male only 3 Year Update

[familyguy 147]

It’s been three years and, as I did a year ago, I wanted to post my annual update. The two year update, which includes the one year update is linked below. Enjoy.

What's changed from year 2-3?

• No longer a fat guy. I changed jobs and met a lot of new people over the year. Combined with the fact that I'm 3 years out from surgery meant being a fat guy, both in my head and as reflected by people around me, is a very faint memory. I had the surgery when my kids were 3 and 6. They don’t really even remember me being fat, until they see pictures which just makes them giggle. This is a good thing, but when I reflect back on the 35 years of being overweight, it still blows me away.

• Portions Normalized. I really am just a normal (for a non-fat person) eater. I eat whatever I want, just normal portions of it. Breakfast might be 2 eggs and a piece of toast, lunch is a half sandwich and some Soup (or a whole sandwich without the bread), dinner is frozen dinner from trader joes or a small portion of just about anything. For those of you yet to have the surgery and can't imagine eating so little or those of you who just recently had surgery and can't imagine eating so much, I know it sounds very strange. Between years 2 and 3, I'd say the portion sizes really seemed to normalize. Here's the best way to describe it: Look at the nutritional information on something -- like a package of ravioli or a can of chili, etc. and find the serving size. That's pretty much what I can eat until I feel full and happy. In the olden days pre-surgery -- those suggested serving sizes always seemed like some sort of hostile joke!

• Battling 10 Extra Pounds. I feel like I have to watch my weight and need to lose 10 pounds. This is new. I weigh 194 on a 5'11" frame, wear medium or large shirts and have a waist of 34 or 35 inches depending on the brand. Don't get me wrong, that's amazing. BUT, last year, I weighed 185, which did feel a bit better. I'd like to say that my weight has finally normalized, but that wouldn't be totally in line with how I feel. The point is that, just like about everyone else I know, I'm working on losing those extra 10! For the first year of surgery, I couldn't stop LOSING weight. In the second year, I rarely thought about my weight. Now, in the third year, I feel like I need to lose 10.

• Health is Excellent. I just had my annual physical and everything is great. Blood sugar: Normal. Cholesterol: Normal. Same with everything else. I still take 20mg of Omeprazole for heartburn at least 5 out of 7 nights. It doesn't have any noticeable side effects and if I don't take it, I definitely get mild to medium heartburn.

Some Advice to Those on the Fence:

• If you can, do it. Like a lot of people on this site, I'd say my only regret is not doing the surgery sooner. I honestly think (no scientific proof) that there is just simply something wrong between my head and stomach that resulted in me NOT having and "off" switch when it came to food. I'd watch other people that seemed to like food, get a plate at the buffet and then just eat a normal portion and stop. I'd go to the buffet, fill up a big plate and then get seconds and thirds. Even then, I'd probably just stop eating because I felt disgusted with myself or embarrassed, rather than feeling satisfied. This surgery really helped me in that way. As I noted above, I'm one of those small one-plate people now. By weighing a regular weight, life has completely changed. I wear normal clothes, can participate in all sorts of activities, happily sit in the back of the plane, etc, etc, etc. I wish I would have done the surgery when I was 21, not 39.

• VSG helps Quantity, Not Rate or Frequency. You engineers might appreciate this. Basically, VSG allows me to eat much less quantity at any one sitting. It doesn't tell me which foods to eat. You will need to find ways to eat steamed salmon vs. fried chicken, broccoli vs. mashed potatoes, etc. In the very early days, I really disgusted by really fatty food and was also worried about Protein intake. As a result, I directed my eating towards healthier foods. Three years out, VSG no longer helps with those types of decisions. Furthermore, if you like to graze, VSG doesn't help that at all. I work in an office that has Snacks all over the place. It's super easy to grab a handful of mm's or a bag of doritos every time I pass by the snack area (actually that's part of the reason I'm up 9 pounds from last year). I just want to set expectations about what you’re getting and NOT getting.

• Alcohol drinkers: Watch out. You can't eat much with VSG, but drinking is even easier than before. About 6 months ago, I felt like I was drinking too much and have limited my intake by a lot (1 or 2 drinks per night, not 5 or 6). I know, I know, still too much. My point is that this is a real risk area and something that needs to be considered.

This post is getting long enough, so I'll stop here. If any of you would like to reach out with a PM, I'd be happy to chat. Good luck.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/355438-two-year-post-opp-upda/

[VDB 800]

Thanks for this, very thorough and inspirational. After 18 months, I have experienced dramatically better health and after my rapid weight loss period, keep steadily losing a bit each month primarily because my portions are small, I drink lots of Water, and keep my low fat Protein up. Way to go. I am not one of those who has become a totally normal weight but am thrilled with a BMI of 32, down from way over 50. The way it is going, I will eventually drop under 30 and lower.

[shedo82773 1,236]

Thank You for sharing. I also had my WLS (RNY) July 2, 2013. I have so many good things to say about my WLS. Not just weight loss but off my Diabetes meds and have been since my RNY. I use to take 12 different medications (including insulin and pills 100 units of insulin 2 times a day) now I take 4 plus my Vitamins. I still have to take 3 high blood pressure meds due to not being able to let the stress go!! But they are less than 1/2 of what I took before. I still have lots of restriction in my pouch, which I am thankful for. I have 0 physical hunger 0 I say!! Love this!! But I do deal with mind hunger!! I am still totally amazed at how small amounts it takes to be full. I did reach my goal weight in 6 months, so I have maintained 125#'s for 2 and 1/2 years!! YAY ME!! I won't say I wish I'd had it done sooner because I really don't think I was mentally ready before. Plus, look at how far they have come in perfecting WLS. We have access to support everywhere be it physical support groups or the internet!! Which I am thankful for. Again Thank You for sharing!!

[TommieT 30]

Awesome journey @@familyguy very inspiring! I had my gastric bypass surgery Oct 17th 2016 so I'm a newbie. But, you answered alot of my questions with your testimony! Keep up the good work!

Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

[shedo82773 1,236]

Sorry I did NOT know this was for male onlly