What I wish I had known...

[justhere4theshow 462]

So, here are a few things I wish I had known before I had my surgery (I was sleeved 5/23/16):

The gas...oh my goodness, the gas. It hurts, it stinks, and sometimes you can't trust a fart. Lovely.

Surgery doesn't make it easier to lose weight. It actually makes it more complicated! Protein, carbs, sugar, fat...It's all scientific now. If I don't get my protein, I hold Fluid and don't lose weight. If I eat sugar, I don't lose weight. If I don't get all my Water for the day, I feel hungry, tired, and--you guessed it--I don't lose weight. I even landed in the ER getting 4 bags of fluid and a CT scan to check for complications. And my insurance got a bill for $7,000. After the one they got for $29,000 just a month previous...more on that later...

Mood swings from hell will descend upon you, and you will be powerless over it at first. Now, I am learning that I tend to cry right before a stall breaks. Fat stores hormones that have to go somewhere when the fat goes...extra PMS? Yes, please! NOT. Yes ladies, your period may go completely haywire for a while. FUN...

Speaking of stalls...the weight won't always come off in a predictable pattern. It may not come off as fast as you want it to. If you stick to your plan, you will lose weight, but along the way you will stall. You may not lose anything for a while, even though you're doing everything right. You will get concerned, you may think the surgery isn't working, but if you stick to your plan the weight will come off. On it's own schedule, though, not yours. The human body is incredibly complex and very good at learning how to NOT starve. Some people believe in starvation mode, some don't, but don't test it. You don't want to get sick and malnourished. You may need to exercise more and log your food to make sure you haven't slipped up, but the stall will break. Eventually...

You will become acutely aware that people who know you had the surgery are watching you. Watching what you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat. Watching to see if you lose weight, and if you don't lose weight FAST, everybody has an opinion about whether or not you should have had the surgery and if it will work, and you may hear horror stories about somebody's friend/sister/brother/cousin/coworker who had the surgery and gained all the weight back. Or never lost it at all. Stick to your plan, and remember why you made the decision to have surgery. Be ready to avoid toxic people as necessary. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So be careful who you tell. If you are married, consider your spouse's feelings. Talk about it. You will need them on your side if at all possible. If they aren't, it could be problematic. Be ready to have hard conversations and make decisions based on those conversations. You may learn things about your relationship that you never knew, which can be good or bad.

You will have regrets. Mostly in the beginning, but be ready to wonder what in the hell you were thinking when you had this surgery. It's hard! There is an overwhelming temptation to believe that this was supposed to be easier. It's not. It's effective, but it's a lot of work and it takes a lot of self-discipline.

People may judge you and say that you took "the easy way out". See the previous paragraph. And then see the second paragraph. You may have to educate a few people. Or tell them to get lost, your choice.

If you didn't already know it, you may find out that you have a serious problem with food. Get that fixed, and do it before you waste a lot of time and heartache. Go to therapy. The surgery will NOT fix your brain. I cannot stress this enough! You will find out that food is the glue that holds our lives together. We Celebrate with it, we mourn with it, we reward ourselves with it, and sometimes our social lives revolve around it. All of that has to change. Food is fuel. Period. You will not enjoy eating out for a while, if ever. The portions are RIDICULOUS, and most of it is nothing you should be eating anyway. "I'll just have a small salad..." No, you won't, not for a while. You won't be able to eat raw vegetables for a long time, and never before your doctor clears it. It's the last step. And it may be never for certain foods. BECAUSE...

Your taste will change. What your stomach can tolerate will (obviously) change for a long time, and maybe forever in some aspects. You may hate what you once loved and love what you once hated. Go with it. And get over your addiction to caffeine, because that has to go, too. Not forever, but your surgeon will have an opinion about when it's okay again.

If you smoke, a reputable surgeon will not do weight loss surgery on you. They will most likely test you for nicotine, so don't cheat, just quit. You won't heal as well and it's just plain bad for you.

You will have no vices for a long time. Because...you can't drink alcohol either! Not for a LONG time. Just look that one up, because I quit drinking a long time ago and I don't even care about this part. Except: you may trade old addictions for new ones. You may need therapy to fix this. If food was a coping mechanism for you, you had better have a plan for new coping skills. BECAUSE...

This is stressful as hell, if you hadn't figured that out. You hair may come out. Be ready. Biotin is rumored to help, but it isn't a sure thing.

