SkinnyDown

I just got the call! My surgery time is 2:20 PM central time tomorrow! I'm a little nervous now, not much I've have plenty of surgeries, but always a little nerve wracking going through all the paperwork and poking and prodding and wheeling down hallways. I'm very excited. I worked hard to get to this point. I know this is just the beginning. I'm ready for what is to come.

Good luck and well wishes to all who are having their surgeries today! You're going to be fine. <3

broth and V8 juice really did the trick for me. To make the hunger pangs go away. My surgery is tomorrow, and I have gotten over the hump of I don't even care about food at this point. I skipped my broth, V8 and didn't finish my Jello last night. I just didn't even need it. Body adjusting I suppose.

@@TXMissy That's great to hear! I'm on my own, so I hope to see some changes in my spending for sure. Thanks for the input. I'm really glad you responded. It's helpful to know.

I'm curious if anyone has crunched numbers and figured out if they are saving big on food costs after surgery. I've always been aware that it costs more to eat better, than it does to eat poorly, Does portion size make a huge difference in your receipts? I'm looking for ways to transfer money into exercise equipment and clothing. I spent a lot of money on food every month. 2 days away from surgery, I am wondering what to expect.

One day to go!!!! For those who are in time zones ahead of me, I wish you the best! Be strong, hang in there! You got this! Any last minute concerns, thoughts? Post them here! I'm really excited. Not very nervous. So ready to do this.

I don't even know my own name half the time after almost 10 days on this liquid diet. I sing tomorrow night online at my open mic I host. (on Second Life). I sure can't wait to see how funny that is going to be! My scale is showing no serious weight loss. Although I can feel my clothes are hanging loosely. I just bought that scale and it says I am maintaining or a 1lb loss at home, then I go to dr. and I'll have lost like 5 lbs. Come back home, and then it reads right. I think I'll return that scale. I'm so glad I am almost done with this side of things. I get my Hospital arrival time tomorrow. YAY! I'm just babbling at this point, Nap time. lol

@@diamondtammi You're almost there, are you going to call and cancel if you have a cold? If you are, then of course you can eat, if not, why ruin it now? You're so close. Stay strong.

@@Djmohr Thanks for all those great tips! I maybe did fast food once a year, and occasionally go out to eat, but the grocery store saw a lot of my money, spent on a lot of junk. I'm going to look into a vacuum sealer, that sounds like a great idea. Thanks so much for all the input!

@@Trayjay33 Thanks for posting this! It was helpful, to see what I might look like. Hard to imagine, but wow, what a change that would be for me.

I don't know what I'd do, but that's a funny story!

Welcome and congratulations!

@@jennafah Do the same thing I told missmelissa09. Only click on "change picture" that will be on the left hand side, and choose browse, and find the picture you want to use for your profile.

@@missmelissa09 See at the top right of your screen, your user name? Click on it. You will see a drop down menu. Click on my profile, then click in the upper right side of that window edit profile.

Ohhhh how I wish SF pudding and applesauce was on my list. LOL I'm envious. I even asked if I could have SF creamer or milk in my decaf coffee, and the NUT said no. @@mmrennau I added you as a friend. We'll get through this! When is your surgery?

@ Thank you so much! I already have packed my Gas X strips that dissolve under the tongue. I also packed Biotine. Hoping my Surgeon will be nice, and let me have it. He usually doesn't allow anything by mouth, the first day. I've had a perforated bowel before, so I can attest to the fact, that I don't want to rupture anything! lol I really appreciate your advice! Thanks so much.

I am on liquids only, too. In the evening, I do broth (chicken or beef) and a glass or two of V8 with a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper. It feels like a meal to me. I save 2 shakes of my 5 for the end of the day. If I feel too hungry I can't sleep, so I fill up on that, and puts me right to sleep. I'm on sugar free Carnation Instant Essentials (chocolate), with 2% Lactaid milk, and extra whey Protein. I can also do Water drops, the calorie free kind, and decaf tea or coffee, SF popsicles and SF Jello. I am surviving. I just try to keep busy. It helps.

I started in September 2014. I also had to go through psych eval, testing, RN meetings, Surgical consult, a 6 month diet period and see a nutritionist once a month. I had an Endoscopy, and a month long wait for approval from insurance. 9 months or so. plus a 10 day liquid pre-op diet. I finally have surgery on May 20th. I am so excited!

@ I'm so glad to hear you are slowly getting better. Some improvement is better than none, of course. I think that was a great idea your Dr. had, to set an alarm every 5 minutes to remind you to take a sip of Water. I think I'll do that. Keep going! I'm assuming all the not being able to eat and diarrhea probably made you lose even more quickly. Not the best way to do it! I'm 3 days away from my surgery. I am excited. On this liquid diet, hanging in there, haven't cheated, even once. I didn't expect I would. I'm pretty good about following orders, and I understand the importance of trying to help the dr. out by shrinking my liver so he can work more easily. How's everyone else doing in the 20th club? Keep drinking your water and shakes and whatever else you are doing in preparation! Just a few more days! Woot!

