Preparing for the upcoming changes

I was wondering if any of you could offer what you did pre-surgery to organize your life.

It's that time of year where I throw all my winter clothes in a box and take out my summer clothes but today I was at a loss of what to do.

First I was disgusted about how much I have that I can't fit into, how much I have that I haven't bothered to wear in years, and didn't know what to do with any of it.

Part of me wanted to donate/throw away everything and get ready for my impending surgery date and lifestyle changes --- but I don't know what I'll need to wear while I lose --- and I also didn't want it to seem like I was being ****y thinking I'll never need any of my bigger clothes in this process.. It was more of a "need to start anew" feeling for chucking it..

And in the kitchen, there is nowhere where I can keep anything that isn't already filled with junk. I need my own space. I want everything bad to be out of sight. I know better than to think my family will want to eat lean protein and low carb, calorie, and fat with me.

So my question is this: How did everyone organize themselves before surgery.. I want to know about your bedrooms, your closets, and your kitchens.

How did you sift through all your clothing and how did you separate yourselves from your family's bad habits.

Because as it stands with me today.. I have a lot of trying on and purging in my future and think I'll keep everything out no matter the season so I can be aware of what I have and what sizes...

and feel tempted and think I need to buy a second fridge for my house so I don't have to see the bad habits that my family will continue to eat and drink.

Help? Thoughts?

I am 4 months out from the sleeve. A great idea someone gave me was to freeze pre-made meals for my family such as casseroles, pasta, chicken, meat loaf ect. So that I would not have to worry about meals for a couple of weeks after surgery. Pinterest has some great ideas. Secondly I got rid of the junk food in my pantry and refrigerator. The sooner you get your family on board the better off you will be. I think it would be a mistake to leave them out of this journey with you by purchasing a second refrigerator and you definitely do not want your weight loss success jeopardized due to their lack of knowledge about your journey. Lastly I wouldn't worry to much about the clothes. I kept my clothes and the sizes quickly started to go down to the point now that I am out of clothes in my current size. I have gone from 276lbs to 215lbs and from a size 20W to a size 12 after just 4 months. I hope something I said helps. Good luck with your journey.

Thank you so much for responding. Getting the rest of the family educated and on board, as well as my friends is truly going to be my biggest challenge in this journey. Congrats on your accomplishments!

I didn't worry so much about a closet purge right at first. I set up a box in the corner of my closet, and as I shrink out of things I toss them in the box and take the box to Goodwill to donate every once in a while. I've found that I was wearing my clothes so tight when I was at my highest weight that I could continue to wear them for a long time! However, I'm now down about four sizes and my largest clothes have started hanging on me ridiculously, so into the box they go. I also donated a bunch of things that while they fit at the moment, by the time winter comes around again, they won't!

About the family, you may be surprised. With a little work on your part you can prepare good meals for them that with a little modification would be good for you. Think along the lines of a crock pot chicken dish with some potatoes and a vegetable on the side; your family would eat the chicken with a good amount of sauce, veggies and the potatoes, and you would skip the potatoes and much of the sauce. I've managed to change my husband's eating habits (at least for his dinner meal) to a protein and a veggie side, and he doesn't even miss the carbs much of the time.

Good luck!

This was really helpful! Once I get my surgery date confirmed I'll keep my seasonal clothes box in my room to separate out the stuff I absolutely cannot wear anymore. 

I've been helping out more in the meal planning in the house.. Every dish I make is filled with spinach or tomatoes or if there's pasta I slip in whole wheat and of course have a salad. Everyone ends up eating it no problem just ask they eat my brother and father's "meat and potato" meals and LIVING. Haha

I'll have to get started on getting rid of junk and give the kitchen a good cleaning out so I don't need to worry about it after.  

I did clean out a cupboard in my kitchen for my "stuff" and it's great. I boxed up a bunch of kitchen things we use on occasion (or never) and put the box in the basement. There is a huge label on the box so it's easy to see what's in there.

I really like having my food scale, measuring cups, small bowls and dishes in one spot. Might not last forever, but right now it suits me.

I'll have to do that! Right now I can never find any container or kitchen utensil I want! Storing the stuff that we never ever use to make more room for my scale and containers is a must!

The only thing I really did was to sort my closet by size, so that I'd be able to easily remove things when the time came.  

As for food for my family.. there is a single "snack cabinet" in the house and, other than that, my family eats what I cook/buy.  They can do what they want when they're out or when we go out, but in the house - I rule. So, basically, we decided that my healthy habits trumped their bad habits and that the bad habits were the ones that needed to be separated.  

And it's pretty cool since my partners are both really benefitting from my lifestyle changes and making changes of their own.  They're actually really happy with the way this process has benefitted them too!   

I cleaned out my closet, everything I no longer want I am donating to a women's shelter, and arranged the rest of my closet by sizes.  This way when a size feels lose it is time to go.  I also cleaned out my fridge and pantry, there isn't much left.   I am lucky though no kids and husband is on the road.  I think you should change what your family eats and make them eat what u eat.  Let's face it, if our parents had bad eating habits, we picked up on it too.  This way they will learn the right way to eat, and won't have to go through what we are going through.

I'm going to organize by size-- Great points!

I am really hoping that my family goes along with it all! I know I am responsible for myself... but I know that I AM a product of my parents in the way I eat and live. Especially my father. No matter what I've done, I could never get away from my bad habits.

I am praying he sees me doing good and it motivates him too. Up until now I've never done anything as dramatic as surgery so every other time he would refuse the low-fat, light, and wheat stuff. 

I think the fact I'm going under the knife will make him see. And be a little more open to change.