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My mom was banded in February, She was the stereotypical late night snacker... she would eat popcorn, ice cream, peanuts, you name it. Now she eats sunflower seeds. It takes time to eat them, they're not incredibly bad for you, and she still gets to have a salty snack.

My mom was banded in February, She was the stereotypical late night snacker... she would eat popcorn, ice cream, peanuts, you name it. Now she eats sunflower seeds. It takes time to eat them, they're not incredibly bad for you, and she still gets to have a salty snack.

Very cute... I love this July Bandee community! lol it's nice to know I'm not the only one dragging my feet through the protein shake preop diet!

I LOVE this idea! I am going to start a list tonight. I am being banded on July 6th and today was the 4th day of my 14 day liquid diet. I am extremely nervous too, second guessing my decision, but deep down I know this is what I've been waiting for. Thanks again!

I think that's a really good idea. For two reasons: losing weight shrinks your liver, which my surgeon says makes surgery safer. And two, in my opinion, it is preparing me (mentally) and my body (physically) for what's to come. Ultimately it's your decision of course! Good luck

I had those thoughts too, thinking I could just do it on my own since I have lost 6 lbs in the first 3 days of the preop diet. But then I just remind myself of all the times I promised myself this would be the time I would lose the weight on my own, but never followed through.

Good question.... for right now, the people who know are my parents and sisters, my manager at work and a few close friends. Even some of my close friends had negative views about my decision. That's the only reason why I decided to limit who I tell--not because I think I'll fail. I feel so ready for this step that I'm not afraid of following through. If people ask me after the fact, then I will either tell them about the surgery (if I think they'll understand where I'm coming from) or just tell them I'm eating less (which will be the truth!) lol

I love the list... it's good to see how many new people are on here... we're all in this journey together

I know I may be the only one out there but I am not hungry at all on my pre op liquid diet. I'm completely satisfied physically. Mentally, I'm still hungry. I want to eat everything in sight just to chew lol

I'm on day 3 and it gets SOOO much easier!! On days 1 and 2 I was a VERY unhappy camper. Everyone told me that it gets better and the whole time I was thinking, yea right, how could this get better??? It does, I promise! I have 11 more days of this so I'll be right there with you! Good luck

It really does get better. On the first two days I was very unhappy with the whole liquid diet thing. Everyone told me it would get better and I didn't believe them, but honestly it does get better. You'll get the hang of it. Good luck!

So this is day 3 of my Pre-op liquid (meaning Protein shakes only, max 1200 calories a day). I began the Pre-op diet on June 22 and my sugery date for gastric banding surgery is July 6. But let me start from the beginning.... So Day 1 of the Pre-op diet.... nothing short of MISERABLE. I was drinking the Bariatric fusion chocolate and vanilla shakes and tried the Met RX vanilla shake. I was questioning how they could call these things "shakes" lol. I had to gag these shakes down, it wasn't pretty. I made the mistake of leaving a shake in the blender too long and it was so thick that it wouldn't pour out lol. Can you tell I'm a newbie?? Day 2 got a little better. But I weighed myself and I gained .6 pounds! Now I know that was probably Water weight, but I couldn't help but get frustrated because I hadn't even eaten any food and I was heavier! Day 3: Down 5.2lbs since day 1! I actually am starting to LIKE this preop diet thing. Crazy, I know... considering the terrible experience I had with them. My mom was banded 6 months ago and taught me some tricks with the Protein Shakes. So if you're on a pre op liquid diet and are desperate for some ides... or just want to mix it up a little... here's some ideas! Try adding cinnamon. It makes a huge difference and helps to get rid of that protein-y taste that I dislike so much. Cinnamon and strawberries are actually a nice combo... Try adding 1 tsp of sugar OR sugar substitute... Adding the calories of course... nothing goes uncounted!! Try adding frozen rasberries (my favorite) or fresh strawberries, etc. Very low in calories and pack lots of flavor. Try adding instant decaf coffee (after it's been diluted of course). It isn't any calories and helps me to keep that coffee taste I love. I also added a 1/4 of vanilla extract and it tasted like a vanilla coffee shake. And last but not least, 1 tbsp of Peanut Butter. This has the most calories (95 cal per tbs) but as long as I'm in my daily calorie range I add it. It has protein in it and it also masks the protein0y shake taste completely. ***Do not try these without speaking to your surgeon first.*** These ideas seem to help me and have made a WORLD OF A DIFFERENCE in my preop liquid diet experience. Please share any of your own ideas And I am open to all suggestions and any advice

My surgery date is July 6th too! It's coming up so soon! This is the third day of my pre op protein shake diet. Wednesday and Thursday I was a miserable person lol... the shakes made me gag, and I was not a happy camper. But I started to experiment with the shakes a little by adding some cinnamon and sugar (counting calories for them still of course!), strawberries, frozen rasberries, peanut butter (95 calories for 1 tbs) and it has made a WORLD of a difference. We'll get through this... only 11 more days! What are the requirements of your pre op diet? Good luck... we got this in the bag!

Congrats on your surgery date! Mine is July 6th, so I'll be right after you! My name is Ashly, I'm 23 and have had struggles telling my friends and family about it--most still don't know and I think I"m going to keep it that way until after surgery, only because I'm trying to limit the negativity leading up to my surgery. Do you have a pre-op liquid diet? I'm on a 2 week protein liquid diet with a max of 1200 calories a day. My mom also was banded. It's great that we have our moms to help us out. Best of luck and keep in touch!!

Thanks so much... you're right... I am the the one who I need to keep happy.

July 6th is my surgery day!!! PreOp starts this Wednesday, June 22!!!

Hi Everyone I have not been banded yet, but will be on July 6th. I know of 2 family members that have been banded and one family friend. I have researched all things Gastric Banding for over a year and thought about it for what seems like forever. I see a lot of people in their 40s, 50s, even 60s say that they wish they got it in their 20s. Well, I'm 23 and ready to lose this weight get healthy, and start my life. Only one problem-- some people that I tell about the band are either not excited or try to discourage me. I have limited the number of people I tell because I haven't gotten a very positive response. And at this point, all I want is support for my decision. The one person I thought would hate the idea is actually one of my biggest supporters! Which is a great feeling. I just wish that people didn't see this as a terrible, deadly, unnatural decision. They're making me nervous and filling my head with doubts. I just keep thinking of the positive and looking forward to my new life. Have any of you banded people been through the same thing? How did you handle it?

Helener, good luck with your surgery! I'm happy to know it wasn't so bad for you. Papillion Princess, thanks for the advice. I haven't told many of my friends about the surgery because I don't want to hear anything negative about surgery. I am sure some of them would be supportive, but others not so much. Congrats on your success!

Thanks so much I know some surgeons don't require a pre op diet but I am glad mine does only because, like you said, it'll help prepare me for after surgery. Congrats on 37 lbs lost!!! I currently weigh 272, I hope to drop 37 in that time too. I know it takes alot of hard work but I'm ready.

I am so excited I had to post... I got my surgery date, it's going to be July 6th!!! Any other people being banded in July? Congrats to anyone who recently got a surgery date! I am very new to the site so if anyone wants to be message buddies I'd love that! Although I can't inspire anyone just yet, I could use a little inspiration... especially once my 2 week liqid diet starts. I can't believe that one day I will no longer weigh this hideous number!

Those alcoholic drink alternatives sound really good. I'm not a heavy drinker, but if I go out to a bar I certainly don't want to be sipping on tap water lol. I'm glad to hear it hasn't been that bad for you! I hope I'm just as lucky. I'm glad you mentioned the bathroom habits, as unglamorous as it may seem haha. I am not regular in that department and am looking forward to some regularity on the liquid diet.

Great advice, I am so happy you mentioned the instant decaf coffee mix. One of the hardest things I'll have to give up is coffee. Having a mocha flavored mix will help ease me into the liquid diet phase. Congrats on your WLS success!

I just found out that I was approved for LapBand surgery yesterday. I am excited, I'm nervous, I'm anxious, I'm happy, so many different things are going on! I don't have a surgery date yet, but it looks like my office is booking into late July. Some questions: My office requires a two week liquid diet that I am dreading. I supposed it gets better as the days go on. Are there any helpful tips from anyone that is on the liquid diet to make it less... annoying? I know it is necessary for my liver to shrink and for me to be in the best shape I can be by surgery, so I guess that's a plus. I am 270 lbs. If I consume 800-1000 calories a day (which is required) how much can I anticipate to lose in 2 weeks? My BMI is 40.2 and I am a woman, which I'm sure will have an effect on my progress. I go out to eat and for drinks (coffee or alcohol) with my friends a lot. Of course I will not be consuming alcohol or huge meals, but how do I deal with social gatherings while on the liquid diet? I'm sure I'll htink of my questions later. If you had to do a two week liquid diet before your lap band surgery and are around my weight, please share your experience with me! Thanks

I'm so happy I found this post! Firstly, because I too 'weighed' (haha) the good and bad with the band and bypass. For me, bypass flat out terrified me! I'm sure there are bypass patients who are happy with their choice and dislike the idea of the band, that's the way it is. My mom got banded in February of this year. Being a born-again Christian, she struggled with the thought of WLS because many people feel it's not natural or necessary. My mom chose to tell only her closest friends (either in the church or at work) and they support her 100%. I do believe God gives surgeons and doctors the abilities and skill to help His people. I am now waiting to hear back from my insurance to see if LapBand surgery will be covered. If and when I get my surgery, I don't feel obligated to tell the world if I don't want to. At this point, I don't talk to certain people about it because they will just try and discourage me and tell me what a bad decision I'm making, I can do it on my own if I just try, etc. But on the other hand, the one person who I thought would not like the idea of WLS is my number 1 supporter! I am 23 and have been overweight since elementary school... I'm ready to start my new healthy life! I would say pray about it. That's what my mom did through her whole pre-op experience. I have to take my advice and start praying about it as well, cause as it gets closer I'm getting more nervous and I want to be at peace about it come surgery day! I hope everything goes well for you!! And congrats to the post op patients on being successful and positive! It's inspiring.

I loved your story! I think it's great that you continue to stay motivated, which I'm sure is why you're so successful!