Newbie...introduction....

[Gastronaut 0]

Hi folks!!

Been stalking this forum for a few days now.... finally took plunge. Its amazing how wonderfully supportive, gracious and open people are on this forum...Me...well...iam just getting into the swing of things...!

Iam around 35...a 5ft 11inch guy weighing in at about 300lbs -my top weight!!........ashamed of myself...and trying hard not to be ...cant believe i let myself get this way !!

have decided to get sleeved next month....understandably, my family is very worried and are praying that i'll be safe. iam lucky that iam fairly fit for my size (quoting my doc) (can walk about 1.5 hours do light weights and burn about 400 calories). but cannot lose more than a couple of pounds ... i work out regularly and dont have any co-morbid conditions as of now... ...however i have a problem with food and self control which makes me feel terrible...i kinda see this surgery as a way to punish myself for letting me get this way!!! i know that's wrong...but its just the way i feel. am terribly scared of needles so the thought of 6 -7 holes in my stomach is terrifying.....

the stress is causing me to binge... but still trying to hang in there. Hope i dont sound too pathetic!!!

have put my life on hold for last several years trying to get thin......dont know what to do...I just want to get "Normal" so bad...get my confidence right back....get my life back!!!!!!!

one question... if we have the ability to restrict what we eat after surgery ...to lose weight...why cant we restrict what we eat without the surgery....is this hunger thing over-rated...i dont even know what hunger is and not sure I can recognize it ...I just eat anyway !!

have any of you felt this way or am I the only weirdo?

[SmokyMtnGal2011 10]

You are not a wierdo, well not much, lol. I think overweight people deal with food differently than others. Food is a comfort, or an emotional security blanket for us. Whether inherit or learned, food is our friend and is always there for us. To restrict visit with a friend would be silly. I think too hormones play a big role and the "i have to eat now" hormone in the top of our stomachs is our biggest enemy. With the sleeve that is taken out so food isn't a thought or "major NEED" any more. You will still have to deal with things in your life but not with food. Welcome to the loser's bench and to a wonderful tool that will help you achieve your goal of healthy. I am not sure it will help in the "Normal" request - I am not sure what " Normal" is anymore. Best Wishes.

[razrbakcrzy 9]

You can if I can.... I was a boredom eater... if got bored, I ate. If money is or was tight, and I had nothing to do or no where to go i ate. I ate myself to 470lbs. Got diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of other issues...

My sleeve has changed that in my personality. I no longer revert to eating everytime I am bored. I have found, that at night when I would usually have that last snack right before bedtime some times I find myself staring into the refrigerator for no reason at all. I can't possibly eat another bite but my head is telling me this is where I am supposed to be, now!

It is truly bizarre..? So hang in there get your sleeve and work the post surgery diet. Don't expect to lose weight every day or even every week. It took you a while to put it on and its gonna take a while to take it off. It will come off! I promise you it will, if you stick to your post op procedures...

Good luck!

[luckykar 0]

Hi, I am day 6 post op and splurging on the yummy liquid Protein diet week. Can't wait for some puree'd food. LOL. My feeling on your question is that having the surgery is the "tool" to help us restrict our food. Our stomachs can get big so why not fill it? I did. Right now I really recognize when I have had just enough. Granted I am only 6 days out, but I will tell you, I don't want to take that one more drink, because I have, and I don't feel good. Nothing severe, just that overfull feeling that we don't like to get on Thanksgiving.

My six holes are a little sore, but you are sound asleep when they do them. The only one I felt was the IV.

I am tired and rest when I feel like it. And totally excited to see where this tool takes me!! Normal, I never will be!! But boy, I am excited for that first shopping trip when I can go into a store and buy clothes that are cute.

Good luck!!!!

[Gastronaut 0]

You are not a wierdo, well not much, lol. I think overweight people deal with food differently than others. food is a comfort, or an emotional security blanket for us. Whether inherit or learned, food is our friend and is always there for us. To restrict visit with a friend would be silly. I think too hormones play a big role and the "i have to eat now" hormone in the top of our stomachs is our biggest enemy. With the sleeve that is taken out so food isn't a thought or "major NEED" any more. You will still have to deal with things in your life but not with food. Welcome to the loser's bench and to a wonderful tool that will help you achieve your goal of healthy. I am not sure it will help in the "Normal" request - I am not sure what " Normal" is anymore. Best Wishes.

thanks smokymtngal2011, I think you are right, i'll have to learn to- eat to live rather than live to eat!!

appreciate your insight!!

[Gastronaut 0]

You can if I can.... I was a boredom eater... if got bored, I ate. If money is or was tight, and I had nothing to do or no where to go i ate. I ate myself to 470lbs. Got diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of other issues...

My sleeve has changed that in my personality. I no longer revert to eating everytime I am bored. I have found, that at night when I would usually have that last snack right before bedtime some times I find myself staring into the refrigerator for no reason at all. I can't possibly eat another bite but my head is telling me this is where I am supposed to be, now!

It is truly bizarre..? So hang in there get your sleeve and work the post surgery diet. Don't expect to lose weight every day or even every week. It took you a while to put it on and its gonna take a while to take it off. It will come off! I promise you it will, if you stick to your post op procedures...

