I had 1st appt with nutritionist today - she said that, of those I'll see (nurse, psych, and her), she is the biggest hurdle for potential surgery patients. I didn't really figure out until after my 1st appt. that my acceptance into the program doesn't mean that I'm accepted for surgery.

She said that proper nutrition after surgery can be difficult - and if there are issues pre-surgery, then it's up to her to report whether she thinks a patient is a good candidate for surgery based on how she feels they'll do afterward. I can appreciate this. I won't do this if somebody truly feels it isn't the right thing for me. If I'm not a candidate then I'll have to lose weight by dieting - we all know how that'll go - I'm not where I am today because I'm a successful dieter! Or more to the point, successful at keeping the weight off after losing it.

I know for certain now that the time it takes to get to the point of surgery is necessary for me. I still can't imagine actually getting the surgery done - I obviously need more time to decide on this.

One thing she did say is that for the patients she sees 6 months after (about) surgery are ecstatic about their progress. Perhaps I need to hear more positive now rather than negative.

Is it perhaps a normal thing for them to tell you the hard facts and scary stuff in this stage?

When I first went to my dr about the surgery she was very negative and flat out told me it wasn't likely to happen. But I didn't let that deter me. Just remember that you are your own advocate. There is no dietitian, nurse, or doctor that will make this happen for you. Just stay positive that this is a long process. And it's going to work out in its own time. It may not be in the time frame you want it to but just stay positive and keep fighting for yourself

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"Is it perhaps a normal thing for them to tell you the hard facts and scary stuff in this stage?"

Yes it is normal. Informed consent includes, the risks, complications and failure rate outcomes.

It's part of your education process as the patient. She's basically letting you know that this only succeeds if you have your mind committed, and you're able to discipline yourself to follow a program, and modify your behavior. It's important to understand the level of change this surgery demands, because it's profound. So she's trying to prepare you for that...and of course, if you can't follow basic instructions, how are you going to succeed post-op? None of these surgeons' offices want to have failures on their stats. They want success stories.

You are already limiting yourself by letting your "old mind" take control, even in your post. "We all know how that (dieting) will go..." or "I didn't get this way because I'm good at dieting!" That has to change, and yes...it takes time to get there. If you are thinking that *snip snip* and you're done, magic weight loss...you couldn't be more wrong. It takes a lot of discipline. The surgery helps by removing the insane hunger pangs and growling and mind-warp that causes for the first six months or so, it puts a limit on how much you can eat in one sitting...but you have to manage your intake to make sure you are meeting Protein goals, you have to track that and your Water intake, and long-term you need to have the skills and tools necessary to track your calorie intake, track how much you're burning, figure out how to maintain your weight, all of that. This surgery is only one component of a much larger process...and you need to be ready for it. If you're not, there's no point in getting an operation that will ultimately fail because you didn't get the mind part right. The mind part is 80% of it, because that's what will take you through the rest of your life. You gotta be ready and committed to change.

Edited October 18, 20169 yr by PorkChopExpress

Oh yes, I do get that. I mean in theory of course. It's early days and I feel like there's a lot more info. to learn - and I glad to have the time to do so. Fact is, I could lose the weight but not keep it off in the past. The good thing about the surgery is that it will help achieve weight loss and help to keep weight from coming back. I'm on board with the food tracking - and after a long while I'm sure it'll become second nature. I don't see this as easy at all - on the contrary - I'm preparing myself for an enormous life change. And I want all the facts. I am craving right now though, positive feedback from the medical professionals. I'm sure it'll come....

It's part of your education process as the patient. She's basically letting you know that this only succeeds if you have your mind committed, and you're able to discipline yourself to follow a program, and modify your behavior. It's important to understand the level of change this surgery demands, because it's profound. So she's trying to prepare you for that...and of course, if you can't follow basic instructions, how are you going to succeed post-op? None of these surgeons' offices want to have failures on their stats. They want success stories.

You are already limiting yourself by letting your "old mind" take control, even in your post. "We all know how that (dieting) will go..." or "I didn't get this way because I'm good at dieting!" That has to change, and yes...it takes time to get there. If you are thinking that *snip snip* and you're done, magic weight loss...you couldn't be more wrong. It takes a lot of discipline. The surgery helps by removing the insane hunger pangs and growling and mind-warp that causes for the first six months or so, it puts a limit on how much you can eat in one sitting...but you have to manage your intake to make sure you are meeting Protein goals, you have to track that and your Water intake, and long-term you need to have the skills and tools necessary to track your calorie intake, track how much you're burning, figure out how to maintain your weight, all of that. This surgery is only one component of a much larger process...and you need to be ready for it. If you're not, there's no point in getting an operation that will ultimately fail because you didn't get the mind part right. The mind part is 80% of it, because that's what will take you through the rest of your life. You gotta be ready and committed to change.

Edited October 18, 20169 yr by TracyBar

Well, as long as you follow their indications and do what you're supposed to, I'm sure it'll be no problem. It took me a year from when I started the classes, till I was able to schedule my surgery. In that time, I went through every emotion and thought you probably can have, and then I ran into the after-surgery flood of thoughts and feelings. But it was all the preparation I did that helped me through it. I feel prepared now, and I feel like I can succeed...and that's empowering.