Rainbow_Warrior

Caffeine is a mild inhibitor of the pre-op process and a diuretic with inappropriate timing. Last two weeks = no coffee, no coffee-flavoured or chai-flavoured protein shakes.

Mine is similar with a corollary of allowed extras. Photo of it follows.

The staff can be tricky but they wear masks and gloves. I worry more about hospital-borne staph infections. Staphylococcus aureus is the hospital nightmare!

Sage advice from the many blogs and vlogs I've been sifting through.

Yeah, one formerly morbidly obese criminal lawyer from North Carolina says in his YouTube series, "If you can't face the constant attention of comments glorifying your achievement in halving your body mass, you might need counselling." He refers to empathising with celebrities who are stopped constantly by adoring fans. He says people mean well and most really want to express admiration for one's weight loss but that it grates by the third or fourth person every time you go to the shops or get to your employer's car-park. I'll have to think about this and my eventual reaction to it, I guess.

That rings true from other anecdotes I've read or listened to. There's one particular man in my town (there were two but the other one died last Sunday) that has fat shamed me and slagged off at me and other obese people for at least 20 years. He's dying a slow death at the moment from a mix of lifestyle illnesses taking over his body and slowly killing him. (The pace of slow is picking up for him.) My joy will be to outlive him. If he makes it through the next 12-18 months and my WLS follows a typical path, I hope to enjoy saying to him, "Stop whingeing, princess."

That's the mindset that I am taking on to the future. My bread, cake, biscuit/cookie consumption is a most serious aspect of my life of weight gain. I will do my best to NOT reintroduce breads, cakes, biscuits and "cookies" ever again. I am building resolve. At 61, this is truly my golden ticket that started sliding too far away 25+ years ago.

I am on the other side of the Pacific Ocean ... in eastern Australia. The same nomenclature and classifications apply here. There's apples and there's other apples when it comes to dietitians. In 2015, I saw a very young but standard-trained dietitian who was quite right about my problems with portion size but was very much a proponent of eating everything from the late 20th Century's agricultural bounty. My current dietitian, as part of the weight loss practice is better at accepting less traditional dietary sources and choices but she is singular about using protein weight-loss shakes from one particular brand. There are 99% identically composed weight loss shakes that are cheaper. There are also lots of lower sugar protein and weight loss shakes that don't burn my wallet either. They are both well trained and certified but they have their own trolleys to push, so to speak.

A cautionary serve for everyone to dwell upon. Three weeks from surgery, I have already decided to avoid all future contact with fizzy soda drinks of ALL sorts. The stats are not good for people who use them.

The Thursday after mine! Best wishes with that!

3 OPTIFAST choices (any three products of shakes/soups/bars) PLUS TWO LITRES (or more) of water daily. As well as this, the following MAY be added: (a) up to 2 serves of fruit AND/OR (b) any low starch green vegetables AND/OR (c) any clear soups or Bonox or dissolved stock cubes AND/OR (d) SPARING AMOUNTS of lemon juice/lime juice/vinegar/oyster sauce/soy sauce AND/OR (e) SPRINKLES OF salt/pepper/chives/paprika/oregano/curry powder AND/OR (f) diet or diabetic jellies (jellos) AND/OR (g) black unsweetened tea AND/OR (h) diet non-fizz cordials - - - NO COFFEES in last two weeks! - - - My surgeon is Dr Mark Gately (Charlestown, NSW, Australia)

Initially approached bariatric surgeon 17th July with a referral/recommendation from my family doctor (general practitioner). He referred me to: (a) the practice dietitian (in same building), (b) his preferred anaesthetist (in another suburb), (c) a list of exercise therapists (from which I chose one), and (d) a psychologist (my choice) who could attest my mindset and suitability. - - - The bariatric surgeon arranged a follow-up meeting September 4th at which he announced a surgery date (gastric sleeve) of Thursday, October 12th. (22 days from today ... already Wed 20th Sept 10:20am here.) He also asked me to come back for a hiatus hernia gastroscopy tomorrow, Thursday 21st September at 4:30pm. - - - So, seven weeks (49 days) exactly from meeting him to getting surgery dates after jumping through his legal and medical 'hoops' and processes. And a further five and a half weeks (38 days) from second meeting to surgery. The grand total, then, is twelve and a half weeks (87 days) ... or four days fewer than three months.

