Inner Surfer Girl

That's a tough one to do this for that long!! Best of luck. I don't really know if my "advice" works or not so "take it with a grain of salt!" These are just things that, if I had to do it over again, I would do.
-- start going to a support group now. Do you have an Overeater's Anonymous group in your area? You're going to have to find one for after surgery anyway so might as well start now.
-- you need to understand that you are a food addict. that is why the above group is important
-- Slow down. On everything. See some items below.
-- Stop counting calories, start counting grams of Protein. We (post surgery) need to get in around 60-90 grams of Protein a day. To do this, it is best to eat some protein every couple of hours. Try this:
-- Breakfast: 1 or 2 eggs (I do hard boiled only because I can carry it to work and eat it there); and a Kashi bar (I eat the Trail Mix Chew Granola Bar)
-- About an hour later I have a Fit and Light yogurt (in the purple container, or a Protein shake (you could also have the Protein Shake for Breakfast instead of the eggs or especially instead of the kashi bar)
-- always drink a lot of Water BETWEEN meals. Stop drinking Water 30 minutes before your meal, such as lunch or dinner
-- for lunch, a couple of ounces of chicken or turkey or fish. I also add some raw veggies (red and green peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, cukes, tomatoes) with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I add some low fat cheese to it. DON'T DRINK anything with your meals, that means any meals!!! Eat slowly, but not too slowly. In other words, chew, chew, chew, but don't go beyond 30 minutes to eat your meal.
- 30 minutes after you stop eating lunch, start drinking your water again.
-- mid day snack of yogurt or Protein Drink or cottage cheese (or some other protein). I've never liked cottage cheese but the ones that are pre-mixed with peaches or pineapple are fabulous!
-- dinner is lean protein again (about 3-4 oz or the size of a deck of cards), maybe a small bit of brown rice or a baked potato, some veggies (raw, steamed, boiled, etc). Again, don't drink anything with your meal and really chew your food. While chewing, think about how it tastes. When I do this, I sometimes discover that I really don't like it! lol. It's hilarious to discover that.
-- You can have another snack of protein--protein shake, make some string cheese, some low fat cheese (laughing cow is good).
-- EXERCISE!!! This might be just walking to start. Again, you're going to have to do this anyway. I started by getting a pedometer to monitor how many steps I do in a day. Your goal is 10,000 steps in a day. It's a little scary how few steps we take in a day. So, first just do what you normally do to find out how many steps you have been getting in. Once you see that for a few days, try to increase the number of steps.
These are some of the things that you will be doing after surgery. Try them before surgery to see what happens. You can probably add a piece of fruit or 2 each day, and some extra veggies as well. If you eat like that every couple of hours, you really don't get that hungry.
I'm sure I"m forgetting some things but try to do some of these and see what happens. There are some interesting recipes that have been posted on these sites that you can try as well.
Best of luck!! That is a long wait that you have but you can do it!

Try to change and maintain one habit change per week. Give up soda. Then add walking around the block once a day. Then add putting your fork down between bites. You get the idea. Treat this as a project. You'll make lifestyle changes now that you'll need later anyway. First thing I had to do as required by the psychologist was give up tv eating.
I also find Overeaters Anonymous helps me process the feelings.

The lower my caloric intake, the lower my threshold for a$5#o/3$. And on top of that I was crabby and had no patience. I realized this pretty early. I am now feeling feelings instead of eating them. And boy do I have feelings.
I'm in OA and CODA. It helps immensely.

So, I'm sittitng her watching TV with my husband and I start to think, 'Man, I am so lucky. My life is so much better and I am so much happier." I owe this all to my weight loss. Things have been hard, but I am happier with who I am now so it seems like life is somehow easier.
My Story:
I was 25 and 260 pounds, I had 3 small children (9 months, 2yrs, and 4yrs old) and I was crazy unhappy. I went to an information session and everything seemed to fall into place from there. I did my 6 months of supervised diet by a Doctor, saw a psychologist, met with the nutritionist and went through many emotions in the process. Then surgery happened. I was sure I made the worse mistake when I woke up in recovery. I ate no more than 2 bites of Jello the entire time I was in the hospital, but I still hadn't lost any weight. What really upset me was that I wasn't losing weight AND I couldn't eat my favorite foods anymore. Yes, I was one of those people that somehow thought I was going to just wake up skinny. Totally unrealistic, but I thought it would be that easy. Boy, was I WRONG! When people say having surgery is the easy way out, they are full of crap. This has by far been one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Skip ahead almost 2 years (Surgery date was Nov 13) and I am down 110 pounds (weighing in at 150). I am overly excited about how I look and how I feel. Yes there is saggy skin, but ya know what? It beats the hell out of being full of fat and not fitting into even the biggest of sweatpants. I will never forget the way that being bigger made me feel. And while I am still not where I want to be, I happy being me now.
So, it was my plan to have one of those posts that is funny and everyone can relate to, but well its probably not. It is however, how I feel and what I went through (In VERY few words).
I'm going to TRY to attach pictures.... we'll see if it works.

