cellbell

3 years out.
I *thought* I had broken up with bread, but we got back together. 😆

Just as the two above said, results can be super variable. I lost 50 lbs in three months but I just saw another post where someone lost 46 lbs in only one month! It's hard not to compare yourself, especially if you're a competitive person, but give it time and stick to your plan and you'll see the scale start moving. Good luck!

The pre-op diet is really hard, especially for those who have a full liquid version! You're essentially putting your body through the start of the post-op phases, without the benefits that come from the surgery. If we were all able to stick to diets perfectly, none of us would be here. You made a mistake, you haven't failed. That said, do your best to stick to it the rest of the way, for your own safety and post-op success. Sometimes remembering that it's only temporary helps a lot.

Every program is different. Common wisdom on this board is to follow YOUR program.

The pre-op diet is really hard, especially for those who have a full liquid version! You're essentially putting your body through the start of the post-op phases, without the benefits that come from the surgery. If we were all able to stick to diets perfectly, none of us would be here. You made a mistake, you haven't failed. That said, do your best to stick to it the rest of the way, for your own safety and post-op success. Sometimes remembering that it's only temporary helps a lot.

Totally normal! I was nervous all the way until the anesthesia kicked in lol. Only you know if you're truly ready for this change, but I read so many accounts where people said their only regret was not doing it sooner, which helped me a lot. Honestly I wish I did it 10 years ago to give myself a better chance with loose skin rebounding, since age seems to be a big factor in that area.

There's no law that you can only eat "breakfast foods" at breakfast! I am not a big egg person either, and in the soft phase I had things like tuna or really soft shredded chicken--in my case I mixed it with a little greek yogurt for moisture and Protein, but you could try non-dairy options instead, like broth or taco sauce. Are you having any sensitivity to whey protein since it's sort of dairy-adjacent, or is that working for you so far? Since you said that lactose-free didn't solve the problem, I wonder if your body is just not happy with some other component of the food right now and might eventually resolve itself as you heal.

Today - almost 18 months out - I met my first goal: over 200 lbs lost, and joining the double digits club (in kg... of course 🙂 ).
99 kilos today (218 lbs), lost 204 lbs from my top weight. Feeling good!

Friends, it's a (life) long process, hang in there and have fun with it. Never mind the small ups and downs, look for the trends.

I'm going to Italy late next month and I'll be about 3.5 months out. My plan is to have Protein at the hotel Breakfast as much as possible and then a lot of shareable meals and Snacks so that my husband can eat most of it. My understanding is that it's okay to not order all three courses but it's also a little rude to order only an antipasto, so I'm hoping that ordering three courses between the two of us will be fine.
You could also stay at an Airbnb and cook for yourself; this wasn't feasible for my situation but could work for you. Whoops, just noticed that you might be on a cruise!
My nutritionist is totally on board with me trying a little pizza, Pasta, and gelato--it is vacation after all--but to also focus on protein where possible, drink lots of Water, and get right back on track when back home.
If you want to remind me in mid December, I'll be happy to share my experiences!

I'm going to Italy late next month and I'll be about 3.5 months out. My plan is to have Protein at the hotel Breakfast as much as possible and then a lot of shareable meals and Snacks so that my husband can eat most of it. My understanding is that it's okay to not order all three courses but it's also a little rude to order only an antipasto, so I'm hoping that ordering three courses between the two of us will be fine.
You could also stay at an Airbnb and cook for yourself; this wasn't feasible for my situation but could work for you. Whoops, just noticed that you might be on a cruise!
My nutritionist is totally on board with me trying a little pizza, Pasta, and gelato--it is vacation after all--but to also focus on protein where possible, drink lots of Water, and get right back on track when back home.
If you want to remind me in mid December, I'll be happy to share my experiences!

I'm going to Italy late next month and I'll be about 3.5 months out. My plan is to have Protein at the hotel Breakfast as much as possible and then a lot of shareable meals and Snacks so that my husband can eat most of it. My understanding is that it's okay to not order all three courses but it's also a little rude to order only an antipasto, so I'm hoping that ordering three courses between the two of us will be fine.
You could also stay at an Airbnb and cook for yourself; this wasn't feasible for my situation but could work for you. Whoops, just noticed that you might be on a cruise!
My nutritionist is totally on board with me trying a little pizza, Pasta, and gelato--it is vacation after all--but to also focus on protein where possible, drink lots of Water, and get right back on track when back home.
If you want to remind me in mid December, I'll be happy to share my experiences!

