VSGAnn2014

Read, but not answered.

I concur!

Uh ... we could get ideological about starchy carbs or we could try to reason together about them. Early on post-op no one wants to waste their tiny, swollen sleeve's real estate on starchy, carby foods. But plenty of carb foods -- like fibrous, colored veggies and fruits -- are very nutritious and healthy for WLS patients. I'd wager that all our surgery practices have told us that, as restriction eases, to eat vegetables, then fruits, then whole grains. All those foods have primarily carbohydrate macronutrients. The issue isn't their carbiness -- it's their Fiber and nutrient content. Even some of the foods named in this thread's title can become minor characters in your weight loss menus. And later on, during maintenance they can play bigger roles. For instance,`breads come in shades of bad to great. Yes, a big ole Einstein's bagel is worth 480 calories with 61 grams of carbs and only a trifling 2 grams of insoluble fiber. Yes, it's got 20 grams of Protein, but we can find that much protein in much lower-cal, lower-carb foods than bagels. And then there are breads like Aldi's Fit & Active branded whole wheat bread that's only 70 calories for two slices, with 5 grams of insoluble fiber and 5 grams of protein. Heck, a few months post-op you could toast a slice of that, slap some mustard, turkey deli meat and tomato slices on it and have yourself a delicious open-faced sandwich for lunch. You could even add some sliced veggies like carrots and celery and feel like you were in WLS grad school. Even pastas range from bad to good. Obviously, those pastas made of refined, unsupplemented semolina flour (the kind we all grew up eating) don't offer much nutrition and don't encourage our new innards to restrict our food intake much. But there are other pastas out there made of whole grains or vegetables and protein-enhanced that are much better for us. Of course, if these foods are triggers for you then you should avoid them altogether.

Ha! Nearly two years ago when I had WLS (I've been sleeved) my after-care surgical nurse who had seen tons of WLS patients come through her surgical ward was scheduled for a VSG the following week. I still remember she told me she weighed 280 pounds. Nothing she had seen about WLS had scared her off. And goodness knows, she certainly had a front-row seat to WLS, including complications. @@Kindle is right -- the complications from this kind of surgery are no different than other laparoscopic surgeries. However, you must be willing to take a lot better care of yourself post-op than you did pre-op. If you're committed to doing that, you will do well. If you treat your body with disrespect after surgery, however, your body will probably not appreciate it. Best to you!

Counterpoint observation here ... I have good friends, family members, and acquaintances at all walks of life. And, interestingly, I've observed that my very well educated colleagues, friends and acquaintances are not all that supportive of WLS. Yes, they tend to be fitter, healthier and slimmer -- but very few of them have ever suffered from obesity themselves. Consequently, they are ignorant about the disease of obesity and confused by and/or scornful of those who are obese. In fact, the things that some of my best friends have said *to my face* about others who are obese (as if I weren't obese at the time) have just flabbergasted the s**t out of me! Here's one zinger: "The woman he married is 100 pounds overweight, so it you know HAS to be her money!" And this was said in a circle of my best friends when I was -- ahem! -- exactly 100 pounds overweight. WTF?! Nonetheless, they have all been enthusiastically supportive of my weight loss and weight maintenance efforts over the last few years. They have no idea I had WLS, and I think they would shocked to learn that I had. As to my poorer, less well educated friends, family members, and acquaintances -- their attitudes toward WLS seem all over the board. Yes, more of those folks are heavy, given that poverty and lack of education are correlated with obesity, and that the cause-effect interactions among those conditions are very complex. But as a group, this cohort of folks I know seem less biased against weight loss surgery than my well educated, rich, slim friends. For one thing, they would love to have a way to fight their own obesity. But, frankly, I think they're just not as judgmental or critical of people as the upper-class crowd is.

@@csawesome ... really sorry this has been added to your plate now. Whether it feels like it now or not, those of us who've been through something like this will all tell you that eventually you will look back on this and see it as the beginning of something better. And yes -- the "divorce diet" has always been one of the most effective diets ever invented. And @@gowalking -- I'm also sorry you're going through a break-up as well. Just means someone better for you will now appear, when you're ready. In the meantime take good care of yourself.

