WLS scheduled, Excited to start my new life!

M_Nelson5
on 8/21/14 9:16 am

Hi everyone!

I'm new to ObesityHelp.com and I'd love to find some friends on here to help me along my journey I'm about to undergo....my surgery is scheduled for late October and I'm excited and scared all at the same time! I'm on a pre-op diet right now to lose as much as I can before the surgery, but I don't think ill see much results with it. 

quick background...i've pretty much been overweight my entire life and just developed really bad habits growing up. All of my family is overweight and never really placed an emphasis on eating right or exercising. Even though I played sports growing up (football) i was never "healthy" and always was much bigger than all the other guys. Once I stopped working out for football when I got out of high school everything went downhill from there. So now I'm late 20's which is when I should be enjoying being young when really I'm just extremely self conscious and kinda depressed and I need to get my life on track so I can start LIVING!

I'd love to know any tips people can give me. Ill share my journey also so that anyone else thinking about doing weight loss surgery can use my experience as information!

- Matt

Jiliana2
on 8/21/14 10:37 pm - Ottawa, Canada
VSG on 02/03/14

Congrats on having a surgery date and on getting control of your life at such a great age to maximize the benefits!

Like you, I've been overweight all of my life and it's only now that this type of thing is available to me. I had surgery in February at age 43... oh if only I could have had it at 23 or 33 instead! But better late than never!

I wish you lots of luck on your pre-op diet. You never know; you might see some great results between now and October. Give it a whirl.

Also, start practising the post-op behaviours now so that they are routine for you by the time that surgery comes. Protein first. Cut out drinking with your meals. Get some exercise if at all possible. Start tracking your food diligently (many of us use My Fitness Pal; either online or in a mobile app). And research the vitamins and things you'll need to take post-op and purchase some of them. Try out some protein powders or protein shakes too! You might find a bunch you really like.

Keep us posted on how you're doing. It's always good to read about everyone's journey!

OTTAWA -- 2011 - Contemplated WLS Feb. 15, 2013 - GP Feb. 20 - lung functioning Feb. 22 - blood work Feb. 27 - Referral April 19 - orientation, bloodwork July 10 - nurse July 23 - rheumatologist (VSG) Sept. 12 - Behaviourist & Dietician Oct. 23 - Echocardiogram Nov. 6 - Pre-surgery Class Nov. 12 - Surgeon Jan 13, 2014 - Optifast (3 wks) Jan. 27 - PATTS Feb. 3, 2014 - Surgery (VSG)
HEIGHT: 5'5" HW
303 Pre-Opti 297 SW 271 GW 170 CW 200 (Feb. 8, 2018 - damn the regain!) VSG with Dr. Yelle

kagrady2005
on 8/21/14 11:48 pm
VSG on 09/10/14

I know how you feel! My family is all overweight/obese. I had a large family and healthy food was too expensive. Once my dad remarried, there were 10 of us kids and even my step siblings were overweight.

I never even thought about losing weight to be honest! I was always taught that as long as you are happy with who you are then it doesn't matter how big or small you are. Weight is just a number that the gravity of me places on the scale. Then, I had children, that changed it all! My husband is skinny as a rail and can do anything with my 7 year old and 2 year old. I realized that I was just in too much pain to do anything. I had myself convinced that having the surgery for my plantar fasciitis would totally fix my foot pain - I was wrong. So, I thought I'd lose a little weight and maybe my knees would stop hurting too. Well, I lost 39 pounds then gained 20 back. This is the story of my life though so I know what it's like to be discouraged about a diet not working.

You are not alone in this journey! My surgery is September 10th.

    

Cathy W.
on 8/22/14 12:43 am

Welcome to the OH community! 

What procedure are you having? 

I look forward to checking out your journey.

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