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Crazy...I just started my 2 week liquid diet too. I really just want to eat chips. I almost convinced myself that it was ok to eat a left over baked potato and steak from last night because after all you shouldn’t throw away good food. What is wrong with me?!? Can you freeze potatoes? What time is your surgery and what are you having done?

Hello fellow OctoSleevers (and everyone else)! As I approach my one month until surgery countdown, I just wanted to get a general idea from others what your pre-op diet recommendations are by your doc and/or nut. Like how long before must you start, when do you start liquid only (if at all), or if there is a goal weight loss (or % of total weight) needed prior to surgery proceeding. My doc gave me a "general guideline" of 5% weight loss pre-op, with a low carb / high Protein diet (like a Protein shake for BF and lunch then a "sensible" dinner of a small portion of lean protein and a veggie) starting 2 to 4 weeks pre-op (depending on total pounds needed to lose), then liquids only for 3 days pre-op. He said the typical reason given is to shrink the liver pre-op (although it is unclear how much this is really needed), and more importantly, to ensure that the patient can actually follow a restrictive intake program, which is what we'll be doing post-op and really for the rest of our lives. Anybody else have recommendations given to them that vary greatly from this? Thanks and good luck to all!

BigDaddy - Congrats on being banded as well!! Good luck tomorrow at work. I will have to return to work a week after my surgery as well. Let us know how things go.

I had my surgery May 2nd and have been going to the gym for more than a week. I'm only allowed to do elliptical and treadmill. I won't be able to do strength training for another two weeks. If you feel good, start doing light cardio

I am a vegan, and have been for 2+ years, and haven't had dairy for even longer than that. Going into surgery my nutritionist advised that I'd probably have to use whey sources for Protein because there's no other way I'd be able to get the adequate amount of without exceeding my liquid goal but my body still isn't used to it. Although it's been a little over 3 weeks (pre & post-op), my body is fighting the whey. ???? And post-op I'll definitely have to go veggie for protein.

I freeze my shakes. When lunch time rolls around I just grab it out of the freezer at work, and it's not only tolerable, its actually delicious. I eat it with a spoon, like ice cream. The biggest motivator for me has been seeing the scale move down daily. I have a 4 week diet, the first week i did awful, but since then i havent messed up once. The thought of spending all that money, only to wake up with no lap-band because I just had to have a brownie is also a big motivator. Today there are homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing in the breakroom. That very thought is what has kept me from digging in.

Hey guys! So I'm current 3 days going on 4 post op. I've been following my liquid diet. For the first three days I haven't felt hunger. Now going on day 4 I'm starting to have hunger pains after I've drank a shake or some broth. Help! Any tips on how to stay full longer. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm working with Dr. Ali at UCD and I'm wondering if anyone else did the same. I am going to have my surgery in about 3 weeks, if all goes well. I'm just curious about your experience and what I can expect after. Thanks!

Have you discussed this with your surgeon? Depending on why you have GERD, he/she may recommend bypass surgery instead. I did not have GERD prior to surgery, had wicked wicked heartburn within 2 weeks but discovered it was due to lactose sensitivity. Since reducing my milk product intake, I have had zero problems

My insurance finally approved me on 10/23 but my doctor can't see me for 6 more weeks (11/17) which he requires before scheduling the surgery. My daughter wants to be there and stay with me for the surgery and the first week but just started a new job. There is only one week 12/11-12/15 that she is able to come so I am hoping so bad to be able to get done that week. I understand there is a process and I am typically really good about these things but it is just so important to me that my daughter be there. She lives almost 3 hours away so it won't be easy for her to come back and forth. I tried to get them to schedule my surgery and then I would still have my appointment on 11/17 but they won't do that. As of yesterday that time frame was available but they said it may be possible with all of the upcoming appointments that it may book up. Deep breath. It will happen as it's meant to happen. Have to relax and hope for the best.

Surgery date was May 16 2016 SW 236 CW 145 size 12 and some 10 work out 5 days a week no more knee or back pain thank God and my Doctor this was the best thing I have done for Me Sent from my LG-H740 using the BariatricPal App

Becky: So excited for you. I have been following your progress on Dr. Schulman's thread. You have gotten a lot of good information here. Will you have help once you get home? You really will need some for at least 3-4 days. If I were you, I would get as much of your Christmas done ahead of time as you can, because you are not going to have the energy to do alot for a few weeks. The only other advice that I would add would be to really watch your diet and eat alot of good protien and vegetables, it really does aid in the healing process. Also, if you drink hot water with the juice of a lemon in it and a little honey for sweetener, it will help with swelling and water retention. I also believe in arnica and used it before and after both of my surgeries. I really didn't have as much bruising as a lot of people have had and I think it's because of the arnica. Keep in touch. Wishing you the best!

Hey Beth! I think you've done great! I'm on my 3rd week of preop and boy has it been tough but I have 5 days until surgery and hopefully won't feel so deprived afterwards. Please keep us updated on how you are recovering. You will be in my thoughts!

