NellieBean

Mine were to eat whatever I wanted and if I was going to have one last big meal do it a week before. The last week, avoid spicy foods and then the day before all clear liquids and then nothing after midnight. That was it.

It is called Unjury Chicken Soup on their website. The reviews I have read are pretty positive.

What I have discovered is that everything is sweet. The shakes, sugar free Popsicles even the liquid pain killer. Sweet, sweet, sweet. I was so happy to have cream of chicken soup. I couldn't eat much that is for sure but it was just so nice to have something other than sweet. I am ordering the Unjury Chicken soup Monday.

And one other thing, I was told no bread or noodles or rice for a long time because at the very least, they will expand in your stomach and could cause major distress. The only carb thing that is on the list after a month is saltines since they melt away when eaten.

Your stomach cannot tell you you are hungry any more. The part that used to do that is gone. You are dealing with head hunger and you are not starving. This is a tool and you need to learn to use it properly. If you cheat this soon on, where will you be four months from now? My doctor said you have a sweetspot of the first 6 months where weight will just drop off pretty much if you follow the plan. He said it will be tough but don't get to the six month mark wondering what if I had done this or had not done that? Don't sabotage your success this early in the game.

My doctor sent me home with Miralax and was told to use it once a day for the first ten days. Not a big deal since it mixes into water and has no taste and it did the trick today.

I was sleeved on Wednesday the 17th. I was in the hospital until yesterday afternoon and was so glad to get home. My insides are sore but definitely felt more human today then yesterday. I have been taking advantage of the liquid vicodin and walking outside I felt like a feast for the mosquitoes and cut that short until tomorrow. My goal was to get back to work Monday, which at this point might be a victory if I work from home and go in Tuesday. We will see.

My nutritionist warned me that everyone wakes up wondering what they heck they were thinking after having this done. She also said a month from now that will be completely different. When I went in, the last thing I said to my daughter was that I hoped I was doing the right thing. She told me then and has been telling me every day since that I did. I am going to hold on to that until this transitional phase passes and I have figured out what works for me. We took pictures today and will look at them again in 6 months and see that I am on the right path for the rest of my life. Reading the stories here helped me make the choice to do the surgery and I keep reading to reinforce that choice. So, no you arent the only one and it is perfectly normal. Just hang in there.

I had mine the 17th and came home yesterday afternoon. The worst thing of the whole hospital stay was the binder thing that they wanted me to wear after. I was so constricted and so hot and my roommate was a vent nazi. The room was about 85 and the air was stale and it was so uncomfortable. The staff at Good Shepard was amazing. Just wonderful and made everything bearable. I have been working my way through Protein and liquids today. I am going to go to the store with my daughter to get more creamed low fat Soup. The sweet of everything else is overwhelming and I am over it. I had some cream of chicken and it tasted so good. Left the hospital with liquid vicodin and miralax. Honestly, it hurts ten times less than I thought it would. Feels sore but it is getting better every day.

I have to be at the hospital at 10am. It was supposed to be 630 but I got bumped and now a few more hours to get to the other side. Good luck to everyone.

When I called and asked a couple weeks ago, they said there was no difference for me. I am going through Barrington Surgeons and Good Shepard Hospital. The way my Dr explained the difference is that the Centers are one stop shops where as I had to go see a therapist in Schaumburg. Otherwise it went very fast.

My nutritionist warned me of head hunger for the first month. She warned me two things, actually: 1. The day after you will wake up and wonder wtf did you do. 2. Head hunger. Remember the part of your stomach that tells your brain you are actually hungry is gone. Your stomach is healing and will take quite a few weeks to heal. Go slow and follow your plan from your Dr.

Good catch! She said to aim for 60-70 a day of Protein. That would include a snack if you were on the low end of the protein at meals.

Hey! You and I are having surgery on the same day! You must not be on an endless binge if you are losing weight already. We all have food issues, if we didn't we wouldn't be doing the surgery. Just remember the reason why Protein is so important is that when you have the surgery and are on minimal calories, your body is going to be looking for energy. It will either take it from the fat or from your muscle. You do not want to lose muscle, just the fat. Right The protein isn't a punishment, it is part of the solution. The nutritionist gave me a really simple formula for success in eating: 15/10/5 -- 15 of protein minimum, no more than 10 carbs and no more than 5 fat per meal. Keep trying your best and good luck! I look forward to going through this with you!

If you search for 3 (three) week stall, you should find plenty of information and help to get through this phase.

People can be judgy, I get people not wanting to tell people the facts. I am not going to post a banner or hire a band but I like to be up front with people as much as possible. This surgery isn't something to be embarrassed about. In the course of preparing for this, of the circle of people I have shared my plan with one is considering it for herself, another her husband had it and another is talking to their partner about it because he is concerned for his health. Let people judge, who cares? You never know when you will be an accidental inspiration or find an unlikely ally or new friend along the way. Good luck on your journey.

Mine does not require the two weeks either. My surgery is next Wednesday. He said if I wanted to have one last "big" meal I should do it by yesterday then eat sensibly, avoid spicy food and the day before is liquids. I have been replacing meals with shakes here and there to taste some of the different brands but that is about it pre-surgery.

Thank you! Good luck to you as well. I wish for you much success and happiness on your journey. I had my final visit with the surgeon and the nutritionist today. Had a whole bunch of tests today and now it is just one week to go. I have been shopping and preparing for the after. I don't feel anxious or excited yet, just resolved is the word that comes to mind. I want the next part of my life to start. It is time.

Had my psych eval today. 250 bucks later, I was *shocked* to learn I am an emotional eater. .... Really? At least the was the final hoop and now I am on the last leg of this obstacle course and get onto the next part of my life.

I do not need to see a nutritionist. I just have my psych eval today (which I still think is stupid) and thats about it.

It depends on your individual plan. When I was on the ***, it would have required the letter. With my current plan, the PPO, I did not need a letter. It might vary based on your company though.

I am not. My doctor is Dr. Hoeltgen (Barrington Surgeons) through Good Shepard Hospital. I think the process would move a bit quicker at the all in one centers but a couple extra weeks isn't that bad, overall.

It is called a conditional approval. From reading the boards, it seems a common thing. I thought it was very considerate of the surgeon to not send me for the eval until it was approved. Saves you the deductible in case there is an issue. I hope to knock out the eval next week and then have the surgery in the beginning of July.

I was a smoker for over 20 years and tried everything . Chantix, Patches, etc. Zyban was a miracle drug. You choose a day then smoke through the week leading up to it and then stop. When you stop, that's it. I stopped two and a half year ago and never went back. It was amazingly easy.

I have BCBSIL PPO. My forms were submitted yesterday and I was approved this afternoon. I still have the psych exam but my doctor didn't want me to get stuck with the deductible unless they were going to approve. So just over 24 hours for approval.