juno610

I thought you all might get a kick out of this... My mom was telling my 89 year old grandma about my surgery. My grandma mulls it over for a second and then says, "Well, I think she should just wear a girdle!" A girdle?!?! LOL! My mom said, "Yeah, I don't think that would quite do the trick." Too much. Gotta love the grandmas! 2 more weeks! So glad you already-banded peeps are doing so well! Maria

Shues - as far as alcohol goes, the only things I am not allowed are beer and champagne (the carbonation thing). I too am looking forward to a glass of wine! I was told to keep it in moderation though -- a basic weightloss thing -- alcohol calories add up too! Maria

Jen -- glad to hear you are doing so well! Yay mushies! I know what you mean about looking forward to those foods. I'm on Optifast right now, so I'm actually looking forward to my post-op week of liquids, just so I can have some juice and yogurt drinks! Maria

Good morning January bandsters! Just checking in :target: I am 1 1/2 weeks into my 4 week pre-op. Down 6.5 more pounds. Not bad, eh? I'm hitting a rough spot today though. I think I may treat myself to some vegetables. I still have so much time to go -- can't give up now! One nice thing... DH and I are treating ourselves to a movie out tonight. We hardly ever do that because it's so expensive, but I figure we're saving a TON by not going out to eat. I think it's justified Stay strong everyone! This month is just going to fly by and, before you know it, we'll all be official bandsters! Maria

Kristi and Jen -- so excited for you! You'll both be in my thoughts tomorrow :girl_hug: Maria

Rsbell - my date twin! Glad to hear you are back in the game! To the rest of my January bandsters... I am officially done with 1 week of my pre-op! I lost a little over 2lbs. I had expected more, but I also haven't been exercising (bad me!). I am getting back on that horse today though. As soon as DH is awake, we're heading off to the gym. So far, the Optifast hasn't been too bad. I haven't been hungry and the sugar cravings haven't been too bad. The worst part is the salt craving! I have never been one to add salt to food, but I guess when you're not getting much in general... whew! The Optifast chicken soup has been great -- I look forward to it every night. I was joking with a gal at work that I was about ready to suck on a cube of boullion! Gross! LOL! Anyway... I will add my little bio here too. I am 30 years old and mom to three cats. My 1st wedding anniversary is coming up on January 7th -- needless to say, we'll be eating that wedding cake a bit later on. I am finishing up a Masters in Exercise Science, and I work in non-invasive cardiology. We do stress testing and holter monitors, and cardiac rehab. So, if you ever have any questions about that stuff, I'm your girl! I've been fighting my weight since I was 18. Up, up, up! Finally, I feel like I have some hope to go down, down, down! I dream of one day getting into a little more of the fitness aspect of my field. I have always held back because I didn't feel like I would be taken seriously. Helps to look the part, right? Would you believe I am also a certified personal trainer? Just goes to show, we all have our own demons. I'm so excited for all you guys having surgery this coming week! Can't wait to hear reports! Maria

Hey gang! Well, today was day 2 of my 4-week pre-op Optifast diet. So far, so good. I can honestly say that I have not been hungry. I'm allowed 8 products per day (yesterday had 7, today 6), and don't really feel like I need that much! I'm trying to get them in as best as possible. I did the math and with all 8, it's still only 1400 calories. I'm sure there a tough days down the road. I'm just thankful for an easy start. I also treated myself to a new exercise contraption at Target yesterday (had to get there for the 1/2 off Christmas wrap LOL!). I got a mini version of the The TransFIRMer System. That experiment begins tomorrow! Wish me luck! Maria

Merry Christmas! Cindy: I know what you mean about not seeing yourself the way everyone else does. In my thin years, I always thought I was fat. Now that I actually am fat, I never quite saw myself as big as I really am. I also realized today that we have only 2 small mirrors in our house. Not surprising really -- but a real eye-opener as to how our inner thoughts can creep into our outer actions and environment when we don't even realize it! I guess maybe the mirror count in my house will be a testament to how successful I am! LOL! Audree: I didn't eat too much this weekend either, though I did drink my share of wine! Seeing as how I'm off alcohol for at least the next 6 weeks, there was no way I was missing out! Hi to Rose and Ted too! Maria

Audree: I know how you feel! I have been allowing myself to eat out more than usual the past couple weeks. I think I probably gained 5 or 6 pounds. Not tragic, but still more to lose. Don't beat up on yourself though! We've got to stay positive! Cindy: It is so awesome to have you here. I love reading your posts! Maria

Hi all. I'm so bummed right now -- this is a total shameless plea for sympathy! Since I'll be in the middle of my pre-op diet for our 1st wedding anniversary, DH and I were going to celebrate tonight with dinner out and some wedding cake (which my MIL did a fab job wrapping and freezing). Well, last night I woke up at 2:30am ralphing my brains out. Food poisoning. Great! I'm trying to think positive, as in #1) my pre-op starts a bit early now, because I can't imagine pigging out on christmas cookies all weekend with my stomach like this, and #2) a couple months from now when we DO get to do the wedding cake thing, I'll only need a little bite to satisfy and save some calories! Oh yeah, I forgot #3) I get to stay home on the couch and watch movies instead of going to work! LOL Hope everyone is hanging in there. I'm insanely jealous of all you that only have to do a week or two of pre-op! Maria

Lavette: you crack me up! Ariel: I like your rewards! I'm going to steal your idea and make a similar reward schedule for myself!

