Attention ! Australian Sleevers

[*Shell* 162]

I had an awesome morning with my appointment with my Gold Coast dietician Fiona Brown who did a full body composition assessment - I only have 5% of body fat left to lose and 4.5kgs of muscle mass to build and then I'm in the perfect range..very healthy visceral abdominal fat and once I reach the above, I will be under my metabolic age Good days xx

[kelliv 659]

Change of plan for Brisbane get together. Instead of tomorrow, we are now meeting for lunch at Groove Train at King George Square at 12.30pm next Monday. Let us know if you can make it.

[mistysj 1,940]

Change of plan for Brisbane get together. Instead of tomorrow' date=' we are now meeting for lunch at Groove Train at King George Square at 12.30pm next Monday. Let us know if you can make it.[/quote']

I'll be there! They have nice grilled fish.

Congrats Shell! You have had such a great attitude throughout. Remember I read this thread from the beginning. I'm so pleased with your success! How are you going to build that muscle?

[brendani 69]

I had an awesome morning with my appointment with my Gold Coast dietician Fiona Brown who did a full body composition assessment - I only have 5% of body fat left to lose and 4.5kgs of muscle mass to build and then I'm in the perfect range..very healthy visceral abdominal fat and once I reach the above' date=' I will be under my metabolic age Good days xx[/quote']

I see Fiona too - isn't she great?

[*Shell* 162]

Misty, I work out 6 days per week - 2 days with a personal trainer, 1 day boxing and 3 days running for 5klms...my goal for next 8 weeks appt is to be close to the 4.5kg muscle mass so different from a year ago when couldn't walk down the road without being out of breath

[brendani 69]

Guys, I just wrote this email to my dietician. I need some help. I feel like I've almost swayed too far the wrong way...

Hi Fiona,

Have been sitting here talking to my wife, Sarah, about the changes I'm going to have to make to my lifestyle to adapt to the sleeve, and I don't know that I'm ready.

All the pep talks from yourself and from Dr Nolan's reception girls, and friends and forum posts are great but no-one knows what happens in my head. No-one has had the same experience with food that I have, and/or likes the same things I do.

I've never thought of myself as an emotional eater - I still don't think that's the case. I think that I really enjoy certain things (many things), and I just can't bear the thought tonight of only being able to take a couple of bites of something I love, and not be able to continue - whether my body says I'm full or not. I fear that even if I can get over this mental hurdle and do go ahead with the surgery next Friday that I am going to do myself damage, physically and mentally by pushing it too far.

We talk about, and I read about the guidelines on "how to eat" post-sleeve, in the sense of slowly, small bites etc.. My mouth isn't going to be any smaller! I was speaking to (a friend) on Tuesday and she mentioned that it would take her 2 sittings to eat a single sushi roll. I can't imagine how hard it will be, for a big (and I mean tall by that) guy like me to take tiny little bites of a sushi roll - it doesn't even work that way! I don't like the seaweed or the rice by themselves. I know I'm rambling but I guess it just illustrates my point - I can make peace with the 1 (or maybe 2 if I'm a lucky one) small slices of pizza, but how can I reconcile with myself that I can't even eat a normal amount of something healthy like a chicken breast or a salad sandwich??

The more I write this, the more I fear I'm changing my own mind further - this pre-op diet is doing my head in. I would die for a salad sanga at the moment. This diet is making me realise the fantastic array of healthy options that I have, that I just haven't bothered to take in the past when it's all gotten too hard and would just jump in the car to go and get KFC for dinner.

I fear feeling abnormal. I realise being obese is abnormal in itself, but the rest of my life is a really long time to live with the regret and mourning for something that I have enjoyed so much over my first 30 years.

It feels like I am voluntarily going in to have my right arm amputated.

