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I was 31 years old, 6'0" and 370 pounds with back...
I was 31 years old, 6'0" and 370 pounds with back then 202 pounds of lean mass and 170 pounds of fat.
My blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol were normal... triglicerides high. Also had some Anemia.
Deciding I was in good health and having battled with weight loss/gain (as much as 80 pounds, back and forth) I decided to get a Gastic Bypass.
EARLY STAGES
PREOP diet is important... it's detox... to clear the liver... and make things easier on the doctors, also helps recovery, do it to a T.
First off as soon as the anaesthetic went I really was gone, then I woke up... I had NEVER been hospitalised... I remember waking up and being held up, you sorta get a bit looney with the meds. Then after zoning in and out I remember waking up in the ICU... I had never slept in a hospital bed before... so take that into account. You will have a post operation rest period in ICU (some clinics don't do this I have heard, but it is standard procedure for best safety measure.) It was excruciatingly boring for me to lie there alone a full 24 hours... and did not know I was going to have a Urinary Cathether put on... this was uncomfortable, specially after taken out... very. But other than that, after the laparoscopic surger, my insides felt nothing different at all... I had a strong urge to walk and move... and just go home.
I was very scared to eat at first... which was no problem, since I spent over a month on a liquid diet... at two weeks I felt so normal, that I had a big activity at home... cooked for my family and evrything... so at night I realised I had hurt myself some... I felt sore and very off... that scared me... SO TAKE REST SERIOUSLY... incidently I was ok.
The first 6 months I can say are the most intense... weight loss is almost shocking I lost almost 45 pounds in the first month... educating yourself to eating is something you have to take really seriously... to NOT EAT with your brain... you get caught up on a thought while eating and those two or three spoonfuls more can get you in SERIOUS TROUBLE.
In this period is when you have to do more changes to your lifestyle... the feeling of "DUMPINGS" which are always a cautionary tale, have to be experienced to be understood... you really feel like dying on a bad one. Eating broths is particulary... you see a slice of bread looks big, once chewed you see the volume. A cup of soup is ONE CUP... the volume is whole... the worst dump I had was with stew... just a tablespoon more with an avocado slice had me sweating, hyperventilating, drowsy and on the verge of collapse.
I don't have a sweet tooth. That makes it easier. Because if you like sugary foods you have to be TWICE as careful. And soda?, forget it!!! C02 drinksmake you feel like you want to explode.
FIRST TWO YEARS
After those initial months are over and you learn to adjust... you know getting used to the fact that if you order starters, that's it. No main course. Wine is half a glass and that's it. Pacing yourself, etc. Then comes a bit of stretch in your capability to eat... your stomach adjusts a bit. You get full quickly, but don't wait to be full... stop first. This helps train your brain.
AFTER 5 years
I was not a good patient... went for just one or two check ups afterwards... as most guys I am stupid and stubborn when it comes to this... justified it as being busy, whatever. I stopped taking chewable vitamins regulary... THIS IS WHERE IT GETS CRITICAL. This surgery is HELP. A TOOL a boost to allow you to finally loose and keep weight off... but when you leave it all to the surgey you seriously downplay it's effectiveness, keep exercising... try to enjoy life... break away from ffos as a reward. OBESITY IS A MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEM. NOBODY GETS OBESE WITHOUT STUFFING OURSELVES WITH FOOD. It's a fact. After 4 years, you start to notice that you can CHEAT the bypass... you know, leave stuff on the plate... for later... and hour later, 30 minutes later... 15 minutes later and so on... you start tolerating alcohol and sugar more. This is when many falter, as I did.
I have not gotten back to my previous 375-380 pounds... But I am over 300 again, 9 years on.
My lowest point was 246 a year and a half after.
My best advice is DON'T SKIP YOUR VITAMINS. Doing it makes you get fat easier and feel very weak.
Protein shakes are good, but NOT and I stress this again NOT indispensable... in fact I ditched them the first year... 2 to 3 eggwhites give your body the protein you need. Unless you do serious muscle work
Chewable "bariatric" vitamins can be substituted. I find Double X tablets to be BETTER for me.
Above all... THINK THIS THROUGH.
Come to the realisation that you really can move on on food... if you can say to yourself, "You know I have eaten enough for a couple of lifetimes already... I had my fill of gourmet delicacies and good stuff... I CAN MOVE ON".
Some people get DEPRESSED that they can't eat chocolate cake and 4 bottles of coke a day anymore... this is to me the FUNDAMENTAL thing... also working out and doing as you're told... you know loose skin is an issue. Go to a clinic that also has a therapist for a PREOP evaluation. This is a team effort. Having a supportive family is important.
ABOVE ALL YOU HAVE TO BE READY MENTALLY.
Being ready physically just takes being obese.
I can tell you from experience... yeah I have NOT been perfect... far from it... I could be in much better shape. I go to the gym and workout 3 times a week now for 2 years... I feel well. But I am alive and reasonably healthy. I could have been over 400 pounds by now.
This war some of us have to face against being fat is a lifelong one... this surgery is like a WMD in your favor... use it responsibly, take advantage of it... and if you're emotionally ready and decided. Do it.
My blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol were normal... triglicerides high. Also had some Anemia.
Deciding I was in good health and having battled with weight loss/gain (as much as 80 pounds, back and forth) I decided to get a Gastic Bypass.
EARLY STAGES
PREOP diet is important... it's detox... to clear the liver... and make things easier on the doctors, also helps recovery, do it to a T.
First off as soon as the anaesthetic went I really was gone, then I woke up... I had NEVER been hospitalised... I remember waking up and being held up, you sorta get a bit looney with the meds. Then after zoning in and out I remember waking up in the ICU... I had never slept in a hospital bed before... so take that into account. You will have a post operation rest period in ICU (some clinics don't do this I have heard, but it is standard procedure for best safety measure.) It was excruciatingly boring for me to lie there alone a full 24 hours... and did not know I was going to have a Urinary Cathether put on... this was uncomfortable, specially after taken out... very. But other than that, after the laparoscopic surger, my insides felt nothing different at all... I had a strong urge to walk and move... and just go home.
I was very scared to eat at first... which was no problem, since I spent over a month on a liquid diet... at two weeks I felt so normal, that I had a big activity at home... cooked for my family and evrything... so at night I realised I had hurt myself some... I felt sore and very off... that scared me... SO TAKE REST SERIOUSLY... incidently I was ok.
The first 6 months I can say are the most intense... weight loss is almost shocking I lost almost 45 pounds in the first month... educating yourself to eating is something you have to take really seriously... to NOT EAT with your brain... you get caught up on a thought while eating and those two or three spoonfuls more can get you in SERIOUS TROUBLE.
In this period is when you have to do more changes to your lifestyle... the feeling of "DUMPINGS" which are always a cautionary tale, have to be experienced to be understood... you really feel like dying on a bad one. Eating broths is particulary... you see a slice of bread looks big, once chewed you see the volume. A cup of soup is ONE CUP... the volume is whole... the worst dump I had was with stew... just a tablespoon more with an avocado slice had me sweating, hyperventilating, drowsy and on the verge of collapse.
I don't have a sweet tooth. That makes it easier. Because if you like sugary foods you have to be TWICE as careful. And soda?, forget it!!! C02 drinksmake you feel like you want to explode.
FIRST TWO YEARS
After those initial months are over and you learn to adjust... you know getting used to the fact that if you order starters, that's it. No main course. Wine is half a glass and that's it. Pacing yourself, etc. Then comes a bit of stretch in your capability to eat... your stomach adjusts a bit. You get full quickly, but don't wait to be full... stop first. This helps train your brain.
AFTER 5 years
I was not a good patient... went for just one or two check ups afterwards... as most guys I am stupid and stubborn when it comes to this... justified it as being busy, whatever. I stopped taking chewable vitamins regulary... THIS IS WHERE IT GETS CRITICAL. This surgery is HELP. A TOOL a boost to allow you to finally loose and keep weight off... but when you leave it all to the surgey you seriously downplay it's effectiveness, keep exercising... try to enjoy life... break away from ffos as a reward. OBESITY IS A MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEM. NOBODY GETS OBESE WITHOUT STUFFING OURSELVES WITH FOOD. It's a fact. After 4 years, you start to notice that you can CHEAT the bypass... you know, leave stuff on the plate... for later... and hour later, 30 minutes later... 15 minutes later and so on... you start tolerating alcohol and sugar more. This is when many falter, as I did.
I have not gotten back to my previous 375-380 pounds... But I am over 300 again, 9 years on.
My lowest point was 246 a year and a half after.
My best advice is DON'T SKIP YOUR VITAMINS. Doing it makes you get fat easier and feel very weak.
Protein shakes are good, but NOT and I stress this again NOT indispensable... in fact I ditched them the first year... 2 to 3 eggwhites give your body the protein you need. Unless you do serious muscle work
Chewable "bariatric" vitamins can be substituted. I find Double X tablets to be BETTER for me.
Above all... THINK THIS THROUGH.
Come to the realisation that you really can move on on food... if you can say to yourself, "You know I have eaten enough for a couple of lifetimes already... I had my fill of gourmet delicacies and good stuff... I CAN MOVE ON".
Some people get DEPRESSED that they can't eat chocolate cake and 4 bottles of coke a day anymore... this is to me the FUNDAMENTAL thing... also working out and doing as you're told... you know loose skin is an issue. Go to a clinic that also has a therapist for a PREOP evaluation. This is a team effort. Having a supportive family is important.
ABOVE ALL YOU HAVE TO BE READY MENTALLY.
Being ready physically just takes being obese.
I can tell you from experience... yeah I have NOT been perfect... far from it... I could be in much better shape. I go to the gym and workout 3 times a week now for 2 years... I feel well. But I am alive and reasonably healthy. I could have been over 400 pounds by now.
This war some of us have to face against being fat is a lifelong one... this surgery is like a WMD in your favor... use it responsibly, take advantage of it... and if you're emotionally ready and decided. Do it.
Provider Review
Dr. Manuel Betances
Excellent