Steps before Surgery

Hello everyone! I haven't got a surgery date yet, I'm still working up to it. I want to start exercising before surgery to get my body used to it but can't seem to start! I also want to quit smoking! The center I go to doesn't require you to quit smoking, just recommends it. I am currently on the patch and it is helping. I refuse to do the surgery if I smoke! There are already to many risk with WLS without adding nicotine to the mix!  Just wondering what some of you did to quit smoking before hand, and what changes you made to your diet before surgery to help with your weight loss success!  

Another question is how did you handle people telling you that you are going to have sagging skin. To be honest I am not that worried about the extra skin right now, I will cross that bridge when I get to it. What's important to me is to get healthy for me and my son! I just hate all the comments some of the people (who I thought would support me) are making!  I tell them that I'll worry about it when it happens, who knows I might not have that much extra skin, I guess it depends according to my doctors, But who are they to judge?? (sorry little rant there). 

If people tell you that you will have saggy skin, I would just say "I might.  I'd rather have that then all this extra fat."

I'm really surprised your doc doesn't require you to stop smoking.   Most do, since it increases the risks of surgery so much.  Please do quit.  Your chances of serious complications are so much higher if you smoke.

Many of them do, I called around while looking into the WLS, some require smoke free for a year with monthly blood testing, others required 6 weeks - 6 months of being nicotine free. I know the risk of having the surgery while smoking, thus the patch. I don't see my surgery happening before February of next year so I am trying to take this time and quit.  The only time I have successfully quit was when I was pregnant with my son. As soon as they told me I was pregnant I threw away my pack and was smoke free no questions asked. Now I find it a lot harder. I tried cold turkey, but when everyone around you smokes it makes it hard. I will get there! like I said I WONT do the surgery if I am a smoker. I want the surgery more than I want the cigs so I am sure I will be smoke free in no time. 

I can't recommend anything about quitting smoking, but it's awesome that you are taking the steps to stop. My mother was a smoker, and she could never quite break free from it, so I know it is NOT an easy thing to do! Kudos, Crys!

As for comments you've gotten...there will always be people in our lives who just do NOT get it and therefore feel the need to make their opinions known, no matter how wrong they are. It's weird how some people fixate on certain minor drawbacks instead of seeing the big picture. We want our health.(Sagging skin be damned!!) Your response to those who have made comments was perfect. If they continue to harangue you, you can try your best to ignore them, or you can get snarky ( that would be me ) and tell them you're gonna smack them with your future bat wings.

I tell (skinny) people all the time, they don't know what it's like to not be able to go to an amusement park and ride the rides with your kids, or cross your legs, or be completely mortified asking for the belt extender on an airplane. Once they have experienced those things then they can talk about it.?

I really don't understand why people are so obsessed with extra skin before surgery!!?? I say take it one step at a time, that's all you can do. I know at the support groups it seems to be the big topic ALL the time. It is something that you are curious about but dang, can we just get through the surgery first, then we can talk about extra skin, and what the options are!? (sorry once I get going lol )  I really like "smacking them with my future bat wings!" that is def. going to be my next comment to anyone who says anything about extra skin again! 

It has been many years since I smoked and quit and quit and quit again!  I managed to doit cold turkey and even now after many years I know if I picked one up and took a puff I would start right back again to a pack a day - so I don't.  My mother in law smoked for what seemed to be centuries and was able to finally stop by using hard lemon candies. Not recommended after surgery though!  She could consume a bag a day of those things.  Unfortunately for her it came too late and ended up with lung cancer - but it did buy her a few more years.  As for those who bring up saggy skin - you can cover that, fat is harder to hide - and saggy skin won't kill you like fat will!  Keep up the good work - you sound like you're going in with the right attitude and will be very successful.

Thanks! I try to keep a good attitude about everything! My dad always said "Everyday is a good day, some are just better than others."  You should be proud of yourself for quitting smoking it's not easy. I know I can do it, I just need to keep telling myself that. The patch is working so far, (only used it for 3 days) and I've smoked maybe 5 cigs. I would say so far so good! I think my main problem is in the car, that's where I did most of my smoking. Someone told me to chew on straws bc there were no calories that way lol. Who knows I will just have to take one day at a time. 

I don't know if I can hel*****t but my skin isn't any more of a problem than someone my age...read senior citizen.  lol   However, the smoking issue is ugly.  DH told me when we started dating that whenever he saw a woman put a cigarette to her lips it was an immediate turn off.  I've come to agree with him, it is an ugly sight.  So put that in your mind and think of how you may look to others....ugly.   Hope you try it and hope it works.

The younger and lighter you are, the less chance of saggy skin.  Plus, after you heal you can lift small weights and tone which helps the overall look.

I am one week postop and I can not understand why people go negative. This is a major surgery and life change.  They should be cheering us on any way they can. SHAME ON THEM!

I have only had one person say anything about saggy skin to me. She said I might want to stop losing weight before I got 'all saggy' and I said "So, better to be (then) 50 lbs overweight than some SKIN!?" She shut up really quick after that. I mean, how stupid is someone to think fat is better than sag...which the right clothing and/or plastic surgery can address anyway? Another reason I do not tell ANYONE I had WLS. I just let them see my total lifestyle changes and leave it at that.