Maribelle

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. When I was trying to choke down the pudding (my least favorite selection so far), I was thinking that I wasn't enjoying it, but that made me realize that NEVER enjoy food anymore. I'm always gobbling it, whatever I want, and never taking the time to really sacor it. So why does it matter if I'm not enjoying a low-cal meal as opposed to not enjoying a high-cal one? All food has become the same to me anyway, and even though I'm a little hungry, I feel much better mentally, knowing that I am preparing to change for good. So far, I like the Medifast peanut butter bars and the scrambled eggs. The chocolate shakes are OK (a little chalky). The pudding was pretty gross. But day one is almost over and I haven't died of hunger yet :confused:.

I want to keep track of this process, so I've decided to start blogging now, at the begining of my journey. My history: I have been overweight since I was 12. My family moved from Hawaii where I was an active kid, to Alaska, where I stayed inside and read all of the time. As long as I can remember, I've been fixated on food and on the lazy side. I was a chubby kid until middle school, when I hit 5'8". I was still overweight, but not too out of the ordinary at a size 12/14. I stayed the same all the way through high school. In college, I lost a little weight as I worked out with friends and enjoyed healthy option in the cafeteria. I was a size 12 when I got married at age 21. My husband and I were happy, and we celebrated with food. We both gained 30 lbs. in the first few years we were together. Steadily, the weight crept on. When we began fertility treatments in 2005 in an attempt to conceive our first child, I gained even more weight. It took a while, but on our 3rd IVF, I got PG and my daughter was born in Septmember of 2007. I had actually lost weight when I was pregnant to keep my baby healthy, but I went CRAZY with food after she was born. Late night feeding became the norm for both of us. Fast forward to June of this year. Current situation: I had become increasingly dejected about my failures with weight loss. I just do not feel like I can do it on my own, as all of my previous failures have made me doubt my weight loss skills. I approached my husband, and suggested using student loans to pay for the surgery. To my surprise, he agreed. I did some research online and was pleased to learn that one of the most esteemed bariatric surgeons in the United States, Trace Curry, is located only 45 minutes away from me in Cincinnati. I went to the info sessioni n June and scheduled my first evaluation that night. I attended the psych eval. in late June, and the pre-op nutrition counseling and physical on Aug. 12. I am starting my Medifast tomorrow! I am alternately excited and nervous. I'm wondering how I will handle a 12 month old baby and 12 graduate hours in English classes without the comfort of food. I guess I will find out... I do one week of the Medifast (5-6 food choices per day) and then it is surgery day on Aug. 26. :tongue2:

Yes, Karen, you are a great role model! 100 lbs.---think of how much happier your knees must be. My realistic goal is 165, but I would really love to lose a full 100 and be 150. I never been that thin. It's nice to know that others before me have done it. Do you have a specific goal, Peaches? How tall are you? Do you have any of your pre-baby clothes around to wear when you lose weight? I still have some of my clothes from the 200lb. mark around, so hopefully I won't have to shop for a while, as I will have no extra money after this! Mimilou-Have you had surgery yet? I start my diet tomorrow. This is all rapidly becoming a reality. Yikes!

I was thinking the exact thing that Mandi said---maybe that part of your throat was irritated by the breathing tube and it is still a little swelled back there. I hope you feel better soon.

I'm so glad you have help with your kids. My baby is 19 lbs., but my doctor said up to 20lbs. was OK as long as I am careful. I hadn't even thought about carrying her in her car seat carrier. I guess I will have to leave it in the car and carry her back and forth. I was a littled overweight through school (5'8 and usually between 160-170 and a size 12). It was enough to make me self-conscious about wearing certain clothes like tank tops, but not enough to get me teased or anything. I started gaining a little after I got married when I was 21, and it really started to pile on when I started fertility treatments when I was 29. I was really depressed and I went from 185 to 220 in just a few years. I did IVF a few times, and the last time resulted in my daughter. I started at 220 and weighed 228 when she was born. I was 208 a week later. Then I just went crazy about food. I had been so careful about eating when I was pregnant, and I guess I just rebelled and gained 40 lbs. in the year since she was born . I finally decided I was on a bad path and I'd need to do something more permanent and radical if I wanted to get healthy. I am just ready to stop focusing so much on food and I want to learn to be less obsessive about it. My surgery is Aug. 26th. I am starting 7 days of a Medifast diet on Tuesday. Where did you have your surgery? Are you feeling any better yet? Were you thin before or was it the baby weight that added up? How much do you want to lose? I see your BMI is pretty good already, so it is exciting that you don't have too far to go. If anyone else reads this and wants to jump in, please do!

Hi! I'm a bit behind you in the process, but in a similar situation. I am also 32, with an 11 month old daughter. I am only telling a few close family members and one friend (the only one who can keep a secret...LOL). So it's been a little rough so far? Do you have help with the children? I'm a little worried about caring for my daughter as she cannot walk or crawl yet on her own, but thankfully my hubby will take off work the first few days so I can veg out. Hope you're feeling better soon!

If I had lost 40 lbs. EVER in my whole life I would be thrilled! You have done a great job so far, even if it isn't what you imagined. Go to the grocery store and try to pick up 4 10lb. bags of potatoes. You have knocked that much weight off of your frame. And studies have shown that one lb. of weight loss = 4 lbs. of pressure off of your knees. You have reduced the strain on your knees by 160 lbs! That is something to be proud of, and now that yo are back on track, your accomplishments will be even greater.

I have already paid $8000 of my self-pay cost but the balance was originally due on 8/12 (2 weeks before my surgery). I am using a school loan that was sent by mail on Friday, 8/8. It was supposed to be direct deposit but the school made a mistake and it was mailed TO MY OLD ADDRESS. Ack. It was my fault about the address. I had updated it online in my general info, but did not realize I need to change it with the accounting office, as well. So anyway, the last piece of mail that was rerouted to us took 13 days to get to me once it go tot the post office (I live in the same town, just a different street). I told the people in accounting at the surgery center on Tuesday that the check would be here anyday and they seemed cool with it, but now I am worried. I'm going to the post office tomorrow, but I know that they are really busy and it would be really hard to track down one piece of mail. I keep trying to think of someone I could temporarily borrow the money from for two weeks until the check gets here, but I hate asking. I might have to, though. Just needed to vent.

Good job! Your date will be here soon enough.

Wow! That's awesome. It's nice to hear a good insurance story for once.

The posted stats usually say the mortality rate for banding is 1 in 2000 (or .05%), but based on my research I think this stat is relatively old. I think the decrease in surgery time over the past ten years due to the implementation of the low-calorie diet to shrink the liver and new technology makes a big difference in the safety of the operation. For instance, in the past five years, due to these factors, my surgeon's average band operation has gone from 1.5 hours to 45 minutes. That is half as much exposure to anesthesia than it would have been before. I've heard similar stories from other patients of other doctors, so I think that the real mortality rate would be MUCH lower.

Congrats to all of the newly banded on here. It is so reassuring to read the stories and to have some idea what to expect, especially since none of them have been too horrible yet. So many of the August All-Stars have already lost a lot of weight. That's so exciting! I'm feeling a bit guilty reading all of the wonderful pre-op weigh loss stories. I don't start my Medifast until Tuesday and I've been a bad, bad girl so far. But, on the bright side, I'm basically completely sick of food now and ready to start my new life with no regrets. I thought I was going to have some issues making my last payment since my student loan refund was accidentally mailed to my old address, but thnakfully the post office was quick and I received it yesterday, so it is all systems go for Aug. 26th. Now I just need to get my house cleaned so I won't have to come home to a wreck. It was pretty cool when I went to my nutrition and pre-op workup last week. There was a really beautiful, fit woman in the waiting room and I heard her tell the nurse at the check in station that she needed "a little more." I asked her if she was getting a fill and she said yes. She'd had the surgery in 2006 and lost 105 lbs. She gave all of us waiting a good pep talk. There were 4 of us (all women) waiting for the session. Then the nurse had me come back to take some "before" pics. I was the first one. When I went back into the waiting room with the other women, I said, "Gosh, I don't mind having my picture taken, but NUDE??? Is that really necessary?" I thought the one lady closest to me was going to choke on her drink. Hee hee. I'm mean. But Aug. 26th can't get here quickly enough for me!

Tim is a hotty now! Yay! Good job.

First, thank you for the suggestions and support. It gave me some back up ideas and I was a little less stressed. Luckily, the forwarding process went quicker than I expected and I got the check yesterday, so the bill was paid today. I can't believe I am all ready to go! The only thing standing between me and the surgery is 10 days and the Medifast diet. I am so ready to do this! Yay!

