PolkSDA

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

I came out of anesthesia at about 1:30PM the day of my surgery. That afternoon, night and following day were absolutely dismal. I think I maybe slept an hour that first night. The pain and discomfort were overwhelming. I had been fighting severe Constipation the last 2 days before surgery, and I believe that exacerbated everything.
I went home the afternoon following surgery, and the first several days everything was tentative and ginger. However, it steadily improved and by day 10 I felt completely back to normal, as if I'd never had surgery. No soreness or pain at all. So it does get better. Hang in there!
EDIT: I just noticed that mine was a different procedure, sorry about that. General principle still applies though; gotta just forge ahead.

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

Lectured? No. But at my 1-month post-op meeting with the dietician, she did say that over time she wanted me to reduce my reliance on Protein Shakes for my daily Protein intake and to be getting it from other food sources. She never implied that 2 per day was somehow "bad".

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

As with every profession, there are those that are at the bottom of the class.
I recall a doctor-mandated consultation with a dietician about 15 years ago. She was extremely fit but weighed about as much as my shadow, and had ZERO frame of reference about what it was like to be overweight, let alone lifelong morbidly obese. I recall her saying "well, maybe the next time have 1 slice of pizza instead of 2!" all satisfied with this glowing wisdom she had just imparted.
I replied "Lady, if the problem was 1 piece of pizza vs. 2, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in. It's more of a question of 1 PIE or 2." She just couldn't fathom what it was like to be an overeater.
Needless to say, that went nowhere.
My dietician this time around, however, is aces. She too is a diminuitive slender fit women, but the persona is completely different. She asks questions, doesn't try to lecture, tries to find healthier alternatives to fit my lifestyle, food preferences, and cooking capabilities (or lack thereof). She doesn't berate me if I tell her that I've tried certain foods that aren't on the regimen or had something more or less frequent than I am supposed to.
She's not judgmental, so I don't feel the need to hide things from her; I can be candid with the good, bad, and the ugly.
Do you have the option of requesting a different dietician from the same hospital/system?

As a two time weight loss surgery patient, you truly don't understand why people gain weight?
Everything you just posted could have been said about you or any of us. Didn't we all hear "Just eat healthier. Just exercise more."? How did it feel when you encountered that type of attitude pre WLS? Was it helpful or motivating in any way?
Even in Rants and Raves, what is the reason behind this post? The only point I can see is to feel superior to others. Reminds me the the post from earlier this month, "STOP MAKING EXCUSES." It's the same myopic point of view and lack of empathy towards others who may be struggling.

The only people who know about my surgery are my immediate coworkers. I've not told anyone else: family, friends, nada... precisely for this very reason. People who may be well-intentioned but don't realize that we don't need the lecturing or coaching.
I figure I'll let the results speak for themselves, and they can bring it up as they notice I've lost weight. At that point, they don't really have a leg to stand on, whereas talking about it before the fact or in the early stages leaves you open to recrimination at worst or "helping" at best.
Note: That's my personal approach; others' will vary.

I'm incredibly shocked how well things are going right now (knock on wood), given that things didn't start incredibly well.
I had my sleeve done Monday morning. They tell me I was under just a bit over 4 hours. It was a robotic-assisted surgery. I'm not gunna lie, Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon when I was discharged were miserable. I had been suffering with severe Constipation the last 2 days of my preop diet, and that continued through the recovery period, with the abdominal pressure and distension pushing back upstream, which made ridding my system of the excess gas from the surgery extremely difficult. I hadn't slept a wink the night before surgery, and only got about an hour Monday night after surgery, so by Tuesday afternoon I was running on empty.
The gas proceeded to work it's way out of my system, and by mid-day yesterday I was back to some semblance of normal. Luckily I did not experience any gas being trapped in joints, under shoulder blades, etc.
The only real side effects I'm feeling are soreness... more discomfort than pain I would say. They sent me home with Oxycodone, but I've avoided it, not wanting to go down that road, and luckily Tylenol has been sufficient. I just need to be careful when turning, twisting, picking things up, etc. I can't sleep on my sides, and sleeping on my back is not natural for me, so that's an issue for the moment, but that will resolve itself in time.
I've had no problem keeping full liquids down. I've not even had the remotest urge to vomit even once, so I must be pacing myself well. My biggest problem is not wanting to eat. I'm forcing myself to get in at least 3 Protein Shakes per day, but that is more than sufficient for me right now. I don't feel the need to eat more than that. I am, however making sure that I get all my Vitamins, and am drinking copious amounts of water/Crystal Light/etc. throughout the day.
I went out for two 15-minute walks at a brisk pace today, and they were lovely.
I'm down 6 pounds from Monday preop, so I'm quite pleased thus far... I hope this portends the future.

