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I lost 40 lbs in a month. I didn't lose at all for two weeks and felt the exact same way. Only difference is after that first week of no losing I put my scale up for a week. Right now I'm going down between 1-2 lbs a day. It seems like the days I do well no loss the days I cheat and have a snack or something not quite healthy I'll lose way more!!! It's crazy. I read on here it's just the increase in calories so I'm trying to find a healthier way of doing that. I felt regret for the first month but I went from a 26 pant to a 20!!! It's just emotional and my body isn't doing what I expected it to..

I have had 3 surgerys on my lower back.. and he wanted to do a fusion but I have been doing exercize and getting shots.. I have a fragment of a disc on a nerve root and scar tissue I am hoping the banding will get out of some of this pain.. I just hate back surgegy and don't want it again.. has anyone had bad back problems that got better with weight loss? just wanted a perspective... I need light at the end of my tunnel...

I think it depends on where the disk problems are. I have a herniated disk in my neck (C5, C6). If the disk problem is lower back, I feel very certain that getting excess weight off will help a great deal. I need to get the weight off, but that will not help future problems in my neck. I did PT and had the epidural procedure and have been pain free (knock wood) for over two years. If I were you, I would not have the back surgery, continue your exercise, have the lap band surgery, and feel pretty confident that the weight loss will alleviate some or most of your lower back pain. I personally would not have back surgery unless I were unable to walk without it. PT can do wonderful things. A good physical therapist is priceless! Good luck to you.

Yes I do! Had my surgery 12/29/16. They were very fast with approval (mine took 5-7 days). My specific plan required 6 months of doctor monitored weight loss, and for me to register in the Bariatric program through the insurance company. I did not have to do nutrition. I've had zero issues and once my deductible was met for the year they covered my surgery 100%! They also covered all follow up visits for 90 days after surgery.

I'm on the slower side too. I only had a 33lb loss at end of 2nd month. But I'm really happy with the way things are progressing. I know I'll get to goal sooner or later. I know it can be frustrating during longer stalls, but that is mostly when I shed inches faster. So that works well for me too LOL! You're doing great! Dont worry!

We all are different, so we all will lose at different speeds. The slow way, I feel, is the best way cause your skin has time to catch up with your loss. . . are you exercising? Drinking all your water? Limiting fruit juices, sodas, carbs, etc. . . are you obessing over the scale? that will usually kill you right there. . . get rid of the scale and only weigh about once a week if that. . . good luck your doing great. Also, before surgery could you have lost 41lbs in 3 months by yourself? So you see, your doing great!

I can't use artificial sweeteners. I can use Stevia, which is natural, but that's it. I keep reading about people using weight loss shakes preop and such, and I wonder if anyone knows of some that don't use art. sweeteners? Maybe I'll just have to make my own? I get TERRIBLE migraines from any art. sweetener on the market. I've tried them all, same story.

For the past 1.5 mos once I started real food ( after 1 mos post op) I was feeling starved before meals- in fact wrote about it many times. I had been losing 1.5-2 pounds a week starting 1 mos post op. In the last 5 days I lost my hunger. A few times i have gotten hungry, ate, and became full fairly quickly. I have lost 5 pounds in these 5 days. I forced myself to eat dinner tonight ( 4oz chicken and a few strawberries) because all I had was 1/4 cup chicken salad, a few gluten free crackers and 1oz of cheese for breakfast and a wonderslim protein bar. It’s just a strange feeling to not have a desire to eat- even on Halloween ! And my husband is nervous that I lost 5 pounds in 5 days when normally it takes 5 days to get 1 pound off or less. I lost quickly at the beginning which makes sense. Should I be concerned. I feel fine during the day- exercise, work, take care of family etc. I’m drinking all my water too and taking all the vitamins and prescriptions. Just wondering about the sudden change. Any thoughts?? Thanks SW 289 CW 243 Aug 21 /2017. surgery date GW 180 Height 5’8

I have finally reached an appt with the surgeon. After the initial visits and phsych reviews, 5% weight loss and numerous blood tests...the day will finally be here on 2/5. I thought I was ready but I find myself getting more and more nervous lately over it. I know I definitely still want to go through with the lapband surgery but it is becoming a reality now. I only started 2 1/2 months ago and when I first went in they said it could be 6 months to a year before I am at this stage...I am glad it wasn't that long, but now I am more anxious to have this part over and start my new lifestyle. I heard it should only be about 6 weeks after this initial visit with the surgeon so looks like it is just around the corner - right around my birthday...what a great birthday present .

