My head is not in the game!!

I am on my pre-op diet and have surgery on Oct. 20th. I have these thoughts like "I will never be able to eat this again" so I want to cram it in before surgery. I am setting myself up to fail and doing a really horrible job with my pre op diet. Did anyone else do poorly with preop and then do fantastic post op?

I have been gearing up for this surgery for 4 years and am so ready but am having last minute anxiety, is this normal?

this is totally normal. I went through the same thing. Now looking back I feel silly - because you technically can still eat the foods you enjoyed pre-surgery just in much smaller quantites - granted you do have to give them up the first 2-3 months due to healing. I am 3 months out and food tastes and smells different - it is odd how some things that were triggers before are no long appealing. I also got really nervous right before surgery - since it was my first surgery and all that. Trust yourself and your surgeon and you will be fine. follow all their instructions to the letter for the most optimal healing! good luck to you!!

It's post like this that remind of how grateful I am that all I had to do was low carb/high protein diet for 1 week before surgery.

Anyways, food funerals are normal, they aren't conducive, but they happen. I had one, it was farewell food tour. . . I didn't gain or lose any weight, my liver looked great doing the low carb thing.

Rest assured, you'll be able to eat everything your little heart desires once you're at goal, and adjisting to life post-op ! ! !

I had fajitas today for lunch with sour cream, guacamole, chicken, onions, salsa, beans and rice ! ! ! Yep, it was 1 fajita, 6 little strips of chicken all together, a couple Tbsp of beans 1 tbsp of rice, and hoards of sour cream and salsa, but it was perfect ! ! !

Post-op is much different. It's not a matter of wanting food. It's a pure safety and decrease risk of complications by following the post-op diet progression. There's NO other option but to stick to plan once you lose 85% of your stomach.

I am having a super hard time with my pre-op diet too. I totally feel your pain. I try so hard to stick to liquids all day, but when i see something extra good, i feel like im never going to eat it again and will have a bite

still working through the demons..

LOL, don't eat.  My NUT said the purpose for the liquid pre-op is to get your liver to shrink.  I guess the tip of the liver covers an area where your surgeon is going to have to work.  Be strong.
You and I are going in on the same day.  Much success.

From what I've read it's a normal feeling.. and it seems from what I see to have no real effect on success post op. Now as you get close to surgery as you are, the pre-op diet has a singular purpose, to de-slick the liver by using up the glycogen on it.. this is done by staying very very low-carb. Don't mess around and pack in the carbs now.. it would not be smart. The head issues that are behind the cravings/mourning are far more important to work on.. that has a huge impact on post-op success..

I want to share what went through my head, maybe it will help? I was trying to get in a better place physically, and clean up my edges food-wise, before I started my pre-op diet (which like USAFwife was solids, just no carbs for a week.)

I realized long before the pre-op diet that I was NOT saying goodbye forever to any of the foods I liked.. if you get triggered by certain foods, this may or may not apply, you will have to work on your own food issues obviously as surgery is just a very small part of this game.. but for me, it was just saying good bye for now.. I would see those foods in much smaller quantities after goal if I wished, as a treat.

I did have a few meals over a couple months time where I ate things I knew I wouldn't eat for a good long while.. had a great order of fish & chips, a fabulous salted bagel & cream cheese, raw oysters (had these twice)- while they are great for you, I was afraid of the chew chew chew deal.. and had never had them before.. found out I love them.. I had sushi rolls, and threw down my NY style pizza one more time.. but all in moderation, and still lost weight during that period. So, no real food funerals, just little visits!

Right now, focus on your pre-op diet, you are very close to your date. Get some good books out on food issues if you feel like it and start working on that aspect (if you haven't already.. I noted you said you've been gearing up for 4 years, so you may well be very prepared.) Most of all- keep reading and researching this surgery, life after WLS, and what to expect and lay some plans down so you are prepared when you hit some of the usual stressors of cravings, stalls, gains, and possible hunger. It's worth it, but it is work. Good luck!

Gearin up for 4 years for this surgery?  I was kinda gearin up for it for over 15 years!! just getting older and fatter and sicker.....till I got that OFFICIAL diabetes II diagnosis that lit a candle under my deuce n a half ass.

My 2 week pre-op liquid diet went HORRIBLE...was on vile meal replacement Bariatric Advantage protein supps.....not same as regular protein supps...meal replacements ok! VILE 

Doin ok...pluggin along DAY 5 comes .....gettin ready to list a house for sale out of state...went LOCO at a restuarant that evening...I think I ordered the whole side of one page and 1/2 page of dessert section.....Next morning from hotel...in a glycemic stupor type hangover...called my Nut...crying like a blithering idiot...confessed my sins the night before.....she was pissed...but not quite as angry as I figured...she basically said...TO CHEAT WAS EXPECTED to GAIN WEIGHT WAS NOT!!.....phew!! close one....blew the snot outta my nose, cleaned up the Alice Cooper eyes...and on with LIQUID PRE-OP DIET!!  Did great till DAY 10!!  .....once again...out of state at a resturant ordered sumthing...then chocolate hot nastiness sumthin..  once again...called NUT next am...thinkin Ive really f'd up now, I need a shrink not surgery, why am I screwin this up...for sure they will cancel my surgery.... This time NUT wasn't very happy at all....basically told me to QUIT ****** around and get my head straight or forget about surgery....that's the way I heard it anyway......I was wheeled into OR 4 days later and had an uneventful surgery!

Moral of story.....DO the best YOU can.
IF you 'cheat' stick with PROTEIN ONLY  nuthin else.  yer liver will STILL shrink, them abdominal fat pads will STILL  shrink on top of and around yer stomach n liver, you'll still be in ketsosis...
Keep in touch with yer nut...throughout for moral support, this board even...majority of us have  BTDT...GO THRU EACH of THESE VSG STAGES/PHASES....this is by far the most difficult phase of VSG...next is post surgical recovery week......
I lost 12 pounds pre surg....and 80 within 7 months post op.    Can't remember sayin losing that much, that soon....ever! even durin my speed freakin phen-fen days!  

Yer gonna be OK!!   Hang in there....we're rootin for ya!

I won't lie.  I ate at every single one of my favorite restaurants (three times each) up until the day before my pre-op diet.  By the last day of my binging, absolutely nothing tasted good to me.  I really couldn't believe it!  But I'm happy I did.  I'm on day 11 of my liquids and surprisingly, I've already lost 15 pounds.  I detest the protein drinks but I'm doing it.  Surgery is on Thursday the 13th and despite my anxiety, I know this is the best thing for me.  Put your mind to it and you can do it!  You'll be fine.

I did horrible pre-op unfortunately because I was thinking about food like I was going to lose it forever.  I am now 3 months post op and I don't think of food the way I did before surgery it was a life altering thing and something my brain had to go through to teach me to make better choices.   I think I do great post-op.  I now work out 5 to 6 days a week for an hour. and my food choices are so much better, so much so that I don't crave bread, nor do I crave chocolate or sweets or pop anymore.  My life is much better post surgery then it was when I was a slave to my food.. Now I am in control of my food and my food does not control me. :)

Last minute anxiety is normal :) everyone has  it because it's a way of life we don't know yet.  But you will and you will be happier for taking the steps to a healthier you :) Good luck.

It's great to hear this from both sides of the surgery. I had to go to a team lunch thing yesterday the meal was gormet pizza and desert was a huge hot out of the oven chocolate chip cookie ala mode. I just sat there and didn't eat anything but when I got back, man was I pissed. Wrote an angry email to my wife about how much this sucks and that helped and her supportive response helped even more.