Th real drawbacks of WLS
Here is my real list of WLS drawbacks for me:
1. you have to diet even more after the surgery.
2. you can't quit
3. gas is common and hurts
4. so is constipation
5. so is diarhea
6. and so is water retention
7. you can not really drink deeply to satisfy that deep thirst.
8. just when you think you got a handle on things you stall
9. On top of that the foamies come
10. followed by the slimies
11. Friends don't really understand what you are going through
12. Your spouse is affected in strange ways by your changes.
13. You have to take a shelf full of vitamins and supplements
14. I still get cravings.
1. you have to diet even more after the surgery.
2. you can't quit
3. gas is common and hurts
4. so is constipation
5. so is diarhea
6. and so is water retention
7. you can not really drink deeply to satisfy that deep thirst.
8. just when you think you got a handle on things you stall
9. On top of that the foamies come
10. followed by the slimies
11. Friends don't really understand what you are going through
12. Your spouse is affected in strange ways by your changes.
13. You have to take a shelf full of vitamins and supplements
14. I still get cravings.
Here's my optimist's take on all of this...
1. you have to diet even more after the surgery.
Don't think of it as a diet, think of it as breaking down your bad eating habits to square one... just like a newborn baby, you're starting with liquids, gradually moving in stages to solid food. You're not dieting, you're re-learning how to eat the right way.
2. you can't quit
That's not a drawback, that's a good thing... you have no choice but to make these changes now. Clearly if you could have lost the weight without the surgery, you would have, but you were able to quit previous attempts and they got you nowhere.
3. gas is common and hurts
This is temporary and will pass (pardon the pun)
4. so is constipation
Take a liquid laxative.
5. so is diarhea
Again, temporary
6. and so is water retention
Temporary (and most women would say "welcome to our once-a-month world!")
7. you can not really drink deeply to satisfy that deep thirst.
I've thought about this when I'm taking big gulps... I will miss that.
8. just when you think you got a handle on things you stall
It's temporary and when it breaks, you'll be moving towards your goal.
9. On top of that the foamies come
From what I've gathered, there's a learning curve to minimizing this... so, temporary.
10. followed by the slimies
Same as above.
11. Friends don't really understand what you are going through
No, but that's why you've got us
12. Your spouse is affected in strange ways by your changes.
It's a transition period, it's bound to affect her too... once you start settling in to your new lifestyle, you'll both figure out what that means going forward.
13. You have to take a shelf full of vitamins and supplements
For now... once you can get more nutrition from food, you'll be able to cut back to a multi-vitamin.
14. I still get cravings.
And you always will, so don't waste your time trying to figure out how to avoid them... work on getting better at dealing with them when they show up. Line up some helpful distractions that will keep your hands busy and your mind off food. Eggface offers some good suggestions.
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
1. you have to diet even more after the surgery.
Don't think of it as a diet, think of it as breaking down your bad eating habits to square one... just like a newborn baby, you're starting with liquids, gradually moving in stages to solid food. You're not dieting, you're re-learning how to eat the right way.
2. you can't quit
That's not a drawback, that's a good thing... you have no choice but to make these changes now. Clearly if you could have lost the weight without the surgery, you would have, but you were able to quit previous attempts and they got you nowhere.
3. gas is common and hurts
This is temporary and will pass (pardon the pun)
4. so is constipation
Take a liquid laxative.
5. so is diarhea
Again, temporary
6. and so is water retention
Temporary (and most women would say "welcome to our once-a-month world!")
7. you can not really drink deeply to satisfy that deep thirst.
I've thought about this when I'm taking big gulps... I will miss that.
8. just when you think you got a handle on things you stall
It's temporary and when it breaks, you'll be moving towards your goal.
9. On top of that the foamies come
From what I've gathered, there's a learning curve to minimizing this... so, temporary.
10. followed by the slimies
Same as above.
11. Friends don't really understand what you are going through
No, but that's why you've got us
12. Your spouse is affected in strange ways by your changes.
It's a transition period, it's bound to affect her too... once you start settling in to your new lifestyle, you'll both figure out what that means going forward.
13. You have to take a shelf full of vitamins and supplements
For now... once you can get more nutrition from food, you'll be able to cut back to a multi-vitamin.