You will need to take Vitamins for the rest of your life. Don't be cheap and skimp on this one. You need bariatric vitamins. Deficiencies can set you back in significant ways. It's not worth it. Take your vitamins.

Now. If you're still reading this, you may think I am one hell of a "Negative Nelly". Nope! I am a realist. You should be scared. You should think long and hard before you have weight loss surgery. If you even qualify for surgery, you've cleared a significant obstacle. If your insurance covers it, that's another significant obstacle out of the way. Soooo...If you have a surgeon willing to do it, and you can get insurance to pay for it (or if you can make it happen as self-pay) DO IT. If you still want to have weight loss surgery despite knowing how much it can suck, then you will probably do well. BECAUSE...

IT'S WORTH IT. All of it.

[goaldigger33 39]

Thank you. I needed to hear that!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[TracyBar 132]

So, here are a few things I wish I had known before I had my surgery (I was sleeved 5/23/16):

The gas...oh my goodness, the gas. It hurts, it stinks, and sometimes you can't trust a fart. Lovely.

Surgery doesn't make it easier to lose weight. It actually makes it more complicated! Protein, carbs, sugar, fat...It's all scientific now. If I don't get my Protein, I hold Fluid and don't lose weight. If I eat sugar, I don't lose weight. If I don't get all my Water for the day, I feel hungry, tired, and--you guessed it--I don't lose weight. I even landed in the ER getting 4 bags of Fluid and a CT scan to check for complications. And my insurance got a bill for $7,000. After the one they got for $29,000 just a month previous...more on that later...

Mood swings from hell will descend upon you, and you will be powerless over it at first. Now, I am learning that I tend to cry right before a stall breaks. Fat stores hormones that have to go somewhere when the fat goes...extra PMS? Yes, please! NOT. Yes ladies, your period may go completely haywire for a while. FUN...

Speaking of stalls...the weight won't always come off in a predictable pattern. It may not come off as fast as you want it to. If you stick to your plan, you will lose weight, but along the way you will stall. You may not lose anything for a while, even though you're doing everything right. You will get concerned, you may think the surgery isn't working, but if you stick to your plan the weight will come off. On it's own schedule, though, not yours. The human body is incredibly complex and very good at learning how to NOT starve. Some people believe in starvation mode, some don't, but don't test it. You don't want to get sick and malnourished. You may need to exercise more and log your food to make sure you haven't slipped up, but the stall will break. Eventually...

You will become acutely aware that people who know you had the surgery are watching you. Watching what you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat. Watching to see if you lose weight, and if you don't lose weight FAST, everybody has an opinion about whether or not you should have had the surgery and if it will work, and you may hear horror stories about somebody's friend/sister/brother/cousin/coworker who had the surgery and gained all the weight back. Or never lost it at all. Stick to your plan, and remember why you made the decision to have surgery. Be ready to avoid toxic people as necessary. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So be careful who you tell. If you are married, consider your spouse's feelings. Talk about it. You will need them on your side if at all possible. If they aren't, it could be problematic. Be ready to have hard conversations and make decisions based on those conversations. You may learn things about your relationship that you never knew, which can be good or bad.

You will have regrets. Mostly in the beginning, but be ready to wonder what in the hell you were thinking when you had this surgery. It's hard! There is an overwhelming temptation to believe that this was supposed to be easier. It's not. It's effective, but it's a lot of work and it takes a lot of self-discipline.

People may judge you and say that you took "the easy way out". See the previous paragraph. And then see the second paragraph. You may have to educate a few people. Or tell them to get lost, your choice.

If you didn't already know it, you may find out that you have a serious problem with food. Get that fixed, and do it before you waste a lot of time and heartache. Go to therapy. The surgery will NOT fix your brain. I cannot stress this enough! You will find out that food is the glue that holds our lives together. We Celebrate with it, we mourn with it, we reward ourselves with it, and sometimes our social lives revolve around it. All of that has to change. Food is fuel. Period. You will not enjoy eating out for a while, if ever. The portions are RIDICULOUS, and most of it is nothing you should be eating anyway. "I'll just have a small salad..." No, you won't, not for a while. You won't be able to eat raw vegetables for a long time, and never before your doctor clears it. It's the last step. And it may be never for certain foods. BECAUSE...

Your taste will change. What your stomach can tolerate will (obviously) change for a long time, and maybe forever in some aspects. You may hate what you once loved and love what you once hated. Go with it. And get over your addiction to caffeine, because that has to go, too. Not forever, but your surgeon will have an opinion about when it's okay again.

