Attention ! Australian Sleevers

[puppyphat 397]

Oh and new little dilemma. (I know, my life is all drama)

I've been single for about 2 years and I have a mutual attraction to one of the guys at work. He's great. Only problem is that he's an executive sous chef and is very passionate about good food. He's watching his weight and I health conscious which is good, but I really don't want to offend by not eating much of his food, also don't want to tell him about surgery just yet as no one else at work knows.

I don't expect any advice, just thought it was funny that of all people, with all different occupations, I'm still attracted to a chef.

[KristiP 51]

Well, first pre-pre-op weigh in today. I'm a little disappointed in the result - was hoping for a bigger loss considering my efforts this past week.

A measly 1.6kgs down. And, I managed to shift some ofmthe Fluid retention in my ankles and feet, so I haven to assumemthat I actually lost nothing butnwater weight.

I guess at least my feet and ankles are almost back to normal though. There's a plus.

[one_elle26 118]

Hi, KristiP, please don't be too hard on yourself about 'losing weight' pre op, (I presume you're on Opti) it's not about weight loss it's about 'shrinking ' your Liver so that Stephen can get good access to your stomach to do the surgery. Besides 1.6 kg in a week is a great loss anyway! You're doing a great job just by sticking to the Opti program, it's not easy to make such a drastic change to your diet.

Also, you talked about how you may have portrayed Stephen as a bit of a negative person. I didn't think that at all...as you said he is a product of the era when surgeons were taught that they are somehow 'superior' to their patients...as I said I have known Stephen since he was working towards becoming a surgeon and he has always been super confident and a 'wee bit' arrogant, however, as I have said before, his surgical skills are brilliant. I have referred family members to him for other surgery but not for weight loss surgery. I was his patient through 2 Lapband ops and he removed my Gallbladder (which he said was in the top 10% of the worst Gallbladders he had ever removed) and I was very glad it was Stephen doing that surgery.

You are correct in saying that you are in good hands for the surgical part of the surgery but you will need to find someone else to give you that 'pat on the back'. This group is very supportive and has lots of knowledge .I don't post much here because I am still waiting for my surgery so I have no insight about the post op phase. I do read the posts on most days.

Stay strong, you can do this!!!!!

Sending a BIG 'pat on the back' to you for all of your great work.

Best wishes

one_elle26

[AussieLady 521]

Hi Everyone,

I am sure that this has been done before but I would love to get some friends on MyfitnessPal. My name is Lady53 if you are interested. Live in Melbourne. Surgery was on 14/11.

[KristiP 51]

Hi one_Elle,

My surgery isn't until 18 Feb, so I'm not quite on Optifast yet. I won't have to start that until 4 Feb. So right now, I'm on a self imposed low cal/low carb diet (sort of like Atkins but not as much fat).

I probably wouldn't be doing this if Stephen hadn't been so disgusted by my 10kg gain between having the band out on 20 Sept and seeing him again 21 Dec. He reminded me of the 2 week pre-op Optifast ONLY diet (I did clarify with him that meant strictly OptiFast and nothing else but Water during this time) and told me that under no uncertain terms would the surgery proceed if he got in there and found my liver still all fatty. He said he'd sew me back up, and that would be it for me.

Yikes.

So I thought I'd get a jump start on the pre-op liver shrinking/weight loss. I already know that OptiFast only will be very hard for me for 2 weeks, so I thought if I started reigning myself in, it would lessen the OptiAgony! Lol

But.......I also wanted to go into the OR weighing what I did when I got my band unfilled in (April? May? I forget). I was 116-118kgs (depending on which scale I stood on).

I'm trying to put it all into perspective. So I've chosen to focus not on the number that was smaller than what I hoped for, but my ankles and feet which are smaller than they've been since November. I've been having to wear my husbands Crocs around the house (11's) since then, but this morning I tried mine on (8's...maybe 9's...I forget and the bottoms are total race slicks now! Haha) and was able to slide my feet in like they used to. It was nice to see that happen.

