Bandista

Hi there, congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I can't tell from your profile what kind you are going to have....your surgeon will go over everything with you. It's important to never crush or split anything that is time-release. Your pharmacist can tell you if any of your scripts fall into that category. Best wishes! Many WLS patients have getting off meds as a goal and that is always very exciting. Here's to choosing yourself and your healthy future!

@superbariatricbabe Way to get ahead of the game! Congratulations on your upcoming surgery and all that awaits. Getting off of sugar and artificial sweeteners is huge. I was very happy to have upped my exercise pre-surgery. Didn't really want to, but I forced myself and I think that walking really helped kick my body into healing mode when the time came. All good things are ahead! Best wishes.....

This is hilarious -- junior/missy vs. plus size! Love it! Congratulations on all your hard work. It's challenging for the brain to keep up with the body. Melting.........

Way to go! And thanks for all the inspiration. I am so happy with my band. Love your list of things you want to accomplish -- GO, GO, GO!!!!!!

Loose clothes -- yippee!!!! So happy for you......I have to say, it feels so good when those pants start falling off of me. Can't wait to get to the next size. Not rushing it, but it's all happening.

If we could have lost weight dieting, we would have, right? But you will probably drop and surprise yourself. Main thing right now is just following instructions and getting ready for your surgery; you will do great!

Bought a fancy headband -- just came in the mail. For my 5K in September, which I will probably walk, which is as much as I walk most days, lol. Anyway, the headband from Bolder Bands was $18 and my husband is teasing about that -- a headband? But it's very cool and gets my hair away from my face. I feel quite sporty and athletic. Who knew?

Congratulations all -- very exciting!

Way to go -- you're doing great! It will all be worth it. I was so glad to drop weight that I knew for once would not be coming back. Here's to that!

Pre-op brings up so many emotions.....I had worries about forfeiting my favorited or not being able to go out, etc. All of those fears were unfounded -- I don't feel like I've given up anything. Can't really explain it, but when the appetite is dimmed there is that feeling of "enough" which must be what I was looking for all along with the volume eating. Good luck to you -- you are choosing yourself and that is very powerful. I highly recommend therapy. I saw some one and we broke down all my triggers so I could really see them and form some strategies. So easy with the band -- I am able to override those old behaviors and you will, too. I was sure I'd be the person it didn't work for but it's working great.

Yippee, yippee! We made it! So happy for you. All that hard work and exercise is really paying off. Congratulations!

@ Happy, happy birthday!

Hi there and congratulations! Keep us posted.......

Hi there, with my last fill I wondered if I was too tight. Rode it out a fee more days and I am fine now. I need to be able to eat certain things like dense protein and broccoli, etc. -- don't want a too-tight band. If I had symptoms like nausea or reflux or starting to lean on sliders I would go have a little removed.

Rolling over a little tricky for a few days -- had to think it out beforehand, getting out of bed, etc. But passed quickly. I didn't take pain meds but still got constipated and had to take something for that -- wished this had been addressed prior. That's all I can think of. I was so giddy and excited to finally have my band. And right now I have a wrenched back, am in a recliner on ice packs. Boy is a bad back painful and most of us have been there. Way worse than band surgery recovery, if you ask me. And I'd rather get a band then go through dentistry. Getting the band was a choice and it was empowering. Purposeful. Not like being ill or recovering from an injury, etc.

Thinking of you and sending best wishes....got to get this figured out so you are healthy and happy with your weight.....could there be something else muddying the waters? New response to stress, GERD, etc?

Congratulations on getting a date! It can be a nerve-wracking time. So amazing to choose yourself and your healthy future like this. Best wishes to you!

