Hey There,

Just looking for any July 2011 banders. I just started my process, but as that I am "self-pay", I am on a fast track to surgery. Although, not terribly obese (bmi 34), I am using lap band surgery as a tool for continued success after loosing weight. I have always been able to join a program(diet or exercise or prescription) and loose weight.....I've done it several times with several different programs (not a good thing), but I always gain the weight back and more. Now that I am in my 40s, it is harder to loose and faster to come back. No more, I say! I want to be heathy in my future - family history/genetics dictates that I will/can be using a walker or wheel chair from degenerative bones and joints, heart disease, diabetes. I am trying to steer clear of that but still keep seeing myself heading in that direction, so now is the time for further action. Although apprehensive about going under, I am reading all the good things about the lap band procedure and am hoping that it is just a little more than the tubiligation and endemetrial ablasion that I had done last year. At least, I am thinking of it that way, so as to not scare myself too badly!

Lisa B - Northern Virginia

Hiya Shauna,

I picked my goal weight because I asked the doctor how much I needed to lose to eliminate the comorbidities. The answer was 100 pounds. This isn't my ideal weight for my height, but a nice even 100 sounded good.

Amy

Hi Kate,

I'm also going to see a psychologist on a regular basis for my food problems. He specializes in it so hopefully he will be good! The only doctor I found that specifically handles bariatric issues was not on my insurance

My goal is to be in size 8. That may or may not happen at my goal weight of 131...so if that doesn't get me there I may lose a few more lbs. I felt my best at 117 but I was a freshman in college then and I don't know if that's realistic at age 39. Plus, with all the working out, I should be in a smaller size since muscle is denser than fat.

How did everyone pick their goal weight? Mine was just the number the surgeon threw out...I think it puts me at like a 22.5 BMI, which sounds about right, but there's still a part of me that wants to go even lower if I can.

Shauna

Well....I have a date!! And DAMNIT, nothing is going to change it.

--------------------- JULY 1st !! ---------------------------------------------

Tonight is the last "real meal" - then in order to shrink the liver enough, I have to have be on presurg diet that is exclusively the high protein shakes, nothing else. I'm glad I live alone - I don't think anyone is going to want to be around me!

Amy

my last real meal today too!

Congrats! You said you still want your daddy? I'm the same too. I still call him daddy and love him to bits! Looks like it all came together for you.

Well....I have a date!! And DAMNIT, nothing is going to change it.

--------------------- JULY 1st !! ---------------------------------------------

Tonight is the last "real meal" - then in order to shrink the liver enough, I have to have be on presurg diet that is exclusively the high Protein shakes, nothing else. I'm glad I live alone - I don't think anyone is going to want to be around me!

Amy

Cheers to final meals! And my God help me tomorrow morning when I have to dump the first little packet into the cup <gulp>. It will all be worth it!

Amy

my last real meal today too!

Hi all 7/11 bandsters.....I have a date of July 25th. Excited and nervous. I'm much older than most on this site and have researched this for over a year and think it will help me with my blood pressure and knee problems and back issues too. Hope so. A little nervous reading some complications on this site about auto-immune disease after being banded but my doctor assured me there is no connection with the two. Also emailed Allergan who makes the band and will read all the stats. I think I'm over thinking this band ..... I hope I can just relax and enjoy it. Good Luck to all.

I as well will get the band on July 25th it has been a long year but JULY 25TH is almost here. Not a fan of the drinks as I do not like over sweet thing or one's that taste sweet.

I wish everyone well on this trip of a new healthy life.

Good Luck to all.

Mary

Congratulations !! I know I lost about 8lbs in 4 days so far.. and my mother in law, uncle are all the Protein diet as well and had great results. I am ready to go under and have this surgery.. I am so thirsty from the drinks I have drank 122 oz of Water, and still thirsty'!! Is this normal ?

I'm one week into the protein diet. Lost 20 pounds in one week! you don't think that starts the head games? "If I can lose weight this easy, why am I getting surgery?" "can I really do another week of this??? Listen to the noise in my stomach!" a little bit of poor me, why me, .. etc.. but then i just look at pictures of me, and the scale, and the tape measure, and the meds, and the entire range of clothes sizes I have,and yea... I can do this for another week, and absolutely I NEED this surgery... Let's not kid ourselves....if I kept track of the 20 - 30 pounds I've lost and gained back and lost and gained back ad infinitum, it would probably total more than what I weigh now... that's insanity. Excited... yep! Scared.. a bit... ashamed of myself for getting to this point? yep, throw that in too...

What it all means is I'm really looking forward to July 1!!!

The Great Value drink mixes at Wal Mart have a pineapple- mango and they contain stevia, only 3 grams and not artificial sugar. This was a great discovery for me , b/c Splenda and Nutrasweet and most sugar free items give me a headache.. The other thing I would add to the list is a magic bullet! I love it and when you are done mixing you can use the cup to drink the shake. It is fast and easy and I think it will be perfect my mushie stage!! Also Multi- Vitamins and Iron if you are still of age to get your period.

What a wonderful idea!! YOu go girl!!

What's on your pre and post op shopping list? Here's mine.....care to add to it? I thought maybe we could keep a running list of helpful items. If you add something, just modify the list and repost

Food:

sugar free popsicles

sugar free Jello

Protein shakes

fruit juice/milk/crystal light (I LOVE the Walmart brand of crystal light)

Soup

Medical:

Gas X Strips

Scar cream or cocoa butter

Ice packs

Lip balm

OTC Pain reliever

General:

drinking straws

electronic scale

hand blender

new set of knives (nice and sharp to cut up food!)

