Fenton

Oops! I should have said "SHe wanted to buy me an iPod Nano" - but I'd already bought one. I haven't used it. Yet.

I'm really lucky - my girlfriend has been very supportive. She wanted me to buy an iPod Nano with that Nike doo-hickey that tracks your routes, to encourage me to walk. But I've been walking anyway. I have a pedometer, and have been trying to take more steps each day than I took the day before.

Because I'm big, I'm allowed 6 Slimfast Optima shakes a day, which brings the Protein intake to 60 g and the calories to 1170. I haven't felt particularly hungry - I don't know if it's because I'm aggressive about how much Water I take in, or because I'm spacing out my shakes, or whether I'm just so determined to lose that I'm somehow overriding hunger. The only time I've had hunger pangs was when I watched some TV fast food commercials, and after having a chocolate pudding (low fat, sugar free). I was also a bit fluish when I began, with a not very good appetite. I think the other thing that stops me from being hungry is that I know that the only thing I"m going to eat is those damned shakes, and I just can't get excited about them. Indeed, it's a bit of a challenge to get them down - try as I might, I can't convince myself that they're tasty. Christine, I'm (hopefully) going to be banded by Dr. Ren's husband, Dr. Fielding, on the 6th at NYU. I'll do my best to give you a detailed description of what the whole process was like.

I've found the Slimfast Optima diet manageable, but I have to admit that I'm beginning to find the TV ads for food places unbearable. Particularly the Red Lobster ads, with the almost-erotic squirtings of lemons and slatherings of melted butter. My big worry at the moment is that I won't be fit enough for surgery. I'm up for the chop next Thursday, but I had a pretty bad cold last week, and I have a lingering cough. I feel fine, but I'm worried the anesthetist will suggest I wait another week. I think I could manage an extra week on liquids, but I've arranged work carefully to have almost two weeks off, and I don't want to lose a precious day of recovery time...

Mike, great news! It sounds like an odd goal, but one of the reasons I want to lose weight is so I can try skiing or snowboarding. It's something I've always wanted to do, but have felt I was way too big for. Thanks for the inspiration. And congrats on 32 gone...

And I'll post the first reply to the thread! I think I'm going to be one of the heavier hitters here - I'm going in with a BMI of 60, start weight of 473. I've so far lost 17 pounds in the three or so weeks since my weigh-in - the first few days I wasn't trying to lose, just trying not to go crazy with Last Supper Syndrome, but for five days now I've been doing the grim Slimfast Optima diet. They advised me to drink 6 of those bloody shakes a day, but the stuff is so rich and icky I can't do it. I've been having things like Soups and the occasional sugar-free Hot chocolate, and making up for the Protein with Isopure drinks and those Protein Slam shots. I was pleased - and a bit surprised - by how much weight I'd lost. And am also pleased - and a bit surprised - that I'm not more hungry. Or hungry at all, really. It's hard to be excited about food when you know you're looking at cold brown slurry poured from a can. I'm getting banded at New York University on the 6th of March, 2008 by Dr. Fielding. I have a medical background, and have seen my fair share of operations, but this is my first time. I'm a bit scared, but the time has come for me to do something drastic, so I'm embracing the lap band and the change in eating pattern that I need to get to the weight I want. So. First steps. I'm glad to be aboard, and looking forward to hearing about your experiences. We're all in this together, and that cheers me considerably. All the best to my fellow Marvelous Marchers and Shrinking Shamrocks,

BigGuy, you don't mention your height, but as a uh big guy, gastric bypass isn't a walk in the park - the fatality rate is scary. And you've already had a scare with your kidneys, and your MD is recommending lap banding as a much safer alternative. How motivated do you think your brother is? If he's still eating whatever he wants, and has only one fill, I'm not sure that I believe he's dedicated to losing weight. I don't think that any physician in the country charges $1000 for a fill - it's a simple procedure where the physician (or an assistant, often), squirts a fraction of a teaspoon of Water into the op scar - a $1000 charge is unbelievable, and no insurance company would pay for that ever, if that was what it cost. And post-op people need multiple fill sessions to carefully calibrate the exact restriction they need for weight loss. So, yes, I'm suspicious of what your brother is saying - possibly unfairly. But you're here on this board asking questions, which is a great first step. The fact is, it's possible to lose 200 pounds by dieting alone; the lap band is a tool that will make that long march downwards possible. I think this is a great place to share your experiences, to get advice and support as you lose. Can you lose that weight? Of course you can. It's up to you.

