How are you feeling as date approaches?

[sewenup1 0]

Hi All,

I'm from Australia so things may be done diffferent here, and every Dr has their own way of doing things.:phanvan

I have been on the pre-op diet for 3 weeks now and my surgery is on Dec 3. My pre-op consists of 3 meals of Optifast + 2 cups of low carb veges. :hungry: I am allowed diet soda and diet Jello (I think thats what it's called in USA). After 3-4 days you don't really feel hungry, you just have to deal with the head hunger that tells you that you want more. :rolleyes About this time your body kicks into Ketosis and starts using the fat stored in your body and liver as an energy source. This is why you can lose so much quickly. But the main reason for the diet - in Australia anyway - is to reduce the size of your liver.

Because they have to move the liver out of the way to put the band on they want it to be as small as possible - this minimizes the risk of damaging the liver and of having to resort to a full incision surgery.:cry

We all need to remember that the horror stories that we might read about here are not necessarily going to happen to us. Probably you will find that those people who have been banded for a while and have had no problems rarely post on the bulletin boards. The ones who do are either newbies like us or have problems and need the support of the others here. If you are having no problems you probably just start living your new life.

Like the rest of you I am scared of next Monday, what if it's cancelled for some reason, what if my liver isn't small enough etc. :omg: I have to keep reminding myself that if I don't do anything now I may not be alive to do something later. This is the start of my new life and I want it NOW!

It is going to be hard, the band is only a tool for me to use and it will still be hard slog to lose weight but with my little friend Max (my name for my band - 'MAXimum food - stop now) I will win this war.:whoo::clap2:

Sorry to preach, will stop now - just remember why you chose this path and rejoice in letting out the real you for the whole world to admire!!!

Danna:embarassed:

[christasha 0]

I've noticed you Aussie's tend to name your bands .. . I love it! I'm trying to come up with something "original" and cool .. . but so far - nadda. I'll keep working on it.

Chris

[sewenup1 0]

I've noticed you Aussie's tend to name your bands .. . I love it! I'm trying to come up with something "original" and cool .. . but so far - nadda. I'll keep working on it.

Chris

Yeah, we Aussies name everything - don't know why though.

Danna

[HeavyHeartland 0]

I'm feeling good as my date approaches (12/4).

In the back of my mind I'm wondering if I'll regret not eating more of the foods that I'll never be able to eat again. Like sushi! I keep thinking things like, "aw crap, I should have had a really big steak last week!"

I'm not really too afraid of the surgery, although I'm sure I'll be changing my tune the closer the date comes. My wife had lapband surgery last March and she's lost 130+ pounds, so I know that you can get some dramatic results through lapband. I am inspired by her but I also know us well enough to know we are competitive and so I'm also thinking, I hope I do as well as she did or else I'll be thinking, what am I doing wrong?

I guess you could say I'm mostly excited with just a hint of nervousness.

[Mellis 0]

I'm having mine done on 12/28--and everyday I think of new questions! I know it is nerves--and ready to get on with this!

Mary

[Carolk1 0]

Heavy - I'm Dec 3rd and start my pre-op tomorrow. I just finished my official last supper and I have to say I'm ready for liquids. I have eaten so many last meals this week and believe me I enjoyed everyone of them, but I caught myself in a mirror at Macy's today and holy crap!!! I didn't recoginize myself. I was so disgusted and was thanking God that I am getting banded in a week. I started thinking on my ride home from the store how I shouldn't feel like I'm giving up anything. There are people in this world who are sick and aren't able to eat certain items or drink wine ever again in their lives. I'm only going to be separated from solid foods for the next 7 weeks and then I will be reunited again, but in smaller portions.

So - I'm going into this liquid stage with a new attitude. And like you heavy my husband and I are a bit competive so he is planning on starting Weight Watchers this week. He claims it has nothing to do with me, but I know better.

[HeavyHeartland 0]

... but I caught myself in a mirror at Macy's today and holy crap!!! I didn't recoginize myself. I was so disgusted and was thanking God that I am getting banded in a week.

Funny story. A few months ago at a buffet, I was going up to get more food. As I approached the buffet with my tray I saw out of the corner of my eye this really fat guy. I thought something snarky at the time like, "boy, better that that fat ass go first," or, "better not get between that guy and the food!" When I made eye contact I realized that it was actually my own reflection, caught in a mirror. Talk about an eye opening experience.

In the support group I attended, one of the ladies mentioned how depressed she was at all the foods she can't have. Another woman mentioned that they aren't foods that you can't have, but foods you are choosing not to have. When you put it in perspective like that, I think it makes things a little easier.

[sarah121306 0]

I have gained since I decided to have the surgery as well. I cant get a grasp on why I am thinking and then eating like that. I guess probably NOT thinking is the problem.

