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I made a similar post for the "Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend". Just wanted to see if anyone is participating? Again I'll be "running" the 5K on Friday the 15th. Just wanted to see if anyone else was going to be there. I'll be in corral "B" towards the front if I can. let me know if anyone wants to run together.

I am 55. I have had a vertical sleeve done. My main reason for this procedure was the absorption of more nutrients and the non routing of the plumbing. I have had great success with this and am very pleased. It is still a lot of work and thought each day. I am now 7 months out and losing only 1-1 1/2 lbs. now a week. I do eat pretty much all foods and am learning moderation still. I am fearful of stretching my new stomach. I am now off all blood pressure medicine. Take nothing for arthritis pain and can now exercise because my knees and feet can now handle it. I still have arthritis pain but it is very manageable now especially in my knees. This has been the best thing I have ever done and wish I would have done it 10 years ago. Good Luck on deciding.

I was banded last Thursday 12-19-13. I just started my phase 2a which is full liquids. I know it consists of cream Soups, puddings, yogurt and I start my Protein shakes this week. imm wondering if I should be feeling full when I eat at this stage? I know some people said on here that with their band they get a pressure feeling but I haven't felt that yet. im still in some pain from surgery and think that maybe that could be why. I also keep getting like a "gas" feeling through my stomach when im getting hungry and after I eat. I am ot sure if it is from the gas the put in me during surgery but that should be gone by now right?? Any advice would be appreciated and also if you have any other foods I could eat on this stage that would be great too!

I had surgery exactly 10 months ago. The last few months, I've really stayed about the same, maybe lost a few pounds total in 3-4 months. But... when I take my measurements, my waist measurement is INCREASING!! I can't understand why this would be. I've started working out with a trainer, but that shouldn't cause my waist to GROW, right? My other measurements (I only take chest, waist, and hips) are about the same, maybe a little smaller. Am I changing the way that I measure somehow? (I'm not pregnant LOL!) Did this happen to anyone else?

So, I was banded 6 days ago. I have lost 10lbs up until yesterday, but thanks to my monthly visitor, I now have gained a pound...a pound. All this work, and I gain a pound. Jeez. There goes the next few days. Anyways, I thought I would share some of my tips. They may not work for you, but they did for me. And if you have some, please do share. I am always lookinf for info. So let me start with medicines. I was told to take a multi Vitamin, acid reducer, and Calcium. Went to Walmart, got store brand Equate Acid Reducer ($5 cheaper than Pepcid, $10 for large bottle - may change to ); Viactiv calcium chews with vitamind D ($10); Active Kids Complete with Iron multi Vitamins ($6 for 120 tablets, with one daily tablet needed only, that is three months. Kids only need half, so one will do for you). Now, my doctor said ok to Kellogs shakes, and there is 10oz in a bottle, so I get 5 servings each. I found this baby formula container, which is perfect size to measure my 2 ounzes. I bought the multipack, so I saved $2 bucks on the shakes ($10 for 8). For my diet I am using Maggies and Campbells Soups, Water, sometimes 1/4 cup of apple juice and the 6oz of shakes. I do get hungry sometimes, but I have learned to extend my eatings until a little past my hunger. And I take the pills like food. So instead of taking them with the shake or Soup, I take them, and wait a while to take either of those. It is like a mini snack. I am not doing enough with the water, but I cant drink a lot, just sip and sometimes I forget. So far it was working, until the monthly came to visit. I think 10lbs in 5 days was pretty decent. I am also walking, very slow, half hour. Do not overdo it the first days. I did on my third day, and was told to take it easy by the doctor. Last thing, applications. I use four. This application for inspiration and questions. MyFitnessPal, which logs your water, food, medicine (the viactic has 20 calories so you better count it and your vitamins will show in application totals, telling you you have taken 100% of needed supplements). The app is not used to people eating so little calories, so ignore the daily message of completion telling you that you have not eaten enough. I also use runtastic, a pedometer that syncs with myfitnesspal, and something that has the word ticker in it. It creates that little ruler you see in message boards showing your weight loss journey. Go online and find more info on message boards, forums and youtube. You will also find ideas for foods to eat. I will post some later on in this thread and a couple of youtube videos. And remember, no solids during this phase. liquids only. Your stomach is healing and a scar is forming around your band, which will help keep in place. Do not put yourself up for future complications, by eating solids now. It is not worth it, even if you feel fine afterwards. You made your stomach work. That is it for now. Just remember, it maybe painful, and hard at first, but you will fet the hanf of it soon. And the results, the energy, getting rid of medical problems and why not, the clothes, are a great reward. Good luck and God bless your journey.

