Offer your pre-surgery suggestions here....

Hi all...I'm a little less than a month pre-surgery.  My surgeon doesn't require any sort of pre-surgery diet or exercise...I'm wondering if you'd offer your suggestions on what you did or wish you'd done before surgery. I've been really good about my vitamins, water and exercise for the last few months...but I'm always looking for input.  I'd especially like to hear if you had any sort of week or 2 week pre-diet.  I want to be in the best shape possible so I'm sure to have done everything I could do for a quick recovery and sucessful, healthy weight-loss. Thanks! Heather

i just went along with life -- eating what i would normally eat -- not excersing like i never did -- going to work like i always did -- i didn't stress myself out at all before surgery -- didn't take any vitamins before surgery -- just my normal thyroid meds -- i'm just that type -- i never said 'oh i can't have that again' since i find it hard in jerzee to find the foods i really enjoy anyways -- plus too i had ross here who had surgery 6 months before i did -- and after me yelling and screaming at him about what he ate and how he ate i wanted to make sure i didn't eat my words after the fact haha bu****ching him eat i knew everything would be ok in a little while -- so i don't wish i did anything differently -- life just went on normally and then after surgery life went on a little differently that is turning into normal for us -- just remember to always have your sense of humor with you!!! and weight loss is not a race -- never compare yourself to someone else -- you are two different people -- if you follow your dr's orders then the weight will come off -- don't torture yourself -- the weight loss window is 18 months to 2 years -- not 2 weeks -- and people still lose after that 2 years -- so don't think it all has to be gone in that time frame  you will be fine :)  good luck roberta

Thanks Roberta... Just as you're "just that type" to not go over-board preparing I'm "just that type" to over-prepare!  I think it makes me feel more comfortable or something.  I'm not stressing...  I'm sure it's nice to have seen your hubby go through it all first, and to have similiar eating habits now.  I've only met one person up close who's had the surgery...everything else has been through this website and research...maybe that's part of the reason I'm trying to "get it right"...because I'm thinking it's more complicated than it needs to be. I appreciate the reminder to relax and just enjoy the ride, and about comparing my journey to the next guys.... Heather

I met one-on-one with my surgeon on a a Thursday, and the following Monday I signed up at the gym and really worked on my cardio, with some strength training thrown in for good measure.  I, too, wanted to make sure that I was in the best possible physical shape I could be prior to surgery. I was at the gym, I would say, 5 out of 7 days for 2 months prior to surgery.   I lost only about 2 lbs, but my surgery was a breeze - woke up wondering if they did anything and never really had any pain.  I was back to work after 12 days off.  Was this all because of the workingout prior?  I don't know... but I am sure it helped! The other thing I did was give up my beloved Diet Coke.  Drank lots of Crystal Light drink mixes and water. Good luck.  The month will fly by! Wendy

Hi Heather,      I am 1 week post op-almost 2 actually and there isn't much that I did differently either. I didn't eat my "last supper" or do anything crazy or out of the ordinary. I did increase my fluids and vitamins before surgery as well but I don't think it really matters because after surgery is a whole different ballgame. You will need to learn how to fit all that stuff in your life all over again(water,protein,food, vitamins). As Roberta said....just live life. Relax and enjoy the ride. I'm certainly trying to. Good luck to you!                                                        Hugs, Judy

Hi Judy, I just wanted to know if you went back to the doctor, I thought you had wrote that you were seeing him today.  Hope that everything was okay. Melissa

Hi Judy! Thanks for your input and well wishes!  Good reminder that no matter what I do now I still have to adjust after the surgery!   Breathing deep, Heather

Hi Wendy! Thanks for your response.  Good for you for hitting the gym like that!  Are you still going?  I've done pretty good with exercise.  I've been fairly consistant w/ using my treadmill at least 3x per week for the last 3 months.  I felt better when I saw you said you only lost 2 lbs.  It is a bit depressing to have picked up consistant exercise and still not seen the scale do much!  I guess it should be just confirming for me that this surgery is necessary. I think exercise did make your surgery a breeze.  I know when I was pregnant with my son I consistantly walked 2 miles twice a day and my delivery was a breeze...no pain meds, and was only in labor about 5 hours from start to finish!   I haven't given up caffeine totally...but I only have a diet coke maybe a couple times a week and if I have a coffee it's decaf.  Thanks for the reminder that it will be going too! I already feel like the time is flying by!  I remember reading so many posts of people thinking the process took forever...that hasn't been my experience at all!  This is a LIFE CHANGE...I can't imagine rushing into it!  (Of course, I researched and thought about it for 5 years before I even saw a surgeon!) Heather

Hey Heather..  I wish I could tell you that I am just as consistent with my exercise now, but I would be lying.  I try to get there, but this time of year is just so much busier with my daughter in soccer, etc.  When I joined, that was done for the season, and it seemed so much easier to get there!  Of course, I was also killing time till surgery, so the mindset was totally different too!  LOL I can tell when I miss too many days... the treadmill woops my a$$!  LOL  I can also tell that I am losing muscle mass, so I KNOW that I should get back on my weight training regimine.  I get there a couple days a week now.  I will need to figure out something out because I don't know if I will be able to afford the gym come this January. ANWAY... the other thing I tried NOT to do was have a lot of "last meals."  I didn't have a pre-op diet, but I worked really hard to not let myself go overboard.  Yes... the Wednesday night before my Monday surgery, I baked 2 batches of my FAVORITE 7-layer cookies.... I brought MOST of them to work to share on Thursday (I had off on Friday), and then I ate half a batch myself    That was my big splurge!  Luckily, my pre-op weigh-in was on Wednesday... never told the dr about the cookie binge!  LOL Just enjoy your remaining days... they will go by quickly, for sure.  My journey was very fast... I went to the seminar in November and had surgery in March.  I could have had it earlier, but I had a Girl Scout breakfast that *I* was the planner for on March 10th, so I took the first available date after that!  Of course, my pcp first recommended this to me about 4 or 5 years ago, but I never really considered it until last October. Enough about me!  sorry for the hijack!  You will be post-op before you know it and wondering why you worried about it all so much! Wendy

What really helped me ALOT, was testing different types of protein drinks and powders. There is a website called vitalady that offers sample sizes of about fifty different flavors. I used those after surgery while I was on liquids ( with skim plus milk), and then when I went to mushy foods (in yogurts and shakes). Some days I didn't really feel like eating what I was allowed to, but being familiar with the taste helped, and there is a huge variety. And just remember after surgery, the quicker you get up, the quicker you can recover and get to losin'. Good luck