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Even a jump rope at home is bette than nothing. I work out alone, but I jam out while working out. I feel great afterwards. Slowly adding exercise in your daily routine even for 10-20 minutes will have you feeling better.

Hello All, 16 years ago at the tender age of 19, I had the, now disgraced, Vertical Banded Gastroplasty procedure. Although I lost weight, I started throwing up 3-5 days a week for hours on end within two months of the surgery and have been that way ever since. 16 years later, I have all fake teeth (natural teeth can't stand that level of acid), am on huge doses of Nexium, and have serious esophageal problems, which could lead to cancer in the future. Also, it is REALLY terrible to throw up that often, and it really effects my quality of life. I also didn't maintain the weight loss, although I have been on Weight Watchers for a few months now, and have lost 45 pounds the old fashioned way. I got to the point where this started to make me mad! They say that often change doesn't happen until to actually get MAD! My parents and I started doing research and found out that the VBG can be revised into the gastric bypass. Does anyone have experience with this, especially with the insurance end? It took me 16 years to stop blaming myself and be willing to take action. Any help, hope, or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Chelsea

Thanks for your story. I know everyones experience is different and everyones doctor tells you something different. Your story is a lot different than mine. It seems like you were in a lot more pain and had a much worse experience than I did. (I was banded 2/4/10) I went into the surgery center at 6 and was on my way home at 10:30. I felt fine on the way home and the next day. The day after that I had quite a bit of shoulder pain from the gas and walking and burping and farting felt GREAT!!! But all my insides did not hurt like you were describing and them putting the camera down your throat when you were awake.....WTF??? That would scare the crap out of me too. I did go to the best surgery center in the state so everything and everyone was very nice and professional. To tell you the truth some of the things you described left me with my mouth wide open! My surgeon doesent want me to have any fills until 4 weeks and then wait until at least 4 more weeks. Your fill schedule seems awfully quick. I dont think your swelling has gone down enough to have a fill yet. Once you do eat you will feel restriction, mine is just like a pressure. Anyway, I am glad your feeling better and I wish you all the luck in the world I just thought I would tell you what happend to me compared to your story and like I said I am not a doc its just my 2 cents!

This procedure is pretty serious business. It will be changing your life. Pre-op diets not only prepare your liver for surgery but also prepares you for post-op eating. Planning meals is super important to success. It's time to slow down and make time for your meal plans. As much as we believe we are "on the go" we really can carve those times we need. Think about what your willing to drop everything for now and transfer that same desire to planning. Instead of going out to eat, drive to the grocery store and shop for the week. If you go to bed at 10 stop what your doing at 9 and prep three meals for the next day. It really is all about making these healthy changes a priority. Take care

Wow! So you just lived one of my dreams. Congratulations on your progress! I have walked by that store so many times for so many years hoping I would one day be able to purchase bras and panties from there. I am still not quite there but I am not too far off. I am however able to purchase some clothes from normal stores and am close to moving down another size here in the next 5/10 lbs. I cannot wait to cut up my Layne Bryant card. I think there will be a huge celebration at my house. I have had to replace all my shoes because I now take a medium width! I love shoe shopping! By the way, I have always hated shopping, now I look forward to trying on clothes! Congratulations again on your great success and thanks for sharing your wins! I guess I will live vicariously through you until I lose the next couple of sizes.

I had the same experience. I had my sleeve done on Tuesday, July 16th. When I came home and weighed myself I had gained 10 pounds. Talk about being depressed - I'm glad I had some pain medication to get me to sleep. After being on the clear liquid diet now for two days at home, I have lost 5 pounds. Are you starving? I cannot believe how hungry I am and so lethargic.

I haven't been sleeved yet but I have had 2 c-sections and both times I weighted in 10-20lbs more after surgery. Everyone is different and I tend to swell badly for about 2-3 weeks after surgery. So you not the only one that goes thur this and in a couple weeks you will get in the scale and have a 20lbs loss because you swelling will go down. Good luck:)

I really enjoy Unjury's chicken Soup flavored Protein. I dilute in 10 to 12 oz Water instead of 8 and I'm careful to let the water cool to under 140 F before I mix in the powder. 100 calories and 21 grams protein. Had lapband surgery 10/12/16

Well I drank my first Protein drink and the taste was horrid!! I dnt know what I'm going to do for 10 days:(

My doctor also required 10% body weight loss. Yes shrinking the liver is important; but there are other reasons. My nurse said think of it as the doctor needing to get at something at the bottom of a fully packed suitcase. The more you take out of the suitcase (fat); the easier he can get to the stomach which is at the back of your anatomy. I highly recommend watching real surgeries on YouTube. There is no blood so they are'nt gross. They really give you an idea of what the doctor is doing to your body and how the band is attached. I think if people watched a surgery they would'nt be tempted to "cheat" on their post op diet. The stomach has gone through trauma and needs time to heal. I thought of the pre surgery diet as practicing for the rest of my life. Getting the band is'nt the end it's the beginning. Eating healthy foods and healthy sized portions now will get you in the habit of doing it later on.

