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Getting my banana stomach on the 11th of October don't know how I feel.... Excited nervous or scared maybe all three Sent from my SM-A215U using BariatricPal mobile app

Back in December of 2019, my wife (Girl friend at the time) decided to have sleeve surgery. I did the typical "You know this can kill you right?" and various other vocal concerns. But, knowing she is intelligent and having trust in her, I told her she has my 100% support. I got to see her go thru 6 month program, see all her paperwork and homework, and also learn while she learned. She had her surgery on Sept 20th of 2020. Since then I have been able to learnt he eat better myself since I did not want to eat terrible in front of her. As weeks went on after her surgery and I see her pain going away, and her smile getting bigger, I started thinking. Maybe I was all wrong about it. So At end of December I filled out the online forum for the program and waited. 2 weeks later, I get "the call" saying I have been accepted into the program. The whole time thinking I might go thru with it. Over the next 6 months or so I get upper endoscopies, ECG, blood work, have group sessions with head docs and nutritionists. During all these I keep getting more and more excited about the possibilities. August 6th I complete the program and wait for the call with a surgery date. Aug 13th my phone rang and the screen said "Stomach Cutters" (what I named the contact). She said September 16th, you are scheduled for the Sleeve surgery. By this time, my "maybe" of getting it was, "I want this now". I was super excited. I was all set for this! September 2nd I started my 2 week liquid diet. That night, I had a work function cook out... I made it thru. Stayed strong. Sept 4th, I have a friends campout pot luck ... stayed strong, made it! by the time The morning of surgery hit, I had lost 25 pounds on liquid diet and was ready. Surgery at 7:30am, Recovery room by 9am, room by 11am. Then I slept most of the day and night on and off. Met with my surgeon early next morning he said my liver shrunk so much during liquid diet I had one less incision. Great news. I was bored so walked around the unit a bunch to keep moving. Then got told I was discharged at 1pm. Rest of Friday, Saturday and Sunday was all about rest, sip sip sip, and recover. My wife, is nothing less than an angel. Support at home is amazing. My daughter who lives with us was amazing as well. Come Monday (4 days postop), I was back to work full time and ended up working 50 hours my first week. (Desk job at home that week for recovery). By day 7 out I was on pureed foods and by day 11 I was on soft foods. I get 40-60g protein a day, 48oz water a day and I am feeling great! Regrets? Yeah, not doing this 15 years ago!

Hi everyone! It's two weeks past my sleeve, and I thought I'd post some of my observations. THE GOOD - Down 27 lbs. from surgery weight (357 to 330) - Down 2" on my neck (!), 3" on my waist, 6" on my abdomen - Had to size down in shirts and do my first closet purge - One blood pressure medication cut completely, the other at half dosage - Able to meet protein target of 80-100 g per day and liquid goal of 64-96 oz per day THE BAD - Brain fog and fatigue (will discuss with my surgeon later, could be vitamin deficiency) - Sick to death of liquid diet but have another week of it left - Itchy dry legs THE UGLY - C O N S T I P A T I O N - The one incision (the large one where the unwanted stomach is withdrawn) has started hurting and pulling again, but is not inflamed I am back to work at one job (from home) but not yet at the other (outdoors, physical). I'm back in the gym but not doing anything that requires abs, abdominal pressure (so no weightlifting)... a lot of walking, running, and stationary biking, and a lot of stuff with the 10-lb. dumbbell I'm allowed by my surgeon. My time on an 800m run went from about 6:30 to 4:45... running feels totally different! Overall, despite the rough first couple of days (all. that. gas!) this is clearly the right decision for me and I love seeing myself literally deflate.

I have been scheduled for 10/29 for VSG. Nervous and excited.

I’m having the sleeve and hernia repair done this Friday 10/1! I wasn’t nervous until probably a few days ago. The 3 week liquid diet has kept me pre-occupied with misery. Lol. I know it’s for the right reason, I’m just over the same flavors for so many days. Well, and I’d like to chew again. I’m in Wisconsin.

Hi Everyone! my name is Chenon and I’m in Wisconsin. I’m set for 10/1 to have the sleeve procedure. I made a deal with myself that I needed to make the changes first for a year and then do the surgery. So I did … and list 125lbs in the last 16 months! Even so, this 2 week all liquid diet is legit killing me. I struggled at first, then I was traveling and that was a different kind of beast, now I’m home and my family eats yummy stuff, but not me.

Mine is in about 10 hours and I'm trying really hard not to freak out!

Just got scheduled for 10/11 ... two weeks from today! Aiiieeee!!!!!

YES! I am two weeks out and I'm so hungry. It's actually better today since I'm back to work (sedentary, work from home) so I'm distracted. I'm eating about 550 calories a day and I could eat more. I've heard it gets better once you can eat solid foods, so I'll know more tomorrow. Also, I had a lot of pain and gas the first few days, but now it doesn't take very long for me to drink a protein shake (longer to eat a yogurt, but I also had a tooth removed, so that is painful), maybe 15 minutes. It took me almost an hour the first night home to take 10 pills but now it's less than five minutes. I can drink a swallow of water that feels like a real mouthful, but I still can't guzzle or drink a full glass in one breath like I used to.

