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I lost VERY slowly in the beginning. Now I stall for weeks and suddenly lose like 10-15 pounds in the span of a few days. PCOS is a monster that can never be killed, only subdued. However, even losing slowly and having all these stalls, I'm still 101 pounds down in 5.5 months. It will all even out for you in the end, just stick to your plan, take good care of yourself, and be patient with your body. It's a little traumatized right now, but it will get better.

Beautiful! All the best wishes for you! I often hear that the amount restriction often becomes more apparent about a week later. Would you report back next week and tell us if you notice anything different? I'm having my first fill 10/18. Thanks, Jo Ann

My doctor's office sent all my paperwork to the insurance company on April 25 and said it shoud take about 10 dyas to hear anything... So I *patiently* waited the 10 days, then called BCBS to find out what the status was on the authorization. The lady I talked to said that they hadn't received it until May 8th!! And it would be 7 to 10 days before I heard anything. So I'm a little bit frustrated.... But at least I know they are looking at it now.

Not sure if this will work, but I am posting a fairly typical day for me. It won't fit on one screenshot, so I am doing what I can to make it work. I was banded May 15 and as of July 2 I lost almost 41 lbs (just under a pound a day). What has been working for me: General Style: I try to be fairly low carb, but I have taken to cycling my carbs for days I need a little extra. Plus, I am testing out the whole cycling/ketosis thing. Exercise: I walk for 30 mins or do elliptical for 15-30 mins every day, sometimes both, but I really just started moving like I should. I was pretty sedentary at first, outside of some minor stretching and light resistance work with a balance ball. Pay Attention: Reading the previous posts, watch your cheeses, ice creams, and sauces. They're easy to eat, hide calories and fat easily, and will quickly negate any good you've tried to do. salad dressings can easily kill a salad if you aren't careful. Eating out? Ask for foods prepared without butter or oil. Ask for no cheese or butter on veggies, rice, and potatoes (if you eat rice and potatoes). Sauce on the side, dressing on the side. The easiest thing to do: if you know it's bad, and you feel guilty by knowing it's bad... choose something else. Easier said than done, I know, that's part of why we're all here, but think of the band and think of what it feels like to lose all the weight. MOST IMPORTANT, keep to the limits imposed by your doc. Most people seem to be in the 4-6oz range. Fill up on your lean Protein first, then eat your veggies. Then whatever else you have. EAT SLOWLY. Let the band tell you when you are full. One trick I learned (and I forget who to credit, so if it's someone here, I apologize) -- If possible, eat a few bites of food about 10 minutes before you sit down for your meal. It can take 20-30 minutes for the feeling of satiety to hit your brain. By jumping ahead a few bites, you trigger your body to start watching that system and releasing the hormones that tell you you're full. (Remember not to drink anything in between!) Once you begin eating your normal meal, still eating slowly, and not drinking while you eat, the body will continue to monitor that feeling and you will feel satisfied on a small amount instead of overeating without knowing it. Like I posted before... track everything. Once I started that, I found I feel like I have eaten a lot more, simply because I break down the meal into ingredients and then I can see all the different things I got to taste! Anyway, it works for me. I thought I would share.

I am pretty new, but I will post. I started my weight loss on June 7th with my pre-op diet. I was banded on June 11th. On the 7th I was 463, and today I am 424. I have actually gained about 10 pounds back since I was able to start eating again. Typical food intake during the week. My problem is weekends. Breakfast - 10oz of Water with Fiber, Vitamins, asprin and 4oz Protein shake. Usually once I have all that, I am full until 11 or 12. The last week I have been having 2 scrambled eggs with parmensian(sp?) cheese for lunch. dinner is usually meat, chicken, beef, meatball with sauce,etc. I probably overeat at dinner, but I think weekends are what is hurting me so far. I walk a lot at work, delivery driver, and try to walk the neighborhood a cuople times a week. On the weekends I will do a couple of hours of yardwork, usually Saturday morning. Now that I am off mushies, I am trying to cut the carbs out again. I lost over 100 on Atkins, so I wha to do that again. Good luck. Hope this helps.

Hello I'm Getting Banded On The 10 Also.............

