justabill

Hi everyone. I'm new on the forum. I've been through my initial consult and I am waiting for a response from my insurance company so I can schedule. I'd like to hear from other men who they chose to tell about getting sleeved. Right now I've, of course, discussed it with my wife who is great and very supportive. I've also talked with my two older kids (14 & 11) and they have been great. I'm choosing not to tell my 6 year old just because I don't think he'd understand and he'd blab in no time. As for work, I'm just planning to tell my boss I'm having abdominal surgery and leave it at that. I really just feel this is a personal decision and not anybody else's concern. What was your policy? Did anyone have someone they wish they had told and didn't? Or someone they told and wished they hadn't?

At least that's how she describes it, unfaithful to the old me. My amazing, gorgeous wife has always said (and demonstrated!) that she thought I was attractive/sexy even when I was up to 327 pounds. Now I am 3 months post op and down 82 pounds to 245 and she is on me like white on rice! Not that I mind but it is kinda funny to hear how conflicted she feels. She feels guilty when she tells me now that I look good and feels compelled to say, "I thought you looked good before, too". Ah well, a nice problem to have. When I shed another 40 to get to my goal weight I may just have to fight her off with a stick to get some rest!

beginnertriathlete.com has free training plans and lots of info for (go figure) beginning triathletes. They also have good training tracking logs and plenty of information about all things tri. Their paid plans are very reasonable. Also, I second finding a local team to train with. Good luck! I'm doing a sprint tri on August 2nd.

I still eat too fast at all meals not just at work. there is an iPhone app called "Eat Slower" that can help. Good Luck

Ricotta cheese and pizza sauce heated in the microwave. Delicious. I also still enjoy Dannon light & fit greek yogurts.

I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey. So far I've tried Extreme Milk Chocolate and Rocky Road. I mix them with light vanilla soy milk and I really like them. My kids drink them, too. I buy it from Amazon.

My doctor said if it was the same size or smaller than an M&M it was OK to take. My pain meds were pills I had to break in half and take both.

I had a dream that I ate a giant marshmallow. When I woke up my pillow was gone! <rimshot> Thank You! Thank You! Remember to tip your waitress. I'll be here all week.

Hi Indy, (Cue the Indiana Jones theme music) Congrats on the great year. Stories like yours are very motivating. I see you like long distance riding. How have you handled hydration/nutrition on these rides? Currently I'm a slow, fat triathlete, but I'm using my sleeve to transform myself in a slow, lean triathlete. My ultimate goal is an Ironman (I've completed a half-Ironman). Hydration and nutrition are a big part of these events. Have you had to deal with these issues on your long bike rides? Thanks

Here's what happened at my first visit: http://www.vsgguy.info/preparation/the-initial-consultation/

I created some variety on clear liquids by making broth based (not cream based) soups and straining out the chunks. For example I would make a can of Campbell's Minestrone and then strain out the noodles and vegetable chunks. Delicious!

Full of it x3, I really hope this isn't how you chose your screen name. :-)

Try to find one with skinny fingers! :-)

It was a piece of cake! Here is my experience: http://www.vsgguy.info/pre-op/endoscopy/

I'm one week post op and I couldn't be doing any better. My Nutritionist and Nurse Practictioner say it is all due to my success on the pre-op diet. Let me tell you my experience. I had my surgery (sleeve) Monday 3/10 about 11:00 AM. I was heading home by 3:00 PM. I was given Vicodin pills for the pain and I could take 1 or 2 every 4 hours. I took 1 every 4 hours until Tuesday night. Wednesday morning I took a dose of Aleve and I haven't had any pain meds since. I also haven't had any nausea or any trouble taking in liquids. In short, with the exception of being tired from the anesthesia, I almost didn't believe I'd had major surgery! I lost 20 pounds on a two week pre-op diet. My medical team says that has made all the difference. They are not surprised by these results. They said the diet shrinks your liver by forcing it to give up its glycogen stores and that makes the surgery much, much easier for the doctor.

It sounds like my doctor's practice is unique. I had my sleeve done yesterday on an out-patient basis. In at 8:30, operation at 10:30, heading home at 3:00. I've been doing great. No nausea and able to tolerate a wide variety of liquids. (Knock on wood.)

March 10th for me too. Just started pre-op diet yesterday. I'm grumpy already.

Thanks everyone for all the replies. It seems opinions run across the whole spectrum so I'm not really an outlier. I heard an opinion here I absolutely support. If any of our hypergravitationally challenged brethren ask about the weight loss and seem genuinely interested, I'll pull them aside and give them the whole answer. I'll also refer them to my blog where I am journaling my experience from thinking about WLS to my staggering success in the future. Of course anybody here is welcome there also. BTW, I just got my surgery day, 3/10. I'll start my diet a week from Monday.