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Many of us had the same feelings. I cried all the way through pre-op, wondering if I should get off the stretcher and leave the hospital! This decision is huge and definitely takes courage, but for me, one the best I've ever made. I have a brand new body and I am loving it every single day, with all the things I can do now. OK, so you have to commit to a new, healthy lifestyle! For sure! No shortcuts there. You have to reframe your thinking so that you see the new changes as part of your new, healthy life - not as deprivation.Yes, you have to give up the crap - but you get so much more in return. I started making these changes long before surgery, but have solidified them since surgery. I think a great motivator is starting to get the weight off and once you can start enjoying new things (like smaller clothing sizes, activities that you couldn't do before, etc.) it becomes easier and easier to embrace the healthy changes, because the payoff is so great. For me, those changes are: no wheat (I have been gluten free for years already), but now do not eat refined grains - only whole cooked grains. No sugar and no soda of any kind. No juice. These were biggies, but I feel SOOOOOO much better without sugar. It's not even a temptation anymore. No coffee or alcohol because I don't want to risk any irritation (I already have Barrett's esophagus with a pre-cancerous polyp removed, and as a GI nurse, I've seen the really ugly side of WLS patients who start drinking again.) No processed foods, period. If it comes in a box, it's not for me. Lots more veggies, low carbs, higher protein. Intermittant fasting is a very powerful weight loss and maintenance tool to use later on in the journey, Lots of exercise. For me this started out by getting 10,000 steps a day. (My step tracker never leaves my wrist and is my best little buddy.) Gradually, I've added a lot of other exercise components, and they get more fun and more motivating as I see strength and muscle definition increasing. This is a journey. You start out with baby steps and commit to follow the plan. Do not cheat. Don't let your mind even go there. Some people look for ways to flirt with forbidden foods or ways to game the system. This is a recipe for failure. Your determination to be successful is the greatest predictor of ultimate success in this venture. Develop some mantras to get you through the temptations.: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" "IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!" "I CAN'T HAVE THAT NOW, BUT I WILL HAVE IT LATER, DOWN THE ROAD." You can do this. Learn from the mistakes of others and be motivated to avoid their pit falls. The fact that your mom lost weight successfully is a good predictor of success for you. You just have to make sure you take your vitamins and keep on top of the nutrition.

Refried beans with cheese and enchilada sauce.

At this point it’s usual to be measuring volume, generally about a 1/4 cup is what is recommended

So, I'm 10 months out and still having problems eating solid foods (doc knows, nothing they can do). Since this appears to be my life, I need to get out of the rut of only eating yogurt for breakfast and dinner. Lentils seem like they go down fine. We have a meal delivery service here that is run by immigrants/refugees and I have been able to get all sorts of delicious Middle Eastern, Indian, and African (lots of stuff from Eritrea and Ethiopia)-style lentils from that. But those have a lot of salt and oil, so I'd love to be able to replicate them by cooking at home. Does anyone know of a good lentil cookbook that has a lot of different styles of cooking? Thanks!

Vent warning! So, yesterday I worked my last shift at work, I have the weekend and the holiday off normally, then Tuesday I am off for another doctors appointment (unrelated). Surgery is Wednesday. I am ready. A little nervous, but mostly excited and anxious to get this done. Hubby is home for his normal day off. All he is doing is giving me crap about the unnecessary surgery and how I can lose all the weight if I just diet more and walk at least 5 miles a day. He conveniently has forgotten that I gained all the weight when I hit 40 and was doing EVERYTHING RIGHT! Including also walking EVERYWHERE. He also conveniently forgets all my failed diet and exercise attempts and how my health has been steadily going down hill with the weight gain. Or how many times he has helped to sabotage me. He is TRYING to be supportive, but he is berating and mocking me at every chance he gets. I know this is his stress talking. He is so afraid of surgery and he thinks of this as an elective/unnecessary procedure. HIS surgeries have complications. Mine are always fine thus far. I see it as a necessary procedure to help me regain my health. Anyhow... he was awful this morning. I finally got angry and nearly broke down in tears. When that happened he finally got his **** together and said he is supporting me. If he wasn't supporting me he would now have gotten time off of work to help me or drive me to/from the hospital. But that doesn't change what a jerk he is being. Just so frustrated! And of course, time feels slower now that I am so close. Need to move the clock forward. I desperately want to get past the surgery so he can stop freaking out and I can start recovering!

No, no, no,no, no...take out that meal plan your surgeons office gave you and follow it! Protein shakes are gross; yep, drink them anyway. You crave “real” food; of course, but if it’s not in your plan, do not put it in your mouth. During my liquid diet phase I used to get so excited when I could have my big chewable multivitamin because I missed chewing. This is a tough phase but you’ll get through it, buckle down and start doing the work

I use Ensure Max on ice. It doesn't taste great but if I drink 2 per day I get all my protein. As I'm only 30 days out I can't eat my protein at 1/3 cup of food. Ice seems to make it taste better. I've also used vegetarian protein and that seems to be better. It is hard to get 60g of protein a day. Unfortunately I don't know of any protein pill.

Thanks. He gets this way when he is stressed out. I have known this about him for our entire 23 year marriage. He can totally be an a*****e, but I know when to just ignore him most of the time. I just don't need this right now. This is about me, not him. And you just said it: "Not the easy way out". I think he and my daughter both think I am taking the easy way out. I am just sad to be reminded that I get more support from my co-worker who has been through this than my husband/daughter. He is trying. I know he is. And I know he will take care of me in the hospital and when I get home. But I could really use their support emotionally. Anyhow, thanks for the encouragement!

Yep. What everyone else said. Volume is KING. Through every phase it's very important to follow their volume instructions for your stage. Stage 1 & 2 is usually 1/8-1/4c. Usually calories (liquids) take caree of themselves. If you are getting in your 48-60g of protein at that point from liquids, it is usually about 300-500 cals. As you progress, you will be at 60-80g of protein and Stage 3 & 4 will look more like 1/4c-1cup max. Anything you eat needs to fit within your cup. So if you eat 1-2oz of dense protein by weight, it goes into your measuring cup for your appropriate volume limit for the meal. 1-2oz of protein can take up as much space as 1/2cup of volume.

My surgery is the 16th. I thought it would never get here, but it is coming up fast! Wishing you the best on your journey!