2 weeks pre op. ugh. - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

Time4me · 02-14-2009, 01:55 PM

Well, I went to my 2 week pre-op apt. yesterday.
Holy smokes the apt was at 8:30 am and we didn't out of there until 1:30 pm!

I saw the pre-op specialist, a nutrionist, a rep from the hospital, the excercise guy, and a physicians asst. oh and I had pick my food for the two week pre-op diet from the lady who runs the store.

It was kind of a "class" there were 5 of us pre-ops in there. One of them is scheduled after me on the 27th so I may see her walking the halls while I'm there. We all exchanged emails so we can see how everyone is doing.

Started the pre-op diet today. Wow 800-900 calories is NOT a lot.
I'm trying to pace myself by eating a little bit every two hours or so, I dont want to get to the STARVING point.

the food is ...well....its edible. but you know im doing this so I can eat mass quantities of delicious food. If I wanted to do that, I woulndt have started this process.

I just keep telling myself " im eating to live, not living to eat"

I have a slight headache, well ok more that slight. Not sure if its because I am hungry and surviving on less calories than a junkyard dog, or just because.

I feel better having typed this out.
Just wish two weeks would fly by.

thanks for listening!

sherry7 · 02-14-2009, 02:53 PM

Hi Vicki. You can do it! Just keep the ultimate goal in your mind.

At least you get food though. My 10 day pre-op diet was liquids only. Like you, I had a bad headache, which left after about 3 days.

Believe it or not, it DOES get easier after 2 or 3 days. Hang in there!

Marella · 02-14-2009, 03:25 PM

I'd say that by day 3 you'll feel much better being on the pre-op. Sorry that it's so long, every doc/NUT have their rules.

I wish that the days fly by for you without incident, and that your WLS day come upon you suddenly so that you can say, "Wow, it's tomorrow!" I can feel your excitement.

Time4me · 02-14-2009, 06:51 PM

I do feel fortunate that I get food. Sherri how awful ...just liquids....argh!!!

My food review so far...

Maple brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast. -- not so much "oatmeal" ...more like wallpaper paste. I think elmers glue tastes better. but it is "filling"

snack -peanut butter protien bar...was very very good.

lunch-- "chicken pasta" soup-- more like soggy toliet paper in onion powder flavored water. not so filling.

snack-- kiwi strawberry protien drink--- i swear it was the pink peniccilin that i give my 4 year old when she has an ear infection. not filling-

dinner-- speghetti and "meatballs" it was allright--meatballs is a strong word for what was in there...i would have gone with meat-tidbits or micro meatballs. it was spicy and the flavor was good.

I am so glad to hear the headache goes away.

At this point I'm thinking to myself....What the hell am I doing?

I dont know why but I have lost track of why I'm doing this. It was so clear a few days ago...a week ago. Why am I wondering about this now? Is just because its getting closer? can I not think straight from lack of food to feed my brain?

My husband wanted to get the kids lunch today. I told him take the kids eat the food there and dont bring any back home.

I seem to be soooo connected to food. I didnt think it would be this bad. I thought I could give it up a little easier. Maybe just because I'm so hungry?

sherry7 · 02-14-2009, 07:13 PM

I'm lol at your descriptions of the food. It definitely sounds kind of gross!

I think you're experiencing "brain fog". I had it too. It's a small price to pay, but I did feel pretty dopey. Just start counting down the days to surgery. You'll be on the Loser's Bench before you know it.

Phoenixfire · 02-14-2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Time4me

I seem to be soooo connected to food. I didnt think it would be this bad. I thought I could give it up a little easier. Maybe just because I'm so hungry?

Yes it might be because you're hungry, but I don't think it's ONLY being hungry. It's being deprived of something that's always been pleasurable. It's not just the food, it's the RELATIONSHIP we have with food.

Connected to food is a great way to put it. I didn't realize how connected I was until AFTER surgery. Six years ago my doctor didn't do preop diets before surgery. Please try to think of this period as EXCELLENT preparation for your postop relationship with food. Postop you will STILL feel this way, more so I think.

It's a serious grieving process for many of us. Some not so much, but for me it was like the death of a friend. Like something inside me had been wrenched away and I'd never see it again.

The sense of deprivation postop is very strong. It enraged me for a couple months. It only got better, for me, when I started to see myself shrink.

Yes, we are very connected to food if we are morbidly obese. It's a hard relationship to break, but it IS possible! It's just not easy. Hang in there, and try to look at this as something very different than any diet you've done before. You are doing something even more important: preparing your body for a drastic change.

All the hard work you put in now, without a tiny tummy to help you, will help you avoid potential complications AND help you to get a little used to the reality of eating very little every day. It just gets easier with the tool, but only physically and not mentally. It's that mental part, and the feelings of loss and frustration at being deprived, that is the most difficult part for A LOT of people. I think the difference between failure and success is whether or not we drastically change our RELATIONSHIP with food.

