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63 and have never written to a forum like this on any subject. Like many I tried numerous programs, over the last 15 to 20 years, to address my slowly increasing weight, but nothing worked for more than a month or so. My problem is not eating poor quality meals, generally over eating at meal time, routinely eating badly (rarely go to a McDonald's except driving on vacation) or having a trigger food like cake or ice cream. My problem is I have no clue what hunger really feels like anymore. I can easily go all day with out eating but then once I start at dinner I can't/don't stop eating. I can eat a Thanks Giving meal, stuffed to the point of being sick, and then still turn around and stuff something else in. Clearly not hunger. I am not a moody or depressed person so while there is likely an emotional component to this it is not obvious what it is. At the advice of nutritionists I have tried lots of things (e.g., sip a cup of tee, find another activity to keep your mind occupied, go for a walk) to break this habit. All of those are pleasant, but they actually feed the compulsion much like how a dog acts staring at dog biscuit outside its crate. Bottom-line its uncontrollable, mind-less, snacking. So pardon the long winded lead in, but this is causing me angst as my surgery date approaches so a couple questions for the experienced members. Having read a lot about the diet restrictions I worry that not having good mental control over my eating behavior could cause problems. Mindless eating by its nature is uncontrolled and I wonder if others have found this problematic and if so how did they deal with it. Are holidays and special occasions ever the same post surgery? The euphemism "pigging-out" is actually something pleasurable beyond just food. For example most holidays and special occasions have a component of overeating. Almost seems that once you have the surgery those pleasures are a thing of the past. How do you break this or is it always a struggle? I've been thinking a lot about my favorite holidays (i.e., Christmas, Thanks Giving, Fourth of July) and in my mind I hear "Maybe I should just try a conventional diet program again at least I'll still be able to enjoy turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie at Christmas". I travel a fair amount for work. I have actually delayed the surgery until summer when my travel and speaking schedule slow for a few months. I am scheduled for surgery the third week of June which is three weeks after my last trip. Then I don't have anything else scheduled until early September but that is in Europe. I have read a lot of posts but I have not found many that outline traveling success recommendations. While there is some entertaining in the mix it is not excessive I am more interested in how people manage a restrictive diet around the chaotic schedules of business travelers. Last but not least. One of my bucket list items has long been to ride a bicycle across the country from coast to coast. Before I even contemplated the surgery I started making plans for when I might be able to do this and how I could go about making it happen. One of the big issues was certainly my weight which would be helped by the surgery. However, again with the diet restrictions and hydration needs I wonder if there are any challenges or problems with long endurance activities like this. Currently this would be a couple years post surgery so healing should be complete, my concern is are there problems with dehydration. After scanning this long message seems I am a politician, which I am not. If anyone cares to comments I don't expect people to respond to all of my questions. Probably should have written more than one message but this was stream of consciousness.

Hello everybody!!! My surgery is next Monday (05/14) and I’m starting to feel nervous. I don’t know if it’s part of the excitement. How are some of you handling your emotions?

I’ve had sugar. Ate a popsicle that wasn’t sugar free by accident. It was added to my box by my husband who is working on emptying the freezer and I grabbed it by mistake. I had no issue at all. Nothing. I was shocked.

Some of us can tolerate it while others can't. Is your fear sugar because of dumping syndrome or weight gain? If I have sugar and carbs I crave them more. I don't get sick from it in small amounts. I also feel bogged down when I don't eat healthy.

I know dietbet has a maximum that can be lost in a period of time, if someone goes over a certain percentage they are disqualified.

I had just shakes for two weeks...with one yogurt or oatmeal per day......and sugar free clear liquids. Some people get one protein/nonstarchy veggie meal per day. Your diet sounds like a bear. I wish I could say something really encouraging here....but the pre-op diet was hell on Earth for me. Way worse than the actual surgery or recovery for me. Experiences differ...but yeah...sounds like you're up against a very strict, very long version. Your doctor sounds Sadistic. If you cheat (don't cheat!)....but if you do....DO NOT eat carbs. The whole point of the diet is to shrink your liver by being very carb restricted. If you cheat, cheat with protein or non starchy veggies. Best idea... don't cheat. Take it a day at a time. And hang in there! Best wishes.

Correlation is not causation. Random assignment is necessary in experimental design to determine cause. Hopefully they will continue to research whether pre op weight loss does improve outcomes. I didn’t have a pre op diet. I lost more than 100% of my weight and have kept it off. I know others with pre op success have as well.

Thank you for sharing this. I lost about 25% of my body weight in the 8 months prior to surgery and this makes me hopeful that I’ll continue to do well now that I’ve had surgery. I do think that my recovery was much better because of this weight loss and as a result of daily exercise since November. My recovery has been amazingly smooth so far; I’m fortunate.

I’m two days pre-op and I am feeling crazy nervous right now. I have been good so far but every time someone asks me if I’m ready and tells me it’s life changing, I feel like I want to vomit.

That’s what keeps me motivated, all the people that have done it. Good luck!