EricaLyn

While I'm probably considered an "apple" I describe myself as a tomato on toothpicks. I've got great legs...but up on top...not so good. My husband would beg to differ because he likes my you-know-what's, but my stomach, ugh. Lord have mercy. I feel like I swallowed a tire. May 13th cannot come soon enough.

May 20th is a great date - my anniversary! =) Anyway, I think first of all you need to lose your fear. Don't let it be the driving force behind this journey. Personally, I'm not fearful that the band won't work - IT'S GOING TO WORK. I don't believe anything other than that. It has to work in order for me to live a long, healthy life. Keep telling yourself that "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better". Don't let your mind run away with the fear. KNOW that you will succeed with the band and you will!

Is anyone being banded at the U of W? I see NWWLS and other area hospitals posted a lot, but never U of W. I'm scheduled there in May. Just curious.

Question for everyone - How much do you exercise? What's your typical schedule?

This happens. You've lost a LOT of weight in just one week, so your body needs some time to adjust. Give it a few days, don't weigh and keep plugging along. If you continue with the eating plan and drinking lots of Water you're going to lose weight. I started my pre-surgery diet and lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks - wahoo! These last two weeks have been hell. Nothing lost, but I FEEL like I'm losing - my clothes fit better, so I know I just need to keep plugging along. I think our bodies need time to readjust. We're shocking them into submission! Keep the faith and hang in there!

You look awesome! Wow - for only 2 months you can REALLY see a difference! Thanks for sharing these photos. It really goes to show that even if we're not losing pounds, per se, the inches are coming off. You look beautiful!

This sounds yummy. How much Ricotta cheese do you use?

My doctor/hospital requires a 3 week pre-op diet. I started my diet 2 weeks early. In those 2 weeks I lost 15 pounds so I'd say it's worth starting your diet early. I too was told about the need to shrink the liver. My doctor's pre-op diet is pretty painless. Slim Fast for Breakfast, Lean Cuisine for lunch and dinner (keep it under 300 calories). I'm allowed 1 cup of cooked or 2 cups uncooked veggies and a 90 calorie yogurt. I can also have all the Crystal Light I can drink and sugar free Jell-O. If you're not into frozen meals, 4 Slim Fast shakes are allowed. I'm pretty happy on this diet and not really hungry. It's helping me shrink my stomach down and I love the fact that I've lost weight before the surgery. If I can do some now, that only helps me in the long run. Take care!

Thanks for sharing your information. My surgery is May 13th - this helps a lot, although I will be spending one night in the hospital. Thanks again.

I love this thread. Since I was approved for surgery my "LIST" keeps running around in my head. I too want to be a size 12/14 Misses. I want to keep my curves, but for the first time in my life I'd love to not have a tummy and a pooch. Two stomachs leaves me feeling kinda cowish. LOL My goals: 1. Fit into an airplane seat comfortably! 2. Be able to sit in the middle seat without the arms of my fellow passengers resting on my fat rolls. God, I hate that. 3. At a restaurant be thrilled with sitting at a booth! 4. Button up and zippered jeans 5. Shopping in the Misses section at a department store (There are so many options for that size! Where does a person start?!) 6. Fit into this beautiful off-black and white Chiffon dress that has this great slit and my husband has never seen me in (I miss that dress!) 7. To feel comfortable wearing a tank top when it's hotter than blazes out (I love hoodies, but I'm so sick of wearing them to cover up, especially during those hot summer days!) 8. To like having my picture taken (There are so few photos of me in our house - bums my husband out) 9. No more double chin 10. To no longer be the biggest woman (or person for that matter) in the room 11. To be free of my high blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid medications once and for all 12. To be healthy and happy 13. Oh, and to be my husband's "Hot Wife". LOL I know that's stupid, but I'd just like to be the hot wife for once. This was fun. I needed this goal refresher. I could be very happy with this body!

Get a new doctor. A LapBand friendly one.

Congratulations on your success! I'm soon to be banded on May 13th. Thank you for the positive post. I needed to read that today. Yesterday I read way too many negative posts and it kind of got to me. Thanks for reminding me of the positive side to LapBand surgery. Wishing you much continued success!

