What have you learned that could have helped before WLS?

If WLS was not an option, what key things have you learned in your post-op journey that may have helped you be a more successful dieter and a long term maintainer? I do think obesity is a disease and that WLS is a viable medical treatment; but I think most of us have discovered it is not just a disease of the body but to some extent of the mind as well,.. The proof: WLS doesn't resolve the mind issues, nor does losing the weight. I think that has a bearing on what caused us to be weight loss/maintenance failures before and how it impacts us today. Here's one to start that was surprising to me: Fullness: My pre-op sense of what it meant to be "full" was actually to be stuffed, which meant I was getting in far more calories than I needed. I know now that I must focus on eating the right things in the right amounts whether or not I get a pleasantly full sensation afterwards. Just wondering... Ann

Fullness is on the top of the list. Drinking water would be second. It helps to drink water when you "think" you're hungry. Taking your time eating your meals and putting your fork down between bites while utilizing a small plate really is a helper.

I THIRD the "FULLNESS" thing....I swear...that "STUFFED" feeling would kill me now! For me the key is EXCERCISE!! Cuz even if i'm not losing...I am getting sooo fit and LOOK GOOD! People will still ask me if i've lost more wieght....NOPE! But working on it! Working out and weight training EMPOWERS ME!! Makes me feel like I can accomplish ANYTHING TOO! Bottom line...We HAVE To burn more calories than we take in! Alrighty then...thats my 2 cents! Julie

Food really isn't everything! There is so much more than eating. I have noted people are obsessed with food. What are we going to eat...when are we going to eat...who is coming to eat...will there be food there? Man I just don't even care anymore. Church suppers used to be a highlight of my life. All the good cooks here in NC (I never was a good cook!), lots of fatty, greasy stuff, and lots and lots of sweet things. Now don't get me wrong, there are times when I wish I could dig into that banana pudding or pineapple upside down cake but you know what? A size 6 feels mighty good from a size 34, 4X, 2 years ago! Food really isn't everything...

If I hadn't had WLS I would be 300 pounds by now. I was 260 & only going up at surgery and 130 now. I am in therapy to get the mind stuff in order, but even with that with out the pouch , I would be doomed to fatness forever.

I have learned by eating in a more healthy manner that there are so many more options of food out there that I had been missing out on. I had been limiting myself to a certain to of "comfort" food. I am also conscious of everything I buy. I check to see if it has an adequate amount of protein or if it has a high amount of sugar or carbs. Before...it was all about TASTE and WANT.

I think I've learned that balance is more important in my life than any one other thing. I do agree with Julie on the exercise aspect. I just don't know if, as a pre op of 380, I could have performed at a meaningful level to the degree that it would have made an impact and allowed me long term participation. But the head thing for me only came about because of WLS. I can now see just how "mental" I was......and am capable of still being. It is a daily discipline to live my way to right thinking and not try to think my way to right living.......... Jeannie Good question!!

I was a binger. While I have learned many things that have served me well post-op, I don't think I could have applied them addequately non-op. Pre-op, I knew what fullness felt like, and I knew I was plowing right past it into stuffed. My mindset is that if one is good, ten must be great. I could (and did) follow good nutritional programs and could lose a limited amount of weight, but invariably a binging episode or ten would effectively undo any progress I made. I simply did not, and still do not, have the willpower 24/7/365. The main thing surgery has done is when I do lack the willpower, I also now lack the ability to binge dramatically. For me, WLS did directly address some of my mind issues. It very effectively conditioned me that overeating = pain = bad. WLS conditinoned me that if one is good, leave well enough alone. Tek

I've learned that healthy eating becomes a habit if you do it long enough. I am now on maintenance but have no desire to go back to my old eating habits. My mind still goes to calories/protein BEFORE I put anything in my mouth. I've learned if I start eating too much to check my carbs. A few days on nothing but protein will get rid of the the craziness for me. Then I can slowly add a few carbs back to my diet. Maybe being diabetic makes my body react differently to carbs but I could so easily slide back into the habit of eating too many.

Ann, To me it's comparing apples to oranges. There is nothing that would have helped me. In fact, the reason I was ONLY 100# overweight is because I did eat right and exercise (most of the time). It got to the point that in an 8-month period of time exercising regularly (5x/week, 60 min/day) and eating very similarly to how I eat now (only without the restriction) I lost a grand total of 15#. I rarely ate until I was stuffed (generally only at holiday times) and limited white carbs in my diet. Nothing very different from today. The difference was that my intake was severely restricted after RNY surgery. The amount of food I get now is only what I need. It used to be that I was always hungry if I tried to eat the amounts I eat now (and believe me, I tried). Linn