Weightloss Journey: Gastric Sleeve

Deciding to get a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is one of the most life changing decisions and I speak from experience. Here are my top 10 tips to get ready for this change.

Research, research, research! There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing a ton of research on the type of surgery you are looking to have. When I decided to go forward with the VSG, I watched countless videos, read a ton of articles and really educated myself on what was to come.

Regardless of how much you know and have researched, always ask a ton of questions during your first consultations and appointments.

Be sure to follow the plan. Each weight loss surgery is different and everyone’s process is not the same. However, when I say, follow the plan, do exactly that. I’ll give you an example, at my first appointment ever for weight loss surgery, I was told that once I was weighed and that number was recorded, I cannot gain not even half a pound. If I did happen to gain any weight, I would start back at square one regardless of how far I was in the process.

Do not stress about the scale. If you have a scale at home, please do not weigh yourself on a daily basis. That only will cause stress which will then lead you to possibly stress eat and there goes your whole process.

Focus on your mental health. One of the biggest things about the process leading up to weight loss surgery is focusing on bettering your mental health and really preparing yourself for a better lifestyle to come.

Keep a journal. This goes in conjunction with mental health. Keeping a journal allows you to release stress as well as document your journey for when you want and/or need a recap, you can go back and see all of the hard work you have been dedicating to yourself.

Do not allow people to talk you out of your decision to better your health. As soon as people catch wind of your plans to go through with weight loss surgery, they feel the need to give you their thoughts and opinions. My take is, whilst I respect and thank everyone for their concerns, at the end of the day I am doing what I feel and know is best for me.

Following up from that, have open conversations with the loved ones and those who will be surrounding you on a daily basis or at least very frequently. Educate them enough so that they can serve as a support system for you as you adjust to your new forever normal.

Create a list of things you will need for when you arrive home post surgery. There are certain things that you will need in order to make your transitions easier and it’s always best to at least purchase them a week or two prior to surgery.

Trust the process! I mean that in every sense of the phrase. It will not be easy at times, you’ll probably want to quit the process, you’ll cry, you’ll have your days where you feel absolutely confident in what you are doing. But, no matter what, I promise you, IT IS ALL WORTH IT! Trust the process and be proud of yourself for making such great life changing decisions.

Hopefully this post is helpful to you and may God bless you on your amazing journey!

For a list of things you may need for post-op recovery click here to check out my Amazon storefront for all the things!

Gaby!