In need of VSG post op encouragement please

I had my VSG June 14, hw 240, SW 235, cw 209...I met with the dietician at 5 weeks out. 

She told me, my ideal weight is 150. But that i will  only get to 181-202 pounds. My doctor prior to surgery, said my weight of 164 was realistic. 

I was told id never be able to eat rice, sodas, or sugar again bc id get "dumping" the dietician said that's not true for VSG only For full gastric bypass. I really wished she hadn't said any of that. Not that I have an issue with wanting any of that, but it made me feel more confident. 

I feel like I'm losing weight slowly. I'm scared that i won't be able to lose weight. I can barely eat or drink 60grams of protein and dietician wants me getting 100 grams protein a day. 

Please share your encouraging Vsg story with me. I need a pick me up please. 

Hi Mama Mia.  Too many mid- and long-term thoughts running through your head.  They will not help you to do the right thing today and tomorrow.  NOTHING either guarantees your future weight (and more importantly your condition) and NOTHING says you can't reach the goals that you, not your dietician set for you.  If you want to reach 150, you can do it.  With work of course.  So get rid of the fears and doubts which won't help.

A protein intake of 60-80 is reasonable and not sure why, if you are struggling, why the dietician is shooting for 100g.  I can suggest that you find some alternative like on-line soups which have 20g per 6 oz water nd Costco signature bars which are high protein.  Not easy to drink and get all the protein but a scramble egg is 7g to start your day off in morning and then cottage cheese nd low-fat Greek yogurt.  Stay nourished and don't sweat the early weight loss.  You will be fine, I believe.

My encouragement is to stay focused on one-day-at-a-time.  Had my VSG July 11 after you and fortunately doing a good job each day and it is paying off. 

I don't say this lightly but your dietician doesn't sound top notch.  Consider another who can work better with you or talk straight with this one and have her adjust to your needs, NOT her wishes.  Of course, be honest with yourself and be sure you are not overeting junk on the side which I have learned some people do.  You are a work in progress; keep up the work and exercise.

When I started the weight loss process, I  weighed 385 pounds with a BMI of 60.  I lost 225 pounds with my sleeve and now I am maintaining at 160 pounds and a BMI of 24.  I wear a size 14, I can fit in an airplane seat and I can keep up with the best of them on strenuous tours.  I love my sleeve.

The sleeve does not make it easy, but it makes it possible.  I tried as hard to lose weight before surgery as after, but I could not succeed before.  Now it is possible.

You have to make a long-term commitment to manage your obesity. If you stick to your plan you can get to your ideal weight.  But you have to make the commitment.  Obesity is a disease and we have to manage it the rest of our lives, but with the surgery we can succeed.

When they talk about how much weight you can expect to lose, it is based on averages. But you are the one who will define your own success.

best of luck on your weight loss journey. 

Carol

You should set your own goal weight based on where you feel good.  At 133 my doctor told me he was happy with my weight, but I wanted to get to 125.  I was happiest at 122/123 and I got there by watching food choices, not getting complacent once I started to look good, and exercising.  There are many that will tell you there is no dumping with VSG.  I can tell you that for my first year, I did get what I considered to be dumping if I ate something high in sugar or fat.  Now 2 years out, I can pretty much eat without those limitations - once there is already something in my stomach.  I could not possibly eat a corn muffin first thing in the morning or I would die!  This isn't particularly a bad thing as far as I am concerned.  100 grams of protein seems high to me too.  My goal was and is 60 and I was told that so long as I have sufficient energy that is fine. I agree with the previous posters - focus on the now - and before you know it - you will get where you want to be.

Your dietitian cannot tell you "Oh, you'll only get down to so-and-so." You're the one ultimately in control of your body and how successful you are. When I hit 195, my surgeon's office told me they were satisfied with my progress and that it was up to me now to pick a goal that I am comfortable at and can maintain. For me, that goal seems to be 160.

Dumping can happen even without any sort of weight loss surgery, but yes it is far more common in bypass and not with VSG. I have never had any sort of dumping symptoms even after eating something with loads of sugar. 

You can absolutely lose all of your excess weight - and slowly doesn't necessarily mean worse! I like to think that we didn't gain all this weight overnight and can't expect it to come off overnight either. Following the plan means you WILL be successful. Getting in your daily minimums does get much easier over time.

