Mackenzie

ummm i think thats a fabulous ideas actually hahaha i think we will both be at our goals in a year!!! LV AND boobs in 2009!!!!

hopefully next year when Im ready for my new boobs dr. r is done training!!!! bc I would def. go to him!!!!

Im with you Michelle. Im going to work with my band and continue to lose the weight, however I know that I will need another fill. I am still not hungry, and I still need to work on my will power- i duno what it is about 3:30/4:00 in the afternoon but i feel like if I dont have a snack Im going to die! haha Even though Im not at my sweet spot, the band is always there to remind me to be concious of what im eating, and how much Im eating! We can lose weight, sweet spot or not!

LOVE IT!

Congrats on your surgery date!!! As for the pre-op diet...when it says protein shakes- I picked the slim fast optima- I liked them. Some people on here will tell you they didnt like them. They also have a brand called EAS that has a LOT of protein in it, but its a powder do you have to make them. IT just depends how much time you have, and what you like best. You can have veggies...but you cant put a cup of ranch and bacon bits on your salad, or 6tbls of butter on your veggies..sadly enough lol! Try and stick with leafy greens..and stay away from startchy veggies! You wont die eating 800 calories! A lot of people took fiber pills, some days I would eat a banana around 3 when I was STARVING bc it gets rough! The other things I can suggest is LOAD up on water- stop drinking soda- and stay away from anything that might tempt you! I stayed in my house for those 2 weeks! haha Good luck!

so exciting! that is awesome you can start your preop so early to get a headstart!!! i wish i wouldve had longer than two weeks! take advantage of that!

allcdngirl: Well giving up diet coke was pretty hard.. i used to drink like 4 or 5 a day!!!! I quit for my pre op diet - and had one the night before surgery. I drank A LOT OF water- about a gallon 1/2 a day for the first 2 weeks. I also started drinking green tea in the AM- and now I drink propel as a treat. I feel A LOT better- just in not drinking so much diet coke! I knew it was bad for me but I was in denial! hahah I dont think Ill go back to that even after my 6 months is up.. I dont miss it anymore! Good luck, you can do it! Redhead: that is too funny! All of my friends can pretty much eat whatever and stay the same... my husband is the same too- None of them understand the feelings that we have and our struggles with food that is why I LOVE THIS FORUM!

I was sitting hear, eating my 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and a few slices of turkey, thinking about how many calories Im getting on average now. Im between 800-1100 (friday OR saturday is prob my highest ) But0 is anyone else just completely amazed at the amount of food that we need to survive compared to what we were eating before? This whole process (post op diet/pre-op diet, new LIFE diet!) has really re-worked my brain and I am soooo thankful for it! Food no longer controls my life. sure, I have my moments when I NEED TO EAT, but now i take a step back and think about what it is I really want. Before the band I was eating ridiculous amounts of food- I never let myself get hungry bc I was always eating- HUGE meals, tons of snacks, candy, diet cokes, red bull, ICE CREAM!!!! I would want to know what was for dinner before breakfast was over. Or if it was around 6:00 and I hadnt had dinner yet, I would start to get angry, like withdrawls almost, LOL! I just wanted to post this bc I know how hard it is for most people on the diets before and after the band..but it gets better. You will wake up one day and realize that it was all worth it! I am proud to say that I am know understanding eating to live, not living to eat. I am thrilled to be on this journey..its hard, but its the best thing Ive ever done for myself! :good2:

When I was at the OCC dr. ortiz asked me how much I wanted to lose.... My OB has told me a healthy weight range to shoot for-and Ive played with the numbers on a BMI calculator- that is how I picked mine. You dont have to have a goal weight, most people to do so that they have something to strive for. I have set one goal that I hope to reach in about a year...and for little goals on the way i have bought some clothes in different sizes soooo we will see when I can get into those! ) Just do whatever motivates you and makes you happy!

you arent alone- that is for sure!!!! I went back to my pre-op diet (at least a few days a week) before my fill. Dr. Miranda says to avoid liquid calories..but I think that replacing a MEAL for a SHAKE is ok. Plus, I have read a lot on here that some people are so tight in the AM that they cant eat breakfast so they drink a shake. I just had my fill- about 2 weeks ago- and I still eat lean cusines sometimes--- Good luck- drink lots of water and practice putting down your fork when you feel satisfied (thats the hardest part for me!) Good luck!

