ShelbyMoore

Hi. I had surgery on 9 Oct. I will admit I told all my friends and family beforehand and was surrounded with love. I began telling the people I work with in the week before the surgery as I didn't want them to be surprised by my possible weight loss. But that is me and should I have asked my closet support system not to say anything I would have been hurt and angry. Sometimes men and women just don't hear one another. Perhaps the best thing is to sit him down with nothing to distract from the conversation and tell him how you feel. Just your feelings, no accusations, and then let it go. He will either get it or he won't. People can be thick even when there is love and friendship between them.

My husband did the same thing and we work at the same company! I still feel the same way three months later and the trust isn't there like it used to be. I'm sorry!

M.A.,
I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m just like you.. in that... I want no one to know. I’m very private as well. My husband knows and that’s all. I’ve reminded him often not to tell and I think he won’t. He told me he had to tell work why he was taking a few days off and he said he told them I was having surgery but didn’t specify why. My surgery is tomorrow and so far my husband has kept his word... that I know of.
Some may tell you it’s no big deal, but it is a big deal that he told. All you can do is be honest with him about your feelings. Let him know you are hurt that he didn’t respect a wish of yours - something that was important to you. I’m sure you already told him but it’s important that no matter what he feels you want him to hear YOUR feelings.
Maybe you won’t have to deal with his business partner in the future. Your mother-in-law I’m sure you’ll see more often. If they talk about it, I would minimize the conversation. I won’t expand on it unless you want to. Sometimes if the conversation is shut down people get the hint and move on.
Most importantly, you need to focus on yourself. You are doing this for you, your health. I wish you the best!!

M.A.,
I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m just like you.. in that... I want no one to know. I’m very private as well. My husband knows and that’s all. I’ve reminded him often not to tell and I think he won’t. He told me he had to tell work why he was taking a few days off and he said he told them I was having surgery but didn’t specify why. My surgery is tomorrow and so far my husband has kept his word... that I know of.
Some may tell you it’s no big deal, but it is a big deal that he told. All you can do is be honest with him about your feelings. Let him know you are hurt that he didn’t respect a wish of yours - something that was important to you. I’m sure you already told him but it’s important that no matter what he feels you want him to hear YOUR feelings.
Maybe you won’t have to deal with his business partner in the future. Your mother-in-law I’m sure you’ll see more often. If they talk about it, I would minimize the conversation. I won’t expand on it unless you want to. Sometimes if the conversation is shut down people get the hint and move on.
Most importantly, you need to focus on yourself. You are doing this for you, your health. I wish you the best!!

Hi Danai and MissT...
My surgery is this coming Monday - Oct 23rd! It's been a long wait and I'm ready to go. I've been enjoying my chicken broth, popsicles, chamomile tea and Protein Water. I took two weeks off of work to recover.
I'm excited for all of us.

The pre-op diet is a must. You cannot get weight loss surgery without it, and you may be wondering exactly what it entails if you have signed up for surgery or you are considering it. The pre-op diet has some intrigue surrounding it, likely because:
It is the first major step in changing your diet for life. It is so important. It is impossible to find information on the pre-op diet. We are going to take a stab at demystifying the pre-op diet so you feel more confident going into it.


