SaraJaneQ

Welcome Cyndi - its nice to have a date twin! Congrats on making it this far - only a few more days til I start my official preop diet, but I have been trying to lose for a few weeks now. Do you have to do a two week preop?

Congrats to all of our Smashing new members. October is going to be an awesome month for all of us!

Thats fantastic NFaith - Congrats and good luck. We are all here if you need some support along the way.

I am so sorry to hear you are going through this. My story is MUCH milder than yours - I was sexually abused by a neighbor that my parents used to leave me with as a caretaker, and my mother just refused to acknowledge it. We moved away in middle school and I have since dealt with that situation, but there was a lot of anger and upset there for a while. We all work differently, and I can't possibly tell you what to do or how to handle it. But I can tell you this. Remember that YOU are you. You need to love you first. Your parents are flawed people and perhaps not worthy of your love. But that does not mean you should punish yourself. You should be proud of yourself for taking control of your life and losing the weight. Clearly, you have the strength to do this without them. Don't let them ruin what is good for you. And if you do comfort eat a little, FORGIVE yourself. It happens. I am sure that it happens to all of us from time to time. Get through this rough time, and move on!

I pick them up once in a while, but its my hubby that is really into them. He is a WoWer, and he has been doing Warhammer for a few weeks now - some silly download that took like 2 days to complete, but he HAD to do it.

I would not worry all that much. You are actually getting an ok amount of sleep given the reality of the world today. I personally get about 4 hours a night - 7 hours isnt too bad!

My husband often mentions that he worries I will leave him once I am slim. I don't think he is truly worried, but it makes me feel badly that this is even an issue for him. My advice is like several others have said. Couples counseling can do wonders. Hubby and I did it pre-wedding. I think we went to 6 sessions, but it was enough to improve life dramatically!

Some doctors have different standards/requirements than others. Its very possible that yours just requires a 6 month of everyone. I know my doc required me to do things that my insurance did not need. My thought on it (not that this works for everyone) is yes, I had to do some crazy dieting and have extra tests, but that is the tradeoff for having a very experienced, careful, thorough doctor. Knowing what I do now, I don't think I could have switched to another doc - because his thoroughness makes me feel like he is going above and beyond to make sure I am as healthy as possible. If the 6 month is too much for you, maybe you want to interview other docs?

Thank you to all who responded. Logic told me I should not have a problem, but unfortunately I am a worrier! I feel much better now. :biggrin:

Hey all....I was wondering what people's experiences were with cruising post band. I am not so much talking about not being able to enjoy all the food (I am a little concerned about the social aspect of being the only person at a table for 10 who can't eat much, but Im mostly good with that), but my concern is more the whole being out at sea or in another country and getting too tight because of travel or whatever, not being able to get to my Dr. What can I say...I am a worrier! Has anybody cruised post banding, and if so, any problems? Did you go fully filled, or did you have a slight unfill to avoid potential issues? Thanks in advance for any insights you have to offer!

Wow Morkie, congrats not only on getting approval but on sticking to it and finally getting your approval. Its so fantastic that they didnt wear you down and get you to change your mind...Insurance can be such a pain!

Congrats on your new band Jenn....only a few more weeks til you can chew again. Unfun I know, but just think about all the great things your new life has in store. Go you! Good luck on your new adventure.