Thank you so much for sharing with me. I really felt like she "sucked the air out of my sails" I am going to my doctor on Friday to address  these concerns. I'm feeling better in knowing that others have lost so much. I just don't ever want to become diabetic again and have high blood pressure. Medically I feel so much better but id love to look healthier as well. I am doing well as far as no carbs or sugar, I'm keep my calorie count lower. 

Im doing well, I'm happy with my progress and not needing for metformin or shots anymore. 

Thank you again

Hello Mamamia, I had my VSG on the 11th and I'm having a little bit of the same problem with the protein and the water. What I have started to do for the protein is set up my meals for the week totaling my intended grams needed, I just started doing it and I feel it has helped me. As for you goal weight you can do it just stay strong and keep on track we are all here to encourage and motivate you when you feel discouraged. Your health care team knows the surgery, but you know you and what you can accomplish. I hope this has lifted your spirits, keep up the fight and god bless.

I can most definitely tell you that doubt is your absolute biggest enemy. If you doubt you will lose the weight you want, you probably won't. If you doubt you will be able to help yourself from eating foods you should not eat, you probably won't. If you doubt you will be successful, you won't. 

So first things first, have some confidence in yourself. This surgery did not fix you and it is not making you or not making you lose weight. It is simply a tool to help YOU succeed. The rest is up to YOU! YOU have to get your protein down. YOU have to get your water down. YOU have to exercise. YOU have to make the decisions that are right for YOU.

There are plenty of tricks for hitting your protein levels. My wife is 3 weeks post-op and i****ting 80+ per day. She is doing amazing but she is following some of these tricks. Drinking a an easy to get down protein drink like IsoPure makes it much easier. To hit those levels you MUST use a protein drink or shake. It will be very very difficult this close post-op to get it from whole food. Worry about that later. Eating easy to get down foods like Greek Yogurt makes it easier to get protein and calcium. I recommend full fat yogurt rather than reduced fat, but that is up for a much bigger debate on this thread.

Water is also critical because if you do not drink enough water you will retain water which makes the scale stay where it is.

Exercise and muscle development are also critical. Exercise burns calories, helps to clear the lymphs which also helps you flush fat, and improves your over all mindset. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn at rest, so find a way to use the bigger muscles in your body. 

You can hit any weight you want to hit, but its not up to your sleeve, its up to you.

I appreciate your feedback. I am following my diet to a T... I am determined that I will succeed to my goal. It'll just take time. I can get in 60g protein but 100 is just to much to do. From my notes I took, 100g is needed now to lose weight. Does that sound accurate? I drink a protein shake in the am, then have a yogurt a bit later. My hubby came back from Alaska with 50 pounds of salmon. 

I will do this! Just unsure of info dietician told me. How many proteins and calories do you all continue to eat? I drink a ton of water!! I was worried water would stretch my pouch, but they said it wouldn't. 

I appreciate the feed back. I am very pleased with my diabetes and Bp results 

At this point you will not be stretching your pouch, you will vomit long before tha****er is not an issue unless you are trying to chug down a gallon. Water will quickly go through your pyloric valve so you don't need to worry there. Drinking lots of water is great. The info your dietician gave you is accurate. However the 100g is probably more about calories (or more importantly the right calories for you right now) than the actual amount of protein. 100g of protein is 400 calories. If you are just hitting 60g with your protein shake and yogurt you may need to add something else. Isopure makes a very thin ready to drink protein that has 40g or protein in a 20oz drink. It is only slightly more dense than water so thats an easy 40g right there. Labrada Lean Body also makes a very tasty salted caramel ready to drink that is 40 o4 42g of protein, also easy to drink and very tasty with some instant (decaf) coffee mixed in. If you add in some other whole food protein sources like turkey, chicken, etc. Then you should be able to hit 100g.

I am 4 years post op this month and while I can definitely eat more, I can't eat what used to be a whole meal. If I were to eat a sandwich lets say (not that I would, but for example purposes) I could probably eat a whole home made (normal bread) sandwich but I would be very uncomfortable and I could not eat anything else. In the past year I did get a little lax in my eating habits but as of late have been back on track. It helps a lot that my wife just had the surgery and it has forced me to reconcentrate on the right way of doing things. It also helps that my youngest has gone off to college, so its very easy not to have a lot of junk or "normal" foods in the house.