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Hi! Im pretty new here myself. I havent been banded yet either- Im on my 2nd month of a 6 month doctor led weight loss program. Its hard waiting...I want this done yesterday so I can move forward with a new me! Welcome to the forums! They are so helpful!

Thanks and I have a great phone app.. My net diary. I can track everything I eat , see how many calories, most importantly protein , an exercise log and calories expended. I love plus all the tips it gives you for motivation and charting your weight loss

I've been away from the Bariatric Pal site for a few months. Just wanted to shout out to all the friends I've made here on the site and say, I'm back! I lost my sister in early September 2015, after a long battle with asbestos-related illness, obesity, diabetes, and congestive heart failure. Despite it being a blessing that she is no longer suffering, I miss her terribly and still fight some depression from the loss of my last sister (my other sister, who was also obese, died unexpectedly at age 59). Her conditions were a main driving force in my decision to get the Gastric Sleeve to bring my weight down. While I haven't made progress in months on my weight in pounds, I have lost more inches than anything, but am happy to say I haven't gained any back either. I've gone from a size 22W-24W pants down to a 12-14 Petite in women's slacks and jeans, and I have to wear a belt to keep the 14-Petites jeans up!. I can't believe how good it feels to be able to wear jeans again! My shirt sizes have shrunk from a MEN'S 2X-3X (depending on the cut of the shirt), to a MISSES Large. My health has improved tremendously and spent part of Fall 2015 shooting basketball hoops with my oldest son, without running out of breath. During the winter, I've cut and split wood logs for our fireplace with no physical difficulties. While I still have a lot of pain in my leg and ankle (from massive injury in 2013, which required plates and screws to hold things together), it has eased up with the loss of excessive weight. I think once the cold weather turns warmer, my weight loss will pick back up as I'm able to get out and walk my dog. Oh yes, I adopted a new four-legged friend, and she will be accompanying me on my long walks this Spring and Summer. I hope all of you are doing well on your weight loss goals. Best wishes to all! Terry

Welcome to LBT. Congratulations on the weight loss so far. I'm a bit concerned about your saying you were feeling like you weren't getting enough nutrition earlier but glad you are taking steps to correct any deficiencies. We aren't medical experts but we are all on the same journey and are more than welcome to give our opinions.

Hello all.. Just came here to share my gastric sleeve story with the rest of you .. My name is Monica and I'm 23 years old. For as long as I can remember I have struggled with being overweight. At my heaviest (October-April of last year) i weighed 295lbs at 5'5. I had never been more miserable. It was in September 2011 I decided weight loss surgery was my only option. I attended the seminar and immediately new the sleeve was for me. It took six long months of jumping through hoops and doing everything insurance required of me before i finally had my surgery in April 2012. Today I am almost a year out and i weigh in at 188lbs. I have never been more happy or confident in my life! From a size 24 jeans to a 13. It's truly a blessing. I'd love to chat with all of you and make some sleeve friends. Feel free to shoot me a message sometime

I guess I should share my story of why I've chosen to have the gastric sleeve surgery. Well, after being told that I developed high blood pressure, severe sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis (all a result of my weight gain) I thought it was time to deal with this weight problem. To be honest, if I had not acquired these conditions I would have never given bariatric surgery a thought. I felt I looked good and healthy, so end of story. Oh, but I was deceiving myself. Apparently my body is screaming for help and help is exactly what I need. I know that bariatric surgery isn't the cure all. Exercise and a healthy diet are just as important. I've embraced this wholeheartedly. I just need that jump start to get me going on this journey to weight loss. I'm an elementary teacher and need as much energy as I can get to keep up with my little darlings. So the weight must come off as soon as possible. I want to take a Christian cruise and be healthy enough to move about when we arrive at the ports of the beautiful cities. That's my brief story for now. ????

Congrats on your loss and getting back on track.

