Thinking about SLEEVE...is this a regret?

[Bigsuzy1969 14]

I am reading the forums closely and have been thinking about this surgery for 6 months...are my hangups any of your regrets? Do you ever think that if you just followed the post op guidelines/menu that you would have been successful without surgery? Do you regret family occasions of eating out? parties? (my family does not support and likes to eat out a lot and Celebrate (they are thin without food issues) Are you able to NOT tell friends and family (outside of spouse). And can I mention Pasta? I just cannot imagine life without bread or pasta. I am italian from an italian family and how do you do that ? If you do not expect the rest of the family to change their eating habits, how difficult is that? (they probably would not want to eat out or celebrate less if that makes sense

Edited August 21, 2017 by Bigsuzy1969

[Introversion 1,876]

22 minutes ago, Bigsuzy1969 said:

Do you ever think that if you just followed the post op guidelines/menu that you would have been successful without surgery?

Nope...let me clarify. I could lose weight just fine without surgery. In fact, I'd lost 200+ pounds over the past 2 decades preceding surgery, and I'm only in my 30s.

I'd lose 30, then regain 50. I'd lose 50, then regain 90. I'd lose 60, then regain 100. Rinse & repeat.

I could lose weight without surgery, but couldn't keep it off. Bariatric surgery offered the last hope for me to actually keep weight off for a lifetime.

I regularly eat out. In fact, a casual observer wouldn't know I've had surgery if they were sitting at the same restaurant table as me.

Moreover, I eat bread and Pasta, but I can tolerate them just fine because I live a very physically active lifestyle. My more sedentary counterparts who consume too many carbs often experience stalled weight loss and weight regain.

Good luck to you.

[Bigsuzy1969 14]

Thank you so much for your thoughts! I feel that if I could just stick with it, I could lose 40 lb but it would end up the same, just knowing me. Any thoughts on telling your family that may prove to be unsupportive? Is keeping it a secret an impossible task?

[momislosingit84 59]

I'm 9 months post op tomorrow. And honestly my only regret is I didn't do it sooner. I was 32 when I started the process. But I'll go through and answer your questions. :-)

#1 - at my heaviest I was 398 pounds. I lost 100 pounds over a few years on my own trying EVERYthing out there. Over the counter meds, prescription meds, Atkins, WW, low carb, no carb, Jenny Craig etc and my body would always settle back to around 300 pounds. At 31 I spent a year doing a very closely monitored diet/workout program and gained/lost the same 20 pounds. So for me personally just following the pre-op guidelines wouldn't have helped. In fact I only lost like 7 pounds before I started the pre-op liver shrinking diet.

#2 I am super lucky to have a super supportive husband and family and do not feel left out or anything at get togethers. my husband laughs and calls me a cheap date when we go out now lol. I still enjoy eating out it's just done differently and I always have leftovers so I tend to get something I know will reheat well. At family events I will still enjoy a bite of this or that if I wish but I always pick my protien first.

#3 pasta/bread - I personally can't stomach Pasta though a lot of people in support groups I'm in still eat pasta here and there and there are protien pastas out there. I personally enjoy the zucchini noodles aka zoodles and spaghetti squash in place of pasta. As for bread I still have some now and then, Josephs Flax flat bread is amazing, there are a LOT of low carb protien breads out there also and I personally love the Keto breads and cloud bread that are all low/no carb.

#4 I am the main cook for my family of 6. Me, hubs, 3 boys who are 11, 7, 5 and 1 - 3 yr old daughter. I cook thier favorite meals still and will usually eat whatever Protein plus add a side I can have with it if there isn't something I'm already making that will work. We eat 90% scratch/non processed as it is so it hasn't been too hard honestly.

follow me on Instagram @sleevedsummer

[Bigsuzy1969 14]

Thank you so much for the encouragement! and thanks for sharing with me! I feel that I am the heaviest I have been and at the peak of discouragement and perhaps if I give a diet one...more....try...(I KNOW what will happen)

[momislosingit84 59]

Thank you so much for the encouragement! and thanks for sharing with me! I feel that I am the heaviest I have been and at the peak of discouragement and perhaps if I give a diet one...more....try...(I KNOW what will happen)

I was that way for soooo many years. Just one more diet, one more try surely it will work. For me nothing ever did or if it did it wouldn't last and the weight would come back. My PCP suggested I look into having VSG surgery after extremely bad blood work and health issues at my yearly exam but I was too scared and it wasn't until I ran into the little sister of an old class mate who had lost a TON of weight and she talked to me about her VSG and how it had changed everything for her that I finally said ok let's do this and had my consult. Having this tool has changed my life and I fully beilive has saved my life. At 32 my Dr said I would be lucky to see 40 if things didn't change drastically. I was maxed out on my BP meds and they were no longer working, I was borderline diabetic (family history of it) my bad cholesterol numbers were horrible and I found out during my pre-op sonogram of my heart that I had severe scarring on it due to being obease for so many years (I've been over weight since I was 10). I now no longer need BP meds all my blood work is amazing, I'm off my anxiety/depression meds, I have more energy at 33 than I did at 23 and I will be around to see my 4 kids grow.

