I spoke to my doctors nurse on Friday asking for a date for my Sleeve and i was figuring it would be late november or after Christmas, She looked at my chart and said we can do it Nov 2nd, i was kinda freaked out inside of such a close date and said i would talk to my wife and call back a little later.

My wife would be home in a few hours and im not a emotional eater i either dont eat enough and have one big meal at the end of the day and im not goo with portion size (half a chicken isnt a normal acceptable size) i relieze now..lol getting back to my story i hang up the phone and go to the deli and buy lunchmeat and my favorite italian rolls fresh off the belt, i get home and laugh at myself because i was that worried about not having a sub samich ever again.... whats even funnier i havent had one in a few months.

My doctor doesnt do a liquid and low carb diet before surgery, which i read most have had some sort or meal plan. Im thinking of doing a self imposed liquid diet or low carb to get used to what it will be like after the surgery. Right now im not eating enough i miss Breakfast and usually lunch and have a late meal say 2-3pm and dinner with wife at 6-630pm and my portion sizes were way too large the nutrionist said:thumbdown:, i gained most of my weight after a construction accident back in 2000 i went from 220 to big as 347 and im hovering right about 330 now, not active at all because of pain and have to say laziness, but hoping to get motivated after takin some weight off the back and joints.

Im scared to death about the surgery and the work ill have to put in for the months to come but im excited to see what the future holds for a thinner and healthier me!

Ive been reading this site for a few months and i see alot of good people on here and a few of you changed my thought of having the lap band done to the gastric sleeve... thank you

I'll be very honest with you about my experience. I never once had a true moment of buyer's remorse until Thanksgiving hit. I was mad, pissed off, sad that I could not eat a huge Thanksgiving day meal with my family. You know that's the one day out of the year a fat chick can gorge herself silly, and no one says a damn thing about it.

I was literally mad at the world, but it was a fleeting moment. I saw how miserable everyone was in their food comas, and they had changed into stretchy pants. I was just ready to go and do something, anything.

The sleeve is a fabulous, and it's really given me a fabulous life that I never realized I was missing out on because of obesity.

I didn't have a liquid diet, or any specified diet pre-op. I just did a modified Atkins until the night before surgery, and then I pigged out and had one last food funeral. My liver looked fabulous the day of my revision. The main reason for the liquid/low carb diet is to help shrink the fat in the liver so surgery is easier, and reduces the risk of complications. The liver is slippery, slick because of the fat. When we do low carb, and especially with liquid diets that fat shrinks making the liver easier to move out of the way.

Best wishes with your sleeve. Work on your food issues now, start cutting portions, stop drinking with your meals to make the transition to eating with the sleeve easier, eat your Protein first, stretch your meal out over 20-30 minutes. All of those little things can really help the post-op eating time easier.

If you need anything, have specific questions, feel free to ask. We're all here for you! ! !

Yes, I ate everything before my diet started. I put on 7lbs infact. It's terrible but I felt like I had to eat some of everything I loved (which obviously was a lot of things) before my surgery. Also eating is one of the things my family loves to do together and we took a mini trip and of course ate out there a lot. I'm on my preop diet of low carb and I'm doing fine. I'm really not craving anything.

I was a month into a low carb diet when I decided to do the surgery and had the surgery within two months of that decision. I decided against doing a big pig out because I was afraid of messing up what I'd already begun, and what if for some reason the surgery didn't happen? I don't really regret not saying goodbye to my favorites because I'd said hello to them far too many times throughout my adult life.

hey Guys thanks for the posts, when i woke up this morning i threw the rolls out i really didnt miss them as much as i thought i did when the impulse came. I started a low carb diet today!!!!!!

Ive been a excellent patient for many years with all my injuries, so if the doctors say do this i will to the T. As for me doing diets and weight loss ive failed for one reason or another and after staring and stoping a diet Ill start again monday or after the holiday im just tired of it all. two years ago i walked into a bariatric doctors for a consultation he talked to me and pushed the Lapband, at the time i had three friends who had it done and it worked for one out of the three (the husband and wife) had complications not from lapband. So after leaving his office and talking to family who of course said just lose the weight you dont need another surgery, i put all thoughts of bariatric aside.

All this time my mom has been suffering with Lymphoma (3yrs) and while helping her i popped a umbilical hernia and didnt tell anyone except my doctor and wife and maybe a close friend. I had been taking her to chemo and radiation for about 2 1/2 yrs and i just couldnt do it anymore i needed to help myself i forgot all about me and my needs, thats when i knew it was time to see another gastric doctor and get the help i needed for me. I seen my doctor this summer at the same time mom calls and says my aunt has pancreaitic cancer and not much they can do for her, she doesnt live close and mom and grandmom dont drive so ive been doing all the driving a few times a week back and forth 80 miles round trip and if theres traffic....ugh Id do anything for my family as you can see, had a talk with my aunt while she was in bed already thin and in pain but still smiled to see me and knew i love her, i told her what i was doing and she said its the best thing i could do for myself and wished she would be around to see my transformation, i cried she cried and she said she will always be around watching me and i know she will, last night i visited again and she only has days left. As you can see im a caretaker im not ashamed of what ive done always putting family or friends before me but if your like me and are thinking of bariatric help, DO IT and dont look back you have to put you first take your life back as im doing.

Sorry for the long winded post i got off track a lil with my family issues andi was going to delete but there might be that other person who is in same spot and it might help...if not it helped me write it down!

God Bless

Joe

I spoke to my doctors nurse on Friday asking for a date for my Sleeve and i was figuring it would be late november or after Christmas, She looked at my chart and said we can do it Nov 2nd, i was kinda freaked out inside of such a close date and said i would talk to my wife and call back a little later.

My wife would be home in a few hours and im not a emotional eater i either dont eat enough and have one big meal at the end of the day and im not goo with portion size (half a chicken isnt a normal acceptable size) i relieze now..lol getting back to my story i hang up the phone and go to the deli and buy lunchmeat and my favorite italian rolls fresh off the belt, i get home and laugh at myself because i was that worried about not having a sub samich ever again.... whats even funnier i havent had one in a few months.

My doctor doesnt do a liquid and low carb diet before surgery, which i read most have had some sort or meal plan. Im thinking of doing a self imposed liquid diet or low carb to get used to what it will be like after the surgery. Right now im not eating enough i miss breakfast and usually lunch and have a late meal say 2-3pm and dinner with wife at 6-630pm and my portion sizes were way too large the nutrionist said:thumbdown:, i gained most of my weight after a construction accident back in 2000 i went from 220 to big as 347 and im hovering right about 330 now, not active at all because of pain and have to say laziness, but hoping to get motivated after takin some weight off the back and joints.

Im scared to death about the surgery and the work ill have to put in for the months to come but im excited to see what the future holds for a thinner and healthier me!

Ive been reading this site for a few months and i see alot of good people on here and a few of you changed my thought of having the lap band done to the gastric sleeve... thank you

Hello and Welcome!! Well its easy to say don't be afraid it'll be alright, but really it will be. This was my 18th major surgery! I'm allergic to all narcotics so had nothing for pain. . .but you know what? It was ok, as long as you walk and sip sip sip, you'll do fine. . At my heaviest i weight 350 now i'm a meer (hehehehe) 220! I have a bit to go, but that is ok. . I take one day at a time, and you have the right attitude, you already realize that you have to work at this and not just sit back and think it'll do all the work for you. . . good for you! Your really going to do well. . . keep posting and keep chatting with us. . . together we can make this dream come true!!!

hey Guys thanks for the posts, when i woke up this morning i threw the rolls out i really didnt miss them as much as i thought i did when the impulse came. I started a low carb diet today!!!!!!

Ive been a excellent patient for many years with all my injuries, so if the doctors say do this i will to the T. As for me doing diets and weight loss ive failed for one reason or another and after staring and stoping a diet Ill start again monday or after the holiday im just tired of it all. two years ago i walked into a bariatric doctors for a consultation he talked to me and pushed the Lapband, at the time i had three friends who had it done and it worked for one out of the three (the husband and wife) had complications not from lapband. So after leaving his office and talking to family who of course said just lose the weight you dont need another surgery, i put all thoughts of bariatric aside.