Book, either "Band Wagon" or "Is Lap Band Surgery for Me?" (not sure yet)

small rubbermaid containers to help portion out food

food scale

I like unjury ordered online! They have an unflavored and I can mix it with low sugar items like pineapple mango great value drink mix and it tastes so good!! Plus if you add ice or Yogurt (fat free) it makes the shake like a milkshake and goes down slower makes you fuller faster!! So the unflavored gives you so many options . I have fortress shakes from Wal-mart Peanut Butter chocolate they are great too!! I mix all with 6-8oz of fat free milk or Water..

You should try the Myoplex ones.

I like unjury ordered online! They have an unflavored and I can mix it with low sugar items like pineapple mango great value drink mix and it tastes so good!! Plus if you add ice or Yogurt (fat free) it makes the shake like a milkshake and goes down slower makes you fuller faster!! So the unflavored gives you so many options . I have fortress shakes from Wal-mart Peanut Butter chocolate they are great too!! I mix all with 6-8oz of fat free milk or Water..

You should try the Myoplex ones.

Oh, the head games!!! I could so totally work my way around this pre-op diet if I let myself by working out "equivalents" and then eating, eating, eating. I'm having to fight that urge. And yeah, I've had the "Hey! I could lose the weight THIS way instead!" thoughts. But clearly, I can't. Or at least, I can't KEEP the weight off.

But I made it all the way through my first pre-op diet day without cheating. I'm counting this as my first NSV. (Baby steps. I have to take this in baby steps.)

I'm practicing using my creativity--the kind that would usually allow me to rationalize cheating on the pre-op diet--to work on coming up with interesting ways to spice up my Protein shakes. For my last shake of the day, I used vanilla powder and added pineapple chunks, skim milk, imitation coconut flavor, and imitation rum flavor, then blended it up with ice. It tasted like a piña colada. Yum!!!

Anyone else reading Bandwagon? I'm really enjoying it; it has a lot of good advice/information.

I'm one week into the protein diet. Lost 20 pounds in one week! you don't think that starts the head games? "If I can lose weight this easy, why am I getting surgery?" "can I really do another week of this??? Listen to the noise in my stomach!" a little bit of poor me, why me, .. etc.. but then i just look at pictures of me, and the scale, and the tape measure, and the meds, and the entire range of clothes sizes I have,and yea... I can do this for another week, and absolutely I NEED this surgery... Let's not kid ourselves....if I kept track of the 20 - 30 pounds I've lost and gained back and lost and gained back ad infinitum, it would probably total more than what I weigh now... that's insanity. Excited... yep! Scared.. a bit... ashamed of myself for getting to this point? yep, throw that in too...

What it all means is I'm really looking forward to July 1!!!

Yay, Amy!!!! I checked in here tonight just to see what had happened with your situation. I'm glad you got it worked out!

I was not pleasant today (my first on the pre-op diet), and I got to have a little bit more than just the shakes. I bet my family members were wishing I lived alone!

Well....I have a date!! And DAMNIT, nothing is going to change it.

--------------------- JULY 1st !! ---------------------------------------------

Tonight is the last "real meal" - then in order to shrink the liver enough, I have to have be on presurg diet that is exclusively the high Protein shakes, nothing else. I'm glad I live alone - I don't think anyone is going to want to be around me!

Amy

My goal weight? When the doc said he'd like to see me at 216, I gagged... I haven't seen 216 since 8th grade... I weighed 225 going into high school!! But even then I was 6 ft tall. anyway, if he thinks it's possible.... why not???? I'm game!

My surgery is July 7th and I am getting a bit anxious. I have been watching (and journaling) what I eat now for two weeks and lost 12 pounds. I am not looking forward to the pre-surgery liquid diet. I understand that is really tough and I will be working those two days. I see my surgeon next week and I will get more info from him then. I have made myself several soups and bought my popsicles. I also have stocked up on SF Jello. As for protein shakes - they all tast like mud to me. The only one I like is Carnation Instant Breakfast so I guess it will have to do. I have bought 7 different kinds of protien shakes to date and not liked any of them. Oh well, I guess that is how I got where I am with my weight. FYI, I am a 59 year old female with a BMI of 36 (thanks to my recent weight loss) and my insurance is paying all but $25 of this proceedure - I am blessed with that anyway. I am really going to rely on this website. It has answered more of my questions than anyone else. Thank you to all out there.

I'm so jealous of all you guys that can do the whey-based Protein drinks...there are so many yummy mixes out there! I realized after trying 2 samples that I can't do them because I'm lactose intolerant...this AFTER spending $50 on tons of samples, all whey-based. If anyone in the Phoenix area wants a big bag of samples, come and get them (west Mesa) and they are yours!

Amy, so glad you got a new date set!

To all of you losing weight on the liquid diet and wondering "why can't I just do it this way?"...ask yourself if you could KEEP it off once you go back to solid food. I know I couldn't. I lost 50 lbs. 2 years ago and put 30 of it back on in the last year. A big part of why I'm getting the band is to KEEP it off for life!

Who else is going to see a counselor/psychologist to deal with their food issues? I have my first appointment next Thursday with a guy that supposedly specializes in weight issues...I hope it helps. My co-worker who has had gastric bypass (and has been successful) told me he has friends who also had it and gained all their weight back, because they didn't fix what was "broken in their brain", as he worded it.

Got my chest xray yesterday, getting gallbladder ultrasound and blood tests today. EGD is scheduled for next Thursday...then I'm ready to be scheduled! I am a little worried about showing up anemic on the blood tests, as the last time I tried to give blood they wouldn't let me since I showed up slightly anemic. I've been eating extra red meat to hopefully beat that!

I'll post an updated list shortly. Lot's of July 1st banders...hope you guys stick around to mentor those of us with later July dates!

Shauna