Being informed

[Rosebud2 26]

I am so happy I found this forum and one other. So many questions I had about the sleeve were answered on the forums. So much information was proffered.

I just got back from my surgery and I went from San Diego to Mexicali with one group and back to San Diego with another.

They people I rode with all had the lapband. I'm not disputing their choice. It was their choice. But none of them had even heard of the sleeve. It made me wonder what research they had done except for listening to the t.v. commercials which makes the lapband sound like a miracle cure.

The other thing they did not seem educated on was the post-op diet changes they were going to have to make.

In the pre-op conference with the doctor one man asked how soon he could start drinking his energy drinks again. Aren't those high carb?

In the ride back three folks had the band and the topic of conversation was how they could not wait to get to the mushie stage so they could eat their mashed potatoes again. As much as I love mashed potatoes, they are not at the top of my list when I want to lose this weight. I'm looking forward to high Protein, low carb like tuna or the like.

So this just made me wonder if they had really prepared themselves for the lifestyle changes they were going to have to make to reach their goals.

Once again, thank you all for sharing your wealth of information with me. I know what I have to do to get where I want to be.

[burnsun 27]

I always felt with the band that this type of thinking (my mother was one) was what caused it not to work for a lot of them. It really is a an attitude change! I did great on the band for almost 4+ years lost and maintained weight well till last pregnancy..... however I think I would have chosen the sleeve had it been an option in 04'

also note.... I at my fair share of mushies just to get by thos last few month or when we went out to eat...... I hated getting sick in public.....i was such a cheap date....soup and potato please!

[Elisabethsew 50]

I am so happy I found this forum and one other. So many questions I had about the sleeve were answered on the forums. So much information was proffered.

I just got back from my surgery and I went from San Diego to Mexicali with one group and back to San Diego with another.

They people I rode with all had the lapband. I'm not disputing their choice. It was their choice. But none of them had even heard of the sleeve. It made me wonder what research they had done except for listening to the t.v. commercials which makes the lapband sound like a miracle cure.

The other thing they did not seem educated on was the post-op diet changes they were going to have to make.

In the pre-op conference with the doctor one man asked how soon he could start drinking his energy drinks again. Aren't those high carb?

In the ride back three folks had the band and the topic of conversation was how they could not wait to get to the mushie stage so they could eat their mashed potatoes again. As much as I love mashed potatoes, they are not at the top of my list when I want to lose this weight. I'm looking forward to high Protein, low carb like tuna or the like.

So this just made me wonder if they had really prepared themselves for the lifestyle changes they were going to have to make to reach their goals.

Once again, thank you all for sharing your wealth of information with me. I know what I have to do to get where I want to be.

You make a good point. One of the things I am loving about the sleeve is that no food is a bad food unless I decide it is. With the band, people had a laundry list of what they could not tolerate eating anymore. The sleeve allows me to make healthy choices because no food is not tolerated. Now that fruits and veggies are "in season" I am enjoying them in small portions.

[felinemommy 0]

I also think that the people who "find" VSG are those that take their health and well being very seriously and are willing to do the research and the necessary lifestyle changes. That is not to say that lapbanders don't care, but many that I have known personally, have the mentality that WLS is a "magic pill", especially since lapband is considered "reversible". Somehow that is confused with not as serious and therefore they are often less invested in making the big lifestyle and behavioral changes. A passive vs. proactive approach if you will. (Disclaimer: I am not making any judgements about anyone elses personal decision.)

Edited to add: And Jane made a good point about the subgroup of successful lapbanders who have so many food issues, they are forced to eat a high carb diet.

Edited June 1, 2009 by felinemommy
Additional comment

[Jaffa 5]

I'm stuck on meat right now!!!!!!!

[MacMadame 81]

I hang out on a board where people have had all the surgeries so I've seen all kinds of attitudes.

I think the people who do the best with WLS are the driven and the goal-oriented. Or, rather, driven and goal-oriented people do quite well with WLS. So do rule followers.

The people who don't do well are the ones with hidden issues that cause self-sabotage and the ones who are really good at fooling themselves. These are the ones that make excuses as to why everything they want to do is okay even when it isn't. Sometimes these are the same people. :laugh: But sometimes not.

I'm always somewhat dumbfounded by the people who make no attempt to alter their eating patterns though. Some of them say "I didn't have surgery to have to diet." But it's not "dieting" IMO -- it's learning to make good choices and eat healthier. I figure I spent $17000 to have a designer stomach and I'm not going to put crap in it. That would be like putting cheap gas in a Ferrari!

