KarenLoh

I am also trying to change the way I eat with the idea that I should eat now the way I will have to eat after the surgery. That being simple healthy meals with plenty of Protein. Eat slowly (not doing very well with that) and no drinking during meals (or 30 minutes before or after). It is SO WEIRD to think of eating this way for the rest of my life and the hardest part has been the emotional and psychological adjustments. When I eat simply and regularly I find myself quite altered emotionally. I'm seeing a therapist and that has been a big help in addressing these issues as they come up. I also track everything I eat in an app on my phone. I stopped doing that for a while and gained some weight back. I guess it just keeps me honest and mindful about what I am actually eating. I'm a tracker now -- probably for good. Keep posting and keep up the good work.

Avoid salt! :-)

On the Water weight, my doctor uses a scale that tells them my body fat separate from my water weight so I can sometimes gain weight but lose fat. It is SUCH a relief to know the water going up and down won't affect my progress and I can see reward for my hard work. They didn't say anything to me about being too heavy for the surgery (BMI 62.4) but they are asking me to lose some weight as a sign of progress toward eating right after surgery. It is very difficult but I am making good progress (only two cheats this month compared to five last month by this time.) My goal is to have a whole month of on-target eating and then see if they will schedule the surgery. Good luck!

Not scheduled yet but hopefully this summer in Indianapolis. St. Francis.

I did okay. Down 3 lbs of fat, 7 to go to "prove" I can lose 10 pounds. Have been consistently eating 1,500 calories and that has left me HUNGRY most of the day. The NUT agreed there's not much I can do - spreading out the calories to more smaller meals won't reduce the hunger really. My MD put me on Prilosec and Tums for the hunger but so far that has not reduced the hunger much. It's 9:45am right now and I had a good Breakfast and am HUNGRY again. Long time until lunch. My therapist recommends "dedicating the suffering" to someone else who is suffering more. Interesting psychological experiment I guess. Will have to work on that since nothing else seems to do it. Thanks for the support and encouragement.

That is so interesting and encouraging. I feel like I've got 90% of what I need to be successful post op and one of the missing pieces is the physical hunger I feel now that drives me to bed to keep from eating more at night. They did NOT give me any suggestions about how to get that 10 pounds off other than the routine NUT stuff, avoid this, eat that. My work with my personal therapist has helped tremendously and I have lost a few pounds in the last two weeks. Hopefully will have a decent weigh-in tomorrow. Keeping on.

drmeow, I have to lose 10 pounds by a certain date to show them I can follow a regular eating plan after the surgery. I lost 6.5 pounds the first two weeks then gained back 5 the next two weeks. :::sigh::: I am also doing what you are doing - cutting out the grazing and giving up sweets. I am trying really hard to only eat three meals a day but I get really hungry in the late morning and in the evening and last night I went to bed at 7:30pm because I couldn't stand it. On the sweets my rule is "no sweet binge sneaks" so if I'm with people and they are sharing a dessert I will have a bite or two because it's not sneaking and it's not a binge. I'm thinking this is more difficult than just going cold turkey but I'm trying it for now. Today was a good day on the scale so I'm hopeful for the next two appointments that I will reach the 10 pound goal. Then I need my psychiatrist to be convinced that I'm ready and we can schedule the surgery. Fhew. It will be a year since I started this whole thing before those two things are done. The weight loss clinic mistakenly had me in the "no surgery" category for months before it was found out to be a mistake in their records so that really screwed me up. But maybe I needed that time after all. Doing well on the eating now and feeling good about it.

I am also on the road but don't have approval yet or a surgeon or anything. I've been told I have to prove I can stick to a food plan for 12 weeks before they will pass me on to the next stage. But I don't stick to a food plan and I wonder if it is because I want to sabotage this thing. I am 408 pounds and if I gain any more I can't continue to do my work and earn my living. I HAVE to do something and don't have any confidence in my ability to do a regular diet over again. I have lost all of my weight three times in my life and gained it back with interest so... I feel like this is my only choice to lose weight but I don't want to do it. reading about other peoples' journeys here is motivating me though. I just need those 12 weeks under my belt.

Thank you for putting this diary up. I still don't have a surgery date but it is helpful to have an idea what to expect. I need to prepare myself mentally for missing food for months at a time. It makes me want to start devaluing food more even now. Keep on keeping on. We are here with you.