Observations from a NOOB (long)

It is a rainy Saturday and my plans for the ultimate bike ride with the kids have been dashed.  I was sitting here eating my two egg yolks reflecting on my journey so far.  This ride has been a wild one and I must say that I am pleased with my decision, my doctor and my current results.  I am not even 3 months out and I have lost 60 pounds, my BMI has moved from over 41 to 31.  NEVER in my wildest dreams would I think I could come this far and I have even surprised myself.  Health wise, I can breath better, sleep better, the severe pain in my feet and knees, and swelling in my ankles, is all but a distant memory.

What I have found that has worked for me is to have a plan.  Did I have one at first?  YES!  It came from my doctor and I followed it religiously, no questions asked.  I read it and re-read until I could recite it from memory.  If you walk into your decision with a doctor  who does not have everything spelled out for you from pre-op on ...RUN AWAY FAST!  I don't care if he is the best doctor on earth and you get along with them swimingly, like they were part of the family, politely decline and find someone who 1. Has done alot of these procedures 2. Has a detailed plan of how to eat and take care of your health post-op, including liquid and vitamin regimes 3. Has a good track record with many successful patients.

But does my doctors plan help me now?  Not really. (OK I do still have guidelines...600-800 calories a day, 64oz water, no more that 30g of carbs a day, and Vitamins).  But what do I eat?    I can see now where selecting a doctor with a support group would have made my journey much easier than it has been.  I have really had to listen to our vets and glean from them what worked in their journey to maintenance phase.  I knew this going into it, but if you are not the type of person who can self-direct or be disciplined, perhaps you need to find a surgeon who offers aftercare as well.  This may help you in the development of your plan and ways to stick to it for the future.  It also provides motivation and inspiration at times where you may really need it.

The big question that I asked myself before I got to solids is..."How am I going to be the most successful in a shortest period of time?"  I guess I always thought that way even while tackling the cabbage and mayo diets of the world.  However, there is one difference now.  I can make a plan and stick to it, because my constant ravenging hunger has been quited just enough and for a very short time.    I am now in a phase where I am really trying to figure out what works for my body.  I do weigh and DOCUMENT my weight every day.  By documenting I mean writing down my weight, my emotional state the previous day, my menu and the time of day that I eat things.  I have been noticing trends.  Like, I have been finding when I was drinking my protein shake later in the evening, I do not drop any weight, but when I moved that shake to earlier in the day as a snack and then having dense protein for dinner, I alway lose .5 to 1 pound.  Trends are good and provide data that may help you as you tweak your plan.

I have never paid attention or have been conscious of my body like I am now.  I am finding that what may work for one may not work the same for others.  But most of all I have learned that having a plan, being patient with my body and keeping an open mind to new ideas and be willing to try new ways of doing thing has kept my weight going down rather than up.

Thank you to everyone for being a part of my plan!  I love my sleeve and OH!

Ann

Thanks for sharing your journey and lessons learned.

YES PLAN or we'll be sorry. We cannot live/eat like we used to.. or all this is for naught.

Continued healthy lifestyle!
Jan

Your post is thoughtful and accurate.  I think having a good plan is half the battle.  You chose a surgeon who is know for making tight sleeves and has great technique.  He also has an excellent plan for you to follow.  Yes, it it easier when you have ongoing support.  I will tell you a secret, it becomes even more important down the line.  I find that in maintenance, you really need to bounce ideas off of someone you trust because everybody has different needs during that time.  You will have us to bounce those ideas off of us and that will help.  When you are ready, I would recommend that you read the maintenance board from the beginning and maybe read the posts of the vets you respect from early on to get an idea how we all went through different stages of maintenance and how we adapted.  It really is a whole new ball game in many ways.  But I digress.  What I really want to say, is that it is clear to me that you will succeed in this.  You have done everything right and you have a great attitude.

Thanks you for your wise words. I am having surgery in a week, and I love to hear how others have been successful and what the tricks are. After reading the boards for months it has become crystal clear that research, planning, and following a program are the keys to success! Best wished on the rest of your journey.

Hi. Thank you for your post. I'm reminded of the plan I 'still' need to follow. I'd probably be very near to goal if I had stayed with the plan. I have been absent from the boards, but I realize I need to be back on here for all the wisdom and to be reminded to follow my plan. Best of luck to you!!

/deleted

Congrats on your success.  You posted a wonderful piece. 

Great post. I so agree on the having to figure it out --what works and what doesn't for YOU. Each one of us have to find the right balance of intake, exercise....the right combinations of foods, protein, fats, fiber to both fuel our bodies; and to lose the weight as we go...as I have said, and continue to say "it's a learning curve, and I'm learning every day...."

 
Great post and I hope it gets a lot of reads !!!!

I agree with Elina (on just about everything) that you have the proper outlook and disposition to be very successful at this.....

Over time I have learned to respect Dr. Aceves and Dr. Alvarez......would I have ever gone to Mexico for surgery..........ah... no....Not for me....but that's me.....

Aftercare.......probably way more varied the the surgery itself.........

I'm not gonna lie....... flame me if you wish.......Every aftercare program I read about is Sub Par to what we get with Dr. Cirangle. Sorry..... get pissed off at me.... argue..... you won't win.....

If I wanted to.... I could attend 3 of his support groups every month which he himself runs.......And I could schedule monthly personal appointments with him....

So in my mind........I paid 17.5k cash...... which makes it a better deal than anything out there......Sorry....it's true.... If your smart enough to see the big picture.

I also realize everybody doesn't have this..... It will be harder....your on your own......

So that's why I appreciate your post so much..... It is a much needed burst of reality that is much needed around here !!!

Keep up the great work !!!! You figured it out !!!

frisco

Frisco, I appreciate your post and there will be no flaming here!  You know, I was a self pay and was fortunate enough to be ready, willing and able to pay over 22k at our local Bariatric Hospitals...one being a Center of Excellence.  The problem....the surgeons did not have enough experience with the VSG.  Not for my liking anyway.   Although I was in excellent hands with Dr. Alvarez I had to do A LOT of work locally to be sure I would be taken care of in the event of complications.  I was so focused on that aspect I never even thought of the aftercare.  Until now.

When I read you and Elina's posts about your new realtionships with food, I can only guess that you must discuss this a lot in your groups.  I am missing that.  I feel very fortunate that you and others who are benefiting from your aftercare programs are sharing with us who do not have the extra support.  All I can say is thank you!

Ann