NeonRaven8919

Yes, weight is definitely about perception. We get so used to looking big that losing weight you think "this isn't me". I lost a good 30lbs (13kg) once that was the most I ever lost in one new fad diet and once I gained it all back and more, I thought i was back to looking how I'm supposed to. I realise this is going to be a big obstacle once I have the sugery

Yes! I second this!

I'm also in the "what to do for the birthday Struggle Club! My surgery is 7th of October and my birthday is tomorrow 25th July. My dr put me on a 12 week milk diet (1.5litres of milk with semi-skimmed milk and 1 salty drink a day) to quickly lose weight before my surgery. So I don't want to jeopardise that and have my usual slices of cake from my favourite bakery. It's also my friend's wedding on Saturday. I can't avoid the wedding are ask people to do something that isn't food related. But I can control my birthday and avoid temptation. I made the decision to go out and get my nails done and go to a comedy club instead! I'm not much of a drinker so the club won't be a temptation and I can't eat while getting my nails done! Next year, I'll be thinner and probably more in the mood to celebrate anyway.

I've been knitting since 2010 and crocheting off and on for about the same time. I started while I was university since I couldn't afford my tv licence and I needed something do. I did much better in my exams the year I took up knitting. I think it was because it involved my hand-eye coordination rather than just watching tv

I was told I can't have anything even water after midnight the night before my surgery. But, I'm scheduled to be admitted at 7 am which is about 7 hours so maybe it's not that odd? I would ask the doctor or surgeon that question just to be sure.

Yes! Crochet and knitting for me!

I'm going to the US in November to see my family. I haven't been home in 20 years so I will see my sisters fir the first time in 20 years (Yay!) And my dad and step-mother (ugh). My stepmother was always overweight. Larger than my mother was, but she made a point of telling me specifically how big I was getting and my dad would constantly tell me I was getting so big I was starting to look like my mother. (who again, was smaller than his wife) and they made me eat differently than everyone else and bought me clothes two sizes bigger to make look better. Apparently step-mother lost a lot of weight about 10 years ago. (i don't know if that's really true, I haven't spoken to either one in about 15 years. I will have my surgery before then and I'm certain I'll get more comments about having had the surgery so I'm just not going to tell them. The worst comments always come from those closest to us. Family really stinks sometimes.

My next group session is in August too! Just curious if your hospital is UCLH?

I'm an NHS patient as well. I can fully understand needing hoops to jump through before spending public money. I think the thing for is I had to stop and think at each stage if it all was really worth it so each barrier gave me time to re-evaluate. My first group session, you could tell there were a lot of people who weren't suitable yet, because they wanted the "magic wand solution" and were disappointed this isn't it. And then about a third just wanted ozempic because they thought it meant they didn't need to do any work. Every stage made me sure I am ready to put the work in now.

I chose the sleeve. My mother had the bypass back in 2008 and had a lot of problems. She couldn't keep anything down for months after the sugery and the had to operate again and they made a mistake. So she basically couldn't really eat anything at all and suffered for years. She had a bowel perforation due to clot in April of 2023 that they couldn't diagnose until a month later and they couldn't repair because of what went wrong with her bypass surgery and she died in May of 2023. So I'm too afraid of having the same kind of problems. It's not the same hospital or the same surgeon, but I'm still scared. I did wonder if I should even consider any type of surgery at all, but my mother did lose weight and it did extend her life.

I'm in the exact same situation. (Also in the UK). I'm going through the NHS. I wasn't expecting to have to start the diet so soon either. I was hoping to at least get my birthday and my friend's wedding out of the way before having to be restricted. I wasted a lot of food as I just bought groceries before my appointment. I'm not sure if the whole 12 weeks is the liver shrinking diet or just the last three weeks. I did mess up in a moment of feeling like I was starving and I had 4 slices of toast. If the whole 12 weeks is to shrink the liver, I wouldn't risk eating anything not on the list if it can be avoided. If just the last three weeks is the liver shrinking diet, maybe one "proper meal" a week is fine?

Good Luck with everything tomorrow!

I live in London and there's a lot of great things to do! You will definitely enjoy it!

Yes, some people would.

I hate eating in restaurants sometimes because I worried that people are watching me eat and thinking "of course the fat girl would be eating that". It's really hard not to see myself that way. The old expression "If you knew how little they thought of you, you wouldn't care how little they thought of you." is true, but it's hard to remember.

I see your point, but I think the psych eval is necessary. Weight loss surgery outcomes are much better when used along side pysch evals, dietician visits etc. This is all documented and confirmed by the medical community. I think if I was an insurance company, I would prefer to pay out for a surgery that it likely to be successful because the patient is using all the tools in their tool belt and is more likely to be successful. I would also think that more than one appointment with a psychologist should be the norm. You can sometimes do more harm than good with only one therapy session. I don't see it as discrimination because ultimately, it's an elective surgery. We can live (albeit less well) if we are overweight. There are also other surgeries that require psychiatric evaluation too, for example gender surgeries. It's not really discriminatory to require that the person getting certain surgery is likely to have a successful outcome because the require life changes to be successful. However, I definitely agree that it shouldn't be down to the insurance companies to determine the requirements, it should be medial professionals. Insurers should never get the final say in what procedures a patient can or can't get if the doctor disagrees with the insurance company. I also don't think a tick box appointment should be enough to get approved for a major surgery which is what insurance requires.

I'm pre-op and my surgery is much sooner along than I expected. I was expecting to have a few weeks to try and ease into the liver shrinking diet and buy foods that I can have on hand, but it was just sprung on me that I would need 12 weeks of liquids. No easing into it, no chance to have my favourite foods one last time (which isn't a bad thing really, but it feels like it. I lost control and cheated and I had 4 slices of toast and then felt so bad. Knowing it's only another 11 weeks to go is a short time, but it feels like years. I just got really upset at the idea that I won't be able to eat solid foods until December. It makes cravings so bad.

I love MyProtein for powders. For shakes, I also like Ufit, Grenade and For Goodness Shakes. I hate protein bars. I've never found a good one.

I'm actually getting my surgery on the NHS. To be honest, I feel like I won the lottery because I was approved for surgery in May 2024 and I'm getting it in October 2024. The surgeon said to me it was extremely unlikely it would happen before next year! But I guess the downside is they gave me the option of sleeve or bypass and those were the only options. I would love a last fry up, but sadly, I'm on milk diet for 12 weeks until surgery and then after that, I don't suppose I'll really want food for at least a month.

Sorry to hear you've had to go through this. My surgery is in October and I'm a bundle of nerves. I've been put on a 12 week liquid diet, and I couldn't imagine going through all this and then having to reschedule. Good Luck to you!

Fantastic! Well done! You look amazing!

Mine is scheduled for October 7th! It seems like ages away, but too soon, but not soon enough! I know what you mean about being excited and anxious at the same time! There's a million emotions. Since I'm getting my surgery done on the National Health Service, I didn't really get a choice in surgeries or times. I was given the choice of bypass of sleeve and then an assessment that told me the doctor was going to do a sleeve.

Thanks! I'm definitely focusing on protein! I'm going to see how it goes until my follow up appointment in two weeks and discuss with the doctor.

Congratulations! I'm still pre-op and just started my journey and this is inspiring! I also struggle with mental health and take medication for it so I understand. All the best to you!

Thanks for the support! I've been told just liquids. I've lost .4kg (.8) after 1 day so imagine feeling encouraged! I've been told no food because I need to lose weight quickly for the surgery and I need 1000-1200 calories a day. But I also ride my bike everywhere so ai think that helps with the weight loss.