Time4me · 02-14-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenixfire

The sense of deprivation postop is very strong. It enraged me for a couple months. It only got better, for me, when I started to see myself shrink.

All the hard work you put in now, without a tiny tummy to help you, will help you avoid potential complications AND help you to get a little used to the reality of eating very little every day. It just gets easier with the tool, but only physically and not mentally. It's that mental part, and the feelings of loss and frustration at being deprived, that is the most difficult part for A LOT of people. I think the difference between failure and success is whether or not we drastically change our RELATIONSHIP with food.

I love that you said ENRAGED. I did feel anger at my husband and kids for going out to KFC for lunch. I felt bad about it. I know I shouldnt be mad at them. I feel more normal now that you said what I'm feeling outloud.
I think I maybe even felt jealous. Envious.

I am grateful for the chance to get rid of these (or try ) habits before hand.

I attended the first seminar in Oct. 08 and they said at that time that you cannot have carbonated beverage. I was a severe Diet Coke addict. so bad that I had to wean myself off it. I'm glad I did tho. and that I did it ahead of time. I don't even have the urge to drink it. Given the choice now...I will choose water/sf drinks.

Today my girls and I made some ispirational posters to put up around the house. I know this is all mental..for me at least. I've got to re-wire my brain somehow.

Phoenixfire · 02-15-2009, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Time4me

I love that you said ENRAGED. I did feel anger at my husband and kids for going out to KFC for lunch. I felt bad about it. I know I shouldnt be mad at them. I feel more normal now that you said what I'm feeling outloud. I think I maybe even felt jealous. Envious.

I am grateful for the chance to get rid of these (or try ) habits before hand.

I know this is all mental..for me at least. I've got to re-wire my brain somehow.

WAY TO GO ON KICKING THE SODA HABIT! See! You CAN triumph over the food demon! Let's call soda a "lesser demon" eh? (Because I'd put carbs up there as the top demon in the club.) My dear you've done an admirable thing in kicking that soda to the curb already. I'm impressed with your discipline! You should be proud of yourself for taking control of that one thing already. Goes to show you that even without surgery you are already capable of growing self-control. I think that bodes well for your success postop!

And YES! TRY very HARD to be grateful because you really DO have a blessing there in that bowl of crappy food you're eating now. Maybe it's so crappy you'll fall out of love with food pretty damn quick right?

There's no way that this brain rewiring is easy peasy. Phhht, if it was that easy then nobody would be fat! BUT it IS possible. Like you said, you have to rewire your brain. I called it "brain surgery" during those first couple years postop. The doc does his operation on our guts and then we have the CHOICE to do surgery on our minds. I mean the whole shebang: emotions, mind, thoughts, obsessions, anxieties, fears, ALL THAT STUFF! It ALL has to change or we will fail after surgery. That's the cold hard truth. Without that change in our heads, we could possibly hit goal but we cannot maintain a healthy weight. No way.

The surgery alone is, like often said here, a tool. A fantastic tool, yes, but it's not the CURE. The cure resides between your ears, and personally I think that is the part of WLS that some people either don't understand or refuse to work on. And that makes me so sad; and frankly I'm bewildered when I watch someone succeed in getting surgery but then they don't do their brain surgery. To me it's like winning the lottery and then not bothering to get ID to cash in the winning ticket!

Food is such an incredible addiction. We get hooked on it because it feels GOOD! It never lets us down. It's always there at our fingertips and it's a guaranteed pleasure like manna from heaven! But that emotional relationship with food is exactly what you MUST change if you want to achieve long-term weight loss. I can honestly say that I never eat based on my emotions. Not anymore. I used to of course. Food is pleasurable now, of course, but it's a completely different thing than it was preop. That change came gradually for me, there's no way it would happen overnight, and it could ONLY come about after I had my gut restricted.

You are in THE RIGHT PLACE RIGHT NOW. The emotions you are feeling are HEALTHY. Dead on bull's eye healthy. You're experiencing the emotions that come with denying yourself pleasure (food) that is in the end bad for you. My dear that is called self-discipline. And THAT is what you most definitely can gain a lot of after this surgery. But they don't put it inside you when they operate. You have to infuse it, give it to yourself with hard work.

Then you can stand back and look in the mirror, and see not only a thin healthy person but a person who loves themself and has the pride of self-discipline. And ain't THAT something to be proud of?!

I'm glad you found this forum, and I can't wait to watch you during your journey to a healthier and happier YOU.

Luna Lurker · 02-15-2009, 12:33 AM

I was thinking if you were drinking diet Coke, was it decaf? If not you are probably experiencing headaches from withdrawal. Yeah some of those program foods leave a bit to be desired

.

cowgurl · 02-15-2009, 12:46 AM

SOOOOO Very WELL put Phoenixfire...

Thank you!