In the early stages of deciding if surgery is the best option

[Mountaln Gal 5]

Hello everyone! So many great, inspiring posts here. I have so many questions; but will start with just a few; i look forward to everyone's advice and experience...

-how long does the average recovery take?

-what is the age range of people who have done weight loss surgery?

-what are some meals and how often?

-did you gain more confidence in life with weight loss?

-thanks for all replies.

Th

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[kmorri 1,689]

Hi and welcome! as far as recovery, for me I I felt pretty good pretty quickly...I had surgery on a Monday and was back at work the following Monday......By the following Monday I felt completely normal.....but everyone is different, so I'm sure you'll get several different responses for this question...

As far as age range I don't know the "average".....but based on what I see it's a very wide range....I'm 56 soon to be 57......and I've seen young folks in their 20's on here as well...

Meals?.....I'm 6.5 months post op and still in the weight loss phase so I stick to mostly low carb type meals....and eat 3 times a day.....about a half a cup of food total at a meal....or if it's easier for you to picture....about 2.5 - 3 ounces of grilled chicken or other meat....and a couple of bites of non-starchy veggies.

I didn't have a confidence problem before surgery so I can't really answer that one....but I do certainly feel better about myself! I've lost just under 100 pounds in a little over 6.5 months and only 4.2 pounds from meeting my goal.....this was the best decision I ever made!

Good luck with whatever you decide is best for you!

[swoobury 2]

Cant answer all your questions but there might be a few on tne website "the world according to eggface"...she shares her story, blogs about a day in her pouch and as some great recipes

just lil o me ????

[Airstream88 361]

-how long does the average recovery take? I had Gastric Bypass, Gall bladder removal and a hernia repair. I took 5 weeks off.
-what is the age range of people who have done weight loss surgery? - 20s and up. I'm 54
-what are some meals and how often? My Nutritionist recommends eating 5 mini meals a day 3 - 4 hours apart. They consist of primarily Protein and if there is room, a serving of multi-grain or fruit and green veggie.
-did you gain more confidence in life with weight loss? My self-esteem is not wrapped up in my appearance so it hasn't made a difference in my confidence. I had this surgery to help with my health issues - arthritic knees and pre-diabetes.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Airstream88

[theantichick 2,204]

Hello everyone! So many great, inspiring posts here. I have so many questions; but will start with just a few; i look forward to everyone's advice and experience...

-how long does the average recovery take?

-what is the age range of people who have done weight loss surgery?

-what are some meals and how often?

-did you gain more confidence in life with weight loss?

-thanks for all replies.

Th

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I had a very fast recovery with very few issues. I had surgery on Wed, started working from home (I'm an IT analyst) the following Monday, was back in the office the Monday after that. I had some nausea, but didn't ever throw up. I was very fatigued for probably a month but I also have auto-immune arthritis that I had to go off meds for the surgery, so it's hard to tell what was auto-immune and what was surgical recovery. If I'd had any issues or a physical job, I'd have had to take more time off.

Ages? I'm 47. I've seen everything from late teens to 60 or 70 on this board.

I'm a little over 3 months out, and I eat 4-6 times a day, about 1/4 cup each time. I do not restrict carbs because ketosis makes me very ill, but I focus on Protein first and when I do eat carbs I try to make them complex carbs with little sugar or refined grains.

I am gaining more confidence with the weight loss, but I'm still in the early stages. I'm also able to get active for the first time in years, so that's helping as much or more than the weight loss.

While there are some people who have had major issues and regret the surgery, most of the people here will tell you that they just wish they'd done it sooner. I'm in that camp, though I realize if I'd done it much sooner I'd have had a bypass because the sleeve surgery is relatively new, and with my auto-immune a bypass wouldn't have been a good option. So I'm just glad I finally decided to take the step for my health.

[Vinasu 621]

I was back at work 3 days after RNY, and feeling great a month after.

I'm 44.

I have a Premier Protein for Breakfast. Something like salmon or chicken for lunch, and I eat whatever my family is eating for dinner. I just cut out the carbs, eat slowly, and watch my portions.

I am 1000x more confident. Before surgery, I had never met my husband's work mates because I was embarrassed for him. Now, I know them all. I started martial arts and picked up skiing. I feel like I have a ton of last time to make up for. I wish I had done this ten year's earlier.

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[weneebug 88]

I had my surgery on 10/31 and the first 2 weeks were the hardest with hunger pains and feeling weak. I am totally back to normal now and I am so glad that I had the surgery. As many people say...I wish I had done it sooner. I have lost 22 pounds and already feel better about myself. I still have an issue with portion but I am hoping that gets better as I start to get my fills.

