Hi All,

I am scheduled to have my operation in January and it has been a long journey! I have chosen to keep my surgery private from my family and "friends", with only my mum, aunt and best friend knowing. I feel my generation is really critical and judgemental, not to mention the way people change once you've changed for the better so, I feel this would certainly work best.

I want advice on EVERYTHING!

How have younger people coped post and pre-op? (Teens/Twenties - but we're all young so what the hell)

Alcohol intake post-op? (We all deserve some fun!)

Loose Skin (if you have or have not experienced any)? What you did to prevent this or what you recommend to avoid loose skin?

How soon did you exercise? - I know it's recommended to do 30 mins. Walking post-op in the beginning, but how soon did you start resistance training? As I know this is best to stop excessive skin as well as Protein.

What did you take to the hospital?

I'm on the low cal pre-op diet for 2 weeks and start on the 30th - What did you do?

Post-Op: what is recommended? food wise, mainly the first 2 weeks

Please share your thoughts and experiences!

You ask many questions that are answered in a number of posts. I would suggest searching. Additionally, depending on what procedure you are having the answers to your questions vary. Assuming you are having a sleeve or GB, I can answer many.

Your first question comes up all the time. The answer is it's different for everyone. Search out some good examples in these forums.

Second - Alcohol. Sleeve a GB are completely different. First, know this, alcohol is essentially a sugar, hollow empty calories and many of them. Sleeve people can probably drink in a similar fashion as they did before surgery, not beer, no carbonation allowed, but alcohol is still processed by the duodenum, jejunum and ilium as normal. Not even close to GB, I drank 2 shots of Seagram's 7. And was buzzed. We were taught that a guy with my build would take about 4 oz of alcohol to be fall down drunk. Here is the kicker, it lasts for about 1/2 an hour. You are still drunk and would fail a breathalyzer test. But the effects of alcohol go away quickly.

Third - Loose skin, depending on age, how overweight you are, genetics, and speed in which you lose weight all factor into how your skin responds. That being said any cream with Cocoa butter is a good choice.

Fourth - Exercise. Start walking while in Hospital. I got 12K steps the day after surgery and 13K the day after that in hospital. Make sure you are getting enough Water and you can walk pretty much all you want. The first week is a bit odd, as there is post op pain to deal with. As for resistance training, it depends on your surgery and what your surgeon says. I was taken off restriction at 8 weeks out. But told to go slow. I have yet to begin, as I am concentrating on walking.

Fifth - What to bring to hospital. IPhone and a tablet/laptop, clothes to wear home (loose fitting, wear sweat pants) I brought headphones and had like 50 movies on my tablet, but I spent all my time walking. I was doped to the gills and just enjoyed walking. I made and took a couple calls, but I was so wasted no one called a second time.

Sixth - Pre-op diet, follow the surgeons advice. They will most likely weigh you to make sure you have dropped enough weight, that is how they ensure you are following the diet. This is VERY important as it shrinks the liver so the surgeon can get it out of the way to work.

Seveth - Post op phase one diet. Follow guidelines established by your NUT. It is a very limited diet. The big takeaway is to eat without distraction. No TV, PC, Radio, cell phone. Nothing. Pay close attention to what you are eating and savor every bite. This eating habit will hold true for the remainder of your life. Never eat while distracted. Chatting with someone is nice, and can help you to eat slower, which is good. And remember Protein FIRST! Start every meal, post op, until death, by eating the protein on your plate first.

Advice - Two thing matter post op, really two. Protein and Water. Calories are important but secondary to Protein and Water. Sip sip sip. If they sell it in the UK, get Fairlife milk to make your Protein shakes. powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury makes a great chocolate shake. But they are pricey. I use Opurity Vitamins, as the No China trademark had me sold. I switched to Isopure low/no carb protein recently as it is less expensive, has the same 1.00 PDCASS score and a ton of vitamins in it. Remember this; only use protein supplements that have whey Isolate as the protein source, they will have a PDCASS score of 1.00. Take a probiotic, starting like now. Do NOT cheap out on this. The following link is to the one I use that you can get from Amazon, here. It's an amazing probiotic that my NUT went gaga over. Your surgeon will tell you when to start supplements. For me it was 4 weeks out.

For more in depth answers to all your questions buy Alex Brecher's books here is the sleeve and here is the GB, both from amazon of here through the BariatricPal Store (I do not know if he'll ship to the UK) They are BIG books and answer all the questions you have asked and a shite load more you did not ask because you do not know to ask. Buy the book that relates to your surgery, NOW. And read it. Become an educated consumer. In doing so you will remove many surprises that you would have never expected. You'll also learn WHY your NUT is telling you what he/she/it is telling you. What is going on inside you. And what to expect.

Best of luck and Happy Holidays!

Edited December 18, 201510 yr by winklie

@@winklie Many, many thanks! I have been doing quite a bit of research I guess I just wanted answers on a single thread so thanks. I'm having a RNY GB and will definitely look into the books.

Definitely thanks for the advice on exercising as well as loose skin, there certainly is no wrong or right way to do it so can only do as much as I can food-wise and exercise when I can.

Also, first time I've come across not to eat with any tv, etc. which I will implement. At present I find something to watch right before I eat, so will definitely be keen on breaking that habit.

Overall, your comment has helped a lot.

@@NovaL

Glad to help. And not being distracted while eating is HUGE. Post op, you have to learn the signs of being full, it's not always obvious. Stick to measured portions, get a food scale and weigh and log EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth. I recommend a Fitbit, as you can track your exercise and see your activity level and watch it improve. This is very rewarding. In addition, Fitbit comes with a full featured food log. Track your Protein and Water, along with a lot of other metrics.