Good to see a low sugar whey product range. Nestle VLCD are 22% or higher sugar. So, too, is Slim & Trim. I refer Isowhey and TuffSupps because sugar is low single digit. Bioglan is a tad better but too expensive unless you see a special.

It is hard for any obese person to, IN CONSCIENCE, buy any NESTLE product. This is the same Nestle who encourage you to eat their ranges of confectionary (Kit Kats, bars, lollies, candies) and processed high-sugar, low nutrient foods & pet foods (Maggi, Gerber, Carnation, CoffeeMate, Cookie Crisp,Haagen-Daaz, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Nestea, Nesquik, Movenpick, Nespresso, Nescafe, Purina, Smarties, Perrier, Aero, Wonka, etc.) ... ... and then, on the other hand, race in to offer so-called "weight-loss solutions", high sugar VLCD shakes (24%) and protein powders. Not withstanding the crooked payola to undermine African children and toddler health. I appreciate your helpfulness but Nestle will not be part of my solution. They advertise and promote to get people on the obesity merry-go-round and then want even more money for a 'solution' to get you off. Hypocrisy!

1. Go into regular bricks 'n' mortar clothes shops. 2. Shop less online for big/huge clothes. 3. Fly interstate and overseas with no guilt, no discomfort, no seat-belt extension. 4. Enjoy all the movies at the cinema all the time ... free of worry of armrest squeeze. 5. Enjoy driving much more with significant cabin space NOT occupied by my mass. 6. Enjoy walking A to Z minus the breathlessness. 7. Climb stairs with vigour again. 8. Enjoy seeing myself with others in videos and photos. 9. Take my seven grandkids to places where I fit all/most the available furniture. 10. Enjoy my current high level of community work without the snide remarks nearby from detractors.

I like MyFitnessPal. I used to use the excellent CalorieKing.com and CalorieKing.com.au ... FatSecret.com.au is gaining a lot lately ... support seems great.

My surgery day too. Cheers!

My strategy too, Barbzilla. I'm (largely) keeping it quiet and secret but, ultimately, I won't lie if someone asks directly.

This is a pretty 'normal' cover story situation. I told my boss (at my P/T job) that I have a hernia complication and that it needs "intrusive and painful" investigation.

I know this situation. My youngest sibling, a sister 10 years my junior, and I get on so well. We swear that the brother and sister in between us were raised somewhere else and dropped from a plane! We do not share personal feelings or much news with the in-betweens as they are so negative ... putting a black cloud on nearly everything.

Yes, cripplingly sore knees and ankles have limited my movement and, largely, tied me down for several years. My leg joints were designed to carry 70kg to 80kg, not 170kg to 180kg. My mobility ... keeping up with seven lovely grandkids ... it means so much. Hence my gastric sleeve decision as my problem became too big to fight without help or intervention.

That's the reality I want to be at. My late father, a well-meaning man (whom I miss very much), grew up in an orphanage when his parents gave him up because of their poverty during The Great Depression. From just under 5 years to 16 years, he was a ward of the state. Food was scarce but, under no circumstances, were the several hundred child orphans allowed to not like what was served and ALL plates always had to be cleared. That was a rule at home right through the '50s and '60s ... leaving food on one's plate or not liking/appreciating what was served was a no-no. It's been locked in my mind for over 55 years. I eat past my 'full' often and have done for as long as I remember. Playing three or four sports and having an active outdoor life until my late 30s meant I was just classified as overweight. But, with injuries and changing job responsibilities came obesity ... BECAUSE I COULD NOT COMMIT TO CHANGING HABITS. By 2019, I hope to be that person who can, like you, just eat the tastiest bits of what I order and take the rest home for later (or the pets). Thanks for your anecdote. It's thought-provoking.

Yeah, began happening to me since Friday. Checked twice ... nothing really in the cart. But, as another poster said, it's more likely an advertising ploy.

Warning bells. Talk to your dietitian from your pre-op/post-op surgery days. Advise your surgeon's reception team of your worries ASAP.

What about a dietitian that has a line of contact to your personal trainer or gym trainer and you. I envisage a valid three-way exchange.