disappearingme

Thanks so much for your reply! My surgery is still at least 6 weeks away, probably more like 8. I'm not sure why such a strict diet for so long. I understand the whole shrinking BMI & liver part, but I haven't heard of anyone else doing the liquid protein diet for that long before surgery. I'm hoping when I see the nutritionist, she'll tell me it's okay to have a snack. If so, then this is definitely doable. If not, I'm really going to be hungry!

I always keep my food logged at sparkpeople.com and am noticing that I'm not getting much fiber at all. I'm on a 1000 calorie a day diet with 2 protein shakes and one meal consisting of a lean protein and vegetable. Last night, I had the Bird's Eye Normandy Blend with a sirloin steak. The veggie mix had broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, squash and zucchini. I still only ended up with 2 grams of fiber. The previous day had 3 grams. I'm sorry this is TMI, but I'm starting to notice the lack of fiber in the bathroom. I was wondering if we are supposed to avoid fiber, or should I be taking a fiber supplement? I have not seen my nutritionist yet, but I want to nip this before it gets bad.

Susanne, thanks for the tip about the egg beaters in the sauce! I have three children who love spaghetti, and this will be a great alternative for me to eat while they can have all the cabs. Also, I cut out caffeine just recently and it was not easy! In the past when I've tried, I've gotten horrible headaches, the kind that make you want to go into a dark place with no light or sound and nothing but caffeine will take them away. So when my surgeon said no to the caffeine, I started doing research on the best way to cut it out. I'm a social work major, and part of my studies is on substance abuse (and yes, caffeine is a substance!) so I knew that it would take 72-78 hours to detox. I was drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day and about 5 cups of soda and/or tea. Each day, I gradually cut down my drinking by one cup a day. Finally, when I got to one cup, I stopped. Over the next three days, I was incredibly sluggish and had some headaches. But, this time, the headaches weren't near as bad because I had weaned myself off gradually. Two Advil took care of them quickly. I have now been caffeine free for 9 days! I'm very proud of myself, this was a huge accomplishment for me. The sluggishness is gone now, and I feel normal, aside from the general fatigue of being obese. I wish you luck!

I used to have a Magic Bullet. I'm really kicking myself for selling it at a yard sale over the summer! My twins are six now, but I used it every day to make their baby food. I would like to get another now so I can do purees for myself. It does great purees!! One thing I did that I'd like to do for myself after surgery, is puree a bunch of stuff, freeze it in ice cube trays and then put them in freezer baggies.

I started my pre-op liquid protein diet on Friday. My instructions are 2 protein shakes a day plus one meal with a lean protein and a vegetable or salad. I've done my shakes with either water or skim-milk, and it doesn't matter to me which I use. I still get a little hungry between lunch and dinner. I haven't seen the nutritionist yet, but here's my concern. If I make my shakes with water, then between breakfast and lunch, I get 280 calories, leaving 720 calories for dinner. That's a lot! I was wondering if it was okay to have something like half of a tomato, hardboiled egg or cup of green beans with my shake for lunch or a midday snack to counteract the hunger and at least help the calories along. In the past, I have had absolutely no issues sticking to a 1200 calorie a day diet without even trying, so 1000 is not really that big of a deal. But I'm up at 6am and go to bed at 10:30, so there is a long time in that day where I'd love to have a small healthy snack. I really love veggies, especially squash, zucchini, broccoli and tomatoes.

I've been lurking here for a bit and thought I should introduce myself! I decided to have weight loss surgery a few years ago but have had some issues with insurance, and then real life got in the way. Finally, I'm back on track and I'm scheduled for my first consultation on 10/29. I've been reading here as well as another board. I have decided on the sleeve for several reasons (no foreign device, no rerouting of intestines, no malabsorption.) My family is nervous but supportive. My husband has kept pretty quiet about it, but will ask a question here or there. I have three young children at home, a five year old girl and six year old twin boys. I'm going to school and working on my social work degree. I had been doing a lot of charity work, but cut back on it this year when my husband had a very serious accident in January. I'd like to say that since he's starting working again last week that things are getting back to normal, but they are actually getting more hectic because he's decided to go back to school, too. He's a roofer, fell off a roof, and obviously he doesn't want to do that again! So we're juggling a lot right now. I need to lose weight and keep it off. In the past, I've had a 72lb loss on my own after being on a low carb diet, but as soon as I went off of it, I gained back 100lbs and am now at my highest weight ever. I feel like there's no point in trying to lose weight by dieting because it always comes back and brings extra weight with it. I'm ready to use the sleeve as a tool to permanently keep off the weight.