ShrinkyDink

Howdy Where do you guys buy the different shakes? I'm just starting to look for one I can tolerate.

August 15th! Woot Woot!

Howdy My date is August 15, possibly sooner if they get a cancellation! I'm 41, married, mom of 4 kids and 2 doggies :eek: My life has been thrown into chaos lately with a horrible bout of plantar faciitis, I've been nearly housebound since Thanksgiving cause I can barely walk. It's what put me over the edge on the band decision though, so I'm sure I'll look back on it as a blessing. At the moment though, it's a pain beyond all measure and I'm looking forward to seeing if the weight loss will take care of it so I can skip the foot surgery, here's hoping!

I've always found that I get headaches from lack of Protein, maybe keep some string cheese handy, it's a good amount of protein with not too many calories.

Howdy My surgery date is August 15 but I'm on a list to be fit in sooner if there's a cancellation, fingers crossed! They told me to go on a no carb diet for 2 weeks prior but I've started today just in case they do fit me in, and even if they don't I figure it will be that much better if I'm on the diet longer. I'm planning on having... Breakfast: one Atkins or High Protein Slim Fast bar Lunch: Another bar if I'm not too hungry, or some turkey lunch meat and string cheese if the bar doesn't do it Dinner: Whatever my family is eating minus the bread or Pasta, lean meat and green veggies mostly. Planning to do some Protein shakes for the last couple days even if they don't tell me to, just to give myself a head start. I keep looking at this thinking gosh, if I can do this why do I need the band? Then I remember that I have easily done this... many times... for about a month... then I plateau and get discouraged and eat everything in sight and gain it back... I'm really looking forward to having the extra help from the band to keep me on track, can't wait to look and feel like myself again minus the monster I've been carrying around! I did a farewell tour also over the last week, some of my favorite things and restaurants but I'm actually not in too much of a panic about giving things up since I know I'll still be able to eat most of it, just in much smaller portions. I kept myself from going nuts with it by sticking with the slim fast bars or lean cuisine meals for 2 meals a day, then having my "farewell to enchiladas" dinner and going right back to the slim fast the next day. I'm also on a mission at the moment to find a Protein Drink I can stomach for the post op clear liquid time. I tried the little 3 ounce protein shots from walmart and omg they are horrible! Sickening sweet and so thick, even mixed into a huge glas of Crystal Light it was awful. I was hoping they would be ok so I could get in that big dose of protein in a small amount of liquid and not have to worry so much about making sure I got enough in. Guess it's back to the search.

50 pounds in 4 months is amazing, congratulations! I hope I will be as successful, I want to get this behind behind me (hehe) That is exactly where I've been. But as my doctor says, all the issues that weight can cause sneak up on you, who knows how much damage I've done to my heart that just isn't showing up yet. I'm feeling very optimistic that I'm on the right path now. I have 4 children and they deserve better than "not now sweetie, momma's tired"

I just bought some Centrum chewable vitamins and they chew to a powder very easily. They taste pretty chalky though, not a strong flavor, just that kind of gaggy texture and I notice I taste them for quite a while after I take them. I'm hoping to get used to them before my band, but I might have to try the gummies.

Well there's no way I can read 76 pages so I'm jumping in at the end here, howdy!! I'm THRILLED to find a section where we can talk and support each other through this as Christians. I haven't seen it here but in other discussion boards bringing up the Lord isn't always well received, I'm sure you all know what I mean. I'm just starting so I'm sure I'll have lots of questions but I hope I can also be helpful in supporting and listening. My band date is August 15 and i can't wait. I've been practically house bound for months now from severe plantar faciitis, which is the straw that broke the camel's back for me and finally prodded me into having this surgery. I guess I've been in denial because despite being ginormous I've always been able to keep up with my life until this foot thing. I think it might have been sent to me as a wake up call that I better do something about this before more health problems come along. Anyway, enough long winded gabbing from me, happy to meet you all!

