~amy~

I did it - no cheating whatsoever!~~ AND lost 25 lbs pre-op. If I can do it, YOU can definitely do it!! If you're anything at all like me, your inner fat person may start to try to sabotage your efforts! It will lie to you - it will try to justify cheating by telling you that you're dying....you're not dying. You will survive!! Think of it as WAR! Do not let it win!!! You can beat this, and you will be happier with yourself for it later!! I promise!!

PS...you're feeling the exact same way I did when I started the pre-op diet. The first 3 days on straight liquids are HELL. But if you can survive it, the 4th day is soooo much better! :biggrin: Hang in there!! :laugh:

I'd call your doc tomorrow morning. My doc had me on 3 slim fasts a day (the Walmart brand tastes the same and is cheaper), plus one Barriatric Advantage shake per day. If I wanted, I was allowed to substitute a small garden salad for one of the slim fasts - but he said NO cheese, bacon, etc. on top. Just grown-from-the-ground veggies and FF dressing. I know every doc is different, and allow different things. But mine was very strict about NO solid foods of any kind. He warned that he would be able to tell if I had stuck to my diet and that if my liver hadn't shrunk enough, I would probably wake up in recovery without the band. Don't wanna scare ya - but you may want to try a different type of shake instead of meats and cheeses. :biggrin:

You're my hero!!! This is awesome! I can't wait to actually be able to run without my butt hurting worse than my feet!! LOL...

Ok, so I'm not as far ahead as some of you - but I just lost my first post-op 5 lbs! That makes 32 lbs from pre-op to present. Woo hoo!! I can't wait until I'm posting about running my 1st mile without dying! :eek: Thanks for this thread - btw - awesome idea!!

My reponse to folks that bring up the "looking old" thing.... "Well, at least I'll have the opportunity to look old now - which probably wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't decided to lose the weight. I'd rather look old, than look dead." That usually shuts them up - either they're so confused by what I've said, or they become uncomfortable with the subject of death. I don't know...they usually change the subject, though. :mad2:

Building on this....I used to be a Domestic Violence Investigator at our PD before I quit to homeschool our special needs son in 08. I know that in our town, the Battered Women's Shelter operates a "Resale Shop," which is open to the public. All of their profits go straight back to the shelther for operating expenses, etc. Of course, the shelter occupants receive free vouchers for clothing, etc., but many people don't realize that these types of shops are often open to the public as well. I think that's also a great way to help support your local shelter, AND get some nice clothes on the cheap!! :eek: You may check with your local shelter and see if they offer this in your area! :mad2:

I also had my first post op appt. yesterday. Since he trimmed some of the stitches up so they are no longer poking at me or rubbing my clothing - no more pain!! Woo hoo!! I'm with you - liquids aren't doing much for me! I can start yogurt and puddings, etc. now. But I, too, have noticed the scale not moving anymore! They told me it's because I've only been getting 300 - 400 calories a day. My dietician said I MUST increase my calories to at least 800, preferably 1200 a day. She was actually surprised that I had lost as much as I had - which, BTW was less than what my home scale...err. Good luck to you! I have a feeling we're both gonna need it in the weeks to come! :eek:

I don't know about your area, but our local Lap-band support group hosts a clothing exchange at our monthly meetings. You may look into that, or perhaps consider starting one! :eek:

Amen Sister!! I've been letting go of a lot of poisonous relationships, too. I just don't have the time or energy to entertain their negativity! It just drains the life out of me! This is my time, my life, and nobody's going to rain on my parade! :mad2: Woot woot!! :eek:

First of all..... **HUGS** Secondly, you are NOT a failure because at least you recognized that there is a problem, and you are taking actions to fix that problem. Nobody said this journey would be easy, so cut yourself some slack!! :smile2: We're all bound to fall at some point (unless there's a superwoman out there that I'm not aware of), but the important thing is that we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back on the horse again. Ok, corny, but I'm from Texas so I'm allowed! lol.... Prayers going up for you, girl....

O....M....G....I think the first thing I'd do, is go find some new friends!!! Good grief - you're absolutely right! With friends like that, who really needs enemies?? Errr....people like that make me sooo mad! They do not even deserve your friendship! Sorry - I'm the resident bully-hater. It just amazes me what comes out of people's mouths!

Are gummies okay for a person so freshly banded?? I'd love to start something different than the funky Vitamins they gave me. :smile2:

Dragonfly.... Just curious - have you had your thyroid checked since the surgery (or ever)?? Personally, I have always had a harder time than most losing weight (even on meds, etc.) because I have hypothyroidism. It's a fine line that I have to walk with my meds, too. My levels fluctuate quite a bit, so I'm always getting checked and rechecked. I have no fewer than 7 different dosages for my medication because it's always changing! And if by chance you are already on meds for a thyroid issue, FYI: My pharmacist (not my surgeon) told me that this surgery will affect the absorption of the meds, and so I may need to start checking even more often than usual. Just a thought... :smile2: Good luck!! Stay strong!!

