Taoz

I'm also due TODAY for Aunt Flo to come ruin my week but no sign so far... I have surgery in 9 days and have crazy heavy painful periods for the first 4 days.. the last thing I need is it hitting on surgery day, so she damned well better hurry up already! (def not preggers as hubby got sorted over a year ago ) I'm not overly concerned/embarrassed about the idea of period bleeding at hospital, I just know how badly my periods suck and don't want to be dealing with that pain at the same time as gas and surgery pains. (crosses fingers that it comes and buggers off again before 2nd May!!!)

I'm doing pretty good. I'm a little worried that my metabolism/hunger signals might be broken or something though.. as I'm really not getting very hungry on the pre-op diet despite only being on 600-700 calories.. and yesterday and today I was really late having my lunch - was planning to have my shake at 3pm but a friend stopped over and was here chatting until 5pm... I figured it was a bit late to have a shake at that point so just had a slice of cheese and a small tomato for lunch ahead of meat and veggies for dinner at 7. So many others are posting that they feel like they are starving on the pre-op so it seems really weird (though I appreciate that I'm lucky to not be feeling hungry!). I did have a laugh at the big RED LETTER WARNING I got after downloading the myfitnesspal app and trying to submit today's total food in the food diary... it was warning me that it's unhealthy to eat so few calories (608) and could cause nutritional deficiencies and stuff.. and that if I was logging less than the minimum (I think 1000?) it wouldn't display the food log in my feed or include it in 5 week projections or some such. Looking it up online, it's apparently to avoid fueling eating disorders etc, but it doesn't help much when you are actually on a scheduled bariatric pre or post op diet! nevermind, it still stores your food log and at least it helps calculate calorie and macro nutrient totals (which I had already pretty much figured out in an excel spreadsheet using nutrition labels and googling nutrient profiles for things like tomatoes.) I'm also due TODAY for Aunt Flo to come ruin my week but no sign so far... I have surgery in 9 days and have crazy heavy painful periods for the first 4 days.. the last thing I need is it hitting on surgery day, so she damned well better hurry up already! (def not preggers as hubby got sorted over a year ago ) I've been really busy trying to get everything I can done in my Autumn veggie patch before I'm unable to garden for at least a few weeks (got my broccoli and pea seeds in a month ago, garlic planted last week, and carrots a couple of nights ago, but still need to clear off and plant a 1m x 4m bed with onion seeds!).

Keep a close eye on your vitamin levels as despite all the positive reviews on the sellers sites, independent examination of the product showed that they don't work because they can't absorb through the skin properly (unlike at nicotine patches) and that the weight of the patches is less than the weight of vitamins they say they provide.

Yep. The surgeons bariatric physician actually wanted me on a 4 week pre op diet (BMI 49 at the time) however when I saw the surgeon a few days later he had a surgery date available only 3 weeks from that day that he was happy to book me in for so I started pre-op VLCD immediately after the appointment lol. I was assigned VLCD shakes for breakfast and lunch, with a more regular meat and veggies for dinner, however I found my tummy won't tolerate a shake in the morning (makes me nauseous for at least an hour) so I've been having a single scrambled egg and coffee with 200ml 1% milk for my breakfasts. It adds up to slightly less calories than a shake, and I'm still getting minimum 80g protein a day (the shake has 34g).

Hang in there hun. I know it can be boring and can make you think of all the OTHER stuff you'd rather be eating, but it's such a short time compared to all our years of weight struggles. Find some distractions (I'm gardening more than ever at the moment as want all autumn stuff planted before surgery 2nd May), add whatever flavour/variety your plan allows for. You can do this!!!

check with your surgeon. If you are currently having meal replacement shakes they often have the necessary vitamins included in them. Regular protein shakes won't though. Mine advised that if I am having at least 1 meal replacement shake a day I won't need to start adding any vitamins until 2 weeks post op when I start purees. Otherwise I'd guess they are ok once you are cleared to move from clear liquids to full liquids (but check first to be sure).

