phatkatblue

Thank you so much for the tips..i'll have to check out your previous posts!! 5 lbs is huge! a victory is victory...post away:) today i am happy to be passing gas wihtout pain!!!

i used the slimfast shakes...the ones with 20g of protein, 180 calories and 2grams of net carbs...i found them to be delicious:)

hello! i was just banded on the 15th so this is very recent to me..what kind of pre-op diet did your doc recommend? i also thought i would starve on this diet, but i didn't starve and i lost 10 lbs:) the first two days were the most challenging, but i began to realize that times when i thought i was hungry, i really wasn't. i started to pay attention to my physical hunger and found that most times it was psychological..old habits...drinking lots of water and keeping busy also helped. know your triggers...the weekends were really hard and being at home was more difficult than being at work. good luck. you will do great and congrats on your journey:)

I am amazed at your success! Keep going:) i am hoping to be as successful as you...keep updating and inspriing.

WOW!!!! That is wonderful Any secrets? I just got banded on 2-15 and would love to be making htis post in a year:)

hello! i am feeling wonderful!!! in fact, today i plan not to use the liquid percocet that i was prescribed and just use the liquid tylenol. remember that everyone's experience is different! i do have some slight discomfort at times and that is mainly from being in the bed too long so i found a comfy chair in my house and was in it most of yesterday. the most pain i feel is around where i think my port must be and some ocassional gas pains...not to gross you out but i have been able to pass gas now since yesterday and it is a wonderful feeling (awww the little things)!! I am so excited for both of you and want you to know that i was also scared out of my mind!!! now that it is over i am so grateful and able to feel excited. i wish you both the best of luck...lets keep in touch:) p.s. i had the strategy of getting all doses of pain meds while i was in the hospital! this kept me pain free...and i wasn't a zombie either...i have a youtube account where i have been making small videos along the way! you can see me in action...im phatkatblue there also!

be proud of your decision to better health...i just had my surgery on wednesday and was questioning my decision up until the end. i am 5'2 1/2 and at my heaviest i was 250 lbs. when my primary dr told me this morning that i could stop my diabetes meds due to the surgery which has lowered my glucose levels i knew i made the right decision:) all the best to you...

you can see your toes!!! i must say i am jealous:) how exciting...i am in agreement with breaking out the nail polish!!!

i had written an entry yesterday...not sure where it went...so i'll briefly recap... so i had my surgery on 2-15-12...it went great! i had to check in at 5 a.m. and after the admissions process i was taken to a pre-op room where i was given a gown, a robe, and a shot of heparin (to decrease the risks of clotting), and had to produce a urine sample...it was here that i learned that i'd be separated from my hubby and i began to cry. they directed him to the waiting area and wheeled me to the an area that was "restricted". i was met there by a team of anesthesiologists who asked me a series of questions, assured me i'd be fine, and got my iv going...i must say i was impressed. i am not usually a hard stick, but lately folks have been having a hard time finding my veins...the lidocaine was an asset as i did not feel a thing. one of the team members asked me how i was doing and i replied that i was scared and nervous. he told me they'd give me something to help me relax a bit and before i knew it, i was in recovery...i never even saw my surgeon, although he claimed he was there!!! i was reunited with my hubby in my room on the 10th floor of the gi unit where i spent the night. i was up every hour either using the bathroom or getting my vitals checked. i made sure that i received my pain meds every four hours and i never felt a thing...i did have what i'll describe as a stitch along the left side of my body around my backside...i think this must have been the gas that old bandsters speak of...by the next day it was virtually gone...or at least hidden. i am 2 days out and i have no appetite or desire to eat or drink anything. today my gas returned but was mostly in my stomach and on it's way out. i have taken pain meds once today and was able to move about the house freely even felt like loading the dishwasher:/ today i am trying to do better with my intake today. i have managed to drink 2 protein shakes, 1/4 cup of broth and a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese...that has taken me all day...i feel stuffed and my goal for the rest of the day is to get more water down. i feel so good today knowing that i was able to go through with the process and i am on my way to good health. also, my sugars have been great. i emailed my primary care physician and she has ordered me to be completely off one of the meds and to only take half of my other med if my fasting sugar is above 138! i already feel 50lbs lighter!!!

yay!!! i am glad you are home:) get plenty of rest. i felt exhausted to from just holding small conversations and walking to the bathroom!

me too girl!!! good luck!!! i gotta be there at 5a.m. yay us!!

