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It's worthwhile to also consider getting a sleeve first, and after 12-18 months, think about adding the DS component. We have several heavier patients on the board that have had fantastic results with just the sleeve. You would still need a few vitamins with the sleeve, but much less. A big question to ask yourself is whether you think you can stick with a "diet" forever. ALL of these surgeries (including the DS) require mindful eating forever. I had the opportunity to speak with a 10 year DS veteran, and she lost about 200lbs. She was still 100lbs from goal, but the scale just stopped. She was eating on-plan (meat and veggies), but wasn't counting calories. When she finally started counting, she realized she was eating 2500 calories a day! She started cutting back to 1500, then 1300. She finally reached goal. My point is that no matter which procedure you get, you'll still have to pay attention. And if you pay attention, it won't matter much which procedure you get. @Dashofpixiedust8 might be able to help here. Don't get me wrong, the DS will be extremely effective for you. But the vitamins are not optional, and if you are concerned about them now, what happens in 2 or 15 years when you get bored of the whole thing?

I laughed when I read you were going crazy without a scale while on vacation. I can so relate!! We spent a week at the beach this summer and I was going nuts. I finally made my husband go with me to a Walmart one evening (it was close by but I would never shop at a Walmart!) because I knew they would have some scales and I could weigh myself. I surprised myself and lost weight while we were at the beach. Hope you have a great time! Frankie VSG 3/22/10

