125ne1

crazycoolbutterfly, Congrats on your accomplishment! That's stinkin' awesome!!! My brother and his wife are very into triathlons, marathons, etc. I have always wanted to try a sprint triathlon, which is shorter than a regular one. In the past year or two, I have jogged in 5Ks. I was just banded in December, and I just finished the 3 week liquid phase. I 've been wanting to start training again for a 5K in April, but I'm afraid I might jar something loose. I've sent an email to the OCC, but haven't heard back yet. Keep in touch. You're inspiring! vbranstetter@hotmail.com 125ne1

jhawkchick75, I'm from Missouri, too. My friend and I were banded at the OCC by Dr. Martinez on Dec 22nd. Maybe we can meet up some time. It's so neat to meet people going through the same experience. We live about 90 miles southeast of St. Louis. We're both teachers, so maybe we can come to KC for a baseball game or something. My email address is vbranstetter@hotmail.com. My daughters went to Mizzou, so the Jayhawks were the mortal enemies. HA! We'll have to put all of that behind us. LOL 125ne1

I'm a newbie, so I haven't had much experience with this site. I'm still trying to figure out what all I can do! It's a shame that admininstrators feel they have to be so harsh.

mansaw, Anle and myself are good friends and we work at the same place. So, if you can't pm her, just send it to me, and I'll get it to her. We're sooooooooo excited. I was down to 166 today! Yippee.

I had my surgery on Dec. 22, 2008, but wanted to offer you encouragement. I'm so pleased with the OCC and their personnel. Everyone was wonderful! I met new friends who were also getting banded that day. It's a truly wonderful experience. And, everything is still going great! Best of Wishes!

I was just banded on December 22nd, so I'm new to all of this, but I wanted to congratulate you on your weight loss!!! Since May, WOW! I want to weigh every day, but sometimes I do get disappointed and down when the scale goes up instead of down when I've done everything right. I'm still up in the air about what I will do. I want to retrain my mind. If I weigh everyday, it's just for a record--I will look at the overall effect. Again, CONGRATS!

I was just banded on the 22nd of December, and I was worried about the same thing. They told me that I didn't have to do the pre-op diet because I have a lower BMI, but I couldn't gain over a certain amount. WELL, that was the wrong thing to tell me. LOL My friend, who was banded on the same day, had to be on the pre-op diet for two or three weeks, so I did last about a week on it--trying to be a good friend and calm myself down a bit. But, as soon as the Christmas parties at work, family gatherings, etc. started coming, I quit the pre-op. I was very paranoid that I had overdone it! The day before surgery, I was afraid to eat anything. I did eat a small lunch, but it was not a "good for you" type lunch! When I went in on surgery day, no problem. I had lost a little weight. Dr. Miranda was fine with everything. So, don't worry. Easy for me to say, huh? But, really, do the best you can, and I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm just now getting to go through all of the posts...I sometimes have a difficult time navigating this site. This one is awesome! I just hope I can do nearly as well as you all! I didn't know you could chew and spit something out! Do you still retain some of the calories from that? I never thought of doing that...maybe I shouldn't even think about doing it! Once I taste it, I may not be able to hold myself back!

I agree with all of you! I'm so paranoid about every little thing--I'm annoying to all around me. I've emailed Dr. Miranda several times asking about little things--I'm sure she's sorry she gave me her email address. LOL I'm had my first liquid yogurt today. OMG! I though I was in heaven. How many can we have a day? Are we supposed to be trying to consume 1200 calories a day while on this liquid diet? It would be really hard to get that many calories in I would think. Now, about creamy soups...does that mean I can eat creamy potato soup if I don't eat the chunks? Yummy!

mansaw, I was banded on December 22nd also. We must have met each other that day! (My friend and I came from Missouri.) We are also hoping for Feb 7th or so for our first fill. Tell me what you decide to do. Our starting weights are very similar! How cool! 125ne1

Hi everyone! I'm new at all of this. And, like many of you, have been reading the posts on this website for several weeks. My friend and I will be having our surgery on December 21 with Dr. Martinez. Did any of you have him instead of Dr. Ortiz. (Dr. Ortiz is not available that week.) My friend and I are teachers, so we are trying to fit it in over our Christmas Break. What about fills in Mexico? Someone with the OCC told me that is was a $99 fee to be picked up at the airport and taken to the OCC, and that the fill itself with exray would cost $100. What about the cost of the motel room? Does anyone know what that is per night? I'm a little nervous about the entire thing. We're flying into San Diego from St. Louis, MO. Nervous about the trip into Mexico. Nervous about not knowing the doctors or facility personally--I'm going on just what I have researched. Nervous about the surgery--what if something goes wrong? Nervous about causing a slip or a stretched pouch. Can you tell I'm a nervous person? Ha! I don't want to be, it just sneaks up on me! So, after you have your surgery, you are supposed to be on a liquid diet for two weeks? Is this correct? And, did someone say that since you don't have your first fill until 6-8 weeks after surgery, their is nothing in the band? Does anyone know what kind of exercise is ok and what kind of exercise is considered too strenuous? In the beginning I'm sure you have to be very conservative, but what about after two or three months, can you start slow jogging? (Or does the jogging jar your insides too much?) Thanks for your help in advance! Hope you all are enjoying you Thanksgiving Break!

Hi everyone! I am a newbie. I have my surgery date set for December 22 with Dr. Martinez. I was reading through your posts regarding target weights. I found it very surprising! I have been a yo-yo dieter since I was very young. Fought with body image issues for as long as I can remember. Just in the past year, my weight has gotten out of hand. I weigh more now than I have ever weighed--even 9 months pregnant! I imagine some of you will think I'm crazy. My BMI is between 30-31. The problem is not that 30-31 is really bad--it's the fact that I keep gaining at an alarming rate! I don't want to wait until I've let it get up to 35 to 40! That being said, I wanted to get down to 125 pounds; I am 5' 4.5" tall. I would think that 150-160 would not be a good target weight for me--I think that I will stocky at that wait. That's not what I want. Do the OCC offer any counseling on body image issues? Maybe that's my biggest enemy! Any comments are welcome.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008: Wow! I made the decision. I scheduled the date--December 22, 2008. I paid the deposit. I made airline reservations. I filled out and faxed all of the necessary paperwork. I'm ready. I'm ready for a new beginning. I'm 46 years old. I have been on diets almost my entire life. I remember being teased about my weight in elementary school--2nd grade, I think. I had to have "chubby" clothes. That set the stage for the rest of my life. I can't tell you the number of times people have said, "You have such a pretty face...if you would just lose 30-40 pounds..." I have lost and gained the same 50 pounds umpteen bazillion times--at least it feels like it! My skin has lost all of its elasticity. The past two years, I have stopped losing weight and just kept gaining weight. It's an awful feeling! Out of control. So, I researched. I called. I surfed the web. I talked to friends who have had Lapband surgery. And, I made my decision. Now, some people will think I'm stupid. I'm not morbidly obese. I'm barely obese--according to the BMI gurus! Why do I have to wait to be morbidly obese before I can get help? Well, thank goodness for Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez! I want to be healthy. I want to be active. I want to have self-confidence in the way I look. I want to weigh 120-125 pounds for the rest of my life. No more yo-yo dieting. No more binge eating. My focus is on being and living healthy. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008: Well, Thanksgiving was interesting. I ate a lot! Why? Because I knew I was going to have lapband surgery on December 22. That's not a very good way to look at things. I need to have a healthy mindset. I need to start exercising now, not wait. I need to start drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day. I need to cut out unhealthy foods--McDonalds, Sonic, etc. Sugar is the devil, I think. And, soda, too. Diet and regular! I've drank diet soda religiously since I was 15 years old. Who cares about water when you can drink diet soda? I have probably killed my bladder by now--at least caused it to have cancer! It's almost as bad as smoking cigarettes! At least, I don't do that. 24 days to go until Surgery Day! I'm going to keep my band a secret. My friend, who is going to have surgery at the same time I do, my youngest daughter (she's 24 years old), who is going with us to Mexico, and my husband are the only ones who will know. Why do I want to keep it a secret? Because many of my friends and family do not agree with having surgery to help you lose weight. They don't believe you should use prescription drugs, either. They believe that if I truly wanted to lose weight and keep it off, I would just eat less and exercise more. End of story. Wouldn't that be wonderful if it was that easy? Nobody would be overweight if it were that easy. My younger brother and his wife run in triathlons--they really don't understand.