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I just realized, after updating my ticker that I'm over half-way to my goal weight. I'm 12 1/2 weeks post-op. In some ways my weight loss feels slow but I know, compared to my weight loss with the band, it isn't slow at all!!! It took me about 18 months to lose 50 pounds with the band!! Feeling pretty happy with my sleeve! Hope everyone is doing great!

For me the sleeve has been much easier than the band. It feels much more natural like before I was banded. I am able to eat everything but in smaller quantities, however I tend to eat protein first then cooked vegetables. I do eat carbs but mainly get them from dairy and some fruit. Before surgery, I was considered pre-diabetic so I have to watch my sugar. I do continue to track using My Fitness Pal and I try and get in some exercise 3 to 5 times per week. I was very nervous about revising from the band to the sleeve but I knew the band was no longer helpful to me as I was gaining weight and had been diagnosed as prediabetic. I needed to do something that I felt, would work. I felt like with the band I put in a lot of effort and the band didn't help me very much. With the sleeve if I put in the effort, the sleeve helps me a lot. Good luck to you on your journey.

I always like to see pics of amounts people can eat so I thought I'd post a pic of my breakfast this morning. The before pic has about 2 tablespoons of egg beaters, 1 1/2 pieces of bacon (broken up into smaller pieces), and about 1 tablespoon of hashbrowns with cheese. I ate about 1 1/2 tbsp of egg, 1 whole piece of bacon and about 1/2 tbsp of the potatoes. I am almost 3 months post-op from a revision from band to sleeve. bfastaaa.tiff

Congratulations!!

Thanks! Yup definitely glad I got the sleeve done. I feel like I'm finally on the right path!

I had the band placed in 2001. Had a port revision in 2010. Then had a slip so I had to replace the band (at the same time I had a plication done) in 2011. My plication wasn't performed correctly and I had another band slip so I had to have my band removed. Although my stomach had a lot of scar tissue due to all these issues, my doctor was able to remove my band, take down what was left of the plication and perform a sleeve. I've lost almost 40 pounds in 2 months. For some perspective, it took me almost 11 months with the band to lose 40 pounds. For me the sleeve has been so much better than the band. I considered it in 2011 but decided on plication. My only regret is that I wish I would've done the sleeve then. But now that I have the sleeve, I definitely appreciate it! Good luck to you!

Great job!!

I'm a little over 5 weeks since conversion and have lost 30 pounds. I am down about 60 pounds since my highest weight. My next goal is to be under 200 by my birthday in January. I should have no problem getting there!!

Yes I completely understand. My experience with the plication sounds very similar to yours. I hope that you are successful with the restriction you have and that you continue to have restriction. My restriction ended after about one year. Good luck!

I revised from band to banded gastric plication in 2011. 5 weeks ago I converted from banded plication to sleeve. In my sleeve doctor's opinion, my plication was not performed correctly, however, I did lose about 40ish pounds with it. I regained about 25 waiting to revise since my band was impossible to fill (cracked and flipped port). My plicated stomach was too large and after about 1 year I was able to eat roughly 60-70% of what I could eat prior to surgery. It didn't really help with my hunger issues either. I wish I would've converted to sleeve in 2011 but I wasn't mentally ready at that time. I am very happy to have found an experienced sleeve surgeon and so far, I like my sleeve soooo much better than either my lapband or banded plication. Good luck to you. I hope you can make it work!!

No. My port was inaccessible (part of the reason for the band failure) so I had about 2.5 ccs in my band prior to Sleeve surgery.

The mental part of weight loss seems to be the most difficult for me mainly due to head hunger. I mostly cook for my family (2 kids ages 5 and 6 and DH) so that makes it hard when I make delicious and tasty food that I am not eating, yet. In addition, I have been on a liquid/puree/mushy diet for over 6 weeks (2 weeks pre-op, 4 weeks post-op) and it's getting boring!! I am trying out new recipes and just made a new one tonight in hopes of helping with the boredom but eggs, yogurt, protein shakes, cottage cheese, etc. are getting ooooollllllddd!! In addition, I faithfully track all of my intake on MFP. This is new for me even though I've had WLS before. I never tracked before and had little knowledge of how much protein, carbs, fat, etc I ate. Now I am keenly aware of everything that I eat, how much exercise I'm getting, as well as, my water intake. I also keep track of my measurements using MFP which helps when my scale hasn't moved in awhile. Good luck to you on your journey!

Hi all! Today marks 3 weeks since my band removal and conversion from banded plication to sleeve. I am still working on getting all of my Protein in. Luckily, I purchased a lot of sample packs of Protein drinks before surgery so I haven't gotten bored with any particular brand or flavor. I also bought several different brands so that's helped me too. Since this is my 3rd WLS, I felt I was prepared for what life would be like immediately post-op and it was pretty much what I expected. I'm still sore from where the band and stomach were removed. I also had a large hernia repair in the same area, so my left side is still tender. My incisions look great and I'm almost completely healed externally. I try to not lift heavy items but still tote groceries and laundry baskets full of clothes around! I'm off from work for another 6 weeks due to summer break (I'm a teacher) so hopefully, I'll have my eating and drinking patterns established by then. What I've learned so far to help me: 1. Drink 4-8 ounces of Water upon waking (I learned this from VSGTanya on Youtube) 2. Drink a Protein shake soon after waking (Right now I'm only drinking about 4-5 ounces) 3. Eat protein every 2-3 hours 4. Try to get some form of exercise or activity everyday (I use exercise t.v. and videos at night) I also look for opportunities to exercise. For example, I took my kiddos to the park and I walked around the playground while they played. 5. Use MFP or another food tracking method for accountability 6. Go to therapy (This has been helpful to me and it's something I never did while banded) 7. If you can, find a support group that you like and go! 8. Enlist help from family and friends (Only my DH and 1 good friend know I had the sleeve. A few friends know I had my band removed. This has been a bit difficult for me but I feel that's the best decision for me, right now) 9. Measure food, especially in the beginning. I don't have a food scale yet but I put everything in cups or dishes that have measurements on them. 10. So far, I seem to lose better with a bit higher calories (around 500-600), a bit higher carbs (around 40-50) and more exercise. When I was "eating" lower calories (around 300-400) I would plateau, even if I exercised. This, so far, seems to be what my body likes - that may change later. 11. Recovery was easier than I thought but the mental part is WAY more difficult!! 12. Enjoy the journey. This is my journey and while I think it's important to learn from others and listen to my doctors, I don't intend to follow someone else's idea of what my journey should be. This is probably the first time in my life that I've felt like that!! Although I've only been sleeved for 3 weeks, I've had WLS for 12 years so hopefully, some of those years weren't all wasted and I learned from them! Thanks for reading. Sorry for rambling!

Hi, I'm down almost 30 since my first visit to my revision surgeon. Since my lapband surgery in 2001, I've lost 50 pounds.

Hi all! Monday marked 3 weeks since my band removal and conversion from banded plication to sleeve. I am still working on getting all of my Protein in. Luckily, I purchased a lot of sample packs of Protein drinks before surgery so I haven't gotten bored with any particular brand or flavor. I also bought several different brands so that's helped me too. Since this is my 3rd WLS, I felt I was prepared for what life would be like immediately post-op and it was pretty much what I expected. I'm still sore from where the band and stomach were removed. I also had a large hernia repair in the same area, so my left side is still tender. My incisions look great and I'm almost completely healed externally. I try to not lift heavy items but still tote groceries and laundry baskets full of clothes around! I'm off from work for another 6 weeks due to summer break (I'm a teacher) so hopefully, I'll have my eating and drinking patterns established by then. What I've learned so far to help me: 1. Drink 4-8 ounces of Water upon waking (I learned this from VSGTanya on Youtube) 2. Drink a Protein shake soon after waking (Right now I'm only drinking about 4-5 ounces) 3. Eat protein every 2-3 hours 4. Try to get some form of exercise or activity everyday (I use exercise t.v. and videos at night) I also look for opportunities to exercise. For example, I took my kiddos to the park and I walked around the playground while they played. 5. Use MFP or another food tracking method for accountability 6. Go to therapy (This has been helpful to me and it's something I never did while banded) 7. If you can, find a support group that you like and go! 8. Enlist help from family and friends (Only my DH and 1 good friend know I had the sleeve. A few friends know I had my band removed. This has been a bit difficult for me but I feel that's the best decision for me, right now) 9. Measure food, especially in the beginning. I don't have a food scale yet but I put everything in cups or dishes that have measurements on them. 10. So far, I seem to lose better with a bit higher calories (around 500-600), a bit higher carbs (around 40-50) and more exercise. When I was "eating" lower calories (around 300-400) I would plateau, even if I exercised. This, so far, seems to be what my body likes - that may change later. 11. Recovery was easier than I thought but the mental part is WAY more difficult!! 12. Enjoy the journey. This is my journey and while I think it's important to learn from others and listen to my doctors, I don't intend to follow someone else's idea of what my journey should be. This is probably the first time in my life that I've felt like that!! Although I've only been sleeved for 3 weeks, I've had WLS for 12 years so hopefully, some of those years weren't all wasted and I learned from them! Thanks for reading. Sorry for rambling!

I'm a 6/24 sleever. I just posted a three-week update on the Band to Sleeve Forum.

Me too, O.C. I actually went to high school and college with models, singers and actors. Ugh!

Aaw sorry about the nausea, that sucks. Be careful if you're taking vitamins and try not take them to close together. I have found that causes my little tummy to be sore and temperamental. Take care

Congrats and good luck!

I was banded in 2001 and revised to a banded plication in 2011. I wish I would've revised to a sleeve then. I had considered it but don't think I was quite ready. So like others - I wish I would've done it sooner. I'm about 2 1/2 weeks post op and feel great!

I finally made Shelly's famous Ricotta Bake (http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html). Oh my! It is so delicious. I followed her basic recipe but used a pinch of oregano and a bit of chili pepper flakes instead of "italian seasonings". I reduced the amount of parmesan. I also added about 1/2 c. of spinach because I like it and I have anemia so I figured the extra iron and vegetable couldn't hurt! I put them into a regular size cupcake pan and it made 9 servings. Using MFP, I calculated the recipe as 66 calories per serving with 6 grams of protein. Mine had a bit higher carbs because I used spaghetti sauce from a jar. Next time, I'll make my own with tomatoes, garlic, onions and basil. I ate 1 serving for dinner and another for lunch today. Delicious!!

Hi Sue, I used low-fat ricotta but full fat mozzarella. I really don't like most low-fat cheeses so I stick to full fat. Plus I don't eat much of it anyway It was really tasty. I saw another person made cups using wonton wrappers and someone else used pepperoni slices to make the cups then fill with the ricotta bake. I will definitely try out those ideas next time!!

I agree 100%! I've only been sleeved for 15 days but so far, my eating has been so much better. I had horrible heart burn with the band and it lingered for a few days after my sleeve but now that's resolved thanks to switching PPIs. I look forward to being able to eat "normally" with the sleeve once I'm all healed. I think with the band I traded one eating disorder (overeating) for another (bulimia). So far, no vomiting with the sleeve. I take small bites and chew, chew, chew my mushies!!

Wow! Congrats...onederland seems a long way away for me. I was almost there a couple of years ago but couldn't seem to get below 215. Good luck to you! You'll be there in no time.

Once I can figure out how to send you a PM, I'll give you our website. We do mainly car shows, rockabilly shows and of course, Viva Las Vegas!! We do mainly plus size Rockabilly fashions.