The other day I posted about how I have been binging non stop since I found out I'll be getting my surgery in March. I got good feedback, some tough love comments saying if I really wanted it I would work my ass off for it. Well, I do want this, more than anything. My son is 2, he's what I have to live for along with my honey I want to prepare myself for this new life. I am 21 years old, 5'8" at 265 pounds & BMI of 40.5 ! I started out at 292 but scared myself, I did not wanna get to 300 so I made some changes like quitting soda and chips and dropped almost 30 pounds but that was it. I started binging again but thankfully haven't gained anything back. I need to get it together, I'm too young for this...

So, my question to those of you that have gotten sleeved, what were the changes you guys made to prepare for life after surgery? Like should I start drinking my Breakfast? Should I intermittent fast? What worked for you when you were still in your "fat person" state of mind?

Oh and Vitamins, what vitamins did you take?

Here are some body shots that I'll be using as my "before" pics

Thanks in advance and good luck to you all on your new life change !

IMO a liquid diet is not helpful pre-op as you won't find them filling, liquids will just leave you hungry and more apt to fall off plan. The approach that I adopted for several months worked well for me, as it kept me satisfied, helped me learn some new habits that would be helpful in my post-op life, and helped me lose weight. My plan:--

--I opened a myfitnesspal.com account and started tracking everything I ate, including weighing/measuring my portions

--Stopped all liquid calories

--1500 calories per day max

--No sweets or tropical fruits

--limit one serving of WHOLE grains or starchy veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, lima Beans, peas) per day

--No drinking with meals or for 30 minutes after.

--No "eating back" exercise calories.

Good luck to you!

I made the exact same changes as Bufflehead. I take Flintstones complete muti vitamin now every day but I think I will change to a special bariatric chewable soon. I don't even have a surgery date yet but I know I must make these changes in order to be successful for the long term. Its getting easier every day. Stick with it.

IMO a liquid diet is not helpful pre-op as you won't find them filling, liquids will just leave you hungry and more apt to fall off plan. The approach that I adopted for several months worked well for me, as it kept me satisfied, helped me learn some new habits that would be helpful in my post-op life, and helped me lose weight. My plan:--

--I opened a myfitnesspal.com account and started tracking everything I ate, including weighing/measuring my portions

--Stopped all liquid calories

--1500 calories per day max

--No sweets or tropical fruits

--limit one serving of WHOLE grains or starchy veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, lima beans, peas) per day

--No drinking with meals or for 30 minutes after.

--No "eating back" exercise calories.

Good luck to you!

Thank you for the feedback. This seems pretty managable. How about vitamins? Did you begin after surgery ?

For 3-4 months prior to surgery I began some of the practices I knew I would have to stick to post-op.

• I tried to ensure every meal contained at least 20 grams of Protein.
• I walked 5 days a week.
• I stuck to 3 meals a day.

Pre-op I put myself on a 1300 calorie/day diet. Most days I stayed within the range, some days I did not.

I am just a few weeks post op, but I also take the Flinstones chewable multi-Vitamin beginning the day I went home. I am taking omeprazole that I have to open and swallow the beads as I can't swallow a pill yet. I had to give myself a shot of lovenox daily for two weeks to help avoid blood clots. Once I am cleared to swallow pills again I will return to taking a daily B12 pill as my initial blood work showed I was low and I will likely choose to take Bioten for hair/skin/nails.

I started drinking more Water - worked up to 96 oz a day. Haven't gotten back to that post op yet, but am still working on it.

I also started trying to make my meals at home instead of having take out or frozen foods for most meals. We'd gotten in very bad habits when I was in nursing school and working full time and the first step toward healthy foods was to start actually cooking most of the time.

I also started tracking in MyFitnessPal

Working out was really hard with my auto-immune arthritis, but I started trying to get some movement in every day.

I think the biggest thing was not to try to change everything all at once. I added one thing in for a week or two, then added the next thing in.

Of course, the biggest thing I did in preparation for surgery was starting therapy for food issues before I even fully decided on the surgery. Best decision I ever made.

For 3-4 months prior to surgery I began some of the practices I knew I would have to stick to post-op.

• I tried to ensure every meal contained at least 20 grams of Protein.
• I walked 5 days a week.
• I stuck to 3 meals a day.

Pre-op I put myself on a 1300 calorie/day diet. Most days I stayed within the range, some days I did not.

I am just a few weeks post op, but I also take the Flinstones chewable multi-Vitamin beginning the day I went home. I am taking omeprazole that I have to open and swallow the beads as I can't swallow a pill yet. I had to give myself a shot of lovenox daily for two weeks to help avoid blood clots. Once I am cleared to swallow pills again I will return to taking a daily B12 pill as my initial blood work showed I was low and I will likely choose to take Bioten for hair/skin/nails.

How much weight did you lose during this period?

I'm afraid if lose too much before surgery, I'm thinking they might not do it thinking I can just do it by myself especially since I barely met the requirements, but for me its sticking to things I have always had the problem with so I do in fact need this surgery for long term success.

I started drinking more Water - worked up to 96 oz a day. Haven't gotten back to that post op yet, but am still working on it.

I also started trying to make my meals at home instead of having take out or frozen foods for most meals. We'd gotten in very bad habits when I was in nursing school and working full time and the first step toward healthy foods was to start actually cooking most of the time.

I also started tracking in MyFitnessPal

Working out was really hard with my auto-immune arthritis, but I started trying to get some movement in every day.

I think the biggest thing was not to try to change everything all at once. I added one thing in for a week or two, then added the next thing in.

Of course, the biggest thing I did in preparation for surgery was starting therapy for food issues before I even fully decided on the surgery. Best decision I ever made.

Therapy for food addiction is definitely something I need to look into. And i cook at home already everyday and drink lots of water i have a constant thirst for water so thankfully that isnt my problem. thank ou and good luck on your journey

I only lost 7# during the 3-4 month pre-op diet, but I was cautious as I couldn't lose too much or my BMI went below what my insurance required for surgery.

@@VivVsg I started vitamins post-op. If you are eating a healthy, balanced diet and don't have any medical issues that would cause you to have problems with absorbing vitamins, there isn't any need for a multivitamin. I have always had to supplement with iron and B12 though, and I certainly kept up with that.

I am in the same boat and had to ride my BMI for 6months if I dropped insurance would not pay for it. I binged all my favorite foods before pre-op liquid diet. I also made sure I did 10,000 steps a day with my fitbit and most days hit 14,000 steps. I also started my Vitamins and making sure I hit 1200 calories and 65grams of Protein a day. This is what life is like after surgery.

I am 1 month out and just had my 1 month post op today. I am down 17lbs. I am on target. I have no cravings for food and just got my hand slapped that I am not to rely on Protein shakes that I need to eat. Unfortunately most days I don't want to eat and I have to make this change and force myself. Its not easy after surgery and my eyes are bigger than my stomach.

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I also did what Bufflehead did. I lost 30 pounds and started an exercise program. I'm really, really glad I got a jump start on my loss and health.

Even if you can't lose weight for insurance reasons, you can start doing the head-work you need.

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