fostermomma

I am an official bandster! Got banded this morning a little after 7am. Feeling pretty good just a little sore and no gas pain. I even went for a trip to my home away from home...Walmart! I will post my experience on the post lap band sight under experiences. Good luck to everyone who has yet to be banded and to the rest of you, I am proud to call myself an official bandster!

I actually had to choose whether I should try to conceive or have the lap band. I am 42 and the clock is ticking. I am one of those people who thinks I can handle anything but my husband was concerned for my health. Even though I am big, I am a relatively healthy person and had no trouble being pregnant with my son, who is now 7. I want to be as healthy as I can and, if God is willing, I may be able to still have a baby. Do what you think is right for your body and your family. I know when all of your mom friend's are having babys it is hard not to get on the bandwagon(pun intended) but follow your heart. Good luck!

My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7am. I am so excited and a little nervous. I know it is completely stupid but i cheated a little bit at dinner tonight. I am at a hotel and they didn't have anything that I liked or that was healthy. I ordered out at Red Lobster and had some fish and a salad(I tried for steamed broccoli but some stupid cook put tons of salt on it). I didn't have any croutons on my salad but neglected to tell the server not to put any of those to-die-for cheddar bay biscuits in there. For one person she gave me 5!!!!! i gave a couple to my son and saved some for my husband but must confess I ate about a 1/3 of one. I don't think it will screw me up but I still feel incredibly guilty. I have worked my butt off these last 3 weeks to eat correctly and am already down 24lbs(this includes what I lost right before the pre-op by giving up bread and soda) so I don't really know why I would do something so boneheaded. Oh well. Will post after my surgery in the morning..... Wish me luck!

It is currently 7:46am in southern Arizona and for some odd reason, 2 days before surgery, I am craving a chili cheese coney from Sonic. I won't give in to the craving, it just seems weird I would crave that since I am one of those people who cannot have dinner food for breakfast. My other cravings so far have been fried Spam(don't judge me) and a big giant cheeseburger. I guess it could be worse, when i was pregnant with my son all I wanted was fettucine alfredo, ceasar salad, fruity pebbles and, for some weird reason, maple syrup. Anyone else dealing with weired cravings?

The first three or four days of my pre-op diet, I swear I felt high. People would be talking to me and I literally could not comprehend what they were saying. I think that was due to cutting out all of my carbs and sugars. After a lifetime of eating whatever I wanted, my body was being denied things that it considered it needed. After that first week, I still have cravings but I don't feel as out of it as I was. I am in the home stretch. My surgery is in 2 days. Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress!

I have the same concern! I feel I have done everything the doctor wanted me to do but if I get on the table and he cannot do the surgery because my liver is too fat, I will be devastated. Everything in my life has been worked around this surgery. I think if it didn't happen I would head out and get me the biggest cheeseburger ever! I have been having trouble sleeping because I am so nervous and excited. Lets make a vow to only have positive thoughts and I am sure, with God's help, we will be great!

I have a 3 week pre-op diet due to my BMI. It is a good thing I have one though. It has totally helped me change my eating habits. Otherwise, I would probably be one of those nitwits who tries to eat a cheeseburger 2 hours after surgery=)

So I decided to take some advice I found on this forum and roast me a couple of chickens so I can save the broth and freeze it for some post op meals. Great idea! Except I would like to ammend that advice....HAVE SOMEONE ELSE COOK FOR YOU IN THEIR HOUSE! OMG....it smelled soooooo freakin' good. I have done pretty well on my pre-op diet with the two shakes a day and one meal with hardly any snacking but I am afraid I ate a little bit of the chicken and some skin(my favorite part). I didn't go overboard and it is still protein but the smells are a big problem. My surgery is Friday. I have lost 20 lbs in about a month...half of which I lost in the last two weeks. Do ya'll think I screwed this up? I am a little freaked right now.......

Hi everyone! My surgery is Friday the 7th and I am in the home stretch.....Still have cravings even after being on the preop diet for 2 plus weeks. For some reason tonight I was just dying for some french fries with ketchup.....I hardly ever eat fried foods but that is what I wanted. I think it was because one of my girls fried some tortillas and the smell just got to me. I just keep looking ahead to the big picture and had me some cucumbers instead. Good luck to everyone and I will see you on the other side!

I don't know if this compares to the bullet but I bought a blender a few weeks ago at Target. I think it is by Hamilton Beach and is only available at Target. I just put my milk in it, my powder and add some fruit and hit a button. After I am done, I take the glass off of the base, stick my straw in it, and go to town! It only costs $15 and I got it in a fun pink color as well. I don't know if it is powerful enough to crush huge ice cubes or not but it does work on smaller ice. I highly recommend it because it is so portable.

Sorry----The brand I got at Sam's that was nasty was Pure Protein PLUS....the yummy one I got at Walmart was just branded Pure Protein.

Walmart sells a whey protein powder with 23 g of protein and only 3 carbs. It come in chocolate and french vanilla. I got the french vanilla, used 8oz skim milk and some frozen fruit. Didn't even need ice. I sometimes put one packet of splenda in it to sweeten it up. It is really good. I ran out so I went to sams and got the pure protein stuff that was recommended by some people on this sight.....YUCK! Needless to say that after 2 shakes, I went to walmart and got my old stuff. I don't know how to describe it. Even though it was blended, it still tasted like powder. Unjury chocolate was really good too.

