Bklynike

You are an inspiration. From time to time we all mess up, the true test is getting back on track as quickly as you can. I know you will reach your goal. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.

2 days of the full liquids so far. I will continue on this "diet" until Sat. Sunday I get to have clear liquids in preparation of the surgery on Monday. I must say that yesterday I was starving all day long. Loud grumbling noises that I couldn't control, even after a Jello snack. Today, not so much. I brought a Jello, 1 cup of beef broth and 1 bottle of Isopur Apple Melon, plus I drank around 25 oz of water and another 25 oz of water w/Crysal Lite. While the Apple Melon was not my favorite, (love the Grape Forest), I drank the entire 40g protein drink. I didn't finish either the broth or the Jello and I am feeling fine. Would I love a hamburger? You bet, but I want the lap-band more. I am so happy to have found this site. Everyone has been so helpful, friendly and encourging. I get so excited when I see that someone has responded to a blog I wrote. The ideas and recipes I have received are priceless and I can't wait to start using them when on solid food again. Hearing how well so many of you have done, I know I have a real fighting chance to do the same. My husband paid the surgery bill today, so the only thing left to do is stay on track with the liquids and get through the surgery. More tomorrow...

Best of luck to you. I am so excited for you. My surgery is next week. Please post how the surgery went and how you are feeling.

My first day of liquids, although not quite over yet, was OK. I started my day with 27grams of protein shake with a cup of decaf coffee. Mid-morning when my stomach started to growl so loudly that other people at work were able to hear it, I had a Jello cup. At lunch I had a 40gram Insopur drink (grape forest), which was very tasty and a cup of chicken broth. I finished my "meal" with another Jello. I drank about 80 oz of water throughout the day and for dinner tonight I had some cream of brocolli soup, a decaf coffee and glass of water with lemon. I will soon be having a sugar free ice pop. Yum. Thank goodness this is only a week long. I am not looking forward to having to do this after my surgery for 2 weeks, but having the lap-band is such a gift that I will do whatever is necessary to make this work. It has to work - it is truly my last hope to get healthy, look and feel better and live longer. 7 Days to go:w00t::tt1:

Meg, hang in there. You are doing so well, but with everything that is going on right now in your life, I can surely understand the frustration. 61 lbs in 2.5 months? You are my hero! You can't let yourself down now. You probably had to fight really hard to get the band, just hold on and remember what you went though to get to this place in your life. We have all dieted and know there are plateaus that we have to jump over. Get yourself motivated again - get to the gym and make it count. You are doing great - if you don't feel you are getting anywhere with the 3 lbs, talk to your doctor - that is what he is there for. Or, call your nutritionist. I wish you the best of luck and you can feel free to email me anytime - bklynike@aol.com. Eileen

Best of luck to you. As you can see, I posted exactly the same time you did that I start my pre-op liquid. My husband and I went to take pictures today, but our camera didn't work. We went to get a new card for it, but Walmart didn't have the one we needed, so we will take photos later this week. lol My surgery on the 21st. That is my "Re-birthday" as it is my surgery date and my birthday. I thank your husband for his service to our country and again the best of luck to you.

Well, tomorrow is the day I start with my full liquid diet. I am not all that excited about it, but I know it has to be done, so I will do it. My problem is that although I am a big girl, I don't really like most foods. With that said, my husband & I have been playing around with some protein shakes and found a couple I can tolerate. My favorite is the unflavored protein (2 scoops), 4 oz water and 4 oz low fat milk, a tablespoon Taster's Choice decaf coffee and an ice cube blended for about 30 seconds in the blender. YUMMY. I love coffee, so this is good. The other day we blended the vanilla cream protein (1 scoop), with some left over brewed decaf coffee and a little low fat milk and it was pretty good too. I know this surgery is going to save my life and give me more years with my husband, family and friends and I couln't be more thankful. It would be nice if my insurance would pay for it, but that is not to be. I hope the insurance companies change the way they do thnigs so those of us with co-morbidities can get this life saving surgery without jumping through so many hoops, or worse yet not having the surgery covered at all. At least they paid for my nutritionist and saved me $250.00. I hope anyone getting banded this week has an easy time of it. Good luck to all.

