How do the successful deal with attaining the goal

   I am preop, but have concerns as a food addict that I will be able to maintain the weight I will lose on my way to goal.
   I am beginning to osee that there is no magic bullet here, but yet there is a permanance in the decision. I am seeing more happy patients than those that regret the decision.

Not that I'm a mother... but I've always been told that there is no true way to be prepared for motherhood. You can read all the books in the world but you'll still make mistakes. That's how I see the weight loss journey. You can and should read up and learn everything you can, but this is a journey and you will make mistakes. The idea is to learn from them and change your behaviors. It's a learning curve. You'll have bad days, weeks, months, but getting back to the basics and reaching out for support is key.

One of the keys is to remember, surgery is a tool and you have to work the tool every single day for the rest of your life.  Yes, you will have a bad day or 2 or 10, but you realize you aren't perfect, so you get back on the horse, so to speak, and start working your tool again.

now is the time to prepare, and if you have an addiction to food, you need to work on that BEFORE surgery.  Alot of people will change their addiction to food to something else...Wine, shopping, sex....and you need to start learning some healthy coping strategies for when you can't turn to food or anything else harmful.

As for those who aren't happy - i think they tend not to post for a number of reasons...shame, guilt, a sense of being the "only one" who feels like that.




good luck!

I am only a little over a year out from surgery, so I wouldn't claim to be a long-term success just yet, but here are a few things that have helped me along the way:

- Work on making a transition away from simple and processed carbs (sugar, white flour/bread, white rice, pasta) ) to whole grain alternatives.  I started doing that 4 months before surgery and after a month or so, I really didn't have carb cravings any more)

- Work on limiting caffeine intake.  Caffeine has a diuretic effect, which will make it harder on your kidneys as you go through the rapid weight loss phase and, for me, anyway, it seems to stimulate my appetitite.  I have never been a coffee drinker, but caffeinated diet pop was something I consumed morning, noon and night.  I gave up diet Coke and diet Mountain Dew and had headaches for three weeks...it was worse than giving up simple carbs.

- Try to start some form of exercise.  I started by walking half a mile at a time.  I was sore and my inner thighs got blisters from rubbing on my jeans, but I persisted and these days I walk 2 - 5 miles at a time and bike for 1 - 3 hours at a time.  I have substituted exercise for eating when I am having trouble dealing with things on an emotional level.  It seems a better alternative than alcohol or other transfer addictions that people develop when they can't eat for comfort to the degree to which they have become accustomed to doing prior to surgery.

- Consider some form of counseling for at least the first year after surgery.  I have seen a bariatric psychologist once a month since before surgery.  She has been helped me to become an emotionally healthier person.  I am better at standing up for myself, expressing my needs in relationships and accepting myself, weird as I might be.

- Attend support groups before and after surgery.  I have never met more wonderful people in my life.  I think they have helped me more with self-acceptance than the psychologist has done. 

- Accept that weight loss surgery will help you to become physically and, possibly, emotionally healthier, but it won't solve the other problems in your life.  You will need to deal with those head on without being able to numb yourself with food when the going gets rough.  Those are scary experiences, but they will also make you stronger and more confident.

- Finally, view your weight loss and maintenance process as a journey you will be on for the rest of your life rather than as a destination you will reach when yoy have shed your excess weight.  There will be glorious successes, momentary lapses, up, downs, insights you gain about yourself and your body, and you may gain a different perspective on the people in your life.  I would definitely embark on my own journey again.

Good luck!

RP

 

My 2 cents -

You have to DECIDE that you WILL make this work for you.  Practice post-op eating habits before you ever have surgery, it will make the transition easier.

Nothing tastes as good as being lighter and healthier feels!  But you will be able to eat your favorites again eventually, just MUCH smaller portions.  And when you can't eat as much, you appreciate every single bite that much more!

Some people may disagree with me on this one, but I truly do believe it is essential to be able to forgive yourself for the bad choices you will eventually make.  It is extraordinarily rare for any post WLS patient to NOT go there.  But it's better to forgive yourself for your lapse in judgement and get back in the saddle, than to throw your arms up in the air and say "Screw it, I messed up, I think I'll eat a whole quart of Haagen Daz."  THAT kind of mentality is what got many of us obese in the first place.

I don't believe there is such a thing as a perfect journey.  The closest you can get is to view each bump as the learning opportunity it is.

As a former food addict myself, I chose the Duodenal Switch procedure over the RNY so that I would not have food deprivation issues because I knew that would make the situation worse for me. And being almost 8 months out, I can say that I have not had any issues with reoccurence.

Also, I believe in pre-op psychological visits - more than just the insurance required one's, too! This will help you address concerns you may have that may be underlying, and that maybe you do not know are even there. The more you can focus on "lifestyle change" now, the better you'll be after.

And quite honestly, it's so hard to imagine this now, but I thought before surgery "how am I ever going to feel full or satisfied if I don't have that now?". Well, it does happen and it's immediate. I couldn't imagine it before, but I can tell you it's true. You'll have restriction no matter which procedure (band, DS, RNY, etc.) you choose.

And last but not least, follow the rules! I cannot stress enough the importance of getting your protein in first and your supplements on a daily basis. This goes for all the surgery options out there. You are doing this to save your life and be healthy! Remember that every day!

Thank you for your input.