sandiegokate

As I type I am drinking Isopure zero carb grape frost. It had a little weird taste so I added a splash of ocean spray diet cranberry/pomegranate (5 calories a cup). Its great! I am going to drink this a lot I think. I just poured it over ice, put the rest of the bottle in the fridge for later. It comes in a big bottle, 40grams of protein in each. I bought a case of it at GNC. It also comes in Alpine Punch flavor. It totally tastes like Kool Aid.. I also got the Muscle Milk Light individual pre-made drinks (that look like kids juice boxes) at costco. They taste pretty good to me and easy to take to work. Between the two that I what I think I will have during the day while out. I also purchased unjury online because I heard good things about it here. We'll see!

Hi Julie, Good luck on your blood test, I am sure it will be fine!! I am a 2 time cancer survivor, bone cancer of my 2nd right toe 1 1/2 years ago (it was amputated, no further treatment needed), and melanoma on my upper right arm (luckily found VERY early, only needed surgical removal but a big chunk out of my arm) 5 years ago. Although I never had chemo, I know the feeling of being scared for the checkups/scans/etc. I will tell you it DOES get better. At first you'll be at 3 months, then at 6 months, then at 1 year... pretty soon you have to remember to put it on your calendar to make your appointments because you will forget!! You'll get there.. I remember being so nervous and anxious before my appointments, wondering what they will find.. drove me nuts! But, you can't control it you can only control your reaction to it. :cursing: Take care, Katie

Hi Julie, I tend to agree with greytz to give your body a rest. Maybe focus more on eating healthy healing foods, exercise, and overall body/mind/spirit rather than focus on losing weight. You lost 144 lbs, so you are still down about 84, correct? If so, that is still awesome!! There will be time to move toward further weight loss, but after your body heals you may be surprised that it will start to let go of what it once needed to get you through your cancer and other issues. We're all here for support throughout your journey! So glad you joined us!

I had tried it before and liked it because it was something different more than anything! I bought a case of the glass bottles of grape frost and a 6 pack of the Alpine Punch in little bottles from GNC yesterday. It was on sale too! I also add unflavored whey Protein (not vanilla..unflavored) to Crystal Light or Koolaid (add splenda in place of the sugar), and that is something different too! I liked the bottles of Isopure because it was portable, pricey though, that is for sure!!!

I think it is a great idea. I plan on it, but I hope I can put the plan into action!! I kept all the records from when I lost weight before, measurements, etc. diet I followed, etc. It was nice to have. If only I could have followed through... I will now though!

My doctor requires the following: 7-10 days before Surgery: Follow a low sugar (less than 16gm/sugar/serving) and sugar gree liquid diet which may include fruit juices, Jello, popsicles, low fat milk, yogurt, and Protein shakes (e/g/ carb solutions, atkins, muscle milk, whey protein). He doesn't require you to buy from him, which I appreciate. I would rather buy what I like from who I like. I will have a combination of Isopure clear zero carb, unjury (which I heard people like and I just ordered), pre-made muscle milk in chocolate from costco (convenient to take with me, doesn't taste too bad), and anything else I find appealing. 5-10 days isn't too bad, but then there is the weeks after too. Oh well, I can do it...

Welcome!! You are on your way, maybe you will be banded in August like me! I grew up near Canton, in the very southwest corner of Livonia.. can't believe how much the area has grown! I remember when it was just fields over there. I live out in CA now though for the past 20-some years and get back every now and then. I look forward to us all being successful!!

Hmmm... Its All About August Absolutely August Banded with Au-Gust-O! That is about as creative as I get!

If I were you I would start gathering all the toys/clothes/items in your house you dont' need and start selling them on eBay, Craigslist, etc. I've made more than $1000's over time on items I no longer wanted. Its amazing how much people will pay for your old stuff!! Good luck... you will find the money, somehow, someway!

