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Congrats on doing your pre-op weight loss goal! After entering the bariatric program where I was it took me 7 months to get into the mind set of 'wanting' to really drop the initial weight. Wishing you a speedy recovery from surgery, and of course, much success!

My doc is conservative too. I had restiction from the surgery and was supposed to have a fill at 4 weeks. I postponed to 5 weeks and he did 1.5cc. the next one was 1cc and the third was 0.5 cc. So I have 3 cc ni my band and am still losing slowly. As long as I get all my Protein, and make it very lean, then eat low carb veggies and occasionally fruit, I am not too hungry. I do not care how I lose it, as long as it comes off. I have lost in the past, especially on low carb, high protein. I think the beauty of the band is I will not gain it back. I am trying to focus on learning how to use my band, learning new eating habits and changing my lifestyle to keep it off. I figure if it takes a little longer to lose it, it is just more time to practice!!!!!!! Also supposed to be better for avoiding the loose skin if you lose slower!

I was banded on Jan 27th and i have my first fill in a couple weeks and i am pretty nervous about it. How did it go? You are doing so great with your weight loss!

Hi everyone I was sleeve 3/20 and I purchased Coco butter firming lotion to help prevent loose skin. It may not 100% prevent it but at lease I am doing something to help. Start using a firming lotion of your choice before the weight start falling off but if you hadn't reach your goal start using its not to late. I lost 120 pounds on weight watchers but gain it all back however I didn't have loose skin because of the firming lotion and I used Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones DVD for 7 months and it worked. This is totally from my experience and since history repeat itself I am doing it again but want allow history to repeat with gaining the weight back after surgery because I feel that God gave me s second chance to get it right????????????

I hope it works. I lost 85# on weight watchers years ago and didn't have much of a skin issue because I was still overweight. My excess skin got worse the closer I got to a normal weight/size post sleeve but I lost alot of weight. I lost 60# and got to a normal weight when I was 20. I had no excess skin and could wear a bikini. There are various factors.a

My surgery weight was 284.3, in the first month I lost about 30lbs. I've had a couple big loss weeks, and a couple of barely any loss weeks. On average I've been losing 4-5lbs a week.

Hi Dani, I wish I had had the lap band as an option 20+ years ago. You are smart to find ways to arrest and turn around your obesity at a young age. Do your research, go to more seminars and get really educated on the band. Read the blogs and know the risks. And, understand that it can be slow early on so manage your expectations. I found that reading blogs start to finish and following the bloggers entire weight loss experience was really helpful. I have had the band 3 months. And have only lost 18 pounds. The band really didn't start working until I got my last fill. So, from the time I got my band until now. I have just been eating what I wanted but not going crazy. I can really feel the difference now because my appetite is greatly diminished. I am not so sure I am feeling restriction yet. But, I am really afraid of over eating at this point. So, I feel like it is going well and I look forward to losing the rest. Sometimes family & friends really don't understand your struggle so they are not always the best support. This sight is great for support. Also, get yourself an alias on Facebook and follow lapbanders there as well. There is a lot of support on FB!!!(I am Vu Carre Lap Band Journey on FB) Best wishes to you and your mom!!

No, my understanding from the research I've done is no private insurance pays for VSG, or for any weight loss surgery. Sorry. My second understanding is that once you get VSG or any weight loss surgery they will not accept you anymore on private insurance plans. Of course if you are significantly overweight they won't take you anyway. Basically if they have a hint that you might spend money on medical, they do not accept you. I don't know if that changes soon with Obama, but I believe at a certain point they can't turn you away but can charge you out the wazoooo where it is simply unaffordable. Its nuts.

I had my band 6 years and have had off and on good and bad experiences. I lost 70 lbs but have put 25 back on since I had my gallbladder removed. Since June I have had severe heartburn that does not go away. I have had numerous swallow test and was on liquid diet for three week along with the fill completely removed. Nothing has helped and I was told to get it removed is my only hope. I'm scared to go back through this again and pray no complications happen. I trust my doctor but it's that fear again what if I go through this and this isn't the problem. I'm also a little sad for having to remove it and my husband thinks I'm silky because I've been so sick and I should want it out. I do bit also scared I will gain weight back. Wish me luck as I become unban dedicated tomorrow.

today i had my consult with the doctor. she told me that i just need to lose 15 additional pounds with the 7 that i have already lost. So i am hoping to have lost the 15 by the time i go in for the weight check on the 25 of june. I have my psych eval. on july 9. she said that if i have lost the 15 pounds by the 25 of june that i could meet with the case manager who will then set me up with a surgery date. I just pray to God that i can meet my goal weight by then. I pray that i have had my surgery by the end of August. I just want to say thank you to everyone on this site for all the info. good and bad. I read the message blogs almost daily. Latrice God Is able to do all things...:wink2:

