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@Leeann71, its frustrating me because I am eating 700 calories a day, I know for sure my b4 surgery calories were way higher and the week after surgery I gained weight. I cant even wrap my head around how thats even possible to gain. I see all these stories of people losing 10, 15, 20 the 1st month after surgery and I gain. just a little frustrating to me but I will get thru it im sure.

Absolutely log your food. It keeps you accountable to yourself. It is amazing how fast one can get off track even after a week of not logging. Also have you tried the 5 day pouch test? Google it, lots of folks that have been stuck that long are able to get kick started using this test. It basically puts you through the food stages and your body starts kicking into to weight loss mode again. If I ever get a stall that lasts as long as yours I plan to use that to pouch test to get me started again. Good luck to you!

Wow, you look great and so pretty too. Enjoy your weight loss. I'm on my path, can't wait til I experience those exciting momemts too. Very happy for you!

I too have had a few disgusting moments. I just thought that my weight would come off easier than it is. I lost 25 pounds before I even had my surgery on November 14th, but I seem to be struggling to lose the 8 pounds that I lost last month. I've always heard that on a regular diet, for most eople, a 1-2 pound weight loss a week is perfectly normal. But with the sleeve, I feel that 1-2 pounds a week is not enough--especially when I see posts where people lose 60 pounds in 3 months. That's my rant. I just thought it would go faster.....

My medical group would not let me see my surgeon without a 6 month supervised diet. I appealed with multiple Weight Watchers records, personal diaries, a graph I put together of years worth if diet attempts, and information on a hospital supervised program I did (this one did not involved weighing in). I followed the example appeal letter in WLS for Dummies. Explained that another 6 month program would change nothing. That all I wanted was to be healthier for myself and my family. I won the appeal and did NOT have to do a 6 month program. But as previous posters have said, see what your surgeon and insurance company says. If your insurance company requires it, you will need to do an appeal to get around it. Best wishes to you!!

While I know you're looking in to lapband surgery actually the sleeve might be more apprioratate for the diabetes...I didn't have diabetes so having the lapband was OK for me. Check out all your options though - I probably would have selected the sleeve if it had been an option at the time. Good luck though no matter what you choose...part of the weight loss before surgery is to lessen the fat in the liver - not just to show you can follow the weight loss program. Now I realize the program was set up longer for a reason - it's not something you want to look back and say I wish I'd have done ....(something else) ior worse yet - not done it. I realize your frustration at the waiting time but it was put in there for a reason... I worked the program for almost a year before I was ready - so 6 months might have been too short for me. You have your whole life ahead of you - what's 6 months in the whole scheme of things? Good luck - Linda (PS - I'm 57 now and I had it done 14 months ago and I've been obese for 20 years...I didn't want you to think I was being smart...when I talk about age and time!)

Congrats on the surgery! I had gastric bypass on 8.8.12 an was the same weight for a week or so but now I'm a month out an have lost 28lbs just be patient an it will slowly but surely come off

I am in school and a classmate said girl you looking good, he was trying to be polite but I knew what he meant that I had lost weight. I just smiled and thanked him.

My two cents for whatever it's worth. I'm only 3 years 5 months out. No regrets. I bounced back from surgery quickly. My weight came off quickly. I'm healthy and in the best shape of my life for an old fart. Maintained well for the first 2 years. 3rd year battling a 10-15 pound gain back and forth. I can gain weight quickly and it's a snail's pace to get it back off. Always a risk of complications with any surgical procedure. Statistically is seems to be a low percentage. I only have one minor issue from my sleeve procedure. I have reactive hypoglycemia/low blood sugars. It's manageable. ( I'm not in hospice care with month to live... so, life is good.) Long term data and statistics have been an interesting thing. My local surgeons office is having problems collecting data because many patients stop coming in for appointments/check ups as they get further out from surgery. I just decided I didn't want to be a statistic. I'm responsible for my own outcome and success with weight loss.

Congratulations on being smaller. I know what you mean about being attached to the clothes. I did get rid of everything, and I was happy to do it because it represents the change in my life, but they were very nice and expensive. I didn't mourn the loss of them though, I wasn't that attached to my fat self I haven't tried Nordstrom rack, but I will, so thanks for the tip! I am also happy to report that I now own something from White House Black Market! So, while I'm far from thin, I can shop anywhere now, and I find it strange that sales people are so helpful. My kids have even noticed it. It sort of makes me mad to be treated better because I'm thinner - I don't think I realized how bad it was when I was heavier, because I refused to let my weight be a barrier to my success and happiness. I now realize that it was anyway.

only 9 years since,hmm, my weights gone up and down in maybe 5 or 6 years intervals. I weighed in at 245 end of jr. high school, got thrown of football team for fist fights, I could weigh down half the wrestlers and call that a match not that I'd had been using techniques they teach though. so that was, mmm, more than 9 years ago,lol. I can go for just a skinny ass by it's self.

