specialkron

Hi there! I have scheduled my surgery for October 19th with Dr. Illan. Even though it's a quarter of the amount cheaper than what it would be here in Utah, my husband and I still want to save up the whole amount before we get there to not acquire any debt. I'm so excited but October seems so far away and I seem to be slightly creeping up on the scale. I know I need to take more control of it now and get into habits that I will have for the rest of my life. But it's hard to know where to start and as bad as it is I put it in my head that it's in October, I have time, even though I'm sure it's going to come faster than I expect. Any advice from you pro-sleevers or pre-oppers like me? Are there any things that are helpful to get into the habit of before the sleeve? Is it good to lose a chunk of weight before the sleeve? I'm on the Facebook support group but am not on Facebook too often and would love some buddies and maybe some advice. Thanks so much in advance!

I was in a rough place and I think I only felt 'back to normal' about 6 weeks in. It was kind of isolating to only be able to have cottage cheese and protein shakes and pudding all the time and then have people comment about how little I was eating and ask me down the road if 'I was going to get anorexic' (from my mother in law) when I was trying really hard to choke down every little bit of food I could. I was also in sort of a weird place too because I hadn't told anyone about the surgery and when everyone found out because I decided to tell my mom there were some hurt feelings on all sides. But I promise it gets so much better! I'm not sure if most will agree with me, but I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect that it got me down whenever I slipped up a little bit. And I think that accepting those mistakes and moving forward is so important otherwise you can get bogged down in little mistakes that may wind up being bigger mistakes because of the guilt. Also remembering that it's a journey rather than a race has been important for me!

Hey everyone! It's been a while! Things are going great and I'm finally feel normal. I'm in school now so things have been kind of crazy hence the hiatus. But I can hands down say that this was the best decision I've ever made for myself. Thanks everyone for all the support! I'm so glad I stumbled on Bariatric Pal a few years back and found Dr. Illan through this website. I'm still not to my goal but I feel so much better in my own skin. @Cherbear416 How are you doing a month and a half out?

Hi everyone! Not sure if I've posted here yet but I was sleeved on June 16th. It's crazy to think it's almost been 4 months! I've lost about 60 pounds and I fit in XL clothes (almost L) and size 14 pants after being a size 22 almost 24 and wearing 2XLs. It's been surreal! The before picture is actually after my surgery in Mexico and I was already about 8 pounds down... sadly I don't really have a true before picture. I honestly haven't been the best about keeping track of my protein and calories but I'm pretty sure at first I wasn't doing so well maybe 500 a day now I think I'm at about 1000. I was originally very low carb but am now whole food plant based and have found that I've actually lost weight on it and really enjoy what I'm eating rather than always doing 'protein first' and basically only ever being able to eat meat. Anyway I'm still working on it! I have to say it was a shock when I tried on pants and was a size 14. I mentally really thought I was the same size and was putting off shopping until the very last second. But it's really cool to see where everyone else is at! Although it's been hard, I don't regret this decision for a second.

Oh whoops I forgot you were going with a different company! They may still give you a gift bag I'm not sure but yeah I would say still check a bag anyway if you want souvenirs or anything. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

@Cherbear416 (sorry I'm not sure how to quote on the app ha) Thank you so much! Mexico was really great! Most of the nurses spoke English and all of the doctors were great and Dr Illan is an amazing surgeon. It was an all around great experience! I did feel like I packed enough even though I packed minimally in just a carry on. I just did a few changes of clothes (Not many though because I just stayed in my hospital gown) toiletries and didn't worry really about activities or anything. They did have Netflix at the hospital which was nice. I can't think of what else I packed but if you're going with bariatric pal check your luggage because they give you sort of a gift bag of food and things. Also! Don't be like me there are things you can eat at the airport in San Diego after surgery. Apparently the restaurant saffron has chicken broth or you could Starbucks for hot water and put in a boullion cube. I didn't eat all day almost because I didn't know about it and we checked the luggage with food stuff on the way back. The way there though is easy with food though because you just can't eat ha. Hope that helps! Also they do give you compression socks at least with bariatric pal so it's best to wear those on the plane after and walk during the plane ride to help circulation. Let me know if you have any other questions or message me! Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey everyone! I should've updated this a bit back! Things have changed and I decided I am going to go back to school. So I actually changed my date and I was sleeved June 16th because if it would've been in October it would have been during school. So it's my 6th week out! Since the pre op diet I've lost 43 pounds but I've only lost 25 since surgery. I'm excited and finally feeling more normal and am able to workout and drink water without hurting again! I think you guys are going to do awesome! Looking back I wish I would have prepared a little more actually! But with protein shakes the premier protein isn't actually too bad on my stomach so that's been nice! Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

