Fenton

Angelic, hang in there! THey're making you jump through hoops, but some of us bandsters have to pay for it themselves, from about $10,000 in Mexico to about $20,000 in NYC! The sleep study is to benefit you. It's just one more step... The Big Day will be here before you know it. And innertube: you're in the right place! We're better than family - we're in your squad, going through the same battle you are. Welcome aboard!

I have a couple of weeks off after my surgery, and I'm hoping to recover a bit from a killer year as well as my surgery. I'm not going to overexert myself, but I'm wondering, how quickly after surgery were people able to DO stuff? Like, go downstairs, walk for a block without trouble, put my clothes on without discomfort, and, most importantly - go to the movies. Seriously. I want to be able to walk the three city blocks from my house, sit down and enjoy a two hour movie. Would I be able to do that a couple days after surgery, or more like a week? I know we're all different, but it seems to me that the surgery isn't a big deal, just small incisions and a lot of air in the belly, and I have no real sense of how long it takes to get back to a normal life... Thanks, F.

Happy trails, pippinje! Seeya Saturday. I'm an odd mixture of jangly nerves and fatalistic calm. I get my op time this evening - I think I'm going to be at 10AM, and have to report to the hospital at 8AM. So, Eek! Plus: It's all good...

How are you guys setting your goal weights? I believe that a healthy weight for me - I'm 6'2" - would be about 200 lbs, but that seems lower than the numbers you guys are aiming for. Am I being too optimistic?

As I said, I think that for me one of the advantages of the Protein drinks is that they kill my hunger - because I don't want to drink another one! I'm going to do all Clear Liquids today. I know some people are told to go the clear liquids route for a couple of days before the surgery; they don't do it where I'm getting banded, but I thought, heck, it can't hurt. I'm going to have two bottles of Isopure - 320 cals and 80 g of protein total. Hmm. But THEN what? How will I get my other 700 cals? Strained Soup is less than ideal - it won't have many calories at all. In fact, pretty much nothing clear has much in the way of calories, other than sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

Well, I'm a bit angry at myself for diverging from the One True Path - my sleep was different last night, and I felt weirdly full for what was not, in fact, a big meal. I'm hardcore liquids today - until midnight.... I wonder whether a long soak in the tub before going in to the hospital will help with any feelings of dehydration I might have.

Oh! I had my cardiology consult today. They gave me the All Clear, patted me on the back - the cardiologist actually CONGRATULATED me on my decision! He's a true believer, which is kind of cool.

Hey, welcome aboard you guys! The liquid diet thing - which I've been saying all along isn't so bad - well, it's not so bad. But I realized I've been overdoing it. I'm 473 lbs (well, actually, as of today, 449, but still!), and I work a very active job, and I've been walking home, which is about a mile, and I've been dragging my huge carcass around on 1100 calories a day. Today I was too exhausted to do anything, and I thought, to heck with it - and ate some solid food! I've returned to liquids now, though - full steam until Thursday!

PS I found my wallet. It was (wait for it): in my pants pocket. The blindness of the hurried and neurotic!

Hey, Momof321, welcome aboard! I think the best cure for nerves is information, with companionship coming a close second; you'll find plenty of both here. We're all going through the same thing, and we all share the same goal. I think you'll find the pre-op diet not too bad - just focus on what you're doing for yourself in the long run, and follow the instructions you've been given. It's a good idea to speak up about your worries and things you don't know about; chances are, a whole bunch of people here have the same worries and want the same questions answered.

Damn, Chris! Coming in here trumping everyone with your "Fallujah, Iraq"! Congrats on the incredible weight loss!

On, another small ointment fly: when I got home, I couldn't find my wallet. Which, of course, contains my Health Insurance card, that I need for my cardiology appointment tomorrow and my surgery Thursday!

I had my pre-admission testing today at NYU. It was a bit harrowing! The PreAdmission area is a little tricky to find - even with map in hand. It's actually tucked away in the basement. I met with an anesthetist, who peered down my throat and looked at my neck. Then a nurse took my history, then my blood and gave me an EKG. Then I had a chest X-ray. Then we hit a snag: when I signed up for this hayride, my BMI was just over 60. Apparently, it's policy for people with a BMI over 60 to automatically get a Cardiac Stress Test. However, since I was first weighed, I've lost over 20 lbs, and my BMI has dropped below the 60 mark, so there was confusion as to what to do. So tomorrow I have a cardiology appointment to see what they think - hopefully, whatever they decide, they'll decide quickly, as I don't want to miss my Thursday surgery date for this damn test! Anyway, after PreAdmission, I went up to the surgical office, where I discovered that my private physician, responsible for my medical clearance, had given me glowing reports for everything, but on the crucial line where the question was "Is this patient medically cleared for surgery?", he had accidentally ticked NO. We spent the rest of the afternoon sorting that out. So, it looks like I"m just about good to go, touch wood the cardiologist gives me the greenlight, or that the stress test can be done later tomorrow afternoon or on Wednesday - I'M READY TO HIT THE O.R.!

