McButterpants

Completely understand about the stress... For me, I have found I cannot let things I cannot control stress me. That's easier said than done, I know. Sometimes I'm successful and sometimes I am not. You can only do the best you can do today. For the financial stress on the debt - it's like the question, How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Just chip away at it. You're feeling overwhelmed - tomorrow is another day. Make it a good one, OK?

I was allowed two shakes per day and one meal of protein and veggies. My pre-op diet was 2 weeks. Instead of using the 1% milk I was allowed to mix with my shakes, I used that in my coffee and mixed my shakes with water - this helped spread out the calories more thru the day and helped. I also drank a lot of decaf green tea - that helped with the hunger as well. I was hungry on Days 1 thru 4, then started to feel human again on Day 5. I also found that walking took my mind off the hunger - going outside and walking for 30-60 minutes.

I told 5 people - my husband, son, parents and best friend. Maybe in the future I'll tell other people, but right now, I am not telling anyone else. I have a very small circle of people close to me - others I consider friends, but not close. I have seen how these people gossip about others and didn't want to give them any fat to chew on. I'm a private person - I don't let people know my business - it's better for me that way. I'm fortunate in that I telecommute full time, so no one really missed me at work - I took a few vacation days is all. One thing I have found is if you're going to tell people, you have to be prepared for all kinds of responses - I have heard from people that said they found support in places they didn't expect it and others who were surprised when their friends didn't support them. Best of luck to you!

I went to the free introductory seminar at the hospital followed up with a one-on-one with the bariatric doctor.

I think this is interesting - I had to lose 50 pounds before anyone said anything about my weight loss. OMG - 50 pounds before I got an "Atta girl" from someone other than the 5 people that know I had weight loss surgery. I was actually quite upset at my brothers and their families for not saying anything at Christmas time about my weight loss. Then I got to thinking - I'm more than my weight to them. I'm their sister, sister-in-law, crazy aunt, etc. They don't identify me as "The Fat Girl" like I identify myself. It takes me back to a comment my (skinny) brother said about 5 years ago when I told him I'm trying to lose weight...He said, "Why?" I was like, "You've seen me, right?" I can tell things are changing from an internal perspective - I was on vacation recently and went to a restaurant where you have to maneuver around many tables to get to your seat. 50 pounds ago, I hated that place. Now, I glide in between people to and maneuver around like it's no body's business. I have no qualms about slipping in between chairs and tables. We sat down and my husband looked at me and said, "I like the new you!" I looked at him quizzically. He said, "Your more adventurous and you're happy." WOW. I also found myself striking up conversations with people I don't know. Wow, that's the old-old me - like from my 20's and about 100 pounds ago! I kind of like the new me, too!

I suggest getting back to basics - you know what you did when you were 6 weeks out...logging your food, measuring your food, concentrating on Protein and Water. Here's my story - You and I are both at 12 weeks. I just got back from a week's vacation where I allowed myself some slack. Now, I need to get back to tracking everything - it's hard, but I've been doing it all day. And, I feel more full than I did when I was eating things off plan. You got this.

I'm with RJ - hide the scale. Look at your numbers - you're going to lose weight. You're body just goes thru adjustment periods or stalls. You can only control what you put in your mouth and how much you move your body - if you do your part, your body will do it's part...in its own timeframe. You're doing great - hang in there.

I was allowed 2 shakes a dinner of lean meat and some veggies. I was fine with my meal being the last thing I ate at night - I just pushed back my meal time to a little later than normal. I usually had it around 8:00 pm. I was fine until the next morning when I had my approved decaf coffee. I opted to use my milk allowance in my coffee rather than my shakes. This helped me. I drank lots and lots of green tea - it was approved on my plan. It helped with that hunger you're bound to feel. You're probably going to feel bad the first few days. I started feeling human again around Day 5. Days 1 thru 4 sucked - I was moody and hungry. You're going to do great - it will be over before you know it!

I felt like there was a food commercial on every minute or so the days leading up to surgery day. It also seemed there were more restaurants!!!! LOL. It's only three more days - don't let the commercials or food establishments drag you in. Stay strong - it will be surgery day before you know it! Best of luck to you.

What a great article and greater man! I've caught the exercise bug - I find I want to push my body to see what I can do and it feels good.

Oh yes - I felt the same way. So much to do and not enough time to do it. I think it's normal. You're feeling overwhelmed; I did, too. So, I did something I rarely do - I asked for help. I asked my husband to help and I asked my parents for help. They were glad to do it. With me asking for help, I also had to relinquish control - I had to let them do things their way and not the way I wanted something done. It was freeing, actually. I even asked my son to do his own laundry - so what if things were put in the wrong drawers - He is 14 and he can figure it out. If you don't have a lot of help, prioritize the important things you want to get done. The world will continue to spin on it's axis and the sun will come up tomorrow, even if you don't finish everything you think you have to get done.

I think the straw thing is due to sucking in air while you drink - I think I remember that. My doc gave out a Camelback type Water bottle that has a straw...He didn't say "no straws". As far as alcohol...I had my first drink in four months just the other day. I was a little nervous. I didn't make a good choice - I had a DiSorono and Coke. The Coke was a bad choice, but I did it and I enjoyed it - I stirred a lot of the carbonation out of it. I drank about 2/3 of it - I sipped slowly. I can tell you, however, when I got up, I felt tipsy, like buzzed, not drunk. I had another one the next day and tolerated it fine. A better choice would be a Vodka/cranberry or Vodka/Lemonade.

My breakfast is almost always a scrambled egg with cheese and a Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patty. When I feel like I need to mix things up a bit, I might do a Health Wise oatmeal (I chose that because of the Protein value) or I might have a Protein shake w/ some berries to add a little bulk. I will also do 1/2 of a Quest bar - I heat mine up in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. If you're able to handle an apple, 1/2 an apple with some Peanut Butter would be a good choice as well.

Your link takes us to a sign-up/sign-in page, so we cannot see what you're trying to show us without signing up for the website...

Bananas have been approved for me since the puree stage. My NUT's concern about bananas is the high glycemic value - especially really ripe bananas. BUT, I say everything in moderation. If you want a banana, eat a banana. It's not a jelly donut, right?!?!?

I'm a little sore after the last couple of days exploring San Francisco ON FOOT! We come here every year and usually take cabs or public transportation. Not this time - I've only taken the cable car twice in 9 days and no cabs. I've had two days of 16,000+ steps - back to back days. I'm a little sore today, but feel great. What a great sense of accomplishment when you get to the top of a 2-block climb and look back and say, "Yeah, I kicked that hill's a$$!" My goal was to have every day over 10,000 steps, but missed on day, I was short 1100 steps. My two days over 16,000 make up for that though. That's my justification. :-) Next week starts the real work - need to start with the weights. I've been avoiding that for some reason....

Your dynamic with your spouse could change - you relied on him for certain things and, quite frankly, he may have gotten a payoff from you being overweight.

Reverie is spot on...like always! :-) I thought about this the other day...my husband is awesome, I love him to death. BUT, now that I'm losing weight, I look at him and he's unhealthy. OK, I know, I've been "getting healthy" for 10 minutes now and I'm judging him - that's wrong. I want him to lose weight. Not because I find him unattractive, I want him to lose weight because I want him around for a long time. It bothers me when I am ready to go to the gym and he says he'll go later or do some weights at home. I think that bothers me because those were my excuses before surgery. I'm seeing me in him and I don't like it. So after I thought about this for a while, I thought back to the 17 years we've been together and not once did this man say anything about my weight. I was gaining weight like I was going for some sort of record. He never voiced a concern about my weight or the fact that I checked out of our life together for about 8 years. I was there physically, but absent emotionally. I have struggled with self esteem, but that was on me, not him. If your husband makes you feel bad about yourself, that's not right. If you feel bad about yourself because of some internal stuff you have, that's on you and you need to work on that.

Hi there. It will get better - It just takes time. I agree with a couple of the other responders - you may want to find some help, someone you can talk to. I'm 12 weeks out now and my life is back to normal. I can take bigger drinks, but cannot gulp. I have accepted that, I just keep drinking all day long so I don't feel the need to gulp. (I can drink a 17 ounce bottle of Propel Zero in about 45 minutes now and feel good afterwards.) I can eat lots of different kinds of foods - I have a sleeve of steel, so nothing has bothered me except for my Bariatric Vitamins. I haven't eaten anything that makes me sick or uncomfortable, I just eat tiny meals. It's not all sunshine and lollipops, I have good day and I have bad days. For the past several weeks my good/great days outnumber my bad days 10 to 1. For me, I wasn't going to lose weight on my own and I was so unhappy with my life. 12 short weeks later, I'm down over 50 pounds and living my life for the first time in a long time. Food no longer has that grip on me. Sometimes I miss the comfort that food gave me, but that was such an unhealthy behavior. I use food to fuel my body now - like I'm filling up the gas tank in my car. Hang in there - it will get better.

Great answers, Indigo and MichiganChic. I'm 12 weeks post op now and have returned to a fairly normal life. Let me rephrase - a new normal life for me. :-) I cannot eat like I did before - that's a good thing. It's frustrating at times, but I have come to terms with it. The other day I let myself get really hungry. I wanted to eat fast and more because I was so hungry. I just looked at my husband and said, "I am so frustrated right now." Then about 10 minutes later, it passed. I ate my tiny meal slowly and it was all better. While I can't drink Water as fast as I used it, it's OK. If I stay hydrated, I don't need big gulps of water. The thing is, your new habits and way of eating become normal. I thought I was going to have to restrict myself a lot - but really, it's not restricting, it's making good choices and those good choices are easier to make. It's good you're thinking about post-op life. This is a life changer. For me, this made my life so much better already. Best of luck to you!

I agree with gmanbat...go talk to someone. Sending you best wishes!

I find a favorite, drink it for a while, then get bored and then find another... Lately it's been unjury chocolate Splendor, 8 ounces of 1% milk, splash of sugar free Peppermint Syrup, 1 teaspoon Hershey's cocoa and some ice cubes. Whiz up in the blender...tastes like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. Yummo

There has to be more to the story...

This is your decision - as long as your at peace with the doctor you chose, that's what matters. You can't do anything about the nay-sayers - it is what it is. Again, if you're comfortable and have the support of your husband, that's what matters. I have found a lot of people who say it's a cop out don't understand the work involved with what you're about to do. They also don't understand what it's like to be you - in the body you're not happy with, in the physical shape your not happy with, the fear of being obese the rest of your life and feeling helpless and hopeless. I, too, traveled for my surgery (Las Vegas). I came tot his forum for questions I had. I have a local bariatric doc that took me on even though she didn't do the surgery. I visited with her once prior to surgery. My local hospital has a support group that I was able to attend, but I didn't go - the timing of the meetings didn't work for me. Do you have a local hospital with a bariatric program? You'll find a wealth of information in this forum and so many people that are willing to help. You'll find tons of support here.

I was tired at first, then about day 5 I started feeling human again. Could be the caffeine withdrawal, my doc wanted me off caffeine before I started the pre-op diet. One thing that helped me was green tea. I drank a lot of it - it replaced my coffee. You're so close - keep sticking to your plan!