lingling

Hey Superchilli! I am on day 10 tomorrow! Not long now!!!

Hopeful, I would tell them you are doing "the lemon detox diet" or some kind of detox or tell them you are sick, that is what I am telling people at work - much easier!! You cannot break the fast though -as you will have to do the first "five days" again and be starving!!! Good luck! SMILAN!!! BAND TWINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my god, I am starting to get a little freaked now. I have my op on the 2nd April, start my Opti on the 19th March. I am starting to get freaked about dying during the operation, and also about it not working! I feel really scared and I have to keep thinking about the good parts of it - like getting thinner and about buying nice clothes, having men interested in me, etc. I guess part of me doesnt believe that I could EVER be thin, so what a lot of scary stuff to go through for a goal I cant believe will ever happen!! Anyone else freaked!?

Eeek, okay, having a freak out moment here. I am so very very scared of dying on the table. Need to be rational, but guys, what are the odds of me not pulling through this?

CONGRATS!! Will be up to your surgeon when you go back to work - mine said up to two weeks. He said first week walking to the letterbox will be exhausting and you will need a nap after lunch. I hope to be up and about second week doing stuff I need to get done - taking advantage of the time off! ha ha. But don't forget its a huge psychological thing to get around - more time off the better!

Yeah, I took mine a few days before I started Pre-op diet. Took some in different outfits and in underwear too - but I wont be posting them on here!! haha.

Hi Tracey Good on you for taking a positive step and joining up to find out more. I too was apprehensive about the journey - and I started investigating it more than two years ago - but decided I was too scared and I was being lazy and should give it 'one last go' on my own. Needless to say, I am back here again, scheduled for surgery on the 2nd of April. The cost of the surgery will vary, as will the overnight stay or not, depending on where you have it. Same as any insurance issues - you will have to research that with the doc you choose, however these things will not; the band is a tool to help you lose weight. It is ideal for people who eat big portions but not ideal for emotional eaters I have read as if food is your only solace you will find a way to eat "around" the band (eg with foods that slide through and you can keep eating and eating - mcdonalds sundaes etc! (yum!). It is restrictive and you will go from eating an entree, main and dessert to eating an entree. Some doctors say that you cannot drink when you are eating - mine says that you can - but you will defeat the purpose of the band for that meal - eg it will go through quickly - like a mcdonald's sundae. The idea of the band is two fold, one it restricts the amount you eat, and two, it resets the pathways between your tummy and your brain that are constantly screaming IM HUNGRY!!!!!! (the latter is apparently not a widely subscribed to theory in America according to my doc but I am not sure). You will have to chew 20 times on every mouthful and it must be small. All of this freaked me out - which is why I decided it wasn't for me 2yrs ago, however now, being fat, single and probably dead in the next 20 years freaks me out a lot more, as I know that I cannot do this without the help of the band. Start with the FAQ section on this forum, read the before/after posts with pictures and get inspriation, read the threads about people who didn't have success with the band too, and weight up your odds. Like the band, we are only here as a tool (an information one!) to help you to decide what is best for you. If you have any specific questions please don't hesitate to ask us. Best of luck. Linglingxx

Sherri, good on you for making this huge positive step in your life! The diabetes and hypertension will be a thing of the past before you know it and you will be feeling amazing. This is the biggest and best gift you could give your loved ones and you - good on you and good luck! xx:smile:

I think your Dad is scared because he doesn't understand it - but the way to articulate that is to read up on it, not criticize it because they are scared (or JEALOUS!) I love this bill of rights - the red ones are particularly appropriate for your dad!! Personal Bill of Rights 1. I have the right to ask for what I want 2. I have the right to. say no to requests or demands I can't meet. 3. I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative. 4. I have the right to change my mind. 5. I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect. 6. I have the right to follow my own values and standards. 7. I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe or it violates my values. 8. I have the right to determine my own priorities. 9. I have the right not to be responsible for others' behavior, actions, feelings or problems 10. I have the right to expect honesty from others. 11. I have the right to be angry at someone I love. 12. I have the right to be uniquely myself. 13. I have the right to feel scared and say 'I'm afraid." 14. I have the right to say 'I don't know. 15. I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior. 16. I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings. 17. I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time. 18. I have the right to be playful and frivolous. 19. I have the right to be healthier than those around me. 20. I have the right to be in a nonabusive environment. 21. I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people. 22. I have the right to change and grow. 23. I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others 24. I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect 25. I have the right to be happy.

