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Hi I'm Jessy! [emoji2] I have my informational class coming up soon for the gastric sleeve and starting the program! Id like to see how others webt through the program! What steps did you take before surgery and what you were required to do!! What do you eat? Basiclly everything [emoji23] im 5'5 275lbs im quitting smoking tomorrow and excited to start this journey!!

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Hi there!

This answer will vary from person to person, since our programs can vary wildly from what I've seen, but for me, I can tell you what I've had to do.

Back in 2014, I considered the surgery then, but ended up backing out due to fear and anxiety, plus I had (and still have) other undiagnosed health issues which I figured would be only made worse from doing a surgery. Ultimately, years later, I decided to go through with it again, because my health is getting so bad that it's now incredibly difficult to get around or do anything that I want to. I can't even walk the dog without a great struggle. So I started the process last year, I believe sometime around August.

I was required to lose a certain amount of weight before the surgery to prove I am committed, since here in Finland, most everything is paid for with very little cost to the patient. I did lose the weight and went through a period of waiting on a letter back from the surgeon confirming the surgery which was about 2.5 months. Then, I had to have an endoscopy to check the stomach and make sure there were no issues with it. That happened about three months back, as I recall.

Then once more, I had to wait for another letter to arrive with my surgery time and date, which I received at the end of November. My surgery is scheduled for the 15th of January.

Required from there is a 1 month pre-op diet (which I am on now) consisting of 5 special Protein Shakes per day (which are around 150 calories each, and each one counts as a full meal.) Aside from that, I am allowed a small amount of Protein meat or meat substitute (or high protein cottage cheese or quark.) Also, up to 500g (or about a pound) of select vegetables that are not starchy. Additionally, I'm told to drink up to 2 liters of liquid a day, that should be mostly Water (but can also be tea or coffee without cream or sugar as well as diet soda.) I have switched off soda completely now since I can't have it for a long time after surgery, and getting in the water has been.. incredibly difficult.

[Just as an example, my typical pre-op meal is the 5 shakes spread out through the day with water in between. For my meal, I usually have anywhere from 75-100 grams (1/5th a pound roughly) of vegetarian 'meat' (it's called Mifu here in Finland, and is made of milk protein) along with 300 grams-ish (a little over half a pound) of some kind of steamed, boiled, or baked vegetable such as zucchini, cabbage and onions in broth, eggplant, carrots, etc.)]

My surgery is about 9 days away now, so I'm quite nervous, and I have a last round of bloodworks on the day before to triple-check that everything is ready to go. Feel free to message me about anything you're interested in (or just reply here) and I'll answer what I can. :)

Hopefully some people who have gone through the surgeries will respond, since I have yet to even go through mine!

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    • LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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