Babe

i'm 4 days into my preop diet and i think at this point i would kill someone a just a bite of pizza. i made the mistake of drinking Ensure as my protein drink - tastes ok but is low protein. i just bought Muscle Milk today, so i'm hoping it helps. i'm on the OCC pre op of a couple protein drinks a day, unlimited salad, and lean cuisine. seriously, after a lifetime of overloading on carbs and cheese, this is killing me!!!

Hi New Girl, Congrats on your decision! I just booked my surgery in earlier this week - Feb 16 with Doc Ortiz at the OCC in Tijuana. It's nice to see a fellow vancouverite who'll be getting banded around the same time as me. A group of us in Vancouver meet up on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at Lions Gate Hospital(6:30PM Seminar Room A - enter on 15th there's a hallway across from the gift shop). You should come and you'll meet a bunch of people who have already been banded (some for a couple years). It has helped me feel more at ease with my decision and get lots of info. PM me if you have any questions Babe

Catho, i've just started an extended Pre-Op diet, and I was told to take Metamucil Capsules 2x a day. They'll help with BMs and help you feel fuller so you can deal with the diet.

Count Me In Too!!! Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal_________ToGo *****<v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" filled="f" stroked="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe">:cool2:</v:shapetype>************************:tt2:********************* *** Babe...............308............308.........199.......109 Brandy.............198............196.........166.......28 Cappy..............240............239.........130.......109 Chocolate_Snaps....244............234.........175.......59 Clarebear08........192............189.........160.......29 Donna113...........183............181.5.......125.......55.5 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 FalloutGirl........282............282.........165.......116 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............413.........300.......113 GratefulHeart......226............223.........135.......88 Lindar172..........246............246.........150.......96 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............212.........169.......43 lotzasunshine......270............269.........180.......89 Loveislovely.......216............216.........175.......41 ltgordon.........284.8..........262.8.........185.......77.2 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............231.........140.......91 Mamanmidwife.......264............264.........200.......64 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 WOWOX7.............173............170.........125.......45

I'm going in on February 16th with Dr. Ortiz. I'm so excited, but I'm not looking forward to the pre-op diet. my BMI is a bit higher than they'd like, so I have to lose over 15 lbs. I'm so happy for all of us! FINALLY we're on the road to being healthy!!!

My personal Top 10: 1. I want to be healthy! (no more Hi BP or Chol., no more borderling diabetes, less PCOS symptoms, better depression) 2. I want a baby and a relationship 3. I want to wear pretty clothes 4. I want to be proud of my body and feel self-confidence 5. I don't want to be known as 'The Fat One' ever again 6. I want to have a more active lifestyle (ride a bike, skiing, swimming, rollerblading) and have the energy/stamina do thing if i want 7. I want stop having to ask myself 'will fit in that seat or around that furniture' 8. I want to live my life instead of hiding from it (ie. dating, wearing a swimsuit, travelling more comfortably, be in pictures etc) 9. I don't want to be pitied, judged, or criticized for what i look like 10. I want to wear pretty clothes and shop shop shop (lol, yes i know i'm repeating myself)

hey guys, while i haven't gotten a date yet, i thought i'd find out what the best tasting shakes available in canada are. if you have any suggestions, please post them (and where you get them if possible). thanks :tongue2:

i spoke with Dr. Ortiz' office, and they told me that i will need to lose 5% of my body weight before the surgery. My question is, how on earth am i supposed to lose 15+ pounds when I've had such a hard time in the past? I'll follow the eating guidelines they give me, and I do exercise already, but it's very hard for me to lose weight - heck, that's why i want the surgery to begin with!

I went for my consult today, and the doctor said he uses a band called MidBand instead of LapBand or Realize Band. He said he's had better results with the MB. Have any of you been banded with it or have heard of it before?

patricia, it's supposed to snow on wednesday so if it's heavy, will you reschedule the meeting? or just postpone til next month?

lori, i'm so glad i found your post. i was just going to post something similar. i'm not banded yet, but i've been thinking a lot about my post band life. i've never dated or anything and i'm nervous because i know that once i'm thinner and feel more confident there will be more opportunities. problem is, i have no idea what the heck i'm doing... flirting, small talk, how to tell if a guy is interested - all that stuff seems so foreign to me. i wish there was an instruction manual or class or something.