I know what you mean about the adding calories..."Yikes I'm eating too much." I'm on day 22 and have been averaging around 400 calories and am working to get it between 600-800 as my doc recommends for weight loss stage. As I work to increase them I fight the battle of ...if I eat less I will lose faster but I don't believe in the extreme that, that is true. I am hoping that once I am able to increase my calories (good healthly ones) that my weight loss will be consistant and improve. I believe that too few and we put ourselves into a starvation mode and actually decrease our metabolism doing ourselves more damage than good. We also don't give ourselves enough nutrition to think straight!! and for me that means...self defeating thoughts! When was the last time you lost 25lbs and knew that you could be saying goodbye to them forever? That you had cut the string to the yo-yo! I keep seeing this poster on my fit friends facebook pages...The Journey is the Destination it gives me hope that no matter how far I have to go the trip there is worth it, no time is lost! Good luck to you and congratulations on your loss so far!! Jennifer

Check out the package options at laparoscopy.com.mx maybe you will find the options intresting or contact Dr. Alvarez's patient coordinator at rosantinaflores@yahoo.com she'll be happy to help. The package consists of round trip airfare, 2 night hotel stay, and all surgeons fees, preop tests etc. for only 7500.00dlls. 2500 makes a lot of difference . And of course he is a wonderful Dr. with years experience and specialized in paris in weight loss surgerys. Check it out

Hi Alan , I went on the Atkins diet for two weeks and very strict I might say. I lost 12 lbs before the surgery. I started on a Monday and by Wedesday I was off diet Coke. That is the longest I have went without a diet Coke since they came out. But I am actually not craving them now and I will try my best to leave them alone.Today I am sore and gassy too. Also I am weak from the Clear Liquids.Tomorrow I am on Ensure and blended soups and should feel better hopefully. I know the feeling of being full for so many years and the relationship with my best friend food ! lol (who is killing us too). I hope the band will be an effective tool , and so I can try to get out of this hole I have dug myself into. I had a heart cath in November and had 70% blockage . I was at 301 then. I lost over 25 lbs. and then gained it all back and then some. Twice in my life I lost over 50 lbs. and never could keep it off. To me ,The band was my only real hope of being able to achieve a permanent and realistic weight loss. I am a newbie as we all were .....I am very nervous and worried about the problems of the band. I got on youtube and watched some horror stories and about decided not to go ahead with the procedure ,That is until I found this discussion forum and have seen that it can work. I am very lucky to live in a small town and have my docotor just ten minutes away too. He is young and I was his 18 th procedure ! He is a good general surgeon, who recently started doing the lapbands and all went well . You know the ole saying ...."Just make up your mind and do it !" That is what I did. Everytime I think about missing chessburgers and cold beer by the giant mugs and all the ice cream I wanted, I think about the horrible way I feel EVERYDAY at this weight.I want to FEEL good and I am not worried about what I look like anymores ! lol.....I just wanna see my grandkids grow up and make sure wifey is happy too :laugh: Alan if I could get down to 225 and stay there I would be pretty happy I think. Thanks to all for the advice too Mike in Texas

