April petrea
Member
I weigh over 600lbs What can I do to set myself up for success following weight loss surgery?
I weigh over 600lbs What can I do to set myself up for success following weight loss surgery?
- Thread starter April petrea
- Start date
3momchaos
Member
I am preop still, and the biggest factor for my post op success is being mentally prepared before hand. I am already starting to live part of the post op life. No drinking with meals, protein shakes, hydrating, focusing on chewing well, recognizing triggers, and what direction I should go in when I know the food demons are creeping in. I know the side effects of what will happen to me if I eat something sweet, if I overeat, and if I don’t get my protein and vitamins. Mentally I know that I cannot go through this process to fail and end up back where I am now. It’s important for me to recognize my past failings, know what they were and that they happened and move on, so I focus my energy on future success. Also, set boundaries for the people in your life ahead of time. I’ve asked my family not give food gifts for while-specifically no sweets or alcohol. Also, I’ve told my family that I’m not baking holiday treats. I know that I will in the future, but I do not want to be surrounded by trigger foods in my own home so close after surgery. I’ve already discussed holiday meals as far as what I can and cannot eat, but not in a negative way. Thanksgiving at my moms and my home will have most if not all the traditional foods, and I’ll be able to eat a little of that. I don’t want anyone to tip toe around my food restrictions, but I think it’s important for them to be aware. My support system is key in my success, and they’ll only know how they can help me if I communicate with them.
Last edited:
WazzuCoug
Member
Hi,
You are doing a really good thing by reaching out and asking about keys to success. You are going down a road that can be extremely rewarding, but it can also be frustrating.
Regardless of the root cause of your obesity, it is important to start working on creating a positive relationship with food. Counseling can be an important part of that for some people, and I highly recommend it. The better your relationship with food prior to surgery, the better you'll feel after surgery.
Start mimicking your life now for how things will be after surgery. Start eating very slowly. Chew each bit for 20 seconds. Drink at least 64oz or more of water each day. Ween off things like carbonated drinks, caffeinated drinks.
Start working with your doctor and physical therapist to create a movement plan and set goals for where you will be by surgery and what you'll do after surgery. Movement, such as walking is a major key to getting healthy and successful.
Don't get too extreme too fast. Do everything in moderation in a sustainable way. It's likely the pre-op diet will be one of, if not the hardest parts of your journey, but it is very, very important to stick with the pre-op diet for many reasons, not the least of which is to make the surgery safer and get you set up for success after surgery.
After surgery, stick to the recommended guidelines set by your doctor, dietician, and physical therapist.
Don't hesitate to reach out for help from your bariatric team. If something doesn't seem right, call them. If you aren't sure what you should be eating, call them.
Stay active on forums like this to connect with people who have gone through the ups and downs of this process. It can be very beneficial to read what others have gone through.
Be mentally prepared for pauses and stalls with your weight loss. It happens to everyone, sometimes within the first month, and it's often a cause of stress for people because they feel they should just be dropping weight all the time, but our bodies don't work that way. Weight loss isn't a linear process. It starts and stops, adjusts, and starts again. Sometimes that happens over a couple of days, and sometimes it can take months to see the scale move, but rest assure so many other positive things are happening in your body besides the scale moving, and you have to keep that in mind.
A stall isn't a failure. Every oz you lose is an awesome victory, and you should treat it and yourself positively on this journey. Don't worry about any past failures, and look only to the future. Stick to your plan and celebrate your choice of doing this for yourself.
You are doing a really good thing by reaching out and asking about keys to success. You are going down a road that can be extremely rewarding, but it can also be frustrating.
Regardless of the root cause of your obesity, it is important to start working on creating a positive relationship with food. Counseling can be an important part of that for some people, and I highly recommend it. The better your relationship with food prior to surgery, the better you'll feel after surgery.
Start mimicking your life now for how things will be after surgery. Start eating very slowly. Chew each bit for 20 seconds. Drink at least 64oz or more of water each day. Ween off things like carbonated drinks, caffeinated drinks.
Start working with your doctor and physical therapist to create a movement plan and set goals for where you will be by surgery and what you'll do after surgery. Movement, such as walking is a major key to getting healthy and successful.
Don't get too extreme too fast. Do everything in moderation in a sustainable way. It's likely the pre-op diet will be one of, if not the hardest parts of your journey, but it is very, very important to stick with the pre-op diet for many reasons, not the least of which is to make the surgery safer and get you set up for success after surgery.
After surgery, stick to the recommended guidelines set by your doctor, dietician, and physical therapist.
Don't hesitate to reach out for help from your bariatric team. If something doesn't seem right, call them. If you aren't sure what you should be eating, call them.
Stay active on forums like this to connect with people who have gone through the ups and downs of this process. It can be very beneficial to read what others have gone through.
Be mentally prepared for pauses and stalls with your weight loss. It happens to everyone, sometimes within the first month, and it's often a cause of stress for people because they feel they should just be dropping weight all the time, but our bodies don't work that way. Weight loss isn't a linear process. It starts and stops, adjusts, and starts again. Sometimes that happens over a couple of days, and sometimes it can take months to see the scale move, but rest assure so many other positive things are happening in your body besides the scale moving, and you have to keep that in mind.
A stall isn't a failure. Every oz you lose is an awesome victory, and you should treat it and yourself positively on this journey. Don't worry about any past failures, and look only to the future. Stick to your plan and celebrate your choice of doing this for yourself.
gzar
Member
I would suggest being real with yourself and take some time to write down your current daily life. Document when you wake up, what times you eat, how much you eat, what does your every day life look like minute by minute. For example, do you spend most of your day watching television while sitting on a couch? Are you snacking the entire time? Are you spending 8 1/2 hours daily working at a call center? Etc.
After this, you can be honest with yourself about what needs to change and start making a realistic game plan for yourself. Surgery will give you the initial tools to be successful by vastly reducing the amount of food required to be satisfied...for a while. A short while. It's all up to you to change your ways, to take advantage of that awesome smaller stomach (or pouch if bypass) and break the lifetime of bad eating habits that all got us to this point.
The amount of time you spend enjoying food today vs the first week post-op will be staggeringly huge. You've got to train your brain into doing other things; to stop being all about food. Come up with some activities, hobbies - something to do other than being food-oriented.
You can do this. It's going to be awesome. A little scary at first, yes - but it can be the best thing to ever happen in your life.
missyinacage
Member
Hi. Congratulation on your decision to have the WLS. I agree with the comments above. The more realistic you can be about where you are at and the changes you need to make the better off you will be. The more of those changes that you can make ahead of time will give you the highest chance of success. It's hard to give up things pre-op, I know. But, it's actually easier to give them up slowly, one a time now, than ALL the changes on top of a major surgery. It's not easy but it is so, so worth it. I never thought I could feel this good again. You're going to be amazed. Best of luck to you.