My surgery is scheduled for 10/8 and I am having my lapband removed and getting the bypass. I am so happy to know that my food will no longer get stuck.

I had my gallbladder removed about 10 months before getting sleeved. I gained about 38 lbs in those months and the weight gain didn’t seem to be slowing down so WLS was a must at this point. Comparing the two, I feel like I had less pain with the WLS. I actually asked my mom if she was sure they even did anything! 1. I didn’t need any painkillers after WLS, but I took them for about a week after gallbladder removal. 2. I’m typically a stomach sleeper and was also able to go back to sleeping on my stomach faster after the sleeve. 3. i only needed to sleep on a recliner for 2 days after WLS, but slept in a recliner for about 10 days after gallbladder removal. 4. Moving around was also easier for me after the sleeve, mainly because I felt like I couldn’t stand up straight after the gallbladder removal. 5. I was sleepier after the sleeve and generally had less energy the first week. 6. I had a bowel movement faster after WLS and going to the bathroom was easier in general. 7. TMI but I had sex sooner after WLS than I did after gallbladder removal. 8. Oh, my surgeon used my main gallbladder removal incision (the top one) so I only had 2 new tiny incisions for a total of 3 incisions for WLS. He felt like it was unnecessary for me to have more scars than I should so maybe that’s an individual thing that differs from surgeon to surgeon so I’d ask if that was possible. I only have the 3 WLS incisions visible and the gallbladder ones were so tiny they disappeared (you can only see them if you know where to look). So all in all I’d say my recovery from the sleeve was easier than the gallbladder removal, but of course that’s just me. I’m sure other people have it the other way around. Either way, you can do it! For me, the hardest step was actually deciding and committing to the WLS. Don’t worry, you got this!! Please feel free to message me if you feel like you have more questions or if I missed anything.

Here’s the thing…the smaller u get the less your caloric needs get. If you want to lose more weight, you are going to need to cut your calories. I don’t know what ur cal level is now, but 1500 cals on a 300 lbs frame will lose weight faster and more consistently than the same amount of cals on a 145 lbs frame. (Not counting activity level, of course) I originally set a goal of 120. I revised that to 127 as I wasn’t liking how i was looking (think: Skelator). I ended up losing a bit more in my attempts to adjust to maintenance calories, and this was due to the fact that I just wasn’t eating enough to sustain 127 lbs. I got to 127 in 7 months, and stabilized at 115 around 9-10 months post op. Im still 115 now at 3 yrs out (and actually happy with it as my skeletal look has more or less gone away…thanks carbs, lol), and i average 1800-2000 cals a day, with moderate to slightly high exercise. Edited to add: im boringly “average” in the sense that i have no medical conditions that would impede weight loss nor do i have an abnormal metabolism given my size or activity levels.

I think you can do it alone, but there are some considerations: you need to have a friend you can phone in case something does happen, and you need to 'pre-stage' anything that won't be possible after surgery. As an example, we were being threatened with a boil-water order due to wildfire, so before surgery I went and got three cases of bottled water that would be much too heavy for me to carry with my 10 lb lift restriction after surgery. I paid a neighbor kid $10 to take my trash barrels out to the curb and back (though this week I think I can manage). That sort of thing. You'll want to have a bunch of Gas-X on hand. And have a variety of protein drinks because my tastes did change after surgery (Premiere Protein was fine pre-op but post-op tastes like non-lemon Pledge.)

No problem with sleeve recovery. A few days of gas (took GasX which helped tremendously), sore stomach feeling like you did a zillion sit-ups, and sleepiness is what I remember of that surgery. My mistake was that I had reflux before VSG, hence my reflux got much worse and I had to get a recent revision because of it. That side affect wasn't well known when I got my VSG like it is now. My sleeve was done by a conservative surgeon who made the pouch 10 ounces which is much bigger than most but it still affected my appetite and definitely affected how much I could eat at one sitting. One cup of food was always my max throughout the years. I recommend all WLS once you find which one suits your needs. They are a great tool. I always feel blessed that I had the option.

I got there (at one point - I'm now 6+ years out - gained 20 lbs after hitting my lowest, which is very common...) it's super tough to lose weight when you're at or close to a normal BMI. I remember vividly going to Weight Watchers meetings before I had surgery. I used to roll my eyes at these women who were only slightly overweight who'd moan and complain about how tough it was to lose 10 lbs. Yea - I'd think - try losing 100+. But now I TOTALLY get it. You might be able to do it - but it'll take a lot of work. I'm now 4 lbs overweight, thanks to the pandemic, and it's hard as heck trying to lose it again.

