lpsouth1978

It has been a while since anyone has posted in this thread, but I am going to update anyway. I have my 3 month weigh in tomorrow and as of this morning, I weigh 265. Down 90lbs total and 30lbs since surgery. Progress on the scale has been slow, but the inches are dropping fast. The day I had surgery, I was wearing a size 48 waist pant, I am ow in a size 38. That is 10 inches off my waist. I only have about 35lbs to go to reach my goal. It feels amazing to look in the mirror and actually like what I see. I did not realize just how big I was before, now I look back and can't believe the difference. I can't wait for these changes to continue. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made, hands down!

I think the thing that helped me most was not beating myself up for every mistake. I was certainly not perfect during the 6 months prior to surgery, but I acknowledged the mistakes, and made improvements. Don't focus too much on the scale, do the best you can and improve on 1 thing at a time. I started with diet soda. I was a Type 2 diabetic, so I had already been drinking diet soda for years, but I chose to cut out soda completely when I started this journey. I then started to track ALL my food intake. I was amazed to see which foods were problem foods. It was not always the ones I thought. CARBS, get them out. Protein is key to curbing your hunger. I started focusing on the protein, in many forms, and found that the cravings disappeared and I wasn't as hungry all the time. Focus on the protein and it will get easier. Perhaps the biggest change for me was WATER. Drink it all the time. I finally purchased a 40oz HydroFlask and started focusing on emptying it 6-8 times a day. If your stomach is filled with water, you won't feel hungry and eat things you shouldn't. One last note, find what works for you. The things that worked for me may not for you. We all slip up at some point, but we can't beat our selves up for it. We need to learn from it, and change what we are doing till we find what works for us. You are making a big change and it won't happen overnight, take your time, change one thing at a time, and then add another. Before you know it, you will meet your goals, and feel amazing. Keep at it and stay strong!

I am only onto the pureed foods, but have snuck in a few more substantial foods. It is amazing how different they will make you feel. Like you, I am able to drink to my hearts content, but once I started eating, even pureed foods, I felt full very quick. I had my first fluffy omelet the other day, I made it with 2 eggs, and could not believe how difficult it was to finish. I have a sister that had VGS just over 2 years ago, and she told me the same thing. To this day she struggles with meats, especially steak. She has to chew it up VERY well and really take her time with it. Even then she often finds that she has to vomit, something that doesn't happen with other foods. I hope that I do not have similar problems, but I expect to eventually find some food that causes the same reaction in me. It sounds like you are doing great. It gets easier as you move away from the liquid diet. I have only been onto pureed and eggs for a few days, but what an improvement already. Keep up the good work and keep us updated on your progress.

I am 3 weeks and 1 day post op and feeling great. Here are some pics to show my progress so far. The first is me at roughly my high weight of 355. The next are the day after surgery, Oct 23, 2017. The last 2 were taken a few minutes ago. I have already gone from a size 48 pant to a size 40, and down to 282lbs

I took 2 weeks off work and felt great when I returned, however, by the end of the week I was completely drained and felt terrible. I also think I returned a week too early and i suffered for it. My work is such, that I sit most of the day and have very little activity while on the job, but it still took its toll. As far as everything else goes, this has been SOOOOO easy for me. I have had no trouble sticking to the post op diet. I had my 2 week post op a few days ago and everything is going well. I am now on the pureed food diet and the Dr. also said I can start eating eggs. I was able to enjoy my first LITTLE omelet in a long time this weekend. I feel blessed to be having such an easy time with this, I hear so many stories of people struggling and fighting for every little victory. I think I did all of my big fighting before surgery and went into it as prepared as anyone can be.

I had my sleeve done on Mon (10/23), and things have been going very well. The day of surgery was rough and i had A LOT of nausea after surgery. The nausea went away after about 12 hours and everything has been rather easy since. I have had no issues with nausea, gas or pain since coming home, I have not vomited once since the day of surgery, have not needed any pain meds since leaving the hospital, and seem to have nearly as much energy as I did before the sleeve. I initially gained about 8 pounds immediately after surgery (as expected), but as of this morning I am down 8 pounds. I feel fortunate, because I have not had any issues tolerating anything yet, and have been able to get all of my water and nutrients in with ease. I hope things continue to be this easy. HW 355, SW 295, CW 289

I am scheduled for Mon Oct. 23. 5 days left on my pre-op clear liquid diet and going strong. Looking forward to the next phase of this journey.

Good luck with your surgery. I have mine Mon Oct. 23. The hardest parts pre-op wise are basically behind you. I did not find the liquid pre-op diet to be too difficult, though I still have 5 days left.