John337

Ann - CONGRATS.........:glare: Look forward sharing the journey with you and all the other Mayo Banditos............

Hi Amy.... You can do it....One day at a time. My Doctor wants me on a 14 day liquid diet. I am going to drink 2 Protein drinks for Breakfast, lunch & dinner. I am allowed up to 7 drinks in a day. I tried them already and it tastes pretty good. ( Choc fudge). It's called AdvantEdge. 110 calories with 17 grams of protein per drink. I actually feel full after drinking two of them SLOWLY. ( which was difficult since I want to chug it down).

I agree....eating without taking a sip of liquid will be difficult. I also love to chug my water. As a fellow Mayo Banditos pointed out, finishing a meal with some sort of "wet" food can help. I do envision myself going into the bathroom and rinsing out my mouth. Hopefully , that will help as well. We're in it for life....so we can do it. Might seem weird at first, but we can do it.!!!

Laya - CONGRATS........I agree....LIVE GOOD FOR LIFE......Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

OK - It's official........We're now called the "Mayo BANDitos" :smile2:.... I have always been a fast eater. My biggest fear is " getting stuck" and having to bring it up....So I tried this weekend to really chew at least 30 times and eat slowly ( 30 seconds between bites). I got to sat - THAT WAS TOUGH, REALLY TOUGH ! to do. Has anyone else tried to chew well and eat slow? Anyone else find it difficult??

Mayo Banditos works for me......(It's hard for a guy to call himself " A Mini May") May is around the corner......5/11 can't come fast enough...

It seems as though you really need to hit rock bottom before you can make life changing decisions. This is obviously one of them. I started out in January weighing 337 and feeling lousy both physically and mentally. I made the decision to get help and beat the beast within that allows me to overeat. Currently weigh 310 with a BMI of about 41.5 What's really upsetting is the fact that my wife is so supportive and is a weight watcher graduate ( lost 65 lbs 4 yrs ago), cooks well balanced meals and I STILL over eat at home and at work. I have been fustrated for years but January 2009 really, really got to me. I am ready for a heart attack and would really like to see future grand children graduate college. Keep this up and there's no way that will happen. So the journey begins .................:thumbdown: I went to NYU and attended a seminar with Dr. Fielding as the speaker. What really impressed me about him was the fact that he is not only the surgeon but a patient as well. He wa banded 9 years ago and looks great. Aetna makes you jump through hoops to get approved but that's ok. I realize that this is a life changing event and must be taken seriously. I'm on the 3 month pre-surgical regime. I see the psychologist, nutritionist, personal trainer and primary every month for 3 months. The last appts are coming up in two weeks. I have my surgery date of 5/11/09 and due to gallstones, my gallbladder will be removed as well. If all goes well, I start my liquid diet ( two weeks) on 4/27/09 and go for pre-op testing 4/30/09. To me, the hardest part is going to be to take small bits and eat slowly..........

It seems as though you really need to hit rock bottom before you can make life changing decisions. This is obviously one of them. I started out in January weighing 337 and feeling lousy both physically and mentally. I made the decision to get help and beat the beast within that allows me to overeat. Currently weigh 310 with a BMI of about 41.5 What's really upsetting is the fact that my wife is so supportive and is a weight watcher graduate ( lost 65 lbs 4 yrs ago), cooks well balanced meals and I STILL over eat at home and at work. I have been fustrated for years but January 2009 really, really got to me. I am ready for a heart attack and would really like to see future grand children graduate college. Keep this up and there's no way that will happen. So the journey begins .................:thumbdown: I went to NYU and attended a seminar with Dr. Fielding as the speaker. What really impressed me about him was the fact that he is not only the surgeon but a patient as well. He wa banded 9 years ago and looks great. Aetna makes you jump through hoops to get approved but that's ok. I realize that this is a life changing event and must be taken seriously. I'm on the 3 month pre-surgical regime. I see the psychologist, nutritionist, personal trainer and primary every month for 3 months. The last appts are coming up in two weeks. I have my surgery date of 5/11/09 and due to gallstones, my gallbladder will be removed as well. If all goes well, I start my liquid diet ( two weeks) on 4/27/09 and go for pre-op testing 4/30/09. To me, the hardest part is going to be to take small bits and eat slowly..........

How about " Los Banditos de Mayo " ( The BANDits of May).......

Just figured out this ticker ......very excited.( the little things).... Open up your "CP" tab to view your personal settings. Open up "your signature". Leave this open for a minute. Now open up another internet connection for tickerfactory.com and create your ticker. Once finished and you are viewing your final product, you'll see "bb codes". Highlight the entire box of bb codes and right click your mouse and hit copy. Now - go back to your signature box that's open and paste the entire bb code into the box abd hit save......that should do it.

testing my ticker

Good Luck Shaun........

I'm glad all went well. I met Dr. Fielding Wednesday with my wife. We had a nice conversation about Lap Banding and what my wife could expect. That seemed to help her. My surgery is scheduled for 5/11/09.:crying: I have to see my primary one more time then they'll submit all the papers to Aetna for approval. I start the liquid diet on 4/27 and pre-op testing on 4/30/09. What have you been eating? and how does it feel "going down"?

AIT - Did you have your surgery on 3/9/09 ?? How are you feeling? What's it like to be a bandster??

Thanks Rebecca.... Can you or someone tell me how to add the "ticker factory" to my signature.

HI ALL, Got my surgery date - 5/11/09. Will start a liquid diet on 4/27/09. THe liquid diet is to reduce the fat in and arond the liver which will make the operation go easier. Dr. Fielding will also remove the gall bladder. Pre-op testing scheduled for 4/30/09. The Aetna approval will be requested after my last ( next) visit with my primary on 4/13/09.

That's great. I see the Doctor tomorrow so hopefully I'll get a surgery date.

Siouxhockeyfan - Congrats...on your approval. Let me ask you how long did it take for your insurance company to give you an approval?

Rebecca - I'm glad you got your date....Congrats:thumbup: Does your Doctor require you to start a liquid diet ? and when would you need to start it? Beza - The Doctors at NYU stated you can lose approx 60-70% of your excess body weight. I would think that if your adjustments are on the money, I dont see why we couldn't lose more towards the 70% mark. My appt is next Wednesday with my surgeon so hopefully I'll have a surgery date. My Doctor requires a 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery to help shrink the liver and make the surgery easier. Also, for me, my gallbladder will be removed.

Ait - Don't be nervous.......You'll do fine.....Since your surgery is Monday,try and have just liquids for the weekend. That will probably help alot....... You're in good hands with Dr. Fielding.

Ait - Just wanted to say - GOOD LUCK ON MONDAY !!!!! Start of your new life...........