VSGAnn2014

No one in my bariatric surgery practice came close to telling me / us what average / expected weight losses were. And no one in my bariatric surgery practice said: "You'll likely lose X% of your excess weight." However, at my all-day educational seminar about the mechanics of the surgery (I was sleeved), what to eat post-op, etc., two patients who'd lost all their excess weight made an hour-long presentation about what their WLS journey had been like. I repeat, they'd both lost all their excess weight. So their experience spoke volumes to me. They made a big deal out of emphasizing that (1) losing the weight wasn't so hard and (2) building a new lifestyle and maintaining your weight loss long-term was where the real "adventure" was. Again, their experiences spoke volumes to me. At the time of this educational seminar I had already been lurking and posting in online forums nearly a year and had seen the range of what WLS success / failure looked like, which you also see here. I wasn't a babe in the woods. But I surely interpreted those two patients' experiences as my surgeon's expectations about what was possible and that losing all our excess weight and striving hard for maintenance was hoped for. Finally, neither my surgeon nor anyone in his practice ever gave me a specific weight loss goal. Ultimately, that was my business. And certainly no one ever suggested what an acceptable rate of weight loss was. I think anyone who would do that is walking a dangerous line and runs the risk of unnecessarily discouraging some patients, since so many variables can affect one's weight loss rate. FTR, I have lost all my excess weight and am maintaining easily at nearly 15 months post-op. If you want to know my own rate of weight loss, just ask.

I so completely disagree with the poster above who said "If you are not throwing up you are likely not overeating." What an absolutely incorrect way to regard the sleeve and what it can (and can't) do for you. To the OP and anyone else who thinks the sleeve is going to make you lose weight by itself, it won't. There will be times you will want to overeat because you're [fill in the blank with any of these feelings and many others ... tired, thirsty, stressed, lonely, bored, happy, feeling celebratory, sick, angry, etc.]. If you don't own these things, buy a scale, measuring cups and spoons and weigh and measure your food portions. Find out how much and what you're supposed to be eating right now that will help you lose weight. And do your darnedest to eat those foods in those amounts. And if you're not drinking lots of Water that will make you crave more food. If you think you suffer from disordered eating, find a good counselor / therapist who can help you find ways to overcome those ways of eating. The sleeve will not fix anything like that. I'll repeat that: The sleeve will not fix anything like that. Very best to you! Onward and downward.

Elode, here's what keeps my sugar beasts at bay: 1. Eating lots of dense Protein (animal protein, actually) 2. Drinking lots of Water / non-calorie liquids 3. Walking a lot (the endorphins make me happy / feeling strong) 4. Staying busy (whether with work or play) with things that keep my mind focused For me (not saying it's the same for you) my sugar cravings are my body's way of saying, "I'm bored, I'm tired, I'm dehydrated, I'm uncomfortable, I'm stressed, I'm antsy, I'm irritable, etc.")

First time - 1959 Last time - 1980

I said as recently as 6 weeks ago, "No surgery for me!" And now ... hmmm ... not so sure about that. If I could wave a magic wand and have plastic surgery that was excellent and already healed, I'd have (in this order): 1. Breast lift 2. Brachioplasty (the arms) 3. Tummy tuck I think the bottom half (butt lift and thigh skin tightened up) would be a bit complicated. Honestly, what I really need to find is a GREAT foundation garment that pulls my butt up. Anyone got a recommendation?

I agree completely! What if we lived each day in a way to experience as much joy and pleasure and satisfaction as we could extract. How much happier and peaceful we would become. And I don't mean wasting things or burning through retirement funds or being a glutton -- but savoring the joy from a bite of food, a sip of coffee, a well made bed, freshly brushed teeth, a weeded flower bed, a bill paid, a goodnight kiss, a giggle with a child, the fur of a cat. Such simple joys in our lives are here for the taking every single hour of the day. All we have to do is partake.

Elode, if I recall correctly, you're still eating only 800 calories a day at a year post-op. I don't think I could have eaten that little for as long as you've been doing it. Have you thought about gradually increasing the amount and expanding the types of food you're eating these days? I bet you would still lose weight if that's your goal, although the rate of weight loss might slow down. What's your reaction to that?

Elode, you're still eating only 800 calories a day, if I recall, at a year post-op. I don't think I could have eaten that little for as long as you've been doing it. Have you thought about gradually increasing the amount and expanding the types of food you're eating these day? I bet you could still lose weight, but the rate of weight loss might slow down. What's your reaction to that?

Ice cream is a slippery slope for me. But that's about it. Half a cup turns into one cup. Two servings turn into three. So I have ice cream only about once a month. But a little binge once a month isn't the end of the world. On the other hand -- two small slices of thin-crust pizza are enough. As is one Godiva dark chocolate truffle. And 1 small glass of red wine. Needless to say, I'm not trying to lose weight eating all this stuff. I've been maintaining (make that still losing 1-2 pounds a month for the last 6 months). In other words, I'm living real life and managing my weight. Never did THIS before! Things I still avoid like the plague: Can't think of anything right now.

Clothes are a big reward for me. I shop at consignment stores, so the cost isn't high. Other than the great benefits of better health, I've found joy again in playing "dress up" -- even when I dress to rake leaves or to shop for groceries. Redesigning my personal style at age 70 at 138 pounds after being overweight, obese and morbidly obese is more fun than a barrel of monkeys! All my too-large clothes are now gracing some larger ladies' bodies. I hope they're enjoying them as much as I did at those sizes.

