Am I insane? Alone? Insane AND alone??

[pcindy 8]

I'm into my 2nd week of "liquid" pre-op diet and going insane. Whigging out on my (thank God, ever-supportive) husband, and wondering if I should go ahead with my VSG (scheduled for June 29th). I feel so conflicted and have no one to relate to about it. My husband has no doubts about it and everyone in this Forum seems so rah-rah and gung-ho... am I alone??? As my huz reminds me, I haven't been able to conquer this issue on my own, but the tales I read about having difficulty with getting enough Protein in and severe restriction scare me. People who are a few years out are writing about still being able to only take little bites here and there and dinner taking 3 hrs to get through.

I asked my surgeon if he would use a larger bougie than a 32, and he won't. I wish there was a less radical middle ground and not so all-or-nothing. I'm okay with losing my weight more slowly. I definately don't want the band and am still planning on going through with it (not many other options) but as my surgery date gets closer, I'm freaking out. Is NO ONE out there conflicted (even if you're commited) about having this surgery?:biggrin0:

[Lillie24 2]

Your not insane or alone. If you have been doing the liquid preop diet and your surgery is coming up - all the feelings you are having are normal. I guess you really just have to make the decision for yourself. To me... I was able to make the decision by thinking that changing my habit of bite size and portion size was not a big deal. I think that as a society we are programed to eat more. It was easier for me to make the decision when I realize that it wasn't ALWAYS going to be SO restrictive on what I could eat and that it wouldn't always be 2 oz of Protein. I have obsticals with readjusting to eating so little and with my portion sizes being so small but I am dealing ok. Everyone on the board is great and there is so much knowledge on here.

[Tiffykins 673]

You're not insane or alone. But I'm a year out, and finish most of meals in 30-40 minutes, I eat normal sized bites, and have only had one 3 hour dining experience and that is because it was a 4 course meal served during a special dinner. I couldn't control when they brought me the food.

I have a 32fr, and I lost a little bit more of my stomach tissue because of the damage the band did, so I actually have a little bit smaller that a 32fr at the top of my stomach due to complications.

I'm not trying to convince you, but to me, it seems like you're focusing on the negatives instead of looking at the positives that are shared out there. I couldn't get in Protein for the first few weeks, but it's because my body wouldn't tolerate the supplements. I was able to hit 60gr of Protein a day once I hit mushies. I started mushies 3 weeks into my post-op diet.

Eating tiny portions doesn't last forever. I can honestly eat twice as much as I could at 3-4 months out.

For me, it wasn't about how fast or slow I'd lose, it was the fact that I needed to keep it off for the long haul. VSG gives me the best stats on keeping off with the least amount of complications.

Whigging out is pretty normal. Emotions are high, your stress level is maxed out. Just a little fair warning, once you start losing weight, the hormones go into overdrive, and you will be moody, pissy, and lovey-dovey all in the same day, sometimes within the same hour.

I hope you know that all the emotions you're going through right now are perfectly normal. You just have to have faith in yourself, trust your surgeon, and know that you are doing something fabulous for yourself, and future health.

[Robbiehage 1]

I was conflicted before I had surgery, I am SOOO happy now. At 12 weeks out tonight we had a special dinner for my son, I had 1/4 cup of brown rice and about 6 oz of strip steak, and a few bites of green Beans, A little later I had about a 1/4 cup of oreo ice cream. I was totally comfortable. Now I NEVER eat like this but I am getting ready to start my period (TMI) and it was a special time for my son, the point is I can eat normal foods (just MUCH less) and I can do it comfortably and I am completely satiated afterward because I am full. I highly recommend the sleeve, I can not imagine that you will not be thrilled too. Best wishes to you!

[tbarnes18 1]

It is hard to say, "Don't worry about it," but I had the same worries as you. In fact, after the surgery was over I was wondering what I did! But to let you know, I am doing great today, i.e., 8 days post surgery. My difficulty with the Protein has eased. I think I expected too much too soon with my body right after surgery in regards to what I could fit into my stomach. I mourned my missing stomach a few days after the surgery, asking myself "What the heck did I do?" Then I talked to my girlfriend, who is a Vet (my personal medical expert) and she thought the lap-band was much more radical than the sleeve. She has done many surgeries on animals where she had to remove part of the stomach and said they did great afterwards. She confirmed that I made the right choice. Now, I have a different mindset. That part of my stomach was diseased and needed to be removed. The disease was obesity and was going to kill me a lot sooner than I wanted.

PS If you re-read some of the dinner posts, I think they were at a dinner that lasted that long in Europe or at a special military function and they ate/rested through the whole dinner, but mainly socialized with their hubby and friends.

Terrie

Sleeved in Dallas, TX on 6/10/10

Lost 12 pounds since the pre-surgery weigh-in and wearing some baggy pants right now.

[pnw218 14]

I cried saying goodbye (or see ya later) to my favorite foods the week before surgery. At the same time, I was so very excited to be thin and healthy again.

