VSGAnn2014

Bodies are amazingly varied. So varied, in fact, that a single body measurement cannot begin to tell the whole story. For instance, my arms are long, and my wrists are small. But my legs are normal-length, my ankles are large, and my calves and knees are really big. Consequently, you won't find many dresses (and no short dresses) in my closet. But at 5'5" and 135 pounds (BMI of 22.5) the top half of my body and my face would look too skinny if I lost any more weight.

Take a lesson from Marie's thread here ... how you feel immediately post-op will not correlate much with how you feel about the sleeve going forward. And in the first few months, you'll have a lot of changes to adapt to. Be ready to understand and experience the differences between WLS in theory and actual WLS. The WLS journey is a long, winding, changing one. Don't judge it daily. P.S. Patients have quite a few different reactions to WLS early on. A lot of those different reactions fall into the "normal" category. In other words, there are multiple responses that are just fine.

I know there are many different post-op eating protocols. But that's a new one on me. I was eating pureed chicken 2 weeks post-op during the puree phase. And I've never heard of anyone having to have chicken "scoped out." So weird.

I weigh every day, unless I'm not at home.

Uh ... the major reason sleeved patients aren't supposed to drink while eating (or immediately prior to or immediately after) is that liquids tend to dilute the food in our smaller sleeves, making it easier for the food to leave the stomach sooner and go down into the small intestine. This means our smaller stomachs (made smaller so we will feel full faster) will spend more time feeling empty. This leads to -- you guessed it -- a desire to put more food in it. Not drinking with meals is one of the key lifelong behaviors that correlates with long-term sleeved WLS success. In other words, it's something you don't do just while you're losing weight, but for the rest of your life.

Wow! That quote should be on a WLS brochure somewhere. Monster congrats to you, @@Sajijoma !

I haven't had plastics. But I had one consultation with a top plastics MD in my area who does many plastic surgeries on both bariatric and non-bariatric patients. He said he will operate on bariatric patients ONLY AFTER they have maintained stably their weight loss. He said the body continues to change after weight loss, and he wants all those changes to be over before he cuts anything. Certainly, some people have plastics before that. I've also heard of some plastic surgeons who require an 18-month period of stable weight maintenance before surgery.

Someone who immediately post-op is determined to eat a taco truck Breakfast burrito, a Big Mac, or any kind of fast food probably won't be deterred by encouragement not to do so -- whether the advice is delivered sugar-coated or with a heartfelt "You're an idiot if you do that!" You can't fix stupid. Really. You can't. But the resulting conversation is available for review by newbies who haven't yet had WLS or even decided if it's right for them. These kinds of conversations help them understand better what will be involved. And that's the thing about message boards in general -- they're not read only by people who post on a thread, but by ten or twenty or thirty times as many lurkers who are trying to puzzle apart the landscape. IMHO, that's why those of us who post here should say what we really think about the topic being discussed, based on our experience, observations and even our ideologies. As has been said countless times on countless message boards, including this one, take what you need, leave the rest. To add value here, we don't have to agree on anything or please anyone else who's here. We add the most value we can when we say what we really believe is true.

Everything @@gowalking said!

I'm proud of all you guys who have plastics. Just not sure it's for me.

That's odd ... I was 68 when I had VSG (sleeve) surgery 20 months ago and have done GREAT with an easy recovery and no complications. FYI, my heaviest pre-op BMI was 39. (I am 5'5" and weighed 235 pounds.) After my own and my surgeon's pre-op diets, my surgery weight was 216. I've lost a total of 100 pounds and now weigh 135 pounds. I know nothing about the POSE / endoscopic sleeve surgery at all. But I'm with others who think it wouldn't have the benefit of removing ghrelin (the hunger hormone) from the equation. Whatever you choose, I hope you have as much success as I've had.

Shopping for clothes in small sizes these days is still mind-boggling for me. Just freaky! Even after nearly a year at and below my weight goal. Enjoy the hell out of it.

Congrats!

@@Kindle ... I probably shouldn't be laughing at your last post, but I am. IMHO, your appreciation of the dark humor that lurks in all our lives does offer a healthy perspective. Yeah, life sometimes sucks. But as the Buddhists say, it's not about resisting the pain, but embracing all of life, which includes pain. How great it is that life also includes some other things. As always, sending you big hugs. P.S. BTW, you weren't kidding -- you really DO have some negative WLS role models! But we gotta go with what we're given.

Jeez, Kindle -- what a depressing WLS story about your friend who's had a bypass. But it's useful as a negative model of self care. Of course, self care is about so much more than weight control. None of us does self care perfectly. And we all will die eventually. But self care is ultimately about showing respect for ourselves, including our bodies. Learning to care better for myself (in my senior years) has been at the core of my own WLS journey. It's truly embarrassing that it took me so long to get to the point where I am ready to do this work. I think that hitting bottom health-wise about three years ago helped me finally find and engage my power to do this work. BTW, my recent success has nothing to do with me being perfect. But it does have something to do with having more compassion for myself than I used to have.

@@reallyrosy ... I've followed your struggles here with interest. However, I think it's inaccurate to predict that your experience or any other patient's experience is what all other other patients will experience. Yes, some people suffer from B.E.D. (and you're right that it certainly deserves more serious study and treatment), but I don't and never have struggled with it. And at 20 months post-op, I don't expect it's going to kick in at two years post-op. Jeez, @cindygant ... that's awesome that you have lost all your regain. What a story! Congratulations.

Wow! Your mom stole your debit card! So sorry you are dealing with that. It's time for you to focus on yourself.

So, so, so cool, @@TheProfessor !

BTW, this is completely silly to feel or say, but ... your mom really pissed me off.

Not unusual at all. But you still have to get all your nutrition in that your surgeon's team says you need. That means (at this stage) Protein. So sip or slurp it down. Also, don't worry that this is a permanent condition. It isn't. You're going to go through so many changes in the next year. This is only one of the early ones.

Erk!

Whoops! Dupe post.

Valentina, I'll match your faux religious euphemisms with this one that means the same thing: Bless your heart.

LOL! 100 pounds in 10 months is "slow and steady" to some people ... I guess. Congratulations. I don't think you know how lucky you are.

Yup, it's really weird at first. Because you can eat so very little and such a limited variety of things. Protip: The first few months post-op, I wouldn't plan a lot of double-date dinner parties. But I bet that a year from now you'll feel almost normal in the amount you can eat. No, you won't ever be able to eat as much in one sitting as you used to eat -- not even close to anything you ate at a big meal. But here's what I can eat now at nearly 20 months post-op: * Most of a Stouffer's Fit Kitchen meal (380 calories - chicken, rice, corn, beans) * A small ham and cheese sandwich with sliced tomatoes and half a cup of raw carrots on the side * A cup to a cup and a half of various foods, including some Protein Having said that ^^^, there simply are some times / days when my stomach's restriction is stronger than other days. Here's another protip: A year from now, you can *kill* your stomach's restriction by eating highly processed carb foods and no protein. On the other hand, eating protein and eating it first at each meal will fill your stomach, which digests the protein so slowly that it won't accept a lot more food. And that's how you stay slim.