I can totally relate to the visualization issue. I can totally see my body thinner and the size I want it to be - the way I want it to look, however when I get to my face, I just can't see her. I think my face is huge - huge double chin, big cheeks, etc. I just can't seem to picture how my face will look thinned out. So many tell me that I don't have a fat face, but I refuse to believe them. Your blog has inspired me to really focus on the changes that are happening and going to happen in my face. I've never really known 'me' as a thin woman. I'm desperate to meet her. Thanks for sharing your struggles and emotions. Congratulations on the weight you've lost. It's quite the journey, isn't it.

I've been moved up from May 15th to May 13th. I'm so excited! :biggrin2: Dr. Wright at the University of Washington Seattle.

I'm on a pre-surgery diet that's pretty easy and pretty filling. The University of Washington requires 1 can of Slim Fast for Breakfast, 1 Lean Cuisine for lunch and 1 Lean Cuisine for dinner. You can have up to 2 cups uncooked or 1 cup cooked veggies, 1 small piece of fruit or a 90-cal yogurt and all the Crystal Light you can drink and sugar-free Jell-O you want. If you don't like frozen meals, you can do a total of 4 Slim Fast drinks a day. It's pretty easy and I've lost 15 pounds in under 3 weeks. There's no way I'm waking up from my surgery to be told my liver was large and in charge and they couldn't do the surgery!

First of all, welcome to the LapBand website! And it's perfectly okay to rant! We all need to do it at one point or another! I'm also sorry your husband spilled the Beans. The more I'm around men (and live with my husband) the more I realize that they're not intentionally forgetful, they just don't think about the words that come out of their mouths. I'm sure your husband feels just awful about saying something to his Mother, especially knowing the relationship you and his Mom have together. Did he go into details on why you'd be getting back on "solid foods". If he didn't, you can still save this (if you still want to keep it to yourself). There are many reasons why you'd be off of solids - many different types of procedures, heck, even a colonoscopy. If your MIL does know now you can always say to her (if she brings the surgery up), "No offense, but I don't want to talk about it". Period. End of story. It's your personal health, your personal decision. It's not anyone's business. OR...if she brings it up you can say, "Yes, I'm having weight loss surgery. Right now I need support and encouragement. If you're not able to give me that then let's not discuss it". My Dad has Parkinson's and I understand the cognitive issues. He blabs stuff all the time and my poor Mom wants to strangle him half the time. Hang in there. Know that you're not alone in any of this. Just concentrate on the fact that soon you'll be a new woman and nothing beats being healthier and happier!

I agree. If this is what is meant for you to have, it will happen. I know I had to give my worries to God because I was flipping out over whether or not I'd get approval (I have and I'm scheduled for surgery on May 13th). The psych evaluation isn't hard (at least mine wasn't). Mostly, they just want to know that you understand your relationship with food and you're ready to change your habits. They're concerned with you having a good support system at home and in your life as well. We all have something we're battling/dealing with in our lives. No one is perfect and I think they realize that when they're evaluating you. They're not looking for perfection (mentally, physically, emotionally), but they do want to know that you're ready to take this journey and not fall back in to your old habits and mental weight issues. Trust that this will happen for you (if you're ready for it) and start now with adjusting your attitude towards food. Take care!

I'm new to all of this. How do you ignore forums you don't want to bother with? I'd love to do that! I too have limited time and scrolling through everything is a pain. Thanks!!

I had the splitting headaches for about 4 days, I'm sorry to say. I attributed mine to my lack of sugar intake. I was still drinking hot tea and Crystal Light Iced Tea, so I didn't think it had to do with caffeine withdrawals. After about 3 1/2 days the pain really subsided and by the end of the 4th day, no more headaches. I've been headache free now every since (about 2 weeks). Hang in there. It does get better.

