Pre-Op Class #1 and weekly weigh-in

The first class is done!  There's a total of 14 of us.  Everybody seems very friendly, as does our leader.  Of course I did the thing we do with each other ... compared my body against hers and hers.  Some were smaller than me, some bigger but we definitely have a unique situation in going through something so incredible together.  I hope to get to know everyone well over our time together.

We have a 24-session curriculum to go through.  I'm glad to see it was not just about logistics of the surgery but more about the emotional reasons we eat and how to be successful in the long term.  That's something I'm most definitely interested in.  Losing weight is much easier than the maintenance part, not that losing weight is easy at all.  In comparison, though, it's like night and day.  Some of the program goals presented to us are things I want to try to incorporate routinely now.  They include:

• Having a sustainable eating plan for weight loss that is well balanced, healthy and calorie-controlled
• 30 minutes of aerobic activity (walking, swimming, biking, etc.) daily
• Two or three 30-minute sessions of weekly resistance training
• Stretching daily

I like to have my parameters set before me, especially when discussing something like surgery.  If someone tells me I need to get in at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity each day, my mind starts to go to the place of being lectured by parents, doctors and others.  "Do this because it's good for you."  Of course it is, but I don't want to be judged or shamed in the way I have been with that voice that has said, "Geez, it's only 30 minutes a day ... what's your problem?"  But when I'm told that it will prepare me well for surgery and make me successful after surgery for reasons A, B and C, then I get it.  I have six months to gradually make these things habitual so that when it comes time for the surgery, I'll feel more prepared.  Speaking of the surgery, it looks like most people have it no sooner than a month and a half after the classes have ended.  Sometimes it can be longer, but I'm glad I have a better idea.  Our last class will be on July 7th, so that will put me at surgery no earlier than the end of August. 

In terms of my weigh-in, I'm at 372.2 today, just a few ounces up from my original starting weight when I was approved for the program.  They want me to strive to lose 37 pounds during these six months.  If I don't lose the weight, it's not a deal breaker.  However, the lower my weight is at the time of surgery, the less risk I have for potential complications.  That's a great incentive to do the best I can during this time to really focus on treating my body well by taking good care of it.  My personal goal is to have adopted a healthier every day lifestyle so that, by the time I have the surgery, I won't have to start a totally new way of thinking and being ... I can just continue.  

Now what I need to do during the week is to make sure I log all of my food and any physical activity I do.  I will be required to either turn something on on paper or show a log of anything I've put int MyFitnessPal.  I've been kinda lax on logging everything in, so this will keep me accountable.

Water Challenge Day 8:  Drank 140 of 186 ounces