Gwenmand

I am having surgery with him on October 29. How did everything go with you?

Manhattan -Manhattan Valley area

Hi all. I'm new to the forum (though I've been reading for awhile), and have a tentative October 29 sleeve date. Here's a few things that I worry about that I thought it would be helpful to have folks who have been through this respond to: 1. I don't cook much. 2. I work at night and the options for ordering in are limited. I realize it will be better to bring my food most of the time anyway, but as I said - I don't cook much, so this will be new. 3. I've never been one for chewing my food thoroughly. I tend to swallow my food in large quantities and one reason that accompanies that, though certainly not an excuse, is that my teeth aren't great. I know if I try this more than a time or two, I'll probably learn my lesson, but any words of encouragement would be helpful. 4. I have an over 2 liter a day of Diet Coke habit. I actually think I can kick this one though - having toyed with being sick a few times recently and gone cold turkey for a few days. I've definitely increased my Water intake and am slowly trying to wean myself off before. 5. I love food!!!! - I feel like I'm giving up my best friend, but it does feel similar to other addictions and I do want to be healthy. I can see myself in a new lifestyle regarding food - though, for me, it will mean changing everything. I'm sure I can think of more - but I don't want you to get the impression that I do not want to do this. I'm actually very much looking forward to making this change and have support from friends to do it, including someone who had WLS surgery about a year ago. Thoughts?

Okay - small steps. Today, instead of drinking Diet Coke, I am drinking flavor Vitamin Water. I never tried this before. I think I can actually get into this stuff. Will experiment with some of the other 0 calorie drinks I've been hearing about. Next week I do my pre-testing and stress echo. I wasn't given any requirement for a pre-surgery diet other than liquid a day before, but I think I"m also going to begin to try a variety of shakes to figure out what works for me.

Thank, very helpful. I do have a month to go, so this is a good time to start practicing some new ways. I will definitely pursue the "teeth" thing right away too, though it's always been such a big production and I'm not sure there's a whole lot I can do to change the situation completely. The good news is that I do have teeth to chew with And the Diet Coke thing - I know I've been hedging - but I got you. I think the tupperware idea is a really good one and that will work for me. I'll keep you posted on progress (and look forward to hearing about yours).

Thank you AvaFern for putting it all in perspective. I have a surgery date but still grappling with that I'll have to completely transform my habits (including giving up my over 2 liter a day Diet Coke habit). I am weening myself off it now, but I do see this as a long road, and as I'm losing the weight, I'd like to develop long-range eating habits, which include occasionally enjoying some foods that I like (though I've heard tastes do change after the surgery). In any case, I've been really fearful of "life after surgery," and your post is helpful.