Redo2017

I totally agree with this. One of the million diets I tried was Paleo and I felt great while I was doing it. The struggle for me was the work the went into always eating "real" food, especially because work keeps me out of the house quite a bit. Do you have any post-op tips? Favorite meals/snacks you can suggest?

Am I crazy to think I can go away for a long weekend 5 weeks post-op? The trip is only 1.5 hours in the car. We will be staying in a rental with a full kitchen. I will have my kids with me but my husband will be with us to help out. We will probably be doing some lite hiking and swimming. We will be vacationing with another family and I'm sure that food and alcohol will be abundant. I am definitely prepared to abstain from drinking alcohol at that point and plan on bringing post-op friendly foods. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Awesome advice! Thank you!

"Out of the house" can mean so many things. Assuming you are in your car a lot, you could get an insulated lunch box with a cold pack inside.
Hard boiled/deviled eggs
Cottage cheese
salad in a jar (watch youtube videos on this)
Cold, cooked salmon (had this yesterday, so good!)
Cans of tuna or chicken.. bring Condiments and veggies in little containers/baggies
Nuts and seeds (I portion out 1 oz into little containers and keep in my purse)
Cheese sticks
fruit
Quiche or meatballs precooked in little-muffin pan (I love my little-muffin pan.. great for small-portion control.. easy grab and go size..).
I picked up some little 2oz clear plastic disposable covered containers from the grocery store. They are very handy.
Good luck!

Not long ago I came across a post-op shopping list someone posted. It was provided to them by their surgeon and it was very helpful. Of course, I forgot to save it and I can't find it! Does anyone out there have a post-op shopping list they would share, either provided by your WLS team or one you have created? Thank you!

I can empathize with this one. One of my issues is that I've been in denial about how overweight I've become. Telling anyone I'm having WLS is akin to broadcasting, "YES, I am overweight, and so much so that medical professionals have recommended surgery." It's a tough reality for me. I have not been obese my entire life, and in fact I was quite thin in my teenage and early adult years. It's only recently with the development of health issues that I actually am beginning to identify as an overweight person.

Congrats! Do you live in Mexico or will you be traveling there from the states? If you are traveling, what's the post-op plan? Do you have to stay in Mexico to heal for a bit or do they clear you for travel straight away?

I agree that have meals thought out and pre-proportioned is key to success. In addition to prepackaged food, I have found that doing meal prep a day or more ahead of time is really helpful. It's the mindless eating that always gets me.

I definitely feel like I need to start preparing now for the mental aspect of post-op. Most of my problems with overeating stem from my head, not my stomach. I can lose weight and I know exactly how to do it. I have lost up to 60 pounds at least 5 times, but always put it back on plus some. I am going to start meeting with a therapist next week to start trying to work through the causes of my overeating. My biggest fear post-op is falling back into my old mind-set with food.

I agree that have meals thought out and pre-proportioned is key to success. In addition to prepackaged food, I have found that doing meal prep a day or more ahead of time is really helpful. It's the mindless eating that always gets me.

Are you scheduled for WLS in July as well? How are you planning on dealing with food issues post surgery? I'm trying to gather as much insight on this before my surgery date!

Are you scheduled for WLS in July as well? How are you planning on dealing with food issues post surgery? I'm trying to gather as much insight on this before my surgery date!

Just got my date: July 10, 2017. I have what seems like a fairly typical lead-up to WLS: losing between 20-50 pounds repeatedly since reaching adulthood and always managing to put the pounds back on plus some. I have tried many diets, including Weight Watchers, Atkins, Paleo, Nutri-System, Slim Fast, Isagenix, and various other Meal Replacement shakes. It is only recently that I have really recognized that I have a very unhealthy relationship with food. I don't know that I necessarily am an emotional eater, I just really like to eat and I really like the feeling of being full. I have started to work on the mental aspect of my food issues and I anticipate that this will be the biggest struggle for me after WLS. Basically, food is my vice.
I also have been in denial about my size for some time. I have always carried my weight in a way that kind of masks my size. I have always figured that I am doing OK as long as I can still find cute clothes that fit me. I also have a healthy sense of self-confidence and have never let my weight hold me back. However, I finally realized that it was time to take control of my obesity through weight loss surgery when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea earlier this year. I cannot allow my weight and my obsession with food compromise my health or lead me to an early death.
I am also totally nervous! I am not necessarily afraid of the surgery itself (I have had three C-sections and NOTHING can be worse than that!) but I still need to get to the place where I am as close to 100% sure as possible that I will be able to commit long term to a massive life style change. I know myself, and it will be difficult, if not impossible, for me to moderate around certain foods. Thus, surgery may mark the end of my relationship with some of my favorite things.
I have learned a great deal from lurking on this site for the better part of 2017. I am hoping to find some fellow July 2017 sleevers to commiserate with and I would love support and advice from any experienced WLS veterans, especially when it comes to post WLS surgery veterans who feel like they may have/had a dependence or addiction to food.

I have been considering WLS for some time now and lurking on the site for a bit. I finally have my date for VSG: July 10, 2017. I am inspired by your story, especially because your beginning stats are almost identical to mine and we seem to have similar body types. (at least we did before your WLS!). Your after pics are a peek into future possibilities, which is helpful in getting over the massive fear that has begun to set in. What was it that finally inspired you to go through with WLS? Were you afraid of not being able to maintain the post-op lifestyle in the months leading up to your surgery? Thanks for any advice!