At the moment I'm feeling like perhaps this is the kick in the arse that I've needed to actually get this weight off. When I'm honest, even though I've made numerous attempts at losing my weight over the past 10 or more years, it's always been a little half-hearted, or it's been full-on and only lasted a short period of time. I have the knowledge, and have the tools, and I have the desire to make it happen, so why can't I do this on my own, and still be able to eat a normal sized healthy meal, and the occasional Quarter Pounder??

Please give me call, or a return email as soon as you're able - I need to resolve this before I go through another weekend of indecision and despair.

[sueoco 509]

Hi Brendani

I will start this by saying that this is your decision to make and no one can make It for you. I want to tell you about how I felt leading into an operation that was going to change my life - and yes this is a big deal!

I too felt scared that I would regret it and mourn the loss of eating all I could eat when I wanted. The truth is that you do have to come to terms with that in your head. The reality was that I had tried to lose weight over many years and I did have some successes but always put the weight back on. I also had thoughts of 'if I can do this pre op thing, why can't I just lose weight this way without this operation! I realised that I would have to continue on the pre op diet (or something very close to it) for about a year and then have a life long battle with hunger to keep the weight off - I knew I would never be able to maintain that as I had been there so many times before - haven't we all!

The pre op diet is hell and it does play tricks on your mind - I have even heard that such a restricted calorie diet can trigger sort of a depression - something to do with hormones I think - or was it liver. Anyway, I think most people have thoughts of 'why couldn't I just do this and lose the weight' - it is a normal thought process.

Once you have the operation, the way you feel about food that you used to love will be different. The reason is that 1/ you don't feel hungry 2/ food can taste different 3/ the sensation of fullness has completely changed - so all the payoffs you got from food prior to the operation are gone - suddenly your brain goes 'hey I don't have to eat to feel good'.

I am nearly one year out now and I do feel hunger (but not ravenous like my old hunger), most food tastes good and I feel satisfied with very little of the things I love. I can eat chicken wings and drink a margarita, I can eat a sushi roll - yes I eat it a bit slower but I don't feel deprived or unhappy that I couldn't eat a whole plate. I just feel full, happy and thin!

I can honestly say that I do not miss the way I used to eat. I still love my food but I am so happy I don't have to eat a lot anymore. People often ask me how I feel now and I think my key word is 'relief' - I am so relieved that food doesn't control me - I now control it - with a little help from my sleeve!

This is just my story ...I hope you make the right choice for you and what ever you decide please stay on this forum. It will give you insight into other people's experiences and who knows, if you aren't ready yet, you might be soon! All the best.

[sueoco 509]

I had an awesome morning with my appointment with my Gold Coast dietician Fiona Brown who did a full body composition assessment - I only have 5% of body fat left to lose and 4.5kgs of muscle mass to build and then I'm in the perfect range..very healthy visceral abdominal fat and once I reach the above' date=' I will be under my metabolic age <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> Good days xx[/quote']

Well done Shell - I would hate to see my muscle mass since I probably have zero!! You and Aussiegirl are the model sleevers and have done so well with your exercise!

Why do I still hate exercise and Water so much!

[sueoco 509]

I have had a huge amount of restriction all day long. I had a hard time finishing lunch and my afternoon snack has been tough too. This is a good thing because I was not feeling much restriction even on full solids' date=' except for really firm Protein like chicken breast.[/quote']

hi misty

I have always found Protein the hardest thing to eat - crisp carbs seem to be the easiest. I think it depends on how much protein you have had during the day or previous day too as it does take a while to digest.

[Sydney Susan 333]

Brendani I agree with everything Sue said a couple of posts earlier, although I've been sleeved a lot less time than she has. After only 9 weeks (not even a footy or tv series "season") I find that my thoughts about eating have changed a lot - not my love of food and taste, just amounts and speed at which I eat.

"Restriction" is a beautiful thing - you WILL slow down your eating because it will be bl**dy uncomfortable if you don't! I eat with a teaspoon a lot and have no problem with that, but sometimes I get carried away with the taste of something, take a whacking big bite and then realise I have to chew it a lot and swallow in stages. It works fine for me.

