Sage Advice from the Pros Please ;)

For all of you who have gotten a VSG and the RNY -what is the one piece of advice you could give for those of us who have not gotten it done yet please share! You are inspiring and you are going to help the future bench- losers Thank you!

I know you are a newbie, but start tracking now. You will need to track post-op and it makes it easier if you start now. Also don't waste one minute of your honeymoon phase. It's short and it's your best shot at getting to goal.

Try to figure how why you eat. What are your triggers. We all have them. During the first months you will be excited and most people stick to plan. However for maintenance you will need to know how to avoid the triggers and what to do about them. Your centre has great psychologists to help if you need it.

Start drinking water now. You will need to find away to drink enough.

To get in your protein you need to make sure your meals are protein forward. Hard to image only eating a cup of food at a time. It will take you a while to even get to that amount. So always fill up on protein first. This will keep you full longer and help with healing.

Also what Craving Change said. Track your food. Whether on paper or with something like my fitness pal.

Good luck

Do .. and do ... thank you

Patm.. Craving.. verry great tips...

Not a pro, only 10 months post op, but I think one of the things that helped me most was to fully immerse myself into the post op lifestyle mentality while still a pre op. I think I basically brainwashed myself, lol. I came to OH every day, plus I watched so many Youtube videos. I really loved watching people go through the whole thing from pre op to post op and it was amazing to me to watch their transformations. I spent a long time every day doing this; hours every day. I also spent time every day imagining what it would feel like to get down one size, 2 sizes, 3 sizes and more. I imagined what it would be like to see the scales go down, to shop in smaller sizes.

This was important for me because I was a binge eater and lived for food pre op. I would fantasize about pizza or chips or donuts or whatever until it became impossible to resist, then I'd go shopping for the foods I wanted and feel almost high while doing it. Then I'd come home and the anticipation of eating was so great. Then the actual eating, at first, was amazing, but quickly followed by extreme shame. I needed a way to break that cycle, to change my thinking, and this is what worked for me. I realize not everyone, or even many, will have the same issues I had so this advice won't be good for everyone.

I am 3 years out from surgery. I had a great recovery from my surgery, to the point that I questioned that anything was done! However, I told my surgeon this, and he told me that my stomach was now the size of a single serving yogurt container. Visualize that, and think about how much food that it could handle. Give it the best, nutrient rich food, maximize your nutrition. Get a scale and weigh or measure everything so you nail down portion size. That's what works for me.

It was a life and health saver for me, happy to be a loser.

Changing habits is key

Part of why traditional diets can't be maintained is because after years of abuse we have often stretched it out and so a diet leaves us chronically hungry and battling hunger. This is part of what makes surgery amazing. Feeling "full" on small portions. Post op eating tends to be hard and like a job. It completely redefined my relationship with food. I literally changed to the point that I was eating to live, no longer living to eat. It was an amazing gift!!!'

Eventually for most of us that changes though and it becomes easier to eat, hunger returns and portions increase. That's when it can be easy to go back.

That's why changing habits and foods that first year is SO important. If you've continued to eat the same old, same old then the possibility for gaining it back is high. No established good habits? Welcome to regain. Haven't looked at the reasons why you've over eaten and used food for something? The chances are also great that you'll gain much of it back.

Examining your underlying food issues is crucial. Establishing good habits is key. Finding new foods to enjoy that are healthier, exceedingly important.

I Surgery 11 years ago saved my life and completely changed my life. It has been an amazing gift but maintaining it has been A LOT of work. Every day can be a challenge

Find mentors. Listen to the old folks

Read and research everything.

Do your own research on supplementation - not all centres give good advice

moderation is easier said than done. Don't assume you'll do moderation well with trigger foods

get to goal then worry about the treats

Hearing from the pros... has helped me so much....newbies get all this to do stuff... and then you read what people really experience.... it really does put a spin on things.... you are so correct... I have done a great deal of research on trigger foods... doing autopsies on my last diets and failures... what prompted relapses and regaining.... but at the end of the day the realization is I did not change my lifestyle permanently... and that is what is required... you ladies and gents are proof of it... we all have your own journey and story ...but having information and knowledge as they say is power and we need it to put a life plan in place to use the new WLS tool.

Thank you again all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drink MORE water...lots more.

Since I am not a water guzzler and trying to learn to be ... I better start soon ... thank you!