Newbie, RNY scheduled 9/14/11

Hello Everyone! 

I feel like I am not making much progress getting ready for surgery where food changes are concerned.  One of my biggest problems is I tend to not eat at all until later in the day.  One of my to do items from the surgeons list is to start eating at least four times a day.  Not easy.  Am thinking I should just take a big plunge and start protein shakes only now.

I did kick coffee/tea this week (day four and no one in my house has been injured).  Today I got on the elliptical for 15 minutes (not pretty). 

This is really driving me nuts, people who know I am having surgery telling me that I am not big enough to need it.  My co-morbs are not fun to talk about.  My stock answer is I'm bigger than I look and have some medical issues that make it necessary.  Still it ticks me off. 

 I'm getting done on the 14th, too!  I've had a massive ear infection so can't chew very well this week anyway.  I haven't given up coffee yet, in fact I savored it this am.  

Only immediate family knows I'm having surgery.  I'm "only" 210lbs but at 4 ft 11 with almost all the co-morbs except Gerd, I need the surgery.

I have had so many people(including a few workers in the hospital that i had my surgery in) tell me Im not give enough to need the surgery I told them all the same thing , Im bigger then I look.  Im only 5'2 I started at 218 not my heaviest weight but it was always very hard for me to lose weight , i havent been below 200 in prob 15 years.  I havent told anyone of my surgery becuase i dont want to hear their comments, or try to talk me out of it

 Some people can carry extra weight and be healthy.  I know I can't.  I had issues when I was 40 lbs overweight.  I am about 100 over now and feel awful most of the time and my energy is non-existant.  
I've had friends say I'm not all that overweight, but they mean well.

In the end we wouldn't be eligible for surgery if we didn't need it.

WLS is a tool, but a very valuable tool.  If we could do this on our own, we would have lost the weight already and wouldn't need the surgery.  So do the best you can pre-op, and don't worry about jumping in the deep end with only protein shakes now.  By the time you get to surgery and have to deal with the post-op diet, you will be so sick of it, the temptation to cheat will be so much greater.

I am tall and carry a lot more weight than people believe.  When I was thin (eons ago), people didn't believe me when I told them my size or what I weighed.  They thought I was exaggerating...there was "no way" I could weigh that much! 

80 pounds later (100 at my heaviest), I've had friends who have said the same thing to me about my surgery ("You don't look like you weigh enough for that."), but I considered it kind of a compliment.  Honestly, before I started my own research and began thinking seriously about it, I had said or thought the same thing myself at times.  It's just ignorance.  I'm sure most don't mean to be mean or irritating...they just don't know. 

It also shows how much stigma the surgery still has...people honestly believe morbidly obese means about 400 pounds or more.  They don't realize the danger 80-100 pounds adds to most people.

Good luck with your surgery...it's exciting, isn't it?!

Hi I am having RNY on 9/12 so I'll be a couple days ahead of you...friend me if you would like so we can keep in touch...

I haven't lost much (if any) weight pre-op but I have cut WAY back on caffeine so I won't have to deal with headaches from withdrawal.  Gotta start the 2 week liquid diet in another week so I figure I'll have plenty of protein shakes then!  Hope my surgeon won't fuss at me when I meet with him this week!  I have been exercising (recumbent bike) almost every day for 30 minutes so at least that's a step in the right direction. 

I decided not to tell many people especially people at work about my surgery because I didn't want to hear their "expertise" or opinion about what I decide to do with my life!  I figure when they weigh almost 300 lbs then they can talk to me about it.  Most of my close friends and family that do know have been supportive and excited (and a little nervous) for me.  My mom has been apprehensive about the surgery but of all people she is the one that has pressured me to lose weight all my life!  Go figure!  I just quit talking about it to her-my decision not hers and she'll just have to get used to the idea one way or the other.  So don't listen to the negativity from other people-it's not their business anyway!

Good luck to you!