wanna.b.healthy

Boy do I know where you're coming from!!!! I started the 800 calorie a day pre-op diet last Wed. and still have 21 more days before my surgery. I hear what you say about the doc saying after 3 days or so you won't be hungry. Mine told me the same thing, as did my dietician and I didn't believe them. But, it did happen for me, but more like on Day 7. Days 5 and 6 were THE WORST for me; thought I'd eat the dog and cats ...or at least their food...and bawled all day Monday (Labor Day) when everyone else was eating holiday food and I was drinking shakes...again. SO, please try to hang tough for a few more days and see if it helps. The doc and nutritionist says the trick is to cut out ALL sugar because that is what the body is screaming for. So, I was sure not to sneak a piece of fruit, or even the lightest bite of anything with sugar at all. It really did work. I have NEVER not been hungry in my whole life so it's like a small taste of what life with the band will be -- except then I'll get more variety and can eat more like a normal person (instead of drinking everything.). I'm pretty excited about it! Best of luck to you. I'm thinking your surgery may be before mine (29th of Sept.) since most people only have to be on 2 weeks of the pre-op. I get to do 4 because I'm so STINKIN' FAT -- but the good news is, I lost 8 lbs. when i went to the doc today for a weigh-in after that first week of pre-op diet; so....keep it up and you CAN DO IT! And it will be worth it! Debbie

Thanks for the input! You're right, this part does suck, but I realized today that I am now only 3 weeks off from surgery. That means that I only have one extra week to go and then I'll be on the 2 week pre-surgery diet like everyone else. So, it is winding down and I know I'm past the hardest part except for the bordem of the same thing all the time. I appreciate you taking the time to write. This forum has truly been one of the things that has gotten me through. Without it, I would feel soooo alone and wonder if it' worth it. Now I'm surrounded by support and reminded often that it IS worth it! Thank you! Debbie

It's the taste -- I'm okay with the texture which is just about the same as the one I drink from costco. I LOVE the Optifast Soups, though. I could eat them every meal. I just ordered a 1/2 case off eBay -- saved about $1 a packet from my doc's price. Do you know if the Soup is as acceptable as the shakes -- could I do 5 soups a day instead of 5 shakes?

Hi Jeff - Be sure you read around the forum because there are lots o people that have lost enough even being over 400 lbs. I agree that you need another doctor -- does the doc you saw do both surgeries? If so, he makes more money doing the bypass. I don't have a clue if that's his motivation but I would definitely want to know before I went to GBP at his suggestion. Best of luck to you. I have recently started -- 3 weeks until my banding -- and I'm sooo convinced it's the right move for me. It took me about a month to really believe it can work for me since I've never successfully dieted, but now I know it can for me -- and for you if you set your mind to it. (It won't be easy, but it will be worth it, I'm sure!) Debbie

My Vit D is also low. At the surgeon's office last week they told me that there are new studies out saying that people with low Vit D have a very difficult time dropping weight. That makes sense for those of us on this forum, doesn't it? The doc said that, obviously, they want good levels to give me every advantage I can. I take a multi-vit, calcium w/D and then an OTC D, as well and it's still low. Next, they told me, are injections.

donnalys - I'll bet you're so excited!!! Only two days; I wish I were going at the same time. I have 23 more days and it seems like forever because I've been on the Protein shake diet now for 5 days already and will be on it until surgery. (That's what I get for not even trying to keep my weight under control these past few years!) I, too, think it's best not to be around a lot of people right now. For one reason, where groups are -- especially on holidays -- there is food and I'm not up to watching others eat yet. My doc said that it's normally to be crabby during this time as your body is really fighting for food and sending all kinds of mean signals -- like headaches, dizziness, weakness, etc. Plus, it just plain ticks me off to look at someone (like DH) who is sneaking around the corner (so as not to tempt me) to eat the fresh peach cobbler -- not ticked at him, bc he's been disciplined enough to eat right all these years and doesn't have a weight problem, but kinda ticked at peaches and cinnamon and oatmeal! Oh well, you've made it to your band day and I will too! Just can't wait! I need these next 3 weeks to FLY by! And in the meantime, I'll read all my posts through a second time to make sure I haven't been a crab to some poor hungry soul. I'll be thinking of you on Wed.; wishing you a speedy recovery and a great adjustment as you become the thin version of yourself! Debbie

