Bandista

That's enough out of you two!

PS just checked your profile -- wow! Way to go!

That is a riot!

Congratulations! Best wishes for smooth sailing and a speedy recovery.

Amazing age of medical technology, really. You'll be so happy a few months down the road but right now must be tough. Enjoy sunny Florida! We have the wood stove going...brrrrrr......

Hi there and congratulations on your decision and the success you've had so far -- you're going to feel a lot different come next vacation!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Thanks for all the detail. I go in next week and it's so helpful to hear specifics of what others have experienced. Take good care and isn't it great that the long-anticipated event is over!

Hi Jill, thanks for starting such a great thread here. I started my process in June and started to see a therapist in July specifically to talk about my relationship with food. It's not like I haven't been working on all of this for, say, twenty-two years or so, but I knew I needed to tap all resources possible for this big new change in my life. I've been able to determine some areas that are red flags for me. I was eating to tamp down anxiety and stress but also out of habit. If I had a conference call coming up or a meeting with clients I would eat as a way to prep myself and as a kind of reward for something I didn't really want to do. Also all the years of deprivation and being on or off of one diet or another screwed my head up and I worried that being banded might not work. But it will -- I'm getting it next week and I can't wait. With my appetite dimmed I will be able to really assess what is going on when I have an impulse to eat. It might be the healthy kind, good old hunger which of course is elusive now pre-band but I understand post band it's very clear. I feel so willing to do whatever it takes. I still want to be able to have whatever it is I want because I am a healthy eater now and love food that's good for me, but I'll just be having much, much less and at appropriate intervals. I think it's going to be hard sometimes but not hard like it's been for me for so long feeling so screwed up about a basic thing like eating. And I'm a cook. I'm into food, production cooking and I still will be doing all that. Just not sitting down to a big plate and then grazing before and after. Best wishes to you as you go through the process. We are all here together for a reason.

Hi Liz, I am sabinadublin on MFP if you want to connect there -- nice having a group of bandits for food tracking and exercise support. Including the PT variety! Definitely keep away from that scale -- I imagine the swelling is really something after a surgery like that. Hope you're feeling better each day.

Hi there, this is all quite the process, isn't it? I know what you mean and felt frustrated myself at times over the last couple of months. Hate being in limbo! Have you called your insurance company to verify your coverage? This made me feel better -- and I called a few different times. At one point they went from 100% down to 90% coverage which was pretty annoying but I know I'm still very lucky. Is there any reason to suspect you may not be approved? If not, I'd say you should begin to get ready for the 27th!

Hi there, I am pretty excited about pea protein. I am on my pre-op diet and have four different canisters going for variety. Amazing how much you can go through in this stage! Just picked up a new one at Vitamin Shoppe over the weekend and I think it's the best deal so far: Olympian Labs Lean and Healthy Pea Protein 26 grams protein for 160 calories. Chocolate. I sometimes put a half a frozen banana in for a smoother shake along with ice. Pretty yummy! I order stuff on-line from Vitamin Shoppe. Just got Alive brand pea protein vanilla but have not tried it yet. Other ones I have are Thorne Mediclear. Designed for detox so good for this pre-op focus of liver cleanse, etc. 145 calories, 23 grams protein. This is a lot of protein for a shake and the pea is hypoallergenic so no dairy, soy, etc. Sometimes I use almond milk but the water is actually just fine. Good luck to you!

Hi there, hang in there. I am still pre-band (one more week!) but I've been reading posts for a few months now to prepare and it seems like this is a difficult time for so many people. Take good care of yourself. It's just two and a half weeks since your surgery. I'm not sure where you live but here in New England the light is changing so much right now and there's that feeling of impending winter. Is there something fun you can do for the next couple of weeks to help distract yourself while you wait to see the surgeon and have your first fill? I just bought strings of twinkly lights to hang up to try to get at the light deficit. That always makes me feel better in these winter months. How is your exercise life? Oh, and will you come back and tell me this when it's my turn? Best wishes!

Hi there, there are definitely some Chicago peeps on here and I've heard your facility mentioned -- you may want to check the November Bandster's thread. Good luck with all. I started in June and learned so much here over the summer, etc. Asking questions and reading threads. And now I'm getting banded next week. Very excited! I felt so impatient at first but now this feels like the right time. Look forward to chatting with you on the forum!

Happy Birthday (almost) -- have fun out on the town!

Hi there, thinking of you and I will be there next week -- you will have recovered by then, dancing a jig. Best wishes!

Hi Rosemary, I know what you mean about getting this show on the road! My date is a week from tomorrow. Fingers crossed for you to get your date firmed up and on your way. As the time grows closer I find myself anxious over various small things but not the surgery itself. That I am excited about. Now off to hospital for one last pre-op hoop -- a blood test to make sure I haven't wasted away after one week of liquids only. Next visit the real one!

