Question:
I'm five weeks pre-op . . . what's the one single piece of advice you'd give me?
— jdmartin (posted on September 25, 2008)
September 25, 2008
I'm 21 days pre-op (lapband) and would also love to know about any advise
you receive.
— lzimmerman6961
September 25, 2008
CHEW!!!!!
— brokenelbow
September 25, 2008
My biggest word of advice would be to start and stick to your diet
now....it really helps with the way you bounce back after surgery...
My second would be to not worry about how fast you lose after surgery right
away it takes a good month for your body and mind to get with the
program..It gets easier the longer you go, but will always be hard work..
— lori042499
September 25, 2008
Between 3-5 weeks was when I hit a stall and became very discouraged. I
thought I had made a HUGE mistake! The weight wasn't coming off like I had
thought it would and I could not enjoy eating at all anymore. So my advice
to you would be.....
DON'T FREAK OUT! Everyone's body loses weight differently and the weight
WILL come off! It may seem slow at times but when you really step back and
look at the loss...you'll see it's actually quiet fast compared to all past
attempts.
As for eating...the pleasure comes back slowly. Your tummy & brain need
time to adjust. When you were use to eating super portions and now can only
eat a few bites, you start to think...THIS SUCKS!!! And when you no longer
like the taste of some of your favorite foods...AGAIN IT SUCKS!!!
But trust me...little by little you will start to enjoy food again. You
will have no choice but to eat smaller portions and your body will have no
choice but to adjust. The taste for your favorite foods comes back to a
certain extent, or at least mine has. The weight starts to come off so that
you can actually see a difference and before you know it...LIFE IS GREAT
AGAIN! Maybe even better because now you can enjoy it more.
So relax, enjoy, and know...IT GETS BETTER & BETTER EVERYDAY! Good
Luck!
— AprilJM
September 25, 2008
Make sure you don't leave the hospital too soon or you might end up back in
there within the next couple days. Also make sure you get as much protein
as you can it helps you lose better & feel better is what I was told. I
am 3 weeks post op LAP RNY
Tammie
— tammie71
September 25, 2008
Hi there. I had my lap band surgery 1 week and 1 day ago. I am in week 3
of a liquid diet. Ugh! (if I never eat broth again, it will be too soon)
What helped me was about 5-6 weeks pre-op I started substituting meals for
protein shakes and I cut out all carbs. That way it was much easier when I
had to go to all liquid. Also, keep your eye on the end result and try
not to get stuck in the moment. Keep working at it and don't lose heart.
It will be worth it all in the end!
Good Luck! Let us know how it goes.
— Laura B.
September 25, 2008
Protein!
Dawn
— DawnVic
September 25, 2008
Hi I am out 9 weeks RYN down 72 pounds total 47 since. I would say to eat
slow, stop before getting full. No drinking within the time line. I eat ice
alot and can tolerate after eating. I can not drink protein drinks but I do
get it in protein by eating slowly maybe over a few hours a protein bar 20
protein. Chz. stick jerky. Anything good stick with it I ony eat 3 bites I
am full but try to eat little through out the day. Exercise,
just some ideas. Take care Tammi
— Tammi Sandoval
September 25, 2008
I would suggest sampling a variety of protein drinks and protein powders
now...many stores sell single drinks and sample sizes of protein powders.
Make sure the ones you try are 5g of sugar or less, because that is what
you will be restricted to post-op. Find a few you like and have some on
hand for when you return from the hospital. I wish you the best!
— gclark918
September 25, 2008
DO WHAT YOUR DOCTOR TELLS YOU TO AND ASK QUESTIONS WHEN YOU DON'T
UNDERSTAND. I read so much about people saying "My doctor told me I
shouldn't drink soda, but....can I"., for example. Don't try to
weasle around the rules (this is very tempting to do sometimes), because it
will come back and bite you. It happened to me, and I wound up back in the
hospital three days after I left. If you don't understand why a rule or
guideline is set up the way it is, ask your doctor. No question is ever a
stupid one. Good luck, and I wish you much success.
— Shirley D.
September 25, 2008
Start exercising now! You really need to be moving now so that it doesn't
seem so hard after surgery. I'm one-week post op and riding my recumbent
bike more than an mile each day. Today I am going for 3. Exercise is what
will really help the weight to drop faster and get you toned. You can't do
any serious exercise for about a month after surgery, so exercise now and
be ready to do some walking or easy cardio after the surgery just to keep
the pounds moving.
Best of luck! Sandra
— sandra17
September 25, 2008
It gets better...
— pattschiele
September 25, 2008
Take your measurements pre op and then each post op month. You will be
amazed!!! Be determined to be a success :) Congrats!
— Britt
September 26, 2008
I am 5 years out...the best advise that I would give is to follow
everything that your doctor tells you to do. If he says to do ABC in the
ABC order...don't try and outsmart him by changing the things that he is
telling you/having you do. I see that a lot. Also, do something special
for yourself, mark small goals for yourself - (mine was every 10 lbs lost)
and do something just for you. Don't make it about food! I took myself to
the movies, or bought a nice sweater...something, anything to make you feel
like you have reached one goal and now starting another one!!
— Danette C.
September 26, 2008
Learn as much about your health and nutrition and how your new body absorbs
or malaborbs nutrients. Many surgeons do stay on top of new info and
therefore you MUST be your own health advocate. Many people are afraid of
malnutrition because it is so common...WHY???? because some surgeons are
still recommending CHILDRENS vitamins and calcium carbonate...and NOT
telling their patients that they can NOT absorb Iron salts as Ferrous
sulfate....or that their malabsorption of fats INCLUDE fat soluable
vitamins (Vits A, D, E and K) K is NOT in childrens vitamins! So when the
sloooooooooow process of losing your vitamin stores happens some 3-4 years
post op, you think it's suddenly and that it's a fluke because all those
"WRONG" vitamins were working just fine, right? NO! Because you
had slowly been losing your stored nutrients and your SURGEON didn't look
at all your labs over the last few years and make sure you were not
dropping...THAT is what I want YOU to do now...YOU get all your vit labs
now and keep it as a baseline so that when your next labs come in, you can
compare the levels and see where you need to add vits to keep them up or
cut back on others! KNOW what vits are harmful in high doses and which are
not...AGAIN, doc don't all keep current vit levels averages. And you could
be low on something that you doc shows as in a normal range...Learn this
stuff for your continued health and for your life! After the weight loss
stops, your longevity depends on how healthy you stay. RNYers REALLY DO
MALABSORB! Trust that to be true and do not stop taking vits and learning
as much about which ones go together welland which ones do not...Learn
learn learn...Okay...done preaching! :)
— .Anita R.
September 26, 2008
Get working on the food issues. The sooner the better! (Therapy or
support group)
— gonnadoit
September 26, 2008
relax - go with the flow - EDUCATE yourself! - listen to your surgeon and
nutritionist - it's not all bad - you will be able to eat again - learn to
read food labels and know what it means - learn from other ppl's mistakes
here on the boards - don't try to do everything at once - never compare
yourself to anyone else -- but relax -- this is YOUR surgery and not
everyone elses :)
— RCassety
September 26, 2008
Another one... Don't go by the notion that you will lose in a set pattern.
Everyone is different, and while we all would love to lose weight
consistently, it rarely happens that way. Patience is key!
— gonnadoit
September 26, 2008
learn to stop drinking and eating at same time!! This advice helped me the
most. People who aren't successful often say they eat and drink together or
they don't wait the 30-45 minutes afterward. Good luck and congrats!
— gpcmist
September 26, 2008
Try to lose weight now by cutting back carbs and eating more protein, and
start exercising (walking). It will make your surgery go better and
recovery quicker.
— conniew
October 9, 2008
Take a good "liquid" vitamin / mineral supplement like VEMMA. It
has 1000 IU vitamin D3, a must. Go to www.TrySomeVemma.com Take protein
powder, B12 sub lingual, calcium "citrate", and drink a lot of
water. Best of luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
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