jhawkchick75

Wow....I remember that day soooo very well when I set my date! It felt so good but freaked me out too. Congrats and make sure and tell us when it is! As far as pre-op, depending on how much you have to lose Dr. Miranda will put you on a specific diet, but for most of us it was a protein shake for lunch and breakfast and then a sensible dinner - weight watchers or lean cuisine meal or a small portion of meat and veggies. I thought it would really suck but it wasn't that bad. By then your surgery date is so close (I went on mine 2 weeks out) that you are really pumped and motivated. Although I did feel the need to do the "farewell tour" of all my favorite places. Really funny though b/c I can still eat at most of them so it was really pointless to do that. If I could go back I wouldn't have done that. Once you arrange your date they will send you an email that has a whole packet of info in it that you fill out and send to them as well as a bunch of info for you. I reached out and contacted Dr. Miranda myself early on so I could mentally prep myself for what to expect and she responded right back. I started to wean myself off stuff like pop early so it wouldn't be as bad. Congrats again!

Congrats on your decision! The day will come before you know it! From the day I scheduled to my surgery was over 4 months so I understand the waiting game. It felt like forever away, but then next thing I knew I was in the car with Fransisco!

These are great! Do you all ever do any of these when you get stuck? For some reason as soon as I get stuck I almost always PB because I suddenly get really stressed about it. Would love to find a way to relax and get through it and not get sick. Definitely gonna try those! I have a lot of stress in my life and would really like to get in a better mental place.

Agree I would make sure you are getting enough protein! Not sure if it is just me, but when I eat tuna it fills me up for the longest time! Also, many people swear by chewing benefiber or fiber choice around 10am and again at 3pm or so when they start getting hungry. Also, agree as well make sure most of your protein is a solid. I know for me I can really only do liquid protein now for breakfast, but when I do that is when the head hunger kicks in with a vengance! Ive also lately been making some nice hearty salads. Putting cubed ham or turkey in it as well as hardboiled eggs and it has been keeping me really full. Added some cottage cheese with it as well. Hang in there you will get through this! Also do things to keep your mind off it and make sure you are also eating really really slowly. That helped me a LOT early on when I had no restriction.

Welcome to one-derland!! What a great feeling huh! Congrats!

I try to aim for 1200 on a normal day and 1400 when I work out, but i'm not gonna lie many days I don't hit that. My weight loss has stalled and I think i'm not eating enough. Make sure you keep that in mind - eating too little will cause you to not loose too. I'm going to start counting calories to make sure i'm getting enough. I've started training for a 5k and my fill nurse said that now even more so I need to be getting even more protein in since i'm working out.

Don't be sad....be EXCITED!!! You are about to start a wonderful journey and know you are surrounded by people that are encouraging and cheering you on along the way! The only thing i'm sad about is that it took this to get me to a good healthy place and I wish I would have done it years ago. This week a friend from college sent me a DVD of us singing karaoke at a bar back in oh it was probably '97 or so. Wow - I looked terrible! My weight has fluxuated badly over the years and it made me so sad to think that I spent so many years like that. I watched it mortified, but also excited that I will NEVER be that way again! Congrats!

Yeah Kansas City!!!! I know I had the same thing, but I was an OCC girl and it had been 21 days since I had solids so I think my body just got accustomed to the liquids. Even now, some foods that I used to love just don't taste good anymore. You will just have to play around and see what tastes good. Congrats!

I think the pole sounds like a blast!!!! And that is great that you have found something you really enjoy. For me it is Zumba - I feel out of it if I don't go on a regular basis. Keep it up that is great!

Congrats and welcome to the other side! You were pumped full of gas for the surgery, so don't even bother getting on the scale for a couple of weeks. I know I couldn't resist, but don't let it upset you. Gonna take time to get that air out and gaining is totally common. Congrats again!

Congrats on your decision! Here are a few thoughts from me, but please remember everyone is different. Traveling is not bad at all! We went down a day early and stayed in San Diego and the driver picked us up from our hotel in SD and took us straight to the OCC. I travel a bit, but not a ton and we were fine. The trip back did stink as I had lots of gas and was in a bit more pain than others note. But again try to walk in the airport and wherever you can. Was with several other folks to cross back over the border and it was quick and easy. No problems at all. I hated Revolution Ave. If I would have went before surgery it would have been fine, but I was bloated and sore and crabby and the people followed me up and down the street bugging me to buy stuff. One guy even followed my mom to the ATM while she got money which freaked me out a bit. I finally had to get rude and tell them their sunglasses were ugly so they would leave me alone! Also, use cash as much as you can. At one of the stores they apparently wrote down my mom's CC # because she ended up later with purchases she did not make down there and had to cancel her card. Besides being annoyed on the Avenue, my experiences in TJ were all great. I never felt unsafe, but also used good judgement and watched my surroundings. Had a great experience at Lucerna and would highly recommend it. Surprisingly the chicken broth there is pretty good and you can get a massage. Best of luck! It will be here before you know it!

Congrats!!!! YOu will not regret it for one second!!!! Everyone is different, but the gasx strips worked ok for me but didn't really make it go away. That and getting up and walking a lot. I literally did laps up and down the halls and in my hotel room after surgery. It took almost 3 weeks for it to go away for me and I still get small bouts of it here and there. But it's not that bad - i'll take it! Let us know how it goes!

Gongrats! That is definitely a HUGE milestone and one to be celebrated! Here's to many more!!!!!

Good luck although you won't need it i'm sure you will be just great. Take your time and don't overdo it!

Exactly what I was thinking! What if I am under anesthisia (sp) and that stuff kicked in...embarassing!!! I was on a liquid vitamin during post op and man it tasted like hell! But I suffered through it and then moved on to a chewable and those are absolutely edible. I do the Centrum chewable and it is an orange flavor and is actually not bad. I also do the CVS brand calcium chews and they are tasty as well - do the caramel ones. Good luck!!

Agreed...I do not condone or forget some of the things he did, but he also lived a horrific, troubled life. The stories i've heard about the abuse from his father then of course the high price of fame. Died around people that probably could give a rip about him just after his fame and money. Tragic. I sincerely hope he can be at peace because I don't feel he has been since he was a very small child. His music shaped much of the music we hear today. The Justin Timberlake, Usher, and those artists. Sad...

Wow...just had to post a quick note regarding Michael Jackson. I know he had major issues there at the end, but there is no doubt he was a pop icon and this will be a day we do not forget. He shaped my childhood and his music changed music. With all the issues he had, I really hope he is now at peace.

I hear ya there! It's strange...for some reason i'm wide open and can eat just about anything at breakfast then I tighten up at lunch and then start to loosen as the day goes on and am OK at dinner, but still have decent restriction. It's so odd! I will never forget talking to Dr. O before my surgery. Feet propped up drinking his coffee and I was thinking oh god they gave me the happy pill already - don't say anything stupid!! But in my slightly altered state I do remember him telling me that my band is a female and that she is a real bitch and I need to treat her right. And boy was he right! Some things I can eat just fine then hours later BAM they are stuck! So day to day hour to hour with me. But in the end I wouldn't change it for the world! Congrats on your success!

Just explain to them your level of hunger and what you can eat and how much. They will assess how much of a fill you need. At least at my place I never have any say in that. But I try to explain as best as I can and as accurate as I can my restriction. And in terms of port pain that it natural. Are you working out? If so, that makes mine sore. I've also had folks tell me that it could be scar tissue forming around the port area. I'm about 15-20lbs from goal and my nurse also said that as you loose belly fat that naturally your area is gonna be sore more often. Good luck and let us know how your next fill goes!

So glad you were able to get it figured out! As you described how you are feeling that totally makes sense. Hope you get to feeling better and what a great NSV to get taken completely off the meds or close to it only one month out!

Hey there! The cold drinks can tighten up your band. I've noticed that if I drink cold stuff before I eat then it tightens me up. Same as folks that drink hot tea in the am to loosen theirs up a bit. Since my last fill i'm being very careful with this especially at lunch b/c i'm still pretty tight then. Good luck with the fill! I am at 3.1 and overall I do good, but am definitely tighter and need to slow down on my eating and chew better. Been pb'ing way too much this last week and need to get it under control.

Same here you will not get any negative feedback from me! You are doing great and just think about what weight you would be at now if you didn't have this done. I also agree that I don't like the idea of being on a diet and so I eat what I want but in moderation and try to make good choices most of the time. But you betcha I had three or four bites of chocolate ice cream today and am going to make an adult beverage later! I didn't work out until about 5 or 6 months in and now i'm addicted to Zumba so when it's time and you feel like working out you will don't worry. Keep up the great work!

Might have to get that book! It is so emotional and is not a matter of willpower he is absolutely right. Thanks for sharing that!

I hear ya there! I have a 24 year old brother that lives with me who LOVES that he gets all my leftovers!

Same here! I have always had trouble going #2 and I actually thought the liquid diet would help but didn't. I still really struggle but I know part of that is I need to quit eating dairy but I just can't do it. Trying to eat less though. Once you all go back on solids it will balance itself back out. Good luck!