"bump"

ummm VEGAS 09!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant wait..we are going to have sooo much fun and we will be looking even BETTER then we already do! haha

that is good to know! I think its soooo hard not to drink with meals- but it makes me more aware of when I go to grab a snack (which i dont need anyway..but i WANT one! haha) bc if i have that..then I cant drink for an hour after...so I guess its actually a good thing!

i havent been hungry at all since I got my first fill, so I know where you are coming from...you since you were banded on 4/4 i dont think you are on solids just yet, but when you are make sure you are eating 3 small meals a day- hungry or not per dr. miranda! if you are still on liquids just try and drink 1000 calories a day- and lots of water!!! the weight will come off-for good!

yes they do- and at the occ too but you need a password to get onto their network

michelle!!!! i missed you haha - I am sooo jealous that I didnt get to go out there with you guys! I wouldve LOVED to go out with you! But I guess thats what I get for living in Florida! haha Im glad everything went well! When will you will taking 2 month pics? Im excited! >

ok..so if i eat too much for one meal- like today i am more full that i would like to be from dinner- its not going to permanetly stretch my pouch right? it would have to be like consitant "bad band behavior"??? thanks for setting me at ease guys!! >

Ive read a little bit about band slippage...i know that Dr. ortiz does a really good job putting the band in and stiches it well to try and prevent slippage..however is there anything that WE can do to prevent it? im a little parinoid! hahaha

hmmmm I cant wait to not care if my shirt rides up and you can see a bit of my stomach or lower back to be totally confident about my arms to not have to bring a sweater everywhere to hold in front of my stomach!

i had a very similar problem with my best friend. She thought it was ridiculous that I was going to MEXICO for surgery! There isnt much that I think you can say to change the way someone thinks about this. I thought it was too good to be true when I was going thru the steps to get to the OCC- i even had a few doubts, but now..i wouldnt change it for the world. Someone without a weight problem doesnt know that morbidly obese people can lose weight by diet and exercise..but 90% of them gain it all back PLUS some. Its more then just being hungry...its habits and emotions. My advice would be to just go! Dont bring it up anymore. And when you get home from the OCC with pictures of how clean it is and smaller scars then people who get banded in america- and NO other problems, she will know then that she was wrong. Or, turn her on to this forum...this is as real as it gets (regaurding lapbands and the OCC). Dont be discouraged-- GO!!!!! It will be worth it I PROMISE! Dr. Ortiz is amazing! > Good luck!

I did the two shakes and a lean cusine.. ive read that a few ppl on here didnt drop enough weight on the atkins diet....so id be careful. as for fighting cravings....well its really hard, and it really sucks, but its so worth it to train yourself for whats to come. i have CONTROL for the first time in my life of what i eat. i bought a gallon of ice cream last night, had a 2 teaspoons and then forgot the rest at a friends house..and im totally fine. before i was eating a gallon in like 4 days!!!! Its hard, but its all in your mind! good luck its a rocky road ahead- but worth every struggle- trust me!

thanks michelle! i missed you!!! hope your fill went well!

Hey! i just saw that youre down 31lbs! way to go! I remember when you were having a hard time with the preop diet and look where you are now! How long were you on the preop diet for- and how much did you lose? I am just now at 31lbs and just had surgery about a month before you..soooo im wanna know what youre doing that im not! fill US in, let US know what youre doing! and way to go! =D> =D> =D>

three weeks is about 21 days which would put you on solids per the OCC sooo you should be ok..just be careful. Maybe before youd eat so many you felt sick...this year maybe have one or 2 and then stop - just remember why you (and I) got the way we are! good luck!

i would call the occ they should be able to forward you a copy