Today is day 4 of my 10 day preop diet. I am on Protein supplement drinks and 5 oz of lean meat and all the veggies I want, which is zero. The first 2 days were pure hell for me. Yesterday got considerably better, and today I feel great. I had my morning Breakfast drink and feel satisfied. I skipped the meat last night for dinner even.

So it got me wondering, if this is getting so easy, why didn't I just do this without the band?

Anyone else had thoughts like this?

I am still getting the band in 1 week, but this is going SO WELL it really got me questioning things.

A diet of shakes isn't sustainable fore the long road. You'd eventually see that if you stay on that low low calorie diet for a couple of weeks your body will get mad and stop losing. And once you add food back in your body will hang on to it for a little bit until it realizes it is not being starved anymore. But if you think you can do it with real food, I would totally push back the surgery and give it a shot. Have you never dieted before?

I haven't been put on an official pre-op diet yet (surgery not scheduled yet) but I have been on a strict low cal diet, and I've been doing well. Lost 11lbs in 3 weeks. I did question as to whether I thought I could do it long term and stick with it. Truth be told, while right now is going well, I don't think it would last. I think it's a general thought.. can I do this on my own without surgery. Most cases we've come to surgery for a reason.

I doubt that there's anyone here that hasn't been able to lose some of the weight on their own. Maintaining it the hard part. The band makes that part much easier.

I questioned it 2 years ago and backed out of the surgery. Of course I put back on all the weight plus 10 more pounds. Now that I am banded I can see hitting goal and maintaining will be much easier for me. I think we are all diet pros here. It is maintaining that we fail at.

Hi there, I also had this and many other types of "maybe I shouldn't do this" thoughts going through my head. Even while sitting on the hospital bed waiting to go into surgery I was thinking, "if they don't put me out right now I'm gonna make a run for the door." This is a HUGE decision and with any major decision there will be doubt.The pre-op diet did give me a moment of, "maybe I can do it on my own" thought. But then I remembered that if I really could have "done it on my own", I already would have. It also reminded me of how much food had a hold on me and when you break the cycle it is freeing. I clearly remember how good it felt to not be so full all the time. I think there is a negative attitude about admitting "we can't do it on our own", like we're weak or something. But we are so strong by doing this. It's like standing up and staying, "I have a problem....but I"m not going to let it ruin my life anymore....I'm taking a stand for me.... I will be happy."

Hi there, I also had this and many other types of "maybe I shouldn't do this" thoughts going through my head. Even while sitting on the hospital bed waiting to go into surgery I was thinking, "if they don't put me out right now I'm gonna make a run for the door." This is a HUGE decision and with any major decision there will be doubt.The pre-op diet did give me a moment of, "maybe I can do it on my own" thought. But then I remembered that if I really could have "done it on my own", I already would have. It also reminded me of how much food had a hold on me and when you break the cycle it is freeing. I clearly remember how good it felt to not be so full all the time. I think there is a negative attitude about admitting "we can't do it on our own", like we're weak or something. But we are so strong by doing this. It's like standing up and staying, "I have a problem....but I"m not going to let it ruin my life anymore....I'm taking a stand for me.... I will be happy."

I couldn't have said it better myself!

I knew I could lose the weight on my own because I've done it before, it's the maintaining I have habitually failed at. I'm not yet at the point of maintenance, so I can't say yet whether getting the band will be what I think it will (a maintenance tool), but I will say that this is the EASIEST I have lost weight before.

By all means, if you want to give it a go on your own, do so. I think being mentally ready is the biggest key to success with surgery. But there is a reason that bariatric surgery is the #1 recommended medical treatment plan for severe/morbid obesity, and it isn't because we don't know how to lose weight-- it's because only 2% of us can keep it off for 5 years.

