♥Amy♥

I was told I would be required to do a 6 month diet. My initial consult was 1/7/10. I had all my clearance tests done by the end of February. My paperwork was submitted March 2nd and I was approved for surgery for March 24th on the same day but I also had done a lot of work prior to seeing this surgeon. I had originally planned to see another but I wasn't happy with him or his office. I felt like I was just another paycheck for all of them. Plus my insurance said 6 month or 2 year cumulative weight history so whomever reviewed my paperwork at HIP of Greater NY on March 2nd must have been in a giving mood :thumbup: But I have to say that if I wasnt already familiar with the process and the dieting and what was expected of me before and after surgery and I hadn't done the extensive research on the surgery that I did I would not have been comfortable with jumping right into surgery. You'll want to be as prepared as possible. You def want to know what you can and can't do when it comes to the band. You don't want to mess it up. Like everyone else said, the time will go by very fast. Use this time to find out all you can and learn all you can about the band and you! Good luck!! :thumbdown:

Congratulations! It will be here before you know it and then you will be sitting on your hospital bed getting ready to be wheeled in to surgery and you'll be saying "I can't believe it's happening! This is it!" I'm so excited for you! Just remember that when the rough part comes a day or so after surgery keep telling yourself that it won't last forever. In a few days you'll be feeling like a better version of your old self and you'll be on the road to a healthy you! :thumbdown:

Make sure you drink plenty of water and do some firming exercises on the parts you don't want hanging skin. Unfortunatley you can't always avoid loose skin and it's a much better alternative to fat. :thumbdown:

I'm in, too! Even though my 1st fill probably won't be until the week before or right after Mother's Day but all the more reason for me to do this. Hopefully it will keep me accountable! I'm going for 10lbs by May 9th :thumbdown:

I tried the Amplified Wheybolic-60 Extreme chocolate flavored protein shake powder from GNC. It's pretty good! One serving is 280 calories, 1 gram of fat and 60 grams of protein!! You're supposed to mix it with 12oz of cold water. So what I did was I bought a sample pack which is supposed to be one serving and measured the whole thing out. It's 6oz of powder so I cut it in half, which of course is 3 oz and mixed it with 6 oz of cold water and it was filling! And tasted pretty good. They only thing is you have to drink it right away. I couldn't finish the whole thing and figured I could put it in the fridge and it didnt taste as "shake-y" as it did when I first made it. It also could have been because I had too much water in it. You could also mix it with fat free milk but that's going to add calories, of course. The good thing about GNC is if you don't like the powder you can return it for a full refund but check first to see if they have the sample packs. Theyre usually hanging on a strip right next to the giant jars of protein powder.

Congrats!! Also remember if you're a non-smoker by the time your surgery comes around you will be less at risk for complications from surgery and you will heal faster! I've been smoke-free for 3 years now but I have to accredit it to some (lots of) help from Wellbutrin XL :smile2:

I love Ruby! She seems like someone who would be great to be friends with. She seems like such a sweetheart!

I can totally see where you're coming from. I'm not even 2 weeks post-op and my husband and I went to his parents yesterday and when I walked in the door my mother-in-law started saying "OH MY GOD! AMY! You can REALLY see a difference! You're doing so well!! Look at you!!!" She wouldn't stop! And I've only been at this for a little less than a month (including pre-op diet) and if I have to listen to that everytime I see her I think I might go crazy! Don't get me wrong! It's nice to hear but I don't feel like I've lost enough for anyone to be making such a big fuss over. I know my situation is a little different than yours but I can see how having to annouce your weightloss #'s everytime you see her can get to be frustrating.

Sounds like fun! I'm in! I'm going to shoot for 40 miles this month. Can't count the miles I do in my Walk Away The Pounds videos? :smile2:

Thanks so much, Sue! I'll try that. :smile2:

I'm in the mushy stage of my post-op diet. I walk no less than a mile a day and the scale hasn't moved since a few days after surgery. I haven't gained anything (Thank God!) but I haven't lost, either. I take in about 800-950 cals a day. Should I eat less? Should I eat more? Should I keep doing what I'm doing and just wait it out? I'm not unsatisfied with what I've lost so far. I'm just wondering if and when the scale will move in the right direction for me again.

Make sure you're moving around as much as possible. It will help get those gasses out. Try taking gas-x strips or chewables. Those should help a little, too. Just keep moving!

CONGRATS!! :thumbup:

Have you been able to keep liquids down? If not you may be too tight. Stay on liquids a day or so and see if it loosens up a bit.

Here's what you're doing wrong: You're stepping on the scale too much! :smile2: I try not to step on mine more than once a week. I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment if I do. Just keep doing what you're doing. If you're doing everything right then most likely it's just water weight. Don't be pissed. Look at how far you've come! You're doing awesome! :frown:

Congrats! It's a great feeling, isn't it? I never thought I'd ever see this side of the fence but I'm glad it's over. Just remember that after surgery is going to be a little tough. You'll probably be asking yourself why you did it but that's normal. I'm not trying to scare you, just prepare you. In the end it's worth it. It's going to take a least a few days to get back to feeling somewhat normal. Hang in there and every day gets better! :thumbup:

Hi everyone! I'm 5 days post op and doing ok. I was great on surgery day. Thank you, injectable pain meds and many sweet nurses and PCT's! When I got home Thursday it was downhill. I just felt terrible Thursday eve into Saturday morning. But, with a trip to the surgeon and some liquid lortab instead of the percoset she originally prescribed that I couldnt keep down, things are slowly looking up. I've lost 8lbs somewhere between the day before surgery and today. So far, my band and I are learning to get along

Hi everyone. 5 days post-op and I'm feeling better everyday. The day of surgery I felt fantastic and then it was downhill from there. Gas pains, incision pains, hunger pangs...ugh! And I too was having a hard time deciphering which pains were which. I'm sorry some of you are still having a rough time. Just try to remember why you did this and that you won't always feel like this. Once the pain goes away and you feel normal again you'll be up and at 'em and knockin' that weight off. I guess I was one of the lucky ones in the weight department. I've lost 8lbs between the day before surgery and now. I still have pain in my left shoulder when I breathe in deeply and I can't get comfy. I've been sleeping in our recliner. Thankfully it's like a big pillow and has offered me some relief. I can't wait till I can sleep on my stomach again! Feel better everyone! My surgeon says that everyone right after surgery thinks "What the hell did I do to myself?!" It will pass!

Does everyone usually have to do this? My surgeon didn't tell me to do that. :smile: I have to be at the hospital at 7:30 am. Kinda wishing it was earlier like you guys...I know I won't be getting much sleep tonight. :thumbup:

I can't wait till the day when I won't be held back by my weight any longer. I used to be so outgoing and then I gained weight and now I never want to go anywhere.

HOLY CRAP! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! TOMORROW!!!!!!!! :confused:

3 more sleeps and it will be here!! I can't wait to see what time my surgery will be. I hope it's early in the morning this way I won't have to endure the agony of an empty stomach for too long. :laugh:

oops! Voting ONCE from my BlackBerry right now!

I'm pretty pumped! Nervous, too...but pumped! I'm not sure what I'm down because I still haven't weighed myself in a few days. I will tonight.