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I am sure all of you already know this, however I'll reiterate. This is how my weight came off...coupled with exercise. I don't eat greasy foods, no pastas or rice (small potato only), I do not eat sweets. I do not believe in deprivation however I believe in eating to live. Eat foods that are light and non-greasy. Eat organic. Eat fruits. Dairy is important as well. Complex carbs are better to consume. Lean meats only! 1 can of Albacore tuna is 6oz of Protein and it has approx 1.5 grams fat per serving, 2 in a can. salad dressing has soooooo much fat and carbs in it. Take a look before you pour it all over your healthy salad greens. Too much dressing may become a double cheeseburger. B- 8AM - Isopure shake S-10AM - Yogurt (light dannon yogurt drinks) L-12PM - 1/4 - 1/2 can of Albacore Tuna, 1 cup of Salad Greens, lime juice or light dressing (very light). S- 2PM - 1/2 of Grapefruit (any kind of fruit) D-4PM - 1oz of grilled chicken breast/tuna, 1/2 cup of broccoli, 1/4 cup of baked potato S-6PM-1/2 of Protein Shake or Protein Bar 64 - 128 fl oz of Water throughout the entire day Low fat, low carb foods in moderation, every few hours. 3 bites preferrably. 3bites with good restriction. If you are exercising and the weight isnt coming off (Tann in your case 5lbs is quite alot so please don't fret).....then you need to keep a food journal. With constant snacking, one could forget exactly how many ounces of "snack" foods they actually ate, wondering why they aren't losing. I know people think it's ridiculous to count calories but it has worked for quite a few of us banded folk here on lbt. If you exert 500-700 calories in the gym per day plus extra calories your body is already burning without doing anything special, say an additional 1000 calories...and you eat 1000 calories...guess what? You will lose weight. You lose because you burn more calories than you consume. Say you eat 1,500 calories and you have only burned 1,500 calories (basal) then you maintain. Say you eat 1,500 calories but you burn 1,000 calories....then you will gain. Very simple guide. If you look at body builders, they eat like horses. They eat good foods high in protein all day long. They eat but they burn it off right away. Keeps their metabolism in full force. Working out not only strengthens your metabolism but it helps promote all over physical fitness. Exercising Benefits: Burn calories, increase circulation, improve heart health and increase endurance. The same goes for any other cardiovascular activity such as running, walking, stair climbing, dancing and so on. Cardiovascular exercise is one of the best health insurance policies you will ever find. But despite its calorie-burning and heart-protecting benefits, its effect on weight loss is limited for many people, especially if it's not coupled with dietary change. Cardiovascular activity is great for preventing weight gain and great for weight management, but when used alone, it's not the perfect method for weight loss.

Silk sutures would be a good choice. I prefer 2-O Ethibond suture which is a third generation silk suture. A 32 bougie would be a standard size bougie that is a good choice in my opinion. The surgery would not inflame gallstones. Gallstones are more common in women especially with weight gain and weight loss. That is why gallstones are common in weight loss patients. Brad Watkins MD

I was once 575 lbs as the name states, my wife too had a problem with the surgery and many others did as I was able to lose 200 lbs on my own presurgery but what they didn't know that I did was I could easily gain back all that weight plus some without a surgical intervention. I had lost 115 lbs in 2007 only to gain it back plus 50... before that I had lost 80, 85, 60, etc etc etc... Now that I have gone through the surgery she couldn't be happier, she still thinks I could have done without the surgery but I know the surgery was the cement I needed to keep the weight off. Now down 317 lbs in less then 2 years I couldn't be happier, without the surgery I wouldn't be as healthy at some point my yoyo would've snapped me back into a weight gaining binge. The surgery breaks the yoyo, I can still gain weight if I eat wrong but can not gain it nearly as fast and i've learned enough new GOOD habits during the process never to get anywhere close to where I was before. Ask a simple question.... How many 50, 60, 70 year olds weighing as much as you do you see walking around happy and healthy... I knew for me my weight was a death sentence and i'm so glad that over 300 lbs of me is gone!!!

