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By all means, make the lifestyle changes, as they will be essential to your long term weight stability and well being, even if they aren't likely to get your weight down to where you want it to be - once we get to the size where we are considering WLS. there are enough various factors stacked against us that we run into that 5% success rate noted above. The way I approached this problem, when my wife and I got serious about our respective weight problems and started toward WLS was to start doing those lifestyle changes that would help to ensure my long term success. We know what we have to do - be more active (it seems like you already have that inclination), cut the junk out of our diets, improve the overall nutrition while reducing the calories to a level that will maintain us (if not leading to total weight loss to normal.) Most have already found that the various fad and "book" diets (any book entitled "The _____ Diet", most particularly if it also mentions "miracle" and is authored by a "Dr.") don't work in the long term. They may get your weight down to something approaching normal, but they teach you nothing about how to maintain that loss over the years, and the weight builds up again when trying to go back to a "normalish" maintenance diet. I avoided those diets, but worked on moving my diet as close to the ideal as I could sustain in the long term. It was not "perfect" by any book or nutritionists' standards, but it was what I could do within my tastes and it was something that I could do forever, and it was much better than the normal American crap diet that got most of us where we are/were when considering WLS. I kept tweaking things to carve out a few more calories where I could, and improve the overall nutrition of what I ate. That was almost 13 years ago, and I dropped about 50 lb over six months (335 - 285) or so and came to a halt. I could make small moves down and then back again. But I did maintain that loss for several years. In the meantime, my wife had her WLS after the serial insurance denials and ultimately self paying for her DS, and we settled into a reasonable maintenance lifestyle, though I usually ate about twice what she did. Once our insurance started covering the sleeve, I went for it as it was clear that I was not going to lose the rest on my own in any sustainable manner. That was five years ago, and so far so good. I also used that interim period to test my maintenance ability and help choose which surgery, if needed, was most appropriate for me. Had I regained what I had lost over those few years, that was a sign that I should go for the DS, with its better regain resistance. With the stability that I had managed over that time, the sleeve seemed like a good bet that I could avoid any revisions due to regain problems.

Way to go! That is nice even weight loss!

Hey everyone, I just found this web site Discount Nutritional Supplements for Bodybuilding, Fitness, Diet, Weight Lifting, Weight Loss The prices on protien powder and all the suppliments we need are awesome! My favorite powder so far is Whey Gourmet Smooth Peanut Butter Chocolate. Only $21.77 for two pounds. Yum! Happy shopping!

WHEW! I am so glad (sorry) that I am no the only one having a SLLLOOOWWW weight loss. I guess the good news is I haven't gained any weight at all but to date have only lost 25lbs. I was banded 9/7/07. I was begining to become frustrated with some of the other sites and other bandsters losing 60-70lbs. Lets keep in touch and try to post our weekly weight loss (if any) and try to keep each other motivated. I was hoping to be alot smaller by this summer but looks like I better shoot for next!

I was banded on Sept 10, is that an OK date? I started my weight loss at 279 pounds to date I now weigh 181 pounds. I wore a size 24 today I am a size 12 thanks to the band, diet and losts of exercise. I am 55 years old well I will be in Sept. and it is not easy having to exercise day in and day out but I do what ever it takes. I have a 10 cc band and I have 4 1/2 cc's filled so far. I feel the restriction and I eat less but good stuff, I stop eating before I get full otherwise I will ahve to vomit and well we don't want that, been there and done it a lot now I am OK. I drink a lot of water and I take the Nectar Protein and they came out with it in a chocolate flavor so I was told to try milkso I bought fat free milk and put a scoop of the powder in it and well it is like cheating but not, it tastes so good and I am more satisfied. The powder has 23 protein grams ( I think) and the milk has another 9 grams so I am getting two glasses per day. One before breakfast and one before my lunch. I am supposed to have 64 grams of protein per day. I drink the required amount of water per day, no soda no white products at all. My diabetes has been reversed and so has my blood pressure and I am now medication free. I need to lose another 9% of body fat before I will be considered a healthy weight which I was told for me will be 140-145.

I believe it is normal for the weight loss to slow down as your body gets used to new you. Most of my loss happen in the first 6 months the last two months the loss has slowed way down. But I am thrilled with the results as well as not diabetes medicine and no cpap machine to deal with anymore.

