VSGAnn2014

Probably 6 months out. I think. Given the choice between sashimi and something like California roll, I still go with sashimi. But at 20 months out, I've had it all. Love my sushi!

Definitely. Can't think of anything that I can't eat now. Or that I don't eat. The deal is that I just don't eat very much of "everything."

@@BarrySue ... I think that's the best post I've seen ever on BP. Wow! Congratulations to you.

I personally did not find that any of the three nutritionists I consulted with offered anything I didn't already know. They were mostly coming at the consultations from a background of consulting with diabetic patients. Although one was more intelligent than the other two, I didn't think they were very well prepared to work with bariatric patients. The best nutritional advice I've received has been from my surgeon's physician's assistant who is extremely well educated about all things bariatric. Her best advice was not to eat so little during the weight-losing phases that I wound up having to eat very little to maintain my weight long-term. She was right -- I now average 1,800 calories/day to maintain my weight of 135 pounds. Ultimately, you have to learn a LOT about nutrition (macronutrients, calories, Vitamins and minerals, trace elements, etc. to learn how to feed yourself. For me, this has been one of the best things I've done to sustain my health long-term.

That's an excellent digest of emotional eating vs. mindful eating. Thanks for the link.

Google says that Amy reports she's 5'7" and weighs 160 pounds. That puts her BMI at 25.1 -- barely, barely, barely into the overweight range. Yup -- she could get into some size 8s. Hell, I've got some old size 6s from Talbots she could certainly get into. That store's vanity sizing is off the hook! And, yes, in today's fashion world where most "beautiful people" are much slimmer than Amy, she would qualify as a plus-sized person. Weird, but true.

I'm an extrovert, so I initiate a lot of table talk. When you ask others about themselves, they get pretty interested in their topics and themselves. Maybe that would distract them from how much you're eating. ?? And here's another option -- you don't have to eat with them. You can "go shopping" at lunch or go walking at lunch. Obviously, you're losing weight and that will be noticed. So you're just watching what you eat (as others said). However, the truth is that I haven't had to deal with that problem; no one has ever said anything about how much I eat. Maybe my luncheon companions are just more polite than yours? Another truth is that now I'm on maintenance, I do eat more than I did during the weight loss phases. And I do eat for as long as everyone else eats -- I just don't eat as much as some people at the table. Final thought -- I'll tell you who doesn't overeat: healthy, normal-sized people and skinny bitches. And now I'm one of those people.

Man, I'm sorry to hear so many of you have chronic pain issues that require you to take so many pain meds. Did not know you all were dealing with that kind of challenge. And yet even with these issues you all have lost SO much weight, which has made your lives so much more enjoyable. Big, big hubbah to you all. RESPECT!

I really don't buy this whole "the body knows what it wants to weigh" meme. I'm a scientist and have an affection for the concept of cause / effect. As in ... you do X, Y is more likely to happen; you don't do X, Y is less likely to happen. That doesn't mean I presume that I know all the factors involved in weight loss and their relative strengths. In the last 20 months, I've learned much about nutrition, behavior change, emotional factors that influence eating behaviors, etc. So I expect there's a lot more for me to learn. Nor do I assume that everyone's metabolism or set points are exactly the same or governed by exactly the same calories / macronutrients / Water / exercise / etc. So I certainly think there are many individual differences in terms of how our bodies perform. But I don't think there's some magical point your body reaches where it simply won't lose any more weight, no matter what you do. Losing weight, gaining muscle mass, building endurance and other ways we're trying to change our bodies takes time. Losing one pound a month may seem like the end of the weight loss journey to some. But that's about the rate at which I lost the last 15 pounds of my fat ass. And now I'm looking at the possibility of gaining at least 5 pounds of muscle this summer. Doing that will be a real challenge for me, but I think it'll make me significantly healthier. Boy, this journey just goes on and on and on and ....

@@OKCPirate ... I look forward to hearing what your medico friends have to say. That study reported in Medscape (thanks for the link, @@butterfly23 ) is based on medical data from 200,000 patients of the US Veterans Administration. Many VA patients have other diseases and behaviors induced by poor self-care that often contribute to subsequent kidney disease and dementia -- diseases like diabetes, alcoholism, poor nutrition, etc. These initial diseases and the behaviors that lead to them are also the kinds of diseases and conditions that cause GERD and, consequently, prescriptions of antacids -- both H2 blockers and PPI meds. Oddly, the study authors assumed something I think they should not have assumed: "As the study authors note, both classes of drugs are generally used for the same indication." Instead, it's been my own observation that MDs prescribe PPI meds after H2 blockers don't lower GERD symptoms. That means to me PPI meds are prescribed for patients who suffer from GERD that is more severe. Patients with more severe GERD (caused or contributed to by greater degrees of primary diseases like diabetes, poor nutrition, alcoholism) might run a higher risk of secondary diseases like kidney diseases and dementia, due to their primary diseases -- not the antacids prescribed for their GERD. It's these kinds of correlations that lower my anxiety about the likelihood of PPIs *causing* kidney disease or dementia. As the lead scientist of the study himself said: ... as Dr Perazella cautioned, neither study proves that the PPIs actually cause adverse renal outcomes. "It must be remembered that these are epidemiologic studies that don't prove causation," he stressed. Indeed, the JAMA Internal Medicine authors themselves note that their study was observational in nature and did not provide evidence of causality.

