Just Passed My 2-Year Surgiversary
March 22, 2009... exactly (relatively speaking) two years since I let my butcher cut on me. I lost a total of 150 pounds and feel great! Hard to believe that although I have probably stretched my stomach out to awhole five ounces in two years, I have maintained a steady weight of 215 pounds for a year and a half.
I have found that in spite of what you've heard from the medical establishment, that "grazing" is the best way to discuss my eating habits, especially since I still cannot tolerate some old foods without feeling like I will drown in my own saliva before bringing what little food I ate back up. Still suffer from the "ate too fast" syndrome and rarely the "ate too much" syndrome. I'll eat a few cookies here, three to four ounces of protein later, maybe a handful of nuts or trail mix and something good for dinner like three to four ounces of meat.
Have been staying at a size 36" waist for over a year and a half... and even those are getting loose. I will splurge at times and save enough room for two to three bites of dessert (satisfies my sweet tooth and my desire for sweets simultaneously). I did finally come off of insulin and now treat my diabetes type II with diet, exercise and one pill (Metformin) twice daily.
I'm in the process of finishing up my basic SCUBA certification tonight and should be hitting waters off Oahu early next week. GOOD DEAL as I was too heavy before. I can eat just about anything I want, except I just can't eat too much of anything at any one time.
The good news is that once you've lost all the weight you want and/or need to, you do not have to maintain such a strict diet anymore. I lost almost all of my deep body fat and no longer have the insulation once had, so I need to keep a jacket on a lot. I can east about a half a sandwich if I only eat the bottom half of the bread and all the meat. I put a little fruit away every now and then and it sure tastes good.
Stiff suffer from diarrhea and live on Immodium AD a couple of days out of every week and will just have to get used to that fact. I could cheat with ice cream, but have lost the allure to the fattiness of the food. I guess what I'm trying to say is that having a VSG/VG to cure your obesity is difficult, but it will force you to deal with any emotional issues you may have tied to food consumption now that food is no longer a supplicant. I'm still broadening my food horizons as I write and am not amazed that I can eat the kinds of foods my doctor said I'd never be able to have again. Here again is the connundrum between what a surgeon reads about and what a surgical patient has to deal with after surgery. The surgeon is NOT always right as you will oftentimes find out on your own. And if you don't get along with smugness of your surgeon, you can always fire him or her if you don't click. Frankly, after a year or more out of surgery, I didn't need the overpriced doctor anymore and I fired him.
And while it's true that you can fully stretch your stomach out and become obese once again, it is all up to you as the individual to fight your tendency to overcompensate for your feelings with food. I tried hypnosis, massage therapy, anger management and am finally completing my PTSD group therapy. Losing the weight was half the battle. The surgeon was just an expensive tool in my arsenal. I learned to deal with my feelings and how to eat some of my old favorites again.
Good luck to all who've recently had the surgery and to those contemplating it. I chose the VSG over the lapband because I knew that I had to back myself into a corner to deal with why I used food as a comfort item. You will, too. Good luck!
Ciao,
LM
I have found that in spite of what you've heard from the medical establishment, that "grazing" is the best way to discuss my eating habits, especially since I still cannot tolerate some old foods without feeling like I will drown in my own saliva before bringing what little food I ate back up. Still suffer from the "ate too fast" syndrome and rarely the "ate too much" syndrome. I'll eat a few cookies here, three to four ounces of protein later, maybe a handful of nuts or trail mix and something good for dinner like three to four ounces of meat.
Have been staying at a size 36" waist for over a year and a half... and even those are getting loose. I will splurge at times and save enough room for two to three bites of dessert (satisfies my sweet tooth and my desire for sweets simultaneously). I did finally come off of insulin and now treat my diabetes type II with diet, exercise and one pill (Metformin) twice daily.
I'm in the process of finishing up my basic SCUBA certification tonight and should be hitting waters off Oahu early next week. GOOD DEAL as I was too heavy before. I can eat just about anything I want, except I just can't eat too much of anything at any one time.
The good news is that once you've lost all the weight you want and/or need to, you do not have to maintain such a strict diet anymore. I lost almost all of my deep body fat and no longer have the insulation once had, so I need to keep a jacket on a lot. I can east about a half a sandwich if I only eat the bottom half of the bread and all the meat. I put a little fruit away every now and then and it sure tastes good.
Stiff suffer from diarrhea and live on Immodium AD a couple of days out of every week and will just have to get used to that fact. I could cheat with ice cream, but have lost the allure to the fattiness of the food. I guess what I'm trying to say is that having a VSG/VG to cure your obesity is difficult, but it will force you to deal with any emotional issues you may have tied to food consumption now that food is no longer a supplicant. I'm still broadening my food horizons as I write and am not amazed that I can eat the kinds of foods my doctor said I'd never be able to have again. Here again is the connundrum between what a surgeon reads about and what a surgical patient has to deal with after surgery. The surgeon is NOT always right as you will oftentimes find out on your own. And if you don't get along with smugness of your surgeon, you can always fire him or her if you don't click. Frankly, after a year or more out of surgery, I didn't need the overpriced doctor anymore and I fired him.
And while it's true that you can fully stretch your stomach out and become obese once again, it is all up to you as the individual to fight your tendency to overcompensate for your feelings with food. I tried hypnosis, massage therapy, anger management and am finally completing my PTSD group therapy. Losing the weight was half the battle. The surgeon was just an expensive tool in my arsenal. I learned to deal with my feelings and how to eat some of my old favorites again.
Good luck to all who've recently had the surgery and to those contemplating it. I chose the VSG over the lapband because I knew that I had to back myself into a corner to deal with why I used food as a comfort item. You will, too. Good luck!
Ciao,
LM
poghmahone_215
Thanks so much for this update! It is allways nice to hear from those that are so far out.
My cash pay surgery was under 10K in New Iberia, LA, USA PM me if you have quesitons about Dr Borland Normal Weight Achievied July 17,2009Surgery Weight 221 Size 18WCurrent Weight 130-135 Size 4
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