So glad to hear everything is going well and congrats on your weight loss! Keep us posted on your progress.

Congrats! Wish you a speedy recovery and great success in your weight loss journey!

Hello Sleeve Friends, I was sleeved October 25. I had a minor complication with internal bleeding afterwards due to the surgeons having found and removed a (benign) spot on my liver. The day after surgery I had a blood transfusion and after another day they determined the internal bleeding had stopped. As a result of the bleeding, I didn't get what I now realize is pretty standard - a blood thinner such as Heparin. I actually noticed, around that time, comments from several folks on the forum talking about shots in the tummy and thought, hmmm - I'm glad I didn't have to have those! Yesterday, I called the doctor's office because I was having so much trouble with acid reflux. I really only expected to hear that I should take a second Prilosec each day for the acid. Instead, the doctor said he wanted me readmitted to the hospital, which was discouraging because my husband and I live more than three hours away. When I arrived, I casually mentioned that I had woken up in the morning with an odd little cramp in my left calf. I assumed it was due to a little dehydration or lack or potassium, which in the past I have solved by eating bananas. At my ripe old age, odd little aches and pains just seem to go with the territory. The acid situation, after a barium swallow, was treated the way I expected. But an ultrasound revealed the little cramp in my leg was actually a blood clot. It is a small one, which I think makes it relatively less dangerous. Never the less, I am being sent home tomorrow with 180 syringes of Lovenox, which I must self-inject for the next 90 days. (Oooh, and I'm such a needle wimp!) After that, it has been implied that I will take Coumadin (sp?) indefinitely. How this will impact my planned knee replacement surgery early next year remains to be seen. Why did this happen? No one has said so, but I can't help thinking that I didn't move around enough when I got home the first time. It was easy to excuse myself because of severe arthritis in my left knee and the additional surgical insult to my body (liver, sleeve, hiatal hernia repair = 8 incisions, additional swelling and pain, etc.); I let my sweet, sweet husband wait on me every time he said, "can I get you anything"? This time, no excuses for me! I will be moving, moving, moving, I wanted to share my little story in the hopes that someone might be able to learn from the Voice of Experience and not have to take the little detour that I did on this weight-loss journey; my planned one-night stay in the hospital has now become five nights. Move around at least once an hour while you are awake and don't dismiss any little cramps/pains in your arms or legs! Thanks for reading - the forum means so much to me, it's like a friend who never sleeps and is always ready to listen and share. By the way....I AM losing weight! Bonnie

You lose hair because surgery and weight loss was a shock to your system.When I had my sleeve 2011 I thought I would be ok.Nope,I lost hair and it grew back in.Alarming when you see it and you panic.I had bypass 3 1/2 weeks ago they still said I could lose hair.I'm taking Hair,Skin and Nails supplements.Hope it helps but won't be surprised if I lose hair again.

Omg!!! That makes me horrified! ! My hair is not very thick and to top it off I have a bumpy head ughhhh. So scared they will began to show :'(

Your insurance may mention something about a multidisciplinary approach through a bariatric program for weight loss, in that case mine said it only had to be three months... "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them" Einstein

I love these election results! Congrats on your weight loss. However, if I were you, I'd really add those 10 extra lbs on because they do count. You have lost at least 120 ls! Keep it up!

Omg!!! That makes me horrified! ! My hair is not very thick and to top it off I have a bumpy head ughhhh. So scared they will begin to show :'(

U know It isn't that noticable once u have it for a while... As your tummy goes down from weight loss u will know its there but its not like it pokes out or anything.. My mother had a port in her chest for chemo treatments and i remember asking her if it bothered her at all and she was like nope it's fine.. I would rather have this than them poking me trying to find a vein to get blood and such, i know our port only has saline fluid in it, but a port is a port and it is doable....

I realize it takes hard work to achieve your goal of weight loss and a healthier life. Here's what I don't understand.:party: If you are banded, how can you gain and or not lose weight when your new sized stomach (I hate the word pouch) can only hold so much? Eating one cup of food 3 X daily is a 1/3 of what I eat now. Thanks much

You have a beautiful smile and yes you can see your loss.

