Hi everyone! I just had my surgery on 11/16. I am doing better everyday. I am having a hard time knowing if I am getting in enough clear liquids. I was told 3 protein shakes a day and have yet to drink more than a couple of ounces so I have to be behind the recommendation. I don't know how many ounces is considered in 1 protein shake and I don't want to over do it.

This whole experience has been a whirlwind for me. I went in for my initial consult in the last week of September. I did all of my testing and they submitted to my insurance on Halloween. 4 days later they got approval, and 7 days after that I was having my surgery. I have been reading the books and information that they gave me, but they all say something a little different which I find interesting as it all came from the same place. I want to be a success story so I am trying to be compliant but feel a little confused. Any suggestions?

Hello, I am brand new to this site and am getting ready to be branded on 12/20 also in AZ. Any advice you can give me being newly banded would be great. I am very excited but a little nervous

I use costco Premier Protein shakes everyday since being banded Aug 6. They are 11oz each with 30g of protein. My surgeon wants me around 60-70g of protein per day. Some days I get close to that amount and others way over. Since you are still healing so close to surgery, it will take some time to be able to drink enougfh protein daily. Just remember any chance you get to drink the protein first, then your SF popsicles, Jello or Nonfat Greek plain yogurt (another great protein source which I buy at Fresh n Easy)

Best wishes and Congratulations on your band. Please keep us informed.

Hello' date=' I am brand new to this site and am getting ready to be branded on 12/20 also in AZ. Any advice you can give me being newly banded would be great. I am very excited but a little nervous[/quote']

I hope i am replying the correct way. This is my first time responding, so thank you for reaching out!

I was so nervous before my surgery! I was afraid of the unknown. How would my body handle it? Would I be a good story or a bad story? But I realized that you always hear the bad stories more than the good, and when I went into the office for my meet the surgeon appt. I watched all of the people come in who were there for adjustments and they all were just fine and they all seemed happy. This put me at ease that I am not the first one to do this and there seems to be success with it.

The surgery was fast and not as painful as I built it up to be.

If I am being completely honest the first week post-op was the hardest week of my life, and I feel that I am a pretty strong person. The first couple of days were your typical recovery from surgery days. I slept a lot. When I wasn't sleeping I was walking as much as I could to get rid of the gas from surgery. Then as day 4 came, I was feeling better and I was hungry! However I was on liquids only. It was so hard to smell the delicious smells being cooked and being hungry, only to eat my broth. It became pretty emotional for me and I had some sad moments, but the thing that helped me through is a supportive husband and just reminding myself that it was already day 4, and then 5, and soon this phase would be over. I made a list of reasons why I want the weight off and I kept reading that. It is hard but will be worth it!

It was especially hard to be in that phase during Thanksgiving, but I had the support of friends and family that helped me modify things and it turned out great!

I am sorry to be so long winded. If you have any questions I will be more than happy to share my experiences to this point.

You will be great! It is a huge decision and a big change, but will be worth it!

Hello' date=' I am brand new to this site and am getting ready to be branded on 12/20 also in AZ. Any advice you can give me being newly banded would be great. I am very excited but a little nervous[/quote']

I hope this reply shows up. It is my first one, so thanks for reaching out!

I am not sure what great advise I can give. I am still trying to figure it out myself and making mistakes here and there. What I can say is that I know it will all be worth it.

The first week was pretty hard but stick with it. It is over before you know it! The surgery itself was pretty quick and I was feeling better from that within a couple of days. Keep walking and drinking water!

If you have any other questions I will be happy to help you out with whatever I can!

Good luck! You can do it!

Thank you for sharing. Your words have calmed some of my nerves.