montynic

Good luck on your upcoming journey. Make sure you do lots of research and become as educated as possible with regards to the ins and outs of the band...

I would be concerned if you weren't having 3rd, 4th, and 5th thoughts! I think it is normal, pre-surgery jitters. I'm having my fair share of them also. Interestingly enough, my monthly also showed up at the wrong time, 2 weeks early, which my doctor attributed to all the changes going on in my body with the pre-op diet. Sorry to hear your pre-op weight loss has slowed... at least 4/1 is only 7 days away!

I understand your enthusiasm... I also had my pre-op at the hospital today. I have to be there at 7am on 4/1. Only 8 more days!!!!

Mine is 4/1. I am getting super excited as well!

Yes, there really is something called an all-liquid pre-op diet. It is meant to shrink your liver before surgery to minimize the risk of the liver being too large/fatty and getting in the way during the surgery. Also, a healthy liver is less likely to tear when it is moved out of the way to put the band in place. The good thing is that every doctor seems to be different with regards to what they require, and not all doctors require one. Fingers crossed that yours does not!

Congrats on your success!

Does everyone in here have to do the pre-op diet? For some reason I don't have to. I was sure I would have to. So I'm kind of suprised that I don't. Not that I am griping.

No ma'am. I was not required to do a pre-op diet, but my starting BMI is so high that I decided to do one anyway... The last thing I wanted was to wake up from surgery having not been banded because my liver was too large!

Congrats on your success! Your before and after pics are amazing and are quite an inspiration!

Congrats on such a wonderful milestone! You are an inspiration. I can't wait to see 299 again!

Wow, 32lbs in 10 days?!? Congrats!!! I would also like to be one of those people who lose 100+ pounds by next Spring. I am currently at 310... Keep up the good work!

My doctor said coffee was fine. I add either a scoop of vanilla or a scoop of chocolate to it every morning (instant latte or mocha)!

I'm on day 11 of a 3 week pre-op diet and have lost 18lbs. My diet is 3 shakes per day made with Isopure Protein Powder, a 4oz serving of sugarfree Jello chocolate pudding (with 4 scoops of Protein powder added when I made the pudding), and broth/jello as needed. I have not cheated and, surprisingly enough, I feel great! I have not experienced any of the negative side effects other people have talked about during their pre-op diets.

Glad to hear you are still hanging in there!

Congrats on your success! Keep up the great work!

I've wanted the surgery from the moment I learned about it, but I never had the type of insurance where I could afford it... I began seriously researching the band again in 7/09 when I went to my doctor and learned that I had reached over 300lbs again (after only weighing 240 the previous year). Then, in 12/09, things just started coming together:

1) my employer changed our medical insurance to a policy where everything is covered at 100% after you pay the $1,000 deductible

2) I slipped while walking down my driving after a snowfall and dislocated my knee so badly that I was told I would need surgery (good reason to lose weight)

3) I realized that between the x-ray and MRI on my knee, I had almost spent my deductible, so I might as well spend the next 11 months getting as many medical procedures completed as possible!

Mine is completely supportive... It's a long story as to how and why I finally decided to get banded (but the short version is that my insurance at work changed so that after a $1,000 deductible everything is covered at 100%, and I started making jokes about ALL the medical procedures I was going to have this year)... I had made the decision to get banded and already signed up for an informational session before I told him what I was planning on doing. I wasn't sure how he would react and was afraid of not having his support. (Afterall, he can live on junk food and never gain an ounce of fat!) Then, one night, as we were driving home from a movie, I started listing all the medical stuff I wanted to get done this year and he mentioned that I could probably even get approved for bariatric surgery if I wanted... I started laughing and explained that I was already signed up for an informational session. He has been supportive from day one!

My doctor didn't require a pre-op diet, but since my BMI is so high I decided to do one... I really did not want to wake-up from surgery and be told my liver was too big!

Today is day 11 of my self-inflicted 3 week pre-op diet. I have lost 18lbs so far, which puts me 15lbs below my starting weight. I am drinking 3 shakes per day made with various flavors of Isopure Protein powder, a 4oz serving of sugarfree Jello chocolate pudding (I add 4 scoops of Protein Powder when I am making the pudding), and a cup of chicken broth at night.

So far, I feel great and am not experiencing any of the side effects other people have talked about during their pre-op diets... I have lots of energy!

The site is worth signing up for. It has some interesting features...

Welcome! There are a lot of great people on this site who are more than willing to offer advice, support, and anything else you may need as you begin your journey...

Come to think of it, I don't believe I ever started a diet on a Friday either! :frown: Good luck on your pre-op diet. I have been on mine for just over a week and my surgery is on 4/1... April is just around the corner for both of us!

2 weeks? That puts your date as 4/1? Congrats! Mine is also in 2 weeks! Make sure to join the April Bandster Bunnies social group

Enjoy your immediate success... Most people say it comes off more quickly in the beginning. The amount you are losing might also have something to do with the amount you are hoping to lose. That is, the more you have to lose, the faster you tend to lose...

Congrats and make sure to join the April Bandster Bunnies! My surgery is 4/1, so I will also be sticking to liquids this Easter... and my birthday is 4/3...

I have the unflavored Isopure, as well as the chocolate and vanilla flavors. From what I have experienced so far, I can mix the Isopure into anything, hot or cold.

I am using Isopure Protein powders, which you can buy online or at GNC stores. The unflavored is great because it can be mixed into absolutely everything! I also have the vanilla and chocolate flavors. I have enjoyed Isopure powders the most because each scoop has 25g protein, 0 carbs, and hardly any calories.