You'll be fine, @@melisa6115 No one said it would be easy, but it's worth it. I mean we are all here, prepping for our surgeries. When you focus too much on it, that's when it will drive you nuts. Keeping busy is helpful! I've been cleaning and packing for the hospital, and doing little tasks I have put off for awhile. And watching a lot of Netflix. Don't be nervous, be determined! You can do this!

I find the wording very interesting in that statement. "Actually, only a small percentage of bariatric patients claim to have problems with alcohol after surgery." Claim, well...I know plenty of alcoholics who won't "claim" they have a problem with alcohol. The closest to me was my own mother, she'd never "claim" she was an alcoholic, but she died of advanced cirrhosis of the liver, due to her drinking. I fail to understand why we are given such wide and wildly different advice from a group of professionals who are all giving us basically the same surgeries. I wish they would get their stories straight. It makes me nervous. Why are things so different for so many of us?

I was advised not to drink again. I rarely drank anyway. But there were a few reasons... because it will affect us differently because of the size of our stomachs . i.e. you'll get drunker, much faster. I know the no carbonation thing, but the bigger reason my NUT and Surgeon both had for not drinking after surgery, is that the likelihood of changing out addictions is high. food can be exchanged for many other things....gambling, alcohol, drugs, smoking, spending, etc.

Hi @! Welcome to the 20th club! Or close to it, as some are here just a few days before or after. Hope things are going well for you. I'm counting down the days! The liquid diet is tolerable, I"m sure it will be easy after surgery, as my NUT tells me I'll be lucky to get 2 shakes in me in a day. I'm fine with that. I'm glad I love my shakes. I feel so badly for those who don't. Post here if you need some support, or a shoulder to cry on. Everyone here is so nice.

@gowalking....wow. I am so impressed at your transformation. It's completely inspirational to me. I know the majority of the reason I am doing this is for health, but I truly do want to feel for once, that I am being treated with the same respect afforded most "average/normal" sized people in this world. I need that feeling. I think of all of this as a big adventure. Not much is holding me back anymore. I even stopped smoking a year ago, so that no longer plays a part in my life, or stops me from travel or whatever I want to do. No longer will I have to ask for a seat belt extender, or see the disappointed face of the person next to me on a plane, because he/she knows I'm going to overflow into their personal space. I see a therapist twice a month, and for many months we've been working on why I eat, what my triggers are, and how I got this way. Mind you, I have been big since I was very young, and we've worked out what we think is the most likely cause. I believe I gained weight to protect myself from men. So now that I have that figured out and have done extensive work on that area, it's time to start thinking about what I am going to do when I do start getting attention from men. It's going to happen, it's not like it doesn't happen to me at this weight, it does. I imagine it will increase though, and that's going to be interesting to me, how I handle it. Thanks for the great reply! Very insightful. I personally would not treat you differently, but that's because I understand the shoes you were in. You were a beautiful woman and still are, from my perspective. But believe me I know, from being out there in this world....just how differently I am treated. Sometimes people can't even keep their mouths shut and say the most demeaning and cruel things to me. I even had a gf in college who was so livid at the fact that a guy she and I both liked, ended up getting together with me. Many years had gone by and it bothered her so much finally one day she looked at me and said...."Look at you, and look at me (her thin beautiful self), it's obvious who he should have chosen." I will never forget how hurt I was. I also will never forget the feeling I had that he did actually choose me over her, even though she was beautiful and thin, she was clearly ugly on the inside. I guess that guy chose the better of the two, me. I know this...all the discrimination, the looks, the disgust I see on people's faces.... That's about to change.

I just had some delicious sf popsicles lmao I am trying to make the best of out this. I'd be freakin' excited if my pre-op diet included food, My diet is all liquids. I mean a popsicle is a solid until it turns into a liquid, and sf Jello too....lol V8 fills me up, so does warm broth. and I get 5 shakes a day. 8 oz shakes. 1 cup of 2% milk each, and I use Lactaid milk. I also have to put extra whey Protein powder in it. I save my last 2 shakes for before bed, (I happen to love my SF Carnation Instant Essentials shakes {chocolate}). My belly is so full, I fall right to sleep. lmao That's how I do it. @@TLW the reason for the milk, I was told, is that we need the fatty acids. That's why my Surgeon insists on 2% milk. So if you aren't getting that extra fat, you probably feel more hungry. Plus it's essential to have those fatty acids on such a low calorie diet that we are doing. I'd call, and ask rather than potentially hurt yourself and not get enough nutrition. I know the restrictive calories has done a job on my head, can't think very clearly.