Pre-Op Diet - Day 7

Had another fab day with our friends and their kids! Today we went to a local farm, played with the goats and bunnies, walked through sunflower fields and picked blackberries :) It was probably one of the last few sunny weekends of the year and I'm glad we had some great company to enjoy it with.

In terms of the diet, today I had like half an egg for breakfast (tiny piece from the omelet I made for the others) and 2 tablespoons of dry fried extra lean beef mince (took some for myself before I added beans and tomatoes etc to turn it into chili con carne for the others) and fat-free yogurt and a couple of mini gherkins (not sweet). I didn't have dinner, just tea and a pot of weightwatchers yogurt.

So, here's what happened this weekend: I failed.

It was hard to resist and I couldn't resist. I cooked 4 big meals for 6 people this weekend and I just couldn't do the milk/yogurt diet and I decided I would have some food with them and continue my milk/yogurt diet Monday onwards, without failing.

So did I ruin the whole pre-op diet? I don't think so. See, I actually only needed to do the milk/yogurt diet for the last 2 weeks before my operation. I was going to be on a high protein, low carb and low fat diet aiming for around (preferably less than) 1000 kcal a day. I did that for a week but because of my own worries, went on the pre-op diet a week too early so that I could lose the amount of weight I needed to before the operation. So within my 1-month pre-op plan, I did 1 week of this low carb high protein diet, followed by 5 days of milk/yogurt, 2 days (this weekend) of pretty much protein-only and my next 2 weeks (starting tomorrow) will be the proper milk pre-op diet.

I don't think I had anywhere near 1000 kcal a day this weekend so I will not worry, I'll be grateful for the lovely weekend I had and not ruin it for myself. My husband said he was very proud of me (yay) because not only I cooked yummy food for the others the whole weekend, I ate tiny amounts myself and didn't go anywhere near the naughty stuff.

09:00 am -  Soya latte
10:00 am - 1/2 scrambled egg (no fat)
14:00 pm - Latte
16:00 pm - Dry fried extra lean beef mince with onions and Total 0% fat yogurt
18:00 pm - Blueberry green tea
19:00 pm - Pint of squash
21:00 pm - Weightwatchers peach yogurt
22:00 pm - 1/2 litres of water

Tomorrow onwards, I will be having nothing but my milk/yogurt allowance plus the Oxo cube :)

Pre-Op Diet - Day 6

What a beautiful day we had today! It was sunny and lovely, we ordered my new car and had a great time with our friends :)

We woke up early to go for a test drive and it was great, I loved it, my husband loved it and before I knew it we were signing papers! I'd better live and drive my new car, hehe :)

Then we came home and our friends arrived to stay for the weekend. I cooked them a late lunch - chicken and stir fried veg wrap - and I had 2 small strips of chicken breast (dry fried, no skin). Not really feeling guilty as I've been good first half of the day and all I had was a bite of chicken for lunch and half a salmon fillet for dinner. Oh yes, I also had a piece of salmon :p

We went out for a long walk in the park after lunch, it was a bit cold but beautiful. Got back home, had dinner, put the children in bed and had a nice long chat.

Time to go to bed now but looking forward to taking the kids to the farm tomorrow to play with bunnies and goats and stuff :))

 08:00 am - Decaf coffee made with 300ml lacto-free semi skimmed milk
11:45 am - Slim Fast ready-made banana shake
13:30 pm - Weightwatchers squash
14:30 pm - Decaf coffee made with 300ml soya milk
16:00 pm - 40g dry fried chicken breast + 75g mixed green veg
18:00 pm - Latte
20:00 pm - 1/2 fillet of salmon + green salad
22:00 pm - Pint of squash

Not even a bit worried about the food situation either. I will get back to my milk and yogurt on Monday!

Night night x

Pre-Op Diet - Day 5

Uh oh... I think we have a problem... I spent half the day in toilet with severe diarrhea and it began shortly after I had a pint of Slim Fast in the morning, made with semi skimmed milk and 2 scoops from the tin. Good thing I was working from home today, I don't want to even begin to imagine being at work!

I couldn't even sip water until 4ish in the afternoon, didn't feel like it. Then I popped out to get myself a variety of lacto-free, soya and oat milks, plus food shopping for the weekend guests - that's another story. I did manage a big mug of coffee (decaf of course) made with hot soya milk. It was lovely and soothed my gurgling insides a bit. That filled me up but I made myself eat a pot of yogurt so I have something thicker than milk. The rest of the day was fine, I had lots of soya milk with coffee and it tastes much nicer than actual milk and I didn't have to run to the loo half an hour after I had it. I also tried some oat milk. Obviously I didn't expect it to taste like porridge but I wish it did, haha. I had the oat milk on its own, cold, it was rather tasty.

