What can I do now, before WLS?

I am very much committed to doing this VSG. I know it will benefit. I was wondering for now, until my initial consult on Aug 25th, what can I do to lose now without the feeling of starving myself, and for someone like me with limited mobility and pain during basic activities?

I tried one thing last night which is to drink a ton of water just before eating, seemed like it definitely helped with portions.

I've read of other folks losing nearly 100lbs before surgery, how did you guys accomplish this?

I know the more I lose before WLS, the better off I will be during and after.

Thanks,

Sammy

my plan calls for three meals per day with no snacks.  I would recommend that, chewing your food thoroughly and eat your meals slowly.  

Hi Sammy!

Even with mobility issues, I know a lot of people that are pre-op can lose weight just by changing their eating and drinking habits to be more in line with what is required post-op.

So for example, people will eliminate soft drinks and try to cut down their intake of refined carbs (pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, etc.). Some try to apply the 'no drinking at mealtimes' rule and then expand it to include post-meal timeframes. Others will try to increase their protein intake or try protein-rich foods that maybe they'd never tried before. Others will look for protein powders that meet their center's requirements and experiment with flavours to see what they like.

By doing these things, you may see some changes in your weight long before you ever have surgery. I'm sure others have additional suggestions.

Wishing you well on the road to VSG! I hope your consult on August 25 goes smoothly!

Getting stronger now will help you after surgery. Eating less and drinking water are both great ideas. Can you try a low impact exercise like a gentle water workout?

I lost 107 lbs in the six month supervised diet by incorporating some changes in my eating beforehand. While I did get SOME exercise when the back pain started to subside, it was just walking 20 minutes here and there.

I was put on an 1800 calorie per day diet, with less than 30% coming from fat. I ate a lot of protein, veggies, and some fruit. I kept things simple, ate almost the same thing every day, cut out soda, drank 80-100 oz of water per day. I also limited my carb intake to just dairy, whole wheat bread, and sugar free pudding. Cutting out caffeine and getting on a regular sleep schedule was important too!

Good thinking!  Every good habit you develop and practice before WLS will help keep you successful after!  I lost 110#s before surgery- How?  By acting as if...acting as if I had already lost all the weight already, and how would I eat, move, do....Practically speaking, that meant drinking lots of water, logging everything that went in my mouth, I followed a low carb diabetic friendly diet-  about 1100-1200 cal., under 100 carbs- no white carbs, low sugar, high quality home prepared foods, etc..., exercised AND, most importantly did it day after day after week turned into months  and then, surgery.  SSee, for me, the surgery is my hope that I will be able to keep the weight off with the help of the restriction.  I am 19 months out and almost a year in maintenance and credit my success in great part to the work done before I had surgery.  Good luck!  Bonnie

Sammy,

I decided that my weight loss journey started as soon as I made the decision to have surgery and that the surgery was just an event on the road.  As with any event, I thought it best to start working up to it and preparing to pass through the gate.  So I immediately started low carbing it.  I gave up carbonated drinks.  Stopped drinking just before, during, and after meals.  I started tracking my intake, took pictures, set goals all the way to my end weight, set up non-food rewards for myself (e.g. Trips, amusement parks, etc..) and found a mentor.  As time went on, I found someone who was following me and tried to be a mentor to them.  I slowly increased my exercise (mostly water aerobics) to prepare my cardio system for surgery.  I went to support group meetings with post-op patients and did lots of research to find people who had been successful and then I did what they did.  And it worked.  Now was I perfect pre-surgery?  No.  I had food funerals and went through my mourning period.  I did find that nothing tasted as good as I remembered when I bounced it up against my end goal desires.  So I went into surgery ready to succeed.  I hope your journey works out as well as mine.

Terry

I lost 154 pounds pre-op.  I was considered a super SMO (bmi was 84.5!) at my highest weight.  I chose to adopt an eating plan that mimicked what I would eventually eat like after surgery...just in larger portions. I knew that every extra pound above my required amount to lose pre surgery would make my post surgery journey easier.  

I started weighing and measuring everything I put in my mouth and I tracked all food on MFP.  I ate:  Protein heavy, low carbs, cut out all pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, soda, etc.

To be honest, by taking that approach so early, I have been on autopilot for most of my journey.  It became so ingrained in my being that I have remained 100% on plan 100% of the time since day 1 of  pre-op weight loss.  To date: I have now 293 pounds. Yes, I am hard core and many probably find my approach "over the top", but it is what I do to continue winning the game of saving my life. 

I will second giving up carbonated drinks.  I was a diet coke addict.  I probably drank a minimum of 64 oz per day and probably averaged well more than that.  I stopped drinking them about 6 months before I had decided on surgery but now that I am 3 months post op, I am very glad I stopped when I did.

Wow. Thanks so much. Ton of wisdom represented here. Very sound advice from everyone, and just confirms that is on my mind. I'm probably looking November before I have surgery. I just want to ensure my thinking is on the right path.

I surely relate to the funeral stage that was mentioned. That is one mindset I need to nip in the bud right now. The last couple weeks, I have had this mindset of, "I had better enjoy this one more time, because I'll never be eating this again".

I downloaded MFP and it has me on 2900 calories to lose 2lbs a week, sad thing is this morning I already ate half of those calories, because I wanted  Mickey D's steak egg and cheese biscuit and has browns one last time.

Good advice everyone, I will definitely employ it all.