Bandista

Congratulations on this big decision to change your life! It's not going to be easy but what a difference you will make to all that is ahead for you in your life. Here's to health and happiness! I am also pre band so can't give you any tips except to say I've bee on here steadily for a couple of months and have found amazing information and compassionate support. Glad you're here.

Yippee! You are an inspiration -- thanks for sharing.....

Oh, meant to say I'm 52 in September......have always worried that post-menopause it will be harder to lose weight but let's face it I couldn't do it in my thirties or forties despite truly valiant efforts. Now I'll have the band as a tool!

I had a sleep study some time ago and it was a breeze. They make it very pleasant -- room was set up like a hotel room and attendant very nice. I ended up with a CPAP machine which I hope to ditch once I'm banded and my weight is down -- but I may still need it. Had no idea I was waking up so frequently all through the night!

So happy for you! You are really on your way.......

Congratulations -- so inspiring! I am hearing a lot about MyFitnessPal and tracking. You are doing so well! Keep up the good decision-making and enjoy your healthy body. Can't wait to get there (now at the very beginning). Best wishes!

Wow, what a story! Thanks so much so others can heed the warning and truly understand the seriousness of the protocol, etc. isn't it amazing how our monkey brains look for a workaround to what we know is best sometimes? Often it's the "thin end of the wedge" as the Brits say. Whenever I find myself thinking, "I'll just...." I know I am in a dangerous place.

So happy for you! I am photo-phobic, when the camera comes out i always make a joke about "not wanting to be documented at this weight." It's not very funny, of course, and no one ever knows what to say. Um, awkward! So today I'm putting on my list of all the things I want to do when I'm at a healthy weight: feel comfortable getting a photo taken. Thanks for the inspiration!

Congratulations -- on your way!

Hi Jimmy, I'm so glad you found the site, too -- it is good for me to cop to my weight issues on a forum like this, as though I could keep hiding from such an obvious problem with food. You have taken a big step to face your issues head-on -- don't beat yourself up; we all know the kind of courage required. Thank you for sharing. I am still pre band and experiencing some of the 'get it while I can' mentality -- twisted thinking. I decided to get a therapist to go through the process with me and that's been good. I eat from anxiety and I am doing some hypnotherapy and mindfulness work to alleviate that. The thing is, and what all of us here are familiar with, is overriding what we know to be best -- the doing it anyway -- that's why I need the band.

Great idea! Healthy mind, healthy body......

Thank you and best wishes for a really great day.

Congratulations -- you are an inspiration!

So inspiring -- thanks for keeping us posted. I can't wait to be on the other side. Best wishes for excellent recovery to all of you!

Game on! I like that....going to post it over my desk for inspiration. Thank you!

Thanks Penny for Miso soup idea -- I love that salty broth and nice to have something savory. Putting it on my list. Pre-Band list making is soothing somehow.... .LaLa good luck to you!

New Hampshire

Yippee!

Congratulations! And best wishes for a relaxing few days to recover. Very exciting to begin this new chapter -- I can't wait to be there myself.

Hi there and welcome. I have been doing the same, collecting all the information I can. This is a good place to do that. The hospital where I plan to be banded recommended a forum hosted by the manufacturers of the band. I went and had a peek but predictably enough it is very slick, appears to be written by professionals. I like this site, which is very real. People share their ups and downs, worries and successes.

Congratulations!

Hi Margie -- I am pre-band also and in same weight range, BMI, etc. This site has been SO helpful for me to really understand what it's all about. I've been on here for a couple of months as I await dates for the various pre-surgical steps. That has been a slow process but in a way I think it's good as I've been able to learn a lot here. Good luck with your decision. I am choosing band because it's least invasive and reversible. Best wishes and say hi to Ginger. Love that Farside comic strip with "What Dogs Here" and blah, blah, Ginger.....do you know that one?

Best wishes for speedy recovery; I am pre-band and learning so much here. Thanks for posting!

Last night I attended a mandatory information session at the local hospital where I plan to have my surgery. These are held only every two months (rural area) and I missed June, so I've really been waiting for this first step. I turned in my forms and got a phone call today to meet with the Program Coordinator. That date is 8/21, so another little wait. I'm hoping things are going to go quickly as my insurance company has only one restriction: BMI must be 40 minimum. I just called once again to verify this. Co-morbidities such as high BP and sleep apnea, which I have, can sometimes qualify a lower BMI, but this can only be addressed through appeal. I don't want to take that chance, so I'm keeping chubby until that first weigh-in. The absurdity of this is not lost on me. I am plenty fat, believe me (5' 6" -- hovering in the 240's but must be right at 250 to qualify). So, 240 not fat enough for something -- can I hear a big guffaw, please? Next step is the Psych evaluation, then Dietician, then the Surgeon. Apparently there is a second meeting with the Dietician a few weeks prior to the surgery to address the pre-surgery diet. They use the HMR 800 liquid diet. I would prefer to do a juice fast as that's something I'm very familiar with (probably one of the ways I gave my body the message to store up for a famine). Anyway, I'm very excited to have some kind of course plotted at last. Can't wait to be on the other side, the banded one!

Thanks so much -- I am really trying to nail this BMI thing down. I want to lose weight in advance of the surgery but not in advance of the official weigh-in. Guess that will be answered on the 21st, not long from now really. Meanwhile, congratulations on your tremendous success! You are doing so well -- it is very, very encouraging. Best wishes!