I was wondering.......

If, as a veteran bypasser, you could give your top five bits of advice on how to be successful, what would they be? I have not had the surgery yet. I am looking forward to having it done in the near future. But I really want to be successful. I was wondering what others that have already done it, would say are the top five things that they did that helped them lose the weight and keep it off.

I am so glad that I read this post. I am 4 weeks out, and I learned several great things. Thank you all for your responses.

Hi- I'm about 4 1/2 months post op and have learned a few thing here and there.

1. Everyone is different. I don't judge my weight loss to anyone else. Everybody is different
2. DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF DAILY! You will go crazy. I honestly only weigh myself every 2-3 weeks. I go by how I feel and how my clothes feel
3. Water - Vitamins - Protein. In that order. In my opinion, getting the minimum 64 oz. of water in daily is essential followed by a regular Vitamin schedule. I also make sure I get at least 100 grams of protein in daily.
4. Take small bites. This is the thing I still struggle with. Sometimes I have food get stuck if I eat too fast or take too big of a bite and it is not a nice feeling.
5. Get up and move! For the first 3 months all I did was walk. Once I hit around the 3 month mark I started going to the gym 4-5 time a week and I feel really good.

This has worked for me so far. I feel that the surgery was the first step, my diet the second step, and exercising the 3rd step in a permanent lifestyle change.

Best of luck!

Thanks tamg26k! I struggle with eating too quickly :/ so I will keep that in mind.

Hi- I'm about 4 1/2 months post op and have learned a few thing here and there.

1. Everyone is different. I don't judge my weight loss to anyone else. Everybody is different
2. DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF DAILY! You will go crazy. I honestly only weigh myself every 2-3 weeks. I go by how I feel and how my clothes feel
3. Water - Vitamins - Protein. In that order. In my opinion, getting the minimum 64 oz. of water in daily is essential followed by a regular Vitamin schedule. I also make sure I get at least 100 grams of protein in daily.
4. Take small bites. This is the thing I still struggle with. Sometimes I have food get stuck if I eat too fast or take too big of a bite and it is not a nice feeling.
5. Get up and move! For the first 3 months all I did was walk. Once I hit around the 3 month mark I started going to the gym 4-5 time a week and I feel really good.

This has worked for me so far. I feel that the surgery was the first step, my diet the second step, and exercising the 3rd step in a permanent lifestyle change.

Best of luck!

1. Follow what your practice tells you. I have not had a Protein shake since week 2 and my requirements for daily protein intake are about 1/3 of what you see on this board. That's my program. I stick with it and it's working for me because I have lost more weight than anticipated in 7.5 months.

The scale is not your friend. It will make you happy and put you in tears all in the same week. Unless you are on maintenance you really need to stay off of it for your own sanity. The daily weighs are not your friend.

The charts and numbers don't dictate success. Some of us will stop before we get there because we want to, or because our body decides to stop. That is not failure.

Don't try food just because someone else tried it. Some people can eat carbs galore (like me) and some people will get the foamies every time. Some people can eat strawberries (not me), some people can eat red meat (me), some people can eat fried foods (mostly not me), some people can eat Desserts (I did make mini pumpkin pies with truvia and it was a success- no dumping). My point is that everyone's body and pouch are different.

This is not easy. In my opinion it get's easier with time but it's still a challenge. I personally thought months 2-4 were the hardest. I was nauseous and never knew what was or was not going to make me feel like crap. I was also still tired. Now at 7.5 months I'd say I only have 1 or 2 bad moments a month because I know my body and I know my limits.

You will sag. Well, most of us will sag. Many will have excess skin. Many will have no boobs. Many will have bones appear in places we didn't know we had them. (OMG my tailbone is a huge issue). Be ready. Focus on health not on looks.

WOW! Thanks Amylif2. I am getting closer to my surgery date and I am a bit nervous. It will really help to go back and read the words of those that have gone through it. I am not looking forward to the sagging skin/no boobs part and keep praying I will be the exception. lol But you are right about concentrating on being healthy not aesthetically pleasing. Thanks for taking the time to offer your wisdom.

1. Follow what your practice tells you. I have not had a Protein shake since week 2 and my requirements for daily protein intake are about 1/3 of what you see on this board. That's my program. I stick with it and it's working for me because I have lost more weight than anticipated in 7.5 months.
2. The scale is not your friend. It will make you happy and put you in tears all in the same week. Unless you are on maintenance you really need to stay off of it for your own sanity. The daily weighs are not your friend.
3. The charts and numbers don't dictate success. Some of us will stop before we get there because we want to, or because our body decides to stop. That is not failure.
4. Don't try food just because someone else tried it. Some people can eat carbs galore (like me) and some people will get the foamies every time. Some people can eat strawberries (not me), some people can eat red meat (me), some people can eat fried foods (mostly not me), some people can eat Desserts (I did make mini pumpkin pies with truvia and it was a success- no dumping). My point is that everyone's body and pouch are different.
5. This is not easy. In my opinion it get's easier with time but it's still a challenge. I personally thought months 2-4 were the hardest. I was nauseous and never knew what was or was not going to make me feel like crap. I was also still tired. Now at 7.5 months I'd say I only have 1 or 2 bad moments a month because I know my body and I know my limits.
6. You will sag. Well, most of us will sag. Many will have excess skin. Many will have no boobs. Many will have bones appear in places we didn't know we had them. (OMG my tailbone is a huge issue). Be ready. Focus on health not on looks.