Wow! U are such an inspiration..I am pre-op..currently a size 18-20. I bought this gorgeous dress in a size 10 the other day..looking at it I thought "there's no way I'll fit into this in a year". But u has given me hope thanks for sharing!!

Julie I scheduled my unfill for the day before my tt - my band dr wants me completely unfilled for surgery - I was getting scared that I'd start to gain and I've really been working to lose 10 lbs prior to tt so I didnt' want it all to be in vain. My only advice it start using fitday.com or thedailyplate to track your calorie intake. Make healthy choices and try to pysch yourself out by telling yourself you aren't allowed to gain anything before surgery. I also scheduled my re-fill for one week post op. We figure we'd play it by ear and if I happen to be too tight at that time to get refilled then we'll wait a week. I sympathize with you, I actually told my dd today that for supper the night I get unfilled I'm going to have a cheeseburger and fries. How crazy is that. OH and I said, I'm going to guzzle a whole bottle of water. LOL thats my crazy FAT mind working. Yep the best thing for me is not to get my unfill until 3:15 the afternoon before my surgery.

I started this list called 150 means... and I wanted to have 150 things/meanings to finally weighing 150 pounds (what would bring my bmi to normal for my height, that's actually the highest end of the scale haha) So imagine my surprise when I actually sat down to write it and I can't come up with that many... I've been trying for a few weeks now. Here's what I have so far (yes this will be long) but does anyone else want to help me? I want to have something to look at when I'm feeling really discouraged... TIA! 1. 150 means feeling like me inside and outside. 2. 150 means healthy 3. 150 means liking to have my picture taken 4. 15o means within BMI range 5. means hiking in Moab 6. means swimming 7. means hiking timp cave 8. means hiking the Y 9. means possibly more babies 10. means RXing at CrossFit 11. means no swimsuit embarrassment 12. means being an example to my kids 13. means I feel sexy 14. means training for a marathon 15. means to run and not be weary (scripture) 16. means physical matching my personality 17. means new positions 18. means dh can pick me up 19. means playing with the kids 20. growing old 21. healthy blood pressure #s 22. liking the mirror at the hair salon 23. tagging myself on sibling pictures on fb 24. more than 1/2 my size 25. 1570 dollars (a bet with my dad) 26. great boobs 27. all 3 pieces of wedding ring fit 28. spanx in my size 27. off medications 28. living the word of wisdom 29. not standing out in the crowd 30. shorts 31. cute clothes 32. wearing the seatbelt in dh's truck 33. going to high school reunion 34. dirty dash 35. seeing old friends 36. seeing mission friends (they knew me when, I don't see them now, don't want peeps to know I'm fat) 37. I never gave up 38. riding disneyland rides 39. respect from the guys (I work at the PD, the cops tease me 40. smaller work uniform 41. new hairstyle? 42. camping comfortably 43. romantic get aways 44. proud to meet dh's coworkers 45. country dancing 46. airplane rides again 47. participating in life 48. winning a race, first in my age group 49. passing PT eval 50. rock climbing 51. wearing chokers again 52. no wearing a box (the way my fat makes me feel) 53. wear my i-kept-forever clothes 54. going to Lagoon again 55. throwing a 100 lb party 56. riding dad's motorcycle 57. climbing the backyard tree 58. tramp jumping with kids 59. being in the church choir 60. fitting in movie seats 61. fitting in play seats 62. cute maternity outfits (if I get pregnant ever again) 63. getting a second look for the right reason 64. motivating others 65. being an "after" 66. no more "butt front" (what kids call my front flappy thing) 67. making Jeff, Kenny, Jason proud (my trainers at CrossFit and BootCamp) 68. accomplishing a dream I'm stuck now...

