deedee

Okay, I think I can do this! I freaked out a little about lowering my carbs and upping my protein for my pre-op diet. Although I've been on and off of diets for 20 years, I have never tried a high protein diet because of my addiction to potatoes. The first week of trying, I was visiting family in another state. I had a mini-meltdown when I discovered I really did not know much about carbs in the foods I ate. I decided that I did know that I could eat meat, cheese, lettuce, and eggs. So I decided I could really focus on protein for breakfast and lunch with no or very little carbs and then not stress about dinners. I thought it was at least a start. Upon my return home, I had another meltdown. I was exhausted from the 13 hour drive the day before and just wanted something to eat. I had a protein bar for breakfast and one for lunch, but realized I would need to go grocery shopping. To tide me over I decided to have a yogurt and as I was eating it, read the back and realized how many carbs it contained. That's when I lost it. I felt that I did not have any idea what I was doing and that maybe this surgery wasn't going to work for me. Thankfully my husband was home and decided we needed to take a field trip (I'm a teacher, so he talked to me in my terms :-). I protested feeling that I needed to read the two South Beach diet books I had picked up and make a plan before heading to the store. He basically said that this wasn't that difficult and I could do it; I'd been talking daily about surgery for the last three months and reading like crazy. (A little background: my husband exercises at the gym 7 days a week and eats pretty healthy all the time, but never really knew how many carbs certain foods contained...he just makes sure to eat a balanced diet and stays away from potatoes.) We got to the store and started going through the isles reading labels and putting together foods I liked that could be for breakfast and lunch and snacks. This went really well and I was surprised at how many things we found. This all happened Wednesday, and I can say that each day I grow more confident that I am making the changes I need to to live a healthier life. I've also discovered that I enjoy cooking. We did go out on Friday and I was very pleased that I didn't crave fries. I had a salad without dressing and a chicken burger without the bun. On Saturday, we went to a baseball game and stopped by Subway (one of my favorite fast food places) and got a spinach salad with chicken and a cup of dressing on the side and didn't even use 1/4 of it. Tomorrow I meet with the nutritionist, so we'll see what other changes I need to make, but I feel good right now and think I can do this.

Yay for you! I can't wait to be where you are.

Thank you for the encouragement. I know it's going to come be here before I know it!

Thank you for the information, I think you're right that I need to start before my meeting with the nutritionist. Right now I am traveling across country to visit family and I purchased some Atkins products for the car. I noticed that the bars I picked up had a lot of carbs (22 grams), so I snacked on one the entire day. I also did remove one of the buns on my sandwich when we stopped for lunch, but tomorrow I will try putting the meat between the lettuce (no bun at all). I picked up a South Beach diet book at a store also and will do a little reading tonight...hopefully it will give me some good information as well. Thanks again, I appreciate you taking the time to reply!

I do not meet with the nutritionist until July 6, but noticed in the binder I received from the office that I should begin a "high Protein, low carbohydrate" diet now. It calls for getting in 70 grams of protein and limiting carbohydrates to 30 grams. Over my numerous years of dieting--Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, diet pills, etc.--I've never done a strictly high protein diet. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm not too concerned about lunches (I know I can do salads), but for Breakfast I like eggs when I eat with a muffin or toast (not really by themselves). I know that I will be changing my eating habits and am excited about doing this to feel better/healthier, but I'm just not sure where to start. Do you think I should wait until I meet with the nutritionist, or are there some good (simple) resources on the web that can help me plan out my days/grocery lists? Should I just focus on upping the protein and lowering the carbs at one meal each day for now? Thank you for any advice you might have and just letting me get this off my chest.

I feel the same way as you. I just got my date of August 4, and I find I'm very excited one moment and then nervous the next. This really is a life changing operation. Good luck!

Thank you for the welcomes! I will be sure to keep you posted and probably have a few questions along the way.

I had my consultation today (2nd surgeon) and have a surgery date scheduled for August 4. I'm supposed to immediately begin eating high protein, low carbohydrate foods/meals. I'm glad about this because the thing I am most nervous about is learning how to eat differently. I'll meet with the nutritionist on July 6, but I'm going to try to do my best up until that point. As I reviewed the paperwork from the doctor's office this afternoon, it really started to hit me that this new chapter of my life is really going to begin soon. I'm very excited and a bit nervous. I started therapy about a month ago to begin discussing some of my issues with food and I hope that the transition I'm about to make won't be as tough with the right supports in place.

Hello, I just wanted to introduce myself. I have been researching wls options for a couple of months now; started out wanting the band and switched to the sleeve after reading more about it. Today my surgery date was scheduled for August 4! I have never been very good at communicating online, but I wanted to thank all of you for so openly sharing your journey and experiences. It has truly been appreciated and allowed me to know my options and questions to ask my surgeon. I look forward to learning more from this group. Dee Dee