Congratulations on losing 55 pounds so far. That is a big deal and you should be very proud of your accomplishment. If it were me, I would skip the Biggest Loser competition at work. In my opinion competitions like that aren't healthy and set people up for all kinds of disordered eating behavior. Weight loss isn't a competition. As to the fact that you are at a stall, I would suggest you just go back to basics. Why not make an appointment with your NUT and talk about your goals? In the meantime, track your food and follow your program. Focus on meeting your Protein and Fluid target every day. Take your Vitamins as instructed. And, exercise. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

From what I have read, everyone loses at a different rate. I am 6 weeks out from surgery and I have lost 20lbs since surgery. I lost 16 prior to surgery for a total loss of 36lbs. I just had my first fill yesterday. So I think you are doing great!

So glad to hear your recovery has been going smoothly! Best of luck and lots of loss!!

Hi everyone, I am so happy to have found this website. The others seem more dedicated to the RnY WLS and I had the sleeve done exactly 1 week ago. I weighed 256 pounds prior to the surgery, down from about 300 at my highest. I had been hovering around 250 for the past 8 years. Anyway, I had Kaiser Insurance and they have a program that is extremely rigourous. First, you have to prove that you have tried all other weight loss options. You need solid proof, like your Weight Watchers log or documentation that is extensive. Once you pass that hurdle you wait to go into a class that lasts 6 months! You go once a week for 2 hours for 6 months where you learn about the surgery, nutrition, hear success stories. If you miss a class, you MUST make it up. If you miss 3, you are out of the program. After finishing the 6 month class, you are evaluated. If, during the 6 months, you have lost 10% of your weight (in my case, 26 pounds) then you go to the next step. I did not lost the 10 % and, in fact, only lost about 3 pounds in 6 months (so depressing) so I was referred back to the Dr. for another consultation. After being approved by him, it's on to a gall bladder scan and a fitness test. With Kaiser, you have to wait 3 months for a gall bladder scan (very frustrating). The exercise fitness test consisted of walking three times around a rather small building. This was the easy part for me because I go to the gym several times a week, love to exercise but for whatever reason, my exercise did not lead to weight lost, only maintenence of 250 pounds. After the fitness test and gall bladder scan, you are assinged a series of three appointments. One is for the shrink, who spends about 20 minutes making sure you are sane, then the nutritionist who gives you the same information you have gotten in the class and finally, a consult with the surgeon where you decide which of the three surgeries you are going to have. lap band; RnY, or Sleeve. For medical reasons, my surgeion pushed the sleeve. I was happy with that choice because I don't want to be fooling around with lap band adjustments and also, at 55 years old, I feel I needed a permanent fix. Then FINALLY, you get a surgery date. This whole process, including the 6 month class took a year. It was a long long year. Very frustrating because I could not lost that 10% and that slowed me down by a month or two. I had to get through Thanksgiving and Xms without gaining weight because in the pre op appt and in bold black letter in the pre-op instructions, it is stated "If you gain weight prior to the surgery, your surgery will be cancellled." That is a sobering thought after waiting for a year. Needless to say, I pigged out at Thanksgiving and gained about 5 pounds which was hard to get off by Xmas. My surgery was scheduled for Dec 29, so I really watched myself at Xmas and managed to check in on the 28th at the exact weight of 255.1, a whole 9/10ths of a pound lower than the last appointment. Whew! So on the 29th of Dec, I checked into Scripps Mercy Hospital in downtown San Diego (this is who Kaiser is contracted with for bariatric surgery) and waited to go under the knife. My surgery was delayed by about 3 hours but they gave me a bunch of Morphine and Versed so i didn't care. Finally, they wheeled me in and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery, feeling so weird but actually, not in a lot of pain. My biggist problem was the after effects of the anathesia and, of course, the bloating from the CO2 they pump into you to do a laproscopic surgery. I was up walking within about 5 hours. Conditions at this hospital were amazing. The staff was the best I have ever had and all they cared about was my comfort. Their goals were to control nausea and pain. I didn't have nausea and the pain control was a morphine pump which I used liberally. I also got liquid Ativan to help my bad back so all in all I was pretty damn high at the hospital. I got out Sat. morning and things have been pretty smooth sailing since. I'm still obsessed with food and can't wait to get a little something on Monday (12 days after surgery after bargainaing my doctor down from 14 days) I'm so happy to have found this site to help with my recovery and to answer all my questions. My surgeon was Dr. Janos Taller who is with Pacific Bariatric Surgery. I personallly thought he was excellent. Thanks for reading and good luck to all contemplating this surgery. If you have Kaiser in San Diego, now you know the protocol. Smillzee

