VSGAnn2014

At 5'3" and 231 pounds you are morbidly obese, with a BMI of 40.1. Medicare would approve your WLS with ZERO comorbidities. The person who calls themselves a nutritionist seems, to put it politely, uninformed. Everyone is absolutely right. Find another nutritionist--or bypass them altogether. And no, everyone does not regain all their weight. That's irresponsible of the nut either not to know that's wrong or, if she does know it's wrong, to tell such a lie. Outrageous!

Great topic. Thanks for starting this, @Rogofulm.

Why don't you try it and see what happens? Worst that could happen is that, since you're addicted to it ("Oh, it is hard!!!) that you keep drinking soda, stretch out your stomach, not lose any more weight, and regain back all the weight you've lost. Or not. Go ahead ....

I'm 69 years old. I look MUCH younger now than I did 65 pounds ago. Needless to say, I worried about looking older. But it just hasn't worked out that way at all.

I've just made another new year's resolution. In 2015, I'm not going to respond to any more threads that begin with topics like this one, whether posted seriously by idiots or trollishly by trolls. I'm also through responding to threads that start like this: "Help me, please! I'm gaining weight. What am I doing wrong?" Since I have no effing idea what they're doing, right or wrong, and because they probably have no idea what they ate yesterday or last week or last month, I can't help anyway. I will no longer explain why "I'm nauseous" doesn't mean "I'm nauseated" or why "affect" isn't an alternative way to spell "effect." In 2015, I will limit my posts to the benefits of Spanx, not telling idiots about your WLS, and eating Protein first. Happy New Year!

Hell no, I didn't need this surgery to lose weight. I've lost weight so many times before. However, it was getting VERY hard to lose weight as I grew older. (I'm 69.) But apparently, demonstrably, and empirically, I needed this surgery to have a last-gasp chance at maintaining any weight loss long-term. And that's why I had WLS. But like @@CowgirlJane says, if you're not sure, try it again and see if you can lose all the weight you need/want to lose and if you can keep it off. Between 3-5% of people who lose weight through diet and exercise alone are able to keep it off. Maybe you will be part of that 3-5%. Somebody has to be. I wasn't.

For the millionth time, I truly do not understand why people feel *compelled* to tell their entire extended families about their WLS. If you're truly someone who doesn't give a flying F**K what others think, then go for it. You're just that kind of person and no one's comments or behavior will bother you. But if you're worried that family members' comments and behavior are going to aggravate and irritate you and bring you down during your weight loss and maintenance journey, then don't tell them. As an exercise, make a long list of all the other stuff you don't feel compelled to tell all your relatives. Do you really feel like not telling them those things is "dishonest" -- or are those things simply none of your relatives' business? Know your own needs and your relatives' shortcomings. And respect them.

Have the surgery. Don't expect teenage boys who think they're immortal to understand ANY of this. Later on, when you're getting healthier, they'll think this was all their idea.

Dad, Your pre-op nerves are normal. But keep the faith. Sure, you can have pizza and margaritas again. However, I wouldn't have either of those soon after surgery though. Follow your doctor's instructions to the letter, and you'll be just fine. Eventually, we all have to figure out how to maintain our weight loss. That's when we get to figure out how much pizza and margaritas will figure into our menu. One thing's for sure -- we can eat or drink as much of either as we once did, especially if they were our go-to foods. I'm 20 weeks post-op, and I've had pizza several times already (I love thin crust supreme with everything on it). But I can eat only a single slice. I have NOT had a margarita in years -- but avoided them pre-op, too. They're VERY high calorie, with all that sugar mix. Of course, there's always "Skinny Girl Margaritas." (Are guys even allowed to drink that stuff?!?) You're going to be fine. Get up. Suit up. Show up.

And I can't believe you all watch that shit. It's a reality show! That means it's mostly scripted, made up shit. That's the way ALL reality shows are shot. Even The Biggest Loser. Google is your friend.

Coco Chanel: 'I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you at all.'

To the OP: How much do you weigh now?

And some people here wonder why WLS gets a bad rap? This is why.

Well, the almond roca was a small price to pay to recognize this big trigger and its significance. Next step -- figure out how to respond differently to this particular trigger.

You're gaining muscle. You're eating carbs and building up some glycogen in your liver. And you probably aren't drinking enough extra Water with all the extra exercise you're getting, to keep your body hydrated. Ergo, on all counts, you're retaining water. Here's the deal. For those of us who choose not to exercise and then exercise a lot we experience a momentary weight gain. Long-term, the extra muscles help us lose more weight. But short-term, we do gain some extra weight. Because we're all (overly) foused on the scales during the weight loss portion of our journeys, we usually freak out at this *good* weight gain that really reflects better health. Chances are you won't keep hiking this much in the coming weeks and you'll see that extra weight disappear. But wouldn't it be wonderful for your long-term health if you DID keep hiking this much? I think we should all focus more on how healthy and strong we are getting, not just on what the scales say. (Preaching to myself here, obviously.)

We lost our magnificent, beautiful sweetheart doggie unexpectedly a month ago. I still can't talk about it. It's brutal.

Extraordinary! Wow!

A different viewpoint -- I know for a fact that all women are not alike. And because I've been married to more than one man, I think I know that all men are not alike.

Steve, FYI ... I had only a single puree stage -- not two. Your program is actually the first I've ever heard of with two different puree stages. So many different programs people are given!

Just out of curiosity (I promise not to send you any follow-up questions or comments), why are you and your medical team considering following WLS with a year-long 300-400 calorie/day diet?

No.

I weigh every day. Doesn't freak me out when I go up 0.4 pound or whatever. I'm just curious about this process.

I agree with the therapy suggestion. Imma guess he has lots of feelings about his situation that he just needs help expressing--to himself.

@@emp409 ... For sleevers, how much you can eat depends on two things -- well, three things actually: 1. How long ago you had VSG surgery -- The longer you are post-op, the more you can eat, up to a point. And not everyone has the same point. Some are never able to eat more than 3-4 ounces. Some can eat 8 ounces. A few can eat more than that. 2. WHAT you are eating -- If you always eat Protein first (and we are told to do that to avoid regaining weight), that really kicks in your new, smaller tummy's restriction and always will. But if instead you eat what's called "slider foods" -- high-carb, highly processed foods that have less nutritional value (think crackers, Cookies, ice cream, other Desserts, pastas) and drinks with lots of calories (think sodas, sweet tea, sweet cocktails, lots of juices, etc.) you'll experience a lot less restriction and the food / drink will just slide right on down, leaving more room for more food. 3. Whether you violate the Rx to "Never drink with your meals" -- By drinking with your meals, you speed up the food's movement down out of the stomach into the intestine -- leaving more room in your smaller tummy for more food. (See #2 above.) By not eating protein first, Indulging in lots of slider foods and drinking with your meals you can eat more. These behaviors will also enable you to regain the weight you've lost. Best wishes to you.

I honestly think you are fortunate -- both that you want it so badly and that you will have some time to learn about what this journey is about before you embark on it. There's a lot you can learn and a lot of behavior changes you can make starting today that will help you be successful after surgery. Make a list of all the behavior changes you will be making -- and starting making those changes now. I did that, and it has helped me enormously! Very best to you.