I have been overweight my whole life. My highest weight was 284 back in October of 2022. I have tried many weightloss directions including keto, fasting, tracking calories, appetite suppressing drugs, and even weight watchers. I start off good and end up just spiraling downward and stop. I really think this tool is going to be my key to success.

(I love your username!)

I feel like the majority of us turned to WLS as a last resort after many other WL-options didn't work out for us. I've done WW, Dr Bernstein, raw diets, different drugs, intermittent fasting, all sorts of fad diets / cleanses, etc. I feel you.

This is different. This is a diet not as a noun, but as a verb -- a healthy way of eating for life. This resets our hormonal responses to food. It gives us a blank slate to re-learn those healthy habits of portion control, of prioritizing nutrients, etc. It gives us the opportunity to look at our old habits and realize we don't need them anymore. It gives us a jumpstart into weight loss so we start off with great momentum / kicking ass.

Good luck to you -- but you don't need it. Good mindset is all you need.

Thank you! I felt the username was well deserved. Lol yes I have tried everything and my brain is the problem, i can't seem to leave old habits behind or let them die. My biggest issues are snacks. I'm a snackaholic i love salty sweet crunchy gooey snacks and I'm having a hard time. Good luck to you also! You will do great! So glad I found this forum. I recently was listening to an audio book called the big book on the gastric bypass. Super helpful information and it lead me here as bariatric pal was mentioned so I figured I'd try it out. Nice to talk to other people in the same boat.

For me, it was important to get past the snacking hurdle pretty much cold turkey. My willpower is great after two to three weeks of a new routine -- but before that every minute is torturous. I think all my scheduled 'snacks' for the first month post-op were all like "half a protein shake" and "half a protein bar" lol.

Now I'm finally able to snack healthily or with 'planned indulgences' (most of which I still try to make as healthy as possible, because I backslide too easily / get addicted to things very quickly). Last week I found a healthy quinoa puff (with no added oils / ingredients) at my local bulk food store, and toasting them up in a pan with some curry powder has become my new evening indulgence -- sometimes with a few peanuts or edamame thrown in. Ridiculously satisfying without throwing me off track. I've also found some baby snacks that are crazy-clean when it comes to fats/carbs/sugars, and they taste super plain but that's where my own seasonings come in. Baby Gourmet Cheesy Broccoli Puffies are made with quinoa and lentils, and one bag will last me for 3-5 snacks so I don't mind the price so much.

I wish I could quit cold turkey. I don't think it'd be the best for me tho. I'm glad you found something that works for you, I'm sure I'll find my thing to. Called my surgeons office and they told me my pre op would be 1 week of liquids but if I can handle one week I might try 2 just to be on the safe side. We shall see. Also found out because I already had a chest xray in January that I don't have to do another one because it last for a whole year which is great! All that's left is ekg pcp clearance and then my pre op appointment with my surgeon and then go time.... I'm so freaking nervous and excited at the same time. There is always that worry of death you know.

Congratulations on reaching this decision! It sounds like things will move quickly for you, which is great news.

Try not to let yourself dwell on surgery risks as serious complications are so very rare. Even with a surgery that lasted much longer than anticipated due to some oddities that came up after it started (I had no idea, I was asleep the whole time!), I was safe the entire time and ended up only having one additional night in the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

Surgery is a game changer. I think it's helpful to make nutrition changes and start better habits in the lead-up, but the truth is, it will all be so different after, and it can be hard to plan for that because you just don't know what it will be like for you. For weeks or months, eating might feel more like a chore. There's a good chance your tastebuds will change and you may find what you crave now isn't really what you want after. Things you thought would be easier may feel harder for you, and things you thought would be hard are a total non-issue. The hardest part by far, at least for me, was the 2-week pre-op diet, and just the waiting for surgery day to come.

Thanks! Sounds like your doing pretty great for yourself ? this is very helpful thank you ?

1 hour ago, Theweightisover2024?? said:

Thanks! Sounds like your doing pretty great for yourself ? this is very helpful thank you ?

I honestly can hardly believe it. I haven't been this weight in 25 years, no matter how many diets I tried (and failed). In the first several months, you are likely to be successful even when you make mistakes, which allows you time to get your habits right for later when the magic wears off a bit and you have to maintain. You don't have to be perfect and you don't have to overdo the exercise or go to extremes for the surgery to work, which is such a relief.