We're official then! The TENaciousTENS! We will stick together and get this job done! Then we can Celebrate our new lives together! Here is my favorite quote from the yahoo lap band group:

"Band surgery is the easy part. Now finish what you started so you can LIVE the rest of your life. Be brave and be patient. The surgery date is a turning point in you life. Don't turn back."

Together, lets go forward! I'm happy to be a proud member of the TENaciousTENS!:clap2:

Right on, I'm proud to be a member of this group! I'm going in October 11. If you peeps need a shoulder, you got one.

i just posted in the other thread for october but will do so again here.

i am scheduled for oct 4 w/ dr huacuz in Mexico. i cant wait. this seems to finally be the answer for a life time struggle!

i have to do a liquid diet 10 days prior to surgery. right now though i am definately on a crash course last meal sort of plan. then i feel super guilty and do good for a few days, then panic and binge. i am staying steady at my weight so i justify it to myself in some sick way. any ideas on how to get myself under control a bit better?

i am so excited, but also getting nervous. i have just 2 weeks left to before i start my pre-op diet. the thought of it finally being so close is exciting and scary all at the same time.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous too but I think we will all have at least one moment where we will say "what have I done ?". Then we will remember how much healthier and happier we will be in 6 months and we will be thankful that we have this tool to help us. As our self confidence soars, we will be glad we made this choice to help ourselves.

So much for the pep talk, now I have to check my "last supper" list and decide what's for dinner............Gotta get all the good things in a least one more time. LOL:bounce:

Lafs, I'm a nurse as well. I am not in clinical practice at the moment. I work as a consultant. Counting down the days. It is zooming by sooo fast! In 2 weeks, I start my preop diet, then it will really hit.

Hey all - Nicnaknut thought I fell off the planet and got after me! I'm okay everyone, just been off the computer lately -- because.......DRUM ROLL please: I'VE BEEN EXERCISING! Woo hoo! Standing ovation!

It's time consuming, I had to choose between exercise and computer, LOL! I'm finally in the groove of the "countdown" - Oct 9th is my date. I'm counting calories and protein grams and working out at the gym. I was pretty discouraged a couple of weeks ago because I was feeling like eating lots of junk and then feeling sluggish and achy. Now I'm on track, and it's amazing how much BETTER you feel when you eat right and get your body moving. It convinces me that this road to bansterville is the right path! Welcome to all the newbies. I'm another nurse, but not working "the floors", I have a desk job (bummer as far as calorie expenditure goes!), so I'm wearing a pedometer and trying to increase my steps each day. Thanks Nic (Bonnie) for checking in on me - she's my accountability sister in this journey :-)

I'm excited and hope everyone is getting excited too.

Is anyone Oct 9th?

Hey "want so bad", I was like you recently : on the "last supper" phase of my journey, eating whatever I wanted, mourning all the white bread/donuts/pastries I'd have to give up. Then I had a weight-check-in at the surgeon's office, and had gained weight - oops. They said "hmmmm......when's your surgery date? OK we need to see some weight LOSS by next week or we may have to reschedule you." YIKES! That scared me, and I pulled myself together. I feel better now that I did.

I know you want it so bad, so pull yourself together too - look forward, don't look back. We're together in this!

Hey Holly.... WELCOME back!!!.... It's good to see you back here on the board... We have missed you.. You go girl and keep up the exercise.. That's great that it makes you feel so good, that's what we like to hear..

:welcomeB: to Babs, BluesByrd and Want so bad.... We are happy to have you join the October - TENacious TENS group....

I am being banded on October 16th by Dr K in Colorado, so in just 3 short weeks I will be starting the pre-op diet... For those who are getting their bands soon, please keep us posted on how you are doing on your pre-op. We all need to follow along on this journey together and share our concerns and accomplishments....

Right now I am working on getting over the "Last Supper" mentality... I am trying to eat everything I can think of.... I am also stressing out about Thanksgiving and wondering if I will be able to eat turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie or if I will get sick... Am I thinking crazy or what????

Happy Friday to all and have a great weekend....

Hi all- this is my first time posting to the TENaciousTENS. I heard about this site while reading posts on the October support forum. Can I join you all? I think this is so great that we all will be going through this at the same time so we can support eachother. My band date is set for October 10th. I am nervous, but really excited about getting my life back again. I don't think I would be too nervous if I wasn't a mom. I am so worried about something happening to me and leaving my little man. :nervous

I have to do a very low calorie diet two weeks prior to surgery. It consists of 2 fruits, 9-11 ounces of protein, vegetables, and water. It is going to be tough not having the carbs- especially when we know it will pretty much be over with the whole carb thing. I am like many of you- wanting to feast this last little bit. I finally snapped out of it and hopefully can get things on track again and start my exercise program. It is going to be such a major life change- but I think it will be worth it! I really look forward to meeting you all.

My "back on the wagon" report for today: yesterday I was at an all day seminar where they provided food. Instead of paying attention to the seminar, I was thinking about the food: analyzing it, fantasizing about it, hating it, wanting it, etc. I hate the power that food has over me. So how did I do at lunch? I started off OK - 1/2 sandwich with lean roast beef on wheat bread, and nice plump nectarine, and about 2 Tbsp of potato salad. Good choices I thought, showing restraint all things considered. Then they said "does anyone want any more, they're going to be removing the lunch table in a minute........" OH LORD, bad bad bad. There went my feet, walking to the table, "oh another 1/2 sandwich won't hurt, but maybe a bit more mayo on this one, and mmmmm when did they put out those cookies, gee they look freshed baked and made of peanut butter (isn't that a protein?)." Yes gang, I winded up with BAD CHOICES, which went downhill until bedtime. But I'm NOT a BAD person. I just had a day of bad choices. Today is a NEW day, and I will make good choices all day. Each opportunity to eat food involves a new choice to make. As a human being sometimes I make bad choices, (just ask my ex-husband, hahaha, oh wait he thought he was a great choice.......) but I am no longer a prisoner of bad choices. AND neither are all of you! We look forward, not back. Today is a day to make a new choice all over again, and to let those good choices built upon one another. I forgive myself.

