prairie

You're intelligent, self-aware and you've done this before. You can do it again and be successful. I agree with the person who suggested going back to a week one diet. I'd suggest the pre-op diet. You need to eliminate carbs. Treat them like alcohol and you're an alcoholic. There's no such thing as "I'll just have one drink/chip/lb of pasta" for people like us. You made a powerful decision before and changed your life. You are STRONG. Every time you fall down, just get back up again. It's never the end. Nothing you've done is irreversible. You won't be perfect, but you can be *better. *

Fabulous! Thanks for sharing and you look AMAZING!

Great job!

You can cross your legs!

Height: 5'9" Sleeved: 01/14/15 HW: 314 (size 24) SW: 305 CW: 238 (05/01/15, size 18 ) GW: 145

@@justme29 I'm using the Bariatric Pal phone app, so I'm not going through FB. That's probably the only Way to keep others from seeing you're in the group.

I agree with Stephanie. You must shrink your liver. At this point, you haven't ruined anything by one slip up. Just remember the big picture. The smaller your liver is, the easier the surgery will be.

Sometimes it makes the mood more tolerable knowing there's a reason for it and that it's a normal response. (Also that it won't last forever! ) I think there are several reasons many of us experience this. Quitting sugar, caffeine, carbs, smoking, drinking - ALL cause lethargy, body aches and depressed mood. The more of these you had to quit, the worse you're feeling. Also, change is stressful. Major life and diet changes, major surgery, etc. all cause stress, anxiety and grouchyness. Anesthesia can take a while to leave your system and cause depressed mood. Most of us used food to self-medicate, to lift our spirits. That emotional support is gone. We're flying without our safety net. My opinion is that you are normal. You may want to let supportive people know what's going on. Go easy on yourself and it will get better. (If it gets worse or you have suicidal thoughts, call your surgeon, you may need an antidepressant for a little while. )

All your feelings are perfectly understandable. I was very concerned about surgery. Mine ended up being postponed several times, which I think was actually a good thing. It was originally to be in Sept 2014 and I ended up having it Jan 2015. By the time I was able to get the surgery, I was very ready and motivated. The first 2 days postsurgery were hard, the 3 days after that were slightly more tolerable. I'm 3 weeks out and doing GREAT. I've lost 35lbs since the start of my liquid diet January 1st. i believe the surgery is like winning the lottery. Statistically, people who win the lottery return to their previous level of happiness one year after the event. So that is likely similar for most of us. That said, your health, mobility and eating habits will be better. You can't lose that like you could lose the money. Compare that to one year later being the same weight or 20 lbs heavier and with health and quality of life on a downward trend. The probability is that the current path = the same or worse level of happiness, while the surgery path = the same or better happiness level. You may, of course, lose weight and get healthier on your own. People have done it. Statistically speaking, the surgery has a 90% chance you will lose the weight and keep it off. For the morbidly obese, diet and exercise alone have closer to a 10% chance of doing the same thing. That's basically what made my decision to do the surgery final.

Even though I love it, I'm going to stay off caffeine. It was hard enough to quit. My favorite was the sugar-fat-bomb called a Turtle Mocha from Caribou coffee. it was topped with whipped cream, caramel AND snickers bits! Talk about emotional eating... Turtle Mocha = Love! lol Like others here, my nut says no coffee (regular or decaf, as both are acidic). I'm better off just saying no to the bean. :-)

At this point, I may actually make a celebratory post if I have a bowel movement! Lol

My understanding is that the low fat, low carb diet helps the weight come off *fast.* we want a fast weight loss initially so that we don't get a new "set weight" early on. If you lose slowly, your body can keep up. So, yes, while I will eventually return to a diet free from artificial sweetners, fats, etc. I'm including some of those in my diet now. I can positively influence my post op diet with the kind of broth and Soups I eat, the type of Protein I use, and the liquid that I mix in. I currently use unsweetened rice milk and unsweetened almond milk. I've put way too much energy into this entire process to risk it by not following the plan.

I like them.

Jan 14th VSG. 1 night at hosp,1 night at a friends, and last night at home. My routine is: sleep 4 hrs, take pain pills (dilaudid), drink some protein shake, and then back to sleep. I have a compression band around my tummy that helps a lot. Taking GasX strips now and then for gas. I've found using the medicine cup for sips hurts way less than taking a sip on my own. I've started breathing out before I take a sip. I think I was actually taking in air with every sip. I would sort of suck the water in.

http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/329063-Health-anxiety

The shakes don't reduce your liver. Very low carb, low fat liquid diet and the resulting weight loss and reduced inflammation reduce the size of your liver The optifast has way too high carbs to be useful for you.

Full liquid diet: yes. Clear liquid diet: no. The clear liquid diet should basically only be the day prior to surgery. On the full liquid diet you'll have up to 3 protein shakes/day.

My surgeon, who's been doing this for 20 years, said he won't do bands anymore. He said it's basically weight watchers with a little help. Lol

I will pray for him. My surgery is 01/14 and I would appreciate prayers as well.

thread this morning that is great. Let me find the title and I'll repost it.

Congrats on your approval! O would call your surgeon's office and talk with their insurance specialist. She will verify they have received it. This will put it on her/his radar so she can send it to scheduling. I would definitely call.

The only thing that matters is that this is going to help you feel better and look better. People are judging you now and they'll judge you later. "Judgey people gonna judge!" Personally, I would take 2 weeks off and then if you need more, get a note from your doctor and do it. If you feel like you need to say something, just frown and say, "Lady problems. Trust me, you don't want to know."

I too have GAD and have been weaving disaster scenarios worthy of a Peter Jackson trilogy. My biggest fear has been that it won't work at all, that I'll gain weight or won't change at all. The bariatic psychologist gave me the best advice - He suggested I concern myself with the things that have a higher percentage of happening. For example, sure there's the chance that you go to the ER worried that your staple line is leaking. Do you really think you'll go in 10 times for that or similar things? What are the odds - maybe 1 in 50? What is much more likely is that you won't drink enough water or get enough protein. You can definitely control the latter. AND your husband can be a partner to you in reducing the risks associated with the real issues - rather than feeding your anxiety about disaster scenarios. You are no more likely to run amok after surgery than you are right now. Another thing the psychologist told me was "Stop thinking and start doing!" The more control you take over the things you can control, the less space you have to worry about the things that haven't even happened.

Your NUT and/or surgeon should have a list of suitable protein powders and premixed shakes. I second the opinion on premier protein shakes. They're good.

I think if you show progress toward losing those 10 lbs, that it will be fine. You will lose another 10+lbs on the pre-surgery liquid diet. I was concerned about the same thing as I spent a few weeks eating "I'd better eat this now because it might be the last time I ever get to eat it" diet prior to my surgeon meeting. Nobody even mentioned it and I had worried myself silly.