angierue

I am at my clinic right now and just finished my meeting with the dietician. I'm officially on full liquids until surgery on 11/4. I'm not going to lie, I'm really bummed that I don't at least get to have one "goodbye" meal. But like she reminded me, what good is that going to do? It'll just make me start having those horrible cravings again. So here we go! 21 days until surgery!

I wasn't very hungry at all today. Moved my meal to lunch instead of dinner and ended up only having 2 shakes at work. Ate my lunch late, between 4-4:30, and was pretty hungry by the time I sent to the gym at 8:30. Made me cave and I ate a P3 pack for dinner/after without snack.

I took pictures wearing a sports bra and shorts about a month ago. Hopefully no one ever sees those in my phone. Lol! I haven't taken measurements though. I need to do that soon. I've already 25lbs on my pre-op diet and can tell by how my pants fit so I know I've lost some inches.

Me too! We're all gonna rock this!

I think we'd all be liars if we said that we weren't scared. Of the surgery. Of failing. We see the stories on here. Hear them from friends who know a person who gained all their weight back. We wonder if that will happen to us, if we'll be the person in that story they're telling next time. And the truth is, we might be. But then again, we might not. I'll be honest, I've seen comments from posters that have said how they don't want to track their food because that just makes it feel like another diet. And in a way, it is. Only this time, we're all getting the tool to make that diet what it should be... A lifestyle change. This is a life altering surgery and we've gotta be prepared to alter our lives in order to be successful. I, for one, am scared s###less but I'm more scared of my life if I continue the way it's been going. So here I am! :-)

I don't want to lose my boobs either. Lol! Looking great missjoy!

I love the body fortress brand that you can get at Walmart. Also like Isopure. I mix one scoop of chocolate with the banana and it's pretty yummy. However, I just found a local nutritional store that makes their Protein and I love it. It's very thin and not chalky at all. The strawberry and the banana both are delicious by themselves.

I have a really high BMI so he required the loss to lower complications risk and shrink the liver. My favorite shake is one that I actually get from my local nutrition store. They make it themselves. It's very thin, which I like, and is medical grade so has no fillers or binders. The strawberry and banana are yummy! I carry a Blender Bottle with me everywhere and zip lock baggies of Protein powder in my purse. Gonna have fun explaining those if I ever get pulled over. Lol I haven't tried the muscle milk light yet. Might have to check that out for some quick grab and go. How many carbs/protein?

Thanks Toccora! I've been doing 3 Protein shakes, drinking one bottle of Cocotein and then having a can of tuna or chicken with one tablespoon of light mayo and some mustard with one serving of Melba crackers. I drink nothing but Water. No caffeine whatsoever (and oh I miss my white monsters!!!). If the pace slows, then I'm going full liquid with 5 shakes only. I didn't give myself a lot of time to meet the doctors pre-op weight loss goal (38lbs) because I need surgery by the 4th or I have to wait until January due to work. I didn't have my first appt with the clinic until 8/25!

Best wishes to all y'all getting sleeved tomorrow! Be sure and post here when you're feeling up to it!

November 4th for me. Insurance approval already received. I've got to lose 14lbs more before my pre-op on 10/27 but I know I can do it. I've been on a pretty strict nutritional plan for about the past 2 weeks and have averaged a pound a day. Soooooo ready to get this done and start the next chapter in my life!

My mom's side of the family gets together every Thanksgiving. It's the side of my family that my size comes from. I have no problems with anyone knowing but I don't see these guys very often. It'll be fun seeing if they notice how I'm eating. Or better yet, NOT eating. Lol

I have had to lose 38lbs before surgery. I've still got 14lbs to go but they went ahead and scheduled me for the 4th and have until my pre-op on 10/27 to get there. I've been averaging a pound a day on my own sort of modified diet that I've cleared with my dietician. Basically, I have 3 shakes, one Cocotein and either a can of tuna or chicken for dinner. I'm switching it up and having the meal for lunch tomorrow to see if it makes a difference in my hunger. I use MFP and log everything. I keep my Protein % above 50 and my carbs 20% or less. I won't lie. I'm hungry. But my energy level has pretty much stabilized. I've even been spending 30-40 minutes a night on the treadmill. I work for a cell phone company and spend about 80% of my day on my feet. I think what I'm doing now is setting me up for a fairly easy post-op adjustment. Fingers crossed! :-)

I just realized my date is one 3 weeks from tomorrow!!! Oh my!

I made the decision to be very upfront and open about my choice from day one. With anyone and everyone. Maybe being fat my whole life gave me thicker skin but I honestly don't give a rats ass what anyone thinks. This was my choice made for my reasons, not theirs. That being said, I've been very fortunate that everyone has been supportive. One coworker, who is also a close friend, tried having a conversion about just eating better and going to the gym. I scientifically explained to him my body is not like his. That process only works temporarily for me not because I give up but because metabolically, I've screwed my system up from years and years of yo-yo diets. This is needed to reset my metabolic set point, so to speak. He now keeps telling me how proud of me he is. The thing is, whether they know the truth about you having surgery or not, if they are that type of person, they'll judge you regardless. I hope that my being open and honest about my process, I can inspire someone else to make that healthier life decision.

