Worried About...

[sraebaer]

OK, I've been here over 4 years and there are some posts that drive me bonkers. Sorry, it's probably just me. Don't yell at me please.

It's the ones that start with 'I'm thinking about this surgery but am so worried about:"

- Saggy Skin
- Losing hair
- Having to sip my water
- not eating everything in sight

Or the ones that say I have had my surgery and:

-I can't drink my water
-I can't get in my protein

REALLY? Maybe you should worry about being obese and dying young. Would you rather be sick and fat than have a little saggy skin that hides well under clothes? Or a little hair loss that grows back? Or eating a little differently than you're used to?

I think if anyone is worried, it should be about your/our obesity. Now THAT's something to worry about. With the sleeve you have a miracle tool that can make you a healthy, regular-sized person. So let's get excited people! There's nothing to worry about.

Rant over.

[Melissa888]

Well said!!

[Cale]

You only have to drink a lot of water if you're on a low carb diet. I don't know why so many gastric sleeve surgeons try to put people on low carb diets. They're dangerous and they don't work well for most people. I've never been able to take off much weight by cutting carbs. Everybody's body is different. As long as you stay under 1000 to 1200 calories and get enough protein you're going to lose weight no matter what diet you're on. Everybody I ever saw on the Atkins diet who took off a lot of weight gained it right back in record time.

I eat whatever I want. I drink whenever I'm thirsty. The only thing I stay away from is refined sugar. I don't purposely stay away from fruit, but I've pretty much lost my appetite for it aside from unsweetened applesauce which I eat sparingly. I usually go to McD's in the morning for a sausage & egg muffin as I head to the mall to walk a couple of miles with some friends. There's about 25g of protein right there. When I get home I'll have a small sugar free pudding and sometimes a protein bar. For lunch I'll sometimes have a cheeseburger and then another pudding snack around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Instead of a cheeseburger, sometimes I have bologna on crackers or tuna-fish sandwiches with catsup or a ham sandwich or a turkey sandwich. And yes, I eat white bread. Bunny Bread to be exact. Other times I'll have a salad with Iceberg lettuce, Colby cheese strips and 1000-Island dressing and another protein bar a half hour later. A little sugar in catsup and salad dressing is not going to hurt a thing. I don't eat supper--never have. That's one of the keys to dropping weight for me. I'm basically done eating after 12 O-Clock except for a 60 calorie snack pudding.

At this point I've dropped 65 pounds in a little over 2-months and I'm doing fine. I'm seldom very hungry. The sugar free Jello snack puddings have been a very big help. If on occasion I'm still hungry around suppertime, I'll just have one of those little snack puddings and chase it with as much water as my stomach will hold and I'm good for the night. Low carb diets are the enemy for many of us.

[Stacey03]

Sraebaur,
I love your WHOLE face. You remind me so much of the women in my family, both you and Ann. Highly educated, sensible women who take no nonsense and tell it how it is. I'm totally the baby of my family and I've been told 'how it is' straight from birth! You two are like my aunties or something LOL.
And gawd you are so right, I mean really people need to think about the effects of the obesity because its too late once they've got the crushing sternal chest pain.
And just a reality check for a few people, I've seen it, many people have died in front of me and the cheeseburgers were never worth it. You have been given such a gift in having this sleeve. Use it wisely. The random stuff like skin and hair will sort itself out. :-)

[Cale]

"the cheeseburgers were never worth it."

Not one person ever got fat from eating a two pieces of bread.

[Ann2]

You only have to drink a lot of water if you're on a low carb diet.... I drink whenever I'm thirsty.

I want to respond ONLY to this part quoted above of Cale's comment.

Something that everyone who's had WLS may not know (or is ignoring) is that the 85% of your stomach (mostly the stretchy part) that's removed during VSG surgery is the part of the body that produces ghrelin, known as "the hunger hormone." That gives us a huge advantage early on in losing weight fast.

But ghrelin has another, equally important function -- it's "the thirst hormone." When we suddenly don't have any ghrelin prompting us to feel thirsty and to drink, it is easy to ignore our body's need for water. Therefore, if you drink only when you feel thirsty, you'll start living in a dehydrated state. And that ain't good for WLS patients.

Why? Everyone who's had WLS and who's losing weight fast, whether they're doing low-carb or just lower calories, needs to drink 64 ounces of water daily at a minimum because when we're losing weight rapidly our kidneys are processing and expelling a lot of waste products. It matters not whether you're eating only dense protein or very low calories. Those waste products need to get out of the body as easily and rapidly as possible.