As Sue said, only you can make the decision for you, but try not to equate everything you do today with something you'll experience as a loss later - you almost certainly won't. I was a big portion eater of mostly v good quality food - no junk food, not particularly sweet stuff and nor do i tend towards "two fat ladies" style creamy or fatty dishes (my hubby does though, but he's thin... a story for another day and a different forum). I now watch my husband and son eat their "huge" meals at a pace that seems obscene, but didn't used to. I don't feel deprived because I'm not hungry - it's the "new normal" people speak of.

What we do or did around food is also only one way of eating - there've always been people who ate slower, took smaller mouthfuls and ate less quantity and less calorific food. Our "normal" was/is only one of many.

I'm no saint by the way... I could quietly nibble exquisite cheeses and sup good wine all day long, and my sleeve would let me! But it would be no real achievement to lose my excess weight if there was no work left for me to do, would it???

A few days before my op I posted on this site that I didn't think I could give up the enjoyment of food and was thinking of backing out. Lovely people reassured me I would still enjoy my food, just in smaller amounts. And they've been right.

At this relatively early stage I'm still avoiding bread, rice, Pasta and cake/biscuits ... but I find plenty of stuff I like when I'm out and about. I enjoy socialising and was eating out very early on... eating around the solid food in an Asian Soup while still on thin liquids!

My BMI was "only" 36 but I had several serious health issues related to my weight and a huge family history of early death. I'm 52 and earlier this year realised my state of health was significantly worse than both my parents at this age, and they died well before reaching 60. I can't begin to tell you how great it feels to have "hope" (and even "positive expectations") again. Health may not be your biggest concern, but for many of us it is or becomes a big black cloud in our lives.

I wish you well with your decision and your journey, whatever it is. Have faith in yourself to cope with the transitions you face. If we can do it, you can too.

Good luck.

[sueoco 509]

Brendani I agree with everything Sue said a couple of posts earlier' date=' although I've been sleeved a lot less time than she has. After only 9 weeks (not even a footy or tv series "season") I find that my thoughts about eating have changed a lot - not my love of food and taste, just amounts and speed at which I eat.

"Restriction" is a beautiful thing - you WILL slow down your eating because it will be bl**dy uncomfortable if you don't! I eat with a teaspoon a lot and have no problem with that, but sometimes I get carried away with the taste of something, take a whacking big bite and then realise I have to chew it a lot and swallow in stages. It works fine for me.

As Sue said, only you can make the decision for you, but try not to equate everything you do today with something you'll experience as a loss later - you almost certainly won't. I was a big portion eater of mostly v good quality food - no junk food, not particularly sweet stuff and nor do i tend towards "two fat ladies" style creamy or fatty dishes (my hubby does though, but he's thin... a story for another day and a different forum). I now watch my husband and son eat their "huge" meals at a pace that seems obscene, but didn't used to. I don't feel deprived because I'm not hungry - it's the "new normal" people speak of.

What we do or did around food is also only one way of eating - there've always been people who ate slower, took smaller mouthfuls and ate less quantity and less calorific food. Our "normal" was/is only one of many.

I'm no saint by the way... I could quietly nibble exquisite cheeses and sup good wine all day long, and my sleeve would let me! But it would be no real achievement to lose my excess weight if there was no work left for me to do, would it???

A few days before my op I posted on this site that I didn't think I could give up the enjoyment of food and was thinking of backing out. Lovely people reassured me I would still enjoy my food, just in smaller amounts. And they've been right.

At this relatively early stage I'm still avoiding bread, rice, Pasta and cake/biscuits ... but I find plenty of stuff I like when I'm out and about. I enjoy socialising and was eating out very early on... eating around the solid food in an Asian Soup while still on thin liquids!

My BMI was "only" 36 but I had several serious health issues related to my weight and a huge family history of early death. I'm 52 and earlier this year realised my state of health was significantly worse than both my parents at this age, and they died well before reaching 60. I can't begin to tell you how great it feels to have "hope" (and even "positive expectations") again. Health may not be your biggest concern, but for many of us it is or becomes a big black cloud in our lives.