I absolutely LOVE my magic bullet, not even for WLS needs! I have used it to make salad dressings, grind coffee, herbs, margaritas, eggs (scrambled eggs or for french toast), you name it in addition to protein drinks/grinding food. It is the most used appliance in my house! I am thinking about buying another one to keep at work or just in case I wear out the one I have. :thumbup:

A friend of mine is a pharmacist and ordered me some liquid vitamins from Pure Encapsulations, which has really good products. They have a liquid multi-vitamin, liquid fish oil, and Vitamin D. I will add them to my protein shakes. I plan on adding others too.. either grinding/cutting them or finding chewables. In general I take a lot of vitamins/minerals.:thumbup:

AWESOME!!!! You are definitely an inspiration... 50 lbs is so great!!!:thumbup:

Oh, and I love your signature... wish I would have "measured twice cut once" with those baseboards in my house...:thumbup:

Hello from San Diego! Hot here today, but not the heat your are feeling.. but, hey.. it IS a dry heat, no? :thumbup: I am in San Diego, also have BCBS, pays 90% and I am going to Dr. Bhoyrul who is in La Jolla. No program fee from any information I've received so far. I went to three seminars down here and I liked him, his staff, and personality (as a match to me) the best. I don't doubt that there are good surgeons closer to you too though. Someone from our San Diego Bandsters group had his surgery in Norwalk I think? Kart Man is his name, you might want to reach out to him. Welcome!! I am just starting my journey as well.. I wish us ALL luck and may we be half the people we used to be in the future!! :thumbup:

Wow, only 4 lbs after a cruise?! That is definitely like losing 10lbs in my book!!:thumbup:

I saw a youtube video where a girl mentioned things that she thought useful after lapband surgery, atleast when you are starting to eat foods and can only eat very little and have to re-train yourself to eat with the band. She suggested cocktail forks and espresso spoons, to take smaller bites. I saw that World Market had some cute ones, I bought them! Also, she mentioned sake cups because they are small. I didn't find any so far that I liked, but I bought some small ramekins that would be a few ounces that had lids. I figured that they would be good to keep portions under control and I could take them to work easily to heat things up, etc. I'm interested in what others have to say though for "right after surgery" and during the post-op diet, etc. though!!

August 26th here!!!! :thumbup: Most all of you are before me, I look forward to hearing your ups and downs and learning from them. We can do it!! I am so looking forward to opening up the bins of clothes I have in smaller sizes packed away in the backs of closets... and getting rid of the big clothes once and for all!! Imagine how much more space I am going to have in my house? :thumbup:

Good for you for being your own advocate!! I think the most important thing about healthcare is being your own advocate and realizing that you are a customer and if you don't get what you need from a physician, go elsewhere!! There is a lot of prejudice out there by doctors about weight and it takes finding the right doctor who really knows and understands all of the issues that can make a person overweight and that it often isn't just "exercise more and eat less". "As if" we all haven't tried that already? Good luck on your pregnancy journey.. you are young, it WILL happen for you! I am 45 and still plan on getting pregnant, probably using donor egg at this point, but I will do it! Being young you have SO MANY options open to you. PCOS actually provides you with many advantages during procedures such as IVF since women with PCOS generally produce many eggs. If you ever need any fertility related information, send me a message, I'd be happy to help. I've done a lot of research and know a lot about it from my own experiences and others close to me. After losing weight many women do surprisingly become pregnant without any help though!:thumbup: I will be banded in August as well! August 26th is my date!! Take care and I look forward to getting to know you more! Katie

