laurr925

My surgery is 2/2 and I had to start my pre-op diet on 1/19. It has been hard, but now that I'm only a few days away I feel it has been worth it. It will be that much easier for me to handle the post op restrictions. The week before my pre-op diet began I certainly ate sushi, a burger, a nice steak, all knowing it would be a while before I could have those things again (if ever at all)... but I am down 13 lbs and I feel pretty great!

My nutritionist gave me a little packet full of information on what to eat, etc. In there it says something about how Protein drinks can be used as a Meal Replacement because you really don't consume much protein in 4oz of food per meal... she says the trick is to thicken them up a bit (with ice, sugar free pudding, bananas, etc) to make them filling. I really like the EAS Myoplex Fudge flavor in the blender with some ice and I think post-surgery it would really fill me up.

I've always wanted to go to New Zealand! I'm from Brooklyn. NY

Thanks for the great post. It really helped put things in perspective. I'm on week two of my pre-op diet and everyday I have to remind myself WHY I am doing this. Your post definitely helped!

yeah i really havent been able to focus on much at work.. this is going to be a long week for sure!

Yeah the Protein drinks have funky smells some times and you just have to ignore that. I like Muscle Milk and the EAS Myoplex ones. They are tolerable. Shelly, I drink the Isopure ones every day. I usually pour a whole one into my Nalgene bottle and dilute it with Water and Crystal Light powder so that it lasts me longer. I have one week to go and I'm super excited!!

I am on day 4 of my pre-op diet and I've lost about 6 lbs. I've lost 11 lbs total since my surgical consult on 1/7, which feels pretty good. My pre-op diet consists of: Breakfast: Slim-fast Optima (I know its full of carbs but the Cappuccino blast is really good) Lunch: 1 cup veggies Soup (homemade with low sodium chicken broth, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms), slim fast low-carb, sugar free jell-o cup Dinner: 1 cup vegetables (either broccoli or salad), 1 tbsp lowfat dressing, slim fast low-carb Dessert: Sugar free ice pop I drink a ton of Water each day which definitely helps, and when I get sick of water I switch to crystal light. No caffeine, no diet soda, no added dairy besides the premade shakes. These aren't my surgeons guidelines, they're mine. I also take a Multivitamin everyday as well as an added Iron supplement since I am anemic. It seems a little boring but if its what I have to do, then I'm sticking to it!

Hey everyone, I'm looking for someone to talk to about the whole process. I'm 22, from Brooklyn NY and my surgery is scheduled for Feb. 2nd. Basically I just need someone to chat to about things related to the band... Let me know if you are interested!

I'm on my pre-op diet and I'm allowed 2 cups of vegetables per day, plus 2 tbsp of fat free dressing. However, I really like those salad spritzer things because a few sprays covers my whole salad and its low in calories (each spray is 1 calorie) and carbs (1g per 10 sprays) and it has no fat. The Caesar kind is good and theres an asian one thats pretty tasty.

I am definitely nervous, but more excited. I am on day two of my pre-op diet which consists of 3-5 protein/meal replacement drinks a day, 2 cups of low-calorie low-carb vegetables, 2 cups of low-sodium broth, 1 cup of sugar free jell-o, and 2 sugar free ice pops It hasn't been too bad, other than the fact that my kitchen cabinets are full of Slim Fast and Ensure. I have made a list of the things I need for post-op, including: - Chewable Vitamins - Vitamin E Oil - Cocoa Butter Lotion - liquid Tylenol - V8 Splash - Fiber powder (All-Bran Iced Tea!) - Crystal Light I'm sure there's more that I need, I'm adding stuff to it all the time. I also went and bought some new underwear (I'm weird like that) for the surgery and new slippers for the hospital. My pre-op testing is Thursday, so I guess I'll get more information then. I'm pretty jazzed about the whole thing! Hows everyone else doing???