@@proudgrammy
Yes ma'am I sure do. I can't believe it sometimes, and yes I am never too far away from a potty! One of my co-workers have been drinking the same amount as I do after she noticed the difference it was making in me, and now we just laugh at each other as we pass in the hallway knowing that one of the two of us is on our way to pee....

good for you! i am concerned when i see people in my FB support group who say they are out of control and gaining weight, but have no real plan for dealing with their stress. winging it doesnt really work, yk?

I love this thread - thanks for starting it! I definitely think the emotional/mental aspect of the weight loss process is not addressed enough.
I haven't read these books but I had some pretty intense therapy with an amazing counselor. I definitely had disordered eating but I also had a huge appetite (I believe that there is/was some hunger "switch" that just doesn't turn off for some of us). I refer to the sleeve as my "rehab" from food. It gave me a breather from the hunger to work on the mental issues I had/have with food. I had a crappy childhood - abuse, mom died of cancer when I was little, my dad was emotionally incapable of being a father. I grew up with no love/comfort that a child needs and was never really able to grieve from all of this trama. Therapy and EMDR helped me process the feelings that I never allowed myself to feel. Food was the drug that I used to numb everything, give me comfort, etc.. For me, I had to deal with all of this and understand why I behave this way in order to learn how to change those destructive behaviors. I really HATED myself and that was reflected in how I treated myself. After dealing with my past, therapy then became about finding healthy ways to cope with my feelings and self comfort without food. I have a much better relationship with food now and I am much more self aware (even as I have been slipping into some old behaviors lately because my counselor moved 4 months ago and I haven't found a new one). But in the past I would just ignore those warning signs - now I'm less afraid to do that self-assessment of where I am and the path that I'm heading down. Alarm bells are going off in my head telling me that I'm not dealing with my stress in a healthy way - I'm leaning on food for comfort, etc. And so.... I"m going to start looking for a new therapist tomorrow:)

I'd say cauliflower. Before WLS I ate it but the flavor was benign. Now, I've learned to mash it, flavor it with garlic, cut it up into steakettes and use it in place of noodles. Sort of cauliflower helper?

I have always been a fast eater. As I am preop I have been practicing slowing down and chewing my food. The upside to chewing thoroughly -- I actually get to enjoy the flavor of my food longer. Who knew?

Like with anything, practice makes perfect. I have been eating without drinking at meals for about 3 weeks now. I tell you it is easier then you think. The main reason you had to drink with your meal before was you needed the liquid in order to wash the food down. Without it you have to eat much much much slower which actually causes you to feel full eating a smaller portion. In my opinion the drinking with my meal contributed to my weight gain. If you take a bite, chew a couple times and wash it down with a drink, you can eat a whole plate in 5 minutes. If you have to chew enough (20 to 30 times per bite) to swallow without a drink, after 20 minutes you eat 1/2 of the plate and you are full. It's amazing. I wish I knew then what I know now.

Someone going through a major life change (like WLS) could be a great theme.

Someone going through a major life change (like WLS) could be a great theme.

I have always been a fast eater. As I am preop I have been practicing slowing down and chewing my food. The upside to chewing thoroughly -- I actually get to enjoy the flavor of my food longer. Who knew?

Deep Water aerobics is low impact. Definitely consider getting in the water! Its good for the soul.