So it has been amost 9 months since I had my VGS surgery. and i am down 117 lbs. May 2010 I was at my heaviest 277lbs... eww I know. Aug 2010 before my surgery I was 265lbs...still a big number. Oct 2010 I was down 32.4 lbs Nov 2010 i was down another 24lbs Dec 2010-Jan 2011 I am down another 24.8 lbs. May 2011 i am down 117lbs. I feel so alive and free. I have no problems breathing when I walk for a long time. I'm full of energy and I honestly haven't been working out. Just all the running around I do all day long has definetly paid off. But I plan to start working out asap to tighten my abs and arms. The only NEGATIVE thing I have to say about my surgery is that I was losing my hair. My hair seems to be thinning. And I do not believe I was getting the right amount of Protein. I worked to change that. Next doctor Appointment will be Aug 22nd 2011 and I can not wait until I find out how much more I have lost. I hope to reach my goal of 150lbs. But if not by Aug I will make it there eventually. I can't complain about the 10lbs I am trying to lose now when 117lbs came off effortlessly.

I am just starting my journey. My PCP and I just discussed it and he will be refering me to a surgeon soon. I am 280# and 5'4, I also have DJD and OA in my L knee. This seems like the best route for me. My husband will probably being having it done as well. He has sleep apnea and his BMI is like 45. Maybe we both will get done at around the same time..hehehe. So I am open to comments and suggestions. The part that has my husband worried is the "baby food" diet...LOL I told him it would all be worth it in the end and that we would get through it together. My mother had this done and has done great with a 120#+ weight loss in 1.5 yrs.

Hello everyone. I just had surgery with the lap band May 23. First three days were a struggle and slightly painful. I couldn't operate without my pain meds. I constantly felt a tightening in my chest. Now on my 4th day I feel better just extremely full of gas. I'm constantly burping and other stuff ????. I'm so worried as I want to do this right, considering this is something I've researched and thought about for 8 years before doing it. As of now I can't see any weight loss not sure if my stomach is still swollen but I'm going to purchase a scale later today. Please help me figure why there's so much gas and bloat on my stomach and please share if this happened to you.

first i want to say welcome! congrats on getting through your 6months and getting your surgery date! you are well on your way to becoming a new person! someone healthy, happy, & the best mom to your kids grandma to your grandson and future grandkids! this will be your final battle of weight loss! im happy you found us!! my story, im 23. 5months into my 6 month supervised diet. im praying to be sleeved on dec 20th. i meet with my surgeon on nov 30th!

I decided to have weight loss surgery in December 2012. It took mow way to long to get through the pre op process. I finally had surgery 2/19/14 it was the best decision I have ever made. I am now down 75lbs today and feel amazing. I am now in regular size clothing and feel more confident every day.

