makemyownluck

The shakes are great when you're starting out, but I think the goal is to eventually build up a healthy diet with natural food. You can definitely keep using the shakes if you want to, or when they are convenient, but they want you to get your nutrition from natural sources, which are better for you. Nutrients are better absorbed from food sources than processed down in Vitamins or a Protein shake. But in the beginning when we're on staged diets and new to this tool and have to still support our heavier frames while we're losing, the shakes are the easiest way to get what we need. There will come a point when we're eating what we want to, and we need to make sure what we're eating is fueling our body - nutrient and protein rich foods - so that shakes aren't necessary anymore. That's the ultimate goal for long term success.

Good luck getting a surgery date. The visit should be easy enough, make sure you ask a lot of questions! Write them down so you don't forget anything. Most surgeons explain the different surgical options and let you decide what you want. It's elective surgery, after all. Unless you have some other GI issues, like reflux or ulcers, then I don't see why you can't get what you want. As far as doing anything differently before the pre-op diet, you don't have to. I "weaned" myself into it by replacing a meal with a shake for a few weeks prior to the all liquid diet. Also, I was doing a low carb/high Protein diet as well. It's really a good idea to start incorporating post-op habits now - like trying out different Protein shakes to see what you like, and getting used to lowering your carb intake. Each surgeon has a different plan, so you may not even have to do a pre-op diet at all. Some people have to do all liquids for a month, some just a week or two, some just the day before, some people get to have a meal a day during their liquid diet - it all depends on what your surgeon prefers! I wish you luck, you should find a lot of good info on this site.

Use some Imodium. Should "tighten" the stool up. I have the opposite problem as well - I take Milk of Magnesia every other day to keep it soft. Wasn't expecting the constipation and had it at work - it was awful, had to suffer through it for about 3 hours before it was time to go home. The Milk of Magnesia took care of it right away. I've been taking some every other day just to keep the stool soft. Diarrhea and constipation are pretty typical on the pre-op diet, and for right after post-op. I have MOM and liquid imodium on hand for both possibilities.

*pretty sure* she's talking about the opurity vitamins that are sold on the unjury site. I got them as well, but haven't tried them yet - saving them for post op (which is less than a week, had to throw that in there!). They make a multi-v specifically for "bypass & sleeve" as well as a different one for lap band, I believe. unjury.com or opurity.com. 90 day supply for like 35$.

I was talking to my mom today about surgery day. We're a week away. In a week, I'll either be walking the halls, knocked out on pain meds or somewhere in between - and I'll be sleeved. I've gone from giddy with excitement to tense with worry and I've settled on "optimisticly curious". I wonder. What will I feel like the day of surgery? Man, I hope I'm one of those champs that's moving around and feeling okay right away. What will I feel like when I'm out of the hospital? How long til I'm feeling like myself? Will I be in pain for a while? Will I be able to get my water in? And on and on. Etc, etc, etc... And I'm not seeking any answers for those questions, these are simply curious thoughts I have from time to time. But for the most part, I've stopped thinking about it so much. So, this is my last week as a pre-op. The weird thing is, I'm not even hungry anymore. My stomach is still growling constantly, tho. I hope it stops doing that when it's smaller.

found this: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2012/04/weight-loss-would-you-have-shocking-new-surgery-to-lose-just-25-pounds It sounds like a sleeve without physically removing the stomach, and probably not as small as the sleeve. I would think this could stretch over time... and would be best suited for people who want to lose 50 lbs or less. From that article: And POSE is less extreme than gastric bypass; though it does require full anesthesia, no scalpels are used. (Instead, a surgeon inserts an endoscope through the mouth to reach the stomach, then folds the stomach lining over and closes it with anchor stitches. The whole procedure takes about 45 minutes.) Patients of gastric bypass and Lap-Band must meticulously monitor their diet postsurgery for the rest of their life. (Typically, sweet and greasy foods are bad news for gastric bypass patients; bread and steak can be a problem for those with Lap-Band.) POSE patients, in contrast, can eat what they want, just less of it, says Dr. Lavin.

is it that POSE surgery? I can't even tell what it is, but it's incisionless, done through an endoscopy. Primary Obesity Surgery, Endoluminal Seriously, no clue on what this surgery actually is.

Hadn't heard that one... scary thought! Hopefully we have new habits by then... and that they are SOLID!

I think anything you want to do post-op - use a straw, gulp Water, chew gum - it's all trial and error. You simply won't know how your body will react to something until you do it/try it/eat it/drink it - whatever. As long as your healed - like a month out or more - try what you want. If you feel okay, cool. If you don't, then don't repeat it anytime soon. Doctors give their advice, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to take it. If something works for you, do it. You're not gonna explode. Your sleeve will be fine. Life will go on...

