Booandfrida

I am my own worst enemy. I'm sure the stuff I think is 10 times worse than what people actually think about me in social situations. You get used to trying not to make waves or be noticed for your fatness. I don't think I will ever "feel" skinny.

Does anyone ever still see themselves as the person they were before wls? Somedays i still feel like i'm over weight even though i'm not.
Not sure what it is, but i can't always see my own progress at least until i see pictures. Does this happen to you guys too?

I cant believe my surgery week is finally here! Im meeting with my surgeon again tomorrow for preop with him and then going to have my preop with the anesthesiologist. Im so ready to have this done but I wont lie and say Im not nervous. Moreso nervous about the recovery. But I know Im in good hands.

LOL (your bank account). The Money is well spent!!! Exciting times for all of us

I think that nails it Joann. I would also add curious. I am looking forward to the weight loss and the improved ease of mobility. But the main thing I really want is to change my relationship with food. I want to be the one in control, and to look at it as fuel and not some enjoyable hobby. Heaven help us all on the pre-diet. That sounds like the hardest part.

Let's face it, most of us have some sort of issue with food or else we wouldn't be in this predicament. I can tell you that for me, the band helped a lot - but I still had to work to be successful. The sleeve will be the same way. It will be a fantastic tool, but it is still possible to cheat so you need to overcome those inner demons.

ME TOO! The last thing that sent me over the edge was going low carb, once I did that and lost then when I gained it back it was so hard and then I was diabetic type 2.

I feel very ready and as prepared as I can be (9/7/2017 date). I've been down this road before. I had LapBand in 2009 and it went great. I had a previous sleeve date but ran into a minor issue, so I've already gotten right up to the door once already.

Word of caution, try to put yourself on a preop diet anyway. Going into surgery as healthy as possible can only help in the healing process.

LOL after all the research I've done this is definitely not the easy way out. But ppl think that the surgery is magic and u just lose weight without any work. We still have to eat right and exercise bc the weight can all come back plus more. While going through complications, pain, etc from having a surgical procedure. This is definitely a lifestyle change. And Im almost certain everyone who decides to have this procedure done isnt just doing it for cosmetic reasons, its because their health is at stake and theyre over it. Of course we all wanna look good who doesnt? But health is first. And easy way out? Nothing about this has been easy, not even the approval process!

I think what is most frustrating is how other people look at us like we are lazy, and are choosing to not lose weght. Most people don't understand that everybody's body works differently.
A few few years ago, I went away for a girls weekend with a friend. We did everything together, and ate pretty much the same foods, and had the same level of activity. Yet when we returned home, I had gained five pounds and she had lost five pounds. My body just works differently.
I realize that this surgery won't make me thin, but I am hoping it will help me lose another 60 pounds or do, so I can be in the overweight category instead of morbidly obese.

I don't have any proof, but I think my problem has been all the yo-yo dieting and the havoc it has wreaked on my metabolism. I'm really hoping the sleeve doesn't negatively impact my metabolism.

September 11th here - having it done by Dr. Dietrick in Tampa. I am self pay, so I feel like my bank account has already had the surgery

It's so good to hear that other people had the "should I do it, should I not do it" feeling! I felt like it was really hard to make up my mind. I thought I was the only one!

It is normal, it's something new and that can be scary.

I had LapBand in 2009 and I can tell you that you have every reason to expect the surgery will go fine. They are really good at this by now and complications are extremely unlikely. But the best part is, life gets so much better. I lost 110% of of my excess weight with the band and it felt wonderful to be a person of "normal" size. After I had it done, new people I met could not believe I was formally obese. My band recently failed, and I feel the weight creeping back up again. Now I am getting the sleeve to get back to that amazing feeling of "normal size" again.

I am freaking out too !! The whole time I was also like " if " I do it. Well I am doing it , this is happening ! I am excited and also very nervous. The only time I have ever been admitted to the hospital is when I had my son . The thing that is keeping me going is looking at clothes I will be able to wear because I looove clothes and fashion and have been living in leggings and tunics for years. I cannot wait to go shopping. I also have been checking out running groups at the YMCA I go to. I am planning to start running and hopefully start doing marathons .. I am trying to keep it positive by thinking of the new me and not worrying about not being able to eat and the pain. But I totally am freaking out too !!!

