TheBearguy8

Finally, some experience I can relate to and comment intelligently about.
Surgery day: 250
Pre-Op prep: 255
Max weight 2 years earlier: 280
Years jammed up at 250 with daily exercise, spin classes and Zumba: THREE!!
7 months after surgery?: 195
Experience?: It's been a BREEZE like this guy said. I have felt guilty expressing this due to sympathy for so many others. There is so much FEAR and TERROR expressed in SO MANY places. I was PETRIFIED going to Mexico more for the surgery than even going to Tijuana!
Physical side effects so far: Nausea ALARM (that's what I call it) to "STOP EATING YOU DUMMY". Best thing ever. Burping. Hilarious. Great at parties. Farting? Not so much fun at parties.
What gave me an advantage: I had been a dancer, and competitive and physically active in my 20's after being a fat kid. Mid life crisis issues at 40 set some changes in to motion, but no matter what dietary changes I made . . dropped all sugary sodas gradually, massive carb cutbacks, cutting out of top trigger foods, pizza, chinese . . .it all helped, but 250 was where I thought life would settle. Then came spin classes, zumba, weight lifting - 240 was fun, but crept back to 250 gradually.
AFTER surgery - all those lifestyle things HELPED as the psychological hunger and inability to overeat just changed. Combine the surgery with lifestyle changes? I'm living a joyful life, literally and metaphorically dancing through every day. . . looking 10 years younger . . . wearing tight clothes . . . and getting a lot of dates and interest that lead me to believe I might not die alone fat and surrounded by my cats eating me after all.
 
Things people say that were NOT TRUE FOR ME:
- you will never have carbonated drinks ever again
- you will never enjoy eating again
- it's "not a magic bullet". (It was for me)
- you will always get gassy and uncomfortable and live with it
- you will forever need to be taking a lot of supplements and vitamins/shots
- you will get debilitating heartburn and physical pains
- you will risk ripping your staples out and bleeding to death if you eat too much.
- you will have to get used to vomiting from  time to time, and it's painful and dangerous to do so. (twice for me, and only when I mixed bourbon with too many sugar free popsicles! I deserved it! It was just bad that it happened while sleeping - that's dangerous)
- you will never enjoy any alcoholic drinks ever again
- you will die in Mexico and they will never find your body
- you will be so constipated it will affect you all the time
- you will go through periods of regret (not so far anyway)
 
Some true ones:
- drinking enough water is hard. It tastes awful, and I never liked it in the first place.
- protein, protein, protein FIRST. Then the fun stuff, if you even want it anymore after the protein.
- Tastes change. sometimes in some bizarre ways that even change month to month.
- Remember to eat and keep the food log any way you can more so that you stay in balance, and don't get out of whack in areas like sodium and other things easily overlooked.
- Use your URINE as a constant CHECK on your own health. LOOK AT IT. Sometimes pee in urine specific container and check the color carefully. When it gets darker, really dark, or even into a neon type bright green/yellow - evaluate what you are doing carefully and make changes.
- The surgery is NOT what it was in it's early years and configurations of bypass and lap band. Sleeve was the way for me, and it all makes sense after the fact now. My mother had this surgery in 1992 and has led a miserable life physically, although she got thinner, it came with much substitute misery.
 
Have fun! It's the best decision I ever made! I would do it over and over again, and I tell everyone I can to not be afraid.