Is Every Day a Struggle After Surgery?

[Badgy]

People tell me this surgery is a lifelong change. That it is a daily fight.

Is it? Do you spend every single day worrying about what you are going to eat 3-6 times a day? Counting calories? Arguing with yourself to exercise? Feeling down and out when you drop the ball?

Because that is what I call a diet. That is why I opted for surgery. Because I cannot live everyday worrying about food and how it makes me feel.

If you've all been trying to say that this surgery is like a diet on steroids, then no thank you. I can do that to myself with an actual diet and not cut apart my digestive tract.

I'm really confused. People eat too much so they have this surgery to limit that. But what I'm hearing is that the surgery doesn't work that way. That we have to actually continue to limit what we eat. Is this correct?

Because that doesn't warrant a lifetime of heartburn or dumping syndrome or vitamin deficiencies or complications.

I'm so confused at what is being said to me. What exactly is this surgery?

 

[3momchaos]

I haven’t had my surgery yet, but I can share my perspective of how I plan on looking at things afterwards. It is a lifelong change. My lifelong issues up to this point have landed me where I am at. But that’s me-I’m not trying to make assumptions about anyone else. I think after surgery will be a struggle because of the liquid diet, change in tastes, and relearning how to eat for my health and my future. I have 2 bad knees, hip and lower back issues, fatty liver, and I’m prediabetic. I’m only 37. All that has to change for me if I want to continue to live an active and fulfilling life. Once I’ve got the hang of the changes, I do not think that I will struggle as much. Are there going to be time when I do? Of course! I think I’ll have to fight cravings for a while, but I don’t see that being a long term fight. I have to remember what I’m doing this for. I think that’s the big question that we all have to ask ourselves, and be honest with ourselves. If I would have tried to do this 7 or 5 or even 3 years ago, I don’t think I would have been mentally prepared. But this is all my perspective, so I’m not sure if it helps.

 

[mmitti]

Badgy, I'm 5 months out from sleeve surgery. I am facing all the things you mentioned about the "daily fight." I am being honest. I tend to overeat and have had some binges. I am really struggling. That said, I have lost 70 pounds and it's made a huge improvement to my life.

I feel like everyone else is losing and I've been on a plateau for the past 2 months.

I struggle through each day, tracking everything I eat. I have been doing water walking at the pool and getting my body back.

In some ways my life process is the same as it was before my surgery. I still would not trade having the surgery. My body still wants to lose weight easily if I let it. That would not have happened if I had not had the surgery. I have not given up. I try to get through each day healthy, and there are days when I do.

I knew it would be a lifetime journey and it is. I do have a therapist and work with her on that. Most of all, I remain hopeful about the future.

My thoughts to you are that you can handle the daily fight after surgery. It's a journey. I know I can do it and I know you can do it. Don't give up on the process.

 

[Badgy]

Thank you all. There are quite some contradictions in these replies. I am going to assume then that each person has their own individual experience with the surgery and I won't know unless I go for it.

I'm on the fence. The psych appt scared me into thinking they won't let this happen. I've been down too many roads where I'm dealt disappointment. It seems easier to psych myself out of surgery than have them take it away from me.

My answers were wishy-washy. I couldn't explain why I wanted the surgery without saying the truth... That I'm too undisciplined to stick with a diet and too lazy to exercise. There I said it. I said the quiet part out loud.

And isn't that the story of most of us? Isn't that why no diets work? Why only a small percent exercise? Because we cannot overcome by ourselves?

I think it is. Then why are they making that a mandate of surgery? They want us to prove we can lose weight. I lost weight. I gained some back. Did they think I would suddenly change my ways? If so, why the surgery? I mean if they can get people to lose weight and exercise and not gain it back, why even have the surgery?

A person just posted in my local group that they are in their seventh year post surgery and have gained back all the weight plus some. Gulp.

Now I'm all confused (⊙_◎)

 

[3momchaos]

