Drea_M

So I finally got things set up with the surgeon. I have my first pre-op appointment on the 10th. Tomorrow I have to call and set up a bunch of other appointments and I was curious if this was normal... First I have to set up an apt. with my general practitioner. I have to see her once a month for 6 months... and I can not miss a month in the calendar year or I have to start over. This starts next month. Starting on the 1st I have to adhere to a 1500 calorie a day diet and stick to it for that period of time. I also have to make an appointment with the dietician, the exercise therapist, and a psychologist. I have to see the dietician 4 times before surgery, the psychologist 2x before surgery and the exercise therapist at least 2x before surgery. I also have to attend a support group. Then 2 weeks leading up to the surgery I have to adhere to a very specific diet... mostly to shrink my liver so they don't hit my liver during the operation. I have to eat the foods sold at the hospital... no Protein shakes as I thought. They tell me to stay away from carbonated drinks and from drinking through a straw. (Of course this means no soda, no beer, etc.) And when I do drink, It has to be 1/2 hour before eating, nothing while eating, and nothing until a 1/2 hour after eating. So if I have the surgery... it will end up being in March or April. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone who has been through pre-op? I have seen a lot of people on special diets for 2 weeks prior to surgery (mostly protein shakes)... but haven't heard anyone state they needed to be on a 6 month 1500 calorie diet.

Question for those who had to do 6 months of 1500 cals a day. Is it bad if you don't make 1500 cals? Cause I ate a cups worth of carrots, made some homemade Soup, had 2 bananas, ate half of a cucumber, I think in total I ate about 700 calories. maybe 800. Just didn't feel very hungry today. I know on weight watchers you HAVE to eat as close to the points you're given a day... they'd rather you go a point or two over and borrow from the weekly extra point allowance instead of being short. Is that the same thing... or is it not bad if you're a little under calorie wise?

I made my first appointment with my regular doctor, and I have an appointment with the surgeon. Monday I have to make my appointment with the dietician, physical therapist and psychologist. I'm going to try to set it up for the 2nd week of October when they have an 11am support group meeting cause I have to travel 3 hours. Get the first of everything done in one day. I have to do 4 dietician meetings, 2 psych, 1 PT and 1 group meeting. I'm starting my 1500 cal a day diet tomorrow. I looked at everything on my weight watchers and I think I'm at about 1800 to 2000 calories a day. So I will need to maybe trade one meal for fruits and veggies or yogurt and a Protein shake or something. But I have to sip the Protein shakes. No sipping through straws. the hardest thing will be getting rid of sodas. I'm kind of a diet pop junkie... but no carbonated drinks once I have the surgery... so may as well start giving those up now.

This surgeon doesn't want me on a Protein shake. No drinking anything through a straw. She says the dietician will explain why when I meet with her. Gotta make that appointment tomorrow. One thing she stressed with me, if I get lap band... this is the ONLY surgery I can have for my lifetime. She said if it doesn't work out, I can't just remove it and have another procedure done. (not that I would. If this doesn't work, not putting myself through more surgery.) I'm starting to get excited though. It's finally coming together. 6 months seems like a long time... but I'm 6 months closer than I was. I guess that's a way to look at it. And this 1500 calorie a day diet will give me a huge jump start.

I have blue cross/blue shield. That must make a difference. I've been looking online and it says pre-op care is based on what your insurance requires. I also have to run to all the doctors who gave me X-Rays or MRIs for my back and ankle to show just cause for the need of weight loss surgery. Which I have. So that part isn't hard. I just didn't realize it would be a 6 month process. I thought it would be a few weeks of pre-op appointments, then the surgery. Now I just need to start figuring out a 1500 calorie daily diet. They said I can start on the 1st, but I'm going to get a head start and start on Monday. I'm already close to a 1500 calorie a day diet anyway. I just need to make a few adjustments.

So I went to 2 classes, did a lot of internet research, talked to a lot of people who have had the lap band (some good experiences, some bad), and after weighing my options and looking at my past diet history, I realized lap band probably is right for me. I've had a few hesitations... stories of the lap band slipping, some saying they were always in pain when they'd eat, but there were way more positive stories and results from the band. So I filled out the paper work, sent in 2 weeks worth of my diet journal (I'm on weight watchers so I was already keeping a detailed diet journal). Now I just have to wait for them to get my paper work sometime next week... then the ball will be rolling. I guess my main thing... what do you guys eat after the surgery, and how do you know when you've hit the sweet spot where enough is enough, and when it's one bite too many. How many times a day do you guys eat? For example: One woman I've talked to who has had the band for about a month.. she says she starts the day with 1/2 cup worth of a Protein shake, for lunch she will have a well done angus burger patty (no bun) or a grilled chicken breast, then for dinner she'll have another 1/2 cup worth of a Protein Shake. in between meals she'll make a home made smoothy and drink about 1/3 to 1/2 cups worth. usually 2x a day. She says that works for her. Others I heard eat normally, just less. But they don't explain what normal is. So I'm just curious what everyone eats. Just wanted to start getting a general idea for what diet plan I can prepare for. I know I have to meet with the nutrition specialist yet... but I thought it would be cool to hear what others have been doing.

