SmilinShel

Welcome to everybody who just joined our thread. It has only been a day since I checked the boards and there are so many more of us. Congrats! I am so loving Zumba! My GoWearFit said the class last night burned 900 calories, so I am trying to drag my butt in to go today since it is the same teacher. It definitely makes a difference, but while I go M-F to the gym for 1.5 hours..I just can't seem to make myself get there on the weekend. Maybe today...I am gonna try. Class is at 4pm. Thinking about calling my friend so we can go together. Still losing - still on a primarily full liquid diet. I am one of those that the surgeon did not put on a specific diet - he just said - you really need to try to lose 10-20 pounds before surgery. Well.....today I hit 22 pounds...so I am trying to achieve a personal goal of 26 pounds at least by surgery on the 1st. It isn't actually as hard as I thought it would be..mainly because I know now I am going to have the tool that keeps me from putting it back on. I can always lose it..it is the maintenance that kicks me in the butt! I ordered my little utensils from CB2.com They are perfect and not pricey. I also found some pretty cute appetizer type dishes that were unbelievably cheap..so I ordered them and today I tossed every plate larger than 5 inches from the house! It was TOTALLY liberating! Anyway...for those of you fighting individual battles with cravings...last supper mentality I can relate ( I gained 25 pounds between my seminar in May and July 9th)..I ate everything in sight)...that is why 26 pounds is my personal goal..silly..but good for my mindset... It is best to get yourself off that track as soon as possible..who wants to lose that same weight twice? Liquid diet...I agree...it is SOOOOO hard..but SOOO worth it. Get yourself fully stocked with the extras that you can have...it is easier to keep going if you have some variety. And..if you can't stand it...definitely just have a protein snack..the carb snacks are EVIL!!! Insurance approvals...well..ya. BCBS Choices plan doesn't have it...so I am paying for it myself..and it is worth it..it will cost me about $125/pound if I hit goal..and that is a bargain in my book :thumbup: Anyway..going to try and get my motivation to get to the gym. Later!

Way to go girl! Every pound you get off now is history in the long run! I am now following your blog. I love your candor and attitude! I was considering doing a YouTube VLOG or blog...still on the fence about it. I am so inspired by some of the videos on YouTube, I thought that accountability might help me in the long haul...but a blog might be equally good for me and less "out there". How many of you are planning to blog/vlog the journey?

Hey September ladies!! I just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing... How goes pre-op diets? Sticking with it? Stay strong! Those waiting on approval...any word yet? I have a few more miscellaneous items to add to my pre-surgery purchases...giong to get those itty bitty forks and spoons and need to re-stock up on my V-8 soups as well as order another flavor of that great protein dessert shake. I bought the GoWearFit to see how many calories I was burning at the gym. Holy Cow! Zumba burned an amazing 750 calories last night! I am already going twice a week, but I may add a third day. Burning calories is addictive! Anyway...just wanted to give a virtual thumbs up to everyone. I am a September 1st date, so I am under the 2 weeks mark! *HUGS*

I have lost a total of 17 pounds since July 9th. I have lost 2 since starting my modified liquid diet on Thursday - I do go to the gym 5 days a week for an hour alternating doing the weight line, treadmill and zumba class. My goal is to lose 5 more pounds by the 27th, when I have my nutritionist meeting and hopefully 4 more by surgery on the 1st. Lofty goals, but I am going to try. The main thing is I am going to be losing it all eventually and won't crash and burn since the lapband is in my near future! Did you start yet? How's it going?

I can't believe it is only 15 days away! I think I am as ready as I can be..but it seemed so far off for so long...it doesn't quite sink in yet! Is everyone else all stocked up and ready?

Hey...I am right there with you counting down to Sept. 1st! I also don't have a long pre-op liquid diet to follow, but I wanted a big jumpstart on the process. I followed a modified liquid diet starting last week, but broke down and had to have real Protein over the weekend. I restarted my efforts today and have put the following items on my 10 day full liquid diet: BSN Lean Dessert Protein shakes - these are AMAZING! I had a Cinnamon Roll one this morning and it tasted like a liquid Cinnabon!! I make it with skim milk instead of Water to get the extra protein, but I have made them with just water and they were thinner, but still yummy V8 Select Vegetable Soups (they are in green boxes). These are 120-160 calories a serving, 2 servings to a box. I eat the whole box for a meal. They have a thicker consistency and I get 4 servings of veggies in. I love the Butternut Squash and Blended Vegetable. It also adds a little variety. sugar free Jello puddings - I love the new Rice puddings - they come in Creme Brulee, Cinnamon and Original flavor Sobe Zero Calorie Lifewater - a great way to get a lot of water in with a variety of flavors. I also do Crystal Lite I am keeping it at about 1000 calories a day, 60-65g protein. I admit, I am hungry a little bit, but it isn't too bad. Good luck..we will be on the loser's bench soon!