Had my pre-op physical and nutrition training today. Everything is ready to go for my Aug. 26th surgery date, except I am waiting on my school refund check. They sent it out on Friday, so hopefully it will be in the mailbox tomorrow. I paid them the $8000 I already have today, so I think that will be enough to hold them for a few days. I officially start my seven days of Medifast next Tuesday, but I am going to do a partial Medifast this week, too, with maybe a shake for breakfast and lunch and some pudding for a snack, with a regular dinner. I am SOOOO ready to get this all over with! Turtletears-I think you will have great results on your scan! I hope they get the results back quickly and don't make you wait around.

Hello! I am going tobe banded on the 26th and I'm very excited. The only worry I have is if I will be able to take care of my 11 month old very well in the days after the surgery. She is 11 months, 19 lbs., and she cannot get around on her on yet, so I do a lot of carrying. My doc said it is OK to lift up to 20 lbs., but I am more concerned with the bending and twisting that come with taking care of her. Has anyone dealt with taking care of an infant after surgery? Any tips or suggestions on how to reduce the stress of it upon my body? PS- Hubby is watching her the first two days and nights after surgery while I sleep and get the gas out.

Well, I needed to correct my last post. I must have been majorly retaining water the first time I weighed myself b/c I checked again and I have gained 3 lbs., not 10. Whew!

I won't miss: -avoiding high school friends when I see them in the store b/c I am embarrassed about how I look. -wearing bulky t-shirts and capris when it is 95 degrees outside. I wanna wear a tank top and shorts w/o being self-conscious! -tugging my short down every time I stand up. -missing out on roles in the community theater productions b/c I am too big to play the ingenue (and maybe too old now...LOL, but that's what makeup is for). -planning lunch while I'm eating breakfast. -elastic waist bands and the old lady clothes I wear b/c nothing else fits, or I don't want to spend the crazy money Lany Bryant and Torrid charge. I don't think there is one single thing I will miss about being able to eat what I want all of the time. I am pretty much sick of food, and sick of being a slave to it. Only 16 more days until I kick my bad weight habit forever!

OK, I am embarrassed to admit this as I am an English teacher, but I got "morbidity rates" and "mortality rates" confused, and when I read this, I was like WTF! LOL. I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. As far as your choice, I agree with what everyone else has said. I was speaking to a woman at the seminar I went to, and I asked her why she was choosing the gastric sleeve over banding. She said she had a history of problems with ulcers, and she was concerned that she might have a greater chance of erosion. Other than that, though, I can't think of any reason that I would personally choose GBS over banding. The shorter recovery time is imperative for me, as I have an 11 month-old who won't slow down. But you know what is best fo you, and I hope whichever path you choose, you are healthy and happy very soon.

Thanks for the welcome!

Hello! I'm 32 and scheduled for band surgery on Aug. 26 with Dr. Trace Curry. I have my nutrition thingy and pre-op workup on Aug. 12, so it is coming up fast. I am currently 250 lbs and 5'8", so I'd like to drop around 100lbs total. Even in high school when I was more active, I never weighed less than 165, so I'm not sure if that goal is achievable or not, but I figured why not go for it? I've been steadily putting on the weight for the past ten years, so I'm going to nip this in the bud before I end up on a TLC special...LOL. I like to exercise, but I have gotten lazy, so I look forward to getting back on track in that department. More than anything, I am excited about the possibility that thoughts of food will no longer rule my life. I spend a lot of brain power planning on what I'm going to eat next! My husband asked me how I am feeling about surgery and I just want to hurry up and get it done. I'm not nervous, or even excited yet, because it seems like it really won't happen. I am self-pay and paying part of it with a student loan, so I'm afraid something will happen and the loan refund will be too late. I'm sure it will all work out, but worry is my middle name. I'm glad to have found this site for support and to learn more about the process.

I think this surgery is going to do wonderful things for you and as others have said, stick to your guns. It time to focus on YOU. Not him, not the kids. Yourself. I have a feeling he is scared that when you lose the weight and find yourself, you may not be so easily controlled, and anyone who is domineering would be threatened by that. You can work on those issues later on down the road, though, because now you've got to get yourself right and things will fall into place later. Good luck on your surgery!