I'm getting banded next week in NYC by Dr. Fielding - assuming my chest cold clears up. Dr. Fielding's office at NYU is a really high volume establishment, and he's one of the most experienced lap banders in the country. The cool thing about Fielding, though, is that he's had a lap band himself for the last 8 years or so.

Fantastic, Lo - another week or so and you'll have cracked the 200's... Keep up the good work, mate!

I'm going to NYU for mine, where the standard requirement is a two week liquid diet pre-op. For me, they recommended 6 cans a day of Optima Slimfast, allowing sugar-free drinks, sugar-free ice pops, sugar-free puddings. The idea is to aim for about 1000 cals a day, and to keep Protein intake above 50 gm. If you're going with the surgery, I'd highly recommend WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY FOR DUMMIES - it's a fantastic book, and has loads of information about all aspects of this process.

Joe! Congrats on the 100!

I started my pre-op liquid diet - two weeks, in theory, six SlimFast Optima shakes a day. I understand the aims and principles of the diet. And I know that getting in adequate protein is key, so I bought a grain silo-sized bag of unflavored whey protein isolate, as I'd heard it was the best one to get. But now that I have it, what do I actually DO with it? I added some to my chicken broth tonight, and it was a bit icky but basically edible. But the broth was hot - would that affect the protein? I noticed that the package specified adding to cold milk or water. So, what do you Bandsters DO with your protein powder? F.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I've been working my way through the Isopure flavors, and also bought two of those Protein Slams. I'm definitely going to try making those instant protein puddings, too!

Hey all. I'm not sure if I have the "right" to post in here yet - I don't get banded until 3/6/08, but here I am. And I think I belong here. I'm in my late 40's, live in NYC, work in the medical business. I've always been big - tall, as well - but I had a rough time after 9/11, and my bad behaviors all came out. I've gained about 200 lbs since then, and I believe that the Lap Band is my best shot at escaping from my bad behaviors. I'm in the first week of my two week pre-op all-liquid diet, and am disliking it immensely. But I recognize the importance of shrinking my liver, and also suspect it's a useful technique for interrupting my bad behavior pattern. I am unmarried, with a doting girlfriend for the last 10 + years. I'm a bit scared of surgery, but I know that, since I don't seem to be changing my eating habits, it's either a lap band or a wooden box... Nice to meet you all!

I think in every weight loss program the loss comes in phases, with rapid initial loss, then plateaus, then slightly slower continued loss. Sometimes after plateau-ing for a few days, there'll be a sudden rapid loss to compensate. I think how much you actually weigh isn't as straightforward as calories in MINUS calories used - I think you burn fat at a pretty good rate, but things like salty foods, hormone cycles in women, retaining Water etc all change what you see at the scales. Ever watched The Biggest Loser? If so, you've seen contestants who've deprived themselves of calories, worked out for hours in the gym and on special challenges etc bet astonished to find they've only lost 1/2 pound in a week of hellacious work - sometimes it's just that way. If you're a big guy, and are exercising, and not taking in that many calories, you're burning fat, even if the number on the scale doesn't seem to be changing...

Glad to hear you're back in the saddle, Q. HOw are you taking care of the port site infection? Do you have someone near you who's looking after it? And JRC - are lap bands popular in England? Did the NHS pay for your surgery?

Hey, Neal. How are you feeling? How has the recovery period been for you? How far around the back does that incision go? It really looks like you're heading in the right direction, getting ready to pass the ultimate goal of this process...

One of the recommendations the nutritionist gave me was to stop watching TV for a while... But I worry I'd end up with too much time on my hands, and get tempted.

Glad to hear the wait is over and you've made it to the Big Game. Here's to a smooth ride today!

Sorry to hear about the hiccups, but it looks like you're past them, and are a free man now. Yeah, it looks like it smarts a bit, but that's temporary - soon you'll have finished the whole damn trip, man! Congratulations!

Hey, Mike! Welcome back!

Bienvenido en America, Dannyt!

Mike! You should probably skip the gym today. You don't want to go into surgery dehydrated and fuel-depleted...

Congratss, Loprofyl! Glad to hear you're up and about - and losing.

I have to say that EVERYONE I've told has been really supportive. I don't think that I have the Best Dang Buncha Pals in the Whole Wide World, but I do have intelligent friends who see the need and understand the process. Q, good to know you're going strong. And turning onto your stomach during your sleep says that you're doing well - if it had been too painful, you'd have woken up. Crossing my fingers that mine will go as well...