Why hello there, I'm Rafa

Hi guys!

My name is Rafael and I'm new around here. I had my VSG done on the 16th and am happy to be able to say all is good and well! I've lost 47 lbs in the last 9 days and am really looking forward to seeing what will happen once I start being able to do exercise again. 

So, if there's anyone reading this that had the procedure quite some time ago and can answer a couple questions based on their experience, I was hoping to get more direct answers to the following than what my surgeon will answer:

1) How long did it take you to reach your goal weight? 

2) Will I ever eat normally again, for real? Like, will I be able to go to Olive Garden with my friends, order something off the menu and chill with them and burn it out at the gym the next day like nothing ever happened or is my diet always going to be special, different and/or home made?

3) How did exercise actually affect your weight loss?

4) Did you have to get plastic surgery?

Thanks for the info guys, and if anyone has any questions for me please go ahead and ask!

Regards,

Rafa.

Welcome Rafa, and congratulations on your surgery and awesome weight loss!

I almost hesitate to answer your questions because the answers will vary wildly from person to person, and one important rule is to try to not compare your progress to others since we all have different starting sizes, shapes, and experiences.  That being said, I can give you my info but remember that it may not have any bearing on your experience.

1) It took almost a year.  I was a "lightweight" starting with about 34 BMI and lost slowly and steadily, which was really frustrating when reading about some of the huge monthly losses that many others had!

2) Gosh yes, you will be able to eat real food again someday and go to Olive Garden with your friends, but you will make better choices and not eat anywhere near the volume that you did before.  Carbs are the devil when it comes to weight loss and more importantly, maintenance of weight loss, so avoid the bread and pasta and have mainly chicken or something protein-y (do they have that at Olive Garden? I've never been there).  If you go back to eating "normally" (the old normal) the weight will come back on. You have to find your new normal and stick with it forever. You should never try to stuff yourself with the thought that you will burn it off later - you'll be in the bathroom hugging the porcelain super-fast!  Your sleeve will make sure of that. :)

3) I'm not sure exercise affected my weight loss much, but it has sure made my body look and feel better. I do fast walking on my treadmill at full incline, and then a variety of exercises with weights.  I'm 52, and I want this body to be strong and well-functioning for a long long time. :)  I'm an exercise-hater, but I slog it out M-F every morning, and it's really not that bad.  Exercise is super important after surgery because you don't want to lose muscle as you lose weight - must consume lots of protein and work the muscles (something like that - I don't remember all the details anymore!).

4) No plastic surgery for me, but I started at a lower weight than most so that was probably an advantage - - less excess skin.  Many people on the board have had it, and report great results.

Hope that helps - good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply.

It feels good to talk to others who are and/or have been where I am now. The feeling of camaraderie that family and friends can give with this is limited as they can only support from the the outside looking in. 

A year is where I'm planning myself to and my doctor said I was supposed to lose 30lbs in my first month. i'm almost at 50 and it's been 9 days, so it seems based on others weight loss that it's not too crazy to think of a year.

I mentioned Olive Garden since it's a common eating place in the states, they don't even have one where I live.  What you said is pretty much what I thought would happen going in, but no one had confirmed it for me. So thanks for that!

At 27, I'm a big exerciser, when I used to do my old weight loss tries I would go into crossfit and put some of my skinny friends to shame after a few months. But I'd lose 60-70lbs and drop it and go back up with an extra 20 or so, I'd bet that's the story for most of us. 

Thanks again for the reply, it helps put a lot of things in my mind at ease!!!

Oh, and congratulations on your success in your weight loss journey!!!

I'm very glad you were able to achieve what you set out to do!

Hi Rafa,

Its great that you are losing weight so fast. 

1. It took me 18 months to lose 225 pounds and reach goal.  That included 50 pounds in the three months pre-op. 
2. You will reach a "new normal"  where you will eat like your skinny friend who never eats much.  I order off the regular menu, but take  half of the food home for another meal.  If you eat junk food, you can eat larger quantities, but I strongly recommend eating dense protein first so you maximize your restriction.
3. Exercise helps a little, but most of the weight loss has to be from limiting calories.  Also, when you start new exercise your muscles will retain water and you'll see a gain in weight due to the water retention.
4. I did get plastics.  After losing 225 pounds, I had a huge amount of skin on my belly.  So I did a Fluer-di-lis tummy tuck.  I'm so glad I did.  My tummy looks like it did when I was 14, before my weight gain started.

Best of luck on your weight loss journey.

Carol

Hi Carol!

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply!

That's the same amount I need/want to lose! I've been hoping to lose it in a year but if it takes a bit longer I'm not gonna cry about it, it's all about focusing on the goal and pushing towards it a little bit each day right? My motto so far has been one day at a time.

This is what I thought would happen! But, no one had confirmed it for me, thank-you so much for that!

Roger that.

I'm glad to hear of your success and how everything worked out well for you. I'm very happy for you!!

Congratulations on your success and thank you very very much for replying, it helps me get a feeling for the kind of light there is at the end of the tunnel! Now, onward towards the goal! 

Hi Rafa, I eat out with my husband and friends all the time.  When I'm with my hubby, we share a meal. When I'm with my friends, I get a regular, protein heavy meal and take most of it home with me for the next day or next meal.  If I get an appetizer I just share it with the table.  My life is very normal and no one even notices that I'm not eating quite as much as they are.  

Remember, going out to dinner with friends is about the company, not the actual eating.  My friends are all so supportive of my weight loss that they would never make a big deal out of the size of my meal.

Thank you very much for your reply!

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Where I'm from pretty much every social group activity usually revolves around some sort of meal, and having to bring my own food or just not eating would be strange to those around me (which is not always friends and family). Not to mention business lunches and dinners and dates and all that jazz...

We had a guy on the boards a few years back that lost 40 pounds  a month for 4 months. 160 done just like that. He too was a "super exerciser" and was meticulous about keeping it to 800 calories or less, under 40g. It appears you may be similar to him given the giant amount you lost in 9 days. I don't think I have ever seen that much fall off so fast- and I have been on the board over 4 years now very regularly. 

Let's hope I can replicate his success!! I'm very very VERY happy with my progress so far and can't wait to see what happens when I'm cut loose exercise-wise.