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I started the process in July 10, 2012 and was banded October 10, 2012. I went in with a starting weight of 280 lbs and was told that I would be able to lose over 100 lbs sucessfully. It depends on how well you lose the band. Again there have been people on this forum that have lost HUNDREDS of pounds; so your doctor saying less than that is giving you the worst case senario. Since starting my pre-op diet until today, I have lost over 30 lbs. I can also admit that I was starting to have second thoughts before the surgery; and it was based on the fear of never eating Pasta and things like that again. However, as I continued to think about it, I thought to myself, "Is my health and future pregnancies really worth less than bread and pasta?!?!" I can even admit too that right as I was being brought into the recovery room I thought to myself, "WHAT HAVE I DONE!??!" (I think that was the pain meds and all the other meds though). I have been banded for about 2 weeks and could not be happier! I know that I am going to be so much healither; and that is what matters the most. As for the scary divorce statistic; I don't believe that one bit. Maybe people think that if one spouse is overweight so is the other; and then the surgery would result in jealousy and conflct, but I don't think so. My husband is very lean and weighs about 147 lbs. (as you can see from my picture) and is so supportive of this process. As long as you love each other and support each other it won't be a problem. I think the myth that once people lose weight that they stray is also a bunch of crap. Yeah we gain more confidence but that does not mean we are going to do things that are dangerous to our relationships; but that does not go for everyone.

Walking into the OR is empowering because it is you clearly taking the situation by the horns and handling business. I did not know they generally knock you out on valium or some form of sedative before they wheel you into the OR for this surgery or my first plastics procedure, but my last two plastics surgeries I insisted on being fully non-drugged when they put me to sleep. Generally they don't make you walk because they have to have the bed with you and roll your IV, EKG leads, and monitor with you and it's more hassle than it's worth, but I say enjoy the experience. You know how you walked down the aisle at your wedding? Ready for a whole new life? Look at this situation exactly like this. Get your head up, march your butt into that OR, and own it. Also, the drugs they give you to knock you out are about 10 seconds of the best high ever. This way you get to enjoy that too.

The big difference is here I bet is that his stomach is longer than yours by sheer anatomy rules. If he's taller than you by 3-6 inches, I bet this where the difference is. At the 10-12 week post-op mark, I was still stuck eating no more than 3oz of dense Protein, and I had zero room for anything else at that point. If y'all are both satisfied on your portions, not hungry, not stuffed then everything is on par. That's just my 2 cents chickee ! ! !

Date night is hard for Hubby and I. The last 10 years we had ALWAYS gone out to dinner, or something surrounding food. Now we are trying to do things that do not revolve around food, walking, bowling, even watching a movie!

You won't know for sure. What you need to do is let go of that worry and understand what all your body is going through right now. You had 80% of your stomach removed. Ok, think about it like this. Think about the hardest you've ever fell or been hit by something. Think of the deep bone level bruise you got. How long does it take to fully surface? A week? 10 days? Well, that's internal bleeding, coagulation, blood rising to the surface, your white blood cells flooding to the area, more blood to begin healing, the area is hot for weeks! The bruise will raise and take weeks to slowly heal and go away. Can be 6 weeks before the bruise disappears. And that's just from a blunt force trauma. Now imagine you have 80% of your stomach removed, you have hundreds of sutures/staples in there, you have 5-7 incisions points - each the equivalent to being stabbed by a knife. Now think about all the swelling and healing that requires? Think about all the processes in the body, the shock, the attempts to heal itself. Our bodies will retain water, send blood and fluid to the areas that need to heal, it will slow down the metabolism in order to promote healing and prevent weight loss as that is a primal process in our bodies. There is a lot of science behind why people don't lose or gain in the first few weeks post surgery and most of it is related to how the body behaves as it's healing. Don't waste another thought or worry on this!!!!!!!! Just focus on meeting your goals, I PROMISE you, you will begin dropping weight like crazy if you follow your post surgical stages and protocols. You are doing great, it's so hard and scary, I had a ton of these types of questions and only learned these answers from asking. I am so proud of all of us, TBH, we are SUCH badasses for doing this. You are gonna do great and you are totally OK.

