I am so excited - just had to post!

I am on day 6 of the 2 week required pre-op diet. I've lost 7.2lb in the first 5 days!!! I hope it continues this way.... it's awesome! I feel better and more energetic already in spite of the 1200 calories a day :wub:

The first couple of days were really tough but its pretty much smooth sailing right now. The only thing thats a drag is that I'm craving salt! I'm on protein shakes/bars all day (very sweet) then a low cal meal for dinner. Im not a really big salt fan but I'm craving it now - go figure!

Are you all exercising during this pre-op time. I've notice that things for me were not the same as you guys so I looked over what i'm suppose to be doing and what I was doing. The supermarket drinks have way too many carbs and not nearly enough protien. I went to gnc and bought a whey protein mix. Now, hopefully I am on the right track. I want 10 pounds gone before my surger date on 9/17.

I haven't had the surgery but I have heard that you may have severe and painful gas. That's something I don't hear too often so I decided to mention it.

Hi all. I'm reading everyone's posts.... finding them very informative and helpful. I'm two days into my pre-op. Got my insurance approval for surgery today. Surgeon started me on the two weeks of Optifast while waiting for the approval hoping it came in before the scheduled surgery date. I'm scheduled for Oct. 26. I was hoping for an Oct. 21 surgery date as it's my birthday and wanted to have a new "birthday". The surgeon only does this type of surgery on Mondays so I had to settle on the 26th. I'm nervous, anxious, excited, scared, and can come up with about 20 more descriptive words. I also started walking this morning. Most walking I've done in a while. Usually my walking is to the bathroom, mailbox, taking out the trash, and to the elevator at work. :thumbup: I finally kicked myself into gear and went out walking this morning before work ... did two laps around my street. I enjoyed it. I'm on an 800 calorie Optifast pre-op. 5 shakes a day, nothing else but clear beverages. Same regimen for two week post-op so this is goign to be quite a long shake hall. I know I won't drink the Optifast as post op. It's too artificial tasting. I have looked into Kellogg's new protein shake and heard the Carnation Instant is good. I really appreciate all your posts as they've been so informative as I worked through my 6 month program required by the insurance. I've learned so much from everyone... I don't think I'd have gotten this far if you all hadn't provided so much helpful information. I'd like to thank everyone!!!

I hate to sound stupid but can anyone tell me how to set up more of my profile. I want to put a picture on it and see what else is available to set up. I joined and only read for months, this is only my second post. I need HELP with figuring out how to use the forum profile. Please and thanks!

I'm 2 1/2 weeks in to my 3 and a bit week diet and I've lost 21 pounds, which borders on stupid. I was at my GP today to satisfy her curiosity as I am now her personal guinnea pig, and she did a quick check and noted that I'm waaaaay into the ketone range in metabolism. This is a good thing as the shift from an ATP-based metabolism to ketone-based is the thing that flattens out your liver. She also said that she was surprised I was still up and walking after two and a bit weeks of it because this dietary shift to ketones is known to cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, general weakness in the limbs, and the occasional blackout. My GP had a go at it and only made it 3 days before bailing.

If you are having major problems with the shakes, you may be able to get your doctor to switch you to a veg, chicken and fish pre-op diet. If you follow it to the letter, it should do the same thing as the shakes. I am completely unable to have the Protein drinks (and yeah, I've tried all the non-soy, non-gluten, vegan ones and I still can't have them) so I've been doing the veg, chicken and fish thing for every single meal. Gotta warn you though... there's only so many ways to cook an eggplant and I seriously may never touch another piece of salmon again in my life. Plus I'm only getting in 600-700 calories a day, which may be a bit low.

I got my protein shakes from bariatricadvantage.com and found I had and still have no problems with hunger. It had 27g of protein, 7g carbs and less than a 1 fat per serving. I did find the more protein I had, the less likely I was to be hungry. I was allowed 3-4 shakes per day and a salad with no or low cal dressing and I was good to go.:thumbup:

This is my third day of my 2 week pre-op with optifast and I have to say I feel much better today than I did the first day. I'm not hungry any more and I've found some sneaky ways to enjoy the shakes. I added instant coffee to the vanilla and turned it into an iced coffee drink. The chocolate I heated up and made it hot cocoa. I'm finally getting the hang of it. Since I've got to do this 2 weeks pre-op and 2 weeks post-op I figured I better figure this out quick. I also found taking Lactaid tablets has also helped tremendously.

I have the best shake recipe. EVER.

First of all, I love Beneprotein, which you can buy at www.nestlenutritionstore.com - it's a bit more expensive than other Protein powders, but it has NO taste and NO grittiness! And you can use it in hot or cold things. It is fabulous!

Second of all, the trick to an awesome shake is to make skim milk ice cubes (just in those little ice cube trays). Then you can make it as thick as you want - mine end up like a frosty at Wendy's - YUMMM.

All you do is take 2 packets of chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar added) and 2 scoops of the Beneprotein powder and put that in your Magic Bullet (or whatever blender you use). Then add 6 ice cubes and the rest skim milk. The ice cubes and skim milk should TOTAL 2 cups - I put the ice cubes in a 2c measuring cup and then add milk until it hits the 2c mark.

Then blend! It ends up as thick as a frosty, I'm telling you it's incredible! I drink all my shakes like that, even in the morning hehe :thumbup: AND, I dont crave chocolate because I get this yummy goodness a few times a day.

After surgery you can add a tablespoon of Peanut Butter and it makes it into a Reese's shake. Hope you love it as much as I do! Makes the shakes a lot more manageable. Good luck!

Best,

Adrienne :sneaky:

For my pre op diet, I'm using designer whey protein powder. Got 4 different flavors. Its 97% lactose free. Its pretty good mixed with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and unsweetened chocolate almond milk. I am lactose intolerant and a little confused about the effects of too much soy. So I stick to the almond milk.

i am not on a liquid diet ,but i am eating smaller portions and more protein, i am craving salt also, i thought i was just going nuts till i saw your post, let me know what happens

I started my pre-op on Wed....I have only lost 2 lb! Dang it! The week before I lost 6 doing the master cleanser for 7 days... I am allowed 1000 cal closest to solid is SF pudding, LF cottage cheese, and LT yogurt. I am spacing it out so all my calories are not consumed early in the day. I am worried. I have to lose 8 more pounds in the next 11 days!!!! OK maybe it is time to get real and commit to exercising the 30 min a day. I have done well losing 22 lb since June 12 (my first pre-op) I am proud of that. Unfortunately I was weighed last week and that is the weight they count for the 10 lb!

HELP

i am not on a liquid diet ,but i am eating smaller portions and more Protein, i am craving salt also, i thought i was just going nuts till i saw your post, let me know what happens

Dr Oz said last week if you are craving salt you are dehydrating so drink more Water vs reaching for the salty Snacks.

I have my surgery Monday. The first week of my two week pre-op I was able to drink the 5 Optifast shakes a day but had discomfort. The second week I have only been able to have the shakes a couple of days and then it was only 2 or 3 shakes on those days. They make me so sick, last night I thought I was having a heart attack. I was told I have a hiatal hernia that will be repaired with my band surgery Monday. I've done some serious research on the internet and see hiatal hernias cause the symptoms that I have. The hernia causes the body to not assimilate protein and minerals very well. Trying to force 70g of protein into a body that has a hernia sounds like it is setting the body up for more serious medical issues. Since I'm close to surgery date I stopped the shakes and I'm just loading myself up with fluids. Has anyone else had the problem with the shakes. I was seriously hurting last night. Lump in the throat, indigestion, gas, big time burping and a severe discomfort so bad I that I was dying. I was "this close" to calling 911 for a heart attack but knew it was from the shakes. I stopped the shakes and it subsided. I figure I'll have my surgery Monday and THEN should be able to do the post op shakes ok. Did anyone else have this severe a reaction to the shakes and have a hiatal hernia? It feels like the shakes made the hernia symptoms worse.

I have the best shake recipe. EVER.

First of all, I love Beneprotein, which you can buy at www.nestlenutritionstore.com - it's a bit more expensive than other Protein powders, but it has NO taste and NO grittiness! And you can use it in hot or cold things. It is fabulous!

Second of all, the trick to an awesome shake is to make skim milk ice cubes (just in those little ice cube trays). Then you can make it as thick as you want - mine end up like a frosty at Wendy's - YUMMM.

All you do is take 2 packets of chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar added) and 2 scoops of the Beneprotein powder and put that in your Magic Bullet (or whatever blender you use). Then add 6 ice cubes and the rest skim milk. The ice cubes and skim milk should TOTAL 2 cups - I put the ice cubes in a 2c measuring cup and then add milk until it hits the 2c mark.

Then blend! It ends up as thick as a frosty, I'm telling you it's incredible! I drink all my shakes like that, even in the morning hehe :thumbup: AND, I dont crave chocolate because I get this yummy goodness a few times a day.

After surgery you can add a tablespoon of Peanut Butter and it makes it into a Reese's shake. Hope you love it as much as I do! Makes the shakes a lot more manageable. Good luck!

Best,

Adrienne :crying:

sounds great but how many calories and protein??