Actually, I think there are two kinds of pre-op diets that surgeons and/or insurance companies recommend: 1. Sometimes surgeons (or insurance companies) want you to lose weight to show commitment to the post-op lifestyle OR to lose a considerable amount of weight to reduce your odds of surgical complications. Those diets vary considerably in the kinds of foods eaten and the length of diet time / amount of weight lost required. 2. The second kind of pre-op diet your surgeon will probably ask you to do (which typically lasts for 2 weeks prior to surgery) is done for the purpose of shrinking your liver (which wraps around your stomach) to reduce the odds that the liver will be nicked or damaged in any way during the surgery. And hurting your liver can be a very, very bad thing! During this kind of pre-op diet you're supposed to eat low-carb, low-calorie shakes and/or foods so that your body consumes all the glycogen stored in the liver -- along with about 8 pounds of Water that's released when all the liver's glycogen is consumed for energy. BTW, the larger you are pre-op, the longer you may to undergo this second kind of pre-pre-op diet; I've heard of very large people having to be this liver-shrinking diet as long as 4 weeks. You should be asking your surgeon for specific instructions about both of these pre-op diets -- if she / he is requiring you to do them.

For some people, alcohol is problematic post-op or even a serious no-no. For others, it seems to be OK. @@Cape Crooner laid out the issues above pretty well, I think. In my case, I stopped drinking completely 2.5 months pre-op and didn't have a drink until 6 months post-op. During that time I also made many other changes in my life so I could build a new post-op lifestyle and maximize the odds that my new lifestyle changes would stick. I do have one alcoholic drink now most days (5 oz. of wine or 1.5 oz. of scotch). That's my limit and keeps me within the behavioral definition of a "female social drinker." Please know yourself and respect what your body and you can and cannot tolerate. And respect that to be successful long-term you'll have to change some things in your life. Your relationship with alcohol may (or may not) be one of those things.

@@KMA0910 ... You have completely transformed yourself and (I bet) your life! Congratulations to you. What a great job. Those "before" pix of us are startling, aren't they? (I hardly recognize myself sometimes.)

Mio drops really DID help me early on. A whole lot!

That made me really laugh out loud. Really. Don't even get me started on being proud of the length, shape and consistency of other things that come out of my body.

Honey, I'm so much older than you (70). So I've not been in your situation. I just wanted to say I'm so sorry you're having to deal with that kind of fat-shaming. But it's part of life, I suppose. If you're really ready for the bariatric surgery solution (and you know if you are or aren't), you just have to keep your own counsel and have faith in your decisions. Don't EVER apologize for your well-considered choices. NEVER! You don't owe explanations to random acquaintances about your health choices. FYI, I am on the down low about WLS. I simply didn't want to have to put up with catcalls from the peanut gallery from those who don't understand anything about the disease of obesity or about WLS.

Jeez ... I thought we had this conversation before. You're on the pre-op liver-shrinking diet -- and you're wondering if fritos are OK? What's going on? Do you think you're trying to sabotage yourself so you won't be able to have weight loss surgery? (Honest, that wasn't a snarky question -- but a serious one.)

Oh! Mah! Gawd! All of those achievements are so wonderful. I'm so very happy for you. WINNING! I just love it when everybody wins.

Good thread!

Well, look at it this way -- you learned / relearned some things today that don't work well. Protein and healthy veggies (not "crunchy things") are much more filling and satisfying. Those who are "perfect" after WLS don't post on this forum often. But those who succeed with WLS do learn from their "experiments" and go on not to repeat them very often. I certainly have -- and do. All the time.

"Losing weight is like winning the lottery. No one knows how to handle you after the fact." There's a lot of truth in that statement. Smart sister.

