Luana526

Well, here I am 12 days post op! I lost 10 pounds pre-op diet and 12 pounds since surgery. It is coming off fast but I'm paying more attention to the diet than the scale. I went on Stage 3 diet a week early (they said no problem since I was tolerating everything so well) because I could not--NOT--drink another shake and I had no find a way to get my Protein in. Believe me, it was just about adding eggs and tuna fish and cottage cheese (exciting!)--nothing too crunchy or drastic. I was almost in tears from those shakes because I disliked them so much. I'm not a sweets eater, never was, and particularly would never drink a milk shake, much less one that tastes bad. But that's behind me now. What is very, very new to me and something I so far don't really like is having to actually spend more time eating! I'll have to see what others in my group session say. The thing is, I had a BMI of less than 40 before I even looked into this. I'm not hundreds of pounds overweight, I looked like I did and weighed what I weighed because I love junk food, fast food, and anything fried. But . . . I didn't eat all day! I ate and I was done until my next meal (which wasn't always the best choices, I know). I'm not used to taking forever to eat a dollop of tuna fish! I am physically and literally spending more time eating and I'm not really enjoying it. I'm finding it a nuisance. I only get 40 minutes for lunch and I spend the entire time trying to eat! I'm looking forward to having this whole thing settle down, which I sure hope it does.

Okay, everybody . . . thanks for all the input. But, uh, can we dispense with the advice to "stop whining" and "pull up my big girl pants." I'm not whining--never was--I was simply curious as to why a diet that was presented to me as "follow it or else" was not uniform across the board for others. A friend of mine whose starting weight was 420 wasn't asked to drop even one pound before her surgery or follow any special diet. Apparently her liver wasn't too slimy to handle! Just found it odd. That's all. Curiousity. I've got it, people. Small liver. Prepare for future. Get used to things. For my own good. Thanks all, but it's getting a little weary having people respond like I'm a whining idiot. Some of you are very positive and uplifting, which is great to hear eight days before my surgery.

My old Weight Watchers leader always said "pictures don't lie." I've done everything I can do to avoid getting in pictures, but someone snapped one of me--a group shot--and when I saw it, my old Weight Watchers leader's face flashed before me. I can stay in denial as long as I didn't have to look at myself! Nonetheless, I had my surgery a few days ago . . . I'm ready!!

9/24 here

Oh boy. My surgery is Friday! Nervous as can be . . .

Yes, we can't change genetics! So true!

I didn't start with a low BMI, but my starting weight was significantly lower than some. My starting weight was 225 - which put me at a BMI of 40. I actually had to gain a couple pounds when I was initially going through the paperwork so insurance would approve me. My current weight, as of this morning is 179.8 and my surger was on 5/23. My weight loss has been slow compared to some because I was a band to sleeve revision - but you know what? I really don't care how slow it comes off - the fact that it's coming off, and that I am in a size 12 is AMAZING to me!!! I haven't been this size since.... well, I might have been 12. Good luck!!

I'm getting sleeved on the 23rd and live in NY... I'm started to get nervous but I'm also very excited to start a new chapter in my life

Oh and I forgot as a big bonus today, I just had a bowel movement! LMAO. I NEVER THOUGHT ID BE SO HAPPY TO SEE ONE COME! Sorry, TMI, but all gastric surgery patients will approve this message!

Well, they won't do surgery if you have a fever because that's an indication of infection. You should be fine with your symptoms, although I know it's a nuisance right now. Get well quickly!

waitingtoexhale, are you at all nervous about the lifestyle change? What I mean is, is there a part of you freaked out that you're going in to have a piece of you removed and you're going to emerge as someone with different thought processes? A friend of mine said, "Oh, you think differently about food afterwards." And I thought to myself, "Well, that's a little freaky! Am I having a lobotomy??"

waitingtoexhale, I have been reading a lot of threads and comments on here and sometimes I feel like I'm about to live through Invasion of the Body Snatchers! "Oh, you'll be different afterwards . . ." That's freaking me out more than anything! And have you read about "dumping" on here? It sounds disgusting, but apparently it's when you overeat and you get palpatations, sweating, hot flashes, frothing at the mouth. Geez, what have I gotten myself into??

Thank you @@Luana526!
I was prescribed a z-pack and nasal spray she said I should be fine

Well, they won't do surgery if you have a fever because that's an indication of infection. You should be fine with your symptoms, although I know it's a nuisance right now. Get well quickly!

Well, thank God! It sounds positively awful. Can't someone give it another name??

