AmySays

I'll say I agree. I purposely scheduled mine when I did. It allowed me to still eat a normal Thanksgiving dinner before I started the pre-op diet. Christmas dinner has never been a huge deal for us... we open gifts on Christmas Eve (except for Santa - he doesn't come until that night so kids have to wait for morning) so everyone is more focused on that, then getting to church for the midnight candlelight service. My mom is the only one in my family who knows I'm doing this & she's arranging it where I'll end up sitting at the kids' table. None of them will notice how I'm eating, LOL. I'll start the new year off with my pretty little "belt" on, ready to kick some poundage boo-tay.

Best wishes Mike! Hoping for an easy peasy surgery & recovery for you! Let us know how you're feeling when you get a chance.

I've been a blog-hoppin fool the past few days... and wow, I've just learned so much. You know, after years of Weight Watchers & other yo-yo dieting, you get to a point where you feel like you just really do know it all. We don't, of course, but it sure feels that way. I am a bit of an over-achiever when it comes to sitting in a *classroom* of any sort. I've never been the type to slink into the back row and try to stay unnoticed. Oh, I have good intentions, really I do... but the leader/teacher always always ends up asking a question that no one can answer.. and there I am, raising my little over-zealous hand like that kid you wanted to smack in grade school. "Ooh Ooh MEEEE... Pick MEEEE, I have the answer!!" Because once you've been through a year of WW meetings, the questions start to repeat themselves. And when you go for a year & quit, only to start again 3 years later, you learn that the exact same discussions are still being had. Because, for real... this ain't rocket science, folks. Eat less + move more = lose weight. It's just that simple, right? That's what we've always been taught. "Drink a full cup of water before your meal so you aren't as hungry!" "When you get the urge to snack, go brush your teeth!" "No eating after 6:00 pm!!" "Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach!" These words of wisdom often come from people who have been through a major weight loss, but sometimes... sometimes they come from jerks well-meaning friends who think we don't know all of this. Like we just rolled off the Twinkie truck 100lbs overweight with visions of pot roast dancing around our heads. In reality, overweight people are often the most well-educated when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. We've researched it, we've planned for it, we've implemented each and every tip & trick known to man - time and time again. But the part they don't often scream from the rooftops, the part we had to learn on our own... THIS. IS. HARD. I'll be beginning my newly banded life in two short days. And yes, it will be hard. But I'm going to hang on to one nugget of wisdom... one reminding whisper.. It will be WORTH it.

What time do you go in? You'll be ok... you'll get plenty of sleep after surgery, lol. Are you all packed & ready to go? Got your socks & your chap stick? I'm excited for you!!

I'm not banded yet (2 more days!!), but I've read (on this site) several times to remember that the first month you are in recovery mode and any weight loss it just a bonus. Don't feel too bad about the scale not moving quickly. Give it a couple of weeks. As for the wine, most 5oz glasses have 80-100 calories, depending on the type. Personally, I'd rather eat my calories than drink them, but an occasional glass would be alright. I actually don't think I'll miss it that much. I haven't had any during my pre-op diet & I've been a-ok.

Beautiful post, dear!

LOL, you are so funny. I never even thought of that. Do you wax now??? I've always been too embarrassed to do that. So, let's see... hmmm... maybe a quick clean-up with a razor would be fine. I don't think they're going to be examining the shape of your "landing strip" or anything, haha! I actually DID think maybe I should go in for a pedi, LOL. I know I'll have socks on, but I think it will just make me feel better. The only other major-type "surgery" I've ever had was giving birth and I always made sure I had pretty toes for that, for some odd reason. Now you have me worrying about my nether regions, LOL.

Here we are on Day 11 of my 14 day pre-op diet. It's been so interesting to read the different pre-op instructions that have been given to different patients! I was allowed a protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch and then for dinner I get 3-4oz lean protein, 1C veggies, 1C fruit. I can snack on SF popsicles, SF pudding, SF Jello or any broth. I was noticing that I'm much hungrier later in the evening (big surprise there... I swear, I've gained every extra pound I own after 9:00 pm). I adjusted my eating times a little & that helped. Then I decided to eat my protein & 1/2 C veggies at dinner and save the rest for a couple of hours later. Now if I'm hungry, I can eat the other 1/2 of my veggies (or just grab a new one - I've heard some people have problems with cucumber getting stuck post-band, so I'm enjoying it while I can) and I still have my fruit if I need it. I'm still only eating the allowed amount of the allowed foods, I'm just making it work for me. I will tell you though... Days 1-3 were incredibly hard. My dear friend (who had her band placed in late November) told me that Day 4 would be better. I believed her.. and she was right. Now here I am at Day 11 and I've stepped on the scale a handful (ok, like 7) times. I've lost 11lbs! Don't hold me to that though, lol... our weight fluctuates by the hour, it seems. Hoping I end this 2wk pre-op with at least that 11lb loss. I really need to focus on getting all of my water in though. I've been slacking on that a bit. If I can replace a glass of tea with a glass of water, I should be fine. I'll be banded in 4 more days. I can't believe it's so close!

