eightcupsofgravy

This one is for littleroo. This surgery is a life changing experience. I'm not just talking all of the fluffy-happy stuff. You have to be mentally strong if you truly are going to go through with this. Your lifestyle must completely change. You probably know this since you have said that you have read Dr. Ortiz's book; but take it from me, if you are going to follow all of the rules the nutritionist has set forth for you, it is a trek. You essentially will not touch solids for one month, that sounds easy, because you have this tiny stomach, but mentally it's like a torture chamber sometimes. You are giving up your best friend; food. Trust me I know the feeling. You sound scared and are looking for an excuse not to have the surgery done. If you are really serious, go down and see the facility, meet with the Dr., talk to someone who just had it done the day before. You can even call the company that produces the Lap-band, they'll tell you the same thing. If you just listen to friends of friends, then goodluck solving anything. The reason most of your friends freak out is because they hear MEXICO. I went through the same thing. I went to three doctors here in the States, at UCI, UCLA, and USC. THESE WERE DOCTORS, THEY REFERED TO DR. ORTIZ AS A DOCTOR. All three of them had been trained by Dr. Ortiz. All three of them recommended him if I did not want to pay the $30,000.00 it was going to cost. The only reason you are even looking Dr. Ortiz's way is probably because of the cost. If you really are that freaked out, stay in the states and pay three times as much. Trust me, you save a ton of money on food after the surgery. I'm one month in with an extra $600.00 in my pocket from my new eating habits. Also remember we all researched before we jumped into this. When you question Dr. ORtiz being a real docotr and how your friends of friends say he is this or that, then you are kind of telling all of us who went with him, that we didn't know what we were doing. So don't be surprised if people get mad at you. It's like running into a Catholic church and screaming "The Pope is a fraud!" You are kind of seen as a blaspheme. This site is mostly people who are greatful. I think about Ortiz daily and am greatful to him for doing this surgery. No hang-ups, no hassels. I don't know how long you have been overweight, but for me it has been a while and I tried everything. I am now getting my life back. It is not easy, I work out two hours a day, I struggle looking at Dr. Pepper. I have a hard time sip-siping water, Meal portions drive me nuts, but I would do it again, no questions asked. Yeah this is long. It's because I am just amazed that people who are obese don't see this as a godsend and sign up next day. I had my surgery on 6/29/06, I was 284 preop/ 269 weighin, and 247 right now. I do the walking, I do the stair mill and I watch what and how much I eat. I even do the four food group divided portions. If you are unsure about any one thing, just don't do it. It is too easy to be miserable after the surgery and blame everyone and everything else for your misery. If you do do it, do everything, exactly as you are told and you will never be happier.