muffin1001

I hear you! Before my surgery I did no exercise at all, so the concept of doing some afterwards was very alien to me. Initially I was pleased (and surprised) to find that I was able to walk more, and do more jobs around the house. After about 6 months I bought an exercise bike and now I use that every day - it's in my bedroom. I still can't bear the thought of going to a gym and working out with other people. I much prefer exercising in private, and I'm of the opinion that you should do whatever works for you. There is absolutely no point in trying to motivate yourself to do exercise you don't enjoy! :-)

It's so difficult knowing when to stop, and when to be happy! I started the process with a very firm goal weight in mind and then when I reached that goal I realised I could do much better! I then set a new goal weight and when I reached that goal, my weight plateau'd for a while and I put 7lbs back on which is where I seem to be at the moment. It would be nice to drop a little more weight again, but I am fitting nicely into clothes I could only dream of before, so I'm trying not to be obsessive about it. I have learned that you can get more than a little hung up on what the scales say so I am trying not to be overly critical of myself. I think when I finally reach my goal, whatever it may be, I'll know when I get there, and I'll be very proud of myself. It's not just getting to goal, it's staying there as well that's a challenge! Best of luck to you :-)

One of the main reasons I decided to have a bypass was because of the possibility of dumping - it was actually something I thought might help me. I've always been a fan of sweet things (chocolate, cakes etc) and I hoped that dumping might help me restrict what I ate afterwards. Unfortunately I find that I don't dump much at all and I have very little restriction over what I can't eat. Cold meat is a little difficult but other than that, I can pretty much eat anything. I have had a couple of what I would classify as 'mini-dumps' when I've eaten a little too much, too quickly but I didn't (and don't) have the restriction I thought I might. I have to say, I think I'm a bit unusual in that respect. That's the one thing I've learned over the last 18 months - everyone's journey is different and it's best to expect the unexpected!

I so understand how easy it is to fall back into bad habits. Pre-op I did no exercise at all and ate continuously! I am 18 months out from my bypass and have lost 160lbs but I still find it hard every day. I am able to eat pretty much all the foods I could pre-op and volume-wise I'm sure I can eat more than I should! That's the down-side, but on the flip-side because I'm physically smaller I can exercise! For the last year I have used my exercise bike every day - it's now in my bedroom so I have no excuse not to go on it! Initially I really struggled and could only do 10 minutes a day, now I do a minimum of an hour a day and at weekends I usually do an hour and a half. Not all in one go - usually half an hour at a time - I work full time, so it can be an effort to make the time. BUT - if I can find time to eat, I can find time to exercise! Luckily, exercising consistently means that I can maintain my weight without being too obsessive. However, if I stopped my daily exercise I would need to be much more observant of what I eat. Bad habits - like snacking, and eating late at night or in the car - are so easy to creep back in. I am certainly no saint. Some days are much better than others, but the best advice I can probably give is to start fresh every day. Some days I go to bed thinking 'why did I eat that? I wasn't hungry at all' and other days I go to bed thinking 'that wasn't such a bad day, I ate well 90% of the time'. You can't be perfect, and positive thinking is so important. I was always really hard on myself before, and now I try not to beat myself up - it really doesn't help. I do the best I can!

I have a desk job (I work in customer services) and I took 3 weeks off. To be honest I probably could have gone back to work after 2 weeks, but I was glad I had the extra week. I had problems with my sleeping patterns afterwards and was quite tired a lot of the time, so it was a luxury to be able to nap during the day if I wanted. Hope all goes great for you :-)

I don't think there was one single moment that pushed me over the edge. Everything was just so difficult - getting up in the morning, getting dressed, getting in and out of the bath..... I was just tired all the time, and felt completely disgusted with myself. I had lost and gained weight before many times, but could never keep it off. I had all but given up all hope. I knew when I got the opportunity to have the bypass that this would be my last chance, and I was determined to give it 100%. I will never go back to being that sad, defeated person.

Hi, the 3 things I wish I'd been told are : 1) My weight loss was not always steady and consistent. I found I plateau'd quite a bit during the process and I found it very frustrating - although I have lost 160lbs in total (I had a bypass and that weight loss was over a year and a half - most of it during the first year), so the weight did come off in the end - but you have to be persistent and patient. 2) 'Restriction' lifts eventually - in other words, although initially you can't eat very much, eventually you can eat more and at that stage you really have to be disciplined. If I have a bad day now, I know not to beat myself up and binge for days. I just start fresh the next day. Everyone is different, but the 'forgive myself' approach works for me! (I am still my own worst critic). 3) Everyone's an expert! You'll probably get lots of unsolicited and well meaning advice along the way, but you know your body and you'll know what's best for you. I wish you every happiness in your new life! Best decision I ever made. Jo x

Good luck Paul, your new life is just around the corner. Hope all goes well for you.

I had to have counselling before my op was approved. The surgeon believed that I was addicted to food and wouldn't be able to cope when food was taken away. To cut a long story short he was right and the counselling was very helpful. My op is aug 23rd and I'm sure it's still going to be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life but I'm going to do it anyway, I hate being trapped in this body.

I'm from the uk, hope I'm allowed to be here lol

I decided to be honest with people at work but I left it until I had a confirmed date for my op. I've had a mixture of feedback from people, some worried, some skeptical but I just thought honesty wd be the best policy, plus I'm a really bad liar.