Why Must You Follow the Pre-Op Diet?
The very strict diet that you follow for days or a couple weeks before surgery is intended to shrink the size of your liver and reduce the fat surrounding it to improve your surgeon’s vision in the area and access to the area during surgery.
Before that, your surgeon or health insurance company may require you to follow a less strict diet for a longer period of time. This can help you lose weight for a safer surgery and faster recovery. It also assures the surgeon and your health insurance company that you are serious, and that you will be capable of making the post-op dietary changes that you need for weight loss success.
Here is a little extra motivation to follow the pre-op diet, even if you are paying out-of-pocket for your surgery or your health insurance coverage does not require it. Any responsible surgeon will cancel your surgery if you do not follow it. This could be if you do not hit your weight loss goals and are not showing that you are capable of making the necessary dietary changes, or it could be while you are asleep and your surgeon has just gone in for surgery and discovered there is too much fat around your liver and spleen to perform surgery safely. Follow your pre-op diet!
Weight Loss Diet
Not every surgeon requires a longer term weight loss diet before starting your official pre-op diet, and you also may not need one if you are not planning to have your health insurance cover your surgery. This diet might last for 6 weeks to 6 months. It could be very structured, often with a low-carb theme, or it could be up to you to lose weight however you can.
Full liquid Diet
A full liquid diet technically includes all liquids, but you should not have fruit juice or sugar-sweetened beverages since they just add calories without Protein or many other essential nutrients. You can usually have:
Protein Shakes Broth and Protein Soup Water, Flavored Water, Decaf coffee and tea, and other non-carbonated, low-calorie beverages. Gelatin and Protein Gelatin Vegetable juice Your surgeon may also allow you to have one meal a day consisting of a salad or vegetables and a serving of lean protein, such as chicken or tuna. A liquid diet is not fun, but it can be nutritionally adequate. You can follow it safely for days or weeks if your doctor tells you to do so. This is the diet you will be following for a few days to weeks post-op, too.
Clear Liquid Diet and Pre-Op Fast
A clear liquid diet includes only clear liquids; that is, you cannot have the Protein Shakes you had on a full liquid diet. Instead, you are stuck with water and other hydrating, low-calorie beverages, plus gelatin and sugar-free ice pops. Your surgeon may have you follow a clear liquid diet for only a day or two. It is not nutritionally adequate or safe unless your doctor is supervising you.
Final Fast
For at least 8 hours or overnight, according to what your surgeon says, you will fast before surgery. This is for safety reasons to prevent problems when you have anesthesia. Your pre-op instructions will likely forbid even plain water.
Differences Between Surgeons
Why do you see so many different pre-op diet plans? What if your surgeon says something different than what we say here? Follow your surgeon’s instructions! There is no single correct pre-op WLS diet. The one that is right for you is the one that you and your surgeon agree on based on your surgeon’s experience and your own situation.
For more information, check out the Pre-Op Diet Forums to see what others have posted and to post your own questions. With all the uncertainty surrounding your pre-op diet, one thing is sure: help is available on BariatricPal!

If you are constantly getting some type of Protein in, and Fiber as well, you should not experience hunger. I made sure that every 2 hours or so, I was eating or drinking something. I never got hungry. Before cooking meals, I had a Protein Shake. I then would not be hungry when dinner or breakfast (on weekends) was ready.
I did a 2 week liquid diet even though I only had to do 1 week. I lost 25 pounds during this time, because I was determined to make it work. My advice would be to get your mind right. This is for you, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You've just got to look for it. We've tried and failed at every diet we've ever tried our entire lives. This tool is worth the trouble and hardships, because it tips the balance in our favor.
It may sound crazy, but self-talk works wonders. Everyday, wake up and look into the mirror. Tell yourself that you are beautiful...That you will work hard to achieve your goals that day.....That you are worth happiness.....That you are going to SUCCEED!
It will happen for you. Good luck on your journey!!

My surgery is next Wednesday, but I already hit my first milestone today. I started my journey at 333lbs. My doctor doesn’t require a pre-op diet so any real change in diet leading up to surgery is mostly on me. I made the decision to not wait until surgery to change my diet though because I didn’t want that drastic change from eating big portions to next to nothing. I figured I’d have a better chance of success having sort of trained by brain and body before hand. Well I had my last pre-op weigh in this morning at my doctor and I weighed in at 299lbs. Seeing my weight start with a 2 instead of a 3 was a huge boost mentally, and makes me look forward to getting this journey started all that much more.

Hey y'all today is my 1st day post of , I'm in a lot of pain. I guess I wouldn't be had my day nurse kept up with my pain meds... if anyone's a great letter writer please assist me in writING a letter to the head department of kaiser bariatric's .. it's been a doozie however on a positive note I made it and I'm alive and I can wait to thrive....

Day 2: passed my leak test. Think I may have over done it a bit this am. I walked a couple times went for the test then took a sink bath. I forgot I had the pain pump and hadn’t used it today yet. Until I sat back in bed and realized I had some pain even when not Moving around. I quickly used it and now resting.

First day post op. Not a lot of pain. I woke up with some but the meds worked. Now I’m not using much at all. I walked 3 times today and sat up in a chair for a bit. Napping a lot lol. One day at a time!

I just got my date today! It's Monday, October 23!!

I started my preop diet a little early because I thought, what the heck, I am committing to this new lifestyle so I need to truly commit. This has been the first lifestyle change that I have committed to in over 3 years. So far, I am on day 6 of my no carb two week preop diet and have lost 10 pounds so far! This has just been motivating me to keep going. I haven't slipped up once on my diet. I feel so proud. 10 days away from surgery and I am feeling more ready than ever. Good luck everyone!

I just got my date today! It's Monday, October 23!!

I just got my date today! It's Monday, October 23!!

