HolleyJane

Oh my God, that is the same diet my mom put me on in the late 1980s as a 7 or 8 year old! I'm having flashbacks, and they're not good ones. Of course it would be different if I did it now, but just the thought of that diet makes me shudder! ???€

TxMamaof3, My dr is the same way! I had 1 cc put in at 3 weeks, and then another 1 cc put in this week, three weeks later. I was banded January 9, I'm doing great. Already 26 pounds down! At first I was worried how aggressive my doc was, but now I'm good with it. His theory is that the band is a tool, and he wants it to work it's best by getting me there as soon as possible. Every doc and every journey is different, but I'm happy so far with mine. Good luck to you!

I had mine on the 9th, and I am still cold all the time, too. Sometimes I have to get in a scalding shower to warm up--and I don't like hot showers. My hands and feet are like ice. I take thyroid medicine only and nothing's changed there. I wonder why, and if I'll ever get back to normal.

I'm two weeks out tomorrow, and I feel great. Went back to the gym this morning, though I didn't push myself too hard. Still sore in my port area, but soooo much better than last week. I went in for my post-op check in, and my surgeon gave me a fill today!! I was shocked, though I knew he was fairly aggressive in getting patients to the green zone. So I'm back on liquid, and I haven't even gotten all the way through the mushies. still I trust him and I'll just get there faster I guess. Down 20 pounds since started liquid preop so can't complain too much. Good luck everyone!

I just finished my first meal on the mushie stage. I was banded last Wednesday the 9th, and I've been getting hungry the past two days on my full liquid diet, which included yogurt, pudding, and puréed soups. So I was looking forward to eating real food for the first time in over three weeks. I scrambled two eggs, set a timer for 20 minutes, got the smallest plate and fork I could find, and sat down. It was my first meal following all the rules, including waiting a full minute after swallowing. Boy did I learn a lot in those twenty minutes! First, I'm a wolfer, apparently. Normally I would have finished those eggs in two minutes or less. Breaking this habit is going to be tough. Second, I can feel my band. I read something on here about a "soft finish" when the body gives a signal like a sigh or hiccup or burp that you're done. I paused at nearly exactly twenty minutes, and I burped and felt ... Done. Amazing. My body said something, I heard it and responded appropriately, and I threw away most of one egg because my body had had enough. Amazing. Slow and kind of boring to eat as this first meal was, I'm still shocked by the things I've learned about myself. Just wanted to share

I'm six days post-op, and I felt really good yesterday. Probably too good because I stood at the counter making Soup for an hour, which ended up sending me to bed for the rest of the day and night If I were you, I'd just wait and see. The pain med they gave me really affected me, and I don't even rememer the day after surgery at all (which is funny because I felt pretty good coming out of anesthesia and remember most of that time). I feel good today, day six, but I have to go back to work tonight, and I'm really dreading it because I get tired really easily and still don't have much lung capacity for talking. I'm a teacher, so I need to talk long and loud, and I'm not quite sure my body will do that yet, but I'll try. You may fly right through it and you may not, but only time will tell. Good luck and keep your expectations very reasonable, and you'll do great.

I'm on day 12 of my all-liquid, less than 1000/calories, more than 80-grams of protein a day diet. The first five or six days were really rough but the last six or so have been great. Now, suddenly, I seem to have hit a wall. I have a headache and I've been really weak and tired for the past 2 days. All I want to do is lay in bed. I feel like an invalid. My surgery is on Wednesday, and I'm not going to break and eat. The funny thing is I'm not even hungry! I just feel bad. Anyone feel like this?

Lauren, Somebody told me something really great when I struggled at the beginning of this process with who and when to tell them about my desicsion. She told me: if telling them makes it about their reactions and issues, then don't tell them. This is your journey, not theirs. Support is really, really nice. But, at the end of the day, it's your body, your experiences, and your journey. No one can save you from anything bad that might happen, but their bad attitude could really make this harder for you. My mom says she supports me, but she always makes comments to me that don't feel particularly supportive. I've tried telling her how they affect me, but she can't hear it. So now I have a personal rule that I just won't talk about it with her. As soon as she brings it up, I change the subject. I'm five days away from the surgery, and on my tenth day of all liquids pre-op, and I just don't have the energy or desire to defend myself anymore or reassure her that I'll be okay. Instead of talking about it, I'll just show her that its the right thing for my by my actions. Support is really nice, and I have other support, so her actions don't hurt me as much as they could. But I support myself the most, and that's the only way I can do this--no one else can drink these darn shakes for me!

