Licia'sjourney

I am 1 week into the pre-op and I am hungry. I really have to NOT watch food ads on TV. and I avert my eyes from restaurant signs! lol At this rate I am really wondering how I am going to make it through the last 2 days of clear liquid!?!

I have lost 35lbs since January and I understand exactly what you mean. There is a little voice that says see you're doing it on your own, why do you need the surgery? My answer is I have been losing and gaining my whole life so it is very apparent I cannot do it on my own and keep it off! At this point I am totally committed and I am ready to go 06/24! Good luck, we can do this!

Wow, so many are getting their sleeve! I wish all of you the best and I hope you have a speedy recovery!! Mine is 06/24 Pre-op diet has me starving!! I hope ya'll had an easier time of it!!

@chelleshocked-Good for you!! I'm feeling pretty empty and start looking forward to my next shake or soup and the day seems to drag by! lol We only have 10 days and counting!!! I am so excited.

@@MarceMonster - Thanks for all of your suggestions! I will look those up and order some. with the Isopure brand did you dilute them with Water first? I have been drinking the Atkins shakes for years but knew I'm not supposed to drink them now. My favorite is the Royal chocolate. Its very chocolatey. So when I went from it to Premier man the Premier just does not come close. Plus the after taste is yucky. Thanks again for your help!

I know this question has been asked a zillion times but I want to ask all of you that are on the pre-op diet right now. What Protein Drinks are you drinking now? I drinking Premier Protein but I don't really like them that well. I can tell I am going to get pretty tired of them and quickly.

@@chelleshocked - That's great that its been fairly easy for you!! It has been for me too but I seem to be getting hungrier as time goes by. I was already on very low carb for 5-6 months and then when I started eating the soups...well first can I just say yuk! lol I really wish I could just continue low carb and lower the fat but I don't want to mess with the protocol. Usually by late afternoon I am watching the clock waiting for the yukky soup!! I hope you continue to do well! Good luck everyone. It seems that everyone that has been sleeved are doing really well!!

According to my doctor there are only two choices. Either Isopure or unflavored Protein powder in a clear liquid like Water flavored with Crystal Light and other various low calorie water flavorings. But that being said I would think chicken broth would be fine as long as you put unflavored protein in it. However, it might not taste the best depending on the Protein Powder you choose. I have heard some are better than others. I have not tried any unflavored yet so I will be interested in what the experienced sleevers will say. Oh and you can also take an Isopure and dilute it with water and add more water flavoring of your choice to it to make it taste better. Good luck finding something you like.

Wow, lots of new people getting sleeved this month. Good luck to all of you and wishing you fast recoveries. This last Monday I had the cardiac clearance then Tuesday I had the psych eval, nutritionist and then the preop class. And to day I had the EGD. After I woke up from the EGD the first thing I asked the nurse was if I had a hernia and she said no. OMG!! I immediately started crying. I cried for about 5-10 minutes thinking what am I gonna do now? How can I afford to do this without the help of getting the hernia repair paid by insurance. Then the doctor walked by a couple of times and then he asked me is the anesthesia getting to you? I said no, the nurse told me I didn't have a hernia! He said, yes you do, you had a big one, here's the picture of it. The nurse had misunderstood what I had asked!! Thank God I had one!! lol I started my pre op diet yesterday and will have surgery 06/24. It is starting to get very real now and I am so excited!!

@@change0414 - I wish you luck in saving your money/part time job so you can get plastics. I will be there with you. I have only lost 33 lbs preop and can tell I'll be in the same boat. I too don't have the money for plastics. I too am single. Have you ever heard of Zerona? Its something that is offered in my doctors office. I wonder if that would help with these types of issues? I don't really know. It shrinks your body a little bit but I don't know how it works. Just wondering out loud here.

@@change0414 - I don't have any suggestions I'm sorry to say however, surely you are building some muscle. It just may not be enough to fill out the extra skin. Empty bags for your butt! Eeek, this is not something I have heard or maybe just not phrased that way. I have heard of people talking about a sagging butt. Boy, I really hate the thought of all these things because I am sure to have them but I don't think there is anything you can do other than plastics. Unfortunately I will not have the money for plastics. I guess I will be wearing compression garments. Change, thanks for the heads up. I better start mentally preparing myself!

To those of you having your surgery soon, good luck and I wish you the best!!

