Actually, Little Green is a reference to a Joni Mitchell song, NOT a comment on my size - but I thought the title might be funny

So I'm 2 weeks away from surgery and just started my liquid diet. I thought I'd officially start one of these "tell your story" posts so that I have a place to keep track of all my stats and thoughts.

My highest weight is 381.25 and that was 6/14/14. After that I lost down to around 300-ish in about 18 months doing calorie-counting on MFP, but regained nearly all of it after my husband became disabled in a motorcycle accident. About a year after the accident - last March - I visited the bariatric surgeon for my first consult and I weighed 367 pounds. I've gone up and down since then but I started my liquid diet (today!) at 350.2.

I am a classic story of overweight-since-childhood along with a rapid weight gain starting in my late 'teens after getting a job and my driver's license, giving me full access to fast food morning, noon, and night. I'm not sure of all my milestones throughout the years but I know I weighed 180 pounds in 7th grade at age 12, and more than 220 when I graduated high school. I'm 5'8 so BMI 25 is 164 pounds and my goal weight is 150.

About six weeks ago I decided to go vegan and I've been transitioning into that diet ever since. I'm relying on plant-based protein supplements during the liquid phase but I hope to move to getting protein from whole food as soon as possible. My post-op diet will definitely be a lot higher in carbs than most people on this board are used to, but I'm confident in my choices and really excited about the health benefits in addition to weight loss.

I am going to try my darnedest to weigh myself only once per month after surgery. I did the obsessive daily "don't drink anything, have a bowel movement, get naked, and weigh myself" routine during my MFP days and it was really harmful to me mentally. I'm also logging my food in a physical journal and I won't be weighing anything or measuring beyond the standard 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, etc. meal sizes for post-op guidelines. Measuring food definitely works and I think many people can benefit from it. But again, it ended up being bad for my mental health. My ultimate life goal is to eat and enjoy an abundant amount of healthy plant-based whole foods without weighing or measuring portions. I know it will be awhile before I get there, but that's where I'm going and how I'm positioning myself for long-term success.

So that's a little about me! I'm going to post random crap in this thread, like musings on diet stuff, numbers, feelings (I have a lot of them), my appointments, etc. Thanks for reading!

No need to laugh at yourself. This diet is a b!tch and there's so much to worry about! Truthfully I'm a bit concerned about the high protein as well, but our kidneys should hold up all right for 10-14 days. Sanity first!

Amen, my sistah!!!

Do you ladies have a Hyvee near by? They are my favorite sf popsicles they have strawberry, banana, and cherry in there box. It's my go to when I need to chew. 4 more days if I don't count today!

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3 minutes ago, Krista27 said:

Do you ladies have a Hyvee near by? They are my favorite sf popsicles they have strawberry, banana, and cherry in there box. It's my go to when I need to chew. 4 more days if I don't count today!

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Strawberry and banana sounds amazing!! No Hyvee here. I wonder if Walmart has a store brand of popsicles with different flavors. Shall investigate.

strawberry and banana sounds amazing!! No Hyvee here. I wonder if Walmart has a store brand of popsicles with different flavors. Shall investigate.

I looked at walmart and couldn't find any. I get my bone broth from walmart though. So I'm running all around town for popsicles and broth. Lol

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Looks like they may sell something called "Red Classics" in sugar-free which includes cherry, strawberry, and raspberry. I will see if I can find any!

wow, remember banana bomb pops? *drool*

I had one of the tropical flavors last night. It was just, "meh". But that's okey dokey! Today I will have one of my beloved old fashioned ones!

@Little Green How ya doing over here? I see the lights on, but nobody's home. Hope you're hanging in there girl!

4 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

@Little Green How ya doing over here? I see the lights on, but nobody's home. Hope you're hanging in there girl!

*waves*

I'm feeling pretty rough at the moment. There have been some bureaucratic shenanigans that might move my surgery date which is extremely upsetting due to all of the issues with my husband's disability and our health insurance, and ever since I found out about it I have been a wreck. They told me to stay on my liquid diet, though, so that seems like a good sign. I should hopefully have a definitive answer tomorrow.

*waves*
I'm feeling pretty rough at the moment. There have been some bureaucratic shenanigans that might move my surgery date which is extremely upsetting due to all of the issues with my husband's disability and our health insurance, and ever since I found out about it I have been a wreck. They told me to stay on my liquid diet, though, so that seems like a good sign. I should hopefully have a definitive answer tomorrow.

I’m so sorry. That stinks! Maybe, they’ll move the surgery up if anything.

Ok that just bites it! I would be super bummed too!!! ((hugs)) Hang in there sweetie. God has a plan. Swearsies! Keep working it!!! I don't think they would tell you to continue on the liquid diet if it they didn't think there was a good chance it was going forward as planned? Do you?