After I had my right knee replacement in 2007, I gained 35 pounds very quickly from lack of exercise. After I had my left knee replaced in 2011, I gained another 15 pounds.
I don't recommend getting both knees done at the same time, unless the doctor can guarantee outstanding pain management. It will be all you can do to just think, roll out of bed, eat, and get yourself to the bathroom. Secondly, you will need support from your family or someone who is strong enough to help you out of bed for a few days. Ask for the best physical therapist, or your range of motion will be awkwardly limited.
One advantage to getting them done at the same time is that you will have only one recovery period. Get pain meds and take them, especially until you have the staples removed. I was living alone in a small apartment and although I had friends and family within commuting distance, but they had their own lives to live. That means unless someone popped in to check on me, I had to be stable enough to ambulate and care for myself.
Two years after my 2011 surgery I decided to start an exercise program. What I did was order a variety of exercise DVDs to give myself some variety. With other orthopedic issues and two janky knees, I found that these were my favorites because they are low impact and can be done in a chair or laying on the bed. They are available on Amazon.< /p>
1. Exercises for the Bedridden and Physically Challenging, with David Stamps (he is well qualified and is easy on the eyes)
2. Chair Aerobics for Everyone - Chair Salsa, with David Stamps
3. Chair Aerobics for Everyone - Chair Tai Chi, with David Stamps
4. Chair Aerobics for Everyone - Chair Boxing, with David Stamps (a strong favorite for me)
5. Chair Aerobics for Everyone - Circuit Training Beach Party, with Ronit Amaya.
6. Stronger Seniors - Chair Exercise Program, (core fitness, which is a Pilates-based program) with Anne Pringle Burnell.
7. Stronger Seniors-Stretch and Strength, with Anne Pringle Burnell
8. Firming After 50, with Joel Harper (Brother of Bob Harper on Biggest Loser) Another strong favorite because he has his mother do a modified version, and I can keep up with her, It has both upper and lower body workouts plus some ab work that can be done in the bed.
9. Walk Your Belly Flat, with Leslie Sansone. On orthopedic "bad Days" I do this one standing in place in my walker. Otherwise, I can follow along in place, close to the TV.
10. Easy Yoga for Arthritis with Peggy Cappy. This is gentle yoga with modifications for different abilities, and includes meditation.
11. Fun Resistance Bands - Calisthenics and Pilates for the physically challenged, with Sunshine. (yep - that's her name)
12. Boomers' Workout, with Sunshine. This includes light weights to strengthen, tone, and firm.
13. Easy Chair Exercises, with Sunshine. Good for arthritis and osteoporosis
My Salsa, Hula, Hip-Hop Abs, Bollywood, and Pussycat Dolls would be a bit much when balance and coordination are compromised.
So, all of that said to say this: If you must follow through with bi-lateral knee replacements, be prepared to have to ask for help, and do exercise every day as soon as you are able.
It may be that a short walk will be all you can do until you get some stamina. As soon as you are post-op, bring us your questions. I am sure there are several of us in the forum who have had a joint replacement and can comiserate with you, and can lift you up with practial answers to your orthopedic concerns. These exercise programs would also be good for hip replacements, too. I wish you good luck and good health.

Hello everyone my name is Crystal and I have a surgery date with Dr Kim on Dec 1st! I will be having the sleeve and am so excited to start down a healthy road.
I've spent a lifetime obese and at 38 my body feels 58. I tried the insurance approval route a few times in my 20's but it just didn't work out. I had pretty much given up on the thought of surgery, but this year surgery became a necessity.
Turns out I have to have a major surgery on my spine. My surgeon said he didn't want to tackle it until I had bariatric surgery. There was to much risks involved with 326 lbs on a 5'2 frame. So we set out to find our options.
We approached my insurance carrier and were turned down. It's not that they didn't cover bariatric surgery, they just didn't cover employees until 5 years of service. Completely idiotic I know, but we all know how they view these "elective" surgeries. So we were on our own.
We had heard of Dr Kim having previously lived in the DFW for years. We then remembered a friend had had her sleeve through him. After speaking with her and hearing her glowing reviews I made an appointment. Dr Kim's office was wonderful. Knowing I was going to be a cash patient and how scary that was for me, they walked me through every possible finance and discount option. They even grilled my insurance to find what they could bill through them.
I started a liquid diet 7/11/14 and as of today am down 48 lbs. All of my preop tests are complete and now just waiting for my turn on the table.
I'm so excited to have found this community and look forward to sharing with and leaning from you.

I am also from a small town but word gets around no matter what you do. Before surgery I embraced it let most coworkers know & come to find out our human resource person already slipped to a coworker. I have decided to not be bitter but to embrace & be proud of myself.
For your dentist question. I recently had GB surgery 8 hours away from my home on Oct 1st drove home 4 days later on a Sunday with a terrible tooth ache waited through the night went to the Dentist office first thing Monday morning sure enough my tooth was infected. I had my dentist consult directly with surgeon because of the medication/digestion issues. It is important to tell the appropriate people about your history to get the best care. If necessary talk to your dentist in private.

