Hi all! I have surgery scheduled for Aug. 22 and I feel like I'm preparing for the electric chair. I have to start my pre-op diet one week before (on Aug 15). In the meantime, I feel like I can't quit eating. It's silly because I know from everyone on here that I WILL be able to eat my favorite foods again. I also know that this is just more weight that I will have to lose once I have my sleeve. All of that said, I feel out of control. Anyone else feel like this? Any words of wisdom? The only solution I can think of is to start my pre-op diet now/soon.

Food funerals don't mean much when you are addicted to food. Even after surgery you will have the same issues with food after you heal and a ways out from surgery. Then the stakes are even higher, because to undo all of one's hard work on this marathon of a journey is tragic. Honestly I think most of us struggle with this stuff.

Thanks to all who replied. I appreciate the suggestions. I also appreciated those who "know what I mean" and are feeling the same way. I have decided to go ahead and start my pre-op diet tomorrow. Even though I am 3 weeks out, I am so tired of the insanity. I figure this will be a good way to prepare myself. I don't know about you guys, but I am SO looking forward to not thinking about (and obsessing about) food all the time. It is a change that I know will be difficult but will be SO worth it! Love to all!

Yesterday I ate everything but the kitchen sink. I started my pre-op diet today, doing well so far. You can do this. Be determined.

I have been having a " farewell tour" of sorts but haven't been going overboard. Just choosing to cook or order what I feel like eating with my family knowing that my pre op diet of liquids starts on the 13th. My surgery date is the 26th. I have house guests till the 6th and after they leave I plan to give up one meal a day for a protein shake, stop eating at night, and stop drinking my one daily cup of coffee. I have already given up carbonation. I think how you feel is totally normal. I think you could probably enjoy some favorite foods before surgery without going crazy.

Is everyones pre-op diet different?

Is everyones pre-op diet different?

Yes...both pre-op and post-op plans vary greatly by surgeon

My doctor told me the worst thing I could do to myself was gain weight before surgery .. Start your life change now .. It's not as if you can never Eat again .. You just won't be eating much

And folks that are on or approaching the pre-op diet - the goal is to shrink your liver, this vital organ is lifted with a small retractor to get at your stomach .

Yes the benefit of losing weight prior to the surgery is great, but reducing the size of the liver is what is crucial as most of us who are over a healthy BMI have some level of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. What that means is that your liver is large, puffy, and soft - My surgeon compares it to the texture of foie gras and it can be very easily damaged if you do not comply with your diet protocol.

You want to talk about the mother of all complications - inadvertently slicing your liver is not good.

Low carb diets rapidly shrink the liver and change its texture and size for a safer surgical procedure. Every Doc has a different protocol - my surgeon does not have his patients do liquids but rather Atkins induction in the weeks prior to surgery. Every gram of glycogen has about 3 times that in Water attached to it - thus why we drop weight so rapidly on a very low carb diet initially - the water is going as we burn off our glycogen (stored carbohydrate) stores.

Here is a good read about how our bodies metabolize glycogen stores.

http://www.justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/

None of this is easy - it is very much about discipline, turning yourself around to learn how to really take care of ourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. No, not easy, but hands down probably the nest thing you will ever do for yourself and your health in the long run.

Thanks to all for the helpful comments. Update: I went ahead and started my liquid diet early. (Surgeon said one week; I'm going with 2.5 weeks). I gotta tell you.... this was a GOOD CALL for me. I was feeling really insane (more than usual :-) about food. Eating everything I could get my hands on and then sleeping it off like I'd been drinking. Gross. I woke up today (day 2 of liquids) and feel sanity returning. The discipline of this is good for me and has allowed me to quit feeling so out of control. Beyond the health issues, that "out of control" feeling going away is what I am most looking forward to. Don't get me wrong - I think I have realistic expectations about having to change just about everything, including my thinking and using food. That said, the sleeve should be a great tool to help with those changes. Again, thanks to all. Blessings and love to all of you.

I pre-op ate myself sick of food. Ate everything in sight and gained 10 pounds. I hated even the thought of food so I started my pre-op diet early and never had a problem.

I have surgery scheduled for Sept. 10th. I'm doing the same! Eating everything. I started my journey of preparing and getting all my ducks in a row in march. It's August and I've put on a whopping 11 lbs since then. I'm eating all my favorite foods all the time. I tell myself that I'm doing this because I won't be able to enjoy anything after the surgery. My bariatric surgeon told me that it would be a good idea to start dieting now , but I wanna enjoy foods before I have this done. I think this is normal. My biggest fear is having the surgery then regretting it because I can't enjoy food anymore. Anyone else feel like this???

I pre-op ate myself sick of food. Ate everything in sight and gained 10 pounds. I hated even the thought of food so I started my pre-op diet early and never had a problem.

I'm with Ms. AntiBand; I ate everything I wanted before my surgery -- except sugar and caffeine, which I had given up years ago and didn't want to get addicted again. Then I went on 2.5 weeks of liquid diet. I shrunk my liver so much even my surgeon was impressed. No complications at all from the surgery.

Now, if you can give up sugar and caffeine now, you will make the pre- op diet easier. Withdrawal from food is hard enough without the withdrawal from sugar and caffeine at the same time.

Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

I did the same thing, eating everything I love, no limits. I am not doing that now that my surgery is this Saturday. Enjoy yourself since you won't be able to eat those quantities again. My sister pigged out on ice cream and sweets before she had to do the pre-op diet. I think just about everyone does this even though they might not admit to it. Debbie

Nope. I didn't. I wanted to be as healthy as I could be on that surgery table so I started my preop at one month out instead of the two weeks my surgeon required. Why put on more weight to be lost post op?

I'm aug 22 also. I've been having a food funeral for 2 weeks! Start preop diet on Thursday. Tmrw will be chocolate overload. Lol. But I'm looking frwrd to getting started on Thursday.

I think it depends largely on the person. Like I said before I have been eating and drinking, I dont want to be tempted to cheat after the surgery and I feel as though this purge will help. Having said that my surgeon does not require a pre op diet. He doesnt care about shrinking the liver he puts a staple in the liver to hold it out of the way during surgery and then sutures it before he closes everything back up. I have not heard of other people doing this, however my surgeon is heralded as one of the best in my area so I trust him. I think that many of us probably have food addictions, but we have also probably been through this before and know what does or doesnt work for us. I think that the people that do a diet before hand, are doing what worked for them. I did medifast, and in retrospect, I wish I would have saved this for closer to surgery, then I likely would not have felt so deprived. Have I gained weight? Definitely, do I think Ill be able to stop, definitely, but with the impending surgery, it feels nearly impossible.