jmunks2000

You'll make it for sure. This was the hardest part for me but I LOVED seeing those numbers on the scale during pre-op. You're almost there.

You're not an idiot. You just like good food like all of us do and the taste buds still want to taste... even after we're full. hehe. The struggle will subside as the weeks following this fill pass. Hang in there and just enjoy that soft full. I usually start washing the dishes or I take a brief walk when I'm wanting to eat more after I had my serving. Good luck

well, I hated the pre-op plan, but it was prolly like you said... a psychological battle. i would hate to have to do it again, but probably can since the results are so awesome. Thank you for posting this.

That is what my diet consisted of. I added frozen blackberries or strawberries to my shakes. My doc okayed that. But I had to make sure they were sugar free. I even added a spoon of peanut butter to my shake every now and then when I got bored with it. I lost 21 pounds (18 by their scale) in two weeks on my pre-op. Good luck:D

Thanks Sandif. There are tons of good videos out there too. Enjoy them all.

So I decided to put monthly videos on youtube to track my weightloss. This is my first video. Tell me what you think. Thanks

watch this video and others about the shakes.

I use Wii fit and Wii Active, I love it. I will try what Sisson posted too.

I don't have "binges", I do have (not lately) what I call "fat attacks" which I when I eat junk food like choc candy and can't seem to stop. You may need a fill...... or stick to these reminders: eat protein (it keeps you fuller longer and is the greatest with weight loss) get rid of items with simple carbs and simple sugars (they spike your blood, giving you the energy spurt that dissipates quickly and makes you tired and sluggish so you can't make it to workout) drink water, fill up on it...pretend like it's a glass of champagne if it doesn't come from a mother, don't eat it (stay away from processed quick to eat foods) don't buy it!!! If it's not in the house, you can't eat it don't be too hard on yourself, if you fall off, get back on again!!! Bee Good to yourself and good luck!

Thanks for posting this, checking it out right now.

It was hard, I wanted to quit, I had to condition my mind mentally, so I started the adding the shakes little by little in the months before surgery because I knew I was going to have to get used to them. I gagged and was in great resentment but I didn't want my surgeon to cancel my surgery so I wasn't going to risk that. I started the pre-op around Feb 3rd. I went out of town to a convention around Feb 10th. I forgot to pack my powder mixture so during the days of my convention, I found restaurant where I could order baked fish and lots of salads There was one restaurant that I always go to every year when I attend the convention. Do you think I went? Heck yes, and I ate therir delicious chili con queso with chips. I also ate half a sandwich one of those days. On Feb 14th, I ate at Saltgrass with my family. I resisted alcohol but I just had to have me a pitch of that bread (It was the last time I ate bread now that I think about it). I also ate crackers and rice cakes during the pre-op because I didn't know I wasn't supposed to. I don't really consider it cheating, but I did rely on this website and the people on here to keep me focused. The first week of the pre-op I was cranky and everything, but when I saw 8 pounds gone in like four days, it motivated me. Hang in there!!!!

Thanks everyone. I didn't realize until after read your comments about how strong I'd become. The renewing of one's mind is a powerful thing.

You've done it and you will continue to do so.

The pre-op starts kinda weird.... well gross. In fact, I think I went through food (carb) withdrawals. I had mood swings and everything. It subdued after about a week and after I stopped pouting about why I had to do it. Good luck. Just do it.

So I went out of town with some of my sisters, my mom, my children, and my nieces and nephews this past weekend. I didn't realize how much our daily schedule centered around food until now. The activities at the ranch could barely be completed because many minds drifted to the next meal and menus. Well now I do. Because I had just had a fill Thursday, my diet was liquid and then mushies this weekend. I didn't mind cause I'm used to the routine and plus, I was barely hungry. I think I found my sweet spot. :thumbup: Well my family indulged in making fun of every food choice I made. My mother criticized me for not eating things like bread, pasta, and rice. Don't get me wrong, I've gone out to eat with them before like at habachi grills and they get a kick out of me not being able to eat rice. My family loves rice. I remember a time when I cooked a pot of rice everyday. Rice is a big deal in this family. But deleting these carbs has helped me lose weight before the surgery and has stopped the inflammation from arthritis. As a matter of fact, I haven't tried to eat it nor do I intend to. So I'm good! The ridicule seemed magnified this weekend more so than usual. I guess it was because we were together day and night as they could zoom in on me more than when we're are at restaurants and family gatherings. I have actually been trying to convince my mother to have the surgery. Anyway, her verbal spill the whole weekend went like this: "Oh no, I am not gonna be denied my favorite foods. You're eating like a bird.....Are you really satisfied with that pinch of tuna and lettuce?" She even went to a local Dairy Queen and returned to the ranch to flaunt her banana split in front of me. I told her several times that I can eat what I want but I choose to eat what I eat. I am not upset. I have my eyes on the prize. I am just surprised that the situations described in my LAP-BAND® book are slowly but surely happening. At the end of my trip, my mother praised me for not giving in to her taunts and said she was hitting the gym first thing Monday morning because she wants to look like an older sister and not a mother (shallow, right?) Anyway, she did go to the gym yesterday. As for the band, she is right, the band is not for her right now because she doesn't want to be restricted. She likes being able to eat whatever, whenever, and how much of whatever anytime. She would prolly force food even after satiety is reached if she had the band. I just have to wait for her to be ready.