I have not gotten my surgery yet (9/7) so I don't know how much I can add to this but... are you exercising? That will really help a lot (even with out the band)- even just a few trips up and down the stairs, jog in place for 10 minutes, lift a chair up and down several times, do leg lifts or squats while on the phone- point is just add some extra activity here and there. and if you ARE exercising- maybe check out some fitness websites to get some tips to boost yourself again. Sometimes (so I was told), if you do the same routines- your body levels out and its not challenged anymore and hits a plato (sp?) so change up your routine a little or add weight training to your routine- I hear that helps... (like many fat people who have been there done that a thousand times- I could be a personal trainer and nutrionist if I was just able to maintain myself :thumbup: and keep it off ). As far as snacks- I think thats going to be my tough spot too! are you eating Snacks because you are hungry or you are just bored and want to munch? if you are hungry- add more protien to your diet. but if its just to munch.. you need to find things that are low calorie or at least very low fat. some ideas maybe- low fat frozen yogart (turkey hill has awesome flavors just make sure you check the fat percent cause some are still pretty high but most are very very low and some are zero), fat free pretzels (or will those get stuck?), fat free string cheese, frozen grapes, italian ice (at least you have to work to eat it so it takes longer to eat), fat-free pudding packs, fat free yogart, as previously mentioned 100 calorie pack things (but I cant just have one lol), sugar free lollipops, baby carrots (even if you add fat free dressing), apples slices (they now sell pre-packed snack packs of apples and carrots). Hope some of those are helpful!

I was on vacation in Hawaii.. mid-trip felt a bit weird and took a test. Definitely put a spin on the rest of my trip! lol I have/had pseudotumor cerebri with papilledema, which is why I had RNY surgery in the first place. I was down a total of 120 pounds (with 30 more to go) when I got the big news that I didn't anticipate. So I immediately contacted and OBGYN and began figuring out what I needed to do for myself to make sure this would be a healthy pregnancy. I was glad to learn that many of the vitamins I was already taking post-op sort of mimic pre-natals, but I found a great liquid pre-natal and changed my vitamins around a bit. Went back to my nutritionist and am still figuring out my diet, but I log everything and make sure I meet my daily goals. So far everything looks good, baby has a healthy heartbeat at 6 weeks. The doctor said if I follow what I've been doing I will only likely gain 15 pounds or so... hopefully. Just wondering what anyone else's experience with this might be? I've read lots of posts about finding out about being pregnant, but not too much on the journey or how things wound up afterwards for post-bariatric patients. Bad enough my family is scarring me for life thinking about how most babies in my family were no less than 10 pounds at birth..... gotta love family!

Are Protein shakes the only thing you are drinking? Here is a sample of my pre-op liquid diet: 7:00 am - 1/2 cooked Cereal 9:00 am - Protein shake 10:00 am - 16 oz. Clear Liquids (SF Jello, SF popsicles, crystal light, broth) 11:00 am - 6 oz. of approved yogurt 12:00 pm - Protein Shake 1:00 pm - 8 oz. skim milk (if not used in protein powder) 2:00 pm - 16 oz. clear liquids 4:00 pm - Protein shake 5:00 pm - 8 oz. clear liquids 6:00 pm - 1/2 cup 98% fat free cream soup 7:00 pm - 8 oz. skim milk (if not used in Protein powder 8:00 pm - 16 oz. clear liquids I am having a little trouble not chewing solid food but the way this is set up, I get SOMETHING almost every hour. Maybe you need more than just Protein Shakes. Good luck to you.

I am with you on this one. I am doing pretty well so far. BUT I am finding I am waking in the night hungry. I have been on it since Tuesday. The weight loss has been great (10 lbs!) but I am quickly tiring of Protein shakes. I still have to make dinner for the family which is hard. Yesterday my kids came home from church wanting to make treats for other families. So...we had brownies AND Cookies in the house AND halloween candy! I did well and didn't have any but it was hard. Hang in there. You are not alone. broth will quickly become your friend.

I am drinking isopure(gnc) not so good but 20 oz has 40gm of protein. I am walking with my kiddos and treating myself to a popsicle everynight after the walk and a 1/4 cup of ckn broth 2x a day n jello when I need it. Im down only 12lbs as of 10 mins ago and I guess im considered day f or 6 p/o?

I dont like shakes either but I love the Costco Premier Protien shakes, I still drink them to fill up. I'm only 5 days out (surgery 10/9). Good luck to you!

Hello Fellow Sleever in April, You are doing great. I have lost only 38 lbs I feel I eat to much, you are down 52 lbs wow, tell me what you do since we had surgery around the same time. How you go about getting your weight off. Besides the fact I can only eat a little and a few bites, certain food restrictions, I almost eat what I want. Please tell me how you managed to have almost 10 lbs more off that me> I feel like I am not loosing enough. My surgery was on April 21, 2014, Ready for A Change - Tijana, Mexico

March 10 for me. I had a rough go at the start, but I'm much, much better now. I'm in the "try it and see" phase with new foods, and fortunately, I haven't tried anything that hasn't worked yet. I really can't handle more than 3 oz max of fish or other dense Protein at a time, or 1/2 cup total per meal. What I'm working on now (in addition to slowly trying new foods) is judging how much is "just enough" in settings where I can't measure or weigh out my portion in advance. It's a really subtle difference, and I find it harder to do when I'm in a social setting with more distractions.

