Mattymatt

Welcome to the losers bench. Perhaps you will start on clear liquids and go home today?

I am not a trained medical professional but, if I had to guess, you're retaining fluid. You need to relax and stop agonizing over the scale. I am not even going to weigh myself until I am fully two weeks post-op because I know I won't get an accurate number. You will lose weight if you follow the rules of the program. But bear in mind that there will be stalls and sometimes the stalls can last a long time. The important thing is to persevere.

I wonder why there is such a variation between programs. To me, it makes sense to have a pre-op diet plan to ensure the safest surgery. The idea behind the pre-op diet is to reduce the size of the liver. I think I would honestly be a little concerned that a surgeon wouldn't require it.

This is a good question for the registered dietitian or your doctor. It's not like you've gone crazy over.

Did you get any handouts to review?

You made the correct decision to not put pressure on your son to get the surgery. The decision is a very personal one and by berating and badgering, you will only push him further away. Sadly, it took me developing Type 2 Diabetes to finally begin serious and sober consideration of it. I was diagnosed with diabetes in January of 2017. Finally, in September of 2017, at the urging of my primary care doctor, I attended a seminar. After completing all of the pre-requisites by the end of this January, I had surgery on March 12th. My only regret is not doing this sooner. I am 41 years old. Yes, there is some pain and discomfort after surgery but I know I am alive and getting healthier.

I think the end result is going to be an amazing amount of opportunity opens for you! You will look and feel your best and this is what you deserve

You got this @melsabells. You're doing the easy part now. The fun begins when your post-op. In the mean time, try and relax and go with the flow.

Ugh, yeah that ain't no fun nohow.

Hey @BeautyQueen218, I am sorry that your first bite of food was so difficult. I wish I could offer some advice but I am just out of the hospital today. Let me just ask you one question: Could it be that the two crackers caused the difficulty? Perhaps try just eating the 2oz of tuna with mayo only?

I was pleasantly surprised to be discharged early. My surgeon said I was doing really well so there was no need to keep me in the hospital. For the next 2 weeks or so, I am still going to take Metformin and Losartin (blood pressure.) I will only have Metformin taken away if I have either two consecutive readings under 70 or reduced if two lows happen in one week. My blood sugar readings are actually really good right now without Metformin but they want to see what happens once I introduce protein shakes and cream soups on Thursday. So far, so good - no nausea and the clear liquids are going down smoothly. Slow sips. They also gave me this funky breathing aparatus that I am supposed to use several times a day. It measures the volume of air that I am able to draw in - LOL! I am able to peg the indicator. Still, they want me doing it. Despite the small setback this morning of drinking a little too quickly, I feel tired but upbeat.

Sorry man. Crossing my fingers for you.

As the subject says, I think my sweet tooth has been pulled. I really didn't do well with the diet cranberry juice. I'm doing so much better with the chicken broth. It's easier going down and has a better mouth feel. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Today I discovered just how bad it feels to drink even a little too fast. Yes, it sucks and sucks bad. Took almost an hour and a half for it to subside. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

You will be there sooner than you know! [emoji6] Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Excellent choice!! Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

@fluffychix How do I unlock? Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yeah, you will do great! This is actually a walk in the park. It's a breeze. I didn't even need any narcotic pain killers. I'm doing fine on anti inflammatory drugs. Sheeeeeit, I already took a walk that was almost an hour long. Seriously, you got this!!!! Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

The discomfort that I'm feeling now is nothing compared to what I was feeling for most of my adult life. I feel like I've been given a do-over. It is an opportunity that I plan to fully embrace. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes, I'm now bypassed. The surgery went incredibly well since I took the pre-op liquid diet so seriously. My surgeon have me a gold star, lol. The only pain I have which is really a low ache is from gas. I even managed to walk for almost 50 minutes. My only wish is not getting this surgery sooner. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

This is a question for your surgeon. He or she would be the best one to answer that for you. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Like me, you are a survivor! And that is huge! Now you are showing love to yourself by giving you the best chances to really live life as a participant and not a spectator. Now that I am 12 hours from needing to leave for the hospital, I find myself at peace and I am hoping that as you get closer, you will find a sense of peace too. This is a new beginning for us. I may end up celebrating my birthday on March 12th going forward. I was born on March 3rd, 1977 but I never really lived. On your day and on mine we will live. Whenever I feel old, I think of Abraham Lincoln's saying, "It's not the years of your life that count, it's the life in your years." So let's make everyday count.

Somewhere along the timeline of our lives we discovered that food elicits a certain amount of pleasurable feeling and, in some theories, the pleasurable feeling is made more intense as it counters the pain of daily life. At least this has been true for me and I've discovered this through therapy. Food to some of us can be like alcohol to an alcoholic. Consider yourself lucky to begin to break free from this cycle but please remain aware that the propensity to turn to food as a solace may still be there but just in a dormant state. The outcome of your surgery is an absolute blessing and it bodes well for long term success. Create a new voice inside your head to remind you that food is only for living not for medicine. :-D

I am less than 24 hours from surgery. If I have one piece of advice to give it is not to neglect the psychological side of this journey. Really examine the reasons that you're overweight now and think about what it will be like to eat to live instead of live to eat (if this what you do.) For me, I lived to eat. Food was keeping me from suicide; it was my life line and I discovered this very late in the time leading up to surgery. If I could have done one thing differently up to this point, it would be to start examining my relationship with food earlier. If I learned one thing, establishing a healthy relationship with food is crucial for long term success and this is where I went wrong in my previous weight loss attempts. This is the reason that I have not met with success in maintenance. All of this came to light just in the past 5 days. The next year of my life will be about learning to manage psychological pain without masking it in a substance.

We will have to do it again though, LOL! 2 weeks after surgery ....