Taoz

Yep, photo updates are a promise Having been obese since my late teens I've been on the receiving end of weight stigma all my life (now 38) but worked hard over the last 15 years working on my mental health after getting off the weightloss-regain(more) merry go round once I accepted that the medical evidence overwhelmingly proves that the failure of dieting&exercise is the fault of the dieting&exercise (and the system/metabolic changes it causes) not dieters being weak-willed. I have no problem being seen in public, having my fat arms showing, being photographed etc. Having a wonderful and very supportive husband who I started dating back when I was 15 probably helped, as I didn't suffer through the weight-bias of dating as an adult. I made an effort to be positive and accepting of my fat body (and the term "fat"), appreciate who it can/does do for me and treat it better not by further harming my physical and mental health by dieting, instead figuring out all the stuff that didn't agree with me and avoiding that (I get headaches and migraines from a lot of stuff, natural things like wine and citrus, and many ingredients in processed foods like artificial sweeteners, soy and MSG in its many hidden forms) and growing a lot of healthy veggies at home. So I've really been eating quite "well/natural" (but too much) for many years, and had two very healthy children (with two losses in between) with perfect blood sugar/cholesterol/blood pressure, but still remained morbidly obese/borderline super obese. I have worked hard to teach/display to my kids healthy eating behavours, and a healthy attitude towards our own bodies and the bodies of other people, and the fact that mummy is fine with using the word fat to describe her body, but because the world is very negative about fat bodies, most other people will be upset if you refer to them as fat. Lol, sorry for the essay

As others have said, potato chips will likely keep making you hungry with sugar spikes and drops plus the savory flavors telling your body to expect protein which it then doesn't get, and you need to avoid eating them from now on. Seriously, cravings for potato chips were one of the common themes amongst many of the super obese gastric bypass patients featured on the "fat doctor" series. Even if on full solids so soon after surgery, half a subway sandwich is also not a good option for lunch, as the sweet bread will also make you hungrier, and prevent you getting enough of the quality protein you need at every meal. It sounds like your daily calories are much too high for effective weight loss. Talk to your doctor and nutritionist, and consider going back to a full liquid diet for at least a few days to try to reset your tummy and cravings (or 2 meal replacements + a lean meat and veggies/salad which is what I"m on now 3 weeks pre-op). Simple scrambled eggs (made in the microwave) and tinned tuna (or the much less fishy-tasting smoked rainbow trout I've found at ALDI) are good quick and easy protein options. I know it's harder if you are not experienced with cooking, I do all the cooking in my house and my husband initially couldn't do anything other than boil an egg or pasta/rice. He now frequently scrambles himself some eggs in the microwave (including at work) and eats fresh fruit and tinned tuna most days at work (and he's not the one who needs weight loss surgery hehe). You have been granted such an amazing tool to assist with weight loss and give you a solid shot at long term weight maintenance (as opposed to the long term 95%+ failure rate of dieting and excercise on it's own) please get whatever skilled support you can to make this work for you.

woohoo, my meal replacements are on board with postal service for delivery today. Hopefully in time to have one for lunch (will just have a scrambled egg for brekky again). I've decided the last "Family portrait" my 8 year old daughter drew was prophetic - skinny mummy However she's hilarious at the moment any time I mention my impending operation and weight loss.. "but mummy... I love hugging your big fat tummy!!! the more the merrier!". I continue to reassure her that I will still be awesome to hug, even when much skinnier. (P.S. I"ve only told my mum and sister about the op so far. Now that I have a date I may choose to tell a few more people but will likely keep details off facebook for a while.) I had fun looking for photos of me - I make a conscious effort not to hide from photos being taken, but mostly post images of my veggie garden online rather than myself. I'll probably get my hubby to take some full length "before" photos of me soon for future comparisons.

Hehe, I'm 5'2" and hubby is solid and 6'3", so even once I could fit my butt into his jeans they would be like a foot too long. Might still be funny to do for a photo op sometime though?

