VSGAnn2014

I never know what to say in response to threads like this one, since there's no way to know how compliant the OP was post-op.

Nope. No crying here. No blow-ups at people. I've been on an even keel post-op.

Why do you have to do the knee surgery now? Why not wait? Why have 3 incredibly major surgeries in a 3-month period?

Oh, hell. I had surgery at 68 and healed like a teenager. Had a very easy recovery (and a GREAT surgeon, which helped so much, I know). And I'm feeling great 7-1/2 weeks post-op. Oh, and had gall bladder surgery 4 weeks post-op, too. Did great with that, too. We're older, and we have more insurance!

JCP, you're such a post-op newb at this point--about a month out. Why would you assume your first month's experiences presage what your future will be? Everything else changes--what you can eat, how you feel, how much you can exercise, how much Water you can drink at one time, what you will weigh. My own tastes have changed tremendously in 7-1/2 weeks. I expect your tastes will also change, as so many others' have Buck up.

Hi, Misty -- good to hear an update from you. I'm doing very well, too. All that worrying we all did for ... everything turning out well in the end.

Welcome to the Internet. Block the ads you don't like if they bother you. Easy to do.

Excellent point! I certainly cannot prove it, but I agree that surgical skill / technique / post-op care and processes are huge causative factors in WLS patients' post-op recovery experiences. I credit my surgeon and his surgical team (and the thousands of VSGs they've done together) for the greatest part of my easy recovery. When you have a patient operated on by a surgeon who's done 150 VSGs vs. a patient who's operated on by a surgeon who's done 3,500 VSGs, you've got two very different situations happening. The surgeon with 3,500 VSGs in the bag has observed and refined and improved their techniques over the years. The one who's done only 150 VSGs thus far is basically still learning how not to screw it up.

I think some people are just clueless. And it's not personal with us -- they just don't notice things. Also, if you've lost and gained weight a lot in the past (as I have), I think people get "over" commenting when you've lost weight. They just figure we'll regain it like we have in the past. In my case, I can understand that. But I certainly notice your 70 pound weight loss and am delighted to acknowledge it here. That sincerely is a lot of weight to lose this summer/fall. It's downright amazing, actually. Congratulations!

Uh ... calibration. You weigh on the same scales at the doc's office every time you go there. Once you know what the doc's scales weighed you at, you go home and immediately weigh yourself in the same outfit / kit to see what the difference is. Then the next time you go, you wear the same clothes and adjust the half-pound weights in your pockets (and whatever else you are "packing") to weigh that same "home scale" weight you weighed the first time. Worked every time.

Free speech and expression is a right we all enjoy. So I'm thinking of responding to some of the overt religious proselyizing around here in signature blocks with this addition to my own signature block: "I prefer that you not share your religious beliefs with me. Thank you for your consideration."

wishfull, you aren't thinking creatively. When you weigh in at your surgeon's office, no one checks your pockets, your bra, your undergarments -- and what you have in them. They probably don't make you take your shoes off or fuss at you if you take your own shoes off. Since I'm speaking anonymously here, I "wore" seven pounds of half-pound weights, my cell phone, my husband's cell phone, a camera, 2-pounds of heavy shoes, heavy jewelry, two blouses, two sweaters, and the contents of two 16-ounce bottles of Water drunk within the half hour prior to the multiple weigh-ins to continue to qualify at the BMI my insurance company and my surgeon required in order for my surgery to occur. As Apple said a long time ago, think different.

Idaho, the first few weeks it's very challenging to get in all the Protein AND all the Water. Just keep doing a little better every day. Figure out what will work for you on the water. Here are some tricks I've seen people use: * drink water from a camelbak water bottle (google it) * set timers (5 minutes, 10 minutes, whatever) and sip the same number of sips every time. * count your water bottles drained * drink targets of X ounces every Y hours. (Keeps me focused, I know.) * take a water bottle with you on your daily walk(s) * alternate a bottle of zero-cal flavored water with a bottle of unflavored water. (Or alternate sips of flavored / unflavored water.) * drink decaffeinated herbal tea (works for me) * drink coconut water (expensive, but some people swear by it) * drink water while driving - set goals for water drunk "to the grocery store" or "driving to work" * record every 8 ounces drunk (MyFitnessPal allows you to do this, too) * add lemon or lime juice to your water * add Mio drops to your water * drink X ounces of water every time you, e.g., go to the bathroom, stand up, sit down, let the dog or the cat in/out of the house, pass a mirror, etc. * put ice chips in your water (if you like ice chips) * try a straw (yes, I know the docs say not to use straws, but some people say they do help; hey, experiment!) You can probably think of some more ways to help increase your water intake. Good luck.

