Obesity Surgery WP Blog

Here you go- midded the first one- sorry!
1. What the the top 3 things you did right in your first year post-op
that you believe caused you do maximize the benefits of your surgery?
1-started an excercise program- for me it was yoga, 2 times a week, as well
as swimming 1 hour a day when it is warm enough, and walking my dogs or
riding my bike for an hour when it isn’t.
2-stuck mostly to a low carbohydrate diet- it maximizes weight lose, at
least for me
3-attend my support group regularly- it helps me keep on track when I am
tempted to stray
2. If you had it to do over again, what things would you have done
differently in order to realize even greater benefits in that all-
important window of opportunity for weight loss that I’ve heard so
much about?
None- I have lost 152 pounds in 10 months- I think it would have been pretty

hard to lose more. I am working as hard as I am inclined to, now. I might
have lost more if I excercised more or was more diligent about low carbing
(I eat about 30-50 carbs a day, others eat less than 20) but I didn’t do
this to feel like I am on a diet-AGAIN- for the rest of my life. I did it to
look and feel normal. If I want a bite of something or go out with my family
for something special, I feel comfortable eating whatever- IN MODERATION-
something I never used to be able to do. I also only eat “whatever” on
occasion- something else I was never able to do. I don’t consider my eating
style a “diet” anymore, either- it is what makes me healthy and feel good. I
don’t feel good when I eat a lot of carbs- I feel sleepy and sluggish- so I
rarely eat them, but I don’t have the mind set that I “can’t” have them-
that leads to feelings of being left out which leads, at least for me, to
“cheating”. I don’t want to be self-defeating anymore. I don’t believe I am.
3. How would you finish this sentence? In your first year, whatever
you do, DO NOT: eat sugar! Dumping is yucky and if you don’t dump, the
temptation to eat the same garbage that got you here in the first place will
be strong.
4. How would you finish this sentence? In your first year, whatever
you do, BE SURE TO: Drink that water, eat protein first, and excercise!
5. How would you finish this sentence? The most difficult things I
had to endure in my first year were: Dumping and learning how “full ” feels.
I don’t just dump on too much sugar, I also dump on too much fat. I assume I
dump on too much sugar, I haven’t eaten more than 5 grams at a time since
surgery, so I don’t know for sure, but I KNOW I dump on too much fat- that
was too ugly to repeat or experiment with. Taking one or two more bites when
you are actually full (you know- you say to yourself “it tastes so good-
just one more bite won’t hurt) YES IT WILL!! It hurts (at least for me- RNY)
and makes you nauseas to the point that I will actually bend over the trash
can and will myself to vomit that extra bite out. When I do, I immediately
feel better. DON’T eat even one bite after you are full!
6. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest score, how would you
rate (a) your adherence to what was advised to you to achieve the
best results in the first year, and (b) what you think most post-ops’
level of adherence is to what is advised in the first year?
I am about 8.5 on that scale. I am not perfect and have experimented a bit
or gotten lazy about excercise from time to time. I have learned that when I
do that, my weight loss slows down significantly, so I try to be “good” and
make sure I at least attend my yoga classes. I think I am probably average
for those who did their homework before their procedures. Those who do
poorly usually did not prepare well and don’t know or are not ready to make
the changes in lifestyle that are necessary to get the best use out of this
tool. It is not a cure all. Everyone will lose weight in the first couple of
months, but those who do not change their lives to maximize this tool are
spending a lot of money to have the same results they have always had- none
to speak of. I have spoken to a great many folks with no clue what this
truly entails, both at my support group (it’s for pre-ops and post-ops
both), and various on-line communities I use. I cannot stress enough the
need to do your homework BEFORE you have your procedure.
Sla`inte~
Mickeyºoº
Postop
Dr. Rehnke
May 10, 2002- Reborn!

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 30th, 2005 at 12:53 pm and is filed under obesity surgery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.