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You could still lose weight without Optifast. Tuna, chicken and high Fiber greens.

That is really, really cool. Well done !!! That had to be extremely gratifying.

I am considering switching to these supplements. My clinic gives samples. I've only tried the orange. They sell them in the pharmacy as well as Unjury. I got 2 tubs of Chicken soup as I had bought the single use packets early on and loved that one. I wasn't too happy with unflavored but from what I've read it's something I'll be thankful for later. So, I'll hold on to it. Good luck on your journey! I still have a few small items to purchase before hand too! You sound so ready to go! Ordered everything. The samples I tried at the doctors were enough to know the chewable Vitamins were good.....but the chewable calcium citrate is truly outstanding.

I'm uncertain. Umbilical & hiatal hernias will be repaired at same surgery. 3-4 weeks ???

I use a couple Yeti cups to keep my ice Water near at hand. No sweating. Ice cubes still floating in there after 36 hours. Cold water will be easy. I know this sounds stupid, but it just dawned on me that I'm going to want to do the same with Protein shakes. Currently it only takes a minute or two to knock it down......that's all about to change, though. I can't stand the chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and banana shakes if they aren't cold. I was curios if you had the same hang-up....and how you solved it. The Yeti cups are hand wash only....and I'm not using anything for Protein Shakes that I can't put immediately in the dishwasher.

I scheduled mine first thing in the morning last Tuesday. I was the first one there at 6:00am....they had me ready to roll into the room in no time. The longest wait was for the doctor to arrive. The procedure itself was a non-event. No biggie. Lay down on your back....elevate the head end of the bed and then roll onto your left side....warm blanket over. 4 deep breaths..............and it was over. Woke up feeling excellent like no time had passed. Zero hangover feeling later on, however, I did catch myself nodding off at times without control. There is a huge reason that you aren't allowed to drive to/from the procedure. My advice is to schedule yours for the very earliest time slot available.

Great question. My surgery is scheduled for really early in the morning and I've been told it's very likely that I'll be released the next afternoon barring no complications.

2 weeks ?????

I hear ya on the Mexican food. That is hands down, without question the numero uno favorite food for my family when we go out. I found that we slowed down our visits there a great deal after I made some diet changes in April. In the past the waiters at our normal spots knew when I walked in the door to show up at the table with an ice cold 36oz Dox Equis Amabar draft before they bring chips 'n salsa. I had to get them to stop the grande drafts. Just like you said, it really had reached the point where it wasn't all that enjoyable as I was getting geared up for wls. The salads are what I grew to love more than anything as I changed my diet leading up to now. Those and the packs of tuna from Starkist. They have a number of flavored varieties that I truly enjoy. Small foil packs. Easy to carry in at work and have when desired. Those will be the two foods I look forward to in the future......although my nutritionist sorta frowned on salads but she was high on the tuna idea. Doesn't matter...I still want a salad every so often.

I have a couple days off between now and my surgery. My closet remains an unexplored resource. I need to get in there and organize stuff. After sorting through it, I'll see a number of things that will go to Goodwill and a number of smaller clothes that I hung on to from when I when I'd been really successful a few years ago with an 8 month low-carb & exercise push. I am really, really looking forward to getting back into those clothes.....and going past them to smaller stuff that I"ll have to buy. I'll be getting on this in the next few days ahead.

Please don't let me lead you in a wrong direction regarding the coffee. It helps me and small quantities are allowed by my surgeon. Another surgeon that I consulted with did not allow any caffeine during the preop. I don't want to suggest something that is counterproductive

I really enjoy grilling. One of the things that my family really loves is when I cook pizza on the grill. I normally use fresh pizza dough sold in the bakery vs making my own. I like to roll them fairly thin and use whatever toppings everyone wants on their own pizzas. I've done very little grilling in the last few months due to some back problems....but that didn't change my love for pizza. I opted to have pizza from Pizza Hut as my last meal before begining the liquid diet. It was thin crust Supreme. What I'm craving right now more than anything is the Seebreeze salad w/ Salmon from Fatz Cafe with their strawberry Vinegarette dressing. No kidding. I chew my way through a chainlink fence to get to some of that.

I never in a million years thought I'd pay that for a freaking cup. I laughed at people who did. Turns out to be some of the very BEST money I've ever spent. Outstanding products.

