AGreenEyedWolf

In preparation for my WLS, I quit smoking & went to vaping in November and gave up soda in December. It's been hard for sure. I don't have a gym nearby that I can afford to join, so I've been trying to find new hobbies... reading, scrapbooking, adult coloring books, etc. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I'm 5'3" and I weigh 220 lbs. I need to lose 85 pounds just to get to the high end of a healthy BMI... but if I lose at least 70 that would make me ecstatic! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I am on day 3 out of 12 on my pre-op diet. 4 Protein shakes or bars a day plus one high protein/low carb meal. I really struggled yesterday with feeling SO HUNGRY... but today I'm feeling more confident. I think a lot of my anxiety on this diet is caused by me being so used to eating and snacking on things that taste a certain way. The shakes and bars are NOT tasty... in fact, they are kind of gross. But they DO make me feel full... so I'm trying to get used to the fact that if I'm feeling full and craving other stuff at the same time, it's really not HUNGER... it's HEAD hunger and it's essential that I train my body to deal with it better. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I thought I was doing really well because I have done all my pre-surgery requirements so far with no problem. All I have left is my final pre-op surgery consult (coming up Tuesday, January 17th) and to do my liver shrinking diet until the day before surgery. (I started the diet yesterday, and have 11 more days of it to go). The diet is supposed to help battle hunger by having me ingest something every 3 hours from 730-730 every day. But I find that I'm already struggling on day 2 of the diet... I'm still responsible for cooking for my family every night, and for feeding my eight year old all day on the weekends when he has no school... and i never noticed before, but OMG... TV is FILLED with shows and commercials about food and eating!! So all this food is in my face while all I am allowed myself is to drink disgusting Protein shakes or eat absolutely gross Protein Bars 4 x a day and only get one (VERY small) frozen lean cuisine meal a day myself. I have done everything I can to make this easier on myself and to make sure I can truly get healthy... I quit smoking in November (I was a pack a day smoker for over 20 years)... I quit drinking Mt Dew in December (I easily drank a 6 pack or more daily of cans of Mt Dew for many years as well)... but I'm really struggling to make this final change. All I can think about is FOOD!! I have no hobbies I care to indulge in... I'm disabled and retired with just a small, at-home, freelance side-job so I don't have much work to distract me... and honestly, I have no desire and very little ability to be more active at the moment... and it seems like everything I want to read is full of feasts and meals and food descriptions detailed enough to make me drool... so of course, the head hunger is driving me INSANE!! For the first time since I began my journey, I am sincerely struggling. I am literally questioning whether being healthy a few months or years down the road is worth spending all that time wishing I could eat the things I love and being unable to eat anything that appeals to me. How has everyone else handled this? Am I the only one struggling this much? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I haven't told anyone but my husband and 2 of my friends. The one friend would never tell a soul... the other has already told at least one acquaintance, so I had to specifically ask her not to tell anyone else. (This same friend told me I don't need surgery... I just need to walk more and drink soda less... like I haven't already been fighting this battle for 20 years longer than I've known her) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

My pre-op liver shrinking diet is: one Protein shake or bar at 730 am, 1030 am, 130 pm, and 730 pm... with one meal at 430 pm. I'm to aim that one meal a day to be high protein and low carbs... my surgery center suggested Lean Cuisine or similar frozen meals since it's easy to track calories, carbs, & protein that way. To test my Protein Bars and frozen meals, I am to cover the 3rd number of the amount of calories in the item and compare the remaining 2 digit number to the amount of carbs... if the protein number is higher, it's an acceptable bar or meal. (For instance... a meal has 290 calories and 31 grams of protein... cover the zero in 290 leaving 29, and 31 is higher than that so I can have it, as long as it is primarily meat and veggies and I should avoid ones that have Pasta of any kind, etc). Then normally for my height, I'd have to limit my intake... including Protein shakes or bars... to 1100 calories a day... but I personally was told 1300 for me because of my BMI... (it has to be a certain number for my insurance to cover my surgery, but I still need to keep protein high and carbs low to shrink my liver). Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I had the same tests plus an arterial blood gas, full respiratory testing, and an upper GI Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

