Pre-op diet motivation flagging during loooooong wait - help!

[katesuccess 990]

I've been in the process since Nov 1, 2013 and will finally get my psych eval done next week - then 2-3 months wait for a pre-op appointment with the surgeon and another 2-3 months to get on his roster. All in all, long enough to make me feel nuts!

My problem is this - I supposed to be starting my pre-op weight loss of 10-15% of excess weight (required by my insurance) which is for me 14-20 lbs. Then closer to surgery i'll have a two month pre-op diet of part liquids and part frozen Entrees. I'm not really worried I could lose enough to make me ineligible -- what I"m worried about right now is that with it so far away I feel little motivation to START losing weight! I should, and the nurse-coordinator said I should start trying to lose now, but it's so hard to feel motivated when the surgery is still so far away time-wise.

Anyone go through this or feel this way, and have thoughts for overcoming it? Help!

[Jessiegirl30 149]

I'm sorry I probably can't help you to become motivated I can only tell you my experience:)

I had my first appointment in June 2013 and only having my surgery next week April 2014 & it has been a hard slog to drop 60 lbs required I would say the sooner you start the easier it will become and if you have a bad week or few days the damage won't be the same, I struggled over Christmas and didn't loose weight for a few weeks so the more time you have the better

Anyways good luck and I hope it works out for you

[1Day1Life4Now 882]

If the 10-15 percent weight loss is required by insurance then that should be motivation enough. If you don't lose that amount by surgery does that mean the insurance will not pay for it??? I know it seems like a long time, and it is... but the sooner you start losing, the better it is for you. If you can lose a lot prior to surgery...it will be so much easier to get to what ever goal weight you want. Keep a calendar to check off days till surgery and accomplishments you make along the way. Though you can look at pictures of others who have lost weight for inspiration, you must reach down from within yourself to find the motivation. Good luck to you, you can do this.

[katesuccess 990]

Your posts are both wonderfully helpful! Thank you. No - the insurance isn't requiring the loss, my HMO WLS clinic does though, and so the point about losing now in case of a stall (which ALWAYS happens when i lose) is a great one. Thanks Jessiegirl - I can't imagine how hard those 10 months have been to wait through either. I"m told mine may take that long to get scheduled too, but hoping not. I appreciate 1day1life pointing out what maybe should have already been obvious to me - about losing more weight before being a good thing. I just think of it as doubly hard and have recently come off an attempt that left me stalled and frustrated. I do look at before and after pictures of people, and I don't have a surgery date yet, but the pictures are helpful and I can start thinking more about taking advantage of that initial faster-loss phase after surgery - by losing as much as I can now before surgery, to get myself closer to goal. Thanks again!