Oeschrm

So sorry that you are feeling alone. It is tough--when I was pre-surgery I felt the same at times. People say they will support you, but all that amounted to was them just not disagreeing with me on the choice to have surgery. Family still thought it was a good idea to get together for dinners. I had to sit there with my bowl of protein added soup while they chowed down on real food. And then my sister insisted upon celebrating her birthday with a very special cake. I hated it. Today, I don't eat with my family. I prepare my own food and eat by myself. I really don't care what is going on around me. I refuse to have family meals because I have invested over $14K in this and I don't want to mess it up. So I have been stubborn. And I am losing weight. So no one calls me a party pooper or holds it against me--they are all amazed at how successful I have been and I take full credit!! When everyone else eats I am doing something else--reading, watching TV, laundry--what ever. If you are nervous about surgery--Here's the thing: I found my nurses and all the medical staff at the hospital to be AMAZING. So once you are there, you should be in good hands. Walking aids in healing--so force yourself to try to get up and pace the halls a bit. I found a good routine: Sleep, pee, walk, back to bed, meds--then started it all over again. Follow docs orders and you should do fine. Keep visiting the forum. There are some wonderful people on here that can answer questions and tell you that you are awesome. You are brave and YOU CAN DO THIS!!

You are doing great!!!! Keep following doctors orders. You will notice, like others have said, that food consistency does affect how you feel restriction. It is good that you are measuring things. I have found that I don't always feel the restriction--but I stop at half a cup of food regardless. I am on my 8th week from surgery. One time while preparing dinner (canned chicken with black beans and guac) I ate a spoonfull of guac first--I couldn't finish dinner. The guac sort of sat there and didn't allow me to eat more. However, with my 1/2 cup rule, I am able to get my protein in and lose weight. You will find with time that you will get more confident and doubt less as you prepare and eat meals. Again, just keep following what your doctors and nutritionists say and you will be successful and you will take pride in that success!

Surgery was may 10. I feel like I have gotten my life back. I have had no issues, other than calibrating the poop factory part. I have had several non-scale victories: fitting into clothes that have been boxed for a couple years, fitting into the bath tub, less foot aching, played tennis with my 9 year-old, played frisbee with my family, I walk daily and love it, etc. I have consistently loss each week. I miss salad. (I am on soft foods--apparently I can't have raw veggies until 3 months our). My chewable vitamins are my deserts. I feel very good about so much, but my mind won't let me feel totally secure--I fret over what life will be like three years from now. To safeguard from that eventuality I simply follow doctor's orders. I think of myself as being somewhat disabled...no I can't have that, or that, or that.... But perhaps that is a way to look at it. My body wants to be fat. That's my disability I live with.

I hope you are allowed more than just protein shakes and yogurt! For my 14 day diet, I am allowed reduced fat strained cream soups, sugar free jello and puddings, skim milk, and broth. I have broken it up into 4 meals, 200 cal or less. I usually get 80+ grams of protein in that way. I use the isopure non-flavored protein powder and add it to 1 serving of strained soup or broth. That is very satisfying. In the morning, I add the powder to a cup of fat free fairlife milk, and then I sprinkle in some sugar free jello pudding powder--very few calories, but a nice flavor without the cloying sweet. I basically add protein to 3 of the 4 meals, and the last is just broth. Don't forget fluids! I drink water constantly. I find that having specific times that I eat helps. (6:30, 10:30, 2:30, and 6:30). These are actually the same times that I would normally eat before the pre-op diet--so it was an easy transition. If I get a little hungry, I might have a meal a little earlier, but then I find I'm not as hungry for the next meal. Either way, I can always ask myself, "Can I go another hour?" Finally, I would wait. You are only trying to shrink your liver for surgery. Instead of trying to master the diet, just make healthy changes (if you haven't already) and maybe have one shake a day, just to get used to them. Once you hit those days where you HAVE to do it, you will probably find it easier to stick to it. You will find that you may have more energy and you may start to feel better. I found that I had headaches the first two or three days, in the afternoon. Sometimes I get hungry, but by the time I have had my 4th meal, I'm not. I have also started taking Miralax everyday so that I poop regularly. I didn't start that until day 4 or 5 though. Hoping the best for you!

My surgery is just a little over a week away and I have been very successful in adhering to the liquid diet. I feel great and I am encouraged by how easy it has been. However, the past three nights, I have had increasingly worse restless leg syndrome. I also had it when I was pregnant. I have checked my labs, and my folate levels were slightly lower than "normal", though I have been taking a multivitamin for some time now. My plan is to get folate, B12, and magnesium supplements, to see if that helps. Has anyone had this issue and did they find any solution? Another aside--I don't sleep as well now. It's like my body just wants to be "awake" more. I used to nap quite easily, and LOVED it. I can't anymore. Thank you for your feedback!

I know exactly where you are. It's a sucky place to be, and you get into a lot of self blame and shame. I am preparing for surgery to happen in less than a month, and I have been reading lots of books. They seem to help give me the motivational kick needed to follow the "habits" or "rules" or whatever is needed to keep the weight off. I also find that when I keep a food diary, I do better. Best of luck and wishes to you.