Great post, CGJ. Really great. And speaks to me, too.

I think there's an important balance we each must find between "marketing ourselves" and "being ourselves." My own balance would lean more in the direction of being myself. I dress to please myself, not random men I haven't met yet. (Can you tell I have a "button" on the "dressing to please" advice?)

akflatt, you need to stay off the Internet if you're that easily frightened. Seriously, that dude is one sick creep. He's famous for his hate speech. Did you dig deep enough to read what he calls people who are obese and overweight? How about this: "You fat pig. You're disgusting. No one will ever want to fuck you. You eat **** all long, never get your fat ass off the couch, and you never will. Why don't you just kill yourself now?" THAT's whom you're taking advice from? The "research" he cites is old, wrong, twisted by him and, in some cases, fabricated by him. Go read www.asmbs.org. That's a site that cites facts that are actually true.

Protip: It's time to open the door, go outside and keep walking. You're feeling stress. Go get rid of some of it. You're going to feel all kinds of feelings on this journey, especially in these early days. But how we will win this war is to learn how to manage our stress and soothe our unpleasant feelings WITHOUT turning to food -- of any kind, in any volume. Food doesn't fix our feelings. It just makes us fat. This is your big chance to stop doing what you always did before and do what will support YOU in becoming and staying healthier.

All Pasta and all breads are carbs. Sounds like adding those foods is the only change you've made, and now you're craving sweets. I suggest you ditch the pasta / breads. If what you're doing now isn't working well, go back and do what you were doing when you were doing well. Good luck.

Good heavens, no! Don't force anyone to stay up all night with you. Let them rest. They're going through a lot, too. But they're not getting the good drugs like you are. You'll have nurses and a buzzer. That's what they're there for. Buck up.

(grinning) urdoinitrite.

Good show on starting this thread and acknowledging your self-destructive behavior. One thing is very clear: If you keep doing in the future what you are doing now, you will regain all your weight lost. Not trying to be mean -- just real. You've got to change your behavior and address the feelings that you're trying to eat away. I would urge you to find a therapist who can help you develop some effective ways to soothe yourself in ways that don't involve food. Very best wishes to you.

When WLS post-op patients can no longer soothe their anxieties and other unpleasant emotions with food, they may transfer their food addiction to alcohol, sex, shopping, gambling, drugs, cigarettes, etc. I don't know how many people suffer transfer addictions. However, they're a very well known risk of WLS. But they are NOT guaranteed after WLS for the majority of patients. But the risk is why most surgeons urge that new WLS patients don't drink for X period of time post-op. There are so many new behaviors and disciplines to work on post-op (which, if you groove them in strongly, actually WILL determine your long-term success) that you should avoid anything to derail your progress. Some people do (and some don't) follow this advice. I think that most social drinkers start to drink occasionally post-op. Like CGJ said, most people do NOT become addicted. FTR, I'm 7 weeks post-op today and have sampled alcohol twice since surgery: 1 oz. wine (at a party) and 1/2 ounce scotch (after dinner one night). I'm not sensing any urge to drink even as much as I did pre-op.

I agree. Ignore it . You cannot convince people to "feel" differently about WLS. And most people are ignorant (uneducated), so they only "feel" about the subject, they don't "think." You know more about WLS than you could ever teach any of your friends. They're not that interested in learning about it. Seriously.

Do you think it would help to wear a patch again? (I'm just shooting in the dark here.)

I was sleeved 7 weeks ago tomorrow (close to you) and also had a 2-week surgeon-ordered pre-op diet. So far, the only exercise I'm doing is walking the dog 30 minutes a day. And I almost always get in 60 grams Protein and between 600-800 calories a day. Oh, and I'm 68 years old. Here are my stats (might make you feel better): June 3 - 235 lbs. (went on my own diet) August 4 - 224 lbs. (started surgeon's pre-op diet) August 18 - 216 lbs. (surgery day) October 5 (today) - 198 lbs. Since early June I've lost 37 pounds (including the 11 I lost on my own before the surgeon-ordered pre-op diet). Since I started the surgeon's pre-op diet, I've lost 26 pounds. Since surgery, I've lost 18 pounds.