Great point. I went to the first appointment and weighed in and all that jazz. After the first couple weeks it was driving me nuts not knowing where I was. I bought a big-boy scale and have enjoyed having it. I now look forward to getting on it every morning and hearing it talk to me. Knowing where you are can cut down on a lot of the stress.

I lost 30 lbs in the first two months of my supervised diet. I was encouraged to lose as much as possible down to 40 bmi. I wish I'd have been more aggresive. My surgery is in a week and a half and I've only lost 50 lbs. I needed the weight off quicker for relief on a back injury. I let being immobile for two months hold me back from losing. I will say this.....the pre-op liquid phase is getting some quick results. I don't know if I could have stuck with it had I started it earlier, though. It's intense but I know it's short in duration so that makes it easier to endure.

Howdy Will. I'm also doing the pre-op diet for surgery on October 13th. I started it last Monday. It does suck, but the surgery footage videos and instruction from my surgeon and nutritionist was enough of a scare to keep me strictly adhereing to it. I've been trying to stay busy and not think too much about it. I've found that I do better when using the pre-mixed Pure Protein shakes as they are much thicker and taste really good. They seem to hold me the longest. The other thing that I've had to learn is to drink them on schedule and not wait long intervals between shakes. I actually forgot to have my second shake of the day the past two days as there was no hunger......but then all the sudden I started feeling weak, lightheaded and puny. I remembered that it'd been 6-7 hours since the first shake and I'd been walking a good bit at work when the feeling hit. I'm sure that this is a bad, bad suggestion......but it is helping keep me sane and not cheating: coffee & DIET MOUNTAIN DEW. I feel bad for this admission, but I've had a couple Diet Dews each day and began each day with two large cups of coffee (with Splenda). I miss the flavor of creamer....but it's better than not having it at all. I'm slamming down the Water, too. I find myself making hourly walks to the bathroom. I'll be well hydrated right up until the night before surgery. The absolute most difficult part of this deal for me by far is not being able to have NSAIDs. Tylenol is not winning the battle. Even though I'm enthused and upbeat....I'm moving around like an old, old man. Good luck. You are rewarding yourself by staying strict. Surgery day will be here soon.

How long until your surgery ? They may come off during the pre-op diet.

The over 6' crew is represented. Best of luck to you. The anxiety is sure understandable. I can remember being highly anxious during prior surgeries when getting stuff repaired....hernias, ankle, etc. I'll be following a week behind you on the wls. A little bit nervous now, too. That's great progress @VLD

If you can eat two slices of pizza......you could also probably eat 4 cream filled doughnuts......or 2 candy bars......or a heap of ice cream...... We all have the opportunity to sabotage our weight loss results no matter what type of surgery we elect to have or not have.

UPDATE: I will not be buying any more of the Bariatric Advantage Protein powder. I gave the chocolate, latte and bannana flavors a try. None were remotely good to me. Luckily I only had the sample bottles and one bag. Who knows....maybe I'll like it better post-op. Their "powder in a bottle" design would be much improved if the bottle opening was large enough to put ice cubes in it.

I've tried a few different chewables. Some taste better than others, but none have been objectionable. FWIW, I could crunch on Flinstones and be content.

Powerful statement. That's some compelling motivation to stick with the plan.

I haven't cheated yet......but I'm only a week into it. It's easier for me if I stay focused and stick with it. Sushi is not so bad......better than hitting a Golden Corral. Get back on track and ride it out.

no, he's terrified of doctors and surgery and he doesn't want to do anything about his weight. I really don't think it's a matter of jealousy, he's just not a very romantic or considerate guy I'm finding out I was in a similar mindset up until last year. Didn't believe in going to the doctor for routine stuff. A strong disciple of the "if it ain't broke" school of thought. I started off having to make more appointments with my regular doctor for things.....he'd refer me to specialists who'd ultimately treat the various maladies. All the specialists had one suggestion in common......."You need to loose weight.....a lot of it, too". I'm dumb but not stupid. Heard that enough times to realize it was time take a serious approach to my weight or else the huge medical bills and maladies would escalate. Dumb that I let the financial side of be the catalyst more than the physical concerns. I'm just glad my focus arrived before my weight paved the way to an early death. Hopefully he'll come around and realize life doesn't have to be lived like that. Maybe your progress will inspire him to be open minded and make healthy changes.

In the seminar conducted by the first surgeon I consulted......he gave a scary statistic on post-op divorce rates. Got my attention.