Recidivist

I went through the 6-month medically supervised weight loss program at George Washington that was required before my insurance would approve the surgery. (I do recommend their weight loss clinic.) However, when the time came for my surgery I went with Dr. Katherine Lemond at Sibley Memorial Hospital in DC (affiliated with Johns Hopkins). I cannot recommend Dr. Lemond and the entire bariatric surgery team at Sibley highly enough. I'd recommend that you have a look at them before you make a final decision.

I'll drink a Crystal Light to that! 🙂

Well, I had wildly fluctuating emotions before surgery that were all about being nervous about the surgery, ranging from excited to terrified. I was so nervous on the day of the surgery that I almost called it off just before I was being wheeled into the operating room. I'm guessing that your emotions do have a lot to do with your upcoming surgery, even if you say you are not nervous. You should also be aware that there will be lots of ups and downs after surgery as well. That's where this forum can be really useful, because you'll learn that what you are going through is not unique.

I have said several times here that I feel like I'm feeling "normal" now that I'm in maintenance. By that I mean I basically eat what I want when I want, and I have stopped obsessing about how much I eat, how many calories, how much protein, etc. My new normal, however, is that I've developed completely different eating habits that no longer include sugar, high fat, high carbs, etc. The things I want to eat now are the things my body needs. I'm not sure where that makes sense to you now, but hopefully it will one day.

Well, I wasn't going to start a thread like this, but I will admit that is one of the pleasant side effects of surgery. In addition, the fat around the pubic area disappears, making everything look larger than it did before. 🤫

I've gained about five pounds over the last month, which has nothing to do with eating differently around the holidays. And I'm totally comfortable with my weight gain. I went on maintenance a couple of months ago after hitting a low of132, eight pounds below my goal. I started consciously eating up to 1,500 calories a day to stop losing. I went up to 135 and stayed there for several weeks. I started adding even more variety to my diet, no longer avoiding carbs and fats as if they were poison. I've now settled in at a range of 139-141, which I consider a good weight. I no longer look quite as gaunt as I did at 132 and I feel great. The challenge now is to stay here. It's still a bit of trial and error. Happy new year to all, and congratulations on our upcoming first anniversary!

I was two months shy of 60 when I had my surgery last March. Nine months later and now in maintenance, I'm thrilled with the results. My only regret is that I didn't do it decades earlier!

What she said. I also had no appetite and had to force myself to get enough protein and water. I actually wasn't able to get to 60g protein for two months or so. Even in maintenance, my appetite hasn't fully returned.

As you can see, I am also in a large chorale. That was one brief solo at last year's Christmas concert! The surgery has totally changed my voice, and not for the better. I find that I no longer have the power or breath support I used to have. (I was a belter with huge high notes.) A voice teacher told me it's because the surgery involved some of the muscles used in singing and that my voice could be rehabilitated, but I haven't had the time. I can still sing, but not the way I used to. That has actually been one of the most disappointing side effects of surgery. 😞

Thanks so much for posting, Nenes! I have essentially the same configuration of sagging skin in my upper body, and I'm reassured to see another guy with the same issues. I will post my before and after, but fully clothed. 🙂 (Unfortunately, my before picture was not taken specifically to show my weight--it's just a random shot.)

I was able to eat an entire regular chocolate bar (full sugar and fat) after about nine months at the start of maintenance with no ill effects. I almost wish I had had a strong reaction. However, the guilt I felt kept me from ever doing it again!

I almost never went above 800 calories for the first six months and lost weight very quickly. In maintenance, I am still struggling to get up to 1,200 to 1,400 per day.

It's particularly difficult during the liquid and soft food phases after surgery when there is so little variety in what you can eat. I'm now in maintenance and can eat a broad range of foods in small quantities--and I don't want any more than that. I feel essentially "normal" at this point.

Prior to surgery I was hot all the time and sweat profusely when it was more than about 80 degrees. Now that I've lost over 100 pounds and am in maintenance, I'm cold most of the time, which I actually welcome. I no longer sweat in the summer!

Another week and still holding steady at 137, which makes me really happy. It seems that I've found my ideal weight, as well as the amount of food I should be eating to stay there. I still struggle with getting enough food without feeling sick, but I'm learning and it's getting better. I'm feeling very optimistic!

