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I am 10 weeks out and have lost 56 pounds total; 39 pounds since 12/26 surgery. It sounds like we are losing at about the same rate. I am trying to just follow the plan, drink my water, eat my protein & exercise. Sooner or later, the weight will come off, just maybe not as quickly as I want it to. Be gentle with yourself; you are doing fine! You have lost the weight of a young child!!! Celebrate the joy of the scale dropping rather than going up!

I agree that you've lost a lot of weight very fast. Faster than me. I don't think I'm fat anymore. But feeling relatively slim is also a new shift in perspective for me. I wear 8s and 10s right now. Not 6s. I think if you're really wearing 6s and feel fat ... that's a little strange. Sixes are very, very small!

I work out in the morning right after a light Breakfast. If I don't do it then, ill find excuses throughout the day. I'm not a morning person either so I set my alarm early enough for me to get up and relax a half hour before I start. I'm a nurse too, but my shifts are usually 9-10 hours and they exhaust me, so I can only imagine how hard it is for y'all to make yourself do it. My feet, legs, and back KILL me and i have to force myself to exercise. Gone are the days I volunteered for double 16 hour shifts lol. Not worth it!

I threw a frigging tantrum to get refilled after cancer treatment my doc kind of wants me 10 kg heavier, right at the TOP of my healthy weight range. It makes me furious, i have the ight to choose my own weight thanks and i will not be contstrained by averages. I think i may have even sworn, lol.

I don't have anywhere near your stats but my goal weight is definitely overweight for the BMI chart, and it is 10 pounds lower than the weight discussed with the surgeon. I am so early in the process that I'm just going to see how it all goes. But I am not (so far) hung up on that dumb chart. :-)

When I feel hungry and it is not time to eat yet, I wait untiI have sipped a 10 oz bottle of Water. Usually the urge goes away. Another option is sugar-free popsicles. My vice has been artificial sweeteners, which I realize now are teasing Miss Tummy for the taste of something sweet. I stopped sweeteners on Sunday and the scale (which has been stuck for six months) has started moving again. Stalls are quite common around the third week post-up. It is like your body is pausing to regroup. In the meantime, eat your Protein first - all of it, before eating other foods. This will help you feel full, and the feeling lasts longer than if you eat something starchy. Starches make you hungry for more starches.

Thanks everyone...I feel amazing. I feel pretty again. I know my health is the most important thing, but my MENTAL health was in the toilet and now it's not. I have plication surgery Jan 10th with Dr. Abril in Mexicali...My start weight was 272 and a size 22 jean. Today I am 239 and a size 16 jean. I have a ways to go, but not too far bacause my husband likes the "meat". So I am shooting for 160 or a size 10-12. Lot's of hanging belly skin even with lot's of exercise...so another trip to Mexicali is coming for my 1 year anniversary. Love my peeps down there, Love Omar my patient coordinator and Roxanne and the staff at Hospital Santa Catalina!! Thanks again everyone!!

I'm scheduled with Dr Lopez on 19 May. If you do a search on this board, you will find several others who have also had Dr Lopez and were pleased with the procedure and care received. Lenae Which dr.Lopez I'm in Mexico on May 31 with dr. Jesus Lopez

Good for you! Its awesome to feel so great, yeah? I was sleeved on Jan 19 and I haven't started real exercise yet because I have Lyme disease and am waiting to get my IV line out. Which may be on Friday, after 6 long months. But I feel ready to work out now where I haven't before so it must be about the right time. I hope I'll feel as good as you clearly do. Keep up the good work!

I was blessed to have people who supported (and paided) for me to get this tool...gastric sleeve in August 2009. I want to say it here and now, do not step away from this forum when you are feeling good and that all is done. Do not let the embarrassment, shame or even despair keep you away AND if you are new to the forum, please be aware it can happen and always, ALWAYS come back. So here is my deal, I have gained 57 lb. back...totally walked away thinking I've got this and then life continues to happen. I would occasionally come back to the forum; however, was embarrassed because there were discussions about putting 5 or even 10 lbs. back on which made me feel that I really really messed up and feeling like a major failure. So, this is my way of overcoming my first obstacle...my pride AND we all need to talk about the reality WHEN it happens. Now, I'm not saying it is going to happen to everyone...truly, I am only saying WHEN so for those of us it does happen to we have a place to come back and not be humiliated or called out. Does that make sense??? I use food to deal with stress, anxiety and all that other junk...LOL. I want to put a caution out there...I had the food sort of under control and then have come to the realization that alcohol was now my new friend and over a period of the last 3 years the weight started coming back on and then guess what, I noticed one day my eating habits were right back where I started. I am grateful for the ability to have an area to come and begin again. It is my hopes to not scare anyone, I'm not a negative nelly either! Most of my friends see me as being a very positive person and yes, that is pressure as well....LOL. Today, I am behaving like I had my surgery yesterday. I'm scared, cautious and freaked out about what I will put in my body...LOL. The beauty is I know I can do this...one sip at a time. Okay...enough for now, have tears streaming down my face, laughing and glad to be back here....