I thought this was an interesting article. I hope the link works. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/health/biological-changes-thwart-weight-loss-efforts-study-finds.html?_r=1&

Ok, so I have a question.....or more so a scenario that I am going to encounter in a few weeks and wondering how to handle it.... I have an all day business meeting, during which the higher ups will be evaluating me for my next promotion. They Always serve a huge lunch spread during these meetings as they tend to last 7-9 hours. I am going to be on Day 3 of my pre-op Clear liquids. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone have any ideas for how to skirt the questions of why am I not eating anything? Keep in mind they are truly judging your every move. Do I say I'm having a surgerical procedure and need to be on clear liquids? Or do I just suck it up, serve myself some salad (I can at least be good if I'm going to eat) and then right back on the clear liquids? Dr. Alvarez wants me to do a 14 clear liquid diet prior to my 10/8 surgery....technically my BMI calls for 7 or 14 days...(I'm a 41.4, so 41 calls for 7 day, 42 calls for 14)....should I just start it the day after the meeting, so I don't run the risk of being low on energy and hunger crazy when I am trying my hardest to impress these people for my promotion? That would still give me 10 days on clear liquids pre-op. Truly appreciate any/all suggestions.....

Okay, this is the "FOREVER" part coming to bite you. Bear in mind, this is advice from an unbanded person who has gained 30 pounds since October - WAAAHHH!!! My advice to us both... lol 1. This is NOT a diet - this really really really really is FOREVER. Our eating habits will have to change forever. 2. In the end, our lifestyle changes canNOT be about losing weight - because once we have lost the weight, there will be no motivation to continue with our healthy habits. At some point, we will no longer have the scale moving downward to motivate us. And we certainly don't want to wait for the scale to move UPWARD(:eek!) to regain motivation! (Trust me on THIS one!!! lol) So... this journey HAS to be about HEALTH. Seriously. Losing weight is secondary to this journey. 3. Take 15 minutes to really think about all you have accomplished, seperate from the scale. Review all of those NSVs. Feel the regained health of your body. Realize that you NEVER, EVER want to give that up. NEVER. Admit to yourself that you are WORTH being healthy. 4. Recommit to your health in baby steps. Set one goal for each day. Make it a small, easily attainable goal so that you can experience the success. Add slowly to that goal until you are at the max for that particular health-breeding habit. For example, if your main goal is to drink a gallon of Water each day, and you haven't been drinking any, start with a mini-goal of a quart. Slowly add to that each day until you get to your gallon. Once that habit is reset, start working towards your next goal. Suppose it's walking. Maybe you want to walk a minimum of 30 minutes each day. So day 1 your goal is to walk 10 minutes. Do that successfully for a couple of days, and then add another 5 minutes. 5. Remember that you do NOT have to fix everything in one day!! This is for the rest of your life! Be gentle with yourself, start your positive habits small, and build on them. 6. Focus on what you WANT to do, not what you DON'T want to do. Don't focus on NOT eating something less nutritious - focus on eating MORE nutritious foods. Don't deny yourself anything - just make your more healthy food choices FIRST - always promise yourself (and keep the promise!!) that you can have whatever you want (IF you still want it) after you've had your health building food(s). 7. Continue seeking and offering support! Good luck, and I know you can do this. Sometimes we all need a little rest - there is nothing wrong with that. But you don't want to neglect your health for too long (like I have!) xxoo

Nancy, Donali is right. It is a lifestyle change. I have been struggling as of late to get the last 10-15 pounds off my body. I have been trying so hard and finallly realized this is a forever thing, so I have taken the time pressure monkey off my back by not giving myself a time line. (although I am still ahead of my original target) Admittedly, I stopped doing the things that made me successful in the beginning and started getting complacent as of late. And 20+ months of trying to get to goal is a long time.!!!! Its much harder now than it was for me at 6 months out to lose the weight. My body is used to eating 1100-1200 calories a day and it doesnt want to lose more at this stage. So it does just get harder and harder, so you need to stay focused and take baby steps to a permanent lifestyle change. The great part having a band is that you can always take a break and start all over again! It is an ongoing cycle of self improvement. If you know this and set up small achievable goals like Michelle suggested, then you will eventually get where you want to go. You can do it!!! Babs in TX 334/180 -154 New goal; 170 or less....

Slow losers unite! I was banded Dec 4. Lost about 14 pounds first 10 days. in the past 6 weeks... only 10 more. i bounce up and down all week long. Heck, all month long. Up a pound, down .6, up .2, down a pound. And so on. Stall? Maybe. but the net effect is I'm losing. I have tried several different things - up calories, down calories, up cardio, down weights, up Water, up Protein, just about every combination out there. There is no rhyme or reason to my fat butt. I just had to tell myself this morning as I was adding up last month's loses that even if I lose "only 6 pounds a month", I will still be down 80 pounds at the one year mark. I'll take it!

So, I am back at home and back at work. My surgery was Jan. 10. I switch between my shakes and pureed food. Initally I was losing major weight. I haven't really been checking my weight except for maybe once week. Well, I stepped on the scale after work and it showed me 2 pounds up. I tried not to panic, took a deep breath and was down two pounds. I breathed a sigh of relief and told myself that I wasn't going to check again until a full week had passed. Well, I didn't. I checked and I was only down a pound. I know I don't take in 1,000 calories a week. I am recently sleeved. What is going on? Shouldn't I be dropping weight like mad now? Is this a dreaded stall? What has been your experience?

this is exactly how i feel today.. surgery was 10/23. just feels bad.

So today i have decided to get back to what i know works. After not going to the gym for the past 10 weeks after the tummy tuck i have really gotten lazy. To top it off, my plastic surgeon removes all the fill and for 8 weeks i had nothing. Talk about getting knocked off my high-horse. For the past two years i had it in my head that should anything happen to my band that i could do it on my own.... boy was i wrong. My hunger came back with a vengeance. I'm hungry all the time and i can eat ANYTHING... since my TT i have gained back 5lbs.... and i'm not happy about that. Now i have 5cc in my band and i'm still hungry. So this week i'm going back for 5 more. I need help with keeping me on track. Two weeks ago i started back at zumba, but i need more. So today i'm going to strap my boobs down and attempt the c25k. I have NEVER ran before. Anyone interested in helping me keep accountable... we can keep each other accountable. Report back either here or via messages on our day. How we did with food and exercise... I don't know about you all.... but i sure could use the help. Let me know..... Thanks everyone and have a wonderful day.

Hello all, Eight days until my bypass and I just came back from an appointment that totally surprised me! It was with a clinical pharmacist who was explaining how to give myself the blood thinner shots for 10 days after the surgery. I'm not too squeamish about these kinds of things, but I was surprised this wasn't mentioned in any of the classes, appointments, handouts, or other information I've been getting since January. What will also be a surprise is how much the prescription is going to cost me. I'm waiting to hear back from insurance, but it could be a lot. Any experience or thought about this!! Having to give myself a daily shot in the stomach for 10 days seems like adding insult to injury...I'm just saying...

Anyone of you Newbies want to partner up to lose 10 lbs in 30 days? Let me no I'm starting Thursday.Philadelphia girl hoping to be sleeved early September or end of August. 2 more test next week one more Nutritionists visit and the support meeting the 20th.

SOme things help but time will is the major factor with this. You do not indicate if your pain is gas, nausea, bloating or incisional. Everyone seems to experience a different proportion of each of these. For me, the incisional pains were nothing compared to the gas and bloating so the pain meds did not help me and actually made it worse. Small sips of fluids throughout the day, moving around every couple of hours for about 10 mins each, changing positions frequently, laying on my non-port side with a heating pad intermittently, Tums and Pepcid Complete got me through it. Hang in there. In a wekk you'll be responding to new banders with your advice on how you made it through. I relied on this discussion forum for a full week and am now happy to be able to share that I made it, feel good and want to help others.

