New Beginnings 78

I guess I'm the last of the July sleevers (7/31) to start liquid diet. It stinks! Didn't realize how much of a habit eating is. I get hungry and think I'll have a sandwich. Nope, no sandwiches for you! LOL
It could always be worse.... I am grateful for the opportunity.

Great post! I'm pre-op and this is a good question

Thanks Walker75 It looks like you are fresh out of surgery and I hope you are doing great. I guess its a good sign that you would still do it again!!
That's an excellent tip about cleaning out the pantry. I have a 2 and 3 year old and have already made my husband eat or throw out all of the kids stuff that would appeal to me...haha
Hope you are feeling great!

I keep telling myself i have came too far go back to binge eating. I'm hoping the next 2 days go by quickly so I can get passed thinking about it. It'll be done😂

Good bc I am surprised I am so calm.
I told my doc I will need something to calm me down a littler b4 surgery. I stress out when a needle is involved w things, I am sure Wednesday morning I will be stressed and ready to get everything completed! :-)

Yes, complete fluids since Sunday. I am doing good, I am ok w only shakes as I tried to lose the weight on my own w a weight loss program at a hospital (I did not want the surgery so I tried this first. it was expensive and insurance did not reimburse anything). The good thing is it prepared me to only have shakes for a while and my insurance approved me right away with only one meeting with the nutritionist instead of once a month for six months.

I am drinking my Water when I get hungry and that always helps a lot!

How are you doing? When is your surgery?

My surgery is July 19th I've done the pre op since July 9th and it has been hard but not as hard as I thought I've been to family gatherings and a wedding on this diet, the wedding was the hard part I'm only supposed to have the liquids or sf pudding , Greek yougurt or sf Jello but I did sneak just a few bites of the salmon and let me tell you just from being on this pre op diet I felt a rock in my stomach eating a few bites of that salmon!!! But I am very excited for Wednesday!!!

Mines July 20th when did you start your pre op diet? What are you using?

Just means you're more resolved.. nothing wrong with that.

My surgery is in two days and I am not nervous. thought I would be.

My surgery is also July 20, and I'm nervous , excited, ready and willing, oh and still,a little nervous!

Who's with me??? surgery date 7/20/17.... Looking to connect!!!

@Jessie_5
sorry, don't know a percentage of people who were denied
Never give up if you are denied
There is an APPEAL process
from the board i've seen on occasion,
some ppl were denied 2 or 3 times before approval
persistence , determination, patience is name of game
all adds up to success!!
Buttttt - don't look for trouble
hopefully all will go well
the more health problems the better!!
sounds crazy, but it's true for approval!!
fingers crossed for quick approval
good luck bud
Kathy

The grey tshirt was taken May 29,2017 and the black was taken July 11,2017

I do! You look great and it definitely looks like you're slimming down everywhere, but especially around your waist

mines the 24th just started pre op liquid. I want to not be on this

I'm on day 3 of pre-op diet. Mine is 2 Protein Shakes and 1 lean Protein and veggie meal. Today has been the hardest day so far... I feel like all I have thought about today is food. I think the first two days were easier because I was busy all day and didn't have time to think about it. 2 good things though, I had a headache for the first two days and that went away and I lost 3.5 pounds. Good luck to everyone.

25th here

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I had a serious Diet Coke addiction for years and years -- worse than any food or carb addiction. I drank my usual 8-10 twelve ounce Diet Cokes every day during my six month pre-op diet program. I lost 99 pounds during that six months before surgery day, so I know that I can drink soda (to excess really) and still lose weight.
I have been soda-free since 3 days before my surgery last September 28. At this point (almost 9 months post-op), I very well may be able to tolerate carbonated drinks; however, I know that I can't bring them back. If I can tolerate Diet Coke, and have one today, I'll be back to 8-10 within a week.
Like carbs, I must abstain with soda less I become the Nikki Newman of Diet Coke (again)...

For me, it was a rather easy choice.. keep drinking soda and wind up with liver cirrhosis (irreversible damage) in a few years, or stop and don't.
Soda in itself isn't horrific if you're having it in moderation.. it can certainly cause a stall so recommended not to touch it until you've plateaued.
But what got me into trouble was having 100oz 7-Eleven cups several times a week. Just devastating to the body. If you aren't having any major health issues on the side, I don't think it's imperative other than something to complement your weight loss, and for better permanent habits.
I think if we go with the mindset of "never ever ever ever ever" regarding things we previously enjoyed we're setting ourselves up to break that, and without restraint. I've not ruled out soda, but having zero drinks of soda since the day before my pre-op diet started (January 31st), I can tell I'm far better off. The psychoactive aspects of sugar and caffeine in the soda had a very prolonged effect on me throughout February -- I was shaky, irritable, tired, etc. -- even though mentally I did not want the soda seeing what it had done to me, my body still wanted it. I've figured next summer on a trip out to California I might have some Cherry Coke or something, but honestly I won't care if I don't.
So.. anyways, I've always liked Water. The only two things I ever drink anymore are water and milk, and I rarely have more than 1 cup a day of milk since 3 weeks out. I like water quite a bit, so it's not an issue of finding things to drink, I just can't have water at room temperature, has to be with a ton of ice and very cold. For me, soda was never something I could drink in moderation, but with all that I've learned, since pre-op I've changed the way I see food, drinks, etc. significantly and I force myself to portion less regardless of what I'm having.
People who are thinner but have the kind of metabolism to gain weight easily, I'd say probably stay away as much as you can, mainly because it doesn't take much carbs for the liver to start converting the excess to fat, especially at a low weight your body does not consume nearly as much energy just to function, so the need for carbs and cals is even more restricted unless you're doing rigorous exercise.

I'm scheduled for VSG on 7/17 and I've read everything I can get my hands on and feel generally prepared, but I wonder what they don't tell you or what no one ever talks about.
What, if anything, do you wish you had known before going in to surgery? What was the biggest surprise for you?

Just sleeved 7 days ago, I thought I was mentally prepared but I had a hard time the first few days, especially while in the hospital since I barely could get any sleep. There was a lot more pain and nausea than I expected. I didn't feel any pain from the actual stomach sleeve, it was the 6 incisions which were like 6 stab wounds that makes any movements that use your ab muscles (almost everything) very painful. It was managed well with the pain and nausea meds (be sure to keep taking them every 4 hours or so) but simple things like shifting around the bed, coughing, sneezing (ouch), hiccups, even peeing the first couple times were painful for me. After coming home and getting a good nights sleep, I was off the pain meds and it was downhill from there. You may feel a lot of regret at first but after the weight starts flying off, it will all be worth it! I'm down 11 lbs in 7 days so I would do it all over again if I had to!
HW: 330
SW: 294 6/27/2017
CW: 282
GW: 180
VSG, Dr. Jawad, Orlando, FL

How gross the drink for the upper gi X-ray the day after my surgery was. It tasted like soap. It was not the same drink I had pre-op.


HW-292

SW- 256.6

CW-256.6

Surprised how painless it was, and how quick I'm dropping weight. But shocked at how weak I'm a month out. Maybe it's because I'm still on purée diet. But it's getting better

Also, I had a few moments of sheer panic of "Why did I do this; what have I done to myself?!?" It always came after a nap. I'd wake up and for a split second forgotten I had surgery and then when I remembered, the panic would come. I could talk myself down but prepare for a few moments of "Whyyyyyy". It has subsided now. [emoji4]. For now. 🤞🏼