Florida Pete

Hi Yanira! I hope your surgery went well! This is a great website. I have been here for a few months now and will be banded next week. I have met some great people on here who are really looking to be good supporters in this change in our lives! Let us know how things are going and how your surgery went!

I have to agree. I just recently went under the 450 lbs mark and a lot of people don't call me huge. Yes they do say I am a very big guy cause of course I am and even still at 6'-3" tall most of them don't understand that 300 lbs at this point in time sounds thin to me. I have had a few not even believe me when I have told them my weight. It's like yes I do weight that much. You know I think a lot of people just have no concept on what a certain amount of weight looks like on one person or another.

Hiya! I am being banded on Dec. 5th also! Really I don't see this as any reason for any of us to be nervous. This operation is performed daily by so many surgeons. There is minimul cutting and damage done to our bodies. Remember they are not cutting any organs in our bodies. The recovery time is quick. In most cases this is an out patient operation. Looking at that and reminding yourself of that should help ease your nerves. Also remember that this is something you are doing to better yourself and your life. Yes this is a huge change but it is one that is managable. It is one that is controllable. Your life will never be the same afterwards. So be ready to enjoy life!!!

Ah thanks Joann! The way I see it, it really doesn't matter what our name is. What matters is that we're all making a better choice for our life and we're doing it together!

Self pay. Goint to Tijuana, Mexico with Dr. Pedro Kuri. Surgery is $7500. Add airfare and expenses. Still under $8000. Compared to the local surgeon who estimates the cost at $18,000.

In honor of all those who voted for December Diamonds I went ahead and made a logo for those that would like to use that one instead of the Holiday Hotties. Enjoy!

Hey all you December '08 Bandsters! If you haven't found it yet get one down to the December forum page! Just click my "Holiday Hotties" logo to open up that part of these forums! There are some great conversations going on in there!

I tell you what I have tried a few different brands of the shakes and I really have found the Atkins to be one of the best. Unjury is pretty good too but you have to order that online. I can't say myself but others have mentioned that the Kirkland Brand (Costco) is pretty decent.

I will be thinking of you and of everyone on their days! This is an exciting and nerve wracking time for all of us! Those of us having our surgeries early in the month need to get back here as quickly as possible to show the others how we are doing and encourage them in their times!

I have heard the same thing too. That we will quickly learn what our bodies will and will not accept as in food and that we will learn to eat small bites. The worst thing I have heard is the blockage. It's been described to me as very very very painful. Then of course the vomiting and flushing. None of it sounds to fun to me!!! Next week will be the big week for many of us! Someone should start a post about with the days before and the days after. I know for myself since I will be going to Mexico for my surgery I will be away from the forums from a couple days before and not until few days after my surgery. Good luck to everyone!:thumbup:

They use the Allergen Lap-Band system. Dr. Kuri also offers free fills if you come back to his location. But for those of us like me you have to find a fill center in your area. For me I have to travel to Ft. Lauderdale for my fills which is about an hour away. My coordinator for my surgery actually sent me a list of people in my area that do fills. Any more questions you have please feel free to ask away.

Congrats on getting your date set Bill!

Atkins shake at breakfast Low Carb snack Atkins shake at lunch Low Carb snack Low Carb Hight Protien dinner That is the basics of my pre-op diet. Because of my high BMI my surgeon instructed me to be on this diet for 3 weeks prior to surgery. So I am well into it. Actual diet attached. :thumbup: Liver_Shrinking_Diet.pdf

I am Peter and I am 36. My surgery date is Dec. 5th (next Friday). I currently weigh 447 lbs and have a target weight of 195 lbs. I will be banded at Angeles HealthCare Group in Tijuana, Mexico by Dr. Kuri.

Get your votes in on this poll if you haven't already! Just 7 hours left to vote!!!

It really has become a count down for many of us now! I can hardly believe that my surgery is only next Friday!!! I've been working so hard on my pre-op diet and making sure to get out walking every day. It is so exciting seeing so many others showing up with December dates also! We are all getting a real Holiday treat like no other any of us have ever had!

Thanks JoannMarie! It's this simple to me. I have made the commitment for change so why wait for surgery when I can already be making changes now.