follow me on Instagram @sleevedsummer

[Bigsuzy1969 14]

27 minutes ago, momislosingit84 said:

I was that way for soooo many years. Just one more diet, one more try surely it will work. For me nothing ever did or if it did it wouldn't last and the weight would come back. My PCP suggested I look into having VSG surgery after extremely bad blood work and health issues at my yearly exam but I was too scared and it wasn't until I ran into the little sister of an old class mate who had lost a TON of weight and she talked to me about her VSG and how it had changed everything for her that I finally said ok let's do this and had my consult. Having this tool has changed my life and I fully beilive has saved my life. At 32 my Dr said I would be lucky to see 40 if things didn't change drastically. I was maxed out on my BP meds and they were no longer working, I was borderline diabetic (family history of it) my bad cholesterol numbers were horrible and I found out during my pre-op sonogram of my heart that I had severe scarring on it due to being obease for so many years (I've been over weight since I was 10). I now no longer need BP meds all my blood work is amazing, I'm off my anxiety/depression meds, I have more energy at 33 than I did at 23 and I will be around to see my 4 kids grow.

follow me on Instagram @sleevedsummer

Thank you for this

[Clementine Sky 708]

6 hours ago, Bigsuzy1969 said:

I am reading the forums closely and have been thinking about this surgery for 6 months...are my hangups any of your regrets? Do you ever think that if you just followed the post op guidelines/menu that you would have been successful without surgery? Do you regret family occasions of eating out? parties? (my family does not support and likes to eat out a lot and Celebrate (they are thin without food issues) Are you able to NOT tell friends and family (outside of spouse). And can I mention Pasta? I just cannot imagine life without bread or Pasta. I am italian from an italian family and how do you do that ? If you do not expect the rest of the family to change their eating habits, how difficult is that? (they probably would not want to eat out or Celebrate less if that makes sense

August 18 marked the second anniversary of having the VSG, and in all this time I've never regretted it. I actually attend far more family functions and social event now that I'm proud of myself and owning my life rather being reclusive as I did for years when I was embarrassed of my size. I do still eat bread and pasta, though in moderation. The only ones in my family who know I had the VSG are my parents and husband, who've fully respected my desire to keep this personal matter private. I'd never ask anyone in my family to cater to me, and instead eat mindfully. If I overdo it, I won't feel well, so I just pick and choose carefully and eat sparingly. If anyone asks why I'm not eating more I truthfully explain that I'm trying to watch my weight. After having lost so much weight, that answer tends to be respected. The sleeve has been a tremendous asset in helping me to have more self-control, and it's actually something I take a degree of pride in now. Rather than feeling sorry for myself and deprived because I'm not gorging on food, I feel proud that I'm using control and eating just enough to feel satisfied but still be on track.

It felt like there was a ping pong game going on in my mind in the months before having the surgery, going back and forth repeatedly as to whether I should proceed. I would tell myself that I wasn't "that" fat (my BMI was 31, and therefore low for having WLS, but still classified as obese), and I could lose the weight myself if only I was more disciplined, then would rapidly remember all the times I'd dieted and slimmed down only to zoom back up, and how ready I was to fully live my life rather than letting my weight hold me back. I'm infinitely grateful I had the surgery.

Best wishes.

[Bigsuzy1969 14]

3 hours ago, Clementine Sky said:

August 18 marked the second anniversary of having the VSG, and in all this time I've never regretted it. I actually attend far more family functions and social event now that I'm proud of myself and owning my life rather being reclusive as I did for years when I was embarrassed of my size. I do still eat bread and Pasta, though in moderation. The only ones in my family who know I had the VSG are my parents and husband, who've fully respected my desire to keep this personal matter private. I'd never ask anyone in my family to cater to me, and instead eat mindfully. If I overdo it, I won't feel well, so I just pick and choose carefully and eat sparingly. If anyone asks why I'm not eating more I truthfully explain that I'm trying to watch my weight. After having lost so much weight, that answer tends to be respected. The sleeve has been a tremendous asset in helping me to have more self-control, and it's actually something I take a degree of pride in now. Rather than feeling sorry for myself and deprived because I'm not gorging on food, I feel proud that I'm using control and eating just enough to feel satisfied but still be on track.

It felt like there was a ping pong game going on in my mind in the months before having the surgery, going back and forth repeatedly as to whether I should proceed. I would tell myself that I wasn't "that" fat (my BMI was 31, and therefore low for having WLS, but still classified as obese), and I could lose the weight myself if only I was more disciplined, then would rapidly remember all the times I'd dieted and slimmed down only to zoom back up, and how ready I was to fully live my life rather than letting my weight hold me back. I'm infinitely grateful I had the surgery.

Best wishes.

This is me! I appreciate your thoughts. I am thinking of having the ESG so my weight lose will not be as much but I feel so large that I wish I was invisible during family gatherings! I make excuses to not go because I know they are thinking "wow she has put on a few". I can relate to you feeling like it is a ping pong ball because this is how I feel!