I saw the nutritionist today and she has me on track. I start my full liquids on Monday and next Sun, the 20th I do the clear liquids. My big Re-Birthday is on Monday, June 21st and I am so excited. That doesn't mean I am not nervious or scared of the future, but I am happy it is finally arriving. I think giving up pasta and french fries is going to be difficult for a while, But, I am taking control of myself and I want to be illness free more than I want pasta and french fries. The hubs, my strongest supporter, has lost 13.2lbs. He is not having the lap-band, we are self-pay. I am the fortunate one getting it. He believes he can lose the weight on his own, and he is proving he can. I so wish him the best. He has been with me from day one. He attends every doctor's appointment, every nutritionist appointment and every supoprt group. If down the road he needs the surgery, we'll figure out a way to get it for him. But, in the meantime, he is joining me on my journey. He is the best co-pilot anyone could have. Good luck to anyone having the surgery next week. Please wish me well on June 21st. Have a great weekend. :bored:

My surgery is on June 21st, my birthday. I will be starting my full liquids on Monday the 14th and the only thing I think I will be craving is pasta. But, when I think about it, pasta is one of the reasons I am a fat person with too many co-morbidities to count. I know the new life I want and I am willing and able to work my ass off to accomplish it. You will too. It would be insane to go through all of this trouble only to cheat because you would only be cheating yourself. There are plenty of substitutes for the foods we love and if we are smart, and I would like to think I can be at time, we will find them. I wish you the best of luck.

I feel so bad for you. Your husband probably doesn't even know what he is doing to you. You didn't say, but is he overweight? Were you overweight when he dated/married you? Just as there are women who like men that are tall or heavyset or very thin, there are many men who prefer their women to be heavy. Some feel safe that the woman would not leave them if they didn't feel good about themselves. You go and show him what you are made of. You lose weight, get healther and run that 10K. He will get on board once he realizes how much better you feel and look and that you are not leaving him. Maybe he thinks you want to lose weight so you can lose him? Perhaps he is just insecure? I wish you great success. You are a beautiful woman, looking at your photo. So keep up the good work. Do this for you and you alone. I get banded in less than 2 weeks on the 21st. I am so fortunate that my husband is 100% behind me. We have to pay for the surgery ourselve because my insurance will not pay anything towards weight loss. He is overweight too. He attends every meeting, doctor's appointment and nutrition class with me. He is dieting on his own and has lost 14 lbs so he can get a head start knowing I will be losing much faster than he. We know that by getting healthier, we will be able to spend more time together. Good luck to you.

Well, I was at the doctor today for my medical clearance. Everything looked pretty good except my blood pressure, which was 140/100, is too high although I have been on medication. Now I have to up my blood pressure medication over the next 2 weeks or my surgeon may not operate. And my sugar was still high, although I am on diabetic medication twice a day. I thought I was doing well, but I guess not as well as I hoped. I cannot wait until the surgery is done and I will, hopefully, not have to take medication anymore. Has anyone out there been able to get off their meds after surgery?

Tomorrow I will be at my doctor's office at 9:15am for my blood work and pre-surgery clearance. One week from today I start my full liquid diet and on Sunday the 20th my clear liquids. The 21st is my re-birthday and I am so exicted, nervous, anxious and ready to go.:eek: Tomorrow night's dinner will consist of different cream soups so I can see which ones I like. I don't like yogurt or custards, so I am hoping to find some good soups to keep me full. I wish you all good luck and hope we can all share our stories of weight loss and great success.

I am back from my Sister's Weekend in NY. Had a blast and now it is time to start concentrating on my surgery. 2-Weeks to go. I am so excited - I can't believe it is almost here. My husband is going to the grocery store tomorrow to pick up some of the full liquid items I am going to need to I can start tasting to see which ones I like. Cream of chicken, cream of brocoli, cream of mushroom will be the first 3 soups I am going to try. I have purchased several different protein mixes and I find when used in conjunction with low fat milk (1%) and put into the blender for a few minutes, they are not so bad. I did purchase an unflavored protein mix from my Surgeon's office, but when I got home and read the label it said it has milk and soy. Being a breast cancer survivor I am not supposed to have soy, but I will see my Oncologist on Friday to see if the soy content is small enough. I really would love to have an unflavored protein to add to soup or to add my own flavoring to, so please keep your fingers crossed that I can use it. Anyone have any good ideas for the pre-surgery diet?:thumbup:

You call it Memorial Day Weekend, I call it Sister's Weekend. I am making my annual trek to NY to see my twin sister. I will be back on June 2nd and will have my blood work on June 3rd in preparation for my surgery. On June 8th I am having my medical clearance and then on the 21st my life-saving surgery. I am so happy that after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year (October), having a mastectomy on Jan 5th, 2010, now being cancer free, I have some wonderful things to look forward to. There is life after breast cancer and with my new Lap Band, it will be a long, healthy life. To everyone out there who reads my blog, have a wonderful long weekend. If you have recently been banded, I hope it was easy for you and you are doing great. For those of you planning and waiting for the day, as I am, WE ROCK!