Hang in there jules1! You can do this Aussie May surgery buddy!!! Even with the extra food this week your liver is likely to be pretty good at only 102kg, and can continue to get better as you get the carb cravings under control. Definitely ring and talk to your nutritionist tomorrow. what is your current diet plan? I started cutting out most non-veggie carbs (added sugar, wholemeal bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, crumbed fish) a couple of months ago to start getting used to it ahead of my VLCD and although I miss the taste of say smashed avo on toast, I'm not really craving the carbs (but I've been lucky to not feel very hungry) and I can still have say smashed avo with some soft cooked chicken instead. Are you having many artificially sweetened things? in some people, the sweet taste of aspartame/splenda/others can actually trigger hunger for more sweets/carbs because the body is not getting the sugar energy it's expecting from the taste. Also, are you having any added fibre? as with just meat and veggies you won't be getting as much fibre as you would be used to. Fibre helps fill you up and helps you with number #2s. I add a heaped teaspoon of benefibre to my coffee in the morning, along with 1/2 tsp stevia (equals 1 teaspoon of sugar sweetness), and if I have a cup of decaf tea at night I do the same. The natural protein and vitamins in the single backyard chicken scrambled egg I have for breakfast with my coffee is probably helping keep my system balanced. And the formulite meal replacement shake I'm having for lunch is really low carb, 34g protein and only stevia/xylitol sweetened and that is holding me over until close to dinner time when I start actually feeling hungry (and I tell myself its ok to actually feel hungry for a little bit as the next meal time approaches). Can you post some more details in a separate thread about what you've eaten in the past week, what was part of your plan and what you've been craving and binging on, and lets see if we can find some causes/patterns and solutions!

May 2 here as well for my gastric sleeve, though I'm in South Australia so will be half a day ahead of USA. Half way through my 3 week VLCD and doing well. (Detailed Taoz update on sleeve forum).

I'm half way through my 3 weeks of pre-op VLCD (surgery date 2nd May). I'm really happy to report that I haven't been feeling lethargic or very hungry (I sometimes hear my tummy grumble and start feeling a bit hungry about an hour before dinner, but nothing bad - maybe my body is actually happy to be cannibalizing my fat stores lol). I have felt a bit dizzy a couple of times when I've been late getting around to making my shake for lunch, but I was still feeling fine today when I didn't get home from shopping until 2:30pm. *gardening nut alert* I actually spent from 7pm until 11:30pm last night outside working hard to clear finished plants and lots of woody mulch, top up (with 6 barrow loads of rich soil), and smooth over a 1.1m by 3.3m raised bed and then frantically plant and cover 27 serviette carrot seed mats (which I made earlier) trying to beat the incoming storm that had been threatening with distant lightning from about 9pm. I just got it done when the rain hit and rushed inside a wet, sweaty, filthy, but happy mess boy my midnight shower felt good! Most nights we all eat the same dinner (meat and simple veggies), however my husband is taking our kids to see the Harlem Globetrotters tonight (going with another family) so I've just had some leftover veggies (a few bites of cooked carrot and a good serving of the rattlesnake green beans I grow and love) and a tin of ALDI smoked rainbow trout. I've been tracking my daily nutrients on an excel spreadsheet (since I'm having only 1 replacement meal a day, I wanted to calculate the values of my 200ml 1% milk hot coffee plus a single scrambled egg for brekky, and whatever meat is for dinner) and it's been staying mostly between 600 and 700 calories throughout the day. After figuring out it was going to cost me nearly $60 Australian PER MONTH to buy and ship 6 months worth of the yummy calcium chewy bites I've settled for ordering 3 months worth of the calcium chews available from bnmulti (which my surgeons office recommended) for $52 delivered. If I find I really hate them I'll look for alternative options that will work for me at 3 months post op. I also picked up a bottle of biotin to start supplementing with now and hope I don't lose too much of what little hair I have. Lastly, one thing I have noticed is that I'm currently massively susceptible to crying if anything remotely soppy is on TV, including advertisements, which is totally not normal for me. Wishing everyone else here happiness and health!!!

quite a few people have trouble with plain water soon after their surgery. Can you try adding a little lemon, or a small amount of something tasty like gatorade or a flavored protein water to give it some taste?

