Pats Fan in MA

Joined in- thanks!

Yay I am tomorrow too! Good luck with everything and hope to see you back here soon hearing about how good you are feeling!

No, I was approved within days of the center submitting it for approval.

I am- I live in Boston! I'm having my surgery at Beth Israel in Boston, and I have BCBS MA. Feel free to ask any questions!

Hi Celeste,

I'm in a similar situation! Had surgery for the band on Nov 9th but had a complication so they could not complete the procedure. Now I'm scheduled for December 12 too!!!! Good luck!

I only lost 5 pounds. It can vary a lot so I'll give you the advice others gave me- don't get discouraged!

Hi everyone,

I was a November Bandster and joined their Facebook group, but when I had the surgery on November 9th there was a complication and they had to stop in the middle of the procedure. I had the pain from incisions, had to heal, quit my temp job, but NO BAND and it's really messed up my plans. I am going through with it though- my new surgery date is December 12- I WILL PERSEVERE!

I have been getting so bummed, though, staying on the Nov, Bandsters board, feeling like I'm getting left behind. I am in a squeeze financially; I was supposed to be back working a new temp job by now and at least could have made some money for the holidays. Now I've been sitting around waiting for my new surgery date to come and getting very depressed. I don't like not working. I feel useless. I feel like I'm a burden on my spouse. I feel like I'm being selfish now. I was so ready mentally for the surgery, and now I'm not feeling it. Not getting into exercising, the preop diet, any of it. Sorry to be a downer but I think it will help to join the December group and start anew with you guys!

Any diet that causes you to lose weight will shrink your liver. Doesnt have to be liquids. Good luck to all!

Exactly. Which is why it's struck me as strange for some people to be on a pre-op diet that doesn't have a specific calorie limit.

I do think the point of making it a liquid or mostly liquid/high Protein diet is to prepare us for the weeks following surgery.

I was on a two week 1000 cal diet which I adhered to probably 95%, and the surgeon said my liver looked great. I still had coffee. I just tracked everything online to stay within about 1000 calories and 90g of Protein.< /p>

It's normal and can be pretty freakin painful. I had quite a bout with it myself last night. I spent about 30 minutes patting my chest- starting at the bottom of the sternum and patting up to the collarbone and repeating. I also walked laps in the house. This helped me burp some and get some relief. I've never been good at burping. I don't find the Gas X strips helpful at all. If you have someone at home who can pat your back for you that would help too.

Shirley that is FANTASTIC!! Keep up the good work!

Pats fan where r u being banded? I live in MASS as well.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, by Dr. Benjamin Schneider. This Wednesday- getting excited/nervous!

How about you?

**Never mind- I saw you are at BIDMC too and two days ahead of me! Who is your surgeon?

I think the difference between surgeons is mostly philosophical. Yes, they want your liver to be in the best shape possible to minimize risk. Of course that makes sense- don't we all want the least risk possible?

My surgeon's requirement was to do a two week pre-op diet of 2-3 Protein shakes (with 25g or less carbs per serving) and one meal of a lean Protein and veggies (no starchy ones like corn). In all, I should be eating no more than 1000 calories per day.

I am glad for the pre-op time to get used to how it's going to be for the first couple of weeks after surgery. Sure I could have eaten my calories with all "real foods", but having to do it this way has prepared me for not being able to eat solid foods for awhile. I am sure this is why my surgeon does it this way. It's a bit of a shock to our systems to undergo anesthesia and surgery and be on pain meds. Having to deal with a way of eating that is totally foreign would make that period much more difficult I think. At least I know it would for me. Now that I have this down, I will not be freaking out so much after surgery, and I will know how to get all that protein in every day. I think everyone should do it, really, but obviously many don't have the requirement and have gotten on just fine.

I've been 95% compliant with the diet and have logged every single thing I've eaten or drank. (another good habit which I will be continuing once I get back on solid food)

I'm hesitant to eat 900-1200 calories at my current weight but wonder if this should be my goal.......Do you try to eat a certain amount of calories to fuel your weight....my weight loss has been slow but i don't want to go into starvation mode either.......any suggestions would be helpful.

You are in "starvation mode". If your nutritionist is not guiding you through this you need to find someone who will. There are plenty of registered dieticians out there who will educate you on what is reasonable to eat in terms of calories, and how many of your calories should come from fat, Protein and carbs. Additionally, they can help you understand how the body synthesizes foods; the physiological process that happens when you eat different kinds of foods, etc. Just because you have the band doesn't mean their expertise doesn't apply to you. Take away the mystery and you'll be more confident that you are doing the best you can for your body.

