Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Pre-Op Need Motivation Help !



Recommended Posts

GO VEGAN FOR YOUR HEALTH AND THE ANIMALS

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Need to loose 10% of weight before surgery where do I start. What works for you ? I have 12 weeks before surgery Help!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Speak to your NUT on your team. S/he should be able to give you a plan that will work for you. It depends on your starting weight, and other health issues you may have. Schedule a meeting with him/her ASAP.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Low carb, high Protein. Tons of water! No Pasta, bread or rice. Cut out soda or high calorie drinks. You can try and replace a meal or two with a Protein shake. Good luck!

My Nut and Surgeon agree... High Protein, then veggies and fruit... minimal amount, if any, dairy and no processed carbs.

Lots of Water... 64oz minimum. 5 small meals a day and about 20 g of protein in each. Exercise, exercise, exercise... even if it's walking more or swimming or cycling. Just move! I'm 2 months in and 18 pounds down. I have 6 more weeks and need to lose more but i'm working on it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The thing that always provides best success for me is tracking. In the end it is a math formula.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Is there something you have done in the past that has worked?...

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them"

Einstein

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Have you been actively trying to lose weight up until now? If not, start a plan of high Protein (meats, cheeses, eggs) with some veggies. Cutting out the carbs in the form of bread, rice, potatoes, etc. will usually cause someone to lose a good 5-10 pounds the first two weeks alone. It's Water weight, but it's a good motivation.

If you need more structure, look into the South Beach Diet. Even though it was kind of one of those fad diets, I've found the eating plan to be very close to what's recommended post-op. Good luck!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I lost 15% of my starting weight during my 6 month medically supervised period (6th appointment was last week, now just awaiting insurance approval and hopefully surgery on June 17th). I wasn't trying to lose a specific amount, just not gain and wanted to start making some changes. This is what worked for me.

1. Log everything and I mean EVERY BITE into a tracker like myfitnesspal. Even just eat like you normally do for a couple of days so you can see where you are.

2. Next, stop drinking calories - no soda, no sweetened tea, no starbucks

3. Cut out potatoes and Pasta (wasn't much of a rice eater anyway but cut that out too). Cut out almost all bread - occasionally I'd have a sandwich for lunch on a whole wheat deli thin - but not every day. I did occasionally have oatmeal for Breakfast but made sure it was a higher Protein, lower sugar option like quaker weight control or think thin brand.

4. Meals basically consisted of lean meat and lost of non starchy veggies - think broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, swiss chard. Afternoon snack was typically a little greek yogurt and some berries.

5. Move more. I was pretty much sedentary when I started so I started by parking slightly further away at work (I now park a lot further away). And started with doing just 5 minutes on a pedal exerciser a couple of times a night. Now 6 months later I routinely get in over 5,000 steps a day but it was most definitely a gradual build. Do a little more each day - it really does add up over time!

6. Gradually reduce calories every couple of weeks.

All of this was done with help of my NUT. She'd look over my food log every month and discuss what was good, what needed tweaking etc.

I won't lie - while simple to figure out what to cut when you log, it is hard to do. But think of it as starting your healthy new life now. You can do it!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As others have said....cut out all sugars and starches.

Measure your calorie intake using my fitness pal or the like.

Keep your body flushed out with Water.....constantly drinking.

Get moving.....walk, walk, walk. Begin a supervised weight training plan, too.

10% in 12 weeks is very achievable. You'll get that much and way more if you start right away and kick things into gear.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Need to loose 10% of weight before surgery where do I start. What works for you ? I have 12 weeks before surgery Help!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Talk to your NUT about a good food plan for you.

Start tracking your food if you are not already doing so. Pre-op I was already using the Weight Watchers app and counting points so my NUT suggested I keep doing that. Post-op I switched to MyFitnessPal so I could better track my Protein and because it is free.

Focus on high Protein, low carb. Avoid starches, added sugars (especially high fructose corn syrups), and fried foods.

Eat clean. Focus on fresh unprocessed foods whenever possible. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits.

Eat a lot of vegetables! (Example, Pre-op, my NUT suggested adding extra vegetables like broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables to my Lean Cuisines to add bulk and keep me satisfied longer).

Drink a lot of Water (at least 64 oz of fluid).

Wean yourself off of carbonation and caffeine.

Start sampling Protein shakes by substituting an occasional meal with a Protein shake.

Take a daily Multivitamin and any other Vitamins your doctor suggests. I took a Multivitamin, D3, and Iron pre-op.

Start practicing eating mindfully. Eat slowly, take small bites, and chew thoroughly.

Exercise as you are able.

Pre-op, I didn't really restrict my food too much. I recorded everything, though. If I indulged in something I tried to choose something that was worth it. Quality over quantity. I didn't want to waste it on crappy junk food.

Best of luck. This is a great time to experiment and practice some new food attitudes and behaviors that will help you to be successful post-op.

I think the thing that helped me the most for my surgery was weaning myself off of carbonation and caffeine gradually so that I didn't have to deal with withdrawal as I was recovering from surgery.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I started my weight loss by drinking a Protein shake instead of having Breakfast. I would add some raw fruit like an apple or clementine if I was feeling particularly hungry but it worked for that meal. Then I just tried to focus on making baby steps, I.e., one less soda a day, only one piece of bread with a meal, etc so it doesn't feel like a slap in the face type diet.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×