So I was actually in pretty much the same boat! I had my surgery all planned for October 21st with Dr. Illan (to give us time to save up and that type of thing) and after talking to my husband, we decided to save as much money as we could together and take the rest out on a loan so my surgery was then scheduled for June 16th. I don't regret it at all but at the same time I decided after I had scheduled my October surgery that I was going to go back to school so with school starting in August I figured it might be hard. So I'd say talk to your partner again, hopefully they understand how much you want this! If not, October will definitely come before you know it! I wish you all the best!

So I'm day two on my pre-op liquid diet and no mess ups yet except my broth has like a gram of cane sugar per cup? I wasn't advised if that was a bad thing but didn't realize until after I had it... But I did have a dream where I somehow forgot my diet because I was so tired and ate a hamburger and felt so guilty when I woke up ha. But 8 more days excluding today! I'm feeling good as I lost 4 pounds yesterday somehow! But op you got this! Hope you surgery goes well! Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm heading out June 16th! I started my liquid diet yesterday and I'm feeling all of the emotions ha. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I moved my date up from October and now I'm going to have the surgery June 16th! I was so excited that they would work with me that I cried ha.

I actually moved my surgery date sooner so I'll be there Jun 16th! My preop liquid diet starts the day you'll have the surgery! So excited to start this journey! Glad to have this forum to talk to other people in the same boat!

Oh it's first just because we would like to save up all the money and second because my husband is in school and october would be fall break so we were thinking then but now I'm almost feeling like I would like to do it earlier. :/ But I think if i can be patient and try and lose weight before as well it will be beneficial!

Yeah I agree it's pretty awful :/ I think that some people just hear of one bad experience and make their mind up that the whole process does not work even when presented with positive experiences and facts.

I actually have only told my husband! When my mom found out that I wanted to get it done she first of all thought that it wasn't going to do anything for me (that I would gain it all back if I lost anything) and I should just lose weight the "natural way" even though I've tried so many times and she's taught me the yo-yo dieting cycle. Anyway, she was especially upset when she found out I was planning on going to Mexico. So the first surgery date I scheduled I cancelled due to her begging, and yelling and crying and finally getting the cold shoulder for a week. I'm now out of the house and I don't plan on telling her or any other family members. My husband has been a great support so far and I'm looking forward to utilizing these forums for support as well. But! I'd say that if you have other people in your life that you think would help you on your journey and you're comfortable with telling them, I think that could definitely be a big help. Just don't be like me and let their opinions sway your decision!

Oh cool! I mean it is a bit of a drive but I guess I've done the trip a lot because my sister lives in Southern California. But I'm in Orem. And my husband will probably be driving the way back so I at least don't have to do that ha.

I'm going to Mexico in October! My insurance covers nothing for the sleeve and the surgery in Utah is $16000... which I'd rather use for my education. I'm going with Dr. Illan- I actually was scheduled last year for surgery in August but due to lack of support from mostly my mom (including many crying sessions) I decided to wait. It's a miracle they even accepted me back after cancelling the first time but I'm so excited to finally do this even if it's in October! Also I agree on the flying :/ Luckily I'm in Utah so we're driving but I feel for you and I hope everything goes well!

Sweet! I feel like I have a starting point now. Thanks so much everyone and congrats on all the weight loss! I'm so excited to get started and to finally get healthy! @teacupnosaucer I do not see a dietitian, but I have a nutritionist I can consult with. I think it might be a little hard with the protein sources coming from dairy because I am very much so lactose intolerant. So thanks for suggesting that! I hadn't really thought about it and I'll ask her about it. Thanks for your awesome response. Also congrats @Judymo! That's so exciting I hope everything goes awesome! Looks like you've already done great so far (from your weight lost row)!

Thank you so much everyone! I'm definitely going to try and stick on something for the rest of the time I'll be waiting for my surgery and get as much off as possible before the surgery! Also the sipping thing is a really good idea! Follow up question- what lifestyle changes (not a diet, right? ) have worked for you? Going off carbs was mentioned- I am gluten free and dairy free. Something I do struggle with is sugar so I'll try to take that out too. Are paleo guidelines best for this? Or I hear a lot about the ketogenic diet. I'd love some input!