I also think they don't get how thin people look at food. Thin people look at bad choices as something they can chose once in a while as long as they deal with the consequences and make good choices more often. They don't look at eating this stuff as something they are *entitled* to or something that has no consequences.

Of course, these are gross generalizations. YMMV.

[Jaffa 5]

The biggest one you hit on is people thinking they should be able to eat anything and they will just eat less of it and lose weight with the lapband. It just doesn't work that way. Not in my opinion.

I am basically on a diet, yes a diet, and it is just a lot easier then it used to be because my portion sizes aren't out of control. But, if I make the wrong choices and don't watch my calories, I will stop losing weight.

I'm only 37 pounds away from goal. I never thought I worry about if my port shows, but I was looking in the mirror today, and it occured to me, that I may just get to that point.

My wife is getting excited and since basically eating what I eat, but just more of it, she already knows exactly what it is going to take, and she will do really well.

[Elisabethsew 50]

The band and the sleeve are both restrictive procedures. Anything that can get by the band (candy, ice-cream, Cookies, etc) can also get down a sleeved stomach. It IS all about good choices. It's also about learning new ways to cope and not turning to food.< /span>

[mini_me_to_be 0]

when i went through the procedures to get approval all the way along is about making changes in order to succeed. I believe id only be fooling myself if i believe that not doing so and only eating smaller portions is going to work long term, yes it would be nice but eating as i have been led me to surgery in the first place.. if i can only eat smaller amounts what happens when im two years out and eating a lot more than i can when i first have surgery??.

my plan calls for no more white bread, Pasta, rice and alot of sugar and those are changes i am willing to make.

[Malaika 50]

when i went through the procedures to get approval all the way along is about making changes in order to succeed. I believe id only be fooling myself if i believe that not doing so and only eating smaller portions is going to work long term, yes it would be nice but eating as i have been led me to surgery in the first place.. if i can only eat smaller amounts what happens when im two years out and eating a lot more than i can when i first have surgery??.

my plan calls for no more white bread, Pasta, rice and alot of sugar and those are changes i am willing to make.:smile:

I don't find it difficult to cut out white ... I haven't eaten white bread in 40 years and don't eat bread at all anymore. If I eat Pasta, which is very seldom, it's wheat pasta and brown rice. I've tried to cut out any refined sugar ... I do eat fruit though. Pretty much everything else is sugarfree. I've found, too, that I like Stevia better than Splenda; plus there is 2 servings of Stevia per packet the size of Splenda. I know my problem is going to be exercising ... however, I also know once I get in the habit of doing it, I look forward to it.

[MacMadame 81]

if i can only eat smaller amounts what happens when im two years out and eating a lot more than i can when i first have surgery??.

A bunch of us did the cottage cheese test and the people two years out reported being able to eat no more than they could at 6-12 months out.

So that isn't something you have to worry about, I think.

What most people do that I see who have sleeves and complain about regain is start to graze so they are eating small amounts at a time but they are eating about twice as often. Or they don't exercise.

[Guest liveinphx]

I agree with everyone. I know for me the changes I had made and continue to make dealing with my emotions, issues,relationship with food/eating and myself are as much, if not more, related to my success than the surgery itself.

I know that getting full faster and staying full longer is about what the surgery did to my body. What I chose to eat, how much of it I chose to eat and what I do about exercise is the key, I think to losing the weight and maintaining it.

I CAN eat about anything I want however today I CHOOSE to be mindful about what, when and how I eat and the sleeve assists me with making and maintaining better choices and changes.

[Elisabethsew 50]

I am finding that sticking to 3 meals a day seems to be the way to go for me. In actuality, I can't each much for Breakfast because the coffee and vitamins/medications fill me up. My three meals tend to be lunch, dinner, and a fresh fruit snack. I'm down a little over 20 pounds so it's working. LOL.

[libguy2753 0]

In the pre-op conference with the doctor one man asked how soon he could start drinking his energy drinks again. Aren't those high carb?

They make 0 cal, 0 carb energy drinks. Not that they're exactly a great nutritious choice anyway. lol

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

They make 0 cal, 0 carb energy drinks. Not that they're exactly a great nutritious choice anyway. lol

Is that like Red Bull or some such product? I've had one in my frig for ages, I really need to throw it out. Are those just caffeine or something? I've never even bothered to look at the label. Heck, I'm not even sure where I got it.