Anyone getting banded in May??

[jena]

I just set my date today and I am so excited! WOO!

I'll arrive on May 7 and have surgery on the 8th. My step-mom will be with me and we can't wait to do a little shopping.

Hugs to all!

Jena

[Alana]

Hi Jena!

I arrive on May 8th and I'm scheduled for May 9th. I'm HOPING they can squeeze me in on May 8th, since I fly in relatively early. I'm sure I'll see you there. My mom and I are flying in together. Hope to see you there!

[sunnee01]

Hi Everyone!

I am scheduled for May 23rd..I am also really excited! :-h

Audrey

[jena]

Hi Alana!

We'll have to plan a rendezvous as the time draws nearer.

Have you started a pre-op diet yet? I'm into the 4th week of mine. Dr. Miranda wanted me to lose 17 pounds by my surgery date and I'm already down 16 1/2 as of this morning. I'm going to stay on it the next 6 weeks. I'm doing 1 protein shake in the morning (Slim-Fast Optima) and Lean cuisine for lunch and one for dinner. Thank God there are so many different Lean Cuisine's to choose from! I also have salad and sugar free jello.

[jena]

Hi Everyone!

I am scheduled for May 23rd..I am also really excited! :-h

Audrey

Hi Audrey! Isn't it exciting?

I signed up for 12 sessions with a Personal Trainer and I'm starting swimming lessons tonight. I am trying to live the "after band" lifestyle before I get the band. I don't want to have to deal with getting used to the band AND changing bad habits at the same time.

I've already been doing the little bites, chew, chew, chew thing as well as putting my fork down between bites. I'm suprised at how hard that is to do! I have to pay very close attention or I start gobbling big bites of food.

The funny thing is, when you are eating this way, you notice how other people shovel food in their mouthes as fast as they can!

[sunnee01]

Hi Jena!

Good for you! I like the changes you are making and you motivate me to get a little more "pro-active" about this. I am actually leaving for Mexico, on a cruise, this Sunday. The earlier I get more involved in this, the better I feel my results will be.

I am used to eating every few hours. It will be hard to not do this.

Audrey

[Alana]

Hi Alana!

We'll have to plan a rendezvous as the time draws nearer.

Have you started a pre-op diet yet? I'm into the 4th week of mine. Dr. Miranda wanted me to lose 17 pounds by my surgery date and I'm already down 16 1/2 as of this morning. I'm going to stay on it the next 6 weeks. I'm doing 1 protein shake in the morning (Slim-Fast Optima) and Lean cuisine for lunch and one for dinner. Thank God there are so many different Lean Cuisine's to choose from! I also have salad and sugar free jello.

Hi Jena,

I'm definitely up for that! Yes, Dr. Miranda told me to try to lose 20 lbs because my BMI is so high (I'm only 4'10") but I haven't done that great on it. I ended up gaining some weight and I'm trying to shed that now. I started with the Slim Fast, Lean Cuisine diet, but I found myself being too tempted to cheat. I started Atkins last week and I've lost 3 lbs so far! Hopefully I can lose as close to 20 lbs as I can by May. Cross your fingers!

Alana

[jena]

Hi Jena,

I'm definitely up for that! Yes, Dr. Miranda told me to try to lose 20 lbs because my BMI is so high (I'm only 4'10") but I haven't done that great on it. I ended up gaining some weight and I'm trying to shed that now. I started with the Slim Fast, Lean Cuisine diet, but I found myself being too tempted to cheat. I started Atkins last week and I've lost 3 lbs so far! Hopefully I can lose as close to 20 lbs as I can by May. Cross your fingers!

Alana

Atkins always worked well for me to take a lot of weight off quickly. You could probably lose 20 pounds easily in 6 weeks! My BMI was high too. I think it was 51 when I started.

I'm just steeling myself when temptation is around. Got rid of the junk in my house - my friends made out getting cartons of ice cream and Marie Callendar frozen dinners. I cried while I dumped a bag of newly opened taco chips in the garbage.

I know this is for a short time only, so I walk bravely by the Hershey nugget bars, cheese and peanut butter crackers, all different chips and pop tarts that are free to eat as much as we want. I just turn my head as I get my sugar free jello from the fridge.

I know one little chocolate bar, a few chips or any of that other stuff will just set me off. For me it's either all or nothing and it's hard really hard to cross that line to no junk.

[sphynxmomma]

Hello!!!! I'm Heather. I'm arriving on May 28th and my surgery is on May 29th. I'm coming down alone and I'm scared out of my mind!!!!!!!

[sunnee01]

Hi Heather,

That is my birthday! I've been a surgical nurse for 15 years, and it is perfectly normal to be scared. (I am also coming down by myself!)

As a nurse, the best thing for our patients to do is to educate themselves, so that nothing is a surprise. Also, I liked Jena's idea of starting to make the diet changes early, and to not expect perfection right away.

Hang in there. We are all in this together.

Audrey >

[Kimmy in MD]

Hi Audrey, I am scheduled for May 23rd also. Little nervous as I am going by myself. Maybe we can give each other moral support while in Mexico.

Kim

[GaGirl77]

I am scheduled to arrive May 21 and get banded May 22. I'm nervous, scared and excited all at the same time.

