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Speaking for me, I'm done with the losing (I'm currently in an attempts to STOP the weight loss). And since my surgery is still months away, I hopefully and getting a built-in "stable" period, which btw, none of those I spoke to had any requirement of. Interestingly, all 4 of them seemed to be more concerned (if anything) with continued weight loss rather than potential weight gain as something that would affect the results of the procedure.

I was sleeved on 22 Nov 2017 I hit my lowest weight 96 lbs then gradually on next year I gained weight to 125 lbs I am 4'8 height so its so hard I am afraid and terrified to gain all my pre op weight back any help or recommendation or advises ?

Stressing out about your boo boo is only going to make it worse. Stress causes weight gain (I have a huge tummy to show for that!), so forgive yourself and move on. Drink a lot of Water, go for a walk, just have some broth for your meals until your appointment and you should be fine. You can do this!!

Good choice. You should never take on a major risk like this without really understanding it and how you would feel about it. I always tell people the risks are low, but if you have a complication, you have it 100%. It's not for everyone. I would not have had this surgery if I was at or under 200 pounds. I am surprised at people who have a BMI of under 30 and are having WLS of any kind to prevent further weight gain. In my opinion, that is a not a case of benefit outweighing risk. Good luck to you!

i am very excited about this path i am on to better myself by improving my health. even the preparation phase has been a great experience. the psychological evaluation probably was the most enlightening. it revealed that i am 'above average in intelligence' but quite dysfunctional in my relationships with men. this coupled with disappointments, loss, unplanned changes, and a desire to shut off myself from the world lead to ballooning of 100 pound weight gain over a period of six years!! :smilielol5: The trip part about all of this is that i didn't see it piling on. talking about denial. i finally saw it staring in my face when i was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. i realized that i could die in my sleep from the underlying factor of being too fat... for the first time in my life i was scared. this was my turning point. i knew i needed to do something but whatever i needed to do i knew i could not l do it on my own. i did what i always do when i am afraid, or uncertain...i prayed. believe it or not, my two-fold miracle began when i found this page and then found a group of people at a center called true results who lead me each step of the way. so now i am almost at the finish mark for completing all my required testing. tomorrow i will have my nutritional consult which is the final visit. then i'll wait to hear from the insurance company. it's been a long four months... so tell me what was your turning point and where are you in the phase one process:rolleyes2:?

I have PCOS and few weeks back I was in the same dilemma to choose Sleeve over Bypass after reading some of the sleevers here having lost the same weight to reach their normal BMI. But then some more research showed how Bypass patients in the long run have it little more easy to maintain the weight than sleevers. With PCOS I wanted 1 surgery to give me the maximum benefit, don't want to return back to the OR either! Ofc there's no guarantee what may happen in future and how many surgeries one may need. Plus many Bypass patients have also struggled with weight gain while many sleevers have kept it off. In the end this surgery is a tool and we definitely will have to work hard at it. But I feel more comforting with the Bypass decision than have a *what if* moment in future. Plus the risk of hernia and GERD is more with sleeve than Bypass. So I am in a happy place with the decision by mine to go with Bypass!

Removing fill can help you lose weight. You can eat healthy foods. Being too tight will cause weight gain because you resort to sliders and on the odd day you can eat you over eat. The band isn't about restriction. It's about making it so you eat until satiated (not full) and that you don't eat again until hungry. If you're eating more than 1-2 cups per meal ask yourself why. Are you doing it because you can or because you're actually hungry. If you're doing it because you can then no surgery will help you. Write down everything you eat, everything you feel before you eat, how long it takes you to eat a meal (30 mins minimum), did you eat more because it tasted good? Are you eating white carbs? Sugars? Drinking fruit juice? How active are you really? Get a FitBit $99 to see how much you really move. Take a photo of every meal before you start and when done. Remind yourself about what you're doing. We often overestimate our calorie burn and underestimate our intake. It sounds more like it's you that is not working -- not the band. It's doing its job sitting there. You have to make the conscious decision to stop eating when you are no longer hungry, to slow down, to drink 8 oz of Water 15 before a meal to help fill you up and hydrate you, to make the right food choices, and to use your band as it is intended -- to make you mindful of hunger.