^^^ LOL! Really, I am laughing. That's funny.

To those of you who "wolf" your food and think you can't change that ... I was in your shoes two years ago. I've since conquered that terrible habit -- and it really is a very bad one. Pre-op, I ate my meals in half the time my husband did. Then I started using all the hacks to eat slower: small spoons, smaller plates, counting my chews (30 - 50 chews -- I am NOT kidding), counting to 50 between bites, watching the clock, using a timer -- whatever it took, I just cultivated a different way to eat. I swear to God -- eating slower will make a huge difference in your ability to eat mindfully and to maintain your weight, once the weight is gone. There will come a day sooner than you think when your capacity is larger than it is now, and you could wind up eating a lot more than you can now if you don't learn to recognize *satisfied* and *stop now* before you've gone too far. And please honor that "don't drink with meals" rule -- it also makes a big difference in how much less you will wind up eating. These habits you build now are lifetime ones.

(mic drop) Bam!

@Megall9 You do know the research stats, right, comparing long-term success of WLS patients and those who lose it "the old-fashioned way" ... ? Those who lose it the old-fashioned way (diet / exercise) have a 2 - 5% track record of keeping at least half the weight off. Those who have WLS have a 50% track record of keeping at least half the weight off. So -- there you go. WLS is 10 times (or greater) more effective at helping people keep the weight off. Bam!

@@Bethany Copley So sorry for the pain the psychopath is causing for his whole family. And yes, people are indeed cray cray in multiple ways. Those sending the killer's family death threats are awful. I do hope they're reporting every threat to law enforcement. Sending hopes for peace to you all.

@AnA92212 You knock me out! You really are an amazing WLS success. Congratulations to YOU!

(Just saw this thread.) What a great story! Love everything you said. Your journey is so similar to mine. You sound like you've become so well educated along the way and are discovering what works well for you. Huge congratulations to you.

Thank you, @@Killian . I am *very* goal-oriented.

@@Megall9 ... she's wrong. The sleeve's benefits never go away. However, the sleeve is NOT all that you need. You're going to have to learn and use a whole new way of living -- and you will, because now you'll have a fighting chance of actually living the healthy and slim lifestyle.

Well, that could certainly make a difference in how you feel! Y'know -- information is just fucking irreplaceable when someone's trying to diagnose and fix their health.

@@2Anne ... Keep looking for the right surgeon. I was 68 when I had VSG - with a BMI of 39 and 3 comorbidities (arthritis, lower back pain, stress incontinence). I didn't have diabetes or hypertension though or any cardiac problems. And I've done GREAT! Am 70 now. And feel 50.

Am chuckling here. For a guy who wasn't going to have WLS, you are certainly ready to do it yesterday now. Actually, I was JUST like you -- could not WAIT! I actually got so sick of waiting around for everything to happen that I put myself on a 1400 calorie/day diet and lost 11 pounds in a couple of months pre-op. In fact (don't tell anyone!) I started sticking half-pound weights in my pockets, bra, underwear, etc. at my pre-op visits so I wouldn't trigger any "she's not fat enough" bells that would stop me from having WLS. It all worked out. And now, nearly two years later, I barely remember those frantic weeks and months of just wanting to be already sleeved. It will be OK for you, too.

@@theantichick ... that was an awesome post about the interplay of fat cells, estrogen, autoimmune diseases, etc. I never knew ANY of that stuff! Thank you.

A little counterpoint here -- if unwanted attentions make me overeat, that part's on me. By which I mean I need to unwind that chain of reactions and come up with a non-eating way to deal with the stress. Stress-eating is truly self-destructive. It doesn't do a damn thing to help me or to hurt anyone who's contributed to my stress. P.S. Obviously, learning how to address this behavior isn't an overnight sensation. But it's really important in preparing for weight maintenance.

My surgeon said in his intro lecture that he won't do WLS surgery on anyone without teeth or well fitting dentures that patients wear every day all day.