[sunnee01]

Hi Kim, :-h

Moral support would be good! What time do you get to San Diego? I just booked my flight yesterday, and I get in at 9:05 a.m. and leave on Sunday morning..I am excited and trying to start making the changes that I need to make this successful.

Audrey

[jena]

I am so excited and nervous too. I feel like I've been waiting for this all my life. I also feel a little sad this wasn't around when I was younger. (I just turned 50) I weighed175 pounds when I was 11! I've only been at a lower weight once since then, and I could only maintain it for a few weeks.

This is the first time in my life I've really had hope that I can be of a normal size.

Hugs to all,

Jena

[Kimmy in MD]

Hi Audrey,

I am having a hard time with this board! I was so embarassed when I saw my first post! Hopefully this one will be better.

I haven't made my flight arrangements yet. I was waiting a few days, not sure why, I guess I should get on that.

Where are you flying in from? I am coming in from Maryland, so I will probably arrive sort of late on the 22nd.

We can do our laps together.

Kim

[Kimmy in MD]

Hi Audrey and GAGirl,

I just booked my flight, I arrive in San Diego @ 3:53 PM on 5/22. GAGirl will already be banded but maybe we can pop in and say hello while you are recuperating.

Kim

[sunnee01]

Hi Kim,

Sounds great! Being from the Pacific NW, I look forward to any chance to spend some time in the sun. I am flying in from Portland, OR.

I fly back on Sunday morning. I could have probably left on Saturday, but thought it would be better to hang around, just in case.

Don't worry about the posting errors. I'm pretty computer savvy, but this is a challenge! :-?

Audrey

[sunnee01]

Jena,

I will be 50 on the 29th of May.. God, that sounds so old!! (This is my birthday present to me!)

Audrey

[jena]

Jena,

I will be 50 on the 29th of May.. God, that sounds so old!! (This is my birthday present to me!)

Audrey

Audrey! Turning 50 has been a real dose of reality and I'm not happy about it! I'm with you, 50 sounds so freaking old. (

This is my gift to myself as well. Actually, one of the gifts. I don't know if you were (are) a Seinfeld fan, but there was a storyline where George was taking the summer off from work and do what he wants. He called it "The summer of George." Well, 2008 is "The year of Jena."

I have hated wearing glasses for the longest time. I gave myself the gift of Lasik about 2 months ago. Losing weight and getting the band is the next gift. I've started getting facials every month and I have found myself a divine masseuse. I joined a fantastic gym and just this week started swimming lessons. I also paid for 12 one hour sessions with a personal trainer.

Can you tell I'm divorced and have no children?

[sunnee01]

We promise to make it brief!!

Audrey

[sunnee01]

Jena,

I finished my master's degree and became unemployed because I could not longer continue to do the lifting that was required as a surgical nurse. I have been on disability since the end of Jan..

The last two months have given me time to figure out what is important.. My family and my health..Although I am considered a "lower BMI" patient, I have significant risks to my health and just needed to do something about it..

Good for you for taking some time for yourself! Although I can no longer scrub a kidney transplant, I will be a nursing instructor. I start teaching Apr. 14th..

Audrey

[jena]

Jena,

I finished my master's degree and became unemployed because I could not longer continue to do the lifting that was required as a surgical nurse. I have been on disability since the end of Jan..

The last two months have given me time to figure out what is important.. My family and my health..Although I am considered a "lower BMI" patient, I have significant risks to my health and just needed to do something about it..

Good for you for taking some time for yourself! Although I can no longer scrub a kidney transplant, I will be a nursing instructor. I start teaching Apr. 14th..

Audrey

That is awesome Audrey! Not about your health, but about you changing paths yet continuing on with a career you love.

I'm not taking a year off from working like George in the Summer of George - wish I could - but I did change jobs last September and it's turned out to be the best job I've ever had.

You know what? Other than the number 50, this year may turn out to be the best so far.

Jena

[sunnee01]

That is awesome Audrey! Not about your health, but about you changing paths yet continuing on with a career you love.

I'm not taking a year off from working like George in the Summer of George - wish I could - but I did change jobs last September and it's turned out to be the best job I've ever had.

You know what? Other than the number 50, this year may turn out to be the best so far.

Jena

Jena,

I agree! My family teases me that I'm having my mid-life crisis..Maybe I'll get the boob job next!!

[GaGirl77]

LOL... Ya'll are cracking me up. We could all meet up for Plastic Surgery after we lose the weight. I wish I was being banded on the 23rd with ya'll. My appt. was originally for the 23rd, but I didn't think I was going to get financing so I cancelled. Two days later they called and told me I was approved. I hope I don't have to go it alone. I need other bandsters for support on Thursday.

I just turned 30. My BMI is 33 I think. I'm 5'4" and I weight 210 right now. But my grandma and my daddy are both fully insulin dependent diabetics AND I had heart failure with my last pregnancy. I'm fully recovered now, but I'm so scared that my heart will get tired of all the extra weight. My friends all think I'm crazy. Esp. for going to Mexico. Except the one friend who told me about OCC. My high weight was 310 and last year I got as low as 180, but that was going to the gym 3 TIMES a day 5 days a week and cardio the other days. As soon as I cut back to once a day, I piled on 30 pounds... :-?

Please do stop by and see me at the OCC.

[sphynxmomma]

Just booked my flight yesterday and also went to the passport office to get that aswell (I'm from Canada) this has made it soooo real for me. I leave on May 28th!!