What's shakin, kids? (I'm new)

Also, everyone's journey is different, so don't compare yourself to others. Some people fly through surgery, no pain, others have complications or more difficult experiences. Some people lose quickly, and others more slowly. Your body will progress at your own pace. Just keep doing what you are supposed to and it WILL come off. Make the new behaviors habit and you will be more successful in the long run.

Hi!  

I wrote this initially pre-op, but I've updated based on what I've learned since then. They're my WLS Promises to myself.  

1. I will not panic if I stop losing weight for a few weeks. Instead, I will re-evaluate that my eating is on plan and wait until the stall has lasted 4 weeks before I start to panic.

2. I will not ask OH what I need to take to the hospital, I know these things. Lip balm and a pillow. And the pillow really just needs to be in the car for the trip home.  (I also took my iPhone and Kindle, plus their charging cables.  I didn't use the Kindle.  I wore a loose, comfy dress to the hospital and wore it back home.  I didn't need a robe or socks, those were all provided for me.) 

3. I will not lie when people ask me how I’ve lost the weight. I will either be honest and tell them “surgery, diet and exercise” or I will tell them “I’m not comfortable talking about this with you.” These are the options, lying by omission is not one of them.

4. If I fail, and I will fail, I will forgive myself and return immediately to plan. It’s okay to screw up, it’s not okay to beat myself up for it or let it become the start of a downward spiral.  (I'm not good at not beating myself up, but I try!)

5. If I don’t start losing sizes right away, I won’t freak out. Chances are the clothes I wear now are too small and tight, and I just deal with it. It might take awhile for my current clothes to fit correctly and that will happen before I can get into smaller sizes.  (It took me over 50 pounds to start losing sizes!)

6. I will own my mistakes. They’re mine and result of my own choices, no one is ever going to hold a gun to my head and make me eat crap, I control what goes into my own body.

7. I will not compare my weight loss to that of anyone else. I’m me.

8. I will do everything I can to find a therapist I can work with. This will help me out in the long run.

9. I will be hyper aware of potential addiction transfer issues and especially aware of getting too caught up in numbers as I already know I am want to do.

10. Extra skin is a fact of life, get the **** over it. If I really hate the way my body looks, I can save my pennies and nickels for plastic surgery once I’ve maintained for a year or two. People will still have sex with me if I have weird skin, and Under Armour sells compression gear. I will, however, have every issue with my skin documented.

11. I will be kind to myself. I will keep getting to my monthly massages, I will keep engaged in my hobbies, and I will spend time with my friends.

12. I already know that being a “hero” about medication is stupid so I’ll work on remembering that when the time comes. Pain keeps us from healing, it’s not noble.

13. I will only weigh myself once a week. I will not let myself get obsessed with the scale. See #9.  (I found TrendWeight.com and I weigh myself daily and it's awesome.  I now just see my daily weight as data, not something that makes or breaks me.) 

14. My stomach will probably gurgle after surgery, this is normal. Just don’t go to silent Meeting anytime soon.

15. I will not worry if people don’t comment on my weight loss. I will assume that they’re being polite and not commenting on another person’s body, which is what they should do.  

16. I will work to break the compulsions to “clean my plate” and to “not let food go to waste.” Sure, there are starving kids in Africa, but throwing away food will not change the situation.

17. There is nothing to be done for hair loss, assuming that I’m eating on plan. It will happen, or it won’t, but I will remember that it will grow back eventually. I will be a shavee with St. Baldricks six weeks post-op.

18. I understand that my hormones will be all messed up after surgery. I will do my best to remove myself from the company of others instead of taking my hormonal changes out on them.

19. I won’t weigh myself for the first two weeks post-op because I know that I’ll gain weight from all of the fluids and swelling that surgery entail. I’ll wait to weigh until I’m off liquids.  (I made it one week, lol.) 

20. I will not panic if I don’t feel restriction immediately post-op. Chances are restriction won’t kick in fully until I’m eating dense proteins and that will take 4-6 weeks on my plan.

Welcome  

Don't start to freak out when your weight loss isn't a pound a day.  Know that some days you may stay the same, or even gain a pound.  It's not necessarily fat, bu****er retention or your body adjusting to the rapid change in weight that WLS brings.

Around the three week mark, it's very common for your weight loss to stall.  There are a million posts about it so don't panic.  It's normal.

Hair loss will happen or not happen - it's nothing you can stop or control.  It's called telogen effluvium so google it and read up about it.  It normally hits around the third month post surgery.  It will eventually end and your hair will almost always return to its normal thickness, as long as you take your vitamins and supplements and get in enough protein.  Biotin or magic potions will not help.

And remember that you are doing this to become a healthier person.  We will never be Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, but we will be able to engage in more activities that have been limited due to our excess weight.  Changing your lifestyle is the best thing you can do for long term success.  We may always have an unhealthy attachment to food, but we don't have to act on it.

Enjoy the ride!

I would have told myself to run away from the evil lapband because it will try to kill me. I would have chosen the sleeve instead and had so much more success instead of life long damage to my stomach!

If I had to do it over again;

I would have taken "before" pictures instead of hiding from all cameras.

Most importantly, I would have started therapy after my first doctor's visit.

I honestly can't think of anything I'd like to go back and warn myself about. I was really pretty well informed about the surgery I chose, the Duodenal Switch. I haven't had any real surprises, other than I now like some foods I did NOT like pre-op---principally deviled eggs and cole slaw. Or that I would discover that I really don't much like cake. I'd much rather 'spend' the carbs on a good potato. (*grin*)

Doing exercise really loss weight? Please post some exercise for pregnant womens. I am 7 months of pregnant but, worry about my increased weight. How can i get out of this problem? any suggestions please.