Would love to hear "what I wish I had known" facts/comments from you all!

Hey everyone!

 

I just wanted to introduce myself. I am brand new, I just came to an absolute decision that i wanted to have VSG surgery 2 days ago, and i thought I could come and absorb some information and tips from you wonderful people here (but mostly positive stuff ok? I have an anxiety disorder lol).

Let me tell you a bit about myself! My highest weight, a couple of years ago was 309lbs, I was tired of being fat and sick and having no energy, so I made the change. I started counting calories, went to the gym faithfully, did a few 5k mud runs, and lost 70lbs. Then I had the worst 6 months of my life thus far, my dad died unexpectedly, my mom disowned me (completely unrelated, they had been divorced for like 36 years), and my inlaws tried (and almost succeeded in) to convince my husband to leave me after 10 years of calling me "family". All of it was unexpected, and I was quite traumatized. I was quite certain that I couldn't be the good human being I thought I was. 50lbs found their way back to me over the last 1.5 years or so. 

For the last 6 months, I have lied to myself about getting back on track, counting calories, going to the gym...the reality is, the prospect of going back to measuring EVERY. SINGLE. THING overwhelmed me enough that I just didn't. I had no issue with the "eat healthy" part, it was measuring, weighing, logging, and then either trying to bulk up or skimp to keep to my daily calorie allowance (usually it was a mad rush to bulk up).

My sister had VGS surgery in Mexico a year ago, and while I had seen her shrinking pictures (we live a ways apart, and we are half sisters that didn't really connect until my dad died 2 years ago), and thought it was cool, but....I don't think I really "clued in". Then, 3 days ago she posted a recent picture....O.M.G.!!! She looks utterly amazing! She is 165lbs down (she lost 43 pre-op), energetic and VERY happy. I had toyed with the idea of bariatric surgery before, but thought there were a lot of life long restrictions, and high instances of complications. After seeing her most recent picture, I decided to do a lot more investigating.

 

It seems the surgery is far simpler than i thought it was, with lower instances of complications, and way less "lifetime limits" than I had previously believed. I had a conversation with my husband, and now I am hoping to have the surgery soon myself. 

 

I would love any tips for a NEW newbie, things I should be asking, things I should know....

 

Please....give me your wisdom!!

Tell me what you wish you had known about this process before having it done!

 

I will appreciate it greatly, and ultimately so will my horse ;)

 

Christine

First of all, let me say that I am COMPLETELY happy that I had the surgery. I had no complications, no pain and up until just recently, no stalls in my weight loss. (I am 6 months post op and have lost 85 lbs.) BUT, if you are looking for something where you don't have to measure and weigh, then you are looking in the wrong place. I have measured and weighed everything that has gone in my mouth for the last 6 months plus. It is definitely time consuming and sometimes plain confusing but it was also the best thing that I could have done. Its not any fix, its hard work but your stomach is very tiny and you JUST CAN'T put that much into it. And I haven't been hungry since I had surgery. I just know that its time to eat something. My boss just asked me yesterday "don't you feel like you are eating ALL the time. you are always eating something". And it does feel that way, because you can only eat a few ounces at a time you have to eat more often to get in the required foods. I really do wish I hadn't been so stubborn and had the surgery years ago.

Can't you save energy and time by having your day's protien, and other essentials all portioned out in the morning?

Danger Will Robinson!

The people I see that are most successful following WLS carefully measure and track every single thing they eat.  If you think that by having surgery that you're free from measuring, weighing and tracking, you might be disappointed.

Immediately after surgery, it's very common to feel no restriction at all since the nerves in your stomach have been severed.  You have to measure out what you eat or you could damage the staple/suture line.  People who are MO have no idea what a normal sized portion really is.  

I weigh out my portions daily and track everything I eat using an app called My Fitness Pal.  It helps you to see how much protein you're getting in each day, along with carbs, fat and calories.   For me, it has been about changing my lifestyle about food.  The surgery is only a small tool in the process. 

And when every single thing I eat is less than 1/4 of what I used to eat, would that not mean 1/4 the tracking?

On top of that, there is no "trying to top up" your calories for the day. Full is full.

And as a MO person, I would like to argue that theory about not knowing what a normal portion size is. I did the weight loss thing, I measured, I weighed, I DO know what a normal sized portion looks like. However, a NORMAL sized portion won't matter when I am eating 3oz in a sitting.

