Travelher

I think the answer to this will be "sometimes". after a few years with a lap band things were comfortable and i didn't much think about it. When things started going bad, i was reminded of it every meal every day. I imagine with bypass, things will settle into normal routine and i will think less and less about it. During the losing phase, and even the early maintenance months it is a constant preoccupation with the scale and your body. For me, anyway, it consumed a lot of time. Daily board visits, chats with other bariatric patients, daily weighing. As time goes on, daily weighing becomes weekly, which becomes whenever I remember to or am curious to see. Board visits have already dropped from daily to weekly and sometimes monthly as other things occupy my mental headspace. I tend to spend more time on facebook these days so interact quite a bit with others there. but let's face it. 30 posts a day bemoaning a 3rd week stall or complaining about "only" losing 30 lbs in a month becomes exhausting after a while...so i find myself posting less and less, been hanging more in the plastics groups lately but that will wane too...eventually I'm sure I'll be drawn back to the community groups I hung out with pre-op where people occupy themselves complaining about neighborhood dog poop instead of weight loss stalls or post plastics swelling. This time around though, I doubt I will disconnect completely. I have made bariatric friends I still check in with and will be quick to return for support if I need it.

absolutely agree that stress (and also sleep) have a huge impact on the metabolism and therefore can cause weight gain.

i think the majority of people think the surgery is primarily successful because of restriction, which isn't the case. it is the hormonal balance and therefore the metabolic shift...this changes over time and appetite increases. This is why virtually ever surgeon has a recommended food plan/diet. Clearly surgeons don't explain that people will be able to eat more over time and that it has nothing to do with pouch size because food doesn't stay in the stomach for very long it. Generally the pouch or sleeve empties in 30 seconds to a few minutes. That is what they see in xrays. It is stretch receptors in the stomach and intestines that send the "full" message. Dr Matthew Weiner has a great video that indicates normal is a few bites at 1 month, 3 oz at 6 months, 1/2 plate at a year, 3/4 in 3 years and 1 plate at 5-10. This is true for me. 18 months post op i can eat a salad bowl with 3 oz of protein (soup size) or 3-4oz of protein and a side of veggies 1/2 to a cup depending on the day. Guess what though, if I'm sitting with friends at a restaurant, over the 90 minutes we are there i could quite easily eat a french fry every couple of minutes and end up having eaten a half a plate of fries after eating my dinner (I don't, but I know i could). that would be eating around my tool, it hasn't stretched I just let my stomach empty and then refilled it over and over again. Dr Weiner says weight regain usually has almost nothing to do with anatomy. Yes there are cases where people will force feed themselves over an over again and stretch out their stomachs or in the case of RNY, the stoma, research says it is not usually the case. Like most other people I have had some regain, most recently I went away on a vacation for 10 days with my closest friends. it was a week in a ski chalet with wine and lots of cheese, fondue one night, cheese and pate in the afternoons, eating out. I put on 7 pounds. then lost the 7 lbs over the 3 weeks following the trip when i was back home and back to my normal healthy eating. I know I have to be very careful and vigilant with my food choices if I don't want to become a regain statistic.

I don't feel the "need" for skin surgery. I won the lottery and have no hanging skin (though it is loose and wrinkles). but I have developed a hernia on my lower abdomen so since I'm getting abdominal surgery anyway to fix that I am doing a lower body lift and also a breast lift. I get the feeling that will be it for me.