I've waited 20 years for this, I don't know if I can wait another 2 weeks or not! In 1985, I was the first woman promoted to the position of Senior Vice President with my former Wall Street employer. For 10 years, I had worked an average of 60 hours per week and no less than 6 days per week for this promotion. I moved when the company asked me to, so I moved four times in less than 6 years. I dedicated my life to my career, and it paid off. At this time I was a size 14-16 and continually fighting with my weight. Each and every day I woke up with my constant companion, self-loathing. Why couldn't I stay on a diet. Why couldn't I shake those 20 pounds. Why did weight keep creeping on. I second guessed myself all of the time. At the same time, I was buried in work, eating at my desk, skipping meals if work called and foregoing any type of exercise. To my surprise in 1986, I met a nice young man after being essentially dateless for years. We married about 1 year after meeting. Fast forward to 1987. Now, I've gained weight. My boss at the time, "suggested" that I lose weight - my weight was negatively effecting my career. Not the 60 hours and 6 days a week, but my weight. I spent a small fortune and traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and spent almost 3 weeks at the Hilton Head Health Institute. I was taught portion control, how to pick wise foods, and exercised just about every waking moment. I had no complaints about the HHHI and I would enjoy returning. Six months later, I had lost 50 lbs, but I was not thin - Now I was a size 16. Slowly my weight crept back. Then I got a new boss. For the first time in my adult career, I did not get along with my boss. That's never good for a subordinate - even at the Executive level. Try as I might, this man disparaged everything I did. Nothing was ever good enough. At year end, I was only 117% of my sales goal, and that was not good enough. He isolated me from others in the company, and soon, I was excluded from meetings and projects. In April, 1988 I was "demoted." Stripped of my responsibilities as a Senior VP and made an office manager. The demotion was very public and at the time of our annual corporate meeting. My boss stated that I lost my job because I was overweight. No other reason, just because I was over weight. I was replaced by a fat man. By 1995, my marriage was over (my husband blamed me for being fat for losing my job - not that he worked, but it was still my fault my more than six-figure income shrank) and I never emotionally recovered from the very public demotion and humiliation I suffered. I stopped working, took all the money out of my 401K account, sued my former employer for sex-discrimination (won) and went to law school. I graduated from law school in 1999 and then passed the Nevada Bar Exam. Law school was very sedentary. I used phen-fen to lose weight and now suffer with a heart valve problem. My weight fluxiated as I tried assorted dietary aids, but never I was never able to keep the weight off. After law school, I married a wonderful man who loves me, even pudgie, and who would do anything for me. My weight kept creeping up. Now, I am simply fat. Although I am an attorney, my husband and I are no means rich. Recently, we started our own practice and that drained any money we had. It’s expensive to buy the books, computers, copiers and other infrastructure needed to support a law firm. Advertising is our biggest monthly expense, after employee payroll. There are times w e don’t pay ourselves to guarantee that our employees are paid. We believe in our office and my skills as a litigator. Eventually, we’ll have a cash reserve, but things now are tight. We even sold our house and moved into a mobile home so that we could use our home’s equity to pay bills and to help finance our office. I thank God that I am married to a man who will be a partner in building a law firm and I am grateful for my husband because I could not do all of this work on our own. We’ll succeed, but now, money is tight. About a year ago, I noticed that my heart was racing. I visited a local cardiologist who wanted to preform over $3,000.00 in tests. With a $1,000.00 deductible in our insurance, I did not immediately have the money for the tests. I did by the end of the year. I have a leaking heart valve, cardiac arrhythmia and an enlarged heart. After all the tests, my cardiologist agreed that my heart problems were directly related to my weight. He stated that I would be an excellent candidate for a lap band, but he does not endorse gastric bypass surgery, believing that it is too invasive. I started on a search for a surgeon to perform lap band surgery, and at the time, I did not even know what a lap band was. I attended a local seminar in Las Vegas and learned the differences in weight loss surgery. I obtained surgeon references from my CCP and cardiologist. My insurance company, of course, refused to consider weight loss surgery unless I spent 2 years under the care of a physician trying to lose weight. I am 55 years old. I don’t have 2 more years of diet failure and self-loathing in me and I opted to self-pay for lap band surgery. After reading an article about surgery and medical care provided for Americans in India, Europe and Thailand, I started an internet search for weight loss surgery outside of the U.S.. Perhaps I could save a few dollars and have a competent surgeon help me outside of the U.S.. I searched the web, researched and researched. Law school was very good at teaching me research skills. I kept researching physicians and hospitals and came upon Dr. Ariel Ortiz in Tijuana, Mexico. I never read a bad thing about him. My husband was skeptical about going to Tijuana for surgery. So was I. Tijuana? I continued to investigate Dr. Ortiz. I called physicians who provided testimonials on his web page. I researched those doctors to make sure they were legitimate physicians, not witch-doctors. I called Innamed, who makes the FDA approved U.S. lap band, and talked to them about Dr. Ortiz. I reviewed Dr. Ortiz’ CV. I traveled to Tijuana to meet Dr. Ortiz and upon meeting Dr. Ortiz, I knew my search for a surgeon, who could competently and economically help me with lap band surgery was over. I believe that I am blessed to have met Dr. Ortiz. Never in my life, have I been allowed an open invitation to question a physician about a surgical process. Dr. Ortiz offered me as much time as I needed to discuss my concerns, the surgery, his career and skills. I also learned that Dr. Ortiz proctored the prominent Las Vegas surgeon who performs lap band surgery and he proctored the surgical staff at my home town hospital in Newport Beach, CA.. I stopped searching and scheduled my surgery the very day I met Dr. Ortiz. Originally, I was going to wait until year end, 2006, to have my surgery. After my meeting with Dr. Ortiz, I scheduled Friday, October 13th, 2006, for surgery. I don’t have to be superstitious about the date. I believe I have the premier surgeon performing my lap band surgery. Now, Friday the 13th, cannot come fast enough for me. I worry that I will not pass the pre-op physical, or something else will go wrong and I won’t be able to have the surgery, so I haven’t told too many people about my surgery. I am going to burst with excitement and cannot wait to wake up after the surgery and know that I am turning the corner on my new life. I truly am very lucky. I have a husband who adores me, a successful business and a premier surgeon. I don’t need anything else. My goal: lose 150 lbs. Realistic? I don’t know. My cardiologist believes I will lose at least 100 lbs. I keep reading about people who are my size (24/26) and now they are size 12/14. Is that really possible? Or is this a dream that I’ll wake up from. I just don’t want to live the rest of my life fat. I don’t want to take the elevator at the court because I’m packing an additional 100 lbs and can’t use the stairs. When I argue with another attorney, I don’t want the adjective "fat" used to describe me. I want to walk into a store and buy "normal" size clothes. I don’t want to wear a bikini, I don’t want to be in Playboy. I just want a life freed of fat. I don’t want to be defined by fat.

