SCARED....

[Karyanne77 1]

I have just started my journey into the VGS surgery. I have to wait 6 months per insurance. I have scheduled all of my required tests.. all this month. Trouble is... I am on the diet given to me by my bariatric nutritionist... she has me on 1700 calories with only 5 oz of Protein each day which seems very low btw.... anyways, I am having a hard time starting the meal plan...Ive been cheating alot..probably because I know I have 6 months until I have to get the surgery. I am hoping to get back on track tomorrow. My husband is supportive of the surgery, but has issues with the fact that I will never be able to eat normally again and that its permanent. many friends and family are concerned for these same reasons and keep saying "what about holidays, what about summer cookouts, can you drink beer? " trying to put the doubt in my mind that I will regret having the surgery.... its starting to scare me, and I am afraid that because I havent been able to start my meal plan, that maybe I am not ready for the surgery. i keep telling them and myself that this surgery will curb hunger, appetite and cravings. Can someone please let me know if this is a reasonable expectation, and if there is anyone with these type of regrets? I think this is why I havent been able to stay on track food wise, because deep down, I may not go thru with the surgery.. and now i am getting angry with people who are being so negative instead of being positive and supportive. Please!!! any help would be greatly appreciated.. thX!!!

[liteNsun 58]

A simple start is to get two four oz bowls and portion that much (8oz) total each meal. Get rid of snacking and get rid of carbs. Eat three meals a day. Stay with a 40 g carbs daily, stop drinking carbonated drinks. These will get you through if you set your self up with a plan to start with. Try it a day at a time. Don't think about 6 mos. time line. This is all about You don't worry about others, they'll get along no matter. Good luck!

[lilbearzmom 584]

So why can't you eat normally again? That's not at all true. You can eat like a normal person, just less.

[Karyanne77 1]

so after surgery, you arent sad that you cant eat alot anymore?? I know this is silly, but these are the things that people are saying to me..

[lilbearzmom 584]

so after surgery, you arent sad that you cant eat alot anymore?? I know this is silly, but these are the things that people are saying to me..

Sure, in the beginning it is normal to mourn your "old life". I used food as a coping mechanism for years, and not having that old crutch to fall back on has been hard. Nothing that is worthwhile is easy, including gastric sleeve surgery. I found a fabulous therapist who is helping me deal with the emotional side of this surgery. What I meant about "eating normally" is that yes, there will be things you will have to avoid, like you mentioned, beer, pop, etc. You will have to learn how to pick the right foods that keep you on track, but that's the beauty of the sleeve. It gives you that extra support to make those choices. After the sleeve, you can go to picnics, holidays, family dinners, restaurants, etc. You will just be eating differently than before, but still "normal". These changes are necessary in order to save you from an early and very uncomfortable death. It's normal to have the feelings you're having- but people should not be saying things to you that are clearly well intentioned but ignorant.

[Karyanne77 1]

beer and soda will not be an issue for me.. i hardly drink those anyway, just something else they say... I feel I am ready for the most part and will have to go to support groups to succeed because I am an emotional eater and a grazer, so eating only 3 times a day will be a struggle, even if I am not hungry. Thank you so much for the advice.. I really appreciate it!!

[Ytsepam 15]

Karyanne, I am only 12 days postop. I will tell you that you will have moments when you think "Why did I do this to myself????" It is a little scary. I've had very well-intentioned family members ask me, if you still have to watch what you eat, than what's the point of the surgery? At first I didn't have an answer to that, and then it came to me. Because the sleeve will gripe at you if you overeat! I am still on the liquid phase of the postop diet. If I drink a Protein shake too fast, I hurt. It is another tool in the weightloss arsenal.

About "eating like normal..." First, what is normal? You will be able to eat the foods you enjoy, just not as much. Will you be able to eat a loaded plate at Thanksgiving? Nope. I think the answer is that normal will be different, but not unbearable. Tonight, my family wanted to go to a restaurant for dinner. They felt really bad asking me to watch them eat, when I can't, but I didn't want them to put their lives on hold for me. So, I ordered minestrone Soup. I could only drink the liquid portion of the Soup, but OMG, it was like ambrosia. However, there was a LOT of soup left once all of the liquid was gone. The waitress asked me several times if there was something wrong with the soup. You will get that for a while. My husband had his surgery in April. He eats about half the meal, then takes the rest home. Sometimes he has enough for two lunches!