The saggy skin issue was caused by weight gain not the speed or frequency of weight loss, so aside from plastic surgery once you reach goal weight, there's not much you can do to reverse it.

I have struggled with weight gain since about 1998. I was small during my high school years but after marriage I gained up to 180. After getting pregnant the 1st time I gained up to 214. Got down to 193 when I found out at 5 months after my first child I was pregnant with baby number 2. I have been struggling with dieting and been up and down with my weight. I decided after my body feels like a broken record that it was time to get my life back. So I started my journey in Oct of 2011 and did not make a consultation until march. Now I have started my pre op diet and I must admit its hard. My surgery is scheduled for the 28 of June. I am excited for the chance to have this opportunity but it is hard right now. I am needing all the support I can get.

CHRONICALLY AWESOME !!!! I'm so stealing that term! I just posted a new bolg entry - but had to go on steroids this past week. Guess what? NO WEIGHT GAIN!!! I actually lost 4 lbs. So happy that I did the surgery - I'd be doing a happy dance (if I could) right now!

I had the doubts as well when I realized the weight was coming off and the diet was not that bad. I knew I wouldn't have the will power to stick with it though. So many attempts in the pass and all failures with more weight gain in the end. My lifestyle hasn't changed one bit other than being more active and feeling so much better and I'm only 2 months out. I can't wait to see what the future will bring. Good luck to you.

