I've been in a funk, and part of that funk involved laying low and not coming on here. That funk also involved a little bit of a tale-spin with my eating, trying the theory of eating whatever I want (within reason) just limiting portions, as other successful banders have done. Turns out, that plan doesn't work for me. But, I still didn't lose or gain.
I have officially hit a plateau, my weight hasn't changed in almost 2 months and it's causing me truck loads of anxiety. I became a Super Star at managing anxiety until a few weeks ago, and it all came back with a vengance. So I started seeing a counselor again, this morning, and feel like I'm working towards getting on track (I'm not a crazy person, I just get so nxious that I feel like I can't sit still and never let myself relax or sleep because there are things I HAVE to do).
We talked a little about my surgery and she asked me how I was handling the weight loss. I told her that I still had a ways to go, I still want to lose another 30 pounds and she really questioned me. She said that I don't strike her as overweight at all, and why would I want to lose more if I was fit. I quickly corrected her, I am far from fit, and I feel like my weight loss journey is just starting. We talked a little about the emotional attachment to weight loss, and how even though I've lost over 50 lbs I still don't see any difference in the mirror. She assured me that although it's very common, it is something I have to work at accepting. I certainly don't feel any smaller, the only thing I've noticed changing are the numbers on the scale and my clothing tags. I still look in the mirror and see a fat somach, flabby thighs, and huge arms. So apparently, this girl has some self-image work to do.
Anxiety is something that I've had my whole life but not recognized until just a few months ago. That constant feeling of always having to be moving, and feeling like I'm going to explode if I have to sit still, is apparently anxiety. That need to always be busy has essentially controlled my life - not only did it contribute to my obesity (if I had to sit still, I would eat to keep my hands/mouth busy), but I gave up many fun things to do things I "had" to do, like clean the house.
I got my anxiety in check with the help of a few therapy session before surgery. The past few months have been great...until this past week.
My weight has been at a stand-still for about a month. I weigh myself every day, and when the scale doesn't move I get frustrated, which leads to nervous energy, then anxiety. Next thing I know, I don't want to go to bed until my last bit of laundry is folded and the house is shining clean. While it's very efficient, it's not practical.
I was talking with my husband this morning about how I think my anxiety is back, full-blown, and he told me that he didn't think that weighing myself was beneficial at all. He made me promise to eat 3 meals a day and not weigh myself for one week. He said he was going to hide the scales until next Thursday. He encouraged me to restart some of the techniques the therapist suggested and see if I feel better in a week. So, I guess I will give it a try. I've never gone a day without weighing myself since my weight loss journey started. That alone stresses me out
I'm about three and a half months post-op, and my weight hasn't budged for about three weeks or so. I know plateaus are totally normal, but I feel like over the past week or so I haven't been a good bandster. I know I'm stuck on this plateau, so I've let my eating habits slip and exercise essentially stop. I know, I know, I'm awful!!
The thoughts of - - maybe I'm only supposed to lose this much weight; maybe I'm supposed to be a 190 lb girl - came pouring back in. On prior weight loss adventures, my lowest weight was 189. That's where I'm stuck now.
So this morning I had a nice little thinking session, and decided that I will NOT accept being 189 lbs. I KNOW I can reach my goal. I KNOW I can be a better bandster. So I'm kicking my butt back into gear.
I started today going back to basics - two protein shakes during the day then a healthy dinner. I'm going to get back into walking daily, no excuses.
I didn't really "fall off" the wagon, but I was hanging on tightly to the side, fingers slipping. So I'm climbing back on, sitting in the drivers seat, and taking control of this.
So I think I may be very close to the ellusive Green Zone, if not in it. I'm kind of struggeling honestly. I don't get my "full signal" at all until it's too late. Now, partly that's my fault because I've been back to my old ways of letting myself get way too hungry then eating too fast. I thought maybe I was ignoring the signs of fullness. I've had two "stuck" episodes in the past few days, all from eating too fast and not chewing well enough. I haven't had to PB or anything, they pass after about two minutes of sheer hell. I reprimanded myself last night after dinner, and have vowed to slow down, eat only my measured out portions, really tune into my body, and for the love of everything holy, start exercising again!!