My experience..... My consult appointment was yesterday. The whole staff was very friendly. I really like my Doc. My appointment didn't really go like I thought it would. I did the whole check in height weight. Found out I am 5.1/2 ft. but I actually think I'm 5ft. my hair kind of got in the way, (updo, I know stupid). I met with the nurse, we went over a couple things, the doctor came in, he asked me a lot of questions that are normally on your new patient questionnaire which I thought was weird.. Like my nationality, am I mixed, married... and so on. We didn't talk about my past weight loss attempts. What I've been doing to lose weight. Or why I gained weight over the last month. He had to of known I've been seeing my PCP since October for weight-ins. Anyone else have to fill out a questionnaire that asked you how much money you make a year? There were a few other questions I thought were strange, but I cant remember them. I also received a check list, which most of it is already done. I'm not 100% sure what supporting documentation for weight management is... another question for insurance, I guess? Anyways, the Doc then brought me and another patient in for a little slide show of bariatric surgery procedures and risks. Which went into a little more detail than what I've found online and I found it interesting. After the slide show, I went back into my exam room and had physicals. Found out my ideal weight is 109lbs, that seems impossible to me. He said "120-125lbs is good." My goal is 115lbs. He brought up my heart murmur. So, now I have to get cardiac clearance before he'll do the surgery. I forgot all about it, I was told when I was 16. But no other doctor brought it up again. Surprising, because I've has a few surgeries. And because of my heartburn I have to do an EGD, which he will perform in a couple weeks. He mentioned that my BMI is 43. I'm assuming he meant I needed to lose some weight before surgery.. but he could of also meant I needed to do the weigh management for the 3-6 months, being that my bmi isn't above 50. So I will need to clarify that with him. There was so much information thrown at me, it took me till after dinner to process it all. When I was finished up with the Doc. I met with a lady that scheduled my EGD and handed me lab papers and I have to get a chest xray. Then off to another room and met with the NUT, which ended up being a group meeting, the other patient was there again and then we met individually with the NUT. I thought the NUT would go over eating a healthy well balanced diet.. lol.. duh, no it was about getting enough Protein in. and I found that I am not . so my goal is to get my 80g of PRO and working out a little bit more. She gave me a sample of vanilla unjury, which I will be trying today. The whole process took 3hrs. And I only had to paid the NUT, which was 130$. I have dual coverage and it paid for my appointment with the doctor. Oh, I cant forget the pre op diet. Boy am I ever lucky... I get 3 meals a day 3 scoops of Unjury between meals. This plan seems easy enough and fulfilling. The plan consist of Protein, Free food & Extra Food Choices. It reminds me of the 1st stage of Atkins, with some exceptions. Unlimited FF, which is zero cal beverage, coffee, tea, raw veg, herbs and spices, vinegar, mustard, lime, lemon juice. I will be using the FF to make my own salad dressing. I need more that one serving of dressing on my salad. I can have 4 EFC (guys get 6): 1 small fresh fruit or 1/2 cup fruit, cooked Cereal, potato or rice, low carb tortilla, 1 slice whole grain bread, English muffin, sandwich/bagel thins, low cal bread, bran buds or Fiber one cereal, 1 cup v-8, tomato juice, Soup or any food or beverage that is 60-80 cal per serving. For Breakfast select 1 protein, and 2 protein for lunch. Dinner 4-6 oz very lean meat, 1-2 cups low carb veg and 1 large salad with 1 serving of salad dressing. approximate nutrition 120-150g of protein, 100g of carbs estimated 1,200-1,500 cals and 15-30g of fat. I think that is the best Pre-Op diet I've seen so far, well other than the eat what ever you want ones. I feel like the insurance coordination was not on the ball. I asked her some questions and she seemed confused and didn't know exactly what my insurance was requiring of me. Hopefully I can get a clear answer from my insurance company. I really want to know if my weight-in from Oct count or do I start from yesterday. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Thanks for sharing and congrats on your weight loss:)

My VSG Story PRE-OP: Two weeks prior to my surgery date of April 10, 2013, I had a check up with my primary care physician and tipped the scale at 343 pounds, 5-10 in height. I researched the VSG procedure and doctors in Mexico due to my insurance not covering bariatric surgery in the US for several months. All my findings led me to Dr. Fernando Garcia in Tijuana, MX. I went through the coordinating company, Ready 4 a Change. I chose that company because the response was instantaneous and I never waited more than a couple of hours for a response to my questions via email, even on weekends which is unheard of in the States. All in all, I would definitely recommend this coordinating company again. Also, I travelled alone, which went extremely well, and I guess would depend on the circumstances but I would not hesitate to do it alone again. On 3-27-2013, I started my two week pre-op diet which consisted of all liquids, protein shakes, and small salad for dinner. I did fairly well on the diet but cheated a few times very minor like one bagel bite, or a small bite of my wife's burger. Anyways, the diet sucks nonetheless but after day 2-3 it's really not that bad. The protein shakes I used were syntax nectar strawberry kiwi, and the chocolate/vanilla premier protein. I would advise to start some type of workout regimen during this phase. This pre-op diet is meant for shrinking the liver to provide a safer surgery, not necessarily weight loss. Again, all in all the two week pre-op diet went well and it went by fast after the first couple days. DAY OF SURGERY: On the day of surgery, I flew out from Dallas, TX to San Diego, California. Upon arrival to the airport, which I was 15 minutes early, I called the driver with R4AC, and he said he was just around the corner and showed up in 5 minutes flat. He even asked me on the phone if I wanted him to remove the company sign from the outside of the van, which I though was courteous. I told him no need, I'm not ashamed! So the driver picks me up and we head across the border which was uneventful and easy. We make our way to the hospital, as I elected for same day surgery so I would stay two nights in the hospital, and three nights in the hotel. Upon arrival to the hospital (Hospital was Florence Health System/Oasis) I was immediately checked in and taken to my private room with hospital bed with nurse call button, TV, an extra bed for a support person, etc. pretty much anything you would find in a hospital in the states. Now, this hospital is in the process of renovations with state of the art operating rooms as in the states, but the rooms are a bit older but nothing to gripe about for sure, and very clean. So I make it to my room and put everything up, and I am greeted by Melissa from R4AC, and she starts going over paperwork and answering any questions I had. The nurse comes in with a hospital gown and says to take everything off, including the underwear. So during the next 1-2 hrs, I have blood drawn for labs, an EKG done, chest x-ray, and an IV put in (first try,) and given a happy pill to relax. I also meet with all of the Dr's at the hospital including Dr. Velasco who is a bypass patient herself. Dr. Grafias who is a sleeve patient. Dr. Cabrera the anesthesiologist, Dr. Luna who is a bariatric surgeon as well, and Dr. Fernando Garcia, my bariatric surgeon. Pretty much all of the Dr's ask about medical history and prior and current health conditions so your basically checked 4-5 times to make sure your clear for surgery still. At about 5:30 or so, I was wheeled in to the operating room. You have to scoot over onto the operating table but no biggy. Dr. Luna took my wife's number down on his phone to call and let her know once surgery was done and everything was ok, which he did according to my wife. I remember one of the Dr's asking me if I had anymore questions as he was pulling out the left arm rest. I said just make sure I wake up and I was out like a light. I woke in what felt like was just seconds after going out. I sat up with minor pain in my abdomen from the incisions, not gas pain. I looked at the clock and it said 7:30. I'm not sure how much of that 2 hours was surgery time vs waking up, etc, and I didn't really care. I immediately stood up when I woke up and started walking the halls. All of the nurses looked at me like I was crazy and asked if I was ok. I told them I was because several speak pretty good English to communicate. They said most people are not up and walking that quick after waking up from surgery. I guess I was the exception. So that first night was pretty good except the minor pain in my abdomen from the incisions which basically felt like I did too many sit-ups, not unbearable in the least. POST-OP DAY #2 So I slept off and on mainly because the nurses come in every 2 hrs or so to check on you and give meds, check BP, etc. The nurses were AMAZING! No complaints whatsoever, and if I pushed the call button, the longest I waited for a nurse was maybe 25-30 seconds. This day was pretty much the same, walk, rest, meds, repeat! I also had 2 leak tests done, which went good and no leaks detected. One of the leak tests was odd as you lie down on the x-ray table and drink some liquid while laying down. It didn't hurt to drink but was just an odd feeling. While walking the halls, I met 3-5 other people from various online forums and FB who had the surgery and became friends and exchanged info to keep up with each other and our progress. POST-OP DAY #3 I had my drain out this morning. it was WEIRD, like a snake in your tummy. it did not hurt at all, just awkward. I got copies of my lab work, x-rays, etc and was discharged. Then around 10 or so, I was picked up by the Hotel Marriott shuttle and taken to the hotel. It was extremely nice and the same as you would get in the US. I got checked in and taken to my room. You get 3 free bowls of chicken broth, 3 free Popsicles, and 2 free bottles of water daily. I would not eat the Popsicles, but there is a small shop in lobby you can buy Popsicles which were awesome. The broth was ok at times, and way to salty others, but then again it's broth...boring! The first day I relaxed mostly and went out by the pool and lounged around and didn't really do much. Still no pain really except for abdomen from incision sites. POST-OP DAY #4 Today I lounged around again and walked a bit around the hotel. I ventured out and took a can to the local Walmart as I started feeling some acid reflux, which is common with VSG, and bought some omeprazole which helped a lot and it was gone in 2 days. Dr. Luna came by and removed the staples from the incisions, which did not hurt, and cleaned all the sites and put steri strips on them and covered up the drain hole. I was given medicine before leaving the hospital which included antibiotics, disgusting liquid acid reducer, and pain meds, which I didn't take any of it. I had dinner with some new found friends and co-sleevers and got some sleep. POST-OP DAY 5 Today was the same as day 4 pretty much. Lounged, went out with some new friends, had dinner, etc. I packed up all my stuff and got ready to leave in the AM. I got a call around 8:30 by the driver who gave me the option of leaving at 6 am or 9 am. My flight left at 1:20 pm but I was ready to get back to the states so I opted for 6 am. POST-OP DAY 6 I woke up and was checked out of the hotel and in the lobby by 6, when driver promptly arrived. Myself and 2 other sleevers headed back to the US. It took us about an hour and a half to make it across the border, it was very busy but an easy process as we all had our passports. Made it to the airport, caught my flight home, end of story! All in all, I would say the level of service and care in MX was equal to and even greater in some areas than that in US. I would highly recommend Dr. Garcia and his team, R4AC, and Florence/Oasis Hospital. I would do this whole over again and look forward to taking some of my family members and/or friends to MX for this procedure. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me and I hope to help others with their journey if I possibly can. Johnathanw1988@gmail.com

