The Waiting Game (Pre-pre op)

[CandyPants81 94]

Since I have 48 days until surgery (but who's counting), and I feel that time has pretty much slowed to a crawl, I thought maybe I could use this time to prepare myself for some of the lifestyle changes that will occur when I am sleeved. Some ideas I have are:

1. Getting more Protein in.

2. Trying out different shakes and powders to see which one are gross and which ones I like. I've heard my tastes may change after surgery, but I don't want to use that time to experiment when I could be doing it now.

3. Practice sipping Water all day instead of waiting until I'm parched and CHUGGING an entire bottle.

4. Practice cutting food into really small pieces and chewing for a really long time.

5. Start exercising. Walking a several times a week and weights tossed in somewhere.

6. Continue yoga. We have yoga at work once a week. I hate yoga, but I've only been twice, so maybe I'll keep it up at least until surgery. Who knows. Maybe it will grow on me.

7. Cutting out soda.

8. Cutting out the wine. Mostly. Ok, I'll cut BACK for sure.

Do any of you who are waiting for surgery have any things you're working on?

What about those of you who are already sleeved? Were there things you did in the months prior to your pre-op diet phase to prepare? Looking back, are there things you wish you'd done to prepare that would make your recovery and lifestyle adjustments easier or better?

C

[Bufflehead 6,358]

Practice not drinking with a meal or for 30 minutes after.

Get a myfitnesspal account and get in the habit of logging EVERYTHING you eat. After you weigh or measure it! No guessing on portion sizes. Getting used to MFP and weighing or measuring all my food was probably the most important thing I did pre-op.

Tasting Protein Shakes before surgery is fine, but my advice is to make sure that you get multiple sample sizes so that if you like a sample before surgery, you can sample it again after surgery to make sure you still like it before committing to buying a big tub of Protein.< /p>

Good luck!

[CandyPants81 94]

I completely forgot about the 30 minutes between food/liquids thing. Thank you. I actually have a My Fitness Pal account that has been lying dormant for some time. Time to crank it back up, I guess. As far as weighing food...just grab a scale from Amazon, I guess? I've never had a food scale before. Thank you so much!

C

[Travelmego 235]

Ok, I am with you. I am ready to start getting ready.

I think i will focus on:

- practicing the Water not before and after thing.

- sipping Water all day

- chewing and slowly eating

- figuring out which Protein shakes I like (or other sources) and what needs to be done regarding that

- get more walking in

- creating a schedule with a sample meal plan for every day from pre-op fast on to solids

I will probably order the unjury sample pack to try out. I have a big huge Protein thing now from another make but it is only so-so on flavor.

[CandyPants81 94]

I ordered my sample pack from unjury last night. I will wait until after surgery to try those, so that I know which ones I like. As far as the pre-op diet, I have already tried Pure Protein's chocolate shakes (my husband had them for completely unrelated reasons, but didn't like them so I tried them). I like those, but they are very sweet. Next I'm going to try the Slim Fast high Protein in vanilla.

I had my husband to write out an exercise plan for me that includes some resistance work as well as cardio. Nothing too heavy (my knees won't let me), but something to get me in the habit of being active again.

Looking at my bottle of Water now. This sipping all day thing is going to really take some practice.

candy

[Travelmego 235]

What are we supposed to be doing with the sipping thing anyway? Are we supposed to be taking little sips almost continuously (for the first week or two)? Are we trying to limit how much we put in our stomachs at one time, or how large the swallow itself is, or both?

I am going to try to get on more of an eating schedule too. I am supposed to be on one to better control my sugars but haven't been following it very closely the last 2 months. I think it is a psychological thing where I am like, 'Oh screw it, I am getting surgery so I don't have to deal with sugars anymore!" This is completely the wrong mindset of course. So, back to the schedule I go. I need to keep my A1C down anyway.

Breakfast 9 am, noon snack, 2 pm lunch, 5 pm snack, 7 pm dinner, bedtime snack

Edited June 6, 2014 by Travelmego

[CandyPants81 94]

From what I understand, we should be sipping almost constantly, making sure to stop sipping 30 mins before meals and not starting again until 30 mins after meals. I think the focus is on staying hydrated and paying attention to the swallow amount. The only way to stay hydrated post surgery (with a tiny new tummy) is to take small sips all day.

Another thing I thought of is weaning myself off of coffee. I usually have about 1-2 cups per day, and when I start my pre op diet I can't have caffeine. So maybe I'll start subbing with Decaf.< /p>

[Travelmego 235]

Oh you should totally wean yourself off coffee. If you had to suddenly quit caffeine you would probably have a headache for a day or two. I have always avoided coffee except for the occasional cup because I didn't want to become 'hooked' on it. That is completely dumb because I didn't avoid caffeine in other stuff like cola or tea. *rolls eyes

I am going to start off slow and change my habits for one meal at a time. I will make a google doc for us if you want!