My pre-op diet starts tomorrow when I will be 14 days pre-op, so I figured today was as good a time as any to start my diary. Hopefully writing everything down (even if nobody reads it) will help keep me focused and further down the line, if I feel myself falling off the wagon, will remind me why I don't want to let myself get back to the state I am in now.

So - hi! I'm Natalie, I'm 23 and living in London with my lovely boyfriend. I'm originally from Manchester (about 200 miles away) and sometimes I get really lonely living so far away, which doesn't help with my emotional eating! At my first consultation I weighed 235 pounds and had a BMI of 44. I fully expect that has gone up since then though. I have had a very bad week and have definitely felt kind of sad about the fact that my relationship with food is going to have to change forever, and so have had lots of my favourite foods before I give them up. I know there are differing opinions as to whether this is a good thing to do or not, but I feel like I have had my 'grieving period' and am ready to start my pre-op diet tomorrow knowing that, actually, it has made me feel rubbish and I don't like how these foods make me feel. Had a bit of a 'Eureka' moment earlier when I finished my dinner and felt sad that I would not have a 'normal' relationship with food again - but then it hit me like a tonne of bricks that the way I eat now is definitely not normal, and if anything, being sleeved will (hopefully!) bring me a lot closer to 'normal'.

I'll end this post here to stop me from boring you all, but I feel like this is going to almost be my therapy - my boyfriend is very slim and active and fit and he doesn't understand at all (although he tries his hardest to!) so here I can almost talk to myself! I will check in tomorrow to make sure I am keeping on track!! Nx

You know, to be honest, I just rested and took each day as it came. I was tired and pale from the lack of nutrition but I actually felt ok.. I wasn't missing food. All my dr was concerned with was me getting in as much fluid as I was able to... He just said sip and wait and sip and wait... And that's all I did.. I think at first I could only have 30ml every hour but each day I built up more and more. I can't say what makes someone more prone to loosing hair than not.. I did cook my food in coconut oil and mash avocado into my Philly (at first I could only eat a teaspoon).. So basically even on my limited intake I never went low fat, fat free etc. Even my Philly was full fat.. I mean I'm gonna make the most taste wise of the teaspoon I was able to eat.. Same with yoghurt.. Nice organic.. Rachel's or my favourite Tims dairy from waitrose or asda! I think this is one of the reasons I never lost hair. My skin has been beautiful too... Salmon has been my fav fish, and I had it in purée and soft foods.. Cooked in a knob of butter in the oven so it stated moist, soft and juicy! You will just find it all falls together.. My doggie was my trusty friend.. Loving all my left overs!! I've never pushed myself to see how much I can eat either. When I feel full I just stop.. Chicken fills me fast, I can eat a bigger quantity of fish and prawns before I'm full and I love my steak-can manage a few slices of that now.... I forgot I had sweet potato mash in my soft food stages and courgettes which I boiled in chicken stock until they all broke up and became mushy.. Now days I don't eat many carbs but I do have sweet potato/butternut and sakata rice crackers.

Sounds like you've got it totally right. I'd already made the decision to eat whatever goes down, stays down and has good nutrition in it. So far I've managed natural yoghurt, simple chicken soup and some jelly. I'm lusting after prawn cocktail though - which is weird. Hope that can constitute as 'mushy'... only 12 days to wait! As for leftovers, I have the human dustbin currently sat next to me. He's loving getting everything I can't eat or can't finish! It won't be affecting his waistline though.. he has the fastest metabolism known to man. The bleeder!

Madam R, how are you feeling today? X

Feeling alright, thanks, love. Pleased with the amount of protein rich fluid I've managed to get in.. I'm just getting odd hiccups. They don't result in a series of hiccups. Just one, really painful one. Don't know what's causing it and don't know how to stop it. Quite painful and has left my wound site throbbing.. or it feels like throbbing. Any suggestions? x

Feeling alright' date=' thanks, love. Pleased with the amount of Protein rich Fluid I've managed to get in.. I'm just getting odd hiccups. They don't result in a series of hiccups. Just one, really painful one. Don't know what's causing it and don't know how to stop it. Quite painful and has left my wound site throbbing.. or it feels like throbbing. Any suggestions? x[/quote']

WARNING: very FAT double tummy tyre picture!! Glad to hear!! Hiccup could be a bit if air you're taking in with your drinking.. Maybe try smaller sips?? Maybe it's a build up of all the little sips and then one large hiccup to try and clear air or move liquid.. Was left side your big incision? If so.. Just go with it.. Mine nearly killed for two weeks.. Tramadol, diclofenac and paracetamol!! I was killing.. If I show you photos of my tummy you would keel over.. Mine also felt really hot all the time.. Think you're just feeling the trauma as your good hospital prescribed pain killers are wearing off!!

