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Congratulations!

Thanks, Amie. I actually got some good news. First, I found out I only need six visits instead of seven. Then I switched over to my PCP since my surgeon's NUT is leaving to be a stay at home mom. I called his office and he'll fill out one of the forms to allow my physical in January to count as part of the diet plan. So...instead of looking at a September date, it will probably be July! So I'm not as concerned about "losing too much weight", lol. Keep it up, girl. We'll get there before we know it!

Congratulations to all of you!

soozmc, I don't know this doctor personally, but you might want to edit your post to include your city and/or state. You might also want to change your thread title to include his name so it will hopefully catch users' eyes and give you better odds of getting responses more helpful than mine! Good luck!

Thanks for sharing this! I'm still pre-op but I've been tracking all my food and eating bananas and packaged peaches (in water) for snacks. I was shocked at how many carbs they contained. I know I shouldn't since they're sweet, but still. I'll definitely be hitting up several of the fruits on the list for my snacks going forward.

Slider foods are those that don't fill you up. You wind up eating more because you don't get full but you still absorb the calories.

Congratulations! Save me a spot on the losers bench!

I use Torani SF for my lattes and I've heard other people mentioned using that brand as well. They're all over the place, including Target and Walmart.

This is way off topic, but I had to say that I love your avatar, Karen Z Ben! I'm totally in love with Om Nom, I think because he reminds me of my cat. Not, she isn't green, but she's an evil little thing that can make the same round-eyed sad face he does. He melts my heart every time I see one of your postings. /Crazy talk

I little late, but hoping the best results for both of you. Let us know how you're doing when you feel up to it.

I guess I'm a bit different. I don't mind the shakes at all. I've been experimenting to see what I liked (even though I know your tastes can change after surgery.) I actually prefer the powders over the RTD, simply because those have a chemical taste to me. The only thing I don't like are the tar balls of protein if you don't shake it up within an inch of its life.

Welcome, bogeydog. Keep us up to date on your journey.

My understanding is that it irritates the stomach.

I went for my third NUT appointment last week and found out she was leaving before I would be able to schedule my fourth visit. Since she didn't know when they would have a replacement, I decided to transfer over to my PCP. I got to thinking and gave his office a call. Turns out they will fill out the diet plan paperwork that's required by my insurance for my January physical, cutting down wait by a month! So all I have to do is see him at the end of May and June and I'll be ready to submit to insurance! I was originally thinking it would be September before I could get surgery. The best part is that my PCP was sleeved last year and said it was the best thing he ever did. So happy to have a doctor who will support my in this journey. Had to share!

Congratulations!

Haves you tried logging your meals? I have an app on my phone and trakc everything. It really opened my eyes to not just my calories but how much fat and carbs were in my diet. I also think its important to look at the serving sizes. I found I was eating two to three (sometimes four!) servings of Pasta or potatoes. It didn't matter if I was under my calorie allowance, I still overate on empty food. You can do this! Substituting Protein drinks for two or three meals a day for a bit might give you the kick start you need. Good luck.

Good luck and prayers to all of you having surgery tomorrow. I'm excited for you and can't wait to join you.

Hey there, HPA! I'm doing the six month diet as well. In some ways, I think its better that way. You get time to start making small changes to prepare for your new life. Take advantage of it! Ask a bunch of questions, go through all the great threads here, start working out to build up a bit of muscle beforehand. The time will fly, I promise! Take care and let us know if you have questions along the way.

Hang in there, neev, you're almost there! The diet is designed to shrink your liver and improve the visualization for your surgeon. It also minimizes the chances of him/her nicking the liver. So you really need to follow the guidelines as closely as possible.

PB2 is a powdered peanut butter that has most of the fat removed. Their website is http://bellplantation.com/. I know you can also buy it on Amazon and in specialty stores. There's one in my area so I'm going to pick some up this weekend to try. Can't wait for the chocolate peanut butter!

I've seen this mentioned a few times on this board. It bothers me that some doctors do this. When I visit my doctor, I don't want to see a display of products for sale. For course, they need to make money just like everyone else, but hawking supplements and shakes just seems wrong. Hopefully, you can just buy your supplements and Protein from other (cheaper) sources. Otherwise, you may be better off picking another surgeon, as mentioned by Isabel'sGma.

I'm kind of going through the same thing. I have to do a six month monitored diet. Another requirement is that I have to have at least a 40 BMI for at least a six month period in the last year since I don't have two co-morbidities. If I lose 26 pounds, I'll fall below that. So my plan is to continue to work on my diet and exercise program but only try to lose another 15 pounds or so before surgery. Unfortunately, it's a game we have to play. Good luck!

I ran into the same issue. I have insurance but it has a $500 deductible. One month's worth of the Nexium would be $200! Call your surgeon and see if he will prescribe you a different medicine. Consumer Reports had an article about how much Nexium is prescribed because of incentives from the drug company to doctors. There are a lot of other drugs (prescription and OOC) that work just as well if not better. Hopefully, your doctor will agree. Good luck!

Congratulations to all of you guys. Your stories help those of us still on the path to a new life. @Jeni, so happy your blood pressure and cholesterol have resolved themselves. Keep it up!

I did a quick internet search because I love lurking here and picking up tips, and found that you can order the Premier products directly from their website. Good luck, and full steam ahead!