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lol Jack, nope she didn't offer me any medical studies to back it up, I'll just have to take her word for it. The plan isn't that bad i mean there is some variety, you can sub yogurt for milk and of course there are tons of different kinds of soups you can eat, and she made this plan based on what I like and don't like (I don't eat fish so it wasn't included in the plan), any way, I'll keep u guys posted on how it goes, I'm starting on Monday.

I saw the dietitian yesterday and I posted what she wanted me to do just in case any one was interested. She isn't putting me on a liquid diet before but more of a low carb, low fat type of thing. She also suggested I have a sleep apnea test and a psychological exam (piff) I'm not going to mention it to the surgeon. The less test I have to pay for the better. I'm getting pretty nervous now the reality of surgery has sunk in. I'm afraid, what if I don't lose the weight...what if there is a complication, what if I get sick.....what can I do about all these what ifs? I keep trying to tell myself that everything is going to be fine and that I'm going to be looking great by this time next year. I have an endoscopy scheduled for Friday, and apparently here they don't put you to sleep, only numb your throat, so I'm freaking out about that as well. Then on Monday I have an XRay of my thorax and a sonogram of my liver to do. Then I have my pre-op on the 12th. Wish me luck guys, and good luck to all of you who are going before me. I want to hear all the juicy details!

I've done this sort of diet before, its not that hard, just having to give up the junk and make healthier choices instead. But it should get me into the habit of reaching for fruit to snack on instead of chips and yogurt instead of cokes. Hopefully with the bands restricition I'll be satisfied with a lot less and I won't feel like I need to reach for that extra bag of chips.

Wow! Thats really pretty....where did you find that? I want one!

I saw the dietitian today and I thought I might share the type of diet she is putting me on before and after. For those of you who like natural, not processed foods this is a good one. Before Breakfast 1.5dl of milk (2% is fine but 1% or skim is better) or 1 light yogurt 1 piece of bread about 25g (any type of wheat, or grains type as long as it isn't a cake type of bread) may have light cheese, fresh cheese, butter(1/2 tb), or a slice of ham/turkey/chicken to put on the bread (may toast if you like) (don't mix meat and cheese, choose either meat OR cheese) Mid morning snack 1 piece of fruit (medium sized apple, 8 strawberries, slice of melon etc.) 1/2 piece of bread or 4 crackers (saltine) (you must always eat a piece of bread or crackers after eating fruit. It helps absorb the fructose in the fruit before your body does.) lunch 2.5dl of vegetable Soup (see my thread on Portuguese vegetable Soups eggs 2 small potatoes or 3 soup spoons of rice or 3 soup spoons of Pasta (cooked) salad (as much as you like, olive oil and vinegar dressing or light low fat dressing) Mid afternoon snack 1 light yogurt 1 piece of fruit 1/2 piece of bread or 4 crackers dinner You can do a repeat of lunch here, or 1 bowl of soup (vegetable not chicken noodle or something) 1 bread or 4 crackers 1 slice of cheese, or fresh cheese, or ham or butter. Just before bed 2dl of milk or 1 light yogurt Conversions: 1 cup = 2.37dl 1 oz = 28.35g 1 fl oz = 29.6ml Drink Water, or tea, or fresh squeezed fruit juice. She said you can put sugar substitutes in the drinks. *no more then 2 eggs per week After 1º phase +-15/30 days liquids between 50 to 100ml for each meal Eat at least once every 2 hours Only eat things that go through a straw May eat any of the following: liquid yogurts (full fat), milk (2%), soups that contain no fibrous vegetables and that have been completely liquefied, natural fruit juices with no pulp, and 2 nutritional supplements called Fantomalk and Protifar (one is for carbs the other is protein) May NOT eat:sugar, any thing fibrous, anything solid 2º phase +-15 days Mushies +-100 ml for each meal Eat at least once ever 2 hours 3º phase +- 1 month solid food Chew VERY well Select food that you can tolerate well and don't force those foods that you cant. Pay attention to the quantity you can eat at each meal. Eat at least once every 2 hours 4º phase 2 to 3 months after surgery Solid foods Chew VERY well Eat at least once every 2 hours Introduce almost all of your normal foods (the types of food on the pre diet) Try not to at thing very fibrous or of a fibrous consistency Enjoy and message me if you have any questions or if something isn't clear.