@@Katy Walton Yay for you, Katy. CONGRATULATIONS on an amazing decision. Welcome to the other side. Should you have tried harder on your own? Well. Many of us, if not all, have asked ourselves the same question. Like most of us, you probably yo-yo dieted and experienced weight loss and weight gain and frustration and heartache until you just couldn't take it anymore. Chances are, YOU DID INDEED try hard enough. Now you have a tool that will help you FINALLY get where you need to be. What a great decision. Like you, I love to cook and experience new foods. For me this has NOT CHANGED. I'm 14 months out from being banded, and I have cooked loads of new things this year. I've been diving into the glorious world of Indian food and have made lots of new dishes this year. The thing is, I eat much less than I used to, and As for drinky-poos ... I had a few months there while I cut out wine completely. This helped me kickstart the weight-loss process when I hit a wee stall (where you don't lose weight for a few weeks). I now enjoy a glass or two every few days just as joyfully as I did before being banded. No cocktails for me, though - too much sugar/carbs. So life is good, Katy. I still love food but use it for nourishment now rather than therapy. The band has eliminated the 'hunger monster' that used to dominate my life. I am now in control, with the help of the band, and experience long periods of satiety and have NO CRAVINGS. Finally free! And 73 pounds skinnier for it! My husband and I still go out to dinner and have a great time. (And we go with friend, too, even though they don't know about my surgery). Dinners out are terrific as long as I follow my "new" way of eating - ordering appy sized portions and eating slooooooowly. I skip the bread, butter, rice, Pasta and potatoes. Instead, I hit the Protein - fish, chicken or red meat, and round out my plate with salad or veggies. I enjoy eating meals out just as much as I ever did before. You will adjust, you will heal and you will lose weight. Trust the process, be patient, be kind to yourself and get ready to watch the magic as the weight begins to fall off. Woo wee - - excited for you, Katy. You are doing great!

Hello NJ !! I’m from New York but moved to Florida 4 years ago , the winters were brutal in the Hudson Valley I blamed my weight gain on the long depressing winters and then when I got to Florida , the excuse was the feel of being on the never ending vacation and so many people visiting Go Figure ! Lol. I enjoyed reading your posts, you are a very good writer. I def related to your pre-surgery posts , my sleeve is scheduled for Feb 6th. I’m feeling everything you did at that time ! The unknown is scary ! Thank you for giving us updates post surgery as well. Selfishly I want to hear more ! It sounds like you are doing so well and moving on with great success One of my fears is I will go thru this and won’t lose as much as I would like. I would like to lose 85-90 pounds. Ugh ! Could you give me some tips on what you ate when you got home ? Was it hard to drink water at first and to get your fluids in ? What does a day of food look like today for you ? Sorry for all the questions , I’m starving for any insight to Life post surgery and tips on how to make this process easier Thank you in advance and keep going Girl ! I love the part about you now wearing yoga pants ! I can’t wait ~ New Wardrobe here I come !! Lol

What is your doctor opinion? Do you on weight gain trend right now? Have you deal with dietitian and psychiatrist after first surgery?

Well hello there!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just posted on facebook that I'm getting a fill next Wednesday, I'm fed up with the weight gain, my round face. So lets seeeeeeeeeeeeee Life......... Life is good. Robby is still Robby...... however his ped.. said his ODD is FAR outweighing his ADHD so I'm on a waiting list for KU to call.. to get him into their program...... You all know that Charles and I are done........ been done for a while.......... so ok.. who out there saw it coming? LOL My V'sssssssssss been there for me since before..... Robby needs counseling....... he has lost the only dad and brothers he's ever known, although he is happy.... he misses them....... misses the chaous......not me. All I feel is relief and peace when it comes to that part. I recently put myself on the online thang........ mainly for grins...... and some funny stories have happened..... OH and you might remember that I no longer work for nuns..... and I have to tell you...... IT IS WONDERFUL! To be free of Charles and the judgemental NUN(s) I am now the Business Office Manager at a small skilled nursing facility, and it is sooooooooooo nice to have the red carpet rolled out for me and to have everyone say how fast I'm learning it all........... FREE...... Robby and I have also moved out of the old depressing house with tons of bills............. ( I filed bankrupsty, and was able to start fresh) in yet another way............. We now live in a very nice apartment (4plex) in a small town and the best thing is I have no trouble making ends meet... so I guess now its time for me to get back on track with this gained weight............ time to take on the next step again. My violets have never left my heart........ SO HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY:w00t:

