male only Starving and nervous...three days from surgery

[PorkChopExpress 821]

Hey, I've read a bunch of posts on this forum over the past several weeks and decided, now that I'm only days away from my surgery, that I'd go ahead and join. The liquid pre-op diet has been the most brutal diet I've ever been on, I'm starving all day long and I never thought I'd miss chewing so much...but I haven't cracked. I've been doing everything by the numbers, so I can get the best outcome possible. My surgery date is September 23rd, and this diet has had the nice effect of making me welcome the surgery date, so that I hopefully won't have to feel this gnawing feeling in my stomach anymore, at least for a few months!

I'm glad to find a men's forum, there just aren't a whole lot of stories out there on the web about men having the surgery and achieving fitness goals, and the like. I am planning to really get myself to a high level of fitness through this process - I love weights and even though I've been overweight most of my life, I know a lot about nutrition and weight training. I guess the challenge isn't gaining the knowledge, it's actually using it. My weight is such a difficulty now though that I'm basically carrying another full-grown man around all day long, it makes the compound lifts difficult to execute safely, without risking injury. So I can't do them. I can't wait until I can feel the relief of getting that guy off my back and pushing Iron, instead of flesh.

Thanks to the guys on this forum who have posted photos of their progress. I plan to be around.

[Dub 9,922]

Keep on staying the course during this pre-op time.

It sucks. No other way to say it. It just sucks.

You will be happy to see the scale reward you daily, though. It will escalate the pace of the loss....by the time you hit your surgery date you will already be losing at a great rate.

You don't have long to go...hang in there and keep on trucking.

One of the greatest simple pleasures that I have now is the feeling when I walk into my gym....it's a very busy gym, too....folks everywhere. I used to get a bit anxious going in there....nervous over the extra weight I was carrying around.....nervous over being judged. Now that a good portion of the unwanted fat is gone.....so is my anxiety over walking in there. I still don't look like a guy who goes to the gym.....but I do feel more at home in there.

I think you will be absolutely amazed at the timeframe that is ahead of you. The weight will burn off quickly and you will be closing in on your weight goals at a rate that will make you laugh.

As you already likely know, Protein intake will be crucial for your weight training and even more so with the bypass. You will have to be consistent and disciplined on ensuring you get the right amounts at the right times.

You're almost there.....a couple days away.

Hang in there.

[PorkChopExpress 821]

Yeah, I'm staying on track...it's taking all of my willpower, but I have resisted every urge to cheat on this pre-op diet. It's too important, and I know that it's really not going to be that long before I won't feel like this anymore, and I'll be back to square one with my eating. So that's helping me get through it. But man, it's hard...and probably part of it is just the difficulty of knowing the finality of it. I've drawn a line in the sand and I'm stepping over it, and I am not going back. But that's a pretty intimidating thought, some days.

It helps to see guys who've done it successfully and are making huge strides in their fitness, especially guys who are in their forties and above. I know that in all likelihood, a year from now I'm going to be kicking myself for not coming to this decision a lot sooner...but better late than never.

I'm really experienced with tracking my intake and all of that, of course most of us probably are after having done all of the traditional diets we have! Protein will be my priority because I want to preserve whatever muscle mass I can during this process.

Edited September 20, 2016 by PorkChopExpress

[blizair09 3,250]

Great post! And welcome.

The pre-op six month diet I have been on has been the best experience for me. Honestly, I can't imagine just going from full-throttle, eat-whatever-I-want to surgery like a lot of people I read about every day on this forum. The experience of losing 95+ pounds on my own pre-surgery has helped me to see the discipline and grit that I am going to have to cling to every day to be successful in my weight loss (and later maintenance) efforts. The fact that you have shown this discipline in your pre-op diet bodes well for your work post-op since this surgery isn't the magic pill some people seem to think that it is!

Your attitude is top notch and will only help to push you along. I wish you all the best. My surgery is a week from tomorrow, so I understand how you must be feeling right now. (And if you ever need another male perspective, or just someone to "listen," please feel free to reach out!)

[James Marusek 5,244]

Good luck on your surgery. It looks like you are in the final home stretch. This article describes my experience with RNY gastric bypass surgery. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

[PorkChopExpress 821]

That's quite an accomplishment, to have done that pre-surgery. The best I think I ever did on my own steam was around 55lbs lost and it would slow to such a crawl...and either something would happen to create stressors in my life that caused me to fall off the wagon, or I'd get so discouraged about not seeing any result for my effort, knowing that I'd done everything right, while feeling incredibly hungry every day, that I left the wagon (usually intending not to do it permanently, just as a "break" - but as soon as I went off...I stayed off).

This surgery is the tool I've needed, I think. The fact that I can get around six months of steady losses without feeling hungry is the key thing. Hunger is what has always made me lose my mind and make it easy to go off the rails. If I don't have that problem and I'm seeing results, I can handle the diet changes.

Had the last meeting with the nutritionist today, tomorrow I start the Clear liquids only and then Thursday it's the cleanse, and Friday morning I'm on the table. Nervous, but I'll be really happy to get this all behind me finally and not have it constantly weighing on my mind.

The pre-op six month diet I have been on has been the best experience for me. Honestly, I can't imagine just going from full-throttle, eat-whatever-I-want to surgery like a lot of people I read about every day on this forum. The experience of losing 95+ pounds on my own pre-surgery has helped me to see the discipline and grit that I am going to have to cling to every day to be successful in my weight loss (and later maintenance) efforts. The fact that you have shown this discipline in your pre-op diet bodes well for your work post-op since this surgery isn't the magic pill some people seem to think that it is!

Edited September 21, 2016 by PorkChopExpress