I'm scheduled for 11/4 in Edmond, OK with Dr Gregory Walton. I just received insurance approval this week. My pre-op appointment is 10/27 and I have weigh 343.5. I'm currently 357.5 so have a bit to go but I'm on a pretty solid diet plan so know I can make it.

I love that your socks don't match. Mine never do! Lol Thanks for sharing your story and the before and after pictures. I took some sports bra and shorts selfies in my full length mirror. Can't for them to be my befores!

I'm only taking 7 days (Tuesday-Tuesday). If there's a chance I'll need more time, it'll be tough on my store but I'll be able to take it. I've been extremely upfront and open with everyone regarding my decision to have this surgery, including my boss and coworkers. I work in a small retail store and we're all very close. Everyone has been nothing but supportive, at least to my face. Lol! They've all watched me struggle the last couple of weeks with the stress of not meeting my goals and having to postpone surgery so they were all almost as happy as I was when my surgery date was confirmed this week. :-) I know that not everyone is as much of an open book as I am but I have to say that the support of my friends, family and coworkers has been amazing and I couldn't imagine doing this without them knowing. And even if they weren't, who effing cares? I'm doing this for me and anyone else's opinion is just that... An opinion. I hope that my future success, because I WILL be successful, can encourage and inspire others who've struggled like I have.

I just found a local brand that a health food store in my town makes. It's medical quality and I've gotta say, it's darn good! I have been using Isopure because it's low carb but they seemed a little grainy and, I know this will sound weird, but felt like they dried out my lips. The one from the health food store is only 150 calories, 3 carbs and 25 grams of Protein and it's super thin. The strawberry tastes really good. I'm going to try the banana tomorrow.

I'm currently on Rx grade vitamin D. I asked the same about it delaying my surgery and my patient advocate said that it wouldn't. I'll be on a non-Rx supplement once I finish this bottle.

I wanna ride roller coasters again too!!! Lol And yes, the pre-op diet is freaking hard! But, I'm looking at the positive. Hopefully it means I'll have an easier transition phase post-op. I've already given up most of my bad habits (smoking, caffeine) so I figure the hardest part is over! We've totally got this! Oh, I feel like tracking everything on My Fitness Pal has really helped. I'm angierue on there if you want to follow me!

I'm a "Forever Fluffy"! Lol When my doctor asked what I wanted my goal to be, I immediately said 180. I don't know why that weight came to mind but it would be the smallest I've been in I can't remember when. I'm pretty sure I was 150-170 in high school. I remember when I hit 260, thinking that was insane. I did a metabolic diet when I was 330 and dropped 75 pounds. I gained it all back, then some. When I went to my first appointment with the surgeon, I was 380.5. I almost burst into tears. This morning, I weighed 358.4. I'm on my pre-op diet, trying to lose 38lbs before surgery. I still think 180 is where I'll be comfortable. For me, it's all about being healthy and comfortable, not skinny. I'm 5'6" so I think it'll great on my frame. :-) (That's my long winded answer Lol)

Wow! You've been on liquids since July?!? And here I've been cranky about doing it this last week! Lol I didn't start seeing my surgeon until August 23rd and because of work, had a limited window of when I could have the surgery. My clinic is pretty strict about losing weight pre-op and my doc said I needed to drop 38lbs. I only lost 9 the first month. I met with my dietician on 9/25 and she gave me a pretty strict plan (shake for Breakfast, lean Protein and veggie lunch, high protein snack and a another lean protein and veggie dinner). Did great the first couple days and lost 7lbs quick. Then went to Vegas for a bachelorette party/bday weekend... Gained 3.5lbs. It has been so tough and took over a week to get the scale back down but I'm finally 15.8lbs away and have until the 27th. Since insurance was approved and my advocate could tell I was busting my butt (and knew about my deadline), she went ahead and scheduled me for 11/4 with my pre-op on 10/27. I have to reach goal because I can't afford to let them cancel. So for the last week, I've been having 3 Protein shakes, and Cocotein Water, and dinner which consists a whole can of tuna with one tablespoon of light and mayo and some mustard for added moisture on a single serving of Melba Snacks. After dinner, I walk at least 30 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. I've lost 6lbs doing this and an averaging a pound a day, which is what I need to reach goal. I want to have a "goodbye" day so badly but I know I can't risk it. I want this surgery more. :-)

I should mention I've already met my $1100 deductible so that's a plus!

I have Anthem BC/BS and was amazed that my approval came back within like 2 days. My patient advocate at the docs office called me yesterday then I got a call from my RN assigned to me from Anthem. I thought that was pretty cool. The clinic I picked is, unfortunately, out of network so I have to pay my surgeons fees upfront ($3700) and my co-pay to the hospital ($2400'ish). But, after they file, whatever insurance pays, I keep. I expect to be out around $2500 after it's all said and done. And it's totally going to be worth it!