VSGAnn2014

Well, there's one thing you didn't mention: A therapist. You got one? You want one? Could you get one? Seriously, you probably need one. P.S. I have one. And he's been a huge help. And I'm not crazy either.

If you're going to not eat "dead animal flesh" then you have to be responsible for eating in a way that provides your body with sufficient Protein. And that means at least 60 grams of protein to start -- and probably more later on. Lots of good plant foods have protein, but to eat complete Proteins you have to become a serious student of vegetarian nutrition. You can't just eat something that "still has the sunshine living in it" (I actually have no idea what that means). As someone whose body does well with poultry, fish and a little meat, I've had zero health problems since WLS by eating those foods. In fact, as most people here will testify (counter to the OP theory that most WLS patients get sick from eating as their surgeons recommend they eat post-op) I am a heckuva lot healthier now than I was pre-op. I do strive to eat 5 fruits and veggies each day and whole grains. Most days I also drink wine and have a little dark chocolate. One thing that's definitely a switch is that since I hit maintenance (9 months ago) I now cook "from scratch" so much more than I used to. Hubby and I eat out and buy takeout so much less often than we used to. Now, when food shopping, we seldom buy frozen or pre-packaged or deli food. We buy our veggies and fruits in the "fresh" department, get meat / poultry that's grass-fed and grown without hormones from a butcher's shop (not a big box store). We now make Pasta dishes with whole-wheat pasta. We shop at farmers markets three seasons a year (but not very much in deep winter). The food we eat now tastes so great! I am definitely not a WLS patient who doesn't like the taste of food anymore. I like it better, because the food we're eating now is better. Oh -- and I drink a glass of skim milk daily and eat at least an ounce of full-fat cheese, sometimes two ounces. I don't eat a lot of nuts, although I made for dinner today some honey pecan pork cutlets. Mmmm-mmmm! I cook with a lot more fat these days than I did pre-op -- was always a fat-avoider. Now I use a lot of olive oil AND butter. When I eat breads or crackers they're always high-protein, high-Fiber ones. Most days I hit my minimum 21-25 grams of fiber recommended for women. And when I have treats, e.g., ice cream, Desserts -- I have the full-fat versions. I just don't eat nearly as much of everything that I used to eat. So that's what I'm doing.

Oh dear, ring sizes! I'm wearing ring guards now on my wedding rings and my anniversary ring. I'm almost 18 months post-op (and definitely at goal). I told hubby I would get my wedding / anniversary rings resized at two years post-op if I haven't regained any weight. BTW, my shoe size did not change. Am a US 9.5 / 10. However, that size is much more comfortable now than before. FTR, today I'm wearing a 4-inch nude peep-toe heel with dark skinny jeans. Super Bowl Day.

I think you're going to do great. Overachievers do well with WLS, IMHO. Preop prep ... hmmm .... Have you played around yet with eating slower, taking smaller bites, chewing your food a lot more than you may be used to chewing? That behavior change has helped me enormously. I worked on it for 2.5 months pre-op. What about not drinking with meals? And stopping drinking at least 15 minutes before meals and not drinking for at least 30 minutes after meals. You might want to cut back on caffeine pre-op. Putting up with surgery recovery post-op while you're also going through caffeine withdrawal is a PITA no one deserves. What about tracking food using something like My Fitness Pal? I thought I knew tons about macronutrients after a lifetime of dieting. But I'd never used an online app. Very educational. How much are you walking? Thought about a Fitbit or some phone app that counts your steps and lets you continue to (safely) ratchet up your activity level? In other words, just pretend like you've already had WLS and (except for the tiny amounts you'll be reduced to eating immediately post-op) do everything pre-op you know you'll be doing post-op.

