Seriously considering a VSG

Hi there. New to the boards.  I am seriously considering a VSG in September.  Surgery is not covered by my insurance so waiting on the money.  I have a history of my mother being over 400 lbs for much of her life and now in her 70's is still struggling with her weight.  I am the youngest of 6 and all 5 girls struggle  with maintaining a healthy weight.  I have lost significant amounts of weight twice in my life....getting to goal and maintaining for about 2 years and then some crisis or stress occurrs and I go back to my old eating habits.  Currently I weigh about 205 lbs and am 5'3".  I do not feel healthy at this weight.  My highest weight was 232.  I don't want to go back there.  2 years ago my husband and I adopted our daughter who was then age 5, and the weight gain began once again.  I do not blame her or the adoption...it is just my way of handling stress.  I know I need to work on this issue....because stresses will always occur.  I am considering this surgery because I am tired of the yo yo and each time I tend to get bigger.  I want to feel good in my own skin.  I want to have the energy to get out and play with my daughter. I want to sleep better.

I have a few questions: How do you stop losing once you get to goal?  Do you increase the amount you eat? Wouldn't that stretch out your sleeve? 

I have my consultation July 27th...I'm sure I'll get many answers then, but was hoping for some help in knowing what to ask and what to consider.

thanks for any help you can give.

Well, you have certainly come to the right place.  This is a very big step to take and the more information you have going in the better. While each of us have had different experiences on our journey, you will find that are a few common themes among all of us. I am pretty close to goal now and hope that once there, things will become more stable as far as my losing goes. I do change my diet occasionally to see how my body handles it. I have found that it is easier to stabilize when I only eat three meals a day. My metabolism is crazy now and if I eat alot, I lose more. Strange, I know.   It is pretty much impossible to stretch the sleeve to the point where you eat like you did pre-op. That would take a lot of work.
Feel free to ask any questions you think of here. Nothing is too strange because we have all been through it.
Again welcome,
Franda

Here is a post from my sister who had the surgery and sucessfully lost 122 lbs. Hope it helps you in your decision. good luck and let me know if i can help.

When I joined this forum two and a half years ago there were perhaps 20 posts a day and maybe one or two people being sleeved per week and it was possible to read every post and respond to many. Since that time the sucess and popularity of the vsg has exploded. This is a good thing as its an excellent procedure and is life saving for many of us.

So while I focus on the vsg maintenance group (which all are invited to join regardless of status or type of surgery) I do try to read as much as I can on the main board and respond to posts when I think I have something to offer.

So in a nutshell here is what I can tell newer people as my recipe for a successful vsg surgery and weight loss:

Research the heck out of your surgeon. Find out his/her credentials, read their publications, find patients of theirs here on OH and ask questions. Go to more than one of their seminars and write down your questions and get them all answered. Also research the heck out of your procedure to make an informed decision.

Get your head in the right place. Be prepared to eat differently for the rest of your  life. Have a few food funerals if you must but say goodbye to that way of eating. Put it behind you so that after surgery you are less likely to revert to old bad habits. Use a counselor to do this if you need to but say your goodbyes to food before your surgery so you are not greiving for it afterwards. Consider it a new deal you are making - trading away twinkies and donuts for a slim body and a healthy longer life. A good trade in my opinion.

Once you have your surgery, follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. If they don't give good or complete insturctions, then follow one of the university developed guides that is available on line through OH.

Accept that you will have a few stalls and setbacks but know that you will lose your weight if you stick to the program, get your protein in and drink plenty of fluid. Don't worry that others seem to lose faster than you. Everyone one is different and it takes how long it takes. I was a slow loser and my doctor did not think I would get to goal. But I kept at it and I did and then some. And it feels great.

Don't think that if you are not losing fast enough that you need to increase calories. This is just not correct. You may need to increase protein but not calories. Keep your carbs low during weight loss phase. And food journal eveything with calories, carbs and protein. I used a little notebook (still do in maintenance) but an on line tracker is fine but just use it faithfully.

Exercise is good but following eating requirements is more critical in weight loss phase.

Use your weight loss phase to develop new eating habits that stay with you for life. Don't try to think of ways to get around your program by eating some candy or chips here or there. These are destructive habits that need to be broken right from the get go. After some weeks or months of healther eating habits, you don't miss that junk anymore but you will if you eat some here and there. A clean break is best.

This is not just another diet even though it sounds like one. After surgery your appetite,ability to consume food  and ultimately your relationship with food is profoundly changed forever. Its hard to understand until you have experienced it but the sleeve makes it immeasurably easier to stay with a severly calorie restricted program.

Protein drinks can suck but find a way to get them down in the first few months. Read the tips posted by Sublimate for newbies on how to make them taste better,

Utilize whatever support group you can find as studies show those who have them are more successful. And take the time to pay it forward and help someone else when you can. Surround yourself with supportive friends and distance yourself from the jealous nay-sayers. Who needs them.

Hope this helps. VSG is the third best thing I have ever done, the first being marrying my husband and the second being my education. Its been life changing and I know life extending.Best of luck to all of you starting your journey.   Diane

To maintain you would eat higher calorie foods. The sleeve matures but it isn't going to stretch.

Welcome to the Board!  Let me say this first -- my only regret is that I did not do this sooner.

That being said, I researched the heck out of weight loss surgery, finally deciding the vsg was the best choice for me (even though my surgeon thought the RNY would be better), but I backed out once.  I realized that mentally I just wasn't there yet.  One addiction I had to give up on was diet cherry coke - drank 4-6 a day.  Once I decided that I wanted to change my life (not just the weight), it was easier.  I stopped drinking all soda 2 months before surgery (I figured if I couldn't give them up, better to find out before surgery, not after), started trying different protein drinks until I found what I liked (I still drink one a day for breakfast), and started incorporating other changes pre-surgery, such as limiting carbs and concentrating more on proteins, so that those changes were easier to follow post-surgery as well. 

You will see it written a lot, but the vsg is really only a tool to help you lose the weight and maintain it.  While you won't stretch out the sleeve dramatically after surgery because you will always be more limited in the amount of food you can consume at any one time,  where a lot of people get into trouble is in reverting back to old eating habits.  Too many carbs, including sugars, and not enough proteins won't help you lose weight or maintain it, so you really have to be committed to a life style change.  The vsg will help you do keep portions under control, but you still must committ to eating right and exercising regularly for the rest of your life if you want to maximize your chances of losing the weight and keeping it off.

Good luck on your journey!

You sound just like me! My insurance doesn cover it and im going to self pay in September. Im scared but im going to have this done Sept 14. My family is all overweight as well and i am on the same path. I have two small kids and want to break this cycle
Good Luck!

Hi Megamommy,  sounds like we have similar stories.  I am hoping to have my surgery  between the 22nd and 29th.  So I will be just 1-2 weeks behind you.  Thinking about this drastic surgery can be overwhelming at times, but I am so tired of the yo-yo effect.  I have no energy, my metabolism is slow, and I just don't feel like "me"....I wish I could do the sugery sooner.  I'm ready now....but I won't have money till then.  I guess it gives me time to really get my head all squared away.  I know I need to be ready emotionally as well...so working on that.  Have you found a surgeon?  Any advice on what questions to ask?  My consult is the 27th of this month.

I have a surgeon, I am using Dr. Patel in TX. Ive had a lot of mixed emotions but i know i HAVE to do this. I really dont have a choice! My consult is this week and i dont have my questions ready yet either. Tommorow I have my pre op class(even though surgery is Sept) I think if I just keep pushing forwad it wont give me time to back out!