Pebbagirl

Your husband sounds controlling (gas money) and manipulative (making you second guess yourself and worry he will leave you). I was married to someone with those qualities but no more! If he would leave you over loose skin then the problems are deeper than they appear. You proceed with taking care of you.

I'm still pre-op and had too much Halloween candy until I sent it all away! As hard as it was to see it in black and white (and for others to see...my logs are public!), I did log it on MFP. Good for you for logging it and good for you for admitting it to us here, as well. Like line dancer said, we can have everything (ie: no food is off limits...unless it's a "stuck" food!), it just has to be accounted for. And each meal is a restart. I don't plan to live the rest of my life without a piece of candy, a serving of ice cream, or a french fry. At this point in my journey, I don't think there is any food that I will never eat again (unless it makes me sick or gets stuck). What I do plan on, though, is turning those foods into "very rarely eaten foods" and making lifestyle changes and choices that help me to be healthier.

You should be very proud of yourself!

I'm December 6th! Getting so excited. And it's so fun to know others are on the December bandwagon!

I chose the picture of a car on a road as my weight ticker because I look at my lapband surgery as a lifestyle change and my own little "Road Adventure." Each little step or "mile" gets me a little farther down my road. Sometimes the steps are so tiny that they are unnoticeable, but sometimes they are bigger and more noticeable. This week, I had at least two noticeable steps in my journey: First, I received my surgery instructions and information sheet from my doctor; and second, I lost 4 pounds this week, for a total of 5 pounds so far. I'm loving being on this "Road Adventure" with all of its twists and turns, ups and downs; I'm looking forward to where it takes me; and I'm trying to appreciate each and every step.

Based on some of the things you said, it sounds like maybe you're an emotional eater and a food addict, like me. Maybe even a compulsive over eater? My two bits of advice: remind yourself that the band will not keep you from eating or make you lose weight. It's a tool and you have to do your part. A hammer is also a tool. It can accomplish mighty tasks and help build beautiful things, but if nobody ever picks it up and uses that tool, it will never see its potential. And the other thing I'd suggest is getting help with your eating disorder. I've had amazing success with www.shrinkyourself.com. Or you might try overeaters anonymous. Good luck!

Come on in Lila. We're glad youre here. My surgery date is December 6th.

My fitness pal

I'm a month from surgery so this may not apply AFTER banding but I've found that mixing in frozen fruits, some cinnamon and splenda or stevia make it yummy. Here's what I put in my protein shakes: raw spinach(for vitamins), frozen mixed berries (for vitamins and color), frozen pineapple chunks -maybe 4 chunks (to sweeten), frozen pitted cherries (for color and sweetness), cinnamon, a scoop of protein powder, some chia seeds or freshly ground flax seeds (for fiber), a packet of splenda, 1/2-1 oz diet cranberry juice, COLD water, crushed ice. And sometimes a tablespoon or so of Greek yogurt to make it smoother. I find the smoothy tastier if it's very cold and pretty thick. I want to make it clear that I am NOT a health food person (yet...I will be someday). I am a junkfood junkie who is trying to reform. So this protein shake is palatable even for a JFJ like me!

If you get stuck, is drinking water to help get un-stuck a good idea or a bad idea?

I will be banded one month from today (WOO HOO!) I went to Target today to stock up on post-surgery goodies and got really overwhelmed. I know I should have a laxative on-hand, but I know some laxatives can be really strong and painful. Do you have a favorite that you found to be mild? Or a least favorite brand I should stay away from? Same with stool softeners. I've never taken those. Are they all mild? What's your favorite brand?

I'm With the Band!

Nnicole209, actually some docs don't require comorbidities for BMI under 40 IF you're self paying.

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record on here but I'm such a big fan and I want everyone to know about this: www.shrinkyourself.com. It's a 12-week online program that helps you overcome emotional eating. I'm on week 4 and have become so much more aware of my eating habits and have begun to change them. This program is not a diet. In fact, it doesn't even address what and what not to eat. You already know that. This is about fixing YOU!

How do you handle going out to eat with friends, specifically to a buffet? I've never been a huge overeater at a buffet (maybe 3 slices of pizza at a pizza buffet), but once I'm banded, it'll be even less. I still want to Be included when friends go to lunch but I'm not sure how to manage a buffet. I hate to pay $10-$20 for one cup of food!

Thank y'all so much for all the input. I've been doing the "Shrink Yourself" program (www.shrinkyourself.com) and one of the things it teaches you is to find some other activity when you want to eat. "Playing with a pet" is one of the activities and this would be a great one for me, since I'm such a dog lover. As lauradevans said, I will probably wait until a week after surgery to get the sweet baby, so that I can be sure I'm feeling a little better and that I don't have any complications. I'm doing some major life changes right now, and banding and a new puppy are just two of them. I'm so excited!

K here's a crazy question. How bad of an idea would it be to get a new puppy the week after surgery? Important info: I live Alone, have had puppies before so I know how demanding they are, and I've been wanting a puppy for over a year now. I own my own business and my travel schedule is very heavy. It's common for me to be gone 4-8 weeks at a time. I'm being banded December 6th and taking all of December and January off. I will be gone again February and April. I normally live with my clients so bringing a dog wouldn't be feasible. But I'll be staying in a corporate apartment for my feb/march job and could bring a puppy. My point is that I feel I need 3-4 months of solid time to bond with and train the puppy, and these next 4 months would be a great time to do it. Am I being unrealistic about having a new puppy a week after surgery? BTW, it'll be a small dog, like a schnauzer. We are not talking Rottweiler here!

Lauradevans, I appreciate your honesty and you make a valid point. When I travel, my mother (who lives 2 blocks away) would likely keep him. Or I have a friend who is interested in house/pet sitting when I'm away. She would basically just move into my house. Yes, the pup woul bond with these people but I have other friends/colleagues who do the same thing I do for a living and this is what they've done with their dogs. Not ideal but it can work.

I have discovered www.shrinkyourself.com and it's changing my life. I have one month til banding but I've already begun to change my eating habits and attitudes. And I'm becoming less addicted each day. Check it out!!!

I have discovered www.shrinkyourself.com and it's changing my life. I have one month til banding but I've already begun to change my eating habits and attitudes. And I'm becoming less addicted each day. Check it out!!!

Yay, you, vmarlau! :-)

Everyone says walk, walk, walk post surgery. Are y'all talking about walking around your house, around your yard or around the block? Or just whatever you can tolerate? And how often? Like once or twice an hour?

I'm so sorry this happened to you dalia. But thank you do much for sharing your experience. I'm one month from surgery so this is helpful information for me.

No, you should not have a cocktail. Why would you take in calories through liquid. Besides, alcohol and gambling Is a bad combination!

I'm going to start assembling my "post op survival kit" as I'll be in a hotel the night of my surgery. What items do I want in my "post op survival kit"? I know heating pad, water, broth (I'll make my own). What else? Also, what's everyone's favorite fiber? I've used Benefiber in the past but I understand it's hard to find now. Has it been recalled or something? I need something that's tasteless/odorless and not gritty or slimy.