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I wish I had more to tell. I was postponed by two weeks as my pre-op showed I had high blood pressure. I've never had it before but I suppose I've never been this heavy before. It's now looooooowwww and I'm scheduled for 26th July. It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster as a result. Thankfully my pre-op diet is real food and it just means my cooking needs to be imaginative. Must be working - I've lost 28 lbs since mid June (I started early!). It's good for the soul!

Hi @Toby585 I can only speak as someone who is two weeks away from the operation rather than old hand, but I know what's helped me so far. I've spent a lot of time working out exactly what I want from the surgery and what I'm bringing to it. It strikes me that to make this a success you need to do a lot in your own head, these are big changes we're making and if the only changes we make are the ones forced on us by the limitations of our new digestive systems then we're probably not going to succeed in the long term. I've been inspired by the people on here who haven't fought those changes but, instead, have embraced them as new opportunities to live a different life. Working that stuff out is helping me, I feel enormously positive. On that note I also started seeing a therapist. Curiously we've talked very little about the surgery but what we have talked about has given the surgery a context for me -and that's helping to motivate me and allows me to get my head around this strange new world. Peace, J

Hello folks, Are any of you got operations coming up in the UK? As much as I value the US guys it would be good to get a sense of how other people are getting on here. I'm having my bypass on 12th July, so the countdown really does feel like it's begun. Cheers, J

Good luck Geets! X

I've just been in for my pre-admission screening (ECG, bloods etc) and as a result my surgeon, who called me at 8pm, has decided to postpone my operation. It seems I have high blood pressure (I never have before, but then I've put on a lot of weight recently) and that combined with a couple of other risk factors has made them a little nervous. The nerves come, partly, from my surgeon's usual anaesthetist (who is an internationally renowned specialist on anaesthetics and obesity) who is on holiday. So I now have three weeks to go before the Op, and have been put on medication to reduce my blood pressure. I have mixed feelings. I feel less anxious knowing I'll be in a) a better state and b ) will have the A-team working on me. That said it does feel disappointing and I need to get my head round my new timeline. At least my pre-op diet has been successful (26lbs so far) and is, with a little imagination, pretty easy (I made seared cod with an asian salad this evening). So the next three weeks should mean more diet and more weight loss. With the gains I've made so far I've already started to ride my bike again, so a few weeks of that in the English summer is quite motivating. Oh well. All for the best I suppose!

Hiya geets, Lucky you, you're getting close. How are you feeling? It took me a couple of days to process the postponement, rationally it's a good thing but I was ready to go on Wednesday. Basically my blood pressure is too high and postponement by two weeks gives me a chance to get it down and my surgeon's consultant anaesthetist will be back. I know it makes sense but yesterday it played havoc with my emotions. So right now 26th July is pencilled in. The diet's been good, and it's working. Today, for instance, I had tomatoes on two little slices of soy linseed bread and a coffee for breakfast, an egg baked in a chili veg salsa for lunch (teacup size) and a salmon fillet done in a foil parcel with veggies and soy sauce for dinner. The portion sizes are pretty small but I enjoy cooking. It's basically very low fat, pretty low carb/starch and a decent amount of protein. Are you all set to go in Tuesday?

Yay! Way to go!

Hey, if you're concerned about Vitamin D - get out in the sunlight, absolute best source!

Hi folks, I'm 10 days away from having my bypass. I'm trying to get my head around what happens afterwards and the one big hole I have so far is activity/mobility in the first few weeks: How limited are you after you've been discharged? Can you bend? How much are you able to walk? When will I be able to ride a bicycle again? Any tips and experiences gratefully received! Love & peace, Jx

That's lovely to hear@Joann454. It seems like the operation is really about opening up and releasing the inner happier you.

I'm in next Wednesday. I have to go for blood tests and ECG tomorrow. First time I've been nervous.

Good luck mate, can't wait to follow your successes.

I'm surgery in eight days time. I know it's eight days time because it's all I flipping think about. Is anyone else finding that their every waking hour is spent with 'just one more thing' about their impending surgery? It's not the big things like 'will I dies on the operating table' or 'am I making the right decision' that are getting into my head. It's everything else. Are you thinking about the most minute details possible? It's not that I want answers, per se, I just think I need to worry about something to fill the time. Here are some of the things that I expended too much mental energy on yesterday: Will I be able to drink espressos post-op? How many times a day can I moisturise to help minimise excess skin? Slippers or barefoot? Why are protein shakes in such sweet flavours when I don't have a sweet tooth? When will I be able to ride my bike? What happens when my five year old jumps on my tummy? He's bound to forget eventually! Will I be able to bend down and tie-up my sneakers before I go for a walk? Will my beard appear to be thicker? Should I keep it once I've lost weight? I really like that straw hat in the sale... but is my head going to shrink? Okay, that's just a sample. Some are actually too trivial for me to remember. The point isn't that I need lots of answers (trust me I've asked about plenty in the forums) it's just that I'm feeling increasingly distracted. Maybe it's nerves. I'm actually in a great place, I'm loving my pre-op diet, the sense of progress and achievement it's giving me and the discipline I'm practising (it's not liquid only, all real food, but it's very precise and the weighing and logging is great). It's just the nowadays I think of little else!

Hey AZBlackhawk I haven't tried it myself yet, just downloaded and registered, but my nutritionist recommended a smartphone app called BARITASTIC it's got timers and food logs and recipes. My op is in a week and I'll definitely give it a go. Jx

How do I find the right FB group?

Can't wait for the pee fixation! Truth is I'm great - feel strong and optimistic. It's a bit like going on holiday - you spend all your time on Trioadvisor, you buy the guidebooks, you pack a week early... actually, that's not me!

It's swings and roundabouts @jimp444 ! Your puree stage will probably feel like a luxury, while I'll be cursing where all the textures went! Stay strong with that soup! J

Kudos Noel, you look amazing - that's inspiring.