Where did I get derailed? I was working out every single day. Then I decided I needed a rest day because my hip hurt. That turned into two, then three, then two whole weeks!! My treadmill practically rusted!! So, Thursday, my husband and I went and climbed Beacon Rock (850 ft incline, a trail that is all switchbacks but not too horrible). I was shocked that out of my husband, his brother, and me, they were stopping more than me! Last night I had planned on jogging a 3 mile loop, but after the blister on my big toe (since wearing appropriate hiking shoes the day before would have been too easy) opened, so I settled for the elliptical and some calnisthetics.
I'm still bouncing between the same three pounds, 189-192. It's frustrating, especially since I only have a week until the end of the month when I wanted to be 185. I doubt I can do it, but, I'm still going to try. Now that I'm in the zone, hopefully my scale will get as excited as I am and start dropping numbers.
Tonight my husband, Jason, and I are venturing out on a weekend road trip going from our place in Washington down to Florence, Oregon, to see my cousin then back up the coast making stops in a couple more places. While I am SO excited to get away, it has me a little anxious.
There aren't many healthy options when traveling, convenience stores and quick restaurants don't typically have high protein/low cal meals readily available! Plus, I weigh myself every day and have since starting my weight loss journey. I know there's tons of opinions on doing this, but for me it helps me stay accountable. Even though it's mostly water-weight fluctuations, it helps me tell which foods make me retain, etc.
I also haven't seen my cousin, Brandon, in about 3 years (when I was around 240 lbs). He doesn't know about my surgery, and I don't think I necessarily have to tell him (not that he would judge at all, it's just something I've kept kind of private). I get to meet his wife for the first time, and his 6 month old son. I'm so excited to see/meet them, Brandon and I were the very best of friends growing up. We've been through so much together...we both feel like we have that "twins" connection even though we're cousins - - but we do look very similar!
I'm also REALLY looking forward to a weekend away with my husband. He only gets 1 weekend off a month so spending some solo time with him is rare. We have a jacuzzi suite reserved at a hotel on the beach Saturday night. We need some serious R&R. We had the conversation again last night of "you're going to lose all this weight then find someone else". I know it's just his insecurities, and he doesn't bring this up often, but I feel like he's just waiting for the ball to drop. I'm not sure what I can do to assure him.
Most of my underlying anxiety is coming from being scared I won't make the best choices, and I go in to see my doc 1st thing Monday morning for a weight check and fill. I wanted SO bad to be down a full 10 lbs, and right now I'm down 13 from my last appointment in July. I don't want to ruin that by bad choices, but am afraid I will get caught up in the moment. I'll have to ask my husband to keep me grounded
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!
Well I've hit a plateau in a big way. It's oh-so-frustrating. I know that plateaus are normal. I know that everyone hits them every now and then. Does that make me feel better? Meh.
I've gone two weeks with absolutely no change. I know, you're probably thinking 14 days insn't bad compared to some who plateau for months, but this is very new to me. Last time I went on a weight loss journey (pre-band), I did fantastic until I hit a plateau 20 lbs away from my goal. I rode it out for a few weeks then slowly sunk into my old habits and gained ALL of the weight back. What's scaring me is that last time I stopped losing at 190 lbs. Very close to where I am now, and I can't help but wonder if my body just isn't meant to walk this Earth at 160 lbs. Maybe this is all of the good I can do?
I know that's the pessimistic side of me thinking, but I'm trying SO hard to break this. I tried increasing my calorie intake. Nada. Tried decreasing my normal by 200. Nothing. Tried upping my exercise and changing up my routine. Zilch. Even stopped exercising for two days. Nope.