In a bit of pain today - lap band in on Friday and wish I had asked for harder drugs to take home. Panadeine all I took - hmmm - decided I am too sensible at times. Thought that was the best thing - don't cover the pain - let it happen - thinking I had a high pain thresh hold. Uh uh no no no lou lou - no high pain threshhold for you . . . Sent Jimmney home so I can wallow in my own pain watching dvds all day - :mad: and the stockings - they hurt more than the shoulder. how can we put them on without a crinkle what we have 5 holes in our gut???? took them off this morning with pain from the stupid crinkles - (love the fact that I can moan and grumble on this and there is a chance that no one will see it ) Here I was thinking I would be a brave sole and - there you go - I'm NOT!!! :thumbup::tongue_smilie::thumbdown: Other than that I had a lovely note saying that it is the start of my new life - and it is. So I have had my grumble and noted my disappointment with myself - by being a whoose. Now I will continue on some self affirming positive thinking thought processes. Have to remember what they were again. :thumbup::rolleyes2::mad: But no I am excited and love the fact that went to a beautiful french coffee shop this morning and had a black coffee and absolutely no desire to eat anything!!! Now that is something! So yes, I will get through the nest few days and I will begin this journey with positive thoughts of healthy living and loving the fact that I am about to go through a journey of my wardrobe. I have clothes that will fit me for the next 20 kilos (lost 10 so far before surgery) so slowly but surely my wardrobe will start to lessen as the fat clothes get placed in the brotherhood bin. Loving the fact that I will have a small wardrobe of clothes to choose from instead of a shop with 6-10 items of every size!! So off I will go on my journey and I will check in with more positive thoughts soon. :smile2:

