What should I do while Im waiting?
This waiting is killing me. Im typically not a patient person anyway so this process is truly teaching me patience. What did you all do while you were waiting? I go in on Aug. 13 for my sleep study and other evaluations like psych and nutritonist and then hopefully the ball will get rolling. But this is going to be the longest 16 days of my life...
Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.
I, too am in Raleigh NC. Good luck with your upcoming sleep study and sugery. I get to schedule my surgery on Tuesday, so I'm pretty excited!
Missy
Start keep tracking of your calories and protein grams. Pay attention to what foods are high in protein. Practice eating slowly and taking tiny bites. Start getting used to not drinking with meals. Start planning meals ahead of time, don't just grab something when you get hungry. Start measuring your portions.
Start taking a good multivitamin if you don't already. Get some blood work done to check your iron and vitamin D and B12 to see if you need extra of those things. Start learning all you can about nutrition and vitamins and stuff. And all you can about this surgery.
Exercising now is a good thing. It will get you in the habit for later and get you in better shape for surgery. Every pound you can lose pre-op will make your surgery safer and it will be one less pound you have to lose later.
Start working on the head stuff, too. Like, if you are an emotional eater, start paying attention to your feelings and coming up with other ways to deal with stress or whatever besides eating. If you need help with that, find a good therapist now.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
1. Pinpointed two of my biggest "issues" with food. For me this meant recognizing that I put entirely too many caloriess into my mouth in the form of Coca Cola and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I chose to not buy more, and parcel out what I had left until it was all gone. In your case you probably can pinpoint one or two behaviors or foods that are sources of your obesity, and once you figure them out, you either stop, or begin to work on stopping.
2. I did everything I could to eliminate the "evil whites" as I called them in my mind. Things with sugar, white flour, white potatoes, white rice. I declared them temporarily off-limits.
3. I read read read here on this site all the good, bad and ugly. I felt it was important to learn what it was like. I figured that if i was dicouraged by what I read, then WLS wasn't for me.
4. I ordered a bunch of sample protein powders from Vitalady so I could find one I would like. I discovered they have a foul smell, and I hated what they tasted like mixed with milk, so I eventually opted for the fruity flavors in sports bottles so I didn't have to smell them. I added crystal light to make it tastier.
5. I began to get 64 oz of WATER in daily
6. I learned as much as I could about nutrition from members here on OH (and through reading their source material).
7. I started to eat meals that were the labeled serving size. If a servign size was 12 pieces, I ate 12 pieces (nuts, crackers, whatever).
8. I replaced breakfast with a protein shake.
9. I never drank anything with calories other than my protein shakes, and those were 100 calories if you factored in the 10 calories from crystal light.
10. I learned how to make protein balls and when I just had to have a snack, I had one of those (you ccan use the search feature to find recipes)
11. I started to pay attention to the "Help I've regained" posts.... trying to figure out what caused the regain, so I wouldn't do it.
12. I stopped drinking with my meals or for 30 minutes afterwards. I chewed my food to mush.
13. I posted to the "what are you eating today" threads.
14. I did a statistical analysis of my specific odds of surviving surgery and compliccations (I have a degree in statistics and I wanted to figure out if it was "worth the risk"). I determined that my risks of having surgery were much lower than the overall average. I figured that people in my particular state of health, using my surgeon, having dropped my BMI from 60 to 50 were only likely to have fatal complications one in one hundred thousand.... looong odds. I did pre-diagnose that I would have a stricture (I didn't) based on my understanding of why people get strictures (heal too fast, and I heal very fast). I also figured that statistically I was likely to get to 174 with RNY and 160 with DS (and how I came up with those, I don't recall).
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
Where are you having surgery?
I have the Upper GI to go and that is it.. then on to insurance approval.
I am working on the following:
1. Getting off Caffiene.
2. Eating slower (the Nut hammered this home with me)
3. Walking
4. Taking Vitamins
5. Body brushing and firming lotion... it may not help in the long run, but my skin is AWESOME feeling now.
Im having my surgery at Rex Hospital in Raleigh with Dr. Moran. I pray approval goes smoothly for you!
Eating slower is something that I definately need to start working on.
And Im a Starbucks fanatic so Im cutting back on that now as well.
Whats the brand of firming lotions you're using?
Thanks for the advice!
Hope all goes well with your journey!!