Congrats! Do you mind if I ask your starting weight? You are the same height as I am so it would be good to know what your starting weight was. I read about people losing X lbs in 3 months but without knowing the starting weight it is hard to gauge how rapid my weight loss will be - with the idea that I folllow all the instructions, of course. I am currently 213 and my ideal goal weight is 110 but I can live with 120. I have severe plantar fasciitis and really need to get the weight off so I am not in excruiating pain 24/7. I know even if I hit 140 it is still too much weight for my frame and feet. I have had two surgeries on my feet with no pain relief. Thank you.

Well I will have the start of a new me on June 20th. Dr. Monson at MeritCare in Fargo, ND. I started the whole process on Jan. 22, 2007 and thought 6/20/07 seemed so far away. Now it is here and I still can't believe it. The only ones that know are the hubby, 3 kids, and sister. I have had enough slaps in the face with other failed weight loss attempts and felt I could not face the comments, looks, etc. from others if they knew. I have been so busy with everyday life to worry or even think about it until now...I find myself scared, nervous and excited. Please keep your fingers crossed for me and say a prayer for my family and myself... "I am jumping in with both feet and eyes wide open".....

Thank you so much. I been at a stall this past week and it's frustrating considering I'm only 2 weeks out. I would have never thought I would lose nothing my second week post op. That was motivation for me to get back into the gym and really focus harder on my fluids and protein intake so I can have a reasonable loss this upcoming week.

welcome and great job on the weight loss!:biggrin:

Hi Ashley: There is a thread for people banded in June! Join us anytime! congrats on the weight loss!

I just completed my last weight loss class required by my insurance. Submitted to insurance for approval today! Hopefully, I'm in the last days before I can schedule my surgery!