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Just in case anyone was thinking WLS is the golden ticket, please make sure you read this article. Not meant to discourage, just think everyone needs to know what lies ahead. Truer words could not be spoken..... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/357439-bariatric-surgery-only-makes-your-stomach-smaller-otherwise-youre-exactly-the-same/ The preop is no harder than maintenance and maintenance goes on forever. This is all about the changes you make in your head, not about what the surgeon does to your stomach.

I was self pay so all I had was my 2 week preop diet. I was required to lose 5% of my body weight or they wouldn't do the surgery. This quick loss preop phase is to shrink your liver to make it easier to visualize and manipulate the stomach. It was entirely for my safety, not for psychological reasons. I was scared I wouldn't make it so I started 2 days early. I ended up losing 22 pounds in 16 days instead of the required 12 pounds, so yes, weightloss before surgery is entirely doable if you listen to your surgeon and nut.

Swansons makes a bunch of soup broth bases that are tasty....Chinese hot and sour, Mexican Tortilla, Tuscan chicken, Louisiana Cajun. I also strained regular soups for just the broth....egg drop, wonton, French onion, beef and barley, etc. And I added unflavored protein powder to all of them.

I started at a lower BMI than you but I still didn't notice a significant size change until I was 40 pounds down. So basically I wore the same size between 240 and 200 pounds. Larger sizes have a much wider range of "fit". Once I got down below size 10 I noticed that just 5 pounds will make or break a tight pair of jeans.

I couldn't tolerate plain water or artificial sweeteners for 4 months, so I did decaf herbal tea, broths, Bai5, diluted 100% fruit juice, milk, drinkable yogurt like Siggis or Kefir, diluted vitamin water and Lifewater, pedialyte, coconut water, and added sweet-leaf flavor drops to my water. Not to mention all of the protein shakes, including Raw Fit, Raw Protein, Spirutein, and Syntrax Nectar Naturals.

I could have driven the day after surgery but I was in TJ so no thanks. I drove myself home from the airport on the 3rd and 4th day (major blizzard so yes, it took 2 days). I never took any pain Meds.

Even the clear part of acrylic nails is tinted so it would mask the true color of your nail beds and possibly interfere with the pulse oximetry. I just planned my nail appointments around my surgery so I was three weeks out of a backfill and took them off right before heading to Mexico. Got a new set put on 2 days after returning home.

I had to take mine off for my VSG but I did not for my gallbladder surgery. It's probably anesthesiologist preference. I specifically asked both times so I didn't have any surprises.

Last thing.....chatting with the anesthesiologist First thing....."Yay! I'm not nauseous" (I usually am after anesthesia) and "What am I lying on?" (They had this huge air mattress-type thing they inflated under me in order to transfer me from the OR table to my bed)

Forget pepper spray. Get bear spray. You will not need the dye for identification as they will be the blind ones being taken to the ER.

How long have you been on liquids and did you strictly follow your instructions? My surgeon absolutely would not have performed my surgery if I hadn't lost the required 5% of my body weight on my preop. I was so nervous about it I started my preop early and just to be safe I lost 9%. Not only does it make for a safer surgery, it just makes less weight you have to lose postop.

Nashuanutrition.com also sells a lot of different samples,too. I tried dozens to find my 6-8 favorites....palatibility is highly variable,

Check out Syntrax Nectar. They are more like koolaid rather than a milkshake. Isopure is also like koolaid, but I didn't like the taste of them at all (plenty of others like them, though) As for the other shakes, diluting them 1/2 and 1/2 with milk or using more liquid than what the powder instructions say can really help with the texture. Torani and Dasani syrups can help with the flavor.

I was a raft guide and ski instructor in my mid 20's. Very fit and muscular. I used that weight as my goal weight. I ultimately stopped losing when my body found its new normal. I didn't force anything. Turned out to be 10 pounds less than my goal weight. A lot of people choose a normal BMI for their goal. Which for you is 115-150. Very big range depending on your frame size and muscle mass.

I had to force every bite for the first 4 months. I was just so full all the time. 2-3 tablespoons and that was it. Eating and drinking was such a chore. But you just gotta do it and it will get better. By 6 months I was enjoying every bite. Believe me, you'll wish you had that kind of restriction a few years down the line.

No carbonated beverages. I can eat/drink absolutely anything else.

I did two weeks of 3 shakes/day plus unlimited leafy green veggies. Lost 22 pounds in 16 days.

Sometimes you can develop phlebitis in your vein. Basically irritation from all the drugs that were pumped into it. I did. In fact, about 2 inches of the vessel that the IV was in got very hard and stayed that way for several weeks. Yes it hurt, but my PCP confirmed it was not a clot, just local phlebitis. However, you should call your surgeon to make sure he doesn't want you to come in.

Protein shakes are liquid. They flow out of your sleeve just as fast as any other liquid, so the 30 min rule doesn't apply. Just drink your water whenever.

Nope

What miss Mac said. I never had a single SF popscicles through my entire WLS journey. But I made a lot of protein pops.....Syntrax nectar grape, peach, wild cherry, Apple, all yummy. And you can get creative. Vanilla protein powder + orange protein powder = dreamsicle. Frozen Premier protein chocolate = fudge sickle. Muscle milk red velvet cake + Torani caramel syrup and premier chocolate with PB2 are also favorites of mine.

You will never ever feel full with liquids. They run right through your sleeve with no restriction. Just wait till you get on solid food. In the meantime be grateful you can get in all your fluids easily. Some people can't and struggle with dehydration. Make sure you are getting all your protein, too.

I read so many posts from people who go out of their way to avoid temptation. They don't attend certain parties or events because there will be too many tempting foods. They don't go out to restaurants or movies with friends. They don't eat with or cook for their families. And in trying to avoid temptation they may be missing out on a lot of fun stuff. Eventually, a lot of people end up caving in to their temptations, resorting back to old habits and either never reach goal or regain their lost weight. So how are you supposed to strengthen your willpower and self control if you never exercise or test them? How do you learn new habits without attending "school". IMHO it's the same thing as exercising your body or mind. How can you build muscle without picking up some weights? How do you train for a marathon without running everyday? How do you win a spelling bee without opening a dictionary? I realized that I specifically put myself in situations where I know I will face temptation just to be able to put my willpower to the test. I go to events that I know people will be partying and I stand by the food table and drink Water all night. I look at the dessert menu but don't order. I walk down the candy and chip aisles in the grocery store. I linger in the bakery department. And whenever I feel like my willpower is fading or I find myself eating off track I put myself back on the liquid preop diet for a few days just to prove I can do it. We all know how hard it was the first time around, but doing it again voluntarily really boosts my confidence and ability to succeed. Just like when you cheat, it makes it easier to cheat the next time, saying no makes it easier to say no the next time....you get better at making good choices. You build up your immunity against temptation. So I say don't run away from those food demons, turn and face them head on! You have to train your brain and get in fighting shape in order to win those long term head games.

I'm 2 years out and I have always used Torani and Davinci syrups to flavor my shakes, plain Greek yogurt, coffee and hot chocolate. I have caramel, French vanilla, hazelnut, almond, Irish cream, English toffee, peppermint, pumpkin, gingerbread, raspberry and tiramisu in my cupboard right now.

@@HushxPuppyx that is a huge amount of food! I am 25 months out and I just did the cottage cheese test on my sleeve. I can eat about 7oz before I'm stuffed. When did you notice you could eat so much more food?