Newbie

Hi Everyone-

My name is Kim.  I live in Brooklyn, NY.  I am 47 years old and have been overweight going on about twenty years.  The last few years have been the worst as far a weight gain.  I decided I REALLY needed to make some changes in my life.  I am tired ALL the time and I know it is a result of the weight.  

I attended a seminar at my chosen facility in New York City.  What I learned at the seminar was so interesting that I wanted to do.  So I called the next day and made an appointment.  My first appointment was yesterday (Weds) with my surgeon and a nutrition class.  I am so excited to start this journey.  I have been reading over all the materials I have gotten so far a million times and have started clearing out my cabinets for all the new healthy foods I am going to stock them with.  I will not be having my surgery (gastric sleeve) for about six months (due to my insurance) but want to start the lifestyle changes now.  

I am excited and nervous all at the same time.  Any tips or hints for this newbie.  I have been reading many posts on this site.  You all are amazing.

Oh and I quit smoking January 1.  I am in hell..LOL! 

Thanks and happy new year.

Sorry for some of my spelling mistakes.  I hit send to fast.  Plus I am tired. LOL!

Welcome! I'm scheduled to have my sleeve done on February 1, so I'm having many of those same excited and nervous feelings. Keep reading up, and it's so great that you are making changes already!

Good luck to you and much success!

I got rid of all by white carbs.  For six months before surgery I stopped eating anything with flour or sugar.  I gave up bread, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta, noodles, corn, peas, lima beans, cake, donuts, cookies, ice cream, pie and candy.  I ate lean protein, salads and non-starchy vegetables.  I doubled my water to 200 ounces a day and exercised every day.   I also stopped the Diet Coke.

It was not very hard to do because my enthusiasm was so high for the surgery.  After surgery, it was really easy.  I had no appetite and could not eat much.

Thanks for the suggestions 

It sounds like you are doing all the right things to prepare.  I also had a 6 month pre-op requirement for insurance and started eating clean and eliminating things from my diet that I had to get rid of for surgery (like caffeine).  I lost 1/3 of my weight pre-surgery, had an easy recovery and have found it fairly easy to adopt to a new way of eating.

Wow! Great! Thanks 

First off - Congrats on quitting smoking!!!!!  That is huge!!!

Secondly - Congrats on making the decision to have the VGS.  It is definitely a life changer.

Read as much as you can about what to expect and the changes your body and life will go through.  Don't hesitate to ask your surgeon questions too.

Start changing your eating habits now.....start slowly if need be, but start.  My office mate & I (I was sleeved in Oct and she was done in Nov) started using protein shakes as breakfast, eliminated soda, ate healthy, low carb, high protein lunches and logged everything that went into our mouths on myfitnesspal.com.  You can get target numbers from your nutritionist for what you should be getting for protein, carbs, fats & sugars as well as calories.  Plug these numbers in myfitnesspal and you just start logging.

When you are post-op you eating will be different, but the changes you make pre-op, make it so much easier.

You are on your way!  Keep checking in, as OH is a great site for tips, support, and help.

We're rooting for you!!

P.

Welcome & congrats on your decision on WLS. 

You are doing all the right things. Quitting smoking was definitely a good move. Start walking if you haven't already. All these changes will help in recovery.