At least I'm not gaining..but really, I'm putting in the hard work. What gives?!
I want so bad to be at a flat 193 when I see the doctor in 8 days. I've done so well at hitting my goals up until now.
A coworker asked me two weeks ago how much I'd lost (he didn't know I had Lap Band) and I told him I had finally just hit the 50 lb mark. On Friday, he made another comment about my amazing weight loss and how good it looks. I felt like screaming - I HAVEN'T LOST ANY MORE THAN TWO WEEKS AGO!! But I refrained, and gave him that smile and you're-making-me-feel-awkward face.
Okay, disclaimer: I'm usually NOT this negative (okay well I sometimes am but I don't say it out loud). I really am a glass-half-full person and am finally getting used to my "new" body. I just felt like I was on such a roll, and now I've stopped and am spinning in circles.
My NSV that keeps me going is that I caught myself all curled up in my office chair last week. Like, feet up on the seat, curled up in a ball (I really was working! Just computer stuff gets boring sometimes). I noticed it and I actually felt comfortable, not like I was pinched in half and couldn't breathe. So yeah...that's kept me going through the week.
I think I'm coming down with Strep Throat for the second time in three months. Last time I was SO sick, but the tests showed Strep Throat and the Influenza. I was out of commission for six days, flat on the couch, couldn't swallow or talk (blessing for my husband, misery for me). I can't afford another missed week of work so I'm hoping this passes. I'm going to fill up on Nyquil, tea with honey, and a steam bath when I get home and see if I can't kick it's butt before it kicks mine. The only positive last time was I lost 8 lbs in five days.
Besides starting to feel like death is becoming me, I'm rocking it with this band. I don't feel any restriction yet so I'm relying solely on my diet choices but I met and passed my goal I set for my July 16th fill. That felt good. I'm so close to being under 200 lbs. My BMI is almost to the "overweight" category instead of "obese". I think I'm most excited for that!
I still find weekends to be a huge challenge. Our weekends are usually filled with family and friends, and I'm usually the one to cook a big meal for everyone and used to indulge in my cooking. I made a little "taco bar" on Saturday night and cut a tortilla in half to make me a taco with only the healthy ingredients. My husband gave me the funniest look - I even asked him why - and he didn't answer (we had friends around). The next day he said he was just surprised to see me take such a normal portion when I've been measuring and eating so small the past few months. I don't think he paid attention to the fact that I had half a tortilla, and threw away the last few bites. He said he wasn't judging, and it wasn't a bad thing, he was just surprised. I took it as a compliment that he was used to be chosing healthy options.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow...I'm thinking I may have to take the night off from exercise. With my throat swollen, breathing may be uncomfortable. This will be the first night I haven't worked out in about six weeks.
I've become addicted to Pinterest lately, but all of the recipes I'm drooling over are ones that I wouldn't dare eat!! Pizza casserole, Bacon-wrapped Chicken, Chicken Taco Chili....and the desserts, oh my goodness, Smores Cookies?! Cookie dough/Peanut Butter Cup/Brownie batter baked together in a cupcake pan?! It's too much! I think to myself - I could just make this for my husband and his work friends to eat on, but the temptation is too real for the desserts. The inner fat girl is screaming for some carb-loading!!
So instead, I save all of the pins about workouts and easy healthy snacks. Booo
Had my first fill today. I was afraid the surgeon wouldn't do it since I was ahead on weight loss. He said he'd expect me to lose a pound every week to 10 days, and I lost 7 lbs since my two week post-op visit and today (9 lbs per my scale, sans clothes). He put in a full 3 cc's and I can completely feel it. He had me drink a cup of water before I left to make sure he wouldn't need to remove fluid. All was gravy until the drive home when I felt like the water was going to come back up. He said to start out slow though, liquids until tomorrow night, then puree, then back to soft. I'm going to seize this opportunity to get my diet completely in line with what they recommend. I didn't "cheat" per se, but I wasn't eating the healthiest options over the past five days.