[HeavyHeartland 0]

I have gained since I decided to have the surgery as well. I cant get a grasp on why I am thinking and then eating like that. I guess probably NOT thinking is the problem.

I think this is natural. I'm no doctor, but I can see easy explanations for this. One, now that you've decided to have the surgery, it's natural to want to make poor food choices 'one more time' knowing that the surgery will negate those choices. What's the problem with eating a piece of cake (or two, or three) when after the surgery all that weight will drop off? There are probably some other mental things going on here. Perhaps we are sublimitally eating poorly so we can convince ourselves that without the surgery, we can't succeed.

Damn. Now I really want some cake ...

[destiny79 0]

I am the opposite I have lost 12 pound since my first labwork I figure lets start giving it my all now that's weight that will never come back (not like other times time 5) I want start my new heathly life now but my Doctor told me to start winging my self to those better choice believe me I have ate a few last suppers but I have started walking 30 mins my goal after surgery is 45 min 5 days a week.

[HeavyHeartland 0]

Walking is definitely something you can add to any diet, any time. Last year I lost quite a bit of weight by simply limiting my food intake and walking. Sometimes the walking limits the doctors mention seem out of reach, but believe me, anything's better than nothing, and the sooner you start the quicker you will gain momentum. Good for you for starting already!

I have found MP3 players sure make my walking time go a bit quicker. I've been alternating between Podcasts and plain 'ol music lately. Both do the job.

[Cerrin 3]

:eek:after reading post here about people not losing, are taking a year to lose 25 months I am a little worried I was a lot more confident until I started reading others. but I am a lot younger and more active them most of them, I wonder if its from them not changer there eating habits my Dr. said I should loos about 1-3 pounds a week if I don't its because I am doing too much snacking. so I am a little scare that I would be stuck with a port and not lose any weight but I am ready for the challenge

I was told in the seminar. if you have 100 lbs to lose they try to keep you at 1 lb a week 200 lbs 2lbs per week 300 3lbs per week. as a rough estimate.

They said they dont want you losing too much too quick because of the malabsorption issues.

My doctor told me that if I only lose 50 lbs and keep it off then she will be thrilled. I wont be but she will be.

Everyone tells me you lose quicker to start off. then you have to really work for the rest.

I dont own a scale and I am thinking I should buy one for christmas.

[HeavyHeartland 0]

I was told in the seminar. if you have 100 lbs to lose they try to keep you at 1 lb a week 200 lbs 2lbs per week 300 3lbs per week. as a rough estimate. They said they dont want you losing too much too quick because of the malabsorption issues.

My doctor told me that if I only lose 50 lbs and keep it off then she will be thrilled. I wont be but she will be. Everyone tells me you lose quicker to start off. then you have to really work for the rest.

While I know everyone's results vary, my wife has lost 133 pounds in six months. She has stuck strictly to the diet, and exercises approximately three times a week. Recently her doctor told her that she needs to up her Protein intake, so that may slow things down a bit.

It is true that it's not a good idea to lose all the weight at once, but sometimes it just drops off you. Maybe of us have been eating way more calories than we need, so by simply limiting those calories you are going to see some loss. About a year ago I read Jared's book (the Subway guy) and although he did lose a lot of weight switching to Subway sandwiches, he said that before he did that he was taking in approx. 12,000 calories a day. He could have switched to eating one chocolate cake a day and still lost weight at that point.

I dont own a scale and I am thinking I should buy one for christmas.

I bought one of these off of eBay about a year ago and I love it. It's a talking scale, and it is for plus-sized people so it goes up (I think mine goes up to 440 pounds. With shipping and whatnot I think mine was around $50. Here's an example of one line I bought: eBay Link

[Carolk1 0]

As the date approaches - I feel eerily calm. It's almost weird it's as if I'm going to be heading to the hospital monday, come home tuesday, be a little uncomfortable, but plan to take it easy, but continue with my life, i.e. work from home via my laptop and drink my Water and liquids. I told my boss I needed a few days off, he told me take a week I said, why I will do emails wed - Fri no need to take off....I hope I'm not kidding myself, but I am really approaching this as it's a blip in my life and once I get banded I will just be starting another phase of improving my life to be more balanced and healthy....Almost uneventful! We'll see how I feel Monday morning on the way to the hospital...I could be singing a whole different tune ..LOL

[Mellis 0]

I'm far from being calm!! I'm nervous, excited, anxious--everything BUT calm! My surgery date isn't until 12/28--I set that date intentionally because I own a quilt shop and this is my busiest time for machine quilting(and I am so busy that I have no business being on the computer!). But the waiting is getting to me--I almost wish I had gone ahead and done it before--course I wouldn't be working to get the money to pay for it if I had! It's a constant circle!!

Mary