I do not eat snacks. I just eat three meals per day and sometimes add protein drinks between meals. I do eat a protein bar as a meal sometimes. I'm obsessed with Built Bars -- I've tried a lot of different protein bars, and nothing else has ever measured up to Built Bars. It seems like most people either love them or hate them, so I'd recommend starting with one box to see if you like them. They have a 6-bar variety box and an 18-bar box with all 18 flavors on their web site. You can buy single bars from the BariatricPal store, but the shipping isn't worth it unless you're already buying other stuff (and they don't have all of the flavors).

Hi group - After a 2 1/2 year wait with several stalls, changing surgeons and then changing back, rescheduing at least 3 surgery dates until I finally got one I can count on. Yes, even I went through a pile of hoops -- sometimes having to jump through the same hoop over and over again, I finally got the green light to be sleeved on Nov. 1. Words cannot express how I feel right now. Actually, I have no clue how I feel. At times, relieved, other times scared, overwhelmed and feeling I haven't done this is an orderly manner. Heck, I don't have vitamins or a lot of other things. But I'm in with you guys and I hope we will hold on tight to each other and help with this life-changng transformation,. Personally, I am starting at 378 lbs., from an all-time high of 431. I can still remember when I weighed my heaviest, my doctor said," we really need to do something about that." Her name was Joan, and I called her St. Joan, she was so chill. Lost medical records, waiting for Medicare to approve the sleeve, redoing so many of the requirements, including cardiac tests and clearance, now a 2nd pre-op diet, and I think I'm in the clear now. I'm ready to run the Derby. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it here in the sunny Southwest of Dallas, TX,. My moniker is Sassy, so tell me about you!

Hey guys!!!! Hope everyone is doing good and things are going well with everyone's journey! I just got back from Costa Rica three days ago I had a blast!! I'm so happy I went before my surgery and was able to enjoy everything. Just knowing that I'm going to be having surgery soon helped me enjoy my vacation more. I didn't get depressed looking in the mirror and over thinking how I looked In a bathing suit. I just thought about my new goal "sexy at thirty" and the reality that my next vacation hopefully I will be much thinner. I will be thirty in June 2015 and that's my new focus. I have a busy October ahead. I go to do my psych evaluation again this Thursday and then oct 7th I meet with the Surgeon and hopefully get a date and they get new notes for the sleeve to resubmit to UHC and then oct 13 I go to the hematologist to get clearance. I'm so excited!! So looking for a November surgery. SN: I got my denial letter for the Lap Band in the mail when I got back from vacation and the surgery date was Sept 30th, so I do believe things happen for a reason. Imagine being in a resort on a all liquid diet lol. I couldn't do it.

My two cents worth. I WISH I'd done it when my BMI was 32, I wish it had been around and perfected 20 years before my surgery 3 years ago!!! I was off and on a diet for 30 years. I have ALWAYS been able to lose weight. I've lost 5o lbs on three different occasions and lesser amounts, ranging from 15 - 30 on more occasions than I can count. I've been on WW's three different times, I've taken phen/fen, Alli, regular ol' prescription diet pills, Medifast, I've seen a nutritionist and then we have the South Beach, Adkins and the ones I've forgotten about. I lost weight on every single one, every time. That is not the problem, as most of us know, as soon as you get OFF the diet, the weight comes back and so many times with it comes an additional few pounds. I had NO health issues, blood pressure, cholesterol, all ok. No diabetes, sleep apnea or any of the other weight related problems. I'd do it, without hesitation. I don't know how tall you are, but unless I miss my guess, you do not have a huge amount to lose, I went into this 'wanting' to lose about 50 lbs, it came off SOOOOOo quickly that I soon realized two things. I underestimated what I could do with this new little tummy and two, I was fatter than I'd thought. I've lost 84 lbs, I wear 4's and 6's, which is very exciting and a "first" ever!!! I am pretty sure I went from children's size 6X to a jr 13 overnight when I was a kid!!! I was very 'rigid' during the time I was losing, and I have made some of my habits part of my new life and love it. I lost 23 lbs prior to surgery and reached my physician's goal in five months, my goal of five lbs less, a month later. This morning I am 6.5 lbs under HIS goal, I've lost two pounds this week and I'm not sure how! If portion control is what you need, look no further, this has been by far the easiest thing I've ever done to lose weight. I do not think it is the 'easy way out' for a few reasons. One, when you go under the knife to have 85% of your stomach removed, it is not 'easy'. Two, it isn't a cure all, having the digestive tract of a hummingbird or field mouse, like my husband likes to say.....will NOT prevent you from eating poorly, but having the hunger hormone substantially reduced makes it much easier to walk away, to resist when you need or want to....heck, to even throw food away. I know ** gasp ** I made home made pizza last weekend......I DO eat pizza now that I am at goal and easily maintaining, but rather than split a large with my husband I eat one slice, maybe two if it is a small pizza, and there are small pieces. I ate my one piece, he ate several and there were three pieces left over. I did NOT put them into the frig, actually, I put them into baggies, just habit, that is what I've always done. I asked if he'd want them for lunch on Monday, when he said no.....I took the baggies and threw them away. Pizza IS a temptation for me, one that I could probably resist, but why risk it. I seldom eat pizza, once a month or less. My point is.....prior to surgery I'd have NEVER thrown pizza away!!! LOL I still don't get hungry, I have what I call my 'new hunger', it's more of an empty feeling, when I know it's time to put something there. I hope it stays like this forever, I still eat because I like to, it's social and I must, I just eat much, much less. Good luck to you, I hope this helps, there will be some who think your BMI is tooooo low to even consider sleeve surgery, but keep in mind, all of us had YOUR BMI at one time. Why would you wait until it is 40 or 50? Mine was under 36 and I wanted to have fun shopping, mission accomplished. I love it my husband can pick me up......and when I NEED to sound less shallow and vain, I say it was preventive maintenance. All my dad's deceased sisters were heavy....over 300 lbs heavy and none were as tall as me. I fought to stay at 225, a constant "diet" - I knew the older I got, the harder it would be. I haven't regretted my decision at all, it's been a wild ride and I've loved every minute of it. If you do it, enjoy it all. I suspect if you are as 'rigid' as I was during the honeymoon period, you'll reach your goal and beyond in under a year, that is just MY guess because of MY experience. Everyone's is different.

