My surgery date is set, now to lose the weight to save $$
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mama2elijah
Posts: 13
So I have saved up my money to have the Vsg surgery, it will be done April 12th. If I can lose 45lbs in 3 months, I can save $1000. Which would be amazing, that money could go to so many other things. Has anyone done anything like 15lbs a month and if so, how?? Thanks. I'm new at this website and could really benefit from some "been there, done that" friends. 
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Hi! I did lose around46 lbs during by pre-op medically surpervised diet. I was eating 1500 calories a day with no restrictions and 8 glasses of water. I had a lot to lose so that will affect how much someone looses, I walked about 20 minutes a day but at that time couldn't do much more. Good luck!0
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I lost 47 pounds between 2/1/12 and 6/11/12 by following 1200 cals and walking 1-2 miles a day. 2 weeks of that was the pre op liquid diet. I also drank 80 oz of water a day, no carbonated beverages and switched from reg coffee/tea to decaf coffee/tea. Saving a $1000 would motivate me for sure!
Good luck!0 -
Thank you so much, I keep thinking, if I could lose 45lbs in three months, I wouldn't be in this mess! lol.0
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I had the VSG in September - good luck with everything. It is changing my life.
I did lose over 100 pounds in 4 months about 7 years ago. I did two - no, three - things at that time. One was stress. I don't recommend that part. Because of the stress I was under, I wasn't holding down much food and had no appetite.
Another thing is that I excerzised every day - mostly cardio. I spent at least half an hour on the elliptical 6 days a week.
The other thing is that I was spending alot of time with someone who had Gastric Bypass, and I found myself eating like she did, with a few changes. No carbonated beverages. No alcohol. Very few carbs. Really eating like I eat now that I've actually had surgery.
One way you could do this (and prepare yourself for life after surgery) would be to start following your post surgery diet now. If you haven't been given the information, google it, there are a number of variations on that diet out there.0 -
I had a high BMI as well and had to pay out the extra 1k.
it is good to get in the habit of eating right prior to surgery..
I ended up having food funerals and ended up gaining several extra pounds.
my suggestion is to exercise!!! drink at least 8 glasses of water and eat protein - as much protein as you can, minimum of 60 ounces a day!
to figure out the ammount of protein
(your weight) x .4 = how much protein you should be eatting daily0 -
I am living this RIGHT NOW.
I'm preop going to Mexico. I need to get my BMI to 49.0 or below in order to save $750 off my surgery, but also I want the surgery to be easier on my body so I know a lower BMI will help with that. My starting weight was just over 330 with a BMI of 55. I began a very low calorie diet on December 3rd and currently weigh 302. I hope to weigh 290 by my March 13 giving me a BMI of 48.25.
Living on 800 calories a day is NOT easy but because it's not an indefinite period of time, I can do it. There is an end in sight. I can see the finish line and that helps me stay on course.
Best of luck to you!0 -
Thank you all so much for your replies, they have really helped to make it seem within reach. I am scared that if I can't pull this off, what does that mean for my success with surgery? This is my biggest fear, I have read and watched a ton of blogs and I see this is a major issue with folks, it fixes the stomach but not the mind, how are you guys working on that? I have been thinking about going to an OA meeting.0
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Thank you all so much for your replies, they have really helped to make it seem within reach. I am scared that if I can't pull this off, what does that mean for my success with surgery? This is my biggest fear, I have read and watched a ton of blogs and I see this is a major issue with folks, it fixes the stomach but not the mind, how are you guys working on that? I have been thinking about going to an OA meeting.
