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Hi there! I got my VSG surgery last week on July 7th. After two days of gas pain (woof I did NOT love that,) I have been having, honestly, a pretty easy go. The biggest complaint I have is my incisions are itchy haha! However, I have been having a LOT of anxiety over aiming for perfection: eating exactly what’s on my meal plan, exactly the right amount, and doing everything exactly right. Today, it stressed me out, which caused me to have a mini caving moment of having half of a gluten free cracker (chewed very slowly). Now, I don’t think that’s a huge deal, or will stretch my stomach and stitches open, but I am wondering do others struggle/struggled with following the rules to a T? And if you fail at doing so, what do you do. I think I’m freaking mainly because I’m internalizing my weight gain as not following rules, and now to get the results I HAVE to. thanks

In three days, July 14, 2022, I am scheduled to get my sleeve. My insurance company had me jumping through hoops for over three months to get to this point and I am excited to get this thing started. I've lost weight before by restricting calories and carbs, but I would eventually lose motivation and the weight would come back. Twelve years ago I dieted and went from 250 to 198, before I gained it all back. Nine years ago I went from 250 to 184, and I gained all of it back, plus a bunch more. In 2020 I was at my highest weight, But two years of working from home, I had gained another 25 lbs. Wearing gyms shorts, t-shirts and flip flops has been great, but there's no motivation like having to put on some khakis that don't fit and a tight polo shirt to drive into the office. My pants won't stay up and it looks like I am carrying a sack of groceries under my shirt. Embarrassing. That was the end of March and that was when I decided to talk to a surgeon.

My surgeon is based in Medellin. He is board certified in Colombia, did a fellowship in the US, and active in various plastic surgery boards and committees as well as teaching. But his cost was a fraction of what your quote is. I honestly feel like $20-25K is egregiously overpriced and total gouging because you are American. As far as aftercare, I stayed in a very nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath Airbnb for $40/nt and could have hired a nurse for $40 per 8 hr. So the two weeks stay with nursing is not worth more than $2K. I have followed and researched Colombian surgeons for a few years now, so feel free to pm me if you want to discuss further

Silly kitty, If you don’t mind me asking, where did you go in Columbia? One of the things I liked about this surgeon is he is board certified in the US and is a teaching surgeon and maintains US credentials as well as Columbia credentials. it also included onsite nursing care hotel stay for two weeks and some other items. I am just starting my search for plastic surgeons. I knew all of them in Toronto and Philly when I was there. so it was easy now it is a whole new ball game

I may be the only guy in this thread. My surgery date is July 14, so only three days from now.

I think there are two parts to it. 1. As someone mentioned, exercise tends to increase water retention as muscles hoard it to help with inflammation. 2. Part of weight loss stalls is that your body adjusts to your routine. When you stop exercising for a few days, you change the routine, forcing your body to re-evaluate. I've experienced the same phenomenon with my exercise and have decided that I will live with the slowed down weight loss to be in better overall health (my blood pressure and resting heart rate numbers are great).

Rock your adventure lifestyle! Way to go and it is all you. My WLS 7 years ago gave me the ability to walk a healthier life. Finished over a hundred kilometer hike ov in 6 days in Italy last week even with a heat wave. Next my be the Swiss alps in 23. Endless smaller adventures in between. Enjoy the world and again congrats!

I was sleeved on June 22nd. Lost 10 lbs 1 st post op week then 0 since.

Thanks. That is alot to deal with. Sounds like you have a good handle on it now. I'll will try and shoot for the 3 months time frame. Hopefully will find out this week!

that actually sounds so good right now. Congratulations on your weight loss. Don't be surprised if you hit your 3 week stall now. It's very normal, Just stick with the plan and you will see it falling again.

I'm doing well. Almost 3 weeks post op. Had my 2 week appointment on Thursday and my doc was impressed how much I'd lost since my final preop appointment (I was 402. I'm now 357). I'm finally eating soft and flaky foods. Today I had about 1 oz of boneless skinless airfried chicken thigh and .5 oz of refried beans. It was delicious. Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yay. Glad the stall broke. And great idea to stay off the scale. It really does just mess with your head.