I have my fingers crossed for you that you will join us May sleevers

Many of us can lose significant amounts of weight on our own, but very few can maintain substantial weight loss for more than a year or two. The sleeve helps with both reducing our weight rapidly and also giving you a 6-12 month "metabolism reset window" where your body adjusts to your new limited calorie intake as being your new normal, without triggering the PHYSICAL/METABOLIC/HORMONE changes that normally promote rapid regain after weight loss. It will NOT alter MENTAL/EMOTIONAL/BORED hunger though, as those are non-physical cravings that we need to manage and direct to healthier activities. I have been obese since my late teens, and am now having the sleeve at close to 40. Maybe I'll be lucky and my skin will recover well, maybe it wont. I carry my weight all throughout my body (big arms, butt and thighs) so will likely have some substantial "bingo wings" and the thigh equivalent, as well as stretched tummy skin. I may look older too, as my chubby face probably looks younger than my skinny face will. If you go take a look in the plastic surgery forum you can see some pictures of people who have maintained substantial weight loss, and have then chosen to have a tummy tuck or 360 degree body lift and other procedures. I am lucky to be in relatively good health so far, but with parents and other close relatives with diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure issues and significant knee/joint pain I am at huge risk of major issues in my near future, and I'll take the risk of floppy skin (which I can eventually choose to have surgery on if it bothers me) over my current risks any day.

I dropped down from 2 strong coffees a day to one, stevia instead of 1 sugar, and switched down from full cream milk (which I moved to 2 years ago when stupid government shut down the raw milk supplier I had) and 1% milk over the last few months in the lead up to my operation. (I have 2 shots of espresso from my beloved jura coffee machine in about 200ml milk). My surgeon also seems to think a coffee (or tea) or two a day is fine provided it doesn't cause issues with reflux for me. I"m thinking of tapering down to decaf beans only ahead of surgery though. (thank goodness you can buy fresh whole decaf beans, I can't stand how stale pre-ground decaf tastes - blech). I already drink decaf tea if I have any tea, as caffeine after lunchtime causes me trouble sleeping. (tetley decaf tastes better than liption decaf here in Australia)

Maybe try to spend at least the 2 weeks before surgery on a VLCD diet too (even if not using shakes) to try to shrink your liver as much as possible pre-op? Have a look at what you are eating day to day now and figure out how many calories you are used to (I started cutting out carbs and reducing dinner portion sizes from when I made the decision to get the sleeve back in February). The other benefit of the pre-op weeks of VLCD is some rapid weight loss pre-surgery... which means you're starting from surgery day 10lb or more smaller before you get your "metabolism reset" on surgery day which can only be good right? certainly one of our more experienced members posted recently that (statistically) the better success you have with pre-op weight loss, the better your post surgery weight loss is too. That's enough to spur me on to do as well as possible, even though I struggle with taking any artificial foods like meal replacement shakes (I"m a natural foods and cooking from scratch kinda mummy). My mum is a fraction under 5 foot and 81 kilos (BMI about 35) and at 65 already knows she has problems with a fatty liver, along with major knee pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and recent heart rhythm malfunctions requiring hospitalisation and cardioversion 3 times in the past 6 months, and my dad (and his mum and sister) all had diabetes by age 65 and he had heart trouble. So there is likely fatty liver as well as other nasties in my genetics and looming as risks post age 40 that I"m hoping my surgery and weight loss can spare me from. I am down 5 kilos (approx 12 pounds) in the past 2 weeks, but have only been on pre-op diet just over a week. I'm trying to match my husbands current 106kg by the time I get to surgery 2nd May, which would take a drop of another 8 kilos. *fingers crossed!* (says me who just said "no thank you" to my son offering me a chocolate egg.. have been really getting used to saying "no thank you, but thanks for offering" to stuff my kids keep trying to give me lol).

