Surgery on May 25th- but debating and nervous if I should do it

[Jboogie80]

I lost all my weight in about 9 months and have maintained ever since, almost 3 years. I do weigh myself daily, and If i'm up a pound or two I get right back on track. I think it was WAY easier to lose than maintain. Losing the weight just fell off, and really fast. I still take all my bariatric vitamins, and yes still concentrate on protein. Tonight it's Red Snapper and broccoli. I lost some hair, but have really thick hair so it's not at all noticeable. (I haven't heard of anyone going bald!) I only had to do 5 days of liquids before surgery, I guess I was lucky. In my opinion, this surgery is the best thing ever invented, it gave me my life back. And with no complications at all, for me it was amazingly easy.

If you don't mind me asking, your starting weight was only 216, how tall are you? Were you really big? I know I see people in many different ranges and it seems like you are like me I think. I am 5/9 in height and 270. I have large shoulders and chest from weight lifting, but not as dedicated as I was when younger the weight is in my belly. I think If i didn't have the muscle mass I would weight less. But I think it is the right move for me since I tried and failed several time with diets. thanks again

[ghost_ryder]

Here is the truth. If you are unwilling to make real and permanent changes by creating a new and improved relationship outside of food then you should not have surgery. You will not succeed if you at least don't take the changes you need to make seriously. Your taste buds will change but that is not bad. The foods that caused your out of control weight are the ones that will be altered. But over time, your tastes will readjust to like those foods again and that's why you have to make real changes and find healthy/tasty replacements.

I never thought I could live without m Diet Dr Pepper but now I think it might be the nastiest stuff I ever drank.

[Christie13]

You have to be in the right mind set to have surgery. So look inside yourself and decide what is best for you. For me it was the best decision ever. I wish I had done it sooner. But I have embraced the lifestyle and mentally prepared before surgery. I do not miss being able to eat like a linebacker. I like my new healthy lifestyle and I am so glad I am no longer fixated on food. And I will say I was a heavy diet dr. pepper drinker. After months of not having it I tried some post op and it tasted like pure shit!!! I mean, disgusting. I don't know how I ever drank those. I used to drink probably like 5 or 6 a day. I don't really crave any bad food.

[bigdogluver]

Hi All!
I am a 44 yr old male and I am at 270lbs with high blood pressure and sleep apnea. I chickened out for my first attempt in April and trying again I two weeks but debating again. I am nervous about eating. I have a relationship with food and afraid I won't be able to eat foods I like again. I am 270 but a lot is muscle cause I used to powerlift but I know I have a gut too. I have tried many diets and lost weight but always gained back and hoping this will help me keep the weight off.
Is there anyone in the same situation or was in same frame of mind and had surgery? I don't drink beer much once and a while but I do enjoy a diet soda now and then and know we can't have it after surgery. I read a NYTimes article that said taste changes and things you like and craved before you no longer do because of hormone changes.
Any advice or help is so greatly appreciated

Also, has anyone suffered from the hair loss issues I hear about?

Thanks so much for welcoming me to this forum.
Joe.

I had a lot of fears like you. I'm about 6-7 weeks out and now see that most of my fears (not being able to enjoy food, hair loss, etc.) were just that - fear. I had so many doubts about having the surgery but I'm so glad I did it. I'm already off of most of my meds for diabetes and may be going off my hbp and chlor meds soon.

My big internal fight was do I want to eat anything and everything I want to eat... and keep gaining weight and feeling terrible and having no energy... or have the sleeve and use it as a tool to regain life's true enjoyment - energy to go and do as I desire. I choose door #2 and I'm glad I did. Already, just 7 weeks out, my life has improved ten-fold.

All the best to you on your decision.

[D618]

Hi there,
I had my sleeve done 3 weeks ago, so I'm still in the learning process of the journey. I actually still feel hungry most of the time, and I do still have a hard time telling when I am full. What I will do is just eat a little bit and stop, then a short while later I feel satisfied. I have overdone it a bit when I had my first cream of chicken soup after surgery, and boy was it miserable. I felt really uncomfortable and nauseated; I didn't do that one again. You will just have to take it one day at a time. There are times when I can drink a whole 8 oz. protein shake, and others where I can only do a few sips. I still have times when I just want to eat, even though I'm not physically hungry, it's just an old habit... I really don't miss soda, which I thought I would. Seems like there was something else I wanted to say, but don't remember now, LOL.
As they say, the sleeve is just a tool. I do not regret having the surgery, but it's definitely a lifestyle change and can be rough at times.

