regrets/ second thoughts
Per usual, I have to say Gwen is spot on.
I'm a binge eater as well, and I miss my binge dates with myself. Aside from that, I felt sad in the first few months because I was so uncomfortable. I went through a short time of feeling like this was a huge mistake. Now, I'm a year out and don't over fill my sleeve and I feel really good most of the time. I drink about a 100 oz water a day---I had to train myself to get to that point, but now I can't stand to be withou****er. I have a nice rhythm of eating and drinking that it isn't such an effort anymore. I got really sick of having to think/plan ahead and paying a painful price if I didn't.
I absolutely don't regret my surgery, my entire life has changed for the better. However, I have a little worry that I should have chosen RNY. I never had reflux prior to my surgery, but now I have to take omeprazole about twice a week. It has improved greatly since surgery, but I'm hoping it improves to never. Mentally, this past year has been filled with highs and lows and a ton of hard work surrounding food, weight loss, body image, etc.
I wish you the best, whatever you choose to do.
I'm 6 months out and have had some health scares along the way. A good friend of my boss was contemplating surgery and contacted me asking the same question about regrets. I'm on the fence right now. Like Gwen said, surgery doesn't repair your relationship with food. I have never eaten huge quantities of food but looking back, i ate out a lot or ordered in food which typically included bad food choices like fried rice or panang shrimp. I haven't eaten either of those things in over 6months and am fearful of letting rice back into my life lol so i just stay away. I also haven't ordered food to be delivered since surgery which i do miss but think is a waste of time leading to bad choices. I feel some regret because it has taken a few negative experiences for me to realize i can't do what i use to whi*****ludes going out for dinner and having drinks. During a bachelorette party in new orleans in October, i had to go home immediately after dinner 2 nights in a row because i can't eat and drink like they all can. I was very nauseaos and needed a zofran which i still take periodically. I deal with nausea quite a bit but my gerd is out of control and i was refusing to take a PPI due to some liver concerns. The liver concerns are resolved and i started prilosec a few weeks ago. It has tremendously helped the heartburn but i still have some nausea. It is a constant battle for me to get my fluids in...sometimes monitoring fluids, protein, vitamins, minutes of exercise, etc feels like another full time job. Even so...i have lost 83 pounds as of today and can wear pants in a size 12 at stores i could never shop in before like Banana Republic or Ann Taylor. Also my last set of labs and echo looked so much better than they did years ago. I feel ready to start dating again which i haven't done in about 4 years because i was so unhappy with how i looked. I am excited for this next chapter of my life which i wouldn't be on if it weren't for surgery but know this isn't an easy journey. You will change how you look at life and your relationships will change but i do think all of that will be for the better.
Best of luck as you continue to look at your future!
No regrets. It was, and is, hard for me. Sometimes I miss being able to eat like I used to. But I also can't believe how large my portions used to be and can't imagine doing that again. I really have to force myself to hydrate, even now. I gave up all soda before surgery and I'm so glad I did. I tried drinking a soda a few weeks ago and just didn't enjoy it anymore. I never thought I'd say that.
I had an RNY, but will throw my opinion in about regrets in relationship to new ways of eating because it's very similar to VSG.
This was something I worried about. I loved food. I still love food. I take great pleasure in eating. I was very worried, and very sad that I could no longer eat what I wanted when I wanted. It was probably the single greatest hurdle I had to get over mentally.
What I have found is that it was much ado about nothing. I have just thrown myself into my new way of life, and I just started compiling recipes that sounded good and were compliant to my new way of eating (I use an app called Paprika to store all my recipes, and I can not recommend it enough. It's a paid app, but very low cost and worth every penny).
The biggest down-side to me in regards to food is the prep time. Prep is the KEY for me, but it does getting annoying at times. I cook food up in big batches and freeze it. Then I grab whatever sounds good for lunch every day, or for dinner if I'm in a pinch. This takes away any "need" to grab crappy food because I'm in a pinch - I always, always, always have plenty of nutritious food on hand.
