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I also considered the band but then avoided it like the plague after consulting more with my wife. She is a surgical RN on the bariatric team at the hospital where I had my surgery so I had very good insight into everything ahead of time. My wife said they do a lot of revisions or removals of the band because they are just not as effective, they shift, they have complications (not that the sleeve can't have complications), etc... In fact, the bariatric center where I had my surgery shys away from the band because of those very reasons. They primarily shoot for the sleeve for lower BIM patients or patients who need to loose extra before getting the bypass, or for they do the bypass right away. Both are permanent changes with no foreign object being put inside your body!

I run into the same issue of ordering a $10 meal and eating $1.50 of it as well.... You can always order off of the kids meal, I know my doc gave me the get out of jail free card that says I can order off the kids menu but I just cant bring myself to do that.... I just deal with the wasted food since I am not going out to eat all the time. I wanted my eating habits to change, not my whole social life, and, to this point, it has been successful!

I just had my 6 month appt and it was just with the NP and nutritionist and they basically just asked how it ws going and how I felt. I did have blood work the week prior that they told me about during this appt (basically said all labs looked great). It was almost a waste of time and almost feels like they just have you in so that thay can now keep track of you for statistical reasons. Basically, I was in there just to BS with the nurses.... That being said, to me it is still worth the trip in because it helps with my motivation. I don't want to be that guy who reverts back to bad old habits and destroys all of my progres. If I need to have a doctors appt with them to keep me motivated (have someone looking over my shoulder) then so be it. On a good note, they did say I was progressing very well and at my 6 month appt, I was where they hoped I would be a 1.5 years out. So, that is a good thing! Sometimes you just need that reassurance that you are doing a good job regardless of how high your self esteem is!

I actually stalled after the first week. I lost 10 lbs after surgery but then not much of anything for nearly 2 weeks. Then, it came off in big chunks for the last 2 weeks of the 1st month, probably 5-7 lbs a week. Since then, I normally stall for days an then it drops off over a 2 day period. I am 4 months out now and I only drop 1-2 lbs a week but I am fine with that (down 112 lbs and only about 20 left to go). I also noticed that in my stall periods, my clothes still continued to get bigger and bigger on me despite the scale not moving. So, just because there are no scale changes doesn't mean there are no bodily changes occuring. I went through clothes fast after surgery, going from a 42 inch waist to a loose 36 inch in just a matter of a couple months. I can probably do a 34 but my legs dont fit well (always had thick muscular legs). So, ultimately you are 2 weeks out, don't get discouraged. I am just as guilty as everyone at weighting myself, at least twice a day, but that is how I can watch what I do on a daily basis and see how it affects my progress, last thing I want to do is make a week long mistake and realize I am gaining! At this point, you will have no choice but to lose weight! Your diet just will not allow you to maintain your current weight. Drink your Water, follow your plan, and it will come off!

I never tallied my bills up but know I saw one for $48k....I was only responsible for about $1500 of the entire process so not much at all....

Mine was done robotically and yes, much easier on the patient! My wife is also a surgical RN on the bariatric team and works the robotic cases. She also says it is so much easier on the patient because of precise and minimal movements by the robot. I know I didn't need any pain meds after leaving the hospital the following day and I felt fine to return to my desk job 2 days after surgery (wasn't allowed though, couldn't drive). My scars are also so small that they are nearly nonexistant after 4 months.

Jennie, I feel your pain and your anticipation of what is to come in the next several months. As a guy, I am not a big clothes hound, nothing like my wife anyway who sounds quite a bit like you with clothes. Anyway, I had surgery 4 months ago and Sunday was the first time I went through my closet to clean house....it was eye opening! As I pulled each item out, dress clothes, sweaters, sports jerseys, jeans, etc, I was shocked and appalled at how big I was just a couple months ago. What I was not expecting was to see all of my favorite "go to" clothes be stuffed in a trash bag to be sent to Goodwill. This also included my winter coats that I could wrap around my body 1 1/2 times. My first impression is "holy $#!%, I have to replace my whole entire closet for the most part, that is going to be expensive!" Then I thought how great it is to be able to shop in the normal section of the store rather than try to find those one or two things that I feel might fit and look ok on me. I completely decimated my closet and I realized just how few clothes I have left now that all of the "too big" stuff is gone! One of the greatest "victories" I have experienced because it was very visual. Jennie, you will be utterly shocked when you try on the clothes you are setting aside for the spring! Even if you feel they are too small for you now, you may be surprised and you will find them way too big when you go back to them. I had this happen with a few items that my wife bought me that were too small to wear prior to surgery. I never wore them because I missed that window of opportunity between too small to way too big. You have no idea how being AVERAGE or NORMAL can feel so good. It may seem like a weird thought right now but you will know when you hit that point and it is nothing short of amazing!