Hi group! This thread is getting so huge already! I'm so glad we have a big crowd for January. My exercise regimen is totally in the toilet this week. I think it's just Christmas coming up around the bend. Plus, I am working 2 extra days this week, which didn't help with trying to get all my shopping/chores/etc done! I was telling a nurse at work today about surgery, and she was so so excited for me. She kept saying how proud she was of me. Really warms the heart to get that kind of reaction, ya know? Hope everyone's doing well. 5 more days till pre-ops starts! Maria

Hi Vicki! It's great to have another Dr. Deol patient on this thread! My first consultation with her was Nov 8. I was told I would not be scheduled until I had every last one of my appointments completed and all test results reported to the office. My appointments included 2 nutritionist appts, 2 psychologist appts, med clearance with PCP, Upper GI, and bloodwork. I finished all this on December 12, and they were able to schedule me that day. So, it took about a month to get my date. Everyone's appointment schedule is different. I was lucky enough to get out of the sleep study and a few other things based on my history. The other really important thing is how many weeks you have to be on Optifast. I probably could've had it sooner, but I have to do 4 weeks of Optifast. I also decided to start that after Christmas, so I wouldn't be an irritable mess for the holidays! Please feel free to private message me anytime! Can't wait to hear how things are progressing for you! Dr. Deol is wonderful and so is her whole team. I am very happy with my experience so far. Maria

I second the previous poster. I have heard about so many different variations. Personally, I have to do 4 weeks of Optifast starting 12/26.

Hi Stacy! Glad to see another person active in the Michigan forum. We need some more action here! So, where are you in the process? Maria

Hi everyone! My pre-op diet officially starts 12/26. I was thinking about how that is a mere 10 more days of eating like the average person. I don't feel like I'm having any extreme "last supper" moments, but just eating out alot. I LOVE to eat out! I know I will have to cut that out for awhile (just in the name of eating healthier foods), so I'm enjoying some old favorites while I can! As for exercise, I'm doing a variety of tapes at home 3 times per week. I can't wait till I drop some poundage and exercise gets easier! Maria

This is great! I love that we have a big group here for January!

Am I the only one who has to do an intense pre-op diet? :grouphug:

Hi Felicia! I'm new here too. At first I didn't tell anyone except my parents and DH about the band because I was afraid of all the possible negativity. I decided to take a chance and told a few close friends and a few coworkers. The result? I was overwhelmed with how excited everyone was for me. I so far haven't had any super-negative feedback. Only one friend was sort of "funny" about it, but she was still very supportive. This was my experience, and I'm so glad it worked out that way. I guess my advice is to do what feels right for you -- there's no rules about who you have to tell and who not to. Maria

Tonya - you are going to be one busy girl that week! Whew! I had over a month to do all that! LOL Also, I saw you asked someone else about pre-op diets, so I thought I'd just pipe in here on that. I have to do Optifast for 4 weeks pre-op (shakes, bars, and soups). I won't be having much of a New Year's Eve celebration this year, but with this big of a carrot dangling in front of me, I think I can suck it up! Maria

I'll be banded January 22nd! Whee! Thanks, angy, for pointing me to this thread! Maria

Hi fellow Michiganders! I am just so excited I had to tell you all -- I am officially to be banded on January 22, 2007!! My surgeon is Dr. Deol in Troy. I start Optifast the day after Christmas! Hope you all are doing well! I'd love to hear updates from everyone! Maria

Hi April! The consultation did go well. Now I'm just working on getting all my appointments done. I have to do 4 weeks of Opti-fast pre-surgery, so that'll probably be over Christmas -- yikes! I meet with the nutritionist this Tuesday, so we'll see what she thinks about that. Looks like you are doing well! How do you feel about the whole thing so far? Maria

Hi Wendiss! I'm still here I have my first consultation with my surgeon today. I am so anxious to get all my pre-op done so we can get the show on the road! Maria

Dr. Deol mentioned briefly last night at the seminar that the length of the pre-op diet depended on BMI. Mine is 45 --can anyone give me an idea of how long I'll have to do the Optifast? Maria