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I weighed 295 when I started my pre-op diet on 3/16. I'm female, 5'4", 29yrs old. I lost 15 pounds with the pre-op diet, and 20 since I had my surgery on 3/30. So total weight loss is 35 pounds. I'm very happy with the results so far!

We are total opposites. I had a 2 week liquid pre-op diet that was awful. I would have killed to do low carb! At least you can eat! Just stick with it, and you will feel okay. I know from doing the Atkins diet so many times that it takes about 3 or 4 days to get all the carbs out of your system, and once you do you will feel much better. Also, once you're post-op you probally won't be getting in that many carbs per day. I'm 2 weeks post-op and I'm averaging about 30-35g of carbs a day, simply because I can't eat/drink that much. Stick with your diet so your surgery has the best chance at success! Good luck!

Wow, you look fantastic! I have a lot to lose, but you inspire me and make me feel like it can be done. I've also never been able to wear cute dresses like that, so I can only imagine how excited you must be!

It was given to me for nausea, but this is what I found online: "Metoclopramide increases muscle contractions in upper digestive tract. This speeds up the rate at which the stomach empties into the intestines. Metoclopramide is used short-term to treat heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux in people who have used other medications without relief of symptoms. Metoclopramide is also used to treat slow gastric emptying in people with diabetes (also called diabetic gastroparesis), which can cause nausea, vomiting, heartburn, loss of appetite, and a feeling of fullness after meals." Also, I guess if you take it for a long time it can cause some weird disease...

I'm 2 weeks out today, and have been problem free except on days 9 - 11. I too was having stomach spasms/cramps anytime I drank anything. They have since stopped, and I think it's because I started taking my Reglan prescription that I should have been taking since surgery, but wasn't. Maybe you could ask your doctor for Reglan to see if it would help? I was given a 2 week supply to take 3x's a day when I left the hospital, but I thought it was for nausea, which I didn't have, so I didn't take it. After researching, I found that Reglan helps the stomach empty faster. Anyway, I'm not 100% sure if that's what made the spasms go away, but it might be worth a shot. I feel really bad for you, I totally know what you are going through. Good luck.

I'm at 12 days out. The first 3 or 4 days I had some hunger. It wasn't as bad as pre-op by any means, but there was hunger. The hunger is basically gone now, and my desire to eat real food is just for the taste and chewing sensation. I understand what you mean about the "grazing" because I feel like that's what I'm doing too. Pre-op I planned on making an eating and drinking schedule, but I never did that. My plan calls for 3 weeks of liquid, so I still have another week and 2 days of this phase. I'm going to make an eating time chart so I feel like I have more control over what I'm eating right now. My estimation is that I'm currently drinking about 24 to 36 ounces of Water a day, and getting in 2 to 3 8oz Protein shakes a day. I know this is not enough, so I feel a schedule would help me get everything in. The last time I weighed myself was on day 6, and at that point I'd lost 10 pounds since surgery, 25 total with pre-op. That was totally exciting, but I'm also really fat and have a lot to lose. Since then, I have put my scales out of reach. The next time I weigh myself might be in a month or so. I figure there is no point in weighing right now because I know the weight is going to come off (it has to, I'm eating hardly anything) and I can't do anything more than I'm doing to speed it up.

Hi all, I'm about to enter the mushey food stage, and I came across this website that had some good ideas. recipes for pureed Foods - Entrees, Vegetables, and Salads

My doctor told me to use a laxative to get things going. He recommended Dulcolax suppositories. Also, there is a All Bran sf pink lemonade that tastes just like Crystal Light and has 10g of fiber

I'm on liquids right now too, and I keep thinking about eating something real, even healthy foods. It's the fear of a leak that stops me as well. I can't wait to move on to mushies. I think it will be different this time around for me because, although I am craving some junk food, the cravings and hunger are only a fraction of what they were pre-op. Before I was like an out of control animal with food, now I feel like I have the power to make the right food choices.

It's an hard to explain empty feeling mixed with "that sounds good". I'm on an acid reducer so I don't think it's that. Hopefully it's the ghrelin. Also, I guess I didn't realize how much I liked eating food. I miss it now. Will that feeling pass?

I've been using the GNC brand 100% whey and I can't taste it. So far I've put it in malt-o-meal, cream of potato soup, and a smoothie with no aftertaste at all.

Has anyone here ever appealed to a Independent Review Organization? My second appeal has been denied, and according to my insurance company this is my next option. Just wondering if anyone has been successful with this. Thanks

Hi all, I'm on post op day 5, and the last couple of days I've been really hungry. This is rather troubling since I thought the surgery would take away my hunger, especially in the beginning. Or could this just be what I've heard people call "head hunger"? Will it get better when I move on to mushies? Also, (possibly TMI) I've been having some cramping and loose stools. Does anyone know if pepto bismol is alright in the all liquids phase? Thanks, you guys help me out so much.

There is another kind of these out there called Nu Whey that are 100% whey. They are 3.4oz, have 42g protein, around 190 calories, and 0 carbs. I got mine at GNC, but you can get them cheaper on the internet. I have the fruit punch flavor, and they are barely drinkable, but I think it's the only way I'm going to meet the protein requirement at this point (4 days out). They taste like super thick, sweet, salty Gatorade.

We are allowed to have Italian Ice and Fruit Sorbet in this stage on my program.