So, I'm struggling with my decision on whether the lap band is right for me. Several months ago I went to the doctor. I had been on a weight loss plan last year and got down to the 260's, but then skin cancer reared its ugly head and somehow it got away from me. So when I was at the doctor after all was finally settled and I was in good health I saw I was at 285. She wanted me to get lap band but I said... no. I opted to try to do it on my own. I joined weight watchers, I joined a gym and I started taking Alli It's been 3 months... I'm down to 271 and about 5" in my waist and stomach... but I've completely plateued and no change in diet or exercise will get me moving again. Finally I thought about the doctor's recommendation so I called my insurance and they said they cover it... but now I'm hesitating again. I worry about a lot of things. I have a phobia of vomiting and I hear vomiting is very common with this procedure... and I've been told I'd probably have to quit the gym because there be certain things I can't do. I'm also afraid of complications such as it slipping, or causing blood clots... I worry about food restrictions... how hard is it to adhere to such a change in diet and not being able to eat certain foods. how do I know what will be okay without having to get sick to find out? I don't know... the doctor thinks this is right for me... she says I'll lose weight much faster than I have been... and she knows I'd adhere to the plan considering how hard I've been working at weight watchers and the gym... but I'm still scared to make that appointment. Advice? Thoughts?

Went to the 2nd class... then went to see another doctor at a hospital a few hours away for a 2nd opinion. So far it seems like it may be the right decision for me. it's reversable, you lose weight at a normal, healthy pace rather than losing too much weight at once... I can maintain my basic exercise routine once I'm healed, and since I am high risk for diabetes and because I have back issues and knee issues that can benefit from less weight... this should be a good choice for me. The 2nd doctor also said that it can help my "bottomless pit" stomach feeling. He said basically the portions you eat will be smaller because smaller amounts will make you feel full... so in the course of the day, if I'm adhering religiously to the diet plan, I'll eat half of what I do now and not feel like I'm starving. I still have some concerns... but they're typical concerns I had when I had my ankle surgeries. So this is becoming more and more like what would be good for me. My sister-in-law's friend lost 136lbs with the lap-band. I'm just waiting for the packet the doctor sends for me to fill out to get the ball rolling. I will still have to meet with the dietician. They want to see I can make the necessary changes to my diet plan and stick to it. So We'll see. Its not a done deal yet. I have a few more appointments with the dietician, the doctor who recommended lap-band and the surgeon.

went to the first class. Doctor who was doing it said before going through the procedure I'd need to keep a food diary for a week of everything I eat... then I'd have to meet a dietician, and while some doctors don't require it, he usually asks for a psychological evaluations. So I started a journal today in anticipation for meeting with a dietician in the next week or so. I have another class to go to as well.

lol I actually love Japanese and Chinese... but I usually avoid rice dishes only because everyone told me to avoid rice if you're trying to lose weight. Though I admit to eating sushi on occasion which isn't that much rice. I'm also not much of a bread person. My diet has consisted of mostly Lean Cuisines and Fresh steamed veggies lately. sometimes slim fast shakes. I think my issue is lying with the constant feeling of being hungry. I've tried every appetite suppressant there is. The doctor has me going to a 'class' this afternoon. Then I have another one tomorrow... and after that I either call to schedule the procedure, or another consultation so he can answer more concerns. I was up till 1 am going through web site after web site. It seems like very few people have issues. There was a study where a small percentage had the band removed, but the rest had it adjusted and maintained it for at least 5 years or more. And they were all losing a healthy 1-2 pounds a week. That was another thing that worried me.. would it cause excessive weight loss too quick. I don't want to drop an unhealthy amount of weight... but most people following a diet and exercise program tend to lose in a healthy way. I also re-read that one page. I did read it wrong. they said to avoid weights until the incision site has healed. I'm still apprehensive so I'm going to see what the class says at 1.

Thanks. the doctor my other doctor recommended is putting me through 2 one hour seminars about gastric bypass and lap band before making my decision. I go to the first one tomorrow. But the stuff I was reading online made me hesitant. I guess I found bad information. I think I really need the extra help. Especially with appetite control. I do a lot of weights... and I read in a few places that weights are not good after lap band. Maybe I miss understood and they were only talking after surgery. They said walking and running are the best exercises. I'll have to go back. I think they must have meant until I was healed from the procedure.