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I'm shocked that your school will not allow a longer absence for medical reasons. Is there a process by which you can ask for an extension for coursework/exams or a deferral?

I'm on 40g of carbs a day for 2 weeks. I have to limit my vegetables, etc. to this carb limit as well. I'm allowed to eat unlimited meat and very low carb veggies like cucumbers and celery.

Day 1 of my pre-op diet was the hardest (I just completed day 8!). I felt like it was the end of the world -I was miserable. But believe me, it will pass.... and YOU CAN DO IT!

All the best with your surgery, I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers

All the best with your surgery

Stick to it, Lyndy, I'm rooting for you.

I wish you all the best with your surgery!

I was wondering how everyone here came up with their goal weight? Did your surgeon advise you, or are you following a specific ideal body weight calculation? The 130lbs I've listed as my goal weight is mostly an arbitrary number I picked within the normal/healthy BMI range for my age, height and gender. I'm a 26 year old female, 5'6.5, and the main reason I'm going through with the VSG is because it is the only hope I have to reverse my chronic health problems, and get off my medications. I have diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and signs of fatty liver disease. Also, if I have this many health problems at a 'low' BMI, it's scary to think what could happen if I put on more weight. Since the main goal and focus of the surgery has been to address the chronic health problems, I never gave any thought to a 'goal weight' and never discussed it with my surgeon. The reason I want to have a goal weight is because it's motivating to have to work towards something and a good deterrent for falling back into my old eating habits.

If you have to lose 20lbs anyways, why not just lose the 10 remaining lbs on your own without a liquid diet? 7 days of a liquid diet sounds tough, but I know there are people who have to do it for 2 weeks, so it can be done with a little (or a lot!) of determination. If you are still really apprehensive about being able to stick to it for a week, it might be safer for you to just lose the 30lbs on your own terms. I know getting the surgery date is important, but you don't want it to be delayed if you don't stick to the diet.

Hi Linda, Does your surgical package include ongoing consultation with a nutritionist? Even if your nutritionist is only available to you via e-mail, I would recommend you take full advantage of it. Maybe the nutritionist will have suggestions for safe alternatives if you are really struggling. I know pre-op is hard (I'm going through it right now... only day 2), but the one thing that has kept me from cheating so far is knowing that it would affect my own safety during the surgery. It really drove it home when I watched a video of the actual procedure and saw how the surgeon was able to easily move the liver aside because the person had followed their pre-op diet. Don't let your cravings hold you back from a healthier, happier life. You've gotten through 7 days already. Keep yourself busy to keep food off your mind or at least, reduce opportunities to get food. You can do this!

I know how you feel! I was diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea in September and have had to use a CPAP machine since then. $284 is a really great deal! I'm a self-pay patient so I was really worried about extra costs like this. Luckily my insurance company covered the CPAP machine (which is funny because I spend nearly $800 a month on medications they don't cover), so I made sure to go for what the RT called the 'Cadillac' of CPAPs. It cost my insurance company around $3000. I can't wait to not have to use it anymore. Despite the price tag, I really don't think it's any more comfortable than anything cheaper. I've definitely thrown it off in my sleep a few times!

I feel your pain! My surgery is also on Dec. 9th and I'm on day 2 of my pre-op diet. I'm not on a liquid diet, just low carbs.... but limiting myself to 40g of carbs a day has been very difficult. I'm pretty miserable! I can't imagine being on a liquid-only diet. My classes are winding down and I have a lot of final papers and exams to get through before my surgery, so I'm already under a lot of stress, and not having food to help me 'cope' is frustrating. But don't worry, we can get through this!