I am 44 and started out at 228 and now weigh 206. Can't wait to break that 200 barrier!

[Djmohr 6,965]

Hello everyone! So many great, inspiring posts here. I have so many questions; but will start with just a few; i look forward to everyone's advice and experience...

-how long does the average recovery take?

-what is the age range of people who have done weight loss surgery?

-what are some meals and how often?

-did you gain more confidence in life with weight loss?

-thanks for all replies.

Th

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

In terms of recovery, everyone is different. I had RNY bypass. For me, the surgery was easy. The first night in the hospital was the roughest but that was brought on by the gas they pump in your belly during laparoscopic surgery. I would not call it pain, I would call it discomfort.

They gave me liquid vicodin in the hospital for two nights and then sent me home with some. I had surgery on monday, went home on wed night. Took my last dose of pain medication on thursday and then they switched me to liquid tylenol. That stuff is awful and i chose not to take it. I just did not have alot of pain.

The first week I was on a clear liquid diet and was simply focused on getting fluids in. That to me is the hardest part early on. You dont feel like drinking but if you dont, you get nauseous, weak and dizzy. If you do a good job then that feeling goes away.

By week 2 i felt pretty good. The hardest part about having weight loss surgery in my opinion is getting used to the new lifestyle and wanting to eat. If i was busy, and i was i would just forget to eat. Sometimes hubby would ask, have you had lunch yet? It would be 4pm. I simply wasn't hungry but you learn to eat on time to keep yourself healthy.

There are folks on this site alone that range from their early 20's all the way up to 70's+.

Not sure what you looking for with meals? My nut had me on a high Protein, good carb, well balanced diet from day 7. Lean Proteins, veggies and fruits. During weight loss i was to stay away from rice, Pasta, sweets, caloric drinks other than Protein Drinks. I also minimized potatoes. I would have them a couple times a week and then only after i got my Protein and other veggies in.

In maintenance, I began adding whole grains in and I do eat some of those other things once in a while but i am careful about how often as I dont want to gain back my loss.

As for confidence, hell yes! I carry myself different, dress different and feel fantastic. I had this surgery to get healthy as i had a BMI over 44 and was struggling with alot of health issues. It never dawned on me that I would even care about how I look until the weight started coming off and my confidence started coming back. Now, I am focused on how i look and what i wear all the time. Its weird how that works.

I am 53 by the way....I feel like i lost my 30s and 40s because i was so morbidly obese that i just did not care about how i looked or the clothes i wore. Everything i bought i did it because I had to. I was working in a professional setting. Anything I bought, i thought looked like crap on me.

Now, I try on clothes relentlessly just because I can and i know they will look good on me. My shopping definately changed, i love to go clothes and shoes shopping now.

Best of luck, Hope we are answering your questions. Feel free to reach out if you have more.

[Mountaln Gal 5]

Thank you all for your advice. I need to do some research on the different types of surgeries and decide which is best.

I know i need to do the surgery for many reasons; i just needed to hear how it all began for everyone so i would get a glimpse of what to expect.

When i mentioned confidence, for me, i am a fairly confident person in my capabilities; however, when it comes to social settings, i feel awkward and just want to blend in un-noticed. I just feel judged by society as that has been a problem growing up.

One other part i look forward to is clothes shopping and being able to walk into any store and buy an item; plus size clothing is not cheap that is for sure.

Thanks again and i look forward to being motivated by you all.

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[theantichick 2,204]

Thank you all for your advice. I need to do some research on the different types of surgeries and decide which is best.

I know i need to do the surgery for many reasons; i just needed to hear how it all began for everyone so i would get a glimpse of what to expect.

When i mentioned confidence, for me, i am a fairly confident person in my capabilities; however, when it comes to social settings, i feel awkward and just want to blend in un-noticed. I just feel judged by society as that has been a problem growing up.

One other part i look forward to is clothes shopping and being able to walk into any store and buy an item; plus size clothing is not cheap that is for sure.

Thanks again and i look forward to being motivated by you all.

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Your surgeon should be able to help guide you to the appropriate surgery. For me, the bypass would have been the best option, however I have auto-immune arthritis and have to be able to take NSAIDs and steroids when needed. The NSAID/steroid contradindication is absolute for bypass and lapband, but is relative for sleeve. Lapband was a non-starter for me for a number of reasons, but wasn't even an option because it's a foreign body left in which is a no-no for auto-immune. Because I have had reflux in the past, GERD was a serious worry for us with the sleeve, but again I had to be able to take NSAID/steroids. So I'm lucky that I haven't developed GERD. But as you can see from our decision process, there can be a lot involved besides patient preference that your medical team has to guide you through.