Heidela71

My endocrinologist suggested the Cafe Steamers from Healthy Choice. Each one has about 17 grams of Protein, and are lower in sodium than most frozen meals. Normally I can't stand frozen dinners, but honestly I haven't found one of these steamer meals that I don't like. I don't know how I'll feel about them after my surgery, but they are delicious and convenient in my attempt to lose weight beforehand!

It was explained to me that the digestive process starts in the mouth. Our saliva contains enzymes that help break down our food before it digests and eating quickly is a poor habit that many obese people have developed. Also, food won't get stuck because it's easier to swallow when it's mostly broken down already and our new pouches can tolerate it better. In addition, I was told the longer it takes to eat my food, the more I get to savor each morsel, and perhaps ward off the desire to overeat (or to avert "head hunger".) I know I gained the majority of my weight during the last 13 years when the meal period at my work went from an hour to a half hour. I learned to eat fast so I could eat all of my lunch and still visit. Unfortunately, that sense of urgency to make it back to my shift on time carried over into my other meal times. I ate my food and didn't get the satiety that I got when I took my time to eat. I've been taking this (six month) period of time before my surgery to get used to eating smaller bites and chew my food well. I figure the sooner I develop these habits, the easier it will be for me after my surgery. I'm on a liquid diet with one meal per day, and all the (select) veggies I can eat. I definitely savor every teensy bite!

Hello letsgetshrunk, I wish I had some advice to give you, and because I've not had my surgery yet, I really don't know what to suggest that might fulfill your cravings, but I want to offer my condolences in the passing of your father. Exercise is usually a good way to work off stress and stave off cravings, but I really think you are dealing with more than just cravings, as grief manifests itself in many unusual ways. You are going through a lot of trauma all at one time. I think if I were in your position, dealing with the passing of my father on top of dealing with siblings acting foolishly, on top of trying to manage a new lifestyle of eating and recovery from surgery I would probably seek help from a professional. Please don't think I am suggesting you can't handle all of this on your own, but know that it is A LOT for ANYONE to have to handle on their own and you shouldn't have to. Best wishes to you, and again, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Sorry, I also wanted to tell you, I go to costco and get the Premier Protein shakes. They have 30 grams of protein and only three carbs per serving. It's filling and it tastes more like chocolate milk than any other drink I've tried (there are other flavors, but I prefer chocolate.) I have two more months before I can have surgery, so I'm sure I will lose much more before that. I also get one "Steamer" meal from Healthy Choice in addition to the four shakes per day and all the cruciferous veggies and leafy greens I want. With all that protein, the veggies are a MUST I started out weighing more than you, and my surgeon told me two things about why she wants me to lose as much weight as possible before my surgery. The first reason is she has to have room to move her tools. If my insides are so packed with fat that she cannot maneuver them, her options are to cut me open all the way (increasing risks) or close me up completely. The second reason is all about the anesthesia. The more we weigh, the higher the risk of death. It's not something I see a lot of talk about, but it's true, the risks of any surgery, even this one are worse for us because of our weight to begin with. The best thing we can do for ourselves is lower our risks.

I felt my situation was also unusual, and to be honest, I'd be happy to be in your position. I was given a 6-12 week liquid diet by the endocrinologist and he thought that would be right before my surgery. I have a six month mandatory wait period from my insurance and so when I talked to my surgeon, she said I would be on this diet until my surgery date - FIVE MONTHS OUT! I've lost 43 pounds so far, and it's not been easy or fun (I took a month break because the shakes made me sick to my stomach even thinking about them.) I do notice a difference however, and am looking forward to both my surgery and healing process beyond that. I think this might be good "training" for the real deal! Best wishes to you!

I wish I could find my source of information, but it was something I read, or perhaps my doctor told me that really made me seriously consider having this surgery and change my no to a yes when I was deciding. I tell people this little piece of information when they ask me why I decided to do it, and this is how I word it : "Only eight percent of people my size who manage to lose all of their weight actually keep that weight off for the rest of their lives. With this surgery, the percentage jumps to 80%. I like those odds a lot better." My primary care physician told me that I will run into more judgement from people outside of the medical profession than within it. Most doctors are on board with it because it not only helps obesity, but all of the co-morbidities that go along with it. We are doing what we need to do to save our own lives. I'm sorry your sister doesn't seem to see that, but hopefully she will come around when she sees how healthy you have become, and when she truly sees how hard you have to work at it, and that even though it's not "the old fashioned" way, it's most certainly not the easy way out. Best wishes to you!