OMG, Jennifer - there just are no words. I can't begin to imagine how that made you feel!! I knew the haters were out there, but I would have never guessed that a person could be so cruel to their own flesh and blood (or anyone for that matter!). I know that you're a stronger person for having survived that, but if it were me, Grannie would be on the floor!!

I got it via email, but Dr. H also posted it on the blog...very scary stuff. I've already sent my fussy email to Ralph Hall. Hopefully, they'll do the right thing, but my confidence in our politicians these days has all but vanished. :wink:

Thank you soooo much for this!! I was banded 2/10/10, and although I've lost 32 lbs (pre-op diet to present), I've recently hit a road bump. I'm only taking in 300 - 400(if I'm lucky) calories a day, but I've found that if I increase it, I start to gain a little. When I decrease my intake back down to 300, I start losing again. I can't live like this! I'm a homeschool mom with 4 kids! I need some energy. The Protein shakes make me ill - very ill - and I haven't been drinking them b/c I'm soooo afraid of vomiting and causing a slip. I did find one today that's not so bad, so I'm going to try that from here on. I just kept worrying that I was taking in too many calories since I wasn't losing - but your explanation makes a lot of sense. I'll definitely try to increase my calorie intake and see what happens. I'm just sooooooo afraid of gaining!! I'm getting about 3 bottles of water down a day. It's not because I can't get it down, it's just a matter of remembering to. I need to do better with this, too. Thanks again for posting! :eek:

Yes, we have to go often just to stop by Build a Bear!! I can't wait for this spring when it's a little warmer - we'll be there a lot - good exercise for me! I had my surgery here in Texarkana - by Dr. Hekier. Only a couple of problems so far - but I'm healing well. I go back for my 2 week follow up tomorrow at 3pm. I'm a little nervous, but excited! :wink:

Well said, JoJo....I guess it's another one of those "Reason, Season, Lifetime" things. Now if I could just make myself remember this when I need it most! :eek: lol...

Hey Kim! I'm not far from you at all!! I'm in Texarkana, and I just had my surgery on the 10th. We go to Shreveport a lot...my kiddos love the Boardwalk! :wink: Good luck with your journey - let me know if you ever need a buddy!

Oh how awesome is this!!! Congratulations!! I know how excited you all must be! :wink:

Now I'm wondering how many of our "friends" who have such a problem with our weight loss are also overweight as well. Is this the "fat friend phenomenon"?? I don't want to be your "fat friend"! If the only reason you hang out with me is to make yourself feel better about your own body, then please take a hike...to hell. While I try to have a pretty good understanding of the skinny friend thing that we just talked about, I do however, have a BIG issue with my overweight friends treating me like crap because I'll no longer be the fattest one in the group. What is that all about anyway?

Not that this comment wouldn't annoy the hell out of me, too, but you may consider that this person may not feel all that great about her body either. I had a very skinny room- mate in college. Every time I would diet, she would say something like, "Please don't get too skinny!" It always annoyed me, but one day we had a conversation about it. Turns out, she thought her body was "hideous" and wished that she could have some curves like me. Changed my outlook on her immediately. Just be careful when you run into a skinny person who makes a comment like this - you may not realize the self-image issues she might be dealing with. Just a thought. :wink:

Denise - I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was trying to say. I should have been more clear there. I meant that his attitude reflected a previous poster's comment in that he believes that it's my decision and my responsibility and that his eating issues are not my eating issues....and particularly the part about "What is he supposed to do, not eat?" That's the "attitude" he takes- his actions are MUCH worse than that, I agree. I wasn't trying to be snippy about the previous posters comment. That's a valid attitude to have - so no offense to her meant at all. I think he uses that thought process as an excuse to behave like an a$$, though. We've had problems in the past, but for the last several years, things have been fine. He was supportive before the surgery - we were actually BOTH supposed to do the surgery together. But after he jumped through all the insurace hoops, he decided he didn't want to go through with it, and cited several reasons - the main one being that he wanted to try the Atkins diet again because he enjoys eating "all he can eat." I'm not sure what the future holds - I do know that he took exquisite care of me in the 3 days following the surgery, but the two weeks before and after that were a nightmare. I am hoping and praying that things will get better once I am able to have solid food. At least I'll be able to actually MAKE a food choice. For now it's just feeling like deprivation and starvation...which is probably made worse by the food waving. lol.... Oh, and my response to the FIL was "I'm glad you're enjoying that - at Christmastime this year, I'll be 135 lbs, and you won't be able to zip your pants." :wink:

I seriously doubt this pain is part of it for the long haul- I was banded on 2/10, and that kind of pain subsided after about day 5. I hope your doc has some type of suggestions for you - maybe if you're released for more intense exercise, that will take care of it. Maybe the walking isn't doing it for you. I know this is a personal question, but have you tried having sex? I haven't tried yet...incisions are still too sore. But with a previous surgery with gas pain in my shoulder, that did the trick. Just a suggestion - really hate to get that personal!