Brooklyn732

I support the baby comment too. While I know nothing about the experiences of childbirth nor being banded, my wife has had 3 chidren both naturally and C-section and each experience was different for her. And I think the overall theme here is that some people have had significant pain/discomfort from being banded and others haven't. Some women have had significan't pain/discomfort from childbirth others havent. But at the end of the day (in my opinion) I think the point Manda was making was that a woman who went through childbirth and experienced the same pain as someone who got banded wouldn't turn around and want to give back her baby just because of the pain and discomfort, no matter HOW extreme it was. Being banded is almost like giving birth to a new you and a new life and no matter how severe the pain is you WILL survive and you WILL lose weight and acheive your goals. Just keep beleiving that. Just my $.02

ANyone know if it works for the Droid??

I think it's really cool that you have your whole week planned out! I always try to do that but never do. I went to BJ's last week and got some really good Proteins. They have a delicious Tilapia with lobster that comes in indivual servings that can be microwaved. And it tastes pretty good. I had that with some cauliflower and baby spinach and I was good to go! lol. Tonight I'm doing a honey hickory smoked salmon from BJs. Each one of those is less than 200 calories, low in carbs and low in sodium (which I have to watch out for) and more than 20g of Protein. I'm really loving BJs.

You're right and I apologize to everyone. This IS a place to vent and to be supported unconditionally. So I apologize for "judging". I am sure when I finally do get banded I will want the same support.

I am PRE-OP and please don't misunderstand my post. I am not commenting on how you tolerate pain. I am sure you are in pain and I have read hundreds of posts that talk about the pain people experience after the surgery. I don't doubt you are in pain. I am just saying that I feel that ANY pain is worth the long term gain we will all receive from this surgery. I apologize if you took my comments the wrong way. I am gearing myself up for the pain but as you said, I can't judge how anyone else feels.

I might get crucified for posting this but I don't care. I'm pre-op so I can't say that I can feel your pain nor that I can understand your pain. But I will say that there are SOOOO many people who are obese and dying from obesity and CANNOT get the surgery they need to help them so I am a bit bothered to see someone with regret after a couple days of discomfort and pain. After a lifetime of obesity and potentially life threatening co-morbidities, I don't care how long the discomfort or the pain is because I know it will get better and I know it will lead to a longer healthier life. If the pain you are feeling is due to complications, then I apologize for what seems like an insensitive post. If that is the case then obviously you are feeling more than just the normal healing discomfort. But I get a bit sensitive when I see people complaining about discomfort for such a short period of time. I guess I just subscribe to the "no pain...no gain" philosophy. I'm willing to endure whatever pain I can to end a life of worrying about whether a chair will break under me or not going on rides with my kids because I'm over the limit or shopping in the Casual Male XL. I just want a long healthy life and I can't wait to be banded!! Sorry for my long rant...

I love this board!! LOL. I've gotta convince my wife that I need some oral action during my post-op recovery period. And I'm LMAO @ NYsLegend's comment about Latin women. That has been my experience too, but I would go as far as painting them all with the same brush. lol.

Over 40lbs in weight loss is NOTHING to be down about!! You should be extremely proud of yourself!! And I know it's easier to say than do, but you can't let emotions dictate your eating habits. When I did my psych eval, we talked a lot about emotional eating and why it was detrimental to weight loss. The only one we are punishing is ourselves. Keep doing what you're doing! You're doing great!!

WOW. I'm so glad I saw this thread!! I am pre-op (but I just got a tentative date of 12/20/10) and with all the questions I've been thinking about post-surgery, I didn't even think about how the heck am I gonna sleep! lol. I am NOT a back sleeper so this will be difficult for me. I had trouble acheiving REM sleep during my sleep study because of that. So I've seen a few posts that refer to sleeping in "bed" after a couple days. So where were you sleeping if you weren't sleeping in bed? I hate sleeping in my recliner. lol

Well I've gotten all my clearances and I am awaiting approval from my Ins company (Aetna). But I have a tentative date of 12/20!! So that makes me a December 2010 bandster!! Yay! I haven't told anyone but my wife. I don't even think I'll tell my kids yet because they are a bit too talkative to keep any secrets. LOL. I am super excited. I have started to do 2 shakes and one meal a day and have been doing that for the last 2 months. I am down 35lbs. So it looks like there are only 2 of us so far but I hope some more 12/10 bansters join us soon! Good Luck on the journey.

I think AmandaGW said it best. The "restriction" is up to us. I am not banded yet, but I've committed myself to restricting what I eat and how much I eat and I've promised myself not to use the band as a crutch, but instead as a tool. If we want to be successful, we have to be in control of ourselves. I have suffered from obesity for many years and I know that food is a formidable opponent but we have to fight and win. This is why I love this board. Just reading the stories here gives me inspiration. I've lost 28lbs and I haven't even gotten a date yet! Hopefully I'll get a November banding date and someday hope to be posting before and after photos. But until then...I am going to watch what I eat and how much I eat. Last night I cooked spaghetti and meatballs for my family. I made turkey meatballs and instead of eating the spaghetti with them, I ate cauliflower with 2 meatballs. I sprinkled some skim mozzarella on it all and I thought it came out great. I guess at the end of the day it's all about choices. Good Luck

I just got the Smiss Mocha and I think its incredible. I use unsweetened almond milk. It's only 40 calories. And it tastes better than 1% or skim. I noticed a few other posts about shakes and I've seen some folks saying that they're using whole milk which surprises me. The unsweetened vanilla almond milk is really good. I've also tried the other Medifast flavors and liked them. I've made them with Water and they still taste good. I do 2 drinks a day and one meal, usually a salad, but sometimes chicken or fish. On days when I cheat, meaning my one meal isn't a healthy one, I follow up with a couple days at 3 drinks a day. Once I get my surgery date I shuold be ready for my liquid regimen. I'm down 24lbs since the beginning of August. Lastly on the Medifast, I tried a few of the Snacks and they were horrible. Good Luck

I don't have a date yet but I'll keep you posted. And u can do the same. Good luck with the journey.

I am originally a New Yorker, but I live in NJ and I am hoping to get banded very soon. I don't have a date yet but I am hoping to make it happen before Halloween (don't know why just picked that date...lol). I am wondering if there are any Central Jersey support groups or people in Central Jersey who want to support/mentor? I always find it strange that no matter how educated and professionally successful I am, my battles with food and eating have always been out of my control. And I'm a control freak so that bothers me. LOL. I am from the Caribbean so I am used to very rich, flavorful (and plentiful) food. So a liquid diet is a foreign concept to me, though I have been sucessful at it so far. Anyway, I just joined this site yesterday and I would love to meet more people in the Central NJ area or anywhere in NJ for that matter. Please feel free to send me PMs just to say hi! Hope to hear from you.

I'm glad this subject came up today!! I have tried the Muscle Milk Light in chocolate, vanilla and Mocha and it is TERRIBLE to me. So I have half a case of the chocolate and I refuse to put myself through drinking it any longer. I am now using the Medifast shakes and I really like them. I have tried the strawberry, banana and Orange Creme shakes and they are great. I sometimes spice them up by adding a small banana or some frozen strawberries or blueberries. Really good. And they have some ready to drink shakes that are even better. But I have been looking for a more convenient, cheaper alternative that I can get in bulk. And I would prefer something that I didn't have to mix with Water. I want to use either fat free milk or unsweetened almond milk. I find that the Mucsle Milks and the Atkins kind of shakes have a bad aftertaste. I am still waiting for my approval from my Insurance carrier so I can get a date. But I've started the liquid diet just to condition myself. I'm down 19lbs already but I did slip up and have a Big Mac this weekend. But I'm back on track!! I'd love to hear more recommendations of GOOD shakes. And I have another question, are you allowed to have your shakes with milk post op?

So I started looking on the internet today and came across this site. I am fascinated by all the support and good advice in here. I had a lot of questions that have been answered. I got all my clearances completed as of last week. So now I have to follow up with my surgeon and get myself a DATE!! The only thing I haven't done yet is go to one of the support groups/seminars. I'm doing that this week. I just wanted to post today to say hello to everyone. I will definitely be spending some more time in here. I'm a bit embarrassed to say it but one of the first threads I read through was the "marijuana" one. LOL. I was hoping that a little post op ganja was better for pain management than Vicodin. I haven't decided yet. So stay tuned and I'll let you know when I get my date!