*Edited to add*: I re-read your post and realized you may be eating more than 900-1200 and are wondering if you should drop to that level . If so, take out the first sentence and keep the rest!

Wow, sounds like most of you have been allowed to have a lot more than my surgeon allows. I just started my pre-op diet yesterday and all I can have is 2 Protein shakes a day, 1 cup of broth based Soup or 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese, and one snack (all non-fat, sugar free) of either pudding, yogurt, or Jello. Other than that all I'm allowed to have is Decaf coffee or tea, sugar free drinks, sugar subsitute, non fat creamer. I'm starving and have noticed my mood has become a lot more angry and short tempered. I've been trying to supplement with fiber pills to help me with the hunger, but it's not helping much. I'll be on this diet for 2 weeks, surgery on 11-11-11. My surgeons office told me the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver in order to have better access during surgery to place the band. Surely I will loose some weight as a result of the pre-op diet as I'm starving myself.

Day two was the hardest for me so far, then I started getting less hungry in the morning, which means I could put off my shake until 8:30 am.I also figured out I cannot wait until I'm famished to have something. I've been splitting lunch into two an hour or 90 min apart: each time having 1 creamy chicken cup o soup with a half scoop of unflavored Protein powder. Does the trick. I've also been eating more Protein for my real meal at night. plain grilled chicken beast with a heaping pile of asparagus last night! Hang in there! It takes a toll. Go to bed early to get some relief if you have to.

you can buy them individually at 7-11 for like 2 bucks a can or something but i got a 4 pack at target....you can also get them in bulk packs of 12 from Amazon for like 25 dollars or something...i wish i could get them at costco or another wholesale store - it would be so much easier. let m eknow what you think

I will- thanks so much!!

well, since you can have Protein shakes, i highly recommend Pure Protein. The chocolate ones are very good and filling..i have one for lunch everyday. keeps me full for about 3 hours. very satisfying. and only 120 calories, 1 g of sugar, 23 g of protein and 6g carbohydrate...love these things....

Thanks for the recommendation- those are great numbers! Where did you buy yours?

i wanted to add in the site i use: it's www.fitday.com. i count my calories, Protein, and carbs religiously. since i'm so close to goal, i've started to let up on the carbs a little. until this point, my carbs consisted solely of the carbs in my Protein shakes, carbs in veggies, and any carbs in my sources of protein. i haven't really had any bread, rice, Pasta, etc. the last 1-2 months, i started to incorporate a piece of fruit into my day. it's been a breath of fresh air.

Way to go on your success!!!!

Mine is two weeks long and consists of 3 Protein shakes or Meal Replacement bars with 20g or less carbs per serving and at least 15 g Protein per serving. Additionally, I get to have one meal consisting of about 4 oz protein and unlimited veggies. I've been saving it for dinner, where I've had swordfish, salmon, or grilled chicken, etc., and a giant heaping serving of fresh asparagus, or spinach or green Beans. They said to aim for 1000 calories/day. This is low even for "diet standards" so I think that's why people drop anywhere from 5-15 pounds in that time

I'm on Day 3. Yesterday was pure hell. I was incredibly hungry all day. sleep was the only relief I got!

Hey girl....I am scheduled for Oct 31st and I feel the same way!!!! Not to mention I already have panic disorder!!!!! I am also scared my antidepressant and xanax won't work for me as they are now because of a possible malabsorption issue....idk im freaking out!!!! Hopefully we get some feedback on this

There is no malabsorption with the band! And being that Xanax is a small pill, you shouldn't have any issues with taking it. I suppose to be safe you could cut them in half before taking.

Push the negative feelings aside and think about something else. Anything positive. Maybe not related to the band so you don't fall back into panic mode......I have anxiety and take klonopin as needed as well and have been seeing a psychologist, who has been instrumental in helping me redirect my thoughts as soon as the "what ifs" creep into my head. DON'T WORRY! People do this EVERY DAY!

Both Beth Israel (a Center of Excellence where I'm having my surgery) and Brigham & Women's are both excellent hospitals in Boston and they both charge a $500 "program fee". This covered things like the psych visit, nurse visit, gallbladder ultrasound, urinalysis and blood work. I would have gotten it back if I didn't go through with the surgery for any reason.

Yes, definitely a mindset change. I went from eating a box of little Debbie's for a snack to a low carb yogurt or a babybel cheese and am much more satisfied with the healthier choice.

