[luvRdogs]

We had a wonderful vacation in Northern Minnesota at the lake cabin with family and friends. I made a "little" 300 mile trip to my pre-op during vacation and all looks well and he says I should be a great candidate. All tests went well, including EKG.

I start my liquid pre-op diet this coming Friday and then my surgery is July 24th. One night stay at the hospital is normal for their procedure.

I was a bit surprised at the weight that felt would be good for me. 130 pounds. I am only 4'11 and was thinking it would be in the 100 pound range. Guess I won't hit the "century club" Guess I need to redo my profile. It will be interesting. What is they typical length of time for a 80 pound weight loss.

I told most of my family and got mixed reactions. My two biological kids are fully behind me, my two stepkids think its' not a great idea, but being polite about it.

I KNOW it is necessary to be healthy.

Glad to be back in touch with my friends on this board. I thought of several questions over the last week that I would have asked. ( which has since escaped me, but they'll come to me again!) However, it was nice to have no TV (or Michael Jackson hype) internet for a week.

Have a good one~!

Thanks for being "out there" for me.

[kitty56]

I am glad you had a nice trip. Congrads on your upcoming big day. Congrads on the great test report and I am excited for you. Keep us updated on how you are doing.

[DocSanae]

Glad you had a good holiday time and also that you're on your way to the new you.

In regards to goal weight, take a look at the BMI that comes up with your present projected goal weight of 100lbs. It's 20, which means even though it's in the normal range, it's on the lower end. You will end up pretty skinny with a BMI of 20, so I am with your surgeon there, that 130 will be a more comfortable and good looking weight for you, unless you are shooting for those model thin waifs that you see plastered all over fashion magazines and on TV

[Perfesser]

Your body will tell you when you have reached your goal. Don't be surprised if it's a number different from yours or your doctors! My doctor said I should shoot for 184. Well, 20 pounds later my body said it likes this weight, and here I've been for most of a year. I think that Doc is right - 100 seems a bit low. Boots is also 4' 11", and I think she stabilized around 130 or so. Keep working out, though, and you won't look 130, as muscle is heavier than fat. So you'll look tiny but be able to bench press anyone who gets rude with you!!

Keep up the good work. You've done well in your pre-op. The first few days of the liquid diet are the hardest as your body goes through withdrawal, then it gets both easier and extremely boring! Peanut did the 2 week pre-op twice in five weeks due to rescheduling.

Good luck!!

CT

[luvRdogs]

No, I don't want to look like a twig. I would be happy with AVERAGE! Something I haven't been in years and years. The 100 pound goal is one that was pounded into me at WeightWatchers and other diets I tried, and it was unrealistic for me then. Plus that extra 30 pounds should really help my goal more reachable. I have just been too ingrained to look at pounds, not BMI. duh...
Thanks for all the input.
salli lou

[chunkymonkey]

Hey there, luvRdogs, only 2 weeks to go! (Three for me!) Today you get to start the pre-surgery diet--it's really happening! It's real!

Feel free to send me a note when you're feeling hungry hungry hungry. I've been on the pre-op diet for nearly a week, and I'm telling you, when I see my coworkers, it's like that cartoon where everyone starts looking like roast chickens and things. I was eyeing a mini babybel the other day in a way that would have made a nun blush.

We get really hung up on those numbers, and the big problem with that is that our bodies just plain refuse to fall in line with our schedules. Sometimes at the gym we lose inches, or we just plain get stronger or more flexible, and yet we still feel like failures because our schedule says that we were supposed to lose 2.7 lbs this week, and now we've fallen behind even though we've stuck to it rigorously!

I find it helpful during those times to sit down and write a list of why I want to lose weight. Then, I sit back and look at that list and identify how many of them have nothing to do with weight or numbers per se (eg running up and down stairs). Then I try to really honestly make those my goals.

100 lbs never gets me to go back to the gym TODAY. The fact that I started out feeling like I needed a nap every afternoon and now I don't--that gets me back to the gym. Seeing what I have now, and REALLY appreciating it is what keeps me on the wagon.

So it's t minus 14 for you and counting! Good luck!

[luvRdogs]

I'm hungry, hungry, hungry! On day one already!...for Cripes sake. I am already realizing how much we eat at work...we always have cookies or chips or something sitting on our table in our department. Yikes.
Our son and wife (and two little dogs) are coming home this weekend for a wedding, we'll see how that goes to be cooking for company and not eating.
My husband is really good about cooking for himself, so I probably won't need to cook at all for him during this two weeks or the couple of week following surgery, which should help. It's hard to cook and not taste.
What are you allowed to actually CHEW? Anything? I can have raw veggies and sugar free jello and then the liquid stuff I had to buy from the Dr. It's called optifast.
Wow...next month we will be totally different! How much time are you taking off work? I am taking two weeks.
Thanks so much for your support. Email ME if you are hungry, hungry, hungry!
Have a great weekend.
salli lou

[chunkymonkey]

The doctors seem to approach it differently over here in Jolly Olde England--I'm just on a 600-800 calorie/day diet, and can eat almost anything as long as it's under that number.

The first three days are the hardest, and of those, the first is the worst! I promise it gets easier. After those days, you kind of get used to ignoring your hunger, and feel sort of like, well, I've made it this far, so why blow it now?

My dietician said something that helped enormously--this is the last diet you'll ever go on. I mean, sure, your eating habits change post-surgery, but it's not quite the same, because you have the "help" the surgery provides.

You'll also stop feeling like you're just going to fall over from low blood sugar eventually!

[Perfesser]

salli lou, what you are experiencing is called "withdrawal symptoms". You are coming off one of the most powerful drugs in use today - sugar! It's everywhere, in everything, and you have a pretty good amount built up in you, too. In the near future, you will be depleting these stores, and the body sends out an order for more to replenish its supplies. But you aren't going to give it more, are you?

The carb monster lives primarily on sugar, but when it can't get that, it'll switch to white carbs and empty calories. Your life becomes much simpler when the carb monster is dead, but it won't go down without tossing a tantrum! You have to kill it, and not revive it, if you want to live happily ever after.

Take courage! We've all gone through the same thing. It feels bad while you're in it, but after 2-3 days, it gets better. Much better!!

Hang in there!!

CT

[lisaindallas]

I am now 4 days post op having had the RNY this Monday. The 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery was challenging but it was good preparation for the surgery and for this first week post op especially. All is going good. I am sore in a spot or 2 but each day that gets better. I am amazed at all they can do through those small incisions....they have it down to a fine art. I am so grateful that this was available for me. Blessings to all...LIsa in Dallas