Weight Loss Surgery- Easy Way Out? Lazy? Cheating?

For starters, I finally got my surgery date!! It's just over a month away. July 20th! Which means I start the pre-op diet on July 6th. I want to have my favorite dinners before then... not in excess, but for the last time (at least for a while)... I MUST have teppanyaki, and my favorite sushi bar, and a bite or two of an Egg McMuffin. It'll all be in moderation. That's just 3 "bad" meals in 3 weeks, amongst dieting and exercise. Anyway, on to the topic at hand.
Am I taking the easy way out? Short answer: NO WAY! For the last 2 1/2 months, I've consumed under 800 calories a day! Taste ONE of my protein shakes and you'll see it's NOT easy! For my size, a typical diet reccommends cutting back to only 1500 cals a day. I'm doing half that. After surgery, it'll be closer to 300 cals a day. If you think it's easy fitting 70 grams of protein and 64 oz of water a day into a stomach that can only hold 3-4 oz every few hours, then sure! If going into surgery, having a tube down your throat, drain placed in your stomach, being cut upon, catheters, 80% of a major organ removed, anesthesia, IV's, xrays, breathing spirometers, wires and cables and machines, repeated blood tests and xrays and dr's visits sound easy to you, then yes, it's super easy! Eating protein first for the rest of your life- and then, if you're still hungry, a bite of vegetables. No more carbs, caffeine, carbonation, alcohol, sugar. Easy, right? Chewing each and every bite of food you consume for the rest of your life at least 30 times? Going to a friend's house, a party, a restaraunt and watching everyone else have appetizers, cocktails, delicious meals, desserts, and sodas, while you have a couple of bites of chicken or fish? Easy?! Living with a spouse who's NOT on a diet and eats anything, and smelling it? Or still fixing him dinner you can't even eat? Piece of cake. Speaking of cake: you can forget about that, too. Immediately after bariatric surgery, the patient is restricted to a clear liquid diet, which includes foods such as clear broth, diluted fruit juices or sugar-free gelatin desserts. This diet is continued until the gastrointenstinal tract has recovered somewhat from the surgery. The next stage provides a blended or pureed sugar-free diet for at least two weeks. This may consist of skimmed milk, cream of wheat, a small pat of margarine, protein drinks, cream soup, pureed fruit and mashed potatoes. Yum, right?! ;p HAVING A 3-OZ STOMACH ON THANKSGIVING: NOT EASY!
Is it cheating? Yep, I'm cheating death! Most gastric surgery patients are not having it because of laziness or vanity. Most of us have been told by our doctors, in no uncertain terms, that WE WILL DIE if we don't fix our weight, and many patients literally don't have the time to lose it "on their own", or aren't physically capable of getting out and getting moving. The term 'Morbidly Obese' means I'm so dangerously obese, it could kill me at any time, due to the other health problems it causes. The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends bariatric surgery for obese people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40, and for people with BMI 35 and serious coexisting medical conditions such as diabetes. However, research is emerging that suggests bariatric surgery could be appropriate for those with a BMI of 35 to 40 with no comorbidities or a BMI of 30 to 35 with significant comorbidities. Comorbidites are life-threatening conditions cause or exacerbated by obesity. Obesity can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, sleep apnea, acid reflux, joint pain/degeneration, infertility, and asthma, vascular disorders caused by restricted blood flow to the extremeties, endocrine disease, hormonal disorders, polycystic ovarian syndrome, gastrointestinal disease, liver disease, renal and urinary disease, skin and appendage conditions, musculoskeletal disease, respiratory disease, difficulty in conceiving or carrying a fetus, osteoarthritis, certain types of cancer, and even psychological conditions.
YES, I GOT MYSELF INTO THIS MESS. And I'm getting myself out of it. You don't have to agree with my decision, but please support it.