I have lost 52 pounds, 30 has been post surgery.

Thanks for posting this. My bestie is going through what you have just described. I am going to share this with her right now. well, as soon as she wakes.

I had surgery in February 2010 and I don't regret it for a sec. There is some pain and discomfort from the gas immediately following surgery for a few days. I thought about surgery for more than five years before doing it. Now, I only think, "I should have done it sooner". My bestie had lapband last November and is doing great too. On her last fill appointment she begged to be super restricted and now I think she may be too tight. She doesn't want to unfill the band though. I met a lady this weekend at a ranch that I visited..... who lost 80 pounds since last October. My sister's mother in law had lapband three years ago, lost very little and her band slipped. She no longer has it. I have a co-worker who has two friends who have gotten the band and have lost very little. She tells me that their eating habits are very different from mine. I am convinced that the unsuccessful stories are due to people's bad habits more than 90% of the time. Several people at my doctor's office, True Results, have lapbands and are all success stories. I don't mean to babble but since you asked, I wanted to give you experiences that I personally know about. Good luck with your decision. The lapband is the right choice, just make sure your eating habits are right too. I always tell myself that the band is going to do its part, so I have to make sure I do my part. BTW I am down 52 pounds and thirty pounds of it are since the surgery.

Yes, get used to this. I went through and am still going through this with friends and family. My mother and one of my sisters poked fun at how I ate this weekend when we were all on a road trip. I don't care though. They say the same things about losing it on your own, etc. I told my mom if she could lose it on her own, then what was the hold up? She's been overweight for more than thirty years but she feels kinda satisfied because she has curves in the right places. I am looking good and can shop in the misses department four months after surgery. The lapband book even tells you to look out for sabatoge. Welcome and good luck on your journey.

I love this pic, I look at it 100 times.

yeah, Congrats Kathy :thumbup:

Well at least there are lots of other options, should you decide to ever change.

I loved it too:) I loved not having menustration but it is really no good. My dad is a pharmacist and he used to tease my sister and I, saying we were pumping our bodies with steroids. I still stayed on it after I realized that he was right. I also found out that it decreases sex drive. I was uninterested in sex but could not figure out why. I watched a television documentary one day that described methods used on sex offenders to stop them from raping. An option was to give these men (yes men) depo provera shots to decrease the wanting of sex. I started wondering if it had the same effect on women. I asked my doctor and it in fact, did. I got off of the shot then. Supposedly it causes one to become sterile. Well I did not return for my shot in June 2003 and got pregnant in November 2003. Oh yes, one last thing, my breast milk never dried up from my first child during the time I was on the shot and he was born in 1998 so I had breast milk from 98'-03' but was not breastfeeding.

I think you need to go through a doctor's office and let them prepare your documents to get you approved. I had high blood pressure but was never on meds. My BMI was between 37-42 for more than ten years although the insurance only looked at the last five. Also, I had sleep apnea but never continued my study (they didn't consider it) and knee arthritis. Of course the BMI at the time I started my four month multidisplinary doctor study, my BMI qualified my alone because it was 40. You need the surgery as a preventive measure so that your co-morbidities won't worsen. bottom line:The doctors's office knows how to get you approved. It sounds like you are a great candidate

Four months and I haven't been stuck yet. Well I kinda got stuck on Water once. I drank too fast and it lingered and it hurted but it passed in another gulp down my throat. I don't wanna experience it. Just wanted to say, I went through the photos and man, you look great btrieger.