For me it was several things: 1. turning 30 and being the heaviest person i know 2. getting increasingly unhealthy 3. feeling terribly lonely and finding it impossible to meet a man who could find me attractive - i really want a family of my own 4. being ashamed and embarassed all the time - so much so that i've almost become a hermit 5. vanity, plain and simple: i love shopping and fashion and let's face it plus size clothing is awful.

hey bev, i did a quick google and found this thread from someone who got LB in doha, maybe you can PM her for her doc's info? http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/newbie-doha-qatar-49643/

From one insomniac to another, I feel ya Hon! It's understandable to feel nervous, just take some deep breaths and remind yourself of all the good that is yet to come. I have no doubt that your surgery will go off without a hitch. BIG HUGS

wow, that's great news! do you know the name of the clinic? also, did you know there's a doc at St. Paul's Hospital called Dr. Arsineau who's doing fills? i think he charges $150 a pop, but check out the vancouver boards to sure. i'm going for a consult with Doc Woodhead next week, and then i'll decide between Mexico and here.

donna, i'm so happy for you! i hope that's me in a year :tt1: by the way, i noticed you got banded in Mexico, where do you get your fill in vancity?

ok, with every pound i've put on over the years, my boobs got saggier and saggier. my question is, did your boobs bounce back by themselves as you lost the weight? i'm not banded yet, but i really don't to be Miss Skinny-but-Droopy down the road.

WOW! Thank you so much for inspiring me. Your attitude is one I hope to adopt after I'm banded.

Hi guys! I'm not banded yet (i've got my consult next week), but i've been reading a lot of your post op stories and a common struggle I've noticed is that most of us (banded or not) struggle to some degree with head hunger. While I've done a lot of personal growth stuff, head hunger (emotional eating, compulsive eating, thinking i need food when i'm already full, etc) remains my biggest challenge. I thought it would be good to start a thread where we can exchange ideas and resources that have helped us deal with and overcome this major pain in the arse. all of us really want to utilize the band to its fullest potential, and don't want 'head hunger' and emotional or compulsive eating to sabbotage this wonderful gift. please use this thread to share tips, books, websites, affirmations, or anything else you've found useful. ________________ Here's a couple things that have helped me: Geneen Roth - Author who specialises in emotional/compulsive eating Overeaters Anonymous

roxy, i noticed on your ticker that you've already lost close to 40lbs without the surgery... congratulations!!! my question is how did you it?

wow, i can't believe your doctor would stand in your way like that! i'm so sorry you have to go through this. do you need his referral in order to get the surgeon to see you? if not, then I would just talk to the surgeon and explain that you doc and you have different views and that you are committed to the banding process. sometimes i think people (doctors or not) underestimate how difficult it is to lose huge amounts of weight. my doc is thankfully very supportive and even told me that he thinks that you reach a point weight wise where it's impossible to lose a lot of weight by diet and exercise alone - your body and mind work against you and you need an external tool to facilitate the process (like lap band). good luck, and don't let you doctor prevent you from making the right decision for you.

hi everyone, I attended my first OA meeting tonight and it was a great experience. It was wonderful to hear other people's stories - people who I never would have guessed had similar issues with food. For the first time in a ver long time, some of my shame around complusive eating didn't feel as heavy. i haven't been banded yet and I've been worried how I would deal with my emotional eating issues post band(cause couselling and self help books aren't enough). I think that maybe OA might be just the ticket for me... we'll see.

thanks for all the support guys! my consult is the Dec 15th, so I'll have plenty to talk about at the meeting. Doddie, thanks for the offer. I think you already posted the questions earlier when i first joined boards and asked a bunch of questions.

I'm so excited, I've just booked my consult with Woodhead! I'm not 100% sure I'm going to get the surgery with him or in Mexico, but I thought the 400$ worth it just to get some questions answered. I plan to get the surgery no matter what, but i think i just need some reassurance about a few things. I am thrilled that i'm one step closer to being a healthier me!!!

thanks doddie