5 & 1/2 years after VSG

Crissy327
on 12/2/16 7:47 am - NC

I am watching the series "My 600lb life" and it made me just have to come post on here. 5 1/2 years ago I weighed 230lbs. I felt so guilty and ashamed every day of what I had become. I was not overweight most of my life but once I hit my 30's it just seemed to keep coming with a vengeance. 5-10lbs every year, year in, year out. I felt like such a failure. My body hurt every day and I just could not stand to look at myself.

Well, on this forum I found the way out for me. I am so grateful; I just had to post this.

I started out on here researching the lap band. I was thought this would be a minimal 1st step to try. The more I talked with others and the more I read I realized that it had a high failure rate and maybe the VSG was something I should consider. I thank the many people on this forum who guided me away from the lap band and to a surgery that truly changed my life.

Once I decided what surgery I thought I should try, then began the task of figuring out who would do the surgery and how I could ever afford it. I finally found a great doctor in Mexico that I could afford and thought would do a great job for me. I studied the patients on here who were hugely successful. I actually made like a score card and wrote down a tick mark by each doctor's name when I saw someone on here that he had operated on someone who had kept the weight off. One name that kept reappearing, Dr. Alberto Acceves. I decided he was my guy. Now I just needed to figure out how in the world I could ever afford $8500. I finally decided that borrowing the money was the way to make it happen. My mother later went to him and my neighbor as well. They too have had good success. Unfortunately, this doctor later died in a plane crash, I was told. This is very sad new, he changed so many lives and would have changed many more.  

Anyway, I had my surgery in Mexicalli on July 6th, 2011. It was so scary but I was so desperate, I didn't care. When I laid down on the table for my surgery I was at peace. I felt that if this was my time to go, then this is God's will and I was ready to follow his plan. Well, it was not his plan for me to die that day. When I woke up I actually felt great. I felt like I had just woke up from a nice long nap. I actually felt so good and had been so nervous about going to Mexico and being harmed or scammed, that I truly thought that they must not have actually done anything and that they had scammed me after all. Lol Well, it didn't take long before the results showed that they did do something, something that would forever change the course of my life. I don't remember recovery being really hard or easy. I do remember the first time I ate afterwards though. I had like 4 spoonful's of broth and was full. I was shocked. I really did not want another bite. I had never experienced anything like that.

Well soon it was time to return home. This was a little bit of a challenge. I was so used to eating a larger amount of food, I felt very deprived at times. The weight was falling off like crazy but it was still hard to see others enjoying their whole hamburger etc, when I was stuffed after only a few bites. It was like the party was over as soon as it began. That really did take some getting used to. On rare occasions I still feel that way. Lol. Now it's only a few times a year, when something super good is served. Lol

Anyway, I followed the doctor's instructions to a tee all the way through. I followed the pre-op and post-op instructions exactly. It was working and I was not about to mess that up! LOL. Anyway, by 6 months out, I had lost all of my excess weight, 100lbs. I did pretty good for quiet a while at eating the low-carb diet and not eating while drinking etc. but as time went on, I began to pick up some of my old bad habits.

This brings me to the reason for this post. I know many people will yell at me and tell me I should not encourage bad behavior. I already know that, so save your time. Lol. Anyway, I felt that for me, it was important to let some people know that I don't eat what I am supposed to, not even close really. I still eat a lot of junk food, probably more than healthy food. But.... I weigh the same today as I did 5 years ago.

Before my surgery I always felt like I was hungry when I did eat good things, like a salad or fish. I would go lunch with my skinny friends and try to eat a salad like they did, thinking I just needed better self control. Then an hour later I would be hungry again, so I would eat another salad. I could do that all day long and then I could not take the hunger anymore so I would break down and eat something like a cheeseburger. Then I the hunger driving me crazy finally went away and I felt at peace.

So, the whole reason for my post is to let the people who it applies to, that for me this surgery worked because it was about getting rid of the hunger. I still eat poorly but I only eat a little bit and I am satisfied. I can literally eat 4 bites of food and be content. Usually a kids meal will do me fine. If I eat like a 3/4 of a big mac, I am super stuffed, even without the fries. So, for me this surgery worked because I can feel full on that salad now. If I eat the 3/4 of a big mac, I am stuffed, like thanksgiving full. It's amazing.

Another thing that amazes me is that I get close to the same amount of satisfaction from the smaller amounts of food as I did the huge portions. I still enjoy food but after a few bites, I enjoyed it and I am done. I never was one to gorge on food, I ate what I wanted and when I felt full I stopped. I still do that most days. I wish I could say I eat healthy foods but I really don't do it anymore than I used to. I just feel satisfied much sooner and so it works for me.

I say this knowing folks will chastise me and say I should tell people it's hard work and that they have to be disciplined to make this work. Well, I am writing this for the people who are like me. I know that may not be true for everyone. If you gorge on food or have serious physiological issues driving your eating this surgery may not work for you. I am amazed watching this show (my 600lb life) that people can not lose weight after this surgery. I would have to eat milk shakes 24/7 to not have lost weight because I get full so easily! Lol 

Anyway, yell at me if it makes you feel better. I just didn't want people to not go through with something that could save their lives because they don't have good will power. Most of us ended up here because we don't have good will power. I just want people who have experienced a similar path to mine not to feel too discourage to even give this a try because they know that they will probably continue to make bad food selections.

