TeriMoBeri

I agree with everyone else about the carbs. I tried the Special K Protein drinks (pink lemonade) and it was awesome. I was almost doing cartwheels I was so excited to find something that I could drink. It really had no after taste and really just tasted like pink lemonade. They have 0 fat, 6 carbs and 0 sugars and 5 Proteins. I know that this is not so much protein, but i figure at least I am getting some in. I actually add some unflavored to it to give me a little bit more and it really does not change the taste. At least I am getting some more protein. I was having a heck of a time getting any in other than from food.
Good luck!

Umm.. I'm pretty sure I meant 'start'. Cannot wait to see the lbs START dropping!! LOL

The day before you start your pre-op shake diet do not carb overload. Do a shake for breakfast, some Protein for lunch and an extremely sensible dinner. Whatever you do...DO NOT carb overload the day before you start the shakes. This can contribute the extreme craving. The more carbs you eat the more carbs you crave and it's overload.
If you are used to artificial sweeteners and they do not cause you troubles, that's a good thing. If you are the type of person who has crystal light and then a sugar-free popsicle and end up get a headache, you will have to modify your day a bit and perhaps find something else to use (like Truvia with decaff tea - Peppermint is my choice, Lemon is awesome) You can make frozen ice cubes with these to get that sweet craving if you want.
Realize this...liquid in - liquid out -- NEVER trust a fart. On my 2nd or 3rd day I was in bed and I had a grumble and I thought I had to fart, and then I realized, it may be more and I shot out of bed and I got 1/2 way to the bathroom and...I ended up throwing out my pj bottoms and took another shower. I lucked out by getting out of bed quick enough.
First two days I had a slight headache, day 3 & 4 was probably my crabby days. I was on 3 shakes a day for 14 days in a row. I tried to avoid sugar-free popsicles and sugar-free Jello because of the headache issues I have with sucralose & aspartame.
I kept busy, I cleaned out my closets, my drawers, cabinets, you name it, I cleaned it. I exercised a lot more.
Write a list of the reasons why you are doing this and keep it handy. Don't put yourself in situations that will cause you anxiety and make you feel bad. Going out to dinner with friends..not the best ideal. Use this time to get yourself mentally into the game, find ways to build up your self esteem during this time. Tell yourself how proud you are of being able to complete each day, tell yourself you can do it, and try to stop the self-doubt. It doesn't do you any good.
My father was terrified of me having this surgery as was my husband and son. For them I put on a brave face, I didn't moan, complain, or act like I was scared. I acted positive (I'm not the most positive person in the world...I'm more like a female "glum"). Perception is 1/2 the battle if you act positive and act happy, chances are better to be happy.
I went into the surgery with a smile on my face.
Keep telling yourself you are worth it and you CAN do it and just do it. When you see people posting about cheating during their diet, or others posting they are allowed to eat xyz during their pre-op diet, ignore it because you are not them and you are worth putting 100% effort into it.
Oh yeah, not sure how long you are suppose to be in the hospital - we were told 4 days, I was in 5 days, I brought with me chap stick, my own Bigelow Peppermint Decaff Tea, Truvia (they serve regular decaff tea & generic artificial sweetener - usually) they serve you warm Water in a coffee cup....it smells like coffee and is icky at most hospitals. Ask your nurse for a Styrofoam cup of hot water and bring the tea you like and the sweetener you like. If brought a throw blanket that was washed and smelled like home, it was comfortable and I used it when sitting in the chair. I also brought a fan small fan (to make the room cooler and to drown out noise), I brought my crocs with so I could walk and I hate going in socks in public places. and I brought Charmaine wipes because well...I wanted them and they did make me feel better. I didn't use my kindle or read or do anything else.
That's my best advice to you right now.

Hi All,
I have been lurking on this board since I made the decision in April to be sleeved. I will be having surgery on July 18th! I am so excited! I am on this board so often and have learned so much about what to expect and what to prepare for. I'm feeling very confident and ready for surgery! I look forward each day to see how everyone is doing after their surgery and love hearing about everyone's successes!
I am inspired by you all!
S

I've had so many years of being the fat girl with the pretty face, or the chubby sidekick when I've been out with the girls- I SO hear ya Jonathan, when you are fat you are invisible. No matter how witty, charming, funny, or confident or intelligent you may be,or how much you love yourself, a huge portion of society "sees past" us in terms of dating. Being obese and single is WAY more difficult in our hyper-visual world.