I'm getting toward the end of my journey, and it's funny how things are so different from the inside looking out. I've realized through this journey that while each NSV and every mini goal met is significant and praise worthy, the most significant loss I had was the first 30-40 for me. It was when I hit the middle of those numbers that I realized that I WAS doing this! I AM going to succeed!! I CAN keep losing this weight!! It was the true marker for me and the green light to realize that my body was changing, I was shrinking and it was the first and probably the biggest boost to my confidence that I've had this entire journey. That being said, the first 30-40 lbs of my loss was probably the most insignificant to those around me and who saw me on a daily basis. It was enough for them to see that I'd lost 'some' weight, but let's face it when you're as big as we all are/were a 30-40 lb loss LOOKS like maybe 10-15 to the untrained eye. I don't even think my first 30 I went down a pant size yet! Hardly anyone noticed those first blocks of weight when they were shed, but I knew. I noticed, and I was proud!! Now, as I'm battling my last 40-30 pounds it seems really insignificant, I've already battled away over 100 lbs of loss, what is 30 or 40 more? It's nothing! BUT! To those that are outside looking in, I think this is the MOST significant 30-40 pounds. In my last 10 pounds of loss I've had more compliments, comments, people noticing how small I've gotten. They marvel and wonder aloud 'How much more are you going to lose?!'. It's funny how that flip is switched. For me to say 'Oh, just 30' now the looks are of shock and awe! When I lost my first 30, those who asked how much I had lost and I told 'Oh, just 30' very excited and bubbly, they'd respond with maybe a glance and an over the shoulder 'Oh, that's good...'. It's funny how people perceive those who are going through a change. Ultimately, I'm proud of every last pound, every last inch. This transformation has been amazing! I'm not the fastest loser, but I'm not giving up!! I'm going to do it! I'm going to reach my goal, and I know each and everyone of us can and will!!

Congratulations! I was sleeved on 2/23. Good luck I your weight loss journey.

Thank you all for the good advice. To answer some of your questions: my team wanted me to substitute 2 protein shakes for meals. So I usually eat a sensible lunch since I work night shift and I’m not as busy vs day shift (I’m a nurse). I log everything before I even put it in my mouth. If I don’t eat it all, I don’t alter the entry’s. I keep the calories for it. I think the weigh gain was due to my monthly BFF. However, I’m still anxious and worried about having to lose this 15-20 pounds. I know I will probably lose most of the weight when I start the “liver shrinking” diet. I’m just being ultra tough on myself because I’m tired of not living due to the excess weight. I’m eager to see what the nutritionist has to say. I use my fitness pal app to log everything. I am going to buy a food scale tomorrow. I am a pescatarian so I have to be very aware of my foods to ensure I am getting my protein in my food as well. when y’all were going through the beginning, were you nervous about the pre weight loss before surgery? How did you sike yourself out?

-17lbs 1 week out -10lbs 2 week out

It seems gout attacks are common early in weight loss. Many report remission after losing the weight. I've been off my maintenance allopurinol since September and all seems well. Good luck!

Today, I had my annual physical with my PCP. She doesn't like weight loss surgeries but she said she would provide the 5 year weight history. She recommended I try Weight Watchers. I had brought up a surgery a few years ago and she said the same thing then and I let her persuade me away from it. I am not backing down this time though. I have tried so many diets that I am not going down that road again. Afterward I was going to go to work late but considering how long my commute is I decided to take the enitre day off. I went down to the Jenny Craig center to pick up a copy of my file. I was sooooo pissed. The lady said it was ready last Thursday but I didn't make it in. So was it correct of me to assume that it would be ready for me to pick it up today... I guess not. There was nothing waiting for me and they asked me to come back later when the lady arrived. I was frustrated and asked them to look for it. They called the lady that supposedly put it aside for me and still no one could find it. This was at 10:30 AM. They said she would arrive at 11 o'clock and I could get it then. I left and came back and took a seat since she saw me walk in. I saw her get the file but didn't motion for me. I waited since they were busy. The lady said she couldn't find it so she had to make another copy. I waited another 40 minutes before I got the copy. I was polite but really wanted to yell. I took the copies and the medical history with me to the surgeon's office to turn in since it wasn't that far. I opened the envelope with the JC file in it and it was incomplete. Seriously, how stupid can you be to not copy every page. I was missing an entire month of paperwork. I was already at the surgeon's office so I handed it in anyway. When I was looking at it though it was jibberish. I really don't think that the insurance will take it alone. So I went to the nutritionist's office and spoke to them. Last week I called and gave them my info and they said that they would contact me after they spoke with my insurance. Apparently they don't do that until the referral arrives from the surgeon, which never arrived. So I had to go back and get the referral and bring that back to them. So now I have to wait another week before I can even make that appointment and she said they are already looking at February appointments. The recepionist there was really nice though. She gave me some good advice, like to keep a copy of everything. She said to make sure that everything is documented when I see my doctor, like my vitals, weight, and what we talk about. So I now plan on doing their 6 month diet and at the same time I will see my doctor each month to document it. From what I am reading online Jenny Craig alone won't work since I wasn't going to my doctor at the same time. So the current time frame looks like: January - 14th Pychological Evaluation February -7th - 1st Appointment with Dr. Srikanth February -? - First appointment with nutritionist and start supervised diet. August - Turn in paperwork to insurance September - Get approval October - Surgery Well, I don't want to wait that long... Who knows maybe I will get lucky and get approved really quick.

