ShrinkyDinkyDoo

Thanks everyone for the super advice! It gets easier every day...........right? Today is 9 days post op for me, and I think im doing pretty good. I really dont have much restriction, I can eat and drink pretty much anything (of course im still in mushy phase) but im just gonna keep up the hard work, and I know once I over come these little "mental" hurdles, things will be just fine

I am 8 days post-op, and darn it, im still hungry. I haven't had any fills or anything, but I am losing weight. I was 264 when I started and I was 249 today at the my post-op dr.'s visit. Not too bad I havent really had a chance to tell what this is really going to do for me. But from a newbie stand point, the surgery just wasnt bad at all. I too have an 8 year old boy, and a 2 year old boy, and after about 3 days of "rest" I was able to get right back into sitting on the floor building train tracks or going for walks while they ride their scooters or bikes. My hubby is deployed, so I haven't had any help, and I really dont think its been that hard. Im looking forward to having solid food again (im still in mushie phase) and hopefully that will make me feel fuller longer, but Im ok waiting for that "sweet spot" with the fills too, because I feel like I will be really in tune with my hunger when it happens, so that I will know that im finally there! If you are looking for a good pre-op diet, I would suggest the Atkins. For me, its not a really realistic lifestyle. I know alot of people have fantastic luck with it, but I like carbs too much......BUT, for most surgeons, they require a low carb diet, or a full shake diet for at lest 2 weeks before your surgery, and Atkins was the one my surgeons office uses! For the short term pre-op diet, its pretty ideal! Best of luck to you! You seem really optimistic! You'll do AWESOME!!

Hi all, Im Stacey. Im 30yrs old, an Army wife, and I have two boys. A super 8 yr old, and a terrible-riffic 2 yr old!! I was banded on April 12th! Im still hungry!! Is that just me? My hubby is currently in Afghanistan, but he comes home May 3rd. While he has been deployed I have been living in the TEXAS hill country town of Fredericksburg, and I love it!! Like alot of other people too, I have a weenie dog. But she is an interesting kind of girl, she is part black lab too, so I call her my "labraweenie" She looks just like a black lab with short stumpy legs and a longer than usual belly. She is also about 35lbs, so a little bigger than your average weenie. She ROCKS!! I am on day 7 post op, and like I said above, im still hungry! I am into mush phase now, and am thinking that the mushies that im choosing may not be Protein rich enough? I go for my first post opp appt tomorrow, so I will ask them then, but if any of you guys have any advice to a newbie bander? I am losing weight! I have lost about 6lbs since surgery, so im not complaining about that, just the hunger! I am one of those with the "weight loss charm braclet" I get a charm for every 10lbs. Today I officially gave myself my first charm, and its a pretty James Avery cross. I want the braclet to tell the story of this journey for me, and I was gonna get a charm shaped like the state of TX because this is where my journey has started, but when I got into the store, I changed my mind, and remembered that my journey really started with me laying on the bed crying, and asking God to please help me (this was back in January) SoI decided that I would give my first props to him, since he helped me out !! Yay God!! Thats about it for me! Thanks for starting such an awesome thread!!

Thanks for all the advice! I always know I can come here for real help!! I am supposed to do 7 days of liquid, then on to mushies. I have to say, that other than the wicked gas shoulder pain, Im feeling pretty good. I cant wait for this new life to really begin!! Yay us!!

I was banded on the 12th too, and I have to ask, is this gas pain something you feel in your shoulders? My left shoulder is killing me (but only every once in a while) and pain meds dont help with that pain. Is this gas pain?

Hi TriCare family, I am Tricare south. I am seeing a non-military doctor, but my approval was super fast (48 hrs). Tomorrow is my surgery!!! HOORAY. I was gonna tell you, that if you go to the tricare website and call the number provided they have an automated check your referal system, and if you have a phone with the internet and texting, they can text it to you, and then you wont have to call back, every time you have a referal sent in, you can check as many times as you like without feeling like you are bugging the person on the phone I actually knew I was approved before my surgeons office did. Good luck to all who are waiting for apporval, or to you already approved! Its gonna ROCK!!