I wish you well with your decision and your journey, whatever it is. Have faith in yourself to cope with the transitions you face. If we can do it, you can too.

Good luck.[/quote']

Well said Susan - I can relate to so much of what you have expressed here!

[mistysj 1,940]

Susan and Sue said it better than I could. I haven't felt deprived in the least. I feel free because I'm not being led around by my stomach anymore.

[kelliv 659]

Guys' date=' I just wrote this email to my dietician. I need some help. I feel like I've almost swayed too far the wrong way...

Hi Fiona,

Have been sitting here talking to my wife, Sarah, about the changes I'm going to have to make to my lifestyle to adapt to the sleeve, and I don't know that I'm ready.

All the pep talks from yourself and from Dr Nolan's reception girls, and friends and forum posts are great but no-one knows what happens in my head. No-one has had the same experience with food that I have, and/or likes the same things I do.

I've never thought of myself as an emotional eater - I still don't think that's the case. I think that I really enjoy certain things (many things), and I just can't bear the thought tonight of only being able to take a couple of bites of something I love, and not be able to continue - whether my body says I'm full or not. I fear that even if I can get over this mental hurdle and do go ahead with the surgery next Friday that I am going to do myself damage, physically and mentally by pushing it too far.

We talk about, and I read about the guidelines on "how to eat" post-sleeve, in the sense of slowly, small bites etc.. My mouth isn't going to be any smaller! I was speaking to (a friend) on Tuesday and she mentioned that it would take her 2 sittings to eat a single sushi roll. I can't imagine how hard it will be, for a big (and I mean tall by that) guy like me to take tiny little bites of a sushi roll - it doesn't even work that way! I don't like the seaweed or the rice by themselves. I know I'm rambling but I guess it just illustrates my point - I can make peace with the 1 (or maybe 2 if I'm a lucky one) small slices of pizza, but how can I reconcile with myself that I can't even eat a normal amount of something healthy like a chicken breast or a salad sandwich??

The more I write this, the more I fear I'm changing my own mind further - this pre-op diet is doing my head in. I would die for a salad sanga at the moment. This diet is making me realise the fantastic array of healthy options that I have, that I just haven't bothered to take in the past when it's all gotten too hard and would just jump in the car to go and get KFC for dinner.

I fear feeling abnormal. I realise being obese is abnormal in itself, but the rest of my life is a really long time to live with the regret and mourning for something that I have enjoyed so much over my first 30 years.

It feels like I am voluntarily going in to have my right arm amputated.

At the moment I'm feeling like perhaps this is the kick in the arse that I've needed to actually get this weight off. When I'm honest, even though I've made numerous attempts at losing my weight over the past 10 or more years, it's always been a little half-hearted, or it's been full-on and only lasted a short period of time. I have the knowledge, and have the tools, and I have the desire to make it happen, so why can't I do this on my own, and still be able to eat a normal sized healthy meal, and the occasional Quarter Pounder??

Please give me call, or a return email as soon as you're able - I need to resolve this before I go through another weekend of indecision and despair.[/quote']

Brendan, everything Sue just said, I agree with 100% and felt and now feel exactly the same way, as do most others who get a sleeve. It will be great if Dean can join us for lunch on Monday, so you can talk to another 'bloke' about his experiences. If he cannot make it, it may be worth you giving him a call. The thoughts you are going through are perfectly normal, but it is a relief afterwards and life is far better than it was before. The opti phase is difficult and having the sleeve after the initial transition period s a breeze!!! See you on Monday.

[tashk 45]

Doing my "happy dance" all booked in for August 28 th!!! 4 weeks til my delicious diet of opti then onto the new me!!

[*Shell* 162]

Hi Guys, to all that responded for some coffee samples, the overwhelming response left me short of supplies and my new shipment just arrived so have sent the coffee out to you all this morning ☕ ENJOY