Preparing for weight loss surgery

[MiniLopHop]

Well, I FINALLY have insurance approval and a date. I will be having gastric bypass on 28th of March. I stop eating solid foods on 5th of March. I'm nervous and excited all at once.

I am a tad annoyed that the doctor expanded my liquid phase to three weeks rather than the standard two. Apparently I haven't lost enough weight pre-surgery. Well gee, if I could lose weight through diet and exercise alone, I wouldn't need you! Oh well, I will suck it up and do what I have to do. I have already given up all sweets, fried foods, caffeine, carbonation, and alcohol basically for the rest of my life. I guess giving up solid food for an extra week won't kill me. I think it's just hard because right now I'm doing all the giving but not seeing any results so it's a bit depressing.

My main coping mechanism is hugging a bunny. If I want to eat out of emotions or eat something forbidden I snuggle a bun, usually Becky. She helps me calm down and think it through more rationally. I just wish I could get a bunny fix at work! So far just thinking about hugging Becky is getting me through the days, but I can still eat. We will see what happens when the food goes away.

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[LakeCondo]

Best of luck. Just don't get so hungry for solid food that Becky starts looking TOO good to you. lol. And I'm sure you'll be seeing results of those 3 weeks, which will be a big help in the surgery. I don't know if greens count as solid food or not, but if you can eat them, I'm sure Becky will be glad to share hers with you, as long as she gets enough.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[MiniLopHop]

LakeCondo- LOL that is too funny. I'm sure Becky will never look like food, she's my baby. Unfortunately even greens are out! I can have all the water, crystal light, sugar free jello, or sugar free popsicles I want. Oh rapture

Larry- thanks

 

[degrassi]

How are you supposed to exist on water and sugar free products for 3 weeks? That is really unhealthy and I'm surprised thats the protocol for before weight loss surgery. Good luck.

My mom had the lap band surgery almost 2 years ago. She had to attend a weight loss clinic. The first year she went to classes, had TONS of tests, had therapy and they decided if she was a good candidate. Thankfully they approved her for the Lap Band as I was worried about the gastric bypass surgery as thats more invasive. The results are slower with the lap band but she's lost about 75lbs so far. It would probably be more if she would do some exercise too. She is happy she did it and can eat most things again now, she just has to be conscious of amounts and textures. Some things just dont' work(eggs, some meats, rice) and she'll get sick.

The one thing that helped my mom the most was attending cognitive behavioural therapy. It taught her to retrain her thinking patterns and change her relationship to food. I think if she had just had the surgery and not the therapy too it wouldn't have been successful. I'm not sure if you are part of a program like that too but the therapy and support groups were really important in my mom getting better.

Good luck with your surgery it can really change your life. My mom is a whole new person!

 

[gmas rabbit]

Some people go through a series of hypnosis so that water etc is satisfying when you are hungry. Try making shakes of the cyrstal light or diet free products with ice cubes so that it has more texture and you can chew it. That would work for your protein shakes too. The thicker you can get it the more satisfying it becomes, kind of a trick on the brain. Do you have a program, take a kid to work. After all them bunnies are your babies. A different one every day. Just sit there and stoke their ears and pretend to work. lol I agree though, if you could lose it on your own you wouldn't need the by-pass. Wonder if it is a test, just to trick you. You lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, you don't need the surgery. Hmmmmm!!!!!!!

 

[MiniLopHop]

This has been a very long process. I started with a therapist/shrink two years ago. I used to be a total emotional eater and would binge. I haven't had a binge in well over a year. Part of changing from being an emotional eater was using snuggling with the buns to help me sit with emotions and deal with them rather than stuffing the emotions down with food and numbing myself. Once my head was in the right place I started with the program with the surgeon.

That has taken 6 months to get all the tests, evaluations, and insurance approval. They have support groups that I have been attending on a regular basis as well. I am exercising at least an hour a day, 6 days a week. On my day "off" I'm cleaning the six litter boxes in our house and deep clean for the bun rooms, so I'm not lounging. I have seen the program shrink to make sure my food issues are in remission, physical therapist, nutritionist a couple times, pulmonologist, cardiologist, etc. I had to pass a test from the nutritionist and the surgeon. There are monthly education sessions with the weigh ins in addition to the support group speaker.

I have to clarify, I also get 3 juice box sized drinks per day that have the liquid nutrition during that time. I got a bunny shaped ice cube tray so I can make my "meals" as fun as possible

The reason he really wants me to lose more weight before is that it shrinks the liver and other organs. It makes the surgery less likely to have complications. I also think it is partially to make sure I'm willing to do what I'm told, whatever I have to, to make this work. After all, he wants his statistics to look as good as possible. He has a vested interest in my success.

The reason I went with the bypass rather than the band is because I was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year. I read several primary literature studies where they looked at the hormonal changes of the different kinds of surgery. I have the best chances of reversing the diabetes with the bypass. I don't want to die in my 50s or early 60s like the rest of my extended family.

Alma, I LOVE the idea of bring your child to work days! Unfortunately working in a building with chemical laboratories it just wouldn't be safe. I could just see Houdini escaping into the lab.... "hhmmm, what is this cord? *chomp* there goes a million dollar piece of equipment!" My boss would say"Will that be cash or check?"

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Becky would never look good enough to eat. Its Cindi who greatly resembles a marshmellow.

 

[MiniLopHop]

LOL with Houdini being the biggest at 5.5 pounds I don't think I will be eating any of them any time soon.

Cindi does look a lot like a marchmellow when she's in her bunloaf position. It's a good thing she lost her excess 2 pounds or she might be in danger

Fraggles on the other hand.... lots of bun there....

 

[LakeCondo]

When comparing bypass & band, I've seen data that says each has its pluses & minuses.

There was an old cartoon with Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck marooned on a desert island. After awhile they both hallucinated & saw each other on a platter. I think there was some running around with cleavers until somehow they were rescued.

 

[SukisMama]

I don't know if this will help or not, but I've just recently started the optifast program with a weight management clinic. I've been on it for 3 weeks now, and have lost almost 20lbs already. It's a calorie total of 900 per day. It's really not that bad. When you have the low calorie intake, you go into ketosis which causes you to not feel as hungry. It's a lot easier to deal with than you would think. Which is good, considering I have 9 weeks left of this!

Congrats on being approved for the surgery! The liquid diet time will fly by, so don't worry! Like I said, I'm not sure how much this helps, but if you would like to talk about it feel free to message me.

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Fraggles would not taste very good at all. You can have rock lobster though.

 

[ZRabbits]

Wishing you complete success in your surgery. Know a few people who went through it as well, and they did wonderful.

K

 

[Bonnie Lee]

Good Luck with your surgery Brandy!

May I ask what exactly is gastric by-pass?
and is it dangerous? hmm :/

 

[LakeCondo]

You must call it something else in Australia. It's not as dangerous as staying heavy. Surgeons bypass part of the gastric system so there's not much room in the stomach for food.

 

[Ape337]

Good luck Brandy! Wishing you the best :biggrin: