mandilou

On my clear liquid diet today - surgery is tomorrow! When drinking my chicken broth for lunch, all I could picture was when on Arrested Development, Lindsay made Buster "hot ham water" - ick. I did enjoy my sugar free popsicle though!

Linda I think your emotions are totally normal. To make a decision to restrict ourselves, when we have made it a lifestyle to indulge - is a scary thing. Not to mention that many of us are emotional eaters, or tend to use food to make us feel "full" in emotional ways as well. Feeling that emptiness can be scary for us. It's important that you have a therapist you're comfortable with that you can open up to about the frustrations, issues, fears, etc. I love my therapist and my surgeon even requires a one month and three month post-op visit with him to make sure everything is copacetic. Keep in mind too, that you can always use a blog, journal, or this board to sound off or get feedback on things. And I'm sure your surgeon's office has resources as well. Good luck!!

Two days! OMG! I've put myself on a self-imposed pre-op diet, and I was happy to learn at my pre-surgery physical that I'm down the weight I had to lose before surgery. Now of COURSE OF COURSE I'm hitting my TOTM and I'm a little worried that my bloat will put me up over my target weight again. Dang it! Hopefully the surgeon is somewhat understanding. Today is my last day of solid foods before surgery - tomorrow is all clear liquids! I'm gonna be a crabby ******!

Shannon - you'll be okay! Just take one major leap at a time! First, surgery!!! We're both getting banded on Wednesday, and that's a big hurdle! Once the band is in place, and you're recovering from surgery - THEN you can worry about fills. I officially forbid you from worrying about fills yet.

CONGRATS! Mine is next Wednesday!!

Congrats, Debora! I'm so happy for you! Glad to hear it's going well - and good to know about the protein. I definitely plan on making it my top priority nutritionally.

I'm getting banded June 29. I will not yet be eating solids on July 13 - the day I'm going to be in a team meeting all morning, and at a baseball game all afternoon/into dinner. I was thinking I could do a protein shake for breakfast and lunch - but any suggestions for during the game? Maybe I won't be hungry at all (here's to hoping) - but if Bandster Hell is setting in at that point, I'd like some ideas for a snack I could smuggle in. Although I'm pretty sure sugar-free pudding wouldn't travel well in a ziploc.

I'm June 29th - and I realized that I have eight days left. EIGHT DAYS. After YEARS of hoop jumping! If I think too hard about it I start to get really nervous. So I'm trying to focus on exercise, pre-op eating, and making hospital pre-post arrangements. EEk!

Thank you guys for the suggestions! It will be hard to watch my entire team eat beer & hot dogs at the game, but I know this is WAY worth it in the long run. I think I might just do as you suggest - and bring some Protein powder in and mix it w/ bottled Water. We'll be outside, on the field in bleachers - it's minor league ball - so if the powder spills or it gets a little messy I'll be fine. I was mildly concerned that my coworkers would ask why I wasn't drinking/eating - but a few know I'm getting banded, so it's not a huge secret. I just didn't want it to get awkward. I may just drink a shake before I leave for the game, then just have water at the game to keep me full. The Crystal Lite Protein Drink is a good idea too - maybe just enough to tide me over and get me home. Thanks again!

I haven't been banded yet (1.5 weeks! eek!) but my husband has lost about 60lbs (no wls, just on his own) and I've lost about 40 from my heaviest. The weight loss makes a big difference - we both like how much closer we're able to get (physically), which makes it more intimate. And frankly - the man is looking hot these days. And he reads this forum so he'll probably see this sooner or later.

The caffeine piece is more interesting to me. A lot of people on here regularly consume coffee (fully caffeinated at that) and don't have problems. I read it's because the caffeine can cause ulcers (same reason we can't take anything but Tylenol for pain). Now, my surgeon's are more conservative, so perhaps coffee in moderation is fine. But I am definitely more concerned about being sans caffeine than sans carbonation. The carbonation expanding the pouch to a degree makes sense as well - and it does cause some gas. Given the thread I just read about increased burping/farting - I think I'll stay away from it for a while.

At my pre-op class, the nurse said people can not go for as long as 4 or 5 days after surgery just because there isn't anything to come out - remember you'll be on clear liquids the day before surgery to a day after - and then just "whole liquids". I also asked about constipation, and she laughed and said it's more likely you'd have a problem with the OPPOSITE of constipation.

Awesome! I'm not in your area, but I just made this a goal for myself! I'm getting banded at the end of this month, and I want to compete in one about a year from now. I haven't heard much about the Warrior Dash - is that less than 12 miles? Might be a good mid-point goal for me. The idea of doing this excites me WAY MORE than a marathon.

I'm scared of being skinny too! It's a little scary being so "out there" when we've been covered up by the fluff for so long! haha That's why I'm being sure to follow up with a therapist as I lose weight, to make sure my head's in the best place it can be.

neveragain? You okay over there? LOL We're taking bets on whether the first video killed you. I'm getting insanity next week - a little intense for me at first, perhaps. But I will "lose" into it.