Hello, I about 34 hours post op, and not doing so good. I was feeling okay about 3 hours ago and decided to leave the hospital. Now that I am at home I can't get down my anti-nausea med and pain med. There is just no room. Every sip feels like it get stuck and there is pain in my chest. Also, I feel like the gas pain is getting worse my chest too. Will all this pass soon? Should I wait it out at home, or go back to the hospital? Thanks

Hi all, Had my sleeve done yesterday, 3/30, at around noon. It's now 1:30 the next day, and I'm feeling alright. The pain seems to come and go. I've been trying to walk once an hour. I tool the leak test, and while I don't have a leak, the doctors said that the liquid was going down slower than they hoped, so I am still on a no liquid diet and I can't go home yet. This kind of scared me, has anyone else had a hard time getting liquid down the day after? It feels "stuck" in my throat. Also, how long does it take for the gas to leave your body? Last night the gas pain was so bad I was regretting even doing the surgery. thanks, andrea

Hey, It's your day too! We will be sleeve twins! Good luck to you, hope we both have a speedy recovery

Thanks to all of you for writing me back. It has made me feel a lot better. I'm just a little under 12 hours away from surgery now, and I'm nervous, anxious, and very very scared. I actually can't believe that it's almost time, I've been thinking about this surgery everyday for months! This board has been so informative, helpful, and inspirational for me. Reading everyone's posts helped has really helped me feel comfortable about my decision to have the sleeve. Also, I went into this wanting a lap band, and you guys have made me realize how lucky I was to have found out about the sleeve before going that route. I have come to terms with my decision to do this. I have made peace with the fact that I'll never be able to gorge myself for pleasure again, but it's about time I found another form of pleasure. I'll be 30 in two weeks, and I'm looking forward to starting a new decade of life without weight and constant dieting being an issue. Anyway, thanks again, and I hope to post really soon from the sleeved side. :confused1: Andrea

Hi guys, Sorry for the long post, I just have some last minute thoughts/questions. I can't believe my sleeve date of March 30th is almost here. The last couple of days though I've been having some second thoughts (for lack of a better term) about going through with surgery. At first I was scared of complications, but I'm pretty much over that, although I'm still concerned with after surgery blood clots. Does the hospital usually provide compression stockings or should I go out and buy some? Are you normally given blood thinners after surgery? I don't have any clotting disorders, I'm just scared of the possibility of a blood clot. I know these are questions for my surgeon, but he's impossible to get a hold of. The main thing I am worried about though is having regret after it's done. I'm worried about my quality of life down the road. I don't ever want to be able to eat the quantity of food I can pack away now, but I don't know if I'll be mentally satisfied eating a half cup to a cup of food for the rest of my life. And while I know beer is empty calories, I might want one again sometime in the future. Same with diet pop or champagne. I don't know if I want to live the rest of my life without ever having carbonation again. I also don't want to live the rest of my life fat more than I want a good meal or carbonated beverages. So my questions I guess are, will I be able to have a meal (although small) again with more than one kind of food?, will I be able to occasionally have carbonated beverages, and will I be able to do more than just sip Water. I know that everyone is different, and their experience unique, I'm just trying to get a feel for what may be down the road. My goal with this surgery is to be "normal", a normal weight and eat normal sized portions. Reading the posts on this board had helped me out so much in the last couple months, and made me feel at ease about my choice to have WLS. I can't believe that it's only 4 days away now! Thanks, Andrea

I had the exact thoughts you are having before starting the pre op diet, and all I can say is be very careful. I went to my first doctors appointment on Jan 20th and weighed 278. When I stared my 2 week pre op diet on March 16th I was 295. I gained 17 f'in pounds! It was like I was rebelling on years of dieting, and stuffing my face with garbage all day long because I wanted to "get it in" before surgery. Well I have 17 more pounds to lose now, and honestly it's really discouraging. I also debated on weather to start the liquid diet early because I knew I was out of control, but I should have just ate healthy until the night before the liquid diet and then had a "last supper"... and that's what I advise you to do. You really don't want to gain anymore weight because it's a bad note to start things off on.

Thanks for posting this, this is so true! About 3 years ago I weighed 155 pounds. I had a nice little retail job that I loved working at while finishing my degree. Then I got pregnant and I took a leave from my job. It was a horrible pregnancy, I was on bed rest for the last 2 months, and I gained about 100 pounds. When I went back to work after having my baby I was 260 pounds. It was like night and day, everyone treated me different. I was the last employee customers would come to for help or a question, coworkers and customers wouldn't look me in the eye, and my boss and coworkers had absolutely zero interest in any ideas or input that I had. Then when the economy tanked in late 2008, someone had to be "let go" and guess who it was? Yep, me, even though I had worked there longer than anyone else. I'm still unemployed to this day, I just focus on school right now. I'm scared to look another job because of my weight. I'm having surgery in 8 days, and it couldn't come any sooner. I want my life back!

My surgeon had me start a liquid diet 2 weeks before the surgery. It is 3 Boost glucose control drinks and 2 100 cal or less ff yogurts.

I'm on day five of my pre op diet and I'm going crazy! I'm so light headed and tired. I almost caved today, but I got through it by sucking some sauce out of a Taco Bell fire sauce packet. Ugh. I don't know if I can do 9 more days of this liquid diet. Looks like some of you had an Atkins type diet pre op. Do you think I could switch to that and it would be okay? Does this hunger with all liquids get better after the surgery?? Thanks

Are you ever able to drink water "normally" again? I'm talking somewhere between gulps and sipping...