New to the board - New to it all

Hi All,

I am new to all of this, I had my orientation last night.  I did excessive amounts of research on the net before hand, I am looking forward to getting surgery but probably won't be for a year or so.  Is there anything special I should know or do during the wait time?  Looking forward to hearing the good the bad and the ugly, I really like to be educated by "real" people not just clinical staff.  Thanks and congrats to you all for your successes!

Welcome to ObesityHelp!

We are glad that you have joined our OH community.  Be sure and check out the tutorial that appears when you log in.  As you check out OH, you'll see many features and tools that are created for our members as you embark on your WLS journey.

We suggest you upload your avatar, fill in your surgery type, date and surgeon.  If you have not done so, let us get to know you by adding some information on your profile "about me" section.  Hang out on your surgery type forum to interact with those that had the surgery you are going to have.  Great support and information.

If you want assistance with finding a surgeon, and or have any additional questions please email us at [email protected]
  

Regards,

Kathy

ObesityHelp.com Community Services

Welcome!!  You are in the right place! Stick around and you will learn tons!!!

I suggest to click on the bottom page numbers of the forums to read back on past topics. Also, embrace the search function. You can look up anything. Most of your questions have probably been answered already. 

Good luck!

In addition to what's already been suggested, work on building some of the good habits you'll need to rely on post-op. The major ones, in no particular order:

• Log every bite of food you put in your mouth (myfitnesspal.com is a great site)
  
  
• Take your vitamins every day
  
  
• Drink at least 64oz of fluid daily. Water, iced tea, Crystal Light, sugar-free lemonade, Mio, etc. If it's wet and calorie-free, it's fair game!
  
  
• Try do to do at least some sort of physical activity, even if it's just a 10-minute walk. You don't need to train for a marathon, and you can't out-exercise a bad diet, but the "something is better than nothing" principle absolutely applies here!
  
  
• Check in on the boards at least once a week. You don't even need to post, but read the recent threads, post a blog, and/or send a message to someone who's at a similar spot in their surgery journey. It's no coincidence that my WLS friends who post here regularly have done FAR better with their health than those who disappeared from the forums after a few months!

And in addition to what Sparklekitty has advised - something as simple as chewing every bite 20 times to savor the flavor & texture, to become one with mindful eating.  Oh yea, the daily articles on OH are always a good quick read and a great way to start your day to give you something specific to focus on.  Today's article on relationship with food really spoke to me.

Good luck on your journey - it is all exciting and you will never stop learning new things about yourself