BlackBerryJuice

To be the devil's advocate, I don't think you NEED large quantities of fruits and vegetables to be healthy. Consider some of the Aboriginal diets around the world. The Inuit subsist almost entirely on fatty meats and fish. The Prairie Indians in Canada had a diet that was almost 80% lean meat and fish, with a small amount of corn, chokecherry and bread root to provide roughage and vitamins. I have a close friend who's Prairie Indian, and her greatgrandparents and grandparents have hit their 100s living the traditional lifestyle on the reserve. Yet now that these peoples have switched to the Western-style diet, they are plagued by diabetes and heart disease to a much greater extent than white Canadians. For many, switching to the traditional diet has provided greater relief than insulin ever did. As a medical student, I find it extremely interesting. I don't think the Western approach to health is the only one that's "correct." Yes, there's proof that the DASH diet (which is heavy in fruits and vegetables) improves cardiovascular health, but there's not enough research into other ways of eating to discard some diets that are not as high in fruits and vegetables as unhealthy.

I stand corrected!

Sounds like you are pretty worried about getting sick there. Why don't you get a Hep A/B vaccination before you go to calm your nerves. It's a good vaccination to have anywhere. Just be aware that it takes 3 or 6 months (depending on your vaccine protocol) to complete the vaccination cycle (3 shots).

Sorry, can't help as I haven't been sleeved yet, but I have a question for you - how come you are not allowed to have sushi? Is it because of the rice or the raw fish? I'm a huge sushi/sashimi fan and was planning to get a fair amount of my protein from raw tuna and salmon the first few months. Hopefully it's the rice and not the fish!

Good luck, Julie! I see you're from Minneapolis - I lived there for 4 years, miss it sometimes. I usually go there every year for the Minnesota State Fair to hang out with my friends and eat deep-fried Snickers bars and Scottish eggs the size of a tennis ball (hehe), but this year, I had to postpone my visit til the fall for obvious reasons - not being able to eat more than 2 tbsp of food, which would take half the fun out of the State Fair, lol.

Yeah, it's a band thing.

Haha, you're funny! I just had my first dream of that sort the other night (except mine starred a delicious tuna melt oozing into my peritoneum).

A serving is half a cup, so after a few months, it's definitely possible, IMO. Until then, I made my boyfriend buy me a juicer, lol.

Do you know why he wants you to stop taking your Wellbutrin? Because maybe there's some interaction with the anesthetics during the surgery or something.

Thanks for posting such a detailed account - helps those of us who are heading there soon!

Just had my first surgery-related dream/nightmare...dreamt that I got my sleeve and the first day I was home, I was tired and forgot I had gotten sleeved. So I ate an entire tuna melt for Breakfast and then thought I was surely gonna have a leak - and couldn't help but wonder how I could put away that much food my first day back! Here's to another 10 days with my wild imagination...lol.

I'm a few days before you, and strangely, not nervous at all. I was really nervous like 2 weeks ago, though, when I was about a month out. Nervous AND really wishing the surgery would happen faster. Now, however, I'm enjoying my remaining carefree week or 2.

What exactly is dumping syndrome? I keep seeing it every once in a while. Obviously, something unpleasant, by the sounds of it.

It's a small dish, like a bowl, sometimes also with a handle and a lid. Good for making things like creme brulee, pudding, or really, anything that looks better than it comes in individual servings rather than from a big plate.

No concrete advice, but man, if having divorced parents and anxiety is enough to deem you mentally unstable, I should be committed. With half the couples divorcing these days, you'd think they'd finally realize that growing up in a separated family is basically the norm today. It's almost like if you don't walk around hopped up on benzos, you are some sort of deviant. EVERYBODY has some mental issues and feeling sad about bad experiences is not a medical problem. Obviously, your day-to-day functioning is not affected. Your therapist sounds like a tool.

Nah, I feel the same way. I still have some logistical stuff left over, just in terms of paying for the surgery, but mostly, I just have to wait at this point. It's weird, since I've already researched everything, so I'm just sitting on my hands.

Deb, try mixing your own shakes. That way you can control the amount of Fluid the powder is dissolved in, so you can fit 25 g Protein in 4-6 oz of milk (which will add another 5-10 g protein). Hopefully it will be a bit easier to get down. Alternatively, a lot of the bodybuilder-oriented RTD shakes like MuscleMilk offer a pretty good amount of protein per fl oz. There's a low-cal version of Muscle Milk that's pretty good cold, it's something like 20-25 g protein for a pack smaller than a can of pop. You can buy it at most grocery stores, Walmart, etc.

Haha, good timing! I was thinking of posting the same type of thread closer to my surgery date. YES, YES, YES! Even when I weighed as little as 145 lbs, I couldn't wear a skirt or short shorts if I had to walk more than a mile. So annoying! And I hate replacing my pants every 4-6 months because they rip! I'm gonna change that to "Being able to wear all my high heels for hours on end without my feet absolutely killing me!" When I was 50 lbs lighter, I could dance like a maniac in high heels all night - now I'm hurtin' after half an hour! Getting back into dance, specifically ballet and starting modern dance....which undoubtedly will be much easier once I drop a few pounds and my feet don't get slaughtered when I jump. I'm hoping this will be the first year that I actually feel up to performing at the annual dance company recital. Here's to my recovery being quick, so I can get back to the barre by mid-September! Shaving off a couple of minutes from my 5K and 10K times Getting visible abs again...maybe this time I can finally get a 6-pack, and not just a 4-pack Saving like $300/month on food and putting it towards vacations....hellz yeah! My knee pain/discomfort getting better...I don't think it will ever go away (chronic inflammation), but it's definitely worse now that I'm 210 lbs than when I was 165! Getting down to a more reasonable bra size (currently 38F) so I can wear cuter bras...haha

If you get to the point where you are seriously dehydrated, definitely go see your doc (if you can see him/her the same day) or head to urgent care and just ask for some IV fluids. I had taken a few bags of saline and IV catheters from my old job as a paramedic a few times, but I've used them all up on friends with food poisonings and hangovers and now I wish I had kept them for myself instead....lol.