I have had my GoWear Fit for 3 days. I am still working out how to add food items on the website, but I monitor my calories anyway, so that was a minor issue for me. I bought the display device as well because I wanted to know what rate each type of exercise was burning. I don't wear it as a watch, I clip it to my waist. They definitely need to improve on the flexibility of the clipping, but otherwise no problems. It is easy to sync the display up. The actual logging of calories burned/steps walked has been great so far. I read that other people experienced false readings when they wore it while driving and I tested it out this morning. Definitely read false activity. In the future I am going to take it off in the car. I highly recommend these devices. I chose the GoWearFit over BoddyBug because I personally liked it better, but I know people who love the bug as well.

Hi everyone! It is pretty interesting to see the wide variances that our respective surgeons expect from us pre-operatively. I go in for a pre-op visit on August 27th with the nutritionist, and I anticipate her putting me on a pre-op plan for my surgery on the 1st, but other than his comment that he wanted me to lose 10-15 pounds before surgery, he didn't give me any specifics. I guess if the nutritionist saw that I hadn't made that goal they might have a plan B, but since I don't want to consider plan B, I am trying to be relentless. I actually put myself on a self-imposed liquid diet today. The hunger really is out of control, but I keep telling myself it is only temporary..so far so good. I am trying to drink a lot of Water and stay on top of my Vitamins. I figure why not get a jump start on the process...so we shall see how it goes. Zumba class is tonight. It kicked my butt last week, but I lasted the whole hour, so I am hoping that it will be a little easier this week...but I doubt it! It is fun though..I keep telling myself..you are dancing...not sweating to death I am glad to see so many of us in the September group. Keep on posting..and for those of you on the mandatory liquid pre-op...I feel your pain...do I ever!

According to my gynecologist, the abnormality of the cycles is a direct result of rapid fat loss. Fat cells store excess estrogen and when the fat is released from the cells the estrogen is also released. This imbalance of estrogen sends the hormonal balance into chaos and can often in result in cycles that never seem to end, abnormally flow (light or heavy). She didn't mention anything about them not happening, but I am not on any birth control hormones so that may be another factor altogether. She told me, as long as you are rapidly losing weight you should expect to have irregularity. I have decided it is worth it :thumbup:

Hi, I just wanted to toss some info into the mix. I also live in Florida and I am self-pay. I am going through Shands at UF. My total cost including the initial surgeon consult is $15340. This includes 5 fills and an overnight stay in the hospital. If your limitation is cost and you want to stay local you might look into other hospitals. I don't know where you are in Florida, but Shands is located in several cities and has an excellent reputation. Good luck whatever you do!

Hi everyone! I was off the computer for the past 3 days...my boyfriend took me away to a resort for the weekend. It was lovely..but now I am back to the real world. I am trying to catch up on all the posts. I am not on any specific pre-op diet, just a "lose 10 to 15 pounds" (my BMI was 52 when I saw the surgeon and he wanted me to get it down to 50 or 49)..so I decided to do a semi-liquid diet on my own to boost the weight loss. I bought BSN Lean Dessert Protein powder. Oh man...it really does taste like dessert. I bought the banana Cream and chocolate Coconut Candy Bar but there are about 6 flavors I think. I am making mine with milk right now, but am going to try just Water to see how it is. If you have a sweet tooth and are worried about protein intake, I recommend this stuff. Not sure if it is considered a clear or full liquid though. I would think it is a full liquid. I am doing so well pre-op..I just keep thinking how good it is to have a head start before I have my surgery. I did go through the "Last Supper" mentality right after my seminar and managed to gain 25 pounds. I have taken 14 of them back off :thumbup:(and met my surgeon's goal) but trying hard to get the last 11 off before September 1st (my own goal). Man, is it HARD! I have been hitting the gym 4 to 5 days a week doing the weight line and treadmill and even taking the Zumba class once a week. Slow going..but definitely going and I figure a good way to get myself into the habit now so I am motivated to get back going once I feel up to it after the surgery. I still have back and forth feelings about it..but I already paid (self-pay here) and I know I made the right decision. I am still wrestling with who I will tell about it, so for right now I have only told my family and my best friend. My 9 year old knows, so I figure she is going to out me eventually anyway..out of the mouths of babes. Anyway I hope everyone is doing well - most of us are less than a month away. Yay!

Hi there! My date is September 1st! I am so looking forward to it. I have the support of my family and my best friend, but I think there is nothing like having the support of people who are going through the same thing. Looking forward to sharing with everyone. ~Michelle

I am a tad older than you, but other than a C-Section, I haven't had any other sugeries and none that they put you under anesthesia for. I think my only worry is the tube they put down your throat. Is it terribly painful for a while after? Also, I am also going on September 1st. A great way to start the month! Here we go~ Michelle~

I had my consultation on July 9th. My doctor told me to lose 10-15 pounds before my pre-op visit which is August 27th. So far I have lost 10 (I went back to the gym and started watching the calories). I have to be on a liquid diet for just about a week, but I don't have all the guidelines yet.

Hi and congrats! My surgery date is September 1st. At first I felt like it was really far away, but September will be here in less than a month. I think I am ready though...just a few more things to buy to be ready for recovery time. Cheers from Florida! Michelle~