - I was DYING of thirst every moment from the time I woke up until about 9 days after the surgery. Sipping ice Water was no problem for me, whatsoever. I asked for water in the recovery room -- they gave me ice chips. I had no problem swallowing water the night of the surgery, and icy cold water felt best. 3 - The only really "bad" moment was when I first woke up from surgery. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Also, I was discombobulated -- the clock said 3:30! My surgery had been scheduled for 10 a.m. but started late. Still, it seemed really late when I woke up. 4 - I felt stupid having my own pajamas and all these toiletries in the hospital. I used NONE of it. I was in a gown, and they wouldn't let me change out of it. My bathrobe did come in handy though, for covering my hind quarters as I walked around the floor. They brought me to my room around 4:30 p.m. They got me up to walk at 3 a.m., and I was discharged at 3:30 p.m. the next day. I had an upper GI exam that morning and also needed to be able to urinate and drink before I could leave. No problem. Was VERY glad to get that JP drain pulled and IVs out. 5 - When I got home, I didn't know what to do with myself. I was pretty spaced out. I wandered around the house a bit. My stomach was very swollen. I looked like a pregnant woman who had been in a knife fight. Spent a lot of time the first couple days drinking water and taking short walks and napping. By the third day, I was able to take a 15-minute walk outside with my dog. 6 - Someone told me it's best not to weigh yourself for the first couple days. That's good advice. I couldn't resist and felt very glum when I noticed up was UP six pounds three days after the surgery. I said to my husband, "Do you think I'll really lose weight with this? Or will I just stay fat or even get fatter?" He said, "Well, if you get fatter, they'll be marketing you to third world countries, because that's just not logical." (I had taken in a total of about 500 calories in the first 3 days!) 7 - At my two-week checkup, I had lost 17 pounds. I think about 15 of it was post-surgical. I lost about a pound a day for the first 2 weeks. The third week (last week), I had lost another 4 pounds. My policy is, I weigh myself on Thursdays. 8 - I was incredibly happy to get off the "liquid diet" phase. Those Meal Replacement shakes were starting to make me ill. They get OLD. The best thing I had during the liquid phase was cream of chicken Soup jazzed with non-flavored Protein powder and mixed with some homemade chicken broth. I'm REALLY glad I made homemade chicken broth and froze it in 8-oz containers prior to the surgery. It came in really handy. 9 - My husband has been so supportive. He says I already look a lot better, and I think that's true, too. I'm even moving better (already!) -- more lively and energetic. I know I'm lucky to have time to adjust to this. I am a college teacher and don't teach during the summers. 10 - I didn't know I would have to inject myself with blood thinners for 14 days. That was unpleasant. I did get used to doing it, though. I found it easiest to do when I first woke up, and I would just lie on my bed and give myself the shot in my stomach. They also prescribed anti-nausea medicine and hydrocodone for pain. It was difficult to turn over or sleep on my side for the first 4 nights or so; but the pain wasn't bad. After about a week, I didn't feel like I needed any pain meds. (I stopped taking them during the day after about 3 days.) 11 - I bought a mortar and pestle yesterday to grind up the Calcium citrate tablets. It just seems ridiculous, to me, to spend up to 20 cents per pill for chewable calcium, when you have to take so much of it -- it was costing about $1.20 a day just for calcium chews. Now, I pulverize the hard tablets and put them in applesauce. 12 - I've eaten a couple things that made me instantly sick -- things with too much "texture." It's taught me that it's really best to follow the doctor's guidelines. Not fun throwing up. 13 - I drink about 6 oz. of coffee in the morning. My doctor's office says it's OK, and it makes my life happier! 14 - My next BIG GOAL is for the first digit of my weight to be a "1," which is something that happened briefly in 2008, during my "diet pill" attempt. I have about 20 pounds to go before that happens. 15 - This is weird and different for me. The thing I like best is not being very hungry, and also feeling full after eating about 3/4 cup of food. But it's a big adjustment, because prior to this, I was a bulk eater and a snacker. I know the new reality will have its challenges. 16 - My fear is that I'll eat small amounts too often and stretch my stomach or just take in too many calories. I have to be very vigilant in avoiding Snacks. Since this surgery cost me a LOT of money, I'm just going to think of that bill every time I'm tempted to snack. 18 - I am finding it difficult to get 60 grams of protein a day in and for now am simply doing the best I can. (40-50) I know I could add a Protein shake at around 4 p.m., but quite honestly, I'm so turned off now by the thought of those shakes (after almost 4 weeks of drinking Boost, Glucerna, and Ensure!) that it makes me nauseous even thinking about it. I do have unjury powder when I need it -- chocolate and unflavored. 19 - I've been going to bed kind of early and also napping/reading some in the afternoons. Maybe I'm lazy, but I feel like I need time to heal, and I tire a bit more easily than before. 20 - Overall, I'm THRILLED with the progress so far. It's hard to be patient sometimes -- you want everything to happen at once! But I had a lot of fears of the unknown, and my experience was really not bad at all. Most of my recovery and first weeks have been smooth sailing. Thanks for listening. I just wanted to share that it's been really good so far for me.