Thank you for all of you kind encouragement! I am ready to do this and ya'll are absolutely right in that I really need to change my thinking from dieting to healthy living!! So thank you for the reminder! The two things I want to do once I lose the weight is skydive at least once and zip line!! those are going to be presents to myself once I get the weight off!!!

My sister tells me all the time that I don't look my age (56) because I have so few wrinkles. I told her that's because I have all this fat filling it out! I have notice a big difference in my skin feeling thinner even with all the fat! I have no doubt I will have lots of hanging skin and wrinkles. I do worry about but what can you do. I heard if you put use a moisturizer with Vitamin e on you skin it will help it shrink so I lather that on my face and neck now even though I haven't had the surgery yet. Plus I will be getting a compression garment because I have heard that helps. I keep thinking that is going to be hot hot this summer!!! I am also going to look into taking some collagen.

I'm 56 and my surgery date is 06/24. It took me 3 or 4 yrs to make the decision to do this and also money was an issue but now my mind is made up and I am totally ready. I find myself wondering what life will be like being much, much smaller than I am now and honestly I cant even imagine. And I do find myself worrying that I will be one of the ones that only loses 60 lbs or so and then regain but I keep telling myself that I will have to be on a "diet" the rest of my life so I may as well have a great tool to help me during the long journey.

I love coffee too and have started drinking half regular and half decaf and will then work down to all decaf. I drink diet coke too and I guess I will just half to drink less and less of it as I go until pre op diet.

Wow Gina! Good luck to you and your husband!

Good luck to everyone getting sleeved this week!! I hope everything goes well for you!!

@@Lawyer - Thank you for the advice! I will have my sister with me the day of and the day after surgery then she has to go back to work but I am hoping the worst is over by then. <smile> I wish you luck as well.

Hi Everyone, I'm new and will be having surgery 06/24. I just finished this whole thread, whew! I have been hanging out in the veteran forum too because I want to have real expectations. I have always thought losing weight was a head game or I should say for the last 10 or so years. And boy it is and as I have found out by reading this forum it still is even after surgery. The stories have not discouraged me at all. I am a bit scared but if it can help me lose some weight then I am ready. All of you who are fighting every day to stay in the fight all I can say is I really hope I have the will and determination that you all have!!! I want to be like you when I get to where you are on the journey. All of you that are hanging in there day after day after day are so inspiring and I want to thank each one of you for sharing your stories with us!!! It gives us a much better idea of what to expect after the surgery. So thank you and I wish each of you luck and success on your journey.

@@chelleshocked - OMG! That is totally crazy. Maybe we will bump into each other? Once I get a surgery time I will let you know but they said I wouldn't find out probably until the day before.

@@chelleshocked Dr. Smith is doing my surgery also. When is your surgery?

@@mclorrie - Thank you so much! I'll try that. I bought a couple of the Isopure's to see if I am going to like them. The flavors they have just don't do it for me though. lol I saw my surgeon for the first time today and they gave me my surgery date!!! I was so surprised. I was not expecting to get it today. Looks like I am a June sleever. 06/24!!! I'm very excited and nervous!!

Hi All, I'm new and this is my first post. I don't have a date yet but I have done some testing that was required. I see my surgeon for the first time Tuesday. I am hoping I can get an estimate on the timing for surgery. I still have to do the psych eval, nut, and probably the sleep test oh and the EGD but cant do any of them until I see the surgeon first. I have been thinking about this surgery for the last 3 or 4 years and kept thinking its still a head game with or without the surgery so I kept trying to do it on my own. <sigh> have not been successful. I have a friend that had the surgery 6 months ago and an acquaintance that had it done a year ago which I have seen recently and she has lost 90lbs and looks great. That's when I started getting excited and thinking about really doing it. So now I am finally ready and very impatient!! lol I have received my surgeons pre op and post op diet and the first 2 weeks are 2 shakes, 1 for breakfast and 1 for lunch and then a hearty soup for supper but cant be cream based. Then the last 2 days before surgery its clear liquids only. Oh and I can have 2 snacks sugar free popsicle, pudding and cottage cheese. Then post op is clear liquids only for the first week and other liquids for the second week. My big question is what are ya'll using for the clear liquid protein? I know Isopure is an option but I was looking for other options. Thank you so much!!