Fenton

Yeah, bux, they're all telling you the truth.
I had a two week pre-op liquid diet, to shrink the liver before surgery, and was pretty accustomed to it by the time of surgery. In the post-op period, I was a little knocked down, but as Wendy says, that was more of a medication thing than an intake issue.
But DO pay attention to your Protein intake! Try to get in about 80 g of Protein a day - you're a big guy (not as big as me, starting weight 473 lbs, he said proudly), and you need your protein. In the early stages, this is going to mean Protein drinks - you'll find it hard to take in your full liquid allotment each day. Go slow with your drinking, make sure you constantly have Water. I think it's worth investing in a dozen or so Isopure clear Protein Drinks, the Zero Carb kind which are available from health stores (I get mine from GNC, which is national, I think). They're not cheap - I pay $3.50, but you get 40 g protein in 20 oz Fluid, which is a good deal.
But you'll be fine. And Michael's right - you just feel better and better.
The other cool thing about the liquid diet period? You lose a HECK of a lot really quickly.
Finally, you didn't mention any nerves or whatever, but all of us felt a bit nervous going into it. It really DOES happen in the blink of an eye - one minute you're awake and talking to the anesthetist, the next minute you're awake and banded. Most of us lads have had minimal discomfort - I think we've all been surprised by how Not Bad At All it was.
Afterwards, come back here and ask questions, vent, chat, tell us how you're doing...

Christine, that MD is a (f-word idiot)! If he doesn't understand the lap band, what else doesn't he understand? Is he up to date on blood pressure management? Does he understand how to care for a diabetic?
You don't want him for a doctor. Get out ASAP. Do you know any bandsters in your area? Why not post in the NY State local bandster forum? Maybe someone near you would know a bariatric-friendly GP.
But seriously, drop the zero, and get with uh ANYONE ELSE!

I think we all like scale victories because they're measurable and seem absolute. But the fact is that a number of things go into making up weight, and many of them have nothing to do with the amount of fat we're burning.
You know the old joke where the patient goes to the doctor and complains
Patient: Doctor! It hurts when I do this!
Doctor: Well don't do that, then!
?
Well, the scales are the same way. If you're eating right, and exercising, then you're burning fat, pure and simple. And as most of you are chicks who have hormonal changes sweeping in and out throughout the month, some of which are going to cause you to hold on to Water, which will affect your scale weight, you KNOW that sometimes the scale is going to rise, even though you're actually burning fat.
So if you keep looking at the scales, and the needle isn't moving, STOP LOOKING AT THE SCALES! Once a week is fine, once every two weeks might be better!
It's physically impossible for you to keep a low calorie intake with adequate Protein, and to be exercising and burning calories without losing fat! So stop monitoring yourself by the scale number, focus on living right, focus on the clothes that fit you better, the way your energy is gradually increasing, the way you don't tire like you used to etc. Because at the end of the day, SUCCESS in this process ISN'T the number on the scale, is it? It's how you feel in your body, how your health has improved, how your self-confidence has improved, how you can buy clothes you'd never have fit in before the weight loss - it's about embracing LIFE, not about scoring a good number on the scale.
I have a friend at work who likes to joke about people's obsession with the numbers in weight loss. She comes up to me and starts this stream of questions: "So, Fenton, how much have you lost? Great! How much have you lost... NOW? And now how much have you lost.... Now how much? Great! And how much have you lost..... ...... NOW!" etc. It sounds idiotic, but it's pretty funny.
Anyway, I think we (certainly *I* do!) have to keep our mind on the longterm goals, and do the right thing, and stop sweating the times when the needle gets stuck.
And you, Harley! You in particular know better!
So, let's keep watching how much we eat, and try to keep our exercise up. Because, as we all know very well, THAT is how we lose weight.

I've been thinking a lot about Paul McKenna's guidelines for weight loss. I watched the entire I CAN MAKE YOU THIN series, and I believe he's spot on about the process, particularly in his Golden Rules:
1. When you're hungry, eat
2. When you eat, eat what you want
3. Eat consciously
4. When you're full, stop
There's a whole lot of stuff in there, but those are the guidelines that I think are key for losing weight, and they echo the guidelines in the CAMP program Harley posted previousl. I need to be more conscientious about eating consciously.
This morning, I followed rules 1 and 2 - I was hungry, and I wanted to eat what I wanted, so I bought a loaf of seeded wheat bread, and some lemon curd (what I really wanted was marmalade, but it's out of season). I had a piece of toast for Breakfast, with French butter and lemon curd. And I loved it.
But later I regretted it a little. It was v. tasty, but I didn't eat it consciously enough - I satisfied a craving, but I didn't focus on the food. McKenna's guideline (also encountered in various eating guidelines issued to bandsters) is to take your bite, put your fork or spoon down, then chew for a count of at least 20 before taking your next bite.
And I didn't do that - I just, you know, ATE it. So I wasn't happy about that.
I picked up some Golden Rules from the NYU banding people, and one of them was, after swallowing your food, count to 50 before taking the next mouthful.
So I was disappointed that I just wolfed down my precious piece of toast. And I'm also a bit sorry I didn't go for more Protein in my Breakfast intake.
Or even ANY protein!
I shall concentrate more at lunch.

After my Weekend of Steak, I'm stalled this week.
Although, to be frank, I don't know if that's because of the steak, or because I lost so much in the days leading up to the Weekend of Steak, and this is just a natural re-equilibration of whatever. I'm not worried; I'm keeping my intake low and am more active than I've been for a long while.
Indeed, just yesterday, I suddenly realized that, without thinking, I'd walked to the top of a hill that had always made me puff and pant. And I hadn't noticed it at all, or even thought about having to walk up the hill. And I walked it FAST.
Tomorrow is my six week week anniversary - uh, forgive me, *bandiversary*. I'm all healed, so tomorrow I'm going to start doing yoga again, something I haven't done for probably three years. Last time I did it I was about 50 lbs lighter, but the practice is fairly forgiving. We shall see!