I do dump. I started at over 700, when I got down to 310 (my goal was 210), I started a program similar to Couch to 5K. I accomplished that and just kept going. Eventually I thought a marathon would be an interesting goal and I targeted the Valley of Fire marathon (outside Las Vegas). I ran 5 marathons in a year starting about 3 years post-op, during which I was running 70 to 90+ miles a week. I usually ran in the mornings before work, though there were periods where I did "2 a days". Right when I woke up I mixed up an ice-tea / Gatorade mix that wasn't terrible and drank it down. It woke me up and got me moving but I don't think it made much of a difference during my runs. During the runs I just did water. After runs I also did a regular yogurt for recovery. I tried the little squeeze packs and found they were ok on normal days (10-13 miles), but they would cause me to dump on longer runs, so abandoned them and anything else. Again, I didn't perceive any difference with the squeeze thing. My normal plan was 3 meals per day of 3oz protein, 1oz veggies. Because of the running I hit and shot way past a normal BMI. Eventually I was up to 5 meals per day plus a protein drink. The protein drink was instead of a 6th meal as I already felt I was eating all day. It slowed my weight loss. I hated (HATED!) eating so much, what a turn. Good luck, Tek

Well let me tell you, my start weight was 100kg, i am now 10 weeks po and 82kg but it has been a nightmare I would love to tell you it was a breeze and I know some people who did breeze through it. I still get slight pain when i eat. I think more about food and drinking more than i ever did before to the point it drives me nuts. I had reflux before surgery that my surgeon insisted would get better at this point it hasnt i wake every morning with a horrid taste in my mouth.and take double the amount of meds than i did pre surgery. I feel hungry but dont feel like eating.for me I wish i had have gone down a different path for weightloss. What i have given up to do this hasnt been worth it for me in the way i now have to eat and drink. it also effected my mental health terribly.you really need to consider lots of things and what they tell you you need to do after surgery like dont drink 30 mins each side of eating chew your food to a paste then swallow, no carbonated drinks, you dont really comprehend until after surgery. Make sure you get plenty of councilling prior and go with a surgical team that offers lots of after care if you chose to go ahead. It is hard and many people are glad they did it and i hope one day i am like that but atm i wouldnt recommend surgery if a weightloss of under 30kg is what you are aiming for.

I still havent gone back to work 10 weeks po, but i have had mental heath issues to deal with and had/having really hard time eating and getting enough fluids in so i have been feeling miserable and fatigue quickly, everyone is different and heal at different rates.

I picked my goal based on the lowest weight I’d ever reached before too - my bounce weight range. 60kgs & BMI of about 23. Reached that at 6 months & then lost another 11/12kgs over about another 11 months. The weight loss just continued to get slower. No stalls in that time, but the trend was still the same pretty smooth & even trend I experienced in my first 6 month weight loss. Just more up & down when I was starting to stabilise at around 50kgs I struggled to find that caloric balance to stop losing. Just trying to eat larger portions & then eat more frequently was hard but over that year I eventually got to about a recommended portion size for most foods. I was eating 4 or 5 snacks a day on top of three meals by the end. Now I eat about 3 snacks & 3 meals & I’ve been maintaining for almost a year at about 49kg (generally fluctuate between 48.5-49.5) & a BMI of just under 19. I know a lot of people have issues about BMI but I always look at it as a guide. Higher end of healthy range for large frames, lower end for smaller frames. Taking in the needs of our bodies is also important as is how muscular we are. Some people just sit happily at a BMI above the healthy range - their body seem to function better. We also carry our weight in different ways too. You can look at two people with similar height, build & weight but one can look slim & the other bony. I was always told I had a larger frame. Once the weight was gone it was obvious I don’t. When I was nearing 50kgs, my surgeon & doctor wanted me to get back to about 54kgs but they’re fine now & happy I’m healthy & maintaining. As one said: you’re actually really quite tiny aren’t you. It’s still can be a freaky I’m the size I was at about 12.

Do you feel like you have enough energy to go back to work? My sleeve is 10/11 and I’m just planning on taking a week off and then half days the 2nd week - also work from home. I’m worried that I won’t have enough energy. Good luck with going back next week. Let me know

10/6 for my sleeve! I can't believe it's so close!

Hello ! sorry to hear your concern about the scale. Keep in mind all the liquids that you intake that can cause weight gain, I gained 10 pounds while in the hospital because of all the liquids they were giving me and the gas that I had . Don’t get discouraged ! Remember this wasn’t an immediate fix, it’s a tool to help us in the long run. Also the fact that you are incorporating weights you can be gaining MUSCLE as opposed to FAT . Don’t let the scale bring you down because it could be a good thing. More muscle = better fat loss 🙂 You got this ! Don’t give up, you’ve come this far !

I am 10 weeks out and really struggle to eat. Nothing is appealing. I know I am loosing weight to fast and I can't even eat just to eat it's crazy. Unlike the rest of you my mind is consumed with thoughts of food constantly. I keep thinking you have to eat etc. It's a struggle.

I am 10 weeks post op and regret it deeply. If you are loosing weight on your own stick with it. Once the surgery has been done there is no going back. I firmly believe unless people have serious life threatening illness this should not be done. I want my stomach back !! I am struggling physically and most of all mentally. I would happily take back the weight I have lost to be normal again and loose the weight the conventional way