I'm pretty sure if you drop below 2% body fat you're likely to die. I wouldn't think many doctors would be ok with someone maintaining at that level. From my undertandidng, "essential body fat" is 3%-5%. I believe for most medical professionals warning bells go off if you get near 5%. I believe anything under 8% is considered "under-fat" and healthy ranges are often considered 8% - 20%.

I realize that isn't the point of this post, but I was surprised to see the 2%, so wanted to chime in! But, I'm no doctor, just my $0.02.

Bill - thanks for the update, and I hope you are doing well. It's very interesting to see how different people respond to "life happening". I know that for me, personally, I do end up eating more than I should in stressful situations. I don't know that it is so much "stress eating" as it is that I get distracted by life, and am much less mindful of what I'm doing which leads to overeating for me. Fortunately, when this happens, I am still very good at sticking to food on my plan. And since my plan consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables, it's pretty darn forgiving if you have a few extra servings a day.

1) Tips - in retrospect, probably the best thing I did for myself was to start following the diet I would follow long term in maintenance. I dropped a ton of weight (almost 50 lbs in the 6 weeks prior to the surgery) which was great to already have a good start on the weight loss, but also started getting me into the habit of how I would eat long term. Personally, this is a gift that keeps on giving for me.

2) Worst thing after surgery - establishing a new routine for food. Planning out my day, eating and drinking at the correct intervals to get all of my protein/liquids in. It was a pain in the but for the first few weeks, but it gets easier and easier.

3) What keeps you from going back to work - not much. I had a pretty easy recovery. I was a little tired the first couple of weeks, but the hardest part about going back to work was that schedule I mentioned above. Took me a couple of weeks to get that done. Other than that - no problem. I do work a desk job though, so YMMV.

4) Why do you not drink water with your meal - I do drink with my meals. My surgeon has no issue with drinking/eating together. The first few weeks/months I didn;t drink much during meals, but that was mostly because I didn't have room for both, and had to focus on getting food in during meals. Since then, I always have.

5) Vitamins - I used chewable bariatric vitamins the first few weeks. After that, I take 2 Centrum a day and 1 Iron pill. At this point, I can take them all at once, no issues.

Welcome to both of you!

So I'm less than a month out of surgery. I had a fairly fast recovery, my main issue is tiredness. I went back after a week and a half but find myself needing naps.

As others have mentioned, water after the meal causes digestion issues.

For me, I just use a pre-natal vitamin chewable (jamesons) and d3 drops so it's not that bad.

--Joe

Hello all. New member here. 37 yrs., 6'0", 320 lbs. Married and father of 2. Carolinas Weight Management- Charlotte, NC.

I had my 1st VSG consult on 2/14/18. I will officially start my 6 month pre-op weight management program (to qualify for insurance) on 3/12. I had a fitness consult on 2/26 and have lost 4.5 lbs. since my consult.

Like most, I am very nervous about this journey. I feel I need to do this but am very afraid of failing. I'm not the first in my family to have WLS. Wife had a lap-band implanted in 2008. While she has lost over 100 lbs., it has not been an easy process for her between the band slipping and issues with scar tissue. This made me nervous about considering WLS and the reason I have put it off for so long. But despite her own problems, my wife has encouraged me to pursue VSG and is fully supportive of me. having never had a single surgery in my life, the idea of voluntarily surgery is terrifying, but the lifestyle changes are even scarier. That all being said, I do very well and tend to find success when I have a detailed plan and a strong support structure. So I hope that between my medical guidance from CWM, my family's emotional support, and the advice and support on here, that I will be successful in my journey.

I am excited to see what the next year(s) bring for me. I look forward to getting to know you all and will be leaning on you for support.