So far I haven't had to ask for an extender, but I'm flying home in september and I weigh more now then I ever did, so I'm hoping that I can lose a bit before my flight in home.

Just a microphone. The camera is only if you want video. to talk u just need the mic.

I agree with wheetsin that this can be so subjective. For example I don't think that completing each others sentences is true love. My husband and I do that occasionally but I honestly don't see that as having any thing to do with what holds us together..... Now...what DOES hold us together? I agree with Photonut that it's something you give not get. Hugo tells me that he loves me countless times a day, and how beautiful I am. We don't like to be apart from each other, we eat lunch and dinner together and we always take our vacations together, but I don't think this constitutes true love either. My cousin and her husband take separate vacations, they usually see each other on the weekend but not during the week because of different work schedules, and they have this whole privacy thing were one doesn't walk in on the other when a door is closed. My husband and I don't close doors in the house...(no, not even the bathroom, unless there are guest!:guess ) But her marriage is just as strong as mine. My husband and I don't have a lot in common. I'm American, hes Portuguese, I come from middle (middle) class and he comes from upper class family. My family was always full of people shouting and talking loudly. His family is quiet and proper. My family shares its problems with each other, his family members keep all their problems to themselves. He is shy, and quiet, I'm outgoing and talkative, he live sci fi and computers, I like comedy and action. But in all of this, we still manage to find loads of things to talk about and things to do together and things to watch. I watch one of his sci fi movies and then he watches one of my comedy movies.....every one wins. (and secretly I know that he likes them because he cant stop laughing!) With all of this....how can I say which part of this is TRUE LOVE? Honestly I don't really know, but at the end of the day, I can't imagine my life with out him.

I don't know that surgeon, but give it some time some one may post, also try searching for his name you may find other threads about him.

I just asked Alexandra about this, she made the thread a sticky, here is the link http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14814

Hummm....so I guess it does make a diffrence....I have an apt. on the 17th with the dietitian before my surgery on the 26th, so I'm waiting to see what she tells me, if she is going to want me to diet before as well. I think I might any way just to see if it helps with the gas pains that every one is talking about.

And it sounds like your seeing it from his perspective as well. You have gotten some great advice here, and your only response is to defend your husband. I truly hope you can find the strength to become the person that you want to be, and not the one your husband wants you to be.

Hey Kimber, Skype is actually just one of lots of VOIP (voice over ip) programs, the one I use to call back home is called Gizmo. http://www.gizmoproject.com You can actually buy an adapter to hook to your router (if you have high speed internet access) and hook a regular cordless phone to it and walk around the house talking as if it were a normal call. Also, gizmo to gizmo or skype to skype calls are free. If both you and your friend install the software on your computers and all each other it's free. Let me know if you need any help setting it up or what not....

Thanks for the tip Ceparano, but I'm not sure I can buy that here in Portugal, I'm going to look around and I need to find some kind of protein drinks as well, I'm going to stop by the health shop today to see what they have got and try out a few protein shakes before I actually need them.

Paula that analogy did make sense, I completely understand. VLB, I also know a girl who was a bit smaller then me (she was overweight but not quiet as much as me) she lost it on her own to by basically not eating any thing, and now she is skin and bones and is always sickly looking. She could never get use to eating normally again and now she is struggling with a different kind of eating disorder.

hehe, well I thought he was just being stingy about money at first but it turns out it was a bit more than that. As far as FIL he actually hindered instead of helped. He to thought we should wait until we were more financially secure to do this. And he actually fired DH up so that we fought almost an entire day about it until finally DH said do what you want I'm tired of arguing, but the next day he was completly understanding and things are fine.... however, we just had lunch with FIL and I told him I was going ahead with it. And DH just went over to FIL's house to help him with some stuff, so I'm afraid DH will come back all fired up again because FIL will lecture him about spending money etc. DH's brother is getting married this year and I think all of FIL's extra money is going to that...he didn't offer any financial support, but really its ok because I don't think we are that bad off. We didn't have to take a loan for the entire thing, not even for most of it.....and I'm actually putting it on a personal loan that gave me an introductory rate of 0% for the first 12 months....I'll have it all paid off way before then. :clap2:

