heynowkc

@@Megan00 I forgot to ask, when is your surgery? How long have you been on pre-op? I am amazed at how much I have lost. I want to say I've lost 15 lbs after 6 days on the diet but my scale was being dumb this morning and wouldn't give me a consistent weight so I am being "safe" and saying I've lost 13. 7 more days to go. I'm excited to lose even more before surgery. I was afraid I wouldn't lose anything on the pre-op diet because I've been steadily losing for the past two months already and thought maybe my body would say "haha, are you joking? no way!" but that is not at all what is happening.

@@Megan00 I actually went in for my required pre-op nutrition class on Monday and talked to the dietitian at the end of class. She suggested just using the veggie soup because she was unfamiliar with the other varieties in Progresso's light soups line. She mentioned that one of the other dietitians recommends more varieties, but she personally didn't know which ones to recommend. So what I did when I went shopping was to compare the nutrition info of those, up against the nutrition info of one serving of protein powder soup and the 2 cups of low sodium broth and the small amount of veggies I add to it. There are several varieties that work well as substitutions. Some people I guess mix water with the soup but the packet says you can use low sodium broth instead so that's what I've been doing. I will still use the soup mix for one or two nights, but the Progresso light soups are much easier to get down, even if they are sort of bland!

Out of curiosity where can you find this list?

Have been on the pre-op diet since mid-day Thursday. The only thing I have hated is the Protein powder Soup mix. Blech, it's terrible. I am doing some of the progresso light Soups instead on most nights, but will still have to do the Protein Powder soup at least two days because I bought two cans of the wrong soup and feel silly going back to the store just for 2 cans of soup. Also, going into the grocery store is basically torture. I keep thinking stuff like "would it be cheating if I ate a pickle?" But I know that if I cheat even once on something as calorie-free as a pickle that it will just be a gateway for more cheating. I'm not HUNGRY, I just want things! I am not even eating bananas even though I'm allowed one a day as an option. Mostly because I'm afraid they will "stop me up" but also because I have told myself I am saving them for when I am "really" hungry and I haven't really gotten truly hungry yet, let alone "really" hungry.

I am on the pre-op liquid diet currently and exercised for 2 hours last night (water aerobics) and felt totally fine. I am sure post surgery I will not be doing an aerobics class though. I'll probably just be walking or water-walking at most. My suggestion would be to have a shake 30 minutes before working out? And make sure you drink water while working out and listen to your body. You don't want to jump in with 2 hours of walking/working out as soon as you're cleared for exercise. That's the kind of thing you work up to!

@@fordgirlalways Mine is through work (anthem bcbs commonwealth of virginia).

@@FpJackelyn My surgery is on the same day as yours! I have my final pre-surgery meeting with my surgeon tomorrow! My first 6 days on the pre-op diet I already lost around 13 pounds. Maybe a little more (my scale was weird this morning.) 7 days to go on the diet and then it's surgery day! If you want to text or e-mail I can send you a PM with my contact info. Same to you @@MrsMurky721!

I am December 17th too! Started my pre-op diet last Thursday. I have not been hungry at all but for some reason today I am a little bit. Gonna go home and put on my bathing suit and hit a Water aerobics class. Keep my mind off of it. Maybe I'll have some sugar free Jello before I go.

@@meagtheleo you're back to work after only one week? wow! that's fantastic! my doctor suggests a full liquid diet from day 4-14 so I won't be able to enjoy anything pureed until New Years, haha. My surgery is scheduled for 12/17.

Again my browser seems intent on posting my topics twice. Sorry about that!

@@Megan00 If they say it's okay I will be so happy. This BA soup is just so hard to get through! I actually went to bed without "dinner" last night. Are you going to be at the 2.5hr class tonight? I am going to be there!

I can't believe this, but I just got my surgery date and it's way better than I expected. I had already written off getting surgery before Christmas because I'd had a few setbacks, and was already told by one staff person that I was probably looking at mid-January at the earliest. Well, they must have had a cancellation, because I just got my date! December 17th!!! That's in two weeks! (Holy crapola.) Start the 2-week fast tomorrow! My head is spinning!

I have managed to doctor up the Bariatric Advantage soup in a way that I can tolerate with a handful of carrots/tomatoes pureed into the soup and then topped with green onions and cilantro. I found out the first time I made it that I had actually used too little liquid. But with 16 oz (as suggested on the Bluepoint handout given) plus the liquid I use to make the slurry ahead of time, and the fact I still don't love it, it just makes way too much. Am considering cutting it down and only using one scoop, but my question is, has anyone had any luck refrigerating leftovers of the soup?

My surgery will be on Dec 17th. I'm in Virginia.

For me, I was diagnosed with very mild (barely registering) sleep apnea, and I had to either A.) Go on CPAP treatments before my surgeon would complete the surgery, or B.) Get a letter from my sleep specialist stating that my sleep apnea was mild enough to not need treatment prior to surgery. I did the latter of course. If you do have apnea and it is severe enough to require treatment, I got the slight impression that there's a risk with going under anesthesia... but mostly I just think they want you to be on a CPAP machine while in the hospital overnight if your apnea is severe enough.

Congrats!