If you smoke, a reputable surgeon will not do weight loss surgery on you. They will most likely test you for nicotine, so don't cheat, just quit. You won't heal as well and it's just plain bad for you.

You will have no vices for a long time. Because...you can't drink alcohol either! Not for a LONG time. Just look that one up, because I quit drinking a long time ago and I don't even care about this part. Except: you may trade old addictions for new ones. You may need therapy to fix this. If food was a coping mechanism for you, you had better have a plan for new coping skills. BECAUSE...

This is stressful as hell, if you hadn't figured that out. You hair may come out. Be ready. Biotin is rumored to help, but it isn't a sure thing.

You will need to take Vitamins for the rest of your life. Don't be cheap and skimp on this one. You need bariatric Vitamins. Deficiencies can set you back in significant ways. It's not worth it. Take your vitamins.

Now. If you're still reading this, you may think I am one hell of a "Negative Nelly". Nope! I am a realist. You should be scared. You should think long and hard before you have weight loss surgery. If you even qualify for surgery, you've cleared a significant obstacle. If your insurance covers it, that's another significant obstacle out of the way. Soooo...If you have a surgeon willing to do it, and you can get insurance to pay for it (or if you can make it happen as self-pay) DO IT. If you still want to have weight loss surgery despite knowing how much it can suck, then you will probably do well. BECAUSE...

IT'S WORTH IT. All of it.

thanks! I see you're not long past surgery so it's good to get a prospective from somebody who just had it. I've read other posts from those further along in their journey and they are eating fairly normally but small portions. Fine by me. I've done enough damage - time to eat properly. From what i've read 6 months seems to be a turning point. Also - I believe you can have no alcohol for 6 months - fattening anyway!

[Dawnie Doo 184]

So, here are a few things I wish I had known before I had my surgery (I was sleeved 5/23/16):

The gas...oh my goodness, the gas. It hurts, it stinks, and sometimes you can't trust a fart. Lovely.

Surgery doesn't make it easier to lose weight. It actually makes it more complicated! Protein, carbs, sugar, fat...It's all scientific now. If I don't get my Protein, I hold Fluid and don't lose weight. If I eat sugar, I don't lose weight. If I don't get all my Water for the day, I feel hungry, tired, and--you guessed it--I don't lose weight. I even landed in the ER getting 4 bags of Fluid and a CT scan to check for complications. And my insurance got a bill for $7,000. After the one they got for $29,000 just a month previous...more on that later...

Mood swings from hell will descend upon you, and you will be powerless over it at first. Now, I am learning that I tend to cry right before a stall breaks. Fat stores hormones that have to go somewhere when the fat goes...extra PMS? Yes, please! NOT. Yes ladies, your period may go completely haywire for a while. FUN...

Speaking of stalls...the weight won't always come off in a predictable pattern. It may not come off as fast as you want it to. If you stick to your plan, you will lose weight, but along the way you will stall. You may not lose anything for a while, even though you're doing everything right. You will get concerned, you may think the surgery isn't working, but if you stick to your plan the weight will come off. On it's own schedule, though, not yours. The human body is incredibly complex and very good at learning how to NOT starve. Some people believe in starvation mode, some don't, but don't test it. You don't want to get sick and malnourished. You may need to exercise more and log your food to make sure you haven't slipped up, but the stall will break. Eventually...

You will become acutely aware that people who know you had the surgery are watching you. Watching what you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat. Watching to see if you lose weight, and if you don't lose weight FAST, everybody has an opinion about whether or not you should have had the surgery and if it will work, and you may hear horror stories about somebody's friend/sister/brother/cousin/coworker who had the surgery and gained all the weight back. Or never lost it at all. Stick to your plan, and remember why you made the decision to have surgery. Be ready to avoid toxic people as necessary. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So be careful who you tell. If you are married, consider your spouse's feelings. Talk about it. You will need them on your side if at all possible. If they aren't, it could be problematic. Be ready to have hard conversations and make decisions based on those conversations. You may learn things about your relationship that you never knew, which can be good or bad.

You will have regrets. Mostly in the beginning, but be ready to wonder what in the hell you were thinking when you had this surgery. It's hard! There is an overwhelming temptation to believe that this was supposed to be easier. It's not. It's effective, but it's a lot of work and it takes a lot of self-discipline.

People may judge you and say that you took "the easy way out". See the previous paragraph. And then see the second paragraph. You may have to educate a few people. Or tell them to get lost, your choice.

