Killing Time – What Should We Do While Waiting For Surgery?

Ron Merk
Author

Often WLS patients are frustrated by the time it takes from their initial referral until actual surgery. I know from my own experience that I thought the day would never arrive and then when it did, it was scary how everything happened so fast. Looking back at the process, I realize that Dr Amson had a plan he was following. Part of it was the follow-up visits with him, where he encouraged, cajoled and sometimes downright told me to “get it together” What was really going on was a shift in how I thought about food and exercise. Slowly I was undoing the years of food abuse and coming to terms with the “why” I ate demons in my life.

So what exactly is Dr Amson looking for in each of us before he’s convinced we’ll be good candidates for the surgery?

I’m pretty sure from listening to others, that he actually looks for unique things specifically related to each of us. We’re after all, individuals. Not everything I or you require will work for others. Although Dr Amson tailors the individual needs of each of us, there are some general categories that he’s looking for.
He wants to see commitment. We demonstrate this by showing him over time that we are changing our eating and exercise patterns. He’s also looking to see if we’re trying to come to terms with our feelings on how we use. All this takes time, so what do we do during the wait? How can we demonstrate we’re with the plan? What do we do when we plateau or actually gain weight?

I have heard many people say that they stick to the same type of meals / diet and a regular exercise program. But at some point all of us stop losing weight. According to research, most people hit a plateau. So you should expect the plateau! It will come. Approach it positively instead of getting frustrated or thinking that you are doing something wrong. Your mindset is 99% of the battle during your wait for surgery.
Here are some ideas to help:

1) Sadly our bodies have an adaptive mechanism that tries to keep us the size we are. It will kick in as you try and lose weight to protect you against starvation. You still need to continue eating less and burning more to maintain your new weight. Create a solid base: diet plan, exercise and motivation. Once you hit the plateau, keep going. You will break through.

2) Understand that after losing some weight, the hormones in your body start to work in different directions. The hormone ghrelin, responsible for stimulating appetite, increases. On the other hand, the fullness hormone amylin, decreases thus curbing appetite and aiding you maintain the new weight. Your body is a bit confused but it is imperative that you stick to your initial goal.

3) You may notice that you continue with your diet plan but still manage to stop losing weight. The common causes can be negative emotions, change of routine or stress. Sometimes your friends can be your enemies. They will take you out to eat junk foods or you might miss your daily work out. Make losing weight a priority for you. To keep focused, write down the benefits and review them daily.

4) Television is another deterrent for not losing weight. Television equals very little movement and too much snacking. Try to do some light exercise in between TV commercials. And definitely, do not make it a habit to eat while watching television!

5) Even your work may come in the way of your weight loss program. You may be spending hours in front of your computer while working. Solution: start your day with a work out or exercise during your lunch break.
Keep in mind that weight loss is all about commitment, patience and action. Weight loss is not rocket science so don’t make it more complicated than it really is. Eat less, stick to healthy eating habits and exercise more. Focus on your goal, write down the “whys” and think about them every day. Losing weight should be a top priority for you. Otherwise, you will stop losing weight, you won’t be able to maintain your new weight; you won’t be able to get over the first plateau!

Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not as successful as you hoped you’d be. All of us didn’t get to the size we are over night. Going the other direction won’t happen instantly either. You’ve already made the commitment for WLS. Sometimes all we can achieve during the wait for surgery is to maintain our weight or even just slow down weight gain. The point is to try. Every little bit helps.

Ron
Some ideas on the list were taken from Jeff Russell is an avid nutritionist and workout enthusiast

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