Well, my name is Meggie. Im 21 years old, and I recently was banded on DEcember 10, 2007. My story isnt exceptional or sad, maybe it isnt even worthy, but its mine,and I have had quite a journey becoming the young woman I am today. I have had a weight problem since I was a child. My mom worked fulltime so frozen pizzas and processed french fries became a hot meal for me. I was very picky, and that was easy for her and tasteful to me. I grew up with the occasional teasing but nothing out of the ordinary. I always felt out of place;even with family. I was always the "fat" kid in my eyes. My family never saw me as that simply because they saw beyond my weight. They saw what I call the "internal me"--which is in fact a totally different person.-I was never pressured to lose weight or compared to my "model material" kid sister, and in fact, I have been my own worst critic all along. When I got to the seventh grade I decided to take control the only way I knew how; I became bulimic. Typically, bulimics are rail thin and look malnourished-but I never hit that point. The disease never got out of control-well I mean the idea is out of hand enough in itself-but it never got excessive.It was my last resort when food got the best of me.My mother sent me to counseling and there I was, 13 years old with "control" issues as the doctor would call them. I was always told how beautiful I was, and in fact, I was the popular kid in school; neverhteless, I still didnt like me. I went all through highschool with my weight issue and in my senior year my dream came true- I needed my tonsils out. I know, I know-silly dream huh? But, to me it was so much more than a painful surgery. It was a period of 2 weeks that I would lose weight. I did ofcourse-18 lbs to be exact, but it all came back on within a year. So, there I was 18- still struggling every day of my life with my worst enemy-my weight. I dropped some weight at almost 19 because I was going through a break up, and my "control issues" caught up with me yet again. That weight didnt stay off either. As you can see, I never succeeded in keeping it off. It haunted me and creeped up just when I thought I was winning. When I was 19 my 45 yr old father died of massive heartattack while watching the superbowl. A part of me slowly died that day simply because he was ultimately my biggest fan. I dont think my daddy ever saw my size. He didnt care-I was his baby girl no matter what anyone thought. He was the dad that yelled at other small-and I mean young and innocent--kids if they called me names. I wasnt fat, he said and he belived that. Its as if he saw my soul, and not the horrific body that held me hostage. I love him for that and I find myself still trying to see what he always did....Anyways so here I was almost 20 years old. I lost a few lbs after Daddy died because of a loss of appetite, but still nothing to brag about. In November of 2006 I found out I was pregnant. Ive never felt so overwhelmed in my life. While ofcourse I was scared and anxious to meet my beautiful baby boy, the sick part of me thought "hOw will I possibly deal with this weight gain." I know-that should have been the last thing I thought of, but I couldnt help it. The whole 40 weeks I ate like I was on a diet, with the occasional splurge of McDonalds, but for the most part I monitored. Thats insaine isnt it? Who wants to be pregnant and on a diet? The two words dont belong together. Well, needless to say thank god that I monitored considering that I still gained 60 pounds! After the baby I struggled with some deep depression about my weight. I was always crying, and it was the number one focus in my life aside from motherhood. I remember actually thinking" if I have to live like this, I dont want to live." Scary thought, I know-but it was real. In the meantime I had consulted with a plastic surgeon to give me a breast lift. I guess I was looking for anything on my body that I had the power to change when really I just wanted to be thin. I even cut 12 inches off of my hair thinking I was going to have a "new" me. Little did I know, I was far from being new and I was still overweight. By this point I was tired of fighting this battle. I couldnt win alone and that was definitly apparent to myself as well as my close family. So, on the day I was going to schedule my breast lift, I made a call to find out if I qualified for the lapband....well indeed I did-by the skin of my teeth, but it didnt matter. That day I think I found a hopeful part of me that I never knew existed. I connected with the little girl in me and let her know that we were finally going to be alright. I met with Dr Fritz Rau only a week later and immediatly felt a sense of protection and peace. He was wonderful, and assured me that I was in good hands. I soon went on my 2 week liquid diet and did very well. My mother wasnt completly supportive in the beginning but she knew that with or without an army of support, I was going to be banded on Dec 10, 2007. She came through for me, ofcourse, she always did. I got there early that morning and was prepped in no time. After a long wait of about 3 hours-it was my turn. Finally, the moment I had awaited since I was that little girl was actually happening. I almost couldnt bare all of the emotions because for the first time in my life, I felt like the real me was going to have a chance at shining. I came out only 35 minutes later, and everything had went fine. I had alot of pain from the trapped air, but otherwise I was okay. I was already a new woman mentally. I went home the next day, and within a week was taking care of my son. I have had 3 fills so far and am down 25 pounds. My loss has been gradual, but thats okay now because I know it will melt off soon. So, as you can see, I have had an interesting travel to get to where I am today, and to Dr Fritz I owe my happiness. The man has changed my life, and because of him I will be the girl that I was destined to be. Nothing, not even weight, can hold me back now. God Bless all of you- may you all find that inner self who screams to be heard.