You do have to do shakes in the beginning stages, usually for a liquid pre op diet and then for a week or two after surgery. Many continue to use them because it's an easy source of Protein to make sure they meet their protein requirement post-op. But you don't have to if you are able to get enough protein elsewhere in your diet. Also, you say you have 150lbs to lose, are you saying you wouldn't be satisfied with 105-120 of that being gone forever? Many people change their goals as they lose, especially when they have that much to lose. However, it is a tool, so it is what you make of it. You can lose it all through a lot of effort on your part with working out, and maybe even plastic surgery to take care of lose skin which can account for 5,10,15 lbs or more depending on how your skin reacts to that much weight loss. How well your skin does is based on genes, age, and current condition. There are definitely a lot of variables to consider, and I agree with mags, you should go to a seminar at a local hospital to get more info! And poke around this site, there is much to be learned. Good luck to you!

I have dark circles, I'm pre-op. Did you have them before surgery or did they just start? I started using tarte maracuja c-brightener eye cream. It has a bunch of Vitamin C in it. My circles aren't completely gone, but I don't need concealer anymore. They can be covered with just foundation just fine. I've only been using it for 2 months, so it might get even better. I've tried other creams, but never really stuck with anything. They never really worked, or they were too heavy or thick. This goes on really smoothly. I get mine on QVC: http://www.qvc.com/tarte-C-Brighter-Maracuja-Anti-Aging-Eye-Treatment.product.A228487.html but it's available anywhere Tarte cosmetics are sold. Ulta and Sephora carry it, you could go there and try the sample.

have you tried chicken broth? or strained "cream of" soup? (cream of whatever you like - chicken, mushroom... whatever).

I cheated plenty in my pre-op diet. But I wasn't required to be on one for insurance and didn't have to do weigh ins, so it wasn't a big deal to me to lose as much as I could as quickly as I could, either. I was just trying to lose before surgery to be safer/that much closer to goal. But my diet allowed one "cheat" meal per week. It helped me to ward off cravings when I knew I had a "cheat" meal on its way... but I still caved when I felt like it. I told myself "I should have this now because I can't have it after surgery..." more than I should have! But since I've been on the pre-op liquid diet, I haven't cheated. I have my eye on the prize. One week down, one week to go! This time next week, I'll be sleeved!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't beat yourself up over cheating! It's natural - we're big folk, we like to eat! Just try to do better next time... cuz there will be a next time... & remember, just cuz you cheated doesn't mean you have to finish what you started. Stop at one bite of that candy bar (or whatever you cheat-eated, lol). Enjoy the cheat and move on -- being upset with yourself will only make you feel guilty, which will make you want to eat.

cut out carbs - clean your cabinets and fridge, get rid of rice, Pasta, sugar, all of it. Give it away if you can. Otherwise, toss it. You WILL be tempted to eat it if it's already right there. Get rid of your soda and other sweetened beverages, even juice - it has carbs, too. Replace 1 or 2 meals with Protein shakes. Increase your protein so you feel full without the carbs. Start moving. Walk around the block a few times, hit the gym, whatever. Just walk. If nothing else, walk, walk, walk. IDK what you're starting at weight wise, but most overweight people are carrying around a lot of Water weight, so watch your sodium intake also. Skip salt when you can. So yeah, basically do what your dietitian says. It works!

the only thing you need to use with caution after being sleeved are NSAIDs for prolonged periods of time because you will have a much higher risk of an ulcer with a smaller stomach.

YESS!!!!! Call them twice a day if you need to. They are working FOR YOU! I mean, be polite and patient, but don't ever hesitate to call when you need something.

I think that would differ for everyone. Being overweight means you have a lot of fat on and around your organs, so losing weight will help them function better by not being overcrowded in your body with fat. Your heart will definitely improve because it won't have to work so hard to maintain your smaller body, as I'm sure is true for other organs as well. As far as statistical data like with quitting smoking, I think there's probably too many variables to come up with a number that would be relevant anyway. When you're evaluating a single organ like the lungs, you can get a test group of people with similar stats to compare, but with a whole body, there's no way to predict how all of these organs would work together any more than you can predict where someone is going to get cancer in 20 years. lol, forgive me if that makes NO sense, I'm in a pre-op liquid diet head fog.

That's great!! Good job -- I'm a high BMI'er myself and wanna pull off some impressive numbers like that!