I did great and did adhere exactly to the instructions were pre and post op, for about 6 months to a year. Then, over time my bad habits began to become more frequent even though my weight loss remained. I say this not to brag or make people who have to monitor their intake closely still mad or jealous, I say this for the people like me in this world who never thought anything could help them. So, if you stop eating when you are full, maybe this will work or at least help you. If you are one who eats well beyond when you feel full, well you may need to stay on top of yourself for the rest of your life to be able to keep your excess weight off. By no means am I saying mine will be everyone's story. In fact, from what I have read, I am the exception to the rule. I just wanted people to know the truth of my story and that for some people it may help you even if you are not able to make all the changes you should in your food choices.

I usually don't tell people about my journey. I am a nurse and feel like the skinny girls at work would judge me if they knew. I just hate watching shows where they tell people it's their fault and that they just need to try harder. I don't know if I was born with a big stomach but I know that reducing the size of it has changed my life.

Be sure to research your doctor really, really well. I can't stress this enough. People can and do go out of the country and die in the hands of a less than stellar doctor. I wish Dr. Acceves was still alive because I know him and have seen my results as well as two other people I sent to him. His partner Dr. Campos, I think is still is part of their group. I went to Mexicali Bariatric Center. I don't know the current surgeons in this group but I have been to the facility twice and it was clean and safe when I went. You need to research the doctor you chose to allow you to cut you open very carefully but I did find this group to be fantastic the two times I was there. Once for my surgery and once for my mother's.

I wish you all the best in your quest for a better life. l hope this post helps someone else to be able to live a better life because I shared my story.

God bless!

 

Crystal

On my way!!!!!!

Crissy    
rachelp
on 12/2/16 7:52 am
VSG on 08/01/16

Thank you for sharing 

Sleeved 8/1/16

HW 285 / SW 276 / GW 160

 

 

Crissy327
on 12/2/16 8:14 am - NC

You bet! I hope it helps someone!

 

On my way!!!!!!

Crissy    
Joshua H.
on 12/2/16 7:54 am
VSG on 10/26/16

Thanks for sharing your story, and Wow! you look amazing!

I am not here to chastise you, but congratulations on the long term success of your efforts.  I realize, more and more, that there is no "one size fits all" for WLS long term success.  Maybe you are one of the "lucky" ones?  I hope that I someday can enjoy long term success such as yours regardless of how "hard" it is for me.

Crissy327
on 12/2/16 8:13 am - NC

You are certainly welcome!

Thank you so much for the compliment!

Good luck on your journey!

On my way!!!!!!

Crissy    
roxytrim
on 12/2/16 8:27 am - Cobourg, Canada
VSG on 04/12/13

Chrissy, thanks for sharing your frankness about your lifestyle post WLS.  We all need to learn what will work for each of us to experience long term success and it sounds like you are keeping it all under control with minimal stress.  

I'd call that The Sweet Spot  Good on ya!

Crissy327
on 12/2/16 11:40 am - NC

Absolutely!!

 

A very sweet spot indeed!

On my way!!!!!!

Crissy    
psychoticparrot
on 12/2/16 8:45 am

Looking and feeling like you do 5 1/2 years post-op, you must be doing something right, even if your food choices aren't the most nutritious. Keep enjoying your wonderful new life. I'm so glad you could do this at a young age and have a long time to look forward to as a "normal" weight woman.  

 

psychoticparrot

  "Live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away."

Crissy327
on 12/2/16 11:56 am - NC

Thank you! I so agree with your comment about being young.

I had never been overweight growing up but when I did get there, wow what a shock! I had never been treated so poorly. I will never forget one summer when I went to the beach. My husband had to stay home to work. My mother was sleeping in the hotel and so I went to the beach alone one afternoon. When I got there my darn beach chair would not open for me. I saw a group guys in maybe their 30's. so I went over and explained that my husband wasn't there to help me and I could not open my beach chair. I asked them to help me. Wow! They all looked at me and started laughing. One guy would say to the other, "no man, you do it". Finally one guy helped me while the others got a good laugh.

I went and sat down in my beach chair and began to wonder what that was all about. Then I looked down and saw my thighs. I knew then what that was all about. I almost started to cry right there. I was so upset that they had found me so disgusting as to make fun of me to my face. I prayed then that I would not be heavy long enough to get used to being treated like that. I began to think of how hard it would be to spend the rest of my life being treated like that.

I was blessed not to be heavy long enough to internalize the horrible view the world had of me at that time. It would have destroyed my self esteem to be treated like that on a regular basis. I was glad I still had to wonder why they were treating me like that but quickly realized that this was how it was going to be the rest of my life if I didn't find a solution. So, yes, I am really glad that I found a solution before I began to feel that I was the worthless person that they saw that day.

Thanks for helping me remember. It is easy to take for granted now. It does help me to remember that day though. It helps to remind me that this is a blessing and I need to embrace this gift and thank God for it every day.

Wishing you all the best,

Crystal

 

 

 

On my way!!!!!!

Crissy    
rachelp
on 12/2/16 12:55 pm
VSG on 08/01/16

People are just now starting to open or hold doors for me again. We are treated so poorly. I never went to my kids school functions because I didn't want the other kids to make fun of my kids for having a fat mom. Seems crazy of me i know but I remember being in school and kids doing that. Where do you think "yo mamma so fat" jokes came from?!! I was fat shamed at the beach too in front of my family. It was one of the worst days of my life! 

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