Well, Good for You AFMOM! Wish I could sew. When buttons fall off things around here, we throw them out! (JK, but it's almost that bad!) I hope that works out for you and if not, I've heard about a clothing exchange on here that you might be able to use. I'm sorry I don't know the exact name but I'm sure someone will provide that for you if you need it. Just think, if you get good at it you could start a little home business -- clothes altherations for lapbanders; with all the WL success out there, I'm sure there'd be a market for it among lapbanders! :smile: Congrats on your loss so far and good luck as you continue. Can't wait till I can start getting rid of some of these bigger clothes! 23 more days -- big sigh!

Has anyone found a Protein shake that they really like? I have tried several and the Optifast that my doc suggests is the WORST! ICK - can't do it. I have found one at costco that is good -- Premier Nutrition or something like that, but I can only get it in chocolate and since I'm doing this for another 23 days, I'd like some variety. Let me know if you have something you really like! Thanks! Debbie

Great Idea! How much fun will that be! Thanks for sharing and best of luck to you as you get closer every day to your banding!

Hi Amy, You are so motivating! Thank you -- I want to share some good news. This morning I weighed on my wii. (My bathroom scales only goes to 300 and I'm over that so I can't get a weight there.) Last Thursday I registered myself on the wii, got my BMI and weight in the system. This morning when I checked in, I was down 7.7 lbs which took about 2 pts off my BMI! I am sooo excited. This is the first I've seen come off since I started this whole journey! It's the boost I need to drink these shakes a bit longer. Of course, that weight loss isn't official. I'm going to put a ticker in my post when I get an official loss at my doctor's on Wednesday, but it was what I needed for right now, so I'm taking it. Something you said in your post -- "no more planning your day around food" or something to that effect...... I SOOO do that. (not now because it doesn't take long to plan 5 shakes) I would wake up every morning trying to figure how I could manipulate the schedule to get whatever food I wanted. And because I thought about that food all day long and because I had other foods I would plan for over the next few days, I knew I would have to eat big quantities of it because I loved it so much and wouldn't be getting it again for a while. NO WONDER I'M OVER 300 lbs!!!! I have to get past that kind of thinking and if it takes having nothing but shakes for another 24 days, so be it! Well, anyway, you never know how one little sentence like that can make a person think and come through with a revelation that might be a factor in the lifestyle change. You rock, girl! Thanks again - please be in touch with more little valuable tidbits. (no pressure! LOL) Debbie

Okay, girls -- I'm excited to hear all your responses because so far not one person has kept them. That means you are SUCCEEDers or BELIEVERS! I love it! That's the question for me -- do I really believe it will work and I didn't till just the last few days. The support here has been so fabulous that I am starting to believe I will succeed with the help of my band, my family and my God. (Not necessarily in that order!) What about the rest of you? Anyone keep their clothes -- why did you decide to do that?

Hi lovemysgt, It is H A R D, isn't it? I'm finishing Day 4 of an 800 cal a day Protein shake diet and haven't really had fun yet. :-) I don't have a scale at home that I can weigh on so I don't even know if I've lost any weight. If I knew that, I know it would help me with motivation. Anyway, the NP at my surgeon's office told me that if you cut out all sugar for 4-5 days, your body will begin to understand that it is not going to get any more and stop "calling" for it by making your tummy rumble and giving you that "heady, icky" feeling. The dietician I met with a few days after that told me the same thing -- that after 4-5 days there is a physiological changes that will make it easier to endure. I'm banking on that and should find out soon if it's true or not! Let me know if you experience that or have ever heard of it, but just keep at it. Every pound that comes off now makes you that much healthier before your surgery and will speed you to your goal and your new life. HANG IN THERE!!