I was 58 and very worried no doctor would do it as I'd heard I was too old-funny I don't feel too old. Anyway, I wish I could have had this done before I developed just about every co-morbidity there is related to weight. I was very physically active during my youth, but the weight gain really stopped me in my tracks and then all the related stuff about did me in. I do credit this surgery with saving my life. My insurace absolutely will not pay for anything like this to help save a life. :whoo:So I'll be paying back a loan until h _ _ l freezes over. :think Still worth it. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I been paranoid about complaining.. but if I dont make the thread, it doesnt count.. lol A note about whining... I have a ton of possitive stiff I could write about.... but, its the crappy stuff that I feel compelled to write about because I am working through it, I am figuring stuff out, I am LETTING IT all out, ..... I think it helps me. I am sorry if anyone feels cruddy over it. This is not how I feel all the time or in total... BUT feel free to say anything you want to me... I am not looking for attention, but I welcome it. Dont ever feel like you have to hold back. I hate to think of that happeneing.. anyway. ................. Dont mind the highlighting, i did that for my notes... sorry. BAD times. I have lost about 100 pounds. I have alot of mixed emotions. I am not myself. I didnt exspect myself to change mentally as much as I have. (I wont go into all of that now) I have this crappy mood. I KNOW I have lost 100 pounds and thats a good thing, and I should be celebrating and trying my new bod out.... But, instead... I have stopped dating. (I had a blast, BTW. I am single, and happily) I have stopped going out. ( I am down 95% of my normal outside time) I have stopped trying to look nice. (I wear my old pants, so baggy they fall off, that used to be something I would never tolerate, now I dont care) I hate my body. (and I thought I hated it before!) I feel discusting. It was just fat, now its nasty blobing deformation. I dont like my picture taken like I did when I first got the band. I dont even get naked in front of my kids anymore. (tub, changing, ect..and thats crazy cuz I WOULD never have self consciousness with my children in the normal frame of mind as I see it as real real low.. IT is NOT cuz I cant handle all the new things.... blah blah I have not experienced anything yet. I hide in my old clothes. I dont talk about my process much at all (embarrassed how slow I am loosing due to all the complications and $ troubles) I Dont want to say "I lost 100 pounds" and have so little to show for it. Its simply cuz I feel I look discustingly ugly.... I feel worse now about my looks than I did before I lost the weight. Plus I am dissapointed too. Plus I am worried about what will happen to my mood when I loose the next 100 pounds.. (making me a 200 pound fatso) I got used to my body. It was 400 pounds and It wasnt pretty. I did not look good by any means. BUT I was used to my body and I had accepted it and did the best I could with it. I was extremely self conscious, constantly 'fixing' myself. (But I hid it, lol) The things I had to worry about were: My skin was very white and streachmarks everywhere, I think I might have let the fattness go,l but the white streachmarks were really bad. I could not tan (didnt work) and self tanning stank and make me sweat. I didnt go fully naked ever. I had things to cover me up, just as much as needed. It took alot to show my legs, only to good frineds cuz they were very blobby, huge blobs... I wore capris that just hid the bloobs, always worried about them riding up. My ankles were normal thank goodness. My upper arms are deformed. They always have been the worst thing that happened to me with my weight gain. One of them has this ridge thats seriously abnormal, and sleeves never fit. I am poor, or else I would never wear anything but long or 3/4 sleeves... But I had to make the best of it, It was a constant thing worrying about if my arm fat was hanging out in a gross way. I mean there are certain levels of FATTNESS that should be contained! It was my duty to the world. GAWD MY upper arms have tortured me for so long.. My lower arms are normal as can be, (making them look even weirder!) My back, butt, fathump... So I dont have a butt, my actual buttcheeks are the size of the palm of my hands. I have what we call the 'fat hump'.. its a hump above my butt below my back, that HURTS like heck to be touched.. and I have the extra set of boobs on my back, literally big Double D boobies... Its all I can do to keep my bra strap covering them so they are as little as possible, it rides up unable to contain the boobies in back, but that didnt stop me from adjusting myself every five minutes, my back boobs so embarrassing. I hide them at all cost on important occassions.. other times, I HAVE always been shocked, never got used to how I looked when I caught my reflection sitting, By back as big as by front.. Double chin, when I went from 350 pounds to 400 pounds, THAT was a real noticeable change, no matter what I did, I could not hide it... It was too much, my face engorged all the time.. It really bothered me, alot. ok........ all that stuff, I got used to. Yeah, I hated it, obsessed over it, but It wasnt a big deal.. I call it FATTIE maintenence, its just what I did.. I didnt seem like a big ordeal at all.. ITS NOT that I want that body back.!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS not that I want to be 400 pounds instead of 300 pounds.. I DONT. I would never want to go back, NOT at all.. This is my body now, and I am NOT used to it.. I dont know what to do with it... but hate. It was surpose to be great. I HAVE LOST 100 pounds, HELLO.. I never thought it would happen, I dreamed of it for so long.. (I do have lots of possitives, but I am not in that place rightnow) ...My skin is still white and streachmarked.. But it is also, brown in spots, puckered, wrinkled, pock marked, blotchy and red pores all over. The pores and pocks and such used to be streached out I guess loooking like my actual skin, now they arent and parts of my body are corroded looking (they are not corroded, nothing could be done about it, its mostly pores from years and years of being clogged and cleaned, just like a face.. YUCK) This is mostly happening in my thighs and butt area. It all hangs, but not down so much as inward. When i sit, there it all is, my inner things squishing up inbetween my legs.. I have this 'cool' (lol) way of sitting, Its hard to explain..but it was my best way to 'hang out' 'look ok' 'relax'.... And now when i do it, all I do is expose all the blobulating fat in all its glory.. (this makes me LOOK, and feel FATTER.. BTW) Also, I have this really nice swim dress for the ymca, and it