So, I'm new here and really encouraged and excited by all of the people in this amazing community! I've recently just started my pre-surgery diet and it's probably one of THE hardest things I've ever done. Here's the low-down on me -- I'm 24, recently married, living in Washington state and I'm currently at the heaviest I've ever been at 511.5 lbs. It's an awful number that scares the beejeebers outta me, but I'm learning to say it out loud as a serious reminder of why I'm choosing LapBand. So, I'm seriously struggling with this 60-day diet. Basically, because I am so overweight my surgeon has required me to do an extensive pre-surgery diet. I am supposed to do 3-4 of these awful Protein shakes a day with 1 Lean Cuisine type meal a day. After all is said and done I should be consuming no less than 870 (Random number, I know.) calories a day. The purpose of this is to drop a total of 60 pounds in 60 days. It will be safer, easier and can help prevent hospital-borne illnesses by doing the surgery in-house versus going to the actual hospital.

This extreme diet has been so hard. I relate it to a crack addict detoxing...Only food is my drug of choice. At least crack isn't readily available on EVERY street corner -- At least not in my town...I hope, lol. When does the constant growling stop? How long before my mind gives in and lets me think of ANYTHING else?!?

Day 2 down...Only 58 more to go!!

1Cor 10:31

You can do this!!! It's funny I told my family the same thing about having things in the house that I couldn't have and to think of me like an addict. I have teens so they can bring anything home...especially around easter. I finally broke down and said...look please don't put that stuff in front of me. I am just in the beginning stages. They thought I was joking but I told them that you wouldn't put a bunch of beer in the fridge and a keg stand in the kitchen for a recovering alcoholic...then please don't put my vices in the house right now. I think they saw the light and are more supportive in that area now.

I think as you progress your body will get more and more used to the diet. What Protein shakes are you drinking. I kind of like the EAS shakes from Wal-Mart. They have 17G of protein and only 100 calories...they seemed to keep me full for a while....which helped.

The first 5 days are the worst. Get through that, and you'll be ok. It takes some time for the last stuff you've eaten to make it through your system, but once it's through, your cravings will go down a lot.

Additionally, I would recommend doing some meditation. Get one of those guided meditation CDs or something. They're dorky, but it will calm your mind down. I'm the most cynical, cranky New Yorker and I don't like the new-age sh** at all. But I used meditation when I did a cleansing fast a couple of years ago and it was surprisingly helpful. Once I even start crying in the middle of it. No idea why.

Good luck to you. You can do this if you decide to do it.

There is a blog I follow and they posted a great quote: Nobody said it would be easy. They just promised it'd be worth it.

The first three days of ANYTHING is the hardest. That's not to say that it will become easy on Day 4, but it will probably ease a bit. Then there will be other times when it gets hard again, but it will always ease up again if you stick with it.

A food addiction is actually worse than a drug addiction, because you have to consume food to live, but you don't need drugs to live. You just have to take control of the food and not let the food take control of you. Oh, and as far as shakes, I tried all the ready-made ones and the Slimfast Low Carb are my favorite and they have 20 grams of Protein.