Struggling with eating healthy & exercising before VSG

Hi, I'm new on here and I'm currently fulfilling my insurance requirements of being on a diet plan overseen by doctor for 6 months, getting all these tests like EKG and seeing other specialists too. I have BCBS of Michigan. I go to a weight control center through the hospital I chose for my surgery. It's really good place because it has basically everything I need in one building. My nutritionist & dietician, my PCP for the surgery, a psychologist (also required). I have all the tools necessary there to help me before my surgery (shooting for October) yet I feel so discouraged lately. I'm also required to quit smoking @ least 3 months prior to surgery (would be July-ish) yet my doctor is telling me to quit NOW and it's been such a struggle. I've smoked for many years and WANT to quit. I've already attempted once a few weeks ago and I quit for three weeks- the longest I've ever gone but got stressed and started up again.

And at the start of me going to nutritionist and exercise consultant I had lost about five or six pounds only to recently regain. I got an exercise bike and messed up my back on that so I had to kind of slow it down and take a break from it. I also had horrible sciatica a month ago and was in physical therapy which helped tremendously but that has also acted up as of late.

I want so much to get back on track with all this. I'm only 29 and have so many healthy problems related to or directly from my obesity. I feel horrible in my body. I've struggled with my weight my whole life but I have never been this big! I want the surgery to keep up with my toddler son. I feel like so much is riding on this. I think it's important to start making healthy changes now especially because I keep reading of people re-gaining the weight and stretching out their stomach.

Any advice or thoughts would be so helpful! I'd love to hear from people who are in same boat or have already gone through surgery.

Giving up tobacco and food is not easy. We all need therapy as part of this process. Start working with the psychologist.

Thank you! It's NOT easy. Food has been my comfort for years. I'm an emotional eater as well. Cigarettes have been my stress relief or when I feel anxious. This is so hard but I know I can do it.

I hear ya.. I love cigarettes. Im down to about 3 a day which needs to get better but I had quite cold turkey for 2 solid years after I had a heart attack. Cigarettes are friends- hard to let go.

Yes, especially when you are really stressed out- like me most the time lol I just bought a Jul vape thing with menthol flavoring to help me quit. But yes the doctors said no nicotine bc the test they give u so the Jul will only be temporary. I like them bc ur still getting nicotine and it's satisfying much more than nicotine patches or gum in my opinion.

It's mind over matter when it comes to quitting! Put your mind to it and stay determined to get surgery and you'll be okay:)

Good luck,

-Kailey

I would suggest making small goals until you get to ur surgery date since you think it may be around October don't try and do a lot of goals at once. I recently went to a training at my job and the trainer was a psychologist and she said ppl should always start with 2-3 goals that they can work on for a month or two before moving on to new goals and I felt like a light bulb went off in my head so pick 2- 3 u can work on for a month and track and adjust the goals if needed

Stopping smoking is hard from what I hear regardless of what kind of surgery you have smoking before or after surgery may affect how you heal after surgery

since your having issues with exercising try to find other options walking or something that isn't too much on you

talking the exercise therapist or the person treating your sciatic may help

but definitely use ur supports

Hey there, thnx for responding!

That's a great idea. I think that's probably why I failed before ... because I was taking on EVERYTHING all at once and it became too much. So yes, I think I'll take baby steps lol and it's not like my insurance and doctor are REQUIRING me to lose weight. They just want to see me making healthy changes before the surgery to prove I'm fit for it after. I believe I am and CAN do this. I've struggled with my weight my WHOLE damn life and I've NEVER been happy in my skin. It's held me back so much and I'm tired of being the fat girl lol

Someone else suggested water exercise and I think I'm going to try that. I walked several blocks today and was in so much pain.

How much weight did you lose after VSG? Also how big were u before the surgery if u don't mind me asking? Anything I should know going into this? Side effects or anything you wish you'd known?

Thanks and hope to hear from you again!

-Kay

Hi Kay I was 299 Jan 2012 for my initial consult and I got down to 260 day of wls June 2012

my lowest Weight post op was 176

im around 215 now I gained a lot of weight last yr but I'm taking it again since I'm working with my wls team again

Talk to the PCP about using Chantix - I've heard it helps many people. I was a smoker for many years, but also an asthmatic and had a bad scare a few years before I considered surgery and was forced to quit cold turkey or be put in a hospital and on a ventilator for asthma issues. That worked. I struggle every day. I miss it. It is hard. You can do it.

If working out on land is difficult (which it was for me and my pre-surgery BMI was about 48), I did water walking in the pool at our local Y. Then, as I started to lose weight, I added water aerobics classes. Then transferred to land and started working with a personal trainer. Best money I ever spent.

I'm almost 3 years out. I'm down about 150 pounds. I fence competitively on a national level in two weapons - foil and saber. I'm old enough to be your mother.

Do your meal prep and planning on the weekends. Stick with the plan. Work the plan and the plan works for you. I fight 10 or 15 pounds up and down depending on what's happening in my life (I have teenage girls - one in HS, one in college) so my life can be chaotic - just like when you have a toddler.

You've got this.

Hi, thank you so much for replying. Water aerobics is actually a great idea for me. The pain in my back hurts so much. Today I walked several blocks to the park with my husband and son and my back was on fire and just aching. Lately ive totally got off track with my healthy eating and exercise because of my back issues and then also starting smoking again. It's like everything went down the tubes! Chantix would be helpful for me I think but unfortunately I'm on an antidepressant (Celexa) and I'm pretty sure my doctor said you can't mix the two. But I'm still going to check in with him on that just to be sure. I really think it'd help. I've been smoking since I was 16, I'm 29 now! I have asthma too :( there's a MILLION reasons I want to get this surgery and become healthy. The 31st of this month I've set as my next "quit date". I also plan to get on track with everything else too. I hope doing it all at once isn't too much. I don't want to fail. My doctor's and insurance aren't requiring me to lose any weight before the surgery. They just want to see people making changes before. I have four more months to do so. Really five bc the doctor said the surgeons will most likely be booked up in Sept or something..so I'm shooting for October to have the surgery.

When you started to work out like you said above, was it prior to surgery or after? The reason I'm getting the surgery is I can't lose weight in the FIRST place! If I could then I wouldn't need it.

Thanks again for the support:) and that's awesome you lost SO much weight and quit smoking. Those are amazing feats.

-Kay