sueoco

Just hang in there and keep your mind on the prize - to me , this was the most difficult stage but you will get there! Sent from my iPhone using VST

Brendani - All the best for your future healthy life a head! I am glad you have made your decision and like you said, at least you know that there is always the option to reconsider in the future.. At least you are very well informed about what is involved and what the future would hold should you decide on the sleeve down the track. I can completely understand how you want to really give the weight loss a go with diet and exercise rather that go through surgery. For me, I had reached the end of my tether and like you said, was looking forward to never being hungry again and being satisfied by half a sushi roll! You have to do what feels right in your heart! Please stay in touch and let us know how life goes for you.

Hi Brendani I will start this by saying that this is your decision to make and no one can make It for you. I want to tell you about how I felt leading into an operation that was going to change my life - and yes this is a big deal! I too felt scared that I would regret it and mourn the loss of eating all I could eat when I wanted. The truth is that you do have to come to terms with that in your head. The reality was that I had tried to lose weight over many years and I did have some successes but always put the weight back on. I also had thoughts of 'if I can do this pre op thing, why can't I just lose weight this way without this operation! I realised that I would have to continue on the pre op diet (or something very close to it) for about a year and then have a life long battle with hunger to keep the weight off - I knew I would never be able to maintain that as I had been there so many times before - haven't we all! The pre op diet is hell and it does play tricks on your mind - I have even heard that such a restricted calorie diet can trigger sort of a depression - something to do with hormones I think - or was it liver. Anyway, I think most people have thoughts of 'why couldn't I just do this and lose the weight' - it is a normal thought process. Once you have the operation, the way you feel about food that you used to love will be different. The reason is that 1/ you don't feel hungry 2/ food can taste different 3/ the sensation of fullness has completely changed - so all the payoffs you got from food prior to the operation are gone - suddenly your brain goes 'hey I don't have to eat to feel good'. I am nearly one year out now and I do feel hunger (but not ravenous like my old hunger), most food tastes good and I feel satisfied with very little of the things I love. I can eat chicken wings and drink a margarita, I can eat a sushi roll - yes I eat it a bit slower but I don't feel deprived or unhappy that I couldn't eat a whole plate. I just feel full, happy and thin! I can honestly say that I do not miss the way I used to eat. I still love my food but I am so happy I don't have to eat a lot anymore. People often ask me how I feel now and I think my key word is 'relief' - I am so relieved that food doesn't control me - I now control it - with a little help from my sleeve! This is just my story ...I hope you make the right choice for you and what ever you decide please stay on this forum. It will give you insight into other people's experiences and who knows, if you aren't ready yet, you might be soon! All the best.

That's what I keep telling myself!!

She says as she sips on a Baileys!!

sorry - got you nick wrong - I meant tashk

looking so good Shell!

I meant I wouldn't fancy my chances!

mmmm....would fancy my chances of keeping my job! :-)

Hi Cathy If you have had the go ahead to start eating normal food then all will be ok . Just stick to the "I'm not feeling that hungry today - so I think I will order an entree as my main" line - it works every time and it is the truth. Order Water for your drink and don't drink it - no one will notice - talk a lot and put your knife and fork down while you talk this will slow down your eating and they won't notice that either ( this might only be an issue if you are normally a quiet person!). I know every trick in the book - although everyone knows about my op other than work colleagues I don't know well. I think eating out is a bit like getting back on the horse! It is challenging, but once you have done it, you won't be so apprehensive next time. Eating out is something we do a lot in our house so I ate out through every stage including pre op ( which was difficult!). When I say 'ate out' that is a lose term because when I was on the liquid and purée stage I think I drank my shake before I left home then had a coffee and on the purée stage if they didn't serve scrambled egg I was snookered! Anyway, good luck and enjoy the occasion!

I had a client meeting at a soft drink company (not mentioning the name!). It Is kind of expected that you guzzle down the product while the meeting is on! I just had to say that I had stomach surgery that didn't allow me to drink carbonated drinks. The truth! Sent from my iPhone using VST