It has been 2 1/2 years since I was banded. I got down to size 10 and my lowest weight was 155 lbs. My husband and I were traveling in March to May this year. I got sick with a kidney infection on our drive to Florida. My stomach got upset with my IBS and I was nauseated. My band got really tight in the middle of all that and the end result was MILKSHAKES! My stomach was so upset and my band so tight that I was living on very little food but could drink milk and milkshakes felt very comforting. They settled my stomach and filled me up. I got antibiotics when I got to Orlando but they made my stomach more upset. I was throwing up a lot and had terrible heartburn, throwing up if I laid down. I spent most nights sleeping sitting up. I was in misery. It was not caused by my band but my band got into the middle of everything. I needed a defill but was out of my country. I tried everything - bland foods, eating mushy or liquids, using antacids constantly. Nothing helped. We got home from our trip to Florida and I got more antibiotics because I felt like the infection was still there. I also got a small defill. We were leaving again only 10 days later for Hawaii for our 40th anniversary. When we got to Honolulu for the first week, I got really sick again. I was very nauseated and throwing up. My band felt very constricted again and I stopped taking my antibiotics. My stomach settled down but the band stayed very tight. When we got home from Hawaii the first week of May, I was sick again for about 4 days, vomiting and nausea. My band seemed even tighter and I could hardly eat anything. It was hard to even drink tea. My band seemed to have tightened on it's own again. Then I started having choking episodes and I felt like my stomach/pouch was up in my throat. I had a few episodes where I couldn't breathe and had to concentrate to relax my throat and let the food or drink go down so I could get my breath. I was terrified. I could not understand what was happening. It seemed like the band had slipped. I phoned and talked to my clinic and they advised me over the next few days to get a big defill. I did that and my stomach and band settled down. I had severe gas pains for about three days following the defill that doubled me over and I was in agony, pacing the floor and crying with the pain. Bandster hell. Finally that stopped. I then felt no restriction and was eating too much and too much junk. I started gaining weight and felt so upset with myself. I tried to stop overeating and watch what I was consuming but continued. I needed my band refilled. A month after my defill of 2 cc, I went back for a fill of 1 cc. that gave me back some restriction but I was still gaining weight. We had our 40th Anniversary party on Aug 7 and I felt self conscious and fat. I changed dresses to cover up my 14 lb weight gain. Other people didn't notice but I could feel the extra weight around my middle especially. I missed feeling svelte and beautiful and in control. I have had a lot of company and been too busy to spend any time on my Curves program or eating patterns. I am feeling more restriction now but have had another setback.After all the problems with my stomach, my doctor sent me for tests. One test I had on Monday this week was a barium swallow. The radiologist asked me questions before the test about what had been going on. He was not knowledgeable about lapbands but could see it in the xray. He told me that it was sitting on top of my stomach not like the picture on my lapband card I showed him. I guess my band has slipped and I am anxious to get it back to normal again before I gain too much weight. I wish I could control my eating and lose some weight through just diet. I really love my band and how wonderful it made me feel to lose all that weight in the first place. Wish me luck! :wink2::glare:

i am wanting to get some feedback the level of restriction people have. 1. when you drink first thing in the am is it more like: c. i can drink room temp. cold beverages (about 20 oz. in a hour or less) But, only after about an hour after waking 2. for breakfast i eat: PLEASE also list the time of breakfast! a. protien shake-sometimes, if I am in a hurry, I wouldn't call it a Protein shake technically, it is instant breakfast b. mushies- oatmeal, cream of wheat, scram eggs, yogurt keeps pouch full for hours I wouldn't say for hours. I can't eat eggs, they won't go down at any hour no matter how they are cooked. Oatmeal is what I usually eat 3. do you ever have acid reflux, indigestion? d. occasionally 1-2 times a month 4. how much can you eat of the following (round-a-bout): protien shake: no restriction unless it is very thick *chicken-I can only eat saucy, as in Soups or casserole. If I eat plain I can eat one bite and that is it. *salad:Can eat until it goes out of style. I feel no restriction when eating salad-unless there are eggs, bacon or non veggies in it *sandwich-can't eat sandwich bread at all, can eat about 3 bites if it is toasted, can eat a small piece of french bread. If I eat bread before food everything will get stuck *chicken, soft veggie, carb or another veggie (i know this varies with the order you eat in BUT please go buy how you typically eat?): I avoid chicken, it is just too hard to fool with. As far as meat, I am real limited. Grouper, Salmon, shrimp (basically anything seafood) goes down fine-Salmon, sometimes not, if it is overcooked. Ribeye steak--minus the fat, goes down okay. Veggies, go down good for me for the most part. With the exception of mushy veggies--peas, corn potatoes. Carbs, it depends on what it is. It is a trial/error 5. are you happy with your restriction? b. no but i have good restriction 6. when you pb why is it: choose all that apply a. because i ate to fast b. because i tried to eat solids c. because i wasnt paying attention to eating d. no reason I could come up with lol 7. how often do you pb? d. once a week 8. how much liquids do you get in in a day? b. i struggle to get in 64 oz. (because i'm lazy) Well actually with the time you have to wait between meals it can be a struggle 9. do you eat in the correct order (protien first, veggies, then carb): d. most of the time i eat in the correct order (70%) but its a struggle 10. do you drink with meals: b. nope __________________

Hope everything went well for the other Jan 10 sleevers. I just got back from a walk around the Med/surg floor. Like everyone says, walk, walk, walk! It really helps with gas pains. I've been burping a lot and have some incisional pain but it's tolerable. Taking in 50 mls each hour I'm away, Protein and Water. I hope my surgeon releases me today! I'm ready for my own bed and environment. I'd love to hear how you're all feeling. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Do you have a costco? the whole roast chicken for $4.99 is such a steal - cheaper than buying a raw chicken. Tuna is another great low cost Protein. For something different with tuna, try blending it with a little mayo so it's a smooth spread. Great with crackers. I like the Special K crackers, but they are a splurge price-wise. For veggies, frozen is often cheaper and very tasty. One great advantage to frozen is no waste. Just take out and cook what you need. Here's a chicken pot pie my family loves: 12 oz. shredded chicken or turkey 10 oz. frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans) 1 onion, chopped 1 can low fat cream of chicken soup 1/2 cup milk piecrust Sautee onion in a little oil. I use about a tablespoon. Stir in frozen veggies, chicken or turkey, milk, and soup. Pour into a 9" pie pan. Top with piecrust and bake at 425 till crust is done. 30-45 minutes. Just eat yours without the piecrust. I also make big batches of Beans, chili, and vegetable soup and then freeze them in gallon baggies. They thaw out fast. For fruit, whatever is in season now. At first I could only eat non-acidic fruit. Applesauce was a lifesaver then. Lynda

OK, I have learned a new lesson in this journey. The first couple of months, no one really noticed my weight loss until I hit the 45 pounds lost mark (about 3 months out), then all of a sudden everyone was noticing, complimenting, pointing and gasping! Tomorrow will be my 5 month surgiversary, I've had an easy journey with no pain, sickness, nausea and I'm already 10 pounds away from my ultimate goal. Great news, right? I have realized that being thin doesn't equate happiness. Now, people are used to seeing me at this weight and I don't get the constant compliments as I did before. I'm finding myself slipping back into old negative thoughts, old habits and such. I didn't get my mind right............along with my body. I thought if I lost the weight, my smile and inner happiness would miraculously come along with it. But I still have this "fat girl" mind inside the thin body. I am such a blessed person, but how do I turn this around and turn the negatives in my life into a positive? I can't afford regular counseling..... does anyone know of a great book that helps?

Just got off the phone with my surgeons office. She submitted papers to insurance for approval on Monday and she say and still no answer I'm getting sick to my stomach over this I have anthem bcbs . is this a normal wait time?

Oh no!! I'm so sorry. I already knew that I couldn't use the tape. I had a Previous surgery years ago and had that reaction. It was red and puffy even blistered. I told Dr prior abbot it and we used the glue. I'm post op 10 days. One is just starting to peel away. I'd call your Dr maybe he can give you something! Hope it gets better soon[emoji17]

Hi everyone!!! My surgery will be on 01/12/18... but I have gain 15 pound!!!! My doctor called me 2 week ago to tell me the day of my surgery, since that day I have been eating a lot!!!!! I feel anxious y sad at the same time because I have been waiting for the surgery for a long time and I don’t want to mess up

Hi all> I was banded Feb. 19 by Dr. Earl Fox in Richland, WA. He and his staff are great! Only issues since banding have been that I am not pain-free as soon as I wanted to be (wanted to wake up next day without pain) and even consumming less than 600 calories a day, still no weight loss. Doctor and friends tell me to be patient but it is tough.

