MrsGamgee

Thank you so much for all your input. You have given me lots to consider and I will have better questions for my RD. I trust my program... I know it works. Just attempting to understand the whys and wherefores.

Day 14 of my pre-op diet... 32 more days to go. The weightloss has been good, almost 11 pounds so far, but I've been stuck for the last 3 days. Hoping that it's just PMS that has me stalled. The gassiness and constipation is no joke though.

I'm taking today off from the world to celebrate (in a very low key way) my 12th anniversary with my beloved. But the decluttering will happen. I want all my spring cleaning done by May 1.

My surgery is fast approaching and being who I am (a planner to the enth degree), I'm trying to understand what I might need to have on hand for my post-op diet. My RD and nurse have advised me that I will be on full fluids for about two weeks and then on to soft foods. I know that full fluids means that it has to be able to pass through a fine mesh strainer. What is causing me confusion is that the food list includes things like applesauce, s/f pudding, and cream of wheat/oatmeal. Why is it that so many carb heavy things are listed for my first foods? Is it because they're basically slider foods and won't stay in my pouch long? I know that my #1 job will be to stay hydrated, but I'm a bit flummoxed on the food side of things. I am definitely planning on asking more questions about this at my last appointment before surgery, but I thought I would ask here too as the question has been nagging at me.

Right now I'm thinking 140 for my goal, but I just can't visualize that, and I'm hopeful that goal will change as I get near to it. But if I did the math on the formula you shared above correctly, I would end up in the mid 170s, and that is NOT acceptable for me. My new mantra is "be an outlier".

Day 13 - get outside Well, we have a bunch of errands to run today, but I'm going to do my darnedest to get outside for a walk this afternoon.

Sorry for jumping in on the convo here, but that formula just scared the tar outta me. Based on where I'm expecting to end up on surgery day, that means my predicted end weight would be in the 170s?!? Yikes! Talk about motivation to do this thing right. When I grow up I want to be like Fluffy! **doubling down on pre OP exercise**

Until recently I was on three oral meds for my type 2 diabetes (low doses of metformin and gliclizide, and 25mg of jardiance daily). Last week I was able to discontinue the gliclizide because my A1C is at 7 and I was having regular lows. I'm hopeful that after surgery I'll be able to kick the others to the curb as well.

I was going to ask about the caffeine piece... Your body is detoxing from sugar, from caffeine, etc. There are going to be side effects. I haven't had any headaches, but I'm not a big coffee drinker and I cut out coke zero a few weeks ago. The thing that's driving me nuts is a serious craving for meat, red meat in particular. Last week I wanted junk food, this week all I can think about is protein. So crazy.

One of the advantages to my 2 year program before surgery is that I've had the time pre op to make this adjustment already. I stopped having drinks with meals back in the fall, so now it's almost second nature. The tricky spot for me is to remember at restaurants not to order a beverage at the beginning of the meal.

So sorry for the setback. Take care of you!

Every day is a new day, a chance to make the right choices and start again. Learn and move forward... you got this! Day 12: watch an old movie Well, my plans for today were derailed by a little boy with a fever and a cough, so I think we'll snuggle on the couch and watch Neverending Story.

Am I correct in assuming that you are on your pre-op liquid diet? If so, I can empathize. I'm in week two of a 6-week hybrid liquid pre-op diet. Mid afternoon hits me really hard. Fatigue and brain fog big time. I'm not sure how long it lasts after surgery, but it is challenging for sure. Hang in there!

I'm sure you know this, but it's worth the reminder... Estrogen is a fat soluble hormone that you've been storing for a long time (assuming you're female that is), and as you lose fat it is released back into your blood stream to wreak havoc on your emotional state. It's going to impact how you process the recovery process on an emotional level. Hang in there... you got this!

This is from 10 years ago, when I was at my non-pregnant heaviest. My hubby and I took the trip of a lifetime to NYC as a much delayed honeymoon. We walked and walked and walked through that week and I was in so much agony the whole time. I've lost and gained and lost and gained and lost since then, and today I'm 71 pounds lighter than in that picture and moving toward something that is going to help me get much healthier. This is motivation for me... never again.

I'm 5 weeks away from my surgery, and the anxiety seems to swing in every three or four days. The surgery itself doesn't scare me, but the anesthesia does. Along with post-op pain and/or complications. But the fears I used to have about dying of a heart attack before I turn 45 or ending up with needing a limb amputated due to diabetes are slowly fading into the background.

I've had a lot of fun reading all these confessions! They make me feel less guilty about the slip I has last Friday (on my pre-op hybrid liquid diet)... I was feeling like crap because I woke up that morning with a UTI, and wasn't feeling like cooking for my family. My darling husband said he'd pick up dinner and came home with a bucket of chicken, which I more than willingly helped devour. Sent from my SM-G960W using BariatricPal mobile app

Day 11 - make a meal for one. Well that's easy these days, as I'm having Glucerna shakes 3 times a day. I have been experimenting with different flavourings to make them more palatable.

Day 10 - had a little chat with myself while walking in the rain. Also managed to get some blood work and an ECG done this morning. Feeling very productive. Off to do my squats and crunches.

I'm flabbergasted on your behalf. I think some sort of formal complaint to her supervisor or administration of the hospital is in order. I'm not sure what the process would be (sorry, I'm not much help), but this has to be addressed. I'm horrified that you and your family were treated in such a way.

6 months does seem to be the norm in the US. I was referred to my bariatric clinic a little over 2 years ago, and I've been in my program for 19 months, with surgery next month. But I'm in Canada, and it takes a while to get elective surgeries here.

And I was told the opposite about topical nsaids (I use them for pre menstrual back pain and knee pain)… that I should stay away from them post op. Just goes to show that there isn't a lot of consensus in the bariatric world.

Day 8: Struggled to do a list of my accomplishments, but I will keep pondering it. B-side: I'm still figuring out my vitamins. I use Jamieson women's multi's and take an additional 2000iu of vitamin D. One of my pre-surgery goals is to get my vitamins sorted out. My dietician recommended chewable maternity vitamins, and I need to get some different B vitamins too. Day 9: Drinking water hasn't been a problem for me for years. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes when I was expecting our oldest, I got rid of all the sugary drinks in my life cold turkey. I regularly drink 60-80oz of water on a usual day, plus whatever I need when I'm active. I sometimes use different liquid enhancers (like Crystal Lite) but straight up cold water is great. I will confess that I was a Coke Zero junkie for a long time, but I have given it up for Lent and it won't be back.

My surgeon asked for a 10% loss... 27lbs for me. It wasn't a firm expectation, and when I was struggling, in part due to one of my diabetes meds, they helped me get in to see a specialist to make some changes.

Day 7 - do nothing. Well other than going to church this morning and some food prep for my family (spicy egg salad for my daughter, steak marinating for tacos tonight, all the appropriate veggies for said tacos, and black bean salad), I haven't done much. My pre-OP diet is kicking my butt the last couple of days, but I'm getting through.