This is an interesting discussion. I did not tell anyone at work. Too many people are just curious or gossips (imho, there is a lot of over-sharing in the social media world we live in). They are not part of my support group. They probably know I had WLS or at least suspect it. I did not see how it would benefit me to tell them or tell the world. When asked how I lost weight - I simply answer very restrictive low carb diet, Protein Shakes and exercise. All true. It is very interesting that the 98% of the co-workers that ask are slender people. Therefore, it is not like they are looking for weight loss help. I did have one say " I hope you did not have that crazy surgery like Bob had".
The most hurtful response was from my overweight adult daughter. I got the "you took the easy way out" speech.
Telling people is definitely a personal decision. I don't tell people about my finances, my sex life, all my religious beliefs, etc. I tell people about my weight loss on a 'need to know' basis.
I did not want to be the person in the office that everyone talks to about weight and diet when they see me. I don't want people scrutinizing every thing I eat & judging me.

Hi lala,
I'm in Kaiser Orange County (generally utilize Kaiser hospital in Irvine), however they do our surgery's out of Kaiser Harbor City. I'm currently in the Options Program. I just completed class 7 out of 12. The classes are held in Orange near Crystal Cathedral. So far I've liked Kaiser. Lots of education! I've had all my labs completed and met with the therapist. So far all is going well.

Congrats! I'm with KAISER in So. Calif and I have my first Options Class on June 5th. Today I had blood work and EKG done. I'm so excited to get this ball rolling.
TammyLee, What Kaiser area are you with?
I'm looking forward to following your progress.

Congrats! I'm with KAISER in So. Calif and I have my first Options Class on June 5th. Today I had blood work and EKG done. I'm so excited to get this ball rolling.
TammyLee, What Kaiser area are you with?
I'm looking forward to following your progress.

Hi sgc,
You began this post nearly 2 years ago. Your requests for advice haven't changed in those 2 years even though you've been given very similar advice many many times. If you keep doing the same thing you are going to continue getting the same results and that is what's happening here. Your stories and answers are repeats of what what said months, and now years, earlier. People who have commented earlier have quit commenting. New people join this forum and they begin offering similar advice that you've already received so this post keeps going. I gave you my suggestions but they were turned down so I quit commenting. At some point you have to step up to the plate and take action. If you have social anxiety then work on that with a therapist before you begin dating. Sometimes I wonder if this is just a game you are playing on all of us who take this forum seriously. SO, if your posts are serious I suggest you go to counseling to work your own issues out. Social Anxiety can't be cured in a forum. I wish you the best.

10 days out doing well. Have not weighted since Thursday, on a trip in the motor home. Going to do some fishing, will have to freeze them, for later. Not that I like trout all that well. Water has not been a problem, Protein is tuff w/o doing a lot of Protein Powder. Have been getting creative with avocados and baby food meat, and seasoning. Used to munching myself to death while traveling and spending time at my folks. Doing a lot of popsicles, closest thing to crunchy, I can get. Hope all are doing well!

I am a 36 yr old man out of Central California. I have been severely overweight since about 24 yrs of age. I started this journey about 2 years ago leaning heavily towards being banded, and the more I researched the more I started leaning toward VSG. I went to the doctor a few years ago and they weighed me before seeing me, and I topped the scale at 507 lbs. I nearly started crying, I couldn't believe how out of hand this got. And that's when the 2 year journey started. I slowly went through the preliminary visits for EKG, echocardiogram, etc. all the while trying different diets and exercise​ programs to see if I could do it on my own. I would lose some, but ultimately gain it back. I finally set my day back in March this year, and the date set was April 17th. I weighed 488 before pre op started. I started pre op on April 1st, and I lost 21 lbs pre op. Weighed 467 on the 14th. I ended up having my surgery the 18th after all. Today I weighed in at 437 and am loving my choice. There was a complication during my surgery, but my surgeon took good care of me and corrected the anesthesiologist mistake. I have more energy and am happier than I have been, and I have always been a happy guy. I thank God for everything and am glad I am not alone in this journey. I have a great support group... my girlfriend, my family, and my church family... and now all of you.
Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have not had surgery yet but in the process of losing weight pre-surgery. It's all in the mindset. I used to "live to eat" but now I only "eat to live". "Live to eat" means I couldn't wait until the next meal, or next snack. I've been working on switching my thoughts to not making food the big ritual it was. It's now like putting gas in my car. My body needs nutrition and I give it that but my focus now is on other parts of my life. I hope that's helpful.

@BT816 Wow look at your progress! 42lbs! Thats fantastic! The ticker really does let us see our progress and it helps us shout out our successes.

I have not had surgery yet but in the process of losing weight pre-surgery. It's all in the mindset. I used to "live to eat" but now I only "eat to live". "Live to eat" means I couldn't wait until the next meal, or next snack. I've been working on switching my thoughts to not making food the big ritual it was. It's now like putting gas in my car. My body needs nutrition and I give it that but my focus now is on other parts of my life. I hope that's helpful.