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I eat out a lot, both for work and in my personal life. I feel like I’ve been navigating menus alright and making good choices. It didn’t take long though for the takeout containers to take over my fridge and my garbage. And take up so much room in the trash! So I bought a four pack of square plastic food containers (Glad brand, I think) that are about sandwich size. I keep them in my car and stick one in my purse when I go into a restaurant. They seal well and don’t spill in my car, store leftovers better in my fridge, and are less wasteful. Might be tricky with restaurants that want to wrap up leftovers themselves but I’ve been able to use them ok so far. A friend recently said she wondered why she never thought to do that, so thought I’d share here.

I found preop motivation in making some basic dietary changes. Trying new recipes and getting into good habits was a good motivator, and I did that with a friend so we could talk about what was working for us. I also took on some projects to help me prepare, such as cleaning out my pantry, freezer, and fridge. I threw away junk food and stopped buying replacements for that, and tried to cook through the food options on hand that were "okay for now" but not what I would be eating after surgery. I bought some bariatric cookbooks, and I also started implementing the changes recommended in the Pound of Cure book from Dr. Matthew Weiner. And I watched all of his and Dr. John Pilcher's videos on YouTube, plus started watching several gastric bypass vlogs. Plus reading all the posts here to see what other people experienced. It really helped make the time go by, especially as I ended up with a 2-month delay from my original date that was so frustrating.

Wow a 6 month prep seems so long. Hard to stay motivated, I totally agree. You're clearly eating what you should be because you've lost more than you need for your surgeon. Honestly if I had a 6 month run into surgery I would have accelerated my adherence to the programme in the 6 or 8 weeks before the date itself. Agree with the others - celebrate your non scale victories (although you totally have scale victories too)! Look at where you are now compared to where you were 3 months ago. And then visualise where you will be once you have your surgery. It's hard to stick to any eating plan for 6 months. I wish you all the best.

I agree with @BlondePatriotInCDA. Definitely check out the NSV thread. That's what got me through when I was needing motivation or when I needed to get through stalls and feeling frustrated.

After seeing the Feb 2024 thread and realizing my surgery is only 6 days later, thought I’d start a thread and see if there’s anyone else scheduled in March? I’m having VSG on March 6. I’ve been planning it since last June and am very excited! Any March 2024 Buddies out there? 😀

HI All! I had gastric sleeve surgery on 12/6/23. As of March 7th, I am 45lbs down. I stopped weighing myself after this date, though, bc I was becoming OBSESSED with the scale and would fall into a deep sadness each day I didn't lose at least a pound. So, I decided to put it away and focus on my feelings and habits. Anyway, lately, I've noticed I can eat much more than I was. I watched a YouTube video about a doctor explaining that after month 3, patients tend to notice they can eat more. He mentioned that it usually freaks them out at first because not being able to eat a lot at all was the major tool in helping the weight loss, but to not be alarmed because it's normal and to focus on healthy foods, working out, etc. Still, it's scaring me because I am scared I will fall into old bad habits and start overeating again. So I was just wondering, has anyone noticed this? I noticed I can eat more than I was 2 months ago. It's freaking me out a bit bc I'm scared I'll overeat, esp bc certain foods are easier to overeat than others. The other day, I got a bag of organic Doritos and ate the whole bag throughout the day. I know I shouldn't have, but I was weak. So, has anyone experienced this? Has it affected your progress at all? Please be kind. ❤️ Thanks!

Socks at night are a must-have! This will be my first summer post-op, and I can already tell that I will be in long sleeves and pants more often than not.

At the beginning of my fitness journey, I joined a national chain gymnasium for a little over $10 per month. It rhymes with Janet Witness, and had a variety of low impact and muscle building machines to try out. Pushing towards 300 pounds, I had to work up the courage to be there but soon found that everyone was in their own little zone, paying me no mind. I took advantage of their membership benefit that allows one to meet with a trainer to plan a custom routine. Three years later, I am still a member of this gym and am grateful for the healthier lifestyle seeds that they helped me plant.

This. All of this!!!!! You couldn’t be more accurate. I started lifting about 8 months after surgery. Currently I am powerlifting and I’m in the best shape of my life. The crazy thing is, like you, how much I have to eat to maintain muscle mass. 1g protein per pound. 3000+ calories a day. Gaining muscle weight, not fat. Sitting at around 12% body fat. Get lifting people. You will see results. Start light. Start small. Progress will come.

This... I'm so excited so I am telling people who don't need to know! I'm not ashamed; I feel like I'm doing something to take care of my health. But I see people here who've had very unsupportive family, friends, and partners, so I can certainly understand why people wouldn't feel the same way as I do. I'm single, I don't have kids, and my parents are really supportive - they're even coming up to stay with me for a few weeks during and after surgery (they will be staying at a hotel because my apartment is too small for three people, so it's not simple to do that). My brother was really concerned but it seemed to be about COVID and now that I'm vaccinated, I think he's probably okay (although when he had spinal surgery in college I was terrified, so maybe we're just really protective of each other).