PRE-OP LIQUID DIET CHEATER

[Dub 9,922]

Thank you for your post Dub:) Everything you said really resonated with me. You lost 50lbs and here grappling with the fact that I only have to lose 30.

I feel a little silly lol. . . I think I may be making this harder on myself my not submitting completely to the process. Its just hard for me.

Took a while for me to wrap my head around the fact that I gotta lose weight to get a weight loss surgery but I accepted it and understand better now.

Now I just have to work harder to execute it.

Thank you so much for sharing, congrats on everything:)

I almost never make promises......but I'll promise you this:

It gets easier post-op. You just have to grind it out and reach that point.

You can do it. It's within your grasp.

There are no food "goodbyes". Anything that you enjoyed before.....you can enjoy again once you are post-op from your sleeve. Some foods make take a while before they are safe to sample.....but you'll be able to have stuff. There is no reason now to try to sample all the stuff you like to say goodbye to it. I think that is one of the biggest pre-op follies that sleeve patients engage in. You'll still be able to have some of your birthday cake, or holiday meal favorites.......but in time.

Short term goals are awesome right now. Set them for yourself and go after them hardcore. Reward yourself with non-food prizes.

You are going to dominate and thrive on the new lean you. Small steps make these next few weeks tolerable. Small steps and rewards.

[FocusOnMeNow 599]

@@Miss_Sleeve_Bound - Hi there. I also cheated on my liquid diet. I'm now 11 weeks out from surgery and 50 lbs down and you can be too. I "cheated" on the liquid diet, but I did not cheat on myself. I got a chipotle salad with no rice and only a little bit of Beans, I stopped at whole foods and got a ton of greens with a little chicken and toppings. Even though I "cheated" I still ate healthy. Believe me, I am NOT judging you for eating McDs. I used to do the drive through at Wendys on a regular basis. The good news is that post surgery, a commercial with a hamburger on tv would make me nauseous. So be kind to yourself, understand that the first 3 days without your drug of choice are going to be hard and you are going to be in withdrawal. So plan a "cheat". You heard me plan your cheats. Cheat with something healthy and high Protein and low carb. When I was "cheating" on mine, I also started to try some of the allowable "post-op" foods to see which ones I liked. I highly recommend Dannon Greek strawberry cheesecake (yum yum). And finally, your body needs nutrients. I am not hocking any Protein Powder brand name per se, but I did find the Bariatric Advantage powder and Vitamins to be very good. My hair actually started growing thicker! I was also allowed to put in half a banana or 1/2 a cup of berries into my pre-op Protein Shakes for extra potassium. Again, I am not advocating one brand over another but just found that nutritionally the BA shakes and vitamins were superior. Finally, it is a matter of YOUR SAFETY as Dub said. So for several days, weeks out from surgery stick to the liquids only as instructed. It is for your health. It is time for YOU to make the investment in YOU. It is time for you to make the decision that you are going to be prepared with a healthy snack should your cravings over power you. It is time to make the decision that you will not tolerate any of that toxic $#!t from McDs, because you and your tummy deserve so much better. And you do. And I tell you that if you can just hold on for 3 days of drinking your shakes, taking your vitamins, and having one very healthy meal of lean meat and veggies that you will feel SO MUCH BETTER by day 4, that you will never go back, that you will never look back, and you will never want that toxic $#!t to have that hold on you again. You can do it. I know you can. Now get out there and give your body the nutrients that you deserve. And then get back on track and follow your Drs instructions and do it for your own health and safety. Big hugs!

[Miss_Sleeve_Bound 22]

Thank You Focus! You are absolutely right. The fast food is poison and the sooner I get over the withdrawels and start replacing that with healthy cheat meals the better off I'll be.

Didnt realize how much of a hold that crap had on me til I started this journey. Im looking forward to getting where you are, mentally and physically.

A big CONGRATS to u for your 50lb lost! That is amazing, Im happy for u. Thanks for the kind words of wisdom:)

[Miss_Sleeve_Bound 22]

Thank u for the push!

You know, that's EXACTLY what I think I was doing. food goodbyes lol. You really need to have your own seminar Dub seriously. . . I'm empowered again, thanks to you and everyone else who's posted. I feel like I can keep going

[GoodiDre 18]

@@Miss_Sleeve_Bound I'm heading into week 2 of the pre-op liquid diet and it's hard. I've found the only thing that gets me through the afternoon crash is making sure I have (at least one) of the pre-made Protein drinks in my purse. That way, when I am about to lose it, I just crack one open and it really does help.

