My surgery is feeling very real now, having just booked a taxi to get myself to the hospital on Sunday morning (April 25th). The hospital is a 1hr drive away which isn't great (largely because of the added taxi expense) but there was a 12 month wait at my nearest hospital whereas its only been 1 month since my initial phone call to this one (I'm in the UK, paying privately). I've lost 24lbs in a bit over 3 weeks of pre op diet and got a 50lb total loss from my highest weight a year ago today as I did keto for 11 months before the pre op. I've come a long way over the last year, and regularly cook, shop for and have in the house lots of foods that previously I couldn't have resisted (I'm taking about you, pizza, ice cream and biscuits) without finding it a problem. I've also happily gone through the drive through with my (slim) husband and felt perfectly content with my protein water. There was a question earlier about doubts following a successful pre op diet. For me, having lost a lot of weight in the past and losing quickly on my pre op, I'm happy to have surgery. Research shows that for many reasons including hunger hormones, metabolism and fat cell activity weight loss surgery makes it significantly easier not just to lose weight but to maintain that loss. The way I see it from my research and experience is that losing weight through diet leaves you slim but in a body that physiologically is doing everything it can to get you back to being fat. Surgery leaves you slim in a body that has in a sense been reset to being slim and is not trying to get fat again. Do it by diet and you'll be left fighting your body as well as your mind to maintain. Do it by surgery and you don't have to fight your body, just keep control of your mind. That's much more achievable. Preparation wise I've got lots of protein water and shakes ready that I know I like plus chewable bariatric vitamins. I'm feeling very settled on the liquid diet which I'm glad about as I think it'll make the post surgery transition easuer. I've treated myself to a new pair of headphones with alexa built in to make my hospital time and recovery a bit more convenient. I bought a giant cosy dressing gown for a bit of comfort. And I've sorted all my outdoor sports gear /books /maps etc which have ended up in the loft after a blissful period having lost 140lbs about 12 years ago that didn't last very long before it all came back. I've read a whole load about bariatric surgery and nutrition and have lots of self improvement books lined up to read or listen to to help me keep working on me, not just my weight and relationship with food. I'm so excited about my new life and feel very determined and prepared. Loads of waffle there... Can you tell I'm excited?! Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk