Lizardlady

Well *sigh* my surgery was postponed for now because my Dr. will not clear me because of chest pain. After my endoscopy procedure I had some pain in my lungs after the twilight sedation. This was several weeks ago and I didn't even talk to the doctor about it until today because it went away after a few days. Still, because it was chest pain, he wants me to go and see a cardiologist before he will clear me for surgery. UGH!!!!!! I want to scream! I've already been doing my pre-op diet and was going to start clear liquids today for surgery tomorrow but NOPE! I guess it's kind of a good thing though since I just got back from closing on the new house and it needs some cleanup and fixes before we can even move in. Plus, it's a pool home so I'll get a bit of time to swim before I get my surgery done but it's still frustrating to be on the very last day of my liquid diet before they have to postpone it GRRR! Sorry, had to vent a little.

They are supposed to call today to let me know. They said it would probably be early morning though. I haven't been able to sleep right all week. We are also in the process of closing on a house which closing is supposed to be today so I've been under a lot of stress lately with everything happening all at once.

Oh, it's too late for that lol. I got a million and 1 thoughts and feelings floating through my head right now. I go back and forth on everything from one minute to the next but in the end, I know this is the right decision for me.

If it's possible to switch later then yes, I would agree. I just don't want to have issues with my surgeon later on if I didn't use "his" nutritionist.

After some of the posts here about what people are eating, I'm definitely going to bring this up to my nutritionist and see what she has to say because now it's a pretty big concern of mine.

Hmmm is it really only sugar? I was assuming it did more than that. If that is the case then that kind of sucks for me since I'm not a big sweets person. I can pass on cake and ice cream but I would NOT pass up a slice of pizza or pasta! Does anyone have experience with it helping the cravings for carbs?

I went in to my surgeon specifically asking for a Lap-Band (I didn't know there were so many problems at the time and I wasn't interested in any of the other procedures) and he basically told me no. He said he used to do them a lot but after he's seen so many problems he doesn't recommend them anymore. He explained all the issues people have had with them: A lot of the tubes breaking (they get worn out or break pretty easy from what he explained) as well as port issues (something about the port sometimes being a pain to get to if it moves), slippage, food getting stuck and acid reflux. He also said that if you remove it, your stomach is never actually "normal" again after either so technically, it's not reversible as Lap-Band claims it is. Not to mention that it's NEVER ENDING with the Dr. appointments to adjust the thing. He also told me that he has to do a lot of revisions from the band to gastric sleeve since so many regret having it (because of the issues and annoying Dr. appointments) or they just don't loose the weight with it but seeing people that regret the sleeve is almost unheard of so he recommended the gastric sleeve for me instead.

This area really doesn't/won't bother me because my fiance doesn't care and nobody else is going to see it anyway. There are some that may have issues with it though. You'd be surprised how many ladies have surgery to make their "vajaja" look .... "pretty" LOL. I'll let you ladies know about my vajaja just as soon as I lift enough "apron" skin and find mine! It's been "a while"... LOL! I needed that, I really did. I am and will be in your shoes so I smell what you're stepping in trust me. Exactly! After all the stress I've put my body through, it's depressing to know that I've done this to myself (with a little help from PCOS) and there will be permanent damage because of it. The stretch marks (not JUST on my belly) and lose skin WILL be there to remind me of that but maybe in a way, that is a good thing. It's good to know that I still have a sense of humor about the "aftermath" of something that I cannot change at this point anyway.

I didn't think it was possible for me either but then again, I'm a carb addict so I didn't think much of it when she said it other than to think "wow that sucks" and then write it in the notes and bolded the word "FOREVER" lol. I love Pasta, bread (whole grain too!) and potatoes but apparently it's not working for me so I figured she must be right. I don't plan to ignore my nutritionist but I would like to know WHY it's different for our group. I'm pre-op at the moment and the diet now, I expect it to be restricting (the first few days of this liquid diet was killer) but later on, after the weight is lost, I was hoping to more or less be "normal" about my eating habits. I accept that no matter what, I need this surgery, but it's very emotional to think that for the most part, I won't be able to eat what everyone else around me is eating ever again (or at least that is how it feels).

87 and 178 carbs? My nutritionist said we should stay under 40 carbs FOREVER. What are you guys' goals as far as carbs, calories, sugar and protein?

Also curious to see some long term successful sleevers daily diet.