So.....still in the saddle, and now hoping to see a big drop NEXT Sunday - although I will happily accept any number that comes up as longer as it's LOWER.

Hope everyone is doing well and going out there and making it happen!

Cheers

[kelliv 659]

Hi Kristi, it sounds tough doing Optifast ONLY for 2 weeks. When I did it under the supervision of my surgeon and dietican I was allowed, non starchy vege and berries and it made it bearable. sugar free lollies from the chemist then were handy during that phase. I was also advised to only drink the vanilla and chocolate Optifast shakes as the other flavours were higher in sugar. Having Coeliac disease I could not eat any other Opti product as they were not gluten free. For variety I would mix a small expresso coffee into a vanilla Opti shake with ice and blend...Yum or frozen berries ice and either vanilla or chocolate shakes were also delicious. Are you seeing a dietician in addition to the surgeon pre-op? Good luck

[KristiP 51]

Hi Kristi' date=' it sounds tough doing Optifast ONLY for 2 weeks. When I did it under the supervision of my surgeon and dietican I was allowed, non starchy vege and berries and it made it bearable. sugar free lollies from the chemist then were handy during that phase. I was also advised to only drink the vanilla and chocolate Optifast shakes as the other flavours were higher in sugar. Having Coeliac disease I could not eat any other Opti product as they were not gluten free. For variety I would mix a small expresso coffee into a vanilla Opti shake with ice and blend...Yum or frozen berries ice and either vanilla or chocolate shakes were also delicious. Are you seeing a dietician in addition to the surgeon pre-op? Good luck[/quote']

Hi kelliv,

Yeah, I was surprised when he told me that, as I know most people have 2 shakes and a small portion of lean Protein and a non-starchy veg for one meal. But he said 3 OptiFast shakes (or any Opti product of my choice) 3x day and Water and that's it! He didn't mention anything about the flavors but I've had a look and there are differences in them with cal/carb/fat etc. I may have to go with 2 Opti bars and a shake because I can tell you right now the shakes are not going to hold me! I just get SO HUNGRY! And it's true hunger, not thirst. Couldn't possibly be thirst, I am drinking so much Water and Decaf tea it's not even funny. Check out my grocery bill for toilet paper! (sorry,...tmi?)

I may ask him when I see him on the 30th for my last pre-op appt about why no actual food - but the way he's emphasized and reemphasized fatty liver, I am under the assumption that mine looked like a bucket of lard or something when he went in to take out my band! Maybe I just won't question it; the reason doesn't matter, as thats the instruction I was given. Or, if I lose enough, before 30th he may change the directive.

Who knows, it's all a big guessing game, isn't it?

Regarding the dietician, I am not seeing one pre-op. My insurance doesn't require it, and when I asked Stepehn about it he brushed it off, saying that if I was like all his other patients I was already as well informed about that sort of thing from experience with every diet under the sun, so he saw no reason I should waste time and money on one.

However, he did say that POST-op I would need to consult a nutritionist, possibly a dietician, and maybe a counselor/therapist depending on how well I managed post-op with not being able to binge and emotional eat to comfort myself. Went on to say that success with the sleeve would depend on what was going on in my head more than my gut, and I wholly agree. Part of my self-imposed pre-pre-op diet is to get back into the mode of planning, executing and tracking what I eat and when, why im eating (hunger or emotions?) how fast etc. I have the ability to be very adherent for long periods and then something in life will throw me into a tailspin and it all goes out the window! That said, I'm looking for a counselor/therapist that specializes in eating disorders that is also familiar and supportive of WLS. Because I don't need the bulls*** from someone who isn't going to be 100% supportive, you know? If I want that, I can get it from innumerable sources for free! Hahaha

Anyhooo......I am just about finished with my lunch hour - Subway salad with tuna, no cheese, no dressing, which was delicious and satisfying and am now waiting 30 minutes to drink my water - practicing not drinking and eating together, which is not that easy to tell the truth! It's something I'm really having to work at.

