VSGAnn2014

I have no magic mantra that you can repeat to change your own behavior. But at some point you'll have to change your behavior if you have a chance in hell of being successful long-term. Maybe you're not miserable enough yet. But I certainly was when I was pre-op. Here's what I did. Even before my surgery was scheduled I felt I couldn't wait any longer to get healthier and to regain some control over my out-of-control, no-responsibility behavior. So I put myself on a 1400 cals/day diet incorporating some of the WLS eating guidelines and eating behaviors I'd learned about online. In two months I lost 11 pounds. Not fast. But I had regained some control back of my life. And by that point surgery had been scheduled. I lost another 8 pounds on my surgeon's two-week liver-shrinking diet. By 8.5 months post-op I reached my weight goal. At the rate I was losing when I hit goal it would have taken me another 2 months to lose an additional 11 pounds, had I not done so before surgery. Not trying to bully or guilt you, but truly -- you've decided to have WLS because your BMI is 52 and you need to get healthy. You can postpone and postpone and postpone creating a healthier lifestyle. Or you can start now to do so. In your shoes I'd try to get back in touch with my reasons for having WLS and meditate / focus on those. If you journal, journal. If you pray, pray. If you are in therapy, talk to your therapist. If you're not in therapy, consider seriously finding a good bariatric therapist. Good luck to you. You can regain your health. All you have to do is work toward it every day. This IS your life. It's not a practice run. It's the only one you're going to get.

There is no pouch left in a properly formed gastric sleeve. Your dude is weird in multiple ways -- foremost, his VSG surgical processes. Geez -- he should google VSG to learn how to do it right! There are even videos online that show how the sleeve is formed! Shaking my head!

LOL! I'm so proud! :)

I despise that show and agree with all those who posted above who don't like it for the very same reasons they despise it. It's a horror. But (first time in my life I've EVER said this) much in our current culture is becoming a horror!

Your surgeon's apparent knowledge of and post-op prescriptions of antacids are certainly different than my surgeon's. Pre-surgery I was already on Ranitidine twice a day, which handled my GERD fine. Post-op, my surgeon switched me to a PPI (Protonix) for 4 months. He said my new stomach would appreciate, while it was healing, to deal with less stomach acid. At 4 months, he switched me back to Ranitidine.

Your mom is a bitch. Truly sorry.

As you continue to grow up, you will learn this marvelous lesson life teaches us all: You are not required to answer any question anyone asks you -- even if it's asked by an FBI agent, in which case you can always ask to speak first to your attorney. Another thing life teaches us is that if you want to keep a secret, do not tell anyone.

Well, good for you. That's not my goal. I actually like food. Like the taste of it, the feel of it, the ceremony of it. That doesn't mean I abdicate my responsibility for making good nutritional and caloric choices. I'm shooting for the whole shebang: For the rest of my life, I want to enjoy all my Protein, carbs and fat. And be in control of it.

There is no universal answer to this question. It varies considerably. Your own surgeon's requirements and your own insurance company's requirements re weight gain pre-op are what will govern the decision re surgery. Other patients' surgeons' and insurance companies' policies don't matter. Find out what your surgeon / insurance company require.

Heidi, I'm really sorry about your righteous effort to find an informed, supportive counselor. The candidate you interviewed last night is neither informed about WLS or obesity nor supportive of people who suffer from obesity I found my therapist through my WLS surgeon's office / practice. I asked my surgeon's nurses and office staff who was the best of the three shrinks affiliated with the WLS practice, and consistently was told one guy's name. Needless to say, his schedule was full at the time I inquired. And I was advised by said nurses / staff that I should wait until his schedule opened up. So I did. And boy, am I glad I did. That was my experience. Maybe you could work some angle similar to that. Again, my sympathies about your disappointment last night. You really deserve someone as wonderful as I found. Everyone does! But good on you for starting the search process!

Trust me, I know that dating is risky. But dating doesn't require a license or certification. Everyone gets to do it. Confident people, scared people, even loons. And any therapist who suggests that their clients "get out there and take some risks" is fine by me. It doesn't shock me that some of their clients are people I would want nothing to do with. On the other hand, I'm also in therapy. BTW, there's nothing new about any of this: From "The Big Chill": Meg: They're either married or gay. And if they're not gay, they've just broken up with the most wonderful woman in the world, or they've just broken up with a b***h who looks exactly like me. They're in transition from a monogamous relationship and they need more space. Or they're tired of space, but they just can't commit. Or they want to commit, but they're afraid to get close. They want to get close, and you don't want to get near them. Sarah: It can't be that bad. Meg: I don't know. I'm goin' easy. I've been out there dating for twenty years. I've gotten where I can tell in the first fifteen seconds if there's a chance in the world. Sarah: Well, at least you're giving them a fair shot.

@@CowgirlJane ... for some reason I thought that the married guy you met was someone you had gone out with only once -- not for months. EDIT: Or ... perhaps you're talking about two different guys. ?

