Hello all. I am planned for the sleeve on 11/9. I am self paying as my insurance will not cover any bariatric surgery.

I did not have to go thru the psych Eval or nutrition classes.

I am starting pre op diet on 11/2. I am allowed 2 Protein shakes and a sensible dinner with all the greens I want. No bread, Pasta, oil or butter etc..

I see I am lucky to be allowed a meal.

I am scared to death. I wake up crying wondering if I can do this. I'm questioning myself but know that I need it. I'm 5'8 288.

Besides chicken and broccoli I'm not even sure what to eat? If I knew sensible I wouldn't be in this position.

The other question is what kind of broth do you like for post op? I do not like chicken broth from the carton. It is so gross. I'm trying to collect ideas for what to eat pre and post op but feel lost.

Any ideas or advice for second guessing myself and food/liquid ideas are really appreciated! Thanks

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Hey! I had a similar pre-op diet allowance, however I went to the extreme and did almost completely liquids with the occasional solid. I'll be honest, the first 3-4 days were really hard, but then it was like my body and mind kinda snapped together and I was fine.

I used Muscle Milk as Meal Replacements. I know it's more expensive than just buying a thing of Protein powder, but they tasted so good and I just couldn't handle the consistency of Protein Powder drinks after the third day. Plus they have a pumpkin spice flavor that tastes amazing!

Back on track, maybe have chicken and veggies once a day and do a replacement shake for your other two meals? In between meals, you can have sugar free Jello and plain Greek yogurt (bleh. Tasted gross but it curbed the hunger a little so can't really complain).

And broth. I also couldn't stand chicken broth, so I just stuck to beef broth. But if you want more options, you could strain chicken noodle Soup and get that broth, or buy a bunch of ramen (whichever flavor you want) and just use the seasoning packet it comes with in hot Water.

You can do this if you want to. The hardest part for me was fighting the hunger sensation. At first I felt hungry ALL the time, but then after a few days, it was like it went away over night. Now people are all different, so I won't promise it will be the same for anyone or everyone else, but when I felt like I was going to cheat or something, I kinda made a rule that I would just sit still and I wouldn't move until I knew I could get past it. The whole point of the pre-op is to shrink your liver, and I was determined to not self-sabotage. You just kind of find your anchor and stick to it.

Also, and I know this sounds silly, but I have never used Twitter before, but I started one that I didn't share with anybody and would use it as a mental journal/outlet. I was honest, so when I was hungry I would complain about it like a child on there, or when I was feeling better, etc. I think that helped me mentally

Sorry this post was so long, I got carried away... hope something somewhere in all this was helpful to you!

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@@Ssze1109 It's normal to be nervous. There's so much going through your mind. Just remember why you're doing this! A sensible dinner is a lean meat and veggies or salad. Don't over think it. I made my own broth just by boiling carrots, celery and onion in box/can broth. Add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder - makes a big difference. I drank Powerade Zero post-op. I also bought a few kinds of tea. I'm 12 days post-op and so glad I did this. The first few days suck - but it's worth it! Stay strong!

Thanks I think I will try writing like you did .

I think being self pay I missed out on nutritionist and information that I need. I wish I would have met with a nutritionist.

I will try the homemade broth. That sounds so much better.

I didn't realize how emotional this would be.

How do you get thru the second guessing, feel like I'm eating my last meal, the funeral of food feeling?

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I was self pay to and feel like we are at a disadvantage- don't get all the nutritionist info and meetings-

I ate meet and a salad every night. I ate wherever meat i wanted too:) I haven't really eaten meat since so I am happy I did

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For after, I suggest stock broth from a health food store or butcher store....

I'm spoiled, my mom made me brown stock beef broth from marrow bones....takes eons but sooo yummy and good for you... she also cooked garlic, leek

Carrots and celery to flavor the broth and drained it out since I couldn't eat the veggies right after... recipies galore online..

Check out bariatricfoodie.com for recipies and ideas

There's a great book I read for the emotional side called coping after weight loss surgery or something like that by a dr tanie or tannie ... can't tjimk of her whole name...she's a PhD psychologist and anyways, it's a excellent book on WLS and coping.

I was sleeved on 10/25 and my absolute favorite saving grace of the last 6 days has been a large crockpot full of chicken broth that I made myself. Just buy some cheaper cuts of chicken skin and all and put it in the crockpot. Add and onion, celery, salt & pepper. Cook all day on low then use a strainer over a large storage container to strain the broth. It is so delicious and tastes like real soup just with no ingredients. I think without it I would be fairly miserable. Next I will look for a beef broth recipe. Best of luck to you!

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Also you can debone and freeze the chicken for when you can eat it. It will be super soft.

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Rn- thanks for that idea. That calms me a bit. I love homemade chicken soup and will definitely make that. I cringed at the thought of plain boxed broth.

I'm not very creative when it comes to cooking so that in general makes me fear the surgery.

We eat out a lot now and I love soup and salad but know I won't be able to eat out anymore.

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I think you WILL be able to still eat out but not in the same way as before...now you will choose the appetizers or fish or soup!! Sure you're not going to do the bottomless pasta bowl buy who really needs that anyway

I really feel the nutritionist part as well as the psych is very important. Just because your insurance won't cover the surgery doesn't mean they won't cover nutritionist visits. Might be worth your while to check into it. Lots of good information can be gained from a quality nutritionist.

I am 9 days post op.

You can do this! I HIGHLY recommend seeing your center's nutritionist!

I've been scouring Pinterest for "bariatric recipes". So. Much. Awesomeness! I was a little concerned about mourning foods after surgery, but I have found some great bariatric-friendly pizza recipes. Plus the tomato soup I had yesterday totally met that craving!

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