Hello everyone!!! My surgery is scheduled on Thursday and I am ohhh so nervous!!!!! I am ready to change my life but this is drastic you know!!!! Any words of encouragement and advice would be great.

Teacherchick,

:whoo:Congrats on your surgery date!

Follow your surgeon's orders and come back here for inspiration and help and you'll be fine.

Best of luck!

Margie

Either I don't find that the change was THAT drastic, or else I just adapt easily. I had mixed emotions beforehand, but now 3 months out I am so thankful every day that I have the band.

Hello everyone!!! My surgery is scheduled on Thursday and I am ohhh so nervous!!!!! I am ready to change my life but this is drastic you know!!!! Any words of encouragement and advice would be great.

Encouragement: The operation, while uncomfortable for most, is not that bad. Take the pain medications and it won't be so bad.

Advice: Take before & during pictures.

Most people who are morbidly obese do not like having their picture taken. They avoid the camera because the photographs don't lie.

That fact can be put to good use before and during your weight loss. Simply put, the best way to document weight loss is not a scale graph of pounds lost, or a size chart of inches lost.

The best way to document weight loss is to take photographs before and during the process.

I advise people setting out on this journey to take three initial pictures.

The recommendations that I give are these:

1. Take three views, front, side and back (That means you need a automatic timer camera or a friend to help you)

2. Take the pictures in the same place every time. A doorway is a great choice, because it helps put a known quantity into the picture. Other good places are in front of a fireplace or another known point of reference.

3. Take the pictures while wearing form-fitting clothes. A swimsuit is IDEAL.

4. Take the pictures with the same camera, and make sure you are standing the same distance from the camera every time. That's why a doorway helps. You can line yourself up in the doorway and use a measuring tape to find the distance to the camera.

5. Take that same set of pictures every month. Front, back and side views. Wear the same clothes and make sure the distance to the camera is the same.

6. Have the "Before" pictures printed out, and tape them to your refrigerator.

7. Have the latest set of pictures printed out, and tape those next to the "Before" pictures.

In doing this, you mind has irrefutable PROOF that what you are doing IS WORKING.

People frequently do NOT "See" their weight loss, and they become frustrated, perhaps by a scale weight that is not moving, even though their body size is reducing at an amazing rate.

This is a great way to "See" your weight loss.

The best way to document weight loss is to take photographs before and during the process.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement.

Wendell-I will definitely take your advice, thanks for the picture tips.

Margie-I will definitely follow my docs and advice and I will be back for the encouragement

Kacee-I'm glad you shared your experience, I hope I will feel the same way in 3 months

Thanks everyone for your encouragement.

Wendell-I will definitely take your advice, thanks for the picture tips.

You're welcome!