Thank you both for your advice & encouragement! I haven't used ice (or an actual blender) for my shakes yet. I was just using my blender cup (has a little metal spiral to break up the protein powder, but non-electric). I may have to try that, it sounds pretty good.

Thanks for the comments & well wishes.

Once Upon a Time... there was a girl. And let me tell you, this girl was awesome. Incredibly funny, kind-hearted, full of energy, beautiful and ready to tackle the world! This girl had four amazing children and loved them so incredibly much that she kept the biggest souvenir she could from each pregnancy. So after 10 years of having these amazing children, this awesome, funny, kind-hearted, full of energy, beautiful girl was.... fat. But that was really ok, because she was still the same person she always was. The End. Ok... so there's that fairy tale. And there's a lot of truth there, really. I gained weight with each pregnancy, tried and failed to lose it, only to gain it back again and again. Same old story. After I had my 4th child, I hired a personal trainer and with his help, lost 60 pounds and felt terrific! Then we moved. No support system, new gym, you know the excuses. About 20 pounds crept back on, but I was still proud of myself. Then we moved again, this time out of state where we knew NO ONE. I made some friends, ate out a LOT, drank my fair share of Bud Light Lime & Twisted Tea, stopped going to the gym altogether and the weight came back, full force, plus 40 pounds. I think I was born with some sort of self-confidence gene that most people don't have. I was always confident in exactly who I was, no matter what my body looked like at the time. I remember the very first time I ever had a crack in that confidence... it was about 6 years ago when I had lost that 60 pounds. I was at a womens' retreat with church and had accomplished a tremendous feat. They have this hill that goes from the lake up to the campsites and I swear to you, it has to be about a 65* angle. It felt like I was walking straight up a wall. But I made it. And I didn't just walk up the hill, I RAN up that hill. I felt like Bella scaling that wall when she smelled human blood the first time she went hunting after she turned. I digress... I made it up the side of that mountain and just collapsed at the top, chest heaving, pulse racing, heart about to burst. And oddly enough, in what should have been a time of great joy, all I felt was sadness. I couldn't believe that I had lived my life on the sidelines for so long. I was disparaged that the Lord had given me this body and I had wasted it. I never thought I'd go back to "that place" but I did. I gained all the weight back, and then some. And now I'm at a point where I don't want to let myself down anymore. I'm still that awesome girl with a great husband and four amazing kids. I STILL don't have any real negative body image issues (although I also know I SHOULD), but I know I'm ready for a change. I'm ready to set a good example and be healthy for GOOD. I'm ready to be around for my kids, I'm ready to jump on trampolines & go on rides at amusement parks without a second thought as to whether I'll fit. I'm ready to sit in the bathtub without having to shift to one side to let the water drain out. I'm ready to get naked in front of my husband of 11 years! I'm just READY. My surgery is scheduled for 12/12/12. Sounds like a good day to start my new life to me.

Don't beat yourself up too bad, Nancy. I was reading a blog called "The Dandy Bandy" and she talks about what she eats and when she makes mistakes. It really helped me to remember that we didn't learn to over-eat and make unhealthy choices overnight, this is going to be a learning experience as well. The Band will be there to help with that *gentle* or *not-so-gentle* reminder when we over-do it or eat something that doesn't agree with the Band. And remember, the Band will not prevent us from eating anything that we want to. So, if anyone is thinking, "oh, I have to eat that because I'll never be able to again" you can stop thinking that way right now. What the Band WILL do is allow us to eat a smaller portion than we did before. It will allow a few bites of that yummy pasta instead of the full plate. And we will be SATISFIED with those few bites for a couple of reasons. Our Band will help us feel satiated AND we will chew our food so slowly and really get to savor the taste. Will we still make mistakes? Abso-freaking-lutely! Will we learn from them immediately instead of 20lbs later? Without a doubt!! Big hugs from another Houston Bandster.