I stayed with my calories between 600 to 800 but closer to 600 per day and my carbs under 20 until I hit my goal weight. I also exercised for an hour daily starting in month 7 (walking 5 miles a day before I started with the gym). I hit goal at by month 10. Starvation mode is a myth, when you have a lot of fat on your body you will convert that fat to energy. Starvation mode will happen when there is no more excess fat to use.

So far it seems mine is any where from 10 to 12 pounds. I was wondering the same thing how much weight lost between needing fills?

I was banded 1/19 and have lost 33 lbs. ... I haven't noticed any differences yet. But I think a lot of "normal" people don't like to see us loose weight because they don't have you to feel superior to anymore. And people who are as heavy or heavier as we are have issues with it because we're breaking the so-called "rules" by leaving the fat thing behind and "abandoning" them.

I think I am eating about 1/2-3/4 cup of food at a meal. Is that to much?

I can't answer your question, but wanted to address your comment regarding the stigma of Bipolar disorder. I have been with my husband for 24 years, 10 years ago he was diagnosed as bipolar. I was terrified because of everything I had seen on TV and movies regarding it. We were together 14 years prior to diagnosis and the doctor tells us and all of a sudden I'm scared? I hate how they only portray SEVERE disturbing cases and not the everyday Joe. Truth is that on meds, his behavior is more even keeled and he enjoys his life more. When he is happier, everyone is happier. Thank you for telling your story. We don't keep his illness a secret because we want to be part of destroying the stigma. I hope everything goes well for you and you have a support here, whenever you need it.

I sure hope this works out okay. I find it.... annoying.. that you have this kind of requirement. I had to do a 2 week liver shrinking diet - for my own safety. I had no weight loss requirement, although i did lose 8#. I found it very very difficult but I was very motivated to get that liver shrunk. It makes me kind of mad that some programs want you to prove that you are surgery worthy by losing certain amounts of weight. I don't think there is ANY evidence to show that it improves your long term success. Most of us are professional dieters, so what the heck does losing 10 pounds prove? Rant over. Good luck on your surgery - looking forward to welcoming you as a new sleever!

-loriemoms, I hear you on the rotator cuff surgery. Had my left one done 3 years ago before VSG. My right one I had done end of Feb, I am still recovering!!! Yes here it is 5 months down and I'm still in pain, not bad pain as it was first month or more. I went to PT 30 days out from surgery, twice a week for little over 2 months. Before surgery I had to do PT for 6 weeks, so my time was all used up for any more after than the 10 weeks I did. I still can't use a vacuum cleaner! Hurts pushing my mop, raising my arms way above my head, still not enough energy in it at all. I'm no longer taking the pain pills but I do have muscle relaxers I can take. They cut my deltoid muscle, reason for the muscle relaxers. It the muscle goes straight up the arm to the neck and at the base of the skull. Didn't know it effected there. So returning to work in 2 weeks you say? Let me know how it goes, I don't work because of disabilities I have. Pick up a veggie tray all ready cut up! Crunch on those they are great when you don't know what to eat. Keep apples peaches grapes or other fruit in fridge, you can do most with 1 hand. My right was my dominate had, we'll still is lol, I have to tell you my husband was right there for me. Heck I couldn't wash hair or shower without him! Cooking dinner was next to impossible. So I feel for you, the pain is horrible and not doing what you could before, well you will be able to do more later on. My surgeon said recovery is usually 6 months to a year! Good luck.

Yesterday was day 1 of my post op surgery and it was a doozy. I am exited for this change as its mostly mental before you see any physical change. In a sense the next few weeks with the post op diet I feel as I am breaking up with food. I can only intake two ounces every hour and I'm in a lot of discomfort it's worse than labor pain and I did that all natural. I also should mention I'm fully sleeved in one arm with tattoos. I thought my pain tolerance was high but after this surgery I surely have questioned that. None the less I look forward to my life style change and I'm fully committed to losing the fat suit. Tomorrow I go in for my first post op appt but no fill until about the fourth week post op.