I had my pre-op appointment following my 3 hour nutrition class in the morning. I couldn't eat or drink all day because of a couple of tests they had to take, so I don't remember everything...just being extremely hungry and thirsty. From what I can remember, they took a few viles of blood, I met with a hospital nurse and she did an ekg and talked about weight loss surgery in general (she was certified in something related to bariatric surgery and had actually had it herself 8 years prior), I had my barium drink and they took pictures of my insides, I registered with the hospital for my stay, and I think that was all (except since I was self pay I also met with the finance lady to go over some things). It was a pretty smooth process and they kept just passing me off from person to person although there was sometimes a slight delay between things. I wish you a smooth easy day!

You're not doing anything wrong. 12 days ago, you're body endured something traumatic, your system is in shock, and is confused. It's more than likely water weight, and I promise if you stick to your program, drink your fluids, walk, and get your protein in, you'll lose again. Your hormones are all over the map right now. Estrogen is shooting through you like torpedoes and your body is just pissed off. Breathe, now breathe a little deeper. Don't get down, and you didn't invest in something that is going to fail you. In maintenance currently, I bounce up and down 2-4 pounds on a daily basis. If it was a 10lb gain, you could freak out. 3lbs is a couple days of urinating and sweating some when you walk. I was obsessed with the scale. It's what worked for me. It kept me accountable, but I never hit a true stall (no loss for 14 days straight) so I can not empathize on those feelings. I hit a bit of a stall close to goal, but it didn't last 2 weeks. If you think it'll help, put the scale away. If you need to keep on getting on it daily, do it. You have to do what is right for you, and the mental part of the journey.

I come on here to get information and inspiration! I never thought I would be considering surgery to lose weight. I feel more at peace than I ever have felt. I know this is what i need to move this new chapter in my life. I only have 2 more nutritional appts. I can't wait to get my surgery date . I daydream abt what I would look like 125lbs lighter. I'm praying to God to prepare me for this journey.

Here is my situation, I got my band 6 months ago, I have been able to loose 44 pounds so far, I think my body has a set weight that it's fighting me to keep, it's been difficult for me to loose weight do to my hormonal problems, I really want to have another baby and my ob/gyn advised me that I will need to loose weight in order to ovulate normally, this is one of the main reasons why I got my band in the first place, I want to be healthy for my self and my family, I follow all the instruction from my doctors and I am just not loosing enough weight, any suggestions or anyone that is going through the same things as me, thank you for any advise...

I have been dieting since I was 11yrs old. Up and down, up and down with my weight. I was watching it go up again to it's highest @ 213lbs and I just felt like it was going to keep going up and if I didn't do something. I just knew I was going to be 300lbs if I didn't change. Problem was, I was always hungry. I could eat and eat and eat. I would wake up thinking about what I would eat for breakfast. After eating a large meal I would want desert, a snack, and then I'd start thinking about what I was going to eat at the next meal. I never felt full. I just had no desire to even try any more because I knew I was going to fail again. I'd start a diet and then cheat and then fail. Etc. Etc. I knew I could diet if I just wasn't hungry. If I could get that feeling of satisfaction or of being full. And if I could diet and not fear putting it all back on. I also was afraid of getting anything cut, altered, re-routed, etc. If I had problems or regretted it or whatever it could be removed. Good luck on your decision. I am happy with mine.

I didn't notice this when I weighed 170 lbs. but the more I've gained I've noticed the right side of my body (stomach area) is way bigger...more rolls, has anyone else noticed a big difference? Even my bra side fat

I am a newbie here with a million questions. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year and I have been overweight my entire life. I recently heard that lap band surgery can cure diabetes immediately. My insurance company will pay for it after being on Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig for one year. I am leaning toward Weight Watchers. I haven't found a surgeon yet and I have just started researching the surgery. So anything that anyone can offer please feel free. I am in the Lynchburg, VA area. Thanks, Margo

I hope after I lose this weight, I will be able to use this information.

I know that when I went to WW prior to the sleeve, some of the members were not very welcoming to anyone that had any type of weight loss surgery. They felt like the surgery was cheating and the weight should just fall right off. If you go I wouldn't volunteer that information, but WW is a great program.

Hi there and welcome, we are glad to have you join us. In answer to your question, yes, what you are feeling is normal. In the first week or two immediately following surgery, you are not very hungry because of the swelling. However, once the swelling goes down, you definitely get hungrier. That is because the time right now is for healing, not losing. The band is designed to work with fills. Once you start getting your fills, you will find your hunger will start to dissipate and the weight will start coming off. Prior to getting your fills, it is not unusual to not lose any weight and even gain.

I was home, mostly in bed, for two weeks. My fatigue lasted even once I was back at work for a month or so. I would come home from work and nap. The taste thing my nutritionist told me about--side effect of ketosis. Rapid weight loss puts you into ketosis... (Google it for all the chemistry) When you burn fat, most of the ketones are excreted through your urine, but others are exhaled when you breathe. It gives you bad breath, and leaves residue in your mouth that can give a bad taste. People often say "things taste different after surgery". Think about it as an incentive not to eat things you shouldn't. I definitely can tell when I'm losing weight--everything tastes yuck to me.

I like that Kathy quoted the one thing that made me literally laugh out loud... the icky shake part. Congratulations on your successes in your weight loss journey! I wish you continued steps down the same road... best always, xx

Kind of a long story - Six years ago I was in a car wreck that totalled my car. I severely damaged the ligaments in my right ankle - all three that attach the foot to the ankle. I am left with an ankle that rolls over on me with the slightest provocation. For the past six years I have slowly been adapting my life to dealing with my ankle. I gave up wearing any shoes except tennis shoes with my custom orthotics. Even flat womens shoes make my ankle ache by the end of the day. I normally wear some kind of ankle brace every day - depending on what I am planning on doing. I have about every kind on the market. Driving any distance makes it ache (I commute two hours each way to work). I have sprained my ankle at least once a year (sometimes more) since the original injury and it takes a month or two to get back to my "normal". I have a low level of pain all the time. Imagine a radio playing static at a low volume in the background 24 hours a day. I can mentally block the pain, but it is always there. Over the years, I have done less and less physical things that might cause me to sprain my ankle. While I was morbidly obese, I had a fear I would sprain my ankle and do major damage (broken bones, etc) to other parts of my body when I did it. So seven months ago I was sleeved. I am approaching my goal and feeling great. Two months ago I sprained my ankle, stepping off of a step while cleaning a closet getting rid of "fat" clothes. No more Zumba (I always wore a brace and was REALLY careful there). One month in a boot cast, one month is a stabilizer and now I am in physical therapy. The good news, I have strong ankle muscles that compensate somewhat for the shot tendons. The bad news? I have NO STABILITY in the muscles. I can not stand on my right foot with the left foot off the ground and stay balanced. Without strength and stability I am doomed to repeating the same situation that I have been. Now that I am a normal weight, I could have a harvest graft tendon surgery to rebuild my tendons in the ankle.(There really was no point in going down this path before.) Have a great surgeon who has been taking care of my foot and ankle for 20+ years that has successful history with the surgery. The downside is, the surgery is not easy. It is three months not putting any weight on the foot. That means crutches or one of those rolling gadgets, no driving, and working remotely after the initial recovery. Then three months in a boot cast, then a long bout of physical therapy. After a year, you are as recovered as you will be. I know at some point, I will likely have to have this surgery. There are insurance reasons that are encouraging me to have it this year or next at the latest. (in 2013, I will have a $10,000 deductible) My questions are, has anyone on this site had their ankle tendons rebuilt? Any good news on functionality afterwards? Also, I want to have a tummy tuck. What about having it while recovering from ankle surgery (or under the same anasthesia - the same day) and doing both recoveries at the same time? I'm looking for opinions here - I welcome comments.

It took quite a while for the swelling to subside. I too gained 20 lbs post-op - it was frightening - I assume you had laparoscopic surgery? If so - even though you only have a few small outside wounds - you have many stitches inside that are dissolving and healing. Your body heals by sending fluid into the area - thats why it is swollen. You should only be concerned if it is red, hot, or "weeping" otherwise time will heal it. Best of healing to you (and your stomach!)

@@jayhawk1965 8 months out Life lines: Local support groups, My doctors and bariatric pal Calories: about 1000 to 1300 Exercise: Five to six days a week an hour of cardio. 3 days a week an hour of strength training Challenges: Trying to settle into the reality that this is my life now. Eating and exercise still are the same for me after goal. Responses to weight loss: Mostly positive and supportive. Opposite sex treat you Very differently. (still strange) Some people are having issues with my weight loss. They are just not comfortable with it. Tips. Stay connected with you're support systems. No secrets do what you're doctors instruct you to do