I know that lots of people are convinced that weight loss is about calories in/out and I know that that holds true for the majority of people. But I have to wonder about us Cushies. I don't think that it is a matter that we have a really slow metabolism. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I eat or don't eat. The calorie in/out would hold true if I gained massive amounts of weight on 1200-1500, when I couldn't lose on 1200, 1000, 800 or less than 700 calories. (I did gain 10 pounds in a week at 1000 calories, but that was one week.) It is entiely possible that my weight gain/loss has been only water, which is fine on one level because it lessens my edema problems. But not fine for why I had WLS. If my metabolism was truely that slow, I wouldn't metabolize medications as fast as I do, and I would gain constantly. But as for low calories, I just don't see how other people can function on sub 700 long term. I will give you that it is entirely prorbable that I entered into a deep Low during the month I was too restricted. But I think the lowered calorie intake made the Low worse.

It does get better. Strive for a bit more each day and soon you will be there. 8 weeks out I still struggle to get the full 64 so don't let it get you down. Congrats on the weight loss!

Yes, I am the same way about vacation usually being the end of a perfectly good weight loss effort and the beginning of gain. The truth hurts, but at least I have foresight about it this time. I think my mindset is going to be stay the course knowing potential for train wreck.

Hi I am Darrell. My story is a little different. I got diagnosed with gastroparesis and within a month i had gastric-bypass. I had no counseling, no information about what life would be like afterwards. I am about 100 pounds overweight so the weight loss will be great, but that was not my primary reason for getting the surgery. I had one visit with a nutritionist. It seems that most of you had a lengthy process to go through to get your surgery. I am 12 days post op and really nervous about what the future holds. Has anyone had any type of similar situation?

When you talk about the five years of weight loss, do you your doctor supervised various weightloss attempts or documented the weightloss attempts in you medical record? Regarding the stuff from your doctor--are you talking about just your medical chart and history?