Saturday, August 29, 2009 A Great Weekend My husband and I went to the Taste of Greece today. The weather was perfect. Not hot at all. Sweater weather with a jacket for evening. We ate some interesting food (spanokopita, saganaki, chicken kabob, gelato) listened to some Greek music, and watched some Greek dancing and a belly dancer. She was not skinny and she was not young but she looked great. All her plumper areas were in the right places and jiggled nicely. She was very graceful and the dance was not overtly sexual. Fun. The circle dances that those with Greek heritage (and a few without) danced were fun to watch and I loved seeing the Greek costumed dancers do their thing. We also saw the Jesse White tumblers. What a treat. Those kids just flew through the air and wowed the crowd. It was just plain fun. We were going to stay home and do nothing but then I found out this was happening and we decided to go, spur of the moment. Its so important to incorporate fun stuff into your life. Spontaneous or planned, it sure beats staying home and smelling the mold drifting up from your basement. Last night I went to a Tastefully Simple party. I knew there would be some former colleagues attending as well as a few current colleagues. I wanted to connect rather than stay home another Friday night and watch lint grow in my navel. Well, I don't actually do that, but sometimes it feels that way. So both times I had some food outside my food protocol, but I did not overeat. The band is not meant to keep me from participating in life, and good food is part of life. Its just meant to stop me from going overboard and it did its job. Meanwhile, my blood pressure continues to drop and I was so excited to wear this really cute pair of jeans I picked up at a thrift store a month ago when they were still too tight for me. Now they're just right. I haven't worn flattering jeans for such a long time. I had a really pretty lavender sweater (that matched the flowers on the jeans) that I picked up at a resale shop a couple of weeks ago--a never worn Ralph Lauren. Tomorrow morning I'm subbing on a praise team at our church. I haven't hardly sung all summer at church and I was so happy to be asked to sing. I'm probably going to get to sing tenor instead of alto, at least on some songs, and that's exciting, too. I've been hibernating most of the summer, doing a few fun things here and there but limited by my surgery and getting my food protocol established and, of course, having very limited funds with every extra dollar being spent on getting my basement fixed. This is just a great weekend. Last night there was an incident that could have sabotaged some of it, but I spoke up for myself and salvaged a good night's sleep. I had been awakened by neighbors playing loud music and talking and laughing loudly at 4 a.m. in the morning. This house has been empty for over a year but it was recently purchased and the buyer has his kids rehabbing the place. Well, one of the kids decided to have a party. I debated what to do and finally decided to put on my housecoat and flipflops and talk to them. It took a lot of pounding on the door before they even heard me. Fortunately, the girl was quite embarrassed for waking me up and grateful I hadn't called the police. She immediately turned the music off and made everyone shut up. Maybe they all went home. Anyway, I was able to go back to sleep and, for the first time in a long time, I actually was able to sleep in on a Saturday morning. I had taken extended relief Tylenol the night before in addition to my anti-inflammatory and slept and woke up without pain for a change. If I hadn't taken the Tylenol, even though the kids had quieted down, I would have had trouble getting back to sleep because by then it was almost 5 a.m. and that's when the discomfort normally starts waking me up. So I get to sing praise to God tomorrow morning early (7:45 a.m. practice) but I should still be well rested. My blog post is finished and I can go to bed on time. Its only 10:30 p.m. instead of 12 midnight, which is when I usually finished posting all summer long. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Saturday, August 29, 2009 A Great Weekend My husband and I went to the Taste of Greece today. The weather was perfect. Not hot at all. Sweater weather with a jacket for evening. We ate some interesting food (spanokopita, saganaki, chicken kabob, gelato) listened to some Greek music, and watched some Greek dancing and a belly dancer. She was not skinny and she was not young but she looked great. All her plumper areas were in the right places and jiggled nicely. She was very graceful and the dance was not overtly sexual. Fun. The circle dances that those with Greek heritage (and a few without) danced were fun to watch and I loved seeing the Greek costumed dancers do their thing. We also saw the Jesse White tumblers. What a treat. Those kids just flew through the air and wowed the crowd. It was just plain fun. We were going to stay home and do nothing but then I found out this was happening and we decided to go, spur of the moment. Its so important to incorporate fun stuff into your life. Spontaneous or planned, it sure beats staying home and smelling the mold drifting up from your basement. Last night I went to a Tastefully Simple party. I knew there would be some former colleagues attending as well as a few current colleagues. I wanted to connect rather than stay home another Friday night and watch lint grow in my navel. Well, I don't actually do that, but sometimes it feels that way. So both times I had some food outside my food protocol, but I did not overeat. The band is not meant to keep me from participating in life, and good food is part of life. Its just meant to stop me from going overboard and it did its job. Meanwhile, my blood pressure continues to drop and I was so excited to wear this really cute pair of jeans I picked up at a thrift store a month ago when they were still too tight for me. Now they're just right. I haven't worn flattering jeans for such a long time. I had a really pretty lavender sweater (that matched the flowers on the jeans) that I picked up at a resale shop a couple of weeks ago--a never worn Ralph Lauren. Tomorrow morning I'm subbing on a praise team at our church. I haven't hardly sung all summer at church and I was so happy to be asked to sing. I'm probably going to get to sing tenor instead of alto, at least on some songs, and that's exciting, too. I've been hibernating most of the summer, doing a few fun things here and there but limited by my surgery and getting my food protocol established and, of course, having very limited funds with every extra dollar being spent on getting my basement fixed. This is just a great weekend. Last night there was an incident that could have sabotaged some of it, but I spoke up for myself and salvaged a good night's sleep. I had been awakened by neighbors playing loud music and talking and laughing loudly at 4 a.m. in the morning. This house has been empty for over a year but it was recently purchased and the buyer has his kids rehabbing the place. Well, one of the kids decided to have a party. I debated what to do and finally decided to put on my housecoat and flipflops and talk to them. It took a lot of pounding on the door before they even heard me. Fortunately, the girl was quite embarrassed for waking me up and grateful I hadn't called the police. She immediately turned the music off and made everyone shut up. Maybe they all went home. Anyway, I was able to go back to sleep and, for the first time in a long time, I actually was able to sleep in on a Saturday morning. I had taken extended relief Tylenol the night before in addition to my anti-inflammatory and slept and woke up without pain for a change. If I hadn't taken the Tylenol, even though the kids had quieted down, I would have had trouble getting back to sleep because by then it was almost 5 a.m. and that's when the discomfort normally starts waking me up. So I get to sing praise to God tomorrow morning early (7:45 a.m. practice) but I should still be well rested. My blog post is finished and I can go to bed on time. Its only 10:30 p.m. instead of 12 midnight, which is when I usually finished posting all summer long. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

