I'm new and a little overwhelmed

Hi all, This is my first post, I hope I'm doing this right.  My surgery is set for next week and I am so overwhelmed with all the dos and donts before and after surgery and it giving me cold feet big time. I have 4 kids and I feel like I barely have time to feed them! How am I going to have the time to make sure I eat enough and make all these healthy choices. We are so busy and we eat out almost everyday, how am I going to make time for all of this for me? 

I am 5'5 and 218 lbs I have to pay cash for the surgery because I don't have co morbitities anyone out there with any advice or in a similar situation?? Thanks!:)

I'm self pay as well.

I guess it comes down to reflection you have to do to to decide if this is the right thing for you, and if you will actually work your tool and have success. Technically youre going to be eating less in the future, so you should be able to prep your meals and just portion it out.

My advice would be to incorporate a healthy diet for the whole family! Instead of getting them food out, make a healthy meal at home and that way it will be more motivating and easier for you to stay on track!

Plan a week's worth of food in advance, grocery shop and make sure you have the right foods available to you.  If you don't have time to shop, spend $6.95 and get peapod or another delivery service.  You have to make this a primary focus of your life - at least until it becomes habit.  If you don't change your eating, you will not achieve the level of success you deserve.  This is a LIFE CHANGING decision.  

Healthy choices are easier when you prepare. I keep things like string cheese and pre-cooked meatballs in the fridge, that way I can just grab something after I feed the dogs, the husband, and the baby. Keep a list-- either on a scratch pad or on your phone-- and make notes while doing other things about how much you've eaten, how you feel, etc.

You can do it!

Thank you?

I too was self-pay, with a similar starting weight.

Can I give you a tiny bit of advice?  I say this because I want you to be successful at this long-term - I don't want to seem critical.  As another poster said, this is a life-changing surgery, in the most wonderful ways.  However, it is just a tool - you are still the master of what you consume.  For me, eating out would be daily torture, with all the yummy things laid out in front of me that I shouldn't eat (starting with the bread basket!). I'm not sure how many of us are strong enough to resist that day after day, sleeve or no sleeve.

Please, for your own success and sanity, learn to do lots of planning of meals - both for you and your family - so that you can have the right foods available to you and get the trigger foods out of the house if possible.  I realize this is a big lifestyle shift, so maybe you and your family can work on it together - maybe cooking together on weekends to prepare some of the meals for the week ahead of time. It's not just quantity of food, but quality.  I urge you to read as many posts as you can on this board to learn about the post-op life, both immediately after surgery and long-term. Don't miss the often-repeated post by Frisco called "Pyloric Valve 101" (or something like that) - super helpful. The blog called "The World According to Eggface" also has tons of ideas for meals, and lots of recipes.

You can definitely do this, and I'll bet you won't regret it, but you need to do it with eyes wide open so that you can lose the weight and more importantly, keep it off.  Good luck!!

I loved this comment thank you very much!! 

I had an appointment yesterday and the nurse freaked me out and now I'm having second thoughts. She said I might get acid reflux really bad and maybe I should get bypass. now I'm so confused I don't know what to do. My surgery is on the 5th and I feel like I'm panicking big time.

Any my advice as far as this goes? 

I'm afraid I can't advise about the reflux issue - I have no experience with this.  However, I would tell you that maybe you should have another consult with your doctor to discuss the sleeve vs bypass and why he felt the sleeve was best for you - presumably he has good reasons and can reassure you about your decision.

Second thoughts are totally normal, and almost everyone freaks out a little bit leading up to surgery, but you need to be comfortable deep down that this is the right decision for you.  I know you're really busy, but I can't emphasize enough how helpful it is to read as much as you can of older posts on this board in order to really learn about the process from people who are living it.

I LOVE my sleeve, but my body is obviously different with different issues, so only your doc could give you specifics as they apply to your particular situation.  Good luck!! 

Thank you!!