Lily66

I am just able to drink about 50 ounces of Water a day. On the Protein Shakes, I’ve cut it down to one a day as they have us to do after six weeks. I’m finding that the first six weeks are a real learning curve but now I’m pretty set in some good habits. You can do it!!

I had my VSG surgery at 62ys in 2018, 2days before Thanksgiving. Easy peasy, no issues, no pain, stayed in hospital less than 24hrs. I learned a lot about weightloss surgery from good people on this BP forum. This surgery changed my life and my health. Best decision ever made. I wish I've done it long time ago.

Welcome to the over 60 club! Because of the cost, I had to wait until Medicare kicked in. The surgery was very easy for me with not one post surgery food issue or pain. I'm down 55 pounds in 3 months and feel great. I'm realistic about loose skin and the shifting of weight at this age. I'll never have flat abs and I am more concerned about the loose skin on my face. I'm hoping some botox and fillers will help at some point. I have had to reduce contact with a few people who weren't supportive as they also have weight issues. I gladly give up a few of them to be able to sit on the floor comfortably with my young grandchildren. And I've been able to reduce my blood pressure medication in half and hope to stop it all together down the road. And I had the sleeve because I want to be able to enjoy some foods and a glass of wine at some point and don't need to be thin, but do want to be healthy and able to do more things that I enjoy that I can't do now with the extra weight.

Hi: I had my sleeve done in January of this year. I was 65 at the time. I had to pay for it out of my own pocket because I would have had to wait 5 years to get the government to pay for it. I had some inheritance money so I thought I would spend it on myself. I couldn't wait 5 years. My blood pressure was going up, I was a borderline diabetic and the writing was on the wall that I was heading for some major problems if I didn't do something about my weight. I had to go to Toronto for my surgery, have my husband stay with me for a week and then fly back home. All in all it went well. I did have a big bump in the road, About a month ago I became very depressed and went off the rails. It was with the help of this group that I realized I had experienced major stress for about 8 months and I needed to get some help. The help is always there if you need it.

I just turned 60, and have made the decision to be “more healthy” I just finished class 2 and have 5 more to go, the plan is to have WLS at end of February 2021. I have spent my adult life overweight and it is time I take control.

I started feeling less restriction about 15 months after surgery. As many others have said, "You can't chase the restriction." In other words, you can't let a feeling of restriction determine the volume of food. You have to pre-choose your food intake and eat just that amount. This is learning how to eat normally. It is hard. I struggle with it, too. Before surgery, I could put away HUGE volumes of food. I have no idea where it all went, but once I started eating, I could not stop. I have those same feelings now - like I want to keep eating once I start, and if I eat slowly enough, and stretch out my meals, I can put away a lot more that I should. I have to work every day to write down my meal plan and then do my best to stick with it. And to STOP once my meal is finished. Intermittent fasting helps. I don't eat until noon and then try to stop by 7 pm. I can still put away a lot of calories in 7 hours, however, and it is a new learning curve to learn how to eat 2 good meals a day, with some raw veggies in the afternoon and a small yogurt fruit bowl for evening dessert. No second helpings and no other snacking - regardless of how full I feel. The volume limit has to come from your head, not your pouch.

Welcome Neller! Congratulations on your decision to be as healthy as you possibly can, and happy you have a supportive doctor. I’m 66 and have zero regrets in having this.
Though I worked at it (aerobics, eating pretty well, etc.,) my weight was always in the normal range until 50’s, then hysterectomy, HRT, slowed metabolism, stresses of life, ya di ya da there I went. Many, many on this board are 60’s, 70’s, even recall one over 80. As long as you have a very good medical team and follow their instructions, I believe you will be pleased as punch!😀 Glad that you found this site, it will help you to learn and keep motivation high.

Had 6 month post op appt. this morning, reassured that mild nausea is common for some of us. Suggested going no more than 2 hours without eating at least something, and encouraged me to keep a food diary to correlate anything I may have eaten prior to the nausea feeling. Use Pepcid and Zofran PRN, call them if nausea increases or becomes bothersome.

