What type of goal did you set pre-surgery

I have been tying to prepare for my surgery. It is a few months away at the least and I know I will have to make changes before it. Since my weight is right about 41% bmi my surgeon is worried that if I lose to much weight I wont qualify since other them my body fat there is nothing wrong with me yet. So my question is...What type of non weight loss goal did you make for you pre-surgery?

commit to following whatever your surgeon's guidelines are for you. get more walking in so you are more mobile for surgery, etc.  eat healthier, if not lower calories, as you mat be asked. good luck. 

I weighed 492 lbs. he told me not to gain weight .....I was not required to lose any prior to surgery.

Hi Dani,

My surgery is scheduled for January 2017 and I started changing my lifestyle almost a year ago based on the advice I got here from the vets and I'm so glad that I did.

I was a 40 BMI when I got started and checked with my surgeons office before I lost any weight. My program allows for it, as they go by your weight when you entered the program. But do check with yours because they are all different.

I have lost 32 lbs. since my consult which brings me down to a 35 BMI and 205 lbs. which is great and a real jump start but imo the best thing you can do for yourself is to make some lifestyle changes now, so that you will be in the best place possible for success when you do have surgery.

Here's what I recommend;

1. Some counseling to manage the head stuff
2. A support system/group/keep coming to OH for info & support
3. Record everything you eat/drink in an app like myfitnesspal
4. Develop & follow a bariatric-friendly food plan, (low carb/protein forward)
5. Eliminate soda, caffeine, junk food, fast food, alcohol, etc.
6. Exercise regularly, even if it's just a short walk or swim
7. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
8. Chew your food thoroughly
9. Educate yourself as much as possible about bariatric living
10. Apply self-care; this time is about you, get a massage, be with positive, supportive people, take time for yourself to read, paint, meditate, journal, do yoga or whatever you enjoy. You are so worth it!

You don't have to do all of these things at once but if you can start making some little changes while you're waiting for surgery, you will be well ahead of the game by the time you get there.

I've learned that this journey does not start with surgery but with the decision to move toward a better, healthier life. So why not make it easier for yourself and increase your odds for success!

Best of luck to you!

Non wight goals or NSV's (non scale victories) 

Being able to see my toes / feet

being able to paint my toenails without huffing and puffing 

being able to cross my legs

having room left over in doctor office chairs

being able to donate all my 4x clothes

starting setting small exercise goals then increasing them 

we have cows, so one of my goals was to be able to pick up and move hay bales. I was sooo proud of myself when I could do this! 

Being able to wear a certain outfit. Then donating it when it became to big :) 

take pictures every month. You will hate them now, but you will love to start seeing your progress and how your body changes

 

Try making some changes now that you will have to make after surgery. One of yhe hardest things for me was not drinking with meals, or for at least 30 minutes after. That would be a great change if you can work on that before surgery.

Get a kitchen scale, and start weighing and logging your food using something like MyFitnessPal. Weighing and logging have been a huge help for me.

There are lots of changes you can make that will benefit you in the long run.

41% bodyfat or 41 BMI? I assume you meant 41 BMI and that you cannot go below a BMI of 40 to qualify for insurance.

I would focus on being active and getting in at least 10000 steps a day.

Oh I did mean BMI. Not sure why I wrote body fat.

CHEW. No, I mean SERIOUSLY CHEW... it amazed me when I started actually chewing my food as much as I was told to, how hard that is! I still have to really concentrate on that, I used to just shovel it in, and then wa**** down with my drink. If it was soda, I swear I could eat more... so I almost always went through 2-3 sodas with my meal when eating out.

Speaking of 'washing it down'... stop that now. It's even harder to chew everything to death and then have nothing to drink.

No drinking 30before/after... and CHEW.

These were my two most difficult habits to create.  Chew, chew, and chew some more.   My body has reminded me a few times when I didn't chew enough and rejected what I improperly put in there.   And the not drinking 30 minutes before/after was/is really hard.