I'm still a few weeks out from my banding and, as I was doing laundry today, I started to wonder what I would do with the summer "fat" clothes that I will be putting away for the season. Should I keep them, just in case.....or should I show my commitment and belief that this time I will get the weight off permanantly by getting rid of them. If you're waiting to be banded, what do you plan to do with the large clothes once they no longer fit. If you're already banded, what did you do -- keep or toss/donate/sell? Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hi Amy, Thanks so much for your post. It really was an encouragement for me. You're right -- it's hard, but I keep reading about how the band can change your life and it gives me the will to make it another day. I have 24 more days till banding -- that seems like forever -- but compared to the rest of my life, it's really not, is it! So, I'll keep at this liquid Protein diet -- no matter how hard it is! It's so inspiring to hear of BMI'ers over 50 who really do have success. What works for others, doesn't work for us....so I am excited to see that this CAN and DOES! Thanks again, Amy! Hope to hear from you again! Debbie

Hi from "out west" Lashonda -- Grand Rapids, MI! It was nice to read about someone from the area. I started at the beginning of your posts back in June and read through. You've been patient and diligent to keep at it and make it happen! Good for you! I'm just starting and have 25 days to go before my banding. I am currently on a Protein shake ONLY diet until the surgery -- very difficult, but I have decided working hard now will help me not only be better prepared to work hard later, but will put me a few pounds closer to my goal even before the surgery. It's been 4 days without anything in my mouth but these stupid Optifast shakes - ugh - and I don't know if I've lost any weight but my rings are looser. Just my luck I'll have skinny fingers and feet (that's where i always lose it first) and a huge stomach, butt, and boobs. Wouldn't that be a sight?! LOL Since you have been praying right along for this procedure, let me tell you something I've done. When I am feeling pretty desperate to eat, I've been sitting down at my computer and reading through posts until one strikes me and then I pray for that person for a few minutes. Guess who I am praying for today? YOU! I am praying for great success for you and a wonderful new life as a Mom once your banding is place. I pray for health for you until then and I pray for ease with the insurance company and doctors. I pray that if you have to do a pre-op diet, that you find support (send me a private message if you need/want to!) and do not suffer with too much hunger and food withdrawal. Best of luck and may God be with you every step of the way! Debbie

Hi Newbie - Don't really have much advice since I'm in the same boat as you are, but I do understand how it can be almost a grieving proces when you think of losing foods and drinks that seem like friends. I have 27 days to go before my banding and will be on a liquid protein shake diet until then. My prayer is that having no choice in what I put into my mouth, will break the focus of food that has brought me to this place. Best of luck to you! Try to gather as much info as you can -- that will help alleviate fear of the unknown at least.

Hi Cynthia - Congrats on 75 lbs. off in 6 months -- that is awesome and so inspiring for me. I have 27 days until my banding and can't wait. I loved reading that you've had days when you've fogotten to eat! That is soooo exciting. Even though it hasn't been perfect, just knowing that the roaring lion of hunger CAN be controlled makes me even more anxious. I had another apt at the surgeon's office today and it looks like everything is a go. I am learning so much about why I eat, how I eat, and what I eat. I can't wait to change all that. I'm SOOO OVER letting food be the focus of my life. This liquid Protein diet that I have to be on until the surgery is making me not look forward to meal time. That is a succes in itself. If I can learn that food is for nourishment; the people at the table with me are the real sources of pleasure, I shouldn't wake up every morning planning my day around food. I look forward to hearing more from you as you continue down the road. It's so wonderful to hear success stories that are "real". Blessings to You, Debbie

No weird dreams for me but I have to get up and go to the bathroom a couple of times a night. SOOOO much liquid!:thumbup:

CONGRATS ON QUITTING SMOKING!!! That has to be healthier for yu than the 19 lbs you put on because they will come back off. You are the first person I've found that has to do a long liquid diet like I do. (I'm sure there are others; just haven't found them." It makes the surgery seem forever away, doesn't it? I started only liquids today and surgery is the 29th of Sept -- four weeks from today. I think it's going to be a hard month but maybe that will prepare me to work hard afterward. Best of luck managing the hunger -- STAY STRONG!