4 hours ago, TexasGal40 said:

I’m so sorry. That stinks! Maybe, they’ll move the surgery up if anything.

49 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Ok that just bites it! I would be super bummed too!!! ((hugs)) Hang in there sweetie. God has a plan. Swearsies! Keep working it!!! I don't think they would tell you to continue on the liquid diet if it they didn't think there was a good chance it was going forward as planned? Do you?

Thanks, you guys

To make a long story not quite as long extremely long, sorry, once I got started I couldn't stop, I did this to myself by accident. In December I asked to get a sleep study done to see if maybe the reason I can't sleep on my back is due to breathing issues, and possibly get a CPAP machine to help me get through the post-surgical period where the incisions make sleeping difficult. I didn't realize this is a months-long process, which one of the nurses in the sleep lab has been graciously expediting for me by finding cancellations every chance she has. Unfortunately, I failed my in-home study because I could not use the machine properly - it would stop reading and flash a yellow light in my face every time I rolled on my side, and, again, I can't sleep on my back. They want me to repeat the test in the lab, which I'm fine with, but I said because my surgery date was already scheduled, I would need to do that after surgery. They said fine, we hung up, everything was okay.

Except not. Because. Even though I passed all the apnea questionnaires, and no medical professional ever told me I have sleep apnea and need a sleep evaluation, because I took it upon myself to ask for the referral, almost as an experiment to test my hypothesis, now they have it in their system that I have a pending sleep study. So now they need the resolution of that before we can proceed with surgery. Because liability and legal issues. Which I was made aware of last week, when the coordinator told me she would be getting in touch with the sleep lab to sort it all out. Cool. Except when I called yesterday to find out the status, she told me I had been taken off the schedule because of this issue. Um, what???? Why wouldn't you tell me that upfront???????

So, yesterday in my no-carb liquid diet stupor I was frantically trying to be the go-between with these two offices, explaining that I need some kind of document or note faxed to the bariatric office saying that the sleep doctor is okay with me waiting until after surgery to repeat my test. For some reason I can never get in touch with the bariatric coordinator until the end of the day and the offices all close at 4:30. So the best the sleep lab could do was send a note to the sleep doctor's MA.

She called this morning and said she spoke with the bariatric coordinator to clarify what was needed, but that the sleep doctor was not in the office. She said she'd talk to him tomorrow. So... I'm hoping that when I call tomorrow, they will have faxed over the necessary document and the coordinator will give me some good news about the date.

We will lose our health insurance on 2/28 unless we can get my husband back to work, which is a jungle of red tape and hurry-up-and-wait situations. And we have no idea what's going to happen if he doesn't go back by 2/20 which is the end of his 2-year disability period. He doesn't have to work, he's on SSDI, except that I don't work because I'm in school full-time, so that's our only route to health insurance unless we want to derail our entire life plan and have me go back to work before I finish my degree. (And he wants to work, anyway.) So to have all of that happening at the same damn time is just... overwhelmingly overwhelming.

The coordinator, who really is very nice and is trying her best, answered "I can't say that," when I asked if the 15th was completely off the table. So there is a chance that that slot was not filled and she can put me back in. I also said I could do it earlier. But the thing is I have to attend a class which is ONLY ON WEDNESDAYS FOR SOME REASON before I can have my surgery. So it's either tomorrow (today) which is obviously not happening, or next Wednesday as planned, or else the earliest my surgery could be is 2/22 if I can attend the class on 2/21.

You can see why all of this mess causes intense full-body shutdown. I don't know what's happening and that's the worst part. I'm just desperately hoping that everything can go ahead on the 15th. We've planned everything out, my mom has taken time off, we're moving ourselves and our cats into her house this weekend (surgery is in a different city), I've notified all my professors and my family, etc.

Since I've gone this far I'll confess I cheated my liquid diet last night out of stupidity and stress. I fasted for most of the day today not to punish myself but because I felt like crap physically. I ended up having 3 protein shakes over the last 6 hours or so, so I'm at 495 calories and 90g of protein.

I'm a hot frickin mess, y'all.

I’m so very sorry. What a mess. I wish I could do something to fix it. But hey, it sounds like the sleep doctor might be able to write a note for you. Don’t give up yet. No matter how difficult this process is, you’re stronger. Just think, a year from now you will look back and think how all of this was worth it. Sometimes, the greatest adventures in life are those that are the most difficult in the beginning. You can do this!
I am very sorry all this is happening. Feel free to vent anytime! We’re here for you!

Try Kroger/Fred Meyer/Albertsons-all same corporate fsmily, they or Meijer usually has what Wal-Mart d oesnt if you're in.Pa or Ohio try Giant Eagle.

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