There are 'good' carbs and 'bad' carbs (or 'evil' as you say). Bad carbs include sugar and simple carbs and have almost no nutritional value. They contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Eating simple carbs result in sluggishness and weight gain with very little benefit. Simple carbs are basically anything made w/white flour, white rice/rice flour, or enriched wheat flour (if something needs to be 'enriched' it's because they processed the hell out of it, stripping away any nutrients it might have had). Good carbs are complex carbs. They are recommended and desirable. They have soluble and insoluble Fiber, Protein, nutrients, and are more slowly digested resulting in a more steady energy supply and other health benefits. Good sources are whole grain breads, crackers, and cereals; brown rice; quinoa; Beans and legumes, etc. A bariatric patient's dietary requirements for good health is protein first, vegetables second, and complex carbs last. It works. :-)

DannyBoy, I'm with ya......we need fills!!!! Get one. Btw, how tall are you? Hotty, I wanna believe!! I get to the point where I'm restricted, but I can eat more than I want, maybe 3-5 tacos...then I complain to my fill person that I can eat 3-5 tacos and don't want to be able to....and she gives me that fill....then I am....gak.....closed off. I try to tough it out, get dehydrated, about to pass out......hubby gets worried...and I make the trek for an unfill...so depressing. How do you feel after fill? Are you too tight and then you loosen up? How did you get to the point you are at now? Suz....we need to talk about our Body Bugg! Either you're burning calories in circles around me or I'm over-obsessing about my intake. Either way, I'm not logging in food right now. Now until I get control of my weight gain. Gawd, Stef...where have you gone girlfriend, I miss ya!

I'm so glad I found this thred. I'm right here with you all. Banded in Jan of 2008 I've been down and up, down and back up. For some reason I thought that once I had the band I wouldn't be riding this roller coaster anymore-reality check I guess So my starting weight was nearly 300- I think I was 292 the day of surgery. I got down to 203 at my lowest but over the summer gained 5lbs with vacationing and indulging in summer BBQ's anyhow at 208 I found out I was pregnant with my second baby (first post band) My pregnancy was very smooth, never even needed an unfill, however I gained around 30ish lbs during my pregnancy. I wasn't super concerned with that weight gain as I had gained around 50with my first so I thought I had done well Anyhow I lost almost all of it right after I had my baby!!!! I dont' know how? breast feeding?..I was down to 207 at one point and it just went up from there. Since returning back to work (baby is now 9months old) all I do is eat on the run, eat out at lunch, eat crap crap crap at my desk all day and get ZERO exercise! I'm currently back up to 229! ugg I don't even know where to begin to get back on track?! seriously I eat whatever I want, even bread-wouldnt even know my band was there except for the times I eat to fast or something my band realy gets mad at and I puke it back up. I just cant seem to wrap my head around getting back on track!! help!

