GLove

You say you are getting back into your sport. Obviously, you must be training and competing. That expends alot of calories. Learn to feed your body what it needs to be competitive. I assume you have a coach who will guide you and teammates to keep you motivated. Watch the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead streaming free on Netflix. Very motivating.

Michele, no worries...since you are paying for this yourself, you can delay it a bit and see if you can be succesful with a smart eating plan. You say you dont have a clue what you are doing. If this is true then you should NOT have surgery yet. Research the hell out of this, understand what you will put your body through, realize what your life will be like for the next 60 yrs. You have time. You are only 22 yrs old. Get back into your sports and eat CLEAN. Go to EATCLEAN.com. Eat lots of protein, veggies, fruit and water. Cut out the junk, soda and sugar. You cant eat junk after WLS. As you have heard, lapband is only a tool. It does not fix the head....you will still have cravings. This is just my opinion. I wouldnt be saying the same thing to a 45 yr old who has been yo-yoing for yrs, facing diabetes and is morbidly obese.

Michele, no worries...since you are paying for this yourself, you can delay it a bit and see if you can be succesful with a smart eating plan. You say you dont have a clue what you are doing. If this is true then you should NOT have surgery yet. Research the hell out of this, understand what you will put your body through, realize what your life will be like for the next 60 yrs. You have time. You are only 22 yrs old. Get back into your sports and eat CLEAN. Go to EATCLEAN.com. Eat lots of protein, veggies, fruit and water. Cut out the junk, soda and sugar. You cant eat junk after WLS. As you have heard, lapband is only a tool. It does not fix the head....you will still have cravings. This is just my opinion. I wouldnt be saying the same thing to a 45 yr old who has been yo-yoing for yrs, facing diabetes and is morbidly obese.

Thank you Dave. If I Could be assured that my WLS after-life would be like yours, I would do it tomorrow. I change my mind daily and it's driving me crazy. I feel like Im resiging to a class of weakness by getting the band although intellectually I realize it takes much more strength to live a banded life.,,, thank you so much for your comments.

I am just one voice asking questions. I am not judging or telling you what to do. I am 57 and looking back at a 22 yr old woman and asking the questions i would have wanted someone to ask me. I think 22 is too young to make such a drastic, life long decision. You are barely out of college. How do you know you cant lose this weight? Have you really tried since gaining? What I have found in my yrs of researching this and i still havent made up my mind is that WLS will be the most difficult "diet" ( i fully understand it is not a diet, thus the quotation marks) that you will ever do. Smart eating plan and exercising seems way easier than what you have to put your body through with WLS....BUT, WLS gets results you may not get with diet and exercise. It's a tough decision. Im going through all of it myself. I have a feb surgery date and trying to prove to myself that I can get it done without WLS. I am super competitive person and feel "weak" if I have to resort to WLS.

You are 22 and a competitive athlete? How much overweight are you? What is your sport? Do you want to compete again? Do you miss the tough workouts? Did you enjoy them? Have you tried to get back into working out and eating the way your coach taught you?

Michele, you are only 22 yrs old. Can you do this through your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's? Have you exhausted all non- surgical options? I'm 57 and wondering if i can do this through my 60's and70's. I can't imagine making this life decision at 22. But that's me. Good luck to you.

Michele, you are only 22 yrs old. Can you do this through your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's? Have you exhausted all non- surgical options? I'm 57 and wondering if i can do this through my 60's and70's. I can't imagine making this life decision at 22. But that's me. Good luck to you.

I hear ya. I am in the same boat you are but my insurance pays for it all. I hear good and then bad... I get motivated to do it on my own and then I fail. I dont know if i can make the lifelong changes. Do you just do it and make it happen? am I over-thinking it? Yikes......

Although this blog writer had gastric bypass, her blog is an excellent resource of information, recipes and advice for WLS patients. I love reading through it: theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com

Want to clarify my statement above... The 8 oz Muscle Milk cartons I get is a ready to drink protein drink....not powder. I pour it in a glass, add the banana and ice and whip it up...

I Use Muscle Milk also. The ones in 8oz cartons. Using a hand blender, I mix it with half a banana and crushed ice. tastes just like a shake! I love them. According to my group support dietician, your body can't assimilate more than 40 grams of protein at a time ( not per day, just not in one meal).

I have not been banded yet. Looking at a Feb 2012 date. I started this journey last March and it has been delayed only because of my own procrastination. I am over being afraid of something stuck down my throat during surgery- I finally convinced myself that I will be asleep and wont even know. Im also done with worrying about hair loss. Apparently it happens no matter how diligent you are about your protein intake BUT it does grow back. What I cant get over is the thought of getting stuck. This terrifies me. I have had problems with choking and have had many a hiemlich administered on me. Although I know getting stuck is different than choking, I see it as the same. My question to all post band patients: Is avoiding getting stuck really in the hands of the patient? In other words, if you follow your Doctor's orders, eat small amounts and chew, chew, chew, can you avoid getting stuck? Also, will getting stuck be a life-long issue to be dealt with, even after reaching goal? This is a point that Im really having a hard time with. Thank you.

Thank you everyone for your responses. They have helped immensely.

Here's a possibility as to why coffee isnt the best thing for LP patient| Caffiene and the Appetite When you drink too much coffee, it stimulates your body's desire for higher calories and sugar. The body gets this need met through eating rice, potatoes, fruit, breads and sweets. These food are high in carbs. Not only that, excessive caffeine can make you jittery and trigger emotional stress. This stress sometimes leads to overeating for comfort. The stress also creates a fight-or-flight response that triggers the body's need for food, hence the increased appetite. Coffee is also acidic and can leach Calcium out of the bones. Ideally, we wat our bodies in an alkaline state.

Cazzy, thank you very much....especially that very last sentence.

Check out Dr Suh in Corona. His performs surgery at Inland Valley Regional Hospital in Murrieta which is a COE. Dr Suh has an excellent reputation and is all about educating his patients.

*barium

Do you do the varium with every fill?

@Dave - excellent post. You raise a question that has been on my mind and haven't asked anyone yet. I see that you are 58. I am 57 and have not yet had the lp surgery; looks like it will be in late February. Anyway, so what is the plan after the goal is met? Do you unfill a bit so you can eat on a maintenance plan? Can you now eat bigger portions ?? Obviously you need to continue eating smart and excercising but do your options open a bit after goal is met? Im thinking long term here...what will life be like at 75? If Im at goal and eat a slice of bread will I be get stuck? Will I still need to get fills adjusted? Im unclear on long term protocol. Thnk you.

What a coincidence. I just returned from a seminar tonight also and had the exact same thought. I have researched the heck out of the lapband procedure not giving a thought to the sleeve or gastric bypass and the doc said some things about the sleeve that made me wonder if that would be a better choice. The band is reversible and 3/4 of my stomach will not be removed, so those are the 2 biggest reasons I will stick withthe band.

To Accox4: where in So Cal? Im in Riverside. Expecting a Feb surgery date. Surgeon is Dr. Suh.

Im at 9 months and waiting but 3 of those months is due to my own delays. I started the 3 month nutrition classes in March and just got the surgeon pre op consult scheduled in Jan. Im expecting surgery date in Feb. Know what all the requirements are in advance and stay on top of them.