300PoundsDown

I think a lot of it could vary according to how overweight you are. I know for me personally I started at a very high weight and my liver was enlarged. The doctor needed me to shrink my liver as much as possible. I was put on a 2 week pre-op diet as a result. In reality, he did not require me to do it but he firmly suggested it lol !! Good luck!

My pre-op diet was an atkins shake every 2 hours from the time I woke up until i went to bed. I can't remember how many I had in a day but for me it went fairly well. I definitely screwed it up on several days lol but all in all it worked b/c my surgeon said my liver had shrunk a lot. That is mainly what this is for. Think of your liver and how it will help the doctor not having it be as large and in the way. Good luck!

Don't stop thinking about it! lol....Enjoy it!! This is going to be possibly one of the most exciting things to happen to you in your life. It was completely life changing for me. I totally agree with the person who said research as much as you can to prepare yourself and if at all possible start an exercise routine. I would highly recommend the Leslie Sansone walking videos. Even if you did 10 minutes a day it would be helpful. Good luck!!

Is this pre-op testing? Well I'll admit that my surgeon did not seem to do the kind of extensive testing you're having. Maybe this just means you have a really careful surgeon!! To me that's a good thing. I would bet that any one of us who is significantly overweight would show up similar results if we were thoroughly tested. A lot of us have had things wrong we didn't even know about simply b/c we weren't tested for it . And those things were then cured by the weight loss without us even knowing. I'm going to be thinking of you and looking for an update!

I've had 4 csections and I can honestly say it is like night and day for me. No comparison. I would have this surgery any day over a csection! I think having had 4 csections made this seem like no big deal. Plus this was done lap as opposed to a csection which is open. Very big difference. If you've had a csection you will probably feel relieved afterwards to find it's not the same intensity! Of course this is only my experience and I know we are all different

Hi there! I know everyone has a different experience but I'll add mine . My pain wasn't that bad. Maybe a 4 or 5. It was sore and uncomfortable mostly. I will say, however, that I've had 4 c-sections, gallbladder removed and a hernia repair all in that same area. I think I've been cut so many times in my abdomen that I have lost a lot of feeling there! That worked to my advantage. For me, the best thing is preparing yourself ahead of time. If you just mentally prepare yourself that there is going to be some pain then you will be a lot better off. This can be a lot more difficult for someone who has not had surgery in that area before b/c you don't know what to expect. I would even tell the doctor ahead of time that you want to make sure you have plenty of pain meds. Let them know!! I have done this in the past with surgeries. I believe I had a pain ball. Here is one thing I've learned with surgeries. Take the next dose of pain medication during the first day or two even if you think you can tough it out. Once in a surgery, I thought I could tough it out and I skipped the next dose. I regretted it. The pain meds build up in your system too so skipping one made it take longer the next go round . I would advise just keeping up with when your next pain meds are due and if the nurses don't come in buzz them. As far as Water goes, start sipping when you wake up until you go to sleep. I had a hard time getting it in .I woudln't stress about it but I would actively be sipping away constantly. Good luck with everything!!!

It has been done different ways for different surgeons. For me, I stayed 3 nights but I was a self pay and it was part of the package for you to stay up to 3 days. I could have gone home after 2 but since I already paid for it I figured I might as well stick around just in case. The most important thing is to just pay attention to your body. Let them know how you're feeling at the time. Monitor yourself and how your body is reacting. I'm sure you will do great!!!

Wow! Let me just say again...WOW! I love your letter and as an English teacher I got giddy over you citing your references!! lol...seriously though...this was great. Thank you so much for posting it so others can have a template of what to go by. I am really going to be pulling for you. You are a fighter! I had to fight too for years to get my surgery. So keep fighting the good fight. You will get there! I am looking forward to hearing about their reply! 300 pounds down

I'm sorry for all the horrible things you've had to endure! I completely relate! I had the same thing go through my head..."I'm losing weight on my own so why do I need surgery?" For me, I always was able to lose weight on my own--for awhile--but inevitably I'd backslide. I just can't explain to you what this surgery did for me. It was a miracle. I hope your consult goes well and I look forward to hearing about it. 300 pounds down

Here's my new post about Eggface's giveaway! Enter the contest and check out her blog. It has helped me a lot with recipes.

Thanks everyone!! I appreciate all your comments. It really means a lot! And thanks writer girl for the advice. I'm sorry you are dealing with your illness. I appreciate the encouragement!

Here's my recent update!

You are such an inspiration!!!

I know how you feel!! Don't worry it does get better. Hang in there! Beef is in your future!

Congratulations! I know it is an ordeal going through the surgery but you made it!! You are really on your way now!!

I'm not eating very many calories per day b/c I'm not hungry most of the time. I am trying to get in my 60 grams of protein by drinking these shakes that have 30 grams per shake . each shake is 160 calories. If I drink 2 per day that is still only a bit over 300 calories. In addition to that, I usually eat maybe 1 or 2 pieces of very thinly sliced deli ham and a piece of thin deli sliced cheese which may throw in another 200 calories. I was told I need to eat way more and that this may be the reason I'm losing slowly. But I don't want to force myself to eat when I'm not hungry.Advice?

It has been 4 months and I've lost 81 lbs. Does this seem too slow in comparison to others? I've seen others with much higher numbers than me and beginning to wonder what is wrong with me!

I just wanted everyone to know that Mandisa (the singer whose song I used in my video) personally wrote me saying she loved it and it encouraged HER!! Wow! She then posted it to her official facebook page for her followers! She also told me that she's coming to Austin in February so I'm going to get to meet her!! Pretty exciting. Thanks everyone for your feedback and encouragement to me!!

Signing up for surgery voluntarily is not easy. Subjecting your body to being cut,poked and prodded by choice is not the easy way. It's courageous. It took me 10 years to get the nerve. I chickened out once 5 years earlier. We all have to face our fears and the mind games and emotional issues are still there to fight. The easy way out is to give up and kill ourselves with the food. Refusing to give up and doing whatever it takes is hard and requires courage. That's why we are all warriors!!

That's amazing!!!

Yeah!!!!!

You are so on the right track by knowing that true change means incorporating new habits including exercise. My advice is the title of your post! You spoke the truth right there! The million miles begins with a single step. Start small. I could barely walk at all so I started walking 30 seconds at a time. I added walking 2 houses and back. Stay consistent and add a little as you go. Now I'm doing 4 miles a day. I have good and bad days where I slip but I get back on track. There are more days now where I'm on track then off. You are going to do great!!