I am so happy to have found this thread...I won't go into details...my story is like the original...lost all the weight...gained it all back...yada, yada, yada. I just "restarted" last week. Had several fills...finally have some restriction. Went and saw a nutritionist a week ago. I have lost 6 pounds over the past two weeks. I am looking forward to staying on track and working with my band. I would love to keep posting here for anyone that is "restarting"

Reading the majority of these posts is making me very nervous...I attended my post op appointment this morning. CT scan and additional lab work came back with good results. I had lost an additional 2.4 lbs since my visit last week. Best news: I no longer am required to crush my meds!!!! I am going to begin my "mushies" in the morning, and really am concerned with regaining some of the weight I have been working to loose! I have already made a committment to be consistent with my exercise, a maximum of 5 days per week. Because of my age and status with post vehicle accident fractures still healing, and no NASIDS, the bones and joints need a couple of days off from cardio a week to manage the pain. I visited the grocery store for the first time in weeks...on the menu for the mushie week are eggs, low fat cottage cheese, yogurt, SF pudding (60 calories), halibut, canned in Water peaches, a sweet potato to bake, and fat free refried Beans, along with FF sour cream. Writing this sure makes it seem like a terrible set of menu choices, but after 4 weeks of liquids it sounds good to me! My next appointment is for 3 weeks; the doctor has informed me that he will not be doing a fill at that time. He said he wants to see my progress (or perhaps lack thereof), and at that appointment will discuss creating a fill schedule with me. I am nervous about weight gain and feeling like a failure, though I do understand that this slight weight gain is normal. I guess that the exercise will be the deciding factor... Everyone continues to do well...good encouraging news for me. Thanks for sharing the weight gain information...perhaps o won't freak out too much!

Your pre op diet sounds way better than mine!! Lol. I guess we are both having it the same day, because I'm the 19th of June as well. I'm nervous because I've gained about ten pounds since my last appointment. Not because of food though, I wish! My surgeon insists on chewable, crushable or liquid medications for the first two months post-op, and I had to change antidepressants because Wellbutrin XL can't be crushed. My pharmacist and therapist decided liquid Prozac was the way to go and started me on last month, to ensure I can tolerate it ok prior to surgery. I'm hoping the Opti-fast liquid diet helps me shed the extra pounds. I'd hate to have my surgery postponed because a medication caused more weight gain instead of loss during my waiting period for surgery.