I agree WLS is a roller coaster especially when making the decision to actually have the surgery. Getting to the point of accepting that weight loss surgery is not something to be ashamed of but the celebration of a tool that will enable us to have a longer and healthier life. No shame in looking out for ourselves first. I also have a very judgmental family the reason I haven't told not one member( except for my children who super supportive). If i don't put myself first no one will.

Welcome to a wonderful forum and congratulations on having a surgery date! I had surgery in July, so I'm a relative newbie myself. I don't think you're crazy for blogging your experience; I find lots of helpful advice in some of the other blogs that people have about weight loss surgery, in addition to feeling like someone really does understand what I'm going through. I don't blog myself, because I'm super boring in day-to-day life. I'd love to read your blog, too, if it's one that you're willing to share!

I was a TX state employee when I had my surgery in December 2008. I had to self-pay. I also used to work for the Dept of Insurance, and if your insurance doesn't cover weight loss treatments, they don't have to cover it even if it is medically necessary. I just considered it "my new car..." and made payments like car payments!

I'm 3 months (14 weeks) post op. I used to get full at 1/2 cup maybe 3/4. Now I can eat more n don't get full so easily. It totally bums me out. I mean, I don't ever eat n I stop but it's changed (my full feeling) Has anyone experienced this? I want to hear frm ppl who are sleeved around my date (11/7/12) or sleeved longer. Thank you peeps :-) Oh yeah n I've only lost a pound in 2 weeks! :-/ Im kinda worried my weight loss has stopped :-(

I've wondered why a sleeve has better stats for higher BMI people than banding, they are both restrictive procedures. Do you supposed that considering there is a more gastric fat for a higher BMI person that when they start losing the band is actually too big and they can't get the right restriction after they lose a significant amount of weight? The other thing I have wondered is that banding is the hardest procedure out there meaning it requires the most effort. I'm not sure how much longer I could have done it. If I had another 100# to go I think I would have gotten sick of the weight loss routine and just said that I was down low enough. I'm not sure. For me, 132# was quite enough, I was over it, I wanted maintenance. ;o) __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

Hi Amber, First Congratulations! Welcome to lapbanded living. There were great comments here. I'm a long-term successful lapband patient, now maintaining a normal healthy weight since late 2007. I can only reiterate the band is a tool and we have to work it to get the results we want. If you want to be inspired by an incredibly successful high BMI patient, maintaining a 250 lb weight loss you might want to read my mentors story at Sandis Story.

I'm also a slow loser but the main thing that keeps me from grazing is getting in my protein and literally after that my cravings or need to eat constantly is gone. Also making sure you are getting in your fluids will help. I love water but after surgery I'm finding myself having to mix it with something because it helps my body digest it quicker and I can drink faster. I mix my water with g2 gatorade. I also exercise and this takes away my appetite. My advice is make sure you're getting 60+ grams of protein, drinking lots of fluids, and exercise. When I do those 3 things I tend to feel better. Once I started getting in my protein I stopped stalling. I may be losing slowly but week to week I'm losing. I weigh every single day because it keeps me accountable. I use a iphone app called "target weight" and I'm able to see my weight loss in a graph form, it's also good to see a trend.

Sounds like you're doing great. I agree with the others and Hazel especially when it comes to comparing yourself to others. Everyone loses differently. Larger people such as myself tend to lose faster in the beginning but it does end up slowing down eventually. Slow and steady is the name of the game but patience is difficult. At one point I was averaging 12lbs lost per month and I was still impatient and that's just plain crazy but it is also that natural "I want it now" thinking. Missy talked about band portions. Early on I caught myself eating larger portions and my weight loss slowed down. Once I looked at it and tracked it an I realized I was not listening to my band but rather my head. Two key things that I have learned along the way and I always revert to: Do you eat only when you are truly hungry? Ask yourself is my body in need of food or is it in my head. Sometimes you have to really have a conversation with yourself to figure it out. How many hours can you go between meals? I can generally do 5 to 6 hours although I do not let it go that long if I can help it Not sure if you will find those two bullets helpful but I found breaking it down like that works for me. And when I say talk to yourself I am being totally serious. If I find myself walking around the kitchen looking for something I will start asking myself do I think I want food or do I need food. If it were me when you go back to see the Doc I would ask for 1cc and see how that goes for a day or two. Obviously 1.5 making you sick is not good. When you say sick are you throwing up? Getting food stuck? Stick with it and keep working at it and it will come.