Just wanted to update here, I broke my stall. Stepped on the scale today since writing the first post here. Am at 243 now. I feel okay about it. I am going to stay off the scale until next month because mentally, I am having a hard time facing the numbers and feeling okay with my progress and the way my body looks. There's a lot of self-hatred I need to undo and the scale is not helping me with that. Thanks for all your kind wishes and praise. I know we're all on different stages of this journey and it's never easy. I truly get so much from posting on this form and it's definitely changed my surgery journey for the better. Hope everyone is well xx

Hey! Glad to hear from everyone. I had my surgery Feb 14 and have lost about 66 lbs post OP and total weight loss 97 lbs in both pre and post op phases. I am feeling very mehh mentally. I was stalled out for a long time in the 250s but I recently broke the stall which is great but physically I really don't like how I look. I'm having a very hard time embracing the weight loss because my body still looks the same as it did at 340 lbs, just a smaller version now with loose and droopy skin. I cannot stop thinking about getting my arms done because I have huge loose upper arms with saggy droopy skin. It's 100+ degrees here and I refuse to wear short sleeve shirts never mind tank tops because I am so self-conscious about my arms. I am wearing long sleeve shirts and button-ups for now. I tried a girdle to suck me in but it just makes the loose skin on my armpit/back stick out and looks HORRIBLE. I am honestly having a really hard time accepting myself. I look in the mirror and still see a huge person and the fact that I'm not at my weight loss goal really adds to it. I'm also losing my hair and my front hair line is so thinned out, if my hair gets oily there's a bald spot on the left front side that is almost impossible to cover up. I just feel so ugly. I am trying to wash my hair less (because the majority of it falls out in the shower), brush it incredibly gently, and sleep on a silk pillowcase but I'm not sure there's much else to do about hair loss, just let the thing run its course and it is supposed to come back within a year. Dying my hair dark, dark brown helps it look fuller. Physically I feel better but still deal with crunching knee pain, I think that's just from having no cartilage in the knee and needs a medical intervention beyond weight loss. The knee pain overall has improved but there's no cartilage in my right knee and it still gets very painful. On the bright side I can run and run up stairs without getting out of breath. I don't sweat unless I'm doing something very strenuous too to the intense heat and long sleeves doesn't bother me too much because I don't really get that hot. I am only allowing weigh-ins once a month from here on out because I was obsessive about it and the number makes me incredibly depressed. I am not concerned about my diet or my movement - I follow what I'm supposed to be doing well so there's no sense in stepping on the scale every day. And the last two times I've checked the number went down from my previous stall. All the loose skin, lumps, nothing is flat or smooth and I'm still in my 20's, haven't had kids and am just so upset I did this to myself. I am obviously very happy about the weight loss but it's like now that a lot of weight has come off, I am now mentally dealing with the shame and regret I feel in letting myself get as heavy as I was. In the moment, I didn't think about it because I was so disconnected from my body - I always thought it's not that bad but now that I see how much my body has changed, I feel ashamed of myself. I am really working on "owning" my body at this point. I want to have a plastics consultation to see when and how they'd be willing to operate on me but until then, I just need to realize what's changed for the better. I just wish the body dysmorphia and self-hatred would go away but as everyone says, it doesn't. You still have to put the work in and that's my main priority right now. Anyway, sorry I am kind of venting here. Thanks if you made it this far. I'm incredibly interested to hear how everyone is doing too, physically, mentally, etc.

All good advice above. Don't compare yourself to others when it comes to weight loss speed - even if they are in a similar weight range. Just focus on your program and stay the course. We are all different and will lose at different rates even when stats are similar. Even if you are a "slow loser" that does NOT mean you will not get to your goals. It just may take a little longer. Be prepared that weight loss is not linear, even with WLS. Others mentioned the stalls, but it can't be overmentioned that your body will lose how it wants to, and it may not match your expectations or emotional needs. It is very frustrating but do not get discouraged. Being cold all the time is a real thing. Also, if your tail bone starts to hurt when sitting, it is very common. I recommend getting one of those cushions. Take pictures and measurements! Seriously, this really helps when weight loss (the scale number) is not cooperating. I've made it through so many stalls by pulling out the photos and seeing the major differences. And, also looking at my measurements, which have still changed during stalls (highly encouraging). I also started making note of all my non-scale victories because it is about so much more than the scale, even though that is nice too. That's what I can think of this early in the morning. Best of luck!