Hey Angcal26! That's great that you have done so well! I am glad to see anyone and everyone move forward and be a real success with this! I do look forward to this surgery and I look very forward to the new life that will be once all is said and done. Keep in touch and message me any time! Soon we all will be enjoying our new lives thin, health, and happy!

Months then days soon to be just hours It's a journey like no other It's a journey that no other can take for me One step closer to being alright I can see We take this path with each other We share with one another In this time and place We all prepare for that one big day In a year from now We all will share how we have achieved Those goals that we once could not believe Be strong in the last few days Know now that you will change

I am currently on the Liver Shrinking Diet per my surgeons per-op orders. He said because my BMI is over 50 he wants me on it for 3 weeks prior to surgery. What the directions I was given was shakes for two meals a day with an Atkins type snack between meals and then a low fat low carb meal for my 3rd meal. I am allowed 30 carbs a day and 1200 calories a day. I had decided to work my way into this diet so one month prior to my actual start date I started having a shake at breakfast. Then after two weeks I added the one at lunch. Then at my started date I trimmed my dinners down to what they are suppose to be. This really helped me get used to having the shakes twice a day. I actually have the Atkins shakes and then I do have like a banana between meals in the morning and will have an Atkins bar in the mid afternoon. I have lost on this diet but more importantly I am doing everything I can to shrink that liver and make it easier for the surgeon to do his job. Oh and I have started an exercise program too. Every little bit helps and will make life easier in the end!

Hey All 30 somethings! Well some of you I have already run across on the forums and others I look forward to chatting with. I am 36 and will be banded in two weeks (Dec. 5th). Getting banded was no easy solution until my son was boy a little over a year ago. I want to be around a long time for him and there is no better way to make sure that happens then to do the right thing in making my life healthier. Beyond that all the reasons are the same as mosts. Ever wanna chat or just get a guys view on things drop me a note. I'm always up for chatting and meeting new people!

That is beyond great that you went in there and not only did you stay in the gym but you stayed and worked out!!! A big congrats to you on doing that. It is the right move to get in there and to work out. The more we can do now before our surgery the better off we will be for our surgery and the better off we will be AFTER our surgery. I am not sure how well I would have been in getting out and walking after my surgery if I didn't get myself moving before hand. I really thought about it and it came down to this. If I am sore from walking now and it tires me out now how would I be after having the operation when my body is trying to recover. So with that thought I have pushed myself to get used to walking nightly and to getting out and doing more. :cursing:

I gave up caffeine a long time ago simply because with high blood pressure it was not good for my heart to have that added stressor. Personally I have been soda free for over 3 weeks now and I don't miss it like I thought I would. About 6 months ago my wife and I made the decision to not keep soda in the house. That really helped cut down the amount of soda I was drinking. I don't drink it at work so that really helped too. So simply all that was left was when we ate out. I started drinking iced tea instead. Yes I know tea has a very small amount of caffiene but it is minimal compared to coke, pepsi, mt dew, coffee, and more. I have thought a lot about beer also. I have never been a big beer drinker, well not since my early 20's, but I still like having a beer while watching football or BBQing. I have resigned myself to the fact that if I want a spirited beverage that I will either be drinking wine or mixed drinks. The reasons everyone has already talked about. What you have to do is think for yourself in what are you willing to do. How much are you commited to this new life you are faced with. Is that soda and is that caffiene worth giving up being thin and healthy? It's a choice we all have to make.

I wanted to vote in the pole but there is no option for my answer.... No because I have chosen on my own without the doctors telling me that I need to drink better beverages for me. Simply put I really have enjoyed soda for several years. I was a die hard Pepsi drinking for a long long time. Later switched to Sprite to get away from the caffeine. With knowing that soda can cause the stomach to stretch not to mention that it really provides no nutritional value I simply stopped drinking soda all together. So now it's water, iced tea, and crystal light.

Having a 13 month old I have actually thought about this too. Some of the foods we have fed him over the last several months haven't smelt to bad. I have yet to taste any but my wife has and she's almost always said they aren't to bad. I just might have to try some once in the mushies stage. I am guessing also that a jar of baby food is also like the perfect size for portion control for the mushies stage after surgery. Does that sound right to those of you who already had the surgery?