Didn't want to work out today. Monday, ugh. 6am got son breakfast, lunch and out the door. Husband begged off PT exercises and my exercise partner was late so I climbed under the covers to snooze. Then she arrived. By then I really really did not want to work out, but we did it anyway and it felt great. I am a different woman at the end of 40 on the treadmill, 20 recumbent bike. Then this afternoon we did the PT exercises, too -- weights. All good!

Thanks so much every one -- worried about the silliest things just now. I do love a good restaurant experience once in a while. For me that's a beautiful piece of fish some one else prepared and yummy veggies. Or a hamburger no bun. Don't really eat bread much now so I'm figuring that will be probably off my list a good long while. And I'm already terrified of rice and I don't even have my band yet! It is so far in the future -- this is called banking anxiety. And anxiety is a bad investment. Ack. Off to the hospital for last pre-op crap. More blood tests in case I have wasted away after one week on shakes. Hello? I could live on just my fat for a year.

Hi there, I'm starting the second week of my pre-op liquid diet so naturally I am thinking about what it will be like to go out to dinner once banded. Granted this is a fantasy for a couple of months down the line after I am healed up completely and understand how my band works, etc. Let's say I'm in the green zone. So, is this in any way what it's like to go out to a restaurant? We sit down, the waitress comes over and we order drinks. I am not eating and drinking together, nor am I having alcohol very often, so the drink is a big deal. Maybe it's a glass of wine or perhaps a cocktail. If it's a cocktail I don't chew on the lime or eat the slice of orange. I sip the drink and enjoy every moment of it because it's a big treat. My spouse orders an appetizer and I finish sipping my drink. I need to clock it so that at least twenty minutes have elapsed before I have anything to eat. I order something high in Protein and soft -- something that will absolutely positively not cause me to get stuck. Perhaps I have ordered an appetizer. If it is an entree I will likely need to divide it to take some home or pass it over to my husband or son who will gladly absorb the extra from my plate. When the food arrives, I take a good hard look at it to determine the best approach. I am only going to have 1/2 to 1 cup and I need to listen especially hard to my body so I don't overdo it. Plus I've had a drink so I need to be extra mindful. I have ordered something very high in protein but I love veggies, too. I may need to move things around on the little plate so I am able to go very slowly and be sure to put the fork down. Am I over-thinking this, LOL? I will still be able to eat out, I know, but I guess it's that week two pre-op and minor anxiety about upcoming surgery that is bringing up these little worries.....What's it like when you go out to dinner?

Hi Bradley, 25 pounds down is awesome! Congratulations on that -- that's a nice chunk in the right direction. I am not banded yet but I know there is that time after surgery and prior to a fill that can be "bandster hell" -- a time of hunger that we thought we were not going to have again. Just know it's not going to last -- you are going to keep working with your surgeon on the right fill to make your band work perfectly for you so you are eating good food in small portions and losing weight. Stay away from the temptation and see if you can get in sooner for a fill. You'll get there!

Hi Ann, I hope it goes well tomorrow and you are able to get back on track. I am just back from a therapy appointment. Still pre-band (one more week!) but have been seeing a therapist while going through this process. Trying to sort out those issues of what food has meant for me, the overeating, feeling like my body betrayed me at some point (the initial big gain and subsequent failed attempts to lose weight), etc. I am a stress-eater (who isn't?!) and use food to tamp down anxiety. You must be anxious about your band right now. Things will be so much better when you know what's going on with this and the fact that you are coming here and checking in means you are aware. That is important, don't you think -- the awareness of what we are doing. Just know you're not alone -- please don't feel embarrassed or disgusted with yourself. We've all been there and we're all here now. Keep us posted!

Wow! July? That is amazing -- you are rocking this banded life! Thanks for the reminder about pictures. I came across a recent one that somehow I didn't delete. It's from my birthday and certainly demonstrates how fat I am. Instead of trashing it as I usually would, I am holding on to it. Will be something to compare this year's birthday pic with one next year. Best wishes for your continued success. You are doing BEAUTIFULLY!

Hi there, thanks for this -- I am taking notes for next week! And memorizing your last line above..... we all need to remember those weeks following the surgery are NOT about weight loss. That is happening now (pre-op diet) and will come later after things settle. I am okay with that but just reminding myself again now!

Hi Faithful, love the cow! Glad you are coming out of a few rough days -- I hope today is stellar. I know what you mean about the scrambled egg and cottage cheese cravings. When do you go on mushies? Isn't it great to have such healthy cravings -- that relationship with the body back into place, able to listen to signals for the right foods, etc. Next Tuesday is my big day then those weeks of clear to full liquids to soft foods and mushies.......I am so excited about everything. Good luck to you! PS when can you exercise?

Congratulations on that -- awesome. AND, I just looked at your ticker! Wow! You have done such an amazing job of recovering your health. Truly amazing. Hat's off to you!