Hi Everyone! I am in the process of losing a total of 55 (well, actually 56) pounds before my surgery. I'm on a liquid diet that I did really well with in the beginning, but the last month and a half I have been struggling. I am in month four of my 6 month insurance required wait, and I've lost 31 pounds with 25 more to go. I've done everything else I've needed to do, I just have to lose this weight before my surgeon will set a date. I had 23 pounds left to go, but I gained 1.4 over the last five weeks. I'm so glad it wasn't so much, I was thinking it was more like ten pounds and I felt very discouraged. This week I've been working to stay on plan, and doing well throughout the day, only to blow it at the end of the day. Today, I didn't struggle, and I feel good. FINALLY! I know it's only one day, but usually the first day is the hardest for me to get through, so really this is HUGE for me. I gave up ibuprofen two months ago (my surgeon wouldn't let me choose the gastric bypass until I could prove to her I wouldn't be reliant on NSAIDS. Otherwise I'd have to go with the sleeve.) Now I am giving up caffeine, I'm five days in and the headaches have finally gone, but I'm still not feeling the energy I'd like. Also, I'm recovering from a knee injury. Well, I use the word "recovering" loosely. The main reason I am having weight loss surgery is so that I can have surgery on my knee so I won't lose my mobility. The idea of not being able to walk anymore scares the hell out of me. The more weight I can get off of my knee, the easier it will be for me to move and the sooner I can get it taken care of. Have any of you ever seen the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape? with Johnny Depp and Leo DiCaprio? I don't want that to be my future, and that's where I was headed. Okay, it's late and I should go to bed. I work in a grocery store that is open 24 hours and I work three swing shifts a week, along with two day shifts. I still end up staying up too late every night. Tomorrow I get to sleep in, I'm so happy about it LOL Have a great day everyone, I look forward to chatting with you all. I'm glad to meet all of you and I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.

Hello everyone, My name is Heide and I live in Tigard, Oregon (near Portland.) I have only joined this forum yesterday because I really felt the need to correspond with people who are going through what I am. I found a few less active forums, and also a few that didn't really include a space for people who are in the process of meeting the surgical requirements. I know people who have had surgery, even one who was close to my weight, but other than that, we have little in common. I live with my husband, my 15 year old nephew (whom I have raised as my son since he was a year old) and our bad-ass cat, Rocky. (Seriously, the cat fights with raccoon's and leaves little "gifts" on the back porch -thankfully none of them are raccoons.) I want to get healthy to be a better parent/role model, and a better wife, but mostly I just want to do all the things I miss out on because of my weight and to be able to live long enough to enjoy my family into my old age. Thanks to Maureen for setting up this group! I can't wait to get to know you all better.

@@Rach8610 I probably should have posted my intro before posting this but I'M SO FREAKIN' EXCITED to meet someone chose the same surgeon I did! I was 451 when I started and by the time I met Dr. Patterson I was down to 420. She wants me down to 395 before I start, but honestly I'm struggling. I think, no, I know I'm back up, but I'm not sure how high. I have to go see her again next Tuesday and I'm a bit nervous. My insurance will not let me have my surgery until Feb or March, but I'm trying to push it out until April when my paid time off kicks in again. What was your experience of this whole process at the OWLS clinic? Oh, and did you get to meet Biscuit?

Unless I have plastic surgery I'll probably need to wear a few layers of Spanx, but I'd like to wear a miniskirt with tights and boots or flats and a tight turtleneck. Monochromatic, except for the skirt (plaid or something patterned.) I never wear skirts or dresses now, so I'd also like to be able to wear something that looks feminine and sexy. Julia Robert's red dress and gloves in Pretty Woman. Really though, I'd just love to be able to spend next to nothing on clothes like my friends do. And with the money I'd use to buy something like a tee shirt, I could use to buy an entire outfit or a killer dress.

Thank you for your responses. I have been looking for a forum for bariatric patients, and there seems to be quite a few, but none as active and supportive as this one. I truly appreciate that there is also a place here for people who have not yet had surgery, but are preparing for it. I'm scared I won't get this weight off before my surgery because the endocrinologist at the Oregon Weight Loss Surgery clinic told me that in six years they have had to close up two people without performing the surgery because the surgeon could not get to the areas she needed due how tightly packed with fat all of the organs were. She needs room to move her tools in a laproscopic surgery. I don't want to be the third person. I also need to get back to moving/ exercising. Even as heavy as I am, I've had an active job and I think that has kept away most co-morbidities that people my size experience. I do have high blood pressure, and bad joints, but up until I injured my knee, I was mobile. My weight is hindering my recovery and I've been doing more sitting than I have ever in my life I think. It scares me to death that I won't be able to walk around, and that's what has kept me going so far. I'm afraid I'm getting used to the reduced activity. I need to remember that fear, and also perhaps make a physical list of the reasons why I'm doing this, that I can look to when I'm struggling like I am. "White Knuckling" is a pretty apt description. It's frustrating that I'm being asked to lose more than 10% of my weight before surgery. What's more frustrating is that I only had 21 pounds to go, and now it is probably more than 30 because I fell off the wagon. I only know one person who knows what it's like to be this heavy, and not one person who knows what this process is like. Thank you again for being here. PS I just reread my post, and I'm sorry if it seems erratic an all over the place, but that's where my head is at the moment.

My surgeon wants me to lose 55 pounds before surgery. I have already lost about half, but I am struggling. She wants me on a liquid pre-op diet until my surgery (which should be in Feb. or Mar.) I am struggling so much right now. It was easy at first, but after 8 weeks of Premier Protein shakes, the idea of drinking them is enough to make me gag. I am extremely heavy, so I understand that it will make my surgery go easier if she has room to move her tools (I have chosen laproscopic RNY,) and that requires a significant weight loss so my belly area will not be so tightly packed with fat around my organs. On the other hand, I feel that if I could lose such a significant amount of weight on my own, I wouldn't need to have surgery. Has anyone else had a significant weight loss required of them before surgery? How do you handle head hunger? I had some recent stressful events occur recently, and I never thought I was an emotional eater but after this liquid diet I realize I do eat to stuff my emotions down. I'm doing my best to deal with my emotions instead, especially anger, but I still find myself searching for something to eat. Thank you for any input or advice you all can give me. Heide