Hi!

I'm Julie and looking to change my life on April 2nd. Yep, that would be my surgery date.

I'm a single mother of sometimes adult children. Own a very small salon in central Phoenix and have never worked so hard to make so little Just kidding, life is what I make it and it's awesome! This growing up has been a process and I feel like I have control over everything in my life but my weight. I've struggled my whole life with eating and bouncing up and down on the scale. More often it's UP! I feel like I've done it all... weight watchers, HCG, calorie counting, Atkins, and even the cabbage diet. Ya I lose, but when I get back to normal eating (No, one cannot live on Cabbage Soup), the weight slowly comes back on and adds a few extra pounds for good measure.

So here I am! This is me, getting real with myself and sharing my journey.

Hope to connect with you soon,

j~

Hi all... I am a married 44 year old, my only babies are my two siamese cats. I have also struggled with weight for too many years to count. I started working at a new job a year ago and met someone who had the lap band and had already lost 100 pounds, she is the one who really got me to say out loud that I have dreamed of this type of surgery for years. My insurance required 6 months of seeing a nutritionist in addition to the other pre-op stuff. The six months flew by - and April 9 is the proverbial first day of the rest of my life.

My husband who has been skinny his whole life is very supportive as are my family and all the people in my workplace (large doctors office).

This weekend is my last weekend with my soon to be old friend food..... I start on Optifast for 12 days then two days clear liquid - then surgery day.

As many of you I can't wait to be able to go into any store and be able to purchase something!!! I can't even imagine that feeling - to be so called normal. Also one reward I am counting on is a beautify bra and panty set from Victoria Secret... another store that I have not been able to buy anything at.

Is anyone else on a two week liquid diet before surgery? If so would love to hear how it is going...

Welcome Mike!

I agree with Deb......WOW! I'm not sure I could do that. What an inspiration.

Glad you joined our little group here. We're a friendly bunch.

julz~

Hi lore!

Welcome to the group. I'm on 2 shakes a day and one lean meal. I'm sure there is someone on here doing the 2 wk liquid.

Keep posting.

julz~

Welcome to the group!

I'm on day #3 of a two week Optifast shake diet. Then clears for one day. I must say I have never done a liquid diet before and it was brutal the first day. I am not my friendly self. Lol. Getting better though. I jumped on the scale after day 1 and I had lost 5 lbs in one day. It gave me the motivation to continue. It's getting easier, or I'm getting used to it. Either way, I'm hoping to drop 15 lbs before surgery and 5 lbs the first day is a great start in my opinion. Good luck to you!

Hi I'm Mike and I am from Maryland. I just got my surgery scheduled for April 16th and the countdown has begun.

My surgeon said I had to lose 30 - 50 pounds before surgery and so far I have lost a little over 66 pound but the going is getting tough. I want to be below 400 before surgery so I need to lose 16 more pounds before the 16th.

In addition to watching my diet in the last 6 months I have been exercising by swimming and walking at the pool for 1.5 - 2 hours at least 3-4 times a week and that has made a real difference.

Tonight I decided to see what a difference the exercise and weight loss has made by walking up a 6 story parking garage (up the ramps) and was able to get to the top and not be completely out of breath, Small NSV.

Welcome to the group, Mike. Thanks for sharing your story with us. You have accomplished much, and your level of commitment inspires me!

Hi all... I am a married 44 year old, my only babies are my two siamese cats. I have also struggled with weight for too many years to count.

Is anyone else on a two week liquid diet before surgery? If so would love to hear how it is going...

Hi loreebyrd. Welcome to the group.

I'm counting calories---1400 a day. At first, it was hard because I do best with rigid diet plans that give me very few options. However, once I adjusted, the food cravings subsided.

I've done the HMR physician-supervised liquid fast multiple times in the past and remember well how difficult those first 3-4 days are on a liquid diet, but I also recall how quickly I shed the pounds. You will lose fast, too!

I love cats and have had Siamese cats in the past. I currently have two rescued cats and would have more if I could.