I used a small chopster food processor. Worked great and you can pick one up for about 10-15$.

I have found tons of energy after losing around 30lbs. Actually energy to burn... I was content to sit still for the longest periods of time before surgery...now am not. My total weightloss with the sleeve should approach about 80 pounds (from roughly 258 to 178ish) and right now I am already at the midpoint of that loss (221 ( 37 lbs lost)). I am finding in my situation that as the weight comes off...it's almost like I can move better, and have a better center of balance....also my joints, my back etc all seem to funtion better.....am I 100% ...ready to run 3 miles? absolutley not... but a one mile walk now dosen't come with aches pains and loss of breath....I actually find it enjoyable. It really is baby steps to a life change... but you have to make that first step... Energy or not KC start with the smallest walk around the block... maybe 2 blocks tomorrow...stick on the headsets and go for a short stroll. I purchased a fitbit to make it more competative but today pedometers can start at as little as $10! A pedometer can get you to beat your step total every day up to the reccomended 10,000 steps a day.... good luck! oh and I am consuming around 800-1000 calories a day

Today marks my one year mark from my gastric sleeve surgery. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. So many things have changed for the better for me and my family. I am a happy participant in my life now, no more standing on the side lines watching life pass me by. All my labs are in the perfect zone, and oh I have lost some weight along the way. I still have 25lbs to go to reach my first goal of 175 and I hope to do that by my birthday which is May 5th. I was hoping to get below 200 by today, but I will take 200.4 and keep moving forward. This tool that I have been blessed with is such a god send for me. I am glad to still have restriction, so I am using this tool for all it is worth. I am confident I will reach my next goal.

My name is Rachael. I am a mother, a nurse, and a very fat person. I was given my first diet pill at age 10 by my mother... I couldn't take pills so I struggled to get the huge pill down. I don't know that I ever did or that it worked or if I even really needed it! I see pictures of my self and I am a bit chubby but not obese at all at that age. I remember being teased about being fat and large at an early age. I remember carving the word fat into my arm at around 12 years old. I remember hating my body and thinking my life would be perfect if I weren't fat. Years flow by I am in high school I am 5 7 my wt a HUGE 155. In retrospect that isn't that tall or fat but at the time I felt unattractive. I had a period at age 16 were I had a lot of dates no sex but boys asked me out and told me I was pretty....... I did have big boobs and a full soft figure. I think I undervalued myself in some respects but was a fun, gregarious person. I met the man I eventually married he seemed to think I was attractive. We moved in together 2 years later. I did my first "successful" diet at age 20 . It was a liquid Protein diet run by a doctor. My dad paid for it and I achieved my ideal weight of 130 lbs. I bought a tiny bikini short skirts and tight jeans. I went to community college for 2 years then nursing school. By the time a graduated in 1983 I had regained the wt I lost plus 30 or 40 lbs. I married at age 22 wt 170 ish ....continued to gain year after year hitting 270 when I got pregnant for the first time. I lost wt during the pregnancy but regained during breast feeding. Rinse and repeat x 2 more kids over 7 years. At age 33 I was 300 plus lbs but active and healthy. Years flow by my life hits a snag or two my husband developed into an alcoholic and we have marriatal problems. We split for the first time when I was 38 wt 345 lbs 3 kids ages 12, 7, and 5. Living as a single mom for a year was hard we got back together kind of to buy a nice house in VA and be a family. The difference was we kept separate rooms. I had become used to sleeping by myself reading if I wanted to and did not want to hear my husband snore or reek of alcohol. Today I am thinking about why I decided to have the surgery. I have become increasingly UNABLE. I can not: walk up stairs, walk any distance comfortably, fly comfortably, ride a bike, get up from a sitting position with anything like ease, and take care of myself alone. I have a laundry list of things I want to be able to do a BUCKET list if you will. Chase my grandson walk up or down stairs without a rail fly to Africa on a mission ride a bike take a hike buy a small car and fit in it ride a motorcycle Meet someone and be attractive enough to attract them I sometimes want to do a skit like Jeff Foxworthy (not that its very funny) YOU MIGHT BE MORBIDLY OBESE IF you can't wipe yourself without hurting your wrist you can't climb a stair without a reinforced rail get up out of a low couch without assistance well you get the idea i have a million and they all make me want to cry life as a fat person in America is not much fun .....the ridicule is one thing ......the discomfort of chairs that bind you is another...... and the comments people feel free to make is yet another. Yes I am responsible for my situation I know that but it does not make me sub human or less valuable as a person. I know I have lost friends, one in particular that I relate to my weight and my inabilities. This makes me sad and mad. I am a disappointment to my children though they love me they worry about me when they should not have to. They miss being able to do things with me or having to do things for me. They want a Mom they can count on and not have to worry about. I want them to have that as well. That's why I am doing this surgery to be ABLE.