So after 3 long weeks of being on 2 meal replacements and 1 lunch the surgeon has now put me on 3 meal replacements and 0 food. Also, had to quit smoking well in my case vaping. How miserable!!! Has anyone else had to do anything similar? Also, I messed up a few times and smoked. Is that going to matter? Literally the hardest thing I have ever done.

You will experience stalls. You will lose some hair. You will experience constipation. Your taste buds & sense of smell can become temporarily extra sensitive making some foods taste or smell awful. You will experience loss of energy, feel weak & tired. You may experience some blood pressure drops. You may still feel hungry (real or head). You may not feel hungry at all nor be interested in eating. Your tummy will be sensitive & can be fussy about certain foods one day & fine with them the next. You may vomit or be nauseous. Multivitamins can make you nauseous. You may experience the foamies - spit up thick saliva & maybe regurgitate the last bite or two of what you ate (generally happens if you eat too much, too quickly or food that is too dry or coarse)? They may only happen to you a couple of times or not at all. But you can trust they do get better & pass. Stalls break. Hair regrows. Food taste yummy again. Some things pass pretty quickly. Some take a little longer & others we learn how to manage (like constipation & the foamies). These experiences are all part of the process. Not because you’ve done something wrong or are failing as some think & beat themselves up about. We’re experiencing a lot of psychological & physiological stress: the surgery, healing, recovery, our changed & reduced diet, the head battles, reassessing the how & why we eat, etc. They ‘re just how our body reacts to cope with the stress. And you can rely on: We all lose weight at our own rate. The more you have to lose the faster you’ll lose to begin. The closer to goal the slower your rate of loss will become. Hope I haven’t scared you. Rather you be prepared than go through the anguish of doubting yourself because you didn’t know. I’d rather go through those things for a few months then be obese. It’s all very much worth it. All the best.

Yeah, the shakes can be disgusting. Bone broths, cream soups, milk enriched with powdered milk, blend a high protein yoghurt with milk to make a smoothie (add more milk to get it to a consistency you can tolerate), protein water, are all great sources of protein as others have suggested. Even the strained broths from wonton soup & pho are good additions. You can try making up your own shakes using unflavoured protein powders too. I struggled through one shake a day (very diluted to dull the taste) for the two weeks of liquids & then never touched another one. (Had soups for my other meal.) The only protein pills I’ve heard about contain very little protein - 2g. Not worth it to my thinking & I’m not sure if the protein is complex enough for our needs.

You’d know if you had dumping - cold sweats, heart palpitations, vomiting &/or diarrhoea (lots), wiped out for hours, etc. I think what you experienced was just your tantrum throwing petulant tummy - think two year old child. Eating something without issue one day & then the next day it’s no way is pretty common the first couple of months. Your tummy is still healing & is extra sensitive. Usually if you just avoid that food for a couple of days or a week you’ll be able to eat it again without a problem. Some people do struggle with eggs & the tomato in the shakshuka may have been too rich & acidic this morning. Shakshuka always gave me grief when I ate it even before surgery - stirred up my reflux & excess stomach acid production which can be an issue for a little while after surgery.

That the stall at or around the 3 week mark, the stall you will inevitably hit is the worst mind screw there is lol And to be ready that the incision they pull the stomach out of, and the abdominal muscles around there, hurt the worst. And that getting my fluids in would be easier if I drank warm fluids and not cold ones.

You may not be ready yet. Some need a little longer on a stage before moving forward. It all depends on how you heal. Did you have the purée stage before soft? Though plans can be different, many of us go through two week cycles of liquids, purée then soft. Also your soft food may not be soft & moist enough. Think slow cooked stews, braises, etc. & foods with lots of sauces & gravies. What you’re experiencing are the early stages of the foamies. They usually occur if you eat too fast, too much or eat something that is too dry or coarse.

I, too, am an educator. Fortunately, my surgery is Aug. 4th and I'll have 3 weeks to recover before heading back to the classroom. I'm nervous for surgery and heading back, but I have faith we'll both be fine. Take it easy and don't overdo it.