Lots of folks here have lost 90 - 100% of their excess weight. IMHO, it doesn't matter how much of it you lose pre-op or post-op. I know you think you're being clear, but I think there's a big misunderstanding. You seem to think there's a finite limit to how much weight you can lose (and no more) that's defined as a percentage of your current weight. Also, there's not deadline or expiration date on your ability to lose weight. How much weight you can lose is a function of a lot of things you said you understand and that you can control and (perhaps) a few things you can't control. Consider that I'm 5'5" tall, lost 19 pounds pre-op (11 pounds on my own 2-month diet and 8 pounds on my surgeon's 2-week diet). My surgery day weight was 216 pounds. I reached my goal (150 pounds) at 8.5 months post-op. In the 9+ months since then I've slowly lost another 15 pounds and now weigh 135 pounds. My BMI is now 22.5. That means I've lost 90 - 100% of my excess weight. And as I said earlier, many people here have done the same. EDIT: P.S. The "frustration" you anticipate "toward the end" would be completely self-imposed. The interesting thing is that this trip you're about to start actually never ends. It just goes on and on and on ....

Putting the people who irritate you on Ignore is a great message board tool. I have a few people here on ignore, and I often don't even notice that they've posted when I scroll through threads.

Nothing. I just took two weeks off. It really is that easy.

Re the butt enhancer concept .... Once upon a time I'd have just blown up my skinny ass with multiple sets of heavy-weight breathing squats. But now that I'm 70 years old with bad knees, that ain't gonna happen. When you get to be my age and are blissfully hooked up with a husband who thinks your butt looks great at any size, you're willing to lie your ass off (or back on) to everybody else. P.S. Hubby thinks it's hilarious!

I realize this thread isn't about vanity sizing. But this morning I was looking at Vogue patterns and discovered with a little google-fu that they haven't changed their sizes since 1972-73. Take a look at the measurements in this Vogue pattern sizing chart and prepare to be amazed (or chagrined): http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/misses--misses--petites-pages-340.php

Y'know, there's a relatively inexpensive solution to the no-butt problem. Same as Victoria's Secret solutions for the deflated boob area: They work. They really do.

@@McButterpants ... how are you doing? What did you decide to do re appetite suppressants? And, more importantly, what did your upper GI and ultrasound reveal? (If you want to share, that is.)

I'm bumping this for the newbies. This OP is an excellent, excellent post of what to expect with WLS and how to be successful long-term.

Sometimes two seemingly conflicting truths co-exist. For example: We choose to be in love. And yet the heart loves who the heart loves. Love still has its mystery, does it not?

HanSolo -- you can always tell them later. But you can't untell anyone. And you sure can't untell the people they told. Remember, you don't have a deadline about telling anyone. Wait and see how you really feel about this issue. Then do what you really want to do -- either way.

