The Sleeve and Luck

I really appreciate the posts by you and the rest of the vets.  I am looking forward to the day when I am a vet too :)

Frisco... I agree with you.  I think the people who are being "smart" about their sleeve don't post as much.  I had my sleeve (band to sleeve revision) done on August 16 and while in the hosptial witnessed a man trying to smuggle in outside food for his girlfriend.  I could hear people *****ing about getting broth and jello on their BARIATRIC Diet tray.   If one of them would have gotten close enough to  that 9th floor window and it would have been open... I think I honestly could have pushed them out of it.   I am a little over two weeks out and I promise you the thought of EATING anything is still not appealing to me..  I know I still ask a lot of questions that probably seem really ignorant to you vets but I pray to God none of them have been about over eating and blowing my sleeve to kingdom come.   I think Common Sense has a lot to do with it and maybe some are lacking in that department....... That being said..... Why the hell can't I have pizza and popcorn right now??!!!   LOL

I really do think that a lot of surgeon's do not have a comprehensive program.  They are essentially running surgery mills.  They do a seminar for about an hour or less. Then you have to sign up for the surgery before you ever see the doctor again, which will probably be the day before the surgery.  Not all surgeons have a bariatric nutritionist. Most people, unless insurance requires it, are not getting psych evals; and those who do may not be getting good ones.

And this is what I tell people in general:
When dealing with a large number of people at work, school, church, forums, etc,  some of them are bound to be unstable. It's a matter of probabilities.

As much as I love this forum, I do not consider it the best source of education. Some people use this forum as their only form of research. It would help if their doctors educated them more, but some surgeons are clearly not doing that.

Great post Frisco!
I do not understand why people come on and complain that they aren't losing weight and then confessing that they are eating off plan or a "bit too much" carbs. Really?? The sleeve is a great TOOL and if you're not losing it's most likely user error, NOT THE SLEEVE. I don't think it's lack of information as much as I believe some people have a harder time with the restriction/diet aspect of it. Personally, I LOVE my restriction and with my protein first rule, it ALWAYS WINS. I never feel deprived which takes the mindfuck diet aspect out for me which caused me to binge in the past. Also, therapy and exercise have both helped me tremendously and I am very close to goal.
Newbies - Please look to these vets. They KNOW what they are talking about. After reading the boards for months before I had surgery I had a whole plan in place and had so much experience from the vets to know what to expect so NOTHING was a shock to me. Don't take it for granted!

Also Frisco, thanks for the tzatziki recipe! It's a staple in my fridge. Well, when I make it again after my 3 day power outage!

~Lori

Interesting post, Frisco, and, if I may say, one that only a vet like you could be accepted as saying.

I noticed as a newbie back last January that people were posting stuff several weeks after their procedures that they were so delighted that they could go to Ruby Tuesdays and eat part of a fried chicken wrap.  Wha...?  Many people have also posted on here that they believe that a normal life includes small portions of that, plus soda, chocolate, cookies and cake.  Maybe on maintenance, but certainly not during the losing phase.

As far as surgeons being informative, I had one of those surgeons who played loosey goosey with the rules.  She was a great surgeon and advised caution and healthy eating habits, but nothing in too much detail.  I thought my NUT did not have the best advice, advising much more in the way of fruits and veggies than I could manage and still comfortably get in my protein.

I found that I had to be responsible for educating myself for me to truly make this work, because I want the best results.  So I have done that. I find I did it opposite of you.  You got most of your education, rightly so, through your surgeon.  I got it through researching the internet, this board, and QUESTIONING my surgeon.  I am Ms. 20 questions.  I also know my own body and had to own up to what it was sensitive to.  Which meant that I had to say sayonara to what wasn't and doesn't, work.  (Bye bye carbs and sugar). 

When you say "its all you," it means just that.  If your surgeon isn't doing it, but you want to get the surgery and are serious about getting healthy, then educate yourself.  There's no reason you can't find out what you need to know to optimize your success with this process.  To me, those who get very defensive when questioned about why they eat so much junk after their sleeves are sending up huge red flags.  Come here for the knowledge, not to accuse people who have changed their eating habits of being holier than thou.

Last week, we got evacuated during Irene.  We had to spend two days in a motel with limited take out options,  I still managed to find salads and grilled chicken, though the stress afforded me a perfect opportunity to suspend "the rules."  And they are my rules, b****he ones I put in place to get healthy.

Lastly, I am typing this while sitting at my desk at work on lunch, in a comfortable position, with my legs crossed for the first time in 20 years.  So, who wins?

Take that, Oreos.

As a "newbie" I don't think that the new crop of VSG'rs are not well educated but rather there are more surgeries being performed. This leads to a feeling of more uneducated post-ops. For example if 5% or 100 vsg's being performed on less educated people that would be 5 people. Take the same statistic with 1000 ppl, now you have 50 ppl! I hope this makes sense.... Oh yeah I am 26 days out when can I have cake? j/k

I can make excuses all day long about how I got fat, and others will even make them for me.  The reality is  I took 80mg a day of prednisone for a year, but at the same time I lost 60lbs by following a strict low carb diet and exercising.  Several years later when on the same steroid regimine, I gained 100+ pounds by making bad choice in my food choosing a sedentary lifestyle.  Why?  It was easier in the short term.

I chose to feed the crazy hunger that comes with steroids  ice cream and chips rather than head it off with chicken and brisket.  I chose to be fat 500 calories a day.  You don't get to the size that requires bariatric surgery without bad choices, and you don't fail bariatric surgery unless there's an actual mechanical problem  without bad choices.  For me, it's a matter of taking responsibility for my actions, and keeping in mind that I am perfectly capable of not only making bad choices but also deluding myself  into beleiving those bad choices won't put me right back where I started at close to 300lbs.

Defining 'obesity' as a disease process rather than lifestyle choice, it allows people to cast themselves as victims.  I'm not a victim. I did this to myself.  The $18K check I wrote was my own damn fault.  I have to own it or else I can never get past it.

Just my opinion, of course.

 
Loved. Loved your post.........

I knew by starting this thread that it would stir the waters a bit (that's just the kinda guy I am !)

I'm sure it pissed a few people off......

Your post has surpassed my hopes I had to create awareness........

Excellent !!!

frisco

LIKE

There is power in taking responsibility. There is no power in victimhood.

Well said.