I believe this is sound science but it's just the amount of butter and heavy cream I could out away pre-band.....thank goodness those days are over. So enjoying being a dairy eater now, and this includes indulging in a little wedge of yummy cheese here and there, real butter if I fry an egg, etc. But back then it was so much more.....even a salad I would eat is amazing to think about now, that volume, Actually, new research plus old research that was buried for many years says your mom is right. It's the carbs, not the fat. Take a look at Gary Taub's books Good Carbs Bad Carbs or Why We Get Fat. Journalistic discovery of all the research and studies over the years that did not agree with the low fat bandwagon. Nations around the world (like Sweden) are revising their nutritional guidelines as we speak. I was low fat for decades, did nothing to keep me from gaining weight. Now I eat all the heavy cream and butter I want but keep my carbs very low and I maintain my weight very easily. Not to sound preachy, but the world is a-changing and everything we took for granted about nutrition since the 60's is being turned on its head.

Hey there, congratulations! I liked soups, too -- there's a no-dairy creamy brand called Imagine soups that come in a carton in the regular grocery store -- I liked the potato leek a lot, though I'd only have a little. There are lots of flavors. And my surgeon okayed egg drop soup. I even made it myself, fun! Loved my half a Popsicle here and there. I got MiniteMaid soft frozen lemonade ones and they were yummy, no artificial sweeteners. I was having so little calories it didn't matter if I had a little sugar. I couldn't do protein shakes -- maybe burned out in them from pre-op or just couldn't take the thickness. I had no protein or calorie goals during this time -- just having something if hungry but otherwise not, and learning to listen for hunger. That took me a while. Good luck with all that is ahead -- very exciting!

Glad you are seeing your surgeon tomorrow.....sounds like multiple diagnosis with neck/shoulder involved. Can be so painful! Pain associated with eating makes it interesting, too -- that seems very important so they don't just chalk it up to an orthopedic issue and send you on to the next doctor. Meanwhile, do you use ice packs? Amazing drug-free pain relief. Sending best wishes your way -- keep us posted!

Medical professionals are way behind in the nutrition department. My hospital's lapband program included a shake for the two-week pre-op liquid diet. When I saw the ingredients I couldn't believe it. When I mentioned it to the surgeon he said, "oh, I'd never put that crap in my body either." But apparently most patients are already addicted to artificial sweeteners and sugars in every form so they use this product to encourage compliance. I found another product and had to meet with the nutritionist to get her to sign off on it -- pretty ridiculous as the liver clearing shake I chose was so superior in every way. This is the same nutritionist who told me her kids don't eat Breakfast in the mornings. Oh, and she announced my weight in front of my husband during the one visit I took him along, a figure I had managed to conceal for years! I have not been impressed with nutritionists on the whole. Remember one working with my husband who had a lengthy hospital stay -- they couldn't even get the gluten-free thing right and this was Boston. Re: sugar, I enjoyed Popsicles post-op and since it's a rare treat I don't mind having a little of the real thing here and there. The MinuteMaid soft frozen lemonade in particular was great those first few days. I'd only have a little and I was done. I understand articial sweeteners signal the brain that food is on the way, great. And of course sugar is poison, too, but I try to at least get unbleached organic.

Hi there, congratulations on all -- and two pounds down a week is fantastic! Sliming is an over-production of saliva when something is stuck or getting stuck -- some people have this more than others. My surgeon was looking for a tennis-ball sized portion and not hungry again for 4-5 hours. I kept going until I achieved that -- had the portion part but not duration, was hungry again after a couple of hours. For me, that's how I knew I needed a fill. I'm an evening eater, too. Not hungry at all in the mornings plus I'm tight. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat -- that's my policy. Good luck to you -- you're doing great!

You're on your way! Congratulations on all that's ahead.....

So happy for you! Feels great, doesn't it?

So great to have a fitness goal like this! I have become quite the walker and I do about 5K or so almost every day. If you have to walk parts of it, no worries. One thing about pre-surgery, I was really glad I upped my exercise prior -- it helped my body get the message that new days were coming and I'm sure all the walking helped so much with the healing process. Kicked me into gear! So walk that dog -- I'd you're worn out at 20 minutes, go for 22. In a week you'll be doing 30. Best wishes to you!