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Hi @Toby585 I can only speak as someone who is two weeks away from the operation rather than old hand, but I know what's helped me so far. I've spent a lot of time working out exactly what I want from the surgery and what I'm bringing to it. It strikes me that to make this a success you need to do a lot in your own head, these are big changes we're making and if the only changes we make are the ones forced on us by the limitations of our new digestive systems then we're probably not going to succeed in the long term. I've been inspired by the people on here who haven't fought those changes but, instead, have embraced them as new opportunities to live a different life. Working that stuff out is helping me, I feel enormously positive. On that note I also started seeing a therapist. Curiously we've talked very little about the surgery but what we have talked about has given the surgery a context for me -and that's helping to motivate me and allows me to get my head around this strange new world. Peace, J

Good luck Geets! X

Hiya geets, Lucky you, you're getting close. How are you feeling? It took me a couple of days to process the postponement, rationally it's a good thing but I was ready to go on Wednesday. Basically my blood pressure is too high and postponement by two weeks gives me a chance to get it down and my surgeon's consultant anaesthetist will be back. I know it makes sense but yesterday it played havoc with my emotions. So right now 26th July is pencilled in. The diet's been good, and it's working. Today, for instance, I had tomatoes on two little slices of soy linseed bread and a coffee for breakfast, an egg baked in a chili veg salsa for lunch (teacup size) and a salmon fillet done in a foil parcel with veggies and soy sauce for dinner. The portion sizes are pretty small but I enjoy cooking. It's basically very low fat, pretty low carb/starch and a decent amount of protein. Are you all set to go in Tuesday?

Yay! Way to go!

I've just been in for my pre-admission screening (ECG, bloods etc) and as a result my surgeon, who called me at 8pm, has decided to postpone my operation. It seems I have high blood pressure (I never have before, but then I've put on a lot of weight recently) and that combined with a couple of other risk factors has made them a little nervous. The nerves come, partly, from my surgeon's usual anaesthetist (who is an internationally renowned specialist on anaesthetics and obesity) who is on holiday. So I now have three weeks to go before the Op, and have been put on medication to reduce my blood pressure. I have mixed feelings. I feel less anxious knowing I'll be in a) a better state and b ) will have the A-team working on me. That said it does feel disappointing and I need to get my head round my new timeline. At least my pre-op diet has been successful (26lbs so far) and is, with a little imagination, pretty easy (I made seared cod with an asian salad this evening). So the next three weeks should mean more diet and more weight loss. With the gains I've made so far I've already started to ride my bike again, so a few weeks of that in the English summer is quite motivating. Oh well. All for the best I suppose!

Hey, if you're concerned about Vitamin D - get out in the sunlight, absolute best source!

That's lovely to hear@Joann454. It seems like the operation is really about opening up and releasing the inner happier you.

I'm in next Wednesday. I have to go for blood tests and ECG tomorrow. First time I've been nervous.

Good luck mate, can't wait to follow your successes.

Hey AZBlackhawk I haven't tried it myself yet, just downloaded and registered, but my nutritionist recommended a smartphone app called BARITASTIC it's got timers and food logs and recipes. My op is in a week and I'll definitely give it a go. Jx

How do I find the right FB group?

Can't wait for the pee fixation! Truth is I'm great - feel strong and optimistic. It's a bit like going on holiday - you spend all your time on Trioadvisor, you buy the guidebooks, you pack a week early... actually, that's not me!

It's swings and roundabouts @jimp444 ! Your puree stage will probably feel like a luxury, while I'll be cursing where all the textures went! Stay strong with that soup! J

Kudos Noel, you look amazing - that's inspiring.

@DedicatedLady it's a long strange trip. The weird thing is I'm pretty relaxed about the big stuff, but I suspect somewhere deep down my mind knows better and is laughing at me. I'm now as easily distracted as a toddler. Tonight I expect to google whether my feet will get smaller, what the protein content of a glass of water is and whether I should wear my pyjamas in hospital because the fly tends to come open and kind of advertise my wares. Jx

To quote: "(I know, I would have knocked the outta her too)" Seriously? Ever considered how serious a plague violence against women is in our society? I'd keep that one to yourself. Or better still get your head right before you worry about a third party's reported experience of body image issues.

Thanks Sheri! I just want to get in there so I can actually have stuff to do and cope with, not just think about! Jx

Thanks mate, I'm keep it low and slow - I just want to feel my muscles are doing something!

I'm surgery in eight days time. I know it's eight days time because it's all I flipping think about. Is anyone else finding that their every waking hour is spent with 'just one more thing' about their impending surgery? It's not the big things like 'will I dies on the operating table' or 'am I making the right decision' that are getting into my head. It's everything else. Are you thinking about the most minute details possible? It's not that I want answers, per se, I just think I need to worry about something to fill the time. Here are some of the things that I expended too much mental energy on yesterday: Will I be able to drink espressos post-op? How many times a day can I moisturise to help minimise excess skin? Slippers or barefoot? Why are protein shakes in such sweet flavours when I don't have a sweet tooth? When will I be able to ride my bike? What happens when my five year old jumps on my tummy? He's bound to forget eventually! Will I be able to bend down and tie-up my sneakers before I go for a walk? Will my beard appear to be thicker? Should I keep it once I've lost weight? I really like that straw hat in the sale... but is my head going to shrink? Okay, that's just a sample. Some are actually too trivial for me to remember. The point isn't that I need lots of answers (trust me I've asked about plenty in the forums) it's just that I'm feeling increasingly distracted. Maybe it's nerves. I'm actually in a great place, I'm loving my pre-op diet, the sense of progress and achievement it's giving me and the discipline I'm practising (it's not liquid only, all real food, but it's very precise and the weighing and logging is great). It's just the nowadays I think of little else!

Hey guys, I'm wondering how long after my bypass I should wait before I can start to do some mild upper body work with dumbbells? I've had a personal trainer for years up until about 9 months ago (when I had an illness AND moved country) so my technique is pretty good. I just want to do bicep curls, some tricep work, shoulder presses, some vertical rows - even with light weights. Any experience or tips from you gents? Cheers, J

You look fantastic mate, how do you feel?

Thanks folks! First obvious question of the morning... what's a binder?

I can't give advice on dating post WLS, but I'll share the things I did find. A date's just a date. Try to have fun, laugh, connect - however it is you would with friends. Don't go in with expectations of something life changing - life rarely changes in a hour or two, and expecting it to puts an awful lot of pressure on you and your date. I split up from a long term partner seven years ago. I went out dating pretty quickly but decided that I just wanted to meet smart funny cute women and that I would enjoy their company. I had dates where I knew we wouldn't be intimate and they were brilliant fun. In the past I might have worried about whether we'd get together but I just decided that the only thing that mattered was enjoying the date. As it happened I met my gorgeous wife and something did 'click'. And now we have a five year old son. So my best advice is think of it like a couple of hours you want to enjoy and not an interview for being life partners or lovers.

I'm worried about it too. Right now (10 days before my op) I figure it's too late to either get younger or develop different genetics. I'm vain enough to care and have decided that rather than wait to find out if I got the short straw i will do what I can to improve my skin now. I am moisturising twice a day with cream that has elastin and collagen in and doing lots of sea salt scrubs and dry brushing. I have no idea if it will work but my skin feels fantastic so if that's all that happens I'm not complaining.