I had the Sleeve, and the feeling of being full is not the same post-op. Before, I had that "oohhhh, my belly's full" stretchy sensation... that was very satisfying. After, I have that, "oh crap! I ate one bite too much!" tight, pulling sensation, that doesn't feel good at all. Which is a good thing in my book. That feeling keeps me alert and mindful about watching my portion sizes and stopping when I feel satisfied, instead of overeating. :-) == Get my Free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt! == get it here ---> http://frankensleeve.com

Hey All!! Well I finally reached the insurance authorization ! After doing the endoscopy, psych eval, dietitian, consult with surgeon and lab work! The only thing that kind concerned me is that no one told me my file was sent to insurance verification or that it passed the board of review there at the hospital.. I called today just to check the status of my file of if I needed to do anything else and than that's when I was notified that it's already sent to insurance.. She did mention that it can take 10 to 14 days so I am trying not to keep thinking about it ! Anyone else have Anthem Blue Cross HMO in California ?? If so I would love to hear any feedback! Or just feedback in general!!

Yesterday I got to work and meeting with 2 coworkers and I stood up from my chair and that's the last thing I remember. I got cold, clammy, diaphoretic and from their accts I clinched my jaws, my pupils were fixed & dilated and I was completely unresponsive. They're nurses, so they tried to get some sugar down me, then checked my blood pressure - I didn't have one. They put me in the floor with my feet above my head and called 911. By the time the ambulance got there (10 mins) I was coming around. They did all kinds of scans & tests and all was normal. I have an appt with my surgeon this morning. I'm terrified of this happening again! If I'd been alone or driving, I would have died. They checked my blood sugar and it was like really low even after them pouring sugar down me. I had no warning signs, no weird feelings or anything. I'm 26 days post op. I have an hour to drive to dr and I'm praying this doesn't happen again. I had bfast already and I'm going to sip on some juice. At this point, my safety is more important than not drinking sugar filled juices Anyone else have this happen? It was scary!

Hi - i get banded on May 19th and I am on day 6 of the pre op liquid only diet....when after surgery can I eat a little something? 10 days after surgery is our annual BBQ and daughtes 7th birthday party...will I be able to eat something soft and little, may a deviled egg or if I make really mushed up chicken salad - can I eat 10 days out???? thanks

I am 10!days away from surgery and I am so excited and cannot wait! I am trying to make sure I have everything I need by then. What all do I need to take with me when I go in for surgery?

The end of week 3, and I have to say, I am glad that I have 2 rest days coming up. However, (drum roll please!) I did manage to lose another pound! Now I am 7 to go! Here is what I was suppose to do this morning: 25 push ups, 25 sit ups, 25 squats, 25 body rows, run/walk with purpose for 10 minutes. Here is what I did: Rode my bike to the park 1.44 miles. Did a total of 50 push ups 50 sit ups 50 squats 50 body rolls 20 min. of running Ride my bike home 1.44 miles. And now I am off until Friday!

I lived in Jersey, thats where i had my lap band surgery, on Oct 19 my husband's job send him to Florida, I stay in Jersey for the surgery on 11/1/11 on the 7th I saw my surgeon, everything was ok, so I flew to Fl on the 8th, I speak to my surgeon about all my problems and at the same time been trying to get a Lap Band dr in Fl, most dr's wont take me because of the liabilty, Tomorrow I will find out if another dr will take me for the follow up visit , crossing my fingers, but as of now i have a small hematoma, tomorrow I will go back to the hospital to have my lap band check out to see if anything is ok....I will follow up as much as I can until I can get a Dr, here in Fl, its just relly frustrastng with all these changes!

I have my surgery on 10/24/2011 and I am extremely nervouse...I have read some very discouraging things about plication to where I'm almost ready to give up on the surgery that I have been waiting for so long to receive...If anyone out there has recently had this surgery please give me some good words of advice...