All this time my mom has been suffering with Lymphoma (3yrs) and while helping her i popped a umbilical hernia and didnt tell anyone except my doctor and wife and maybe a close friend. I had been taking her to chemo and radiation for about 2 1/2 yrs and i just couldnt do it anymore i needed to help myself i forgot all about me and my needs, thats when i knew it was time to see another gastric doctor and get the help i needed for me. I seen my doctor this summer at the same time mom calls and says my aunt has pancreaitic cancer and not much they can do for her, she doesnt live close and mom and grandmom dont drive so ive been doing all the driving a few times a week back and forth 80 miles round trip and if theres traffic....ugh Id do anything for my family as you can see, had a talk with my aunt while she was in bed already thin and in pain but still smiled to see me and knew i love her, i told her what i was doing and she said its the best thing i could do for myself and wished she would be around to see my transformation, i cried she cried and she said she will always be around watching me and i know she will, last night i visited again and she only has days left. As you can see im a caretaker im not ashamed of what ive done always putting family or friends before me but if your like me and are thinking of bariatric help, DO IT and dont look back you have to put you first take your life back as im doing.

Sorry for the long winded post i got off track a lil with my family issues andi was going to delete but there might be that other person who is in same spot and it might help...if not it helped me write it down!

God Bless

Joe

Your post made me tear up Joe. I wish the best for you, you really deserve it!

Okay so you made me tear up at work, I sure do get some weird looks when I do that!!! That really was a heart felt post and I feel you are going to do so well with this because you have such good reasons and motivations to do it.

As for the pre op diet I was am on a 1200 cal low carb low fat hight protien diet until 10 days before then at 10 days I have to start a 4 protien shake and a low carb veggie salad with lemon juice. I do think it is a good idea for you to start your own pre op diet because the healthier you are when you go into surgery the faster and better you will recover and the safer it will be to be on the table. Gool Lucj with everything, sorry to hear about your fam and keep us posted on your journey

So, my journey was a little different....I lost my job and with it my health insurance at the end of March. When I went to buy my own policy, I learned I was uninsureable. That was like ice Water bucket over the head. So I started eating a Protein breakfast and within a few days started losing weight. I started drinking a lot more water and noticed the scale was still moving. So, I thought, what the heck, why not substitute a few of my bad habits for better ones and started substituting random meals and Snacks for Protein shakes. Then started watching the carbs.

In May, I saw an ad for lapband, special in AZ with a new doctor in town--who ended up being Dr. Husted, and signed up for the next seminar which was in June. By then I had lost 25 lbs. and wanted to keep it off. Well, dr H talked about the sleeve which sounded like a better option for me in the long run. But he was waiting for local hospital privileges and I couldn't raise the 21K he needed for the surgery. So I waited, and waited...and ended up checking out a wonderful facility in Mexical (yes, Mexico) which was 40% of Dr. H's price. I really liked Dr. Husted, but I couldn't wait as I was job seeking and Sept is always the best month to get a job. I went to Mexico and checked it out, met the Dr. Interviewd him and his staff and researched all I could. By 8/12, my date, I was down 42 lbs. And I wasn't about to give that up. So no, I never pigged out before surgery. There was a couple times I took a bite of something of my husband's but for the most part, I didn't cheat. I wanted my liver to be squeaky clean in the OR.

When I felt the urge to just say screw it, I would tell myself I can eat anything I want, just not EVERYTHING, and just not NOW. And that thought kept me going, along with all the motivational pictures of everyone here who is on the loser's bench. I wanted to be one of THEM!!!

I have not had 1 second of remorse or regret. And I am about to post on the post-op board my big victory. Go check it out. Please, do everything you can to make your pending surgery safer. Do the high protein and very low carb diet pre-op. It keeps your liver from being slimey in the OR and makes it easier on both you and the doc doing the surgery.

GG

I thank you very much for you sharing your experience. I have been on my liquid diet since 4/19/11 PM. I was doing great and following my Protein shakes as directed 4 X daily (if with 1% milk or Skim) and 5 if with Water. To date 4/29/11 I have lost 9.5 lbs. I originally weighed 245.5 and now weigh 236. But, I have to confess, on my way home yesterday I stopped to get gas and went into the convienent store and bought two bean/beef burritos (fried) and ate with hot sauce. Oh my gosh, It was so good; but I feet horrible that I did that afterward and then really worried if they would cancel my surgery date that is scheduled for 5/9/11 (Gastric Vertical Sleeve). From this point on I will be good; I hated that feeling afterwards. But you did make me feel a little better. Thank You.

Sandra