JerseyGirl68

Congrats!!

I'll have some Chicken salad (low fat mayo) with just a little cranberry sauce on it. A meatball w/ a little spaghetti squash. deli wrap ups.. Roll some turkey and cheese. Or turkey and ham if you prefer. If others in the office are ordering out, I'll get a "sub" without the roll, and oil/vinegar on the side. It lasts a few meals. Or if it is Chinese food, I'll get steamed shrimp w/ veggies. I'll wrap leftovers from dinner in 4oz. containers to bring in for lunch a lot. Everything is high protein/ low fat/low carbs. I dont' feel I'm really limited. Good luck!

This is a great post, it sums up the pre-op journey for so many of us. I'm sure it would be a great read for those pre-op searching for info... maybe copy it to a new thread also?

I have been finding some new items on eBay for very reasonable prices. I managed for a few months in my old clothes (and initially took some of those in) but then dropped a bunch of sizes quickly, and of course had some older things just waiting to fit into again. Happily I am now smaller than my smallest hold out piece of clothing. :-)

I crushed pills, but I mixed it with a small bit of sugar free chocolate pudding after surgery. Pudding was on my list of Full Liquids.

Awesome progress!

Aw TInk: I'm sorry that you have to go through this, I was in a similar relationship about 10 years ago. I never looked good enough etc. He had his own issues and ultimately I had to leave and get myself back. It took me a good chunk of time to free myself of all that crap and take care of me, culminating with my getting sleeved and taking control of this aspect of my life. Sometimes men like that need to be with someone who isn't the most confident, it makes them feel better and stronger. I say you change your ticker to Lost - 1 a**hole and 46 lbs. You are entitled to all those things you mentioned. Give yourself some time. You will have it all. Dont' let anyone take away what you have accomplished. If you need to be reminded, we are a mouse click away. Be well.

Everything that has been said above is what i would have added also. I track with MyfitnessPal and find it very helpful. Another factor - - are you getting enough sleep? And have you had bloodwork done after surgery to see if your levels (especially Vitamin D) are ok?

It's a valid question, that I was asked prior to surgery. Losing weight has been a struggle, but I was able to do it successfully in the past. I lost over 100lbs. on Weight Watchers about 14 years ago. Though "successful" I wasn't full or satisfied when eating a calorie restricted diet. Maintaining has always been my biggest problem, couple that with I really do enjoy food and had quite a big appetite, then BAM.. 14 years later those 100 lbs, plus more came back. I started my journey in January of last year with research. By June I made my decision to go the surgical route. I got a physical and joined Weight Watchers again. At the time, my insurance required a 6 month supervised diet and I wanted a jump start. I met with my surgeon in July and by that time the insurance requirement was dropped. But I stayed on it. I wanted to be in the best shape I could be prior to surgery and if I was taking this permanent/non-compromising action, I wanted to go into it fully committed to change. I was originally scheduled for surgery in November but had to wait until Dec 11 before I was sleeved. I started in June at my heaviest of 355. The day of surgery I was 296. I do think I could have stayed on that diet and lost more, but I have been there and done that, it didn't last. I'm almost 5 monhts out from surgery and down an additional 60 lbs. My NUT says she thinking I'm losing slower because I lost so much pre-op but I'm ok with that. I'm focused on the big picture and my long term goals. The single biggest difference this time around in my pursuit of weight loss is that I'm restricted in my intake, but i'm full. Completely satisfied. I do not go through the day counting down the minutes until my next meal. I don't worry about getting to my breaking point and eating a big meal, because I can't. I'm still in control of what I put in my body and in charge of doing the work I need to do to lose the weight, but the sleeve gives me the tool to be successful going forward.

I was told that Protein powder or shakes start with "full liquids" There are a lot of different instructions post-op. I came out of the hospital on full liquids so I could have Protein Shakes, sugar free pudding, Plain yogurt. Will you be on full liquids or Clear liquids when you come home?

Hi Stacey, Congratulations and good luck on your upcoming surgery! You'll see lots of posts regarding issues staying on track during pre-op. You will hear lots of opinions and read about everyone's varied pre-op diets or lack thereof. It is great you've lost what your doctor wanted prior to surgery. Do your best leading up to your surgery to give you and your doctor the best opportunity for a great outcome. Commit to following the post op orders your doctors give and I'm sure you'll have great success. It may be a tough few days, but focus on the end game. Keep in mind, that one of the very best things about the sleeve is that you will be able to have some of your favorites again, much less of them, but you'll have them if you choose to. Good luck on the rest of your pre-op. Let us know how you are doing!