Just gonna edit my post.
I was given a few Vitamin samples by my doctor so i decided to be a guinea pig if anyone is interested in Opurity, Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate. These were recommended because they are specifically for WLS.
Multivitamin:
Opurity BYPASS-Optimized Multi (Orange Berry): This was a HUGE tablet which is no surprise as it's 1x a day and includes all the B12 and Iron you need. I made the mistake of popping it all into my mouth. It was chalky and powdery and had a slight tartness which I did not enjoy. I don't think I can handle these and I'm dissapointed because it's price and 1x a day attribute was really appealing.
Celebrate Multi Complete Chewable (Orange and Forrest Berry): 2x a day and therefore smaller than Opurity. I liked the Orange flavor much better though the berry wasn't bad. It was a little tart (which I liked here) and close to a candy like a sweet tart. The Orange was harder though and less chalky and powderty. Closer to a Flintstones. My favorite of all the Vitamins actually.
Bariatric Advantage Complete Multi Formula (Orange): It was ok.. Still too powdery and chalky to my tastes. Not interested in this brand at all as it doesn't have b12 or iron and it's still 2x a day.
calcium citrate (all of these have Vitamin D included):
Opurity (Orange): It tasted similar to BA multivitamin to me. Medium chalky/powder. It was better than their multivitamin but it's 4x a day.
Celebrate (Cherry Tart and Berries & Cream): The better of the calciums. The Cherry had a nice tartness and was the most candy-like. It was still medium chalky/powder but the taste made up for it. Berries & Cream was the softest of all chewables. It broke apart and melted really quickly. It was the most powdery but since it dissolved the fastest I actually prefer it. 3x/day
BA (chocolate, Wild Cherry and Cinnamon): My least favorite of all the chewables. These were all horrible. The chocolate was the worst, it felt like putting dry chocolate milk powder in my mouth. Wild Cherry was hard but powdery and slightly tart. Similar to Opurity to me. Cinnamon tastes EXACTLY like a Big Red but in powder form. Almost leaves your mouth refreshed but it's not for me.
To be honest I'm not won over by anything though Celebrate brand was better by far for me. I think I'm just going to try Centrum Complete and add sublingual B12 and Biotin. I thought I was going to take separate biotin anyway because I don't want hair loss. I'm not sure about the Calcium yet, I'm going to ask my doctor for other options.
I also noticed a lot of people taking the gummy vitamins and they are really tempting however my doctor says those are dangerous because they can cause a blockage. The percentage of values seems pretty random too with some at 50% and some at 200%. There is no iron in them or enough B12.

There are soooo many positives that I do think we fail to mention the lesser times, or stress the harder parts you will have to deal with.
When you have an NSV (non-scale victory) - which you will have in abundance, these are the best times! They are great - you will have your own but they range from smaller sizes, to sittingin booths, no extenders in car seats, buying regular boots and more...I recently took my first full acro yoga "play" - google it! I never thought that could be me.
There are times that are not so easy, when you need to draw away, or compliments are too overwhelming, or you have to deal with not having your fatsuit anymore - with the help of a friend (a real counselor but my unofficial one) that my reluctance to go shopping, while it seems to be a consistent thing (I disliked shoppong before, too - not a real girly type) is not really...I disliked shopping before because the plus-sized girl shops didnt carry te clothing I liked, and the mens big and tall was cut too long, and as I lost weight and still genuinely didnt want to shop I told myself "see? You really just dislike shopping!" - but not so, I realize most of it at this point is that I can't "see" myself as the size I am, and it is doing a number on my head to buy clothing I cant imagine wearing. I went into Old Navy and bought a medium dress and a size 12 dress...that makes 14-12 sizes I have lost in 18 months, most in the last 6 months.
You will have head hunger, and you may need to learn to identify or at least question if you are experiencing passive-aggressive tendencies in people around you.
You will (probably - most of us did) have to learn to say "NO" to people more often, we gave so much, and hid our insecurities inside - now we need to still be good, try to maintain nice, but still say no when needed. No, no drive through. No, it is not okay to keep that food in the house. No, lets not meet up there, there is nothing healthy there. No, I don't want to sit with you on the couch, I want US to take a walk...that sort of thing..
Wow, I could write a book, lol - I have been thinking about this stuff a lot lately...

I went through NorCal Kaiser (Richmond) and I was also nervous about the psych meeting, probably because I'd never seen a psychologist and had no idea what to expect.
It was fine. We talked for about 30-45 minutes. She'll want to know about stress in your life, how you cope, what kind of support system you have, etc. The psych appt also screens for other conditions like OCD and schizophrenia, so be aware that some questions will be really weird!

I also live in NorCal but I'm not with Kaiser. The psychologist I saw was named Lorraine Hutchinson. She specializes in bariatric surgery patients. You can see her website at http://www.hutchinsoncounseling.com.
She did the vast majority of the talking at my appointment. She talked a lot about the types of changes and emotional issues I'd be likely to go through with this surgery and weight loss. She only asked me two questions. She asked what I was most concerned or worried about, and she asked what I was most looking forward to. That was it! Nothing to be nervous about.

I wish someone had told me everyones experience would be completely different. I had no pain, no gas, no tube down my throat. I did have a drain and staples that had to be removed, painlessly.
I have never had the slimes, or hiccups when I am full. However if I take even one bite too many or too fast I gag like I'm going to vomit. Not a pretty sight.
I did not become lactose intolerant, I need all my drinks ice cold and hate any warm or Hot Drinks.
I never had to have another Protein shake after my surgery, I'm not cold all the time, I didn't have a 3-week stall. I thought I would miss bread more than I do. Same for burgers. I miss Pepsi more than I thought I would.
I never knew that plain Water could taste so different. Brands I loved before I can't even swallow now.
I wish I had taken "before" pictures so I could see the results that the scale says are there.
I wish I hadn't taken so much stuff to the hospital, and also not worried so much about having enough stuff on hand for the mushy stage (unless you live an hour from a grocery store!) because my tastes changed dramatically after my surgery.
I wish someone had told me how good I would feel after even losing just a small amount of weight.
But mostly I wish someone had told me about this years ago-My life would have been so much different.

I just came across this recipe on Pinterest (Love that site) That I thought I'd share. It seemed like a good, easy, Sleeve friendly recipe!
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Diretions:
1. Preheat oven to 360°. Grease a 9x9 baking dish.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Spread mixed ingredients into the baking dish.
3. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy for Breakfast or as a side dish for brunch!
* This is a fairly healthy dish, but for an even skinnier version, skip the cheddar cheese and add other veggies, such as onions, tomatoes, or mushrooms.

Before I became "addicted" to VST, I was "addicted" to Pinterest. I have tons of recipes, most low fat ones. They were not liked/pinned with the protein content in mind since the majority of them were liked/pinned prior to any thoughts of WLS. I like the idea of having a board specifically for recipes that are more protein focused. However, I'm not out about my surgery to a lot of my followers so for now, I won't be doing that. I will however, put the recipes on my computer to refer to and use in the future.

Get up off the floor without using my hands for support.
Squat to garden!!!
To not worry about my back fat/ham hocks.
For my wedding ring to fit.
To feel ok eating around others.
To feel secure grocery shopping. I sometimes feel Iike people note what is in my cart. If I get something that isn't super healthy I wonder If I am judged!
To rock a pair of denim!!!
Try new hair styles on a thinner face!!
Sexy fun panty shopping!!
To wear the colors I want, because they actually come in my size of clothes!!
To sit with my legs crossed: like a lady does.
To feel comfortable in an exercise class and not be "the fat one".
To feel confident!
To have my radiant facial skin back!!
Thus list could go on and on!!
Sent from my iPhone using VST

**Not having to say I''m sorry when I try to squeeze past someone in a narrow aisle, and end up bumping into them
**shopping for bras online that have the size cup I wear
**Being able to sit up in in bed without having to rock my body up so I can hoist my legs over the edge to create ensure momentum to get out of the bed successfully.
**Keeping my floors clean because it's not a major aerobics exercise to bend over to pick up things
**after a blind date when I am told there's no chemistry,
NOT wondering if it's really because I am morbidly obese.
**Not having to describe myself on Match. Com as being "full figured."
**
** never having to shop in the Avenue or Lane Bryant. and being forced to buy polyester instead of silks and and rayon.
Being able to sit directly on the floor to meditate in satsang.
Throwing out my pair of $ 200 custom orthotics because my Feet no longer hurt.
**No longer having to order shoes in double wide.
Being strong enough to keep up on a 5 mile Sierra Club hike
And lastly, enjoy inhabiting my new body. and feeling proud of my hard work.

To NOT be smothered by my own boobs when lying down

I've been reading posts on how people are nervous about their upcoming surgeries. Mine is scheduled for July 3rd. Not concerned about the operation at all. Everytime I think about it, my mind goes to the things I'm looking forward to.
I’m looking forward to the roller coasters, airplanes, restaurant booths, bathroom stalls, concert and movie seats, and clothes that I’ll be able to fit into again. The joy of playing basketball, tennis, golf and going long to catch a pass. The confidence in knowing I can sit in a chair – ANY CHAIR – and not worry about whether it can support me. The amusement parks, Water parks, state fairs that I can enjoy ALL DAY. To have the energy to climb a set of stairs, wash my own car, to help a friend move. To buy a shirt on sale from a DEPARTMENT STORE! To look great in a suit. To go to a conference and wear a 2x t-shirt instead of being the only 6x! I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, family, and business associates; the next class reunion! Oh, what joy it will be to spoon, have great sex, and to walk out of the shower feeling desirable. To not hear the inappropriate comments from people who say they love me (I WANT TO SIT ON THEM!); to hear the same comments from strangers! To get into the floor with my grandkids, knowing that I’m going to get in the floor with THEIR kids some day.
My view from the mountain top is so awesome, that the climb is merely a formality!
What are YOU looking forward to?

...to have the bath towel wrap all the way around me.