mariec

Wow, it sounds like you are really doing well! So, what do you typically eat in an average day? I had my surgery on June 10....it seems that the weight is coming off so slowly. I have not found my sweet spot yet. Had my second fill yesterday and can tell no difference today. I'm starting to get worried. I am almost down 30 pounds, but can't seem to get past 28!!! Very frustrating!

Prayers to you Jennifer for a smooth surgery and a quick recovery!! I know you'll do great, you have fantastic will power!! Can't wait to hear about everything!! Marie

I'm wondering if anybody had to get a cardiac clearance prior to surgery??

I am going through the same kinds of feelings too!! (band date 6/10) I'm glad I'm not the only one. I keep waking up thinking I'm going to really be good today so that I can get ready for the pre op diet....but then, I give in. I'm going to give myself a little longer to go through whatever grieving I need to get through and then I've got to be stronger!! Hang in there!! Marie

Way to go Jennifer!!! I am so excited for you.....4 more days is a drop in the bucket!! You are doing such a great job with your will power! Have a great week!! I can't wait to hear how everything goes for you!! Marie

I used to drink the Herbalife shakes, and a good friend suggested adding the powder SF Jello pudding mix to the shake mix. My favorite recipe was called Wedding Cake Shake. It had vanilla light soy milk, ice, vanilla Protein mix, 1 Tbsp SF Cheesecake Pudding MIX, and 1 Tbsp SF vanilla pudding mix. You blend all of those together in a blender and it was really good. I actually looked forward to it. You can mix SF chocolate pudding, chocolate protein mix, chocolate light soy milk and a tablespoon of Peanut Butter and ice and it tastes kind of like a reeses shake....if you use your imagination Make sure you read all the labels though....this was not anything that was used for anything to do with the lap band, I just thought maybe you could check out the labels to see if it's something that will fit in with your regiment. Let me know if it's something you can do. I am waiting to hear if I can get banded on either the 8th or 10th of June....so my pre op diet is in the distant future. Good Luck!! Marie Ok, so this is turning out to be harder than I expected. Does anyone have any recommendation on how to spice up the Protein Shakes? My pre-op diet consists of 3 protein shakes (25+g protein/less 8g sugar) and then a basic healthy meal for dinner (think: chicken breast, salad, veggies, piece of fruit). So I do realize I'm fortunate to at least have one regular meal involved, but I have to say I've only had 2 of my chocolate whey protein shakes and I'm already hungry and bored with the taste. This morning i put ground coffee in the shake, which didn't work out as I hoped, as I ended up chewing on coffee as I drank it...however, now I'm realizing that may not be such a bad thing to keep mixing up the flavor a bit. I've even thought about putting pepper in the shake for an added flavor. Any suggestions?? It's going to be a long two weeks!!

I wonder if the Herbalife Protein shakes are high enough in protein?? I used to drink those and all the flavors were really good. My favorite was the Cookies and cream mix. You can also add sugar free Jello pudding mix to Protein Shakes and that really makes them taste better. Try adding SF cheesecake pudding mix to vanilla shakes and it tastes very much like cheesecake. Hope this helps! BTW, I blended the shake mix with Light Soy milk, ice and the SF pudding mix in one of those little ninja blenders. Marie

Hi Sherry, Welcome!! It sounds like we have a lot in common! I am set for surgery on either the 8th or 10th of June. I too don't have any other health issues....yet. I have been having the same worries, not wanting to jump from the frying pan to the fire. It really helps me to read over all the postive posts on here. It's very encouraging to see the success stories. I am really looking forward to not being so tired and just feeling better about myself. I just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know you aren't alone with your worries!! Try and keep focusing on the positives though, that's what seems to help me anyway. Good luck!! Marie (in Dallas) Hi All, My name is Sherry, I'm set to be banded in less than a week, on May 19th. My Doctor is Dr. Larry Gellman in Long Island, New York. I am pretty nervous, I am very fortunate that I do not have any health issues, and am doing this because I do not want to wind up with any at the rate I am going. I'm worried about possible complications and what my banded future is going to be like. I just hope I am not playing with fire, is all. In any case, this site looks great, there are so many supportive people sharing the same journey. Best of luck to all! Sherry

Congratulations!!! I'm so excited for you. I had my appointment today and set surgery date for June 8th. I hope that you feel better tomorrow. Everything I've read says it's really important to walk....I'm sure you know that, but I'm wondering if it's hard to do?? Are you really uncomfortable? Have a good night! Marie

I'm now looking for a lap band referral for the Dallas area. Anyone have any good experiences......or is there anyone you recommend that I avoid? I have a free initial consultation with True Beginnings in Richardson tomorrow. I'm so nervous. Thanks, Marie

So, I am new to all of this. I am a single mother of 3 amazing kids. I have gained quite a bit of weight over the last 6 years, I think I had almost every "life changing" event all in a couple of years and I basically ate my way through them....sister diagnosed with cancer, father died, husband of 20 years filed for divorce, moved 3 times in 2 years....now things seem to have settled down, but I am miserably overweight. Like almost everyone else on here, I have tried diet pills (years ago), weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, South Beach only to have limited results. Now, I am looking at traveling to Tijuana, Mexico to have Dr. Ortiz do the lap band surgery. Any time I mention this to friends, they all panic and say how unsafe Mexico is. I've looked on this site and have read about a couple of people that are thrilled with Dr. Ortiz. I have a friend that went to him 5 years ago and she looks amazing. But I must admit, I'm scared to death. What if I am that one in100 that has a major problem?? I'm an Elementary teacher, so I don't have extra money laying around. Once you have the lap band, are you ever able to enjoy meals again?? If you are reading this and have any advice or suggestions, please, please let me know. Thanks so much, Marie

Congrats on your new start!! I have the same worries as you about not waking up!!! My other huge fear is that they will perforate my intestines or something like that!! The place I am looking at being banded does it as a day surgery. You get banded in the early AM and go home in the late afternoon. That kind of alarms me.....do you have any thoughts on that?? I noticed you said you were ready to get home, so that made me wonder if maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go home. Good luck!!! Marie, the worrier

Hi There, I am new on this site and considering having surgery next month. I have terrible hip pain from arthritis and I'm only 46. That is one of my big motivators for the surgery. I saw that you have lost 30 pounds and you were just banded last month!! That is amazing!! I'm wondering why some people lose a lot at first and it sounds like others only lose a few pounds. I'm so confused!! How did you decide which doctor to use? I hope it's okay that I ask these questions. I just feel sort of lost and am reading all I can on this site. Thanks for any input. Marie Thank you all! Glad to see that I'm not crazy in hoping the pain will lessen once I weigh less. I do take glucosamine and chondroitin- they make a big difference for me. One of those things that you think is ridiculous but after a couple of weeks you notice you're not cracking and popping so much

Hi Merna, I hope you still check this site!! I would love to hear how things are going now. Every time I think I've made my decision to do this, I start worrying about little things like, post op visits, fills etc. Hope all is going well, Marie