I think I wrote in my first post that I was considering having surgery in Mexico. Dr. Ortiz is on the top of my list right now. I've had a few conversations with some of his people, and now I've got to sit down and write the questions I want to ask, so I don't forget everything.

Seems like I have to lose some weight before surgery. To get to an acceptable BMI, I need to pare down 35 or so pounds. Gulp.

My husband asked me what would happen if I got to the OCC on the day before surgery, and I hadn't lost all the weight I'm supposed to. A valid question. I've always struggled with losing weight. I told him that I wasn't planning on finding out what would happen. How gutsy is that?

I think I can count on losing at least 10 pounds on the pre-op three weeks of 2 protein shakes and one Lean Cuisine per day regimen. Is that reasonable?

That leaves me with 25 pounds to lose between now and mid-November. I see lots of time on the treadmill and many aquafit sessions in my immediate future!

I also consider this period an opportunity to prove to myself and to my husband that I'm serious about this. Not getting into a weight loss/making better choices/exercising more mindset before surgery sets me up for quite a shock if I expect to deal with cravings AND ramping up exercises AND a pre- or post-op diet AND the surgery. I think it's too much all at the same time.

So over the past week I tried to work out an eating plan that would work for me while I'm on the road. I was away on business last week, and over the weekend we made a business/fun trip to BC's Interior. Lots of restaurant food.

I'm batting about 50%. One day I do very, very well, and the next, no so well. But there are two distinct differences from other attempts to lose weight. A slipup in the morning doesn't mean that I have a license to overindulge all day. And a slipup one day doesn't mean I can't start over the next day. I'm working a lot on the negative talk that I think most overweight (but I prefer the term 'fluffy') people are experts at.

In order to make this journey successful, I'm going to need some counselling. I need to get more awareness and understanding of emotional eating, and as I lose weight, to not sabotage my results. Over the next week I'll be looking for a therapist who specializes in food and relationship issues.

And since I'll be getting banded no earlier than December, I want to do some more reading. I've already searched many posts for recommended books and I've got the beginnings of a very interesting reading list, but if any of my fellow blog writers/readers have any books you think I should read (and maybe post a review on), or some that I should avoid, I welcome your recommendations!

Have a great day, all. :cool: