advice needed please

Hello Everyone!!  I am new here but wanted to ask a couple of questions... I am having a difficult time with the pre-op diet------ headaches from no caffeine, severe cravings for breads and sweets, and major weakness and fatigue!!   Then i give in and have to start all over again.  I have done all my pre-op testing and am now waiting for insurance approval but i am wondering if i can do this surgery if i cant get the pre-op diet going correctly.  Can anyone give me tips or please tell me how long the "withdrawal" lasts?  I think maybe if i had a date it would motivate me but the waiting is horrible too! Any advice here would be helpful!! Thanks in advance for helping me.

What if instead of stopping and starting you take things step at a time?  in other words if you drink coffee every morning cut back on the amount..poor a half cup then poor the rest down the drain so you are not tempted..maybe even make that cup to go so you again are not tempted..if you are out what if you ask them to give you half decaf and half regular  then eventually 3/4 decaf little caffeine..until it's all decaf.....my father did this all the time..he was never told no when ask to mix in a restaurant..even driing through McDonalds! as for sweets..limit yourself to something like fruits rather than junk sweets..perhaps a cup of orange juice or a few pieces of mellon.. We have lived this lifestyle all our lives, it's impossible to give it up cold turkey...though many of us had no choice..and the surgery will help you get through the first few weeks.  Compliance is the key but perfection isn't always the reality.   Never think of yourself as a failure because of a struggle.  Keep plugging at it --just keep thinking of  ways to replace the things you can't have with something healthy ...you can do it...DON"T GIVE UP!!!

Thanky -so much!  When i went to meet with the nutritionist, she explained the diet and pretty much sent you home to get started!  I was told to only have 30 carbs a day and given a list of things i could eat without worry.  I have started on crystal lite and sugar free popcicles.  I am eating a meat and vegetables for my meals but i feel like i am missing something.... my bread and potatoes!  I will start to feel sick without some kind of carbs but then when i give in and have something i feel sick because i havent been having them!  I am mostly keeping with the plan but when i get the caffeine headaches i feel i have no choice but to have some soda.  I have decided that , for health reasons, I must have the surgery and will do what ever i have to because i am too young to feel this bad!  and i am at the point in my life that i know something has to give or i dont feel i will be able to continue on!  I keep telling myself that if i concentrate on 1 meal at a time i will get through this!  I hope that's right and that soon i will have my caffeine and carb withdrawals finished!   

Going off of caffeine was hard for me, but I had the headache for only a few days and then it went away.  I took tylenol for the headache, and that helped some.  I also tried to get plenty of sleep and take good care of myself for those couple of days.  Once the need for caffeine was out of my system, I stated making other dietary changes.  I didn't try to do too much at once. I haven't had caffeine since May 2006, and now I don't miss it at all. Good luck. Kathy