I am hoping to get ESG at the Mayo Clinic soon. I have completed a 12 week behavior modification program that is required and I am close to getting the BMI to 35 with 10 more pounds to loose. It is not covered by insurance but that is not a problem for me at this time. I am choosing this because it requries no overnight stay in the hospital, no pre surgery diet, no incisions and it can be adjusted and reversed. I hope to loose about 40 pounds. Who here has had it, and how are you doing? Dede

I have always had a problem with overdoing when I exercise. I try to start small and work up gradually but I end up getting worn out and can't do anything for a week or more. This lady tells you how to build up after WLS. She said to increase the time by 10% per week. I hope this works for me. This is an excellent lecture for those new to the band or exercise. It is called "Lecture on Importance of Exercise Immediately After Weight Loss Surgery Weight Loss Surgery http://www.dynamic-progress.com/exercise-video-lecture/ http://www.youtube.c...t=FLFNut9fnDIMQ

Hi I also had my surgery on 2/10/14. I am down 19 pounds. great to see someone on here withthe same surgery date.

Ok this first month with my new sleeve has been great 27lbs down since surgery hit a stall this week with no weight loss but hey 27lbs in one month no complaints here hope everyone else is doing well!

RNYTalk Newsletter By Hey, RNYTalk members!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, RNYTalk.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 Jenneliza! New Year’s Resolutions that Work! RNYTalk Member Challenge: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions! Casting Call: Looking for RNYTalk.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 Alex Brecher Founder RNYTalk.com Looking Ahead to 2013! 2012 was a phenomenal year for Water skiing. Then, as she says, “it was a no-brainer” when her daughter told her “she was being teased for having a fat mom.” She got her bypass surgery in July and is already down 104 pounds, from a high of 286, less than six months later! Since getting the surgery, she feels more motivation to exercise because it feels like it’s helping. This time, she’s confident that she will lose the weight! Her son already has more room on her lap, her children can wrap their arms around her and she loves seeing herself in the mirror – without the double chin! Jen’s biggest challenge is staying hydrated every day. Another challenge is going to the grocery store and seeing all the tempting and forbidden foods! Jen uses RNYTalk.com to get information and find support from members. As she says, the “forum is full of great people who offer all kinds of viewpoints and discussions.” She loves using the app for iPhone because it is so convenient. Jen’s advice for members who may be struggling with their weight is not to give up – the journey is tough but worthwhile! Thanks, Jen, for sharing your story and offering your advice. Congratulations on your own weight loss! The 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! RNYTalk Member Challenge: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions! This is the part of the newsletter where we challenge RNYTalk.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 recipes to share, let us know! All you have to do is contact Alex Brecher (username Alex Brecher) via RNYTalk.com’s private messaging system. We’d love to hear from you no matter where you are in your bypass 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}

So excited -- I can't remember how long it's been since I got on the scale and the first number was a 1. Except that one time 5 years ago when it was off balance, but I knew it was a mistake. And today I did a 30 minute run! First one since I blew my knee out a year ago (on a run...)! I will be ready for that 10-K in 3 months!!!

So for the dress in asking 10 just because I never wore it and it's a 60 dollar dress. Otherwise I'm thinking a dollar a top, 2 dollars per bottom, and cover the shipping and it's totally yours!

I don't understand - if you have enough will power to go back to liquids (which I personally found to be the hardest part) than why don't you feel you have enough will power to sustain a solid food diet? Liquids is actually not a good stage to be on - its only to promote healing. In fact, you may end up consuming more calories than if eating solid food. You will always be hungry because liquids go right through the band. The band is meant for solid foods not liquid. You say you are losing weight - that's good. Research says that the in the time before the first fill you are expected to lose very little if any weight. The fact that you are losing now is a good sign and shows that the band is working. Don't expect too much at first. Remember this is a process that will take months or years. On average you should be losing 1-2 lbs a week or about 10% of your body weight. Now I haven't experienced "bandster hell" - but my advice would be to find ways to control you eating. Are you eating 3 meals a day? Are you having a snack in between meals. Remember 3 meals and 3 Snacks a day is what you should be doing. Be sure you are having A SNACK rather than SNACKING. Good luck.