If you didn't already know it, you may find out that you have a serious problem with food. Get that fixed, and do it before you waste a lot of time and heartache. Go to therapy. The surgery will NOT fix your brain. I cannot stress this enough! You will find out that food is the glue that holds our lives together. We Celebrate with it, we mourn with it, we reward ourselves with it, and sometimes our social lives revolve around it. All of that has to change. Food is fuel. Period. You will not enjoy eating out for a while, if ever. The portions are RIDICULOUS, and most of it is nothing you should be eating anyway. "I'll just have a small salad..." No, you won't, not for a while. You won't be able to eat raw vegetables for a long time, and never before your doctor clears it. It's the last step. And it may be never for certain foods. BECAUSE...

Your taste will change. What your stomach can tolerate will (obviously) change for a long time, and maybe forever in some aspects. You may hate what you once loved and love what you once hated. Go with it. And get over your addiction to caffeine, because that has to go, too. Not forever, but your surgeon will have an opinion about when it's okay again.

If you smoke, a reputable surgeon will not do weight loss surgery on you. They will most likely test you for nicotine, so don't cheat, just quit. You won't heal as well and it's just plain bad for you.

You will have no vices for a long time. Because...you can't drink alcohol either! Not for a LONG time. Just look that one up, because I quit drinking a long time ago and I don't even care about this part. Except: you may trade old addictions for new ones. You may need therapy to fix this. If food was a coping mechanism for you, you had better have a plan for new coping skills. BECAUSE...

This is stressful as hell, if you hadn't figured that out. You hair may come out. Be ready. Biotin is rumored to help, but it isn't a sure thing.

You will need to take Vitamins for the rest of your life. Don't be cheap and skimp on this one. You need bariatric Vitamins. Deficiencies can set you back in significant ways. It's not worth it. Take your vitamins.

Now. If you're still reading this, you may think I am one hell of a "Negative Nelly". Nope! I am a realist. You should be scared. You should think long and hard before you have weight loss surgery. If you even qualify for surgery, you've cleared a significant obstacle. If your insurance covers it, that's another significant obstacle out of the way. Soooo...If you have a surgeon willing to do it, and you can get insurance to pay for it (or if you can make it happen as self-pay) DO IT. If you still want to have weight loss surgery despite knowing how much it can suck, then you will probably do well. BECAUSE...

IT'S WORTH IT. All of it.

OMG I LOVE this post!!! Soooo real! Surgery on 8/08...I'm in it for the long haul!

Dawnie_doo

[JJCool 104]

This is a great post, and in particular this bit REALLY rings true for me. When I'm with friends I can see them studying me to see if they can notice any differences (I'm only 5 weeks out) and woah, some people have very strong opinions on my surgery that are unwarranted and unwelcome.

It's not all bad though, mostly people are just curious in a friendly way and I think they genuinely think they are helping when they offer to bring me a big mac to see what it's like in the blender.

So yeah, I would absolutely echo that thought - be careful who you tell.

Jo x

You will become acutely aware that people who know you had the surgery are watching you. Watching what you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat. Watching to see if you lose weight, and if you don't lose weight FAST, everybody has an opinion about whether or not you should have had the surgery and if it will work, and you may hear horror stories about somebody's friend/sister/brother/cousin/coworker who had the surgery and gained all the weight back. Or never lost it at all. Stick to your plan, and remember why you made the decision to have surgery. Be ready to avoid toxic people as necessary. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So be careful who you tell.

[justhere4theshow 462]

I hope everything goes well for you ladies! Glad you got something good from the post

[dnlnext 23]

I'm glad I spent the time to read this post. I have 2 more visits with dietician and I will be getting sleeved sometime in October. I have already met my weight loss goal, all I need to do is maintain it till then. However, my wife is not very supportive on keeping me on track. Sometimes she wants to eat out or eat some crap and frustrates me. I feel as I can't do it alone but kinda have to. She's supportive in the sense of having the surgery, but does not help as much as I would like her to currently. Also she blabs her mouth to everyone and post crap on social media! She told her mom and her mom is just as bad with nothing better to do than to troll online all day. Ugh! I hate and she knows it. That's why I don't do any social media, I don't care about people in my past and I'm sure they don't care about me!

With that said; my brother got sleeved about 2 years ago and didn't do so well. So he's the support I am falling back on, the does and "DON'T"...and talking about what he went through. He's very encouraging about and I think he feels good talking about and how he missed up. I could say that he has now changed his ways to get back on track.