I found an ap the easiest. ive never used Baritastic, but myfitnesspal can save meals and allows you to copy over days or meals at a time. I found that a real time saver as i often repeat the same meals. 10,000 steps a day is what i did. You've got this!

i hope not, surgery with Usculpt in about a week. they have rave reviews. suggest you consult there if you haven't already, they specialize in bariatric patients.

i wouldn't wish a lapband on my worst enemy. I had complications which did permanent damage. buyer beware. if you don't want a revision down the road, i'd avoid a lap band. Your chance of a revision by year 10 is about 50% with a band. and they aren't being phased out slowly. they very rapidly dropped from the most popular surgery to less than 5% due to the complication rates. I had mine 11 years. I only had 3 years complication free.

all i have is a mini-fridge. I pick up 4 packs of my premier. I buy fresh fruit. nuts and eggs for snacks and sometimes salads. when i eat out I usually order a salad with extra meat and that works for 2 meals. I really only need to food prep for breakfasts and snacks. you just need to think about it and plan. my plan always includes the meals out. go back to using myfitnesspal or any other tracking ap if you need to.

i travel for work once a month and I always buy groceries and food prep the way i do at home. i've never had to throw food out, so I'm not sure I understand that concern. I don't shop for more than a week's worth of food even at home...

bypass has been infinitely better than lapband. excess skin is not something to worry about, it means you lost weight. dying from obesity is something to worry about. dumping is controllable...never been worried about dumping...because i don't eat in a way to trigger it.

I always ate healthy carbs. most of my carbs come from fruit/veggies. seeds. some beans. some steel cut oats, some popcorn. I lost using balanced macros. 35%carb 25% fat, 40% protein. Been maintaining for 6 months and have upped the carbs am probably closer to 40% carb now.

good thing exercise isn't a requirement for weight loss. it is all about the food. walking is all I did.

lots of people revise to the sleeve. I'd caution you though, that if you have any reflux with the band (as many do) your best revision option will be bypass.

you need to ask your hospital and or insurer. I've seen insurance inflated bills over 100k. the actual cost should not be more than 20k...but that is not the same thing as the cost that will be billed to your insurance company.

that isn't real weight gain, likely water retention. anyone who starts exercising should expect water weight gain out of the gate. never met anyone who didn't have it.

Dr. Weiner has a good Youtube video on this. he says it isn't the pouch or sleeve stretching. it has to do with the stretch receptors in the intestines....and sets the expectation that over time people can eat more...not because the stomach stretches but because food isn't in the stomach more than a minute or two anyway and it is the stretch receptors in the intestines that don't register the same way...sometime to that effect. according to him when they have looked at the stomachs of people with those complaints, they look the same as the rest...

you are most definitely morbidly obese. I was much more afraid of my obesity killing me than a surgeon. my viewpoint was that if people who are 600lbs+ are surviving surgery, me with a mid 40's BMI should be smooth sailing. I knew i was a heart attack waiting to happen. Please ignore anyone suggesting a band. they categorically have no clue what they are talking about!!!!! Lapbands have horrendous complication rates... worse than the others put together. I could not roll my eyes any harder. the fact that that was suggested to you should automatically discount their opinions. My band nearly killed me and caused permanent damage to my esophagus. my experience with it is very very very common. my doctor says any doctors using a band today should be sued for malpractice. if you are looking for a procedure that is reversible if you need it...that is called a bypass.

he is ignorant to the reality. your excess weight could kill you. I suggest you go to youtube and start watching dr weiner's videos. he has a great way of explaining why bariatric surgery works where diet and exercise doesn't.

my only question would be if the band caused any reflux. if yes, bypass is usually the way to go.

very common, exactly how mine was. don't suggest you live with it. it isn't healthy long term, mine permanently damaged my esophagus.

please please please see the doctor about your heartburn. GERD is the most common complication with the band and over time can lead to cancer. It is why I ultimately revised to bypass in a hurry. do not let it go untreated. mine caused permanent damage, make sure you are getting it treated.

me, I did the removal/revision in one procedure. Mine was smooth sailing in and out in 90 minutes. My doctor has done hundreds of revisions. you want a doctor with experience, because some people end up with adhesions between the band and their organs and you want a doctor who has seen it and and knows how to deal with it. you don't want to be the first. . Yes there are greater risks with a revision depending on how much damage the band has done. the sooner you get it out, the better.

The longer you leave the band in, the more opportunity there is for further damage. i would listen to the medical advice and have it removed. I revised to bypass and have found it much much better. I have never heard of someone who started having band complications have them resolve on their own.