I was meant to pop this picture on to show you my incisions about 3 weeks post op.. No infections they were just really red and hot and throbbing

Holy Mother of GOD! You look Sooooo sore! No wonder you were necking all those drugs! What's with all the bruising!?! Why did they have to bruise you so much?! Okay, I'm going to shut up whinging about my painful occasional hiccup. I have nothing to complain about in comparison to that! x

Goodness you've made me giggle!! I should've explained a little more... Bruising was due to heparin injections I had to give myself twice a day for 6 weeks.. I was high risk DVT so that was for that!! Ja, drugs were my trusty mates, and I had pain.. But just one day woke up and it was gone!! It's that internal stitch that pulls.. That's the b***h!! So like I say - my good advice is to chillax!! I think day 3/4 were my absolute worse!!

I hate to say it, but I'm pretty good. Just whinging about the hiccup - the evil hiccup! Must say though, that bruising is fierce! May I ask what day you woke up and the pain had disappeared?! I shall note it in my diary and have a party accordingly! x

It was at least 14 days post op.. It was weird, day after day it hurt and then one day, I was like... Ooohhh the pain has gone.. So count at least 14 days before the celebrations begin and that X goes in the diary. I used to walk around holding my tummy to lessen the pain. Hopefully hiccup will go shortly too... You seem so amazingly upbeat and positive-all I wanted to do was sleep zzzzzzz

I'm trying to be. Went for a bit of a too long walk to Tesco's this evening. After walking round the shop, I gave up standing at the checkout and went and sat down. The walk home required a 20 minute sitdown outside a pub. Gave the man an opportunity for a pint - but I really shouldn't have walked that far. I came home, flopped on the bed and ate 3/4 of a small pot of ambrosia custard for dinner and it did me wonders! (I'm also surprised I could eat that consistency, too) I'm trying to be upbeat. I know the hardest points for me will be when I try foods that I formerly loved and find out that I can't eat any more. I'm pre-emptively freaking out that I won't be able to eat salad with balsamic dressing and other wonderful things like that. Have there been any foods you used to love that you can now no longer tolerate?

That was an ambitious walk.. Way better than I did!! Don't think I ventured out the house till I was about 10 data post op.. And that was to go to boots so I could stand upon the trusty scale and weigh myself for the first time!! Don't freak out Hun... It's waaaaayyyy to early!! I can eat everything... It just takes a little time.. Tonight I had prawn sautéed with 3 cherry tomatoes, half an avocado, a few olives stuffed with anchovies and... Wait for it... Balsamic vinegar glaze!! It all takes time little by little. I can eat salads, I love a juicy steak (I'm South African and a real carnivore.. Been here for 10 years but not got rid of that!!) I got a bit sick on scrambled eggs but now I eat soft boiled or poached... Bacon can be difficult (just read the bacon thread) but I can still eat it.. One rasher tops!! I haven't tried bread but I couldn't eat it with my band so weaned off that a long time ago!! I drink a coffee a day.. Lost the taste for tea!! Chicken breast is difficult (especially if overcooked and dry) but I've always been a thigh girl anyway.. I take the skin off sausages (feed it to dog!) this month I've been able to tolerate grapes again.. When the time comes, just try a bite or two.. See how you feel.. If it makes you unwell, leave it for a couple weeks or so and try again. The only things I absolutely can't tolerate anymore deep fried oily stuff, soya milk, cream (sometimes) ice cream makes me a little nauseous...can't think of anything else at the mo!!

This is sounding most promising. Particularly the bit about steaks and sausages... I LOVE THEM BOTH!!!! lol. Another good thing, is that I have a human dustbin beside me, so what I can't eat, I'm sure he's going to love scarfing down! Thanks for making me feel better about the future! x

I'm excited for you...I'm pre op hoping to be sleeved in mid November...wishing you great success in your preop diet phase...one small suggestion I'm trying to get in habit of now is the 30-30 wait. drinking for 30 minutes before eating and waiting 30 minutes after eating to drink. It's hard,but if we can incorporate it in beforehabd it will be second nature by the time we are sleeved. I read once it takes 16 days to form a habit, may as well try forming a good one

Hi ladies . Hope you're all doing well today! Those bruises look so painful, although I had already heard lots of bad things about those injections!

Today wasn't such a good day food wise. It was my boyfriend's birthday and we have been out all day (we took advantage of Open House London and went to the Foreign and Commonweath Office and the Supreme Court - had a brill time, wish they did it more often), which was kind of difficult as I couldn't plan! I woke up feeling really headachey, clammy and sick as well, and really couldn't face eating a big meal so i have grazed throughout the day.I don't know whether this is going to be something that carries on until my body is used to fewer carbs and lower calories. It lasted well into the afternoon so I hope it has gone before I go back to work on Wednesday!

Breakfast:

30g Rice Krispies with semi skimmed milk

Snack (around 12pm):

banana

Snack (around 1pm):

1 piece of tuna sushi from Luke's lunch!

Snack (around 2.30pm):

Apple

lunch (around 4pm -at the pub whilst Luke watched the football and ate the most delicious looking pie and chips!!):

Vegetable Soup and one slice of granary bread

dinner (8pm)

2 eggs, scrambled

I am feeling a little bit disappointed with myself as I have grazed so much, although I know it's nothing compared to what I would have eaten before, and I am only at around 900 calories according to My Fitness Pal.

Oh well - tomorrow is a new day. Onwards and upwards!