I am so happy to have found this forum. Any tips and tricks for a newbie will be helpful

I am so happy to have found this forum. Any tips and tricks for a newbie will be helpful [emoji4]

Hey! I'll be having my surgery on 24 Nov. How about yourself?

Sent from my SM-G935F using BariatricPal App

1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success.
2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery.
3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

19 hours ago, TashMash25 said:

Hey! I'll be having my surgery on 24 Nov. How about yourself?

Sent from my SM-G935F using BariatricPal App

October 26th

My advice that worked for me ☺

Don't feel defeated if the scale stays the same sometimes. My weight, after the first few months, seems to have weeks of staying the same then starts dropping again. This happens regularly to me.

Don't worry about loose stools in the begining. They usually end. I'm a year out and it no longer happens unless I've had much too much fats or sugars in a day.

Walk more and move more. If I have a week doing nothing I can guarantee the scales won't budge.

Drink as much as you can by always having a sports bottle of water or sugar free drink to sip throughout the day.

As time goes on don't deprive yourself of anything long term. If I fancy chocolate or cake I have some, but only a little bit. Your body needs to be trained to eat healthier and less but not deprived of anything ( the more you think you're not able something the more you crave it). You will find you don't fancy sugary things as much though and you'll know that too much leads you to the toilet !

If you eat more than you should and feel sick it helps you judge the amount /what you can eat. Use it as your deterrent rather than an inconvenience. It helps keep you in check.

Trust in the surgery , it will work !

Throw your clothes away every time you go down a size .... you need to be positive that you won't ever need them again! Keep one of your biggest items of clothes though to hold up against you every time you feel down ... It gives you a buzz and keeps you on track.

Measure your waist, hips, chest, top of thighs top of arms, neck and knees on the day of surgery and do it every month. That'll be your success marks rather than the scales.

Use it as a tool not as a magic cure . The weight will come off the first year and after that it is down to you again not to put it back on by eating the wrong things again. I'm 13 months out and still losing weight .

1 year out and I try and do 1500 cals over 3 days and then 2 days of 900/1000 cals. It constantly confuses my body then to stop my metabolism slowing down.

Always use a small side plate or bowl for food and use a teaspoon. You never again want your mind to associate a full big plate as normal!!!

Enjoy the magic and work with it. I'm so thankful I had it done.

Edited November 27, 20178 yr by Wobblybelly