Starting my pre-op diet early...

Happy Monday!  I don't have to start my real pre-op diet for another week but I decided to start today so I can get into the right mindset.  It's just lowcarb, lowfat, small portions diet. I got my surgery date last week and I'm not as excited as I thought I would be.  When I got my insurance approval, I was so excited! I was calling all my friends and family and I started crying because I was so happy.  Now... eh, not so much.  I think the stress of work and money and the effort it has taken to get here has put a damper on my excitement.  Hopefully, as it gets closer and closer, I'll start getting more excited about everything.

This month is definitely going to be difficult. I'm already having to tell myself NO and stop thinking about food as I'm sitting here working.  I took my stepson to school this morning and thought how yummy it would be to drive through Duncan Donuts and get a coffee... and maybe something else.  Didn't do that though, went straight home.  Then I just looked at the clock and it's noon here and thought about the pizza leftover from last night. Again, had to put that out of my head.  This next month is definitely going to be a struggle... But I am telling myself if I start changing my eating habits now, it might be a bit easier after the surgery.  Do you agree?  If I "detox" from my trigger foods and junk food now, do you think it will help in the whole process? Anything I can do to make the post op experience a little easier would be great! 

Absu-freaking-lutely!! Heck YES. You have the right mind set. Stay away from the NO-NO's and concentrate on the other really good low carb low fat low sugar foods you can have. There is so much you can find on the web for those type of foods and recipes. You have already demonstrated will power and discipline and I am sure you can stick to it. 

Good luck.

Hugs,

Rita

Thanks Rita!  I am trying not to think about this as something that will happen in a month and then I'll change.  If I can go ahead and change my thinking now, maybe it won't be so bad when I am stuck at home drinking water and chicken broth all day! :-)

Thanks for the support!!

Starting a low carb plan is a great way to get moving.  Maybe this week don't worry so much about the portion sizes, just try to really focus on when you start to feel full -- protein makes you full pretty quickly!   And do what you are doing now -- avoiding foods that you know are high carb/high fat, and won't have a very big place in your new world!

My preop was low carb (and I'd done Atkins before), and the good thing is that it helped me get used to entering all my food in a food tracker again!  Lots of people here use My FItness Pal, so I used that.  I had used Fitday before, and like that fine too. 

Seeing all the stats on exactly what you are eating is very eye-opening.  So if you haven't done that before, I'd definitely encourage to do it!  And it's a huge help post-op when you are trying to figure out how in the world to get all your protein in!

Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Great idea!  When I read your post, it reminded me that I have a food diary buried in a box of old books that I had only used about two pages of on a previous diet attempt! I just pulled it out and wrote down what I have eaten so far today.  I signed up for MyFitnessPal yesterday but I think I'll stick to the old fashioned way for a little bit and then I'll move to online.  Tracking my food definitely helps.  I used to do weigh****chers and I would go online and track my points.  When I stopped being motivated to do that, it was usually a sign that I was about to fall off the wagon!

Thanks for the help!

It sounds as if your mind is wanting to torture you...:) rebuke that! Sounds as if  you are already in good mind set.... I am now 5 days post op and honestly, I'm still getting hungry. I was expecting not to be hungry. But reality hit. However, it's ok. I need to feel. It's all change. I've learned to eat right, I've learned that it's ok to struggle. I'm a work in progress and I can do this....

I wasn't really excited about my surgery either. Now that I did it, the excitement is here! I already feel better, food has always made me feel bad....either eating too much or the wrong things or just feeling yuk b/c it's junk in my body.....I already feel so much better and I'm looking forward to looking better. You will too. Change is good girl! If you can start your pre op now....do it. it's only going to benefit you. You have so many supporters right here on this site! They have literally saved my sanity!  Best of luck to you and happy losing!

Glad to know that I'm not the only one that isn't excited as I thought I would be about this surgery.  And I know exactly how you feel about junk food making you feel so bad. In the past 6 months or so, my eating has been out of control and I have gained weight fast and I feel horrible.  I know that in just a week or two, even if I haven't lost much weight, I'll still feel 100% better because of the food I will be eating.  I wish that was motivation enough by itself to eat better but my food addiction is much stronger.

SO ready for a change!! Thanks for your reply!

I am currently battling carbs while I wait for a date.  I have started to think of carbs like cocaine.  I like them, but I cant' have them or I'll just go overboard.  The longer I go without them, the easier it gets, but trust me--I would like nothing more than a giant plate of carbs right now!

Well, obviously that's not true or I'd be eating them.  I guess I'd like to get my surgery and have the transition go well more than the giant plate of carbs!

I totally understand, though.  I have asked everyone NOT to send holiday treats to my home, I'm not really baking this year, and I try to have low carb stuff with me at all times.  I'm not doing the small portions/low fat, etc. yet because I think the carbs is about all I can handle without an end date in sight!

It definitely does help to know that this is just a month that I have to do this alone and then I will have a tool to help me stay on track.  I can do anything for 30 days right?  I definitely am addicted to food and carbs especially so food is like a drug to me, more than alcohol or any other drug could ever be.  It does get easier to not eat them once I have been off them for awhile but I always want them... no matter what.  It's going to be a lifelong struggle with my food addiction, I know that.

Thanks for the encouragement.  Good luck on your journey!

I started doing away with sweets, cokes, and caffeine months before I started my actual diet for the surgery and am soooooo thankful that I did.  It hasn't been a struggle for me at all to stay on the diet.  My liquid intake pre surgery was at least a 100oz a day of non caloric, non caffeine, non carbonated liquids.  After surgery it has been the goal of 64 or more everyday.  I can honestly say I have not been hungry one time. The liquids make me so full all the time.   I am 34 days today of no food at all.  Jello was the only thing I (ate) swallowed if you want to call sugar free jello food.  lol  I call it torture.  I went to my first party Sat night and wasn't even tempted.  Actually, I drank two protein shakes on my way there. It was an hour drive. Which turned out to be a great idea because I was completely full and  the smell of the food was not even appetizing to me.  I must say though I have two weeks left and I am getting pretty tired of the shakes.  I think they may completely turn me against chocolate forever.