The Medical Team Meant It. Did You?

The Post Op: Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Just what are these questions? Can you flunk the test? The good news is, this isn’t a test, but the questions can test your patience a bit, and might be challenging to answer. The goal is honesty, so just do your best and don’t worry, we’ll go easy on you. It won’t take long to figure out that there are many more questions where these came from (and the answers will likely be the same!)

What the Nutritionist told you (and hopefully the psychologist, your PCP and the WLS surgeon, as well):

1. In some way, shape or form, during your pre-surgical preparation, the dietician told you that in order to keep your weight off over time, you are going to have to eat “healthy” portions of the right foods (and by “healthy” we do not mean “healthy” = huge; we mean “healthy” as in nutritionally healthy portions = measured/reasonable amounts of food).

2. In some way, shape or form, during your pre-surgical preparation, the dietician told you that in order to keep your weight off over time, you need to eliminate or reduce/minimize the simple carbs that you eat (meaning white rice, white potatoes, pasta, white bread, most “baked goods,” “junk food,” and sugary foods (most “baked goods,” candy, soda, sweet tea, cake, cookies, etc.).

What the Physician told you (bariatric surgeon and/or primary care physician):

3. It is important that you utilize the first 12 – 18 months (the “honeymoon period”) to establish healthy lifestyle habits regarding food and exercise.

4. It is important that you engage in and maintain some form of physical exercise (keeping in mind your physical conditions) more days of the week than not, in order to maintain your weight loss.

What the Psychologist/Mental Health Provider told you:

5. It is important that you fully understand that unless you do what the doctor and nutritionist tell you to do for the rest of your life, you can (and most likely will) regain your weight. Are you willing to follow through with the nutrition and exercise guidelines after surgery in order to keep the weight off? (And if you’re lucky, they encouraged you to seek therapy if you struggle).

The Post Op & The Doc:

Above we have noted five topics basic to nearly every surgical weight loss program in this country:

The Post Op & The Doc have seventeen years collectively working in this field. We have seen and talked with thousands of patients who have shared with us that they did hear this information before surgery, they agreed to do what they learned, and they meant it. Yet many have been unable to follow through. That’s normal. It’s difficult to make the behavioral changes needed to keep weight off. If you start to regain, you can catch yourself and get headed in a healthy direction.

Many people are doing what it takes to get back on track so that they can get and keep their excess weight off. They do what they set out to do when they decided to have weight loss surgery: Improve their health and have the ability to do more of the things they want to do.

The best way to get into the habits needed to maintain a healthy weight or to get back on track is to use the Gotta Do Em's. The Gotta Do Em's are what it takes to get and keep weight off:

There are lots of excuses for not following the Gotta Do Em's. It would be easy to say that you were overwhelmed with all of the information you were given pre-surgery and couldn’t possibly understand everything you agreed to. It would easy to say that you were just trying to get your forms completed so you could qualify for surgery and you therefore agreed to whatever you needed to. It would be easy to say you didn’t know then what you know now, so you were committing to things you weren’t prepared to honor.

Well, none of that matters because, the truth is, you can do what you said you would do and, if you really want what you say you want (improved health and a better quality of life), you must do those things you said you would.

The good news? You don’t need to do them alone. In fact, as A Post Op & A Doc always say, “No one can do this for you, but you can’t do it alone.” We all need support to sustain the Gotta Do ‘Em's. So utilize the support offered by your medical team, your program’s support group, and the people who love you and do the things you said you’d do! You’ll feel great about yourself and will get the results you were looking for as you headed into weight loss surgery.

A Post Op & A Doc have a copy of the Gotta Do ‘Em’s (and a lot more free handouts for you) at www.conniestapletonphd.com/apod and on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/apostopandadoc .

Cari DeLaCruz (The Post Op)

cari@apostopandadoc.com

www.conniestapleton.com/apod

Connie Stapleton, Ph.D. (The Doc)

connie@apostopandadoc.com

www.conniestapleton.com/apod