Windfury, good list! I hadn't even thought of what I needed to purchase for week 1 post-band! I have been so focused on what I could eat during the pre-op & getting through that, ha! I don't think I'll probably feel up to running to the grocery store on the way home from the surgical center, so I'd better plan a trip tomorrow. This is what my post-op list says (beginning Day 2): Try to get in at least 2 quarts of water per day. You may also have: cranberry juice, apple juice, white grape juice (diluted), No Sugar Added Diet Oceanspray, AquaCal, coffee, tea, water, Crystal Light, Sugar Free Kool-Aid, SF Jell-O, SF popsicles, chicken/beef/vegetable broth, Propel Water. ***Every morning, take your LIQUID multi-vitamin. All prescriptions are to be crushed.*** A friend of mine told me that Vitamin Shoppe offers a bariatric line of vitamins we all might want to add to the list. Bariatric Support: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/controller?N=0&Ntk=SiteSearch&Ntt=bariatric+support&Nty=1&D=bariatric+support&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchall&cm_sp=typeahead-_-3|bariatric-_-kw|bariatric+support Here is a liquid vitamin: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/controller?tab_selection=vitamins&N=200788817&type=category I know liquid is hard to find in some areas.

I'm nervous too... just take a deep breath. We'll get through this on Wednesday. Thursday may be rough, but by Friday, I suspect we'll both be looking forward to our new lives! I was REALLY nervous last week, but today I started to get really excited. I imagine I'll roller-coaster down and back up again before Wednesday gets here, but that's ok. We wouldn't be freaking out if this had been an easy decision to make or if it wasn't important. It's a major life change... THIS is important. THIS is freak-out worthy. But you'll be just fine. Don't let yourself forget why you made this choice.

So, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain? eta: OMG, this is MY week!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!! So freaking excited that it's finally here!

Good luck to Rhonda & Bee tomorrow! You'll both do great. See ya on the flip side!!

Oh, and I'll just add... Pre-op diet Day 11 here and 11lbs GONE! 4 more sleeps until surgery!

Yep, if you were used to having caffeine, that'll do it! I can drink tea on my pre-op diet. I weaned myself down to minimal sugar when I started my pre-op diet and within 2 days, even the tiny amount I was using was too sweet. By day 3 I was sugar-free. (and that means no artificial sweetener, either. That stuff gives me a worse headache than going caffeine free would!) You've also greatly reduced the amount of calories you're getting throughout the day. That could cause headaches as well. Your body will adjust quickly though. By day 4 I really had no "side effects" at all. I did wake up incredibly hungry on Day 10 for some reason, but as soon as I drank a protein shake I was alright. Do any of you have blogs where you're sharing your journey? I'd love to read them!

Yikes... from what I've read on here, you probably won't make the recital. Not many people were up to getting out of bed much (other than walking around their house) the day after the surgery. I hope that's not the case though, I'd hate for you to miss it!

That would be really neat if you two saw each other.

Yes, I just counted and I'm on Day 10. I thought I was only on Day 9, so that's good, LOL!

For those of you who are using Dr. Hollis... I have a question. I was just thinking about it and realized that I've never actually had any appointments with the DOCTOR. Since I had my EGD (the only time I saw him briefly) and found out that I did indeed have a hernia, I've been in for pre-op testing (bloodwork, EKG), but everything else has been done through my patient advocate. I won't even see Dr. Hollis again until I actually go in for surgery. Is this normal for self-pay? At my initial visit, I was told I would have 2 appointments with him prior to surgery. It just seems like once I determined I would go the self-pay route, I was sling-shotted past the hoops I was ready to jump through for insurance & everything happened so fast, lol. Literally, got the call at 7:30 at NIGHT with my surgery date. Luckily I had started the 2 week pre-op diet that day, just thinking I would try the shakes & see how I did... sort of a test run turned real deal! I was so shocked that I got the call that late in the day that I forgot to ask any questions, lol. I think I'm suffering from pre-band jitters that I hear other people talk about. My husband came home yesterday and informed me that there's a good chance we may move after the beginning of the year. I've been so overwhelmed by that... trying to decide if I should even have the surgery in Houston if I won't be here for fills.. I'm calling on Monday to see how they handle that. There is not a True Results office where we would be moving, so I would have to find a different doctor. My surgery is Wednesday, I feel like I need to be talked off of a ledge, LOL.

Yes! Good luck Marybell! Also, good luck to Trikki, Kat & gsw! Try to get some sleep tonight!

Congrats Ruqui! I think you're the first one I've seen that got a fill on the day of surgery, but I'm sure it's been done before. I used my Syntrax Cappuccino for the first time today (with almond milk). It was SOOOOO good! I let my 15 yr old son taste it because I wanted to make sure it really was as good as I thought & I wasn't just comparing it to the Fuzzy Navel, lol. He said he thought it tasted like a real cappuccino. I'm not even a coffee drinker, but I really like the mocha flavor of this! If you are a coffee drinker, I can see people LOVING this flavor. Mixed well, but I always mix it, then let it sit in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before I drink it. There was absolutely no powder taste nor was there any bad aftertaste.