Feeling ashamed, disgusted, let down..

[believexrebecca]

I have gained 7 pounds. That puts me at 402, the BIGGEST I have ever been. Therefor my surgery will probably not be until February now. My doctor is putting me on Phentermine and another kind of med to hopefully drop the weight off. With 2014 being here this is my goal. To lose the 40 pounds and get the surgery to become a better me. My doctor suggested I also come on here and ask others what they did to reach their preop goal and see if any of you had any tips or diets I should try.

[Jerzygirl]

Pre-op can be difficult but you have to tough it out. I would suggest going completely low carb. No white stuff. No pasta. No sugar. No Milk. No Rice. No Bread. It will be a bitch for the first 3 days but once your system is clean, it will be much easier to get in the mind set and lose the weight.

Good Luck. Don't beat yourself up. You can do it.

[maynardkhalo]

Hang in there, you will reach your goal. One thing I have to say really helped me lose my pre-op weight was calorie counting and my fitness pal. com, I also made it a point to walk at least 3 times a week for 10-15 min.
I was consuming anywhere from 3-4 thousand calories a day, then when I tried to lose the weight I cut that number down to 2000 a day, then 1800 then 1500. I also cut out all the sodas, the only thing I drank was decaff coffee, crystal light and water. I found that once I entered everything into my fitness pal it really helped me be cognizant of what I was putting in my mouth (something I was not doing before).
Anytime I went to a restaurant I ordered from the low cal section and always asked the waiter for a takeout box before my food came so that I was able to put half in the box before I began to eat.
You can totally do this! just stay committed.
Best Wishes!

[Mich-D]

Hang in there, you can do this. Focus on planning out what you will have for the day. For me, have a consistent routine works best. I've posted previously, but my routine continues to be 3 bariatric advantage shakes daily. At least one of those will have 4 ounces of unsweetened almond milk. I will often have 1cup of reduced sodium beef broth, 1 serving of gelatein 20 (essentially jello with 20 grams of protein), 1 serving of lite and fit yogurt.

[ScreamAndBeFree]

I have taken phentermine many times and it is a good tool for short term weight loss. I was not required to lose weight preop but I have done many crash diets in the past. Carb free should drop the weight off fast, within a month. It is hard to do but if you are really determined you can do it. You will feel weak and have head aches etc. I would recommend eating lean proteins such as tuna, turkey breast, ham, fat free cheese, chicken breast etc. No veggies, no fruits, no dressings, no breads or pastas. Phentermine will help keep your appetite in control.

[magtart]

I would try a low carb Protein drink for breakfast and lunch and lean meat with green veggie for dinner. Maybe a hard boiled egg or a cheese stick for a snack.

[FadeToBlack]

First and foremost, I'm not going to pretend like I have a magical answer for you in terms of diet. I feel as though you need to make this more of an emotional journey. More than likely we've all battled with self control at one point or another...if we didn't we probably wouldn't have gotten the sleeve! Do you have any pictures of yourself when you were proud of the way you looked and more importantly felt? Use this as motivation to get back to that time. Set a goal for yourself. Why do you want the sleeve? Chances are your answer is much deeper and more emotional than "just to lose weight." For me it was a way to get my life back. I could no longer be an anti-social hermit. I lost many life-long friends because I didn't want to be seen. I was tired of wondering if I would fit in armchairs when I was in business meetings. I was tired of always being out of breath and sweaty. I was tired of always looking and feeling uncomfortable. Thankfully, my family always made me feel like I was the best person ever, but I came to the emotional decision on my own. I couldn't stand the person I had become and I let my friends and family know. Ever since they have supported me though this journey. I don't know you personally, but if you're anyway like me, your a beautiful person on the inside and you owe it to yourself to FEEL beautiful on the outside. I promise you, once you marry the two, you'll feel as though you've been reborn. You'll be unstoppable. You'll be able to conquer anything. You'll be able to concentrate on the things that are most important in your life. For once, it's time to be selfish...do this for you and I promise an unintended consequence will be a better life for everyone in your family. You can do this, thousands before you have...and we'll be with you everyday as your support system. Just remember, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Neale Donald Walsch

Best of luck,
Anthony

[jm1952]

Great answer Fade to Black! Boy you sure nailed it!!

[tracke38]

Don't be too hard on yourself, maybe there is the lesson that you are supposed to learn right now. Dust yourself off, and remember that all of us are struggling with something, and we all have a common goal. Keep reaching out, and stay encouraged. Best wishes, hugs & kisses.

[teddtlove]

I am sorry you are having so much trouble preop. I did not see the big weight loss during my pre op diet. I tried a trial one and lost like 7 lbs in 4 days but then when I did the three week one I only lost like 10 the whole three weeks. I agree with Fadetoblack. I have already have my surgery and since I have so much fluid and swelling I am still not seeing weight loss. I would say though the shake plan is a good way to go. Good luck.

[JUstKAWS]

You got this Rebecca! Replace something bad with something good for you a little at a time. Dump the sodas, drink water with lemon essential oils. Don't do the fake sugar stuff. Replace milk with rice or almond milk...you may become lactose intolerant for awhile after surgery anyway... Fitness pal is great to help you realize where the crap comes in. You may be appalled to find out where the calories and fat were sneaking in. Do a probiotic!

Take it easy on yourself, stress will only add weight, too!

[Hev]

I lost 19 pounds on pre op diet because I had to do it twice as I had an emergency in England had to cancel my first surgery date.
I was only allowed proteins drinks ice Popsicles and no sugar jello ... And broth it is hard as someone else said for first 3 days
But it will be safer for you to drop that weight pre op. You can do this you really can. You will be so happy with your self when you have started this. Don't give up and if you need encouragement write on my page and talk to me... I will encourage you!
This sleeve works a treat it's changed my life and outlook!
All the best Hev

[Poji]

My doc told me to go on the South Beach Diet. I never did. I was panicked because I didn't feel like I was being perfect enough to prep...I'll tell you what I did do...I just became more aware of what I was eating, and ate a little less. I quit drinking soda, and caffeine...I also quit smoking...I only made these changes, and up until the night before surgery, I cheated! I cheated I cheated I cheated! So what? So now you do what you need to do, and you will...Just take it easy on yourself...

[believexrebecca]

Thank you all so much for your kind advice.

[tinman]

I have a question. I really do not know the answer so I am very interested in everyone's responses. I had my surgery done in Mexico, not here in the States. The only preop diet was to cleanse the liver and it lasted about a week. There was no goal weight to achieve, just a normal preop diet to minimize the liver and stomach.

So, here is my question. Why is it that the surgeons here in the States require some sort of a weight reduction in order to receive the weight reduction surgery?

Is this an insurance requirement? It would seem to me that if you could lose weight, you wouldn't need the surgery. From my perspective, it seems like an unnecessary hurdle. I would love to give advice here, but since I do not know the reason for it, I would be very hesitant to counsel one way or another. But, as I said before, I didn't have my sleeve done stateside. So, I'm sure there is a very good reason for the weight loss requirement, but I don't know what that is. Can someone illuminate that for me?

I will say this though. When I went to Mexico, I had to be on a 100% liquid only diet for 5 days prior to the surgery. I ate nothing but egg drop soup and won ton soup for five days. Well...I did cheat a little and had some skinless turkey breast one day, but that's really the only cheating I did. I lost 13 lbs during the week I was on the liquid diet.

So, please, reply back and explain the diet requirements to me so I can better understand and hopefully, I can offer a little insight.