Starting today, I will make no excuses. I must be accountable for my decisions, for where I currently am in my weight-loss & sleeve journey. I owe this to my body, I owe this to my experiences, I owe this to my loved ones and I owe this wholeheartedly to my whole being. In order to do that, I will set simple goals and accomplish them. No more lofty goals. Weekly goals because I get bored easily. My goal for the next 1 week, starting tomorrow, Sunday June 22nd through Saturday June 28th, my goal is to workout 4 times this week and post on my blog, daily. Here's to week one!!! As of this morning I weigh 242.8lbs. At point of surgery I was slightly over 300lbs. I am currently a size 16 (tight). Beyond health my vision is to be a slender size 10 (slender for me as I am 6ft tall.)

Know that I felt the same way you do right now. I slept with an ice pack in the middle of my back. Not all surgeries are alike and if you had a hernia or adhesions they have to put a lot more pressure on you. I didn't even have back pain before surgery when I was over 300 pounds and I was 229 when I had surgery. The back pain is alleviating now. I was 200-300 calories at 3 weeks forcing down isopure to get extra Protein in (I had a day at 3 weeks I got in 17 grams of protein). If you can't walk 20 minutes - do 10 minutes take a break do another 10 minutes - then take a break and if you can squeek in another 10 do that. It gets better, I promise you. I hope your surgeon or Nurse has some words of wisdom for you or you can find some back relief soon.

I was told to remove the butterfly stitches at 10 days. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Good post, Chitowngirl. You apparently are investigating everything that goes on your life and looking for those things that are allies of obesity. Of course, jobs don't make people fat unless your job is cream puff taster. But sitting all day most certainly can contribute generously to girth and ill health. I don't need to tell you that your exercise program can offset the effects of your job, I detect a witty mind in you. The 10 minutes an hour advise is good, I think. Do you have the flexibility at work to do it?

I too am scared and have had second thoughts. I am a self pay and I keep thinking what I could do with the money if I didn't get the band. Reside our house, save the money for a nice down payment on our next house, pay off my car, pay towards my school loan, etc.... If I don't do this, I will be paying alot more money in my future for medications, I will be miserably overweight and unhappy. Go for it, I tell myself. They have to put a list of complications or posisble side effects on EVERYTHING! They even tell you to take the plastic off of a frozen pizza before you put it in the oven. It is for their protection as well as ours. Hang in there! Like someone else said earlier, that there could be 10 pages of complications of just being overweight! Good Luck!

I don't know about Costco. I picked up a case (of 12) for around 18 or 19 dollars) at SAMs. I see online you can get a case of 18 for around 27 bucks.

It does not hurt sleeved on 1/19 feeling great don't worry sleep a little relax and breath good luck

Mine is on the 8th I have to do the liquid diet for 10 days. But I'm going to do it for 2 weeks.

I started my prep-op diet last Tuesday. For the most part, it hasn't been as bad as I expected. I have lost 10 pounds since Tuesday and it's only week one! So that has been a huge motivating factor for me. We can do this!!! Best wishes!!!

I saw this on a couple of other monthly forums and thought it would be neat to do here. Where are you from? I'm in Niceville, FL (yes, it is nice to live here:-). It's in the panhandle, between Pensacola and Panama City, 10 minutes from Destin and Fort Walton Beach.

My sleeve was done 1/4/14 down 40# at week 11. From sz.18 to 14 my goal is size 10 bmi 22.0 i live in eldon Mo.

I'm having a really hard time distinguishing what my body is trying to tell me. I'm 5 days post op and I keep getting this sensation that I can't tell what it is. It starts in my belly and moves up to my stomach and then to my neck. It's like a sharp painful feeling that turns into that feeling where you're starving and your stomach is trying to claw its way out for some food, and ends as more of a noise, like sandpaper on the back of your neck. It usually only lasts 10 seconds or so, but I get it frequently. Is this hunger? I haven't had a day yet where I've been able to meet my Water or Protein goal. I'm on a full liquid diet. Help! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My wife and I are getting pick up at 10:00 in san Diego and getting sleeved morning

Happy Easter to you too! I haven't been sleeved yet, nor do I have a date, so won't talk about what I may have today. We're going out to dinner since it's just the 4 of us. I haven't had lamb since my Mom passed away in more than 10 years! That roasted butternut squash sounds awesome!!