Today I am 3 months post op. Time sure does fly!! Sometimes I feel like I am losing so slow, but then I look back over only 3 months, its going by so fast and the pounds are just melting off. I cannot wait to get to my half way point! I will have to think of something very special to do for myself when I get there. I lost another 4 pounds this week... I seem to average that amount a week still. Sometimes I get upset that its not more, but then I tell myself at least its not 0. "Fingers crossed" I have never had a stall yet. Hopefully I am one of the few lucky ones that never does! I lost 2 pounds one week, that was my lowest week, but I was very constipated. If anyone is curious, here is my weight loss in pounds per week since surgery. Starting weight: 369 Surgery weight: 356 Today's weight: 282 Week 1: 17 Week 2: 6 Week 3: 7 Week 4: 4 Week 5: 7 Week 6: 6 Week 7: 2 Week 8: 5 Week 9: 4 Week 10: 5 Week 11: 3 Week 12: 4 Week 13: 4 Just thought it was kind of cool looking at it that way. I have been doing pretty well. Feeling great. I have been walking some, but need to workout more. My hair started falling out last week and its getting so thin. But thats okay! Here is a slideshow of my weight loss so far. http://smilebox.com/...a&blogview=true

The day I had surgery I weighed 230 and I am close to 5"8. You know the crazy thing is that a year before my surgery my highest weight was 215 and I had taken diet pills and had gotten down to 167. Look at how much weight I gained back over a years time plus even more. When I decided to have this surgery I began to eat all the time because I kept telling myself that I would never be able to eat like that again . I stopped weighing myself so I had no idea I weighed 230. I had never weighed that much in my whole life . I decided to have surgery bc I was sick of losing and gaining and losing and gaining. My surgery was in February 15, 2014 and I have lost 92 pounds. I weigh 138 which was exactly my goal weight. It has taken me 10 months . I thank god everyday for this surgery and wouldn't change a thing. By the way I can eat whatever I want just much smaller amounts so I never feel deprived. I didn't do this to be miserable and feel like I was on some crazy diet . I went to Mexico and I used Dr. Quinones and he was wonderful . Good luck to you!!!

I can't believe I got my date for 2/19. I won't believe it until I'm in that hospital bed. Hopefully there's no bumps in the approval process. I'm guessing these people know what the ins companies need since they do this on a regular basis. I've even read on this site where it take several weeks to get an approval from the insurance company. Worried, happy, and scared all at once!!

No I dont. I dont believe in Protein as the be all and end all of everything, to me its just one of the macronutrients we need - of the same importance as carbs and fats, not more. I dont count protein grams, I dont eat a ton of protein (probably average out 40 to maybe 60 grams most days for my 5ft 10, 168lb frame) and I have not had hanging skin, nor did I lose my hair. I think a well balanced diet, with plenty of the good fats can help, and taking a Multivitamin supplement is good insurance for everyone. I guess the only thing I could say that has perhaps helped is that I'm an exercise fanatic. I run looooong distances and I lift very heavy weights. I work very hard, at least an hour of really hard stuff most days. No namby pamby walking for me, lol. But I really think its luck of the draw. I also had 3 huge 10 lb babies and never got a single stretchmark, and I did not carry weight on my stomach but more, all over, stretched over a tall body. I also was overweight/ish most of my life, but not severely obese for more than about 4 years. Simple as that.

I'm starting at 10 for the first day, so two sets of 5, and going up 5 per set each day. I don't think that there is any problem splitting them into 3 sets. Once I start hitting higher numbers i will probably start splitting them into more sets. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I was banded 10/28/09, and had my first fill in Feb.2010, I didn't really start losing till March after my second fill. Keep doing what you have been doing, once you get more restriction you will start losing more.