Yep, mine is going to be around $11,000 (8,000€) so it is quiet a bit of money and I certainly don't want to waste it, but I wish he would just say ok, your an adult, you make your own money, and you can decide what you want to do and I'll support you. He just doesn't think that way. We always try to make our decisions together, and I never put my foot down when I didn't think it was that important (like I mentioned in previous posts 7,000€ to redo the kitchen, and 5,000€ for a custom office) but at the time we did those things we had more money....we are a bit stretched now and he just thinks its horrible I want to take a loan to pay for it (only 3,000€ as we already have 5,000€ in cash already) He thinks we should wait another 6 months or so until we have it all in cash, but I just don't want to wait. I have already started the process and asked for the time off from work, which was no picnic. Every couple is different, but i think in the end he will be ok with the whole thing.

But how can just a few weeks of diet change our liver so drastically? I mean it must take years to get it fatty, I don't see how loosing a few lbs in a week or 2 is going to change that. However, the diet should help with last supper syndrome, and to make the transition to band approved foods easier. Also, it sounds like an added bonus is less problems with gas.....my doc didn't tell me to do any diet, but a week before my surgery date, I have to see a nutritionist, maybe she will tell me to do a liquid diet the week before.... I still don't understand the liver thing. :eek:

It sounds like every one is different and there is really no way to tell how much time we need. I'm having my surgery on April 26th (Wednesday) and returning to work on May 2 (Tuesday) so I'm getting just one day short of a week. I teach also, but I can sit behind the desk if I need to. I'm just hoping that the time will be enough for me.

Well, it seems that I finally got to the root of my husbands reluctance with all this. He's afraid I'm going to die during the surgery, or that I will have some complication and if we don't have money to pay for it, the hospital will toss me out on the street. Not likely, but he has never delt with this kind of thing before so he's really insecure. He has reluctantly agreed to support me, but I think that when it's all said and done he will be happy that we went ahead and did it. :clap2: Here is a link to the hospital where I'm doing it. I know most of you can't read portuguese, but there are some photos. http://www.gpsaude.pt/gps/Menu/Unidades/Centro/British+Hospital.htm

I'm going to be taking just under a week (April 26 to May 1) so I'm hoping I'll be ready to go back, but after the big deal they made about the 3 days I'm asking for I'm afraid to ask for any more. If I'm still not feeling well, I'll just call in sick.

Good luck Jen, we will be thinking of you.

I'm surprised no one answered this....square root of 64 = 8 and 8*2=16 so you have lost 16lbs, thats great! I read through all the posts and every one sounds great. I'm worried about that GB thinggie because my doc said I would need to have that done as well. I don't know if they put me to sleep or just numb me. I have a follow up appt on the 12th of April and an appt. with he nutritionist on the 17th of April. And surgery is supposed to be on the 26th. I can't wait to hear how all of you are doing from the beginning of the month, I'm already stock piling stuff to prepare for the surgery as well. I need to find something for fiber though, that was one thing I didn't think about. I'll check in later have a great day guys! A few photos of me as well. Me at our engagment party....hubby bought me flowers. Me before the christmas party.

Thanks so much for such sweet comments... a lady huh? Sometimes I feel like I'm still such a kid. Every one trying to tell me what to do. I hope for everything to go smooth too...I have had to deal with a lot lately from every one about this surgery, and I just want to get it done with so no one will say any thing else about it and I can be left alone. Thanks for all the support guys!

Yep, the guy was a total ass, and when he apologized he actually said thank you to me for controlling myself while he was saying all of this....whatever I'm totally over it. He isn't worth my time, and when I told some of my colleges about the cakes they were all up hauled as well because they all know I don't eat them because I don't like them. As far as my man, he understands that I want to do it and he has accepted that we are going to pay for it, but he wants to wait until we have more money in savings so we can pay it all and have some extra cushion. But thats just his nature, he's always worried about money. We are fine and it will be fine. The doctor already has me running all kinds of test and I told hubby if we wait I'll probably have to do the tests again which means paying for them again. Besides when its all said and done he will be happy we got it over with before the summer when were going on vacation back to Florida, and I will feel happier and more confident going out on the beach. Um yeah, that part had me more upset than any thing, I'm use to people giving me diet and exercise advice, but to some how throw that in was just beyond me....I actually told him when he said that, that's how gossip gets started isn't it...when some one says some one did something etc.