I'm nine months out and on maintenance, and this still happens to me. I'm trying to eat more to increase calories, so I'm taking larger portions than during the weight loss phase. (Mind you, they are still really small compared to the way I used to eat.) I'm surprised at how often I'm unable to eat everything on my plate. I'm having to re-learn portion size now that I'm on maintenance.

OMG, I could have written that! I had my surgery in March, and I know exactly what you are talking about. I can hear my own voice in my head when I'm talking and it drives me crazy. It's much worse in the right ear, but often in both. I can "pop" my ears and it's temporarily better, but it comes right back. I've seen a doctor about it and they thought it might be sinus congestion, but that's not the issue--I never had this before surgery. I had not noticed that it gets worse during/after exercise, but I'll pay attention next time. I'm so happy to see your post and know I'm not the only one!

Well....I'll be candid. When I was fat, I was always taken for about ten years younger than I was, but now people guess my true age (60). It has a lot to do with the "haggard" look caused by sagging skin after the weight loss. I told almost nobody about my surgery. When I met friends whom I hadn't seen in a long time, some of them didn't talk about my weight loss because they thought I was sick. (I did survive cancer a few years ago, so I think some people were afraid it had come back.) I now proactively tell friends that my weight loss was intentional--and it was the result of lots of hard work on my part (which is definitely true). I'll let the women on the forum address the pancake boob issue. I can say that my former man-boobs sag down to the bottom of my rib cage.

Yes, very similar comments from my sister and a close friend. Both of them are obese, and my take is that they both feel threatened by the fact that I made the decision to control my eating and get healthy. Both relationships are now very strained as a result.

One of our pre-op classes was given by a plastic surgeon from the same hospital as my surgeon who specialized in facial plastic surgery for weight loss patients. He stressed that we should make sure any plastic surgeon we work with should understand extreme weight loss.

Since we are in Australia, I actually forgot it was Thanksgiving until the day after when I started seeing Facebook posts. However, I agree with what you said in general, and the same principle applies when I eat out with friends. As you said, I have no interest any more in eating the huge portions and unhealthy stuff I see other people eating (well, aside from that one chocolate bar I mentioned in an earlier post....). I'm sure Christmas will be the same. I'm so proud of you and Anna for sailing through Thanksgiving so easily. Who would have ever thought we could feel this way about food!

Good for you! You look great, and i always appreciate hearing from another guy who has had the surgery. We have similar paths. I started at 250 in February and am down to 137 as of today, which is honestly a bit lower than I'd like to be. However, I've been bouncing around this weight for a month, so I guess it's where I should be. I can eat limited quantities of almost anything--and I have been in order to increase my calories. I can comfortably wear size 30 pants and small or medium shirts, depending on the style. Wonderful, isn't it? The only thing we don't have in common is saggy skin--as in, I have lots of it. The difference is that I'm 60 and was fat for decades. Kudos to you for doing something about your weight earlier than I did!

Okay, you all are freaking me out a little bit, because I did actively try to gain weight over the past month--which I did, but only a few pounds. I guess the reassuring part is that I had to eat SO much more than I was comfortable with to do it just to gain a few pounds. Also, I was able to stop the gain by deliberately cutting out the high-calorie foods I was eating to gain. On an unrelated note, it was crazy hot last week here in Australia, with a high temperature of 98 last Wednesday!

Quick update: My weight has been consistently fluctuating between about 134 and 138 for over a week, which seem ideal. I'm still struggling with feeling a bit sick a lot of the time due to eating too much, but that's also improving with practice. I think I may have found my sweet spot!

Wow, thanks everyone for talking about your cravings as well. Chocolate was a big problem for me before surgery! Since the chocolate bar incident, I've stocked up on Jello sugar-free chocolate pudding (which I love), sugar-free popsicles, and a couple of sugar-free chocolate bars. If I feel the urge, I can grab one of those. As Gottajustdoit mentioned, I know that I'm taking up pouch space that should be used for protein, but at least it's not as bad as the full-sugar options. I'm beginning to think that my little slip was a good thing, because I've re-committed to making healthy choices instead of giving into temptation. Love this site!