MsJustine, I think what you're going through is very normal. Some people (including myself) gain weight because they "eat their feelings." In other words, instead of speaking up and possibly having a confrontation, we might go eat something in frustration, anger, or sadness. I'm not saying that's your issue, but if I were you, I would pull her aside and tell her very non-confrontantionally that her comments are hurting your feelings. She may honestly have no idea how much she's affecting you, and this could help her see what she's doing. If, however, she's doing it on purpose, at least its letting her know that you're not going to let her hurt you anymore. It's a win-win for you. I know it might be hard, especially with family, which is why I would do it very carefully and diplomatically, but also clearly: you are being hurt. You can't stop her from talking or being insensitive, but you can stop her from hurting you by setting your own boundary with her. Just my opinion--I struggle a lot with letting other people's insenstivity hurt me!

Me, too! I have to be there at 5:45 AM, and I'm supposed to be in surgery by 7:30 AM. Only five more days!

My husband also asked me why I couldn't just do it on my own--he is a little scared for me, and wishes I didn't have to do something so drastic. For a moment, it really hurt me (he's been super supporative up until now) until I realized that was his issue. Not to sound mean, but my issue is my weight and my health and my future. I'm 34 years old, and I've been overweight for most of that time. He's never struggled with his weight. From where he's sitting, it looks like too much--it should be easier. From where I am, it's what I have to do to save my own life. Right now, I'm very healthy with no concerns, but I know that won't always be the case. So, in spite of his opinion, I'm moving forward with it, and he's back to 100% support. He'll benefit from me being healthier, too.

Yay January 2013! My journey started in October so this actually seems like a whirlwind for me. Luckily had been thinking about it for a long time before. My date is January 9, and I'm super excited and nervous. I hadn't really thought about all the steps of this journey until recently: pre-op, op, post-op, fills, losing, and, finally, maintenance. It all seemed so impossible--I kept wondering if I could even lose weight, or if there was no way I could ever be thinner (just paranoia I know). But now, on day 7 of my pre-op diet I'm down 8.8 pounds, which seems like a miracle. And now I know I can do it because I am. And that certainty in myself a bigger gift than the weight loss. Being able to believe myself is what will get me through all the ups and downs this journey will have. Good luck to us all. 2013 is our year!

I know I'm thinking of this a bit early, as I'm ten days away from surgery, but how does maintenance work with the band? Once you've lost all your weight, how do you transition into maintaining it? I'm really good at losing but not so much at keeping it off. I've done Weight Watchers and their maintenance program calls for eating more than during losing. How does that work with the band, if you keep following the rules?

Thank you all so much for your replies! I figured it wouldn't be as bad as the c-sections, but that was my only bench mark for anything like this. Honestly, I think I scared myself with my memories(3 in 4 years and my youngest just 3 years ago so it's still pretty fresh), but this helps so much!

Hi! I'm new to posting, though I've been reading the boards for the past couple months as I went through the pre-surgury process. I'm finally on my way, and on my third day of my 14-day pre-op diet, with surgury scheduled for January 9. I'm really excited; though this process is going to be really hard, I know I do it. Here's my question, for anyone who has gone through the surgury: is it like having a c-section? I've had three, and since they surguries are in the same general area I wonder if they're comprable. I asked my doctor, but, being a man and never having gone through one, all he could do was say, "Probably not." I'm worried about the pain because I have to go back to work the Tuesday after my surgury, which is only six days out. I know I couldn't have gone back to work again that soon after the c-sections, so I was just wondering what anyone thought. I know every body is different, so I'm just looking for other people's experiences. Plus, I might be freaking out a little bit right now.

Hi--we're nearly in the same boat! I'm January 9th, and this is my third day liquid diet, which I'll have all the way up through surgery. This afternoon was very hard for me--I really wanted a sandwich. So far, I've been able to distract myself by drinking lots of tea and leaving the room when anyone is eating. Also, I've been cleaning. It's really a great distraction, and it keeps me from focusing too much on wanting to eat. I am reminding myself nearly every minute that I am strong enough to do this, and that my time of change comes with challenge--but I am equal to those challanges. Nothing awesome comes from easy stuff is what I say to myself. Plus I whine to my husband, sister, and friends Good luck! Maybe we could keep in touch and help each other as we go on this journey.

Hi! I'm January 9th, and I am SO excited. I started my 2-week liquid diet on the 26th, so this is the end of day three. It's been really hard. My doctor used to require only Optifast (6 a day for 14 days), but they're transitioning to something else, so no one knows what I should be doing. I've just decided to limit my calories under 1000 a day and have a least 80-100 grams of Protein (which is what the nutritionist recommended), and try different Protein shakes. But I haven't figured out my correct ratio of calories to protein, so today I had too much protein and too few calories. Today was really hard, though. The first two days I felt kind of sick (dizzy, tired, faintly sick to my stomach), but today I have been hungry. I nearly broke and ate some sandwich, but luckily my sister called at that very moment and kept me from sabatoging myself. This is really hard, but I keep thinking about how this is only the first few days of a very, very long journey. It's kind of scary! Good luck to everyone going through this journey!