Check with your surgeon how long they expect you to be in hospital. Mine has a 3-4 nights hospital stay (3 night minimum) to ensure you have pain and nausea under control and are taking fluids well. so I'll certainly need at least: a few pairs of comfy undies PJs/loose-waisted pants and shirts bed socks and a comfy jumper (many people feel really cold post surgery, will make a nice change from me always running hot) shoes comfy for walking lots in my COMFY PILLOW my formulite meal replacement powder decaf tea bags and my stevia sweetener my phone, phone charger and some books basic toiletries and chapstick (many people reported REALLY dry lips post surgery) Even if you're only expecting to be in overnight, maybe have a second bag packed at home with additional stuff for if you get stuck in hospital for a few days longer than expected (goodness knows what I'd end up with if my hubby tried to pack some stuff for me lol)

I was watching some episodes of "weight loss ward" and "fat doctor" so I saw a lot of bypass operations, including many done as open surgeries before keyhole became more common. I thought I'd feel ill seeing it (I used to get faint around blood) but was fine. Good to see, knowing the sleeve is even less complicated to perform.

I'll be using formulite meal replacement shakes (they'll soon have soups available too), made here in Australia, however they don't yet ship overseas. https://formulite.com.au/ Hopefully there are newer sweetener-free options becoming available over there in the US now too?

May 2nd here as well SmileyMay! (though will be about a half day ahead of you here in Aussie land) *I'm not sure why my ticker is displaying May 1st* (copied below what I pasted in the April/May thread too) I'm jumping in here now as I just got my date today! 2 May 2018 is my surgery date, and have started my pre-op phase immediately as they would ideally have liked me on the pre-op diet for 4 weeks with my BMI so close to 50. Kids will be back at school that week after the 2 week term holiday, and hubby will be taking a week and a half off to manage the kidlets (6 & 9 years) while I'm in hospital and my first few days at home. Any other Aussies in here? I'm in Adelaide and going with Dr Michael France at Ashford Specialist Centre. I am so crazy excited, and glad I'm not having to jump through insurance hoops and lengthy delays like so many US sleevers. I will have to stick with just lean meats/protein and veggies today and tomorrow until my formulite Meal Replacements arrive by post (can't have Optifast as aspartame and other artificial sweeteners trigger nasty Migraines for me), then 2 shakes and one lean meat & veg meal a day until 2 days before surgery, only shakes the last day before surgery. *does jiggly happy dance*

I'm jumping in here now as I just got my date today! 2 May 2018 is my surgery date, and have started my pre-op phase immediately as they would ideally have liked me on the pre-op diet for 4 weeks with my BMI so close to 50. Kids will be back at school that week after the 2 week term holiday, and hubby will be taking a week and a half off to manage the kidlets (6 & 9 years) while I'm in hospital and my first few days at home. Any other Aussies in here? I'm in Adelaide and going with Dr Michael France at Ashford Specialist Centre. I am so crazy excited, and glad I'm not having to jump through insurance hoops and lengthy delays like so many US sleevers. I will have to stick with just lean meats and veggies today and tomorrow until my formulite meal replacements arrive by post (can't have optifast as aspartame and other artificial sweeteners trigger nasty migraines for me), then 2 shakes and one lean meat & veg meal a day until 2 days before surgery, only shakes the last day before surgery. *does jiggly happy dance*

(Hi there, have just signed up finally, and will post a proper intro later) I'm in Australia too (Adelaide). I've avoided "diet" foods and meal replacements until now because I'm sensitive to artificial sweeteners, soy, and MSG (in it's many hidden forms, yeast extract, hydrolysed protein etc) which trigger nasty headaches and migraines, and all diet foods contained one or more of these 10+ years ago. I looked at optifast ahead of my first surgeons appointment last week, and was disappointed to see it had aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, and MSG in their soups. At my first appointment with my surgeons bariatric physician I explained my intolerance of sweeteners and asked if there are any alternatives I can use in my pre-surgery liver-shrinking diet - she directed me to a fairly new Australian company called Formulite (I have placed an order online for both honeycomb and choc-hazelnut replacement shakes and will review them once I receive and sample them next week, the physician said she'd had the honeycomb one and it was very good). They have pre and pro biotics and are sweetened only with stevia. https://formulite.com.au/ Although it's only available for purchase online at this stage, this might be the best option for you if your intolerance is to the artificial sweeteners? Cheers, Taoz