I'm incredibly shocked how well things are going right now (knock on wood), given that things didn't start incredibly well.
I had my sleeve done Monday morning. They tell me I was under just a bit over 4 hours. It was a robotic-assisted surgery. I'm not gunna lie, Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon when I was discharged were miserable. I had been suffering with severe Constipation the last 2 days of my preop diet, and that continued through the recovery period, with the abdominal pressure and distension pushing back upstream, which made ridding my system of the excess gas from the surgery extremely difficult. I hadn't slept a wink the night before surgery, and only got about an hour Monday night after surgery, so by Tuesday afternoon I was running on empty.
The gas proceeded to work it's way out of my system, and by mid-day yesterday I was back to some semblance of normal. Luckily I did not experience any gas being trapped in joints, under shoulder blades, etc.
The only real side effects I'm feeling are soreness... more discomfort than pain I would say. They sent me home with Oxycodone, but I've avoided it, not wanting to go down that road, and luckily Tylenol has been sufficient. I just need to be careful when turning, twisting, picking things up, etc. I can't sleep on my sides, and sleeping on my back is not natural for me, so that's an issue for the moment, but that will resolve itself in time.
I've had no problem keeping full liquids down. I've not even had the remotest urge to vomit even once, so I must be pacing myself well. My biggest problem is not wanting to eat. I'm forcing myself to get in at least 3 Protein Shakes per day, but that is more than sufficient for me right now. I don't feel the need to eat more than that. I am, however making sure that I get all my Vitamins, and am drinking copious amounts of water/Crystal Light/etc. throughout the day.
I went out for two 15-minute walks at a brisk pace today, and they were lovely.
I'm down 6 pounds from Monday preop, so I'm quite pleased thus far... I hope this portends the future.

I'm incredibly shocked how well things are going right now (knock on wood), given that things didn't start incredibly well.
I had my sleeve done Monday morning. They tell me I was under just a bit over 4 hours. It was a robotic-assisted surgery. I'm not gunna lie, Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon when I was discharged were miserable. I had been suffering with severe Constipation the last 2 days of my preop diet, and that continued through the recovery period, with the abdominal pressure and distension pushing back upstream, which made ridding my system of the excess gas from the surgery extremely difficult. I hadn't slept a wink the night before surgery, and only got about an hour Monday night after surgery, so by Tuesday afternoon I was running on empty.
The gas proceeded to work it's way out of my system, and by mid-day yesterday I was back to some semblance of normal. Luckily I did not experience any gas being trapped in joints, under shoulder blades, etc.
The only real side effects I'm feeling are soreness... more discomfort than pain I would say. They sent me home with Oxycodone, but I've avoided it, not wanting to go down that road, and luckily Tylenol has been sufficient. I just need to be careful when turning, twisting, picking things up, etc. I can't sleep on my sides, and sleeping on my back is not natural for me, so that's an issue for the moment, but that will resolve itself in time.
I've had no problem keeping full liquids down. I've not even had the remotest urge to vomit even once, so I must be pacing myself well. My biggest problem is not wanting to eat. I'm forcing myself to get in at least 3 Protein Shakes per day, but that is more than sufficient for me right now. I don't feel the need to eat more than that. I am, however making sure that I get all my Vitamins, and am drinking copious amounts of water/Crystal Light/etc. throughout the day.
I went out for two 15-minute walks at a brisk pace today, and they were lovely.
I'm down 6 pounds from Monday preop, so I'm quite pleased thus far... I hope this portends the future.