I I'm staring down a frosted cherry pie (my greatest vice) RIGHT NOW! I've changed my earrings four times to get my mind off of it so now I'm coming on MFP to get inspiration from others who are in the same boat and to stay strong! Some days are worse than others and I did have one terrible day where I fell off the wagon, but then I got back on within hours. I expect it will happen again at some point in the future. I mean if I had perfect willpower and control, I wouldn't need surgery now would I??? To be quite honest, doing this diet and sticking with it (mostly) has really given me a great boost of confidence that I can be successful with this surgery. And seeing others who have gone through similar struggles and are working hard to be successful inspires me each day.0 -
I recommend a therapist who specializes in overeating/obesity. For me, I absolutely need/needed it, and without it I know I would not have had the success I've had with my VSG. It's a long journey for me. And therapy (I do group & private) has just been another tool with the surgery.
You have to get your head straight, other wise, you will treat your sleeve as just another "diet", and it can be very easy to eat around your sleeve. Speak with your surgery group and find out what support groups they offer, etc.
I am not trying to scare you at all. You can succeed with this surgery. But it must be a priority committment to you. The surgery does not cut off your hands, so the fork/mouth action is still in play
I'm just being straightforward in sharing my personal experience, everyone has something different going on. You are worth the effort you are making in getting VSG... throw everything you have at it to succeed!0 -
AND the great thing is that IT WILL WORK!!! (You just have to give it the tools to let it work!) I can honestly say that I've felt less "diet/weightloss stress" with this, than with any other thing I've tried. I try to be very present with the thought of "All I have to do is to let the sleeve do it's job" and it works. Now, "letting the sleeve do its job" consists of me not trying to push boundries, or break rules or following old habits and reactions. So that is a LOT of work for me. But honestly, the pay off is if I do my job, and the sleeve does its job, the weight DOES fall off.
Really, YOU can do this. I promise.0 -
Thank you all so much for your replies, they have really helped to make it seem within reach. I am scared that if I can't pull this off, what does that mean for my success with surgery? This is my biggest fear, I have read and watched a ton of blogs and I see this is a major issue with folks, it fixes the stomach but not the mind, how are you guys working on that? I have been thinking about going to an OA meeting.
You can pull this off!
If you should not lose as much weight as you would like to before surgery, it doesn't mean that your surgery will be less successful. The success of your surgery has more to do with your overall health and your frame of mind going in, not just your BMI. The thing that finally scared me into having the surgery was that I had to have surgery to remove kidney stones, and I was thisclose to not being able to have laproscopic surgery. Also, that surgery was really hard on me, and there were complications. I never want to go through that again.
I had VSG on 9.04.12. I am 5 feet 4.5 inches, and weighed 335 going in, for a BMI of 57 (I think). I consider the sugery very successful; I had no complications. I had some fairly constant nausea the first few days. Today when I weighed myself, I was 256.6, the lowest weight I have been since about 1990. Some of the head stuff is addressed by the surgery. Removing the fundus does cut does cut down on ghrelin (sp?) production, which is supposed to help you not be as hungry. For me, I don't think about food as much.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, I could only eat about a 1/4 cup of food at a time. That has increased a bit now, which is a bit scary. My insurance did not require alot of therapy first, I kind of wish they had. I am working on finding myself a good therapist to address some of the harder demons. I am also a member of Al-Anon and beginning to explore Adult Children of Alcoholics. I don't think I would have been able to even have had the surgery without the support of my sponsor and home group, and all of the positive changes I have made with the help of my Al-Anon community. If you can find an OA group that works for you - go for it. If you have alcoholics or other dysfunction in your life (past or present), consider exploring Al-Anon or ACA. They won't address the eating specifically, but you can work it by addressing them according to the principles of the program. I also go to the support group offered by the hospital that performed the surgery.
Also, check out VerticalSleeveTalk.com. Lots of support there.
I had the same fears you're having. It scared the heck out of me when I found I could eat more than a 1/4 cup. As JillyInAZ said though, IT WILL WORK!0 -
I had to lose weight before too...I did high protein with healthy carbs. (Nothing processed, carbs come from veggies and fruit).
I lost 48 pounds before surgery...I am at 129 total now and do not regret it a bit! I am thinking of trying to find a counselor, like Jilly says...it may just be even more helpful for me.
Good luck and you can do this! We have your back!0