Don't let anyone bring you down. It is so worth it!

[Karyanne77 1]

Thanks so much.... stressing now over the ABG test i have to get in the am.... wish me luck!!

[spbytina 4]

After my first visit with the nut. I started eating non stop. I felt like I was going to be depriving my body of food so I just ate whatever I wanted. That lasted about a week and then I realized that I needed to do this and this was a decision I made and I needed to stick with it. That was in February, I have lost 30 lbs and I am scheduled for surgery on July 23rd. I am scared, don't get me wrong, but I am more concerned about living a more productive life and enjoying my kids and my grandson. I have no doubt there will be tough days ahead but they will get better.

[cindymg 629]

I had a six month approval cycle dictated by my insurance company also, but actually it gave me time to really decide if the sleeved life was really for me. Plus I needed the time to get the upper GI, psych eval, stress test, etc.

Don't know if I was supposed to lose weight during that time, because the closer I got to the surgery, the more I ate. Some people call it "food funerals." I called it the "dead man walking" diet (you know, the "every meal is my last meal" syndrome). Like you, I wondered how I was ever going to go out with friends again, what I was going to do if I couldn't go out a drink beer and inhale chips and salsa.

Since my surgery, where I thought I was going to miss certain foods and eating large portions whenever I wanted, I actually feel free and released from that addiction. I don't miss my old habits, old foods don't taste the same anymore, and I feel so much better now that my diabetes and high blood pressure are under control.

As far as missing the eating and drinking with my friends, I find that I actually enjoy my friends more now that I am not obsessed with the chips and salsa, or the bread basket, or the plates of Pasta. I eat my small portions slowly and can then sit back and talk to friends.

For me, the sleeve is giving me a chance at a normal life. No regrets.

As far as negative reactions of people to the sleeve surgery, maybe I'm just old and bitchy, but I don't really take much crap from anyone. Remember what Ann Landers (or maybe Dear Abby) said, "no one can take advantage of you without your permission." Translate that to "no one can make you feel bad without your permission."

Good luck on your journey! It will be amazing!

[BKLYNgal87 503]

I'm gonna be a bit of a "Tough Love Tammy" here, if I may. It's my way of being supportive.

What you give up for this surgery is not so bad when you really step back and think about the alternative: continuing to overeat and gain weight, which most likely will eventually lead to chronic, debilitating and deadly illness. To be frank, dying of heart disease, diabetes, or another obesity related disease is far more miserable than not being able to pig out at the occasional barbecue anymore, for you and your family. If I were you I'd repeat that, verbatim, to your husband.

Consider this also: do you measure your food now? Are you eating the correct portions sizes in your usual diet? Most people (even thin people) overeat - consciously or subconsciously. If you were determined to lose weight without the surgery and keep it off you wouldn't be able to overeat anymore anyway.

I can tell you that since my surgery I no longer get that "low blood sugar" hypoglycemia feeling, which I used to get every day. I get hungry sometimes, sure, but much prefer to drink fluids on these hot summer days. I can tell you also that, for me, the pre-op diet was much more difficult than post-op. My stomach was still the same size and still pumped out the same excess of hormones - of course it's hard! I didn't do very well on my 3 month supervised diet, so I worked out like crazy to make up for it.

When I got to the 2 week pre-op liquid diet I was dead set on doing everything right because I believe my life is worth taking back from the grips of obesity, and the perilous future ahead of me if I stayed the course. I didn't have food funerals because I didn't want to look back at what I could no longer have or do, I was determined instead to embrace what I could do with my new life. So far it has been smooth sailing for me. Will there be bumps or roadblocks down the path? Sure. But I trust that I now have the tools (physical and mental) to push forward until I achieve my goals.

