Pre-surgery blues ...

My diet started this past Sunday.  Five Carnation Instant Breakfasts (sugar free) with skim milk a day for 7 days. That's 762 calories a day.  GAD!!!  Well, I had to have something to eat Sunday night so I bought a salad with grilled chicken (no dressing) - a small one.  And last night, hungry again I had a bowl of potato soup (low fat/low carbs).  Today I had one bowl of chicken noodle soup.  I had to have a blood test this morning and they couldn't even find a vein to stab - dehydrated no doubt. I'm yelling at my husband.  28 days since I stopped smoking; now 3 days of this carnation instant breakfast diet; seeing pictures of you all that have lost SO MUCH weight in SO LITTLE time is now becoming frightening to me.  I don't know if it is pre-surgery jitters or what?  If I can't even do 5 shakes a day without cheating and having a bowl of 2 grams fat soup, how am I gonna make it next Monday after surgery?  And when I lose all this weight I'm going to look totally different - didn't that scare you all?I'm so use to who I am now - fat loveable Terri... 

Are these pre-surgery blues normal or am I losing my mind?  :-) :-(

I haven't had my surgery yet (I think its 21 days away now), but I would say this is completely normal. You are not losing your mind! From what I've read here and what friends have said after surgery it will be easier not to cheat, because you won't be hungry. (The veterans to this will surely be more specific than I can be) Yes, you will look totally different. You'll feel 1000 times better. But inside you'll still be loveable Terri...just a healthier and skinnier one.

Thanks, Becky.  I can remember when I had 21 days to go, now I only have 6 days to go.  Where is the time going?  Someone needs to stop time for a moment and let me catch my breath.  :-)

Try to stick with your diet but don't freak out if you have a small salad or soup.  My surgeon didn't even have me on a liquid diet before surgury (just  a low carb diet).  Its really the carbs and the soft drinks that you need to stay away from completely before surgury.    All surgeons just want you to lose weight and not eat heavy before surgury so your liver will shrink. You are going to do fine!!!!  And like the other person said...  you will not even be hungry after surgury so you will do a lot better.  Keep telling yourself just how badly you want this and keep looking at all the before and after pictures (that really kept me on track).   And think of how great you will look this summer.  Keep me posted and hang in there.        Donna

Your surgery is less than a week away - its time to buckle down and stick to the liquid diet. Yes its hard to stick to and yes it will be easier post-op. The first 3-4 days of the liquids is hard, but after that it gets easier - you will actucally lose your hunger, find that you have a STRONG sense of smell and that most food will be very unappealing. The head hunger is always there but you have to battle that. If you are dehydrated then work on getting your liquids in addition to the shakes... sip sip sip alll day long! You do not want to get dehydrated before the surgery!! Pre-surgery jitters, we all have em :-) Personally I wasnt scared of how I would look... I had lost weight previously and had an idea of what Id look like - at least at around 190lbs... I still think I look like me just smaller. People see my pre-op photos and dont think that was me, but I still see me in that fat body.

Thanks for your support Donna and Jennifer.  Yes, have to buckle down.  Just had another shake.  LOL  And I have to sip sip sip more water.  I know it will get better next week with the hunger pains and hopefully with the headaches.  Thanks again.

My diet started this past Sunday.  Five Carnation Instant Breakfasts (sugar free) with skim milk a day for 7 days. That's 762 calories a day.  GAD!!!  Well, I had to have something to eat Sunday night so I bought a salad with grilled chicken (no dressing) - a small one.  And last night, hungry again I had a bowl of potato soup (low fat/low carbs).  Today I had one bowl of chicken noodle soup.  I had to have a blood test this morning and they couldn't even find a vein to stab - dehydrated no doubt.

I'm yelling at my husband.  28 days since I stopped smoking; now 3 days of this carnation instant breakfast diet; seeing pictures of you all that have lost SO MUCH weight in SO LITTLE time is now becoming frightening to me. Don't let that frighten you... that's a GOOD thing, and soon others will be rejoicing at YOUR losses.  I don't know if it is pre-surgery jitters or what?  All of the above... jitters with some "or what" thrown in.   If I can't even do 5 shakes a day without cheating and having a bowl of 2 grams fat soup, how am I gonna make it next Monday after surgery?  Your taste buds will change.  Your desires will change.  Your STOMACH will be a little pouch... and you won't want to eat... as absurd as it sounds, there are days when I do need to be remined to eat... and days when I'm just NOT hungry but have to eat.... you will make it because you'll be on "the other side" and the loser's bench will feel pretty damn kewl! And when I lose all this weight I'm going to look totally different - didn't that scare you all?  It scared me into working harder to succeed because I WANT to look totally different!  I'm so use to who I am now - fat loveable Terri... You'll still be that loveable gal... just in a smaller package!

Are these pre-surgery blues normal or am I losing my mind?  :-) :-( Yes, they are NORMAL and you ARE losing your mind!    Gurl, quitting smoking and prepping for WLS in less than a month's time is enough to lose one's mind, so enjoy the loss.  You've deserved every minute of it.  Drink up Friday AM.  I want you to have the strength to get through tha****er aerobics class with me. 

I agree with everyone's words.  Just know that you are going through what most everyone goes through.  Just keep in mind that this will all be a soon memory and you will be sitting with us on the loosers bench!   Keep strong...  You can and will be through surgery before you know it!! Connie

What you are experiencing is normal.  We all struggled with our liquid diet, if we had to do one.  Keep in mind that the reason you are doing it is so that you will be done laparoscopically instead of open.  You need lap if possible because open takes much longer to heal and runs a higher risk for complications.  Anything you can lose now will be of help to your surgeon during surgery and to you during recovery. Almost all of us cheated on our liquid diet once or twice, it's nothing to beat yourself up over.  I had to do 4 Slim Fast High Proteins a day for a month.  I cheated exactly 3 times.  It happens.  Just don't use this as an excuse to give up and say that you can't do it.  You can, you are strong.  You have decided that you want this and it's time to go for it. As far as cheating goes post-op, don't worry about it.  For the first few months, you won't be hungry and it won't be hard to follow the post op diet.  Eventually, you will be able to out eat your surgery if you want to, but you have time to work on building new habits before you get to that point.  I think that seeing a counselor or shrink during pre-op and early post-op is a good idea for nearly everyone.  I did, and it helped. Now for worrying about looking different.  Yes, you will look different.  We all wondered/worried how this would change us.  But I would submit that most, if not all, of us are happy with the results we are getting.  Compare this with my current avatar.  Do you think that I'm sorry for one second I did this?  No way!  All of the things you have been talking about are normal.  Pre-surgery jitters are hard to deal with, but we are facing major surgery.  It is normal and shows that you are taking this very seriously.  You will do great! Take care. Ellen