My next fill is July 16th and he said if I'm down 4 pounds by then he would be ecstatic. My goal for the next month is to get down to 205. I'm doing a combo jog/run every day for at least 20 minutes and have been taking in around 80-100 ounces of water. Feeling great. So here I go onto my next little goal. 8 lbs in a month...I can SO do this!
Gym. That's right, I think I'm going to join a gym.
I've always said there's two things I personally don't believe in, Orgainzed Exercise and Organized Religion (don't take that the wrong way - I'm not against any religion by no means, I just have never been one to share my spirituality with others).
I've been doing well, every day I'm losing, even if it's just a few ounces (they add up!!), but I find that my workout routine that I had envision pre-op just isn't happening. By the time I get home from work, I convince myself that I was active enough and relax. There's a community center right down the street from my work, I think I'll get a 3 month pass and just keep gym clothes in my car. Time to kick it into gear.
Well I really let myself down this weekend.
I was doing SO good, following the diet to the letter, and then the weekend hit. Started off with a little road trip to see my family on the coast. I did fine that morning, at some turkey for breakfast. For lunch, we took my nephews to the local pizza place and I ate about 1/3 of a taco salad (minus the chips, onions, tomatoes). Took the rest home and got about 4 bites in, and I felt full. I thought I would take one last bite (it was so tastey) and I was in PAIN. Horrible indigestion feeling. I pressed my luck and lost. So the rest of the evening I was too full and mad at myself to eat anything else.
Sunday, we all went out to breakfast and I had about half of an egg white and turkey omlet. Ate the other half for lunch, and this time I listened to my full signal and stopped immediately. Then came the big family BBQ which is where I feel like I slipped into old habits. I found myself crusing by the snack table - granted I ate only healthy, soft foods, but I ate slowly enough and spaced out enough, I ate more than I should have.
I stepped on the scale this morning, and have gained back 4 pounds. Saturday night I had gone on a 4 mile jog and was considerably sore the next day, plus I had forgotten to take my diuretic BP pill all weekend and am feeling bloated, but still, FOUR POUNDS!
I'm back on track today, I know I cannot do this to myself again. Not only did I feel crummy while eating, but I feel horrible today. I work hard to lose every ounce, and my mindless eating overtook a whole week of being good. I get a fill tomorrow, hopefully that will help, but I definitely learned my lesson.
I think my stomach is trying to enter "Bandster Hell". My brain isn't going to accept that. My stomach is GROWLING. It's screaming "FEED ME" but my brain is set on following the diet plan. My stomach is just going to have to tough it out. I'm getting really good at this mind control thing. The stomach no longer calls the shots. I know what's best for my body and what it needs, so I'll just keep to my plan.
I feel very lucky to be losing like this post op. I hit 30 lbs lost yesterday, my 30 day "anniversary" of the surgical consult. I had surgery on May 18th, so three weeks out from surgery and I'm over a third of the way to my goal. Each day I've been losing between 6 oz and a pound. It hasn't been easy, my brain and stomach are constantly at battle, and I still don't love running on the elliptical a few miles a day or drinking SO much water, but it's working so I'm going to stick to it.
My goal is to be at 210 by the time I go in for my fill on the 19th. Eleven days, 3 lbs. I would love to be at 205 but I'm trying to keep my goals realistic in case the weight loss slows down.
I do really love being happily surprised by my scale every morning. I always think "okay, I probably gained three pounds yesterday and I'm okay with that" then the number pops up and it's lower than the day before.
So for now, life is pretty good for this girl.
I'm one week out from surgery and honestly, I feel great. I thought I would have a tougher time not eating - I can't eat mushies until June 1st - but I'm really not feeling that hungry. Every now and then I get that stomach growl but I've been following the diet exactly, so I know that I'm getting adequate nutrition.