I have to say that I haven't found the pre-op diet really all that appalling - I remain pretty astonished by the fact that I find it tolerable at all, but I don't expect to have any trouble with it in the post-op period. When I was talking with the surgeon initially, he explained that the main purpose of the pre-op diet was to shrink the liver by depleting all the fat that accumulates there. A fatty liver is supposed to be much more fragile, plus it's bigger, and makes the surgery more challenging for the surgeon. It might be something to consider doing on a voluntary basis, even if your surgeon doesn't specifically instruct you to do so: one of my biggest fears is that the surgeon will be forced to convert a laparoscopic surgery into an open surgery, meaning longer operation and longer recovery time. And bigger scar!

You go, Amanda! That's a rockin' op time! Because I'm going to be following you at that time on Thursday, God, Allah, Buddah and the ghost of Walt Disney willing! Come back and post when you can...

Wiping your butt with BBQ tons - an X-Mas miracle! Welcome aboard, Big Rick. I'm sure you've made the right decision. I'm heading for the chop this week; at 473 lbs starting weight, I dwarf you! You're definitely in the right place - you'll find information and support here, plus guys like Jack and Neal (ousooner - check out his photos) have really inspiring stories.

Oh, another thing: one of my big worries has been getting a bit stopped up - I tend to get constipated every time I go on a diet. I've been pretty good with keeping up my Water intake, and have been using Benefiber twice a day, and I've been fine. I'm going to try to increase my Benefiber after banding, but I don't know if that'll be possible. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's an issue that's been one of my biggest fears, so I imagine there are others out there with the same issue!

I have to say: one week into my liquid diet and I'm pretty damn sick of the liquids. The shakes aren't terrible - although the aftertaste is appalling - but most of what I'm drinking is sweet. I wish there were more in the way of protein-rich soups! Here's a typical day: Two Slimfast Optima shakes, each 190 cals, 10 g Protein One Isopure Zero Carb sports drink, 190 cals, 40 g protein One Swiss Miss Fat Free Hot chocolate, 70 cals, zero protein Some Trader Joe's Soup - either carrot ginger or butternut squash, 80 cals, zero protein - I also add a splash of flavored oil, which adds some calories and fat, but no protein. Or some Da Vinci fake maple syrup goes nicely, and no cals. One ProSlam45 - a syrupy, concentrated Protein Drink in either Peach or Fruit punch - 180 cals, 45 g protein And I've cheated a little every other day - a serving of fat-free yogurt, or some turkey chili, low fat. Last time I pureed the larger chunks of turkey - it was delicious, but it sure looked as if someone had eaten the chili before me...

I know how you feel, Christine! I'll be ecstatic to reach weights at which others will be freaking out and deciding that they desperately need to do some kind of surgical weight loss...

Thanks, Special K and pippinje - I've just added my banding date to the main calendar. Right next to pippinje's TWO birthdays! I'm gong to do my best to keep posting throughout this whole thing.

Oops! I should have said "SHe wanted to buy me an iPod Nano" - but I'd already bought one. I haven't used it. Yet.

I'm really lucky - my girlfriend has been very supportive. She wanted me to buy an iPod Nano with that Nike doo-hickey that tracks your routes, to encourage me to walk. But I've been walking anyway. I have a pedometer, and have been trying to take more steps each day than I took the day before.

Because I'm big, I'm allowed 6 Slimfast Optima shakes a day, which brings the Protein intake to 60 g and the calories to 1170. I haven't felt particularly hungry - I don't know if it's because I'm aggressive about how much Water I take in, or because I'm spacing out my shakes, or whether I'm just so determined to lose that I'm somehow overriding hunger. The only time I've had hunger pangs was when I watched some TV fast food commercials, and after having a chocolate pudding (low fat, sugar free). I was also a bit fluish when I began, with a not very good appetite. I think the other thing that stops me from being hungry is that I know that the only thing I"m going to eat is those damned shakes, and I just can't get excited about them. Indeed, it's a bit of a challenge to get them down - try as I might, I can't convince myself that they're tasty. Christine, I'm (hopefully) going to be banded by Dr. Ren's husband, Dr. Fielding, on the 6th at NYU. I'll do my best to give you a detailed description of what the whole process was like.

I've found the Slimfast Optima diet manageable, but I have to admit that I'm beginning to find the TV ads for food places unbearable. Particularly the Red Lobster ads, with the almost-erotic squirtings of lemons and slatherings of melted butter. My big worry at the moment is that I won't be fit enough for surgery. I'm up for the chop next Thursday, but I had a pretty bad cold last week, and I have a lingering cough. I feel fine, but I'm worried the anesthetist will suggest I wait another week. I think I could manage an extra week on liquids, but I've arranged work carefully to have almost two weeks off, and I don't want to lose a precious day of recovery time...

Mike, great news! It sounds like an odd goal, but one of the reasons I want to lose weight is so I can try skiing or snowboarding. It's something I've always wanted to do, but have felt I was way too big for. Thanks for the inspiration. And congrats on 32 gone...