Good luck!

thanks razrbakcrzy, your story is truly one I can identify with. the post op diet sounds so intimidating....but I know its a fork in the road...no pun intended...and I will need to make a choice... will miss those baby back ribs though!!!

[Gastronaut 0]

Hi, I am day 6 post op and splurging on the yummy liquid Protein diet week. Can't wait for some puree'd food. LOL. My feeling on your question is that having the surgery is the "tool" to help us restrict our food. Our stomachs can get big so why not fill it? I did. Right now I really recognize when I have had just enough. Granted I am only 6 days out, but I will tell you, I don't want to take that one more drink, because I have, and I don't feel good. Nothing severe, just that overfull feeling that we don't like to get on Thanksgiving.

My six holes are a little sore, but you are sound asleep when they do them. The only one I felt was the IV.

I am tired and rest when I feel like it. And totally excited to see where this tool takes me!! Normal, I never will be!! But boy, I am excited for that first shopping trip when I can go into a store and buy clothes that are cute.

Good luck!!!!

Thanks Luckykar...iam glad you had a uneventful surgery...will pray that you are successful!!

[AutumnLily 77]

Well I had an insatiable appetite. I would eat till bursting and then an hour later I would eat more. And it was not always junk food. I could gorge on meat and potatoes, rice you name it I probably ate way more than a normal person should eat. I would think about food most of the time, preplanning what I was going to eat for my next meal or the meals the next day.

I was sleeved almost 6 months ago. I eat 4 times a day and on occasion have a small evening snack. All my meals are small and very satisfying. I do not think about food all the time like what am I going to eat for supper (you know what I mean). Now I live I drink plenty of Fluid and my body loves me for it. I have been slowing down with my weight loss lately (lose1-3 lbs a week vs my 5 lbs a week). I knew it was going to come and now I am figuring out a work out schedule (as I still have not started any major exercise yet). I do walk and I can run up the stairs now but I need to get in more exercise.

That being said I am past the hunger. I know what feeling full means and not wanting another bit of food for several hours. I am happy that I self payed and got the sleeve. I will be successful at getting to goal and keeping the weight off.

Congratulations on starting your journey to a healthier new you.

[Brian66 85]

Gastronaut,

Welcome to the boards. I've got about 10 years on you, but other than that our numbers are very similiar. I was just hitting my highest weight of 300 lbs when I decided to have the VSG in the spring of 2010. By the time all of the pre-surgical testing and insurance approvals were completed, I actually had my surgery performed on July 13, 2010. In the 13 months since my surgery, I have lost 120 pounds and I could not be happier with the results.

One thing that this surgery will cause you to do is really take a hard look at how you've used and abused food. I always viewed myself as just a big guy who loved to eat, but after the surgery I realized that I was doing a lot of emotional eating - I ate when I was bored, tired, angry, sad, happy, frustrated, lonely, etc. I have always been overweight, but after my wife died in 2007 after a two and a half year battle with cancer, the problem only got worse and I put on an additional 30 pounds or so. As a single parent to three young kids, I really felt that I needed to do something dramatic to reverse this cycle in my life and get health so that I can stay alive to raise my kids. Perhaps the biggest challenge for me after the surgery was learning to cope with my feelings and emotions without my drug of choice -- food.< /p>

Good luck to you as you start your journey. The sleeve is an amazing tool, but you are going to have to make some significant changes in your behavior and attitudes regarding food. Post often, ask questions and make full use of these message boards -- they are an amazing resource.

Peace,

Brian

[Gastronaut 0]

Thank you Brian, really appreciate all the support...you and others on this forum have been very inspiring. your stories make me realize that Iam not the only one ....

Gastronaut,

Welcome to the boards. I've got about 10 years on you, but other than that our numbers are very similiar. I was just hitting my highest weight of 300 lbs when I decided to have the VSG in the spring of 2010. By the time all of the pre-surgical testing and insurance approvals were completed, I actually had my surgery performed on July 13, 2010. In the 13 months since my surgery, I have lost 120 pounds and I could not be happier with the results.

One thing that this surgery will cause you to do is really take a hard look at how you've used and abused food. I always viewed myself as just a big guy who loved to eat, but after the surgery I realized that I was doing a lot of emotional eating - I ate when I was bored, tired, angry, sad, happy, frustrated, lonely, etc. I have always been overweight, but after my wife died in 2007 after a two and a half year battle with cancer, the problem only got worse and I put on an additional 30 pounds or so. As a single parent to three young kids, I really felt that I needed to do something dramatic to reverse this cycle in my life and get health so that I can stay alive to raise my kids. Perhaps the biggest challenge for me after the surgery was learning to cope with my feelings and emotions without my drug of choice -- food.< /p>

Good luck to you as you start your journey. The sleeve is an amazing tool, but you are going to have to make some significant changes in your behavior and attitudes regarding food. Post often, ask questions and make full use of these message boards -- they are an amazing resource.

Peace,

Brian

[FishingNurse 1,210]

Welcome! I hope you really don't think this is punishment!! ( the pre-op diet feels like it) I'm only 3 weeks post op and I'm shocked at how satisfied I get from an egg, or a baby bell cheese or 1/4 cup of yogurt! One item is an entire meal for me! I also drink a Protein Drink and a 12oz milk every day. Oh and a Popsicle before bed! I'm thrilled about how I feel like I'm satisfied and not on a diet!