 

I am not an idiot, I don't expect a magic cure with having my stomach minimized, and I am completely willing to work. I saw a post that said "if you eat within your calories, you eat your protein, you drink your water, the surgery WILL work". I know more than 1 person who has had the surgery and gained the weight back, thinking they were in the free and clear to eat whatever they wanted. This is not my perspective, but honestly, I am looking forward to knowing that I don't need to try and determine if it was 1tbsp or 1.5 tbsp of BBQ sauce on that chicken breast.....or trying to find the calorie content for that sub I had, with my particular modifications. Why? Because I won't be eating subs, because even if I do use BBQ sauce (later on, clearly), it will not be in tbsp amounts, but in 1/4 tsp amounts (which ends up being like 15 calories).

 

When I was losing weight, I had time for work, sleeping, family, the gym, and food prep/logging/counting/measuring and that's about it. I look forward to a life that allows me time to be myself, to go for a ride, to work on my photography. Where food is not the center of my universe. I don't expect that to happen the day I have surgery, but I am certain that it will happen.

You will still measure and prepare and keep track. You basically have the same number of "food events" (meals, snacks, whatever) per day as you do pre-op, so even though a meal may have two components now instead of four you'll still be recording the same number of events in a day. You will still need to cook, and it can actually be MORE time consuming if you have to make one thing for yourself and another for the others in your household.

Surgery itself does not remove food from the center of the universe. Surgery works on our stomachs, not our brains, and it often takes quite a bit of work to re-orient things properly.

That's why I said "I don't expect it to happen the day I have surgery, but I am certain it will happen". I have a lot more on the go now than I did when I counted calories before. I have far better ways to spend my time and energy than eating. I am trying to bust out of "picture taker" into "photographer", and I spend most of my spare time either with my horse, or with my camera.

 

And actually, when I was losing weight before, I WAS making 2 different meals for every meal, every day. And I don't plan to make 2 separate meals every meal again. I plan on cooking 2 or 3 days worth of base protein (eggs, chicken, whatever) up at once. It will be portioned small enough that no one in my house will eat it. Having successful habits early on will create successful habits for a lifetime. My sister is 1 year post op, she is eating healthy, staying low carb, and now being a lot more active than she was, she has lost 165lbs (is now in a size 12) and is still losing, and she is not weighing/measuring. She is using common sense. I have no doubt she did weigh and measure in the beginning, but she has managed to determine what a serving size for herself is. She even eats out once in a while.

 

We all have an opportunity to make this journey whatever we would like it to be. I am not going in with my eyes closed. I actually personally know 4 people who have had bariatric surgery, 2 who have maintained weight loss, and 2 who have gained weight back. My goal is to be guided by the successes and trials of those I know.

The 2 who have gained the weight back? They both reverted to eating the way that had caused them to be MO, fried fatty foods, sugary treats, junk foods. I have witnessed this first hand on both counts.

 

For me, this isn't about seeing how fast I can drop weight, it's a marathon, not a race.

Your sister is just one year out. Common sense works. 2-3 years out... That is no longer the issue. 

Very strict diet while maintaining, making sure that 5 lbs of regain does not turn into 10 or 20... Is the key. Life happens, **** happens. 

Maintaining is really hard.  REALLY REALLY hard. 

If I implied that you're an idiot, I don't see it.

WLS is not the same as the diets you have been on in the past.  It's a completely different ballgame.  Diets eventually fail.  WLS is a lifestyle change.  We have all lost weight on diets, but have gained back the weight (and more) when the dieting stopped.

You asked for information as a newbie.  I wish you would take the advice in the spirit in which it is intended.  Everyone here wants everyone to be successful, but if you go into it with unrealistic expectations, you will be discouraged.

I think more about food NOW than I ever did before surgery.  It's all about being prepared and knowing what you will be eating instead of relying on the forces that be.  Don't be certain of anything regarding weight loss.  It's not a panacea, especially if you're an emotional eater which by your history, it sounds like you could be.  Gwen had some excellent advice that now is the time to start working on your issues regarding food, possibly through therapy. The better prepared you are before you have surgery, the better chance you have for long term success.

You will find many people who gain back weight after reaching their goal.  It's easier to do than you think, from what the vets tell us.  Losing weight is the easiest part - maintenance is when the real work begins.  Go into this with an open mind and listen to people who are further down the road than you are.  I'm not talking about myself.  I'm talking about people who are 5 years, 10 years post surgery.  They are the true experts on what post op life is really like.  

What difference does it make whether you have to track that you ate a whole chicken breast or  that you ate 1/4 of a chicken breast... or that you ate 1 ounce of cheese instead of 4 ounces?!? It isn't any less work, and doesn't take any less commitment, just because your portions are smaller...

Also, you will likely find that food actually still WILL be the center of your universe post-op because you have  to put so much thought into getting enough nutrition while making healthy choices and eating small amounts.  Most people say that they think about food much MORE than they did ore-op.  Yes, eventually it will happen, but probably not for quite some time... And if there are psychological components to the focus on food, surgery won't change that at all.

Lora