DuranFan1969

I've been told that the little burp we get during/after a meal is the body's way of telling you that you don't need to have any more, so there's likely something to that.

Good luck, good vibes and plenty of prayers going out for the June 5th sleevers tomorrow!!

We're sleeve twins - mine is on the 13th as well !! I know I've been in the same boat -what if I don't like who I am after the surgery, but by the same token, I'm not a big fan of me being overweight. That's the beauty of this surgery -- you get to basically reinvent yourself and have plenty of options to make you into the you that you want to be.

Wow, I would lose my mind if I had to do three shakes a day and nothing else. I am on a 2 shake a day plan (I'm sure it depends on what type of shake the doctor's recommend), and can also have Gatorade, SF applesauce, Oatmeal, SF cream of wheat, SF pudding, SF jello, low sodium broth, SF popsicles, SF creamsicles and SF fruit chillers.

Mine required a total of 6 months supervised diet within a 24 month span (did not have to be consecutive 6 months). I am through BCBS.

Here's the thing ... yes you are young, but do you want to go through say another 10 years of failed dieting to get right back to the point where you are now? Don't get me wrong - it is absolutely and totally possible to lose weight without surgery, but to me once you've tried everything this is really the only thing left. It's not a cure, but it certainly is a tool to get the weight off. It took me a while to decide I needed to do the surgery -- I know darn well I know how to lose weight, but I needed something that forced me to stay on the right path.

Woohoo Vee is on the other side, can't wait to join you!! Good luck June 4th sleevers!!

I agree with everyone else, it's certainly normal to be scared of being put under. They will give you a little chill out sedation and you really won't care what happens next, which sounds strange I know, but it's true. I was extremely scared when I was going to be put under for another surgery and as soon as they gave me a mild sedative, I completely forgot why I was scared and just relaxed until they knocked me out. I have actually woken up during a surgery before which I know sounds kind of scary, but it really wasn't at all. If you happen to wake up (it doesn't happen often), you'll be in such a haze from the sedation and the anesthesia, it won't really phase you and they knock you right back out. You will be fine.

Well said and I couldn't agree more!

Another vote for Mio! I absolutely love their new Mio Energy Dark Cherry flavor - gives me a good energy boost without feeling weird.

My NUT has me on a plan that I'm essentially eating something every 2 hours from 7:00 am - 9:00 pm every day. I have soft options to choose from that are 80 calories or less, plus 2 high Protein shakes (Bariatric Advantage). I think it's important to make sure to have all these mini meals so you don't feel as hungry in between. Now granted, when something smells really good it's tougher, that's for sure but if your wife is eating that in front of you ... you might want to ask her to please not, as it makes it very tough on you and you need all the support you can get.

Congrats !!!

Welcome and good luck!! All I know is this is the best place I've found for support - I don't know what I'd do without all the advice and musings from our fellow sleevers!!

To a certain extent, we all brought it on ourselves. The important part though is realizing that you can get out of it and this is your chance to do so. I think many of us have those little voices in our heads telling us this is the easy way out - it's not - it's the only way out. I hope you stick with your decision. I'm pre-op too and quite a bit nervous about what I've got myself into but I know without a doubt it's the right choice. You can do it girl!!

Good luck!!

My doctor recommended Bariatric Advantage to me and I was skeptical at first (figured it might just be a partnership they had with the company). Turns out, it's really pretty yummy as far as protein shakes go. I got the strawberry and if I didn't know any better, I would swear I was drinking a strawberry milkshake. I've got some SF chocolate syrup and some frozen bananas to throw into it as well to give it a little variety. The big pouch with 35 servings is what I have and you can find some coupons online to make it a bit cheaper on various web sites.

It's been said many times before - "one meal at a time". That's the best advice I can give you. Don't beat yourself up for a slip up, it happens - I think it's more important to not make the habit. Something that is helping me on my pre-op plan is that I'm keeping a spreadsheet where I plan my next day's meals out in advance. It has helped me because I know what to take to work and I know exactly what I'm having when I get home. I have it spelling out exactly all the items I want to know (fat, Protein, calories, etc) so I know in advance where I'm at. My NUT wants me around 900 calories a day and 70g of protein, so this helps me a lot.

I think the idea is neat, but you may find you have a limited customer base that's local to you. I know I would totally do it though if it was available in my area.

You need a new family girl, yikes! I agree with whoever said it in this thread, we'll be your family now and you can be darn sure you'll get good support here. I am completely amused by the "easy way out" stigma and in fact, several years ago I thought that too. (Don't beat me!) However, after many (many!) years of trying every diet plan under the sun and failing, this isn't an easy way out - it's the ONLY way out. I realized that the older I got, the harder it was on my body (and length of life) if I continued to try various diet plans that I could not make work for me. At some point, you have to ask yourself what's riskier - leaving the weight on and keep trying or getting the weight off a way you know will work. Obviously all of us here have chosen option #2, not because it was the easy way out, but because we know it's the only thing we haven't tried.

I hope you had more to eat/drink today than just the protein shakes! My pre-op diet is a mix of 2 shakes a day, plus SF pudding, SF jello, SF applesauce, Gatorade, popsicles, broth and oatmeal (not over 80 calories though). Are you eating similar things or just doing the shakes?

My NUT told me that any beverage is fine as long as it's under 5 calories per serving.

I swear by the Mio drops when I'm at work and I keep a pitcher of Crystal Light handy at home. I just can never get my water in if it's not flavored. It helps if you keep an eye out at the grocery stores for when these items go on sale. Publix (here in Atlanta) frequently has Crystal Light BOGO so I can get 2 of the canisters for about $3.50.

I was the same way - at least 2 of my 3 meals a day tended to be fast food, simply because I was too tired/lazy/didn't have the energy to go to the grocery store or cook something healthy for myself to eat. At some point, I may have even convinced myself I wasn't worth the effort. This made me very nervous about committing to the pre-op and post-op diet. I was originally supposed to get my surgery in January but because of those apprehensions alone, I took a step back and really thought about it. What I realized was that when I lose my weight (or start to, I should say), my energy is going to come back (major bonus) so I won't be as tired to go to the store or cook. In addition, and my favorite thing about the sleeve, it forces you to eat right - if you go a week after surgery and try to eat a cheeseburger, you're going to find out real fast why that's a bad idea so it's a wonderful tool to keep me on track. For me, I knew how to diet, I knew how to lose weight but I needed that little something that kept me there. You can do it. I can see that skinny guy inside you already.

Awesome, that's what I was hoping to hear! My nerves just start ramping up when I hear people saying they are in pain (which is expected), but now I know it's something I can handle.

Who cares what other people think - this is for YOU. All I know is I've never known anyone overweight who wasn't scrutinized for being over weight so heck if you're going to be scrutinized, at least let it be for the healthier of the 2 options.