Lizardlady

I already had a vitamix. I love that machine!

I will be getting more protein in today with my Isopure which is supposed to be here today (ordered online) and also I plan on having some greek yogurt with my lunch. I am hoping that the increased protein will help me feel less hungry. I also plan to do a shake for Breakfast and then for lunch I'll eat some Soup and then for dinner another shake so that I feel like I ate something in the middle of the day and won't be so hungry at night..... I HOPE lol!

My nutritionist helped clear up the Soup issue a little bit anyway. I am allowed 97-98% fat free cream soup only if pureed. So for Campbell's I am not allowed Tomato Soup (even though I am allowed low sodium V8 for some reason) but I am allowed 98% fat free cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of broccoli even though they contain modified food starch and wheat flour which was supposed to have been eliminated lol. It's no wonder people get so frustrated doing these diets. The stress of everything has made me have a second menstrual cycle start up today

It is extremely confusing! Tomato Soup has added sugar I believe so that's usually a no go.

My nutritionist helped clear up the Soup issue a little bit anyway. I am allowed 97-98% fat free cream soup only if pureed. So for Campbell's I am not allowed Tomato Soup (even though I am allowed low sodium V8 for some reason) but I am allowed 98% fat free cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of broccoli even though they contain modified food starch and wheat flour which was supposed to have been eliminated lol. It's no wonder people get so frustrated doing these diets. The stress of everything has made me have a second menstrual cycle start up today

I'd advise you to ignore those who'd like to *improve* your pre-op diet because they think it's not sufficient sustenance for a person.
Here's the actual deal re the pre-op diet:
The only purpose of the pre-op diet is to have a pre-op WLS patient take in fewer calories than they need to sustain their weight so they will consume the glycogen stored in the liver and shrink the liver's size. The reason your surgeon wants you to shrink your liver is so the odds of complications during surgery are lessened -- since a smaller liver is less likely to be injured (nicked or torn) when your surgeon is manipulating around it.
I have read of instances where the surgeon went in, looked at the liver, then went back out without performing the surgery because the liver was still too large / swollen with glycogen.
Yes, it's not an easy diet. But it is what it is. Also, the first three days are the toughest times for most folks. Thereafter, if you really do cold-turkey sugar-laden foods (including that Tomato soup) you'll have an easier time of it. But even if you don't
One thing that helped me during the pre-op diet is that, in addition to the Protein shakes, I drank chicken bouillon with spicy Thai seasoning, and that savory liquid balanced out the sweeter shakes.
Hang in there.

My NUT said to get used to eating 5-6 very small meals. I find timing my meals helpful or I'll just eat continuously whether I'm truly hungry. I am in my 6 month supervised diet period and bring healthy foods go work. I eat 4 times during work. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack. I am trying to avoid sugars - even fruit because it seems to make me ravenous). Tomato Soup may have had too much sugar for you. Try foods with less than 5gms of sugar.

Really take it an hour at a time. That is what I did. I also went to bed early every day and I watched Fat Doctor all day.
What you said about your prior eating habits, is exactly how I used to eat. 1 or 2 huge meals. Now i like my 4-5 small meals a day.
You can do it. Chug Water all day till you feel like you are drowning.

I learned post op that feeling FULL is no longer the goal and probably the reason I got so fat. I always loved and desired the feeling of full. Now, I absolutely hate it. It's uncomfortable, the feeling is located in a different area of my body that feels abnormal and it truly makes me want to gag.
The liquid part is hard and you really need to convince yourself that you are getting adequate calories even though you are not feeling that way right now. Logging is helpful. Even if you can conquer the head part (it's just temporary!!), your body is going to scream for more.
(My NP allowed raw veggies and up to 4oz of lean Protein as Snacks when I asked her about this. I was a martial arts instructor so I was VERY physically active and liquids only pre-op were affecting my ability to do my job.)
It sucks. Brush your teeth, gargle with Listerine because nothing tastes good after that, do something with your hands so you can't eat like knitting or fresh nail polish, chew gum, drink Water until you feel like you are drowning, and deal with it. Take it an hour at a time. You can do it. Seriously.

How much are you drinking? A lot of times what we think of as hunger is actually thirst and/or head hunger.
In your case, for your pre-op diet, don't be afraid to eat or drink as much as you are allowed. Restricting isn't going to help you be prepared for surgery. Try drinking more Water, Decaf teas, sugar-free Popsicles, etc.
I didn't have a liquid pre-op diet (mine was more like Atkin's level one) so Tomato Soup would have been a no-no for me.
What does your surgeon allow? If you are hungry, try drinking another Protein shake.
If you normally eat a lot of carbs and sugar, it will take a few days to get them out of your system. Once they are out of your system, you probably won't have nearly as many cravings.
Also, you probably know this, but only eating once or twice a day is a great way to wreck your metabolism.

No pre op diet? Lucky! I'm ready to pull my hair out already and I've only eliminated the stuff I needed to for day 10 (starch, soda, caffeine). I could still eat meat up till this point. Now It kicks it up a notch with the 7th day to no carbonated drinks, no caffeine or sugary drinks and only full liquids. I have been on a similar diet before but I remember the first 4 days I felt like I was starving (mostly due to withdraw from craving carbs) then it got easier but I felt tired all the time. I hope that is the case this time but I still feel the anxiety coming on to make it through the hardest part (the cravings).

If it helps I heard the grape is the most tolerated and palatable... Although thinking back to my elementary school art days... Blue and red equal purple, right? Ok so I'm no help.... Heheh!!!!! Best of luck!!!!!!
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Just a word of advice... Whatever drinks/shakes you get try to sample them first. GNC was great about this in store. I had heard great things about Isopure clear drinks, lots compared them to Gatorade. Oh my. Not any Gatorade this girl has ever tried. I'm just glad I didn't make a huge initial purchase because they are kinda pricy. Granted, when drinks are your only source of nourishment there is no price to put on one you love.
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I've had my gallbladder out already. The pain comes from the upper right abdomen area. For me, it was right under my lowest right rib and radiated out.
I don't think a lot of insurances would pay for an unnecessary surgery, so it's probably not common practice to remove the gallbladder "just in case" it could cause problems later. However, if you surgeon notices that the gallbladder is full of stones, then that could be justification for removal during the sleeve.
When I had my gallbladder out, I also signed a consent to remove my appendix. Since the surgeon was looking around in there, he did look at the appendix and it looked fine, so it wasn't removed because insurance wouldn't have covered that.

My second question already and I've only been a member for a few hours lol sorry guys! I do appreciate the help though! I had my final nutrition class today and I was told that I need to find a Protein Drink that I can use pre op that does not have any red or blue dye in it. Isopure Zero Carb is on my "ok list" but I went to order some online and it says "red 40, fd&c blue 1" on all of them? Is there a certain kind at another online store that has it without red or blue or am I misunderstanding something? Thanks again for any info!

I use warm coconut oil as a body lotion.

I have 6 some I can hardly see and the rest are fading slowly. I had my gallbladder removed a few months prior so I have 10 all together now and I use Vitamin E on them and it really helps. They are worth it. So far I've lost 45 lbs just had my 3 month check and my Dr. was happy with how I'm doing.
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I have 5, two are about 1 inch and the others are about 1/3 of an inch.
I seriously doubt there'll be much in the way of a visible scar, and unlike KF, I'm not even hairy there to hide them. :-D

Most of the Syntrax Nectars do not contain colorings. Better yet, the Syntrax Naturals line doesn't use artificial sweeteners, either.