I had my final meeting at the surgeon's office today. Everything checked out just fine. I am doing well and on track for my surgery. I am off to NY this Memorial Day Weekend to visit my twin sister, and when I get back the fun begins. Blood work, medical clearance, nutrition visit and another visit to my oncologist just to make sure everything is good to go. These next couple of weeks are going to fly by until the big day arrives. I hope I don't have too much trouble with the liquid diet, seeing how I am diabetic, but thousands have lived through it and so will I. If I don't get back on this week, I wish everyone a wonderful Memorial Day.

Perhaps you ate too many and didn't chew well enough. I can't imagine you will have to give it up forever. When he said "no more shrimp" did he mean never again? Be patient and try again at some point, but instead of 8 try only 4 or 5. Best of luck to you.

Well, I was at the gym tonight. I had a horrible day at work and my right knee was bothering me, but I got on the treadmill and walked .88 miles. I did about 20 minutes on the sit-stepper and 12 minutes on the sci-fit machine. I just wasn't able to do as much as I wanted to do. But, I will make up for it on Sunday. Got a call from my surgeon's office today to confirm my appointment on Monday at 9:15. I am so excited - I am so ready for this. Have a great weekend everyone.

I will be banded on June 21st, which is my actual birthday. I am calling it my Re-Birthday! I was supposed to be banded on December 21st, but got breast cancer and needed a mastectomy, which I had on 1/5/10 instead. I am now cancer free and working really hard to get thinner each and every day. Life is great! I am so excited and thankful, although I am paying for the surgery myself. My insurance company has an exclusion to anything having to do with weight loss. Doesn't that suck? Dr. Bass in Hollywood, Florida is supposed to be one of the best, let's hope so. I say horray for each and everyone of us.

I agree. Speak with your doctor when it is all said and done, but in the meantime, get the right meds and get youself feeling better.

You are doing great. Whether you lose 5 lbs or 1/2 lb, you are losing and heading right towards your goal of a healther life. I can't believe 1 week out and you are already eating. My surgery is on 6/21 and my surgeon will keep me on a liquid then a full liquid diet for about 3 weeks. You are right about this site. I have been told by everyone attending my support groups that journaling is the most important thing you can do. I choose to blog and am enjoying reading other peoples journey. Best of luck.

How wonderful that your family is paying for your surgery, but even more that they are extending your life. My insurance company will not pay for any part of my surgery (6/21), but in a way my mom is paying for it. She passed away 1 year ago and left me enough money to have the surgery. Good luck to you and be very proud of yourself for doing it.

Congrats and a big YOU GO GIRL! Keep up the good work. It will be hard, but we are all in it for the same reasons. Better health, better weight, longer life. Just had surgery and already on the computer - that is inspiring. My surgery is on 6/21 - I hope I am doing as well that evening.

Congratulations. I can't wait to hear those words. Keep up the good work. Any advise for someone who has yet to be banded (6/21/10)?

Hubby and I were at the gym tonight. I am up to 1.28 miles on the treadmill and 1/2 hour on 2 other machines. I feel exhausted, excited and just so happy I started this process. While I know the exercise will help in the long run, without the lap-band I know the weight will not come off. The diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, knee and back pain, etc., etc. will continue. But with the lap-band, eating the correct way and the exercise - I have a winning combination. Has anyone got any good Protein smoothie recipes?

Had my pre-op education class tonight with RN Arlene. She was great. There were 5 other women in the class. 2 were having gastric bypass, the rest of use lap-band. One of the lap-band people was obviously not really into the whole thing. She didn't even have the common courtesy to shut her phone off, which kept ringing and playing some obnoxious child sing-song. But anyway, we got our binders to keep all of our meeting notes and handouts in one place. We discussed the protein options and what to expect the day of and the days following surgery. I am really excited and so thankful that this surgery is an option to me, even though I am paying for it. I learned how important journaling is and will definately be keeping a food diary. I have now attending 3 separate groups, but have not run into any of the same people. I would love to form some bonds with other people from my area, since we would have so much in common. The journey continues.:rolleyes2: