I have ZERO willpower

When I started my pre-op weight loss, I shifted my meals so I had dinner at 7pm.  Then I'd have some plain greek yogurt with artificial sweetener at 9pm, and then I'd go to bed at 10pm.   I don't get hungry in the mornings, so I could shift my breakfast to 10AM,   have lunch mid afternoon, and then I just had to hold off for the late dinner.  It worked for me.

Some other things that helped me was I make a broccoli slaw.  I use Trader Joe's broccoli slaw mix with a dressing of plain greek yogurt, balsamic vinegar and artificial sweetener with some herbs, I put in some dried cranberries for a little tanginess.  Its pretty healthy and I use it for a snack when I just can't make it to the next meal. 

Another thing I do is go exercise when I want to eat.  5 to 10 minutes on the recumbent bike helps delay the need to eat from boredom.  I also read or knit to keep myself busy to avoid the eating from boredom.

I also had to go very low carb, as carbs cause terrible food cravings for me.  I couldn't have done it without a commitment to low carb diet.  Now that I'm in maintenance I allow myself one serving of carbs a day, and even now its a slippery slope to those cravings.

So hang in there.  You'll find some strategies to make it work.

Carol

Forget protein shakes.  After surgery use them because you will not be able to eat real food.  Eat dense protein and count calories.  3500 calories equals one pound.  Eat 1000 calories a day less than you burn and you will lose two pounds a week.

I never thought I was someone with an eating disorder until I had my surgery. I now see how many ways I allow stress or boredom to drive me right to the pantry! With the post-surgery way of life, my food issues are magnified! This is probably what you are experiencing trying to stick to your pre-op plan. Not to mention, that the shakes aren't filling - as many have commented. I do think some sort of therapy or talk to figure out the 'head hunger' issues that you have will go a long way in helping you be successful before and after surgery! This very issue is one that I could definitely use help figuring out as well.

Many experts admit that bad habits aren't really stopped, but replaced with another habit. Maybe you can replace any bad habit that you identify with a new behavior that isn't damaging? This, of course, is just coping. But fixing something altogether can be daunting. Best wishes and just know that you aren't alone! Good luck to you!

The pre-op diet was the hardest part for me. Just remind yourself that it is temporary and it's the first step in redefining your relationship with food. You CAN do it! I have late afternoon and evening cravings, but I've learned to anticipate them and how to avoid situations that make me fall off the wagon.

You're getting some great advice and encouragement here. Mine is simple: please stop beating yourself up here.  You clearly do have willpower.  And you have the self awareness to ask for help when you need it.  

You have time to drop some more weight to meet your requirement and you can and will do it.  I lost a paltry amount pre-op but it was just enough to qualify.  I did everything and anything necessary to get to that point and you will, too.  

hey Brook, how are you?

The human body is highly adaptable and able to change in extremely short periods of time. Think about. If people can quickly gain mass amounts of fat from weeks of unhealthy eating, shouldn’t they be able to lose a lot weight rapidly from weeks of healthy eating? Well, they definitely can.

But what do you need to eat to lose the weight rapidly? From low-carb, to low-fat, to sugar-free, to high protein, and even the ‘caveman’ diet – there are so many options out there that it can be extremely confusing to the average person on which diet you should use to quickly lose weight. Some of these diets even provide conflicting information on what you should and shouldn’t eat. Well, that’s all about to change.

You see, the human metabolism is like a furnace for your body. It burns up every source of fuel inside your body – from food you have eaten, to fat that has been stored. But, one thing you have to know about the metabolism is that it will burn what was last eaten first, before it starts burning the fat on your body. As a result, by the end of the day, no matter what you have eaten, your body won’t have had time to start burning the fat from around your body. But what if you could change this? What if you could make it so your metabolism actually prefers to burn the fat in your body first, and then burns the food you have eaten?

Here is what i have tried personally!