I've been a little discouraged the past few days, before surgery I lost 21 lbs and since surgery I've gained back 3. I don't quite understand why - I'm living off liquids for goodness sakes! - but I know my body is just adjusting to everything and the losing will start once I'm healed.
I weigh myself every morning, always have, but I think I need to give myself a break. I look at the scale, see that I've gained a pound or didn't lose any after my great eating the days before, and get a little angry. I follow up with the surgeon on the 30th, I think I'll just put the scale away until then. I know I'm doing everything right, so it will change...just have to be patient I guess!
Surgery was at noon today and I feel great! Man, it was a breeze. My surgeon was great, the anesthesiologist was amazing, and the whole staff was very nice. My husband got stuck with mandatory overtime and was completely distraught he couldn't be with me today, but my dad brought me and sister-in-law came after. Tonight, I'm only having some shoulder/back pain from the air. I can't even feel the band or the hiatial hernia repair they did.
I can't believe I was so scared yesterday I wanted to cancel! Good thing I put on my Big Girl Panties today when I woke up
So this is it...here I go! First post-op is on May 30th, I can't wait to show my doctor what progress I will make.
I'm two days post-op and I'm actually surprised at how good I feel. It feels like I did about 500 sit-ups, my stomach is pretty sore, but other than that I feel great. I haven't felt one bit of hunger. I spent the first afternoon and full post-op day 1 sipping a protein drink and water, then today started in following the two weeks of liquids menu my surgeon/dietician gave me. Breakfast called for 8 ounces of Greek Yogurt. I got about 4 ounces in and felt full. It was an amazing feeling! Before the band I would NEVER feel full. It was a different feeling - it was more in my chest than my stomach, but I felt the signal and at the first sign I knew to stop. I'm comitted to being a good bandster, so I'm following the rules to a T. Tomorrow I'm set to go back to work and I think I'll be fine. The surgeon said as long as I felt okay, going back 3 days post-op would be okay.
My post-op appointment is May 30th and this morning I weighed in at 222.4. I would love nothing more to be in the 215ish range when I see the surgeon, so it's time to step up the exercise.
Surgery was at noon today and I feel great! Man, it was a breeze. My surgeon was great, the anesthesiologist was amazing, and the whole staff was very nice. My husband got stuck with mandatory overtime and was completely distraught he couldn't be with me today, but my dad brought me and sister-in-law came after. Tonight, I'm only having some shoulder/back pain from the air. I can't even feel the band or the hiatial hernia repair they did.
I can't believe I was so scared yesterday I wanted to cancel! Good thing I put on my Big Girl Panties today when I woke up
So this is it...here I go! First post-op is on May 30th, I can't wait to show my doctor what progress I will make.
Today is surgery day! I'm excited but also a little nervous. I've had surgery before - a lot - so I know I'll do fine, I have a very high pain tolerance, so I'm not worried about that...just nerves.
I started out this journey on March 1st with the decision to have the surgery. At that time, I weighed 243 pounds. My heaviest, although I teetered around there for about 6 months. I had to keep my weight stable to keep my BMI high enough for insurance to qualify me. After seeing the surgeon May 7th I weighed 239.8. We scheduled surgery and he cleared me to start the pre-op diet (only if I wanted to - he said it wasn't necessary because of my boarderline BMI). I chose to, and today I weighed in at 223.3 lbs. Two months into my journey, 20 lbs down. I feel like I'm off to a good start!
So here goes nothing...I can't say it's the first day to the rest of my life because I feel like this whole process has changed me so much already. I've learned so much about myself in the past 9 weeks, it's amazing. I feel like a whole new person already.
I don't know that I've ever felt so prepared for anything in my life. Mentally, emotionally, even physically. My surgery is in 4 short days. I started the Pre-Op diet 6 days ago and have lost over 11 lbs so far. Seeing the way my body is responding is making me feel very positive! I know I will hit plateaus, but for now, I'm going to keep plugging along.