Hi Knitting Girl! You asked about food tolerances and things that made me ill. The "offending" foods were a Morningstar Veggie Patty on one occasion and some baked chicken on another. I chewed both really well, but within 10 minutes of eating them, my stomach was in extreme pain, then I threw up. I think in both cases it was that the foods had too much texture or hardness -- it felt like I had swallowed rocks. I started trying out a few really soft foods even before the 2-week "liquid" phase was up -- scrambled egg and cottage cheese. Both of these I tolerated well. I tried adding unflavored Protein Powder to a scrambled egg but found it made it too rubbery. Once I started "soft and mushy," I did really well with baked cod or haddock and canned chicken. Right now I have only 3 days left until the "official" 4-week mark, so I will be testing out various meats, and am hoping I can eat basically the same things for dinner as my husband and son. Good luck to you in your journey, and thanks for your reply!!

Hi! Hang in there! I feel like a kindred spirit to you, and it helps to hear what you're going through. I'm getting ready to start pre-op diet Wednesday. I'm starting it a week early because I have a "fatty liver" and am very worried it might interfere with my surgery. Spent 1/2 hour in Costco yesterday staring at all the vitamins, looking for ones that meet the requirements. The ONLY thing that was right was the B-12. None of the chewable calcium seemed to be the right formula, and I couldn't find any chewable multivitamins except gummies. They told us in the pre-op class not to buy gummies. Today I'm headed to Wal-Mart for meal replacement shakes, more vitamin shopping, and other odds and ends. It does feel weird to be buying all this "stuff" -- a lot of it pretty unappealing -- that one never imagined needing. But like you, I want to be prepared. I don't want to come home from the hospital and be thrashing around trying to get something and not know where to get it. I'll look forward to hearing how it goes for you! Like you, I believe it's going to get lots better. A summer of good change is ahead for both of us.

Hello Fellow Members, I just joined the group today, and my VSG date is set for May 9. Right now I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and nervous, getting ready for the pre-surgical appointments and preparing to shop for the "liver shrinking diet" supplies. I plan to do the pre-surgical diet for about 3 weeks, as opposed to the 2 required. A little about me ... I'm 54, female, and I teach English at a community college. I've been struggling with obesity for a long time, but especially for the past 12 years. I've probably lost and gained at least 500 pounds in my life. Surgery wouldn't have been my first choice, but I can't do this any more. My family (husband and 2 sons) are supportive overall but probably somewhat baffled about the whole thing. None of them have serious weight issues. I decided to do this on the night of Thanksgiving this past year, when I got very sick (brought on by overeating!) and had an episode of severe leg pain. It may have been aggravated by a pulled muscle in my back from gardening that afternoon; or possibly it was something related to diabetes. All I know is, it was a wake-up call to be driven to the emergency room at 5 a.m. feeling helpless, sick, and out of control, barely able to walk. After the holidays and a family vacation, I attended a free seminar on bariatric surgeries and decided to pursue a VSG. Between February and now I've gone through preliminaries -- psychological and nutritional evaluations, physicals, and instructional meetings. Insurance approval isn't an issue -- I'm paying for this on my own. Right after I decided to have the VSG (in February) I started having terrible nightmares. I'm past that now, have been working on my overall health, trying to exercise more, and trying to prepare for the big lifestyle change. The information I have found online related to VSG has been the most helpful element in my journey so far. I've watched surgeries and reviewed many testimonials. Joining this forum will, I hope, help me to feel a bit less lonely and frightened in this journey. And who knows? Perhaps eventually I can help others as well. My dream is to be 100 pounds lighter a year from now. I know it will require a lot of focus, energy, and hard work; but from everything I've read and heard, the VSG is a great tool for success. So, here's to my new start. I look forward to getting to know some of you via this forum and reading your stories.