traceyinflorida

Yes, that is a good idea. I set aside my nicer things to bring to the consignment shop. Going through my closet and drawers, I am amazed at some of the stuff I hung on to. I guess I didn't want to give up on my smaller sizes, even if some of the the things were completely stained, had holes or were just shabby. Some things are going into the garbage pile!! I can walk in my closet again!!

Good luck to you! The losers bench is an amazing place to be!! I am one month out and cannot believe that I waited this long to do this. Prayers for a great surgery and quick recovery! Tracey

I completely understand how you are feeling. I felt the same way. I was so worried about giving up my favorite foods, the social aspect of food, the comfort of food, etc. However, all of those things got me to where I was, way over weight, lethargic, unhappy, life passing me by etc. You may think food is your friend, but really, FOOD IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. You are doing the right thing for your daughter and for yourself! I am four weeks post op, and while I can tell you that it has not been easy, mentally, giving up all those aspects, physically it has been wonderful. I have so much more energy already! My clothes are hanging off of me and it is almost time to buy a couple of new things to get me by. I actually bought a few tops in the regular section of the store (not the plus section). That was the best triumph! I feel more healthy already. Now that I am able to go to soft foods, I will be focusing on learning new, healthy meals for my family (I have two teenagers) Imagine what a gift you will be able to give your daughter by starting her off on the right path of nutrition so that she might not ever share the same struggles you have had to go through. One of the things I did to help myself through these struggles with food, was I started a pre-op diary. I wrote down all the things I hated about being overweight. It was a very long list. I also wrote down all the things I looked forward to being able to do when I became a healthier weight. That list was also very long. I starred the most important things, like being there for my kid's important life events. Whenever things seem really hard, (like the first few days post-op, then when I was sick of the liquid diet phase post-op) I refer back to my diary. It helps a lot. The best part, is you really do not feel physically hungry. You also do not have the sugar and carb cravings. Now to me, a little piece of nicely seasoned fish, or a small piece of soft cheese are heavenly to me. I would have NEVER said that before this surgery! You can do this! You will not regret it! Good luck to you!!

Yay!! Good for you! I am so happy to hear it went well and you are going home. The first several days were tough "eating" and drinking wise for me, but now I am two weeks out and it is getting much better. Take it easy, get up and walk as much as you can, even if it's only to the mailbox and back. It will make you feel better quicker. Looking forward to hearing your progress!

Lisa, You DO NOT SUCK! If dieting was easy, none of us would have to have this surgery in the first place! I know that whenever I even thought about going on a diet I ended up gaining weight because I ate more of the bad stuff, thinking I would be deprived. So do not beat yourself up...just plan to embrace your new life, free of hunger with the sleeve. This is a tool that will allow you to more easily make the right choices. This week of pre-op is time to get real though. You need to do your liquid diet faithfully without cheating. Find a protein shake you really love. If you are a chocolate drinker, my whole family likes chocolate flavored Nitro Peak that you can pick up at Vitamin World. For me, it helped to remind myself that this was just ONE WEEK and I was doing it for a healthy, safe surgery. You might experience some dizziness, headache and loss of energy for the first few days as you come off the carbs and sugar. Don't panic, just drink lots of water and stay the course. Once that stuff is out of your system, you will no longer crave it, which is such a blessing! That does not mean you will not want it though, so just keep reminding yourself about the reason you are doing this, to prepare for your surgery. YOU CAN DO IT! I will keep you in my prayers for great will power during the liquid phase and a safe, easy surgery and quick recovery!!

The best thing you can do for yourself today, is keep busy! Every time I thought about it, I got really nervous too. Sometimes I was almost paralized like you are feeling right now. You will not die on the table, I ate a piece of pizza during the first day of the liquid phase and all still went well (yes I spent a night panicing about that too). I later found out from my surgeon's nurse that many people are very bad about the pre-op diet. It's not a good idea, but it's a reality. If the worst you have done was eat and egg, you will be OKAY! Just make sure you are on clear liquids only today and NPO at the time they gave you. You will lose weight after surgery. It's a law of numbers. I could never lose weight on a "diet" and feared the same thing. I am two weeks post op and have lost 27 lbs between the pre-op diet and the post op. The day I went into the hospital, I had some serious thoughts of running right back out. I cried when I had to leave my mom to go by myself to the pre-op area. BUT it was all OKAY. The nurses will be super nice. Everyone's job there is to make sure you make it through this safely and without incident. They will give you nice relaxing meds when you get in there. Next thing you know, you are waking up from surgery like nothing happened! People told me this, but I did not believe it until I experienced it. YOU CAN DO THIS!! I will keep you in my prayers for some courage and strenght, a safe surgery and a quick recovery!

I have been reading the book "Before and After" by Susan Maria Leach. She has a ton of great recipes in there that fit our nutritional needs and desire for taste! I started making some of her recipes before my surgery because they sounded good. Even if you can only eat chicken, it sounds like you need some variations on the chicken to make it interesting. She has even made fish sound appealing to me, and I am NOT a big fan of fish. I just started my pureed phase today. I had egg salad made with some low fat mayonaise, salt and pepper. It was so nice to get away from a Protein shake or soup! I hope you find some yummy things to shake things up!

