Hello all!

Im 4 days in to the liquid diet, and doing better than expected. Im also very emotional for some reason....ugh Im so excited and overwhelmed....im having alot of anxiety about the surgery....

This is totally normal. When they approved me for surgery I was elated and paralyzed at the same time. You are withdrawing from your food habits right now and probably nervous about surgery and what the rest of your life will be like. Many of us go through that. It gets better and gets easier as time goes by. I am about 5 1/2 mos out, down over 60 lbs and so happy!!!

The best is yet to come!!! Good luck to you!

Thank you so much! I don't have alot of support on this decision, so it's great to hear positive feedback!! What has been the biggest challenge for you so far? Anything I should preapare for that maybe they don't tell you before hand?

Sorry to hear you don't have much support. Definitely come to this site and get all the support you can and reply to other people's topics as well. It can be very therapeutic. The biggest challenge for me was the pre-op diet and then the first few weeks after surgery. I studied up on the procedure but it never really occured to me that the first couple months (give or take) you are essentially doing it all on your own. I didn't really understand the concept of fills and how it would take a few of them for me to get to the "green zone" where I feel satiated for 4-5 hours between meals. Ask your doctor/nutritionist all the questions you can (write them down). Each one has a different methodology. However, once you get back to solid foods, I definitely recommend you track what you are eating. I can tell you honestly, I hadn't "dieted" in years before I was banded because I couldn't get myself to do it and food was more important to me than trying. I really don't have an appetite hardly now and will have a small treat here or there but have no desire to eat junk (and that was what I used to do all the time). Just know that you have to work with the band. It will help you stay satiated but it won't help you make wise food choices. For some (wonderful) reason it was like a switch went off in me where I went to this extreme and I am going to make it work. Again, I do have a little treat here or there but it is usually just a small taste. There are many recipes online that are tasty and you can have them portioned out and ready in the freezer so you have them available. I made several in cupcake pans (mini meatloafs, cupcake lasagna, etc) that were lowfat/low cal and yummy and perfect portion size. Plan your meals, including your snacks and get the junk out of the house. Good luck and come back and ask all the questions you want.

Thank you for the information and support!!! Im so proud of you and your success!! Also, do you know if there are face to face lap band meetings for support?

Thank you. Check with your doctor for a lock support group. My hospital has one.

Oops local, not lock