Yes, this is definitely a big part of it. It's so important to educate yourself on the proper food choices. My nutritionist and surgeon are psyched I'm keeping a food journal and have a daily calorie intake goal- they say it helps so much in lap band patients being successful with losing weight as opposed to those who don't really pay a lot of attention to their nutrition. They see patients who expect to eat whatever and have the band "tell" them they've had enough, and it just doesn't work that way. Essentially, you are changing your diet for the better, just as you presumably would with a diet without the band, but you are (when acheiving the right restriction) a.) able to eat smaller portions of good foods and be full b.) be full for longer periods of time and not constantly fighting hunger (this is why I always ended up bailing on diets) and c.) you have a lot more invested-going through major surgery and going back to old habits is just not an option!

Although I made my decision months ago and my surgery is two weeks from today, I just got my copy of the book Bandwagon from Amazon. It is a fantastic book and would help anyone considering lap bad surgery or who is already on the journey understand the process better.

I have an issue with sweet stuff too- and of course most of the Protein drinks taste sickly sweet to me!

I bought a 2lb tub of Jarrow's Unflavored whey Protein (at Amazon) in order to blend it with Soups like Tomato, creamy chicken, plain yogurt, etc.

So far I've used it in creamy chicken Cup 'O Soup and it only made the Soup creamier- it didn't have any taste that I could detect whatsoever!

Today I'll be having a scoop of it (18g protein) in a can of Tomato Soup. I hope that works as well.

I chose Jarrow's because the reviews said it blended really well with hot and cold foods, and it does. I will say though, you have to mix it like you were making gravy or a roux- start with a small amount of the hot liquid, then whisk in (I'm at work so I used a plastic fork and it worked fine) the powder until smooth, then add in the rest of the hot liquid slowly as you stir. If you don't do it this way you will end up with chunky bits floating on top- so gross!

Apparently you missed my point. As a US citizen who pays my taxes because I work Im entitled to a child tax credit so says our tax law. I support my children without the help of the government. Im sick and tired to paying for people who continuously spit out kids so They can collect more welfare. The ttax payers shouldnt be providing for people whose only job is to spawn. Also if you want my money take a drug test from time to time just as I am expected to take random drug tests for my job.

No, believe me I got it.

And technically, you are supporting your children with help from the government in the form of a tax credit per kid. Could you do it without the tax credit? Maybe so, but you're getting help nonetheless. And it's a tax credit you get "because you spawn". I think you missed my point.

Okay, that is very low-carb, especially if you cannot incorporate any whole grains, and have to limit your lowfat milk & yogurt to two servings per day. Even though they say to avoid Cereal, you can have All-Bran?

I think if you can stick with it you could very well lose more than 13 pounds in 6 months. I also think I personally would go a little crazy on this diet for that period of time.

It is interesting to see how different everyone's requirements are.

Yea I would consult with a/your NUT on this for sure. She or he will help you though the entire journey if they are good! So you know, thetwo week pre op diet is not about calories or carbs.. So don't worry when youget to that point. The little secretabout Insurance and WLS is very interesting. The reason they want you to starton a 6 month diet plan (which you only need to do this 2 weeks prior formedical reasons) is because by that time, the insurance company has paid for theprocedure with your premiums. Or better yet, they will hope you are so successfulyou won't want the surgery and they can save even more money. Insurancecompanies are only about the Benjamin's.. They suck.

In any case, do what you need to get the surgery! It is so worth it! Keep usupdated! Best wishes.

Interestingly, my pre-op diet is about carbs, Protein and calories. My book from the program has an outline of 1000 calories/day for women, 1200/day for men. Protein at around 100 g, and Protein shakes with 20g or less of carbs per serving. Though I have to say I am not sweating it if I have 25-30g of carbs in my protein Meal Replacement. It's the calories that have been so hard to stick with. I can't imagine calories have nothing to do at all with the pre-op diet. I mean, one could eat the targeted protein while consuming 4000 calories/day, which definitely wouldn't shrink the liver....

So I'm guessing your surgeon's version of the liver-reduction diet is low carb?

Did they give you a daily calorie intake target? It's hard to set something up to know your proteins/fats/carbs without knowing the calories you should be eating in a day.

Fitday.com is a site many posters use to log food and exercise. It's great in some ways- tons of foods in their database, more things to track like mood, etc., but I personally prefer to use fitwatch.com . Here I've entered my calorie goal for the day (oh yeah another thing- fitwatch doesn't allow you to have a goal under 1200 calories) and stipulated what percentage of Protein fat and carbs is my goal. Right now I have it set at 1200 calories, with a breakdown of 40% carbs, 30% Protein & 30% fat. If I were using fitday that would work out to be 480 carb calories, 360 protein calories and 360 fat calories.

Of course you don't need to worry about calculating those numbers constantly- when you add foods to your daily food log the program will give you a running tally of your grams of each, so you'll know by dinner if you need more protein, less carbs, etc.