TopTier

Opps! Count me in for this program, too! Drives my husband crazy, and, quite frankly, accomplishes NOTHING but making me feel bad. Don't know why I still do it!

Yay for you! I will be sending lots of positive energy your way tomorrow! I'm thinking it's going to be Dr. Olsofka. I just met with him one-on-one yesterday and really like his demeanor and track record.

Wow, 301! That's the kind of numbers I like to see! You know, this could very well be what my husband and I see. We go out to eat probably 3 or 4 nights a week. Sometimes for brunch, too, on the weekends. It's not unusual for the dinner bill to be $30-$40 a pop.

Great reply! And 100% correct, too! I'm going to have to write that one down. . . .

It's called "schadenfreude" and it's one of my favorite past times! Just kidding, but it is fun every once in a while! Bigpapa, true that about haters! Not worth wasting even good "schadenfreude" energy on!

I would call. Trust your "gut."

I've never experienced that on any of my diets. Hope that doesn't happen on this weight loss journey!

This is where your mind comes into play. It's the mental game we play with ourselves. My doctor calls it getting the mind in sync with your "new" "normal." Prior to surgery, your "normal" was to eat a full plate of food, including the veggies. Now granted, you certainly probably miss the TASTE of them, but your "old" normal was to eat veggies. Your "new" normal won't be like that. Your "new" normal may only include one or two bites of veggies. We have to give ourselves "permission" to be okay with our "new" normal. But, to get in the ones you really enjoy, that you want to make a part of your "new" normal, then follow some of the great suggestions above.

Best of luck to you! Will be sending lots of positive energy your way!

I always thought it was stress related. At least, that's how it always affected me.

Well, I just talked to my surgeon about that today. He recommends waiting at least a year before doing any additional surgery like skin removal. For one thing, he said, the skin, given enough time, will often on its own "form" itself to the body area. I "gently" reminded him that I'm 53 years old. My skin has pretty much outlived its "body forming" ability warranty! He laughed but insisted that I just wait and see -- that I would probably be pleasantly surprised. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. But if in a year and 2 months, I'm dragging droopy skin down to my knees, I'm sitting on his doorstep till he "fixes" it!

I just had a long conversation with my niece last night (she was banded last October). She has lost 70 pounds already (between pre-op diet and band). I am in the process of getting the band and am using her surgeon (didn't know it was her surgeon until last night!) I thought about the other options, but for me, the idea of permanently altering an organ, and then the risks of malabsorbtion, and other issues, and the fact that the lap band is completely reversible tipped me to the band. The fact that it can be "adjusted" throughout the course of my weight loss is a great plus, too. If I lose 30 pounds, or 70 or 120, it will still be better than what I weigh today, so you have to come to some line in the sand for yourself. You have to decide for yourself what the "deal breakers" are. Best of luck to you!

I was told the purpose was to affect the liver. Our diets can affect the size of our liver (especially a high fat/high carb diet) and the liquid diet is supposedly to help reduce the liver size somewhat so that it doesn't get in the way during the operation.

:ihih: Too funny!

mmm. I have a confession. I used to love my daughter's Baby Rice Cereal. I remember that I used to keep buying it after she was all grown up and sneak a bowl or two from time to time!

Ahh! Okay ! DOH!

Outstanding! Didn't think you'd ever be so thrilled to chow down on creamy soups, did ya!?

Hi, Melissa, and so happy to see that you are on this journey! Re: Will power, is it possible that you need a fill?

Two days? I think I would have to go to bed and not get back up until surgery time!

:cursing: Okay, color me confused because I thought it was on the outside of the stomach, too! :sad:

Thanks, as I said, I hypothesized it would (might, could probably) be less, but I wanted to check it out with people who have been there and can confirm it for me! I do understand the spending more money on fresher foods, but I also like the sound of what others of you have said, that you really have found that you are spending less on food!

yes, but keep in mind, muscle takes more calories to MAINTAIN than fat, so you may initially appear to put on more weight, but it will be easier to lose since you are going to need to expend more energy (burn more calories) to ultimately maintain the muscle tissue. It's a weird balancing act, that's for sure!

Outstanding! Who'da thunk it!

Well, interestingly enough, I already shop a lot at Whole Foods and buy organic fruits and veggies, so those are high, anyway. But we do eat out -- a lot. And we usually do not go to fast food places, either! Though I've heard they can get quite expensive, anyway! I'm inclined to think our grocery bill and dinner-out bills will be significantly lower.

Okay, this might be a weird question. But then again, it may be a common question. I suppose I should have done a forum search, but I'm lazy. I've been discussing this procedure with my husband. We are making all sorts of preparations for me to do this. I am going to have to go self-pay, though, because my insurance policy doesn't cover bariatric surgery at all. My question is this: What affect, if any, have you noticed on your food budget since being banded? It doesn' t really matter, since I'm doing this regardless, but it would be nice to have a legitimate bonus to this besides weight loss! :cursing: