Butterthebean

Come out of the closet people. The problem with WLS is the stigma associated with it. The reason so many uneducated people are against the surgery is that the only time they ever hear about it is when things go bad and patients die....the horror stories. The only success stories they hear are when some person looses 400 or 500 pounds. So most folks think the surgery is either a death warrant, or for people with several hundred pounds to lose. You people here are the real success stories. Let your stories be heard and lift the stigma. Let folks see that this surgery will save lives and improve the quality of life for alot of people who can't get there otherwise. It's safe and alot of people could really benefit from it.

I moved into a new house the day I started my 10 day pre op diet. That kept me real busy right up till surgery. Costly way to keep your mind off of surgery though.

I am troubled by the amount of threads like this there are on the forums. So many people feel like they can't tell anyone for fear of what they might think or say. It's easy for me to say "heck with those people" but I know it isn't as easy for everyone. I hope you all can at least find one person you trust who you can count on for support. My real hope is that after you've had your surgery and lost weight your self confidence will rise to the point that you won't care what others might think, and you'll tell the world. Why? Because then possibly you'll inspire someone else who is struggling with the decision to have surgery. Plus the more people who are open and honest about WLS, the less stigma there will be. Also, please think about this. When the day comes that you do feel like telling the people you care about, will it be even more damaging that you kept it a secret? I know the answer to that is different for every situation. I just don't want any of you to regret your decision later on.

Yes that's a heck of a hike. Google "bonking". It sounds like what you had. I've done it a few times cycling and it's horrible.

Cramps can also be a sign of low potassium and dehydration and have nothing to do with carbs. Just because you are cramping doesn't mean you need carbs.

There are going to be people who judge you negatively for having WLS, it's going to happen. But that's no reason to live a lie and be dishonest. Don't sacrifice your own character to appease others. Besides, your own openness and honesty will also likely inspire someone else to seek WLS and possibly save their own life.

Yes, it's kinda the counter point to supersize me.

Reminds me of something similar. When I tell people how much I weigh, or weighed, and they say "you don't look that big." Like I wasn't big till they found out how much I weighed. Now I'm huge. They think it's a compliment but really it's an insult. It's kinda like talking to someone on the phone, and then when you finally meet them in person and find out what they look like, saying "you don't sound that ugly."

Nobody?

You look great. A true success story.

Yeah, just goes to show you. All the experts can still have differing opinions.

My NUT told me to never again eat saltines because of that exact reason. They go down too easy.

I haven't been around this forum long, but are there people here who have been turned down for surgery because of the psych eval? The psychiatrist I talked to literally told me that they only wanted to make sure that I knew the surgery was not a magic cure, and that I would have to eat a certain way and exercise for the rest of my life. He also wanted to know about my support system. Other than that I was in and out of his office in less than ten minutes. It took much longer to answer the questionnaire.

You can change your " goals" on fitness pal by clicking on goals and then change goals, then type in whatever goal you want for your calories.

I made a big pot of chilli. Then put it in 4 oz containers. Also, those pepperoni chips mentioned above are the bomb

Wow. Today makes one month since I started my 10 day preop diet. I was 401. Lost 16 pounds in that 10 days but I never want to have Soup again. Had surgery on the 10th and have lost 25 pounds in that 3 weeks. I just ate my usual Breakfast, 4 oz of scrambled egg beaters and I'm totally full. I love getting full so easy. This time last month it would have taken a pan of buttered down biscuits and about 6 pieces of bacon to do the job. Or more likely, 3 chicken biscuits from Chikfila and a large coke. I started soft foods a week ago and since then I feel great. The doc upped my calories but I continue to loose weight because my energy level has gone through the roof. I'm headed out now for a 2 mile hike in the woods with the dogs. Well I just wanted to say how glad I am that I had this surgery.

Oh my.

Patrick, the main thing about the preop diet is to reduce the size of your liver. Staying away from sugar and starches will help do that but you don't have to starve yourself. Also, add some soups to your diet if you like for variety. It doesn't just have to be protein shakes. That said, you will find it much easier to maintain the diet after surgery, the preop diet is the toughest part. I lost 15 pounds in 10 days on my preop diet eating nothing but soup and protein shakes, but I was never hungry. I are every 3 hours so I had no problem with hunger and my energy levels stayed fairly decent. BTW...I'm Patrick too...good luck brother.

The only parts I'm measuring are around my waist and chest. If you like you can also measure thighs and hips....anywhere you hope will get smaller as you loose weight.