The past week I've started easing up on myself. I'm VERY Type A. My house is ALWAYS spotless, as is my car, husbands truck, my work desk, you get the idea. I decided that I needed to just stop. I needed to let myself sit still and relax and NOT eat while I tried. Before, if I was forced to sit still and say, watch a TV show with my husband, I would grab something to snack on so I could keep my hands busy. I've forced myself to change. I picked up my Kindle, downloaded some amazing books, and have spent hours upon hours reading. It's made the Pre-Op Diet go by so much better! I set aside a few hours Sunday morning to whip through the house and do a deep clean (thankfully, my husband is so good at keeping the house going during the week) and wash my car, but that was about it. Otherwise, I was playing with the dogs or just simply relaxing, something I haven't honestly done in a very long time.
Let me tell you, it was AMAZING. Mentally, I feel so much better! I know it sounds super corny, but I finally have this sense of inner calmness. I know that the house won't fall apart if I don't vacuum every day. I know that the world won't stop if I take time for myself. After trying it, and seeing it succeed, I feel SO much more prepared for surgery.
I can't believe Monday is almost here. I have my appointment with the Surgeon - AKA last step of the process before surgery - and will get my surgery scheduled. Finally! I'm not a patient person, and this whole two month process has been brutal!
I've been stuck in this limbo for about a month. I started the Pre Bariatric Surgery eating plan. Five meals a day, high protein low calorie, and I was completely rocking it. I lost 11 pounds, was exercising daily, and was feeling amazing. Then my BMI dropped to 34.2. My insurance requires a BMI of 35 so I asked the Dietician and Surgery Coordinator what I should do and they both said I needed to gain a couple pounds before I saw the Surgeon since they submit my numbers to insurance when I see him. That completely took me off my game. I was all set to see the Surgeon two weeks ago, then came down with Strep Throat AND the Influenza. Had to cancel, and go through another two weeks stuck in this crazy frustrating weight balancing act.
I'm just so excited to get my numbers submitted to insurance for approval so I can get re-focused. I'm actually hoping that I'll be able to start the Pre-Op Skim Milk diet pretty soon, but at the very least I can start the Pre Bariatric Diet and get my mind back in the game.
I've been waiting and waiting for what feels like FOREVER (okay, it was 3 weeks, but still!) for my appointment with the surgeon. It's the last appointment before scheduling surgery, and I was so far ahead of the planned schedule.
Well, my appointment was last Wednesday and I was SICK. So sick!! I got sick Monday night; high fever, vomiting, coughing, sore throat, all my glands were swollen...I was so so sick. My abdominal lymph nodes were so swollen they were pressing on bundles of spinal nerves in my back...I couldn't even lay down! Wednesday rolled around, I thought all morning I would force myself to go, but when the doctors office opened at 9 I called and cancelled. I knew there was no way I could drive, I was still running a fever and couldn't talk at all. I was, and still am, so frustrated! His next available appointment isn't until May 7th, so I have to wait 8 more days. I finally am better, I had the actual Influenza (and yes I got my flu shot last season!) and it was absolutely one of the most miserable things I've ever been through. When I cancelled, I remember telling myself that "you are too sick, don't look back at this and be mad" but I am. But okay...another 8 days....
It's been a bumpy week, but today at work we got an email that the new EMR charting system (the reason my surgery would be potentially delayed until after July - making this girl VERY unhappy!) has been delayed until October, lifting the "no vacation" ban and freeing up my spring and summer!
I'm so excited, I see the surgeon in exactly one week and from there we will schedule surgery and get final insurance approval. I'm so ready to get to the next step!
The past week has been completely overhwelming.
The dietician and WLS coordinator both told me it was okay to vary off my eating plan because my BMI was going to drop below what insurance would pay for. I tried just adding in extra fruits and veggies...then thought, well, it won't hurt to have Del Taco since I can't be losing weight now anyways...then okay maybe I'll have pizza for dinner...and now I'm frustrated all over again. I have my appointment set to see the surgeon (finally!) for April 25th, so the week before they said it would be safe for me to re-focus and get back to the strict plan. Mentally, I want to be healthy, but know that after meeting with the surgeon, I will be scheduling surgery ASAP and will hopefully go into the Pre-Surgery Diet phase...so I've got about six days to eat the greasy, fatty, bad-for-you food that my brain is telling me I really, really want!
I'm feeling so super stressed right now. On top of dealing with my weight struggles and feeling the pressure of wanting to be committed to the program, but needing to be approved through insurance AND not losing my focus, I also learned that there's a deadline for me to have surgery because my work is going into a "no vacation" phase because we're getting a new charting system. AND I'm dealing with a very stressful family situation.
I just need a break. I want to get this surgery rolling so I can stay focused, get my head back in the game, and start losing those pounds!
After meeting with the dietician and endocrinologist and being medically cleared for the lap band, I was told to start the Bariatric Surgery diet. Not the big, scary, 2-4 weeks of skim milk that is the Pre-Op Diet, but this is basically a low calorie, high protien, very balanced plan. I'm following it to a T and only mildly cheated once last week. I've lost 8 lbs and am feeling great so far. This morning, just for fun, I re-calculated my BMI and it's 35.2. I went into a little bit of a panic spin since my insurance requires a BMI of 35. I remember reading on here that some programs submit the inital weight, and my BMI was 38.6 so I would be good. Just to reassure myself, I emailed the program director.
The surgeon, whom I will be setting up an appointment with on Monday, is the one who makes the final decision and THAT is the information that is submitted to insurance for approval. The dietician emailed me back and said to NOT go below my current weight, and I may need to put on just a pound or two to ensure my BMI is stable before it's submitted.
So here I was, completely focus, in the ZONE, and now I have to gain a few pounds?! I don't like the sound of that at ALL!! I was feeling so great, really on a roll.
I talked it over with my husband, and he said for me to give in tonight to my one craving, something I've talked about since I've been on this strict eating plan, so I had a Five Guys burger and fries. I feel SO SICK afterwards now!! I think it's a combination of mentally knowing I shouldn't have done it, and physically I haven't had a meal that heavy in a few weeks. I think now I will just add in some fruit or veggies to my mid-day snacks....
Today is my appointment for the first part of the psych eval. I'm actually excited! Partially because I think the psychiatrists imput would be interesting, but also because after this appointment and the follow-up next week are done, I can schedule with the surgeon. After that, it should be smooth sailing!
Started the pre-bariatric surgery eating plan and so far I'm down 5.8 lbs!
Which band to go with? The Realize or LAP-Band? I'm sure I'll talk it over with the surgeon but it's definitely something to think about.
I had my big 4 hour appointment today with everyone under the sun. The dietician was super nice. We first did the informational session on life and diet post banding. I then saw the Internist/Endocrinologist for an hour. He was nice...reminded me of Rain Man but very thorough. After hearing my symptoms that I've dealt with my whole life, he wants to do one additional lab test (24 hour urine collection - yippee!) to test for a Phenochromocytoma (benign tumor in the adrenal gland)but decided I didn't need any furter pre-op testing. Whew! I then had the 1:1 with the dietician. Not surprisingly, my method of skipping meals then ravenously eating isn't the best. After that I had the 1 hour Physical Education class which was interesting but nothing I didn't already know but still, another check mark off my list of To-Do.
After my psych appointment March 27 then April 2, I'll be ready to schedule with the surgeon! Super excited. I start my pre-bariatric surgery diet tomorrow. No, not the scary 2-4 week skim milk diet, but the very low calorie, balanced, high-protein diet. They gave me basically a list of foods from 4 food groups to pick from for each meal, and two protein drinks as snacks between meals, and that's it! I do really well with a regime, and it's expected that I lose weight before seeing the surgeon, so it looks like my journey begins tomorrow!
