priscilla

Thanks Neenagh - also measured and have lost an inch off my waist and 3/4 inch off my chest. If this is all in my head - I like my head even more than I did 5 days ago. Hope this works for you too - it will be exciting to check with each other along the way.:biggrin1:

Hey AstroT. My operation is at 12:00 noon - I'm gonna lose weight cause I have to give up lunch that day! Hey Cloe - thanks - I know you are right and I can hardly wait for it to start.

Good luck with the CLA Neenagh. Guess what? I have lost 5 lbs. in 5 days! I tried cutting back on the CLA to 4000 mgs. and started to crave last night - so today I am back on 6000 mg. I know that mine did not taste either - but there was a warning saying that not all products saying they are CLA are truly that. They said Tonalin the one you and I are using was the best brand because it accurately depicts what is in the capsules. Here's a toast to the black beauties (capsules)! I am not yet banded, but will be on Feb 7. Hoping to lose some abdominal flab and actually do notice a slight decrease in my flab right under my breasts and upper tummy area. I do not feel so bloated. Dr. Oz says that our omentums if they are overly fat will keep all the omega acids for its own use and only a little bit gets into the rest of the body so I really think that all this information, if we put it together properly is going to assist us and perhaps other "guinea pigs" to get ahead of the game. I'll let you know if my cravings come back at any time - I will be scrupulously honest with you about that. No point in taking it after all, if it is not doing what it has so far.

Hi everyone - all the newbies including abSteph, Astrotoes. I know what you mean Astrotoes by your "Oh my God, what am I doing" days. I have had many of those. I have to say though, that with the help of everyone on this board (even though they don't know how much they have helped me) I am absolutely certain at my core that the Band is the right WLS method for me. I get banded Feb 7 with Dr. Coburn too. I steeling my mind for the Optifast diet:biggrin1: . Jan 24 I start chugging that stuff and am willing to hold my nose and down it all at once if I have to. Good luck everyone who is a bandwannabe.

Hi Neenagh - yes it was really impressive - even more so since now it seems to be the real deal and cutting my cravings. My daughter also said she is doing great on it after only 1 dosage. This stuff is bascially Omega 3 and 6 fatty essential acids that they have tweaked somehow. Now my understanding is that these essential oils are found in nuts, fish oils and the red meat and milk from grass fed ruminants (cows, etc) that feed on real grass, not grains. Grass fed beef have shown to contain 500% more linoleic acid - now that is amazing. Have you tried this Neenagh? I would say that based on what I have tasted - it is just fish and nut oil and tastes alright. Crack one of those babies open and see how it tastes on the tip of your tongue. If it burns - don't do it! If it seems ok, add it to some food and see if the taste is a turnoff. Either way, I am going to keep taking this little miracle black beauty to keep my hungry tiger (head hunger) at bay day and night. Keep in touch - we can do our own little mini-trial on this stuff unless someone else more knowledgeable out there knows a reason why we should not take it. Dr. Oz, the guy from the Oprah show, said good things about it also and I am reading his book right now, "You, on a Diet". Very good information in that and a really funny and mostly light hearted read too. Kep in touch - okay? I'd sure like to test my little theory and I need backup girl.:clap2:

Anyone have any experience taking conjugated linoleic acid and its effects good or bad? I read some interesting material on the internet about scientific studies done using this nutritional supplement (Omega 6 fatty acids/conjugated lineolic acid) to assist persons in reducing abdominal fat and lowering blood sugar levels. Any feedback would be appreciated. If Dr. C is in the house would he be able to give any insight into this topic?

Anyone heard how the new Advanced Platform (AP) bands are working out? Does anyone know the difference between the older models and this new one. Getting banded in several weeks from now and curious as to how the new bands are doing.

AHubar- congratulations on your new gym routine. For the past 2 days hubby and I have been working out on all that exercise equipment we have in the basement. I did 5 minutes on the circuit the 1st time, 10 on the 2nd attempt and am about to go down again - whew! am I ever out of shape. :cry I also hate sweating! "Working out is a good thing" (my new mantra)

Welcome Sean - I have not looked at my pre-op diet plan yet - don't want to scare myself too quickly! I will look at it two days before I go on it and then have only 2 sleepless nights.:heh: We will have long chats I'm sure about how the diet is going. Gaf - we start the diet the same day - so we can commiserate at will. Actually, it will not be too bad; in my lifetime I have done ridiculous diets including the grapefruit and eggs (only!) one. That was way before Atkins Diet in the mid 60's. Yeah, Yeah, I'm old - so what? Anyway, I did liquid protein when it first came out and tasted like an old steer had crawled in that can and then slowly rotted to death. Yech! OPtifast sounds good - especially the chocolate stuff. I lived for a year on the Cambridge Diet in the mid - late 80's and lost a whopping pile of weight - funny thing is, it found me again. 2 weeks will be a walk in the park:nervous . Well gotta go to bed - this old bird is tired.

