I'm new too...

[AliciaA122 24]

Hi! A little about me. I am Alicia, 30 years old, from central Virginia, married to a great guy who is very supportive and loving. I am just at the very beginning of this process. I have attended a seminar, done a lot of reading and lurking here, and have an appointment with the surgeon a week from tomorrow. My insurance has the WLS rider.

I am currently around 310. :biggrin: I need to lose a lot of weight, 150+ to be at a normal weight. But, my own personal goal is to be at the 200 mark. I have a number of motivating factors, but the biggest one is to start a family. My husband and I have been trying to conceive (off and on with breaks) for about 2 years. I have an appointment with a fertility specialist in June to find out exactly what is going on with me, though I’m pretty convinced I have PCOS due to all my symptoms. My PCP says I should try to have a baby before WLS, but I want to pursue both concurrently and see where it leads. I know I will have to do a 3-6 month supervised program for insurance purposes, so that will allow me to meet with the fertility specialist and get his opinion.

I’ve probably shared too much. But, that’s me. I look forward to this journey and am excited at the prospect of shedding the pounds.

[PATCHELTON 0]

Congratulations on your decision. I am more than a bit past childbearing age (I am 64) but I remember from group discussions that one of the plusses about the band is that it is adjustable, and if you become pregnant they can loosen it so you can eat for two. Your surgeon can tell you better than I, but I believe what I said is the case. Check with him/her to be sure.

I had to also do the 6 month supervised diet for insurance. I used the time to learn all I could about the band and the surgery. I started coming here November of 2007 (surgery was March 2008) and even prior to that I started going to the support group meetings. You meet people at all stages of pre and post-op, and many of the issues discussed may be issues of interest to you. You can learn a lot. I felt I could almost do my own surgery by the time I actually had it (not really, but I did learn a lot), There are books you can read (I have the Lapband Connection, and the Lapband Companion, and there are others--check at amazon.com)

I also used the time to try out some of the stuff I would need after surgery, like chewable Vitamins (bariatricadvantage.com has a full line). I actually used Centrum Silver chewables and Centrum makes chewables for you young folks. For Calcium supplement I used Twin Labs calcium citrate with Magnesium and D (you will learn that citrate is the best form of Calcium to take, and Vitamin D should be D3 or cholicalciferol). I use Fish Oil, and the capsules are gelcaps and are huge, so after surgery I looked for a liquid and Twin Labs makes Emulsified Omega 3 Fish Oil (not a required supplement for bariatric patients, but a lot of people take it). Both are available online (much cheaper than retail) at vitacost.com and they charge $4.99 shipping for ANY size order.

For Protein drinks, the dietician will likely give you suggestions, but I use Worldwide Protein shakes, available at the Vitamin Shoppe and they have 35g Protein per shake. Individually they are $2.79 each but if you buy a 12 pack it is $27.99 and that is about $2.38 each. They have chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, banana, and Cookies n' Cream (tastes like Oreos). I still carry one every workday and have first thing in the morning. These are ready to drink. There are powders you can buy (unjury.com carries vanilla/chocolate/strawberry/chicken Soup flavors). Some people use EAS or Atkins. There are a bunch out there.

I recently found a fat free yogurt at Trader Joe's that actually boasts 22g protein per cup! It is plain, so I add sugar free preserves to it for the fruit. Fat free yogurt in the grocery store is full of sugar. The last brand I bought had 11g in the container. Dairy has milk sugar so there is a little even in skim milk. This yogurt I found has 6g sugar. I try to minimize sugar, fat, and salt. I don't eat much bread because it doesn't always agree with me, and I don't do low carb so much as try to eat healthy carbs (cereal, salads, etc).

For Snacks I go to kaysnaturals.com. They sell high protein cereals and Snacks in a variety of flavors. You can even arrange to get emailed when they have a special. For Protein Bars I carry Kashi TLC in my purse in case I get hungry and can't get a meal for a while. Not as high in protein as some, but it is much lower in sugar than most, and it takes the edge off if I am getting really hungry.

I use those green storage bags you see advertised and they will keep greens until I can actually finish them. I make a lot of chicken caesar salads with romaine, chicken breasts, hard cooked egg, parmesan cheese and light dressing with fat free croutons. I even devised a crustless pizza so I could enjoy the toppings without the bread crust. PM me if you would like the recipe. I have probably overwhelmed you as it is, but I think knowledge is power. Good luck on your journey.

Edited March 31, 2009 by PATCHELTON

[AliciaA122 24]

Thank you so much! Your post is chock full of very good information. I really appreciate you taking the time to share it with me.

I am hopeful that if my weight is what’s preventing us from conceiving then this surgery will help us.