I just started mine yesterday and hope I can last until the 17th without cheating!! My surgeon uses Bariatric Advantage (used to use Optifast I think). We are allowed 3 shakes, 1 bar, and 1 Soup per day of the supplements which comes to something like 800 calories, plus a little more (up to 120) if you use skim milk/unsweetened almond milk to mix your shakes. I was doing between 1200 and 1400 on a diet prior to this, so am not hungry at all so far. However! I am not super happy with two of the flavors so far. The orange cream recommended to me by one of the office staff is pretty terrible and I am going to try to make orange cream freezer pops with it instead of a shake. I think I might like that better. Also, the soup mix was terrible and am going to doctor it up tonight with extra Fluid and maybe some non-starchy veggies, which we are allowed to add in moderation to the soup. I can also eat 1 banana a day, which I am going to save only for emergency hunger moments. I actually have considered breaking/cutting the Protein bar up into a few pieces and carrying it around with me in a baggie each day. That way instead of just eating it at lunch as recommended, I can have a bite whenever I feel hungry (or just sad that I can't eat food?) I was not worried about the pre-op diet because I generally like protein shakes/bars and find broth very satisfying, and I have been having next to no hunger issues lately and have experienced the same non-hunger when I have done juice fasts in the past, but these products are not what I imagined they would be. I know the Protein powder soup is supposed to be filling, but honestly I would just prefer plain broth!

@@Megan00 Hmmm they didn't tell me this was an option. If I can't manage it after a couple days maybe I'll call and ask them if I have any other options.

I'm scheduled for 12/17/14. That's less than two weeks away and I'm super jazzed but also suffering from a little bit of mental whiplash because I just found out my date two days ago and it feels like there's zero time until surgery. I would join the December facebook group but I don't have (or want) facebook. Is there a thread around here specifically for those of us with dates in December? I started my pre-op diet yesterday. My doctor's office uses Bariatric Advantage brand products. So far I have not liked the orange cream Protein shake (am considering turning it into an ice pop) and the Soup was really hard to get down. But on the plus side I am not feeling hungry at all so I'm thankful for that. Excited to see how much I lose pre-surgery. Am wondering if my 55+ lb losing streak will cause me to lose less over the pre-op diet. I know some people lose a lot during this time. I am planning to go to the gym nearly every day leading up to surgery as long as my energy is good. The past two months I've been at the gym/done something physical almost every day, so I don't want to stop now, especially since it will be several weeks or more after surgery before I can go back. I want to make every second count! I am planning to bring: gas x dissolving strips, vaseline lip therapy, a robe, house shoes, phone/charger/kindle, my book club read for January, pillow (maybe), and other than that I am not sure! I considered my laptop and charger actually, but if I'm only in there for one night (as my doctor suggested might be the case) I am not sure it would be worth it to lug that thing around. (I don't have a tablet because I found I never used it so I sold mine.) Good luck to everyone!

The only thing I can think that might make it tolerable is to use the tomato idea and puree it with my hand blender and then it might be like a creamy tomato soup. I don't know. I'm definitely going to try.

I have a friend who is considering the surgery in VA and she is lucky to be in a Kaiser service area. They cover it and she got her insurance through healthcare.gov. Good luck! I have Anthem BCBS through the state and they cover it as well.

Yes, the Woodbridge office is still open and running, thank goodness. That's where I went yesterday. I'm a patient of Dr. Halmi's. I am not sure if the locations have changed for any of the other doctors though. They seem to be doing the best they can and I was treated very well yesterday. The Stafford location has been removed from the site so you may want to try calling the Woodbridge number.

I wish I had chosen different flavors. The Orange Cream is terrible. Has anyone had any luck in making frozen protein pops? Just an idea I had. This might be the better way to go with the orange flavor. Blech. It may be better mixed with chocolate or vanilla. (I used to love those chocolate oranges when I was a kid.) Also had a hard time downing the soup yesterday. Gonna have to doctor it up with veggies like they suggest and maybe add more liquid next time to dilute it. One plus is that I'm not hungry at all, so at least I'm not dealing with that too! One last thing... when I was at the office yesterday I was told by one of the ladies at the front desk that the doctors in Blue Point have split up. May be why things have been so weird with some office staff leaving and the Stafford office closing last week.

I just got my surgery date today and it's 2 weeks away and I have to start the pre-op diet tomorrow after a mid-morning appointment (they said it's fine to eat a regular Breakfast tomorrow). Because it's so quick (I feel like that's unusual) a friend just texted me and said she hopes I am mentally prepared, but... I've been planning this for 13 months, so I guess I have been thinking about it for so long that I didn't REALLY think about it like that until just now. I'm not scared or worried at all, except for the fact that I hate needles! Haha. I am wondering what you guys do to mentally prepare yourself for the pre-op diet, surgery, etc? Also, I know there is a list somewhere around here about what you should bring with you to the hospital! Anyone know where I can find that? I feel like I will blink and it will be the 17th.

Mine will be tomorrow for Breakfast. I might just go crazy and have bacon and eggs. (I know, that's not really that crazy!) Will start on the pre-op diet at lunchtime. Have to travel north mid-morning to pick up my Optifast shakes and bars and just got my surgery date yesterday. I was told not to fast ahead of time and go ahead and eat a normal breakfast. Working tonight until 9PM and don't get home until 10, so I hope we have bacon in the fridge at home!