auggies

Me...me...me.....!!!!!! I'm scheduled for December 15th. Today is my preop appointment. I have actually gained a few pounds so I'm really worried about what they will say. I've been struggling with the urges to eat and eat in fear of not eating like this again. Of course, I don't want to eat like this again so I can't figure out why I've fallen back into my old patterns. Especially since I know it can jeapordize my chance of actually having surgery. I've been in this process since April - why would I do this to myself now? Anywho....I can't wait to have the surgery! Let's keep in touch with each other. Feel free to send me a private message and I'll send you my email if you'd like.

This is the Protein shake Mix I'm using - I really like it. Soy Protein powder (Vanilla) Helps Restrict Carbohydrates

Lady - Welcome to the website and to our forum. Good luck with your insurance approval and hopefully officially you'll be a Holiday Hottie.

Cali W, I am right there with you. I am so glad that I'm not alone - although I wish you all weren't dealing with this also. The guilt just eats me up inside. I know I want this surgery so much and I really want to change things but I'm just in this rut I can't pull myself out of. I keep telling myself that this is the last time I'm going to splurge on this "junk food" like this. Next thing I know I'm grabbing something else. Do you think that we have this inner part of ourselves that is sabotaging what we're doing? Afraid to lose the old us? There is a small part of me that is afraid of losing who I am but there is a very large part of me that wants to lose that part of me. I'm sick of being the fat one. I'm tired of being tired and not having energy to go do things. I want to sit at a restaurant booth and not feel like my breasts are laying on the table. I want to fly without a seat belt extender. I want to jump on a bike and not have my large butt hanging over. Even with reminding myself of all of this, I still grab for the wrong things. I've had a great 5 months - I've lost over 30 pounds so far. Why now am I sliding back into my old habits? I wish there was a weekly support group for lap banders close by that I could attend like a WW meeting. I always found that checking in at a meeting kept me on program and out of ruts like these.

I saw quite a few name suggestions for our group. Let's choose a name. Vote for your favorite name!

Ugh..Holiday Hotties is in the lead. For some reason I really don't like that name. But I'll live with it either way. I'm just so excited that it's getting closer to the big day!!!

It looks like Holiday Hotties won this poll. I saw that Pete is running another poll. Go vote there now that we've narrowed it down. I'm excited to have a name for us!!!

Don't forget to stop by the December 2008 Bandster Forum and vote for our group name. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f284/lets-choose-name-poll-80367/

I posted this in the December forum also but thought I'd post it here as well. My surgery is scheduled for December 15th. I'm amazed to see people starting the process in Sept and already having a date. It was a much slower process here in Vermont.

I found this one also. Pumpkin Protein shake (Pumpkin Protein Shake) Bring autumn into your day with this dessert in a glass! It has a few more calories and is more substantial than a regular protein shake, so it’s definitely a meal replacement! -Linda 1 cup Water 1/4 cup fat-free half & half 1 scoop Perfect Natural Isopure Vanilla protein powder 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree 1/4 cup frozen sugar-free whipped topping, thawed 2-3 tablespoons Splenda Granular 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon each ginger and cloves) 6 ice cubes In a blender combine the water, half & half, Isopure Vanilla, pumpkin, whipped topping, Splenda, spices, and ice cubes. Process until smooth and thick. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Makes one serving. Per Serving: 220 Cal; 25 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 14 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 6 g Sugar; 140 mg Sodium

Found this on smoothie recipes : Fruit smoothies Recipe: Healthy Smoothies Christmas Eggnog Smoothie 4 ice cubes 1 cup Water 1 scoop Fat Flush Vanilla whey Protein 1 envelope Stevia Plus 1 egg 1/4 t. each nutmeg,(Phase 3) ginger, cinnamon Blend till smooth, pour and sprinkle a bit of nutmeg on top.

Do they make a light eggnog? Could we use that and add protein powder to it during our soft stage? Just remember to not count it as a meal but as a beverage.