I also got myself a pair of slippers for the hospital :) 1 more thing to check off the list!

Right, weekend guests. It's one of those very close friends who you can't see very often as everyone have their own busy lives in different cities 3 hours drive apart. I visited her 3-4 months ago when she was about to pop her second baby and now she's visiting me with her husband and two kids. I love her 2 year old boy and haven't met the baby yet so really looking forward to their visit. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the food...

This was supposed to be my last weekend before the actual milk diet began so I was assuming I could eat food. Not a lot, nothing fatty, no carbs but decent protein and veg. Nothing goes as planned and I started the milk diet a week earlier than. I thought about postponing their visit but I really miss them and want to spend some quality time with them. So I decided to brave it.

I planned good, healthy meals for them, made a shopping list and did not buy one extra item as all the leftovers will be chucked after they leave on Sunday. I'll make chicken wraps for lunch and bake salmon fillets for dinner with onion, pepper and mushrooms plus potatoes for Saturday. Sunday morning I'll make a nice omelet for breakfast. I have to admit, I chose this menu so maybe I could pick a teeny tiny bit on the chicken, salmon and the eggs... Naughty I know but if I'll lose it and put a solid piece of food in my mouth this weekend, I'll make sure it's pure protein.

I wrote about my feelings about a new car last weekend - I didn't feel like committing to anything new before I have my surgery and recover alright. But my husband arranged a test drive for tomorrow morning and if I like it, looks like I'll get a new car! Probably there's a waiting list and hopefully it can be a "changed my life and I recovered from surgery" present for me :)

I still haven't been able to consume 3.5 litres of liquids per day, 3 pints of which should be milk, can't have that much milk either...

Today I had:

07:30 am - 1/2 pint of Weightwatchers NAS* squash
08:30 am - Weightwatchers peach yogurt
10:45 am - 300ml semi skimmed milk + 2 scoops of Slim Fast banana
11:30 am - Decaf coffee with 150ml semi skimmed milk
16:00 pm - Decaf coffee made with 300ml soya milk
16:30 pm - Weightwatchers raspberry yogurt
18:30 pm - Decaf coffee made with 300ml soya milk
19:30 pm - 300 ml oat milk
20:00 pm - Mullerlight raspberry yogurt
21:00 pm - Oxo cube in hot water

What will I do tomorrow, how will I do tomorrow... A bit worried but I'm determined to do my best :) x

Pre-Op Diet - Day 4

I turned my laptop on just a few minutes ago to write here and noticed what day it is, turned to my husband and said: "It's only Day 4!" and he said "What do you mean only day 4, you say yaaaay it's day 4" and added "you're alive, I'm alive, you haven't killed anyone yet"... I suppose he's right, I'm absolutely fine :) Just a bit fed up with milk and can't meet my daily allowance.

Walking to work was much better today as it didn't rain for the first time this week and it was even sunny on the way back. The only problem I had so far was the sudden nausea half way to work this morning. I think it's because I took my multivitamins on an empty stomach and the brisk walk didn't help. I had to pause for a couple of minutes, took deep breaths and carried on, it was fine in a few minutes.

The other thing I must note is my constantly gurgling stomach. I'm not hungry at all and my stomach isn't gurgling because it's empty - it's just full of liquids. And the liquids come out as liquid also. So far, since day 2, bowel movements twice a day and always liquid. If there's anyone reading this and you think it's too much information, sorry! But I think, if I was in the research stage, I would want to know.

I'm a tiny bit worried that I might have a slight lactose intolerance. I never had any problems because I hardly ever consumed milk! I used to have my tea very strong with a drop of milk and my coffee black. And I didn't really need to use milk anywhere else for any reason. Next time I go shopping (or send the darling husband) I'll get lacto-free milk and see if it makes any difference.

Did some more shopping today at lunch time. Got two nighties from Evans, I didn't have one, I usually sleep with just a t-shirt. I really liked these though, lovely soft to the touch. I made sure they are short-sleeved (for the IV) but couldn't decide if I should get them knee-length or long. Not too keen on showing my tree trunks but I decided to go for the knee-length in the end as it's easier lift up to access the dressings, plus I will be wearing anti-embolism stockings. I looked everywhere but I couldn't find a nice, soft, thin, jersey dressing gown/wrap, all they had was waffle gowns, fluffy ones (I have two of these), towel ones etc, maybe it's the season. When I got home, I found and ordered a lovely M&S jersey dressing gown on eBay (new, not used) and a soft bra as all my bras are wired.

I think my hospital bag is pretty much complete. I just need a pair of slippers (I only have flip flops but can't wear those with compression stockings), liquid ibuprofen, liquid co-codomol (does is even exist?!) and chewable multivitamins.

Right... food... or milk, whatever:

09:15 am - Weightwatchers apricot yogurt
09:45 am - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
10:30 am - Glass of water (~200ml)
11:30 am - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
12:30 pm - Glass of water (~200ml)
14:30 pm - Slim Fast raspberry shake
15:00 pm - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
16:30 pm - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
18:30 pm - Weightwatchers cherry yogurt
19:30 pm - Slim Fast banana shake
21:00 pm - Oxo cube in hot water
22:00 pm - Ice lolly made with frozen squash

Total today:
1.8 pints milk (half semi-skimmed, half skimmed in Slim Fast ready-made shakes)
2 yogurts

Forgot to weigh myself today. Hope I lost some more. Will hop on the scales in the morning...

Can it be the 15th of October yet please? x

Pre-Op Diet - Day 3

It wasn't the headache that woke me up this morning but the cat purring and rubbing his nose to my cheek :))) Adorable little bastard, waking me up at 6!

I promised myself to walk to work and back every day this week and although it was pissing down, I managed to walk. Had a raincoat on and an umbrella, still got soaked - trousers got wet half way up to my knees! Luckily, walking back was fine, no rain, just wet trees and street.

As I don't eat lunch anymore, I spent my lunch hour shopping today! I know my op is still more than 2 weeks away but I went to Boots anyway and stocked up stuff for my hospital bag. I've been reading others' packing lists on WLSurgery.com forums and compiled mine up:

• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Shampoo
• Shower gel
• Deodorant 
• Hair brush
• Hair clips
• Hand cream for my eczema, it flares up when stre
• Lip balm - Vaseline Aloe Vera and also E45 in case I can't stomach the smell on the day
• Dry mouth spray - Boots expert as recommended
• Wet wipes
• Wind relief tablets - I got Wind-eze as these were the only chewable tablets I saw
• Peppermint tea for wind (not sure I need this at the hospital but got some anyway)
• Soluble paracetamol
• Liquid ibuprofen
• Extra pair of socks and pants (100% cotton)
• Dressing gown
• Nightie and PJs, I'll decide whichever is better on the day
• Soft bra
• Clothes for the next day
• Towel
• Hot water bottle
• Laptop and charger and/or iPad plus charger and earphones
• Pillow for the car journey back home

Still missing some bits and bobs but I have plenty of time to get everything before the 15th of October.

Ok back to today's milk and yogurt:

09:00 am - Glass of water (~200ml)
09:30 am - Weightwatchers strawberry yogurt
10:30 am - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
11:45 am - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
12:30 pm - Blueberry green tea
13:15 pm - Glass of water (~200ml)
13:45 pm - Decaf coffee with milk (100ml semi skimmed)
15:00 pm - Slim Fast vanilla shake (ready-made bottle)
16:00 pm - Glass of water (~200ml)
16:15 pm - Cup of decaf tea with a dash of milk
16:45 pm - Glass of water (~200ml)
20:00 pm - Oxo cube in hot water
I made a shake with a pint of milk, a pot of Mullerlight banana custard yogurt, a drop of vanilla, a teaspoon of Splenda and loads of ice. It tripled in quantity and I had this throughout the evening

Total:
~ 2 pints of milk
2 yogurts

Scared of the headache coming back, I drank lots of water too :)

One thing I have to add - mind you, it might be too much information - you need to remember that if something comes in as liquid, it goes out as liquid too! Enough said... x

Pre-Op Diet - Day 2

If I summed up today in one word, it would be 'headache'... Is this ketosis? I suppose it is, I've been googling it like mad all day and not just the headaches but the dizziness plus the pressured feeling in my head and the nausea, I have it all.

If I was at home today, I would have spent the day in bed no doubt but being at work, it was difficult to concentrate. Although I can't imagine being at home either, working kept my mind off food...

Headache was the worst. I woke up with it and it just stayed with me all day. Around 4pm I was getting tearful because even painkillers didn't help. Then I drank 2 glasses of water before I left the office 5ish and walked back home. I was sure it would be worse after the walk but in fact it was quite the opposite. When I got home it was gone, phew!

I didn't feel hungry today but the milk made me a little sick. I couldn't finish my second cup of milky coffee and I hit nowhere near 3 pints of milk today. I checked with my patient care coordinator and she said it was ok to have less.

Although I didn't really feel like it, I thought I should try the oxo cube and prepared myself one by melting a cube in hot water. Took one sip and it was bliss :))) I must have really needed something savory!