Make the right choice for your health and your life. All the best to you.

[Ballermom 803]

I absolutely don't miss my old habits or food. I'm satisfied. But what I got is

1. Blood pressure from 170/100 to 109/72 sometimes lower.

2. Loss 60lbs in 4 months

3. No more meds for Migraine headaches, knee pain. Frequent trips to the bathroom.

Gone!

I just posted this under another thread. But I love my sleeve!

I couldnt really buy better health and a normal blood pressure!

Thanks to the sleeve I got it.

Good luck

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

so after surgery, you arent sad that you cant eat alot anymore?? I know this is silly, but these are the things that people are saying to me..

Hi Karyanne:

It is a big decision, and should not be taken lightly so I can completely understand being scared and asking all the questions you are. It is best to go into this with eyes wide open and getting all the info you can. And you are doing just that. I don't miss eating "more" because I'm eating better. The pleasure I got from overeating, if I can even call it that, was fleeting. I NEVER felt good about myself after over indulging. I felt weak and it was a horrible cycle to be in. I love that I am satisfied after a few ounces. food does not have that power over me. Yes, there are times when the emotional eating thoughts creep in, but I've got a handle on it. My pre op time did that for me. There is an excellent thread here http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/78443-the-pre-op-diet-is-not-a-punishment-its-an-opportunity/ Check it out, those months leading up to surgery were so important to my being able to handle all the changes after surgery. I mentally was able to get in control and the rest is following the plan my doctor laid out. Prepare yourself the best you can, follow your pre op the best you can. You deserve to go into this in the best possible condition. Don't get lulled into the notions that it is ok to go against your doctors recommendations because someone else did and they were ok. This is major surgery, treat it as such and treat yourself the very best way you can leading up to it.

Best of luck to you, I wish you as great an experience as it has been for me.

[mark! 449]

Coming from someone who worries about everything, sees absolutely NO silver lining and thinks the worst out of every thing, the only thing to worry about is worrying about those things you shouldn't be worrying about. I worried about every test, what if I fail, what if I don't do it right, yadda yadda. It took time, and patience. Do I miss gorging myself on old foods? Nope, I don't. I hated that feeling of being stuffed after eating 1200 calories in one sitting. I hated the feeling of being huge and bloated from carbs all the time. Now I rarely ever feel that way. (The only time I do is when I'm stupid and try steak again, it just doesn't sit well with me anymore). I haven't tried to have beer yet, a little nervous, but I've had 3 beers left over from a six pack I bought last October that I haven't drank, if that tells you anything about how often I drank in the first place. I still enjoy good food, but I found I enjoy the conversation and interaction of a large dinner more now than before, because food isn't my main priority anymore, it's a staple in my life to keep me going, but it's not my entertainment any longer. I don't LIVE for food anymore. My cravings and salivating days are over. As the old saying goes, I eat to live, I don't live to eat.

[leanintoit 32]

Karyanne77 - You have verbalized what a lot of people feel prior to VSG, including me. But honestly, to say that the way I was is "normal" is false. I don't know about you and other folks, but I was very abnormal eating too much of the wrong things every day and fantasizing about my next meal while still eating the current one. I was consuming crazy amounts of calories because I was sad or happy, depressed or elated, bored or excited...That just isn't normal. Now, (ten weeks out) I am much more "normal". food is not the preoccupation that it once was. I can eat pretty much anything (still haven't tried steak) off of a restaurant menu, but choose lean Protein and grilled or steamed vegetables because that is truly what appeals to me. My cravings have, by and large, gone away and I rarely eat emotionally. I attribute this not only to the good Lord and the surgery but to working on the psychological reasons for my overeating. A book that continues to help me with this is "Love to Eat/Hate to Eat" by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I have struggled with nausea more often than others (it is a chronic condition that I have been living with for more than five years), but still do not regret my decision to sell things so that I could self pay for VSG. From what I can tell on all the forums, after a few weeks, NO ONE regrets the decision to take control through this tool. YOU CAN DO IT!