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Does anyone know what taking BCP's does to weight loss? I started taking a continual double dose of my BCP'S so that I'm not constantly having my TOM, and have only lost two lbs in the three weeks since then. My weight loss stopped the day that I started the double dose. Coincidence?? It is totally possible that the stall is just a long third week stall, but I'm about six weeks past surgery and have basically been in a stall for three. And I'm eating my Protein, getting my Water, getting exercise, and having about 600-700 calories daily. Ideas anyone?

My doctor said the pre/op diet was helpful in 2 ways. Gets you in the right mindset for your new lifestyle restrictions & the weight loss helps with the surgery. He said they blow your stomach up with air like a big glow worm for the laparoscopic procedure & the looser your skin the more they like it / easier to see & maneuver. Clear liquids the day prior is so you don't throw up a thanksgiving meal from anesthesia & less junk to worry about spilling out during removal of excess stomach. I've heard horror stories of people throwing up during the procedure & getting it in their lungs. Do what your doctor tells you. He can cancel the procedure if he's not happy with you. LOL. The doc is the boss. Good luck! No regrets here!

So, I went to a doctor's appointment, and my Hg A1C has gone up to an unacceptable level. My pcp wanted to start me on a diabetes medication that also causes some weight loss. As I did more research into this drug, I saw that it can cause debilitating nausea. It is also pretty short acting, and would not deal with my high fasting blood sugars. As I thought about the prospect in years to come of trying medication after medication to control my diabetes, I went back to the idea of CURING this disease - via the lap-band surgery. I am right at a 35 BMI with comorbidities and I want to do this for my health. I got up my courage and made an appointment to see the surgeon on Friday. I am excited and nervous, and ready to begin the long haul of satisfying the requirements of my health insurance company. My husband is going to the appointment with me, and will learn all about this with me. I have put off a decision about which diabetes medication to use until I talk to the surgeon. In the meantime, I am drinking lots of water, trying to eat low carb, and getting out on my bicycle. I had really let my blood sugar get out of control.

If you think that's a long post you haven't been reading my posts. Shame on you. Okay, so here's what I see. Let's start with your stats. One, you COULD lose more weight if you want. Your BMI is still overweight, though let's not deny that there is almost certainly a large amount of loose skin because of your tremendous loss. Congrats on that, by the way, you've worked the hell out of your sleeve so far. But you don't NEED to lose more weight. So don't feel like you're not a success or that you fell short. Because that's obviously not the case at all. Two, let's talk about this "enough is enough" thing. This is more common than you think. I did the same thing. "If only I could be 150 again, I'd be so happy." But today I'm 141 and mad I'm not 135 (my goal) and frustrated that I never saw 120 pounds (firmly in the normal BMI range for my short stature of 5'1") so I relate to this a lot. In my case? It took realizing that I wasn't unhappy because I was fat. I was fat because I was unhappy. And my weight was the very easiest of the many issues I was lugging around in my suitcase o baggage to tackle. It was the big, obvious thing I could change to feel happy. But losing weight did NOT make me happy. Don't get me wrong. It made me happier. But it wasn't that magic switch where one day I went from having problems or issues and the next day to loving myself because I could fit in a size six. It just doesn't work that way. I wonder the same thing. Now my focus is plastics. And my husband asks me what the focus will be once the plastics are done. Because once the loose skin is gone I've completed my journey, right? So do I finally feel completely content with my results at that point? Or do I find another issue to pick apart until I'm there? Will I need another distraction from whatever else I've got going on in my head? Look, there is nothing wrong with keeping onward. Just remember that success is measured by achieving a goal and then maintaining it happily. If it's an obsession, you're not happy. If you always want more, you're not happy. I beat myself up trying to hit 135 and stay there. But until I got pregnant with my wee one I could easily stay between 137-141 pounds with zero effort. Staying just two pounds lower took a strict diet and it was always a challenge. So go further if you want it or need it. But stop before you get to that point where you're fighting your body and making yourself unhappy. You have come so far. There is no need to live as though you've stopped short if you've done all your body can do. And be smart about this. I don't need to caution you about the people that trade one form of disordered eating for another, right? It happens. So be careful. And I recommend some counseling if you're not already doing it. I firmly believe everyone can use it, and it certainly never hurts a person. Congrats on coming so far. Remember to change your perspective if you start to get negative. I am guilty of this, too. If you look in the mirror or at photos and only see the parts you'd like to change, you need to stop and reflect on how far you've come. Good luck, ~Cheri

At today's weigh in I was 238 lbs. I have not weighed that since 2005. My highest weight was 291. That's a loss of 53 lbs. Slowly losing but keeping it off. 220's here I come.