As my daughter reminded me, in my imperfection how important I(and you ) are to every plant on the planet. Every time we breathe out, a plant breathes in our life giving carbon monoxide and shouts with joy!
Karen in the woods of Alaska

Thank you for sharing this! As I read through her blog and looked at the photos I realized I dream about doing so many little, daily things (like touching my toes and being able to paint my own toenails.) But after my surgery I've got a big goal: doing a kayak race called the Missouri River 340. It's 340 miles to be completed in 88 hours. The last 3 years I've obsessed and dreamed about getting to do this race. I've wondered what I would look like after surgery but now I'm curious what kind of list I could compile of things I can DO... from everyday little things to big things too!

Yes I was denied also but because they said I didn't have 2yrs of weights. Thank goodness my diabetic doctor did! Got it overturned and 5 months pre-op and 54 lbs down!! Off all meds! Good luck to you and keep fighting them!! Feeling great in Tampa!

That's a great point. I should start ordering things from the beginning of the menu such as lighter plates, appetizers, and Soups. Less wasteful too.

I am going to challenge you.. not to in any way invalidate your feelings or experiences, but rather to give you "food for thought".. so please take it in the way intended.
Can you really eat as much as you used to? Are you really as hungry as you used to be? Do you think that you can continue to lose weight (and more importantly maintain your losses!)? Could you have accomplished any of this without the sleeve?
I have lost over 160#. I started at 308... and my dream, my measure of success was to get under 200# and actually maintain it. At 5'5"; still obese. I got to about 190 and sure enough... my weight loss slowed to a crawl. At about 8-9 months post op, I was losing around 2# a MONTH!
I met with my nutritionalist and she pointed out the single worst thing I was doing food wise that created my problem.. i was eating Protein bars like candy. crap. One more thing got banned from the house. Essentially, Protein Bars had become my new junk food and they are really high carb!
I also faced my own inner feelings. I had lost about 120-125# and people gave me so many compliments, I felt so good, I could physically do things so much easier... but I still had a nice comfy protective layer of fat. I frankly looked matronly, in spite of my friends saying how good I looked, i looked like a typical overweight middle age woman. hmmm. Did I really really want to lose more? Was this good enough? Was I fearful of trying to get all the way to a normal /slim weight?
I had to face my own inner decision - much like the original decision to get WLS. What do i want to make of this? How can I leverage this tool to the fullest?
I got hardcore again. I went back to basics and pushed pushed pushed, Water, Vitamins, ate low carb again, worked out... etc. Frankly, that first about 14 months post op (except for the little Detour I just talked about) I didn't do alot of fun stuff like vacations, dinner parties and cocktail hours. I focused on losing weight.
Guess what, when I refoced, reduced carbs, my hunger decreased and my weight loss accelerated back to the 9-12# a month until I got to my ultimate goal in Feb 2013.
I am now maintaining under my goal weight and it is still work. (it is easier than staying under 300# was for me preop, but it is still work). It is my lot in life. Guess what, it is the struggle most women over 40 engage in to stay trim. It sucks. My best friend packed on about 35# over the last year or two and she is hungry all the time.. just to lose a pound a week she has to really work it.
Anyway, in truth, i would have been okay if I had maintained at 190.. beats the crap out of 300+ and gaining.. but I am very glad that I took the plunge and continued on as I love my body and health at a normal BMI, but the reality of the WLS situation is that it is not a guaranteed easy ride to skinny-ville.

Hello Everyone.....Nov 7 is my meeting with my surgeon to go over all forms and submit to insurance....the DR said my insurance would come back within 2 weeks and then I will get a date. I am so overwhelmed with all of the details and trying to think about how my new life will be. I compare it to waking up one day and living in Mars. I looked at the post op meal plan and I cant phathom 2 teaspoons of pureed tuna fish for a meal.....I cant picture not being able to gulp down a bottle of Water in 30 seconds.....how do you chew your meal until it is like applesauce in your mouth.....the NUT told me I would hardly be able to swallow my pills/vitamins and to get chewable everything.....
Please tell me there are other people out there whose heads are spinning just like mine......everyone seems so excited and ready.....I am scared out of my mind!! I have talked to a few people at a support group and they are all sunshine and roses...I ask what their struggles were and they seem to not have any....I just dont buy it......
I know I will get through this....but I would love to hear from other people who are scared like me so I feel like I am not alone....and I would love to hear from some people who are past this bumpy section ~~~ maybe you have tips that will help me get through this phase and prepare for life on Mars.
Thank you.

Even if he loses his job you should still be covered under Cobra. I would start asking questions of the insurance companies now just to make sure how to keep uninterupted coverage in case of any contingency.
Yet another example of why we need single payer and to get employers out of the health insurance business.

1 year since I started my pre-op diet, 10 months since surgery. 150 pounds gone!

10months.tiff