The FUPA (or upper pubic area) tends to store fat especially for those who have had children. I haven't heard of other areas needing to be "fixed" but I know that is a common one after weight loss or even for those who don't need to loose weight but have had children. Fat builds up there and they can't get it off without having lipo/lifting the area.

Vajayjay?????? Really? I hadn't even thought about having loose skin there! Unfortunately it's a pretty common "problem" area. Especially if you've had kids.

If he doesn't mind the fat then he most likely won't mind the loose skin, especially if he wants you to be active and healthy. It's easy to assume that other people have the same image of ourselves as we do but in reality, that's not always the case, especially when it comes to loved ones.

Well if you're older at least you have an excuse lol! I'm gonna be 30 with saggy boobs

I haven't had my surgery yet to tell you how much loose skin I have. I'm 29 but I'm so overweight and been overweight for so long that I KNOW I will have a lot of loose skin. I've dropped 30 lbs in the last month and a half and I'm already noticing it mostly on my inner thighs (which I'm still hoping will tighten up a bit because that is one surgery I really would like to avoid). It really depends on how heavy you are, how long you've been that heavy, how old you are and also genetics. It also depends on your exercise while losing the weight. Nobody can say for sure how much loose skin you might have but your chances of not having a bunch of loose skin are better depending on the above things I mentioned. I personally am going to expect the worst and hope for the best!

For me, I don't think the loose skin is going to be an issue. My fiance and I have been together for 13 years and he has seen me at my thinnest and my biggest and his feelings have not changed, nor has he treated me any different now that I'm very heavy. It's my opinion that any man worth his salt would do the same. However, he does worry about my health. I do plan to eventually get the skin removed when I get to that point but it's honestly because it would bother me and I want to feel good about myself. I would think that if you are big now and your partner doesn't care, then I doubt they will care when/if you have loose skin unless they have a particular attraction to bigger people... but that's another story.

I had my final visit with my surgeon today pre op and I learned that I may be doing things wrong (figures). I asked the assistant if Isopure counted toward my Water intake because drinking it throughout the day (1 bottle) made me feel less thirsty. She said that it does NOT count toward water intake because the Protein makes you pee and that I need to cut the bottle in half and use it as a Meal Replacement (1/2 for Breakfast and 1/2 for dinner or whatever). So I'm attempting that today. I had 1/2 for breakfast and I still have 1/2 in the fridge. However, drinking so much of it "as a meal" is just tough for me so I still end up drinking it basically all morning. I hope this counts as a meal? It has helped me increase my water intake but I'm having trouble with the "meal" part of it. There is 40g of protein per bottle of Isopure so if I drink half as a replacement for a meal then that is 20g of protein. Even if I do both halves to take up 2 of my meals I only get 40g. My daily goal is 70-80g so does that mean I need to eat a whopping 30g of protein for the 3rd meal or am I just needing to "snack" on protein more? I've been mixing protein into my Soup and broth but even so, I've only ended up with 48g of protein today. Here is what my day looked like: Breakfast: 1/2 bottle Isopure - 20g Snack: sugar free pudding - 1g Lunch: chicken broth with 1 scoop of protein - 12g (2g +10g) Dinner: 1 can Campbell's 98% fat free Cream of Chicken soup (pureed) with 1 scoop of protein - 15g (5g + 10g) I will probably have another snack sometime tonight and I suppose I better mix Protein powder into whatever it is but do you guys have any suggestions?

Nope, I'm "eating" Breakfast lunch and dinner with small Snacks in between (either a bowl of broth, Jello or pudding). I drank a lot of Water before all of this but since I've started the liquid diet, I haven't felt as naturally thirsty, I've been forcing myself to drink more water whereas before I would just FEEL thirsty. This would probably be because I'm "drinking" all of my food right now so I just don't feel the urge to drink more water. I suppose I could be doing it wrong? My eating habits before even thinking of surgery were WAY different. I really didn't keep track of anything other than if I had not eaten all day (which was common practice) I would be super hungry at night and have a very large portion and usually it was something not good and full of carbs (pizza or Pasta was a favorite). I am a little lost as far as what I should be aiming for with how much to eat at one sitting and how often, especially on this pre - op diet. It's easier to know how much I should eat on solid foods than it is trying to figure out portion sizes on a liquid diet. Right now I'm just focused on trying to get protein into every meal and a good amount of it but if Isopure counts as 2 meals out of a 3 meal per day diet, then I might be a little screwed. I was hoping I could just eat 3 meals a day plus a few snacks and use Isopure in between to fill out my protein and water intake for the day but apparently that's not the case. I wasn't looking at Isopure as a Meal Replacement, I saw it as a drink with protein in it. If this is the case then I'm assuming the Syntrax nectar protein packets that are fruit flavored also count as a meal? I guess I need to have a conversation with my nutritionist again and sort some things out.

