HI! I'm new here!

[Selmeeka 28]

Hi All! I'm new here and just started the process to have the sleeve surgery. I am incredibly nervous and would appreciate any and all advice No date set, have met with my surgeon and went to see the sleep study doctor. First nutritionist appointment is withing the next 2 weeks. Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself!

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

Welcome to the site! This is a very friendly and supportive community. Just dive right in!

Tip for a newbie: If you want to search for a topic to see if there's already a thread, go to the HOME page and type in that search box. That will search the whole site. Otherwise, you just search the one forum that you happen to be in at the time

[Selmeeka 28]

That is good to hear! I was on another site and it wasn't very friendly. I was very turned off by the admins. They were very picky about the topics discussed. I was looking for a more open forum. Based on what I see I think I've found it

[James Marusek 5,244]

Welcome and let us know if we can be of any help.

Since you are at the beginning of this process, I would recommend three things.

1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success.

2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery.

3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

[Selmeeka 28]

That is great advice!

I have given up the soda already knowing that was going to be a struggle. I will start the walking today. I don't want to have a difficult time post op.

Thank you so much for those tid bits! I really appreciate it!

[TakingABreak 2,733]

Hi, welcome! Congrats on starting your journey. Here's some tips I give out to newbies who are just getting started. Feel free to jump right into the community. So much to read and learn about. You can utilize the search bar to see if topics have already been started that you are interested in.

1. Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your Protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there.
2. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and Water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like.
3. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery.
4. Don't use Protein Shakes before you absolutely have to! I made the mistake of supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to.
5. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit.
6. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price.
7. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time.
8. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes.
9. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be.
10. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives.
11. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror.
12. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice.
13. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

Edited July 11, 2018 by AshAsh1