I finally found some time to write about how I got into this mess to begin with. It's a very long story told short, believe it or not, I know it looks long already, lol, but I did cut out a lot of unimportant stuff, I wanted to focus on things that were direct contributors to my weight journey. I hope you enjoy the read I was still skinny in my young adulthood, when I met my husband 15 years ago I was at about 115 lb. As we dated we would go out a lot but I never worried cause I also worked out a lot, yet one day I noticed weight creeping up (my x-small clothign felt too small). Doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroidism and that took a while to get under control. When we got married a year later my weight was about 140 and I started worrying. Felt huge and tired and disgusting, so we decided to move to Florida in hopes of being able to spend more time outside and helping me to get back in shape. That backfired, cause I didn't realize the severity of daily levels of humidity in that state. I was miserable outside and sweating more than I should, just for being out there. I did join a gym, but somehow my motivations were shut and although I liked to spend time at the pool or splashing around in the gulf of Mexico as I had to keep upgrading my swimwear from x-small to large size I also lost confidence to wear it out. My body was changing and I didn't like any of those changes, while my thyroid kept getting worse. We also were trying to get pregnant and that seemed to be very frustrating and put additional toll on me. Eventually I was informed I wont be able to have children, cause of other issues within my body. We accepted the fate and on top of 2 older cats we already had we decided to add 2 kittens. About a month after that I got pregnant (and I was at about 160 lb then), and my doctor worried about me a lot, reminding me that it will be a tough ride and I will have to see him often to make sure all is good, cause I was in high risk category of losing the baby, especially towards the end of the term. I took it very seriously and easy on myslef, but kept active as much and as smart as I could. Unfortunately problems started appearing very soon. First one observable and related to rapid weight gain due to pregnancy (I was also showing very early on) was pain in my feet, both of them. I noticed it while durning my morning jog/walk time on the track behind my house. It was my heel spurs pain that went on undetected for months. Then I started having problems with my hips, did PT for it, but since I was pregnant I didnt have any x-rays done. I was recommended to take it all even easier, to rest a lot, do simple exercises but not to overdo it. Then other pregnancy related issues popped up, like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and I was eventually put on bed rest. Weight only kept creeping up and when at one point I took a longer look in the mirror I cried, cause I didnt recognize the person in it. I was about 250lb shortly before delivery, felt miserable and unable to do anything to help the weight, my sole focus was to make sure I can carry to term. With preeclampsia my doc didnt actually want to wait till my due date and suggested earlier c-section, cause that condition was dangerous for me more than for the baby. Since I was also breastfeeding my baby I coudlnt go on diet asap, nor deal with the heal spurs the way my doc suggested (I had only one cortisone shot in both feet - which was super painful and did relieve some pain, but cause it was meant to last for few months and wore off after 3 weeks I decided not to go through that pain of it anymore). Finally when I could I started dealing with those spurs and signed up for nutrisystem delivery. I was doing ok, and moved onto the steroid treatment of my feet, but as it failed and the doctor knew I had already suffered enough we decided to get on the track for foot surgery. That's when my husband announced his office will be closing and we were faced with a decision to either stay and look for another job or move within the company (relocation) and keep the employment. With 4 cats, new baby and my health issues we thought we cant afford to lose the income or insurance, but on the other hand we had just refinanced the mortgage in our house, and did a lot of major renovations, including new windows, new AC system, pool and backyard upgrade (basically making it safer for the baby, adding a safety fence and replacing existing concrete with nice pavers). So we were in a catch-22, either way we'd chose to continue we'd lose a lot of money, and in the still very unstable market then (my son is 7 now) having a steady income won over huge losses from sale of the house. After we moved my search for a foot doctor started and it was a painful process, not only cause I was still hurting a lot every time I walked, but also cause of the type of doctors I happened to come across. After a year of seeing 3 different ones I gave up and thought the universe is against me. With nutrisystem I came close to 200 lb but never under, and as I continued to have my food delivered to new place I saw that it eventually wasnt helping me at all, so I decided to quit it. Then as I became less and less mobile cause of pain and weight gain I also became a recluse, didnt want any pictures taken, avoided family gatherings and descended into the world of online gaming and constant snacking. Finally 3 years ago I had some eye opening facts presented to me, as my weight got close to 300 lb and I was moving out of the pre-diabetes stage. With my reg doctor we tried to fix my diet and habits, but the foot pain prevented me from most activity, it got so bad that I had to line up chairs between sofa and bathroom so I could make it there. That was no way to live, another huge wake up call was that I wasnt fitting on my son's school bus to get him strapped in (he takes the short bus cause he is autistic - and that diagnosis was also as if someone was putting up more obstacles in my way to recovery, my full focus - or whatever was left of it, cause I wasn't really myself anymore - went into trying to help him instead of helping myself). During the year of work with my doctor I slowly changed my diet, and although I didnt lose any weight I also didnt gain anymore, but other problems came to light, like sleep apnea and high blood pressure. I finally had to also do somethign about my feet, and took it very seriously to find a doctor that will want to operate on them and I finally got lucky. She had actually listened to me, and only suggested one type of therapy that I didnt try before - laser, but when after a few weeks the results were not what she expected we moved fast track into surgery. I had one foot operated on before thanksgiving 2 years ago, and the other before christmas (chose those dates for 2 reasons: 1. cause my son woud have time off from school and hubby some vaction too and I could rest post op, when I couldnt really walk much at first and each foot was beign kept for safety in a postsurgical boot, 2. another "good" excuse to not join any of the family events). Those surgeries gave me a green light to living, but as I started walkign again I noticed other problems I had no idea about their severity before, cause I was never up long enough to notice. My lower back was a mess and my knees were useless, I couldnt kneel at all, not even on the sofa while leanign over to reach for the blinds behind it. My life was pretty much a constant pain ever since pregnancy, and I felt liek trapped in a vicious cycle: one step forward - 2 steps back. I also didnt take many of the pain pills, cause they didnt really help much, and when I took the harder ones I was basically sleepign all day and I coudnt do that either cause I had to be awake for my son, besides sleep apnea was affecting my awake hours enough and often when my husband came home I was asleep on the sofa. It was a really tough time, but very slowly I was making some progress. Eventually it was a conversation with my doctor which made me realise that my problems can only get bigger if I can't lose any weight, and staying at or around my current number (I was fluctuating between 285-298lb) wasnt an option either, so she strongly suggested I looked into bariatric surgery. I finally did so a year ago, Nov 2016 and cause my insurance then didn't allow for the surgery to happen without a monitored and documented prequalification process that was supposed to take 6-8 months, I did some research to find better insurance and get accepted when I was ready to go through with it, after completing one sheet of steps. Ironically cause getting some of those required appointments was very time consuming I ended up having my surgery done 9 months after initial visit, but I was glad to have spent that time researching it thoroughly and learning about how it actually works. To think back then I struggled with the thought that it was an easy way out, lol, there is nothing easy about it, it takes commitment, discipline and a complete lifestyle change, but I knew I had to do it, I coudln't live like that anymore, avoiding people, family, having trouble to keep up with personal hygiene, and most of all not being able to assist my son when he needed me - that hurt me the most of all the pains I ever had. So here I am now, 4 months post op and feeling great. I'm still having some pain, mostly in my knees, but also in my hips and back. I had finally taken the x-ray of my hips and the reason for my back and knee problems emerged, and am currently working with 2 doctors to treat it. Still not there health wise, and not skinny yet, but feeling hell of a lot better then a year ago and a world of difference from 2 years ago. I'm glad to have had people in my life who inspired me, guided me and made me want to see the beauty of life at the time when I was ready to give up. Also ironically I met some of those people while playing those stupid online games. Isn't life funny that way? I guess in the end all that happens in our live is somehow fated, and we are constantly faced with choices, and its only up to us what we chose to do. I'm happy to be alive and to be here, and am looking forward to skinny and healthy me2.0 Thank you all for reading, I did write this once before and cause of a misclick I lost all progress right before posting it, and since the site didn't save what I typed I didn't feel back then to type it all up again. Today I used wordpad to save the story as I write it Lesson learned