Sending a big virtual hug your way, SAS11, and I’m glad you stayed and expressed your concern. As Alex posted yesterday, what we say online may not always come across as we intended, so we need to be cautious, tread lightly and re-read before posting.
I have found most on this board to be loving, giving, supportive and generous. Once in awhile someone will appear sharp tongued and I dismiss it, that perhaps they were in a bad mood that day or too rushed to refine their words. Unfortunately, we can all have days like that and again, unintended.
As for an outright nasty someone, as Alex stated so well, do not engage nor get snared in. I would suggest ignoring it once, maybe twice, if it appears to continue discuss it with the administrator, not here. You don’t deserve to take that on, and hopefully you will never encounter it.
Finally, DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER TO ANYONE to derail you. Not here, not anywhere. YOU OWN YOUR POWER, just smile and move on from anything not in support of your best interest, for it’s about them, not about you.💖

I was 59 when I had surgery and am now 61. No regrets whatsoever, and just wish I had done it sooner.
I was also told by a doctor that I should consider surgery after decades of yo-yo dieting, including multiple commercial diets (Atkins, Optifast, Nutri-System, etc.). Yes, I lost weight every time, and gained it back much more quickly than it had taken to lose it. My doctor was blunt: I had another 10 to 12 years before a major cardiac incident that I might not survive. That was the push I needed to get surgery. He also told me that there was little possibility at my age of losing a meaningful amount of weight and keeping it off.
I also considered surgery the "easy way out." As anyone here can tell you, however, that is definitely not the case. It's a tool that will help you lose a lot of weight quickly, but it still takes lifelong discipline and a mental shift in the way you view food. I didn't realize before surgery how easy it can be to gain the weight back after a few years if you return to your old eating habits.
The bottom line: DO IT! Your health and quality of life will be improved immeasurably!

Welcome and Good Luck! I had my surgery in February; I am 61. I have lost a little over 70 pounds so far, and it is an unequivocal joy to me. I have been walking with my husband through the woods and on many trails; I am feeling so much younger and have so much more energy; I am enjoying buying clothes for the first time in years. I was very lucky in so far as my overall health before the surgery, in spite of obesity and yo-yo dieting, but I honestly did not know how TIRED I was from lugging around so much extra weight. Here is a list of things I don't dread anymore: stairs, booths, airplane seats (if we can ever fly again), walking around the block, tying my shoes! My knees ache less, my back aches less, I am wearing high heel boots occasionally, my resting heart rate is at 52. My husband, who is my biggest supporter and fan, jokes that he does not have to do the laundry anymore, because carrying the baskets from the 2nd floor to the basement is easy for me now! Go for it, you won't regret it.

OK then I did understand. I don't believe I'll "never do that again", but I've worked hard for a long time on my relationship with food and I hope that will help me when the time comes. I have spent a long time changing my diet long before surgery. I don't eat things like processed or fast food. I eat mostly vegetarian. I prefer healthy food. I'm not saying I never want junk, but I just don't keep it in the house. I know I will have treats now and then in the future, but they won't be a major part of my diet.
I didn't get as fat as I was by not eating a bunch of crap, but I did work on that for years before surgery so I hope that will help me.
This is a lifestyle change and it's important to me to change my life and live healthy.
I'm just going to keep working on all my habits, working on my mental health, and use this tool to the best of my ability.


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I am so happy to see someone addressing this "age issue."I am just like many of you who already responded. I was average weight until after I had my second child and from then on it was nothing but yo-yo dieting. I thought about surgery in my mid-50s but found it unaffordable. I knew nothing about ways to get insurance to pay. Plus I was leery of the invasive procedure. Thank God for Medicare . So now I am 68, six weeks postop and feeling fine. I had no nausea ,pain or other difficulties at surgery and my recovery and food plan compliance have been fantastic. I wish I had done this years ago and I am looking forward to a very bright future . I say go for it!!!

Welcome Neller! Congratulations on your decision to be as healthy as you possibly can, and happy you have a supportive doctor. I’m 66 and have zero regrets in having this.
Though I worked at it (aerobics, eating pretty well, etc.,) my weight was always in the normal range until 50’s, then hysterectomy, HRT, slowed metabolism, stresses of life, ya di ya da there I went. Many, many on this board are 60’s, 70’s, even recall one over 80. As long as you have a very good medical team and follow their instructions, I believe you will be pleased as punch!😀 Glad that you found this site, it will help you to learn and keep motivation high.

