Pre-op/post op tips
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Decsaw
Posts: 20
Hello All, I am a few months pre-op (probably November, find out this week). I have done all the reading and am very well read on the stages post-op but I thought I would pick the brain of some people who have been there and done that. Aside from following the eating plan and stages closely, what are your pre and post op tips? what helped you or caused a problem? is there anything you would do differently?
look forward to hearing from you
look forward to hearing from you
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Replies
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I think that I would spend more time with my therapist discussing food addiction and how to get past it. I am almost 2 years out and I still struggle with addiction. I do see my therapist now but not as often as I would like...I should have been more proactive than reactive. I'm still losing, slowly now, but still dropping which is good. It helps with the frustration of dealing with the whole "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" problems I have. Food isn't the problem, it's how we use and abuse it.0
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I think that I would spend more time with my therapist discussing food addiction and how to get past it. I am almost 2 years out and I still struggle with addiction. I do see my therapist now but not as often as I would like...I should have been more proactive than reactive. I'm still losing, slowly now, but still dropping which is good. It helps with the frustration of dealing with the whole "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" problems I have. Food isn't the problem, it's how we use and abuse it.
This! I made sure I dealt with my food issues before I even made the decision to definitely have surgery. I knew I had to get right in my head and my heart to be successful with this. I saw my therapist for a year before starting the process, and I continue to see him almost one year out from my surgery because honestly, there have been so many changes and things to adjust to that I needed the help and support.
I also suggest getting used to planning. I think that has helped me immensely. I plan my eating a few days in advance, sometimes even a week, and that helps me to make sure I can get what I need to have on hand, or it can help me plan around using what I already have on hand. I also plan for the unexpected by always keeping a protein bar or some beef or turkey jerky in my purse just in case. I always have water with me as well.0 -
All great tips. I still see my therapist on an intermittent basis as well when something new pops up! Also planning should be integral to your new life. Probably until 9 months post op I had an emergency kit in my car that included one full day of supplements, two mix with water protein packets, 3 bottles of water and a protein bar. That way if I had to work late or something fun came up and I wanted to take advantage of it, I knew I would still be able to take advantage of the opportunity and take care of myself. The biggest tool I still use now and will forever is my food scale. If you don't have one I would highly recommend it. You can pick up a digital one at WalMart for a fairly reasonable price.0
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All great tips, Thanks All. I especially like the survival kit in the car, I am sure that will come in handy. I have a food scale and measure my food, I have done this a lot and worked with dietitians so I am confident in my abilities and it is now becoming a natural thing for my wife to do as well.
I appreciate the other comments as well, And while I do not feel I have a food addiction, I think it is really important to address the underlying aspects of my condition. I think my biggest problems were 2 fold: 1. Boredom eating, I often worked from home and always had "bad foods" on hand, I would take frequent breaks and browse through the kitchen for food. I also cooked terribly unhealthy foods. I would cook out of boredom and eat a lot of useless calories. I have now changed my schedule, I do not work from home as often, I plan meals closely and we do not have the "bad foods" in the house, my go too snack is a bag of pre-cut and washed veggies and hummus, rather than chips, cookies.......
2. Poor food planning, we would often not have a plan for dinner, then come dinner time we would look at each other and say "well what do you want" and often we were so tired to think or follow through with anything and would end up just getting take out. We now plan our week on Sunday, shop only for the week, stick to the plan and when we cook dinners, we always make more to act as lunches for the week, This has been much better on how we feel and on the wallet.
So I think we have identified our biggest problems and made sustainable steps to help out with that.
Thanks again for the discussion, always open to more input, I find reading your forum discussions and hearing from fellow surgery folks very helpful.0 -
What works for me is to not let myself get into a rut calorie\burn wise. I was not an active person before, but about 2 months in I purchased an exercise bike and now use it religously 5 days per week, (in a row). Taking 2 days off to rest has really worked for me. I find that I have way more energy after a 2 day rest, (which tells me I needed that)! While in my loss phase I found that staying between 1000-1200 calories worked for me, but what worked best was to shoot for 1000 and never go over 1200 and try to vary day to day (high day - low day) as much as possible.
I wear a fitness watch (ViVo Fit) that syncs my activity to MFP. It works with a heart rate strap so I get an accurate idea of burn on my workout and is also a pedometer so it lets me know how active I am throught the day as well. Between that and logging in MFP, I know what's going in and what's burning off so I know when I have a bit to spare at the end of they day.
I always carry Quest protein bars. They taste good and aren't "chocolate" covered so if they get warm they recover well. They work great as a meal replacement or snack and are a good alternative if you "want" a cookie.
I've found new ways to have old favorites in a high protein way. You'd be amazed what you can get in a high protein version... Pasta (made with bean flour), P28 bread (14g per slice) and many other products are available.0 -
Getting a kitchen scale and tracking every bit that goes in my mouth. It's so easy to drift and start eating more if you aren't tracking. I didn't start until I was two weeks postop, but have logged everything for 742 days so far. It has really kept me on the right path.0
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Getting a kitchen scale and tracking every bit that goes in my mouth. It's so easy to drift and start eating more if you aren't tracking. I didn't start until I was two weeks postop, but have logged everything for 742 days so far. It has really kept me on the right path.
Yes, definitely this!0 -
All great tips, thanks everyone. I am just starting my journey and know I do fail miserably when I don't have a plan. So many old bad habits I need to fix to succeed.0