Ha! I'm 70 years old. I walk and hike and move more and do a lot more housework and gardening than I used to do. And I do some yoga and stretching ("rolling around on the floor"). I do fidget more than I used to, and I think that counts, too. But I don't run and am not a gym rat in the least. My number one exercise rule is: "Don't hurt yourself!" I am newly retired (which means less work stress), but we've had a lot of family stress (death of an adult child, husband has cancer, hubby's father and my mother died) in the last year. And don't even ask about the pets! My food is "pretty clean" -- in that I eat around 100 grams daily of animal and plant Protein, and a lot of veggies, fruits, whole grains. I hardly ever eat fast food. Most days I have one alcoholic drink and one sugar treat unless my weight is above 135. I get in 64 ounces of liquids a day. FYI, I didn't eat like a bird when I was losing weight -- following my bariatric P.A.'s advice I averaged 800 cals/day the first 4 months, then 1,000 cals in months 5-6, then 1,200 cals in months 7-8. In all, I've lost 100 pounds, including 19 pounds pre-op. It took me 8 months to lose the last 15 pounds. I have NO IDEA why some people can maintain while eating more than others. And I have no idea if I'll always be able to eat like this and maintain this weight. I think you just have to find out what your body likes and then be willing to do that. I also think you should have the courage to try other combinations to see if they work better for you. I have learned a lot of things that helped me lose weight and maintain weight, including: * Eating protein and eating protein first works. * Eating healthy veggies works, too. * Sugar makes you crave more sugar. You may have to go cold turkey on sugar's ass. * Fast food isn't very satisfying in any way. * Eating slowly and chewing well helps. * Grazing is the road to perdition. * Healthy Snacks are excellent and aren't even close to the same thing as grazing. * Taking my meds and supplements every day works. * Weighing every morning works. Otherwise, I would wander off into the weeds. * Positive self-talk, keeping a positive attitude and cultivating a big sense of humor (and appreciating others' funny bones) help. * Seeing my therapist once a month helps. * Having a spouse who constantly says, "Great ass, babe!" is lovely. That's all I got for now. If I learn anything else, I'll mention it .

OK, @@her1981 ... I gotta hear about this. Are these weight loss support groups online or in-real-life ,and are they limited to WLS patients or "everybody who's trying to lose weight"?

Human beings aren't interested in complex questions that have complex answers. They prefer simple questions and simple answers. (I could talk a lot more about this, but no one would be interested.)

I dunno how "famous," but it's me. I think you'll enjoy the conversations here. Some very nice people with some topics that range all over the place. A.

Using My Fitness Pal to plan my daily menus and track everything I eat and drink has been a hugely helpful tool for me. Likewise, weighing every morning helps me. Good luck to you both!

Thanks, @ ... but admittedly, that menu was a little more than I normally eat, which is 1700 - 1800 cals/day with around 100 grams of Protein. Just be aware that I weigh every morning, measure everything and track my food in My Fitness Pal. I'm still maintaining right on the button -- 135 pounds. But if that were to change, I'd have to change my menus, too. The main thing to remember is that you have to find out what works for YOU. Please know I didn't eat ANY chocolate or drink ANY alcohol for at least 6 months post-op. Or for 2.5 months pre-op. I've added these and other treats back in very gradually and very carefully. Sometimes chocolate does get the better of me and I have to let it go for a while. In other words, I'm just trying now to live like a normal person who's perhaps a bit hyper-attentive to what she's doing. I'm trying to be "mindful" and care for myself better than I ever have before. Good luck to us both!

Your doctor is a dick! And he's an idiot, too. Really sorry about that.

Gastric sleeve here. Skim milk (hey, I like it!) Full-fat cheeses Lite sour cream Hellman's Light Mayo (don't do Miracle Whip anymore) Full-fat Litehouse Chunky Blue cheese dressing -- with extra blue cheese crumbles Half and half (1 tablespoon only) sometimes with an afternoon coffee Clearly, my dairy ideology is neither right- nor left-wing. I'm a dairy Libertarian.