I can so understand how @@OKCPirate felt in that post. Just sayin'. Each of us knows the many layers of our own insecurities, but very little about others'. And everyone has insecurities -- that are very hard to fix. In other words, everyone is just as fucked as we are. I cannot think of many areas of life that fire up our insecurities more than dating / looking for love -- at any age. Protip: Ain't nobody out there who is a perfect human being. No-body! The miracle of love is that every once in a while we find someone who "fills gaps." I didn't come up with that. Rocky did.

When you tell everybody your business, everybody feels free to offer their opinions about your business.

Oh, what the hell. Go make your fantasy weight! At 145 pounds and 5'7" you aren't going to be unhealthy. You'll definitely look different to those who've known you for years as overweight / obese. If you hate it, you can gain 10 pounds. Trust me, that'll soon be easier than you can imagine. And if you love it, you can maintain there. You really do have more options than you might think. P.S. All the fat people in my life think I'm too skinny. And all the skinny people in my life think I look great. #duh

@@her1981 ... again, just reporting my own experience and NOT telling you what to do .... I ratcheted up my calories from 800 to 1,000 and then 1,200 because my surgical P.A. told me that if I did so I could avoid teaching my body to subsist on very few calories later on when I was trying to maintain. I REALLY wanted to avoid not being restricted to only 1,000 - 1,200 calories to maintain my weight. What would you think about conducting a science experiment? If what you're doing isn't working well enough, why not (mindfully and responsibly) do some other things -- to see how they pan out? One thing I have learned for sure about all this stuff is that, although there are some basic principles everyone should follow ("Don't eat slider foods!"), not all bodies respond in the same ways to a generic eating prescription. Ultimately, we all have the ability to find the way that works best for us. Again, I'm not suggesting anything irresponsible at all! Just conscientious experiments over a long enough time period and applied consistently to determine the effects on YOUR body.

Thanks. And gee, sounds like you're working hard at it. Good for you on all that exercise, by the way. The only other things I can think of for you to look at are: * Are you eating enough Protein? * At your activity level, could / should you be eating more calories? * Are you drinking enough Water? * Are you taking your meds / supplements as advised? FYI -- just for your consideration (and not as advice) -- at 7 months post-op I was eating 1,200 cals/day and 100 grams of protein -- and was still losing 5 pounds a month. Reached goal at 8.5 months. At 1700 calories/day (and 100 protein grams) I continued to lose weight slowly (1-2 pounds a month) for the next 8 months.

LOL! I agree. You already know he doesn't want your advice. Going forward, you'd just be nagging. Of course, that's your right.

And you're eating what and how much -- specifically? And you started at what weight and have lost how much -- specifically?

Don't you love it?

I'll concur with @@Babbs and add this: When I was carrying 80-100 pounds more than I do now, I was in constant pain or, at best, great physical discomfort. Moving was so hard. My knees were killing me. My back hurt. My shoulders hurt. It's hard being that fat. Really, really hard. And those pains and difficulties were visible on my face and through my posture and movement. Ye gads! I'm so glad I'm not in that situation anymore!

Fascinating!

@@ssflbelle asked: This is also fantastic info. However may I ask at each of these stages what were your carbs. I had split pea soup last night (I am allowed based on my Doctor's plan) however I was surprised to see the carb count was so high. I am 4 weeks out today and yesterday's Protein was 63 and carb count was 58. Is that too high of a carb for only 4 weeks out? Interestingly, neither my surgeon, my nutritionists nor my bariatric P.A. (who is just amazingly well educated on all things bariatric) ever gave me a carb limit. And, happily for me, I don't seem to be one of those folks who is heavily affected by carbs -- at least not "good" carbs. They all were clear that simple carbs and all "slider foods" -- google that term if you don't know what it means -- were off the menu for the weight losing phases. So I followed that rule very well. But here's the deal (although I assume you already know this): One gram of protein is 4 calories. So 100 grams of protein = 400 calories. One gram of carbohydrate is also 4 calories. But 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. So if you're eating a lot of protein (which also comes with some degree of fat) and some healthy fats (like olive oil), you're not going to have a lot of calories left for carbs. I will say this again: Some people are very sensitive to carbs and have to go very low carb to lose weight. Luckily, my body tolerates all colored, high-Fiber veggies (think green Beans, broccoli, red peppers, sweet potatoes, squashes, carrots, etc.) just fine. I just didn't eat white potatoes, sugar, white bread, white rice or white Pasta while I was losing weight. And I still don't eat them very often now. My final advice is that WLS is a big chance to reset your menus / diet / nutrition / eating patterns. Please learn everything you possibly can about nutrition and change your lifestyle now while you have this opportunity to do so. Habits are powerful things -- both good ones and bad ones.

@@SassyNanny ... those calorie levels / Protein levels were recommended by my surgeon's bariatric P.A. who is a real pro with weight loss surgery and understands the nuances and differences among all weight loss surgeries. Very best to you!

I know the term "privilege" can start up rabid debates. But if you accept the concept that certain types of human beings are, for a variety of reasons, generally granted "extra points" simply because of their physical attributes, then yes -- society favors those who have the appearance of good health, attractiveness, and (in current-day Western society) the absence of obesity. Can other personal attributes overcome the societal disadvantages of obesity? Yes, of course. But eliminate your obesity, and your odds in all societal competitions are improved.