duckydoom

Anybody have any tips for someone recently banded (8/21) and looking to move towards a vegan diet? My husband is on the "bandwagon" with me towards a healthier diet, and wants to start living a vegan lifestyle. The Eat to Live diet seems pretty extreme for me, since my stomach capacity is going to be so reduced, but it'll work gangbusters for him. Any suggestions as to what folks use for supplementation for the Proteins? I would love not to get burned out on one particular kind (ie soy). Thanks, everyone!

Good luck to both of you today (and to you upcoming banders, too! I'm so excited... I have 2 weeks!)

I'd planned to be secretive about it, just to avoid judgement, but inevitably it seems to have slipped out into the open in mine and my husband's families (we're a talkative bunch, I guess). I've experienced the judgement for sure, along the lines of "Why can't you just do it yourself? Isn't this drastic?" And my response is - I've tried to do it myself for the last 8 years, and it may seem drastic, but it's a tool that I haven't tried yet that seems to be effective. My relationship with food is pretty dysfunctional, and I've been working on that, but I still need this extra ally on my side. I plan on telling folks at work that I'm taking 2 weeks FMLA for the oh so elusive "female problems," but if someone asks me later after I have lost weight, I may share. So far the only person who knows is a woman who had bypass, and she figured it out on her own. I've warned her under pain of office friend exile not to tell anyone else, but we'll see how that goes.

Welcome And good luck in your journey. It goes faster than you'd expect. I feel like I just started, and my surgery is in 2 weeks! I'm still a newbie, but if you need support or just want to talk, feel free to message me!

I've always been chubby, but transitioned to heavy when I hit 20... so for the last near decade, I've been considered obese. I'm extremely excited for my opportunity to transition back to chubby, and eventually skinny'healthy, but I'm nervous as well... looks are very important in my family, and so being heavier has definitely been a struggle for me. My husband is hot and cut (lol), so all of our family portraits have been focused on him - while I can't wait to be in pictures again, I know it'll be a struggle after being camera shy for so long... This will be a side benefit of course - being able to keep up with said husband and our dogs, and work towards health so I can get pregnant is my main focus

Any body have any more suggestions? I'm 18 days til surgery and trying to be as proactive as possible, since I'm pretty sure I won't want to leave the house for awhile lol.

I love it. My boys got on the healthier eating bandwagon right away - they still get their kibble, but now they get increased veggies right along with my husband and I In fact, now when I bring the veggies home it's almost impossible to set them down for any period of time to put other things away first - they'll root through the bags and make off with my fresh produce! Good luck on Friday, you'll be in my thoughts!

That's so awesome! That's my goal as well - I'm hoping to reach it in 11 months... by my next wedding anniversary I really want to be in the 130s. Any tips, tricks, advice?

I sure tried to keep it a secret! I told my husband, our parents, and 3 friends (two of them have had the sleeve done), and let them know I was telling just them because I didn’t want everyone to know, reduce the pressure or disappointment if I didn’t reach my goal “fast enough” etc. My mother in law she told her sister, who told everyone. My Mom has been telling everyone in the universe, my Dad has been as well. My father in law told his Mom, and everyone at the 4th of July bash was talking about it… So, basically everyone knows except the people I work with. I’m thankful people are being overall supportive, but I am definitely getting a lot of the “why don’t you try to do it on your own” commentary and the “isn’t that a bit drastic?” I am kinda thankful that we go through a 3rd party for our FMLA time off, my boss only knows that I'm having "surgery" and everyone else thinks I'm taking a 2 week vacation.

Congrats! Best of luck with the surgery and the new job - it's a double whammy for new exciting things

It was suggested to me about 3 years ago when I brought up concerns about my inability to lose weight w/my doc. I balked at it though, because it seemed “so drastic.” I revisited the idea last fall after being asked by an obnoxious acquaintance in a large gathering if I was pregnant or not, and then her laughing hysterically when I said no… everyone stared, it was so crappy. A couple of my friends came to my defense of course, but it was so mortifying, and I’d been on WW for months at that point and hadn’t lost anything. So, I felt it was time for “drastic.” My surgery is August 21, and I’m so excited for the potential of this tool to help me get my confidence back.

Just a question for anyone who may know - are we able to take Probiotics after surgery? I have super tiny ones, acidophilous pearls that I figure could fit through the opening no problem, but I haven't had the chance to ask my doc yet... it is on my pre-op appointment questions list though! Also, what about activia or other yogurts claiming probiotic benefits?

I plan on first doing Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred and then P90x or ChaLEAN extreme. I'm curious to hear more about DailyBurn though... is it an app?

That's a toughie - I understand where you're coming from, and it's good to know all of your options ahead of time. I was considering saving up for the MX trip if my insurance fell through, but didn't have to take that route. I asked my doc about complications and the possiblity of revisions or removal, and he said that in his practice they only had a handful, and they were all done out of country and that the patients had to pay out of pocket to have it fixed. Based on that conversation I'd say I'd have to agree that there probably is no recourse - have you checked w/any of the docs in MX to see if there are any waivers or anything that they'd have you sign indicating release of liability?

Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar is what we take at my house - it's a lifesaver. You can usually find it in the healthfood section, or you can order it for pretty cheap on Amazon. I already have problems with regular heartburn, so I have to admit I'm semi nervous as to how it will be when I have the band.