Hello, I've just joined. Though I've just started down the bariatric surgery road - just completed orientation - I have been on a long hard weight loss journey since I can remember. Even as a kid I was over-weight and made fun of. My grandma, who really meant well, would constantly make comments to me about my weight and how I'd look so good if... or I don't want to look like that ... or judge me for my food choices. It was thick and instead of pushing me in the right direction, it pushed me further down the rabbit hole and I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I watched my dad - who was morbidly obese and died too young - try every crash diet and food fad there was, but deep down, he didn't really want to change. And that's what scares me. I have lost weight before, when I was in my late 20's, but I was never kind to myself and I always thought I should be thinner. Looking back, I wish I had appreciated all the work I'd done. Now, being older, and in more pain, due to excess weight and injury and all the things that come with that, everything is harder. I look back at that me I used to be and desperately want to get back there. This life is hard enough as it is, I don't need food to control me or my weight to hold me back. I have got to get this weight off and I'm ready to do whatever it takes...but I'm scared.
New to the group
- Thread starter growswild
- Start date
Hi GW & welcome to the group. Have you & your bariatric team decided which surgery you'll have? I just turned 60 and had roux-en-y July 12th.
I was somewhat overweight beginning in college, just after my brother passed away, and lost/gained weight for 30+ yrs until I found succes with WLS almost 4 months ago after starting last September with paperwork, etc. It was well worth waiting for, and I had plenty of time to get ready and prepare mentally & physically.
Please go back and read through the arcives to help you prepare, and to find questions and concerns for your WLS team. One suggestion to begin getting ready is to wean yourself off all sodas (regular AND diet), juices, sugary drinks and caffeine, and begin working in 64+ ozs water daily. You can add lemon or lime slices/juice to help get used to this.
Also try to work movement into your day - walking, leg and arm lifts while watching tv, marching or dancing around as you do daily chores.
Good luck on your journey.
I was somewhat overweight beginning in college, just after my brother passed away, and lost/gained weight for 30+ yrs until I found succes with WLS almost 4 months ago after starting last September with paperwork, etc. It was well worth waiting for, and I had plenty of time to get ready and prepare mentally & physically.
Please go back and read through the arcives to help you prepare, and to find questions and concerns for your WLS team. One suggestion to begin getting ready is to wean yourself off all sodas (regular AND diet), juices, sugary drinks and caffeine, and begin working in 64+ ozs water daily. You can add lemon or lime slices/juice to help get used to this.
Also try to work movement into your day - walking, leg and arm lifts while watching tv, marching or dancing around as you do daily chores.
Good luck on your journey.
Kathi_S
Member
Welcome to the group! We're all scared at some point. It's a huge life altering decision.
I was made fun of as a kid too. My mom was one of those moms that thought chubby meant healthy. So my siblings and I were all fat. When I used to walk to junior high school, kids would "moooo moooo" at me as I walked by. I had to endure this everyday for two years.
I struggled with my weight my entire life. I had gastric bypass surgery on 8/11/2021 and hopefully I am done yo-yoing. I will be 61 years old on Saturday. I wish I had made the decision a long time ago.
You will find a lot of support here. This is a great group of people.
I was made fun of as a kid too. My mom was one of those moms that thought chubby meant healthy. So my siblings and I were all fat. When I used to walk to junior high school, kids would "moooo moooo" at me as I walked by. I had to endure this everyday for two years.
I struggled with my weight my entire life. I had gastric bypass surgery on 8/11/2021 and hopefully I am done yo-yoing. I will be 61 years old on Saturday. I wish I had made the decision a long time ago.
You will find a lot of support here. This is a great group of people.
Lorelai
Member
Hello and welcome! I'm about at the same point on my surgery journey as you are. I had my first consultation last week and I've got my blood panel done. All of the rest of my tests are scheduled throughout the month of November so I'm hoping for an end of year surgery or early next year at the latest.
This forum and the subreddits for the surgery have been a godsend and offered so much help and had me asking questions I hadn't even thought to ask my WLS team about.
I'd say I'm anxious, as well, but I'm mostly excited to get the surgery over and done with so I can start working on the rest of my life.
What KarenWV said is right, though. It'll be easier on you later if you start weaning yourself off of the things you can't have post op. I'm (almost) weaned off of soda lol. My partner allows me the first 1/4 of a can every other day or so haha. Sugar free water flavour packets are great and save from the boring normal water.
