Bandme1

I am also starting my pre-op liquid diet on Tuesday. Yaaaaay! lol

I posted a similar post a while back. You have to go sit through a seminar first. It's like an introductory seminar where they cover all the different types of surgeries available. From what I've heard, the point of this seminar is to scare people away. If you go in there with all your information and fully prepared, it shoudl be okay. That's what I've heard at least... lol. I am going to that seminar next Tuesday, May 10. The seminar is in Vacaville. Tell your PCP you want in on that seminar. And don't put up with any shenanigans from your PCP! Mine heckled me and tried to tell me I didn't qualify. I said "Actually, my BMI is 43 and the required is 40." He said "Well, you're too young." I said "The required age is 18 and I'm 24." In the end he gave me a referral and was not happy about it. Just stick to your guns, girl! lol. Ask to go to the seminar in Vacaville on Tuesday! We can be buddies Message me if you want more info

I have heard so many mixed reviews about Isopure. I tasted the pre-made Isopure in the bottle. The Alpine Punch flavor.... rocks! It has a little bit of a dry aftertaste, but to me the aftertaste is similar to yogurt. You know how yogurt leaves a slight dry aftertaste? I don't know, but I had 2 of my co-workers try it and they both loved it too. I tried the Blue Raspberry flavor and Mango Peach and they aren't as good as the Alpine Punch. For zero carbs, 40g of Protein and 160 calories.... I'll take it! I think it will be my saving grace in the liquid phase. Watch, with my luck, my tastes will change and I won't like it post-op. lol. But for now, one a day and I am SO full. I drink it in the morning and don't feel hungry until around 3:00 or so. And I am post-op, I still have my big ol' belly to fill! lol. What are some other opinions on Isopure? My mom had gastric bypass and she tried Isopure and couldn't stand it. If I had tried Mango Peach first, I probably would have said I didn't like it either. The Alpine Punch is divine! lol. Any other Isopure fans out there? I did some research on the Isopure powder and have been told it is completely different than the ready-to-drink bottles. I think I'll stick with these for now.

Eggface has some amazing recipes for ice cream on her blog that are made with Protein powder and sugar free Torani syrup. That might just do the trick when you get that ice cream craving http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2009/04/coffee-toffee-crunch.html (Here is a link to one of the flavors, but she has a ton of different flavors listed on there)

Daaaaaaaang, you get it, girl!!! You look FAN-TASTIC! Can't wait for my turn!!!!! lol

Awesome!!

So I have told very few people about my surgery. So far I have been very good about the few that I have told as they have been extremely supportive. My best friend of 10 years has been a size 0 since I've known her. She is all about eating veggies, exercising, all that jazz. I was debating about whether or not I was going to tell her. I decided to kind of introduce the topic of weight loss surgery to her and see how she reacted. So I said "Oh, hey. It is the 6-year anniversary for my mom's weight loss surgery. She lost over 150 pounds and has kept it off for 6 years." My friend just kind of nodded like she didn't care. I said "No opinions on weight loss surgery?" She just rolled her eyes and said "No, not really. It's great that she kept it off because most people aren't motivated enough. They let their bodies get that way in the first place, they're just erasing the slate so they can do it again." ...Yeeeeah.... NOT gonna tell her about my surgery. What a bitch! She has an incredibly fast metabolism. We went on a road trip one year and she ate JUNK the entire trip and when we got home she felt the need to text me and tell me she had LOST 2 pounds on the trip. We sat in a car the whole time eating junk food. HOW did she lose weight?! Yet then she sits there on her skinny butt and judges everyone else. Whatever. This may be one friendship I will be cutting out. I don't need that kind of negativity. It just blew my mind that she has seen how I've struggled with my weight over the years yet she is so callous about it. One time she said "Well, maybe you should just get a gym membership. It's really not that hard to get in a workout routine." I just hate skinny people who judge and think that everyone has the same metabolism. Whatever. Screw her. I'm doing this for me and if she isn't going to be supportive, then she just doesn't need to know about it. Just needed to vent and get that out there. Screw her and all those nay-sayers. This is a second chance at having a normal healthy life and I'm jumping at the opportunity.