Wow, surprised if you are just at that point that you could get 1 1/2 eggs down. I dont think I can get 2 full eggs down yet at 4 months out. Granted, I dont eat a lot of really solid food so anytime I am eating more than a well chewed Protein Bar, yogurt, or string cheese, I get full fast! Not that you are required ot eat how I do, it is just my choice to not eat a lot of solids.... Helps me get in my 1000-1200 calories a day. But, I know that feeling you had, I have that whenever I eat anything solid so I need to really pay attention and eat slow. It is no fun but it is a learning process to adust to your new eating habits, a process and habit I will gladly get used to!

Yeah, you will not have the choice but to slow down and take smaller bites, the sleeve just will not let you inhale food anymore. I was always the same way and now if I try to eat to fast, I am full in like 2-3 bites and if I continue, I will be sick. Havent been sick yet but as I type this, I am eating a very small chicken breast and it has taken me 15 min to eat not even 1/2 of it, and it was only like 4-5 oz to begin with....

Stew2807, your friend's description is exactly how I feel about my surgery. Although I am only 38, I too have struggled for the past 12-14 years with my weight, being anywhere between 50-125 lbs overweight depending on what year you ask me about my weight. I too just got tired of the fight because I could take it off with ease, but as easy as I could get it off, it came back 10x easier. I made the decision, after my little girl came along and we switched to my wife's insurance, to get the surgery. I am no longer hungry because of my stomach, only because my head tells me I should be. And, when I do eat a solid food, I am limited to about 4 oz and I am stuffed! I now eat because I need to in order to live, I dont live to eat. I feel very fortunate because I was in the hospital for less than a full day and have had no negative side effects, plus I felt well enough to return to my desk job 2 days after surgery although I couldn't because I was not allowed to drive. If you are an active person, are willing to make the necessary changes (remove the temtations), then the sleeve is the greatest thing ever! I am just short of 4 months out from my surgery date and I am down over 110 lbs since I started the program at the end of Feb or the beginning of March. I lost 50 prior ro surgery and at least 60 since. My post-op losses are not as big as some because I lost so much prior, but either way I am down over 110 and only 20 from my goal. If you want my opinion, it is the best thing I ever did for myself and my health! And, if I had to do it over, I would not hesitate and I would answer YES 100% of the time!

We just talked about this in the chat yesterday, they will continue to be few and far between until you are eating more regular and larger portions. Not that you cant go, you are just taking in so little that your body is using most of it. I'm 31/2 months out and it is a once every 4-5 day deal still....

I gave up the thought of having beer because there just isnt room for it to be worth it. I will drink Jack and diet or Captain and diet but those I can sip on slowly. I can go all night sipping a few of those and not be wasted or uncomfortable, just a nice little buzz. I am a little over 3 months out too....

Haha, at almost 110 down I would not legally be allowed wear shorts now!

Bawse52, you are so right, noticed "the return" as well.... I was 185 when I started college in '97 so i am not far removed and remember what SHOULD be there but wasn't at 317! I guess Elvis had not left the building after all!

Is it possible you are eating too little? Too few calories will slow your metabolism.... You might speed up your loss if you take in a few more healthy calories, try eating 7 times a day or something for a week or two to see if it helps. But, if you are already well over 1000 calories/day, it may just be your body slowing down.....

Funny you say that, I experienced the same thing on vacation amonth ago. I thought I was eating a ton, and eating poorly, basically because there was so much BAD food available in the vacation house, but when I returned, I had actually lost a pound or two over the week. I just posted about this earlier today, when I find myself eating more, I think I am actually getting the right amount of calories because I can actually increase my weight loss with the right foods despite the added intake. As you mentioned, smaller and more frequent meals through the day.... I think we all may be a little guilty of, at first, not eating enough to continue weight loss effectively. I know I am guilty of just getting about 900 calories a day which slows my losses. But I ramp up to about 1200 calories a day, which feels like I am pigging out because I am constantly eating something (healthy), I begin to lose more weight.

Great job, congrats!!!!

So I am not big on the little victories as much as I am at getting to my goal, but as of late, I am struggling to find clothes that fit and I am spending a TON on clothes so I can continue to go to work on a daily basis. That sucks but is also a great sign of success so far. I actually just purchased a couple dress shirts from Men's warehouse in XL slim fit cut and they actually fit the way they are supposed to! And, jeans I just bought a month and a half ago have been retired and I just picked up 2 pairs of 36" waist, straight leg (not loose) jeans that fit very well. I have not been in a comfortable 36" waist pair of jeans since probably 1998. I also went out with some buddies the other night and ran into some friends I had not seen in about 4-5 months and they didnt recognize me. All this combined is a great confidence booster becasue there are times when I look and still see the fat kid in the mirror. Granted, at 208, I am still not "skinny" but it sure beats 317!

So I think it was a lack of enough calories that slowed my weight loss becasue all last week I started ramping up my calorie intake (with healthy calories) and I actually dropped another 2 lbs over the weekend. Im down to 208-209 now which gets me to 109 lbs lost since I started the whole process. I do feel like I am constantly eating but when it is 75-150 calories at a time, you need to constantly eat to get in the 1200 a day. I am not doing a lot of solid foods, just lots of yogurts, Protein bars, string cheese, etc....but I do at least try to get a solid chicken or turkey meal of some sort in every day. Solids like that fill me up quickly and lasts a lot longer which is expected.... Only 24 lbs to go to goal and ony 3.5 months out, loving the surgery, thats for sure!

So I need to clarify that it is not 84 lbs since surgery, it is 35 before the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet, 20 lbs in the two weeks of Optifast, and then 29 in the 6 weeks since the surgery. Either way it is 84 lbs since the end of Feb/beginning of March. I feel great and am about 45-50 lbs from goal at this point, 185 was my HS athletics and military weight (6 ft tall). I keep thinking to myself that I took the easy way out becaue I have worked my butt off in the past to lose weight, and always have, just could never keep it off. Now I am losing with only basic gym time and I never feel hungry. Although I am only down 4 inches on my jeans, it is deceiving becasue I have always had big muscular legs that carry a lot or weight in them so I tended to be much heavier than I looked. In fact, my family was floored when I was up to 317 at one point, they all thought I was around 250. Anyway, it is nice to shop for normal clothes instead of being forced to wear the limited options of a 40+ inch waist. Not sure if any of you experienced this but my clothes went from possibly being too small but not looking terrible, to not fitting at all. I dont feel I had a period in there where the stuff fit me correclty. The little NSVs are awesome, shopping for "normal" clothes, people noticing and actually willing to say something because it is noticable, the complete lack of desire to eat the wrong foods, and the amazing amount of energy I experience now. I am looking forward to participating in the obstacle course 5k races (Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, etc....) that my wife has started doing but I am going to be very cautious on that since I have a twice torn ACL (a big contributor to the sedentary life that led me to 317 lbs). I am just excited by the fact that I WANT to do these things. I have that desire now, it is awesome! No pics yet, just never think to take them, but I will get some in here soon.

Oh, and yes, i agree, the weekly sickness does not sound normal. The only thing that makes me not feel great is if i over eat or drink too fast....well, except my body is not a fan of ice cream now. Guess that is a good way to not eat it!

I am also 1 week after on July 23rd and I am down 106 as of this morning. That includes pre-surgery weight loss, 2 weeks of pre-op diet, and then losses due to surgery. I am just generally more active with having the weight off but I also ride my stationary bike 4-5 times a week. I havent started with the weights yet, wanted to see the weight loss numbers before working to really add muscle weight back on. The wieghts would probably help me lose a little quicker but my schedule has limited my workout time and figured my cardio was a little more important.

I have had success with a bottle of water with Mio flavoring. Yeah, it is not crunchy but if I ge a whole bottle of water down and it tastes like something else other than plain water, I am not adding extra calories but still getting something that tastes good. I know that option is not for everyone but it does help me. Also, I keep my stationary bike in the living room and will ride it at night, generally after 8 or 9pm. This has helped keep my mind preoccupied as well as adding extra aerobic activity to my daily routine. Now, I cant ride the bike multiple consecutive days because I ride it on a very difficult level and on a hill program so I get jelly legs after 2 straight days of riding. But, regardless, try replacing the food grazing with something healthy that keeps your mind preoccupied. It sounds like you are bored at night and food used to be your time filler prior to surgery.

Oh, something I forgot to mention, I have run into the issue of slow loss but think I know what the cause is. It has been discussed here in the past but I feel I am not eating enough throughout the day to keep my metabolism as high as it was right after surgery. I recently started counting calories and realized I was only taking in about 900-950 calories a day. So, I started eating an extra meal a day starting this week and I dropped 2 lbs quickly. I am trying to take in about 200 calories every 2 hours starting at about 7am and ending by 7pm at night. If I can do this, I will get roughly 1200 calories which seems to be my "sweet spot" for keeping my metabolism really going. I drop down to 1000 or less, I seem to be hindering my weight loss. So, any of you out a few months and struggling with slower than expected losses, try adding another 200 calorie Protein bar or yogurt, or something to your routine and go for a week or two, you may see your weight loss pace start to pick back up.

Ok, I am 15 weeks out of surgery and as of today, I'm still losing, But, i'm now down to about 2-3 lbs per week, not the 5-6 lbs like before.... I am not disappointed though since I fully expected the slow down. I am down to 211 lbs from 317 when I started the whole process earlier this year. I could not be happier with the progress, experience, and with how I feel, no doubt! I have had no issues at all and felt geat within 1-2 days after surgery, I am LUCKY I guess. At 211 I am 26 lbs from my goal of 185, but I have had several people tell me to stop losing because I look fine as I am. I think I mentioned it in the past but I have very thick muscular legs so I can carry extra weight w/o looking like it. Either way, I am just a hair under 6 ft and I am comfortable wearing XL clothes (simetimes a bit too loose) and can wear L in some items if I want it to be a little tighter. Judging by that, I am very happy with where I am already and, again, could not be happier with the surgery and how well it has worked for me.