God, Christie, I really needed to read this right now. I returned from Iraq almost 2 months ago and in that time have only lost about 10 pounds. I know people will jump on me for saying "only" but yeah, only! With this surgery and being in my first year (8 mos out), I get to say "only" because we all know it should be more! I have fallen off with attending this forum, fallen off with inputting to my diet tracker, my protein is way low. Yes I have finally crossed over the Great Two Hundred Divide, but only just. I haven't hit 100 lbs lost yet. I am surrounded by delicious food and these old feelings of inadequacy are coming back - I'm the fattest one in tango class, in zumba class, and the biggest size in regular stores still doesn't fit me right, but the smallest size in plus is too big. in the last 20 days I have lost maybe 3 pounds. I'm eating protein bullets, greek yogurt, sashimi (no rice), and baked chicken almost every day. I dance or zumba or something every day. And only a pound a week. =( =(

I guess your right, although I haven't been out in the heat but very little lately. Non-th-less, it does suck! makes me feel like Im missing something.then you know how the old mind comes into play..ha! you were drinking more than the alloted ounces per 10/15 min. your pouch is stretched..I could go on and on..but then I have to catch myself and ease up..knowing good and well it is a process.

I have yet to check out Target's Protein choices.. thanks for the suggestion. I do the EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control - premixed, comes in a 4 pak, can get it at any Wal-Mart, Meijers Stores or GNC. 110 Calories - 17 g of protein and 2 carbs. Comes in 4 different flavors, the Dark chocolate is great, I switch between that and the Chocolate Fudge. Also, I priced out buying it premixed 4 pak at Wal-Mart $4.39 a pack vs buying the powder and mixing it.. only saves like 10 cents a serving.. for 10 cents, I love the conveinence of premix. Give it a try..

@CTJohn good for you!! glad you didn't experience any pain. betcha you look great. i had my neck done last year - the scar was very noticeable. dr. gave me free samples of "meladerma" (msp) to use daily (x2) very thin line to start with - within 10 days line was was basically invisible!! really!! kept using the "Meladerma" for a while (2-3weeks) looks terrific! our famous saying on the board in "we are all Different" what ever you use, you'll look as terrific as me!! btw i have thought of doing my eyes too. who knows, maybe next year! good luck kathy congrats

Hello All, I had my vsg done on 01-17-11 so a mere 9 months ago and my new years resolution at the beginning of this year was to complete a half marathon. Yes running 13.1 miles on purpose is my goal for 2011. Well its official i finish my first half marathon today in Long Beach California. My official time was 2:25:35 which is a 11:07 average minute mile. My goal was to be under 2:30 and I made it with over 4 minutes to spare. I have always been envious of runners and my entire life I have wanted to be one. Never in my wildest bdream would I ever imagine that I would be running marathons (or should I say half marathons). I have never been this proud of my self ever and now I know that I am unstoppable once I put my mind to something. My next goal is getting to my personal goal weight which is 149 which is only about 11-12 pounds away, I am hoping to hit before my 1 year anniversary on January 17th. After that I want to conquer a full marathon which is 26.2 miles, I am thinking of Maui Hawaii in September 2012. If I believe it and I can see it then I can do it. I attached a couple of pictures from today. Thanks, Jenn

Mine started at 3 months and slacked at 7 months. At months 8-10 it's growing back slowly.