14. I still get cravings.
And you always will, so don't waste your time trying to figure out how to avoid them... work on getting better at dealing with them when they show up. Line up some helpful distractions that will keep your hands busy and your mind off food. Eggface offers some good suggestions.
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
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Sunshine....you ROCK!
I agree with her take on all of it. There are pros and cons to everything we do in life, but sometimes you just have to remember....Nothing good ever comes easy. If it was easy everybody would do it. Sure, it's a struggle, but I'd rather take my chances and live instead of dying before I am ready to.
Hang in there!!!!
JB, you only just had the surgery. I'm sure even patients who have life-saving cardiac surgery would agree that there's discomfort and quite a few drawbacks as they recover. But, on a scale of good or bad, I'm sure they'd agree that surgery, as uncomfortable as it is, is much better than the alternative.
I'm 6 months post-op, and I can say this: I'm eating a decent amount of solid food. I often look at my plate and think, "Interesting. This is how normal people are supposed to eat," because my portions don't overflow the plate, and I don't go back for seconds.
I'm able to satisfy my hunger as well as my thirst. My friends don't have to understand what I'm going through -- every time they see me they're amazed and delighted by the changes. I still take a bunch of vitamins and supplements, but I want to stay as healthy as I feel.
I guess what I'm saying is this -- it gets better, and you'll feel fantastic as you feel the weight coming off.
Now that warm weather approaches, what makes me happy is this:
My thighs aren't stuck together -- they move when I walk!
I'm 6 months post-op, and I can say this: I'm eating a decent amount of solid food. I often look at my plate and think, "Interesting. This is how normal people are supposed to eat," because my portions don't overflow the plate, and I don't go back for seconds.
I'm able to satisfy my hunger as well as my thirst. My friends don't have to understand what I'm going through -- every time they see me they're amazed and delighted by the changes. I still take a bunch of vitamins and supplements, but I want to stay as healthy as I feel.
I guess what I'm saying is this -- it gets better, and you'll feel fantastic as you feel the weight coming off.
Now that warm weather approaches, what makes me happy is this:
My thighs aren't stuck together -- they move when I walk!
As for #11... I'm not so sure they understood what you were going through as a Morbidly obese person either.
Think back to the reasons you had the surgery, or benefits from having it.
1. health... the health problems with being overweight or the threat of health problems of remaining overweight.
2. Diet's didn't work... you tried them, I tried them, they didn't work for us.
3. Overeat and make poor choices and you had gas then too
4. Clothes didn't fit, were hard to find and cost more.
5. your body hurt, under all that weight we all had more back aches, sore feet and moved slower.
6. limited activities. At 1/2, I can already move better & sit on the floor with the grand kids
7. Your spouse...you wanted to be the best you can be for them.
8. Longevity...be it for our self, our kids or our spouse, we want to be here on earth longer.
9. Sex... it's better as a thinner person, your spouse will thank you some day.
10. Limits... speaking for myself, I needed to be placed in the position that I could not quit. I could not end this "diet" at my choosing. I understand that I would be limited in the amount that I could eat or drink. It also has limited my hunger. And the best limit is that with just a small or almost normal amount of food I find satiety.
You will have your own list. I find it much better to think on these things than to dwell on the negative. I cant 'undo' my surgery. And I wouldn't want to.
Think back to the reasons you had the surgery, or benefits from having it.
1. health... the health problems with being overweight or the threat of health problems of remaining overweight.
2. Diet's didn't work... you tried them, I tried them, they didn't work for us.
3. Overeat and make poor choices and you had gas then too
4. Clothes didn't fit, were hard to find and cost more.
5. your body hurt, under all that weight we all had more back aches, sore feet and moved slower.
6. limited activities. At 1/2, I can already move better & sit on the floor with the grand kids
7. Your spouse...you wanted to be the best you can be for them.
8. Longevity...be it for our self, our kids or our spouse, we want to be here on earth longer.
9. Sex... it's better as a thinner person, your spouse will thank you some day.
10. Limits... speaking for myself, I needed to be placed in the position that I could not quit. I could not end this "diet" at my choosing. I understand that I would be limited in the amount that I could eat or drink. It also has limited my hunger. And the best limit is that with just a small or almost normal amount of food I find satiety.
You will have your own list. I find it much better to think on these things than to dwell on the negative. I cant 'undo' my surgery. And I wouldn't want to.
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