... but not for the reasons you might think.
I questioned whether I should make this post in the preop section or here, but since it's my first post on the forum, it might as well serve as an introduction as well. My apologies in advance for the verbosity, as I have a tendency to ramble.
At age 54, I've been morbidly obese since I was a teen. I have no personal frame of reference as to what it means to be fit or eat healthily. Sure, there's the cognitive recognition of what those concepts are and what they should mean, but nothing in my own life experiences that are relatable. I'm 6'1" and at my heaviest weighed 410. Five years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, which medication has fortunately kept under control. In June of 2019, when I weighed 385, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It was at this point, that I realized I actually needed to do something about losing weight beyond paying lip service.
I've been feeling it more in my knees and ankles the last few years, and the notion that should I ever need a knee replacement or other major joint surgery, that I would likely be denied due to my weight wasn't an enticing prospect.
I've made token efforts at points in my life to dieting and exercise, but nothing consistent; nothing that "stuck". So I spoke with my primary physician about bariatric surgery options and started down this road. After consultations and doing my own research, I decided on the sleeve gastrectomy. Over the several month "trial period" (not sure what the technical term is), meeting with dieticians, the surgeon, the psychologist, etc., my surgery was approved and scheduled for mid April of this year... well, you can guess what happened. Thanks to COVID-19 everything was put on hold.
I freaked out a bit at that point. My work schedule is such that certain times of the year are no-go as far as being away for extended periods. What if my recovery takes longer than expected? What if due to the quarantine and stress eating (believe me, it's a thing), I gain weight again and they kick me out of the program? Having all this uncertainty on top of all the uncertainty going on in the world... being in a high-risk group for COVID, the business I work for having to completely retool how it does business, the financial market crash (at the time), the civil unrest in an election year, etc.,put my head in a not very happy place.
I'm also stressed by the fact that I have no immediate support structure in the event things go wrong (either medically or if I slip with respect to eating habits). I have no family, no significant other, and I live alone. Under normal circumstances, I'm perfectly fine and dandy with all three of those things, but for the first time in my life, I'm faced with the prospect of not having support when I might need it. I've never head surgery in my life, outside of two colonoscopies, which all things considered, I've been blessed in that regard, but again I have no frame of reference of what to expect and what to do in the event things don't proceed as planned.
I've avoided reading many of the threads here simply because I don't want to read about worst-case scenarios, as I know that my mind will tend to drift there, and I don't want the negatives of what *might* happen to dominate my thoughts right now.
So back to the present... at the beginning of June things started to open back up in the state, at least as far as allowing elective surgeries to be back on the docket. I'm scheduled for surgery on July 13.
The 14-day preop diet (which I started on June 29) that my hospital prescribes is more restrictive than many others. No meat in addition to no carbs or fats. It's a 1000-1150 calorie per day diet. As someone who normally would eat 3000-5000 calories per day, that's effectively a snack.
So I'm in the middle of day 6... and everything is fine.
And I have no idea why.
I *SHOULD* be frothing at the mouth, hangry, threatening to eat the neighbor's cats, etc., but for some reason I'm not hungry at all, and this cognitively makes no sense to me based upon my "normal" eating habits.
I've been actually eating less than 800 calories per day, not even up to the recommended 1000-1150 calories.
Breakfast: Protein Shake (30g Protein, 140-160 calories depending on brand) Morning snack: Yoplait light yogurt (90 calories) Lunch: 12-oz pouch of steamed vegetables with garlic and pepper (80-140 calories depending on what mix I use) Afternoon snack: apple slices (50-80 calories) Dinner: Another protein shake (140-160 calories) Evening snack: another yogurt (90 calories) I'll mix in sugar-free Jello (5 calories) throughout the day or some celery sticks as needed, and if feeling peckish will do an extra pouch of steamed vegetables.
What's freaking me out is why I'm not freaking out... if that makes any sense. It shouldn't be this easy, and I worrying that I ma be lulling myself into a false sense of security/complacency.
Or is my brain somehow making this easier on me, as somewhere deep down in the depths of my subconscious I fundamentally realize that I *have* to make this work?
I don't know; it's hard to convey.
I was at 351 on Sunday prior to starting the diet (and yes, I pigged out on Saturday and Sunday knowing what was ahead) and am now down to 339 as of this morning, which is a good thing.
Just trying to get a handle on why my brain is operating the way it is...
At any rate, good to be aboard.