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers!Happy New Year! It’s time to leap into 2013. You might have slipped a little during the holidays, but January is a great time for a fresh start! Of course, VerticalSleeveTalk.com is here for you as you work to lose weight and get healthy. Allow the January Newsletter to motivate you to get back on board if you lost your focus in December, or to inspire you to keep up the good work if you were able to stay on track during the holidays. Here’s what we have in this newsletter. Looking Ahead to 2013! Member Spotlight: Meet Velena! New Year’s Resolutions that Work! Sleever Challenge: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions! Casting Call: Looking for VerticalSleeveTalk.com Members to be in a Book! As you get back into the swing of everyday life and your commitment to your health, we hope you continue to make VerticalSleeveTalk.com a regular part of your day. So, enjoy the newsletter and then talk about it or anything else on the forums! See you there! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder VerticalSleeveTalk.com Looking Ahead to 2013! 2012 was a phenomenal year for VerticalSleeveTalk.com. The forums grew tremendously and we came out with mobile apps for the Android, Kindle and iPod, iPad and iPhone. We have plenty more changes in store for 2013! Keep watch for even more improvements. We’ll be sure to let you know in the newsletters and on the forums, too. 2013 will be an exciting year! Thanks to you, our members, for continuing to support the community. Member Spotlight: Meet Velena! We’re delighted to start off 2013 by shining the spotlight on Velena from Madison, Alabama! She says she spent most of her adult life obese. She didn’t want to spend “second half” of her adult life obese, too, and set the goal of weighing under 200 pounds by her fiftieth birthday. She lost about 25-30 pounds through dieting, doing fitness DVDs and taking weight loss pills, but was still 30 pounds short of her weight loss goal. She wanted to lose weight to be able to enjoy life instead of being limited because of her obesity. Velena wanted to be able to ride a motorcycle and enjoy hiking with her husband; the final straw for her was on a hike when she couldn’t follow him down to the falls because of the steep stairs. She had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In addition, Velena has diabetes and needs to eat well to control it. She says she always ate healthily, but portion control was a problem. When Velena started looking into weight loss surgery two years ago, her insurance didn’t cover it. This year, she attended another seminar and found out that now her insurance would cover the sleeve. She didn’t like the idea of bypass “rearranging my plumbing,” and a friend had had a bad experience with the lap-band. Velena did like the idea of the gastric sleeve, and got her surgery in September of 2012. Her top weight was 264 pounds. Now, Velena is down to 197 pounds! She feels light on her feet and her balance is much better after losing so much weight! Velena now has her own bike to ride around the neighborhood. Some of her great moments have been buying a jacket in the Misses section, instead of the plus size section, and trying on a winter coat at costco and finding out that it was too big. Of course, stepping on the scale and seeing a number under 200 was a thrill for her! She faced some challenges along the way, such as having trouble swallowing right after surgery. She got dehydrated and had to get hooked up to an IV! Eating slowly enough and ending her meal before she’s too full are still challenges for Velena, but she’s working on them and it’s paying off. Velena uses Vertical Sleeve Talk daily to catch up with friends, get ideas and encouragement and provide support. She says the forums keep her focused on her nutrition. We’re sure that you’re keeping up with your nutrition because you even managed to lose weight during the holidays! Congratulations on your success so far! Thanks for being in the Member Spotlight, Velena! Welcome to 2013 and the second half of your adult life! The Member Spotlight Forum is the place to go to nominate another member to be in the spotlight section of the newsletter. You can also nominate yourself – everyone on the boards will be pleased to meet you! You can even send Alex Brecher a private message telling us that you want to be featured. Everyone has a great story to share. Thanks! New Year’s Resolutions that Work! What are your New Year’s resolutions? Whatever else you’re resolving to do in 2013, your resolutions almost certainly include losing weight or maintaining your goal weight. Too often, we stop following our New Year’s resolutions pretty soon and fall back into old bad habits. How can you make New Year’s resolutions that you’ll stick to so that you can meet your goals for 2013? Try out these simple tips as you make your resolutions. Make them specific. You want to get healthy and lose weight. Those are great goals, but those resolutions aren’t specific enough to be helpful. Instead, choose resolutions that will help you meet those goals. Resolutions to help you get healthy might include exercising at least three days a week and choosing olive oil instead of butter for your servings of fat on your bariatric surgery diet. To lose weight, you might resolve eat at least 80g Protein per day so you feel more full. Make them doable. Keep your resolutions realistic so you’re not setting yourself up for failure. Nobody’s perfect, and your resolutions’ success shouldn’t depend on you to be perfect. Instead of resolving to drink more Water, resolve to drink an extra 8 ounces of water in the morning at least 5 days per week. This resolution gives you some room for error just in case you forget your water a couple of times in the week. Plus, the resolution is specific, so it fits with the first tip! Make them controllable. You can’t control whether you lose a certain amount of weight within a certain amount of time. What you can control are resolutions such as sticking to your diet or exercising to burn off an extra 300 calories per day, 3 days per week. Keep these tips in mind when you’re making your own New Year’s resolutions. Solid resolutions together with your best intentions can help you make 2013 a great year for your health, weight and happiness! Sleever Challenge: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions! This is the part of the newsletter where we challenge VerticalSleeveTalk.com members to take a step forward by doing something new. The experience can help you grow and gain confidence when you do something you hadn’t even thought about before, or you find out that you can do something you hadn’t even realized that you could do. This month, we’re sticking to the theme of New Year’s resolutions. The challenge for this newsletter is to make one or more resolutions based on the advice in this newsletter. We challenge you to make your resolutions specific, doable and controllable – and we’re eager to see what you decide to do in 2013! Tell us about your resolutions in the Sleever Challenge Forum. We’d love to hear about why you chose those resolutions and how you think you’ll do on them. When you post, you get to help other members who may need ideas for their own resolutions. Of course, if you ever miss a challenge, you can always go back to the archived Newsletter Forum to check out the old ones. It’s never too late to try – or retry! – a Newsletter Challenge! Casting Call: Looking for VerticalSleeveTalk.com Members to be in a Book! Are you eager to have your gastric bypass story published in a book? This is your chance! Our first book was focused on the lap-band, and it is called “The Big Book on the Lap Band: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band.” It was inspired by our sister site, LapBandTalk.com, and we’re so pleased with its success that we’re going to add a vertical sleeve book to the series! If you want to have your story published or you have advice, tricks or recipes to share, let us know! All you have to do is contact Alex Brecher (username Alex Brecher) via VerticalSleeveTalk.com’s private messaging system. We’d love to hear from you no matter where you are in your sleeve journey, even if you’re just thinking about the surgery. Thanks! That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We invite you to head on over to the forums and get a head start on a healthy 2013. Again, Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! May 2013 be the best year so far. Take care of yourself and each other. Sincerely, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

