Hardest Part of Post Surgery Life

Hi gang... I'm curious what all of you who are post surgery would say has been the hardest thing to adjust to / change after WLS... I'm worried (which I;m guessing is normal) that i'll fail at this like I failed at every other weight loss method I've ever tried, so i guess I'd like to know what might come my way... Was it totally revamping the way you eat? staying away from things you shouldn't eat? getting yourself to exercise? other issues? Would love to hear a bit about everyone's experiences...

The hardest part for me was getting in all my water and protein a day. The eating part was just the opposite of what you fear, for me anyway. Two bites and i was stuffed, and it hurt to be full, so i didn't like to eat. I had to set my alarm to tell me to eat, and i set goals throughout the day to get my water in.....it took a few months, but after that it was a lot easier. hugs Linda

I had trouble with not being able to drink while I ate. I now can drink at least a half a glass of water with a meal but only after talking to the Dr about it. I was always a big drinker with my food. I have to remind myself that I need the food to sit in there to absorb what I need. I also started to hate jello after the first 2 weeks! I wont even touch the stuff now.

Put some liquar in it !!!!! It becomes a hole new food group then....lol

Not unless your friends hold out on you... KIMBERLINA!!!!!!!!!!!!! you stinking brat!

Liquor=bad for the pouch and liver. We don't metabolize alcohol the same as normal folks and should not drink it. Alcohol is known to cause ulcers in drinkers who HAVEN'T even had WLS. To think of what it could do to our little stomach AFTER surgery. I won't even consider drinking liquor.

I drink wine. I usually have one or two glasses on the weekend. No worse for the wear. Kudos to you for being so health conscious. I guess if I were, I wouldn't have had to have surgery in the first place.....hmmmmm.

Exercise and realizing that I am NOT invulnerable to weight gain. I don't want to scare you away from this, but it is not impossible to regain after wls. You will find however that you are much more highly motivated to do so. You will be successful with weight loss, then the hard work begins. You will do much better if you follow ALL the rules and do what you should through the honeymoon phase. I don't think most people get enough nutritional education and classes on what to eat after surgery. I think if you could go to a diet and education class for awhile it would be helpful. I still struggle with variety on the protein and find my diet unvaried and boring. Also I did not spend enough excersize time in and found myself weak and not feeling strong like I would like. I have struggled with iron deficiency (not all related to my wls) and that does not help. Good luck, do your research and make wise choices. Wendy

The hardest part for me was mental. Food was a crutch for me. Any emotion I ever had was related to food. I was happy, I ate. I was sad, I ate. I was nervous, I ate. I am sure you're getting the point. The hard part for me was finding something else to do when I was emotional. I still struggle with this sometimes even being 3 years out. If I get that mental/emotional hunger, I just try to shift gears. I think about something else or I do something that takes concentration to keep my mind off food. Another thing I actually don't even think about now that I was sure I couldn't give up pre-op was pop. I drank pop like crazy pre-op and now I don't even miss it. My husband still drinks it daily and it doesn't even appeal to me. A lot of things you liked pre-op you won't like post-op. Your tastes completely change. Holly W

At different times, different things are harder than others. The first few weeks, the hardest thing for me was getting in enough water and protein. Eventually, that got easier. Right now, at 18 months out, food choice is hard. I have never really been limited by foods. It really is all about food choice for me, now. If I eat NO carbs I continue to lose. If I eat carbs, I stall. Throughout, learning what foods, how much is too much, amounts to eat...all that is what you learn by revamping your way of eating. Good luck...Tina