But never eat while distracted, no television, no driving and eating. Meals are a time to sit, savor each bite, and quite literally learn how to eat again. You'll be surprised how your eating habits change when you are sitting alone, or at a table with company and slowly eating a meal. It is very different than the disconnected eating we are all so used too.

The only time I eat while a television is on, is when I have a yogurt at night. It is a measured portion (Oikos Triple Zero!!) and I allow myself to eat that while watching the very limited television that I watch.

Best of luck, get the book! I have it right next to me and have read it twice along with several others. Alex is a good writer, he combines just enough technical aspects along with making a complex surgery easy to understand to really make the book a great read.

Edited December 19, 201510 yr by winklie

Thanks Noval,

For all the advice it was very straightforward and most helpful. I'm having the RNY GB on 12/31. I'm excited and somewhat nervous at the same time. I'm on a restricted Protein diet until night before surgery! Just trying to stay focus and not turn into a "grouch"!! Lord help me!!!

I meant to say to Winklie for that awesome advice to the young woman in her early 20's!

Sorry about that!☺️

@@NovaL

Glad to help. And not being distracted while eating is HUGE. Post op, you have to learn the signs of being full, it's not always obvious. Stick to measured portions, get a food scale and weigh and log EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth. I recommend a Fitbit, as you can track your exercise and see your activity level and watch it improve. This is very rewarding. In addition, Fitbit comes with a full featured food log. Track your Protein and Water, along with a lot of other metrics.

But never eat while distracted, no television, no driving and eating. Meals are a time to sit, savor each bite, and quite literally learn how to eat again. You'll be surprised how your eating habits change when you are sitting alone, or at a table with company and slowly eating a meal. It is very different than the disconnected eating we are all so used too.

The only time I eat while a television is on, is when I have a yogurt at night. It is a measured portion (Oikos Triple Zero!!) and I allow myself to eat that while watching the very limited television that I watch.

Best of luck, get the book! I have it right next to me and have read it twice along with several others. Alex is a good writer, he combines just enough technical aspects along with making a complex surgery easy to understand to really make the book a great read.

I meant to say to Winklie for that awesome advice to the young woman in her early 20's!

Sorry about that!☺️

@mk2766 Awe shucks. Just trying to help. The pre-op diet, that everyone complains about, is actually very important. Yes, the goal is to shrink your liver so the Surgeon can get it out of the way, however there are a lot of side benefits that no one ever really talks about. First, likely your surgeon is going to weigh you again before surgery, and you are expected to have lost a certain minimum amount of weight. This is how the surgeon ensures compliance with the diet. Not all surgeons do this, wise ones do. If you are not being weighed, it is not a license to cheat on this diet. This diet, can be, quite literally the difference between life and death on the table. Before surgeons started doing this diet, my surgeon described a typical liver as having the same consistency as a brick. It was impossible to bend it out of the way. A great number of people suffered and even died due to cuts and nicks and other assorted problems related to the surgeon having to try and work around the liver. Do not cheat!

Secondly, the diet you are on now, is the same one you will be on post op. Usually. Phase one diets can last anywhere from a week to three and I have heard of four weeks out. However, if you are having a RNY GB guess what? Likely you won't be hungry. This is where the sleeve and the band differ from the GB, in addition to the mal-absorptive feature the chemicals and enzymes that control hunger; Grelin, Leptin, GLP, GLP-1 which in obese people are low when they should be high or high when they should be low, tend to correctly operate after a GB. This is a really big deal. I am rarely if ever hungry. Sometimes in the middle of the night i'll get up, and feel hungry, that is about it. So this diet you are on that is so shocking to you now, will in all likelihood be just fine post op. It is the starting point. Successive dietary stages add more foods to your diet, however failing to plan in advance will lead to trouble incorporating these next diet stages. Alex talks about them quite a bit in his books. Again I advocate, that EVERYONE should be FORCED to read the Big Book on whatever procedure they are having. There is so much information, it will blow your mind. For me, I wanted to know everything, and I mean everything about the GB before I went under the knife. I knew what to expect post op, what the risks were, the percentages of different complications, I had a very complete picture of the entire process. Including the earth shaking revelation that it takes six to eight months to fully heal from this surgery. Yeah, six to eight MONTHS.

Anyway I am rambling. Get the book, any book, but I like Alex's the most out the 4 I read. Two were very technical, but I read them after reading the Big Book, and was able to follow along. One was written seemingly for those with an IQ less than 60 I am surprised it did not have coloring sections in it. Alex's book strikes that perfect balance between being technical and being understandable. That is what makes it pretty unique as far as books on these topics go.

Have a very Happy Holiday season!

Thank you again, I'm going to purchase the book now!

Happy holidays!

@@mk2766 Good luck with your surgery please do come back and tell us how it goes. Hey @@winklie, purchased the book as a Xmas Gift to self, thanks again and will keep you posted. Happy Holidays!

@@NovaL

Be sure to come back and let me know if it was as eye opening to you as I found it! Happy Holidays from this side of the pond!

Hi All, I am now officially post-Op!!! Surgery went smoothly, although I have no idea what happened lol. Nonetheless it went well. One thing I will say is nothing can truly make you prepare for this surgery, I still cannot believe it's over it's so surreal! Seeing as I was knocked out and had no idea I had knocked out (the joys of anaesthetic) It still hasn't really sunk in. I am still at the hospital, only drinking water, using my spirometer and trying to ease the pain. It's finally done! Officially beginning my new journey...