I was indecisive about it for a very long time. I've lost 100's of pounds over the years and each time it comes back, and more. I did Phen Fen, every diet in the book, medically supervised and not. This year I said "this is my last time.. if I am not successful at diet and exercise and Weight Watchers this time, I'm heading for the band". I was also being followed by my primary care doctor too.. Well, I wasn't successful, again. I took a hard look at the stats which say that most diets fail, and only 1 in 20 morbidly obese people who use diet and exercise are able to keep the weight off. How could I beat those chances? I wouldn't bet that hand in Vegas! I also know that I am 45, and although I haven't yet had medical issues related to obesity, I am sure they will be coming... do I want to wait until they hit me or avoid them? Also.. its harder to lose weight as you get older. I figured, it isn't going to be easier in my future through menopause, etc. If I have failed when I was younger how was I going to succeed when I was older and hormones, etc. are against me? I realized that, for me, the risks of having the surgery were far less than the risks of NOT having the surgery. Of course, every person has to make up their own mind for their own body, but for me I just know it is the right decision for me to make. I think it is also important to have realistic expectations. I look again at the statistics and most people (unless there are complications, and that can happen) will keep off 50% of their excess weight. I "hope" to exceed that amount for long term but I know that I would be happy to have lost 50% of my excess weight than none at all and possibly gain more for the future. As others said, find as much information as you can. Attend "several" seminars by different doctors. I attended 3.. I learned from each and also learned which doctor/office would be best for a "long term relationship". I am expecting to have a long term relationship with my doctor for fills/checkups/etc. and therefore I wanted to be sure I felt comfortable with him not just for the short term but for the long term as well. That can only help my attempt to lose weight. I agree to also find the right procedure "for you". There are a lot of options out there and based upon your particular body and circumstances one might be better than the other. Best of luck in your journey!! Katie

Hi KimmiJo, Good luck on your insurance approval!! Once my insurance company received all the information they needed it didn't take long at all. Any prior medical or personal accounts of weight loss attempts, letters from physicians, etc. can help also. Let us know what happens!! I just got approval last week and got my surgery date of August 26th!:confused: Take care, Katie

I have found just about everyone to be supportive, even the one friend that I was worried about. She always seems to judge everything that I do. It doesn't help that she thinks of herself as overweight and she isn't even overweight by her BMI!! I finally told her... she said "I thought you didn't want to do weight loss surgery", I said.. "I changed my mind after talking to the doctors, etc.". After a couple of other "judgement" type comments I basically cut her off and said "Mary, I'm looking for support here"...while looking at her straight in the eye. She got it.. and is now behind me. I'm sure there will be some sort of judgement comment coming again, but I know it is just the way she is... One thing I read that made sense to me was "why would anyone want to not help you get and use the tool you needed to reach your goals and be healthy"? I will use that if I have to... keeping it in the back pocket! :confused:

Hi Tonya It is normal to be nervous! :confused: For me, the way I try to get over my nerves and anxiousness is to find as much information as I can. That can be from your doctor, from others (such as here) or from other areas of the internet, local support groups, books, etc. A couple of years ago I had a bout with bone cancer, talk about SCARED! It was in my 2nd right toe, go figure!! (who has cancer in their 2nd right toe for christ's sake?) I thought, oh my.. I'm going to DIE! It wasn't until I found out all the information I can, talked extensively to the doctors, had all the information in my hands that I realized "this isn't going to be the one that gets me"! And.. I'm fine! I have just 4 toes on one foot, but no one even notices, even me! Sooooo.....ask questions, as shown there are SO MANY people out there to help you get through it. :ohmy: Take care, Katie

Hi Summer Again, Great you are just about a week before me! :confused: Where are you? I was thinking about bringing in a magic bullet, so I could use ice to mix.. we'll see. People will probably think I'm making margaritas or something. :ohmy:

Hello Everyone, I've been on this site since I started my journey a couple of months ago. Fortunately, insurance approval was pretty easy once they received all the info they need (Empire BCBS). I have a choice of August 19th or 26th. I am thinking the 26th as I would have the surgery on a Wednesday and take the following week off work. Since it is the week prior to the Labor Day Holiday it will be a pretty slow time at work. I can work from home too. I'm excited!! I have my pre-op appointment the week of August 3rd and will be starting the pre-op diet the week after. I'm not looking forward to that, but if everyone else here has been able to make it through, I will too! Any suggestions about dealing with the pre-op and post op diets while working in an office? Did anyone bring in their blenders, etc.? Just wondering how that went. I am not telling "everyone" at work but a few people close to me know about it. Thanks in advance for all your support!!!:confused:

A friend of mine recommeded a tablespoon of coconut oil daily in a Protein shake. It has numerous benefits but is also a good fat.. hair follicles need fat and protein. In the first couple of months after the band there is very little fat intake which "could" be a contributer. It could be just the "way it is" too! Not sure if it will help.. I plan on trying it myself! :tongue_smilie: