Dave_NW

It's easy to blame our problems on being overweight. A lot of folks feel that people (or even life itself) treats them differently because of the excess weight. It's actually pretty easy to do that. But I think after you're thin, when problems do come up, you'll be in a better place to deal with them. I say that because the overshadowing "If only I wasn't fat!" mental argument will be gone. You won't be forced to deal with the problem from beneath that perspective. Problems will certainly come up, but you'll be in a much better mental and emotional place. I think just knowing where you've been in your journey will automatically make you feel better, and give you a better skill set. And that means when the unicorns do show up, you'll be better equipped to chase them down. Dave

Congratulations on having your surgery! Hope recovery continues to go well, and that your success is everything you hope it to be. I'm hoping I can report similar good things after my surgery later this year. Dave

Wow, Tracey, what a journey you've had! From all I've read here, especially the band to sleeve revisions, you're absolutely heading down the right road, Wishing you all the best of luck with things. And can I say, reading of the issues you've had with the band is exactly why I changed my mind and decided to skip the band, and go right to sleeve as a first choice. I was gung ho to have the band at first, but the more I researched beyond the media hype, the more "real world" problems I was discovering. Once I made my sleeve choice, it was a no-brainer. Dave

Maybe my experience is different because I'm a guy, but the several people I've told have all been understanding. Some have even been enthusiastic. But all have been encouraging. I'm not making a big announcement at work, (sharing too much information where I work wouldn't be a good idea - people do love to talk...), but I have told a few close coworkers. Nobody has given me any trouble. But in perspective, most of these people know me pretty well. They've seen me battle my weight for a long tme. And they all know how unhappy I am. So I think it's going to be fine. The one thing I found interesting, was when I told them I was having weight loss surgery, nearly all of them said, "Oh, are you having bypass surgery?" Only a couple asked if I was "getting a lap band." With the popularity of the band, I would have thought that would be their first assumption. None knew what the sleeve was, but all agree it's a good choice for me. Good luck with your surgery! Dave

Congrats! Here's hoping things continue to go well for you. Since we're kind of neighbors, if you don't mind, where did you have your surgery done? Dave

It's my pleasure to offer whatever support to others that I can. They're helping me just as much. My surgery will be in Seattle later this year, (no date set as yet), with a surgeon (Dr. Ross McMahon) who is the head of the surgery center at Swedish Hospital. He's a pretty amazing doctor who is highly recommended. I know I'll be in good hands. I've read on this forum nothing but good things about Dr. Aceves and his clinic. I know you'll have a successful surgery with them. Meantime, keep reading, and don't be afraid to ask the nagging questions that bother you - folks here are tremendously supportive. Dave

Ladyrider, let me offer a male point of view: I've always been great at dieting. I can go on ANY diet, and lose great weight. But ya know what? When I go OFF the diet for any reason, the weight FLOODS back on. Not because I overeat, not because I'm lazy, and not because I'm weak. It comes back because my body has a balance it is trying to maintain, and it always wins. I lost 30 pounds on the South Beach Diet in two months. I was thrilled. Two months after that, I'd gained back SIXTY POUNDS. Despite everything I've ever tried, with each year that goes by, I weigh more and more. And I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being the marginalized fat guy in every roomful of people. I'm sick of worrying whether the airline seat will fit me, and whether the seatbelt will adjust far enough out to buckle. I'm sick of always being the designated driver, because I know I can't fit my excess body into the seat of the expensive European sports car my best friend owns. I'm sick of feeling, looking, and walking like an old man. I'm sick of being a pedestrian in my own life. And I'm sick of the fat jokes being made all around me, but most often by myself, as I try everything I can do to be accepted by my peers. Dr. Oz and whoever the heck else can parade success stories by the dozens across the TV stage as inspiration for those of us out here in the dark who will never be "that person." For every success story, there are thousands - no, TENS of thousands, of people just like me. Perfectly nice folks who just happen to have a lifelong battle with excess weight. If I've achieved enough in my life to have the extra money enough to pay for a way out of the Fat Guy Club, then I'm damn sure going to take that opportunity, and give it all I've got to finally, once and for all, win my personal battle of the bulge. You should let yourself vacillate awhile. Embrace it, and let your obviously intelligent mind come to its own conclusion. And if you ultimately decide that you DESERVE to have this surgery, then nobody has the right to make you feel like you're anything less than a wonderful person who has taken her personal bull by the horns, and is going to win this fight. This forum is filled with people just like you, and reading the success stories of those on the other side, amazing people like TIffykins, will provide you with a LOT of (pardon the pun) food for thought. I'm thrilled I found this place, and I'm looking forward to having my surgery within the next few months. I vacillated for quite awhile, but now I know it's the right choice for me. And nobody is going to take that away from me. I wish you nothing but success in this battle, and I'm looking forward to seeing "less" of you. :thumbup1: Best success wishes, Dave

