PLS POST SUCCESS WITH BARIATRIC SURGERY

New2013_Holley

OK- My rant is out. I wanted to congratulate you on your choice for a healthier future. I learned a lot on verticalsleevetalk.com before during and after my surgery. I also found http://weightlosssurgery.proboards.com/ helpful.

Something I have learved is everyone's body and experience is different, even though you have the same procedure. I am quite blessed that I healed quickly and by the time I started eating very soft foods 3 weeks after surgery I was feeling so much better and stronger. I am now 9 weeks post op and I have to remind myself that I had surgery such a short time ago. It is the BEST choice I made for myself. I have not experienced food restrictions, but I also do not break the guidelines of avoiding sweets bread/pasta etc. I stop eating when I feel full. Your body gives you clues, just have to slow down and listen to them.

I wish you luck on your new healthier future!

FiveElevenClimb

If she's getting the surgery in two weeks, she's gone through all the testing and counseling and there are no other options for her.

Good luck, OP. Sorry, but I don't have any experience or advice.

I meant no disrespect to the op. But I disagree with you, there are always other options outside of an evasive surgery. I started at nearly 380 and I know others who were bigger than I am that did it the hard way with diet and exercise. I considered surgery but then realized it was a huge cop out. YES maybe if she has other issues it felt like the ONLY option but like the person said right above me, at what cost? I know a girl who had LOST A TON of weight with surgery 10 years ago, today she has more than half that weight back and has constant health issues and vitamin issues within her body to where she has a constant picc line at home for vitamin shots. I only asked because if surgery isn't a MUST, then I strongly urge her to explore other options. Thats all.

A huge "cop out" huh? How about a huge "life changing event that forces one to make healthy decisions." Cop out my @$$. This was the hardest thing I have ever gone through. And it's people like you that talk about stuff that you have NEVER experienced, that would turn someone off to it....and it might be the only thing that saves their life. Who the hell do you think you are? I fought for 25+ years to lose weight. And all I did was gain. I was dperessed several times to the point where I had a shotgun in my mouth. I tried to drink myself to death. Everytime I would lose 5 pounds I would gain 10. Who the hell do you think you are? a "Cop out"????? You should be ashamed.

For the first time I can ever remeber, I wake up, refreshed, I have slept all night. No back pain. And I am HAPPY. And it was because I had surgery that forced me to change the way I eat. It's not a magic wand and it doesn't make you skinny overnight. And I still bust my *kitten* in the gym every chance I get. So before you go judging people....take a second....and think.

SO VERY WELL SAID!!! Judging others' actions is one of the worst things humans do. Comparing yourself and saying that you are better because you're doing something a certain way. WTF. I had the VSG Dec. 21, 2012, and am using the change in my body as it's meant to be: a tool. I make healthy food choices, exercise more, take the stairs instead of the elevator and feel better physically and better about myself than I have in many many years. Being down 45 lbs makes it so much easier to keep the momentum going, too! HOW someone loses weight is irrelevant. CELEBRATING the fact that they want to lose and are trying and suceeding is what we should focus on.

By the way- congratulations on your success!!! Go GO GO!

and FYI Kakes80- losing weight and living healthy is never easy. There is no "easy way out,' which contradicts your ignorant statement.

Blanket statements like "the worst things humans do" or "there is no 'easy way out'" are almost never true. I would say murder is worse than judging. Just like I would say that if hypothetically someone were to be overweight, but had the ability to get fit and healthy by just eating right and exercising, but instead got elective surgery to make them lose the weight that would be what I would call the "easy way out". They had the choice to either do it themselves or have a surgery make them do it. She was simply asking whether or not she had researched other options.

Krissy366

A few things to be aware of: No one gets heavy without having some sort of food addiction.

I just want to point out that you can gain ten pounds in a year by eating (on average) only 100 extra calories per day. Multiply that over 5/10 years unchecked and you've packed on 50-100 pounds. Not through a food addiction, but through just a basic lack of awareness. There's this huge misconception that everyone who is heavy got heavy somehow overnight by being a food addict who was eating a box of ring dings and a quart of ice cream every day. I gained all of my weight very slowly over 20+ years. Sure, I didn't stop the gain or take the trouble to reverse it until recently, and that's where I failed. I wasn't the kind of person that gained ten pounds and immediately sought to get those ten pounds back off. But I don't (and didn't) have a food addiction, I simply didn't pay close enough attention to precisely how much I was putting in my body. And since I gained about 100 pounds in 20 years, I was likely only overeating by an average of 50 calories per day. Anyway - just wanted to point that out.

