pre op

Hi I am a pre op sleeve pt. struggling a bit with losing weight and quitting smoking at the same time I am doing protien shakes in the morning and I am smoking less but when i crave a smoke I want to eat  when i crave food I want a smoke Help!!!!

I'm sorry you're struggling! Thankfully I didn't have to struggle with quitting smoking while on the pre op diet, I can imagine that's not easy. What else are you eating other than the protein shakes in the morning? Is it an all liquid diet? Good luck to you, you're almost there!

no I am still having regular meals at lunch and dinner smaller portions also I find that most of my calories come from beverages sweet tea coffee but i stll crave wings and beer and the stuff i would normally eat

Every Dr. plan is different in number of weeks on the pre op diet prior to surgery as well as what you can and can't eat. Most are about 2 weeks and heavy on liquid protein drinks. Are you able to cut out the sweet drinks and substitute water? I also wasn't allowed caffeine prior to surgery. I know this is very difficult and different than what we're used to eating/drinking. But it's very important to make the changes now and stick to it as much as you can so you can have the surgery. Do you have a surgery date set yet? You can do this, one day at a time, one meal at a time. I found keeping very busy helped as well.

What are you doing to help with the smoking? I quit several years ago by using nicotine lozenges - I can't imagine trying ot tackle smoking and dieting at the same time. If you're not using nicotine replacement, I'd really recommend trying it. It's not an easy process but if it's required by your surgeon, you'll need to buckle down and do it. The first week or two is the hardest.

Mary,

I had to quit smoking to have this surgery. It was hard but I went cold turkey on July 5th. I bought Nicorette mints but never used them. I didn't quit eating at the same time though. In fact, I gained 7 lbs the first month. I cried because of the weight gain and flunked my psych evaluation. I had to go back for further counseling. I was mad because I felt they were punishing me for quitting smoking. I think it's normal to gain when you quit. Anyway my motivation for quitting was this surgery. I know I would be still smoking if I didn't want this surgery so badly. I went for walks, chewed on straws, and drank a lot of tea! The weight loss center made me pass 2 carbon monoxide tests. They say it is dangerous to go under the anesthesia as a smoker and smoking slows down healing so we really don't have a choice. I have known all my life that smoking is a really bad habit but always loved smoking and thought it kept me from eating so much! LOL! Good luck. Don't give up. If you have time try to quit the smoking first then lose weight for preop. Wish you the best!