This is a post for all those who lost 15 or more pounds prior to surgery. How did you do do it? Also, from what you learned after your surgery what are some the benefits to you by losing so much beforehand (other then the liver and obviously having a lower starting weight and maybe getting to you goal quicker).

I lost 24 pounds from the time I began the process (July 7, 2014) to the time I had my surgery (Sept. 1, 2014). I did it by tracking my food on SparkPeople and exercising daily. I lost about 14 of those pounds just through food tracking and exercise. The last 10 I lost on the two week pre-op liquid diet.

I wasn't given a specific amount to lose pre-op. I actually started my pre-op diet after I finished my last monthly NUT meeting. That was about a month before my pre-surgical appt. I was glad I did because I had the opportunity to do the surgery about a week earlier. I declined, because I wanted a "first in" appt for the OR, but because I was already working my pre-op diet. It was an option. I lost 16lbs, rather easily, by incorporating the post-WLS tool into my daily meals. More water, chewing thoroughly, cutting out a lot of sugar/caffeine...

I lost 22 pounds in the three months pre-op. Having that time to get acquainted and proficient with the new behaviors I would need post-op really helped with the adjustment. By the time I had my surgery, I already knew what to do - and it was habit rather than effort.

There were a lot of new rules for me, but here are the basuic concepts that got me through:

Drink Water until your eyeballs float.

Eat lots of lean Protein, and eat it first before veggies and fruit.

Do not eat anything made in a factory.

Don't become part of the sofa.

That covers a lot of territory. I wish you good luck and good health.

The more overweight you are the easier you will lose. I lost 17lbs pre-op with just the 2 wk liquid diet.

I lost 39lbs pre-op from 4/1 to 8/17/2015. I did it by eliminating most carbs. I had previously given up all soda. I then gave up drinking 1/2 hour before and after meals. I ate like a bariatric patient - Protein first, then veg, and CHEW CHEW CHEW. I started having Protein shakes for Breakfast - in reality this was just easy for me to do...made breakfast less of a challenge. I also brought my lunch to work every day and still do. I drank a minimum of 64 oz of Water every day. I started exercising and used a Fitbit.

Doing this helped me immensely after surgery because I had started the foundations for eating like a "sleever". I highly recommend making any positive changes you can before surgery.

Oh - I was given a prerequisite of losing 15lbs prior to surgery by my bariatric group. I clearly hit that goal.

I had to lose 27lbs in prior to surgery, however my program had the diet to start off with, which is now considered the norm for me. It is your post op way of life and that seemed to help me. Also, losing the weight prior to surgery was helpful in a smooth transition to post op eating, as well as eliminating my diabetes prior to surgery.

Good luck

My heaviest weight was 320. The day I had surgery I was 303. I did not consider losing that weight as a lot of weight given I had 145lbs to lose.

The biggest advantage was getting the right behaviors in place before surgery so the change would not be so hard on me.

Secondly my liver was in much better condition making the surgery easier on my surgeon and a better recovery for me. If your liver is too big in some cases they cannot perform the surgery with opening you up with a big incision. I definately did not want that.

I will say I was in the hospital two days and when I got back home I weighed 316! I had gained 13lbs back with all the swelling and fluids they pump into you. I did not expect that and was shocked but that comes off quickly and before you know it much more follows.

I am now down 142lbs and 3lbs from my ideal weight. I am currently in a normal BMI of 24.1

I lost 57 lbs during the year before surgery (most of it thanks to the six-month supervised diet that my insurance company required). I worked with a dietitian who had me eating 2300 kcal a day, plus exercising regularly. I had to eat super healthy - lean Protein, fruits & vegetables, whole grains. No soda, no simple carbs. Lots of Water. Throughout our time together, she had me gradually increase my protein intake and gradually get off caffeine, so I'd be completely off of it before surgery.

I actually loved the diet. I felt great and in many ways it prepared me for post-surgery life - healthy eating, high protein-to-carb ratio, etc. She also had me practice things like not eating and drinking at the same time, and waiting at least 30 minutes after eating to drink anything. So although it wasn't some Atkins-esque type thing that mimicked what I had to eat the first couple of months after surgery, it did gradually prepare me for it so it didn't seem so drastic.

be prepared that if you lose a lot before surgery, you might not experience those big drops that some people have during the first month or two - because any water weight you might otherwise lose post-surgery you will have lost long before. That being said, I've lost over 150 lbs - so you'll definitely lose a lot of weight. It's just that the first month or two you might see 15 or 20 lb drops rather than 25 or 30. I'm still glad I lost all that weight pre-surgery and would do it all the same way if I had to do it over again. Again, I felt like it prepared me for after-surgery life, and at this point a few months out, I've caught up with everyone else weight-loss wise.

My official pre-op weight was 290. That is what I weighed a week after I delivered my baby. I had my surgery 6 weeks after I had her. Four weeks after delivery I was 270. I then started my pre-op diet (2 Protein shakes and then lean protein and non starchy veggies for dinner) and was 260 on the day of surgery. The month before the pre-op diet I was going all the time...I mean, I had just had a baby! Plus I was a nervous wreck because she had to go back to the hospital right after we were released and we were there a week. I survived on hospital Jello and whatever they brought me.

When I first saw the surgeon I was 352. He put me on the same high Protein low carb diet you eat after surgery. I saw him each month for 6 months and got down to 314 by the day of surgery. He had me give up coffee and tea which didn't really happen until 2 weeks before surgery, however each week I was cutting back. I haven't had soda since 2010 so there was nothing to give up there. He had me learn to eat slowly, which I did before hand anyhow. But smaller tiny bites now made my eating process even slower. My roommate was pretty upset with me the one Sunday we went to Denny's. He had a huge meal yet it took me 1 1/2 hours to eat my smaller meal. He sat there for an extra 45 minutes while I finished mine.

I was also was exercising at Youfit and riding my trike and reading everything I could about what life would be like after surgery.

I had a fantastic recovery, very little pain, incisions healed very quickly, no itching, swelling or seeping like I read so many people have. I had no drain and was in the hospital for less than 48 hours. The only pain I did have was from gas as I am pretty much wheelchair bound.

Now that I am 4 weeks post op I am adjusting very well to the program and getting in 60 to 90 grams of protein a day, have started biking again and hope to return to work next Tuesday. I had the sleeve plus a hernia repaired and a diseased gallbladder taken out. This was my first surgery and all the recovery fears I had were all for nothing. It was a fantastic recovery. I hope any additional back, hip, shoulder or skin removal surgeries will be just as great as this one.

They put us on a little to no carb high protein diet 2 weeks before the surgery and by the time they weighed me on my surgery day I had lost 15 pounds. It was mostly lean meats and no more than 4 ounces per meal.