covered me just enough so that I didnt need to wear capris like I always used to... NOW, I hang below the swim dress.. I can feel it swinging back and forth and giggling all over.. IT looks like a massive vagina (the lips) inbetween my legs.. the swim dress still covers it I HOPE.. I cant enjoy my suit. (plus its too big, lol) OK, along with all of that... I have folds and creases with their own folds qnd creases.. It started out with one, and I proudly showed it off.. I use cleansing wipes when I go to the bathroom aslways, and it was my little ritual to use to wipe and clean my new blobs crease cuz It needed more cleaning than my regular bathing...... So, NOW.... I cannot afford that many wipes (they are a luxery as it is) and they smell and a few times now have developed rashes and they make me want to vomit to feel them. I Dont even know where they are all anymore. I have stopped paying attention, I dont look.. I cant imagine anyone touching me with all these creases in the way... THESE creases and folds make me feel fatter than EVER! My double chin is still there.. BUt theres something worse than a double chin.. its this droopy look to my face, especially around my cheeks and mouth.. that looks so off.. No one else can notice it, but I'm in the mirror enough to know its wierd looking.. I look older, I think it will get even worse. I STILL want to look like me. Everyone says I would be brittney spears if I was thin.... NOT (I never thought so).. everyone will FINALLY see what I have been saying all along, I AM UGLY! (FAT AND ugly) MY UPPER ARMS... I dreamed of the days I got some normalcy back in my upper arms, not to have to constantly worry whats hanging out my sleeves. .............. Oooooooooops, i didnt think about how worse it would be to wear sleeves, how all the fat has sagged downward instead of a big bunched up ball... so, I feel worse all the time.. it looks alot worse, it makes me feel fatter! iT MAKES ME look fatter too. One thing I like is to hold my arms up and let the fat sag to my arm pit (a fold or two here) ONLY then can I look at my arms and happy that the huge bunched up deforemed balls are GONE.. I am glad about that.. I love to giggle my LEDGE thats a slope now... My back... IS awesome.. ... WOW WOW WOW.. My back boobies have sagged into my sides, under my arms.... My bra easily holds everything in and doesnt ride up and the nightmear of adjusting constantly is over.. I walk by the mirror and look at my backside and think.. WOW, I am Skinny.. lol If I had one of those support back bra things, I could easily look as if I never had boobies on my back! The only other time I can think this is looking at my wrists and ankles. They are tiny.. way noticeable.. BUT, there is my stomach... OMG.. of course I never liked my stomach, but this is feeling like a deal breaker. In its tranformation, It only makes me look and feel fatter than ever. To look at me, or for myself to look down at me... its just a mass of fat all over the place, add my back boobies under my arms, my arms larger than ever, and my inner thighs with no where to go but my lap.. My lower stomach sits on my lap like a foot lower.. I swear it will end up at my knees.. plus it hangs over the sides of my legs too, in all its creases. It feels wrong, parts of my legs I always had access to, are covered in tummy and moist and need releif by lifting my tummy. One thing I didnt have to do much was lift my tummy, IT doesnt feel right and I have an aversion to it. I had this really tiny upper stomach that sat just under my boobies and was maybe a couple inches a roll.. my lower tummy held it there. NOW, it has not only dropped way below my breast line into "tummy area" but it has seperated into two parts and is traveling to the left.. I do sleep that way, so I guess thats why.. I am totally lopsided gravity not for me.. Oh, the bloobs on my legs.. have gotton smaller.. BUT they are drooping and I can no longer contain them nicely in capri's... THAT make me happy, to manage capri pants.. I dont want that luxery to have to end. OH.. and damn my boobs.. I have always hated them, always wanted a reduction.. always dreamed of little titties..... I was DD at age 12. For years they been deflating.. BUT now I cant maintain clevage.... they are wrinkled too.. suddenly I care about boobs! I wish i had appreciated them all those years! Whats a fat chic with out clevage??? ................HUmmmmm, is that all.........?? NO... BUt I bet no one has even read this much of my drivil.. Oh well, its for me anyway... ..... So, thats how and why I Do not feel as good as I had hoped to after loosing 100 pounds.. Also it was a big mistake to think I would be like I was before at 300 pounds.... I was 18 yrs old.......... DUH, it wont be the same.. And YES, I KNEW my body would sag and bag.. I know how people need plastic surgery ecspecially when starting out at 400 pounds.. I thought I was prepared for it.. I ALWAYS said "I will never look good" "I will look hideaous" "I will never be 150 pounds due to flab skin alone"........... BUT THAT WAS OK, anything is better than being over 200 pounds overweight... I am surprised at how I feel. I didnt know I was so vain. I knew I would never look good. I was being realistic I thought. Being able to get back surgery, and better health is GOOD enough. I will never have the funds for plastic surgery (unless I marry a guy who has some credit, a morgage?? something..,.. but thats unlikelly) Imight get my tummy done medically nessesary (I HOPE) (I have the whole rashes thing,, (everytime I get one I take a picture and file it on my computer, I can get rid of it in two days, but I wanna be prepared to show evidence.. Also I am more and more incontinent, I guess from the hanging belly) and Maybe my legs... I cant imagine the mess if I lose another 100 pounds, it would be medically needed for sure.. I WANT MY ARMS DONE!!! wahhhhh anyone know of a reason medically necesary for flabby arms.. (back pain??) and my boobs of course (a dream) I saw a pic of a butt.. hanging flab after 250 pounds lost, she didnt care to get it done, IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO GROSS.. and I KNOW it will happen to me.. yuck. NO one will call that needed. I cant even imagine my Fupa's problems.. god I wish it would just shrink! I am on goverment medical so its unlikely, but I plan to do medical transcription or a call center after my back surgery.. so MAYBE some kind of insurence will cover it... ????? I have serious doubts about loosing another 100 pounds anyway.... I have a bad feeling my band is good for this 100 is all... I hope I am wrong.. I think my whole bad attitude would change for the better AFTER another 100 pounds... I hope.. I just cant trust my self these days... it does NO good to KNOW yourself so well, if your gonna go and change! lol ..........

