The Great Debate

Well here I am. In the short roads in preparation for a complete and total life change. In just 3 very short days, I begin what forever will change my life. I start the Loser's Bench Boot Camp (Pre-op diet) this Thursday. I have gathered from what the vets say, it is pre op that changes everything, not the surgery itself. Gone forever will be drinking my calories, eating a great deal of carbs such as a nice pot of spaghetti, and those good ole breakfast biscuits.

I have spent the last 2-3 months mentally and physically preparing for this moment. I have mostly sampled protein shakes, and at least replaced 1 meal a day with slim fast. I began to focus on getting at least 64oz of water in daily, and slowing down on soda/sweet tea intake. I also had the wife to work on getting the carbs out of the house either by fixing it, or giving away. I have had a few "food funerals" along the way, but overall I was really ready to go.

Now that I am right there at that moment. Put up or shut up, no turning back once I begin. But here I am debating on how I should spend these last 3 days. The sensible side of me says drink your slim fast and water, then have a sensible dinner tonite. The other side of me is thinking of what I will miss and how to obtain it now. A nice plate of sketti, or a pot of some good ole collard greens sound super nice to me at this point. I know I am not alone in this debate.

How are you or did you handle this moment before your pre op diet began? Did you try to get in every food funeral you can think of, or did you try to prepare yourself and stay sensible and within reason?

I went cold turkey the day my pre-op diet started, which was 2 weeks out.  Up until then I pretty much followed all my usual unhealthy ways.

I enjoyed things beforehand.  I added 5 lbs the month before my preop -- I kind of wish I hadn't, but it was hard not to.  If you gain -- it will just be more to take off later.

I had every food funeral you can imagine right up until 2 days before surgery. In the end, I'm not sure it made much difference either way - I don't think it provided me any lasting emotional comfort that I had *insert here* one last time, but it didn't affect my surgery or post-op success either.  I feel like I have a totally different relationship with food now and it really doesn't make much difference to me what I eat right now. I was a carb ADDICT pre-op, but I have not had more than one bite of anything carb-y since before surgery and have been totally fine with that.

I  just started the preop diet, and sure enough, here on day 3 I am really struggling, probably because its a Monday and I am back at work. Not rushing back to work is looking like a great decision that I made. I was feeling a bit like weasel  for not heading back to work because the first two days were kind of easy. Today I want to eat eat eat!. I had enough coffee already, I will switch to water to get me through until lunch time.

In terms of food funerals, yes I was constantly dressed in black I even had categories: This food I will never have again, this food probably not until maintenance. Even making that distinction did nothing to ease the food funerals.

I can totally see the logic behind a food funeral, but I didn't do it. Okay, wait. I lied. I did the day before I had to stop eating (and take that magnesium citrate, yum) right before surgery. I had a bagel and a burger and fries. I don't regret it. :)

"Gone forever will be drinking my calories, eating a great deal of carbs such as a nice pot of spaghetti, and those good ole breakfast biscuits."

That makes it sound so easy!  There is nothing in this surgery that is magical or will fix any of your habits.  You've got a lot of hard work ahead of you.  

My birthday was during my pre-op diet, so I enjoyed celebrating it the weekend before my liquid diet started.  I ate out with friends and enjoyed everything I got to eat :D  

(For what it's worth, 2.5 months pre-op I started replacing two meals a day with protein shakes, so I wasn't worried that a weekend of indulgence was going to derail me.  And it didn't.)

I sure wi**** was easy, but I'm telling myself those things must be gone so I can have success. It's sure a lot easier said than done, but I know it is something I must do to live.

I tried to stay true to the plan. I only had to be on full liquids for 2 days pre-surgery. I had a few food funerals the month before but not many. My intention was to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner the last night before I went on full liquids and eat whatever indulgent meal I felt like but in the end, I went to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant instead. I had a cup of clam chowder $ surf & turf (fillet mignon, grilled scallops & shrimp with a side of polenta & steamed broccoli) I couldn't fini**** but I enjoyed what I had guilt free knowing I could have made a much more damning decision. So my advice...have a good meal but something that you won't feel bad about. You can have the spaghetti if you want, but eat a small portion you won't feel guilty about.

Best of luck!

I say eat up and enjoy! Gulp down and guzzle water, alcohol, and soda all you want. Eat until you want to explode! And before you eat that plate of food... take a mental note of how much you are about to consume.  Because once you are done with surgery - all that ends.  Just a note though... the more carbs and sugars you put in before the pre-op diet.. the more of a crash you are going to have the first 3 days on it.  But for me, it was worth it, I just knew ahead of time that it was going to be a harder start.  But I was so ready for it because I felt so sick and yucky from all the really bad food choices I made prior to the pre-op diet.  Good luck!