Welcome to the group.
Congratulations on your decision to get healthy. Follow your plan to the letter and it will work great.
I had an RNY Dec of 2012. It was the best thing medically I ever did. I have been very fortunate not to have any complications. I heard all the horror stories. I think the vast majority of us have no problems.
I bought a little book at the grocery check out. It lists carbs, calories and what not of about anything. I would expect that your surgeon will supply something too. Mine actually has a book they published and give to each patient.
Best of luck to you.

Welcome!! I'm glad you found us!! I had my roux-en-y (RNY) in 2010. Best thing I ever did for myself. I didn't have to count calories on my pre-op so I don't have any help for you there... but I'm sure someone will chime in with some advice.

Looking forward to celebrating your loss!!

JJ

Hi Hannah, welcome to the group. There are calorie and carb counting books everywhere, and I'm sure there are apps. I didn't have calorie counts either, I had grams of protein and ounces of liquids I had to get in. The nice thing is if you start with proteins at every meal followed with low carb, high fiber veggies, you don't get hungry for the crap foods; sugary, carb laden stuff.
Glad you've joined us and good luck!

I'm also fairly new to the process. Finish my last slew of appointments in two weeks then if all cleared will be setting the date.

I found that the MyFitness Pal app is great in recording what you are consuming. You can also track your water and exercise. I am suppose to stay around the 1200 a day, difficult at first but gets easier as you go.

My fitness pal is a great app, I keep track of my protein and fibre since I had constipation issues. It's pretty quick and easy

I find the easiest way to track nutrition is with an app. I've used sparkpeople.com and the myfitnesspal.com. Both have apps in addition to web sites. What I like to do is plan ahead on my menu. These sites/apps list all the nutritional facts for you and make it easy. And they are free.

HTH

Thank you all for the help. I'm going to look those up. I did find the spark people app and it's nice once you can add tour favorites in it. Just trying to figure out what to eat is very hard for me. I have Kaiser and they give out a list of foods you can have. I'm ok with the protein but the starches and non starch are hard for me. What do any of you do for those items?

Linda

To determine low carb veggies, fruit, and grains, you'll want to look at carbs per serving and then take away the fiber grams to come up with a real count. Fiber slows down the absorption of carbs allowing us to pass more through rather than turning it into fat.

Atkins and South Beach books are easy to find at garage sales and thrift stores and both are great sources for low carb ingredients, ideas for preparation and recipes. South Beach is closer to my WLS program because it's lower in fat, but if you cut back on the bacon a bit, Atkins has some great ideas, although I stay away from their prepared foods.

Start trying to get at least 70 grams of protein a day. Avoid white foods (pasta, rice, bread, sugar, etc). Take your vitamins every day.
i agree with MNMama, Atkins is a good place to start. Also, eggface has some great recipes. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com

For me, reading Geneen Roth's book, Breaking free from Emotional Eating and learning to "eat mindfully" was a game-changer. Without counting calories, I easily shed 30 lbs pre-op, over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

JJ

Hello! I, too, am just getting started. First consultation was 6/5/2015, surgery will be 12/14/2015 assuming all tests, nutritionist appointments, etc. are completed. I'm expected to lose 5 to 10 percent of my current weight over the next 6 months on a 1400 calorie food plan. Shouldn't be too difficult. After all, I'm a great dieter... I've lost hundreds of pounds over the years! I'm so grateful that there is finally an end in sight to that awful lose it-gain it cycle. Here we go!

And to answer your question, I like My Fitness Pal for tracking. I have it on my phone, my Kindle, and my desktop at work so I can add food any time and always stay on top of what I'm eating.

Welcome Stacy. What a good idea adding Fitness Pal to all your gadgets. I'm going to do that. I'm still having trouble with getting all the calories in. By the time I finish my protein and part of my non starchy foods i'm full. Best wishes to your up and coming surgery date,

I am really in the baby stages of starting this process. I am going through it with the VA, so my journey will probably take twice as long. I have completed a year of their Move program, done diet pills (prescription and non-prescription), and every crazy diet out there. I don't know which surgery I will end up having, but am going to research them all. I am terrified for so many different reasons, but excited as well. My sons are 16 & 19, but I got married a year ago and now have a 4, 7, and 8 year old. At 308 pounds I can't do the things with them that I did with my own children, and I hate that. I just want to be healthy and be around for them for a long time to come. Learning so much from this group! Thank you all for your insight and support!