... but not for the reasons you might think.
I questioned whether I should make this post in the preop section or here, but since it's my first post on the forum, it might as well serve as an introduction as well. My apologies in advance for the verbosity, as I have a tendency to ramble.
At age 54, I've been morbidly obese since I was a teen. I have no personal frame of reference as to what it means to be fit or eat healthily. Sure, there's the cognitive recognition of what those concepts are and what they should mean, but nothing in my own life experiences that are relatable. I'm 6'1" and at my heaviest weighed 410. Five years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, which medication has fortunately kept under control. In June of 2019, when I weighed 385, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It was at this point, that I realized I actually needed to do something about losing weight beyond paying lip service.
I've been feeling it more in my knees and ankles the last few years, and the notion that should I ever need a knee replacement or other major joint surgery, that I would likely be denied due to my weight wasn't an enticing prospect.
I've made token efforts at points in my life to dieting and exercise, but nothing consistent; nothing that "stuck". So I spoke with my primary physician about bariatric surgery options and started down this road. After consultations and doing my own research, I decided on the sleeve gastrectomy. Over the several month "trial period" (not sure what the technical term is), meeting with dieticians, the surgeon, the psychologist, etc., my surgery was approved and scheduled for mid April of this year... well, you can guess what happened. Thanks to COVID-19 everything was put on hold.
I freaked out a bit at that point. My work schedule is such that certain times of the year are no-go as far as being away for extended periods. What if my recovery takes longer than expected? What if due to the quarantine and stress eating (believe me, it's a thing), I gain weight again and they kick me out of the program? Having all this uncertainty on top of all the uncertainty going on in the world... being in a high-risk group for COVID, the business I work for having to completely retool how it does business, the financial market crash (at the time), the civil unrest in an election year, etc.,put my head in a not very happy place.
I'm also stressed by the fact that I have no immediate support structure in the event things go wrong (either medically or if I slip with respect to eating habits). I have no family, no significant other, and I live alone. Under normal circumstances, I'm perfectly fine and dandy with all three of those things, but for the first time in my life, I'm faced with the prospect of not having support when I might need it. I've never head surgery in my life, outside of two colonoscopies, which all things considered, I've been blessed in that regard, but again I have no frame of reference of what to expect and what to do in the event things don't proceed as planned.
I've avoided reading many of the threads here simply because I don't want to read about worst-case scenarios, as I know that my mind will tend to drift there, and I don't want the negatives of what *might* happen to dominate my thoughts right now.
So back to the present... at the beginning of June things started to open back up in the state, at least as far as allowing elective surgeries to be back on the docket. I'm scheduled for surgery on July 13.
The 14-day preop diet (which I started on June 29) that my hospital prescribes is more restrictive than many others. No meat in addition to no carbs or fats. It's a 1000-1150 calorie per day diet. As someone who normally would eat 3000-5000 calories per day, that's effectively a snack.
So I'm in the middle of day 6... and everything is fine.
And I have no idea why.
I *SHOULD* be frothing at the mouth, hangry, threatening to eat the neighbor's cats, etc., but for some reason I'm not hungry at all, and this cognitively makes no sense to me based upon my "normal" eating habits.
I've been actually eating less than 800 calories per day, not even up to the recommended 1000-1150 calories.
Breakfast: Protein Shake (30g Protein, 140-160 calories depending on brand) Morning snack: Yoplait light yogurt (90 calories) Lunch: 12-oz pouch of steamed vegetables with garlic and pepper (80-140 calories depending on what mix I use) Afternoon snack: apple slices (50-80 calories) Dinner: Another protein shake (140-160 calories) Evening snack: another yogurt (90 calories) I'll mix in sugar-free Jello (5 calories) throughout the day or some celery sticks as needed, and if feeling peckish will do an extra pouch of steamed vegetables.
What's freaking me out is why I'm not freaking out... if that makes any sense. It shouldn't be this easy, and I worrying that I ma be lulling myself into a false sense of security/complacency.
Or is my brain somehow making this easier on me, as somewhere deep down in the depths of my subconscious I fundamentally realize that I *have* to make this work?
I don't know; it's hard to convey.
I was at 351 on Sunday prior to starting the diet (and yes, I pigged out on Saturday and Sunday knowing what was ahead) and am now down to 339 as of this morning, which is a good thing.
Just trying to get a handle on why my brain is operating the way it is...
At any rate, good to be aboard.