Ah, bummer! Yeah, I would really like to find at least one person. The more the better, because we could try more types. I'll just keep trying. Good luck to you, too!

Congratulations!!! How exciting. It just puts you in a totally different frame of mind, huh? I have my consult scheduled for May 10 and even just scheduling it makes me feel like a different person!

I am trying to test out protein shakes and find some that I like before I even start my pre-op diet so that I can know ahead of time what I like and stock up on it. I wanted to see if anyone in the area (pre-op, post-op or already sleeved for a while) wants to get together and have a "shake party" and test out some different types of shakes. It would be a good way to save money, try new protein shakes and meet some people.

Daaaaaang, girl! You look like you could be your own daughter! You look absolutely fabulous!

Yeah, definitely check back and let us know.

Thanks, Kelly! That is exactly all the information I have been looking for all compacted into one comment! Yikes, I wonder how long it's going to take me to lose 20+/ish pounds. What worked for you. I think I'll hit up the forum and see what other people with PCOS did. I'm thinking low carb/zero processed sugars. I'm not much of a sweet tooth anyway. I am headed over to GNC today to test out some protein powders and get all that ready. I am SO glad I came to this forum!! I was so dead set on a lap band. Then started to get weirded out by having a port sticking out of my side. THEN I read all the stories about people getting banded then getting the sleeve. I'm just gonna skip the unnecessary surgery and just go straight for the sleeve! I kinda feel like I dodged a bullet thanks to this forum! woot!!!! lol.

I don't even have my operation date yet, but I would totally be down! I need all the support I can get. We all need to stick together! lol

I'm typically not a person who lies, but I am telling my boss that I am getting by gallbladder removed. The recovery time is very similar for that and I don't want them to know what I am really having done. (My boss is an extremely judgmental individual.) So that's my plan... hopefully I don't *actually* have to get my gallbladder removed in the next couple years. I don't know what I would say then! lol!!

I have Kaiser in N. Cal, too. I have my first consultation on May 10th and it cannot come fast enough!! So what do I do from there? I don't have to take the 12-week class? So far, I know they weigh me, I have to lose 10%, I have to schedule all the pre-op appts. (did you have to do the swallow and the sleep apnea test?) What else? Share your wealth of knowledge with me. lol

You have a good point. I'm sure I will get tired of it happening, too. Sometimes I can be almost obnoxiously optimistic. I hope I don't have the issue too, I obviously can't possibly understand it since I am not banded yet. I didn't mean to belittle the issue, just trying to find the silver lining. I am trying to embrace every aspect of it, the positive and the negative. I will be interested to feel that "stuck" feeling. I'm sure after one time I will already be sick of it

I know I might be weird, but this is kind of the part that I am looking forward to. I like that eating will be just a chore. I am tired of food controlling my life. *I* should be controlling my life. I feel like overeating is an addiction to food. The hard thing is, you can't just give up food. Smokers can just quit cold turkey. We can't just not eat. This seems to be the biggest advantage to the band is it forces you to only eat out of necessity and to only eat small amounts of nutritious foods and then move along with your day. Eating is a social thing, but nothing says you can't still sit at the table with a glass of Water and enjoy the social company of those around you without eating a heaping plate full. I will definitely miss a lot of foods, but I will not miss being overweight and feeling like crap. I have not been banded yet, but I am actually practicing this already. We had a group of friends going out to eat, so I ate my healthy meal at home before we left and I just ordered a drink at the restaurant and enjoyed the company of my friends. I just told everyone that I had already eaten at home and no one thought twice about it. I know the band is different for everyone but I am so excited to have eating just become a chore. Brush my teeth, do my hair, eat, move along with my day. To me, it seems to be freedom at last from basing everything around food.

