Hello all,

I am new here, and I am booked in to have my Gastric Bypass on 14/05/24 in the UK (private).

I have been overweight my entire life, and I have never known what it is to be 'skinny' - I feel like this is my first glimpse of freedom in getting the surgery booked.

Has anyone got any advice as to how to prepare for the surgery, for example, changing your mindset, things you wish you had done differently etc.

I am feeling so impatient! I really can't wait to start this new chapter of my life!

Hello and welcome. The time will fly by, I promise you,

Don't over prepare. Do not buy in loads of foods and drinks. After this surgery your tastes could change, mine did.

Don't go and read scare stories of others having this surgery. Even on this site most people come and ask questions when they are having problems. They rarely come back when they are doing better. Its scary when its just so one sided.

Expect a 3 week stall and many more of them as you go along. The first one is scary as you always imagine you are doing something wrong or messing up.

Be careful who you tell about this surgery. Lots of people do not take the news as you would imagine. I, like others on here only told my husband and son.

Clean your home. Just in case you are sore on your return from hospital

With about 5 months ahead of you, I suggest making some changes to your eating now to break yourself of bad habits and get into better ones. For example, I started this journey in July and spent the first month cleaning my cupboards. As I used up unhealthy snack foods, sweets, and processed foods, I opted not to buy more. I replaced the crackers and chips I would snack on with dry roasted, lightly salted nuts. I added a lot of veggies and fruit to my diet every day. The next month, I stopped drinking diet soda and artificial sweeteners and cut way back on sugar. The next month, I stopped buying bread and cut way back on dairy. I bought a few bariatric cookbooks and have been finding recipes to try. I might still have bread, diet soda, dairy, or sweets every so often when I'm out, but I don't keep it in the house, which means I'm avoiding it probably 90% of the time. I also started taking my vitamins so I will be in the habit of taking them every day and not forgetting. Oh, and I got into a good routine with water and trying to remember to take a water bottle with me wherever I go. Changes like that will hopefully go a long way in helping you feel mentally prepared for the changes you have to make post-surgery.

15 hours ago, summerseeker said:

Hello and welcome. The time will fly by, I promise you,

Don't over prepare. Do not buy in loads of foods and drinks. After this surgery your tastes could change, mine did.

Don't go and read scare stories of others having this surgery. Even on this site most people come and ask questions when they are having problems. They rarely come back when they are doing better. Its scary when its just so one sided.

Expect a 3 week stall and many more of them as you go along. The first one is scary as you always imagine you are doing something wrong or messing up.

Be careful who you tell about this surgery. Lots of people do not take the news as you would imagine. I, like others on here only told my husband and son.

Clean your home. Just in case you are sore on your return from hospital

Hello :)

I hope so! I feel so impatient, kind of like an out-of-body experience. I don't even feel like my current body is mine anymore, it is as if I am trapped! (I probably sound mad haha).

I have heard of people saying their tastes change which is so interesting! I have also heard you aren't able to drink fizzy or cold drinks anymore?

I have admittedly already seen some horror stories (mainly on TikTok), but I am the type of person who looks at the facts and figures, and the success rates are so high, it is just that unfortunately people are more interested in hearing about the bad, compared to the good!

Thank you for the advice - it really is appreciated. I will definitely clean my place before the surgery!

14 hours ago, NickelChip said:

With about 5 months ahead of you, I suggest making some changes to your eating now to break yourself of bad habits and get into better ones. For example, I started this journey in July and spent the first month cleaning my cupboards. As I used up unhealthy snack foods, sweets, and processed foods, I opted not to buy more. I replaced the crackers and chips I would snack on with dry roasted, lightly salted nuts. I added a lot of veggies and fruit to my diet every day. The next month, I stopped drinking diet soda and artificial sweeteners and cut way back on sugar. The next month, I stopped buying bread and cut way back on dairy. I bought a few bariatric cookbooks and have been finding recipes to try. I might still have bread, diet soda, dairy, or sweets every so often when I'm out, but I don't keep it in the house, which means I'm avoiding it probably 90% of the time. I also started taking my Vitamins so I will be in the habit of taking them every day and not forgetting. Oh, and I got into a good routine with Water and trying to remember to take a water bottle with me wherever I go. Changes like that will hopefully go a long way in helping you feel mentally prepared for the changes you have to make post-surgery.

Hello, and thank you for your advice :) These are some things I hadn't even thought of!

I am admittedly awful when it comes to snacking and my water intake is extremely low, so it would make sense to start changing my habits now.

How did you find adjusting to the mental hunger and any cravings?

some people are sensitive to certain temperatures (either cold OR hot) after surgery, but this is usually temporary. As far as fizzy drinks go, it seems like most surgeons restrict them the first few months after surgery, but after that, opinions vary. Some say never again, others say they're OK as long as you can tolerate them (some of us can tolerate them, other can't). I drink carbonated drinks again (in my case, flavored sparkling water), although they can't be TOO fizzy, or they bother my stomach (although in that case, if I give them time to go flatter, then my stomach can handle them).

1 minute ago, catwoman7 said:

some people are sensitive to certain temperatures (either cold OR hot) after surgery, but this is usually temporary. As far as fizzy drinks go, it seems like most surgeons restrict them the first few months after surgery, but after that, opinions vary. Some say never again, others say they're OK as long as you can tolerate them (some of us can tolerate them, other can't). I drink carbonated drinks again (in my case, flavored sparkling water), although they can't be TOO fizzy, or they bother my stomach (although in that case, if I give them time to go flatter, then my stomach can handle them).

That makes a lot of sense - I thankfully only really like no sugar fizzy drinks, but I know they come with their own downsides!

I suppose it is about trying things and seeing what your new stomach likes and dislikes!

1 hour ago, FreeingMe said:

Hello

I hope so! I feel so impatient, kind of like an out-of-body experience. I don't even feel like my current body is mine anymore, it is as if I am trapped! (I probably sound mad haha).

ave heard of people saying their tastes change which is so interesting! I have also heard you aren't able to drink fizzy or cold drinks anymore?I h

I have admittedly already seen some horror stories (mainly on TikTok), but I am the type of person who looks at the facts and figures, and the success rates are so high, it is just that unfortunately people are more interested in hearing about the bad, compared to the good!

Thank you for the advice - it really is appreciated. I will definitely clean my place before the surgery!

No you don't sound mad just ready for the change. Its so different being thin in a world made for thin people.

Your team will tell you what you can eat and drink and you can be assured that nobody else in the world will be on the same diet. Be it pre op or post op. In the UK and Europe, the surgeons do seem more tolerant of some things like Coffee, fizzy drinks, straws, alcohol and salt. There was no limits on my drinks, hot cold, fizzy or frozen. My surgeon said that protein shakes were the devils food and he had me drink full skim milk. Which was right up my street tbh. Cheap and easy to put a flavour too, like coffee or blitzed with strawberry, banana or peanut butter.

New year, new you. Enjoy

9 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

No you don't sound mad just ready for the change. Its so different being thin in a world made for thin people.

Your team will tell you what you can eat and drink and you can be assured that nobody else in the world will be on the same diet. Be it pre op or post op. In the UK and Europe, the surgeons do seem more tolerant of some things like coffee, fizzy drinks, straws, alcohol and salt. There was no limits on my drinks, hot cold, fizzy or frozen. My surgeon said that Protein Shakes were the devils food and he had me drink full skim milk. Which was right up my street tbh. Cheap and easy to put a flavour too, like coffee or blitzed with strawberry, banana or Peanut Butter.

New year, new you. Enjoy

That is a relief! You have hit the nail on the head with that - unfortunately the world isn't made for people of a bigger size, which is awful!

Oh wow - it is interesting to see the differences in what surgeons recommend! I know a lot of people in the UK are a massive fan of protein shakes (myself included), so I shall have to keep an eye on what is recommended! Strawberry and banana smoothies were something my dad always used to make me and I love them! Adding peanut butter to that sounds amazing.

Very much so! Thank you

5 hours ago, FreeingMe said:

How did you find adjusting to the mental hunger and any cravings?

One thing about mental hunger or cravings is that they're almost never strong enough for me to actually get into a car and drive to a store to buy something. The first few weeks, I would end up digging until I found something else to eat, but the fewer options you make available, the more you have to admit to yourself that you're just bored or (as is often my case since I work from home) procrastinating. There have been times I would find myself staring into my pantry and I'd have to ask myself what exactly I thought I would find there. It's all canned beans and pasta sauce now. Generally I just ask myself if I want a snack badly enough to drive to the store for it, and the answer is always no. Oh, and I do all my grocery shopping online for pickup now to minimize the chances of throwing impulse buys into my cart.

Thank you for your response

I think this is definitely something I am going to have to work on - I live right opposite a corner shop and every type of snack is there so it is going to be a challenge!