Guess what I'm doing -- sitting and drinking a liquid Protein shake on that "nasty pre-op liquid diet" and wondering if I'm doing the right thing and scared to death. I seem to be in just exactly the place now that you were in last year. (My pre-op diet is until my surgery on the 29th of this month -- seems like forever right now.) It was SOOO encouraging to read your post. Maybe next year I'll be in your place again and a much happier, thinner camper. Thanks for posting and letting us know it does work even for us "bigger" banders.

Hi Everyone, I've been off the forum for a few days (hubby had surgery and I kept busy taking care of him) and boy can I tell I didn't have the encouragement. It's been hard because I was supposed to replacing two meals a day w/protein shakes & bars and then one healthy meal a day. Yesterday I went to the doc for a weigh-in and didn't lose any, which I probably deserve because after hubby's surgery I really fell off the wagon. After a bad weekend, I started again on Monday (aren't we always starting again?) and then saw the nurse practitioner on Tuesday. She kindly but sternly told me that if I can't manage to lose some weight, the surgery would most likely get cancelled. That sure opened my eyes. She started me today on a full liquid diet -- nothing but shakes until my surgery on the 29th! EEEKKKK! She tells me that after 4-5 days my body will stop calling for food and the extreme hunger will stop. So, that's my update. Has anyone else had to do an extended liquid diet like this? Has anyone else's doctor said they needed to lose weight BEFORE the surgery (my insurance does NOT require it -- the doctor does for "safety)? Has anyone else experienced the hunger going away after 4-5 day of only liquids? Hope to hear from you! Tell me about any successes so I know how you're doing! Debbie

Hey Friends, I've been AWOL from the forum the last few days as my hubby had some surgery and I have been busy playing nurse (which I'm NOT very good at -- God bless all you REAL nurses!) I've really missed the encouragement and support but I am glad to have time to get back to all my banded (pre or post) friends. Tomorrow I start the FULL-liquid diet. (800 cals per day! :biggrin:) The NP at my surgeon's office told me this: If I will do NOTHING but the Protein shakes for 3-4 days (not even protein bars or "free foods" -- nothing that requires chewing) that my body should do some kind of physiological adjustment and stop calling for food around then which will make the rest of the time till my Sept 29 surgery easier. Has anyone else out there had to do an extended (month or more) exclusively liquid diet and have you experienced anything similar to what the NP told me? AND Are there other diabetics who have had to do this extended liquid diet? I'm worried about low BS's because I tend to have them a lot anyway. They're having me cut my insulin by half starting tomorrow - Day 1. Anyone with input will be much appreciated! Thanks! Debbie

I have told a few people -- my husband and kids, my parents & brother, & BF. My big social network is my church and several people there have had GBP but I don't know of anyone else who has had the band. (Maybe they're not telling, either.) I don't want to be the token bander whom everyone will compare with the fast-losing GBP losers. I am very comfortable with my decision to go this way and to have a slower and steady loss but don't want every time I walk into church to be about my WLS. That's sure not why I go! Since I have a pretty long pre-op diet (6 weeks), I'll lose weight the old fashioned way even before my surgery so they'll just think I have FINALLY found the strength for life-style changes that I've tried to make all my life. Once it's "old news", I won't really care who knows because I'm sure there will be people out there whom I might encourage by sharing my story.

Thanks so much, Jess! You know, there's nothing more encouraging than Scripture. I sure appreciate you taking the time to post! Thanks & God Bless!

Hi - I've completed Day 3 of these pre-op diet and have been successful according to most criteria. It hasn't been perfect (I just had a handful of chili-lime almonds) which I struggle with -- if it's not EXACTLY right, it doesn't feel right at all. I'm having a hard time at the moment -- want to eat the wall, the dog, and my own arm -- which is why I'm keeping my hands busy typing. I'll go to bed soon. Tomorrow hubby has major surgery and I'll be sitting in a hospital all day. I'm a bit concerned about how to keep on track with all the idle sitting, vending opportunities, & stress while waiting. I'll need to pray my way through the day. Hope you're doing well. Let me know if you've had any great success lately so I can share your joy!