New to OH

Hello All,

I'm relatively new to Obesity Help. I have been overweight my entire life and I am not a stranger to weight loss programs but this is the first time I am going for weight loss surgery. I am currently in my second month of Nutrition classes and have 4 more months to go before I am scheduled for surgery. I have never used a support group forum before and I am hoping to gain some insight into the best way to take advantage of the endless amount of information that is available here. Any suggestions or tips would be welcome! Even if you just drop a line to say Hello It would be greatly appreciated!

My best advice would be to spend a time in the forum of the procedure you've chosen. Learning what an RNY person has to say is not helpful if you are a sleeve or DS person and vice versa. Check out the exercise forum to get an understanding of the workouts people are doing and the approach they are taking and visit your state or region board to see if it is is active. Mine is not...but some are REALLY active!

Good luck to you!

Thank you for the response. This makes sense since i don't even know what an RNY is =). I'm hoping to get the gastric sleeve i've spoke with my doctor and it seems to be the best fit for my life style. Are you pre-op or post? Either way best of luck to you!

Hi!

What kind of surgery are you going for?

There's lots of good information on this site- check out the "MORE" drop down at the top of the page in addition to reading further in this forum as well as the specialty forums.  Grab the threads that look interesting to you.

Best thing to do is just keep reading and exploring until your eyes fall out! And keep posting your questions as you go.

But make sure you stick with your surgeon with regard to recommendations re: type of surgery you're going for- lots of opinions here but none professional and people can get pretty passionate as to the best type of weight loss surgery. You need to choose what works best for you and your unique needs with a trained and expert professional.

Have a good time exploring!

Hi Anne,

I am going for the gastric sleeve. I originally wanted the lap band but after attending a seminar and speaking with my doctor we agreed that it would not be the most effective for me. I didn't even see the More drop down until you mentioned it so thank you so much. How is your journey going?

Glad to hear what you and your surgeon have worked out and think is the best for you.

There are primarily 4 different types of weight loss surgery- lapband, gastric sleeve, the roux n y (RNY), and the duodenal switch (DS). They all have benefits and drawbacks and different levels of extensiveness and risk. These days, the RNY and sleeve are most commonly done. For further info, check the links provided by OH member Services.  

The other thing I would say is that any weight loss surgery is only good if you work it- it requires tremendous changes of habit and daily attention with managing it- diet, exercise, daily vitamins. It takes the weight off; maintaining the weight loss will be up to you, though you will have the small tummy to work with. Habits simply have to change in order for any weight loss surgery to be effective over the long haul.  

So the main thing is research, research, research- read everything you can get your eyes on. Go to support groups and ask lots of questions. Be prepared with lots of questions for your surgeon. Be proactive for yourself.  

I am now 3 ½ years post my RNY, and I am so grateful I can't even tell you. My health is so much improved. I can't recognize myself from before, either outside or inside. I have to literally work my rear off to keep it small, but I'm learning to embrace the challenge. Working with managing my head and then making sure my hands and my feet follow through on a day to day basis is the hardest part for me. But it's sure worth it. I'm much more self confident and happy in my shoes- speaking of which, my feet lost weight! I'm a ½ size smaller! Lots smaller in terms of clothes.  

The journey is lifelong. But I think weight loss surgery can be life giving- if you work it.  

Hope this is helpful. I wish you all the best!

I think I have found the revision and fail boards the most enlightening. They really help bring home the notion that this surgery is NOT the end all magic pill. You still have to dedicate yourself everyday and as soon as the honeymoon is over, it's up to YOU to work your new tool to your advantage otherwise you will end up right back where you started. Ask all the questions you need to, and use the little search feature up on top of the page to search of any topics. 

Welcome to the board! 

Thank you! I really do feel welcome everyone here seems so great. I have friends that keep telling me how lucky i am to be getting this surgery and it is frustrating because they do not realize that it isn't just a fix that will make it all better. I know it is going to be a lot of hard work and it's great to be talking to others who understand that as well. Good luck to you!

Yeah! It's going to be an amazing and challenging journey for sure!!! Super excited! 

You might want to ask KevinBacon the questions she asked here on the forum recently, or look for her avatar and threads- wonderful, comprehensive, varied questions she got lots of responses to.