Just found this: http://www.med.umich.edu/bariatricsurgery/about/sleeve/postop.shtml Weight Changes After Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery How Quickly Will You Lose Weight?The average amount of weight loss is typically 60% of excess weight in the first 12-18 months after surgery. The rate of weight loss varies greatly between individuals. It is very important not to compare your rate of weight loss with others. Weight PlateausEveryone experiences "mini-plateaus" throughout the first 6 months or so. If your plateau lasts longer than 6 weeks and you want to lose additional weight, adjustments in your diet and/or exercise regimen are required to restart your weight loss. Our dietitian can help you with these "stalls".Weight GainIt is common to regain a small amount of weight (10-20 pounds) before your weight finally stabilizes at your personal goal weight. Your body is readjusting to its new form and weight. Diet and exercise are essential to lose additional weight and/or maintain your weight loss. It is possible to gain all, and more of your weight back following sleeve gastrectomy surgery if you are not willing to change your lifestyle to include healthy dietary choices eaten in moderation and incorporating activity/exercise into your daily life. Hope that helps a little?

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So I started my weight loss journey at 144 kgs, and came to 95 10 years ago, since then i have been very active and maintained it, but in the last two years, i went to 110, but brought my self down to 105, from here i literally threw up any solid food or even liquid, i try to push food down with water and for the last couple of years living like this. the country i live in now we don't have specialists for biatrics so i cannot get this checked. But i feel that either my band is too tight or it has slipped, i have lost 10 kgs in the last year, 5 kgs in the last 2 months, and this is unexplained weight loss, i am eating everything, choclates, burgers, regular food, but i feel i cannot keep anything in, in my mind i am eating and keeping it in, but it doesn't explain the weight loss, yes i throw up (planned) a lot, i feel i am stuck and don't know what to do..what steps can i take to fix this?

Hey Emilie! How ARE you? I think Dr. C fills pretty slowly...at least he does for me. So I vote go for it! Congrats on your loss, by the way!

Hello everyone I am brand new to this forum. I am curious if anyone was borderline BMI for surgery and had to do the 6 month PCP supervised weight loss. I am concerned/confused that if I loose weight and hit below the BMI then what???? Thanks for this wonderful site and all your help

I think we say "only" to help people realize that the band doesn't do all the work. You have to make good food choices. You have to keep up on your follow-up visits and monitor your fill level. The band really does help--it diminishes hunger and makes it easier to do all the weight loss work that has to be done no matter which route you choose. I sometimes think of all this weight loss as a moving sidewalk. Weight loss without the band felt like trudging through the airport going the wrong way on a very fast moving sidewalk. Every time I stopped for a second, I’d get swept backwards. The band slowed the sidewalk WAY down. Not to a stop, but WAY, way down. I can take a break and stroll for a minute (or a month) and not lose ground. Or, I can kick it in gear and actually make progress. BUT . . . I can't just stand still. If I don't work at it, I don't lose, band or no band. The tool needs an operator. The hammer won't pound the nail in all by itself. :drool:

Hi. First of all, congratulations on your weight loss. I am having a similiar procedure (circumferential tt, with the vertical incision and liposuction). My quote was for $10,500 and that includes everything. I won't be staying in the hospital though, going home the same day. That price also includes the compression garment and pain pump. I had another quote from a dr who wanted to do a breast lift at the same time and the price wasn't that much more, however, I felt this was too much surgery for one day, so I opted for just the tummy tuck. I have seen prices for what you are describing anywhere from $7500-15,000. Hope that helps a little.

Drying my hair right now and every time I run my hand through my hair, lots of hair falls all over my keyboard!

I was wondering the same thing. I'm 4 1/4 months post sleeve surgery and have noticed that it seems my hair is falling out faster than normal. I'm taking Biotin, but am wondering if there is a really good brand that someone knows of?

It does remind me of the hair loss after pregnancy. I'm only 2 months out and I'm starting to shed. I take vitamins, but it still fas out. I'm guessing it's gonna take a while before my body can catch up to the lack of calories and slow down of hairloss

I've never heard that about Iron supplements. I take one daily per my surgeon's directions. There have been some very interesting threads and comments here lately about D3, too. (Relating to weight loss.)

I posted this in the pre op area too, but i guess it is more fitting here....I am fortunate enough that my insurance company pays for 100% of the surgery if I jump threw a few hoops. The main one being "documentation of a successful completion of at least 6 consecutive months of supervised conservative weight loss program ( e.g. weight watchers, jenny Craig, etc)." Have any of you had to do this? Suggestions? Also, I have done many of these programs in the past with temporary success. My fear is if I lose 40+ lbs, I won’t have a eligible BMI, then what? Thanks!!