Hi there, so sorry that you are having this issue with weight gain at 6 months, I really do think that everyone means well with the advice given and I to think that you are consuming way too many carbs, so instead of the big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, have some protein, a boiled egg and maybe a turkey sausage patty, if still hungry after that have a 1/4 cup of berries (me personally can only eat 1 patty or 1 boiled egg at 7.5 months PO) I avoid carbs because that is what got me to the weight that I was and they really do make you more hungry...Just really start logging your food, I mean every morsel that you put in your mouth because you will be surprised at how many calories you are consuming if you are not tracking. My daily intake at this stage is about 560-800 calories, I lose slow but steady and I'm okay with that because I am following my plan. Also the surgery is just a tool for all of us so we have to work hard at losing the weight, so get in to see your nutrionist ASAP so that you can get back on track...don't beat yourself up, you are reaching out for help and we are here for you even if it's tough love, be open to constructive criticism. You got this ((Hugs)) I wish you all the best

I am not sure what I lost per week but I started at 103kg, my surgeon set a goal of 65kg (which seemed impossible at the time) and I think I was at around 60 kg at about 10 months. I found it quite easy to lose and didn't have any stalls but I know I am the exception. Everyone is different. I have been maintaining around 60 but have noticed that my fluctuations between 58-60 have turned into fluctuations of 59-61 - so I have had a slight weight gain. Just over the last few weeks I can eat significantly more in a sitting so have had to reign in my eating between meals. I am 18 months out now so am hoping there won't be too much increase in eating and hunger which I do feel now - nothing like hunger pre sleeve I might add, but it was so nice to not have hunger at all for a long time.

Laura - that sucks about your doctor not being more supportive. Too late to find another one? I'm not saying that they need to pander to you but they should give you more than "duh" answers, like "eat vegetables", duh idiot. Oh and that's nice that Russell asked about your weight gain. That just means he's paying attention. Since you're probably sulking about it. Is he the type to help out with it, and do you even want help with it? Like if you're eating something you're not supposed to can he call you out on it?