Another downside of getting dehydrated is that it makes us feel physically and mentally tired. And if we get too dehydrated, we can get in even more trouble and have to receive IVs to get enough water back in our bodies.

[Dutchie]

Amen to that.
And btw, when you feel thirsty you are already too late...

[Cale]

We're going to disagree Ann. You don't get all the ghrelin cut out of your stomach. Much of it yes, but not all of it, and it has nothing to do with reducing thirst signals. Quite the opposite actually. From Neurobiology of Body Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration (Laurival Antonio De Luca Jr., Jose Vanderlei Menani, Alan Kim Johnson):

Indeed, ghrelin administration, while stimulating food intake, inhibits angiotensin II–induced drinking, as well as drinking in response to hyperosmolar challenge.

And there are several glands in the body that produce both hunger and thirst signals. At any rate, anyone who's ever played a sport in their life knows all the signs of dehydration. But I wonder if they know the signs of getting too much water? Water intoxication can kill you just as easily. Combine that with the damage a low carbohydrate diet does to your brain (especially your memory) and the fact that most people on that diet will gain the weight back very quickly anyway—it's difficult for me to see the sense in it, but to each his own.

[Stacey03]

"the cheeseburgers were never worth it."

Not one person ever got fat from eating a two pieces of bread.

You know what Cale, that comment was never directed at you, just in case you thought it was. Also I'm not against carbs, good carbs, things like sweet potato, brown rice etc.
Not so much cheeseburgers.

[jerzeygirl]

"To each their own" and I'm thinking you really aren't looking for support or information, but actually wants a platform for yourself to tell your thoughts. I wish you continued success!

[pugtato]

With that said, I am worried about loose skin and I am worried about not getting enough water (only because now sometimes I forget to drink water for 2 days) Definitely something I need to work on.. lol. But with the saggy skin, it's more of a esteem issue I think. Almost like, what if my fiancé thinks its gross even thought it won't really be different than it is now?

[DHB]

I'm heading to the hospital in 12 hours so I won't even tell you what nutty things are running thru my head. But the fact is, change is hard. It's the hardest thing humans do willingly. We become comfortable with where and who we are and to change takes a huge leap of faith. I've known people who are literally living in a garbage dump and refuse a clean room and warm meal because the dump is what they know. Being obese is unhealthy but it's what we know. What's on the other side can be scarier than all the times we can't zip our pants or fit into a chair or dodge a photo.

I'm truly grateful that you (sraebaer) are on the other side and can see this all so clearly. I need that. But I also understand how easy it is to make one more excuse or to worry about the 'wrong' things or to focus on the truly idiotic. On this day before surgery I went to Sam's Club to stock the house up and started to get sad that my cart was full of things I wouldn't be eating. Now that is idiotic. I admit it. But it wasn't logic or intelligence that got me to this place.

I'm also grateful to be so old that my skin is already sagging. Cuts down on the number of things to worry about.

Again, grateful for those of you who are ahead of me on this journey. But also want to say that I understand all the reasons why we worry or make excuses instead of moving forward.

[Cale]

and I'm thinking you really aren't looking for support or information, but actually wants a platform for yourself to tell your thoughts.

You know, you could simply say that you disagree with me and do it much more politely.

[Christie13]

Well said Sraebaer. I think this topic took a quick turn. At any rate, you bring up some excellent points. My surgeon told me that there are lots of people who just won't commit when they think about the saggy skin. But most skin can be hidden with clothes. There are lots of things you can do to minimize it. And really...it is better than being obese and unhealthy. I also laugh when people are worried that they won't be able to eat like before....isn't that the point? So we can't eat that much any more. But here I am a year post op and I can go out and eat socially. Yes, I can't eat a ton. But I have a normal social life. I take home leftovers for lunch the next day. I love my sleeve and would not change it for anything. My priorities at all meals are protein and veg. And then whatever I have room for afterwards.

[sraebaer]

With that said, I am worried about loose skin and I am worried about not getting enough water (only because now sometimes I forget to drink water for 2 days) Definitely something I need to work on.. lol. But with the saggy skin, it's more of a esteem issue I think. Almost like, what if my fiancé thinks its gross even thought it won't really be different than it is now?

First of all, you have to drink! You'll end up in the hospital with dehydration. Second of all, a little saggy skin can be covered up by clothes. Being fat can't. Would your finance prefer you fat? If you're young, you could have a tummy tuck or other plastic surgery if you want after you lose your weight. I am fine how I am, and totally have my self esteem back. Sure didn't have that when I was obese.