SIJoe

Today is day one of my pre-op diet, my second pre-op diet. The first was in July 2013 before my surgery. I had my procedure on 8/9/13 and dropped eighty pounds over the course of a year or so. But I dug myself into a hole. It started around Halloween, or rather it started with Halloween candy which lasted until Christmas cookies. I've made a few attempts to dig myself out of this hole - adding TRX and kettle bell classes to my usual spin classes, but the hole just got deeper and the pounds just increased. I've been having these nightmares of getting back to where I started - morbidly obese at 280 pounds with painful knees and poor endurance and high blood pressure. I'm scared. I can't go back to that, not again. After surgery? How could I deal with that? I have about 7cc in my 14cc band, and I feel restriction. I feel that I lost self-control even with this band. So it's back to basics. I remember the amazement I felt not eating for two weeks and the joy of loosing fifteen pounds. I need to recapture the amazement and joy and self-control. It's been a long time since I've posted here and I'm a stranger to most. But I read and have found support and inspiration from many of you, but I have come to these boards less and less since Halloween. So, thank you all for listening.

Hi Liz - as the saying goes, cold hands, warm heart.

Hey Jim. Looking good! I just returned from Walt Disney World. I have some advice if you're talking a "princess" with you (as did we) who has her heart set on meeting Elsa and Anna - plan to go when the park is to midnight or 1AM and make this the last thing you do. The wait times during most of the day was 2 to 2 1/2 hours and we could never get a fast pass. We went about 11:40 PM and waited for about 10 minutes. And be careful of the scooter people and strollers - it's an obstacle course out there!

Wow! What a transformation Liz.

Hello Matt - Joe from NYC here. I had lap band surgery in August 2013. I was about 275 pounds. I'm about 195 now, feeling much better. Things are going very well with my band, no regrets at all. Best of luck to you.

That's great! And congrats on your recent weight loss. Question - how much did you loose in the first two years? I was banded one year ago, and I don't think I've made it to the green zone yet.

Hey Liz - you look great! Glad you had a great cruise. You're so right about the sweating like a pig. This is the first summer that I have not dreaded in many, many years. Why? Because I hardly sweat if at all. How great is that! My shirts use be be saturated with sweat after some walking and climbing stairs. And being able to sit in any chair, booth or seat? Priceless.

2muchfun - I totally agree if a person just ignores the comments, but maybe she has computer problems, or something came up that makes it difficult for her to respond? All kinds of stuff can happen. So maybe she's not rude after all.

+ 77 = 2,723

Let me do the math again!

I call him Dr. Wizard of Oz, everything an illusion and fabrication.

Hi there Dani. Different surgeons have different pre-op diets. Mine was two weeks of protein drinks, broth, & sugar free jello. My surgeon stressed to me that I needed to follow this exactly, so I followed it exactly. I wasn't going to take any chances. I made a commitment to the surgery and it was important to me that I stayed 100% committed. You chose to approach it differently, your choice. I heard that some surgeons allow lean protein. You got to tell this to your surgeon before the procedure. I heard some people here say their surgery was cancelled because they did not comply with the surgeon's diet. Good luck on your journey. The road is not easy. Stay committed.

Sorry, disregard what I write, I missed that you're having surgery. Good luck with your surgery.

Might not be what you want to hear, but Belgium has the best chocolate (Leonides comes to mind) and it's inexpensive. Everything in moderation.

Good evening all, My local fitness center offers TRX classes. I know the instructor from some kettle bell classes that I took several years ago. I go to the fitness center three to four times a week for spin classes and occasionally use the elliptical. But I need some new routines. My experience with weight lifting was short lived. Is anyone doing this training? Do you feel it's giving you done upper body strength and a stronger core? I have some lower back issues from time to time and a physical therapist said I need a stronger core. I'd appreciate knowing your experiences, both good and bad.

The thought of surgery was my biggest and probably only obstacle. First of all, I had lost (and gained back) hundreds of pounds over the course of my mostly obese adulthood through diet and exercise. But that no longer worked for me. Secondly, I personally know several people that had WLS, lost lots of weight and then regained it. I never had surgery, and I was mortified knowing that I too could possibly regain all my weight if I had surgery. But, I was just too fat (pardon that word) and out of shape and that was making work even more miserable since my job involves lots of walking and climbing steps. So I had surgery last August and dropped about 75 pounds. I'm very grateful, but I still fear the addiction and possibility of weight gain.

Happy June Junebug! I dropped 15 pounds pre-op following two weeks of liquid protein drinks. I'm sure several pounds of water weight. Good luck with your surgery!

Putting a zucchini in a vegetti and loving it? Sounds like a thread that belongs in powder room gone wild! Just kidding, a friend of mine gave me a vegetti but I haven't gotten around to using it.

That's great! Be proud of yourself.

Well said, thank you both. I read the post you refer to. I thought it was just so bizarre that someone would actually write that. Very sad.

Green at last, green at last. Thank God Almighty, I am green at last. I'm with you. I had my sixth fill last week (banded in August 2013) and now I can feel a change. I have to pay much more attention to the signals now because I can feel some restriction. I have not vomited once since surgery and have no intention of starting now.

Hi, from my experience, it was the WLS surgeon's office that was responsible for insurance approval, not the PCP.

Hi all, I don't post much at all, but I'm here most days finding support, inspiration, and success stories. It was one year ago when I had my first visit with my bariatric surgeon. I weighed about 275 pounds. I struggled with the decision to have WLS up until the moment I was rendered unconscious by the anesthesiologist. My band was placed on August 9, 2013. Today I'm down to 199 pounds. Now the hard work begins. I would like to drop about ten more pounds to reach my goal of being "overweight." I had my sixth fill earlier this week. My weight loss has slowed considerably over the past month or so. I say the hard work begins now because I've lost and gained hundreds of pounds over the past thirty-five years, and I wonder, once again, if I will able to keep the weight off. So thanks to you all for sharing the good and the bad. This is a good support group, one that I will continue to be part of (even if only to read).

60 minute spin class.