My largest size was probably size 20. I had really nice clothes at everything down to size 14 and a few nice 12s I could wear at my lower weights. When I hit the 12s, I donated everything to charity, a sister, and others. It felt like I lost another 50 pounds! So therapeutic. I'd never done that before. Always feared gaining the weight back and having nothing "nice" to wear. I don't fear that this time. I'm now wearing mostly sizes 6-8. This weekend I bought some skinny Ralph Lauren jeans in size 4. Good golly, Miss Molly!

I don't know what the Dukan diet is. But 2 kilos lost in 20 days is not the same as "not losing weight. At that pace you'll lose 3 kilos in a month. That's not so bad from my point of view. Keep it up, and in 3 months you'll have lost those 10 kilos. Make sense?

About perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking and letting worry about failure paralyze us ... ... you may wish to read this worthwhile piece on Wikipedia about these very issues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfectionism_(psychology)

WLS truly is not for everyone. And there's no required timetable on which everyone who does wind up doing it will have WLS. The last thing anyone should do is to feel pressured into WLS by others, even strangers on an Internet forum. Very best to you!

Actually, the booty may come back. Almost 15 months out I'm walking so much more these days. And the booty is coming back a bit. I can only imagine what my booty might do if my knees were tuff enuff to still do squats.

I'd like to say something to those reading this thread who have not been sleeved yet: Everyone's experience is their own personal experience. It does not predict anyone else's experience. Some people obsess about food. Others don't. Some are sad. Others aren't. Some people experience remorse about their "lost stomach" for days or weeks. My WTF-have-I-done? moment lasted two hours. Some people (believe it or not) don't have this moment. Some people have an easy recovery, others suffer considerably. All of these feelings / sensations / phases / are not obligatory for everyone. It's nice to know what others are going through, but do not assume that your post-op experience has to play out like another person's. The variations are pretty broad.

@@WL WARRIOR ... your maintenance metabolism (1800-2000 calories/day) at 127 pounds is awesome! Truth is, I'm still losing weight (1-2 pounds a month) on 1700 cals/day. I'm going to have to raise my cals again to stop losing. The focus you're putting on fibrous veggies is very interesting. Also, you're eating less Protein now than I am. Hmmmm. I have to give this some thought.

@@glitterpockets ... Have you ever thought about divorcing from your mother? What of actual value would you lose if you never saw her? Or barring that, what if you just told her to shut the f**k up? And kept telling her that when she continued to abuse you in the ways she has become expert in abusing you? It sounds to me (?) like she suffers no negative repercussions when she abuses you, that there's no cost to her at all. What if her abuse of you actually cost her something? What would be so costly to her / negative to her that she would stop abusing you?

Scary stories about smoking? My sister, who's been a lifelong smoker, now has COPD. She's so weak and so unable to breathe if she exerts herself at all that she can't leave her house. She used an inhaler so much (just to be able to breathe) that she destroyed her teeth. She just had to have them all pulled and get false teeth. She understandably suffers horribly from anxiety. That makes it even harder for her to breathe. Her life is now a hell on earth. And it will be until she is dead. Oh, yeah ... she doesn't smoke anymore.

Shaking my head at some of these stories. Oddly, they are really quite motivating to me. Negative role models can also fuel my desire to be a great WLS success. Gotta be some kind of strange, hard-wired, primal, tribal, primate behavior: "Hey, look at the idiots! Let's not be like them and survive!"

I've seen that alcohol now affects me more than it used to (I'm nearly 15 months post-op). Now when I drink in social settings I do drink much more slowly and, consequently, not as much as I used to. Also, drinking wine (with no food) does increase my stomach acidity.

Re the weight gain, you've added some healthy muscle. Congratulations. Chances are, your clothes are not any tighter and maybe even a little looser? Re the acne -- any chance you started taking B12 recently? That can suddenly create acne problems for some people. (Google it.) Re the hair -- so many possible reasons, including thyroid (which you've already been tested for). Iron deficiency is another possibility.

Most people do react pretty emotionally post-op for several months or longer. And most of us are completely obsessed post-op about all the eating, drinking, exercise and other lifestyle changes that WLS requires of us. You also have many other stressful situations on your plate at the moment -- work, home, etc. That's a lot, even for someone who didn't have WLS plus a stricture and a second medical procedure to deal with. This will all settle out. In the meantime, maybe some deep breathing exercises, meditation, light exercise can help you to release some anxieties and frustrations. Walking has been a great boon to me in this regard.

Good advice from others to have an IRL conversation with her. She's a big presence in your / your husband's life, so deal with her and her text diplomatically and, ideally, face-to-face. I will say, however, that it pisses ME off no end when someone with little information about what's going on with me at the moment TELLS ME HOW I FEEL. So I can certainly relate to your reaction to that text.

Well, you're about to have major surgery. They want to find out if you have any cardiac issues or other conditions that indicate WLS surgery would be dangerous at this time or whether they should take specific precautions during surgery to avoid complications. These tests also offer your surgeon and others on the surgical team a baseline of your body's condition before surgery. If something happens during or after surgery, they can more swiftly determine what has gone wrong and how to fix it. This is very standard procedure. I didn't pay for anything "up front." It was all covered by my insurance.