Thanks Luna for posting and giving me great advice. I don't have a therapist, I only went to one to get clearance. I am happy to hear about tolerating a beer and the confirmation on the taste changes. I found it interesting about that fact. I was weary that I can't enjoy the foods I love, obviously in much smaller portions.

I am very dedicated to thing once I get started and see the improvement. When going on diets prior I was strict to my life style change but it was when injury prevented me from working out I would back track. Most of the time it was because I was hungry all the time. I have to follow the rules they tell you, not to eat in front of tv, when bored, stressed, etc.

Thanks for your insight. Do you find yourself hungry any more?

[jamma]

I am six months out from my sleeve surgery and can truly say that I am just starting to feel hungry. Luckily, in this six months, I learned what to do about that which is not sit down with a sleeve of Ritz crackers and a jar of peanut butter, not grab a bag of chips, not sit down with a box of Honey Nut Cheerios--you get it. If I'm hungry, it's because I didn't eat enough protein at my previous meal, or I worked out and expended more calories than usual. So now, when I feel that familiar tug, I drink half a protein shake, or have a small handful of peanuts, a cheese stick and sometimes I just need more water! You learn so much during the process and your wonderful tool (the sleeve) helps you stay the course! I am losing more hair than I like, but everything I read says it will stop, so I'm not panicking. I do not regret this decision at all, so happy I did it!

[Jboogie80]

I had a lot of fears like you. I'm about 6-7 weeks out and now see that most of my fears (not being able to enjoy food, hair loss, etc.) were just that - fear. I had so many doubts about having the surgery but I'm so glad I did it. I'm already off of most of my meds for diabetes and may be going off my hbp and chlor meds soon.

My big internal fight was do I want to eat anything and everything I want to eat... and keep gaining weight and feeling terrible and having no energy... or have the sleeve and use it as a tool to regain life's true enjoyment - energy to go and do as I desire. I choose door #2 and I'm glad I did. Already, just 7 weeks out, my life has improved ten-fold.

All the best to you on your decision.

Thank you so much for taking time to write you post, it means a lot. It's so true they are fears and I guess crutches I hold on to but know this is going to work out for my best. Thanks again!!!

[Gvn71]

I can't tell you whether or not it is the right fit for you....

What I can tell you is that I have absolutely no regrets. I LOVE my new life. I also had an unhealthy relationship with food, but I have been able to replace eating with exercise. Now, when I get stressed, I work out, and I feel great afterwards!

Good luck with your decision.

[Jboogie80]

Hi there,
I had my sleeve done 3 weeks ago, so I'm still in the learning process of the journey. I actually still feel hungry most of the time, and I do still have a hard time telling when I am full. What I will do is just eat a little bit and stop, then a short while later I feel satisfied. I have overdone it a bit when I had my first cream of chicken soup after surgery, and boy was it miserable. I felt really uncomfortable and nauseated; I didn't do that one again. You will just have to take it one day at a time. There are times when I can drink a whole 8 oz. protein shake, and others where I can only do a few sips. I still have times when I just want to eat, even though I'm not physically hungry, it's just an old habit... I really don't miss soda, which I thought I would. Seems like there was something else I wanted to say, but don't remember now, LOL.
As they say, the sleeve is just a tool. I do not regret having the surgery, but it's definitely a lifestyle change and can be rough at times.

Thank you so much for taking time to let me know. I am like you and I am afraid of that eating too much and nausea feeling. Do you get the nausea a lot? I will have to distract myself too I think. I hope the hunger feelings go away but will have to do like you if they don't. Thanks again.

[Jboogie80]

I am six months out from my sleeve surgery and can truly say that I am just starting to feel hungry. Luckily, in this six months, I learned what to do about that which is not sit down with a sleeve of Ritz crackers and a jar of peanut butter, not grab a bag of chips, not sit down with a box of Honey Nut Cheerios--you get it. If I'm hungry, it's because I didn't eat enough protein at my previous meal, or I worked out and expended more calories than usual. So now, when I feel that familiar tug, I drink half a protein shake, or have a small handful of peanuts, a cheese stick and sometimes I just need more water! You learn so much during the process and your wonderful tool (the sleeve) helps you stay the course! I am losing more hair than I like, but everything I read says it will stop, so I'm not panicking. I do not regret this decision at all, so happy I did it!

Thanks Jamma for taking time to post. After you drink the protein does the hunger go away? Hair loss is scary but I thought it was to the vitamins.

