Advice for great weight loss?

I am wondering if you guys/gals who have had surgery already could chime  in on this.... What advice DID or wish you WOULD have taken before/after surgery that made/would have made your weight loss faster and more constant?

Well, everyone is different.....but the best advice I can give you is....  FOLLOW THE RULES YOU ARE GIVEN!  Sometimes that isn't what you always want to do, but it will be worth it in the end!    

Yep, I would have to agree.....best advice.  Follow the rules, your body will do the rest.  Another thing I was told before surgery is from my surgeon.  "Just remember, your body is going to take breaks.  The weight loss will stop, but you will be losing inches during those times."  Those times were still a little frustrating, but knowing it was normal was soooo helpful.  You're going to do fine as long as you stick by the rules.

Pre-surgery I started to walk a little at a time to be able to keep going and increasing intensity after surgery.  Also i cannot agree more when the rest of those who have posted to say follow the rules!!!  Don't cheat even when it's so very tempting.  Post-op I exercise every day it kinda like my new adiction!  Stay off the scale!!!!! weigh yourself no more than 2X per week or less.  If you are constantly on the scale every day your body jumps around and this will mess with your head!  Write down in a journal everything you put in your mouth and the amount of protein followed by the time of day.  This way if you have agood week you can replicate it by doing the same exercise, eating the same foods or similar ones and you will increase your weight loss.  Practice pre op on eating slower and really chewing your food about 20-30 times before swallowing.  This is where i have ran into trouble.  A couple of times I have gotten things stuck and man this is very painfull but a lesson learned that you will not forget.  If you need any more info PM me any time. Troy

Hi...following the rules is a big part of how well you do. Stay away from all those carbs. Too many people test thinks out and say "see I can eat this...it doesn't make me sick." Not making your self sick is great but why go there in the first place. You don't want to develope bad eating habits this is what got us in trouble in the first place. Protein first, veggies and fruit is all you really need. Just because you can drink diet pop doesn't make it right. Stay away from it!!  Exercise is the other big factor here....you need to exercise at least every other day....walking is a great form of exercise. It does make a difference. I don't regret this surgery for a minute. I am following the rules and it is working great for me. I hear crap about it from some people because I like to do things this way but I just blow their remarks off. Support groups are very important to. Go to as many as you can. Even if it is just to the coffee groups. I wish you the best! Hugs, connie d

I agree with you Connie on the "just because you can do it doesn't make it right" mentality.  I was told by my nutritionist that I can drink pop in moderation.  Well, Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi was my biggest addiction before surgery and I drank it up until the  night before I had to start the liquid diet.  That was probably harder to give up than anything...but I haven't had a soda since May 19, 2007 right before I started the liquid diet.  I don't even want to entertain the "I can have it in moderation" idea because I already know from experience I can't drink it in moderation so I'm not even going to go there and sabotoge a $35,000 surgery.  Not worth it, but I am. (((Hugs))) Michelle  P.S.  My other vice before surgery was ice cream.  Thank God I dump on it and I dump BAD! No temptation there. lol (I was on vacation with some girlfriends and everyone went to haagen daaz and I had this teensy scoop of light ice cream.  Oh ma Lord!!!!  Never again!)  

Michelle it has been quite awhile since I last posted to you. You look really, really good. I am proud of you for holding your own! Ice Cream was my addiction too. I haven't tried it because I am afraid I won't dump and then I will get back in to it again.  Do you ever go to coffee groups? I would love to see you sometime. (((HUG)))......connie d

Hey Connie!  I'm trying to be better about posting.  As for the ice cream, I don't even keep it in the house - or pop.  Dh doesn't drink pop anyway and I don't let the kids drink it unless it's a special ocassion like Christmas or if we go to a restaurant.  When I do go to coffee group, I go to the North Branch Coffee - but it's been hard to get away to it since dh started working overnight shift.  He works every other weekend so that makes it tough.  Hopefully I can steal away to it the next time they have one if it doesn't fall on his weekend to work. I'd love to meet you too! :)  ((((Hugs)))) Michelle

Do not expect unrealistic goals and don't compare yourself to others.  I was told that because I'm short (5ft on the nose) that my loss would be slow, so I went into this expecting that and it's true, it's been slower if I were to compare myself to others but when was the last time I ever lost 78 pounds in 10 months before surgery?  Never!  Because I took the advice of not comparing myself to others, I have not been discouraged. Follow the rules given by your surgeon and clinic.  Track your calories on a website like Sparkpeople or Fitday.  EXERCISE!  This is something you just can't get around.  I exercise almost daily and I just feel so much better and have so much more energy than I ever have.  Immediate weight loss is a nice perk, but I'm looking to the permanent weight loss once I get to my goal.  I don't want to be the statistic that gains back 20 to 30% of the weight so getting in the habit of exercise - even if its a 20 minute walk each day - is better than nothing. Use the tool that was given to you and don't expect it to be the miracle answer.  You still need to work the tool. Take your vitamins. Look for support. See a counselor. Enjoy the journey! (((Hugs))) Michelle

What I have found in 3 years is:  protein first; water, water,water--'til  you float!  (Research has shown that people mistake THIRST for HUNGER!)  And lastly--exercise! Good luck!