Trying to plan ahead. When you had your sleeve surgery, how long did you stay in the hospital? How soon after release did you go back to see your surgeon? (Or did you go see your regular doctor?) My surgeon is a couple hours drive from my home, and I'm trying to figure out what to expect. Thanks, Dave

I'm solidly working toward having surgery at the end of the year. I've read a lot of excellent threads here, and really appreciate the candid things people have had to say. You're really helping educate me. Thanks for that. But for all my reading, I haven't read an answer to this question. I'm wondering if someone here can help me learn what to expect. (I hope I can explain this so it makes sense, so bear with me.) A little background: I'm one of those people whose stomach doesn't tell me when I'm full. It seems I can eat, and keep eating, until I'm suddenly stuffed and miserable. I've learned to manage the volume of what I eat now, so as to not have this occur most of the time. I stop eating when I think I've had enough, not necessarily because I feel full. In some cases, an hour later I'm feeling hungry again. I hate when that happens. But I'm also one of those who can't focus, function, or sleep when I'm hungry. (Or when I THINK I'm hungry.) As a result, forcing myself to eat less has always been a problem. No matter which diet I tried, I kept feeling like my hunger was never satisfied. Only after eating extra portions of things did I finally feel full. And as we all know, that makes the diet ineffective. So here's the question: Since the sleeve removes the portion of the stomach that produces ghrelin, it's my understanding that hunger pangs are reduced or eliminated. So how do you know when you should eat, and how do you know when you're full? Does hunger ever truly happen after surgery, and how do you know when you're satiated? I've heard the feeling of satiety is one of the benefits of the sleeve, but I don't know that I've ever felt that. (I hope that makes sense.) As for post-surgery eating, do you truly have to measure and plan everything out ahead of time for every meal? If you know your sleeve can handle 6 ounces of food, do you always eat 6 ounces at a time? They say don't graze, but how do you manage eating meals? Is it a volume thing, or forced portion control, or ? I read here about people who say they're having trouble "getting all their Protein in" or whatever. Is that because they feel full too soon? But if your sleeve should be able to handle a certain amount, and it's meal time, how does that work? Why can't you "get all your protein in?" My concern is that if I don't ever feel full, how will I know if I've had enough? I don't want to set myself up for getting sick after every meal by overeating, but I also don't want to eat and then feel hungry again in a short time. I hope this makes some kind of sense. Anyone have an idea of what I should expect? Thanks very much, Dave

Thanks, everyone. These posts are invaluable to me. I sincerely appreciate your candid remarks. There is no replacement for real-world experience. Keep them coming. My concern about having the sleeve done is whether I'll be required to make a big deal out of eating during my workday. The "put down the fork between bites" thing will take some serious planning. I work as an IT support tech for a busy hospital, and I'm on the go for a lot of my workday. lunch has always been done on the fly, when and if I can squeeze it in. Making time to just sit and focus on eating is going to take some work. It's a challenge I'm looking forward to facing. After all, crawling around under desks hooking up PCs when you weigh over 320 pounds is not something I like doing very much... :thumbup: Dave

Have you noticed that each type of weight loss surgery, according to the fans of that surgery, seems to be the *only* possible choice anyone could make? It's kind of amusing. 1. Here at the VSG forums, everyone is all about VSG, and talks about all the problems with the band or with bypass surgeries. VSG is the *only* way to go. 2. Last evening I stepped into the Lap Band Chat Room just to check it out. Everyone there was nice, but went on and on about all the problems of VSG or RNY. They raved about how the band was the *only* surgery anyone should have. 3. A month or so ago I attended a live support group for RNY bypass folks. Everyone there was great to talk to, but every single one of them also had nothing positive to say about the other choices. Everybody said the RNY was the *only* surgery to have. I'm sure each surgery has its place for all the right reasons, but the devout loyalty of each group is pretty amusing. :laugh0: Dave