Today is four months for me. I would not go back and change it. I do still wish I could have lost weight on my own, but it wasn't going to happen.

I feel great. Size 8 pants are loose; I started in 16's. Size small and medium shirts fit perfectly; I started in XL's. I am eating pretty much what I want on a daily basis within the guidelines, as a whole. However, when I want a snack or treat, I have it.

My loss is slow and steady, and I am totally good with it. I am getting over the mental issues - being frustrated over how little I can eat, how long it takes. Even have a drink once or twice a week.

My biggest meltdown was at the clinic, after I was prep'd for surgery. Fortunately, the dr was kind enough to add a little valium to my iv, and all was good : )

You will definitely have ups and downs, physically and mentally, before and after surgery. All normal.

The old saying is true tho ~ nothing tastes as good as thin feels : )

[pcindy 8]

Thanks, everybody for the comments and reassurance. I look forward to hearing more.

[SParkle 4]

I had all the same concerns..... being a lower BMI my head kept arguing I should be able to do this on my own.... and you read about the fabulous weight losses and think well if they can do it so can I - why should I pay all this money out?

In reality I've not done it in the past 22 yrs, what really has changed? Nothing.

This is the best gift I could have been given.....Its like all my christmas's come together.... granted the first few days are hard, and sometimes painful... but it soon turns a corner and each day you'll get up and feel better and better and see the scales moving down.

Stick with it - you'll be great.....

Kathy

[deletedsally 8]

I had very similar problems prior to my surgery. I was grieving...grieving the loss of my ability to eat indiscriminately...grieving over the fact that I had failed to maintain a normal weight after losing weight so many different times... grieving the loss of my ability to have pleasurable experiences with food...and overall I just felt like I was permanently saying goodbye to something that was incredibly important to me.

It's been less than 3 months since my surgery, and I can tell you that I am not sorry I made this decision. The benefits have far outweighed the costs. I can't speak for what anyone else can or can't eat, and I know our bodies respond differently to this surgery--but my experience is that I can eat a small normal meal, it doesn't even take me 20 minutes (although I can eat more if I eat more slowly), and I have not found any foods that I can't tolerate. I'm not hungry very often, and when I am, I just eat something. Would I ever like the pure pleasure of being able to gobble up that whole plate of lasagna that I see the person across from me eating? Sure. I would like the sensory gratification...but the wanting is fleeting, and my small portion satisfies.

I'm probably not following the "rules" as closely as the sleevers who are losing more rapidly, but I have still lost 48 pounds in less than 3 months. When I say I'm not following the rules as closely, what I mean is that on MOST days I eat very few carbs and mostly high quality Proteins, almost calorie free beverages, and I don't drink with meals. But occasionally, when I'm hanging out with my kids and grandkids and we are going out, I just don't worry about it much. We've been on a family vacation, and here's a sample of what I ate yesterday:

Early AM: Began sipping Water to get in fluids before Breakfast so that I could eat with family and spend the morning at the aquarium

8:30 Breakfast bar with family...2 pieces of sausage, a few bites of scrambled eggs, a few bites of grits, a few bites of an english muffin

At the aquarium all morning, began drinking the Water w/ powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury and crystal light added that I took with me so that I could get in at least 16 oz of Fluid before lunch.

Noon: lunch at the aquarium restaurant. Ordered a blackened Tilapia sandwich with tropical fruit salsa. Took a few bites of the sandwich just like it was served, then took the bread off the fish and ate about 3 oz of the fish with the salsa. Two potato chips and one small bite of a dill pickle. Two sips of pineapple juice.

1:00 Ate a chocolate cookie in the car and drank a couple swallows of water

4:00 Snacked on 1 Ryvita cracker with about 1 Tbl cheddar cheese spread. Had a slice of Muenster cheese.< /p>

5:00 Drank water. Got in fluids before going out to eat

7:30 Took father out to dinner for Father's Day. Had a few spoonfuls of clam chowder from salad bar...one very small piece of bread with butter...1/2 stuffed mushroom...one fried onion ring...two sips of daughter's Margarita...about 2 oz scrod stuffed with crab and cheese...two small bites of my daughter's veal parmesan and spaghetti, 1 bite of my grandson's chocolate pudding.

Bedtime: Had 1/2 chocolate chip cookie with my daughter and drank a big glass of water before bed.

Was that a perfect diet day? No. Was it acceptable given the fact that I am more careful on other days? Yes. I felt normal. I participated with everything that everyone else was doing. I had small tastes of anything I wanted and I did not feel cheated or hungry.

There isn't any pleasure I missed that could have outweighed the joy of being able to RUN while playing chase with my grandson. I could barely walk 3 months ago...and now I can run??!!

This has been the best thing I've ever done for myself!

Edited June 19, 2010 by katt

[Stacy160 201]

I'm going to say something that might be a bit controversial, and I know the big rule is to always follow your surgeon's instructions, but.... honestly I do not know how you guys can stick to a TWO WEEK liquid diet. I made it through a week on the MasterCleanse (lemonade) diet last year, but was dying for some real food by that 7th day.

