I can't believe I'm having surgery!
Stock up on the protein shakes, I recommend the chocolate Premier Shakes you can buy at costco, they have strawberry and vanilla but I think the chocolate has the best. Get yourself some fiber gummies there too, they will be helpful as well. I also bought a number of cases of the zero calorie sobe lifewaters from costco too. For the pre-op diet and the two weeks of liquid diet following surgery, the shakes and sobe's were basically all I had, once you get to the puree stage, I did beef & barley soup as well filtered through a strainer. It added some variety of flavor that was a nice change from the sobes and premier shakes.
Thanks for the food advice! I think liquid will be the hardest stage for me, as well. I actually just grabbed the premier shakes at costco this week to try out and I have to say they are very nice and mild for the awesome macros they have. I got the chocolate, so it's good to know I picked right!
I hadn't even thought about fiber gummies! My dietitian said to stay away from the gummies because of the sugar, but I bet chewables would be easy enough to find. I appreciate the tip!
That's kind of funny, my surgeon recommended the fiber gummies, I take two a day so it's not that much of an impact on the calories ingested daily. I'm coming up on 7 weeks post op this upcoming Tuesday and as of the morning scale step, I'm 83 pounds lost since I started the pre-op liquid diet on 11/5. So hang in there and good luck.
Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your surgery date.
It is normal to be nervous, but try not to worry unnecessarily. Most people come thru the surgery with no problems. Anesthesia is much better these days than in the past. And the laparoscopic procedures are less invasive. Most likely, the surgery will be uneventful, and if there is a problem, there will be time to worry later. 
My highest weight was 385 and my surgery weight was 333, so we have a lot in common! I lost 225 pounds in about 18 months, and have been maintaining at 160 for over a year. I wish you similar success!
When I started the process, I would have been happy just to get below 300 pounds. I never thought I'd get to a normal BMI. You have many reasons to be hopeful!
Please keep us posted.
best wishes,
Carol
Surgery May 1, 2013. Starting Weight 385, Surgery Weight 333, Current Weight 160. At GOAL!
Weight loss Pre-op 1-20 2-17 3-15 Post-op 1-20 2-18 3-15 4-14 5-16 6-11 7-12 8-8
9-11 10-7 11-7 12-7 13-8 14-6 15-3 16-7 17-3 18-3
Congratulations on taking this step before you become an old fart, like a lot of us.
Long term, there are four things I could not be without. A Fitbit, to make sure I keep my daily activity up, day in and day out. A MyFitnessPal account, to track every bite I eat, every day. And a kitchen scale, to weigh the exact amount I eat.
Travel light to the hospital. You will need, and use, very little. And do not stock up heavily on things like protein powder, vitamins, etc. Have enough to last a week or two. You may like something now. But after surgery it might be the most vile thing you've ever tasted. I can't tell you how many people I've seen trying to give away tubs of protein or vitamins because they are literally making them sick.
Good luck. I hope to follow great progress from you.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
Thank you for your kind words and advice! You all don't seem like old farts to me! ;)
I've got all the things you couldn't be without, so I feel somewhat prepared for success, and I appreciate you sharing what helped you along the way because this is all going to be so new to me! Oh, and I hope I don't hate the birthday cake protein powder I bought after the surgery, haha!
The most important things to do as soon as they bring you to your room after recovery us to get out of bed & walk. It might be just 5 steps but 10 min. later - repeat and mix in lots of sips of water & gas passing - every minute you are awake. This will get your systems up and running as quickly as possible. For this reason bring a good grip shoe or slipper to wear that is a slip on style, like a clog. You don't want to have to bend over to get your shoes on.