2-3 months seem far out, but it will be here at a blink of an eye. Post like this I read gives me hope and what to look out for and I think about being positive is key!

Thanks

Dan

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[fluffy22 39]

Good post!

However, there are a few things different for me... I am six weeks out and have been eating raw veggies with no issues since week 4. It's only a few bites because I eat it after my Protein but I love that I can have it.

I've been drinking coffee since being cleared by my surgeon at week 2, also without issue.

I also have eaten out a number of times and still love to go out to eat. I just order something healthy, eat a little bit and bring the rest home.

I only told a few key people in my life and I am so glad I chose that route. You can't untell anyone.

Every program seems to have their own set of rules. Follow them and you'll have success.

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

[Christinamo7 4,042]

wow! your experience seems a bit more rough than mine........ I am also so thankful for the sleeve.

[TracyBar 132]

I'm glad I spent the time to read this post. I have 2 more visits with dietician and I will be getting sleeved sometime in October. I have already met my weight loss goal, all I need to do is maintain it till then. However, my wife is not very supportive on keeping me on track. Sometimes she wants to eat out or eat some crap and frustrates me. I feel as I can't do it alone but kinda have to. She's supportive in the sense of having the surgery, but does not help as much as I would like her to currently. Also she blabs her mouth to everyone and post crap on social media! She told her mom and her mom is just as bad with nothing better to do than to troll online all day. Ugh! I hate and she knows it. That's why I don't do any social media, I don't care about people in my past and I'm sure they don't care about me!

With that said; my brother got sleeved about 2 years ago and didn't do so well. So he's the support I am falling back on, the does and "DON'T"...and talking about what he went through. He's very encouraging about and I think he feels good talking about and how he missed up. I could say that he has now changed his ways to get back on track.

2-3 months seem far out, but it will be here at a blink of an eye. Post like this I read gives me hope and what to look out for and I think about being positive is key!

Thanks

Dan

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How did your brother mess up? Did he lose any weight at all? Can you actually gain weight with such a small stomach?

[sanjumelts 170]

The part about people watching, very true.

But other than that, follow the program. Keep the protien up, carbs low. Fats somewhat low due to the higher calories per gram when compared to carbs and protien. Carbs low because you want to try your best to keep your body burning fat and not carbs throughout the day.

Drink Water. Drink protien shakes with low carbs. Try your best to avoid any drinks other than the mentioned.

Lift weights. This applies to both women and men. Helps keep the skin tight, and the body from losing muscle during your extreme calorie deficit after surgery.

If you find yourself in a stall, drink your way out of it. This drink being Water. Also, have your carbs before 4pm in the day. Limit them to below 30g for the whole day, this way your stay in ketosis.

Myfitnesspal is your friend.

Good luck to anyone pursuing this huge positive change in their life! Find what works for you but follow A PLAN! Do not just wing this!

Weeks out: 15

SW: 365

CW: 287

WL: 78lbs

[dnlnext 23]

TracyBar-

He didn't watch we he ate and drank. He didn't gain but didn't lose much either. bread and other carbs got the best of him. He says he wasn't mentally prepared for what need to be done after op. He paid cash for his surgery and never had to see a dietitian nor counseling, I guess he had no guidance.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[TracyBar 132]

TracyBar-

He didn't watch we he ate and drank. He didn't gain but didn't lose much either. bread and other carbs got the best of him. He says he wasn't mentally prepared for what need to be done after op. He paid cash for his surgery and never had to see a dietitian nor counseling, I guess he had no guidance.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

That's my worry - I'd be paying cash and I think I need the dietitian and counselling. Some is provided but both places I'm considering are a long way from my home.

[dnlnext 23]

@@TracyBar

My dietician is not much help anyhow, I always feel rushed as like they just want to see next patient. I'll be doing mine in Houston with UT Physicians. Syc counsel was a joke a few questions about anger, depression, etc....

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[KristenLe 5,979]

@@TracyBar

My dietician is not much help anyhow, I always feel rushed as like they just want to see next patient. I'll be doing mine in Houston with UT Physicians. Syc counsel was a joke a few questions about anger, depression, etc....

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

That was probably your Psych Eval. Therapy/Counseling can be very helpful if you have a good therapist. I found therapy much more helpful than nutrition (although that was because I knew most of what the NUT had to say already). @@TracyBar - I'd recommend counseling if you can find a good psychologist familiar with Bariatric Surgery and emotional eating.