A lot of people report trouble with dairy for a while post surgery, so have some protein waters as well as regular shakes on hand in case you can't tolerate the milky shakes for a bit. I'll be in hospital for a minimum 3 nights (usually 3-4, apparently the standard for my surgeon here in Australia) so I'll need to take more to hospital with me than those only staying overnight. I'll be taking some bottles of pre-made Bodie'z vitamin waters, clothing that should fit (I bought some new smaller undies yesterday, which I may need by the time I get to hospital in 2 weeks), toiletries, I picked up the Aussie version of chewable Gas-X (semithicone crystals) to help with gas pains. I'll be taking my other medications into hospital with me, including [EDIT: eye mask!], ear plugs and my restavit sleeping tablets (I"m sensitive to noise and lights when I'm sleeping, so really struggled to sleep when in hospital after birthing my kids) - am hoping I get the ok to take the tiny restavit tablets (if they don't give me an alternative sleep aid) as I"m someone who really doesn't do well without my 8 hours sleep, tending to get nasty headaches. Make sure you take menstrual supplies with you too, as the stress and surgery can trigger irregular/early periods in some people. At home I'll have just whatever is left of my tubs of protein meal replacements (as I really don't like having them even before surgery) plus flavoured and unflavored protein water powder, and I'm currently making and freezing small cubes (9 fit in a sandwich-sized zip-loc) of some smooth soups - I got 36 cubes from my batch of pumpkin and veggie soup, and soon to make the cauliflower and cheese one that I posted the recipe for in the "any May sleevers??" forum, I'll likely have my soups with some clear unflavored protein powder mixed in. As soon as I get to purees/mushies I"ll make some pureed chicken and sweetcorn soup with egg swirled in too. I'd like to get away from powders/supplements and back onto healthy natural proteins for the majority of my daily protein ASAP. Cauliflower Cheddar Soup.docx

Thanks fluffychix, I'll look into those

I've just moved into my second of three weeks of pre-surgery diet, so am chugging along with you I am mostly having a coffee (with 200ml skim milk) and a scrambled egg for breakfast. Though now that my Bodie'z clear protein has arrived I can add 15g protein in my coffee, and might sometimes switch the egg for some cooked rolled oats with a scoop of protein for another 15g. (I've tried having a protein shake for breakfast a couple of times but it makes me queasy for ages, so settling with only having one for lunch after having something more solid in the morning). Dinner time I'm just having lean meat and veggies, with the rest of my family having the same, only more (though sometimes theirs includes some potato or pasta too).

I might check back with my surgeons office. The vitamins they recommended to me were bnmulti.com chewables (Aussie company)

I tried my first chewable multivitamin today (now that they finally delivered). YUK. it left an awful saccharine type taste in my mouth for ages. If that's what the standard chewable calciums taste like too I REAAAALLLLYY don't want to be using those. might just have to shell out a fortune in postage to get 6 months worth of calcium chews shipped to me.

I read that 3-6 months post surgery is usually the period for hair loss. After that it starts growing back again as your body recovers a bit from the initial rapid weight loss. I'll be taking my multivitamins and possibly a biotin supplement, however I already have very fine hair and not much of it, so it will be pretty bad if I get any amount of hair loss. For my it probably won't bother me too much though, as I'll be too busy enjoying my lighter body and additional energy.

Unfortunately they don't ship outside of the US.

The pre-op diet varies by surgeon, and they sometimes vary duration depending on your BMI (standard is usually 2 weeks, I was requested 4 weeks due BMI close to 50). Most pre-ops are low carb / no added sugar / very low calorie (800 calories or less) to remove as much fat from your liver as possible (it sits on top of the stomach that will be operated on, and needs to be safely lifted/moved out of the way during surgery) Some unlucky souls are put on a full liquid pre-op, so mostly meal replacement shakes and diet jelly/pudding/liquid soups etc. Mine was 2 meal replacement shakes and a health meat protein + veggies dinner. Some are put on just low carb/low calorie diet of lean proteins and veggies. Beware that most meal replacement shakes contain aspartame and/or splenda so if (like me) those make you ill or trigger migraines you may need to source other options or advise your doctor you need an alternative pre-op diet option. (Here in Australia I was able to find formulite meal replacement shakes which are only sweetened with stevia so they don't trigger migraines for me). Thankfully I've found that although very low calorie, the pre-op diets get most of their calories from protein sources which make you feel full/satiated a lot more than carbohydrates (which can trigger blood sugar spikes and resulting hunger). They are also good practice for you and your body to get used to fewer calories and a protein rich diet.

Yay! Best of luck for a May date hun!

Lucky! Do you have to include any meal replacement shakes/bars or just protein and veggies each meal?

Many years ago I used to make a really nice low carb pizza that had a base made mostly from egg. If I ever manage to find the recipe I'll post it if I think it's suitable for bariatric eating.