Sending a big virtual hug your way, SAS11, and I’m glad you stayed and expressed your concern. As Alex posted yesterday, what we say online may not always come across as we intended, so we need to be cautious, tread lightly and re-read before posting.
I have found most on this board to be loving, giving, supportive and generous. Once in awhile someone will appear sharp tongued and I dismiss it, that perhaps they were in a bad mood that day or too rushed to refine their words. Unfortunately, we can all have days like that and again, unintended.
As for an outright nasty someone, as Alex stated so well, do not engage nor get snared in. I would suggest ignoring it once, maybe twice, if it appears to continue discuss it with the administrator, not here. You don’t deserve to take that on, and hopefully you will never encounter it.
Finally, DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER TO ANYONE to derail you. Not here, not anywhere. YOU OWN YOUR POWER, just smile and move on from anything not in support of your best interest, for it’s about them, not about you.💖

There are a lot of issues with automated captioning, especially when groups are large and people don’t have their cameras on so I can’t read lips. Deaf people spend a lot of time and energy on communication in daily life, and that type of situation is just too exhausting. Not worth my time and energy when I’m so worn out trying to understand what’s being said that I end up getting no actual support. I had at one point considered getting an ASL interpreter for the group, but even though interpreters are technically bound by confidentiality standard in their profession, a good number of them gossip within the community. And the deaf community is pretty small. So if I get an interpreter for the group I take the chance on everyone in the local deaf community finding out that I’m having this surgery.

Hi! I'm new to this forum. I'm 67 and am waiting for insurance authorization before I can schedule a surgery date. Are there any other people here who had their surgery while in their 60's? I have struggled with my weight for 44 years, and have joined WW countless times, tried OA, 6Atkins, South Beach and Noom. Like most of you I'd lose a little and gain back more. At my highest I was 291, and that was when my doctor recommended gastric sleeve surgery. I wish I had considered it earlier, but I thought it was the cheater's way to go. I know think it's my last hope.
If there are older folks, how did you do with surgery, do you have any regrets, and are things that you wish you had known before surgery? Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can give me.
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I feel kind of weird asking this here because I don’t want to imply that this forum is bad for everyone, but... where do you all get support online besides this forum?
Honestly, I’m starting to feel like this is a very unsafe place to get support but I’m not sure of where else to go. I’m deaf, so the support group at my surgery center isn’t accessible for me communication-wise. I really need spaces online, especially once I get to my November surgery date. I haven’t posted much, but I’ve been lurking for a while and have experienced a lot of anxiety over the way that other people are getting shamed on these forums.
In the few months I’ve been lurking on these forums I’ve seen other members being shamed for all kinds of things: having second thoughts about surgery, eating something too soon after surgery, eating something that isn’t the ideal food, regaining weight, and making different kinds of mistakes. That’s not the kind of environment I need to be in. I’m hard enough on myself when I don’t do something perfectly in any area of life. Once I have my surgery I think I’ll be crushed if I come here seeking support and am shamed and treated like I’m subhuman for not doing things perfectly. Some of the things that are said here by other members would seriously derail me if those things were said to me.
But I’ve not had much success with finding other internet spaces that are as active as this one. Where do you all go besides here when you need support? Preferably, I’m looking for places where shaming other people isn’t tolerated.

Hi, SAS. I'm so sorry to hear that you feel this forum is not a supportive environment. Aside from my surgeon's office, I actually found Bariatric Pal to be the best place to turn for support, advice and information. I learned so much from the other members here and found that as a rule we encouraged each other and cheered the successes of other members.
I have seen the types of "shaming" posts you are talking about, but in my experience they are few and far between--and I think they are far outweighed by the positive and helpful posts. You will sometimes see "tough love" posts in response to people whose behavior suggests that they are not taking their diets seriously, but sometimes that's what they need. There's a difference between that and bullying or shaming.
I had my surgery in February 2019, and there was a thread for all of us who had surgeries that month. We became like a social club and really got to know each other, and I found that tremendously helpful during the first 6 to 8 months. (I will admit that we are no longer very active now that we are all in maintenance.)
Like you, I have not found any other sites that are as active as this one. I would urge you to stick with Bariatric Pal for a while. Hopefully you will find the support here that I have, and you can simply ignore the few people who engage in shaming. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have via a private message if you like (although I had bypass, not a sleeve).
I wish you all the best going forward, and I hope you find the support you need, whether it's here or elsewhere.

