Should I Lose Before Surgery Or Not?

[Kiki Von Moonshine 53]

Okay, so my goal was to lose at least twenty pounds by surgery time in July. Now I'm 280, and I thought it would be a good idea to lose so there would be less to lose after surgery. I see that you lose a little slower being a smaller starting weight. Disclaimer: I know everyone is different, and weight loss varies. I also notice that within the first six months seems to be the biggest months for loss. I still plan on getting my bike and losing weight but do you think starting bigger will result in a faster weight loss at the start?

[Nomadgirl 37]

I lost 20 pounds before surgery and at 18 days out, it is dropping off.

[gramaof4 58]

I started swimming a month before my sugery, I lost 14 lbs and felt much better. Also the first place you lose weight is off your heart and liver...this makes it much easier for the doctors to move around inside with the laproscopic tools, So the more weight you shed before surgery the better.

I am 3 weeks 1 day post surgery, I have lost 29 lbs and 2 pant sizes. I am all healed up and back to swimming arobics (only no tummy scrunching) I am loving it, it is such good exercise and easy on your joints.

Good Luck

[sleeve 4 me 910]

YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!! That's my #1 advise to pre sleevers! Lose as much as you can. It can ONLY HELP YOU GET TO YOUR GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I had not lost that 12 lbs. prior to surgery it would have been so much harder. Best wishes!

[Foxbins 625]

Yes, lose as much as you can before surgery ESPECIALLY if you have a lot to lose. I see people all the time who lose the first 3 or 4 months, then find that they can hold more food and tolerate all their favorites and they stop losing...Watching what you eat is hard to do for a long time, I watched every forkful for 10 months and I had less than 100 to lose. If I had lost weight before surgery, maybe I might have been at goal at 6 months.

[Foxbins 625]

Oh, and starting at a higher weight won't make you lose more than if you are smaller. If you look at the percentage lost, bigger people lose bigger numbers of pounds compared to smaller people, but the percentages are very similar. For example, Ms. A has 200 lbs to lose and loses 15% her first month--30 lbs. Ms. B had 100 lbs to lose and also loses 15%, but her loss is only 15 lbs. Same percentage lost, different number of pounds.

[Kiki Von Moonshine 53]

Okay. Thanks a bunch!

[emily_0192010 168]

I lost 40 lbs pre-op (and 60 after) and I am happy that I did! It made the surgery safer. Also, in my mind my surgery was not for quick weight loss but rather sustained weight loss... so anything I did before would be maintained by my sleeve. It also helped pull me through stalls as I had already lost some so it was always in the back of my mind "i'm already 40 down, i'm already 40 down".

I will say that I never had a huge drop in my weight loss as some people experience, however for the most part I was consistent at 2-3 lbs per week until I hit around 5 months... hard at first but totally worth it long term.

[topgun 63]

You may be able to avoid the dreaded "2 week liquid" pre-op diet if you lose weight prior to surgery. I have a surgery date on 3/28 (next Wednesday) and I've lost 57 pounds in the past 4 months since starting the Options program with Kaiser. Because of the weight loss, my doctor is not concerned about me losing any more weight prior to surgery and I only have to go on a modified liquid diet 5 days prior. "Modified" means I'm going to be able to eat a limited amount of low residue (low fiber) foods along with any liquids and my Protein Shakes. So, I'm not only avoiding that 2 week starvation diet, I don't have to do the clear liquid diet 2 days prior, either, like he normally requires. Now, I can live with that pre-op diet so the effort expended to lose the weight was all worth while. I think it is really going to help with head hunger issues post-op, as well, since I've already had to come to terms with those during my pre-op diet.

It's all about losing weight, anyway, isn't it?

[Kiki Von Moonshine 53]

My doctor doesn't require a two week diet. Foxbins cleared it up for me with the example she provided. Thanks all.

[MSVEEKAYWHY 6]

so being placed on a liquid diet depends on your current weight? just wondering. i have yet to get to it, but i'm already dreading the liquid diet!

[Kiki Von Moonshine 53]

so being placed on a liquid diet depends on your current weight? just wondering. i have yet to get to it, but i'm already dreading the liquid diet!

Has to do with what your surgeon wants, not by weight.

[RickM 1,747]

Whenever you start any kind of a weight loss program, not just surgery, you tend to lose very quickly the first couple of weeks or so because initially you are burning mostly glycogen - your quick reserves of primarily carbs which burn at a rate of around 2000 calories per pound; after those reserves are exhausted, then you start burning primarily fat which burns at a slower rate of about 3500 calories per pound. People often stall during this transition period, which is what is usually referred to as the dreaded three week stall. So, if you are already in that longer term fat burning mode when you go into surgery, then you won't see as big of an initial drop immediately post-op that those who didn't lose anything pre-op did (though you may see an initial gain and quick loss from the fluids they pump into you during your hospital stay.) Either way - pre-op or post-op, weight loss is a good thing and what we are here for! Good luck.

[Kiki Von Moonshine 53]

Whenever you start any kind of a weight loss program, not just surgery, you tend to lose very quickly the first couple of weeks or so because initially you are burning mostly glycogen - your quick reserves of primarily carbs which burn at a rate of around 2000 calories per pound; after those reserves are exhausted, then you start burning primarily fat which burns at a slower rate of about 3500 calories per pound. People often stall during this transition period, which is what is usually referred to as the dreaded three week stall. So, if you are already in that longer term fat burning mode when you go into surgery, then you won't see as big of an initial drop immediately post-op that those who didn't lose anything pre-op did (though you may see an initial gain and quick loss from the fluids they pump into you during your hospital stay.) Either way - pre-op or post-op, weight loss is a good thing and what we are here for! Good luck.

Good to know. But I'm curious as to why quick reserves are there at the beginning as oppose to when a person is near goal? I hope you understand what I am saying. For example, what you are saying is that I will lose my reserves first regardless how much I weigh. Is it because I went from sedentary and then started actively losing weight?