I guess I’m doing this backwards because I should have come to the “Tell your story” section when I first started perusing VST. I can’t even remember how I found this site honestly. I was using Obesity Help and quickly got turned off by that site because there is a lot of unnecessary drama happenin over there. People leaving nasty and negative comments for each other and what not…just wasn’t for me. So I’ve decided to do all my sleevin here on VST. I’ve gotten so much advice, inspiration and insight from the people here. VST rocks. Now, for the “my story” part. What can I tell you about my overweight life that you haven’t already heard from everyone else? My story is typical - heavy as a child and all through my adult life. Dieted endlessly..lost weight, gained weight, had babies, gained more weight, found love, lost love, isolated myself, battled with self confidence, gained more weight, found love again, yada yada yada. So here I am in my 40s heading into Sleeveland, and I’m asking all of you directions on how to get there and stay there. I have four children and a great husband who deserve to have an active Mom/Wife in their lives so I’m not just doing this for me, but I’m also doing it for them. My husband is the only person that knows of my surgery plans. What’s my reason for keeping it secret? I just don’t want to tell people. I don’t want to hear what people have to say about my decision. I just want people to see me and have their jaws drop. Stop looking at me like that. It’s no different than when people get botox or face lifts. They wanna look better, right? Well in my instance, I’ll look better AND I’ll be improving my health. And the big bonus is that I’ll get to re-ignite that inner me that has been hiding for way to long. I’m bringin Sexy back! My official weight loss surgery journey started in late May, and I’m officially on my way to getting sleeved. As of today, I still have a couple of procedures and tests to complete, and I’m doing my best to get those done so my surgeon’s office can submit my paperwork to my insurance company. (I wanna get sleeved in September *fingers crossed*) In the meantime, I’ll be posting, blogging, and researching everything sleeve here with you guys on VST. My ideal story ends with me getting sleeved, slimming down, and living happily and healthierly ever after…. (yeah, I know that’s not a word, but it has a real nice ring to it). So…that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Q1- Can anyone that has had the ideal surgery and success give me an overview of what to expect? It is possible to have an ideal experience. I recovered from surgery within a day, had small but regular fills and lost steadily - it was fast and very gratifying for six monmths, steadied out to a pound or two a week for the rest of the first year, a pound a week for the second year and then over time, I graudally lost about 10 to 15 more pounds, for a total of 100 lost. I started with a BMI of 36, so with a 100lb loss I have lost well into low BMI territory, and am now "thin" not just less fat. I ran regularly and now also do boxing and bootcamp, but I never felt I worked THAT hard on my eating, the portion control was all I really needed. Q2- What are the rules? What will I never be able to eat? What will I never be able to do? Well, I've found I can eat anything if I want to (some foods are harder than others but that varies wildly between individuals, however bread, rice, Pasta and fresh fruit are common). I cant truly "pig out" but you can certainly enjoy a special meal and feel like you've had a treat. If I do something a bit naughty like eat crap int he mid afternoon, I simply cant eat dinner. That takes care of weight gain from small indulgences, but you have to use your stomach space wisely so its not good to fill up on sugar and then not eat your healthy meal. We just dont have "rules" in Australia like you guys do, its just a matter of eating sensibly and eating smaller portions. Q3- Do you have any regrets? Absolutely none. Q4- What is the financial impact after the surgery? Groceries, supplements, etc.? I dont do supplements - I always took a basic multi Vitamin which i still do. I dont do Protein shakes and bars, ever, so there's no added cost there. I eat fresh food and cook from scratch like I always did. However, since I had my surgery five years ago, my family has grown, my kids have become teenagers etc so I truly havent noticed any savings on food, but I do throw more out from my plate. I never spent a lot of money on take away food either, didnt have a drive thru habit and didnt eat a lot of junk foods like McDonalds. I notice that meals that the recipe book says "serves four" does five of us for two meals, but my kids also complain that I give them tiny dinners and starve them, since my perception of "normal" is now a bit skewed.

