Recent Posts
Welcome to the forum! It can be very discouraging when friends and family don't understand why you want to have surgery. They see shows like "The Biggest Loser" where people lose a lot of weight, and wonder why you can't just diet and exercise your way out of this. What they don't see is that almost all of those people regain the weight. Or they've heard some horror story on the news about someone who died after the surgery, and they don't know that the surgery is extremely safe as long as you have an experienced surgeon. It should get easier once people see how successful you are, and how much better you feel after losing a bit of weight. I was surprised at how much of a difference just the first 10 pounds made to how I felt.
Hearing from others who've had the surgery, on forums like this one, can help a lot to counteract the bad vibes you're getting from others. Remember that your friends and family haven't spend the months or years that you've spent thinking about your weight and exploring your options. You are better informed than they are.
Hi Janet, I'm wombat. Welcome to the forum.
When I started the process, I didn't have high hopes that WLS would work for me. I was burnt out by all the failed dieting over the years. But here I am a year on, and I've surpassed my surgeon's expectations, I'm still losing weight, and I don't feel deprived. So if you also have a nagging voice at the back of your head telling you that you'll fail at this, tell it wombat said to shut up!
Going through all the hoops prior to surgery can be a bit frustrating. I used that time to identify my triggers for eating, and to come up with ideas for dealing with stress, boredom, etc. that don't involve food. I also remind myself to pay attention to other senses besides taste. So if I'm stressed out, I might drink a cup of my favourite herbal tea. Or I might pet my cats, paying attention to their soft fur. Or I might take a hot shower and put on a lightly scented massage oil, enjoying the scent and the feeling of my soft skin. Having a plan in place really helped me after surgery.
On low-fat diets, raw fruit is generally considered a free food because:
- It's hard to consume an excessive amount. Even without surgery, consuming five oranges would be a daunting task, but consuming the equivalent amount in candy bars or ice cream would be easy enough.
- It provides lots of nutrients.
- Although it contains sugar, that sugar is packaged with fibre in a way that slows its absorption.
As far as whether it's better to be on a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet, the most reliable research suggests that there isn't much difference in effectiveness, so you follow the type of diet that's easiest for you to stick to.
I'm female, a year post-VSG. I find that at an average of about 800 calories per day, I lose weight at a nice rate. That seems to be typical for females on this forum. I haven't reached my goal quite yet, so I don't know how many calories I need to maintain. From other female posters, about 1000 calories seems to be typical.
The amount of protein you need depends on who you ask. I average 55-60g per day, and my dietitian is satisfied with that. Some people say you need more. I think the best answer for this would come from a dietitian who works with WLS patients rather than a doctor or surgeon. (Men need more protyein.)
My best tip would be to track everything you eat, as the post above suggests. Then look at the foods you eat most often, and see if there are any small changes you can make without feeling deprived. Don't try to change everything at once.
Drink lots of fluids. That's necessary for weight loss. Also, often when I feel hungry it's actually excess stomach acid rather than actual hunger. Drinking something often makes the "hunger" go away.
I had moderate heartburn pre-surgery. About 1-2 times per month. Immediately after surgery I came through with the sleeve and complementary debilitating GERD! It's horrific! The burning sensation can take the wind out of your chest. I take pantazole, which is not made to be taken long term, but, it's the only thing that works. It's been over a year and the GERD has gotten worse.
Highest Weight = 279lbs.
VSG Surgery Weight = 253 lbs.
Goal Weight = 175 lbs. (5'5)
Current:194
I agree with romanceauthor, My WLS team told me if I go more than 4 weeks without weight loss to make an appointment with the nutritionist. They would rather we come in and get it corrected early than come in having gained back most or all of the weight back. Also it's good to be accountable to someone other than yourself.
HW-430
SW-372
Day of Surgery-347
CW-246
Thank you. I have felt the same way at different time. I've dieted on and off since I was 14 years old. I finally decided that it's okay to say I can't do it alone and I need this additional tool in my arsenal.
Hi Janet
We've all had our version of the "i'm done" moment... I remember thinking "will this chair break if i sit in it?" about every plastic chair... i was always wondering if people were staring at me. I'd go to bed thinking "i'm fat", and I'd wake up feeling like sht about myself. All of those feelings are long gone!! I feel SO much better about myself- and, I still have a way to go however I feel like a better version of myself!
Its great you have a journey buddy and you always have this place too!
Good luck to you!!
Have you checked in with your nutritionist lately? They might be able to help you to adjust your eating habits and give you a better idea of what you need nutritionally speaking. Also, perhaps think about getting a personal trainer to help you step up your exercise game if needed. Maybe you can change things up by simply finding a new exercise program that's a bit more challenging. I'm keeping that as a last resort for when I get closer to my goal weight if it gets tougher to get that last bit off and to help sculpt my new body.
Hi! I'm seven years out from surgery. Here are some things I've learned...
1. Are you tracking your eating at this time? If not, I highly recommend you start. Even if you do not modify your diet at all, the simple act of tracking will allow you to tune your diet.
2. People can argue about diets all day, but over and over what seems to work (long-term) for weight AND general health:
Lean proteins (chicken/turkey/fish) and lower-starch vegetables and olive oil and maybe some nuts. You can moderate the protein/fat/carb ratio all you want within this. If you want ketosis, you add fat, and really watch which veggies you eat. But within this simple plan, if your sleeve is working at all, you probably can't eat more than an appropriate amount of the above, especially if you start your meal with the protein, and eat low starch veg. Personally I find that lean, white-meat chicken can only eat a few ounces even 7 years out. Fattier meats like steak I can easily eat more. Everyone is different, so you have to find your "limiter" food.
3. Three meals a day max. Minimal snacking.
Cut out all processed food - anything in a box or a bag or from a drive-through window. I can eat processed carbs without limit. Sleeve or no sleeve. I've done that experiment (haha) several times. Sometimes it comes in handy - I have done many long-distance bike races and sometimes you do need energy... but daily it's a must-not-do.
4. Make meals ahead and have them ready to go.
5. Up your exercise. Really. The health benefits are ridiculous. Forget about weight control. Just do it. A good mix of resistance training (body weight is fine, don't need to join a gym), and movement (walking is fine). For big benefits add a bit of interval training (short bursts of higher intensity). It won't cut weight, but it will improve overall health. I find exercise and the quality of my eating are very very linked. The more I exercise, the better I eat and vice-versa. I can't explain why this happens, but it's not uncommon.
Hope that helps. Let me know how I can help further.
T
Keep it simple. At first. If you can nail the above for 6 months, you can get fancy.
Heaviest: 313/VSG Pre: 295/Surgery: 260/Maintenance target:190 - Recent: 195 (08/15/19)
1st 2015&2016 12-Hour Time Trial UMCA 50-59 Age Group
1st 2017 Race Across the West 4-Person 50-59 Age Group
4th 2019 Race Across America 8 Person Team
