More question for Dr. Aranow

Sis all of you that are waiting for a date, surgery or have had surgery........Did all of you lose the 10 pounds before you could set a date.  I have all my pre-op stuff done but seeing Mary Sue (new nutritionist) as one of my last things to get done I now have to lose the 10 pounds.   This just seems to put lots of pressue on me and I don't lose weight really well under pressure.  Tell me about your adventure to having/scheduled WLS!!!!  Thanks,  Susan :)

They set my date before I lost my 10.  But do be warned.... if you don't have that 10 gone day of surgery... he will send you home. He sent a friend of mine home and she was crushed... She did finally lose the 10 and had her surgery... but he isn't kidding when he says lose X amount and if you don't... home you go.

Good luck!

I had to lose more than that (17)  and I have almost done it (I was 3 pounds away last month and I know I have lost more). I will see today if I have since I see Liz at 4:30.

Hey Susan, Yeah, I lost about 30 lbs.  I didn't want to have to stress about the 10 lbs.  However, I started in Feb. and worked on it until August so it was by no means quick.  Once I started the prescribed program that Liz gave me, it came off pretty quickly.  Then I maintained until surgery.  Good luck, Jen

Susan, I was the same as Jen.  I went by the pre-op diet that Liz gave me.  I started in Jan and by May had lost 26 lbs before my surgery.  The diet Liz gives you is pretty much what you will eventually settle into after surgery so it is really good practice for after.  Besides you will also have to start training yourself to not drink 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a meal.  Chewing and slowing down while you eat takes some practice too. I still revert to old habits but am quickly reminded by my band that I am eating too fast or not chewing small enough. And start weaning yourself from caffeine and carbonation and increase your intake of water.  Start purging your house of all the stuff that is a trigger for you to eat too much of. Good luck, Bev

Hi Susan,  I was told by Dr. A to lose 10 lbs before surgery, i was able to lose 20lbs, and Liz (nut) was very pleased with that, i lost the wieght by limiting my carbs, stopped drinking diet coke & coffee, and up'd my water intake, and walked 2-3 times a week, it wasnt too hard to do ....also just a reminder when you go to see liz or mary sue, have you food jounral with you :) Good Luck!!!! You can do it!!!

Marlena

Susan, Dr. Aranow asks that you lose a bit of weight before surgery for one specific reason: he wants to make sure you will be successful!  For most of us at pre-surgery weight, its a simple matter of eating healthily for a few weeks - and that will jumpstart the very important behavior changes you must do as a post-op in order to get healthy and stay that way!  You can do this.  I lost 20 lbs. without having to work too hard at it before surgery, even though I was only required to lose 10.  Maureen

hi,  i was never told to lose weight b4 the surgery, i have lost weight but i was not told that i have to. just follow the 1000 diet you will lose it in no time. good luck teresa

Our program did not require a pre-operative weight loss because, as our surgeon reasoned, we all needed surgery because we could not lose weight when directed by a doctor to alleviate our Type II diabetes, or our high blood pressure or our arthritic pain.  Plus, many studies indicate that the ability to lose pre-operatively IS NOT a good indice of post-operative weight loss. But, the merits of pre-op diets notwithstanding, if this is the program you feel most comfortable with, then consider following a high protein (at least 60-80 grams per day) and very low carb regimen to power the weight off.  And, if you can do that by choosing protein sources that are relatively low in fats, you will lose every more weight quickly. Admittedly, you want to follow after surgery a lifestyle of measured, controlled eating and not necessarily a diet, but the ten you lose prior to surgery is ten less to lose after surgery.

Hi, Your file won't get 'cleared" until you have all of your pre-op things done.  The longer you "put off" the longer it will be to have surgery.  Once the nut and psych and all of your stuff is done, your file goes to Dr A's desk for final check and approval.  THen it's to Lois for her to get Ins approval and a date for you. Stick to a mostly protein rich diet and walk a lot...drink lots of water and the weight will come off.  Ten pounds is not a lot in consideration of how much you're going to lose after surgery. YOU CAN DO THIS!  By not only getting your body ready for surgery by losing the required weight, you're showing Dr A that you're serious about this surgery and will follow the "rules" and do well after. Losing the weight now also gets rid of the "liver fat' that surrounds your liver...Doing this helps Dr Aranow get into your gut easier.  If the liver is too fatty, it flips up and out of the incision like a dorsal fin and gets in the way.  Get ten and more lbs off so he can do a good job! Come here for support.  Find a good buddy to help you get through...When you're bored, WALK! Check out my profile...look at my before and after (the after is almost a year old, but I've stopped losing) and you can see what this surgery does...It's awesome, if you work it. Paula