My pre-op liver shrinking diet is: one Protein shake or bar at 730 am, 1030 am, 130 pm, and 730 pm... with one meal at 430 pm. I'm to aim that one meal a day to be high protein and low carbs... my surgery center suggested Lean Cuisine or similar frozen meals since it's easy to track calories, carbs, & protein that way. To test my Protein Bars and frozen meals, I am to cover the 3rd number of the amount of calories in the item and compare the remaining 2 digit number to the amount of carbs... if the protein number is higher, it's an acceptable bar or meal. (For instance... a meal has 290 calories and 31 grams of protein... cover the zero in 290 leaving 29, and 31 is higher than that so I can have it, as long as it is primarily meat and veggies and I should avoid ones that have Pasta of any kind, etc). Then normally for my height, I'd have to limit my intake... including Protein shakes or bars... to 1100 calories a day... but I personally was told 1300 for me because of my BMI... (it has to be a certain number for my insurance to cover my surgery, but I still need to keep protein high and carbs low to shrink my liver). Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

Yes, it's hard... some may look down on me and say oh well your BMI is "relatively" low so they think I shouldn't have WLS and should just eat healthier, work out more, etc... but what they fail to understand is that I have spent 25 years overweight... never able to lose enough to have a "healthy" BMI no matter what I do (including multiple diets, workout plans, medications and more). I have sleep apnea, COPD, bulging disks in my back and arthritis in my back, hips and legs... this surgery may be the ONLY way I can ever be healthy or trust me, I wouldn't even attempt it. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I am in a similar boat. My BMI is also borderline. I completed all pre-op testing yesterday ad started my liver shrinking diet today... but I was warned that whereas normally they want people my height on 1100 calories a day for this diet, I have to do 1300 because otherwise my BMI may go too low for insurance to cover my surgery. I'm getting close... I have my final pre-op doctors visit on the 17th and surgery is scheduled for the 25th. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

When I met with my surgeon for the first time, they did a general vitals check and weigh-in, then I spoke to the surgeon who asked a lot of questions like why did I think WLS was the best option for me, did I have a support system in place, did I understand the difference between head hunger and actual hunger, which surgery was I interested in and why, and did I understand the risks involved or have any specific questions I wanted to ask, etc Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I have my sleeve surgery coming up in about a month. It may sound silly, but one of the things I'm worried about post-surgery is sleep comfort. I'm a stomach sleeper... I find it very difficult to get adequate rest in any other position. Is anyone else here a stomach sleeper? How long was it post surgery before you felt comfortable enough to sleep on your stomach again? Also, what kept you from doing it sooner - surgery site pain or reflux or something else? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

My insurance required 3 months also... BUT... all they really wanted was proof from my family physicians or other doctors that I had discussed my weight issues with them at least 3 times in the past and that past had to go back at least 90 days or more. My surgeons office gave me forms for my other doctors to fill out... I took one to my family doctor... sent one to my doctor from before this one (5 years ago) and one to my psychiatrist. All verified I had discussed my weight issues with them on more than one occassion, 2 also verified they had discussed options with me (for instance, one sent me to a weight clinic and one put me on Topamax and wellbutrin to mimic a new weight loss medication my insurance didn't cover at the time). Those and "letters of support" from my family doctor and my psychiatrist were acceptable in my case. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

This is something I'm worried about too... I'm a Mt Dew addict. I know I have to give up soda... but I'm struggling because not only does less soda result in headaches, I also get anxiety and if I drink more water I suffer from dry mouth. I have 3 weeks till I start my liver shrinking diet, and that means I need to give up the soda by then. Tomorrow I'm going to limit myself to 3 and do that for a few days then drop myself to 2 for a few days and then just one. Crossing my fingers it works for me! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

January 25th for me Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

Im looking forward to: Being healthier... living longer... being able to play with my son and my grandsons... not adjusting the seat belt 105 times on every car ride... buying clothes that fit all over (because right now I wish pants came in one pair that was simultaneously one size in the calf, another in the thigh, a third in the hips and a fourth in the waist)... being comfortable being IN family photos instead of insisting on being the one behind the camera Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

Great questions! Having seen these, I plan to ask them myself... I also plan to ask when after surgery I'll be able to resume my normal meds for other medical issues I have, and what meds if any ill be sent gome with (and gow they will react with my refular meds) since that is something very important to me. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I'm having gastric sleeve surgery on January 25th Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App