First Meeting at PMRI tonight

Hello All, I have my first meeting out of three at PMRI tonight. Can any of you explain to me what to expect? I have no idea what to expect. Any information you can give, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Lisa

Hi Lisa, it is nothing to be afraid of. The first thing they do is weigh everyone so they know where you have started. Then they will take you in and explain the surgery, help you with menu planning post op, teach you how to calculate the grams of protein you need on a daily basis. It is easy, pay attention because there is a test at the end of all three classes. Good Luck, Deanna

Thanks for your quick response Deanna, YIKES.....I didn't know the scale would be involved.....I prefer not to get weighed in the evening after eating and drinking all day. Oh well....par for the course I guess. So this is a group meeting of all people considering surgery? Do they put you on a diet and follow you the next couple weeks? Just curious. Thanks, Lisa

Lisa, how did it go last night? Who was doing the class? Deanna

Hi Deanna, The class was given by a Clinical Dietitian, Stephanie Zhang. The class was good....a little overwhelming....trying to follow the diet today was difficult. For me it was harder than following weigh****chers. You needed to eat so many of each thing. Of course the fruits and vegetables were the hardest to get in. Are they trying to make sure we are all capable of following a diet before they agree to surgery? I would rather someone say, ok this is what you can eat for breakfast, this is what you can eat for lunch and this is what you can eat for dinner. Meal planning is difficult for me. I'm better with a list. One woman got up and left the class. We sampled some protein powders in drinks. One smelled so bad. They were telling you all the things you needed to give up such as soda, gum, alcohol, sugar, most breads, etc....before the class, I was so confident in my decision, now I'm having second thoughts not really because of the retrictions, I'm having second thoughts about my ability to do all this. I've failed every program known to man....what will make this one different? Did you find the diet difficult or is it just me? Lisa

Lisa, it is very overwhelming at first. The decision to have the surgery was a very hard one for me at first. It took me 2 years to figure out whether or not I wanted to do this. I was scared to death, then one day I woke up and knew if I didn't have this surgery I would be dead within the next 10 years because all I was doing was gaining weight no matter what I tried. I went to that class on Feb 1st and I knew I was ready to do whatever I had to do to change my bad habits into good ones. I don't regret my decision to have this surgery one bit. I have lost 92lbs since 2/1/06 and I have more energy now then I have ever had in my life. What I did from 2/1 until I had to do the liquid diet pre op was really easy. I just cut back on my portions, I made sure I ate a healthy protein first and added some veggies and a starch. I used my fruit as a snack with some yogurt for my dairy, or I ate string cheese. Once you have the surgery all you are going to concentrate on is the protein. You won't be eating any fruits, veggies, or breads for months. I still can't eat bread, it doesn't like me one bit now. Veggies I get in with a V-8 juice, fruits I eat an apple with peanut butter or some grapes or a banana. You have to do some deep soul searching to see if this surgery is truly what you want to do. It is not an easy decision at all and it really shouldn't be, because what you are doing is changing your entire life. I am not trying to scare you at all, like I said earlier I am happier now then I have ever been in my entire life. If you would like to talk more feel free to call me at 302-494-0806. Good Luck, Deanna

Deanna, Thank you so much for your support. This is a very exciting yet stressfull time. I got my cardiologist clearance today and he said he has seen many success stories from the surgery and felt that I should move forward and wished me luck. He made me feel more confident about my decision. I'm so happy to hear that your happy....that's what my goal is....health and happiness....my weight goal is to be under 200 pounds....199.99 would be fine by me....My Psychologist appt. is on Monday morning.....what is that like? Another trip to the scale? Just curious. Thanks again, Lisa

Hi Lisa, no trip to the scale with the psychologist....lol. She basically wants to know what drove you to eat yourself to being obese. And to let you know that you will need to change your lifestyle to have this surgery. She will be asking a lot of questions several different times and several different ways. It isn't that bad, I was nervous about going but once I got in there it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Good Luck, Deanna