"Secrets" to success

 I did a psych eval recently for someone planning on RNY.  She happened to see that my medical alert bracelet said that I also had a RNY (either she is very nosy or very observant, LOL) and she asked how far out, how much weight I lost, and what I thought were the most important things to do in order to be successful.  So I thought I would share what I told her for the benefit of any pre-ops or early post-op folks.  This is just my own experience and the things that have most helped me maintain my weight loss.

1) Protein first ALWAYS.  Even at 5 years out, I never eat more than 2 or 3 bites of side dishes until I finish my protein.
2) Eat until satisfied rather than until "full" (when you are very early out, however, you need to eat until full in order to get enough protein in, so this applies more to folks 9 months or so out).  I physicallycan eat more than I need to.  Yes, if I am eating something that is really good, I do eat until full, but in general I try to just eat enough to get my protein in and enjoy a small amount of veggies, fruit, etc.
3) Embrace a new food lifestyle and a healthier diet.  Early out, focus on eating as healthy a diet as possible rather than on how soon you can return to having certain foods.  The mental shift is crucial to establishing behavior that will help avoid regain once the pouch is larger and the caloric malabsorption is gone.

exercise is important, too, but since I am limited by a knee that needs replaced I have to focus on the food portion.

Lora

Just what I needed to read today! Thank you!!!

Great tips Lora! thank you.

And one more under the "optional but if you can do it, it helps a lot"

-Find a support network. On OH, Facebook, your surgery support group, wherever. In the long-term I think think it's crucial to have other people in your life that understand this experience and lifestyle. 

Agreed!  Staying here on OH has been very helpful as far as keeping me motivated and focused.

Lora

Thank you so much for this! As someone who is just a month out, these are the things I try to keep in mind more than anything else; it really helps to have a reminder.

xoMel

Thank you for the tips. I have two weeks before surgery and I printed this off to always keep in mind. The support group suggestion is wonderful too. I love the one my doctors office has every month. thinking about joing Overeaters Annoymous too.

Great Tips @ LORA
Eating until full is a thing of the past. We need to embrace the fact that we no longer need to be a member of the Clean Plate Club!

How in the world do you stay motivated???? I need a shot of whatever it is. I'm 35 pounds overweight. Tell me something that will make it disappear. Right now. I want it to disappear before I come back to work tomorrow.

LOL.  Much of my motivation simply comes from having been so miserable when I had a BMI of 57 and being committed to NEVER going back to that (not to mention having spent a lot of money out of pocket to have my tummy tuck and arm lift!).  Being here helps me stay motivated because some of the posts from pre-ops remind me of how desperate I was to lose the weight and some of the posts from those several years out who are struggling with regain remind me that if I do not stay focused, regain is a VERY real possibility.

i understand the impatience.  It took me 20 months to lose 185 pounds, and I was often frustrated reading about people who were losing so much more quickly and was often disappointed reading about people who ended up much smaller than I did.  I am 5 years out, though, and maintaining that loss... and there are lots of people who lost more and faster who cannot say the same, so I sometimes have to remind myself that it really IS about permanent changes and long-term success.

hang in there.

Lora