I had VSG surgery on August 18, 2014 -- one year and two weeks ago. Today I met with my bariatric P.A. for my one-year post-op review. She's extremely sharp and keeps up to date on bariatric surgery post-treatments, nutrition, behavioral issues and emerging news. She attends bariatric conferences often and reads all the new studies. She was the one who encouraged me at four months post-op to move from 800 calories/day to 1,000 calories by Month Six and to 1,200 calories by Month Eight. She said that would help me to prevent my metabolism from accustoming itself to the very low calorie post-op menus we are restricted to with tiny, swollen stomachs. Apparently, it worked: I am maintaining a 143 pound weight and eating 1,700 calories a day. I've had an exceptional Year One. I've reached my weight loss goal and am 7 pounds lower than that. I feel great. My blood panel test results are 100% great. No shortages at all. In my opinion I've done everything right. I eat 3 meals and 2 Snacks. I don't graze. I eat nutritious food. Most days my Protein grams hit or exceed 100. I typically eat 5 healthy vegetables and fruits each day and eat at least 21 grams of Fiber (the daily requirement for women). My muscle mass is exceptional for my age (I'm almost 70). I no longer need knee replacement surgery. I walk most days, do yoga and strength training. So today what I really wanted to know and what I asked her were these questions, along with her answers: 1. What should I expect during Year Two? You've done really well with weight loss surgery. You've already been maintaining your weight for the last 4 months. In Year Two you can expect more of the very same challenges you've already been dealing with since you reached goal -- planning and eating nutritious meals, focusing on regular exercise, not overeating, and staying focused and motivated. It's important to stay connected to us if you have any questions or changes in how you feel or your health. Staying connected to us is one of the best things you can do. All the research shows that you're much more likely to be successful long-term if you don't "fade" away and try to deal with all the challenges you're having by yourself. (That made me feel pretty good. ) 2. During Year Two, will my body start to produce and release more ghrelin and will my pre-op hunger levels return? No, the ghrelin doesn't come back. Yes, I know that myth is out there and considered to be true. But it's not true. Yes, you may experience "head hunger" or boredom that could lead you to start eating food full of empty calories that don't help you achieve satiety. And eating those empty "slider" calories will make you want more of them. That's the same "head hunger" challenge you've always had to contend with. Again, no, the ghrelin doesn't "grow back." (Needless to say, her predictions about ghrelin not coming back just thrilled the hell out of me!) 3. Will my metabolism lower for any reasons, requiring me to eat less? Not unless you stop exercising or your muscle mass goes down significantly. Also, you're already eating "good" foods, not high-sugar, high-carb foods. The nutritious foods you're eating (protein, veggies, fibrous fruits, whole grain foods) require your body to work harder to digest them. A diet high in slider foods (chips, Cookies, candy, ice cream, sugary drinks) wouldn't make those digestive and metabolic demands of your body. Just keep doing what you're doing now, and your metabolism should remain the same. (Whew!) I know that only time will tell how I do. But I now feel like I have a very good chance of keeping my weight down and remaining slim and healthy going forward. BTW, she told me about patients of hers who are 5 and 6 years out who are as slim now as they were when they first reached their weight goals. So take that, b*****s! :)

Kind of embarrassing to do this, but I'm bumping my own thread for those who want to hear my surgical team's predictions about Year Two post-op and beyond for gastric sleeve patients. I posted the OP almost 6 months ago, and (so far) my bariatric physician's assistant's predictions of Year Two of sleeved life are certainly holding true for me. Since I posted this nearly 6 months ago, I've very slowly lost another 8 pounds and now weigh 135 pounds. Today, I decided it's time to raise my daily calories from 1, 700 calories to 1,800 calories. At 135 pounds and 5'5" and 70 years old I don't want to lose anymore weight. So I'm going to suck it up and eat another 100 calories a day. I'm still feeling great, looking great, love eating really healthy, delicious food and wearing small, attractive clothes that I haven't dared to wear in decades. Happily, I have no health problems at all (that I'm aware of). Earlier today I posted something very wise I recently saw on a health blog -- that the two magic ingredients of a healthier lifestyle are patience and consistency. I think that statement is very important information for anyone who is considering WLS or is working hard to get the maximum health benefits from their own WLS.

Good for you! It's wonderful to see patients who are as mindfully observant as you as they go on this journey. Those who have the ability to notice what's happening as they lose weight -- understanding how X and Y and Z affect A, B and C -- have a real leg up on those who post-op just go with the flow, losing weight easily (as most do during the first 6-8 months post-op). Later, when weight loss slows or boredom sets in and as capacity increases, some folks aren't altogether certain which levers to push to stay in the lanes that lead to the finish line. That was probably too many bad metaphors. Congratulations!

@@Katrinakit ... you didn't mention on your "I'm in love after two weeks!" thread that your new love is an afficionado of fat ladies. Ruh roh!

Enjoy yourself.

GREAT article, Jean. I've purged my closet. Am now holding on to nothing above a size 8. Also love your 4 questions. Excellent.

Oh, yeah. This thing will pass. And then the next "thing" will happen. And after that, the next one. I read this morning on a health blog that "the two magic ingredients" necessary to change your life for the better are: Patience and consistency. I liked that.

Happy for you. It's a big deal, isn't it?