San Diego

[sjones0601 11]

I'm new to this and just getting started on my journey. Have completed the seminar and have my first Appt with my surgeon next week.

[Elode 8,093]

@@sjones0601 Welcome!

[Mountaingal 322]

Good luck with the road you are about to travel. Lots of help and support to be found here. This is a life changing decision and so worth it.

[sjones0601 11]

Thank you so much! Pretty nervous! Any tips or things I should expect?

[Cervidae 2,389]

My surgery is on Monday! Here are tips I have learned from the pre-op experience.

- if you smoke, quit now! Most surgeons won't even admit you into the program unless you quit, and will test your blood to make sure you haven't smoked for at least 6 weeks prior to surgery. After surgery, smoking can be very dangerous for a whole list of reasons.

- if you drink soda, quit now! I would also recommend trying to cut back on your caffeine levels in general, because caffeine withdrawal after surgery is going to be just one more thing that makes you feel terrible.

- if you eat white bread, Pasta, rice, etc, I would highly recommend reducing the amount you eat as much as you can and switching to a whole grain version. It's a bit more expensive but the doctor or nutritionist you're going to be seeing before surgery is going to tell you to do that anyway. Plus, it helps to cut back on grains in general, as your post-op diet is going to be Protein, Protein, and more protein for a long time.

- try to be patient. I know what it's like to be super excited and hopeful about this great change in your life, but taking things slow and doing them the right way, and making your body as ready and healthy as possible before surgery greatly increase your chances of long-term success in terms of keeping the weight off and your general health.

- my last tip is to spend some time thinking about why you are overweight in the first place. The surgery is amazing, and extremely helpful, and an overall incredible experience, but in the end, it's just a tool that you have to help you lose weight and keep it off. The problems that you have before going into surgery are still going to be there when you come out of surgery, and even though you will lose a lot of weight in the beginning, long-term success is absolutely dependent on your good habits and healthy coping skills. Personally, I had to address a problem I didn't really think I had (emotionally speaking) as a lot of my weight gain came from pre-existing medical issues and just down-spiraled from there. The fact is, we all got heavy for a lot of reasons, and addressing the psychological issues, like emotional overeating, is essential to this entire process and your happiness and health for the rest of your life.

Good luck! It's an incredible journey. Utilizing ALL the tools you have, including forums like this, food journaling, therapy, the support of your loved ones, etc, will go a long way towards making this time and the rest of your life amazing! Feel free to message me anytime if you want to talk, rant, ask questions, anything.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

Work through this book on the front end: http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-First-Aid-Kit-Practical/dp/0976852659/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1436729032&sr=8-13&keywords=bariatric+book

Your food issues don't go away because of the surgery. Too many people don't deal with the pysch issues and:

1) Sabotage their success by not sticking to the program

2) Switch food addition for another substance or activity

Edited August 13, 2015 by OKCPirate

[sjones0601 11]

I agree...a lot of people use this as a quick fix but never change their eating habits or mindset. This is far from a quick fix and is a lifestyle change that I have already begun.

[sjones0601 11]

I'm only about 90lbs overweight...my "only" is what got me to this point. The time is now to make a permanent change.