The past week at my job had all these random catered Snacks and free goodies - things I've never seen in 3 years there! Every time I wanted one, I just headed for my Protein Drink. That didn't prevent me from sneaking a few bites of something (oops) and honestly, I still want tacos, but with determination we can do it.

Keep your head up, and remember it's not forever! You (We!) can do this!

[Miss_Sleeve_Bound 22]

@@Miss_Sleeve_Bound I'm heading into week 2 of the pre-op liquid diet and it's hard. I've found the only thing that gets me through the afternoon crash is making sure I have (at least one) of the pre-made Protein Drinks in my purse. That way, when I am about to lose it, I just crack one open and it really does help.

The past week at my job had all these random catered Snacks and free goodies - things I've never seen in 3 years there! Every time I wanted one, I just headed for my Protein Drink. That didn't prevent me from sneaking a few bites of something (oops) and honestly, I still want tacos, but with determination we can do it.

Keep your head up, and remember it's not forever! You (We!) can do this!

Hi Dre, I feel your pain lol. . . You're doing great keeping those ready made shakes handy. I've been looking for a good tasting one myself so I wont be so tempted by all the unhealthy snacks.

Which brand do you use?

Thanks for the encouragement it was so needed. And yep we got this!

[Miss_Sleeve_Bound 22]

Okay, you have a goal. The next step is identify the obstacles, and then plan how you can conquer them.

If you go through a fast-food drive thru on your way home from work, put your purse in the trunk of your car. Put a big sign on top of your purse that says something like NO! DON'T DO IT! MAKE THE CHOICE TO SUCCEED! That way, if you do stop at a fast food place, it's not as easy as it was. You have to stop and get out of the car to get your purse out of the trunk. Then you have to see that sign you put there. All of that gives you more time to rethink your CHOICE.

Good luck!

Thats a great stratedgy Sharon thanks! Think those notes need to be plastered all around my house for me to see. Definitely gonna get try it

[Jangy03253 56]

I had no amt of weight i had to lose. But i dod lose 30 lbs. i am expecting to lose more during prenop diet also.

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Miss_Sleeve_Bound,

The liquid diet is super tough, and like the others said, humans make mistakes.

You said you’re worried by the fact that you know people who were expecting “successful surgery only to find out that the surgeon scrapped the procedure cause the liver was still too fatty.” That’s definitely one reason to be on the liquid diet (although any low-calorie weight loss diet will still help with the fatty diet) and be concerned about “cheating on it.”

I would worry about the longer-term concerns, though. If you’re having trouble staying on a strict diet now, do you think you will be able to stay on one post-op? The answer may be “yes” because you think the sleeve will keep you from wanting these foods, and it might.

Or the answer might be “no” because some people still crave junk food and overeating after WLS, and you might fall into that category. That can be super dangerous if you go off your diet too soon after the sleeve because it can prevent healing and lead to complications, not to mention of course that long-term you wouldn’t maintain your weight loss.

So it’s important to think honestly about why you can’t stay on this diet. Is it emotional eating? Then you need to figure out (possibly with professional help) why and how to avoid it. Is it for other reasons?

Everyone’s different, and you need to figure out how to manage your eating challenges. You can! You got a lot of good advice here already, with finding ways to deal with stressors, avoiding emotional eating, finding alternatives to going to McD’s, and maybe even just understanding the WHY of the difficult diet you’re on so you’re more motivated.

Good luck! You can do it!

[Miss_Sleeve_Bound 22]

I had no amt of weight i had to lose. But i dod lose 30 lbs. i am expecting to lose more during prenop diet also.

Hey Jangy can you lose like 20 for me pleaseeee??? Lol

[GoodiDre 18]

@@Miss_Sleeve_Bound I'm heading into week 2 of the pre-op liquid diet and it's hard. I've found the only thing that gets me through the afternoon crash is making sure I have (at least one) of the pre-made Protein Drinks in my purse. That way, when I am about to lose it, I just crack one open and it really does help.

The past week at my job had all these random catered Snacks and free goodies - things I've never seen in 3 years there! Every time I wanted one, I just headed for my Protein Drink. That didn't prevent me from sneaking a few bites of something (oops) and honestly, I still want tacos, but with determination we can do it.

Keep your head up, and remember it's not forever! You (We!) can do this!

Hi Dre, I feel your pain lol. . . You're doing great keeping those ready made shakes handy. I've been looking for a good tasting one myself so I wont be so tempted by all the unhealthy snacks.

Which brand do you use?

Thanks for the encouragement it was so needed. And yep we got this!

I've been able to deal with the Premier Protein pretty well. The chocolate is the best in my opinion (but it's not wonderful lol). I got mine at Walmart.

[Miss_Sleeve_Bound 22]

@@Miss_Sleeve_Bound I'm heading into week 2 of the pre-op liquid diet and it's hard. I've found the only thing that gets me through the afternoon crash is making sure I have (at least one) of the pre-made Protein drinks in my purse. That way, when I am about to lose it, I just crack one open and it really does help.

The past week at my job had all these random catered Snacks and free goodies - things I've never seen in 3 years there! Every time I wanted one, I just headed for my protein drink. That didn't prevent me from sneaking a few bites of something (oops) and honestly, I still want tacos, but with determination we can do it.

Keep your head up, and remember it's not forever! You (We!) can do this!

Hi Dre, I feel your pain lol. . . You're doing great keeping those ready made shakes handy. I've been looking for a good tasting one myself so I wont be so tempted by all the unhealthy snacks.

Which brand do you use?

Thanks for the encouragement it was so needed. And yep we got this!

I've been able to deal with the Premier Protein pretty well. The chocolate is the best in my opinion (but it's not wonderful lol). I got mine at Walmart.< /div>

Thanx Dre. . . I've just been using Unjury powder. Might have to make a trip to Walmart

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Try Overeaters Anonymous. Or at least read the book. It helps, you learn all the coping skills.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

@@Miss_Sleeve_Bound, your screen name is a fortuitous fit for what I want to say to you, including an anecdote of sorts about my experience leading up to surgery.

I get the significance of your name. Reading it the other way, though, you're not the least bit bound to surgery. It's a choice you made. It's also a choice you can unmake. I'm not suggesting that you cancel, just that you be cognizant of your autonomy in the matter.

My surgery practice had a policy of having patients lose whatever percentage of the overweight amount prior to surgery. My surgeon, on the other hand, didn't care about that. I was thrilled, thinking that I'd continue eating until after surgery. Three weeks before my date it occurred to me that, if I were serious about losing weight, I would get a head start. That gave me time to lose 11 pounds, not very much, but enough to make me feel in control and positive about my prospects for success with my band. I had two options: the all-liquid plan or a modified diet of one very modest meal with two (or three? doesn't matter) Protein Shakes through the rest of the day. I took the second choice. Why not check with your practice on the advisability of a mixed menu. If they strongly recommend all-liquid, do it. You didn't mention your surgery date, but you're an adult who can do anything for the duration. Trust me on that. Say it aloud: I can do anything. Say it again. Say it as often as you fear otherwise.

Since you say you're a "cheater," you shan't be spared my screed. Only naughty, little children cheat, It's their way to naughtily test the boundaries. The last time you heard the word "cheat," except in the case of supposed exclusive relationships, was in the schoolyard. That's because children cheat, but hotstuff adults choose. That's how you got to the surgeon's office in the first place.

Stop applying disparaging vocabulary to yourself. You're becoming a changed woman. You can get support here and also at your practice's support group. Get yourself to the next meeting and keep going. If it doesn't provide a group, another hospital in your area will welcome you. Most do welcome patients from other practices. If you wrote your opening message thinking you're the only one having a rough time, you already know how wrong you were. The same at the in-person meetings. Sharing and learning from each other is a major component for most people. The smart ones, anyway.

Did I leave anything out? Oh, yeah, if you read only the bold italics, start over.

Laurie

Edited November 2, 2015 by WLSResources/ClothingExch

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

Oh, oh, oh, one or six other things.

ShrinkYourself.com, the site of psychologist Roger Gould, a great help for emotional eating. There is a pay version, but you can check off the free version. Read the emailed newsletter and do whatever exercises they provide.

"The Beck Diet Solution," (book). The original book. Dr. Judith S. Beck, cognitiive behavior therapist and daughter of Dr. Aaron Beck, considered founder of CBT, wrote a later book with a similar title. It, however, includes a diet plan which is not useful to surgery people. Get the original (it has more useful material than the other) and read from page one, don't hop around. Do the exercises as they appear. Use a notebook for the exercises; it's a good idea to keep the book clean so that you can start over whenever it would be useful.

Edited November 2, 2015 by WLSResources/ClothingExch