Diets are not sustainable. I don’t know anyone who has been on a diet, lost the weight, and stayed on the diet. They might have traded in some of their old eating habits, but they didn’t stick to the diet. My endocrinologist tells me it’s 80% what I eat and 20% exercise. I’m in too much pain to exercise daily. When I do exercise I cause myself more pain. It’s a vicious cycle. But there are some things I enjoy doing. I think it’s all in finding something you’ll enjoy, or don’t consider work. I did Zumba for a bit, now I just follow along with YouTube Zumba workouts when my joints are up for it. But there are so many different exercises out there, and you don’t have to pick just one kind. I’m the queen of procrastination, so sticking to and actually doing an exercise is difficult for me. I can give you a million excuses why I didn’t exercise this week, but none of them are valid. I’m just cheating myself. But I know that about me. I don’t shy away from that either. First step is being honest with myself. Why am I pursuing WLS? Why do I want to live with the regimen that WLS entails? Can I promise myself to find help if I backslide? I know all my answers. They aren’t easy, but they are how I am justifying this monumentally awesome change to better my whole well being. Explore yourself a little, try to answer your hardest questions. This isn’t an easy process in the beginning, but from what I’ve gained from members who’ve been at this a while is that it’s not hard forever. No matter your decision, you should feel proud of what you’ve put into this.

 

[gzar]

. I couldn't explain why I wanted the surgery without saying the truth... That I'm too undisciplined to stick with a diet and too lazy to exercise. There I said it. I said the quiet part out loud.

Hey ummmm, you just described most of us; if not all of us. This is precisely why our doctor & insurance company agreed weight loss surgery was medically necessary. If we did have the discipline to stick with a long term diet and exercise regularly, we wouldn't have gotten dangeriously obiese. So don't beat yourself up about it.

For me, only 8 months post-surgery and still very new at this, yes. Yes, I still every day, am concious about what I put into my mouth; I don't think weight loss is possible without that mindful consideration. Because I absolutely have the capacity to dip oreos into milk relentlessly until the whole sleeve is gone. I still can throw down a 28oz milkshake until my straw is making gurgling sounds. And I can probably go through a dozen "mini" snickers candy bars between commercial breaks.

However...weight loss surgery has given me a very powerful tool to HELP prevent things like that from happening. Instead of having a bottomless pit of rampaging hunger, I can now fill up on a shockingly small amount of food. And that food can be exceptionally healthy...and when I'm full - my cravings are gone with it.

It is the most amazing thing, ever. A few days ago I was visiting my sister out of state; she was making taco's for diner and I had a bad case of the starvin-marvins; the smell of the taco meat was almost maddening and I had let myself go hungry too long. She used the little 4" street taco tortillas; everybody was making 3 or 4 at a time on their plate. I forced myself to start with one - I felt like a child and even took a couple jokes directed my way in good humor. And it finished me, hard. One taco. I had no room for chips & dip, or any of the sliced watermellon & canteloupe.

True story. It repeats in my life every day. Weight loss surgery absolutely reduced the amount of food required to fill me up, and satisfy my brain cravings & hunger. It can do the same for you, but you will still have to exercise discipline in both eating habits and choices. It makes the discipline easier to maintain.

And later on, after you've lost a bit of weight and are starting to feel much better about yourself - you'll probably start feeling more energy and maybe even "want" to start exercising.

 

[Taxman]

Diets work for the short term. They can give you a start on a new path. They are NOT a long term solution to obesety. We all have been on a diet, saying that this time is different. We lose a few pounds, walk a little further than normal and then something happens and we stop and add all the lost weight and then some. The surgery allows me (and others, I'm sure) a running start on the process. With the start and the smaller stomach, the eating habits must change, and I decided to make it a change for the better. I track my food, but it's because I don't know all the protein levels and calories of my foods. At some point, I hope that I won't need to track it, but it's okay for me.
We're all different but have the same goal, getting healthier. Stick to the plan and the success will follow.

 

[eladams2015]

People tell me this surgery is a lifelong change. That it is a daily fight.

Is it? Do you spend every single day worrying about what you are going to eat 3-6 times a day? Counting calories? Arguing with yourself to exercise? Feeling down and out when you drop the ball?

Because that is what I call a diet. That is why I opted for surgery. Because I cannot live everyday worrying about food and how it makes me feel.

If you've all been trying to say that this surgery is like a diet on steroids, then no thank you. I can do that to myself with an actual diet and not cut apart my digestive tract.

I'm really confused. People eat too much so they have this surgery to limit that. But what I'm hearing is that the surgery doesn't work that way. That we have to actually continue to limit what we eat. Is this correct?

Because that doesn't warrant a lifetime of heartburn or dumping syndrome or vitamin deficiencies or complications.

I'm so confused at what is being said to me. What exactly is this surgery?

There could be a period of time where it can feel this way as you learn to adjust to the new tool you have, but you don't think about it 24/7 for the rest of your life. I rarely think about food unless I am heading into a situation where I know that I am not likely to have options, and then I toss a protein bar in my bag, just in case. For me, the benefits definitely outweigh any downsides. I would not be where I am without the surgery.