Get your potassium checked. That happened to me and I was admitted to replenish fluids and get 10 bags of potassium.

It is hard to believe it is over. I am doing well but before I get into that I want to try to recap before I forget everything. The night before the surgery I decided to go to bed early since I had to be at the hospital so early the next morning. I was required to be there by 5:30 AM which was riddiculous. I arrived on time with both of my parents and checked in. We waited until they called my name and they took us to a waiting room. One by one people were called back. Hours went by and my name wasn't called. I of course couldn't eat anything, but I felt bad because my parents weren't eating because they didn't want to eat in front of me. I forced them to eat at lunchtime. Yeah... I said lunchtime. I wasn't called back until 11:00 AM. When I got called back they weighed me. I was excited to hear her say that I was 297!!! I had started my pre-op diet at 316 so that meant that I lost 19 pounds. She then took me to a small room with instead of a door there was a curtain. There was a whole line of them down the hall. I was to take everything off and put on the gown and robe. There was also a haircap and socks with skid resistant rubber on the bottom. A nurse came in to start my IV and I was happy that she decided not to do it in my wrist but higher up my forearm. She then asked me lots of questions that I had been asked a bunch of times already. Once she left they let my parents in. An hour had already passed. My poor parents were so tired. I stayed there another two hours and then they came to get me. I had say goodbye to my parents and I walked to another room where they made me lay in a bed. More people came and asked me questions then I got to close my eyes and wait some more. When they came to get me they pushed the entire bed down the hall to the operating room. Once I was there I had to slide over to another bed. They gave me the anesthesia and I was out quickly. I only remember them asking me to take deep breaths once in a while. When I was all done they pushed me to another room to recover. It was similar to the first one that I was in earlier. They put my bed in an almost verticle position and it made me slide down to the rail. I was so uncomfortable. Luckily a nurse later helped me fix it, I just couldn't change the angle at the top of the bed but I at least got to change the ange at the bottom so that I didn't slide out. I really didn't get any rest that night. They were doing my vitals every three hours and I had to walk at those times too. I didn't mind the walking, I just minded the getting up part. My port site hurt when I had to get up and sit back down again. The next morning they had me change clothes and hang out until they were ready to do my upper gi. I got discharged about 9:00 AM. I asked for more pain meds before I left since I was starting to hurt again and I had an hour ride home. Luckily I found a comfortable recliner at Goodwill last week and that is what I have been sitting in since I got home. I was even able to get a good night's sleep last night. I just have to force myself to get up and walk so that I don't get a blood clot. My cats have been great. My little girl kitty really wants to sit on my lap and I have place a pillow on my stomach so that she doesn't jump on me and hurt me. I have to guide her to my shoulder so that she doesn't hurt me. My incisions look pretty good. The port incision is really indented and hurts a lot. The nurse said it was normal. I do feel better than yesterday. I just have to keep drinking water and broth. I would write more but I am now feeling sick. My head is starting to hurt so more later...

Big T, just saw your post and I have a question for you. I'm newly banded and also have the inamed VG band. Is this the one you have? (The Vanguard band is not really called the VG band, so i may be confuused). If you really have the VG which holds 10 cc, my experienced doc told me, and I confirmed with Inamed, tyhat this band needs a first fill of 3.5 cc to simply fill the empty tubing, then a bit more for a real FILL. My doc says that he always gives 4.0-4.5 cc for a total first fill. Is this anytghing close to what you were told? I ve found a lot of docs that don't know a thing about this band, but use it anyway. There is good info on this VG band on Bandsters mssg # 83872. thanks! Renee

Hi. Just wanted to do a quick introduction. I'm 29 and have struggled with my weight my entire life. In the last 2-3 years, I've been at my heaviest (BMI 46). I started researching wls last year, but learned that because of my ulcerative colitis my gastroenterologist would only give me medical clearance for the Lap band -- something my insurance didn't cover. Finally, in April, my insurance started covering it! Anyway, right now, I've gone through all the pre-op appointments and await my surgery on 10-25-2005. I'm so anxious about it -- worrying that I'll get sick beforehand and have to cancel the surgery (insane, I know). I'm so eager to get started. It's great to have this site. My doctor's office does mainly Roux-en-y procedures and I haven't met anyone there yet who has had it done. It's great to have other people that truly understand the procedure to talk to. Thanks!

Good morning I'm new hear. I've been reading comments and I am going through the same. My date was set for August 19, 2013. I also have been eating too much. I feel like crap. I was told if I gain weight they won't do the surgery and I have gain since the first appointment.