[Jboogie80]

I can't tell you whether or not it is the right fit for you....

What I can tell you is that I have absolutely no regrets. I LOVE my new life. I also had an unhealthy relationship with food, but I have been able to replace eating with exercise. Now, when I get stressed, I work out, and I feel great afterwards!

Good luck with your decision.

Thanks Glenn for your post. I think I will try the same. I have been in the gym working out with weights and cardio and think once I see the weight come off it will motivate me more. I know it has in the past. Now it's like what's the purpose when I go to the gym because I can't lose cause I am always gingery.

[D618]

I had a lot of nausea on the pre-op diet and after my surgery, but it has improved as time has gone by. Now, mostly I get nauseated when I take my multivitamin and my oral meds. My doctor said that I could resume taking oral meds right after surgery, I just need to take them one at a time, instead of all at once. I also feel like I am becoming a bit lactose intolerant since the surgery. When I make a protein shake with milk, I feel yucky.

Thank you so much for taking time to let me know. I am like you and I am afraid of that eating too much and nausea feeling. Do you get the nausea a lot? I will have to distract myself too I think. I hope the hunger feelings go away but will have to do like you if they don't. Thanks again.

[Tuesday2]

Welcome!
I see you're from NY - I'm in NJ and also used to power lift!
I'm 3 weeks out from my surgery and I love food (well... don't we all), but I mean, it wasn't quantity that I loved, but variety and new things and both sweet and salty things. I wasn't worried about not being able to eat it, because that's what I wanted and needed - something to STOP me from eating.

So now that I am starting to venture into eating soft foods, I can tell you that the cravings for things are not an issue anymore. It may be because after a few small bites, I'm full and any more than that will make me feel sick. It feels the exact same way it used to feel for me to eat a whole plate of something. For example, if you used to love a giant steak, once you ate it and felt full, you were satisfied, right? after your sleeve, you'll eat a small amount, feel really full, and be satisfied.

I hope i'm making sense. I'm still in the early stages of course, so I can't speak from much experience, but I'm very happy I did it.

[Ann2]

Sounds like you've not had a lot of education / classes / training from your bariatric surgeon. That's too bad -- a lot of these questions get addressed in those kinds of classes. So keep reading here. Also, check out this site: http://asmbs.org/patients . And no, temporary hair loss is not caused by the vitamins and supplements you'll be taking post-op.

Also, in my humble opinion, the folks who have been sleeved recently are describing some very temporary responses to the surgery that soon disappear, abate or change as their sleeve heals. In the long term (which is what you should be looking at) are things you've heard from those who are out a year or more that describe how your future life would be like as a sleeved pe.

I'm coming up on three years post-op (in August) and am one of those who's truly benefitted from seeing a therapist. My own "relationship" with food was simply that I ate, within reason, what I wanted. But it was just too damn much. But the real problem (for me -- not necessarily your issue) was that I was just so busy taking care of everything else and everybody else that I was under considerable stress and did a piss-poor job of caring for myself. This was a lifelong problem for me -- not caring for myself. Honestly, without a therapist's help I'd not have found a way to tend FIRST to my own needs before telling everybody else "Yes! I can do that for you!"

Here's the deal: Pre-op, ALL obese people have very bad eating and lifestyle habits. We eat too much. We eat the wrong things. We don't get consistent and appropriate exercise. And for many of us, our thoughts and behaviors are greatly influenced by people we should not even be hanging around with. Worst of all, for various reasons we don't think we have the right to demand and require the resources we need to do well in life. (I know -- some big generalizations there.)

Some people turn to weight loss surgery imagining that the surgical results will handle their problems with obesity. The sad news is that the surgery alone will not fix your eating, exercise, health, self-caring problems. But the surgery can open the door for you to finally address your issues in those departments.

And finally -- your fantasy of what "eating normally" is like isn't what normal eating is really like. Most people can't eat like you described above and remain healthy, fit and normal-sized. But I think you know in your heart of hearts that you can't ever go back to living the way you have been living and expect a different result.

If you'd like to learn about my own journey, click on the two links at the bottom of my signature block below. Obviously, I'm not you. Your mileage may vary.

Very, very best wishes to you!

P.S. And for the record, this morning I weighed 135.2 pounds. I'm maintaining my weight loss at 2 years 9 months post-op. And still learning so much about how to live a healthy life amidst life's ongoing thrills and chills. This adventure ain't ever over.