I'm very sorry to hear this. I was laid off, unexpectedly on August 5th. It was the same day I had my UGI and Phsyc Eval. I went to those two appointments, came into work and found out my job as been eliminated. I have been searching for a job since then but haven't found anything. I also thought about the surgery and whether I should have it. I'm not worried about the surgery expenses as my insurance will cover that but I'm worried about the extra stress on my body. The stress from the job itself has been hard on me. I'm not sleeping much and I have lost some of my hair where I now have a couple of bald spots. We have done everything that we needed to do get this surgery approved and jump through all the hoops to get a date - I don't want to start all over and put it off. I'm glad to hear that you are sticking with it. We need to remember to take care of ourselves even through the tough times. {{{{hugs}}}}

Not bad. I like having the same alpha letter start both words. I thought of December Diamonds.

December Diamonds?

I'm here!!! I have a date of December 15th. I was actively reading the boards at the beginning of this process but slipped away for the last couple of months. Now that my surgery date is getting closer, I thought I really should come here and network with all of you. I'm starting to think about my pre-op liquid diet. I have found that I want to eat everything and anything around me now. I feel like all of my favorite meals are now my "last suppers". This week I put homemade mac and cheese on the menu. I haven't had that in a long time because it's so high in fat and calories (and carbs), but now that I have a surgery date, I feel like I need to get in all my favorites before I start my pre-op diet. Anyone else going through this? I haven't journaled what I've been eating in a month. I really need to get back on track - starting today! On the group name - I don't care for Holiday Hotties either - I do like the Winter Wonders (makes me think about the wonders at my weight watcher meetings - they are the ones who hit 199 pounds and get into the 1's and out of the 2's.):thumbup:

What's pats_lap???

I'm still here. I was hoping to attend the meeting this month but something came up and I wasn't able to attend. I'm hoping to be there in September. I don't have a date yet for my surgery so I'm one of those pre-op people. I'm planning on attending the support groups post-op as well as pre-op. I think it's important to keep connected with others who are going through the same thing you are. Plus I'm hoping we can share recipes, food finds and tips that have worked for everyone. If we could get just one person from each surgery each month to committ to going to the meetings and sharing the items you talked about above, that would be great. Count me in! Plus, feel free to email me privately and we can talk. I'd be more than happy to go through the journey with you (although I'll be a few months behind you) and we can share together. I have one question now - what are you eating for Breakfast? I don't like eggs and I'm trying to find a good low-fat Protein to have in the morning while still trying to keep my carbs low.

I'm very concerned about some of your experiences. Maybe I'm wrong with what I"m thinking but it seems like some of your weight loss has been alot lower than the national average. I also wonder if it is because Dr. F hasn't done very many fills on some of you. When I read online about the Lap Band and maintenance, it seems like most people get their first fill at the 6 week mark and then get fills at least 7 more times within that year. I guess I really have high hopes that the lap band will help me lose the 120 pounds I want to lose. I don't want to put my body through this if it isn't going to work. I'm 100% ready to get this done but now I'm nervous after reading some of your posts. What if it doesn't work and I don't lose the weight I want to? If it's only 11 pounds in 9 months, I wouldn't be happy with that. I want to lose the 1 - 2 pounds a week they talk about. Is that really a reality?

I'm a new Vermont to the boards. I have been thinking about WLS for the past 8 years. My best friend had gastric bypass done back then and it worked out great for her. Everytime I thought about having it done, I realized what a risk that surgery was and decided against it. When I heard about the lap band last year I started thinking more and more about this procedure. This spring I realized this is what I want to do. I applied in May to Dr. F and today is my first group intro meeting. I'm hoping that I'll have the surgery in January to start 2009 off on a better note than today. I have tried to lose weight many, many times. I currently weigh 272. I've lost 50 pounds, gained it back plus 10, lost 40 pounds, gained it back plus 15, lost 50.....gained....you get the picture. I need something that will be long term. I'm a little nervous about the outcome since reading that someone had only lost 11 pounds in 7 months timeframe. That doesn't seem like very much. I could lose that much on my own with Weight Watchers. Problem is, i'm sure I'd gain it back at some point. What is the average weight loss for the first year? I'm hoping I can lose at least 25% of my body weight. Is that possible? Maybe this is information they will share at my meeting today. I visited another message board a couple of weeks ago and was inspired by their before and after pictures. Normally I stay away from the camera but I've been letting my kids take pictures of me so I'll have some "before" photos. :thumbup: