Preparing for Your Weight Loss Surgery: What to Expect and How to Get Ready
Preparing for weight loss surgery can look different for everyone. From the mental challenges you may face, including nerves and anxiety, or preparing literally with your hospital bags and assisting the new routine you are going to have once after your surgery.
Lowering your calories:
One essential thing you need to do to prepare for weight loss surgery, is to reduce your calories to 1,000 calories a day beforehand. This will help reduce your liver, making it easier for your surgeon to perform the surgery.
This calorie intake may look something like this:
- Breakfast (150-200 calories)
- Mid-morning snack (80 calories)
- Lunch (150-200 calories)
- Mid-afternoon snack (80-100 calories)
- Dinner (300 calories)
Have realistic expectations:
One way to prepare for weight loss surgery is to understand that your surgery isn’t magic, it’s a tool to help you work towards your goals. You need to work with it, and it will take time to get used to finding the best way for yourself. You don’t get results straight away, but after putting in the work, you will see results
Support system:
This process can be overwhelming to a lot of our patients prior to and post-surgery. Because of this, we recommend you build a team of people around you with whom you can speak about your emotions. Always remember… a problem shared is a problem halved. Although they may not be able to understand fully what you are going through, they will allow you to express your emotions. And if you are still struggling, we have an amazing support team that can help you with any issues you may have.
A word from our ambassadors…
At Healthier Weight, we have a group of ambassadors who have had a form of weight loss surgery before, to help them with their weight loss journey. Here is the advice they have for you when it comes to what to expect from weight loss surgery and preparing for it.
Melissa:
One way in which Melissa prepared for weight loss surgery was by following people’s journeys on Instagram. This gave her a glimpse of what life was like after their operation, therefore helping Melissa understand realistic goals to reach for. She often reached out for advice from these patients if she felt they could help her in any way.
In terms of what to expect, Melissa said it simply… to not expect anything. This isn’t to say nothing will happen but understanding that everyone is different and has different journeys helps get rid of those expectations which may be difficult to reach. In her own words, “everyone is different so it’s important to take every day as it comes”. This includes not rushing your recovery, listening closely to your surgeons, and remembering it isn’t a race.
Sherriden:
For Sherriden, she found comfort in practically preparing for her surgery, knowing she was being organised. This included making sure she was prepped for the hospital, getting her comfy baggy clothes, baggy tops, and a sports bra so nothing dug into her stomach post-surgery. She also packed a v-pillow which was essential for her visit and helped her out a lot, “I swore by it and still use it to this day!”.
After surgery, don’t panic if you wake up feeling groggy. Speak to the nurses and they do a great job at helping you get back to sleep. Like Melissa, she wants to reiterate that you shouldn’t compare yourself to other people’s journey, everyone is different and so is your body.
With this, she also wants to encourage you all to ask any questions you may have, no question is considered ‘silly’. Whether you’re asking your surgeon or your GP, they are there to help you and she can assure you they may help you feel a lot better. Finally, helping your stress levels going into surgery, knowing every query you had has been answered.