I think my plan is a little different in that no foods are expressly forbidden, as long as you're getting enough Protein and staying within a reasonable calorie range. I know in my dieting past that cutting out entire groups of food (for example, on keto), would lead to cravings and bingeing, so I've been trying to allow a bite of everything from time to time.
For example, I've started going into work once a week on Fridays, and someone ALWAYS brings donuts. The first two weeks, I was completely uninterested. Last week, I thought I'd give it a try, found a maple bar that someone had already cut a piece off, and cut off a tiny square that was about a bite. Ate it, was shocked at how excessively sweet it was, logged 1/10th of a maple bar in my food journal, and moved on. I haven't wanted another taste since. For me personally, if this will be a lifetime change, I need to learn how to manage unhealthy foods in a reasonable way because I'm not sure it's really realistic to be able to avoid them forever. Others are certainly having different experiences and that's totally fine!

I think my plan is a little different in that no foods are expressly forbidden, as long as you're getting enough Protein and staying within a reasonable calorie range. I know in my dieting past that cutting out entire groups of food (for example, on keto), would lead to cravings and bingeing, so I've been trying to allow a bite of everything from time to time.
For example, I've started going into work once a week on Fridays, and someone ALWAYS brings donuts. The first two weeks, I was completely uninterested. Last week, I thought I'd give it a try, found a maple bar that someone had already cut a piece off, and cut off a tiny square that was about a bite. Ate it, was shocked at how excessively sweet it was, logged 1/10th of a maple bar in my food journal, and moved on. I haven't wanted another taste since. For me personally, if this will be a lifetime change, I need to learn how to manage unhealthy foods in a reasonable way because I'm not sure it's really realistic to be able to avoid them forever. Others are certainly having different experiences and that's totally fine!

It's totally normal to have these feelings at the beginning. You're in some pain, you're anxious about having to change your eating habits to match your new digestive system, and you can't turn to food for comfort like most of us are used to! Plus your hormones are a mess after surgery which affects your mood too, so it's no wonder that you're having these thoughts. Give yourself some grace and give it some time. You're not lazy; taking this step was super brave and harder than traditional diet and exercise in some ways.
For what it's worth, I hate Premier Protein too; the aftertaste is like plastic to me and was gross even pre-op, so I get it. I've been loving the Fairlife Nutrition Plan shakes because the chocolate one tastes just like chocolate milk to me and it's not as thick as the Premier. Just an idea!

Your surgery weight was higher than mine and you had your surgery almost a week later, yet your current weight is lower than mine! If it helps, you're making more progress than me, and my surgeon's office is happy with where I am. It's crazy how different expectations are; my nutritionist said that anything over 8 lbs a month is on track. Stalls are normal along the way and I think it's really difficult to expect to lose 4 pounds a week every single week. Great work so far!

I used to live by a grocery store that had a ton of individual options, but I moved an hour away and the ones by me now don't have the same selection, unfortunately. I'm going to check out GNC this weekend and will report back! I wanted to avoid online if possible but it sounds like there are workable options available.

I haven't had surgery yet, but I've seen the surgeon, the nutrionists, and had some of the insurance required tests already. I still have a few things to do, but the surgeon said he thinks I should be able to have it in November.
So wouldn't you know that the moment I commented on one of the posts here about unsupportive boyfriend MY husband decides that he does not want me to have surgery. First he said he is worried something will happen to me, then he says I can do it by exercise and diet, and then today he said that he met me heavy and he wants me to be like how I was when we first met. Honestly I think he is worried that if I get thin that I will leave him, which I would not leave him but he told me that he will not support me on my decision to have it. He said we will get a divorce. He had already told me that he would not take to me or pick me up from the hospital and that he wouldn't take care of me at home, and I needed to call my sister to come and do it all.
It is very odd because we have been together 12 or 13 years, married for ten of those years and he has never been that way with me. He says he loves me but he sure isn't acting like it. I think in the end he will go along with it but for now he has really upset me. His parents said they would help me when it comes time for my surgery.

Each time I drink a shake he asks me why I'm still doing that diet. I just tell him it's because it's easier than eating at the moment.
I guess I should mention that I've already lost some weight and now he is heavier than me.....not by much but he knows I'm going to keep losing and he is struggling to lose it, but he has started to the gym and hopefully he can lose it and won't feel so insecure.

I really do think he will change when it comes to surgery time, but for now I'm just dealing with him nagging me about the diet and exercise.
I'm all about exercise, but I'm healing from some tendon surgery so I have to wait until after my physical therapy for my whole body.

Has anybody else had a spouse that didn't want to support their surgery in the beginning but changed their mind later?

Your surgery weight was higher than mine and you had your surgery almost a week later, yet your current weight is lower than mine! If it helps, you're making more progress than me, and my surgeon's office is happy with where I am. It's crazy how different expectations are; my nutritionist said that anything over 8 lbs a month is on track. Stalls are normal along the way and I think it's really difficult to expect to lose 4 pounds a week every single week. Great work so far!

Your surgery weight was higher than mine and you had your surgery almost a week later, yet your current weight is lower than mine! If it helps, you're making more progress than me, and my surgeon's office is happy with where I am. It's crazy how different expectations are; my nutritionist said that anything over 8 lbs a month is on track. Stalls are normal along the way and I think it's really difficult to expect to lose 4 pounds a week every single week. Great work so far!

I was really hoping I'd start liking avocados and disliking pie, but no dice so far! Seems like it affects people most in the Protein Shake arena; I wonder if it's because there are so many things that go into them.

Hi everybody,

Sorry I didn’t update sooner, I had a little bit of a harrowing experience. But... it’s done!!! The surgery is done!!!!

Friday morning I was the second surgery of the day. While I was in pre-op I heard the nurse telling another nurse that they were diverting the rest of the days surgeries because of no more beds. I barely eeked through. And my heart goes out to those who were canceled on, I know that devastation and anguish.

I woke up from a fairly quick surgery in a TON of pain. I had spine surgery this year, I had sterilization surgery last year, I’ve had meningitis, broken multiple bones and I’ve birthed two babies. This easily hurt more than all of that. I had iv pain management for about the first 12 hours, then was switched to oral tyelenol and norco. The second day, they noticed that my heart rate would spike every time I stood up and my blood pressure was dropping and they determined that I had a staple-line bleed. So, I needed a blood transfusion and they stopped the blood thinners that they give you to prevent clots and started me on vit k. Right around this time I started dry heaving (I had been nauseous since waking up), and I spent the entire night trying to vomit up whatever wasn’t actually in my stomach. The next day was better. My surgeon discontinued the norco because he wanted things to get moving and I was refusing oral tyelenol because I didn’t want to throw up. Even with absolutely no pain meds on board, the pain was SOOOOOOOOO much better. I was able to start eating my 1 oz portions. They kept me one more day because all of that blood that I bled had started to “pass”, don’t ask 🤢 and they wanted to check another blood count the next day. So this afternoon, after four nights in the hospital I got to come home!!!

So, it was NOT an easy process, but I would absolutely do it all again. Now I’m just settling down to recover, hydrate, and learn a whole new relationship with food.

Look for something that makes good leftovers too. I had to go out for pizza with co-workers and just ordered a side of meatballs. For some reason, the side was 12 meatballs and sauce; it took me 3 days to finish them off between lunches and dinners! I wouldn't get a sandwich or anything since they typically don't hold up well. I think the turkey chili suggestion is a good one. Otherwise, you could always hold onto the gift card until you're eating a wider variety of food.

Look for something that makes good leftovers too. I had to go out for pizza with co-workers and just ordered a side of meatballs. For some reason, the side was 12 meatballs and sauce; it took me 3 days to finish them off between lunches and dinners! I wouldn't get a sandwich or anything since they typically don't hold up well. I think the turkey chili suggestion is a good one. Otherwise, you could always hold onto the gift card until you're eating a wider variety of food.

Look for something that makes good leftovers too. I had to go out for pizza with co-workers and just ordered a side of meatballs. For some reason, the side was 12 meatballs and sauce; it took me 3 days to finish them off between lunches and dinners! I wouldn't get a sandwich or anything since they typically don't hold up well. I think the turkey chili suggestion is a good one. Otherwise, you could always hold onto the gift card until you're eating a wider variety of food.

My understanding has always been that most men are happy enough to be engaged in activities with a naked lady that they aren't nitpicking the details! I understand your concern but you've already prepped him and should be fine with a little low lighting. Good luck!