I wasn't given any caffeine restrictions.....my biggest weekness is sweet tea and sugar is definately a no no. When I am at home, I have crystal light but, when I go out, unsweetened caffeinated tea with sweet and low is my go to drink. I do find, however, that because there is less in my tummy, I have a hard time sleeping if I have it too late in the evening. I am less that one week away from surgery day....good luck to you!

IRRESPONSIBLE??????? Hold me back! That just ticks me off. I am sure your friend meant well but....jeesh! I think it is irresponsible to be obese and not give a lick if you aren't around 10 years from now to care about your family because you dropped dead of a heart attack while on your way to your favorite fast food joint. Not trying to sound harsh but...jeesh! Come visit this forum as many times as you want if you want encouragement. That I what I have gotten from this site and I don't really listen to any naysayers. Good luck.....to all of us!

Thanks for sharing, Erin. I have a channel too, I go by thelapbandgal. It is hard to remember to post something all of the time and you kind of feel like you are just talking to yourself. but you are right, it does help hold us accountable. I am almost one week pre-op so I will see you on the other side=) p.s. Your hair is so pretty! (I'm not a weirdo or anything, just an observation)

I am being banded one week from tomorrow. My surgery is scheduled for September 7th, I cannot wait. Not just for the surgery but also for this cotten pickin pre-op diet to be over with. I think I would prefer mushies over this.....Good luck everyone!

My pre-op diet consists of a high Protein, low carb shake for Breakfast and lunch and then a palmsize potion on lean protein, green leafy veggies and fruit. I am almost 2 weeks into my 3 week diet and I am having issues. Here goes: I am doing okay with breakfast and lunch with no snacking in between. But I find that by dinner time I could eat everything including the table. I tried the sugar free popscicles but I find that I am craving meat, meat and more meat. I bought some turkey sausage links and snacked on 3 at a time (they are about 2 inches long) before dinner. I am so hungry at dinner I find that I am having a hard time eating tiny bites and chewing thoroughly. I am worried I will screw up my diet and they won't be able to do the surgery next week because my liver will not have shrunk enough. Any advice? Also, I have looked through all of my instructions and it doesn't meantion cantaloupe at all. That is what I have been eating because it is my favorite fruit next to bananas. Does this have too much sugar? Thanks in advance.

So I started my pre-op diet today and I can have a shake for Breakfast, a shake for lunch, and then lean Protein and veggies for dinner. My paperwork doesn't say anything about Snacks. I am not talking about chips and dip but maybe at least some fruit or cucumbers? My pre-op appointment isn't until Monday. Has anyone else been on this type of diet? Thanks!

I cannot wrap my head around the whole "head hunger" as opposed to real hunger. To me that is like saying "it's not hot, it's just the humidity." Hot is hot and hunger is hunger. I would just limit myself to small amounts if you can't control yourself. Good luck!

Great....I will be skinny but I will be bald????? Oh well.....I will take skinny and healthy over a full head of hair anyway=) Hope it slows down for you!

As a previous poster said...."Haters gonna hate." You are already a success because you have chosen to take control of your health and do something about it. It was a hell of a lot easier for us to put on our weight than it will be to take it off and we are moving in the right direction...no matter what sort of procedure we are having. I once told myself I would NEVER have any kind of weight loss surgery because that would be "cheating". It took some research for me to realize that the lap band is a tool. It is a tool you use and, just like any other tool, if you do not use it correctly, you will fail. I once had a state of the art treadmill with all the bells and whistles on it. We ended up hanging coats on it. I firmly believe that if I am able to do this, ANYONE can do it. I have the worst willpower on the planet and have always taken the easy way out. Time to put on my big girl pants(no pun intended) and get to work. Good luck and don't let anyone bring you down. GOD bless!

So I don't start my official pre-op diet until this Friday but I decided to try a shake this morning. It is from Walmart and it's vanilla flavored. I put 8 ounces of milk and then a scoop of powder and a cup full of ice cubes. I then added about 5 frozen strawberries and blended. I tasted it and it was soooooo bland. I added two packets of splenda and that made it a little more bearable. My question is, what can I add to my shake to sweeten it but still maintain good dietary requirements? My book says I can try abstracts. Do they make a strawberry or a chocolate extract that will not add calories? TIA!!!!!

I just got approved for surgery for September 7th(yay me!) and I have a question about my pre-op diet. 3 weeks before surgery, I am supposed to do 2 high protein/low carb shakes a day plus one small meal. I tried slimfast a long long time ago for a week and had horrible, nasty, disgusting gas. I literally could not stand to be in the same room with myself. I was wondering if anyone had or has a problem with these other shakes or if it is a completely different product. I really don't want to relive my childhood where farting was considered a competitive sport in my household. Any thoughts? Thank you! Sincerely, Hoping to not become Pottie-Pooterson....

I posted my surgery date on facebook and everyone was so supportive......except for my redneck cousin. He is massively overweight and said people "like us" should have the gastric sleeve because the band just won't work. You and I are taking a big important step to take charge of our health. Don't listen to the naysayers....talk to your doctor. Good luck and God bless!

I live in Tucson too! (Northwest side close to Tucson Mall). I get banded on September 7th in Phoenix.