I'm on day #3 of a two week Optifast shake diet.

I jumped on the scale after day 1 and I had lost 5 lbs in one day.

Five pounds in one days is awesome! Yay for you!

hey everyone! nice to the group growing!

It's an awesome group too

julz~

hello all! i'm booked to be banded on april 13, and now am scared as heck

don't mean to be a debbie downer here, but now i'm wishing i didnt' put the deposit down. i'm so scared of failing.

hello all! i'm booked to be banded on april 13, and now am scared as heck

don't mean to be a debbie downer here, but now i'm wishing i didnt' put the deposit down. i'm so scared of failing.

Hi Sandy,

I'm a little afraid of failing, too, but the research shows most people who get the lap band are successful. Hopefully, all of us in the Springers group will have great success!

Hello fellow Springers!

My name is Kerry. I have two young boys, 1 & 2. They keep me busy! I am a stay at home mom/part time corporate travel agent. I have the most wonderful, supportive husband who is now contemplating getting a band now too. I'm pretty sure that he is secretly waiting to see how I does for me before jumping in. Yep, I am his guinea pig.

Like most of you, my story is the same. Up and down my whole life, with one exception. I have type 1 diabetes. I learned as a young teenager that I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to lose mucho weight, and fast. I had the most serious of eating disorders which has been coined "diabulemia". It is a lethal game that a great deal of teenagers with type 1 play. It's simple. You don't take your insulin. I am lucky to be alive today. I am lucky my mom watched out for me as closely as she did. Anyhow, enough about that. I am here now to lose weight the right way. The healthy way. And I plan to make my band work for me.

That's me, in a nutshell. I look forward to sharing this journey with all of you. The good. The bad, and the ugly.

Welcome!

Hi...My name is Jennie. I joined this website in 2008....yes, 2008! I had prelim approval from the insurance company, had my upper GI, paid for a psych consult only to be told that they made a mistake and there was a specific rider on the policy at my husband's work that excluded bariatric surgery. But I am jumping the gun. Let's see if I can summarize briefly...

I, too, use to be thin...tall and thin...ahhhh. I even did some part time modeling. I am also a RN. I guess the weight started creeping on when I worked nights as a L&D nurse. Then, thanks to my career, many back problems which limited my activity level. During this time, I also had two kids (now 16 and 12). I gained under 30 lbs with each but steadily added weight after each one. Then I had back surgery. I am thankful I did as I am much better than pre surgery ( PT, steroid epidurals, etc) During all of time, I tried many a diet...in fact, I may have tried ALL of the diets! Lol! I even worked for NutriSystem during nursing school...back when they had centers.

Also during this time, life got really busy and life got hard. My son was diagnosed with very high functioning autism but still very hard. Well, I ate many emotions and eating out(as life was busy) became the norm. I don't know if there are others like me but you know you are gaining weight

I actually began speaking to the doctor in 2005 about wanting a lapband. She was great and documented that. Like I said, I thought I was going to have it in 2008. Fast forward to today....last year as open enrollment hit, I thought that we would have another year of the same insurance...well, to my surprise, they had new options. I think I called about 12 times to make sure it was covered. Yea! It was! So here I am.

Even though I have researched it for years and am very ready, I have had my small share of doubts that I would fail....AGAIN! But they do not last long and I truly believe I am ready. Although at this point it still seems a bit surreal but I cannot wait until April 27th! I am so glad that I am here now!

Welcome to both you girls, Jennie and Kerry~ You're having the same feelings that all of us have had. The key to success from what I see on this forum is following what your doctors say, stay positive and keep telling yourself that you can do this.

I'm newly banded, just last Thursday sp not at expert by any means but I am a professional dieter and gainer!! lol I decided to finally get off the yo-yo lifestyle and get it off (again) but to keep it off this time. The band is just another tool for us, it's up to us how we use it for our best results. No need to worry about the surgery you'll do fine. Good luck to you both on this exciting journey we're all on! Deb