Let me be the first (here) to congratulate you on all you've achieved. From my own experience, and what I'm reading here, getting to the place you're in takes a very strong commitment to the goal you've set for yourself. Here's hoping you get a speedy approval, followed by a successful and uneventful surgery! Best of luck, Dave

My understanding is that you need to wait till about a half hour after eating so you don't fill up on liquids, and undermine your eating. Dave

Don't forget I'm still out here, too. Dave

Well, hey back! Wave the next time you drive by my house! :001_smile: Dave

I know it's a stretch, but the closest Costco to you is in Greenville. Costco.com says that's 130-some miles from you. A couple hours drive? It'd be worth it to make the trip once in awhile, just to stock up on the non-perishable foods you want. Might be worth it to make a day trip of it, maybe take a friend along, and joint-shop. Since things often come in double- or triple-packaging, you could share some of the larger sizes of things with your shopping buddy, if you don't want the whole package. :thumbup: Just a thought from a Costco fanatic. Dave

Others here are likely much better at this than me, but it seems to me that if you're stuck at a certain weight, and you know you're doing what you're supposed to with your eating, then change something else. Weight loss for me has always been a math equation - basically, put out more than you take in. I'm the last one to tell someone to get more exercise, but it seems like if you keep eating as you are, but increase your activity just a bit - like a walk around the block a time or two - that would be just enough to tip the scales back in the downward direction. If your body is balancing input and output, do one thing or the other to upset that balance. Good luck! Dave

Welcome, Rob! There are a lot of great folks here with a real cross-section of experiences to share. Best of all, for me, is nobody sugarcoats anything. They share the good AND the bad. For someone trying to decide how to proceed, it's a great place to soak it in. Good luck! Dave

Redmond is actually a very nice area, close to Seattle but not too close, kind of out of the way, but not too far from a whole lot of things to see and do. Schools there are very good, and there is a lot of recreation for your kids. Once you get settled in, and start checking out the area, you'll find all kinds of ways to be busy, both as an individual, and as a family. Depending on which direction you drive, within just an hour or two you can go snow skiing, boating, walk on an ocean beach, visit Canada, see Mount St. Helens, go hiking, camping, fishing, see sports events, live theater, music concerts - the list is endless, and bound only by your imagination. And if you like to shop, there are a TON of outstanding shopping areas and malls in and around the Redmond area. You're going to have a great time up here! Dave

Hi Carrie, I can only imagine what you're going through, and try to offer you as much encouragement as possible. And while I can't change your mind about your surgery, perhaps I can offer something positive for you to look forward to: I live in Washington state, and I would be happy to try and help you and your family transition up here at this difficult time. If you need information about anything, or if I can "grease the skids" any for you from this end, I'd be happy to do so. It really is a very nice place to live. Send me a PM if I can help in some way. There are many friends waiting for you to meet here. You just don't know us yet. Best, Dave

Congratulations, John! Looking forward to hearing further good news from you. Dave

Welcome to the Boards. I'm a relative newbie as well, and am in the same process you are. I have an advantage in that my insurance doesn't require as much poking and prodding, and will probably approve me for surgery based on my surgeons recommendation. I expect to have that at the end of September. With luck I could be post-op by the end of the year. I also started out thinking I wanted the lap band. But the more I researched it, the more I was against it. My reasons were likely a lot like yours - much of it about not wanting a foreign body inside of me. The kicker for me was finding out the band doesn't provide the kind of weight loss I'm looking for. My BMI is "only" about 45, but I still have nearly 150 pounds to lose to be where I want to be. I found the band to be an easy initial choce because I knew I could have it removed if there was a problem. I thought it was safe, and I didn't have to commit all the way. Then as I started researching more deeply, I started reading about the failed bands, and the patients who had to have a second procedure done. And then I met a bariatric surgeon who is also a patient. And he had the sleeve. When I asked him why he went with it, instead of one of the other choices, he said it was the best choice for him and his lifestyle, and he would do it again. That was pretty reassuring. I also need to take certain daily pain management medications for severe degenerative osteoarthritis, so the RNY and lap band would be harder to handle for that. One thing about the sleeve I like is that medications and pain drugs are less likely to cause problems. So at this point I'm committed to the sleeve, and hope it will get me to where I want to be. If not, RNY or a band is still an option later on. But reading the success stories here has shown me I'll probably be satisfied with just the sleeve. Good luck in your journey, and here's hoping things work out well for you. Dave

Best of luck, ladies! Hope all goes well. Looking forward to reading your further posts/ Dave