Well I haven't had the band yet, my surgery is scheduled for two weeks from now, but I can tell you the things that helped me make my decision. First, I am 22 years old, I have been overweight for a good portion of my life, even though I was skinny as a kid. After years of trying countless dieting methods and yoyo'ing all over the place, I decided to start looking into the lap-band. I have a few friends who have all had the surgery, and they have been a great source of help. You don't eat just mashed potatoes, I can promise you. I've seen them eat pizza, hamburgers, Pasta, chicken wings, etc etc. but they eat much slower and much less than I do. They come out to the bar with me (usually they drink wine or vodka), we go out to dinner, and nothing much has changed other than their eating habits. They are much happier people since they got the band because they fit into normal clothes, they have more energy, and they feel good about themselves. The lap-band isn't a miracle tool, it takes hard work. I am on day two of my pre-op diet and it isn't fun, but I'm excited to be moving on with my life. As far as your fear of dying during surgery, I understand how surgery is scary. I am fully confident in my surgeons ability and experience, and I know I am going to be fine. There are risks with surgery, but if you find a surgeon you are comfortable with, I'm sure you will be less nervous. I really hope you take the time out to speak to some more people who have had the band, they could probably help you more than I can. Good luck with everything! :wink2:

I'm scheduled for Feb. 2nd! I'm pretty excited and nervous about the whole thing. I'm on day two of my pre-op diet, and its hard, but not as bad as I thought. Yesterday was the first day and I was off from work, and it wasn't too bad I just distracted myself all day. Now I'm at work and its kind of tough because my co-workers always have Cookies and cake and crappy foods around so I'm just staying in my office with the door closed! I'm really grateful that this forum exists and there are people out there so willing to share their experiences. It has made everything so much easier for me. Good luck everyone, I can't wait to hear how you are all doing!

Hey all, I'm relatively new here, but I had a question for people around my age. I'm 22, and I don't see my friends very often because we live all around the country. I will be having surgery in less than a month, and I know once I start losing weight, everyone is going to be curious how. A lot of people I know from college only know me as fat, and I know that when I ultimately see them this summer at the reunions we always have, they are going to ask me a million questions. I don't necessarily want all of my friends to know about the surgery, certainly, some of them will figure it out and the ones closest to me already know. I have some friends who are extremely opinionated, and I was wondering if anyone has had to deal with a similar situation and how they handled it? Any suggestions/advice would be really appreciated!

haha me either, until my dad told me. congrats on getting your date. im excited and nervous too... keep in touch let me know your progress :confused:

Thanks so much! I definitely feel like this is the biggest and best decision I have ever made in my life. I'm nervous and anxious and excited all at the same time. I'm actually a little antsy knowing my surgery is still a few weeks away!

Welcome Grace, I'm from the East Coast, NY! I'm so sorry your insurance denied you, but you should definitely appeal the decision. There are a ton of resources online about appealing insurance claims, I think you should do some research and talk to your surgeons office - they might be able to help you more than you know. Keep trying, eventually you will figure something out, just don't get discouraged! If I remember correctly from the seminar at NYU, Oxford health care has the least amount of hoops you need to jump through to get WLS approved, so you may want to look into them if they cover you where you live. Be positive and hopefully everything will work out!

Anyone having their surgery on Groundhog's Day like me??

I'm scheduled for Feb. 2nd, and I'm really glad there are some people on here being banded in Feb to talk to! Good luck everyone!

I am going to be on the same pre-op diet starting Jan. 19th, and I'm really nervous that I wont be able to do it. How is it going for you? Has anyone else done a similar pre-op diet and can share any tips on how to keep from feeling hungry? Like I said, I'm nervous that I'm going to be hungry and I'm going to cheat and mess up and have my surgery postponed.

I'm relatively new too and I'm scheduled to be banded in Feb. also! Welcome to the site.

Good luck! I hope everything goes well!!:thumbs_up:

Hey All! I am new to the site and wanted to introduce myself. I'm Lauren, age 22, from Brooklyn, NY. I am really excited about starting a new chapter of my life, and I am being banded on Feb. 2nd by Dr. Ren at NYU. I am a little nervous because I don't know what to expect, but I guess that's all part of the process! Anyway, this site is great and has helped me so much, even though I haven't become an active member until now!

Hey I'm new here. I got my surgery date today, February 2nd! I'm really excited. I am having my surgery with Dr. Ren at NYU.