Best piece of advice you can offer for a post-op sleeve patient

[confusedturtle3 246]

I'm 11 months post op.

Best advice:

Get one of those abdominal compression things for post surgery Good luck on everything! I'm sure there is more advice

Is there a certain compression garment that you would recommend? There are some that just cover tummy, waist, legs, arms and the whole shebang. Which did you prefer?


HW 248 CW 241 Surgery Date: pending 11/21/2017

[njgal 535]

4.5 months post-op.
1. Get yourself in a long-view mentality. Do not get fascinated with the quick drop at the beginning (or lack thereof). Do not obsess over what is happening with the scale on a daily or weekly basis - use it is a tool (and an imperfect one at that).
2. Use this time to change your habits. As much as possible, routinize your food. Move eating to a "background" activity (something that is done out of necessity, versus organizing activities/events around eating). Do as much as you can to completely eliminate unhealthy/non-nutritious food from your diet. Train yourself to love/crave/want nutrient rich food. Be prepared to find new activities to replace eating - walking, exercise, other hobbies and activities.
3. Prepare yourself for how you are going to communicate to others about your lifestyle change. You have the right to communicate however you choose - but think it through in advance and be ready. Be ready for people to have opinions (both positive and negative). Be ready for the overweight people in your life to be curious, jealous or inspired. Be prepared for some of your relationships to change because YOU will change.
4. Take on habits that foster discipline - making your bed every day, weighing/measuring your food, prepping meals, keeping a clean house - any habits that build or foster a sense of discipline where it has been lacking. There will be times when the discipline of keeping your word (if only your word to YOURSELF) will give you a lot of power when old cravings kick in.
5. Empower yourself - do not beat yourself up if you slip, if you make a mistake, if you have strong feelings, if people act like morons. You are making a choice for the quality of your life.
6. Create a point for the surgery that supports you. For me, looking better was not worth it. What was worth it was having my body by useful, make a difference for others and contribute to people for decades to come.

What a great write-up. I mean, I’m only 1 week post-op but can totally see the value in all of these. Thank you!

[KarenOR 180]

It's mostly been greatly covered. I'll add that the first few days when it's usually so hard to get the Protein down, make a thick drink. Like twice the powder!

[Jenopolis 38]

5 months post op.

1. Don't underestimate how much time and help you will need in the beginning. I thought that since I recovered from the surgery so quickly, I would be fine to go back to being a mom/employee/wife/member of society right away. I ended up being tired to the point of depression trying to keep up with everything. You are basically going through withdrawal for weeks, living on Protein Shakes until you want to throw them at a wall and erase the memory of that fake sweet taste from your life forever. And you have little energy for handling life, especially if you are a person who is used to handling a LOT of balls in the air, which is so many of us! So take the time off, ask for help if you can, and be gentle with yourself.

2. IT WILL GET BETTER. I had major doubts about that for the first weeks. I hated life, and hated that I had the surgery, and thought I was doomed to be a freak who couldn't even eat meals with her family anymore. Ummmmm. Yeah, none of that turned out to be true.

3. Be strict with yourself and build discipline, follow your doctor's orders, but allow yourself regular "treats" so that you don't ever REALLY feel the urge to mess up. For me, the treats are those flip Greek yogurts with crunchy things, or Pure Protein Crunch Bites, a bag of Skinny Pop, or even just a big cup of hazelnut coffee-- I feel like I can love life when I can have those things on the regular! And I still get all my protein and Water in, so I know I'm doing okay and my weight loss is good. Most importantly, I stay away from bread and fries and cupcakes and the things that could really do me in.

Edited October 18, 2017 by Jenopolis

[myra81 5]

Thank you for this . I am 9 days post op and have been so exhausted to the point where I am questioning myself if I made the right decision.

[Maggie1955 158]

I saved this advice in my notes so I can refer back to it. I am still pre-surgery, scheduled for January 2, 2018.

[Sullie06 1,013]

9.5 months post op or 293 days as of today.

My advice:

Walk, walk, walk after surgery. The worst part was the gas after surgery and even though it hurt to move a lot walking helped.

Take it slow, listen to your body and follow your surgeon and nuts plans to the T. There will be time later to experiment.

Track everything you put in your mouth. Keep yourself honest.

Get fiber! I've found that I'm much more likely to get constipated now if I'm not careful.

Take your Vitamins

Follow up on medications prescribed for other things that aren't necessarily co-morbidities, the dosage might need to be changed. For example I'm hypothyroid and on Synthroid. My NUT and Surgeon never checked my levels and when I saw my primary for weird symptoms she tested my thyroid and had to back off my dosage by about half.

Find a "diet" plan that works for you. For some people it's low carb, others eat low fat, some don't follow any specific diet at all, but you need to find one that works for you.

[jess9395 5,448]

Four years out.

Keep trying different Protein Shakes until you find what works for you, because you will! I had to try like 15-20 varieties. powders, pre mix, waters, etc. Nashua Nutrition online sells a sucker serve sample of anything they carry for $2.

You trusted your surgical team to cut you open, trust their nutrition plan! It may be totally different than anyone else's but it's YOUR plan! Follow it for at least the first year, make the most of that window, then you can experiment after you've changed your whole relationship with food and broken all the habits.

Know that early put acid can mimic hunger pangs. If you feel a gnawing sensation in your stomach that feels like hunger, try a proton pump inhibitor or another acid reducer.

The three week stall is real. And it ends.

[hap314ness 90]

This was a great topic. The responses were detailed and helpful. I will definitely find a way to save this and read it often after my surgery.

[confusedturtle3 246]

This was a great topic. The responses were detailed and helpful. I will definitely find a way to save this and read it often after my surgery.

I CC&P’d to a word document so I could print it and keep it in my surgery folder [emoji1360]


Have a great day!
Amanda [emoji16]
HW 248 CW 241 Surgery Date: pending 11/21/2017