Weighed this morning. Down 10 pounds from starting weight. Weight today 241

Hello all, I was sleeved this past Wednesday 10/29 in St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY. Everything went so smoothly and quickly I am still in shock. I thought there would be a series of blood testing and everything like the pre surgical appointment a week prior but it was quick. Appointment was 8am so I was there by 730, by 8 I was already in a stretcher with blood drawn and answering questions. The anesthesiolgist came to see me and I can't remember much after that, I didn't even see the inside of the OR. I was already knocked out. Woke up and was a little taken aback by how I felt, thought I would be in agonizing pain and I wasn't. They woke me up to go walking and I did, next thing you know I am in a room with a button in my hand for dilaudid. I wasn't really in pain but I kept pressing it because I was afraid the pain would hit me hard but it didn't. I felt fine, worst part was my room mate and I were saying how much we would pay for some Water, just a sip, or ice chips. That was hard! ChapStick and mouth swabs got me thru that day. Other than that, I felt great, I even did double laps when walking because I felt so good. Next morning I was given some tea and ProStat to drink and just the 3 medicine cups had me feeling so stuffed. The staff was great, Doctor, NP and PA were all wonderful. But that morning I tried not to take any of the pain meds since I was going home and after that walk I could feel the rawness around the incisions and it hurt so I took 2 more hits before I had to go home LOL. PA said we can take tylenol also so I didn't fill the Percocet prescription. I take generic Tylenol I brought from costco that is extended release and in a capsule and I am fine with the pain. When I came home, my family was a little shocked at how well I looked and seemed. My mother thought she would be here to help me do everything but I did for myself. Even washed my own dishes without an issue. I thought it would be worse than c-section pain but it really isn't at all to me. I wouldn't call it pain honestly, it's more of a discomfort, feels like a raw abrasion you might get on your knee or elbow. Since being home I make sure to walk, I also thought that going up and down the stairs would be a problem for me but it wasn't, I was able to go up and down and much as I needed to without an issue and while I am walking around sometime I walk from the basement to the second floor 2-3 times for the exercise.funny thing is hardest part is getting the Protein and water in. I'm on pureed for 4-6 weeks and it's so hard. I get full so quickly it amazes me. 3 teaspoons and I feel stuffed. I haven't eaten to the point of fullness out of fear of vomiting but I feel good, I feel lighter and the funniest to me is prior to surgery I was always hot, now even in the house I always have an oversized hoodie over my clothes and my Uggs on. I am so cold which is welcomed since I hated sweating all the time. Not weighing myself yet but I feel great and know this was the best decision I have made for myself ever. I am wearing a comfy girdle that isn't too constricting along with moisturizing my skin constantly. I was also able to sleep in my bed the first night home with the help of a body pillow since I'm a stomach sleeper, I was able to sleep on my side and comfortably. Getting here seems like forever then it comes and I realized it was all worth it. It is amazing to me that my perception of food has changed immediately. On the way home I passed a Wendy's and Checkers and normally love to stop there but the thought alone hurt my new pouch, lol. I can't even imaging being able to swallow a bite of a burger without being in pain. I'll pass. I cannot wait to see what lies beneath all these layers. Thanks for reading!

I am 2 weeks out from surgery... The first 7 I didn't lift much at all, however I just went for a check today and have no restrictions on lifting my kids. Don't back out!!! Being on this side of the band, I wouldn't change it for anything! I'm down 32 lbs since starting my process and don't regret it one bit! I have 5 kids ges 14, 10, 7, 3 and 1... I needed to do this so I'm still around to pick up my grandbabies! Small sacrifice now for great rewards later! Don't put it off, where there's a will, there's a way! Prayers for you and good luck!