Woo hoo! Had my pre-surgery class this morning. Good information! One big hurdle is that I have a vertical hood piercing, and I was worried about taking it out completely. So I had to ask a nurse and one of the ladies in the office (slightly embarrassing) about putting in a plastic retainer or changing my jewelry from metal to something else. No one knew the answer, so they're asking the surgeon (**die of embarrassment**). Hopefully though I won't have to take it out completely, because while I love it, I don't want to have to get it done again, either. I still have 5lbs exactly to lose before surgery date. I asked about a pre-op diet, because none is required by them. Their thought is that they want to get you used to eating properly on your own without a restrictive diet, per se. Either way, they did have one they gave me - it's not all liquid or anything, and maybe some of you would like to try it also if needed: BREAKFAST: Low Carb or No Sugar Added Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed with 8oz. skim milk LUNCH: Low calorie frozen meal (Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc.) SNACK: Small piece of fruit OR raw vegetables OR 6oz. light yogurt DINNER: Low calorie frozen meal SNACK: Small piece of fruit OR 8oz skim milk OR raw vegetables **Drink 48-64oz of calorie free, caffeine free, non-carbonated beverages **Start taking a Multivitamin with Iron **sugar free Jello and sugar free Popsicles are allowed **6oz V8 juice per day is allowed **Gradually increase exercise routine Hope that helps to all of you looking for something a little more structured to drop the final LBs before surgery. I'm going to start that Saturday, as I need to grocery shop. GOOD LUCK to those of you whose dates are coming up soon!

How has it gone so far? I'm curious and intrigued.

So as I near surgery I'm looking for ways to really optimize my nutrition, and also create a situation where I can get myself back into very athletic shape. Aside from exercise - which I'm already doing but excited to step up as I lose weight - I'm interested in supplementing. I do a daily Vitamin, Vitamin D, Iron, and B12 right now (I trend very vitamin D deficient, and am even on 50k IUs 3x a week until surgery). I'm VERY interested in coconut oil - first started researching it for animals, but realized after reading that it's great for people too. Are any of you using it? Bodybuilding sites recommend it as a great post-workout supplement that can raise insulin and help in muscle recovery and fat metabolism. It can also be thermogenic (every little bit helps, I suppose). Any other supplements you recommend? I also read about supplementing the coconut oil with Vitamin E, since Vit E is used to process the coconut oil, so you have to replace what you use. I suppose I could just go to a nutritionist down the road, but I thought I'd cast the net out first.

Recipes, please! My surgery is June 29, and now that I'm newly single and moving towards my best lifestyle - I want to move to a vegetarian/vegan diet. I'm a huge animal rights advocate, and hate factory farming - I want to start walking the walk! Thanks!

I'm Mandi! 33, legally separated/divorce pending. 5'9". Getting banded on June 29. Grew up in Detroit. Lived in WA for a year, now in Minneapolis. No kids. Dog & two kitties not withstanding.

This is a fear of mine as well. It is a bit of a double-edged sword to bust your butt to get down to a reasonable goal weight - only to still be disappointed in what you're looking at in the mirror! As a newly single girl (separated/divorce pending), I worry a lot that I'll lose my weight, then won't want to go out with anyone new because I'll look like a melting marshmallow. From everything I've read and heard, the Protein component is a new one. I'll have to take that into consideration. But I'm with Jachut - I think it comes down to exercise, genetics... and let's not forget time. When you first hit your goal after losing a considerable amount of weight - your skin MAY snap back to a degree as it "refits" itself around your smaller frame. So don't judge your body (ha - who am I kidding?) too harshly right away - allow yourself time to become the "new" you. Also, I imagine lots of Water would help too - since it's no secret that plenty of water intake increases your skin's elasticity. And while it's a crapshoot, products with peptides in them are made to increase collagen and elastin production - perhaps that would help too? Of course, most peptides are in eye cream - so have fun rubbing eye cream all over your thighs and belly.

I think someone started a thread similar to this not long ago - but this is a busy board and I can't seem to find it! Sorry for re-posting, if that's the case. Anywho - I do not have a pre-op diet, and my surgery is June 29. I've been thinking about doing a self-imposed pre-op diet - even if it's just for a few days before surgery, just to give myself a little kickstart, prepare for the much lower food volume post-op, shrink the liver, etc. I've lost my pre-op weight requirement (the key now is to not "reward" myself too much before surgery haha). Any thoughts? Could you all share your pre-op diets on here so I could pick something that might work? I'd appreciate the help! Thank you! And good luck to all of you so close to surgery!

Justin, I have over 100lb to loose as well. Not for a second did my physician think that I couldn't do it with a LapBand. He indicated that his tendency to recommend one procedure over another for his patients was more about their mindset, their willingness to use it as a tool, other life issues (having kids, etc.). He told me about all three procedures, and I firmly chose the LapBand. For so many reasons that have been mentioned on these boards before. You can do it, Justin! It's about your mindset, your ability to see it as a tool and change your life accordingly, and how badly you want it! :-D Good luck!