Well, the drive was the worst of it... had to get up at 4:30am and drive almost 3 hours to the hospital but once I was there it was smooth sailing.

There were only 9 people in our group seminar, 2 ( including myself ) opting for the band, the others were in desperate need of gastric and I say that not out of meanness but I stronly believe the band if for people who can still exercise and do that by not causing more harm than good to their bodies.

I met a lot of nice people and the nutritionist and surgeon were so kind and took all the time I need to answer questions and I got the green flag from Dr. Schrimer for my band YAYAYAY!

Now.. the psych evaulation.. why is it so hard to find a doctor to perform these? I tried my damnedest to find one closer to home with a no-go so back to UVA I go but honestly, I don't mind because I'm willing to take all the steps I can to get this done. I set a personal goal of walking 3 times a week and cutting back on soda and junk and I desperately need a food processor..

I was told to go ahead and start my multivitamins and calcium celtrate and if at all possible, lose some weight but it's not mandatory but I think I'll give it a shot anyways..

Which brings me to this, does anyone out there have any preop tips? Such as diets, things you did to prepare your body for the big lifestyle change? Please let me know.

P.S. I also mentioned this website to my surgeon and told him how much all of you lovely people had helped me research this option and I appreciate all of your feedback so much. THANK YOU!