I am exactly 2 weeks post op today. I am feeling great! My incisions are so small and look really good. I got to start on full liquids on Sunday and have over a week left on this stage and I'm already sick of full liquids already. I typically have 1 protein shake each day than try to get at least 40 more oz. of water in. I should try to up that some. It isn't difficult for me to drink it's just A LOT of fluids. I have finally started to get some restriction on creamy soups. I am finding that I am eating too fast. I have started stopping and taking a break and I find after a couple of minutes that I am full and don't want the rest. Slowing down when I'm eating is going to be a huge adjustment for me! As far as weight loss goes, it has really slowed down for me. Last week I was at 171 and this morning I was at 167.4. So, that's a 3.6 lb loss for the week. The last 4 days I haven't lost anything. I know it will happen, I am just being my usual impatient self. I have heard of the 3 week stall, but I think I hit a 10 day stall. Lol. Honestly, I am going to have to be realistic and look at my journey on a monthly basis and to be honest, I would be pretty happy with an 11 lb loss for the month, so I shouldn't complain about a 4 day stall.

****LUCKY DAY 13**** Hi friends...it's day 13 for me since surgery. I feel and look great. I'm down to 165 which translates to this progression: Jan 23 188lbs Feb 10 181lbs Feb 15 174lbs Feb 27 165lbs My clothes already feel loose and people are starting to notice, big time....I have been consuming soups and liquids at least once every 2-3hrs. I can't take much down, no more than 2-3oz except smoothies. I make a killer smoothie with Frozen Berries, Lakeland Coconut juice, Half of a banana blended and its delish! I can take about 4oz of that but in sips and over time. Love keeping that at my desk, totally curves my appetite. Last week I was very good about my walking. The last day I walked 2miles was last Thursday. 3days since a good long walk kinda bums me out, because tonight i have an event and i am not sure i can get the walk in without being exhausted when i get home. I will do whatever it takes to get these walks in everyday. Wednesday makes two weeks since my surgery. I am finally getting use to this new appetite and mentality. Although this situation with the liquids is getting old already. At first it was kinda of fun to find different things to drink, fun soups, great yogurts etc but now its just getting to me. I want something to CHEW on for the love of Christ. I don't miss food, i don't care for it, i just need to find more variety. I still have another week before dr.'s orders will allow for soft foods, tuna, cottage cheese, apple sauce, pudding, puree vegetables, mashed potatoes. I am terrified of eating at restaurants and events. This weekend was my first experience being out of my 'comfort zone' with food and one of the worst for someone in this post surgery condition. In Miami it was the South Beach Wine and Food Festival an event that i not only work but also love to attend. This year was different, i could have cared less partially b/c my fear of being around all that food but also i am just over food. I think its the same stuff over and over and over again. I gave up some pretty expensive tickets all in the name of my sanity. On Friday, i worked the event and never walked in the doors, i did everything i could from the outside and left early. My grandmother made me black bean Soup and i ran home to eat that...so good. On Saturday i had an event late at night and thank goodness it was passed canapés, because they crossed my path but i never even blinked. I got extremely hungry during the event while it was in full swing and i took a break. I took a 10min break and sat down and had my soup. The key to bad circumstances is to fill up. Even though it takes 2-4oz of anything it is just like when you are full and eating large amounts of food, once you are full that sensation of disgust after is still there. When i got home almost 4hrs after my last meal, i tore up a small bowl of black bean soup...yes at 2am. Don't judge.. lol The next day i passed on the Paula Deen Brunch and the grand tasting village. Even though i could have gone and i am not tempted to EAT desirable things, i was just fearful that friends would want me to try something or drink wine or that i would be without something to eat for a while and I might panic. Especially since i don't want to tell anyone and i do need to eat my soups etc by 2hrs. I know this is a problem but i will ease into it little by little. I am going to try with friends that know my situation just so that i can start to ease back into normal life with my new stomach and not have to feel like i am explaining to the world. This to me is forever... Also my nutrition is worrying me...i am not eating but a mere 500 calories a day and not getting enough Protein that is for sure. going to my doctor on Wed for some b-12 shots and going to up the consumption of my Protein shakes. Lessons learned so far: Plans your meals or have plenty of back up just in case Throw a single packet or two of Protein Powder in your purse. Worst case scenario. You can mix it in a bottle of Water a voila! a meal MILK products are not your friend. When on the liquid portion of your diet do not expect to evacuate every day, its more like every 4-5 and if you feel constipation take Milk of Magnesia before going to bed, you'll thank me in the morning. This is all for now. I start back up with my trainer next week so i am excited about that and major GOAL is 150 right now. Hoping to get there soon. Until then....feel free to ask questions. I am happy to help with what little experience i have with this and as with all things, I am not a medical professional nor does this post imply any medical advise or suggestions, these are personal accounts. Good night SPT friends. xo 134 and Happy!