Good luck. I'll be in your shoes in less than 2 weeks! I'll be sure to check out your blog for post-op updates.

OK, I don't know if it's just me...but ever since I booked the surgery, my feelings of self-hate and misery over being fat seem to have vaporized. I remember when I started putting on weight again in the spring, after losing 50 lbs and getting down to size 10, I felt such intense anger and frustration at myself for every extra pound. Then those feelings seemed to perpetrate every other aspect of my life - I had no desire to study, was curt with everyone, didn't want to participate in any activities I normally enjoy, nothing. Then I book the surgery and all of sudden I feel completely at peace saying things like "I'm fat" or "Size 16 is awful tight right now, can I have an 18?" or piling on 2 Entrees on my cafeteria tray while everyone's STARING without blinking an eye. I just ate an entire box of Milano Cookies and couldn't give less of a damn, whereas before, I would've rushed to the gym and/or hated myself all day for doing that. Don't get me wrong, I know I will like myself more after the surgery, and I definitely want to have an easier time walking up the stairs or running, but it seems like I'm the closest I've ever been to that elusive "fat acceptance." Isn't it funny, I'm less than 2 weeks away from weight-loss surgery and I've finally experienced "fat acceptance" that you hear so much about on the blogs? Am I the only one?

OK, I think you totally misunderstood me. I think you got the impression that I'm here on some sort of eating barrage where I stuff myself silly in an effort to mentally and physically kill myself. I don't eat 2 entrees because I want to "self-destruct," I eat 2 entrees because that's what it takes for me to feel FULL. If I eat one, I'm hungry 1.5-2 hours later (they are not very big entrees, for the record; I'm talking about having a chicken burger AND a cup of mac and cheese, not Cheesecake Cafe-style portions). This post wasn't about me having 2 entrees because I hate myself and have given up on myself, it's about the fact that I am finally able to make peace with how much food my body needs right now and that I don't starve myself anymore only to horribly binge after. And that I no longer feel any sort of shame that society expects us, as fat people, to have about ourselves, our eating habits, etc. E.g. "OMG, look at that fat pig having a DESSERT with her meal, doesn't she know eating makes you FAT? She should try to EAT LESS, that fat ass." As an example, I played truth or lie with my class the other day and I said I used to have a career as a competitive athlete. EVERYBODY thought it was a lie, because obviously a FAT person (e.g. me) could never be involved in any sort of sports, as far as most people are concerned. For the record, I did have a competitive athletic career, even though I was in the "overweight" BMI range at the time. But it's a perfect example of the constant prejudice around us. I just wanted to say that I can actually have as much food as I want without feeling like I'm a second-rate citizen. And for the first time in my life, I don't feel ashamed stating my clothing size, etc. Which contrasts sharply with 10 years ago where I thought I couldn't leave the house because I was a *gasp* size 10.

I really didn't like what I saw when I read your comments about your ex being an addict and that your current bf is godsend COMPARED to your ex and that he has to "put up" with you. Obviously, I know absolutely nothing about you outside of the post you just made, but these comments already raised red flags for me. First off, addicts can destroy your self-esteem and drain all the energy out of you. Most people would look good compared to an addict, but there's a difference between "not bad compared to..." and "almost perfect." If you have low self-esteem - and let's face it, obesity and the feeling of being powerless in the face of food do nothing to bolster your self-respect - you are a lot more likely to settle for something or someone who doesn't respect your true worth. And if you say things like "he's willing to put up with me," you probably do have low self-esteem. I'm 100% happy with my boyfriend now (who's also never been fat and will never fully understand my experience with weight-based emotional abuse, bulimia, yo-yoing, etc), who is 100% supportive of the surgery, even though he is, naturally, worried that the surgery might come with complications and the like. There's literally nothing I wouldn't tell my boyfriend. He's completely aware of my struggles with food, and he's never been anything less than completely supportive. Looking back on some of the idiots I've been with, it's UNBELIEVABLE what we are willing to settle for sometimes until we find The One. I think it'll be tough enough for you to go through the recovery without dealing with his BS. I don't think this situation will get better. I think it's a smart idea to spend the first few weeks post-surgery with your parents so you can focus on getting better without worrying about being judged.

Thanks for posting. Good to see some personalized proof that this continues to work beyond just one year, as opposed to simply dry scientific data. I'm sure the 5 lbs will melt away as soon as you introduce an exercise regimen. The good thing is that now you only have 5 lbs to lose, not 50. As long as you recognize the gain in time, you should have no problem addressing it.

I wonder if I can drive myself back from the airport 3 days after the surgery. It's a lot cheaper for me to drive myself and park at the airport than take the taxi both ways, and money's tight, but I don't know how hopped up you are on pain meds 3 days after - don't want to fall asleep at the wheel or something. Any personal experiences? It's just a 30-min drive. I don't have anyone to give me a ride, unfortunately.