Got a surgery Date
I had mixed feelings before surgery too. In my case, I think it was because part of me was sure I would fail at this like I've failed at so many diets over the years.
As it got closer to the day, I felt more excited about it. And I am so glad I did it. I surpassed my expectations and my surgeon's expectations, and I'm still losing weight.
A last bit of advice for you: don't bother buying or meal-prepping a bunch of foods for after surgery, especially protein shakes. Most people find that their tastes change, and the protein shake that tasted so good pre-op tastes yucky post-op.
One thing that will come in handy, not just right after surgery but for the long run, is a few small plates (about the size of a saucer for a teacup).
on 11/8/19 7:26 pm
I was not excited before my surgery and almost cancelled the morning of.
I'm so glad I didn't! It's a journey for sure and the first few weeks are rough, but pretty soon, you'll forget you even had it.
Best of luck to you! I hope it becomes one of the best things you've ever done ?
Another doubt that I had about the surgery was that I worried that I "hadn't tried hard enough" to lose weight on my own, and I felt guilty about that. But since surgery I have learned that I need to stick to 800-900 calories per day in order to lose weight. There's no way I could have followed such a restrictive in the long term that without medical help.
Of course, only you can know if WLS is right for you, and if this is the right time for you to have it. It does mean some big changes to your lifestyle. I remember the first time I got stressed after VSG, and couldn't comfort myself with a chocolate bar. Fortunately, I had made a list of enjoyable ways to lower stress, like drinking herbal tea, cuddling with my cats, or climbing under the duvet for a good sulk.
I know exactly what you mean. I feel like I have not given regular dieting enough of a try. The fact of the matter is, that whenever I tried to diet, it always worked. I just did not keep going. Maybe I can do it now? I don't know. I saw this lady yesterday on Instagram who weighed 567 pounds and has lost 234 pounds just by diet and exercise. No surgery. Makes me give this whole thing a pause. I will go to my last class at my surgeon's and then make my final decision.
I wish that lady every success... but statistically, the chances of her maintaining that weight loss in the long run are slim. This is confirmed by many scientific studies. There are also people who have won the lottery, but alas, I wouldn't count on being one of them.
I'm definitely not trying to talk you into having surgery; I just wouldn't want you to decide against it for the wrong reasons! I suspect most people go into surgery feeling a little guilty that they "didn't try hard enough" ****rtainly did). It sounds to me like you tried many times to lose the weight.
In the interest of balance, here are a few good reasons why someone should not have surgery (at least not at this time):
- The surgery is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get to a healthy weight, so you need to be ready to commit to it. You don't want to waste the opportunity. There are revision surgeries, but typically weight loss from them is very small. Only you know if you're emotionally ready for it at this time in your life. A counsellor can help you evaluate this.
- You have an untreated food addiction or eating disorder.
- You're in an unsupportive environment (e.g. family members will try to sabotage you).
- You're going through stressful times (e.g. divorce, grief, a miserable job). Probably better to wait until you're stronger.
Obviously that list is not exhaustive, but I think it gives you an idea of the kind of things that I would consider. Whatever you decide, you probably won't be 100% sure of your decision. I was thinking about cancelling up to the morning of surgery!
Congrats on getting the date set. I dunno about other peoples surgery centers but if you have not been sticking to the regimen where i got mine they would deny you before your date got set. once the date was set we had one more check up. Getting the date set IMO is a good thing! I am just under 2 weeks out from having my surgery done on the 28th of oct.
Prior to surgery i was on a rollercoaster of emotions. Started with my shakes and being stricted with them. and losing weight. doubt i could have stuck to it long term with out the surgery which made me think maybe i don't need the surgery and can do it on my own. then the doubt crept in and as someone said earlier the fear of failing and wasting all this time and money to try and get this taken care of. was there hard! it still gets to me way more often then i would like, i know this is for me and my health, But seeing my loved ones get excited every time i lose another 5-10 lbs kinda makes up for some of it. right now i cant eat anything but liquids still. i kn ow its the hardest part. and ive found that i get kinda depressed when i smell good food i loved. or see something good on tv/youtube. but then i remember how ive lost over 75 lbs in the last 2 months since i started this journey and the depression passes.
Being able to finally ride my bike i bought 5 years ago will be amazing. Being able to play with my neices and nephews when my brothers come home or i go visit them will make this all seem trivial. and hell if i ever get a family of my own being able to take care of them play with them or just help the mrs around the house or whatever, witch is a fear i always had not being able to, makes this journey seem soo much more worth it.
when having he surgery i apparently stopped breathing a couple times and they gave me something twice on the table to keep me going. witch apparently made me SUPER emotional in recovery, and i guess i freaked out and was very upset about actually having it done like cursing my self out saying why did i do this. blah blah stuff like that. from what the doc/psych and others have said this is fairly normal after something major like this. don't worry you will thank yourself in the long run when your health is better your quality of life is better. and your ability to just enjoy what we have left on this earth is so much better!
My biggest issue is getting food down. My shakes are absolutely horrid to me now i cant stomach any of them. i have like 7 different flavors trying to find some i can stand pre op. post op nothing i do can make them taste good. i've added milk i've tried a spoon of apple sauce to half a shake witch i regretted almost instantly even though i was 8 days out didn't sit well. added a bite of banana didn't help even to banana flavored shake. But ive been getting about half a shake down a day weather i like it or not. haha plus my supplements.
I apoligize socializing isnt my strong suit anymore kinda closed my self off as i got bigger sadly and i tend to ramble. i hope some of this made sense and helped out.
TLDR yes i and I'm sure most if not all of us have had the same feelings to varying degrees! if you ever need anyone to talk to we are here to support you and know what you are going thru! GL I believe in you!!!
Congrats! I just got my surgery date! It's December 9th! I was super excited when I got the date, mostly because at first they said they didn't have anything until January and that's when my 5,000 dollar deductible was to to reset (I met it for this year) now I'm a bit more nervous that excited. Maybe you're feeling a bit anxious now?
