macadamia

That is awesome! I look forward to the day where I can sit in chairs too without them digging into my thighs too!

Wow! that is a lot of weight for only three weeks! Way to go!

There are a lot more men out there who would welcome a relationship with someone who is taking control of their life and their health. I know one of them very personally, in fact... As Frustr8 said, there are a couple of threads that have been started for September surgeries, my date is September 6, 2018. I'm currently on the four-week pre-op diet, very similar to what you posted. I have an enlarged (but otherwise healthy) liver that the surgeon wants to make as small as possible. I'm limited to 800 calories/day, low fat, low carb, and high protein, and greater than 64oz of water a day (I'm averaging more than 90oz/day). I've cut out all added sugar, caffeine, alcohol, starchy veggies, fried foods, most restaurant food, bread (almost - I have two slices left, then no more), pasta, and carbonated beverages. I'm down 30.5 pounds since June 29, 2018. I do not feel hungry during the day but sometimes before bed or first thing in the morning, I get hungry. What I am struggling with now is "head hunger." Every evening when I drive home from work, I see all the places I used to stop and eat and my head wants me to stop again. So far, I've not stopped, but it is a challenge. My therapist suggested that I phone someone when I feel like I'm going to stop and get something to eat, so I call my mom often... I, too, am available to listen if you need an ear to vent to. Good luck! and we're all here for you!

80 pounds is nothing to sneeze at! Awesome job! Keep it up!

You look great! Awesome transformation! I hope I can be as successful as you have been.

Welcome! Thank you! And, good luck to you, too! This site is a wealth of information and very helpful people to answer questions, give insight to what they have gone through, and camaraderie. I'm very happy that I found this site.

So tonight for dinner, I steamed a couple of servings of stir-fry vegetables, three ounces of grilled chicken breast (with no sauce or seasoning when cooked), a serving of jalapenos, and a dash of Cholula Green Pepper hot sauce. I was taught to clean my plate as a kid and almost always have. Tonight was only the second time that I stopped eating when I knew that the next bite was too much. I had finished all of the meat, all of the jalapenos, and about half of the steamed veggies. I set the plate aside, started my 30-minute timer until I can drink again, and sat back. Within a couple of minutes, I was very full. Officially today, I'm at 705 calories, with 95g of protein, 42g carbs, and only 16g fat. I've also logged 90oz of water and am waiting to start drinking the next 30oz tumbler of water. I'm using MiO Strawberry Watermelon liquid water enhancer. It makes it taste very good. My local grocery store had them on sale for $1.99 each if you buy 10. Needless to say, I have some at home and at work. I also invested in two Fifty/Fifty 30oz stainless steel tumblers, one to keep at work and one for home. It makes it easy to watch my water volume.

OIC... I thought maybe it was a fashion statement in Ireland. My mother's side of the family is Irish and I've always wanted to visit. I hope after I'm fully recovered and after convincing my mom that travel by airplane is safe, I will take her on a vacation to Ireland. It is on my bucket list of places to visit before I die.

Awesome transformation so far! Keep it up! PS - why are you wearing two different colored socks?

Way to go, ladies! Keep it up!

Yes, full color, and high resolution even!

It is a very easy procedure. There is a pre-test fast required to make sure your stomach is empty. They give you an IV and the sedation is added through that. Mine lasted about 35 minutes total, from when I was wheeled into the room until I was back in the recovery room. I was foggy for about another half hour but that quickly faded. By the time my ride showed up, I was able to walk fine. My throat did not hurt at all. The only place it actually hurt (very slightly, more of a discomfort, really...) on me was where the nurse missed my vein two times before she gave up and the male nurse placed the IV on his first try. The doctor came in after the procedure to the recovery room and told me about the findings. Before I left, the nurse gave me a copy of the preliminary report, complete with photos of my esophagus and stomach.

Well, I get headaches when I do not drink enough water. It is a sign for me that I am getting dehydrated. I hope the pre-op diet does not hurt your head too much. It is important to get a good start going into your surgery. (-:

Way to go! Thank you for sharing these amazing photos of your transformation! You are almost to your goal weight - keep it up!

My surgeon requires three months of group meetings with the nutritionist (or three individual meetings if you are from out of the area, like me), psychologist screening, sleep study (I am already on C-PAP), exercise physiologist, and a quiz from the nutritionist at the end to determine if you are ready. I was issued a 1" binder with all of the pages professionally printed in thick, laminated card stock. None of the information within the binder contradicted any other information. Since I was seen by a different bariatric surgeon back in April in Idaho and was referred to this surgeon in Salt Lake City, my "supervised weight loss" (from the insurance standpoint) actually started in April, so they fast-tracked me through the nutrition visits. I was scheduled each week with an individual appointment to see the nutritionist. Since June 29, 2019, (when I first saw the surgeon) I have had 16 appointments in six visits. I live in Ammon, ID and have to drive to Salt Lake City, UT each time. It is approximately 500 miles round trip. I have seen the surgeon three times so far. When I took the NUT quiz, there was an interview after to make sure I had absorbed the information - this was a contingency for my pre-op appointment. The surgeon said that if I do not get past the NUT, he would make me reschedule the pre-op appointment. That was not necessary since I passed the quiz and interview just fine. Overall, I feel that I am in good hands and am well informed on what I am getting myself into. I wish this were the case for everyone... Good luck!

Click on your name on the website (I do not know if you can do it via the app) in the upper right corner of the page. Click on "ignored users" and enter their username. Then, select what you want to ignore, there are four options. Then select ignore and you are done. I also just discovered that you can hover your mouse over the username and wait a moment. There is a box that comes up and at the bottom has the selection of "ignore user". Again, this is on the website, I'm not sure about the app. I will not reply to any questions directed at me in this thread. If you want to talk to me, send me a message, please.

This guy is an internet troll. He is baiting everyone here. I hate to say this but he is now the first person I have put on my ignore list. I have better things to do than listen to this.

Milestone update #1: I hit 30 pounds lost so far today! I am still 29 days out from surgery so I hope to lose much more pre-op! I'm excited to know I can do this!!!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Yes, it is very common. Almost everyone who is hospitalized and on IV fluids weighs more when they leave the hospital. It is easier for the body to absorb fluid intravenously than by drinking, so the cells are very well hydrated. It is just "water weight" and you will stop retaining it soon. Keep with your program and you will soon see positive results. The last abdominal surgery I had in August of last year, I ended up about 3 pounds heavier than when I went in. I was hospitalized for almost a month and did not eat anything (NPO) for three weeks. It was all of the fluids and medicines they pumped into me over the course of my hospitalization.

So, I got a call from the surgeon yesterday and he said the CT scan of my liver did not show any abnormalities! That is awesome news! I just need to make sure the pre-op diet is adhered to so I shrink my liver before surgery. I'm so happy there is nothing wrong with my liver!!!

Keep us updated! Good luck!