Is it not normal for them to give you goals during the pre-op diet? My goals say 70-80g of protein per day and less than 40g of carbs. Also, I have to get in 64 oz of water but nothing with red or blue dye and and 1-2 protein drinks per day but then I was told that a full bottle of Isopure counts as 2 servings for me. I guess it could be worse considering some of the other pre-op diets I've seen reading these forums lol. Still, it's a lot to juggle and figure out when you aren't used to it. I am trying my best to do everything the surgeon/nutritionist asks of me but I've had several confusing moments already and I'm only 3 days in to my pre op diet. I'm starting to wonder how successful I will be post-op if I'm having this many issues now.

I guess I should have clarified, this is my pre-op diet. I have not had the surgery just yet. Scheduled for the 4th of May. If I'm not able to do it now, does that mean I'm REALLY going to have issues later?!

Is it ok to not meet the Protein goal each day? Cuz this seems nearly impossible. I'm struggling to get protein wherever I can get it or put some into my meal wherever possible and I'm still coming up short it seems. Maybe if I have some more bowls of broth throughout the day with protein in them I could do it but how do you guys that are years out and eating regular food get all of your protein in for the day? 70g? REALLY?! I gotta give you guys kudos cuz this is way harder than I thought. I was totally counting on being able to have Isopure to make up for whatever protein I needed extra but NOPE. She said I need to split it into 1/2 and not drink it throughout the day. For me it's the opposite, I think the shakes are nasty. Some days I can tolerate them but most days I can only do a few sips before it starts to make me feel ill. Almost like extremely thick chocolate milk with something weird tasting in them lol. For the water, I thought it would count toward my goal too but I asked just to be sure and the answer was a bit of a surprise!

I'm doing my pre op diet now (surgery is May 4th). Here is the "shopping list" that I'm allowed to have: Protein supplements (Unsweetened Almond Milk) Original Soy Milk (skim or 1% milk) Hood chocolate Carb Countdown 1-2 Protein shakes per day Nonfat plain greek or regular yogurt sugar free Jello or pudding Smuckers fruit preserve with no added sugar or low sugar Low sodium V8 juice 97-98% fat free cream Soups (pureed) Lentil Soup (pureed) Sugar free popsicles with no red or blue dye low sodium broth Vitamin Water Zero Zero Calorie Sobe Life Water Crystal Light Decaf Tea Decaf coffee Hint (flavored water) The day before surgery I can only have clear liquids with nothing after midnight

I agree. I told my mom the same thing! My fiance has been on me about getting healthy. Not because he cares how I look but he wants me to live longer and we have a son together. I think once he sees that I AM getting healthy, his worries will be put at ease. As far as my sister, even if I don't have any major issues, I have the feeling she may stick to her guns and point out every little thing that I do differently that is not "normal" and she may or may not ever understand but it's my life and my choice and I do feel this is the best decision for me.

Mine is also moving a long very quickly. I think my first appointment was march 17th and surgery is May 4th. They put me into a speedier program. Not really sure why because others going to the same surgeon are going to way more classes than I am required to do. Some have literally waited YEARS to have the surgery done! I'm also in the same boat as you with having some family against my decision or at least not encouraging it. My sister does not want me to have it done at all and keeps trying to talk me out of it. She is a nurse and keeps telling me the horror stories she's seen with other people that have had weight loss surgery. I'd be lying if I said her stories don't scare me but the truth is, I'm more scared of NOT having the surgery done. At least with the surgery, I'm taking a small risk but with my family history of diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and cholesterol issues, I'm almost positive my chances of living to a ripe old age aren't very good if I don't have it done. My fiance and I had the conversation this morning about the same thing: "I think you could lose the weight with diet and exercise", but he is one of those people that can eat however much he wants and WHATEVER he wants and never gets fat. He is right that I would lose weight but if he would look back at all of my past attempts, he would see that I always gain it back and then some. Luckily my mom has been very supportive and glad that I am making a decision to better myself.