After researching for months, I finally got my referral from my PCP to start the 12-week Kaiser seminar to get banded. I feel like I still have such a long way to go but I am so fired up. I'm like chomping at the bit to get this done already. lol. I should have gotten the referral a long time ago because I would probably be there by now, but I just wanted to make sure I was totally ready before going to my doctor about it. I'm sure a few weeks into a hardcore diet and I'm going to be thinking "Okay, this game isn't fun anymore...". Right now I haven't even started dieting yet because my first seminar appointment is May 10 and I have to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery and they don't start my timer ticking until I have weighed in at the seminar. The first 10-20 pounds comes off the easiest and I don't want to lose 10 pounds now then show up for the seminar and find out I have to lose another 25 pounds on top of that before I can get the surgery. I feel like I'm playing a little game or something but right now I'm just trying to not gain weight until May 10. Then I take off on a diet frenzy. The sooner I lose that 10%, the sooner I can get my surgery. So my question to you guys is, how long were you fired up and totally mentally ready and did it fade for you? I'm hoping I can keep this fire lit under my ass long-term. This website has been a Godsend. I am on here several times a day... okay, who am I kidding? I practically live on this website. I feel like I can't get enough information. I am just constantly reading old posts and getting as much info as possible. I feel like at this point, I might even be able to give the people teaching the seminar some pointers. Okay, so not really, but I have been like a little Lap Band sponge, just soaking up all the tips and pointers that I can. May 10th can't come fast enough. I'm ready to get this show on the road!

I think you will feel like the weight of the world is off your shoulders once you tell him. Especially since he is telling you how beautiful you are. He will totally be there for you. As for telling your daughters, that can come later. My mom told me she was getting gastric bypass about a month before her surgery and I was so proud of her for being so brave and taking that step to get happy and healthy. I showed up the day after her surgery with flowers and some homemade chicken broth that is quite delicious if I do say so myself Much better than the canned stuff. Anyways, I think you will be surprised by the reactions of your family. I know my mom was nervous to tell me but I was SO thrilled for her. Now, 7 years later, I am in the process of getting banded and I was just as nervous to tell her. She has been so supportive and has given me a book of recipes that helped her get through it all. It's kind of an odd thing for a mother and daughter to bond over, but oh well. You should be proud that you have the guts to finally say "Enough of this! I want to be happy, healthy and lose this weight once and for all!" You are taking control of your own life. Own it! =) You go, girl!

I also checked out her vlog and I love it! That will be really helpful. Also, I read online that Trader Joe's is actually discontinuing the peanut flour because of allergies and they are substituting it with some other type of gluten-free flour. BUT, you can still buy it online at www.netrition.com. Juuuust so you know, you can still buy it.

Oh okay. I guess I'm no help then. I tried, though. lol. If they do turn you away, you could always ask to get a fasting glucose blood test done. If your results are high enough, they might consider you? Just a suggestion.

Oh wow, hold on, lemme pump you for some information then!!! lol!! Okay, so the 2 hour informational class is just a one-time thing? From all the stuff I had read it was a 12-week class and you had to go once a week to the 2-hour class. Then, once the 12 weeks is over, you can then meet for the orientation with the surgeon. This was all just from reading online forums and such though. So you already have an appt with the surgeon? You should be good to go!

I am also with Kaiser - Northern California. I just had a meeting with my PCP today, actually, to ask for a referral to the 12-week "gastric bypass seminar" (they call it that, but it's for all WLS). From the research I have done, the minimum requirements are a BMI of 40+ or of 35 with co-morbidities. It doesn't hurt to go in and ask to get a referral to the seminar, though. The worst thing that could happen is they say no. Good luck!

Oh man, that is so encouraging! I also have PCOS and one of the biggest reasons I want to have the band and lose weight is to help with my fertility issues. I will go forever without a period then I will have it for weeks and weeks. (my last period lasted 7 months. 7 MONTHS of bleeding...) It is encouraging to see that you are already starting to go back to normal!