Absolutely I have had those thoughts I have lost 20 lbs on the supervised weight loss part and the pre op part but the moment I think why not just keep doing it this I remember why I went to the surgeon in the first place I can do anything for a while but not in the long run and if I do not have to physical restriant of the band to help me stay on track while I change my whole way of dealing with food and my bad eating habits I will eventually fall back into my old habits and regain all I have lost and probably even a couple pounds more I already did this weekend eating ice cream and peach cobbler and BBQ as well so I know left on my own I will not be able to keep up my high minded ideas of I can do this its easy because I can't not on my own and not without the support of the band and the people at the clinic

Today is day 4 of my 10 day preop diet. I am on Protein supplement drinks and 5 oz of lean meat and all the veggies I want, which is zero. The first 2 days were pure hell for me. Yesterday got considerably better, and today I feel great. I had my morning breakfast drink and feel satisfied. I skipped the meat last night for dinner even.

So it got me wondering, if this is getting so easy, why didn't I just do this without the band?

Anyone else had thoughts like this?

I am still getting the band in 1 week, but this is going SO WELL it really got me questioning things.

Today is day 4 of my 10 day preop diet. I am on Protein supplement drinks and 5 oz of lean meat and all the veggies I want, which is zero. The first 2 days were pure hell for me. Yesterday got considerably better, and today I feel great. I had my morning breakfast drink and feel satisfied. I skipped the meat last night for dinner even.

So it got me wondering, if this is getting so easy, why didn't I just do this without the band?

Anyone else had thoughts like this?

I am still getting the band in 1 week, but this is going SO WELL it really got me questioning things.

If you feel you are having seconds thoughts about the surgery because you may think it wont work?? Go ahead and add me on Facebook and see my ongoing journey, I'm a lapbandster myself and i'm going throught this amaizing journey that I dont regret! follow me on www.facebook.com/kfrancolapband

Not to mention the pure physiology of the weight loss on this sort of pre op diet. Nobody but nobody can live on shakes forever. And that sort of low carb weight loss is SO much about Water and lean body tissue loss and very much less so about real fat loss. Carbohydrate molecules bind to water in the body so cut carbs and you shed a trolley load of water weight, sniff a slice of bread and you put 10lb back on overnight.

Even if you could survive on this sort of diet long enough to get to a normal weight, even if you were happy to look like a bag of skin held up with sticks, the minute you begin to eat normally, even low calorie normally, you would gain weight like crazy.

Enjoy this fast weight loss, you get banded, you go onto the post op routine and for once in your life, all your hard work pre op wont be lost in the space of a week. The weight will continue to come off - but it will be slower and more steady, much healthier and with your band it will STAY lost. Dont worry, your willpower wont be wasted - you will still need it with a band.

Today is one week on my pre-op diet and one-week to go, and I think my Dr. does his different because I am not allowed to have any solid foods, I can have Clear liquids and Jello, suger-free popcicles, and 5 packets of sugar free carnation Breakfast with skim milk each day. I AM STARVING I am scheduled to get banded on 08/29/11, a little nervous and excited all at the same time. I am almost 70 lbs down since January with just diet and excercise. Like most of you, I think and even know I can take all the weight off on my own but I can not keep it off. I have been down this road way to many time. I am ready to be the old me before husband and child, and love to go shopping again.

Stay strong, and realize there are others going thru the same thing with you

Starting weight 372

Todays weight 309

Scheduled for my lap band 08/29/11

I lost 80 pounds about 6 years ago, and the second I moved, changed my life style a bit, and started eating my mom's cooking again, I gained it ALL back in about 3 months. I have only gained since then, with the exception of a weight watchers diet where I lost about 20 lbs. Every time I lose, I gain the weight back and more..ten to twenty pounds more. I cannot maintain a healthy weight. I eat healthy, I excersize, but without starving myself and working out 2 hours a day, the weight does not come off or stay off. I just don't want to live like that. This is the reason for the band. It keeps the hunger at bay and makes you full on less, so although I will be eating small amounts, I won't be uncomfortable, hungry, mean, and bitchy (from the hunger)

This is my reason for getting the band. I can't WAIT! One more month to go.