I was allowed three 8 oz protein shakes a day, plus one of each of the following: sugar free jello, 6 oz low-fat and no sugar added yogurt OR 4 oz fat free cottage cheese, 3 ounces of fruit or sugar free applesauce. The nutritionist told me I could have one extra protein shake if I was really hungry. Plus all the water, crystal lite or other non-sweetened, non-caffinated beverages I wanted. It was pretty strict, but I lost 15 pounds over the two weeks!

I had to do the barium test the second day after surgery. It was awful! It was like drinking cleaning fluid. I ended up throwing it all up when it was over. No leaks though. Do not panic over your spasm. My stomach did all kinds of protesting, gurgling, spasming etc for the first several days. It still does if I push too hard. Did you strain the soup? If not, make sure you strain your soups until you are safe to go to the pureed phase. If it is still bothering you tomorrow, call your doctor. I hope you feel better quick so you can stop worrying!

So sorry to hear about your complications. I will pray for you for some positive, fixable news on the MRI. Your weight loss is fantastic and a positive thing for you to focus on!

I am two days away from the pureed stage and I cannot wait to have anything with flavor and texture that is NOT a protein shake or broth!! I never thought I would relish the idea of eating eggs, but I do now!

I think that sounds like a great idea! Although Vero is an hour from me.

I felt exactly as you did when I finally got the call and we set the date for only two weeks later. I was nervous and shaky. All those months of preparation and suddenly I had cold feet. Walking into the hospital on surgery day, I felt so close to bolting. But I made it through with flying colors. All the things I was nervous about turned out to be nothing. I am only two weeks post op and I feel great and am losing weight. Just focus your thoughts on your end goals. When I first made the decision to do this, I had written down all the reasons I wanted to do this just in case I felt scared, or discouraged. It will really help you to focus on your "WHY". Good luck to you and let us know how all turns out!

Hello! I am so happy to have found this forum! I had my gastric sleeve surgery on June 4th after two years of debating whether or not to do it. I made my decision to do this when I was at my highest weight of 272 lbs. It was such a low point in my life. I had no clothes that fit. I had no energy. I was having episodes of sleep apnea which were so scary. I feared for my health and my future, but most of all I felt like life was just passing me by. Then, one of my friends completely inspired me. I saw on facebook that she had run in the NY Marathon. Normally, one of my physically fit friends doing something like this would not have been an inspiration, because in my mind, they did not have the struggle that I had to face. But this one was different. My friend who ran the marathon used to be my diet buddy. She and I had been on lots of different diets together, each one with some success, but ultimately ended in both of us quitting and gaining more weight. She had always been a little bigger than me. Four years ago, she had gastric bypass. I admit, I felt a little cheated, but I was really happy for her. I watched her transform over the year as she reached her goal weight. She looked wonderful. But more importantly, I watched her come out of her shell. She was suddenly going to parties, getting her picture taken everywhere, hiking with her family and more. I knew she had started running and was running in 5Ks and half marathons. It was amazing. But when I saw her pictures and posts on facebook of successfully completing the NY Marathon, I thought, what am I waiting for?! I got together with her for more information on the surgery and my decision was made. After six months of diet and nutrition counseling required by my insurance and another two months waiting for insurance approval, my surgery was finally scheduled for June 4th ! My surgery went very well. It was the first surgery I had ever had and I was extremely nervous. I was stunned when they woke me up and it was over. The worst part was the nausea as the anesthesia wore off, but I found the more I walked, the better that was. By the time I left the hospital on day 3, I felt pretty good. Now 12 days post op, I don't feel like I even had surgery (other than the change in my eating) I have lost 27 lbs since the day I scheduled surgery! Woo hoo! I am a little daunted by the challenges of learning how to eat post surgery. But I am so excited for the tool and gift that this surgery has given me to become a new and healthy me! I look forward to learning from this forum and sharing with others! Thanks for reading my story!

Congratulations on your decision, Carlos! I found the liquid diet to be easier after getting through the first few days. The first couple of days I was really tired, hungry and had a headache as I was no longer getting carbs and sugar. Once that was over, things got much easier. Once the carbs were no longer in my system, I stopped craving them and protein shakes became more satisfying. Stay the course and keep your eye on your goal to have a healthy, safe surgery. The best part is that after surgery you will no longer be hungry!! Good luck to you! I look forward to hearing about your journey!

I have Cigna and was approved for surgery. It was a bit of a process and I was denied once, but they did finally approve. With Cigna, you have to have a BMI >40 or >30 with another co-morbid condition. You are required to undergo six months of nutrition/weight loss conseling with a certified nutritionist or program. You need a letter of medical necessity from your primary care physician, including a statement (and this was my hold up) that you are medically cleared by him/her for surgery. A meeting with a psycologist clearing you mentally. Evaluation by surgeon with description of procedure to be done. The bariatric coordinator for the medical system helped me with all of this. Good luck! Tracey