So here is my day:

08:00 am - Weightwatcher's cherry yogurt
09:00 am - Blueberry green tea
10:00 am - Decaf coffee with 100ml semi skimmed milk, topped with hot water
11:30 am - Blueberry green tea
12:30 pm - Slim Fast cafe latte shake
13:00 pm - Blueberry green tea
15:00 pm - Muller Light banana & custard yogurt
16:00 pm - Decaf coffee with 100ml semi skimmed milk, topped with hot water (could only have half)
19:30 pm - Oxo cube in a mug of hot water
20:00 pm - Slim Fast rich chocolate shake
21:30 pm - Weightwatchers nectarine yogurt

Total:
2 pints of milk (some with shake, some in coffee)
3 yogurts
1 oxo cube

I was dreading the milk diet but now I think I'll be ok :) x

Pre-Op Diet - Day 1

So we're skipping my last week of normalcy and starting the pre-op milk diet today. Here's how I got here:

I had a nightmare last night...

We drive to the hospital on the day of my operation and get lost in the car park. We go it in and a male nurse asks for a ridiculous amount of money for a wheelchair and I tell him I don't need a wheelchair, I'm perfectly fine walking, thank you.

They give me plastic (!) clothes to wear and they don't fit so I decide I'll wear my own stuff but I can't find them in my bag, it's full of hair! Apparently I cut my hair and put it in... I touch my head and feel my hair, it's still long, all there, phew.

Meantime, as I lose so much time fussing about, the surgical team is running around looking for me in their scrubs lol. They drag me to the op and I can't even say goodbye to my loved ones.

I woke up at this point in tears...

As of this morning I lost 6 pounds but I still have a stone to lose to get below 50 BMI and I'm panicking! Really bricking it... what if I can't lose enough weight in time, what if they say they can't operate on the day of the surgery, what if I lose all that money I paid...

My sensible side says, if I lost 6 lbs in first week while still eating solid food, I really should be able to lose the remaining amount which makes less than 5 pounds a week, especially where people lose an average of a stone with the milk diet alone. I have another week as my advantage.

I'm such a wuss, I panicked and I rang my patient coordinator again. She said for your peace of mind, why don't you start the milk diet now and I agreed.

Hopefully this will help and I don't even care about not eating food for 3 weeks as long as I can get the operation in the end - such a good motivator!

I already had breakfast and lunch by the time I rang Emma so I skipped the snacks I had planned and went shopping after work and stocked on Slim Fast shakes, milk, Oxo cubes etc.

I cooked one last dinner for my husband (stir fry chicken and veg) and announced there will no longer be food in this house until after a few weeks after my surgery :) Him being him, his response was nothing but supportiveness - I do love my husband very much!

My total was around 750 kcal today. Much less than the week before but I'm not feeling hungry at all. I'm just so scared I won't lose enough, I don't feel like eating at all.

I talked to my mum today. Now this is interesting because when I first told her I was going to get a gastric band fitted, she panicked and told me all about the horror stories she read... thanks mum! Over the weeks of my research, I shared my findings with her to put her mind at ease but she wasn't really convinced. Like me, she's terrified of general anesthesia - where do we get this from, no idea. Not that we know anyone who had a bad experience or anything... Anyway, when she rang me today, after I told her how I'm doing and what I'm worried about and what I'm looking forward to and what I'm not really looking forward to, she told me she's never seen me as determined and she thinks I'll succeed this time.

It was lovely to hear my mum tell me this - the same mum who a couple of weeks ago refused to talk to me because I was signing up to kill myself, lol. Probably she did more research and got slightly convinced - not entirely but it's a great progress!

The thing is, I want my mum... Much as I love my husband and I have no doubt he'll look after me just fine after the op as he always does whenever I'm sick, I still want my mum more than anyone by my side. This is rather unfair, she's 60 something, not in the greatest shape, especially with that problematic knee. Plus if she came down to stay with us, it means leaving my dad alone for a week or so. He's not in his best shape either, I'd rather she stayed with him and I didn't worry about either one of them.

So the plan is, the husband will be with me for 3 days (he can't get more time off work, sadly) then my in-laws and two friends will cover the rest of the week. It wouldn't be like my husband or mum of course but I'm grateful they offered help, I really appreciate it.

But I'm bloody scared! I'm scared I can't wipe my ass on my own for a while after the surgery! Eeeek!

I don't tolerate pain well and I'm dreading the wind pain and the general kicked in the stomach feeling. I really don't know in what mood I'll be. If I'll be all irritated, annoyed and frustrated, I'd rather not have anyone else with me I suppose. But being alone would make me more frustrated perhaps? I don't know anything, all I know is that I want my mum in a selfish way but I don't want her to come in a sensible way... She wants to come too but I told her not to... We'll see...

This is a pessimistic day for me, I know. Like I said before, there is a big emotional aspect of this procedure and I suppose it's normal to have ups and downs through the way.

I feel like I won't miss food much in this 3-week period as I'm working towards a goal but I'll miss fizzy drinks!