What have you done post surgery FOR YOU that gets you to your WLS Goals? No Excuses

What have you done for yourself now that you've had surgery that helps you get to your WLS goals?

• Vitamins (do you set timers, just remember etc)
• Support Groups (do you attend multiple or just one/not at all?)
• Meal Plan
• Mental Health/Therapy
• Attend National Conferences
• Online support system
• Individual Support outside of a support group
• Exercise on a regular basis

This gives a general idea of what I am referring to, as there are soooo many. What can you recommend to some of the newbies out there or some veterans who want to mix it up a bit?

I use pill case things and set up my vitamins every two weeks using them. I have an vibration only alarm on my watch that reminds me to take them so I can ensure I get that iron in before I need to go to bed.

I attend, sporadically, a local support group. I'm in an off period right now since they people are starting to annoy me with their woo.

I meal plan weekly for dinners. Breakfast is always a protein shake and lunch is leftovers or eggs, depending on my mood, so there's not much meal planning that goes into that.

Therapy is a huge important thing. I saw my therapist every week for the first 2 years, then every other week, now we're on an as needed basis.

I participate in OH.

Conferences don't do anything for me.

My family and friends are HUGELY supportive.

I exercise regularly - I run and do yoga at home, I belong to a gym for fitness classes (mainly pilates and some yoga), I take another pilates class at a local pilates studio, and I belong to a gym for the treadmill when the weather sucks.

I blog/journal, as writing is a form of therapy for me.

I weigh daily and use Trendweight to track the trend of my weight so I don't get obsessed with the daily number.

I had reconstructive surgery, since I'm strongly motivated by money.

I force myself to try things - fitness classes, running, the trampoline park... for me this is really useful.

I register for races so that I have to train.

I still stick to three meals a day with no snacks the majority of the time, and I measure my meals to be between 4-6 ounces.

I don't drink while I'm eating. I don't drink alcohol at all. I drink a lot of calorie-free liquids.

I wear clothes that fit well and that I really like. I get rid of clothes that don't fit well. This helps me to notice any weight gain pretty quickly and, again, since I'm motivated by money it makes me not want to have to buy new clothes!

I am getting better about my vitamins and medication in general. An app I use to help me keep them straight is called Mango Health. It lets me put in all of the vitamins and medication and I set the time between each I need to take them and it sends me reminders on my phone.

Everything I eat is tracked on MyFitnessPal. I try to plan my day's meals the night before, but if things go awry I will make sure to update that information in the app so I am still accountable for what I have eaten.

I weigh my food meticulously at home, and if I eat out I try to make smart choices. Nothing fried, or battered, smart choices like that.

OH is my best support tool online and offline really. I have been busier with life stuff the last few weeks so not as regular as I like, but I partake in meal threads.

I go to the gym every day, 7 days a week. That is cardio just about every day, a few classes a week, and strength training every other day.

My family and friends are very supportive, even if they often want me to eat much more than I am willing to eat. Though to be fair, I do need to eat more. Finding my maintenance calories is proving to be harder than I thought since I'm still losing. That's slowed down a lot though, so I think I'm honing in on my range.

Initially it was hard for me to eat more. My team told me to introduce more fat. I added nuts and avocado. That seams to help the most to increase my calories without eating much more volume. Avocado had the good day and fiber. Nuts - I would buy them and divide them into1 oz portion.

I have my Calcium Citrate on my computer calendar and its connected to my Garmin from now to eternity so at 2:00 pm everyday, my watch buzzes and lets me know its time to take it. My other vitamins I take every morning like clockwork.

I meal prep my lunch Mon-Fri---Grilled chicken, brown rice and some sort of bean. Breakfast is either a protein shake (used as milk) with cereal or protein shake and a banana.

I joined a running group/club. We run every Tue, Thurs and Sunday morning plus we participate in almost every race in town from a 5k to a Full Marathon. Just like OH, being in a GROUP is always helpful. It keeps me accountable. Plus, these people now are some of my closest friends.

I weigh myself daily. I like to know where I stand.

NEVER drink with a meal..however, I try to drink 120 oz per day..(thank you tea mix--like Crystal Light)

Dense protein is your friend.

Vitamins - check

Support group - no (but I do spea****asionally)

Meal Plan - sort of - I log every bit I eat. Since I'm the primary shopper for my household, and cook for the family, I've been doing that for years.

Therapy - no

Conference - no

Online - one or two groups here and there

Individual support - not sure what this means

Exercise - Every stinking day about 1-2 hours. I have become a competitive fencer and am currently ranked 25th among women age 50-59 in the US. I fence 6 hours a week. I do Cross fit three hours a week, I do reformer Pilates once a week and then do separate strength and agility training. Exercise and my fencing community keep me on track.

I would love to try fencing; did you fence pre surgery? If not, how did you get started?

I started fencing about 8 months after surgery. My younger daughter had fenced for two years and wanted to take a break due to stuff going on at school. When I called the club to put her membership on hold, they told me there were 4 private lessons I had paid for that would expire in the next 45 days. I thanked them, hung up the phone and told her to get me her gear.

I knew the pants and shoes would fit. I knew it was a half hour high intensity workout. I had already paid for it, so what the heck.

Turns out I'm not bad. As of December 5, I was ranked 25 in the US for women 50-59. Rankings after this last weekend's competition haven't been computed yet - I didn't do as well as I would have like and will likely drop a spot or 2, but I'm ok with that.

Holy cow!! That is awesome!!

Fencing sounds like so much fun!!!