OP - good luck with your surgery. I've known 2-3 people who have done various versions with extreme success. One was an uncle who truly did save his life by doing it. I wish you well.

hookilau

Also, no experience but I wish you lots of luck :flowerforyou: Clearly this is something you've given much thought to and are preparing for. Good for you for doing something positive for your health :drinker:

Gerald_King

I've not had surgery but I would like to wish you all the best with your journey if thats what you need to do you do it good for you :flowerforyou: :happy:

majoki

A comment on writing style:

"I considered surgery but then realized it was a huge cop out. YES maybe if she has other issues it felt like the ONLY option but like the person said right above me, at what cost?"

If you just mean to talk about just yourself, then you shouldn't switch the pronoun to "she." It sounds like you're extending your opinion about what's best for you to what you think should be best for the OP.

---

OP: I wish you the best of success with your surgery!

Keiras_Mom

I lost all my weight with intermittent fasting. It took me about 15 months. My DH had RNY in November, 2012. He's 3 months post-op and just hit 100 pounds lost. His loss has been much faster than mine, but was in no way "easy." I respect your decision and believe you've explored all options available to you, as my DH had. He's still trying to find the foods which work best for him, and has difficulty with most animal protein still. You will need to be very patient as you're recovering and losing, and finding what works with your body. Good luck! You can do this!

mfernando6

Thank you for all the people wishing me luck and their positive words. I just want to say that I have thought about surgery for years and always decided that it wasn't for me and that I was going to lose the weight on my own, and that hasn't worked out for me. So for me, this is my last resort. I am 27 years old...almost 28 and have been over weight my whole life. I have dieted and exercised on and off from when I was very young. I obviously need help and I look at surgery as a tool not an easy way out. Surgery isn't a miracle, but it helps you lose weight. You still need to make healthy choices and diet.

mfernando6

thank you

FiveElevenClimb

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

Mads1997

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

*claps*

TigressPat

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

I agree with you.
*waits to get bashed repeatedly with a blunt object*

it's all about instant gratification.
how many posts a day are about being here for 2-3 weeks and losing 12 lbs in that time but being depressed/dejected/confused/angry/suicidal because he/she/it hasn't lost anything in 2 days prior to posting?

How many posts go up each day about 1200 calories and below because every person who comes to this site checks the 2lbs a week option even if they only have 5lbs to lose?

IIf there was a 20lbs a week option I'm sure 95% of users would check it, just as those same 95% would gladly cut out a "non-vital" organ to lose 70lbs in 4 months.

CoraGregoryCPA

I had gastric bypass surgery. The RNY one. I weighed 240, and in 8 months I was down to 135. I was very strict though. I followed the rules. Take it seriously and change your life. You will be a success. If you notice the weight coming back on, correct it immediately.

CoraGregoryCPA

I promise you the surgery is not ONLY about eating less. For me, they remove a good chunk of my intestine, therefore I absorb less calories than if you and I ate the same thing. Also, by having a smaller stomach, somehow it curbs cravings. I was a fast food junky and would love to have a whole chocolate cake to myself. After the surgery, I do not crave or want fast foods, I would never be able to eat a whole chocolate cake because I will get violently sick. Also, because I can only eat so much and have huge vitamin deficiencies, I tend to make better choices in what I eat. I will eat protein over carb because my body NEEDS the protein. I will also choose vegetables over chocolate (believe it or not) because I know my body needs the vitamins.

This guy is not knowledgeable on the surgery itself. It's not just a cop out. It does so much more!

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

TigressPat

I promise you the surgery is not ONLY about eating less. For me, they remove a good chunk of my intestine, therefore I absorb less calories than if you and I ate the same thing. Also, by having a smaller stomach, somehow it curbs cravings. I was a fast food junky and would love to have a whole chocolate cake to myself. After the surgery, I do not crave or want fast foods, I would never be able to eat a whole chocolate cake because I will get violently sick. Also, because I can only eat so much and have huge vitamin deficiencies, I tend to make better choices in what I eat. I will eat protein over carb because my body NEEDS the protein. I will also choose vegetables over chocolate (believe it or not) because I know my body needs the vitamins.

This guy is not knowledgeable on the surgery itself. It's not just a cop out. It does so much more!

If I ate a whole chocolate cake I'd get violently sick.
If I ate a ton of fast food, I'd end up in the hospital.

Not because I had any kind of surgery but because my BODY IS NOT USED TO IT.

You could do those things because one day (maybe 30 years ago) you ate an extra large piece of cake and the next time, you had two pieces, and a couple of months later it took 3 to fill you up.

You trained your body to do that. You could also "untrain" or retrain it.

You don't crave junk food anymore because you do not EAT it.

This happens eventually, ask anyone who on Atkins or Keto.

If you stop eating entirely, eventually you no longer feel hungry.

But it's just so much faster and easier to have surgery.