I start my pre-op diet on Jan 24 also. Goodluck Sean, with your journey. We can compare notes about how the liquid diet goes:phanvan .

Yes Gaf, it is Feb 7. Have only told my husband. Other family members don't know about about this type of surgery and I don't want them stressed over it. Once I start losing weight I will explain it to them. Got to protect them that loves ya! Good luck and we will keep in touch I'm sure through this wonderful way of communicating and getting and giving support.

Hery Gaf - good luck - I'll be banded about a week before you. We'll compare notes. Your comment about the "cutting edge" kind of made me laugh just because it is in the context of having surgery. HeeHee:faint: Nancy - congratulations on your new life with the lap band, keep us posted since all info helps.

Greetings from somewhere close to the north pole. Not quite! My name is Priscilla and I am betting banded several weeks from now - looking forward to becoming a member of the Bandsters club. Opti-Fast is going to be my new food pal for a while and I am not going to think too deeply about deprivation just yet.:nervous After all, I still have Christmas to eat my way thru. I've been checking out this forum for a month now and it looks like a fun bunch of people with great senses of humour hang out here. Look forward to getting to know more of you and have thoroughly enjoyed my visits so far. I was told that everyone is much friendlier and more responsive if I formally "introduced" myself properly. Okay, ready when you are - fire away!

Way to go Nancy - good weight loss with the new band. Thanks for letting me know you are happy with it. Boosts my confidence level a lot.

Flabuless - thanks for the reply I am looking forward to "the journey", I hope to "waist" away.:faint: TracyInks - Dunno about the hottie thing - but hey, if it helps improve the global warming up here, I'm all for it.:biggrin1:

Thanks to all who responded to my question about the AP band. Hopefully, I will get even more responses-IrishMist suggested I post this question on General Lap Band Questions, so I will. Thanks IrishM. To the just-banded person - good luck - I'm so glad to hear you are happy so soon out of surgery. This is a great forum - lots of good info on it and fun people too!

Further to my last post, I was in error in saying that the new AP band is not approved yet in the US. They in fact, had FDA approval and the clinic Toronto used that as their gold standard for its use in Canada. Anyone anywhere heard of this new band and how it is working?

I had this done 13 years ago when I had lost 80 lbs. It was not bad in terms of pain and recovery. It was just a general surgeon who did it because I had such back pains from the 8lbs. which he eventually removed. The scar is paler now and although I have gained back 70 of the 80 lbs. the only thing I noticed is that the stomach itself is not protruding, but around the sides of my hips, there is added pads of flesh that give me "little boobies" (as my husband calls them) on my hips. By the way - he loves them oddly enough, because they are shaped like breasts. :eek: He thinks he is the luckiest man on earth to have a four breasted woman. LOL. Now I am going for lap band surgery and the little boobies will probably shrink (I hope). The belly button had been repositioned and looks good - so my hope is that although I have aged 13 yrs. since last surgery, I don't think my stomach area will look bad. The thighs however and the real breasts (44DD) will probably look loose :cry . Oh well, positive thought on this is that I get to keep my clothes on and they will be smaller sized clothes eventually. Yehaaw!:nervous :clap2:

My new saying is "I used to have nice breasts, but now all I have is the bags they came in" LOL LOL :eek: Actually, it would feel better on the shoulders to not have so much hanging from them.

Hi Becca77 - thanks for the reply- I would love to keep in touch with you - there is a lady in my own town that I have met and she is getting her lapband done on Dec 15/06 and getting through her pre-op diet really well - very proud of her. Anyone out there know how surgeon decides what size of band he uses on his patients. Some seem to have a big 10cc and others all the way down to 4cc. I don't get it. Any answers?:xena_banana: :girl_hug:

I too am booked with Dr. Coburn in early February 2007 and am looking forward to getting on with it. After researching the whole lap band procedure and determining it was the right way to go, I also decided to self-pay, because as most of you know, Alberta's wait list is out of sight! I read on one of these posts that Dr. Coburn is going to be training a doc in Edmonton and northern Alberta to do fills. Anyone have an idea where in the north of Alberta that community is? Love this support group-really informative and fun. Good luck to all you future bandsters-keep in touch about your experiences - helps all of us newbies to cope until our big day.:kiss2: :xena_banana: :clap2:

Hi there! Just found your post. I am from northern Alberta. I too have researched the lap band procedure and agree it is the best one to have. I am going to Mississauga Ontario in FEbruary for my procedure. I will pay for it myself ($16,000) but worth every penny. Keep in touch and let me know how you do south of our border.