Note to Admins -- I took a look at the food & Nutrition section and did not see a thread like the one i am writing here. This section has more views & replies, so I am hoping to keep this thread here despite .. Hi Folks, Coming into VSG surgery, my doctor told me that my relationship with food will change. Via the pre-op psycho analysis visit to his colleague psychiatristpizza place that has pizza by the slice, and we used to get a slice of cheese pizza each and sit down and eat them before driving back home .. nowadays, even if I cut the slice in 1/2 or 1/3 -- the taste isn't there anymore. I can't describe why .. I simply do not enjoy eating this food, though my memory of enjoying this food is still there. You can apply that to EVERY single kind of food and dishes that I used to eat -- the TASTE relationship is not the same. And I've come to the conclusion that what I need to do, is to expand the horizon on foods and get into eating different dishes, ones that I don't used to eat, very often, or never tried before .. Now, to be fair -- I'll go first to offer up a recipe I discovered on the internet that is a "new" dish for me, in the fact that at least -- I never used to eat it as a meal at home. This recipe came about about the first week of going from a semi-liquid diet into solid foods, and all the foods I was eating was very boring or didn't taste good . On this day -- I felt like eating salmon, but not raw as Japanese food but cooked. I knew I needed a nice and tasty sauce, so I found this recipe: *** Pan fried salmon with cream dill sauce *** - Fresh raw salmon fillet (180 grams or less, if too large -- VSG'ers can't finish this) - 1 small lemon/lime - Fresh dill - 1/2 cup cream - 1 table spoon Philadelphia Chive & Chive Cream Cheese - 2 table spoon virgin olive oil - 1/2 table spoon salt - Ground black pepper Pan fry salmon fillet with olive oil for 5~10 minutes pending your fire and temperature until cooked. Separate sauce pan, pour in cream and mix in the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted and blended into the sauce body. Chop the dill and add it to the sauce, let the dill cook a bit to get the flavor into the cream sauce. When the sauce is done, pour it over the cooked salmon fillet in a serving plate. Slice a piece of lemon or lime and put it on top of the salmon. Done .. quick and dirty. I ate this dish for a while, until I burnt out on it .. now, I'm looking for more recipes to re-vitalize my daily meal agenda .. anybody have any good recipes which you are currently enjoying, which you have tested out yourself and know that it will work for VSG'ers ?? Feel free to jump in and make your contribution. I'm waiting to try out some new dishes.

I am a QSR restaurant manager and am wondering when I can expect to go back to work... no surgery date set yet, just completed my sleep study. I am hoping for the week after Turkey Day. I work 10 hour shifts and am on my feet the whole time. Anyone out there who also manages a QSR restaurant...? What should I expect when I return to work..?? I was originally told 2 weeks...now I am hearing 3-4 weeks... I do not have STDL and really can not afford to take so much time off... But I do not want that to be a reason for me to regret my choice to have surgery.

That's awesome!!! Congrats I can't wait until I'm there. Maybe another 10 pounds and I'll get to buy some new stuff, too. It's an awesome problem to have, right? Instead of buying bigger clothes because what you have doesn't fit, you have to buy smaller clothes because of how much weight you've lost!!!!!

The band has helped me too. I was at 2 shots aday. Now since July 19 06 Ive just had to take about 7 shots all together. You will need to work with your doctor . Sounds like you were "borderline" so now you will be on the good side of the line. edie

My claims have just come in for my surgery here in Milwaukee, WI. $48,458 was the total paid by my insurance. I would be responsible for 10% of that, but I have an out of pocket maximum of $1800. Some of that has already been filled by me so my portion will end somewhere around 2% of that total. It is outrageous how much these hospitals charge the insurance companies. My surgeon and anesthesiologist each charged $4,500. I had a few specialists reading test results that were each about $500. The hospital charged $35,000. That being said, I will say that I was treated like royalty there and I did have heart complications during my stay. I was still only there 2 nights though!

I wanted to go the route of least invasive and least down time. I also thought that if there's a problem 5, 10, or 15 years down the line, they may have come out with another equally less invasive procedure to perform. I would really like to keep all of my anatomy. I also am young and plan on having a family someday, so it's important that I could still lose weight now, but have the possibility when pregnant to remove part of the saline to allow for adequate nutrition. I also considered the actual weight loss aspect. Although gastric usually loses more weight at a faster pace initially, there is a chance of regaining after 18 mths-2 years (when the body learns how to reabsorb) if you did not learn to eat properly. The band causes you to change your eating from the start and also requires less nutritional supplements.

Thank you all so much for the replies!! I've just never been one to handle change very well and on a scale from 1-10 this will register a 9.5!!!! Really want be slim and healthy!!!!

As the mother of an obese male, good for you!! When my son, now 35, graduated high school he was at least 400. My son is now doing something, again, about his weight. He cut out all sugars and diary. He was at least 10 cupper a day of hot and iced coffee with cream and 6 sugars. Just remember to follow your doctor's rules because he/she is different than others. Keep us posted. What college are you going to, or you can keep it to yourself. Good luck with school.