Every surgeon does things differently, and mine didn't even make me do any kind of diet before surgery, other than clears the day before. I did put myself on strict low-carb for the three days before that. Back before my aunt had her second WLS (an RNY, after a failed stomach stapling way back when), her doc put her on a month of liquids... when she told him how hard it was to do that and that she'd snuck a few bites of real food here and there, he chuckled and told her that he never really expected anyone to stick 100% with the liquids and that it was OK to have some healthy, regular food here and there as long as it was low-carb and as long as she was still losing a little weight.

(The point of losing before surgery and going low-carb is to deplete the glycogen stores in the liver and shrink it. A fatty liver is difficult to move and can actually SPLIT... staying high on the carbs, especially the simple ones like breads and sugars, will not allow the liver to shrink well.)

Anyway... I guess I just don't see the harm in allowing some real, healthy food during the pre-op phase and I don't understand why two solid weeks of nothing but liquid is necessary. I'm not trying to encourage you to hit the Chinese buffet or anything, but honestly I don't see where the harm would be in having a little lunchmeat or cheese now and then to sustain yourself.

Again, not telling you to go against your doctors' orders, but it might not hurt to call and ask if you can allow yourself some food (and hey, if you suck on cheese, it becomes liquid anyway! :bored0: LOL).

[pumpkin07 32]

I think you have gotten some good advice here. I was the real whiner who cried for a week and a half after surgery mourning my food/friend. Then I adjusted. We are all going to adjust differently.

The 2 week liquid diet is a good mental preparation for you - I did cheat a few times myself but tried to only cheat with good Protein like boiled chicken or a great beef patty. But I think if you have made no adjustments beforehand for some people afterwards could be a big shock. I think equally important is to go into surgery very hydrated and not dehydrated. I think I might have been a bit dehydrated and I had problems with my IV/veins b/c of this.

It is a personal decision. Everyone makes this decision for different reasons, and I think you need to look HARD at WHY you are doing this. Are you doing it for you, or for your husband's happiness/satisfaction. Because I could only do it for me, and if he likes it that is a bonus. B/c this sleeve is actually now a more permanent part of me than any outside person in my life - I may lose a husband but I can't get my tummy out of the trash. I love my husband, but I've learned in life that health decisions are personal decisions only. I made my decision when I was ready for reasons that made complete sense to me. If you are not there yet, don't do it.

For me I knew I need to live a life with more caloric restriction to be healthy/lean and I KNEW I could not do this on my own. I have a low metabolism b/c I have no thyroid that works and don't love to exercise - this sleeve was something I could do that would help me eat less and it has accomplished that. I believe if you eat less you do live longer, and ultimately that was my goal. There were also other health reasons like lipids that were creeping out of range, a sleep apnea problem developing. I knew if I did nothing these problems would only get worse.

Maybe you need to spend a day really contemplating by yourself and not listen to what all is said by everyone - but to yourself/your own intuition. Because in reality you will have to live with the outcome of this surgery and not anyone else.

I am satisfied with what I can eat. The best description I can tell you is what someone told me - you can eat the same as you always did if that is what you decide to do, but you will eat less. I can eat a salad if I want it which is something I missed for a while. Nothing changes a TON except that you cannot eat as much and you can't gulp drinks especially while you are eating or you will fill your tummy with fluids instead of food. I also cannot eat and then go lay down I need a couple hours to pass or it might try to come back up on me.

[pumpkin07 32]

As for the boughie size, I think a 32 may prove over time to be a tad small. You could change doctors. My doctor would only do a 32 or 34, so I insisted on the 34. But some people get a 40 and are very happy with it. I think that makes some sense b/c you might have an easier time getting food to go down. Maybe do some research - I found varying opinions, but in the end I decided to trust my doctor.

I have a 34, and I wish I could eat a bit more than I can. But you'll find people with every opinion.

If I could have chosen, I would have chosen maybe a 38 or 40.

[breezy 8]

Honestly, I still have doubts and fears. But my health is good, I'm losing weight, I feel better about myself, and I'm becoming more active because I'm not lugging around so much fat! I do miss pigging out sometimes, but I can eat anything I want, just not much of it. That's healthier anyway. I don't want to have a love affair with food. I want to have one with my family, friends and LIFE! So I squash the fears, am thankful that I have recovered so quickly, and use a baby spoon to eat my oatmeal!

[deletedsally 8]

Just another thought, if someone tells you that it normally takes them 3 hours to finish "a meal" I would think carefully about what they are telling you about their eating habits.

First of all, most VSG nutritional guidelines that I have read clearly state that a meal should not extend over a period of hours. Secondly, three meals in one day (that took three hour a piece) would be a total of nine hours spent eating during the course of a day. That's not 3 meals...that's grazing.

We can always choose to have a party with our food, but let's be honest and call it what it is.

[pistolpete 1]

You're not alone at all! I'm in the same exact boat you're in. My advice, eat jello! It will give you something to chew on, and have you feeling better about not being able to eat.