It would also be best if you start a food diary if you haven't and start trying to limit your calories. My dietician told me to start limiting at 2,000 but I've been keeping most days below 1,500. You should also go ahead and get the vitamins you'll need, protein shakes, and protein powder (flavoured and not flavoured so you can put in your broth during the liquid diet) plus anything you'll need to make drinks post op. It's good to have this stuff ready and out of the way before hand.
This forum and the subreddits for the surgery have been a godsend and offered so much help and had me asking questions I hadn't even thought to ask my WLS team about.
I'd say I'm anxious, as well, but I'm mostly excited to get the surgery over and done with so I can start working on the rest of my life.
What KarenWV said is right, though. It'll be easier on you later if you start weaning yourself off of the things you can't have post op. I'm (almost) weaned off of soda lol. My partner allows me the first 1/4 of a can every other day or so haha. Sugar free water flavour packets are great and save from the boring normal water.
It would also be best if you start a food diary if you haven't and start trying to limit your calories. My dietician told me to start limiting at 2,000 but I've been keeping most days below 1,500. You should also go ahead and get the vitamins you'll need, protein shakes, and protein powder (flavoured and not flavoured so you can put in your broth during the liquid diet) plus anything you'll need to make drinks post op. It's good to have this stuff ready and out of the way before hand.
JudyNY
Member
It is good to have things in the house to get you ready for when you come home from the hospital but I recommend not to stock up too heavily on the protein drinks. You'd be surprised how your taste buds can change after surgery and what you liked or could tolerate well before may not be tolerated after. It might be a good idea to have a variety of protein drinks to chose from in case one of them all of a sudden becomes a problem.
I'm not sure at this point, I even know what some of those things are - the items I'll need. I have my Q&A tomorrow. I know that I'll need to wean myself off of coffee completely, because I hate black coffee and creamer is just not gonna be good, even if I switch to decaf, so I've already started that. I allowed myself one (large) cup this morning, which I didn't quite finish. And now I'm drinking tea. I have these Waterdrop flavor tabs that have interesting flavors and lots of vitamins and those are a nice switch around from the sparkling water I love so much. I'm going to allow myself one of those a day for a bit and then taper down on those as well. The two things I'm most worried about are pain management - I have a lot of chronic pain, all of which is aggravated by my weight and I take motrin, a couple times a day - I won't be able to do that post surgery, so I'm working on finding more holistic alternatives for that. But I'm also worried about - the pre-surgical weight loss. I've struggled so much to lose weight to date that I'm afraid I won't be able to lose what they want me to OR that I'll be hungry and miserable while trying. I don't have as much trouble making the healthy choices as I do with the over-eating. I don't want to be hungry and I'm worried this is going to be the biggest challenge.
Lorelai
Member
I have heard that! Personally I'm just getting a few different flavours of protein powder and SF pudding mixes and drink packets so I can make a variety of my own protein drinks post op.
I get that. I've been on phentermine to try and lose weight the past few months. It did wonders for my appetite but the side effects are disastrous.
Maybe you could try some appetite suppressant vitamins pre op?
As for the pain, I'm right there with you haha. I have chronic migraines and nerve damage in my thigh and hand and I'm anxious about how it'll be post op but we'll at least be able to take Tylenol since it isn't a nsaid. Other than that, I'd suggest a productive hobby that keeps you busy. I picked up crochet and it's helped a lot with several issues. Anxiety, stress, depression, etc. Plus it's nice being able to wear stuff that I've made haha
As for the rest of your worries, as long as you make a visible effort, your WLS team should see that and acknowledge it. They just want to ensure you understand this is a lifetime commitment and change.
Thank you for that feedback.
I'm currently looking at herbal pain remedies like ginger, rosemary and such. I give it to my dogs (in the food I make for them) and they are doing really well. I'm going to see if there's a version I can take as a supplement and wean myself off the motrin, that can't be good for me anyway, right? Soo...I have a plan, it's just getting there. I really appreciate all the feedback.
Lorelai
Member
You've mentioned before that you drink a bit of tea. You could always buy your own supplies and make your own tea mixes (caffeine free!!) With these ingredients!
I could if I knew how to do that! LOL - but that's a GREAT idea!
Lorelai
Member
Super easy! You can buy bags of dried herbs, flowers, tea leaves etc and look up recipes for homemade tea mixes on Google.
My favourite tea ingredients are lavender, rose, chamomile, and a variety of fruit. Apples, berries, and peaches are so lovely in tea and add in natural sweetness. They're super easy to dry in your oven, too.