I finally got a date!!! Jan. 22 2008!! Im very excited and also nervous. Ive been trying since 2005. My surgeon is Dr. David Gellar.

i'm getting my lap band on 1/15. my doc had me sign a contract to lose 20 lbs before surgery. because i can look at food and gain weight, i started the prescribed liquid diet four days early. it's disgusting, and i'm very glad that i won't have to follow it after surgery. i'm not sure i could! still, i've lost 15 pounds since december 21st--even with eating quite a few sweets on christmas. it's easier to stick to it knowing that i have already lost some. besides the protein shakes, i've been using www.thedailyplate.com to keep track of calories and exercise. it's free, and very easy to use. i like being able to enter what i eat and having an immediate calculation of protein. i'm excited about surgery, and am looking forward to feeling better. pain-wise, i'm set with pain meds. i can also tolerate quite a lot (i have degenerative joint disease in my knees...the process of sitting and standing hurts). toni

my boss is like that. she has consistently said 'just join weigh****chers. there are people there that are even bigger than you'. i finally said 'stop', and we no longer discuss it. btw, congrats on your surgery on thursday! that's very exciting, and i'm glad you've got your dad's support. toni

Hi everyone! My surgery is scheduled for January 7th and I am more excited than anything. I am not required to do a liquid diet, but my nutritionist for the program I am in required a 1000 calorie a day diet for a month prior. I have to admit that I failed miserably at it. I tried really hard, but I was freaking out. I felt hungry and angry and with the holidays it was all too easy to have a binge. The bad thing is not only did I mess up the diet, but I managed to gain an extra 7 lbs! I decided to put myself on a high protein/low cal liquid diet after Christmas to lose the excess weight. I am supposed to lose 15 lbs., but the program director told me if I can at least lose 10 he'll be happy. I am finding it easier to do the liquid diet than the other diet I was on. Knowing I only have to stick with it for another week also helps me get through. Good luck to everyone with upcoming surgeries in January! This is a new beginning for all of us. Carrie

I'm having the Vertical Sleeve done on Jan. 3! I'm dreading the first six weeks of misery, but so looking forward to a healthier, skinnier me! I have been hibernating because I'm self-conscious about my weight. Guess I'm a little paranoid about what people think of me - especially men. So I'm excited about gaining confidence and getting out there and accomplishing goals that I've been putting on the back burner for so long. I'm also looking forward to staving off diabetes for a while. Our family gene for diabetes finally caught up to my Aunt Billye who is skinny as a toothpick at age 75. My mom and my brother and my sister-in-law all think I'm crazy for doing this. Especially going to Mexico. Brother has been sending me articles about horror stories of Mexican plastic surgeries gone terribly wrong. I'm thinking my SIL is jealous that I'll be slimmer. She's a turkeyhead anyway... My dad is being supportive. He's going with me through the whole thing. He'll stay with me in the hospital, etc. They have a daybed in the room, so I hope he's comfy. He speaks Spanish, so that will be handy! Me - No Habla Espanol, only Englaise (?)! I heard about this surgery through my hair stylist. She had to have her lap band removed because it turned sideways on her and she was becoming malnourished. So she went to Mexico to have the VSG. She says it was a much better experience than the lap band. She even showed me her scars. They were very small - not big long ugly railroad track scars. She said she wishes the VSG had been her first surgery. I've been getting my apartment all cleaned up and organized (nesting?). I set up my treadmill in my spare room and dad put my TV up on one of those nifty wallmount things. I purchased my Natures Plus Chewable Vitamins, a pill crusher, vitamin waters, Special K water paks (5 grams of protein!), Muscle Milk (can't have that until two weeks after), broth of various flavors, Cream of Asparagus/Broccoli soup, a blender/food processor combo machine, Butternut Squash soup, Split Pea Soup yogurts, etc. As far as drinking creamy liquids, I don't quite know what will work. Slim Fast? Odwalla protein drinks? I have tons of questions and some apprehension. But I feel great about this decision and look forward to enjoying a happier, healthier, slimmer, more confident future!