I have an appointment (July 16th). My insurance has approved the surgery. I am about to start the 2 week liquid diet. I am scared and my first responce is to back out. Doctor says that if I don't do something about my weight there are severe problems in my future.

I have several friends who have had it and they have learned to cheat it. I don't want to be a cheater. But will my bad habits make me one.

Congratulations on your approval and embarking on the best journey ever.

You are right there are ways to cheat the band, and if you don't change your thinking it's going to be hard to be successful.

I have created what I call the six/one rule. I eat well for six days and then on the seventh day I allow myself my treats. This way I am not deprived of the things I love.

You have to think of this as a lifestyle not a diet, quick fix or something that is going to solve the world problems .

The band is as effective as you allow it to be. Remember why you are having this surgery to begin with, to become a healthier you. If you don't change your eating you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment; that's a promise. If you eat the same crap post-op as you did pre-op well you know where that got you. I'm not saying that to be mean, because it happened to each one of us as well. We obviously didn't have the best diet to begin with or we wouldn't have to have surgery.

You have to find what works for you and go with it.

I wish you best of luck!!

Thank you for your encouragement!! I am just scared. If I have this major surgery in 3 weeks I want it to work.

It's a process I'm not going to sugarcoat it (no pun intended). If you commit to your band you will do amazing. I am here to support and encourage. Feel free to contact me anytime.

I'm also hosting The 2008 National Lap-band Conference in Dallas Oct 3-5, 2008. We would be honored if you could make it. This would be a great opportunity for you to meet people who are taking the same journey you are.

Hai, welcome everyone..

I am a new comer..

Lee

I have created the Lap-band Blueprint, hopefully this will help you as well.

The band was designed to eat a normal meal. A normal meal means you eat a smaller meal without side effects. If you are properly adjusted you can eat without experiencing Productive Burping or much sliming.

· Learn to chew your food to liquid form. Chewing your food to liquid form will reduce the amount of productive burps; this will also help reduce the sliming effect as well.

· Avoid Soft Food Syndrome. If you are eating softer foods because it is easier, you have no way of knowing if you are properly adjusted. Eating softer foods allows you eat more and can halt your weight loss altogether.

· Eat your Protein first. Eating protein first ensures you are getting enough protein to keep your energy levels up.

· Don’t be so dependent on the band. Some patients are expecting the band to be their “Food Police”. Taking responsibility for what you are eating and how you are eating will take away the disappointed feeling.

· The band is tighter in the morning. There is no scientific reason why the band is tighter in the morning. Just because the band is tight in the morning is no excuse to skip a meal. Mix up a Protein shake to start your day.

· Being too tight serves no good purpose. If the band is too tight and you are experiencing PB after PB this will not aid in the weight loss efforts. Also having a band that is too tight could result in a slip; which could result in another surgery.

· The band is not properly adjusted. You are wide open and can eat anything you want, this is a sign you are not properly adjusted. Make an appointment with your surgeon to get another fill.

· Tweaking your band. It could be as simple as .01 CC to get you to your sweet spot. Don’t think you have to have a full 1.0 CC to be properly adjusted.

· Don’t compare yourself to others. Just because someone has reached their sweet spot with 2.50 CC’s doesn’t mean you are going to reach your sweet spot with the same amount of fill. There are too many different size bands on the market and the person you are comparing your fill to might not even have the same band as you do.

· Don’t deprive yourself. Eat what you like in moderation. The more processed the food the easier it is to eat with the band; it also means more calories. Read your labels if a serving size is 15 chips then only eat 15 chips not the whole bag.

Keep in touch with your surgeon so he/she knows what is going on. If you are not following up with your surgeon they can’t get you to your sweet spot. Don’t feel bad if you have not lost any weight since your last visit; your surgeon will not yell at you. Especially if you keep a food diary and exercise diary; this will aid your surgeon to help you stay on track.

If you are newly post-op take advantage of this time to really learn how to chew your food; trust me you will “Thank” yourself down the road. If you are properly adjusted; you will have to chew your food to liquid form; otherwise you will be experiencing productive burping and sliming. This leads to frustration and could possibly lead you to soft food syndrome which will halt your weight loss efforts.

You have worked so hard to have the surgery and expected to have amazing results. It is possible if you work with your band as opposed to working against it. Don’t think of this as being another diet; think of this as being a “Lifestyle”. If you watch skinny fit people eat you will see they still allow themselves treats; you should be no different.

Remember you had surgery on your stomach not your brain. It will be hard at times and you might make poor choices. Getting back on the band-wagon is easy to do. Go back to the band basics and you will see the results you want and deserve.

Hi ercole! I live in McKinney, but I go to Pottsboro all the time because I have family there. You can do this! Commit to it up front and again every day after and you will be fine. It will take complete lifestyle changes.

If you are anything like me, you will find that you don't even want most of the stuff that you probably ate in the past. For example, yesterday at work, I had to go to a lunch. They served chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes, green Beans, salad, rolls, and cake. The chicken fried steak and gravy looked disgusting to me. The thought of putting that into my body repulsed me. So, I went through the line and got salad and green beans. Other than the fact that I really needed some Protein, I was content.

It's normal to be afraid and have questions and doubts. The morning of my surgery I was more nervous than I have been about anything. I kept thinking, "what if?!?!?" But, now that I'm 3 1/2 months post-op, I know this was the right decision for me. The real question you need to answer is: do I want a healthier lifestyle enough to make the necessary changes in my life?

Hi ercole,

I'm in Grand Prairie. As long as you mentally commit, you should be just fine. Good luck on your surgery and keep us posted on how your liquid diet is going. It will be hard, but you can do it.

Coach Cher-Do you have a thread for the convention? I sure would like to read more about it. Is it just for the newly banded?

Hi Jasmine!!

Here is the thread for the conference.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/update-2008-national-agb-conference-64441/

It is open to both pre-op's and post-ops. I hope you can join us, it's going to be life changing.

Thanks so much for the info, Coach Cher.