Sending a big virtual hug your way, SAS11, and I’m glad you stayed and expressed your concern. As Alex posted yesterday, what we say online may not always come across as we intended, so we need to be cautious, tread lightly and re-read before posting.
I have found most on this board to be loving, giving, supportive and generous. Once in awhile someone will appear sharp tongued and I dismiss it, that perhaps they were in a bad mood that day or too rushed to refine their words. Unfortunately, we can all have days like that and again, unintended.
As for an outright nasty someone, as Alex stated so well, do not engage nor get snared in. I would suggest ignoring it once, maybe twice, if it appears to continue discuss it with the administrator, not here. You don’t deserve to take that on, and hopefully you will never encounter it.
Finally, DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER TO ANYONE to derail you. Not here, not anywhere. YOU OWN YOUR POWER, just smile and move on from anything not in support of your best interest, for it’s about them, not about you.💖

This site was created with rules and safeguards so that it can remain a safe place, so most of the time it is.
Please report anything/anyone that doesn't meet the standards, that's the one of the ways to remove the negativity.
The other way is to create threads, find your "tribe" and cultivate safe spaces.
Be the change that you want to see ♥️

P.S. Just wanted to add that most people really worry about losing hair and the loose skin - sometimes to the point that they don't go through with the surgery. I worried incessantly about this when I was pre-op and newly post-op as well. But I think I can speak for most of us that once you've lost a bunch of that excess weight, you'll start to wonder why you wasted any brain cells worrying about it. In the grand scheme of things, the skin and hair thing is really minor. I would take the loose skin any day over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY DAY!!

Sending a big virtual hug your way, SAS11, and I’m glad you stayed and expressed your concern. As Alex posted yesterday, what we say online may not always come across as we intended, so we need to be cautious, tread lightly and re-read before posting.
I have found most on this board to be loving, giving, supportive and generous. Once in awhile someone will appear sharp tongued and I dismiss it, that perhaps they were in a bad mood that day or too rushed to refine their words. Unfortunately, we can all have days like that and again, unintended.
As for an outright nasty someone, as Alex stated so well, do not engage nor get snared in. I would suggest ignoring it once, maybe twice, if it appears to continue discuss it with the administrator, not here. You don’t deserve to take that on, and hopefully you will never encounter it.
Finally, DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER TO ANYONE to derail you. Not here, not anywhere. YOU OWN YOUR POWER, just smile and move on from anything not in support of your best interest, for it’s about them, not about you.💖

Welcome Neller! Congratulations on your decision to be as healthy as you possibly can, and happy you have a supportive doctor. I’m 66 and have zero regrets in having this.
Though I worked at it (aerobics, eating pretty well, etc.,) my weight was always in the normal range until 50’s, then hysterectomy, HRT, slowed metabolism, stresses of life, ya di ya da there I went. Many, many on this board are 60’s, 70’s, even recall one over 80. As long as you have a very good medical team and follow their instructions, I believe you will be pleased as punch!😀 Glad that you found this site, it will help you to learn and keep motivation high.

Hi! I'm new here! I will be having the DS in March 2021 (I have to wait 6 months for insurance). I have been considering WLS for years. I had the lap band 12 years ago and it failed and I has to have it removed due to complications.
I am a single mom to my daughter who I adopted. I am doing the surgery for us. I want to be the mom who can run and play with her at the park, ride all of the amusement park rides with her, go on her class field trips without concern of fitting, not hate myself for buying a 3 story house.. the list goes on..
Having had 3 abdominal surgeries in the past, I know what I'm getting into pain and post op recovery-wise.. having had bariatric surgery in the past I know what I'm getting into with the post op diet. My concern is my body after. I have always been overweight. Even as a child. And I honestly dont hate my body right now! I have a great butt! Lol I have no idea what I will look like after loosing 200 pounds. I am so worried about the excess skin and that I will loose the things that I feel like make me attractive. I know that is super superficial but I hope this is a safe place to express this.
Thanks for listening and providing encouragement!