Have a great News Eve guys! You are all sounding so positive and motivated! I haven't set myself any goals for 2013 yet! I haven't hoped on the scales for a couple of weeks and I must admit I am a bit scared too - I have not been eating so well over this Christmas period and just don't want to face any weight gain. Just a fear of going backwards and having that feeling of failure after so much progress! Lila - I too had a dose of the sun - my skin hasn't seen the light of day for years so I think it got a bit of a shock when I wore a tank top and went for a walk on the beach - it was really nice to feel the sun on my skin but I could have put lotion on - go figure! Dean - shame you have to work but thanks for doing your job to keep us all safe - hope you do get home to Celebrate the new year in with your better half and family :-) Aussie Girl - you are an inspiration! With your great outlook, I am sure some gorgeous man will want to be part of it! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Morning! Glad to see you back Terry :tongue2:) Violet dreams are the best, I get a kick out of em! I am at 227lbs, so YAAAAAAAY I plateaud with the weight gain and even lost 3lbs. Baby's heart is still strong and all that.. I check it every night. I'm reading the worst drinks list-- "Caffeine abstainers will find little nutritional refuge in Starbucks' hot chocolate concoctions." HRMPH. Well, they provide yummyness in my belly, so.. Luckily the only time I go to Starbucks for their hot chocolate is when I am in Tunica because they have one in the lobby of our hotel. There's no convenient ones in town. We actually only have 1 (weird concept eh?) and it's at a walk up mall that you gotta park a mile away to get to. Not going through all that for a drink. I found my title last night. It ended up in my shirt drawer.. how does that even happen?? Now I don't know where to go, we have DMV with loooong lines, then the DMV satellite but they do specific stuff I'm not sure about, then the courthouse a city away where we got our licenses last year with no wait.. but I don't know if they do titles.. and of course no one has people that answer phones anymore, it's all automated generic info. Holy cow!

Morning V's! We went to some Beatles tribute band last night, was out till 11pm and then we went to Waffle House and talked for a while, so we were home late! It's kicking my butt this morning, I'm sick as it is, my sinuses ache so bad.. my neck hurts. Hah hah I actually didn't get what Terry was saying.. woops. But I second Pam, the best way to get over a man is to get on top of a new one! I don't know that Chantix made me scatter brained, I'm pretty thorough at work and did not notice it slip. The only issue (besides weight gain) was the night terror things. I was waking up all throughout the night freaking out from nightmares. Too scared to get up and turn on the tv or light, I would sit there staring at DH and mad he didn't wake me up (it wasn't logical).

Thanks so much Diane - I so enjoyed reading your post and how honest and open you were. I related on all sorts of levels and your child picture hit a cord for me too.... so right! Sometimes I;ve felt like just ripping the thing out and saying 'I'm over this!!!" The hard thing is I have a dear friend who had this done a year ago and seemed to cruise through it losing most of her weight in 9 months. Seeing her success helped me make my decision but our journeys couldn't have been more different. Also she was afraid of putting me off so never shared any of her struggles. I had a totally over optimistic outlook despite masses of research on the web prior to the decision. It never really prepared me for the uncertainty, bewilderment, confusion and utter frustration of not feeling what my friend told me to feel for.... She kept on saying 'Listen to your body and it will tell you when to stop" :sigh: - my body is mostly silent = the rebellious pizza incident of last week. My attempt and seeing if anything would happen ... still waiting. Only thing that happened was a weight gain. Haven't done that again though as I'm aware of band erosion and slippage. Do you have support groups there and if so did you use them and did they help?.... Bunny / Des

