6 Month Waiting Period--- Driving Myself Crazy

[TNSleever 4]

I am really hating this 6 month waiting period...

How did others deal with that much down time? I am driving myself crazy because I have a relatively low BMI at 37.1 and if I even lose 12 pounds during the next 5 months I will not qualify... I am and have always been pretty active and know that I can lose 20-30 pounds by just doing normal stuff, but I know that with my family history of diabetes and stroke that if I don't take this step, I will just keep yo-yoing back up with my weight and am a walking ticking time bomb...

Any advice is appreciated!

[Kelsan 117]

My nutritionist and surgeon said once I've started the process, that I could go ahead and try to lose weight on my own, and I would just be that much further ahead after surgery. They said it wasn't going to matter in the approval process, but I was definatly talk to your office to make sure that is the same case for you. Six months is a long time to wait (I did too), but it gave me time to think about this decision and read lots of information. Ultimatley, I feel better prepaired because of it. Good luck!

[johnlatte 1,232]

I used my six months to really figure out why I was constantly yo-yoing. I had a fairly low BMI of 38 and had lost weight several times in the past but had a hard time keeping it off. The six months gave me the opportunity to really reconcile my relationship with food. I had a couple of good sessions with a therapist (I highly recommend this) and really got honest with myself about the changes that I was going to have to make to keep the weight off this time. I also used the 6 months to get in to a lot better shape physically. I hit the gym pretty much every day and got in what I felt was decent enough shape, that coming out of the surgery, I could realistically set some goals for my recovery, and hit them. I didn't focus on losing weight in those six months, I think I lost about 6 pounds total. They wanted 10-12, but I wasn't too concerned with it as I really wanted to get more prepared mentally than anything else. So far, I am glad that I did what I did. I think I have most of my emotional connections to food and eating in check, or at least I am able to identify certain triggers that can cause me to go off the deep end. No way shape or form perfect, but at least I can see the train coming before I get ran over by it.

[sixbuttons 102]

I ha six month waiting period as well and I am currently in my third month. My BMI is 62 so any weight lost is not going to be a problem for me. I've been researching everything I can. I also have been able to get my eating under control when it comes to fast food - which is a HUGE problem for me. I am a total food addict and fast food has always been my weakness. But I've went from dining out at least twice a day to twice a week - which is a HUGE accomplishment for me.Those six months are great for getting prepared!!!

[lsereno 2,525]

Check with your program manager about losing weight pre-op. For my program, once I qualified it didn't matter if my BMI was too low to qualify by surgery date. I started at a little over 40 BMI. Day of surgery was 34.9 BMI.

I also had a 6 month waiting period. I kept myself busy:

Researching how others did post-op by perusing this board and others and going to face to face support group meetings.

Getting necessary tests and procedures.

Cleaning house from top to bottom (so glad I did because it took quite a while to get my strength back post-op).

Buying things I would need post-op, such as new nightie, slippers, measuring cups, and a little spoon

Stocking up on non-perishibles so I didn't have to shop for as much the first few weeks post-op.

Organizing smaller clothes in prep for post-op weight loss.

Practicing eating slowly and chewing more.

Practicing drinking slowly and getting in 64 oz. over the course of the day instead of loading up on Water later in the day if I didn't drink enough earlier.

Giving up coffee about a month pre-op so I wouldn't have to deal with caffiene withdrawal post-op.

Trying out Protein drinks.

Buying recommended Vitamins and taking them as recommended.

Stepping up my exercise regime so I would have more muscle going into surgery.

Getting personal appts out of the way (hair cut and color, mani-pedi, etc)

Getting things ready for post-op healing (extra pillows, books and movies to while away a few hours).

Paying bills.

It goes by quicker than you think.

Lynda

[TNSleever 4]

Check with your program manager about losing weight pre-op. For my program, once I qualified it didn't matter if my BMI was too low to qualify by surgery date. I started at a little over 40 BMI. Day of surgery was 34.9 BMI.

I also had a 6 month waiting period. I kept myself busy:

Researching how others did post-op by perusing this board and others and going to face to face support group meetings.

Getting necessary tests and procedures.

Cleaning house from top to bottom (so glad I did because it took quite a while to get my strength back post-op).

Buying things I would need post-op, such as new nightie, slippers, measuring cups, and a little spoon

Stocking up on non-perishibles so I didn't have to shop for as much the first few weeks post-op.

Organizing smaller clothes in prep for post-op weight loss.

Practicing eating slowly and chewing more.

Practicing drinking slowly and getting in 64 oz. over the course of the day instead of loading up on Water later in the day if I didn't drink enough earlier.

Giving up coffee about a month pre-op so I wouldn't have to deal with caffiene withdrawal post-op.

Trying out Protein drinks.

Buying recommended Vitamins and taking them as recommended.

Stepping up my exercise regime so I would have more muscle going into surgery.

Getting personal appts out of the way (hair cut and color, mani-pedi, etc)

Getting things ready for post-op healing (extra pillows, books and movies to while away a few hours).

Paying bills.

It goes by quicker than you think.

Lynda

Lynda,

Thanks so much for the advice... I literally printed your to-do list for passing time and posted it on my refrigerator! I think that I'll likely still be nervous during the 6 months, but at least I'll be busy! And I think it'll definitely help pass the time productively so that I do well post-surgery! Thanks!

[lsereno 2,525]

You're welcome! I still remember it seemed like forever and them Wham! It was time.

Lynda

[Dons2.0 39]

I am really hating this 6 month waiting period...

How did others deal with that much down time? I am driving myself crazy because I have a relatively low BMI at 37.1 and if I even lose 12 pounds during the next 5 months I will not qualify... I am and have always been pretty active and know that I can lose 20-30 pounds by just doing normal stuff' date=' but I know that with my family history of diabetes and stroke that if I don't take this step, I will just keep yo-yoing back up with my weight and am a walking ticking time bomb...

Any advice is appreciated![/quote']

Hi,

I'm from Australia and don't have private health insurance so I'm paying for this op myself. To make things more affordable I can pay the surgeon fees and have the op in a public hospital. Only issue with that is a waiting list I have my date for Sept 17th - about 4 and a half months away. It's killing me to wait so long! Lol I'm a higher BMI though and could stand to lose some weight before Sept.

I'm using the time to try different Protein shakes and recipes for things I will be eating post op. We don't have the variety like USA does unfortunately and lots of things mentioned on here we don't have but doing my best to prepare!

Hopefully time will fly for us both!

Donna