I have also re-discovered my love of cooking. And the bottom line is that the food I eat now is almost always MUCH better than the food I used to eat. Not just better for me, but far more delicious than the "junk" I used to eat.
Sure there is the occasional time when that fresh bread smells so good, or all the desserts at Thanksgiving look so amazing, but it's rare, and i usually am pretty happy with what I have. Like on thanksgiving I sure would have liked some of that cheesecake, or that amazing looking bundt cake. But the apple crisp I made with Splenda and an oatmeal/almond flour "crisp" with a little side of Halo Top Vanilla was really pretty amazing in its own right!
tl;dr - Find amazing new food that aligns with your diet and you wont miss the vast majority or "junk" you used to eat.
No regrets other than doing it sooner, but the first two months were tough. I had plenty of what did I do to myself moments then. And about 5 months out when my hair started to come out - I had more why did I do this moments. Then I hit the 80 pound mark and all of a sudden people were treating me differently. Because I wasn't fat any more.
I'm 15 months out. I'm about 15 pounds from goal. I look like an entirely different person I feel like an entirely different person.
Getting used to the new way of eating for me wasn't that hard - I used that time in the honeymoon phase to embrace chewing, eating slowly and small portions.
Hydration - again for me wasn't an issue. I've always been a big water drinker. I hit 64 ounces today before noon because I drank 32 ounces at the gym. At first, those first few weeks, it sucks. You're going to feel like you are never going to meet protein or water goals. But like everything else in life, it gets easier.
Eat whatever? I would probably be at goal if I weren't so liberal in what I eat. I eat whatever I like. I make sure that I meet my protein and water goals before I allow myself a bourbon, or some pasta or a few bites of cake. Because life is short and I'm not going to deprive myself at this point. (I'm 56, married 20 years with one kid in college and one in HS).
If you put your head in the right place, you can do this. There will be bumps on the road, but you've got this. And we've got your back.
Keep on losing!
Diana
HW 271.5 (April 2016) SW 246.9 (8/23/16) CW 158 (5/2/18)
I mean, adjustment is relative, you know? I have binge eating disorder so I started my liquid diet practice several weeks early under medical supervision because I was determined to be successful. Post-op I threw myself into my work to excel and be preoccupied. It really wasn't too bad.
Hydration I have always been awful at, even pre-op, so I just carry a water bottle like my life depends on it.
As for missing to eat...sometimes, yes, I miss binging. Absolutely. However, I don't miss the loss of control, or the anxiety, or self-flogging that would be vicious and vile, and lasted for days. I don't miss having to plan all my activities solely based on what meals I could eat, and what food I could get.
My nostalgia for my eating is much like my nostalgia for an old show called Jem and the Holograms - it absolutely is far more crappy than I remember and I don't want anything to do with it when I get into it :P
I have to revise soon and I still don't regret it, though I will miss having a sleeve if the GERD is bad enough.
I follow a ketogenic diet post-op. I also have a diagnosis of binge eating disorder. Feel free to ask me about either!
It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much...the life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully. -- Seneca, On the Shortness of Life
I had VSG 3rd Oct 2016 so just over a year out. The only time I have "regrets" are when bouts of GERD kick in, I had never experienced reflux before my surgery. This can be managed thru medication but long term is not ideal. I kinda dismissed this risk of surgery as I had never experienced it I had no understanding of how miserable it can be.
However, if I could turn back time I would still go thru with the surgery. I would have done more research about GERD and best ways to manage it. I would have used an app like myfitnesspal to track my food intake. I would have engaged a psychologist/support group long before surgery to work on my binge eating issues. I would ensure I was disciplined enough to stay on track. I would celebrate milestones more often as I progressed rather than focus on what wasn't happening or comparing myself to others. But i would still go for it!
Wishing you all the best on your journey :)
