Ready or not here I go!!!

MY surgery is tomorrow!! I am so very very very scared!!!! I hope this is all worth it. Your stories and advice is so inspirational.

I still do not envision myself counting my food the rest of my life, I dont even envision myself loving the gym (I actually hate to exercise)... so I am so very scared it wont work. (I am having a revision from lap band to sleeve) the band worked initially but then I had problems and I never had restriction again and since then I had gained almost all the weight back. I know there is no magic in this road. I see how vigilant all of you (successful people) sound!

How did you change your lifelong patterns? How did your life change? Do you count everything you eat for the rest of your life? How did you make your brain change? How did you learn to love exercise? I wish there was brain surgery!!

Well I am so anxious about tomorrow, I will post again when its all done.

Thanks so much in advance for sharing with me you life lessons.

A good therapist isn't brain surgery, but it can definitely help with all of this.

I changed by making ME my mission. I knew that if I didn't change, then I'd just end up back where I started. If you keeping doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. I made my brain change with willpower, therapy, and lots of hard work.

I learned to love exercise by a) trying everything that sounded remotely interesting and giving it at least a month before giving up on it and b) doing things that make me feel good leads to wanting to continue those things. I signed up at a gym that had multiple fitness class options and tried a ton of them in order to figure out what I liked.

Wishing you all the best with your surgery and the road ahead. I am still pre-op, but I know (and by your post I think you do too!) that if we don't change our habits, the surgery will change nothing for us.

Like Gwen said, a solid combination of desire, therapy and trying new things is a great recipe for success.

If you have read posts from the vets on this board, you know this is anything but the easy way. But it is a tool that gives us a chance and a choice to be successful.

Here's to your success!

Thank you guys so much!! I am in the hospital now, still scared!!!

Prayers that your surgery will go well and that you will not be scared.

hugs

As the saying goes, they operate on your stomach not on your head. You're simply trading one tool for another, so unless you make changes the same thing will happen, and you have to want to make these changes. If you fight it, it simply won't happen because the surgery isn't a magic bullet (as you already stated).

Because I had the DS my issues are different, but yes I do count or measure or weigh certain things (the things I know I have trouble with). When I first had my surgery, I was part of a small local group of patients from my surgeon. We used to meet once a week and it was a great support group (I actually credit this group with helping me meet my goal). Everyone in the group used to make fun of me because I weighed and measured everything. I counted everything. I went to the gym 5 days a week. However, they stopped making fun of me when I lost all my excess weight in record time and have kept it off for 14+ years.

I made the commitment to myself that I was going to be successful at this. I risked my life to have surgery to save my life. So far so good :)

Good luck with your surgery and once you recover and start contemplating the rest of your life, I suggest you find a good therapist who can help you understand some of your fears and concerns.

Thanks so much!!!! ? Everything with the surgeryi went well. Thanks for your prayers and good wishes!!!