I had the same thing happen... I waited 3 weeks and after bugging the doctors office I called my insurance company only to be told that they showed no request for a surgeory for me... I proceeded to call my doctors office back and they investigated and that afternoon (tuesday) they called the insurance company and we had an approval by thursday evening!!! So now that you know that you have the ball rolling for real heres to hoping you get a speedy response

Hi Sallieanne. I am due to have my xray and first fill next Saturday. I had my op done on June the 5th tho, so 9 weeks after my op i am finally having my xray and fill, i must say i aint to impressed on how long i have waited, i can feel i have no restriction so hopefully the first fill with at least give me some. I had Mr Richardson too in Bromsgrove, was fitted with a 10cc band. Did they say yesterday how long you need to wait for your first fill then and where do u need to go to get it done..? Debbie x

Personally, I would not have a major, potentially life threatening surgery for a BMI that low, especially with no associated health risks. If you lost 10% of your weight, that would probably be enough to move you out of obesity and into overweight. I know people here with low BMI who have done this surgery, succeeded, and are fine, but you asked for opinions. My opinion is that the risk far outweighs the benefit in this circumstance. The statistical risk of complication is low....until YOU become the one with the complication, then it's 100% you...and your three little kids. Not sure if you've looked on this site for complications, but I'd suggest you research that. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Hi Vicki Today I'm week Post op, I had the surgery Monday Nov. 1st 2010. I also had laparoscopic surgery and in fact they did use the glue too. I don't know why i used stitches... However I didn't have a drain.... well have my fingers crossed... thanks anyways

There's NO WAY at 6 weeks you will be eating 1400 calories! 600-800 is pretty normal as early on as you are. I'm 5 months out, and I can't get over 1000 yet! That said, try to eat every couple hours to get your calories in. I wouldn't go back to the shakes, as your pouch does need to start getting used to "real" food. 4-6 smaller meals a day should do the trick to get your calories in. And yes, even if you're NOT hungry You've got to kick that metabolism into gear and give it some food! Good luck and good job thus far with your weight loss!

I'm surprised they want you to eat that much at 6 weeks out. I still don't eat that much and I am 16 months out. I was lucky if I got in 800 calories for the first several months and even now if I try to eat too much dense Protein, I barf. Not to suggest you disregard your doctor's orders, but I've never heard of a doctor suggesting you get that many calories that soon after surgery. You will be back to being hungry again in a few months...enjoy the time now where you're not able to eat a lot and can lose weight quickly.

hi congrads i had lapband done jan 12 2012 i know how you feel your stomach will always feel like pulling..mine still does now~~~JUST GO SLOW AND TRY NOT TO LIFT HEAVEY THINGS EITHER....I STAYED IN hospital for 2 days cause my oxygen level was low....but the day i had surgery i was up and walking.....i losy 42 lbs now in 7 weeks today..it was worth it i wish i had it done yrs ago..i would be thin now...good luck to you!!

I ended up on soy protein drinks from ESAdvantage. I ended up allergic to whey protein after the surgery. I also got GNC's 25 gram no flavor protein powder to put in soups. It adds a bit of "bulk" to cream soups and protein. Good luck. Gas and bloating are very common after surgery. It's been only a few days so relax and walk and take some GAS X tabs they help a lot. I was so bloated I was 223 after surgery, and was 211 the day of surgery. Mostly gas and fluids. Took a week for them to go down. My stomach is still a bit bloated.