Hi Everyone, First of all thank you for all who send me msg on the pre-op forum before my surgery. I wanted to share with you my experience, fears and 1 day post-op experience. I was 228 pounds (128 kg) with a BMI of 42.3 pre-op. I am 33 years old male living in the Middle East. I tried everything, all types of diets, health eating, etc. yet when you have around 100 pounds to loose, nothing much helps. You lose 20 pounds but you still look fat. After much of a dilemma i decided to have gastric balloon which was good for 6 months yet when it was removed, all the lost weight came back. So I decided to try the lapband yet I was scared. After reading and orienting a lot on internet and on this forum, I was ready for it. Yet I wanted SILS, which is a bellybutton surgery. Because I am a self-pay patients and no need to go through the insurance struggle, I was free to choose my doctor and procedure. I have chosen Healthier Weight LLC in UK who worked with the best lap-band doctor in the work, Prof. Favretti. (indeed he is the best I believe). I cheated few times during my pre-op liquid and low calorie diet. First advice to all, take it serious and never ever ever cheat on that. My liver was bigger than expected so I had to have 2 smaller incisions. Yet my large scar is invisible in my belly button. Anyways, yesterday was my surgery. I was scared. I was more scared from anesthesia. I came to the hospital, and they gave me some relaxation medicine which didn't help much. Out of entire experience Healthier Weight staff and Prof are top notch. Yet I was not and I am not happy with the anesthesia staff. I had Anesthesia before and I had a pleasant experience. This time, they gave me few injections before hand which made me unstable yet not sleepy, than they put me on sleep. When I woke up, i got to see that I had 3 incision which made me almost cry, I came 7 hours flight to UK for single incision and I had 3. Yet later got to know that my liver was way too big, however contrary to normal surgery, my biggest scar is invisible. Which made me ok. Coming out of anesthesia was not very nice. Again in my previous surgeries I never had that. However I was scared that I will die:)) I know how it sounds or anesthesia awareness, nothing happened:) By the time I slept a bit, and anesthetics left my body, I was ok. I don't have much left shoulder pain, I have left lower belly pain. I have sore throat as expected. I am not feeling hungry, I sip Water and I am now today on liquid diet. As of today I have lost 11 lbs.:confused:) so a good start. I have no feeling of hunger, after few sips of water I feel fool, a bit discomfort on my left belly. Thats it. Those who are scared, try not to. Believe me its very easy. Make sure you find a right doctor. love you all and will update you.

i can gain easily of up to 10 pounds per liquid...it happens...and it will go away

My back started killing me in the hospital, and I blamed it on the lousy beds, but it's still hurting at home, and I came home on the 7th. It's eased up a lot, but still hurts and aches in the lower area. I'm hoping it will adjust itself once I'm able to get a bit more active, and I lose some more weight.

hello! I am 5 weeks out from surgery and doing really well. My only issue is that my stomach area is still very swollen. The swelling is above my belly button and seems strange because I can tell my stomach is losing weight below my belly button. At 2 weeks my surgeon said it was fluids that would reabsorb but if that is what it is, it is still there! I don't have pain but I'm wondering what it is and when it will go away! Anyone have a similar experience or any advice?

Yup, agree with you. Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate are two good companies to start out with for supplementation needs (Vitamins and minerals). I have no problem with that, but would suggest nectar or unjury as great Protein shakes for a newly sleeved individual. They are both solid brands and work well. In fact, my WLS center also recommends Bariactric Advantage for supplementation and Syntrax Nectar for protein shakes. That being said, I am 1 year post op so am a mature post op and somewhat new vet. I have been around the block a few times in my journey so far and have learned much and have much to share around shakes and supplementation and their impact on weight loss and fitness. I hope you do not read my post as anti-doctor or anti dietician. Quite the opposite in fact. In the first six months, it is critical to follow doctor orders to a "T" both dr and dietician know how to make their patients successful. Of course you are aware every doctor and dietician can potentially give different plans to their patients that may not be consistent with other patient doctor and dietician plans. After 6 months ( or when you feel is a good time), you can start to form your own strategies in terms of diet and fitness. The level of tweaking that you do is highly individual. The shake mentioned in this thread from GNC is just another tweak to the lifetime eating plan. Re-feed may not be an ideal shake for me, but I wanted to give it a try for reasons mentioned above in this thread. I also take cake batter muscle milk light and GNC Wheybolic or Isopure vanilla bean for recovery shake. I am so much a shake person at 3 a day. I eat small protein based meals for the other 4 meals. By small, I mean 3 oz lean protein and perhaps a veggie.