Ok better end this before the board runs out of bandwidth! Lol

Everyone have a great week, and go out and make it happen!

[kelliv 659]

Hi Kristi, it's interesting how every doctor seems to have different instructions. Mine was at least one compulsory visit to a dietician and one to a psychologist before even booking the surgery and he recommended people. I personally found the dietician invaluable and could not have got through it without his advice, especially in the four weeks post op. I asked my GP to do a joint carers plan for me which allowed up to 5 psych or dietician visits relating to the planned surgery. These were then heavily subsidised by Medicare. It would be worth you discussing this with your GP. My surgeon also recommended I could have lean Protein such as chicken breast in the pre-op phase, but I only did it once or twice.

Re timing drinking away from eating I still find this tough. I try to drink a glass of Water 15 minutes before eating as I am then not as thirsty or obsessed with drinkng afterwards.

[kelliv 659]

Had a repeat sleep study last night and my sleep apnea has halved from the original text a couple of years ago due entirely to my weight loss to date. Officially although I still have sleep apnea it is now mild and I don't have to use my CPAP machine, however I am still more tired than I want to be so will go back to using it every few nights. Continued weight loss will mean the sleep apnea will disappear altogether, so for others out there on a machine, there is hope after losing weight. I have enjoyed not using it for the past month but am looking forward to waking up tomorrow feeling refreshed.

[one_elle26 118]

Had a repeat sleep study last night and my sleep apnea has halved from the original text a couple of years ago due entirely to my weight loss to date. Officially although I still have sleep apnea it is now mild and I don't have to use my CPAP machine, however I am still more tired than I want to be so will go back to using it every few nights. Continued weight loss will mean the sleep apnea will disappear altogether, so for others out there on a machine, there is hope after losing weight. I have enjoyed not using it for the past month but am looking forward to waking up tomorrow feeling refreshed.

Kelliv, there is evidence that having adequate sleep can help with weight loss. I was sceptical until I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnoea about a year ago, and long before I knew that I could have 'revision surgery' after my 'failed band'. Anyway, I lost between 10 and 15 kg without doing anything except using a CPap machine. I was sleeping better!!!!! So I believe that using your CPap for a bit longer will possibly have a very positive effect on further weight loss. Well Done on your hard work so far.

KristiP, If my memory serves me correctly, Stephen has always believed in using only Optifast for his pre op prep. Good Luck with it.

Best Wishes

One_elle26

[Nessa1977 155]

I'm finally free of the 90's!!! Weighed myself this morning and I'm 89.7kg!!! OMG that feels so good to be free of another...um, can't think of the word though, not decade LOL. Help?!

[*Dean* 1,594]

Had a repeat sleep study last night and my sleep apnea has halved from the original text a couple of years ago due entirely to my weight loss to date. Officially although I still have sleep apnea it is now mild and I don't have to use my CPAP machine, however I am still more tired than I want to be so will go back to using it every few nights. Continued weight loss will mean the sleep apnea will disappear altogether, so for others out there on a machine, there is hope after losing weight. I have enjoyed not using it for the past month but am looking forward to waking up tomorrow feeling refreshed.

That's awesome Kelli. Must be great to know you will be free of it eventually

[puppyphat 397]

I'm finally free of the 90's!!! Weighed myself this morning and I'm 89.7kg!!! OMG that feels so good to be free of another...um' date=' can't think of the word though, not decade LOL. Help?![/quote']

I don't know what the word is either, but the feeling's amazing isn't it. You're doing so well, getting into the 80s. If you're not already, soon you'll be completely out of all the plus sizes and NOTHING in city chic or autograph will fit you.

Well done.

[Nessa1977 155]

I think I already am out of plus sized. I bought size 16!!!!! pants from Sussan the other day. I now vary between 14 and 18, depends where I shop.

[sueoco 509]

Well done Nessa - great feeling isn't it. Can you see your self getting slimmer? It took me quite a while to be able to see myself slimmer and even now I have my 'fat' days. The mind is a curious thing!