Happy Saturday all! I just went to the grocery store. Even though I don't start the 2 week pre-surgery diet until the 26th, I think I am going to try to overall eat that diet until surgery. So I tried to buy the low fat Protein foods, some fruit, and vegetables. That is of course after today- which I have already ate half a sleeve of Keebler Grasshopper cookies! Yikes! This thought of not eating so many yummy foods again just drives me to want them! Atleast I have in the last week almost completely stopped drinking pop. I use to drink atleast two a day. I have only had two total in over a week.

Two questions:

1) How soon in everyone going back to work after their surgery? I only have a few days vacation. So I am having my surgery on a Wednesday, and going back to work on Monday. My surgeon said as long as all goes well, that should fine. (I have a desk job)

2) Are all of you staying overnight in the hospital? There are three surgeons that do the lap band where I am having it done. Some make you stay overnight, and some let you go home same day as long as no problems. My surgeon let's me go home same day. How about you all?

I'm staying overnight, although I'm "self pay" and it cost's alot, but I'm an RN and from my experience as a nurse, I believe it's probably safer to be observed overnight in the hospital. But laparoscopic surgery is pretty minor, however the anesthesia is the thing that makes it so you should be observed. Does your insurance pay or are you self pay? It's probably fine to go home and same day if you have someone to care for you at home. Oh, we're just a day apart - you're Oct 10th!

I have surgery Tues Oct 9 and return to work the following Monday. I also hear it will be okay with a desk job. I had laparoscopic surgery to have a hysterectomy 10 years ago (much more involved) and I felt pretty darned OK after 3 days - tender at the "puncture sites" and a bit bloated, but generally Ok. Expect to feel tired from the liquid diet though.

We can stay in touch and support one another!

Happy Saturday everyone.... Hope you all are having a great day....

Carrot.... Welcome to the TENacious TENS, we are happy to have you join our group...

Holly.... Just blame it on the boring seminar... lol... So what's wrong with a little 1/2 sandwich twice.. Gosh, it's great to have you back posting with us.... We have missed you...

I have to chuckle but at the same time realize how much control food has over all of us when I keep reading about our last supper frenzy... I am soooo struggling with that, especially knowing that I will start my pre-op diet in a couple of weeks... I'm busy cooking and eating everything I can think of... Now I'm stressing out about being able to eat at Thanksgiving... (What can I eat?.. Will I PB?.. Will the turkey or dressing get stuck?.. Can I eat some pumpkin pie?.. What if I eat too much or too fast?) It's just crazy all of the thoughts about food that roll through my head... I keep having these little talks with myself and telling myself to "whoa up girl" and keep your eye on the prize.. (size 10 pants)

It works for awhile and then I'm right back at it.... (sigh)

Since we will be traveling on the road the 2 weeks prior to surgery, I am hoping that I will be able to stick to the diet better since I won't have so much idle time to think about food... We travel in a motorhome and I help with the navigation, so I have my nose in the maps quite a bit which is a good diversion....

Have a great weekend everyone....

Hi everyone! I received an invitation from OregonHolly and am glad to find you all. I am so excited about this procedure and the fact that it is becoming a reality for me. I haven't been able to tell anyone I know really for various reasons. My husband is very supportive even though he is paying for this whole deal. I told him how much better our 'lovelife' will be and he smiled. In reality this is my true reason for even doing this. I am really healthy (B/P 106/60 during my initial doc appt.) and I am not THAT uncomfortable. But my body image while with my husband causes me to be unable to undress in front of him. I think that is really awful and it bothers me continually. He likes to run around naked and here I am....not. I have been overweight from the beginning. I remember my mom telling me in 3rd grade after they had weighed me at the beginning of the year (110#) that if I didn't put on any more weight for the rest of my life I would be fine. Well, that was a pipe dream. I currently weigh 225 and have been even heavier before. The thought of being thin finally...wow! I cannot tell you how happy this has made me. I only found out last week that I qualified for this program and went in for my first orientation/physical the next day. Now I have to have an EKG, virtual colonoscopy (friggen just turned 50 in May...grrr) and ultrasound of the liver/abdomen. This will be an extra $900.00 but what the heck, it's the dream of a lifetime.

I'm so grateful to have you all to share this trip with. My friends would not understand and my family would be jealous: of the monies spent and the fact that I weigh less than them (3 sisters).

Let the games begin!

Hi Guys - Karen from Queensland, Australia here......can i join, can i, can i???? this is great, just what I needed - thank you for just being here.... I am scheduled for Oct 29th, and feel exactly the way most of you do - full of self doubt, fear, nerves, excitement, and happiness. I look forward to sharing our journey..... have a great day - Karen

When I first started on this journey it seemed so far away. I didn't book my surgery until October 5 because it was a lot to save for. My date will be here before I know it. I have to be on a liquid diet for 2 weeks. I just faxed my order in today. (optifast) I haven't even begun to change my eating habits. I am weening myself off my arthritis meds, but that is it so far. I need to ween off caffeine, so I won't have those terrible headaches. I'll start that now. Started back to the gym and started horse back riding lessons today. It's a start. What a life changing experience. Sometimes I just think to myself "what the heck are you doing???" I second guess myself, what if it doesn't work etc. But I can shake it off.

My surgery is on a Friday afternoon and I am scheduled back to work on the Tuesday.