... but not for the reasons you might think.
I questioned whether I should make this post in the preop section or here, but since it's my first post on the forum, it might as well serve as an introduction as well. My apologies in advance for the verbosity, as I have a tendency to ramble.
At age 54, I've been morbidly obese since I was a teen. I have no personal frame of reference as to what it means to be fit or eat healthily. Sure, there's the cognitive recognition of what those concepts are and what they should mean, but nothing in my own life experiences that are relatable. I'm 6'1" and at my heaviest weighed 410. Five years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, which medication has fortunately kept under control. In June of 2019, when I weighed 385, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It was at this point, that I realized I actually needed to do something about losing weight beyond paying lip service.
I've been feeling it more in my knees and ankles the last few years, and the notion that should I ever need a knee replacement or other major joint surgery, that I would likely be denied due to my weight wasn't an enticing prospect.
I've made token efforts at points in my life to dieting and exercise, but nothing consistent; nothing that "stuck". So I spoke with my primary physician about bariatric surgery options and started down this road. After consultations and doing my own research, I decided on the sleeve gastrectomy. Over the several month "trial period" (not sure what the technical term is), meeting with dieticians, the surgeon, the psychologist, etc., my surgery was approved and scheduled for mid April of this year... well, you can guess what happened. Thanks to COVID-19 everything was put on hold.
I freaked out a bit at that point. My work schedule is such that certain times of the year are no-go as far as being away for extended periods. What if my recovery takes longer than expected? What if due to the quarantine and stress eating (believe me, it's a thing), I gain weight again and they kick me out of the program? Having all this uncertainty on top of all the uncertainty going on in the world... being in a high-risk group for COVID, the business I work for having to completely retool how it does business, the financial market crash (at the time), the civil unrest in an election year, etc.,put my head in a not very happy place.
I'm also stressed by the fact that I have no immediate support structure in the event things go wrong (either medically or if I slip with respect to eating habits). I have no family, no significant other, and I live alone. Under normal circumstances, I'm perfectly fine and dandy with all three of those things, but for the first time in my life, I'm faced with the prospect of not having support when I might need it. I've never head surgery in my life, outside of two colonoscopies, which all things considered, I've been blessed in that regard, but again I have no frame of reference of what to expect and what to do in the event things don't proceed as planned.
I've avoided reading many of the threads here simply because I don't want to read about worst-case scenarios, as I know that my mind will tend to drift there, and I don't want the negatives of what *might* happen to dominate my thoughts right now.
So back to the present... at the beginning of June things started to open back up in the state, at least as far as allowing elective surgeries to be back on the docket. I'm scheduled for surgery on July 13.
The 14-day preop diet (which I started on June 29) that my hospital prescribes is more restrictive than many others. No meat in addition to no carbs or fats. It's a 1000-1150 calorie per day diet. As someone who normally would eat 3000-5000 calories per day, that's effectively a snack.
So I'm in the middle of day 6... and everything is fine.
And I have no idea why.
I *SHOULD* be frothing at the mouth, hangry, threatening to eat the neighbor's cats, etc., but for some reason I'm not hungry at all, and this cognitively makes no sense to me based upon my "normal" eating habits.
I've been actually eating less than 800 calories per day, not even up to the recommended 1000-1150 calories.
Breakfast: Protein Shake (30g Protein, 140-160 calories depending on brand) Morning snack: Yoplait light yogurt (90 calories) Lunch: 12-oz pouch of steamed vegetables with garlic and pepper (80-140 calories depending on what mix I use) Afternoon snack: apple slices (50-80 calories) Dinner: Another protein shake (140-160 calories) Evening snack: another yogurt (90 calories) I'll mix in sugar-free Jello (5 calories) throughout the day or some celery sticks as needed, and if feeling peckish will do an extra pouch of steamed vegetables.
What's freaking me out is why I'm not freaking out... if that makes any sense. It shouldn't be this easy, and I worrying that I ma be lulling myself into a false sense of security/complacency.
Or is my brain somehow making this easier on me, as somewhere deep down in the depths of my subconscious I fundamentally realize that I *have* to make this work?
I don't know; it's hard to convey.
I was at 351 on Sunday prior to starting the diet (and yes, I pigged out on Saturday and Sunday knowing what was ahead) and am now down to 339 as of this morning, which is a good thing.
Just trying to get a handle on why my brain is operating the way it is...
At any rate, good to be aboard.