I gotta say, I'm surprised I got so much "DON'T DO IT" feedback... I already made my choice to have this surgery. This time next week will be my Sleeve Eve and I'm ready for it. I mistakenly thought more people would say they had these thoughts as well. That doubt was all part of nerves. But whatever, if I'm unique in these thoughts, I'm okay with that. I'm just being honest with myself, but I'm not going to back out of this now! I've made all these healthy changes to be prepared for what's coming, not so I can turn and run away.

I just had my "first 50lbs lost" celebration Saturday. The celebration consisted of weighing myself about 20 times to verify my scale was working and then doing a happy dance. *gasp* I celebrated something without food! It's true, it IS possible! A SV and a NSV all at once! Well, I started feeling really lightheaded over the past few days and it was concerning me because it was to the point that I thought I might fall over or pass out if this kept progressing. I called my MD and made an appointment for this afternoon. My bp was only 100/60! Six months ago it was 168/94. My doctor told me to stop taking my HTN med! HOORAY!! I'M MEDICATION-FREE!!! I was talking to the nurse who was surprised that I've lost 50lbs pre-op. She was asking me what kind of diet they had me on and how I was feeling about it. I told her I felt hungry all the time, but it wasn't unbearable. She told me she didn't want to discourage me, but that I had a rough few weeks ahead of me... but also that she was really excited for me and can't wait to see the results. I'm really just so proud of myself that all my hard work has paid off to better health already. But it also gets me wondering if I should be having surgery, why see how far I can get on my own... unlike a lot of people, I haven't had the yo-yo thing my whole life. What if in preparing myself for surgery, I was able to learn enough to make better choices and live a healthier life without surgery? And then I wondered if the reason I don't want people knowing I had surgery might have a LITTLE to do with my own shame over my weight and my lack of control. Yes, I'll be happy to lose weight - but wouldn't I be just a little prouder if I knew I did it without surgery? Maybe. But I'll be proud of myself for losing the weight in any event, so why should it matter how I get there? I don't wanna feel like "I've come to far to back out now" but I really didn't start having doubts until today, when I realized that I could effect change in my body, all by myself... The doubt isn't so great that I'm going to postpone surgery, but it's definitely got me thinking... Did anyone have or had similar thoughts/questions? Surgery is 9 days short away...

I did low carb, high Protein diet for months. Started eating greek yogurt for Breakfast and at lunch with a small salad. I made homemade Soups on the weekend to have during the week for dinner, broth-based with lots of veggies, nothing with cream. Kept it light, but still satisfying. This worked out really well for me because it was winter time, too. IDK how much I'd love it eating Soup like that all summer... I'm not vegetarian, but I did start having Morningstar sausages for breakfast on the weekends, and I really recommend the brand Gardein. They have really good breaded items that are somehow low in carbs. They are really good and satisfy a crunchy, breaded craving. I also incorporated healthier Snacks like almonds, cheese sticks and Veggie chips. I didn't count anything but carbs. I tried to stay under 90 for the day, and it was pretty easy to do. NO processed food, no bread (except the occasional whole grain toast when out to breakfast), no Pasta. No Desserts, no soda, limit those indulgences. I allowed one meal a week to have anything I wanted or really craved. I did this for months and definitely gave in a few more times that I should have around Christmas, but all in all, I stuck with it pretty well. I could have lost a lot more if I'd gone to the gym, but I went AT BEST once a week, and that's an average of weeks of going 4-5 times a week and weeks not going at all... it's still something I'm working on! Seems when it comes to working out for me, I either GO HARD or stay home - literally! Good luck to you!

They are carbs, but still full of great nutrition. It's a good carb to have, unlike processed foods, white carbs, etc. Everything in moderation, and natural is always best!

Thank you and congrats on having your date set!! I'm definitely trying to focus on the positive and keep my eye on the prize. The fact is that I'm freaking starving and the only reason I'm sticking to my diet is because I have this goal in mind. If I cancelled tomorrow, I'd be back to my old eating habits in no time! I need to remember why I'm doing this. To better my health and my life! My sleeve is already working for me and I haven't even gotten it yet - I've gotten this far because I've been preparing for the new me. I think the doubt is cuz I'm nervous, and that's natural in this situation..

You steam a cauliflower and then I think you cut the florets off and put it through a food processor. Makes it a "rice" texture. Then use a cheese cloth to squeeze out all the moisture. I saw it on the food network or cooking channel a few months ago. I was intrigued, but I haven't tried it myself yet. This recipe sounds realllllly good! I <3 cauliflower!