@@Christinamo7 - Well I have often heard many doctors (plastics and bariatrics) said you had to be at a stable weight for at least 1 year before they would do plastics. My NUT says you will typically be your smallest at 18 to 24 months post-op and then will experience (most likely) a weight gain (albeit hopefully very little). Even the plastic surgeon said I would need to make sure to be stable after surgery because a significant gain or significant lose after plastics could affect the results. I think my NUT is concerned about potential gain. I'm kind of thinking my therapist really knows me best since I have seen her the most so I will definitely spend a lot of time talking to her about it before I make an decisions.

HAD LAP BAND SURGERY 5 YEARS AGO. EVERTHING WENT GREAT UNTILL ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. FOUND THAT I COULD EAT ALL I WANTED AND GAINED ALL MY WEIGHT BACK. THE DOCTOR FELT IT WAS MY PORT AND REPLACED IT IN JUNE OF 2010. STILL HAD WEIGHT GAIN. THE DOCTOR DID A DYE TEST AND FOUND IT WAS MY BAND LEAKING. I'M DUE FOR BAND REPLAACEMENT ON 1/11/2011. HAS ANYONE HAD THERE BAND REPLACED?

I too have suffered from depression that led to excessive weight gain -- I started with going to my GP and getting some medication for the depression and also started therapy to deal with the head issues plaguing me. I then went to the www.lapband.com website to find a doctor and seminar near me -- I made sure to find a doctor well-qualified with the Lapband procedure and after several months of research I made the decision to go ahead with the procedure. I am in California and my doctor is Carson Liu -- he has done over 4,000 procedures and is one of the leaders in perfecting it over the years. His practice navigated the insurance for me and I was qualified and had the procedure 2 weeks ago. This is the first time in several years that I now have hope of overcoming this weight issue and getting healthier and happier! Take all the steps to a happier life for yourself - you are young and you are worth it! Tackle the depression so that you are in a better frame of mind for the procedure as it still is work to change your lifestyle. I wish you luck and perseverance to get started to a healthier happier life! Deb