Hello February Bansters!!! I have two more days until surgery!!! Two!!! I am due to arrive at 5am on 2/15. I have been too busy this weekend to be nervous, but i am sure Tuesday will be a sleepness night!!

i definitely feel you Lovelee! i'm on week two of my pre-op diet and i keep thinking of all the foods i should have eaten/didn't get the chance to eat before i started:( i guess that's what got me this!!!

my husband and i had a week of feasting before i started the pre-op diet! i must say it was well worth it!!! i'm one week until surgery!

i have not always been a big girl. and by big girl i mean that i am 5'2 and 1/2 and currently weigh 232 lbs...after 6 days on the pre-op diet. at my heaviest i was 250 lbs. the first weight i remember was 110 lbs. i was 16. i weighed 110 lbs up until i got pregnant at the age of 18. yes...i was pregnant at 18! i gained 50 lbs with that pregnancy and have struggled with my weight ever since (ironically, my goal weight is 160 lbs exactly what i weighed 18 years ago after giving birth to my first child). by age 22 i was at 175 lbs. and i know this because weight mattered as much then as it did now. when i was 23 i managed to get down to 150 something pounds to enlist in the military, where i lost another 30 lbs bringing me almost to my 16 year old weight. another pregnancy at 23 put me back at 175 lbs. i was able to lose about 15-20 of those pounds while active in the service, but civilian life afforded me the luxury to be a slacker and the pounds found me shortly after my discharge. i was consistently weighing in at between 175 and 185 for about two years after baby number two and then i met mr. right...now i'm not blaming him for the poundage that i've managed to pack on over the course of our 10 year relationship but a long courtship/engagement, family issues, work, school, financial woes, and just life in general did nothing but enlarge both of our waistlines. together we have gained over 200 since we met in 2002. in 2005 i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was told that i could control it with diet and exercise which would lead to weight loss. i failed. i went through the first line of medication pretty quickly and was placed on a second line which was effective but i could not adjust to the side effects. i quickly learned the trickiness of this disease and failed miserably at managing it. between general life transitions, my disease, and depression i left a lot to be neglected... by 2009 not only did i have diabetes, but i had tacked on high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, fatty liver, and morbid obesity to my list of diseases. i was prescribed over 7 medications for all of this mess and i was 34 years old... in 2010 my employer announced that our health insurance would cover wls. i was uninterested and full of hate. i was going to lose weight on my own. with diet, exercise, and determination i was going to finally put this weight thing behind me. i got bigger and my diabetes spiraled out of control. in 2011 my doctor warned that insulin was on the way and we had a conversation about wls. she was surprised that we had never spoke of this before and i found that she was banded. she suggested i attend an info session on wls to get more info and she made a referral. i had my first dr. consult in 6-2011 and was still not sure that this was my path...i felt like a failure. why can't i just lose stick to a plan and lose the weight. i tried bootcamps and any number of diets out there that you can think of. success was small and never-lasting. as my disease progressed i knew that i had to make a decision and i started the classes in preparation for my surgery in 9-2011. it is hard to believe that i am less than two weeks away from my surgery...

Goals... 1. get off all medications i am prescribed due to obesity related ailments-diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia-oh and that pesky cpap machine 2. kick all obesity related diseases to the curb 3. lose at least 80 lbs. 4. embrace an active lifestyle 5. embrace a healthy way of eating (instead of being forced!) 6. gain a healthy sense of self and being-you know-confidence etc. 7. soar...

Goals... 1. get off all medications i am prescribed due to obesity related ailments-diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia-oh and get off that pesky cpap machine 2. kick all obesity related diseases to the curb 3. lose at least 80 lbs. 4. embrace an active lifestyle 5. embrace a healthy way of eating (instead of being forced!) 6. gain a healthy sense of self and being-you know-confidence etc. 7. soar... Source: What Are You Goals With The Lap Band?

i am not sure if you have to drink a specific shake but the premixed slimfast shakes are delicious...if it's not a matter of taste, then is it a matter of space...i have to drink 4 shakes daily on my diet and i sometimes start at 7 a.m. and drink one about every two to 3 hours until they are gone...also pace...sometimes when i feel like it's just too much i just sip the shake until it's gone...i am also starting week two of my diet tomorrow...

super excited, super nervous! i am on day 6 of my pre-op surgery date and i am surviving. i am so glad that i found this website although i am having some difficulty figuring out how to navigate...congrats to all of you..go us!!!

my surgery date is also feb 15!!! is there is a forum or site for february bandsters?

this is so amazing! thank you for the well wishes. i have began to read your blog...fantastic! i am planning to start one as well. so we are able to keep drinking the slimfast shakes right after surgery?

outside of my brother no one in my family knows that i am having this surgery. my mom is going to go nuts when she finds out...she is so critical and i just don't need that right now as i have already made such a big, life changing decision to have wls. what was your brother and sister-in-law's response?

what kind of things did you purchase for your post-op? i started taking the one-a-day gummies and found them to be delicious:) maybe i'm just hungry:/

Greetings to both of you! It took me a minute to figure out how to respond! Well, I started my pre-op diet 7 days ago and have lost 9lbs. i was losing 2 lbs a day up until yesterday when i lost only 1 pound and today when i had no loss:( for the pre-op diet i am doing something very similar to what looks like the slimfast diet. breakfast=shake (shakes must be at least 20g of protein) a.m. snack=small apple lunch=steamed green beans and shake afternoon snack=shake dinner=lean cuisine and shake (meal must be 250 calories or less) 46-64 ounces of zero calorie beverage daily i have found the premixed slimfast shakes to be delicious! my husband is getting banded on March 13! let's keep in touch:)