First off, I want to thank all of you for all of your great information.

My sister ( and very best friend ) is the the final stages of preparation before getting a band and I want to know what I can do to help her be successful. I am 100% supportive of her decision (and she knows this ) and I want to do everything that I can to help her be healthier and happier. Every suggestion that I can get will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!:biggrin1:

welcome.

Way to go with the support for your sister. I too, have support from my older sis and of course, my whole family,friends, coworkers and most of all my husband :clap2:

The best advice I can give is the following:

1. Read,read, read. There is so much information on these posts.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Well-After-Weight-Surgery/dp/1569244537/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195431499&sr=8-1][/ame]

2. Get a wt loss cookbook for lapbanders.

3. Help her get her preop list together and her post op list.

4. Help her walk,walk,walk.

5. Learn how to help her emotionally adjust to eating with others.

Well thats all I can think of for now....good luck to her, and to you as well.....let me know how she does:D

Debbie

DO:

Talk with her about her weight loss, but ONLY if she wishes to discuss it. There may be times that she's discouraged because she's losing slowly, or not at all, and she won't want to talk much about it then.

Offer to help her with the recovery stage, but ONLY do the things that she asks for help with. My DH drove me nuts while I was recovering, he wanted to EVERYTHING for me... Sweet, though...

DON'T:

Be the food police for her. Make sure she has good post-op diet instructions, make sure she understands them, (the post op diet is crucial for letting the band heal in place) and then let her do her thing.

Don't tell anyone about her surgery. Let her be the one to make the decision who does and does not know about her surgery.

That's the big ones that I can think of for now.

Kudos to you for wanting to support your sister. I hope you and she find the help and support you need here!

Comment frequently on how amazing she looks without comparing to how she looked before. A simple you look fabulous or I can tell a huge difference will go much farther than comments like you are starting to look normal or you have lost the rolls. :scared:

Give her encouragement on how she is looking but don't get hung up on asking her "how much have you lost now?" This REALLY bothers some people. She will have starts and stops and hit plateaus and everyone (she included) must understand that this is an ongoing process. Just because you go a week or so without any results on the scales does not mean things aren't working the way they are supposed to.