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Good girl/Bad girl....grocery shopping



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I found myself completely confused at the grocery store today. Thoughts in my head went like this:

"I need to be buying healthy stuff and start working on losing a little."

"But you still have 8 weeks until surgery...and you are never going to be able to eat the bad stuff again, or don't need to for several, several months...so you better get it now."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be great to lose a few pounds even before the preop diet starts."

"Didn't you hear me...it's going to be MONTHS before you can have sugar again."

So my cart was the strangest mix. From Protein Shakes to a pint of ben and jerry's to fresh fruits and veggies to nutella (aka crack). Gees. Is anyone else preop going through this weird jacked up, not knowing what to do mind set? I certainly don't want to gain any weight prior to surgery, but I'm really not feeling like jumping on the "get strict now!" band wagon either. :unsure:

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It is all, totally, completely up to you.

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Hang in there, Rebecca - I try to shop the outside edges of the store as much as I can (hey, that's where the booze is, too... umm, oops!).

There are aisles I do need to shop, though. For example, I use a lot of canned tomatoes, and make Beans from scratch. I use frozen fruits and vegetables when the ones I want aren't in season (or I'm too freaking lazy to cut up an onion...) Since I'm pre-surgery, I do still eat bread, though I do make it whole grain almost all the time. Oh, and if I haven't been able to get to downtown Seattle to my favorite spice store in the world and don't have time to order something I need, I occasionally have to wander down the baking aisle.

I'm trying to put on blinders with regard to the OTHER stuff in those aisles and I'm getting better at it, but it is hard sometimes!

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Ok - you recognize all those thoughts!! That is a huge major awesome accomplishment. You understood why you were thinking it and what was motivating you to make your choices. All of that is going to make for a strong VSG journey. Changing our unhealthy "makes you wanna eat" thoughts into healthy thoughts is a big hurdle on the emotional side of the journey. You are on your way there!

Um, the lose weight/make the most of stomach ideas are totally normal!!! I pigged out until I started my pre op diet.

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I am so happy someone finally posted about this! "Tour of foods I will miss". Well put. I am struggling with this also! My surgery was just postponed ...I am going to try to rev up the exercise and good food.< /p>

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If it is 8 weeks, maybe you set one day during the week when you have a meal or two that are "bad" you have done so great in the past and I am sure you will do awesome as you go, but how good will it feel to take off another 10-20 lbs before surgery... It will put you that much closer to your goal. Just don't go crazy, you would hate to have another 10-20lbs to loose after your surgery.

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I found myself completely confused at the grocery store today. Thoughts in my head went like this:

"I need to be buying healthy stuff and start working on losing a little."

"But you still have 8 weeks until surgery...and you are never going to be able to eat the bad stuff again, or don't need to for several, several months...so you better get it now."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be great to lose a few pounds even before the preop diet starts."

"Didn't you hear me...it's going to be MONTHS before you can have sugar again."

So my cart was the strangest mix. From Protein shakes to a pint of ben and jerry's to fresh fruits and veggies to nutella (aka crack). Gees. Is anyone else preop going through this weird jacked up, not knowing what to do mind set? I certainly don't want to gain any weight prior to surgery, but I'm really not feeling like jumping on the "get strict now!" band wagon either. :unsure:

I totally did that! I had kind of a "last supper" mindset for about 2 weeks before. I had my last Ben & Jerry's, dinner at the Melting Pot (fondue), a burger with onion rings - but I didn't go nuts. In my mind, do what feels right to you - but know you have a long road ahead and eating healthy is going to be key in your recovery and future losses. :)

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I totally did that! I had kind of a "last supper" mindset for about 2 weeks before. I had my last Ben & Jerry's, dinner at the Melting Pot (fondue), a burger with onion rings - but I didn't go nuts. In my mind, do what feels right to you - but know you have a long road ahead and eating healthy is going to be key in your recovery and future losses. :)

Ha! My husband and I split a pint of Ben & Jerry's tonight, and Friday night we are going to The Melting Pot (it's our 3rd anniversary dinner). Hilarious!

So glad Im not alone in this train of thought ;) I will get to seriously working on what I eat before my preop diet.

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i was told i was not supposed to gain weight while getting ready for surgery. however in the last 5 weeks i was on prednisone twice for unrelated things. which totally makes you hungry and can lead to weight gain.

i am required to track all of my food or the nut. to review. i cannot be cleared for surgery until i can show that i know how to plan healthy balanced meals. i can see that some days i do well, and others i eat like total crap with way too many calories.

when i went for my appt last week i had gained 2.4#. but the nut. didnt say anything. *shrug*

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Wow I am so glad this post is here, I should be having surgery in 3-4 weeks, and I cannot stop eating, I want to eat everything I'm sight because I feel like I'm never going to be able to eat it ever again! Ugh

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Totally in this boat--or should I say cruise ship? Just got insurance approval today (after six month wait) and, whoa, a six month weight! I'm right there.... I know I need to fly straight, but if I could do that I wouldn't be here in the first place. My. Plan:1) forgive myself. 2) recognize that I want to do this as a way of helping myself to get healthy. 3) do the very best I can between now and surgery so that I feel great after surgery. I've read this forum long enough. To know that you can lose a bunch of prime losing and learning time by getting on the operating table with the muscle consistency of Jello. Go in strong physically. Come out strong mentally. That's my basic plan. You're going to be fine.

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    • LeighaTR

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    • Doughgurl

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      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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