My surgery is scheduled for May 9th. It has been a long journey, and I am over the moon. I am 48 and married to my wonderful husband for 20 years (June 27). I have never been thin but was always healthy and athletic. My body was beautiful, and I never had any issues. My husband has loved me and supported me at every size I've been. I have two amazing sons. One who is heading off to college this fall, he is 17. My other son is 15 and a sophomore. My husband is active duty USARMY and like both my sons, wrestled when he was young. All three of my "guys," actually four (my 90-year-old father lives with us after my Mom's death last summer) guys are in great shape. I am tired of being the fat one on all of our family photos. I do avoid photos, but every once in a while one sneaks in. After menopause, my weight gain has increased, and I have not had success losing weight using the tools that worked for me in the past. I have other health issues that are impacted by my weight gain. My Mom passed away on May 11th of last year. She was only 72 but did not take good care of her health. As I sat with her in her hospital room after all life support was removed, just talking to her and telling her how much I loved her, I promised her that I would take care of my dad. I promised I would take care of myself better and that I would lose the weight. She could not talk, but I know that she heard me. It is so fitting that my surgery will be almost one year to the anniversary of her death. I know she will be with me.

Hi all! I am 56 years old, wife, mother (of 2 college-age kids), dental office manager, Episcopal deacon, and sick of my weight. Sick of pain in my knees and feet. Sick of missing out on so much that I want to do in life. I've struggled my whole life long. Lots of dieting, lots of weight loss and then weight gain. The frustrating thing is that every time I lose weight it finds me again, AND it brings friends with it! So I was only 15 pounds overweight the first time I went on a diet when I was 15 years old. Now I'm 150 pounds overweight! I started thinking seriously about WLS more than a year ago when my husband and I met with a retirement planner and his first question was, "Tell me what you want your retirement to be like." I had a million ideas - all of which involved me fitting into airplane seats and hiking all over exotic locales. I was in so much pain (knees and feet) I realized that, unless I made a signifiant life change, in 7 -10 years I wouldn't be hiking exotic trails but I'd be in a wheelchair! I spent six months working out with a trainer and watching my eating (tracking every bite, etc.) and only lost 10 lbs! Seemed like I was going to be fat forever. Then, one day, my daughter finally came clean with me and tearfully told me how worried she was that she was going to miss out on having a mom for important events in her life - like college graduation, wedding, children. I realized I had to do something drastic or she would be right. I had VSG on June 2, 2015 at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, after having completed the 3-month medically-supervised diet required by my insurance company (lost 17lbs in the process!). So far, I'm doing well - 63 lbs gone from my highest to now, 40 since surgery. I feel AMAZING - knee pain is gone! I keep thinking, "If I feel this good now, IMAGINE how I'm going to feel at goal!!" Can't wait to experience that because exotic locales are waiting!!

Beautiful day here also. If you didn't get outside and enjoy it you missed it. I took doggie for a walk. This morning I took the sheets off the bed and washed my winter flannel sheets and put them on the bed. Also got the electric blanket out and put it on. Tonight I'm gonna be all snuggly warm. I got 2 really nice compliments at church this evening. It made me feel good. Nice to know that people notice the weight loss. Haydee, I was so relieved to hear how you are doing. Really glad to know that things sre going smoothly right now. Keep it up. We went out to dinner with some friends. We went to Golden Corral. I ate a butt load of veggies. I then decided to treat myself and I had one chocolate cookie and a lemon bar. I have my doctor's appointment Monday and I don't think it's going to go well. I've lost some but not that much and than on top of that I have had some water weight gain. You can see it in my cankles. I'm hoping that I get a little fill. Need it to help me get thru the holidays. TracyK, I still have my jar of peanuts and bag of candy corn. I'll wait a little longer till I mix them up together. Have a great evening and waitng patiently for Judy to return.

Wow Misty - really brings it home how much you have lost. My only momento I kept from my old life is my life time membership card to Jenny Craig which I look at occasionally - it just makes me feel grateful every time I look at it to know I will never struggle against weight gain again like I did in the past - all my old clothes have gone now - I think I have a couple of coats left. Anyway, here is another update - we were off to the races - I am no gambler but it is great day out with friends!