Hello! I'm putting this post here in the Pre-Ops & Newbies section, but am hoping that the Post-Ops will come over here to find it.

I work with a woman that is an official Pre-Op. Once she loses 7 more pounds, the WLS Center (same as the one I used) will submit her paperwork to the insurance to get a surgery date. She is very focused right now at getting these seven pounds off. She asked me, "If you could give me ONE piece of advice right now, what would it be?" Well, you know that I'm not going to ever sugar coat ANYTHING, right? My response was, "Lose as much weight and get as healthy as you can prior to having your surgery. You don't want to die on the table because of a failed heart. Get strong." Then I said, "After your surgery, my one piece of advice would be to follow every stinking rule that Valerie (our WLS Nutritionist) sets for you. Don't venture outside of that box until you get to your goal weight. Take full advantage of your year or so after surgery, because after that, your hunger and appetite will come back. The person that you are right now, as far as cravings and emotional eating go, will return. Be ready for that." Then I went into more about the new habits that she needs to create... I'm going to give her a cookbook to get her started.

Post-ops...if you could give one piece of advice to the Newbies, what would it be?

To be very sure that you have a strong support group at your WLS center for AFTER surgery and to absolutely, positively follow all the rules. I am not going to say it is easy because it isn't. Nothing worth it ever is. However, if you follow the rules religiously, you WILL have much, much more success than if you think this is just another diet.

Kim, I hope that your friend listens to you because you have been down the road that she is at the start of. I have found your advice to be dead on. Most people here that I consider successful have given advice in much the same vein that you do. The common thread that I have found is for all of us to remember that we have about a year to lose more weight than we ever dreamed we would. After that, we have to understand what it will take to maintain that loss and if we still need to lose more weight, to continue to lose. It is frightening to think that after going through all that we have, the possibility is still there to gain it all back. This is a fact of life and we must all use this year to deal with what causes each of us individually to give up and regain weight. I think those of you that have succeeded have solved most of those issues. We are all a work in progress at varying degrees of success. I look to those that have already travelled the path I am on for guidance and insight. In that vein, the third thing your friend should do is to join the neighborhood!

IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER!! lol..


Meaning that it's NEVER too late to get back on track!


Most importantly MAKE LIFE STYLE CHANGES NOW and it will be EASIER FOR YOU IN THE LONG RUN!

EAT HEALTHY
EXERCISE DAILY
DRINK LOTS OF WATER
AND LOVE YOURSELF EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!

Oh wait....that's more than one! I never was good at listening! heehee

Julie

Good Morning!

Thanks for all of the good advice!

Kim, I sent Valerie your hello and she sent one back to you; that woman sure has a vast amount of knowledge and I am listening to every word! I am really enjoying my pre-op classes and I'm planning to go to all 12 and not just the required 10! I am taking to heart the fact that I have the one year "window of opportunity" and I've started on the road already - swimming every day, at least 64 oz of water, healthy food, no smoking, and just soaking up all of the advice and encouragement I can get!! I feel like God has given me a second chance at a healthy life and I'm so grateful!

Kim, your friend is probably in Valerie's classes with me, ask her to say hi if she'd like.

I'm so grateful for all of you, another WLS blessing!

Darien

Good job Darien, and I'm glad that you are able to benefit fro the words of wisdom here!

However, just to be clear...the window of opportunity is open for as long as you allow it. What I'm talking about here is the time period where it is...and I hate to even say it this way...but "easier". That time period when your body is still healing and you have to force yourself to eat a meal.

Just an FYI!

Hi Kim,
Thanks for the FYI! I'm looking forward to having to "force" myself to
eat - for however long it lasts! :-) It sure will be a novel experience!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Darien

Kim you are so very right that person that we are comes back and shows herself to soon...we have this great new tool that helps us so much but the surgery only gives us that great tool it does not fix our head we have to do that we have to decide what we want what is important and whats going to make us stay and fight for our new life I am still quite new and have so much more to learn and I daily fight that monster in my head I no longer have the food to be my comfort on bad days or do I have that "fat" to hide me I am now I guess you can say exposed but if I had to do it over again I would do it in a heartbeat every struggle every cry every victory and every smile...the life that I have gained I cant even put my feelings into words