I have been maintaining since Feb, but recently had a small regain that kinda messed with my head. My goal is 158 and try to stay under that, but really due to the daily scale bounce I kinda consider 155-160 my goal range. Then, when I saw 163 on the scale I about had a heart attack. Combine it with the fact that I am not working out in the gym, but doing summer activities instead, I am not quite as "dense" and my fitted jeans feel.. snug. That all made me feel icky and unattractive even though i knew that it was small and really only noticable to me. So, i went on a business trip last week and saw someone I haven't seen since August. He didn't recognize me and definately gave me the "once over" with the eyes and the "wow you look great". It was like the boost i needed since I often eat too much and wrong things on business trips. It was a reminder that I haven't gained 100#... I have gained just a few pounds and i can fix this. So, this morning I weighed in at 159. Thank goodness! Anyway, this maintenance stuff is hard because i keep having the feeling like it could just all slip through my fingers. I am seeing a counselor and her advice on the tiny regain was to just "be okay with it" for awhile. I followed her advice as best i could which did avoid the whole stress/guilt eating cycle. I can't be relying on people to keep giving me the "wow " speech to keep my motivation up I know that - but it was a boost that I sure needed this week.

Congrats on shedding the regain. I truly feel its absolutely imperative that we weigh daily in maintenance. I make a diet adjustment immediately once I see a number close to the end of my maintenance window (usually 137-141) and until I started hormones to get pregnant I never once bounced out of that range. I think there's a line to walk here. No, don't beat yourself up over a gain. But don't excuse it to yourself, either, or you can easily find that small gain being a twenty pound gain. Be accountable without being unforgiving of yourself. Great work, and without question getting unexpected validation of our efforts is a treat. It's inspiring, but it's important that we find a way to inspire ourselves to stay on track, too. ~Cheri

Hi all, I am a long term bandster and am wondering what books you recommend on living with the band?? I know there are a lot of books on the actual surgery, etc. but I am looking for something more along the lines of actually living with it, nutrition, exercise. I find these are good to read from time to time for inspiration and constant reminders...... Thanks! The one I read when I had my surgery was by Kaliyah Ali called fighting weight. It was a great read.

this is why we stay on top of it, losing a few pounds is much easier than six - ten. I had a re-gain of just two pounds, I had my sister here for a week, we had a BD celebration and this past Monday when I weighed (I weigh every morning) I was up two. I purposely cut back calories by 100, but some days it was 200 or a little more.....and as of this morning, I'm back to 145.5, within my comfort zone, which is 144 - 146. Less than a week, but it's because I look at my "dashboard" every single day, without fail. You're doing great, keep up the great work!!!

CowgirlJane you betch your bippy i thought when many/most people said they were scared - they were talking about the WLS it hit me as i was approaching my DOS - i wasn't afraid of the surgery, recovery (been there, done that) i said OMG am i gonna be able to keep up the hard work for the rest of my life with drinking and eating et al to maintain my weight oh no - i can't/won't ever gain this weight AGAIN i thought i was the only one to think like that what a surprise that most of us have that thought/fear the good subject of regain comes up alot - cuz none of want to think that can happen!!! - but its important to talk about like many others - i feel the need to weigh daily - i need to see that my weight is staying the same i think most/all peoples weight fluctuates a couple of lbs here or there i need to immediately know any change in weight so i can nip it!!! been at goal these past 7 months - so that is not that long - not the year plus that i'm anxiously waiting for not to mention all the future years i/we WILL continue to survive!!! getting back to you CWJ getting the "once over" from someone who hasn't seen you lately - how cool is that need/want that continued motivation speach from others.............. i don't know that many people from my "heavier days" (except my large extended family) so i don't get many compliments :ph34r: like you CWJ and probably/maybe others, I see a therapist too she is helpful - we talk about my concerns, situations,temptations - fears et al when i go shopping - i frequently look in ie Kohls mirrors - i smile and say OMG thats really me!!!! in other words you/me/we can/must be our best friend and encourage ourselves giving ourselves the once over too!!! with life/my weight..... i do the best i can - thats all i can do at the end of the day me/myself/and I- stand alone with my situations - and must stand tall continued good luck to all our success!!! "maintenance victory - do I have a chance at doing this for the long haul?" YES kathy

to gain seven lbs, you'd have to eat 42,500 calories more than your body needs. Unless you at 7000 extra calories every day you were gone, then it's likely mostly water weight.