:DOn December 21st of 2010, my Grandmother passed away, 2 days before my 30th birthday. She was 85, so she was no spring chicken, but I cant help but feel like she didnt have to die. She had struggled with weight her entire life. She would be a size 0, then a size 24, then a size 2, then a size 20 again. She did all of the fad diets back when they were new, like the Atkins, and she took dozens of diet pills, but the weight always came back. In her later years she started having joint problems. First the shoulders, then the knees, then finally the hips, having them all replaced. Because at this time she had been in pain for a while, she had become very sedentary, and lost almost all of her muscle mass, so the hip joints never really took, because there was nothing for them to "hold on to" So she sat in her wheel chair and got bigger, and bigger and bigger. For the last FIFTEEN years she had been completly wheelchair bound. In spite of all this, it didnt slow her down. She had a wheel chair accessable van, so she was pretty self sufficient. She grocery shopped on her own, and still volunteered at her church. (It was an electric wheel chair, because her shoulders were artifical too, and coulnt support the range of motion for a manual wheel chair). For about the last two years, she kept getting chronic bladder infections. Thats what happens when you are sedentary, and obese, your bladder stops emptying all of the way, and the little urine that stays, gradually gets infected. Not only is it miserable to have an infection, but after a while they started to affect her mind. Thats how we knew when she was getting sick, because most of the time she was so lucic and accurate, but when the infections would start, she would stop eating, and start to tell stories of how she had had a good conversation with a dead relative. Finally, last October, I stopped by her house and found her sitting in her closet talking to no one, so we took her to the ER and she was admitted (again) for a bad bladder infection. When it came time to discharge her from the hospital, they sent her to a rehab to get her strength back, so she could go back home, and it was there that she contracted pheumonia, and 3 weeks after that, she died. Because she was so sedentary, her lungs were weak, and they couldnt fight it. When we decided to turn the Oxygen off, she lived for another 12 hours, because her heart was so strong, it just wouldnt give up. So, lesson learned.........I dont give a flying rats happy furry ass what other people think about my choice to have this surgery. I need the help. I know I do. I have similar desires like everyone else ( I want to be a sexy goddess for the husband who is the love of my life) and I want to set a good example for my children. But most of all, I dont want to die like that. I dont want to be the strong woman who raises a great family, only to have the end game be that I have to have my diapers changed because I cant care for myself, or that to go to eat, I have to be lifted by a crane, because im so big that even the big men in the complex cant help lift me. I REFUSE to be that person. Next week I go to get banded! HOORAY!! I havent shouted out to the world that I am having surgery, but not because I dont want to hear the nay sayers, but because this is a personal journey for me. I understand my reasons more than anyone else in the world possibly could, and to the super skinny girl who thinks this is the easy choice, or to the body builder who thinks im lazy, I feel sorry for their closed mindedness. Thinking that what is right for you is right for everyone is a disease, thats what is wrong with the world today. Wow! That was a HUGE rant! Thanks for letting me let it go! You guys rock!

You can find nay-sayers about anything and everything. My hubby is in the army and currently deployed, and I cant tell you how many people acutally ask me "aren't you afraid he is going to be killed?" Well geez....I am now, thanks! Everyone is different, thats what makes us all beautiful, because we are original works of art! I agree with Spot, that you should use these friends as your motivation, and prove them wrong. Weight Watchers is an excellent program, and has worked for thousands of people, but no matter how much they say its a "life style change" its still a diet, and all diets have room for failure. In my opinion, the Lap Band is like those shoes that are supposed to shape up your butt, they dont do the work for you, they do it with you. They only work if you wear them and actually go for a walk. Or like a work out video, it only works it you turn it on and use it. Its a tool, to make the journey easier, not to magically zap the fat away. I think thats where a lot of people are confused, and if you have never studied the Lap Band, you wouldnt understand. Im so happy that you got banded, and am excited for your journey. Im here too (in TX time if you need to IM or talk) Good luck!!