For the entire nine months that I've been doing my program, I kept saying "IF I decide to do the surgery...". And then last week I went in for my pre admission appointment, and had the realization that this is really happening and I am going through with it.
i think it's really good for us to note our fears and concerns, and to write about WHY we are having the surgery. It will really help us in those first few weeks after surgery when we start having regrets.

Very real! This will be my first ever surgery in life! Ive never even been admitted to the hospital in my whole 28 years of living! But when I got the call yesterday to schedule my health assessment with the anesthesiologist and the surgery schedule is when it got real. I am very nervous since the only procedure Ive ever had was wisdom teeth extraction but Im definitely ready,
I really just think Im nervous about the pain I may feel after the procedure.

Grateful for this update. Im a wreck also. I bet we all go through this ; )

Very normal. I had my surgery just three days ago. The first two days had its moments, but coming into day 3, I am home and its going well. My pain is well controlled as is the gas with a host of meds they send you out with. As for the pre-op nerves, I went through multiple waves of this and continually debated should I do it, should I not. But at the end of the day, I thought of the consequences of not doing it in terms of the future health problems that most likely would occur and I kept on. It is not a minor surgery and there will be some challenges. But the worst is the first few days after surgery and it isn't anything that isn't manageable. So what you are feeling is very normal and just the process one goes through to get from here to there. Good luck!

I also had PCOS symptoms, but the endocrinologist I went to wouldn't even test me for it. She ordered a bunch of tests, but she put "obesity" as the diagnosis code, which meant the insurance company wouldn't pay for them, so I didn't have them done.
My surgery is a revision, which statistically, aren't as successful as wls the first time around. I am optimistic that I will be able to beat the odds

Oh my goodness, yes on the bras! If men love big boobs so much, we should have our larger bras subsidized IMO. Ha!

I don't know if you are single, married or have a family - so here's my take from the person who is married with two teen daughters and is primarily responsible for the cooking and shopping in the house. Even pre-op, I would make a plan for the week of what Protein would be served every night and how it would be prepared -- it avoided the 6 pm - oh crap what am I going to do with those pork chops issues. Once I was on to solids, we all ate the same protein every evening, I just ate it in way smaller portions.
So I take a day on the weekend, look at the schedule and figure out what's going to be for dinner every night. I tend to keep my breakfasts and lunches simple and repetitive. For Breakfast I ususally have a smoothie with about a cup of fruit, coconut milk or Fairlife Skim and Protein Powder.
For lunch today, I did a small salad with 3 ounces of chicken breast left over from last night. I had a Sargento Balanced Break as an afternoon snack and about a cup of red grapes for a morning snack. I fence on Monday nights so I had a Protein Bar before fencing.
Yesterday - shake for breakfast. Lunch was at Ikea - 6 Swedish meatballs. About 1 ounce of manchego cheese for a snack in the afternoon and a BBQ chicken thigh for dinner with some cucumber and onion salad.
Pinterest is an amazing resource for bariatric meal planning. But a word of advice - if you are keeping your surgery on the QT, make your bariatric related boards private and not public or your cover will be blown.

Wishing you all the best! Being nervous is understandable. Your persistence is paying off! Keep us posted as you feel up to it!
Hugs n prayers!

Thank you! Can't believe it's actually here. Fought 3 years to try to get insurance to cover it but to no avail so I had to go private pay.

It is normal to feel anxious and nervous before having surgery. I lost 25 pounds during my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. All I could think of is how I should be able to do it on my own, because who loses 25 pounds in 2 weeks without surgery? Every time I had those thoughts, I remembered how I have lost well over a thousand pounds over the last 15 years and gained that thousand pounds+ back. Anyone can lose weight. The hardest part is keeping it off. Obviously, WLS should be a last resort after trying other options. If you have never tried losing weight on your own, maybe you should do that first. However, if you have yo-yoed back and forth over and over again like me and most others on this site, this may be a great thing for you. You just have to be ready for this life changing event. I hear many people describing a 2 week liquid diet as next to impossible. It isn't if you are ready for it. Just know, you will have to add 1-2 more weeks of liquid dieting post-op. I did 4 weeks total. By the end, I was sick of Protein Drinks, broths, and artificially sweetened drinks (g2, propel zero, Vitamin Water zero, etc.). I can honestly say that I never felt hungry though. I made sure that I was constantly sipping on something. I was 326 pounds at the beginning of the year. Being 275 now is sweet. I am very happy with my decision.