VSGAnn2014

I heard that after WLS your penis grows. And if you didn't have one before, and you eat a lot of Protein, one can magically appear! I read it on the internet.

@@FinallyFit50s ... good on ya!

Obviously, not! My husband chose me. And my body was / is so not perfect. Neither is his. It seems irrelevant to how we feel about each other. BTW, congrats on losing your excess weight and maintaining your weight loss. That's really great!

^^^^ You rock, @@BarrySue !

Nor did my pre-op classes help me with those issues either. I don't suffer from binge-eating. But I have (like many others here) struggled with using food to medicate myself and, frankly, just having some horrifically bad habits. Not to mention eating mindlessly and just not paying enough attention to what I was putting in my mouth. Honestly, my worst triggers for overeating were boredom, procrastination, and daily low-level chronic stress. But everyone's triggers and everyone's overeating issues aren't the same. What matters to you is what your issues / triggers are. And that you learn new ways to deal with whatever underlies your overeating problems. I sought out a good therapist who had considerable experience working with bariatric patients. I've been seeing him for two years now. I started working with him a few months pre-op. There are good ones out there. You may have to hunt a bit to find one you mesh with. But they can be a great resource and make a lot of difference in your long-term success. Best wishes to you.

Julie, do you have any plans to go into therapy about your eating / obesity challenges? If not, I'd strongly recommend you consider it. Very best to you. P.S. A lot of people who have WLS need and find great support from counseling / therapy both pre- and post-op.

It varies considerably, depending on your surgeon's requirements. BTW, this is the pre-op diet that usually is only for two weeks -- to shrink your liver prior to surgery.

Here are typical posts by people still in the WLS honeymoon period: * "82 pounds gone forever!" * "What a relief not to be hungry anymore!" * "I had WLS so I'd never have to diet again!" There's no two ways about it: You will lose the most weight when you're the heaviest and before your new sleeve (if you're sleeved) heals fully and your restriction is greatest. Generously defined, that's six months post-op. And for sleeved patients, our ghrelin (hunger hormones) are greatly reduced post-op. There's controversy about whether or over how long a period our bodies learn how to produce ghrelin again (elsewhere than in the fundus / stretchy portions of our stomach, which was removed during VSG). In any event, most sleeved patients here who are 2-3-4-5 years post-op report that they experience increased appetite the longer they're out. Many sleeve veterans also report that their appetite levels have never returned to pre-op levels. It's also clear that the more sugary and high-starch foods WLS patients eat, the more we crave those foods. Likewise, the more WLS patients graze, the more we reduce weight loss and invite weight regain. All that's to say we have a lot of power to extend our "honeymoon period" (when weight loss is relatively easy). My own story is that I lost 19 pounds pre-op, and by 8.5 months post-op reached my weight goal of 150 pounds. By that point I'd lost 85 pounds. During the next 8 months I went on to lose another 15 pounds. I now weigh 135 pounds and am maintaining pretty easily. I weigh every morning and track all my food / drink using My Fitness Pal. We'll see how I do going forward and how I might have to change my regimen to maintain this weight. I would really like to stay at 135. But I will also be grateful to remain below 150 pounds.

Amen!

At start was a 20 (235 pounds). I now wear sizes 2 - 8 (they vary considerably in actual size) and size 4 in most jeans. I'm 135 pounds.

I didn't tell anyone (other than hubby and a couple of far-away girlfriends) either. Gallbladder scars are very similar to VSG scars. I know -- I had GB surgery 4 weeks after VSG surgery. And 21 months later, they're all pretty much invisible.

Push reset. Go get a cuppa. Start over and do better. (It's called "life.")

Good news! The first three days are the worst for most people. Thereafter, as long as they don't blow it and "cheat" with high-carbs, things chill out and you feel better. But during those three days, headaches, tiredness, irritability and anxiety about not eating are pretty common. Hydration is your friend. Flush that crap out! Hang in there. It's only two weeks. And, as you know, you're doing it to shrink your liver to reduce chances of complications from nicking or damaging the liver while operating in and around it. It's not about losing weight (although you will lose some).

Nor did I think it was possible to "revise" from a gastric bypass to a sleeve. Is it?

Yes, to sashimi! Yes to hydration! Yes to fresh veggies and a little fruit. Yes to dancing, swimming, walking, moving, moving, moving! And a big ole yes to the spa!

Hey, @@beck 90 ... I happen to think your doc is off base -- and that you've got a good exercise plan, given your current weight and situation. But I gotta also say that when you make a post on this message board, people are allowed to chime in and offer their opinion. You (or I) may not agree with them. But if you throw it out there, you will get all kinds of responses. Just because people don't agree with you doesn't mean they don't get to offer their opinion, too. And that's my opinion about opinions.

Good on you, Paul! I was sleeved at 68 (am now 70). It was a great move for me. Lost 100 pounds and now weigh 135. Feel great!

Very nice.

I'm not even going to mention the obvious thing here.

Sorry ... my bad.

@@JamieLogical ... you are so smart! (Hugs)

So sorry you're going through this, @@JamieLogical . The weight loss may be due not only to eating less, but to an increased heart rate (anxiety), adrenaline, lack of sleep (muscles aren't repairing / building overnight), etc. That's also how my body reacts to acute (not chronic) stress. So what can you control? food, of course. Hydration is critical (I bet that's slipping, too). Sleep, to some extent (with sleep aids, including more natural aids like melatonin). Meditation (to reduce constant mental rumination which raises anxiety). Social isolation doesn't help anything, so find ways to be with other people, even strangers. Not sure what else to say, except (again) I'm so sorry this is on your plate right now.

Of course, we invite lots of input from others on a huge array of questions and issues. They range from complications to fashion to marriage to support. But in response to the specific, very medical question you've asked in this thread I would NEVER begin to advise you. I don't have remotely enough information about your medical situation, your health, your weight history, any eating disorders, your psychology, your metabolism, your family support and what sounds like your serious, very complicated, possibly interacting diagnoses -- to offer an opinion. And nobody here knows what medications you're currently taking. So that's exactly why I said I thought you would get the best advice by consulting your doctor. Good luck.

Congratulations! Funny how asking for what we need takes so long to do. Very proud of you.

I've always been the heaviest one in my family (of seven siblings). They range from petite and underweight to tall and athletic. My parents weren't overweight, although my mother was a chubby child and had been teased badly. As an adult she was 5'3" and weighed 140-145 pounds, which is on the BMI border between normal-weight and overweight. My father was 5'11" and weighed 145 pounds all his life. My maternal grandfather was very overweight (100 pounds) all his life and probably was a binge-eater. A couple of his sisters were also big (around 200 pounds). One of my dad's sisters was 50 pounds overweight, but the other ten or so aunts and uncles were of normal weight. Some of them managed the post-WWII era's stresses by smoking and drinking heavily. Prior to my grandparents' generations, I don't think anyone in our family was unusually heavy, probably because they were all farmers and were physically active. My siblings never bullied me or even teased me about my weight. Nor did my parents. However, some early family events and crises contributed significantly to my becoming overweight starting at age 7. I remember weighing 100 pounds in the fourth grade and was the largest person in my class. My parents have both passed. My siblings are a very black-and-white lot who don't seek complexity or nuances in situations but tend to think each problem has a single solution. In the year prior to my surgery, I floated WLS as a general topic to some of them, but did not suggest I was considering it for myself. I heard nothing but derision and criticism of WLS's expense, safety and viability. It was clear they wouldn't support my decision, so I haven't told any of them. My husband is the world's best spousal supporter of WLS. He's all the support I've needed or wanted.