Anyone else on the 2nd?:frown:

Hang in there Ldeere & Hopeful ! If you get over the 3-4 day hump you can do it. I am day 6 now and I don't feel hungry at all. (my diet is 3 shakes 1 cup of veges per day) its like your stomach stops asking to be fed on day 5. :frown: But you MUST drink the 2L of Water every day! For two reasons 1) it fills you up and 2) You won't lose as much weight as you need to without it! Its only 2 weeks, and then you are set up for the life you have always dreamed about!!! I cannot wait!!!!!!!! I am dreaming about what clothes I will wear!!!!

A good tip for any Protein shake drinkers for pre-op Use a straw (means you don't taste it as much) Use a blender (lumps suck) Use ice whenever you can! makes it feel like a treat!!:frown:

I am not sure about the insurance thing - it will depend on the company that you are with. Are you in America? I am in New Zealand, but my insurance company pays one lump sum which is only a small part of it, and its up to them eg its a discretionary payment - they don't have to front up. However my surgeon said they usually pay if you meet the criteria - mainly BMI over 40.

Hey, I have PCOS but I haven't got the band yet (10 sleeps!) so will let you know! However there is a specific forum for PCOS bandsters - down the bottom of the forum page. Personally, however, I am looking forward to no more pimples and being fertile!!! Yay, babies!!:frown:

Well if you look at the facts - in the FAQ section, it says that there are no studies that have been done that show sustained significant weightloss in the morbidly obese. Surgery is the best chance we have. I understand what you mean - I don't ever think I would ever be a thin person - so I am concerned about undergoing a major operation when I don't wholeheartedly believe I can ever get there. But its the best shot I have.... so I am going to do it.

Yep!! Day five nearly over for me!! yippie... almost half way there! Good on you MF4 for not caving in. Sometimes a sleep is a good escape. I found though that I am alright if not around the sweeeeet goodness of bad food, and I have got something (water/coffee/optifast/veges) in my tummy. Hang in there... Counting down (im the 2nd April)

Oh my god, I am so jealous of your pre-op diets!!!! Do not worry one bit about them! I am drinking 3-4 Optifast chocolate Protein shakes per day (200ml of Water + the powder) 176calories each and 1 cup of steamed vegetables. No milk, no sugar, no diet drinks, no meat, no carbs. Nothing but the shakes and the veges! I would actually saw my right leg off for a lean cuisine! haha. To be fair, its day 5 of 14 today - and I have only had 1.5 shakes so far (2pm here) and I am not hungry. Yesterday was ravenous as were the three preceeding! My doc puts us on them to shrink the liver as much as possible as you have to lift it during the surgery and there is less risk of it rupturing if it is smaller and less full of fat (as it invariably is in us fatties!) but it has had a surpising effect on me - and how I think about food. I look forward to a cup of veges at night like you wouldn't believe, and I also realise that I can survive if I don't eat exactly what I want - and that the urge isn't so overwhelming. A lot of the anxiety over what the band will be like and the small portions and limitations has gone - because if I can do this pre-op without the band, I can do the band baby!!!:crying:

Good luck! I'm booked in 2nd April, New Zealand. Freaking out a bit, Day 5 of pre-op diet at the moment - not as bad as I thought - first three/four days were awful, but feeling pretty good at the moment! 10 sleeps left!!!:crying:

Day four nearly over! Only ten more to go!! Feeling hungry and really want a pie! but am getting there! Starting to get very excited about the operation!! How is everyone else doing/???

I am on day 2 (dinner time) and today I have had 2x Opti fast shakes and 1/2 an Optifast chicken soup (gross) and just had a big bowl of rocket lettuce, tomatoes, a few chunks of dry roasted pumpkin, mint, spring onion and vinegar! Suprisingly yummy!!!! Roll on the next 12 days!!

Hey there I'm 29 years old, single and hopefully soon to be loving it! No kiddies. I have been looking at the band since Jan 2007 and revisited the idea Jan 09. Being banded on the 2nd April, in New Zealand, and am on day 2 of a 14 day grueling pre-op diet! Great to be part of this group!! :tt2:

I am on day 1 of the pre-op - and I have told everyone at work I am doing a detox that my personal trainer has me on and that two weeks are crazy but its 6 weeks without alcohol and being very strict - which will help me out with any team lunches post-op. My Boss may have been a bit suss though as he was trying to give me fruit and telling me my "detox" was ridiculous and i will end up hypoglycemic and "what moron thought this up":eek: etc. hahha I was like "no, its fine!!":laugh:

Sorry for bogging in on the March thread - I am an April Bandster - but because I am the 2nd of April, I have started my pre-op diet today - and not many in my April group have started theirs yet - and I need some support!! This diet is AWFUL! I am on Optifast and I am starrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrving!! and it tastes GROSS!!! I have no idea how I will stomach this for two weeks!!! please tell me it gets easier

Congrats Thinwithin!! nearly 1 month!!!

Hey Sissy - I'm April 2 as well.