Poly cystic ovarian syndrome, a metabolic disorder that causes insulin resistance that causes weight gain as well as high blood pressure, high cholorestorl and difficulty conceiving and a few other things. Some of us have all the symptoms, some have a few. Pcos

I can identify to a degree, I recently finished a six month course of 5 FU for rectal cancer. I have begun refilling because six weeks out hunger has picked up enormously. My.fill doc was reluctant because I lost a fair bit of weight through surgery, radiation and chemo but I yelled and screamed a bit - I am aftetall in the normal weight range, it is my body and my business how much I wish to weigh and she herself said everyone gains when unfilled! Coming back to this now I'm on my computer and not my phone, I'll add this: I did find everything tasted disgusting, but for me, that led to me not wanting to eat rather than eating and eating trying to find something normal tasting. I was also so conscious of being unfilled that I was extremely careful and actually lost TOO much weight. I really became quite afraid of food for a while there. I was pretty nauseous too so that had an effect. I think you've done pretty well, weight gain on breast cancer chemo treatments is well documented and can be pretty significant and very hard to shift, so you've contained it pretty damn well. the bad taste went away for me immediately chemo finished, wish I could say the same for the aching sore knees, shoulders and hips - I feel like I'm about 80 these days. I've started refilling my band as I mentioned, but it doesnt feel anything like the same as it did the first time round, I've got way less restriction than I had. I'm not too concerned, since I did a pretty good job of keepign the weight off whilst being unfilled for 8 months and I have to leave it anyway because I'm having another surgery next week and I dont really want to be tight at that point, but its what I feared - once you start mucking round with your band filling and unfilling, it can be hard to get back to where you were. Cancer sucks, its not fair and you shouldnt have to face these problems but we do and have to just accept that and do the best that you can in the circumstances. And dont be hard on yourself over a small weight gain.

I made positive changes before being banded - but I didnt lose any weight. Not that I had a requirement to. I recommitted to exercising regularly and got myself fit, which I believe was of major benefit to me in terms of recovery. And it was a mindset thing - I changed my life from the time I made the decision to have surgery. I ate healthy but I saw no point in trying to lose weight, nor did I ever feel tempted to have one last major pig out. I didnt eat everything that wasnt nailed down. So I get the point that several people have made above about weight gain prior to surgery. I dont think someone who goes out and stuffs themselves stupid for months is necessarily ready for what this surgery really entails, its more a desperate grab for a magic fix in a lot of cases. But I still think its heartless, judgemental and more than a little stupid to expect people who have such major weight problems and issues to do with food that they are willing to consider surgery to "prove" that they can do it before they have the surgery and i wouldnt use a surgeon who expected it.

My doctor is known for postponing surgery due to weight gain or lack of loss-- There was a girl in my group sessions who was sched for surgery on a Tues and had an appointment the day before - came to group that night and said he postponed her because of weight gain :thumbup:

Hello Everyone, I was given the address to this forum form a woman on my same hospital floor almost two weeks ago. I have been on the OH boards, they are wonderful, but I thought I'd find some "chat" with bandsters only. My BMI was 30. I had a few co-morbidities, but mainly just wanted to stop the up 40, down 40 pattern of weight gain and loss. After gaining back my last "weight watchers" success, I finally decided I would never diet again, because no matter what, I gain it all back plus more. Enough already! As a lower BMI bandster, I have faced some rolled eyes, but I am okay with that. Noone knows me the way I do and I knew/know that this is the highest level of self-care I can implement. For ten days now, I have stayed within 800 calories per day with 60 grams of Protein. I am trying out all different kinds of protein powders and practicing slow sipping, eating (yogourt). I am down 13 pounds, which I know will plateau very soon. I am walking every other day and already seeing positive changes. My skin is smoother and more "rosey." I sleep better. I am practicing the art of "not trying to get everyone's approaval" for my choices in life. I am so going to benefit from the band!!! Yeehaw! Cindy P.S. My incisions are 90% healed.