The Date is Set!!!!!!!

Hey everyone I am writing today to share the good news! My date for surgery is finally set!!!!! October 12th 2009 is my day!!!!! I am so excited and nervous and scared all wrapped into one!!! It is now crunch time for me to loose as much weight as I can before surgery to help the surgery go smoothly. I know it sounds funny to have to loose weight for weight loss surgery, but it benefits the surgeon during the operation and also it helps you kick start your new life style.

I have one more pre-op appointment that will happen 2 weeks before the surgery date and then I will be all done with my pre-op requirements.

So everyone mark your calendars for October 12th and check back often for updates on how I am doing post-op, I am hoping to at least post once a day post-op (providing I am feeling well enough) and let you all know how I am doing 'The good, the bad and the ugly" Get ready for no holds barred truth, YIKES!!!!

Talk to you all soon!

The Diet, it's totally do-able!

All right so here is the skinny on the medical diet..... It isn't a bad diet at all!!! It is very simple to follow, there is a bit of measuring but nothing hard. To help me keep things straight I measure all the food out and pack it into individual servings as soon as I get home from the grocery store. This way if I am in a hurry I know if I grab a bag of carrots to eat on the road I know it is the right amount to be one serving. Meal planning is a big help when planning your day, if you make a plan and stick to it it will help you stay on track with your diet. I know if I don't plan out my meals I am more likely to 'just grab something quick" when I am hungry and the "Something quick" is usually not a healthy choice. I personally have to plan out my meals so I don't get a quick fix with junk food, lol!

Here is a short list of some of the things that are on the list of approved foods for the diet, there are more choices but too many to list, also there is portion size you have to follow, this is just a small example of what is on the diet this is NOT the full diet or guidelines:

STARCHES

Dry Cereal, Cooked Pasta, Diet Bread, Cooked Rice, Regular Bread, Bagel, Baked Potato, Roll, Saltine Crackers, Melba Toast, Pretzels

FRUIT

Apple, Orange, Peach, Apricots, Banana, Prunes, Cherries, Grapes, Strawberries, Grapefruit, Melon

VEGETABLES

Asparagus, Cucumber, Radish, Green Beans, Spinach, Broccoli, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Cabbage, Okra, Tomato, Carrots, Onions, Turnips, Cauliflower, Peppers, Zucchini

DAIRY

Skim Milk, 1% Milk, Low-fat Buttermilk, Reduced-fat Yogurt

MEAT

Turkey Breast, Veal, Chicken Breast, Center Cut Pork, Low-fat Lunch Meat, Canadian Bacon, Lean Beef: round, sirloin, tenderloin, roast, ground round, t-bone, Seafood: cod, flounder, trout, halibut, tuna in water, salmon, oysters, Cottage Cheese, Medium Egg, Egg Substitute, Low-fat Cheese

FATS

Margarine, Low-fat Dressing, Mayonnaise, Peanut Butter, Reduced-fat Mayo, Oil – Canola, Olive Oil

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So that is the skinny on my diet, each Doctor will have his own dietitian and diet to follow so diets may vary but this is mine and a good example of what you can expect.

So Close......

I called today to schedule my surgery!!!!! I was so excited to finally be able to set my date. To bad I lost my debit card and couldn't set my appointment with out it, EEERRR!!!! SO I am on hold AGAIN till my new debit card arrives. Right now Dr. Boyce is booked up till Mid-September, by the time my card gets here I am sure he will booked into October. Which is ok, it will give me time to get moved into my new house and get all settled before the big day!

So now it is time to step up my game and follow my diet exactly. I have been kinda following it but now since the surgery is a little over a month away I need to follow it more precisely to get the maximum benefit from it. The good news is I like all the food on the list and there is a good variety to choose from :-) I am still struggling with the liquid part of the diet, it is definitely going to take some getting use to! The deal with the drinks is you have to not have anything to drink for 30 min before a meal no liquid during the meal and nothing to drink for 30 min after you finish eating!!!! I know it is killing me, I am so use to drinking while eating, I think this might be one of the hardest part of my new life style.

For now I will work on my diet and I will keep you all posted to when I get my debit card and FINALY set my surgery date!!!!! It is so close I am getting really excited!!!!