Anybody else eating more and losing more? Once I broke the 1,000 a day the weight started to come off. I was nervous at first because I thought I was going to plateau but I knew -and my hair loss knew-that I needed more protein. Is this common with anyone else?

Not sure where I got this from.. somewhere that I was doing research on.. but thought it might be useful for this thread. Increase Your Chances of a Good Fill The following suggestions are good rules of thumb and will greatly increase your chances of getting a good fill. 1. Be sure you are very well hydrated when you come in for your fill appointment. That means at least 6 to 8 full glasses of liquid every day for at least several days before the fill. (Remember, Water is your friend). Drink especially well the morning of the fill. If you're flying in, it can be much harder to stay hydrated, so take an empty drink bottle and fill it after you pass airport security. TSA rules state you can bring an empty water bottle past the TSA security check point. Bring some of those "to-go" packs of Crystal Light, they’re ideal! Ask the flight attendants for a refill of your water bottle, pop one in, and then you will have plenty to drink. (Hint - If you flying in for a fill, while you're on the plane, grab a couple of those white barf bags. It’s good to keep one in your purse or car, for "emergencies".) 2. Do not to have any solid foods for at least 6 hours before the fill. Don't eat a huge or late dinner the night before. If you're having any trouble (reflux, possible slip, etc) please have nothing but fluids after dinner the night before. In some cases, food can still be in the pouch for 12 or more hours. ANY food in the pouch will make it impossible to give a good fill, or get a good fluoro 3. Don't drink COLD fluids for an hour before the fill. That will shrink your stoma and give a false fluoro reading, and a poor fill. Room temp fluids are fine. Let the ice in your drink melt and hour before a fill, and then you'll have room-temp fluids to drink right up to the fill time. 4. Avoid getting a fill during a menstrual period or a few days before an expected one. During this time, girls are usually retaining water, and the fluoro will not be as accurate, and the fill will not be either. 5. If at all possible, hang around for at least a few hours after a fill. Don't run right back home or to the plane. It takes the normal swelling after a fill 1-2 hours to develop, and by that time you might be too tight and need to come right back. 6. If you fly in, If at all possible, stay overnight and catch a plane out the following late afternoon or evening. If you are too tight, this will allow time to get a small unfill before you leave. This is not very convenient, but sure beats having to possibly return to TJ in a few days, on short notice, in pain, and at high last-minute plane fares! This is "prevention!" Overfills are not common, but they DO happen, even under the best of conditions. Be prepared, and think about this overnight stay. Test your fill the next day before you leave. 7. After a fill, please have liquids only for at least 24 hrs. This allows the stoma to rest and heal. Then, a day of soft foods, then back to regular foods. Full liquids are fine, no need for clears. Remember, if you staying over night test your fill before you fly out. 8. Review the eating and food guidelines again before every fill. You’ll need to refine your eating more and more with higher fill levels, and there will be less and less room for goofs. As you reach a higher fill level, you'll no longer be able to "get away" with things you might have before! 9. Please don't get a fill if you are having ANY trouble with the current level of fill. This means ANY regular pain, PB or barfing more than maybe once a week at the VERY most, not able to get enough calories in, not able to drink enough, able to eat only soft foods or fluids. More fill will NOT help, and will make things worse. Discuss all this carefully with your doctor. You may even need an UNFILL, to keep your band and stomach safe. 10. First fills are routinely given at 6-8 weeks after surgery, but only as you need them. Many people do, some do not. Your doctor will help you decide if you need a fill, just ask. There is no rush for fills. Too much can very easily get you in trouble, and you end up further "behind" than if you had gone slower with fills. 11. Give a fill at least 2-3 weeks to test it. Some fills don't "settle in" for a week or two, and sometimes more. Your weight loss is what determines how a fill is - not any feeling of restriction, necessarily. 12. One of the most important things in determining if a fill is good is choosing proper band foods. Soft foods, liquids, junk foods, sweets, etc, will NEVER be well-restricted, and will never tell a thing about having a good fill or not. Only solid foods give useful info. A good test meal is 2-4 oz of solid meat or chicken - be sure it's soft and moist - and about 1/2 cup veggies. You should be able to eat about a cup of food (no less) and this should keep you satisfied (NOT "FULL", but simply "satisfied, not physically hungry". for about 3-4 hrs. 13. Plan regular meals. A good fill will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hrs, but no longer. If you are hungry 5 hrs after lunch, it is not because you have an inadequate fill! Regular meals at planned times are important for a number of reasons; including avoiding snacking, maximizing your calorie burn and normalizing metabolism, which is essential for weight maintenance later on. 14. Learn to recognize YOUR "soft stop" sign. Common ones are chest tightness or "fullness", a sudden runny nose, a single hiccup or burp, an eye twitch, back pain, left should pain. All mean the pouch is full enough and we should STOP eating, even spitting out the bite that may be already in our mouths. If you do not, you could progress to the "hard stop" - slimming, pb, barfing. Please remember that good fills are very elusive, even with highly- experienced docs and fill people. There are just too many individual factors involved that the docs cannot control. Even the fluoro is only a clue, and not entirely accurate - for some of the reasons above. It usually takes 3- 5 fills to slowly and safely creep up on a good level, and they can be safely given a month apart. Trying to go faster with a bigger fill is not the solution, and the stomach rebels at big sudden fills. The goal of the first few fills is NOT to achieve a good restriction, but to gradually get your stomach used to some pressure so you can tolerate a GOOD fill later. SLOW and GRADUAL is the key! Going slowly with fills can be frustrating, but is well worth the wait to avoid problems. • After a “fill” you are on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours; then, soft for 24 hours; then, regular food o Clear – juice, water, broth, miso Soup, tea - no salty or iced drinks. o Soft – V-8, yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, (no ice cream), pureed Soups, squash, apple sauce. • Call me if you are unable to sleep lying down due to reflux to schedule a slight “unfill”. Do not talk yourself into “working through the reflux”. • Eat Protein at every meal; eat your protein first in order to facilitate proper digestion of this complex food. • Eat three meals daily or six small meals; do not snack – ¼ to ½ cup per meal • Drink water instead of mindless munching (add lemon to water) between meals. DO NOT DRINK LIQUIDS 45 MINUTES BEFORE AND 60-90 MINUTES AFTER YOUR MEALS.• Make sure your bowels are moving daily with ease not effort • Add Fiber into your diet if you are not having complete bowel movements – 1 tablespoon ground flax seed• Have some form of movement every day for 30 minutes • Avoid white flour and white sugar products • You are not allowed to be on an ice cream diet • You may not lose weight if you’re not eating enough • Eat slowly between bites; take small bites; sip your drinks. • Chew your food slowly • Throw out all the junk food in the house • Don’t buy anymore junk food • Eat organic as much as possible to avoid increasing exposure to false hormones, antibiotics, and other toxic substances • Join a support group, Curves, or weight watchers. • Stop eating after 7:30pm during the summer; and 6:30 in the winter • Keep working on the mental emotional component to comfort food eating • Schedule another fill when your portion sizes increase to “old day” sizes or you are feeling hungrier earlier then you remember. • Journal about your feelings, keep a food diary, create a collage of what your future looks like and hang it in your room. • Create a collage of images you want to let go of and burn the collage. • Laugh every day RECIPES FOR AFTER A FILL Master Cleanse Drink (adjust lemon, ginger and cayenne to taste) 4 oz of apple juice Pinch of cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger 4-8 TBls of Lemon juice 4Tbls of Maple Syrup or Honey Pinch of salt top off the blender with filtered water Blend till mixed Strain and drink ½ - 1 Quart a day SMOOTHIE: FOR DAYS WHEN YOU ARE ON SOFT FOODS AFTER A FILL OR UNFILL - A 24 HOUR REQUIREMENT FOR POST FILLS AFTER LIQUIDS. 2-4 oz of apple juice or Rice or Soy Milk 3-5 ground almonds 1-2 teaspoons of flax oil ¼ cup of frozen fruit ? berries, bananas, mangos, papaya 1-2 Tbls (or packet) Protein powder (I use a Rice Protein which is hypoallergenic and tastes pretty good) ¼ teaspoon Bee Pollen (do not add if allergic to bees or huge environmental allergies) ½ - 1 teaspoon of chlorella or spirulina

I have gained 25 pounds back. I got my surgery July 2015. I'm embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I feel like a failure. I was doing terrific for the longest time. I didn't go back to the surgeon for my yearly surgery anniversary because I'm ashamed. I'm hungry all the time and craving sweets like mad. Worse than even before I had the surgery. I'm not eating right. I have lost that "restricting feeling" when I eat. I also lost "feeling nauseated" when I eat touch sugar. I don't know what to do. My current weight is 260. My goal is 150. Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App