@@Luana526 yes I am very nervous about the lifestyle change! All I do is think about what it would be like exactly for me personally. I'm afraid of failing or becoming depressed because I won't be able to eat a lot like I'm use to doing..... I know it's for the best for my health and well being and a plus for my sexiness

Ahhhh, so now I'm getting the bigger picgture. Different doctors, different hospitals, different TOOLS. Interesting . . .

Just follow your surgeon's plan. He's the one doing your surgery, not all those other guys you've heard about. Ask if you can replace the sweet shakes with unflavored Protein powder mixed in broths. My surgeon allowed that because it's essentially the same thing. chicken broth, beef broth, hot and sour Soup base, tortilla soup base, strained wonton soup, etc were all staples of mine both pre and postop.
I, too thought the shakes were too sweet, especially postop. Some I found to be less sweet are Garden of Life Raw Fit and Spirutein banana. I also found that diluting the premier RTD 1/2 and 1/2 with milk and mixing the Protein powders with twice as much Water as they call for makes them much less sweet and tolerable.

I'm now on day 7 of pre-op liquids. Six more to go. I am really not hungry because I have what I'm allowed at the first sign of hunger. I have to drink 4 Protein shakes per day. I don't mind them, but hate the aftertaste. I discovered that if I eat the sugar free Jello after the shake it takes away the aftertaste. Yesterday I had to go to my sleep doctor in Philly - 1 1/2 hours away and wanted to do some shopping on my way home. I took a cooler with everything I would normally eat during the time period I would be gone. It worked out fine. I love my broth and went to Trader Joe's and expanded the kinds of broth I have on my pantry shelf. Now have Miso Ginger, Mushroom and Veg to add to my chicken and beef. The up side is I have lost about one pound a day! That makes me happy. Maybe my doctor wants two weeks of liquids to shrink my liver AND to give my weight loss a boost going into the surgery. Maybe he's working on my head a little bit and teaching me that I CAN do this and helping me get used to eating less. I have to think he has a very good reason for everything I have had to do. He is an excellent surgeon at one of the finest teaching hospitals in the country. I believe he is having me do all this because he wants the best possible outcome for me. If I didn't believe he was the best doctor I would find, I wouldn't be going to him! No one said this was going to be easy but I believe the outcome will be well worth it.

Thanks, gregtthegroove . . . good response. My doctor said I only need to lose five pounds before surgery. My BMI is under 40--they've worked on much more obese people than me. My insurance almost didn't cover me! But I don't want my liver getting in anybody's way so I've been following it to the letter. But I do respectfully disagree about not questioning their directives. What kind of patient would I be if I didn't ask questions before they cut me open? Yikes. I want to know everything. They actually call me up to see if I have any questions. I love that they're so thorough. Just don't love that I feel so hungry!

I'm not sure I made myself clear. I am NOT listening to anyone but my surgeon--I wouldn't even think of not following his instructions. I'm not tempted by anyone else's regimen . . . I was just wondering what other people's doctor's instructions were. The "Tom, Dick and Harry" have no affect on me. I'm just curious why some doctors make it sound so dire and others don't even ask their patients to follow anything. That's it.

I'm reading a lot of stories and responses by people regarding the pre-op diet. I am not, not, NOT a sweets eater so it takes me literally HOURS to finish one Protein Drink. I hate every single brand I've tried. I am a teacher and on the first day I started one at 9:30 and finished at noon. Then it took me the rest of the day to get the other one down! I followed it to the letter for five days (lost six pounds) and then started to add more proten because I felt weak from the lack of calories. Now I'm reading forums from lots of people who say their doctors did not make them follow it, some who said it actually wasn't necessary, etc. I had two friends from two different doctors who were NOT told to follow it and three friends from three different doctors who WERE told to follow it. I understand the part about shrinking the liver, but I have a gut feeling that the real reason is twofold: one, so that we don't eat ourselves into oblivion (which I was doing before the pre-op diet), and two, so that the all-liquid diet afterwards doesn't feel like such a shock. I think this is boiling down to a doctor's preference. Not sure now why any of this is necessary . . . I feel like I'm starving!

Thanks for the input! I'm enjoying reading everything . . .

@@Luana526, I think you answered your own question! The only caveat to the situation is that your surgeon does retain the right to cancel your operation, even when you're cut open on the operating table.
Every doctor is different and why that is, I don't think any of us know. But when a surgeon requires a liquid diet (especially one that's 2 weeks long), they can tell whether you've complied. Not that you've been perfect, but that you followed the requirement fairly closely.

What about getting some unflavored Protein powder and putting it in a more savory broth and drinking that instead of the sweet shakes?
The pre-op is twofold: it helps shrink your liver but it also starts to reorganize how your brain thinks about food and hunger before surgery. To me, this is one of the most vital components. If your head isn't in the right place, post-op will be more difficult.