I am on my 2 week pre op diet too, today is day 9. My diet is all liquids. My nurtitionist said I could have coffe, just no more than my 4cup pot a day. My sister told me yesterday that I wasn't nearly as bitchy as I was last week, I guess im getting used to not having solid foods

I am on my 2 week liquid diet too I have cheated myself, and have seen quite a few posts about others cheating too. Every doctor is different. My neighbor and I are going through this at the same time, with different doctors, and she just has to do the atkins diet for two weeks, and liquids the day before....seems a little unfair, for us two week liquid-ers. If I feel the need to cheat, I have kept it extremely low carb (in the way of the Atkins style) Just like you, that usually means eggs, or low fat cheese. Also, I read a page where someone else had to do the full liquid diet, but could do broth too, not just shakes (like im supposed to) so I got some low sodium broth and added lots of non salty spices to make it taste good. The problem with me and the shakes, is that im constantly cold. I posted a similar post about this topic earlier called "a little confused" and a lot of people gave good advice on the replies, so reading that may help too. Other than that, you are almost there! Hang in there!! Since your screen name is Army Wife.....I was wondering where you are stationed....im an army wife too. Right now I live in TX because my hubby is deployed, but we are actually stationed at Ft. Sill.

I practice the liquids thing. I love to drink while I eat, and am one of those people who need 15 refills on my tea during dinner, so I have been practicing eating without anything to drink, then waiting 30 min after I eat, then taking little sips all the rest of the time. It has been a real trial for me, im glad I started early, so when Im banded, it will be one less thing to think about!

Special K makes a protein powder that comes in a single serving pouch (like the single serving crystal lites) and it comes in a few different flavors. It doesnt contain as much protein as a shake, but can work if you are starving and cant have a shake yet. I bought the pink lemonaide flavor, and it truly tastes just like pink lemonaide, yummy. And, it controlled my hunger!! Bonus!! The only prob I had with it was that it didnt dissolve completely, so I put it in my shake tumbler, with some water and Ice, and would shake it before I took a sip and it worked perfectly!!

Ok, explain how you do that, it sounds interesting. I mixed my Special K with zero calorie Vitamin Water, and that made it better too. I like to throw them in my purse so If Im out and about and I get a hungry, its a good quick fix. Im still curious about the powder thing. I use slim fast too.....the Bariatric Advantage shake mix makes me sick.

You know that "sick" full feeling you get.....like how you mentioned the first meal, then 30 min later eating again....after that, where you are simply stuffed, and even though you walk past a donut place, or an ice cream place (my evils) you just dont want it because you are so full you are gonna pop? I think that is supposed to be the concept of the band when it is working properly, and you have the correct amout of fills. I dont have mine yet, im still waiting on my psych eval. But that is how t the nutritionist described it to me. When you eat something high in protein and it gets "stuck" in your pouch, you will have that full feeling and instead of wanting or "needing" to eat again 30 min later because of head hunger, you wont want to because you will still feel stuffed. Thats how it was explained to me, and I sincerely hope that that is how it works.

What is it exactly that we are not supposed to have, that shrinks our liver? Is it Carbs? Or Sugar? I am on day 4 of my pre-op diet, and Im doing it, Im just curious about why its necessary (not the liver shrinking part, I get that) Just the mechanics of it I guess? I like the sugar free Vitman Waters, but they have 1 carb per serving, does that make them bad? Or, why does my surgeon require 2 weeks of protein shakes, when others Dr.s let them have actual food? Im going to stick with the shakes because I want to do my best to do what the surgeon tells me too (after all, he will be cutting into my belly) but I was wondering if anyone knew why there was such a variance in what people have to do?

Sorry, im not much help, but I was wondering, what was you two week pre-op diet? Im excited that your surgery is coming up! Good luck!!

I started my pre-op diet on Monday (the 21st), but mine is supposed to be all liquid. They want it to be all of their Protein shakes, but thats just not going to happen. I dont like the flavor, and they make me constantly cold. Besides, im a salt person more than a sweet person. I have been having soup broth and eggs (low carb, right?) to add in at least a little texture. Today is day 3 for me and im still hungry all the time, but I have read that it gets easier. You seem to be on the same time frame as me, so lets encourage eachother!!

Ok, so today is my official start of the two week pre op liquid diet. Shrinking the Ole' liver. How can I make this better for myself? And why does my surgeon require full liquid, shakes only, when I read others pages that say they can still have food as long as its low carb? I want to make this as easy for the surgeon who is going to be digging around in my belly as possible, but I feel like im being punnished. I HATE protein shakes. (Well, at least the bariatric advantage ones!!) Does anyone have any recomendations?