I am with JeepGal. I do not want to seem unsupportive, but the fact that you are gaining that much weight is kind of an indicator that you are not doing what you need to do to make the band work. I know every practice is very different in the kind of support/guidance they give, and it really does not sound (from your post) like your practice is giving you the support you need. I don't want to lecture you with info you already have, but I just want to make sure you know the most important rules to eating with a band, because not knowing can easily lead to failure. PLEASE do not be offended by this. If you know all of it, just skip it. But I would hate to see someone failing because nobody bothered to educate them on how to use their tool! NO SWEETS. Ok, we all know its not likely to give up all sweets completely, but if you are indulging in ice cream, cake, Cookies etc more than every couple of weeks....you have a problem. Even worse, these are usually soft calories (see rule two!) AVOID SOFT CALORIES. liquid calories are pretty much evil. You need to avoid soda, alcohol, juice (should only be used sparingly), any drink that has sugar in it should really not be a part of your life. But even more so, anything that dissolves too easily is bad. Not necessarily to be completely avoided, but not good. My practice gives this recipe (offhand I think its just vinegar and water) that you can mimic the environment in your body. Things that dissolve too quickly will go past your band too quickly. Mashed potatos, cookies, Pasta - they all dissolve quickly. The way lapband is supposed to work is by keeping the food in your pouch longer. If you eat too much of these foods, you trick your band. Protein IS KING. You should be basing your meals around solid protein if at all possible. This of course is meat, chicken, fish etc. These things take the longest to dissolve and will keep you full longest. Water IS GREAT. Well, most of the time. Try not to drink right before and after eating (consensus hovers around a half hour before and an hour after) so as to not push food past your band too quickly. The rest of the time, get that water in as best as possible. I struggle with getting my water in, but I can absolutely assure you when my water intake is up, not only do I feel better, but I lose faster. I really hope things turn around for you. Maybe if you can get like 10lbs off your doc will see you are trying and give you the fill you need. Best of luck to you!!

My Dr claims the plan on preop is to stay about 1000 calories, but I don't see how I can do that on what he wants me to eat during that time. Essentially - 1 cup of veggies, 6 oz of meat, 8 oz skim milk, 3/4 of a piece of fruit (how odd!) and up to three slices of bread. I plan on deviating a bit because I don't need the bread, but some oatmeal for breakfast would be lovely. It does vary greatly by doctor, but a good percentage of them will require you to do some amount of liquid/protein shake.

It's looking like we have a number of people who are in that middle of the state south of Hartford, north of New Haven area. Would anybody be interested in trying to plan an casual once a month (or even once every couple months) support/get together to chat about what we are going through and provide eachother some face to face support?

Thats a great idea and I wish I could join you, but Im not so sure that the day after surgery is the best day to try for it. I will be there in spirit as I do my best to walk the loop around my apartment building! :thumbup:

I have no idea if its normal, but it doesn't sound like fun. Take it easy and take care of yourself!

Congrats Banded....so exciting to watch everyone getting their dates and know its coming so close!

Wow. I haven't seen that ad here, but you are absolutely right - it does NOT belong!

If you are paying yourself, you can find some doc to do it at your current weight, I am sure. However, I would say that its probably not the best idea for you. Lapband changes your life forever, it is expensive and a lot of work. It is NOT a magic pill. Have you ever tried e-diets? I had fantastic weight loss success there at one point, but taking off 40lbs doesnt make that big a difference when you have 160 to lose. For you, that make all the difference you need!!! Good luck on finding a solution that works just right for you!!!

I just got my date today - I will be joining you all in October surgeries. I am so excited!!!!! Congrats to all...October starts in less than 4 weeks!

I'm telling everybody! But thats just sort of the nature of my world. You can't tell anyone in my immediate family anything without everyone else finding out. Better to keep them in the loop and let them encourage me. Pretty much the entire office staff at work knows too. My hubby and I both work there, and among 13 members of the office staff, I am the one girl. They boys are like family (even helped me pick out the shoes and tiara for my wedding!). I am very lucky that everyone is very supportive, and even are helping me stay on my pre-surgery diet. If I cheat, and they see it, there will be lectures. Helps keep me honest!

I have no idea who came up with it, but I think its a cute and fitting name for us!

Lapband can be an amazing tool, but it can also really make life unpleasant if you are not prepared to live by it's rules. I suggest you read as much as you can here, and make sure to read some of the posts that include titles like, frustrated, depressed, angry. You give up some things with lap band that some people have a hard time with. For example, you may never eat breads or pastas again. Some can, many can't. If that would be a dealbreaker for you, you should know that ahead of time. You will have to pay not only for the surgery, but also preop meetings/tests, and special foods like Protein supplements and Vitamins. In fact, you will need to take at least a Multivitamin for the rest of your life. If changes like that are a problem - this might not be a good solution for you. I do not want to preach at all. I can only suggest you learn all you can about the lap band lifestyle before you commit. A good doctor should be able to provide you with plenty of info to help make your decision, and these boards are a wonderful tool. You may want to check out YouTube too...I find that I take both inspiration and warning from those brave enough to share their lap band stories that way. Good luck with your search for a new you!