FindingMe75

Meggie, I had to do it the same way as you - it was just Protein shakes (I liked Muscle Milk the best), Water and sometimes Crystal Light up to the night before surgery, but it worked out well. My liver was nice and thin and my doctor was very happy with my condition pre- and post-op. Pasquini, I'm glad you liked the comment and it's great to see the outpouring of support from all the other posts! Raine, have you tried getting your crushed pills into a warm creamy Soup? It might override the bitterness and if you mix it in well to a small portion you may not notice it at all... Empress...we were sleeved the same day! How are you doing? I feel great!! Now I feel bad because I didn't write a personal reply to EVERYONE on this thread lol...if anyone feels left out just tell me and I'll add a comment for you too

Hey there! I did 16 days of liquid diet prior to my surgery day last Tuesday...it's tough but you can get through it!! After a week of clear fluids, I graduated yesterday to full liquids and enjoyed some lobster bisque. Never tasted so good! Aside from that, I feel great and lost 12 pounds in the first week - keep remembering your ultimate goal and why you're doing this FOR yourself during the liquid diet (not TO yourself), and it'll help you make it there. I've also been communicating with other April sleevers that had their surgery right around the same time as me - it's great if you find a couple of people here that are going through this with you at the same time, because you are sharing the same experiences while they're happening and you feel much less alone. Just remember there's an entire community out there pulling for you!!

Sorry for your bad experience, but thank you for sharing it. It's a few more weeks before I graduate to any solids, but this story will be in the back of my mind when I do...

I was also sleeved on the 26th! I was lucky though - I was the first scheduled surgery so I went in at 7:30am. It was pretty rough the first few hours out, but by mid-afternoon I was feeling better and off morphine. I didn't walk until around 9:30pm, and had my GI x-ray yesterday morning. That contrast is DISGUSTING!!! I think I would've preferred urine lol I finally got my first fluids around 1pm yesterday...chicken broth never tasted so good! Over the course of about three hours I had maybe 2.5 oz. of the broth and maybe an ounce of orange Jello. I got released around 4pm. Last night at home was interesting...sore getting up and down but moving around ok, but my sleep was constantly disrupted because I was getting up to pee so much! Probably from all the IV fluids working their way out of my system... Hang in there! I'm adjusting to the sipping too. Other people have done it, and we can too!!!

Hi Shanna! I'm pretty new to the site too, and I think you'll like it a lot - there's great information, people are supportive and positive, and it sounds like you've got some great motivation to proceed already, but there's plenty of inspiration here as well. I hope you enjoy it here as much as I have been...best wishes!

Had my pre-op appointment this morning...i'm all set to go for tomorrow! Gotta call the hospital this afternoon to see what time I need to be there tomorrow morning, but I'm scheduled for around 10am!!! I CAN'T WAIT - it's like Christmas Eve

Another April 26 sleever here - only one week away!!!! I get more excited each morning...it's like waiting for Christmas Day!

Hi Nicki...I'm getting sleeved the day before you! I haven't been through the same experiences as you, as far as the band, but I'm familiar with the frustrations of gaining and losing. I'm sure it's only magnified after going through a procedure to resolve it and then having other troubles. But you're on the right track now and soon enough you'll be doing all those things you're thinking of and more! I just joined the site too and have found a lot of great information so far...best of luck with everything!

If I'm not mistaken, part of the formula that's used includes the body burning calories for maintenance activities. You're burning calories sleeping, showering or watching TV. I think the idea of the 2,000 calorie a day diet is based on the notion that that's what an average person needs to replace a day's worth of calories burned. Once you add in calorie deficits, activity and fluctuations from Water weight and such, it's conceivable to have a loss of a pound a day, at least for a little while. Congrats on losing over 100 pounds!!! I hope to join you in due time...

I've kinda gotten past the hump and limiting the Crystal Light has actually helped curb the cravings...I've been smelling food (the kids think it's hysterical) to get my "fix" from time to time, but I'm starting to mentally detach myself from wanting to eat it, which is a really good thing. Going for pre-admission testing on Wednesday and spoke to the surgeon's office coordinator to confirm they've received all my clearances, results, etc. Looks like I'm a go for the 26th!! That's helping me keep focus too! It's not as bad as I had feared - I'm not starving all the time when I drink my Protein shakes regularly, and Spicy - OF COURSE there is a prize!!! That's why I chose the FindingMe screen name...I am psyched about getting back to what I once was, and better!! Chicadee - my heart goes out to you. I have been worrying all along about the possibility of my date moving and getting stuck on a longer liquid diet. Hang in there...May 3 is just around the corner!!!

This seemed like the best place to introduce myself and dip my feet into posting... I'm 10 days away from my sleeve procedure (scheduled for April 26), and six days into a two-week liquid diet (actually 16 days, but who's counting, right?). The first couple of days went smoothly, but I've been craving food more the last two days. I thought it would be the opposite! It's not like I'm ready to raid the fridge or anything, but I thought/hoped that after adjusting it would become second nature. I miss food - it kinda feels like when your best friend goes away for camp in the summer. You know you'll be together again soon enough, but you just miss them SOOOO MUCH!! And I'm well aware that it will be quite a while before I'm eating "food" again in any definition of the word. pizza Hut commercials do NOT help, I've come to realize. My pre-op diet consists of 4-5 Protein shakes a day, plus Water or Crystal Light to stay hydrated. I came here looking to see what other people's experiences were, how they dealt with things or distracted themselves, and for support and inspiration from their success stories. Best wishes to all, wherever you may be in your journey... Bill

Absolutely! The Protein is the key...I checked with my surgeon before I decided to go forward with my procedure (which I'm having next week) to see if there were any restrictions on heavy weightlifting or anything long-term. I was told that once you heal properly (i guess between 4-6 weeks or so), you should be able to exercise in any way, including lifting. If you are getting adequate protein, you should be able to build muscle even while losing, but slowly. And muscle burns calories, so it could also help accelerate the fat loss and avoid plateaus as you go. Good luck!

Thank you for this thread...I just joined and it's good to know I'm not the only one. I've noticed everything from the lack of libido to the visual appearance (or should I say disappearance) over the last year or so as my weight rose. It's a hopeless feeling. I've been on my liquid diet for just over a week and scheduled to get sleeved next Tuesday. I've already noticed a bit of improvement in, let's say, 'function', and I'm really looking forward to getting back to what I used to be! I've been heavy since I was a kid, and I've had the abdominal fat and pad all my life, even when I've been slimmer over the years. Does the pad totally go away, or has anyone needed to resort to lipo or something to completely get rid of it?

I actually have a couple of old pieces of clothes that I've saved for years, hoping to get into them again. I'm looking forward to that even more than going shopping for new stuff...actually, when all is said and done, I think those old clothes may actually be too BIG for me!! What a day that will be!

Thank you all so much for the insights and motivation! I'm really glad I decided to join this site - I'm kind of a private person, so I haven't really been advertising this to many people outside my close family and closest friends. It's nice to be able to compare notes and be reminded that there are others out there going through this with me right now. I did lose like 12 or 13 pounds just this week on the liquid diet, so I'm pretty psyched about that! I've gotta get one of those little ticker dealies to track my progress!!!