String cheese for me was when I was on mushies/soft foods.

Hey there Kelly: I don't think you are doomed, I do know that a pre-op diet can serve as a "training ground" for post surgery. Some folks really do thrive and do well on what they HAVE to do (like post surgery) when you'll be physically restricted. I know my pre-op diet helped me to ease into a new way of eating and helped change my relationship to food in general, (eating slowly, only having certain things etc). It got my mind ready, I think just as much as my body. You do sound like you are preparing yourself for after, which is great. Commit to following what your doctor lays out for after surgery. Some folks progress their diets on their own or "cheat" because someone posted that they were ok doing so. They are lucky. We all handle recovery different, I would hate to read about anyone getting sick or doing harm to themselves for not following doctors recommendations. Best of luck to you for your surgery! You will love your sleeve!

Congratulations on your surgery! You had a good loss on your pre-op diet. Your body is probably just adjusting. I was also told to increase my calories to about 1000 and I started losing more regularly. If you consume too few, even if you aren't hungry your body will go into "starvation mode" Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine.

I was given oral Hydrocodone w. tylenol, I don't particularly care for it either. I only took it when I got home. I was on crushed Tylenol after that and was fine. Took it with a small spoonful of Sugar free Pudding.

I had surgery on a Tuesday and was back at the office on Monday. Felt fine to go back to my office job. No lifting though.

Good for you Priscilla! You are in for an exciting journey! Best of luck to you!!

Search amazon, they have both the chewable and gummies. http://www.amazon.com/Calcium-Citrate-Chewable-1000mg-250mg/dp/B000I4CAEM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367346540&sr=8-1&keywords=calcium+citrate+chewable Good luck and congrats on your great progress!

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! You will be inflated with CO2 so they can see inside, and the majority of it will be released before they close you up, some gets trapped and it will have to work its way out. Walking helps with this. I didn't have any swelling in my hands or face, but I assume it was from the extra fluids gotten via IV. It will go away in a few days. I do know that I gained 9 lbs in the hospital during surgery (nice surprise!) and it was from fluids. It was gone in a few days. Good luck!!

AWESOME!! Good luck!

Congratulations! Follow what your doctor lays out for you. Walk as much as you can, when you are able. Sip water all day . Don't overdo it when you get released. Good luck, let us know how it goes!!

I can relate to so many things you wrote about. I wasn't a big snacker either. Portion size for sure was my enemy. I had a big appetite. I grew up in a family where we cleaned the plate. I tried weight watcher, lost over 100lbs. 14 years ago and slowly gained it all back and then some. I tried Nutri-system, Atkins etc... The losing was never the only issue. Keeping it off was key. I grew tired of the Nutri-system foods after a few months. Weight watchers was the only thing that helped me ever, and even then, I felt hungry and ultimately went off the plan. With the sleeve, I still have to put in the work, make the right choices but the hunger issue is not a factor (so far). I am fully satisfied after about 4oz. There are some foods I am choosing not to indulge in now, but I know that I could if I wanted to. I want to get the most out of the "honeymoon" period after surgery and lose as much as I can. Overall, I know that overeating shouldn't be an issue due to the restriction. Sticking to any "diet" short term is doable, for me it was never sustainable. I don't fool myself, I know temptation is there. I know that I can slip and make bad choices. But I also have this amazing support system here at VST and we are all in the same boat. Ultimately, there is no guarantee, it is up to me. But at least now I feel like I am armed with a great too and believe I have a fighting chance to keep the weight off. Good luck!

Good Jennifer, you do not want to mess with dehydration. Good luck!

When I first went to the surgeon, a six month diet was required. During the process that criteria was dropped. But, the insurance did want documented six months of supervised diet, and weigh ins when it was a requirement. Don't give them any reason to deny you. Be straight with them and use the time to prepare yourself. You can still have good loss prior to surgery and continue with the sleeve. When I started off, I joined weight watchers as my six month diet. I wound up getting a jump start and lost almost 60 lbs before surgery. Good luck!

Congratulations Krystal! You should see some loss within the first week, but as with all loss, everyone is different. Warm liquids went down easier for me initially, also. I would mix warm milk with my chocolate Protein shake mix and have it like hot cocoa. That helped a great deal the first week. Best of luck to you!!