Howdy :scared2: I've been reading about all the things I have to do with the band, no soda, no soft bread, no drinking and eating at the same time etc. and I can live with them while I'm losing, the benefit will be well worth it. What I'm wondering is, after I reach my goal will I be able to have the band emptied to a point where I can let go of some of these and just have it as an aid to help me control my portions? I'd like to go back to "normal" eating with the band telling me when to stop since I don't seem to have the little voice in my head that's supposed to tell me. Will I be able to? Or will I always have pain from soda or throw up from drinking right after I eat? edit to add a question instead of double posting... I see people referring to a "pb", what does that mean?

Thank you all, that's what I was wondering

So honestly if we want to go out for a special dinner with friends and don't want the conversation to rotate around "look at how little she's eating!" we can drink with our meal and eat a normal meal in a controlled portion? I don't mean all the time of course, I mean once in a while. I just really hate the thought of my new eating habits drawing a lot of attention to myself. I don't mind telling my friends, but I don't want to make a spectacle of myself with it you know?

Really it's not those specific things that are big concerns, I just used them as examples. I know I can't go back to eating anything and as much as I want, I just mean will I always have to follow the quirky way of eating that the band requires. I'm good with the new healthier habits, just wondering once I reach my goal if a band with no fill in it will allow me to relax the "band rules" as long as I'm controlling my portions.

Your comparison to cigarettes is perfect, I truly believe that to some of us food is as strong of an addiction as cigarettes are to smokers. Trouble is, we can't live without food so controlling it is harder because it's all around us. Please don't beat yourself up for being human and making a mistake, you are in a stressful situation and you've done beautifully. Maybe you can find some different protein drinks that taste better to you. I just got my surgery date and I'll be starting that very soon so I'm off on the quest to find something I can tolerate this weekend. I wish you the best of luck in your surgery and in the next few days leading up to it, you can do it! :wub:

They say we grow them big in Texas, but I've grown big enough and it's time to get smaller! A little background on me, I was never really thin but wasn't really heavy either until my mid 20s. When I was about 160 and expecting my first child I developed unexplained pain and frequent headaches that was many years later diagnosed as fibromyalgia. This slowed me down and the weight started to creep up. Even with the extra weight, I was healthy and relatively strong for a long time though. When I hit about 240 it started to really affect how I felt but still I put it out of my mind and never did anything about it that lasted more than a few weeks. Then it all came crashing down when I developed plantar faciitis a year and a half ago. With treatment it was off and on but never severe until 6 months ago and I've been nearly housebound from the pain since then. I've reached the end of the road in conservative treatment and the required surgery has a very low success rate, especially for somebody my size. My poor foot just can't carry around 280 pounds and now I'm stuck, I can't exercise to lose it if I can't walk. I decided to look into lap band only to be devastated to find out my insurance won't pay for it under any circumstances. After some thought we've decided to borrow the money and just go ahead and do it and my preop physical is tomorrow. I don't have a surgery date set yet but they said to expect to be ready in 2-4 weeks and it can't come soon enough. Hoping that with weight loss I can avoid the foot surgery, but even if I still have to have it my chances of it being successful will be much better at a lower weight. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all as we help each other along the road! :cool2: Lauralee

Just got my date today, I'm going August 15th!

Thanks all Just got home, I had my H&P done today and I have a surgery date of August 15th. They said I could go sooner except that a couple of the surgeons are on vacation. Very much looking forward to getting going! Also was happy to see I have lost 11 pounds since I last saw my podiatrist about a month ago, whee!!! Now how do I set up a cool little ticker under my posts... edit: found it!!! Go little butterfly!

Hi guys, first post here! I'm so happy to find a place to talk to others who understand. This thread has been so touching, I understand every single thing you guys have said here and I wish I could hug you all, I know how it feels. For me the final straw is the plantar faciitis I've been battling for a year and a half. It can't heal because my poor foot is carrying the weight of 2 people. I'm going for my preop physical tomorrow, hoping for a surgery date in the very near future.