MissyI30

I had VSG 8 months ago and am a couple pounds away from 100 lost total, I did lose some before surgery tho. You can add me if you want. Most my friends on here have also had VSG and there are a couple of groups on here vsgers and sleevers I think. Good luck to you. Everyone's journey is different even with the surgery but so far mine has been even more then what I expected I have nothing bad to say about the surgery. Already my life has changed so much and all for the better and in only 8 months.

bandedkitten

I had the lapband about 2 years ago and I haven't had it tightened enough. It was a crazy experience because during the clearance time they found a pretty large tumor in my abdomen and I had to have a hysterectomy and appendectomy and then the fixed my hiatal hernia when the put in the band about 6 mos after the tumor surgery. Miraculously the tumor was benign even thought they thought it was cancer.

NO weight loss surgery is a magic bullet--but I'm glad I did it. I definitely need to get tightened...but if anyone thinks that it's a cop out at all doesn't understand that you still have to eat healthy AND exercise to lose weight. You could eat ice cream or milkshakes all day and not lose...and even gain.

Bariatric surgery is to reduce hunger so that it's possible to make healthier choices and not be starving all the time. I'm still hungry, but less so. I have let myself do this as a veerrrrrry slow process but I don't have any regrets.

I think everyone has to make their own decision what's right for them but as someone who has had it it's not a magic wand...but yes, it definitely helps.

wntrbreez

My sister had lap band & I have 2 brothers that had gastric bypass. My sister had a lot of problems keeping food down for the longest time. She lost down to her ideal weight but she didn't make the lifestyle choices necessary to maintain & she learned to "bypass" the benefits of the band by drinking fluids with the junk food to make it pass from her stomach quickly so she could eat more. She has gained all the weight back. Both brothers have lost significant weight with the gastric bypass. One brother had absolutely no problems with the surgery, but his weight loss was very slow...perhaps only 5 or 6 lbs a month because he was still able to eat a lot of food, but several years after the surgery his overall success has be great & with a weight loss of about 140 lbs. The other brother has maintained his weight loss from the surgery for over 5 years with a weight loss of about 90 lbs but he exercises regularly. He did have a life threatening GI bleed a few years after the surgery that nearly cost him his life, but he had emergency surgery to repair it & is doing great now. None of my siblings regret having the procedures done. I went on a diet / exercise program myself WITHOUT having bariatric surgery. I have lost 135 lbs. The surgery is simply a tool. It will give you a weight loss boost but you still have to make the lifestyle changes or you will gain it back. The body is an amazing creation & it will adapt to the structural changes of the surgery & learn to compensate over time. If you don't make the lifestyle changes - you WILL gain the weight back. I know many people who have done just that. Some people call weight loss surgery "cheating" but that simply isn't the case. It still requires discipline & commitment to a new healthier lifestyle to maintain the results. I wish you much luck with your procedure. It will force you to eat smaller portions & assist you in getting on the right track. You've been through counseling so you probably know the surgery is not a cure. It is only the tool that you & your doctor has decided is a good fit for your new life. I'm sure you will do great. I definitely want to see your progress pictures. I love inspiring stories!

cubbies77

HOW someone loses weight is irrelevant. CELEBRATING the fact that they want to lose and are trying and succeeding is what we should focus on.

And yet for every WLS thread we have celebrating this "tool" people use to change their lives, we have another thread where posters crucify someone for taking phentermine, which is prescribed by a doctor and closely monitored.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

And don't even start whining about "side effects". The risks and side effects of WLS are pretty freaking steep.

FiveElevenClimb

I promise you the surgery is not ONLY about eating less. For me, they remove a good chunk of my intestine, therefore I absorb less calories than if you and I ate the same thing. Also, by having a smaller stomach, somehow it curbs cravings. I was a fast food junky and would love to have a whole chocolate cake to myself. After the surgery, I do not crave or want fast foods, I would never be able to eat a whole chocolate cake because I will get violently sick. Also, because I can only eat so much and have huge vitamin deficiencies, I tend to make better choices in what I eat. I will eat protein over carb because my body NEEDS the protein. I will also choose vegetables over chocolate (believe it or not) because I know my body needs the vitamins.

This guy is not knowledgeable on the surgery itself. It's not just a cop out. It does so much more!

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

If you read my previous post you would see that I never called it a cop out. I actually just said it wasn't necessary when weight loss is the sole reason for it (i.e. no medical condition, etc.) but my point is still valid. You could have done the same thing by CHOOSING to stay below your TDEE. But if that is how you lost the weight, I will say CONGRATULATIONS. I am happy for you, but the reason is you eat less than your TDEE. You are right I have no knowledge of the surgery, as I have never looked at it as a viable option for me, but the fact remains that eating over TDEE makes you gain weight and eating under it makes you lose weight.