Bklynike

Well, I was at the gym tonight. I had a horrible day at work and my right knee was bothering me, but I got on the treadmill and walked .88 miles. I did about 20 minutes on the sit-stepper and 12 minutes on the sci-fit machine. I just wasn't able to do as much as I wanted to do. But, I will make up for it on Sunday. Got a call from my surgeon's office today to confirm my appointment on Monday at 9:15. I am so excited - I am so ready for this. Have a great weekend everyone.

I will be banded on June 21st, which is my actual birthday. I am calling it my Re-Birthday! I was supposed to be banded on December 21st, but got breast cancer and needed a mastectomy, which I had on 1/5/10 instead. I am now cancer free and working really hard to get thinner each and every day. Life is great! I am so excited and thankful, although I am paying for the surgery myself. My insurance company has an exclusion to anything having to do with weight loss. Doesn't that suck? Dr. Bass in Hollywood, Florida is supposed to be one of the best, let's hope so. I say horray for each and everyone of us.

I agree. Speak with your doctor when it is all said and done, but in the meantime, get the right meds and get youself feeling better.

You are doing great. Whether you lose 5 lbs or 1/2 lb, you are losing and heading right towards your goal of a healther life. I can't believe 1 week out and you are already eating. My surgery is on 6/21 and my surgeon will keep me on a liquid then a full liquid diet for about 3 weeks. You are right about this site. I have been told by everyone attending my support groups that journaling is the most important thing you can do. I choose to blog and am enjoying reading other peoples journey. Best of luck.

How wonderful that your family is paying for your surgery, but even more that they are extending your life. My insurance company will not pay for any part of my surgery (6/21), but in a way my mom is paying for it. She passed away 1 year ago and left me enough money to have the surgery. Good luck to you and be very proud of yourself for doing it.

Congrats and a big YOU GO GIRL! Keep up the good work. It will be hard, but we are all in it for the same reasons. Better health, better weight, longer life. Just had surgery and already on the computer - that is inspiring. My surgery is on 6/21 - I hope I am doing as well that evening.

Congratulations. I can't wait to hear those words. Keep up the good work. Any advise for someone who has yet to be banded (6/21/10)?

Hubby and I were at the gym tonight. I am up to 1.28 miles on the treadmill and 1/2 hour on 2 other machines. I feel exhausted, excited and just so happy I started this process. While I know the exercise will help in the long run, without the lap-band I know the weight will not come off. The diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, knee and back pain, etc., etc. will continue. But with the lap-band, eating the correct way and the exercise - I have a winning combination. Has anyone got any good Protein smoothie recipes?

My girlfriend had her band done 2 years ago. She took me today to the only store in our area of S. Florida that sells bariatric supplies and lets you taste the product prior to purchasing. I can tolerate the Isopur waters, which are high in protein, and Inspire melon flavored protein mix. I am not a chocolate person, I always prefer vanilla but I really disliked the vanilla products this store carried. I will have to search around to find the right blend of proteins that I can tolerate. Any ideas?:smile:

Had my pre-op education class tonight with RN Arlene. She was great. There were 5 other women in the class. 2 were having gastric bypass, the rest of use lap-band. One of the lap-band people was obviously not really into the whole thing. She didn't even have the common courtesy to shut her phone off, which kept ringing and playing some obnoxious child sing-song. But anyway, we got our binders to keep all of our meeting notes and handouts in one place. We discussed the protein options and what to expect the day of and the days following surgery. I am really excited and so thankful that this surgery is an option to me, even though I am paying for it. I learned how important journaling is and will definately be keeping a food diary. I have now attending 3 separate groups, but have not run into any of the same people. I would love to form some bonds with other people from my area, since we would have so much in common. The journey continues.:rolleyes2:

Hey WB, thanks for the tip on Protein+. Yes, we have Costco, but I am not a member. My husband and I are going to make smoothies tonight to see if I can better tolerate the protein mix with a little bit of frozen berries in it. He seems to think so. We bought a blender today that crushes ice, so we can experiment up until my banding. We are going to write down recipes. It is something we can do together. Well, keep up the good work and thanks again for the great tip.

Congratulations to you! Although Brad Pitt might have been nice. Enjoy your journey.

Did your doctor give you any reason other than the X-ray part? Is this a one-time deal just to make sure the band is in the right position? Is it because your insurance company will only pay if it is done in the hospital? I am surprised your doctor's office didn't inform you previously, but with all of the information they have probably been giving you, perhpas you were told but forgot? Don't be upset - I know it is easy for me to say, but you are doing great. A 30lb loss in such a short amount of time is amazing. Just keep up what you have been doing and you will continue to do really well. I would follow up with the doctor's office manager to see if this is normal procedure and if they do it that way every fill. Good luck to you.

Best thing to do is ask your doctor's office. they will turn you on to the company they use. Good luck.

Since I haven't been banded yet, I can't say from personal knowledge. But everything I have been reading here at this site and from the paperwork my surgeon has given me it sounds as if the band is too tight. You might want to speak with your surgeon. No one wants to be flying high, losing weight but feeling sick. Good luck and keep up the great weight loss.

Today's nutritionist meeting went very well. I learned a lot about the 70-80 grams of protein I will be allowed each day and the 64 oz of water I will have to drink. I also found out I had lost 3 lbs. Tonight's support group meeting surprised me that there were only 3 other women at the meeting. 3 of us are having Lap-Band, while one very nice woman is having the sleeve. I understand that journal writing, or in my case blogging and reading other people accounts of their journey are very helpful. So, if you have any good suggestions, please make them.

Don't get frustrated. I am sure it took you a long time to put the weight on, it is going to take a while to take it off. I have not been banded yet, but my doctor says you must eat enough to prevent your body from thinking it is starving itself. Listen to New Michelle, she seems to know what she is talking about. Good luck and keep moving forward. It will happen for you.

Tomorrow I start the process and I can't wait. I have a 10:30 appointment with the nutritionist. Then at 5:00 I will be attending a group support meeting entitled "Relaxation into your Journey". My exercise plan has been working out really well at the gym. I didn't want to join an LA Fitness or one of those other types of gyms, so we joined the fitness center affiliated with my hospital. It is wonderful - I am actually up to 1.25 miles on the treadmill and 30 minutes of cardio on other machines. I know I can do this. I know the lap-band is going to change my life. I am so happy today - I am cancer free and getting banded. Wow, who would have thought.:smile:

Thanks to those of you who are so giving and willing to share. I am so excited about my surgery and am looking forward to a new, healthier life. I love hearing about how everyone is enjoying their experience and I have learned so much. Thanks for helping me grow and I'll keep checking in to see how you are all doing. We are all working towards the same goal and I am thrilled to have friends here to share with.

I have never been a blogger. I only recently joined Facebook because my friends kept bugging me to. I really don't spend too much time at it. But, this site has been different. I don't know if anyone is interested in what I have been up to, but it makes me feel better to have some kind of log of my weight loss journey. My mom just died last year - Thurs will actually be the 1st anniversary of her passing. I am recovering from breast cancer - 4 months in remission - yea me. I am so excited about my lap-band surgery, coming June 21st - my birthday. I come here and read through everyone elses blogs to see what they have been experiencing in hopes that I will learn something. Last week someone wrote that they were cheating before they even had the surgery. I wrote to them in hopes of helping them when I got a very rude message back from the person I accidentally emailed. She could have just told me of my error, but instead was very rude. I hope never to get like that. We are a family here - albeit a family of strangers. We all have the same goals and dreams, to lose weight and get healthier. So to those of you who will be getting the surgery I truly wish you the best of luck. To those of you who have had the surgery, I hope you can keep up the same momentum you first had when you originally got banded.:smile:

Well, you certainly had a rough week, but you still lost 8lbs. You are doing great. I hope these rough patches pass you by and you can get back to what is really important. Your good health. You have taken such a huge step, keep moving forward.