My name is Ashley and I'm a 25yr old mother with a wonderful son and a amazing husband. My husband loves me the way I am but sees that I need to get healthy and get some of this weight off. He sees that it is starting to affect me. As a child I was never overweight until I hit puberty then it all went down hill. I was very athletic and fluctuated between 160-180, until I got pregnant with my son when I was 20. I have never been able to get the weight off. I have been at my highest these past few years, 275lbs. My self - confidence has always been an issue for me, but i have been working on it and all i want right now is to lose this weight and be healthy, being skinny wouldnt be a bad thing either. :tongue_smilie:

My weight hasnt caused any other health problems yet but i dont want to give it a chance to. The only thing that it has affected is my ability to get pregnant. My husnband and i have been trying to get pregnant for 4 years now with no avail. :thumbup:

My insurance makes you go through a 6 month diet program and if you miss one visit, bc you have to go every month, you have to start all over. needless to say that i have had a rough time bc when i started the program eveything was great at home then my husband lost his job and with only 3 months left to go i had to start the 6 month diet program all over again. so i started my journey back in 3/2009 and i just finished the 6 month diet program and got approval.

my dr. requires a liquid diet for 2 weeks before the surgery with the optifast shakes and i am on day 4 with the shakes. all you can have with the shakes is sugar free calorie free drinks, popsicles, and jello. have you ever taste sugar free jello? its disgusting!!! i can also have broth if i get lightheaded or anything.

the first day was hell for me. all i wanted to do was eat. i was exhausted and felt like crap. i went home and my family was having bbq chicken and yellow rice. i stuck my finger in the bbq sauce then made a cup of broth and cried myself to sleep. my husband is very supportive of me in doing this. he knows its something that i want BAD. so he was there to comfort me and tell me i could do it and it will be ok.

it has gotten easier with each day but yesterday i wanted a smoothie soo bad i was good and didnt get one. when i got home i went with my husband to the store and he ran to bk. i told him i didnt want to go bc this is soo hard but we went ahead and went and my husband asked me if i wanted anything. i just looked at him and started crying and then it dawned on him what he did. he kept apologizing which made me cry even more and then i was able to calm down but as soon as i went home i went to bed. i dont blame him for it and i know he didnt do it on purpose but it still hurt somewhere inside.

todays day 4 and like i said its gotten easier with each day so im hoping todays a good day.

Cheer up!! it will get better. the Band is worth all the tears of fustration over not being able to eat what you crave at this point...yes my husband still makes the mistake of asking if a "want" something at the store............. Remember that after you have gone through the surgery and have healed you will not have to dreprive yourself of much, it will just have to be in very small portions.

I have been about 5 months post op. and i have lost 32 lbs. The weight is coming off slow because i have not been 100 % good with my new way of eating. Bad habbits die hard. But i comfort myself by knowing that i am loosing weight that will never come back.

I have been Obese for the last 10 years and i cant even put the blame on having 3 kids. I also did not have a weight problem till i hit puberty and once i came to the US in 1992 i started gaining some mayor weight ( all the good fat food).

Anyways, i wish you lots of luck . I also had issues getting prego for the sencod time, but once i did i was blessed with Twins .

You are young and you will see that after you have lost some weight you will get what you want..

I love PINK!!! Countrychic, I also cry everyday!! I really do. But my tears are joyous ones now. I still cry it makes me feel better. I was banded on June 29, 2009. I started at size 24 plus and now down to size 14 P because I am short. I cannot eat a lot of food anymore so I cry when I have to share my beautiful large dinner portion with my husband. I always order what I want to eat. I cannot eat much and more is what I always want. I do a lot of my own cooking now. I have had three fills and I have been at that sweet spot like forever now.

I had group psychology 101 and could NOT miss one our LB journeys all take time. Just remember GOOD THINGS are worth the wait.

I had infertility and now my two children are in college. OMG so where does the time go. Keep coming back to this site it helps to blog and connect with others like yourself. We care. Best wishes and keep us posted. imaluckydog

I will have to do the 2 week liquid diet before surgery too. Right now my surgery will probably be mid April. I will know more at my surgeon's consult on March 25. I am really worried about the liquid diet. I have never done that before and shoot I can barely stick to a low cal diet as it is. I dread working and not being able to eat solid foods for two weeks before I even get the surgery.

You have had a hard journey but it will be worth it. You are only 25, at 25 I was heavy and had no health problems other than weight. My doctor warned me year after year that I WOULD GET DIABETES....i didn't believe it, it wansn't in my family. Well the Dr was right and I tell you that was such a blow to me....unexceptable that I was told for all those years and paid no attention. It is a devistating feeling to know you caused yourself all the problems related to this disease. It took years but it happened to me.

STICK WITH IT, you will get pregnant as the weight comes off and you will want to be healthy for those kids.

My 21 year old broke down and cried when I told her I was having the surgery, I had no idea how much my weight and health hurt her....cries of happiness that I was going to be here for her.

You are doing great, keep it up, it is worth it!

I just completed day four of my pre-op diet today and things are getting a little easier.

I went out to dinner last Wednesday night for my last hurrah and got so sick that I had to go home with my

dinner untouched.

The next morning I choked down a shake and through it

up an hour later. The thought of dring another shank had me gagging and I couldn't do it.

Day two I threw up twice. I knew that i had to do something to get the shakes down. My daughter found sugar free chocolate Hershey's syrup @ 2 TABL for 15 calories. It totally covers up the chalky vitamin taste and

I can drink them down with no problem.

Day 3- I am allowed one small 500 c. meal each day. I went out to dinner with friends and looked up the menu

on line. I had filet mignon as I've read that I may have trouble with steak after the surgery. I planned out my dinner and took a food scale and a tub of low calorie butter in with me. I actually measured the steak and then cut it in 2, same with the dry backed potato. Then I added the butter to the potato and steamed veggies and had a great meal. I was very satisfied and proud that I had gone out and followed the rule.

Day 4- I drank my two shakes and ate my leftovers from

last night. Things were definately easier and I had more energy.

I think that the hardest part for me will be not drinking while I'm eating. Does anyone have any suggestions?