My insurance also covers 100% after 6 months of a medically supervised diet. Basically, all you have to do is go see your primary care physician once a month. He/she has to document what kind of diet you're doing (ie. 1200 calories), and what your new weight/progress is. In other words they write something like this: 2/20/08: Weight Management Appointment: Susie Jones came into the office to discuss her obesity. We discussed various weight loss methods and we have decided to try a 1,200 calorie per day diet. She will keep a journal of what she eats and attempt to increase her exercise level. Her weight today was 275 pounds. She will return in one month for follow-up. 3/21/08: Weight Management Appointment: Ms. Jones returned today for a follow-up appointment. We discussed her progress and she stated she was having difficulty staying on the 1,200 calorie diet. She stated she is unable to exercise due to the pain in her legs and lower back. Her weight today was 276 pounds. She agreed to try harder to adhere to the diet during the next four weeks. She will return in one month for follow-up. If she is still having difficulty we will explore other options. You might want to give that to your primary care physician, because apparently insurance companies are very particular about how the record is worded. Good luck!

Doh! What the heck was I thinking of? Weight Loss Surgery Options Gastric Sleeve Resection __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

Hi welcome! I'm pretty new here too but had my sleeve 4 weeks ago and have lost 30 lbs. I have heard its 2-3 lbs per week after the first month, so that would work out to 8-12 lbs per month, which is a nice steady loss. I hope that all goes well with your revision, please keep us posted! __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

I agree the sleeve is AWESOME!!!! I had surgery July 15 and have lost 30 lbs. I am very careful to comply with the high protien diet and get full on 1/2 cup or less cup of food. Congrats and enjoy your soon to be successful weight loss! __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

Hi Michele- I was banded in 2004 and released about 60 lbs. I was really happy with my weight loss and the band... but about a year ago I started gaining weight because I could eat more... I also started experiencing bad acid reflux. It turned out the my band had slipped and needed to be removed. I had surgery to take it out in July of this year... I've gained back most of the weight I had lost. I'm not anti-band... but for me, I need to investigate other options. If you click on my name to the left, you can pull up my posts that share more about my jounrey. Lots of light and success to you! __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

It sounds like your surgeon is unfamiliar with the sleeve and therefore he is uncomfortable with doing it and coming up with excuses. You need to find a surgeon who regularly does them and is familiar with them and get a second opinion. As to the things your surgeon says, many of them are not true. For example: 1) Cancer - the sleeve will DECREASE your chance of having both stomach cancer and ulcers. Losing weight will significantly decrease your risk of certain cancers overall including breast cancer. 2) Pregnancy - there is no reason you can't have a baby after a sleeve. You only need about 200-300 more calories a day when pregnant and that can be easily accommodated by having an extra snack each day. There are guys who are consuming as much as 1800 to 2000 calories a day with the sleeve. The sleeve will limit the amount of food you can eat at any one time, but you can eat every hour if you need to (not that you will or should). 3) GERD - generally in the first couple of months with a sleeve, your stomach is producing too much acid for the new stomach size, but it will adjust. In the meantime, this is easily controlled for most people via a daily dose of a PPI. In my case, my GERD got better after my sleeve because of my hiatal hernia repair. A small minority do have significant issues with acid during this temporary period, but most have no issues that taking a PPI can't cure. 4) All WLS is permanent. The band right now is making scar tissue on your stomach that will never go away even when the band is removed. The idea that the band is this safe surgery that is completely reversable compared to all the other scary and unsafe permanent surgeries is, IMO, the Big Myth of the band. 5) The sleeve is not that new. It's new as a stand-alone procedure for weight loss, but it's a partial gastrectomy and those have been done for decades. My aunt had one over 45 years ago, for example, due to stomach cancer. We know the long-term issues with removing part of your stomach and they are few and far between. Mostly, you have to be religious about Calcium supplementation and on the lookout for other possible deficiencies such as B12 and anemia. Otherwise, as long as the pylorus valve is intact, there really isn't much that happens long-term; the main complications are short-term as a direct result of the surgery. Does your surgeon do anything but lap band? The way he talks about other surgeries makes it seem like he doesn't. A surgeon who doesn't do a particular surgery is not the best source of information about it. The bottom line is that it's your body, not his, and you owe it to yourself to get another opinion from someone who actually knows what they are talking about and isn't going to use scare tactics to talk you out of what you want. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com