[tenseintexas 182]

I could never lose my weight and if I did- it would come back. My doctor told me there was about a 5% chance that I would be successful ( i had 70 to lose total)
So that stat really opened my eyes
Anyway- no when I go out to eat I marvel at how little I care!!! And how fun it is not to eat everything!!! I always leave at least half my plate- it's wonderful.
And I personally can eat Pasta if I want too- so don't worry about that. I work out a lot so that helps too.
Not one regret ( except during the beginnings when I was so nausea but that eventually passed about six months in )

[GotProlactinoma 458]

My eyes were opened with the pro op diet. I really had to think about it: my stomach was the same as always, I was drinking 2 Protein Drinks a day plus a small piece of meat or fish with veggies for dinner. I was starving for the first 4-5 days. Got used to it on the second week. Lost a bunch of weight. So I thought like you are thinking. What if I just did this, with no surgery?

But the truth is that the only reason I stuck to what I called a starvation diet was because it was to shrink my liver so surgery would be safe. I would NEVER have stuck to it, NEVER, otherwise. Let's be real.

i decided to tell everyone and I don't have the issue of trying to hide it. Life is easier this way, but I still have to deal with dumb questions like "I bet you are dropping tons of weight!" When I am not, and "Oh you look so much thinner!" When I don't, but whatever.

Pasta and bread: it's how we got this way. I have been living gluten free for a few years, and I just don't eat bread, EVEN THOUGH IT IS DELICIOUS. It's just in a category for me of things I don't eat. However, if there is something you feel today that you couldn't live without, know that you will eventually have some spare calories and you can spend them as you want. For the first phase post surgery, maybe for a few months, you will just be focusing on getting enough Water and Protein to thrive. But eventually you can add in what you feel you can't live without.

I'm only 4 weeks out and just starting "real foods" or soft foods. But already I have some good news for you. It takes only a few tastes and you are satisfied and done! Just what we always wanted! To taste something good and that taste is for real ENOUGH. You don't feel the need or desire to eat a gallon of it. So when you decide to enjoy a pasta dish, two forks of it will give you the same happiness a plate did before. And that's if you still even want it.

Edited August 21, 2017 by GotProlactinoma
Spellcheck wrote mestizo instead of meat

[Jen-2+1 131]

I haven't had any regrets. I didn't have any of the nausea/vomiting that some people have after surgery, so I am sure that helped. I wish my legs looked better, but I wished they looked better when I was 100+ pounds heavier also.

[TammyA 77]

21 hours ago, momislosingit84 said:

4 I am the main cook for my family of 6. Me, hubs, 3 boys who are 11, 7, 5 and 1 - 3 yr old daughter. I cook thier favorite meals still and will usually eat whatever Protein plus add a side I can have with it if there isn't something I'm already making that will work. We eat 90% scratch/non processed as it is so it hasn't been too hard honestly.

I've been reading your posts, and I find you very helpful! I was sleeved 3 weeks ago, and I'm really trying to figure this all out and often feeling like I'm doing it all wrong. My nutritionist has me on a soft food diet for the next few weeks. This week I can add fish and shellfish...next week I can add chicken...etc. She told me to start with a 1 ounce portion. I am tolerating that just fine and really want more. Is 1 ounce of protien typical of a meal or is this just while it's new. I find myself eating more than I'm supposed to and then feeling really guilty about it. I also have 4 children, and I do the cooking so I find myself sampling what I'm making while I'm cooking and then eating my 1 ounce dinner. Any thoughts?

[momislosingit84 59]

I also have 4 children, and I do the cooking so I find myself sampling what I'm making while I'm cooking and then eating my 1 ounce dinner. Any thoughts?

Aww well thank you. In the first few months I was only able to eat 1-2 oz total food (depending on what it was) every 3 hours. By 4 months post op I felt like I was eating "normally" as in I stick to protien first usually 2-3 oz and leave 1-2 oz of veggies/dairy/good carbs.

Now at 9 months post op I average about 4 - 6 oz of food each meal. If it's Soup or liquid like a Protein Shake I can easily do 8 oz. I have days where I still can barely eat 2-3 oz at one time and than days were I easily can eat a full 6oz. It really just depends on the type of food, what I've done that day as far as activity, the time of the month plays into it as well.

If I'm cooking and end up sampling while I do so 9 times out of 10 I'm honestly just too full to sit down with my family and eat so I have learned to not do that for the most part lol.

I know it seems hard now or that you will never have even a semi normal eating pattern but it does get better after about 3/4 months.

Like here are some examples of some of the thing's I eat now.









follow me on Instagram @sleevedsummer

[TammyA 77]

34 minutes ago, momislosingit84 said:

Now at 9 months post op I average about 4 - 6 oz of food each meal. If it's Soup or liquid like a Protein shake I can easily do 8 oz. I have days where I still can barely eat 2-3 oz at one time and than days were I easily can eat a full 6oz. It really just depends on the type of food, what I've done that day as far as activity, the time of the month plays into it as well.

Thank you so much for posting pictures. I'm eating maybe 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese and that's lunch. I'm glad to see that it gets more normal. One more question...do you still measure and weigh everything? You said you eat 2-3 ounces of Protein at a meal. Are you estimating or still measuring each time? I need to buy a food scale because right now I'm just guessing.