I haven't been banded yet, but I've lost 25 lbs pre-op. My pants don't really fit better around the waist, but I can tell I've lost it in the Fluid retention - puffiness in face, hands, arms, feet, calves - that's all gone. I'm moving better and even sitting better. Try to find the changes that are happening - even if it's just the fact that you get in and out of the car better! It'll come. It's just part of the natural progression. I've noticed it's kind of like a watched pot - it never boils. I think if we hoover around the scale and tape measure it just goes painfully slow. Keep at it and you're going to see progress. It'll just be one day you look in the mirror and go, "Whoa. When did that happen!?" Keep the faith!

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! I'm getting banded on May 13th. You've given me a shot in the arm - something I really needed today. Thanks for the encouraging word!

To be the weight that the "charts" say I should be, which is 140 lbs for my 5'4" frame, is a goal I'm not ever going to try to meet. If I were 140 lbs I'd be a stick figure. I'm large boned, broad back, long limbed and will be content at 170 lbs. My nutritionist even said that my goal of 170 lbs was a far reach for me. She thought a more reasonable weight loss goal was around 200 lbs. I was floored! She told me that even just getting a few pounds off does wonder for our bodies, health and state of mind. I'm setting mini-goals for myself because the overall goal in and of itself is too much to carry every day. I have a picture of me when I finally got down to 210 lbs (about 10 years ago). I was a Misses size 12 and I looked awesome!! To look at me, I didn't look 210 lbs - I looked 150 lbs. The more I'm on this journey the more I'm realizing that the number on the scale doesn't matter all that much. It's how I look, how I feel and whether or not I'm off my prescriptions (HBP, Thyroid and Diabetes). Hang in there! Take it one day at a time. :glare:

I've lost 25 pounds so far - pre-surgery. I've lost 15 of those pounds in the last 2 weeks. Keep your total calorie intake below 1200. I have a Slim Fast Optima shake in the AM, a banana for a snack, a Lean Cuisine (go for the lower calorie ones) for lunch, a low-fat yogurt for snack and a salad for dinner. The Weight Watcher Desserts are low cal and a nice treat too for something sweet after dinner. I'm drinking a TON of Water and Crystal Light Iced Tea. Remember to get some exercise in there - walking, stretching, etc. Whatever you can manage. Keep away from carbs - bread, Pasta, rice and the weight WILL come off. Swear off fast food and soda (even diet) and limit the dairy (I'm a big fan of cheese and I've really kept away from cheese and the weight is coming off now). You can do this!

I haven't been banded yet, but I've put myself on a pre-surgery diet. So far I've lost 25 pounds and my body is totally not reacting the same way it used to when I'd lose weight. My stomach especially is acting goofy. I'm losing it in the upper stomach, but not at my waist (weird). My calves are going down, but not my thighs (again, weird for me) and my arms are going down (which they never did before). I think it's age! LOL I figure our bodies are just going to do it their way and we just have to work it. I'm a firm believer that our weight shifts. The last time I lost a lot of weight (10 years ago I lost 100 lbs), there were days when my stomach was out further than my boobs, then the next day, the stomach would be flatter and I'd be busty again. My family thought it was hilarious. Hang in there. Losing weight puts us in an awkward place - we're learning (and listening) to our bodies for the first time in a long time!

Ahhhh I see. I understand. Thanks for clarifying. As for the other posts about depriving ourselves...I agree, to a point. I am literally at the stage in my life/health that if I don't get this weight off, I'm not going to live. HPB, Type II Diabetes, Jacked Up Thyroid, Aching Knees/Back/Hips/Shoulders/Feet are taking their toll. I figure depriving myself of cake, pizza, Cookies, chips, fast food, soft drinks, etc. is the least I can do for myself, my husband, my family. I KNOW I'll be able to eat what I want in moderation after being banded, but I really try to take the stance that this isn't vanity, this isn't so I can be a hottie (which would be nice) this is about life or death. I want to be around for a long time (I'm only 37!) and this weight is such a monkey on my back. I get so ticked off when I think of all the wasted years! When I think about all the things I've bowed out of, declined, didn't do, hid from because of this freakin' weight. I'm sick of it. I want it gone. And if that means I have to stop eating pizza, fried rice and cream cheese (God, I love cheese!) for awhile (or forever - gasp!) then so be it. I'm so sick of my fat. Geesh! :tt1: This stuff is coming off!!!