Matt Z

US passports takes 6 to 8 weeks to get. Once you have it, you can use it as you wish.

Be careful, the product is the same no matter which part of the country you are in, I didn't have any "problems" except for constantly getting stuck and pain when eating the healthy foods (leafy greens SUCKED), when I had my band removed, it was completely encapsulated in scar tissue and took over 3x longer to remove than it should have. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I left it in because it wasn't a problem!

Good Luck! I'm surprised to see new lapbands being installed with how *EVERYONE* is moving away from them!

It's less a "cheat" and more a "failure of will power". The Cheesecake was handmade, my wife is a bartender at a hotel, so it was made by the chef there, not sure how much of what was in it. I was actually upset a bit that there was no dumping... because, I wanted there to be some physical repercussions to my slip up. I guess I should be happy that it didn't... maybe it was "better" than other cheesecakes. And yeah, I'm under my BMR still.

Well, I'm not sure what your profession is, but when my surgeon has labs drawn and then tells me that the levels she is seeing show that the patches are working... I'm going to take her word for it. Not trying to be argumentative, but... I'll take the professionals word for it.

Had a pretty bad moment of weakness last night. I could go through all the excuses, but they are just that, excuses. I ate a piece of cheesecake last night, plain for the most part except for the half a strawberry and 1/2 teaspoon sized drizzle of chocolate sauce. Not sure what I'm more upset about... that I just folded and ate a piece... or that there was no dumping caused by it.

If you are already approved for solid foods, is there anywhere you can order from that can bring you a bottle of water and a grilled chicken salad maybe? (I realize this might be a little late at this point) Also, any of the "Diet" drinks when de-carbonated would be a better choice than any of the standard sodas.

Some unflavored protein in that margarita might help out LOL

Congrats on your surgery! It always amazes me reading stories like this, you'd figure the nursing staff would know better.

What surgery did you end up with? Otherwise, don't worry, it all does get better! I know I had a week or so where I wasn't sure if what I did was the right choice. But, now... I couldn't be happier with the process.

When your BMI is well below "normal" that's when it's too much. Just remember, the lower you start, the less you will lose overall. WLS is about potential percentages and not specific amounts. https://www.obesitycoverage.com/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-bypass/how-much-can-i-expect-to-lose Looks like the average losses for a female of your height and weight are: 80% of people will hit 165lbs 50% will hit 150lbs 20% will hit 135lbs. So, can you get to 120, sure. Is it common, not really. (based on "averages")

This mirrors my experience with the band pretty closely. Had the band installed in 2011, I did lose 70lbs or so, but that was it, the gain/loss fight started. I didn't have any major issues with the band, but I did get stuck far too often, and things that shouldn't hurt, like leafy greens, did. Revised to the Bypass this past march and I couldn't be happier.

This is why I am doing my own clinical trial with my surgeon and medical team. And going on 5 months of using these now, and the ONLY lab that came in low was Vitamin D, but living in the North East... that's expected. So, all the oddities and weirdness aside, these *are* working.

I've been using the patches and my blood work has come back good. I know folks look down on the patches because there is a glaring lack of clinical studies... but I was lucky enough to talk my surgeon into allowing me to test them out. And I'm please to say that, for me anyway, they work great. No need to swallow anything. I put 3 different patches on in the morning, leave them on for at least 8 hours... and that's it.

Some scales can be very picky to movements. I know my FitBit Aria doesn't like to be moved at all, and when I do, I have to take 5 measurements in a row so it can calibrate. Some scales don't handle higher weights as well as low. And I'm going to get some flak for this, but I'm very found of having body fat % measurements as well, yes I know they aren't 100% accurate, but neither is weight. But by having the fat measurements, even just for trend tracking, have been very helpful when dealing with stalls. I've gained weight and lost body fat so many times at this point that without knowing I'm dropping body fat, I would have lost my mind with the gains.

They brought you 2 oz of food on your first day out? LOL that's amusing. My first day with puree/mushies they brought me like 6 oz of cream of wheat, 8 oz of coffee, 8 oz of juice and a protein shake. I was like, this is a bit much don't you think? I use baby spoons at home too, really helps with pacing and portion control.

I still don't feel "Full" like ever. I do get to a point where I'm just done. It's an odd sensation really, nothing physical exactly... but when I'm done... I'm just done. Not 100% sure why that is, could be the band to bypass revision, not sure. But it's amazing how much everyone differs with their sensations.

This is exactly why I waited longer to return to work... because I wanted time to figure foods out after I was cleared to eat them. I still don't test the waters while I'm out... That said, I've had no issues eating out at this point. Find out what you can tolerate now, that way you know when you end up out and about.

Might want to taste test that sugar free koolaid first before adding anything to it. Just to be safe.

35% with 2 comorbidities should be approved, I've got GEHA now, BCBS back in 2011. Some folks get a date before insurance approval. For me, my first approval attempt was denied because they wanted me to have 6 months of medically followed diet and exercise, even though I had the band for 6 years. The second attempt was approved, I had my date a week after than, and less than a month later, I had my surgery.

Congrats! It's a crazy adjustment, but it's well worth it!

Search the forum for "Stall". They are very common. Your body will stall often during weight loss as it adjusts itself, etc etc etc etc. So many posts about stalls.

Not all protein is created equal. You want to make sure the protein you are consuming is an Isolate. If it doesn't say "Whey Isolate" or "whatever Isolate" it's a lower quality protein. Whey Isolates filter out almost all of the lactose which is why most people don't have issues with that type of Whey.

Congrats! Here's to a quick surgery and a smooth recovery!

I'm sure everyone has, it's a totally normal thing to feel. Just remember why you want the surgery!