Long time lurker, first time poster with surgery date!

[Megan9463 0]

After waiting on pins and needles since May, I am approved for surgery. The call for approval was far less dramatic than I thought it would be, but I was happy for the good news. It's kind of weird, because the first reaction I had was "Whoah...what did I do???". I think that's a natural reaction, at least I hope it is!!

Now I have a bunch of things on my "to do" list. Can I find a shake that I won't gag drinking? Can I get the strength to follow through will all that is needed? Is my life going to be so different that I won't be happy? Will my loving hubby be annoyed that we'll never again eat the same meal? How am I going to get through work lunches and dinners? When people ask how I lost the weight, do I tell them I had surgery? Will I be a success story or a failure story?

I hope that I can find the answers before surgery, but what if I can't? I guess I'll be abandoning the organized planner side to my personality and start living in the world of "TBD"...any advice would be appreciated!!:thumbup:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

After waiting on pins and needles since May, I am approved for surgery. The call for approval was far less dramatic than I thought it would be, but I was happy for the good news. It's kind of weird, because the first reaction I had was "Whoah...what did I do???". I think that's a natural reaction, at least I hope it is!!

Now I have a bunch of things on my "to do" list. Can I find a shake that I won't gag drinking? Can I get the strength to follow through will all that is needed? Is my life going to be so different that I won't be happy? Will my loving hubby be annoyed that we'll never again eat the same meal? How am I going to get through work lunches and dinners? When people ask how I lost the weight, do I tell them I had surgery? Will I be a success story or a failure story?

I hope that I can find the answers before surgery, but what if I can't? I guess I'll be abandoning the organized planner side to my personality and start living in the world of "TBD"...any advice would be appreciated!!:thumbup:

Welcome and good luck! I think that you'll find like many of us that the changes aren't that drastic. Except for getting thinner and healthier. I still eat what my husband does (when I want to) I just don't eat as much as he does. :laugh:

Telling is personal and whatever you decide will undoubtedly work for you. Get through the preop and post op diets .... don't cheat (they are finite, you can do it) and then let it all unfold. It will be marvelous!

[Megan9463 0]

Thank you for your reply! I've tried a couple of Protein Shakes but haven't found one I liked...any suggestions?

You're done such a great job with weight loss! Any secrets you can share? Did you tell people when you had the surgery? All of my family and close friends have been VERY supportive, so it may not be a big deal...I guess I just have to wait and see!!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

My doc "strongly recommended" EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE shakes and I use them...I don't LOVE them but they are just a Protein shake...I didn't expect to really like any of them!

My "secret" is I don't snack (boy was that hard!) I eat anything I want to during a meal (lasts 30 min and no more) then no snacking. It is working so far!

And I am a "teller"...I've told everyone. It was a little hard because I didn't really start losing until this May when i hit my sweet spot, but it's just not in me to keep it to myself. Everyone has been great, supportive, some have been curious (for themselves or a loved one) no one has been nasty, hateful etc. That's my personality though. I can't imagine anyone saying, to my face, that this is the easy way out etc (and some other BS I've read people are told).

I'm a friendly outgoing type but pretty smart and usually the one people ask advice of, not give advice to! LOL So telling works. But it's individual!

[Megan9463 0]

I tried EAS, but couldn't drink the whole shake! I just ordered samples of unjury, maybe that will work! I know that I'm going to stick with the pre and post op diets...I just HAVE to!!

I'm totally a "teller", too! I've told all of my family and most of my friends, it's more just clients and customers that I'm worried about. I'm in a senior position in sales, so lunches and dinners are commonplace. In fact, the first day of my pre-op diet there's a work lunch with a high level executive in my company.

If the "tell or not tell" issue is the only one I have, I'll be in very good shape, LOL!!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Until you get restriction (and once you're through the post op healing phase diet) eating out won't really be a problem...some people make a production of ordering of the kid's menu etc...but you can just eat like a female and it'll work! Not drinking with meals is NBD for me..if you don't mention it most people won't even notice. Sometimes I'll even say "this iced tea was so good but I'm stuffed...can I have a "to go" glass for it?

One thing though; when we eat out I eat more slider type foods...I don't pick something that I think might get stuck. So for Mexican I go cheese enchiladas (I can eat most of one) , no fajitas (for example) but you'll find what works for you!

OH get some Papaya enzymes (if you haven't already heard of them)

They are tablets with papain (and some, like my formulation I have, has cellulase and lipase) it aids in digestion and can help resolve many "stuck" episodes (depending on how badly you are "stuck") without you having to PB or vomit the food back up. So if you are out and feel "irky" discreetly chewing a couple can really really help!

Just be careful not to be talking and forget to chew well! It'll become second nature fairly soon!

Edited August 9, 2009 by RestlessMonkey

[greytz 4]

You may want to try nectar by Syntax. They have a website under the name Syntax. You can google it. The powder's are called Nectar and they have several different varieties. I love the truffle because it is chocolate of course but they are so smooth and creamy it is amazing. I drink them with skim milk.

[Hopeful in Maine 0]

I am due to be banded on August 25th. The protien shake that I like and actually have been drinking prior is Carnation SF Instant Breakfast with skim milk. I have also purchased Unjury and another type from Bariatric Eating.com to try. I'll keep you posted as I start my pre-op 2 weeks on Tuesday.

[Megan9463 0]

Thanks, Grey and Hopeful! Best of luck when you start your pre-op on Tuesday, hopeful I'd love to hear how it's going for you...I start my pre-op 8 days after you!

[WOWOX7 0]

Megan,

You can do this, trust me.... you have to want it more than anything else in the world. To be healthy, and live longer... hell yes.

The first 9 months, I was very restrictive on what I ate.. as in starches, Snacks, ect. I did this to lose the weight, and I was going to succeed. Now I am more relaxed and have been slowly adding back into my diet. I still eat pretty much what I fix my boyfriend for supper, just not the quanities and the starches.

As for the Protein Drink, I use the EAS Protein Drinks you can get at Walmart. I get the one with the lower Protein count. I found, FOR ME..... it works so much better to sip it through out the day. I had one open in the fridge, and every time I thought about it , I would take a sip. At the begining,, I of course drank two or three a day. If I drank it all at once, I did tend to have diarreah. Siping it sure helped that.

Not only am I a teller,, I am a shower... I took pics along my journey, and keep them in my purse, IF someone seems really interested once I tell them I did the band. I will show them the pics.. Sounds weird, but when I look at myself in the mirror or just looking down,, I still see myself as larger, but in pics... I see the NEW ME.

Good luck, you can do it.. just make up your mind to give it your all... and....... FOLLOW THE BAND RULES.

LOIS

[nkara 0]

is it a major problem with getting "stuck" I actually hadn't heard of that before.

Has anyone tried muscle milk shakes? They taste pretty good. Not sure if that's allowed?

[okiegirl79 1]

I have not been banded yet, waiting for all of the hoops to come around so I can jump through them...lol. I have done Protein Shakes before, and I really like the Isalean shakes made by Isagenix. They are a bit pricey but cheaper than buying a bunch and throwing them away! I have tried several and am hoping that my surgeon says it is okay for shake portion. I guess it is a matter of taste...I tried Muscle Milk before and the Muscle Milk Light and I did not like them.

[Megan9463 0]

THANK YOU all for your insights!!

[skinnyjeans 2]

I like the muscle milk light. No problems with them at all. Didn't like EAS. Also like Atkins