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Thanks Tiffy - yeah, aren't we all a little weird! I've done odder things than that (I'm sure, though at the moment of course I can't think of any...) But ok, then I'll factor in about that 4-5 pounds when I work out my ideal weight. Or then I just eat a little more and see where it stabilises. I've really been losing weight from the top towards the bottom and do have fat still in my ab and thigh and butt area. But I can actually feel the muscles below. Strange... I've actually reached the point where sometimes I catch sight of my reflection in a shop window or something and don't recognise myself immediately, by the way. It's weird. Mary, I have no idea, probably - I haven't weighed this little since my early teens so I've no idea what the correct calorie intake is. I'll see how it goes.

I am down 60 lbs now, I weighed in the morning at (drum roll please.........) 188.6! I was having so much problems trying to lose weight in the 190's, and now that I broke the plateau, its falling off. I've lost 4 lbs since Monday! I'm eating and exercising just like before. I'm not complaining, I'll take it, I just find it strange! Heck, I might be out of the 180's sooner than I think.

Today I spent hours going through the binder of information given to me by the bariatric team. I am one of those super organized, Type A personalities, so it was necessary for my peace of mind to have dividers and tabs and plastic sheaths for the important papers. Kinda crazy, I suppose, but that's me! Next I went through all my diabetic magazines and clipped the yummiest sounding recipes. :-) So far on this journey toward surgery-- 1. I established the insurance requirements (a complicated story I may share at another time) and got the preliminary clearance. That was a relief! 2. I discussed my desire with my personal physician, a fabulous doctor and man I respect greatly who has been my GP since moving to KY 3 years ago. His approval and support was not a deal breaker, necessarily, as I was 80-90% sure surgery was my best course, but it was important to me for him to be on board. It was a relief when he not only didn't disagree but also confirmed the positive reports I had read about the local surgeon and bariatric program. 3. I (and my husband) attended the informational seminar offered by the Bariatric Weight Loss Program here in my home town. The surgeon was at the meeting, as well as others on the team, and the info was very thorough. So far nothing to give me pause! I filled out the request form, then waited.... 4. The wait wasn't too long. Gayle, the program coordinator, called me about a week later to set up my first appointment with the surgeon Dr. Farrell. 5. August 4 was my appointment with Dr. Farrell. Before meeting him I also had brief meetings with the dietician and again with Gayle. A binder containing detailed information about the pre-approval process and appointments, the surgery itself and surgery prep, diet pre- and post-op, possible complications, exercise, recipes, and much more. VERY thorough! I even got a few samples of protein powder and shakes. 6. August 11 was my appointment with a cardiologist for "surgical clearance." I had seen this doctor just over a year ago, before my diagnosis of sleep apnea, to rule out any cardiac issues. Nothing had shown up at that time, and as a prior patient I was able to get in to see him quickly. Unfortunately, I have been very sick with bronchiolitis and possible pneumonia, on strong cough medicine and steroids. The latter (I'm convinced) is why my heart rate was high, and of course my chest wasn't as clear as it should have been. For this reason the doctor recommended a follow up ECHO and treadmill test to be sure all was well before surgery. As an RN, I could not argue the logic even if it adds more to the process. Better safe than sorry! 7. Gayle called the next day to give me dates for all the various appointments: Psych Eval, Support Group meetings, endoscopy, Nutritional Eval, Exercise Eval, and a Healthy Lifestyle Class. These, along with the cardio followup, are scheduled over the next month, beginning tomorrow. No set surgery date as yet. The initial estimate was early November, but it seems to me mid to late October makes more sense. My birthday is on October 26, and while it doesn't sound like too much fun to spend one's birthday in the hospital, in pain, and unable to eat at least a small piece of cake, I am willing to make the sacrifice if it means getting the rest of my better-health-and-skinnier-life started! I'm ready!

Hello reach out to me anytime. I also feel alone. At work they know I was sleeved but...I dont think they get it. I wish there was a support group near me but there isnt. Hang in there my hubby tries to support me he knows my struggle with PCOS but as someone who has never gained a pound since high school I think it is hard for him to understand. Best of luck.

Thanks girl, well I have been slacking but I am under a lot of emotional drama and stress right now - I'll tell all of you about it in another post, or at the next meeting. As far as exercising, I am just trying to do little things - stairs instead of elevator, parking far away - eating is good as far as no carbonation, and I am trying to eat better, I am doing ok, I just need to step it up. I still am taking my blood pressure medicine, I'm going to the doctor in a couple months for a check, meanwhile I check it regularly, and it's ok on meds...if I lose more weight maybe he'll take me off for a trial period. Brething is definitely better, along with back pain. It's just hard right now because I've always been an emotional eater, and noe I have turned into an emotional shopper. Good for the stores, bad for my bank account Anyway, thanks for letting me know someone's thinking about me and checkin up on me - I will try to do better!

Hi! I am new to all of this. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I'm looking forward to start a new beginning. However, I have not had my surgery yet. I had to do six months of a supervised diet plan. I just completed the weight watchers program. I have an appointment with the Dr. on June 13th. I also, see the the behavorist and the nutritionist on June 17th. But, I have to wonder are all of these appointments really necessary. So I'm assuming they have submitted my paper work to the Insurance company. However wish me luck!:rolleyes2:

Great job Pamela. Girl you are looking GOOD!!! Keep up the awesome weight loss Deb

do you think that it is a good idea to quit exercising? if you are having problems losing weight, perhaps you should keep exercising, and eat more calories, focusing on healthy foods. maybe you are one of the ones that need more cals to lose weight.

Has anyone noticed if there attitude changed since surgery I here when most women get close to there goal weight they attitude change and they start feeling themselves and stuff Is this true I don't think my attitude would be conceited or cocky I think I would value myself more tho

WOW... for a minute there I thought that I wrote that post! ha ha Same story.... same time frame, too. The only difference is that my "reflux" turned out to be a bit more serious.... I had my gallbladder removed yesterday. So now I don't know WHAT comes next. No idea when I can get a fill again. I'm guessing I have to give this time to heal.... I will see my doctor again after the holidays. I'm just afraid to gain weight.... AND I had hopped to have a bit more off by Christmas..... Oh well....

I am new and just starting out. For me I wanted to become more educated and that is what this is for me. To learn thru others who have had good and bad experiences, I dont want someone to sugar coat things for me just the simple truth. I also would like to post my weight tracker on here as well.. unsure of how to do that yet.. perhaps someone could educate me on how to post it on my page.. thanks Julie

I haven't taken Norvasc since post-op and I have checked my BP. Pre-op without Norvasc (when I forget to take it in the morning), my BP averages 155/100. Now post op, I've checked it 4 times over the last two weeks during the day, and the BP is within normal range any where from a low of 117/78 to 133/89. So, I have stop taking Norvasc altogether and so far don't see any spikes in my BP to warrant going back on. However, I should mention that I am male age 48 and my BMI pre-op was 36 and now it is 30 and it has been about 24 days post-op. My guess for my case of dropped BP is not the weight loss (which is only around 22lbs), but the low-sodium diet that is forced upon you post-op. <br>

I had all sorts of problems with my band. I had it taken out and revised to the sleeve in late December. Best decision I have EVER made! I am losing weight and I have control of food. Plus, I don't have to worry about sliming and all of that other drama from the band. I love the sleeve and I am thankful that there are no big issues with nutrient absorbtion like with the bypass. Good luck with your revision!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site and I'm looking for some advice... I had my Realize band placed in Sept 2008, over the first year and a half, I lost aprox. 85 pounds but over the last year I have gained back at least 30 pounds. To make a long story short, my problems started when I began getting my fills and I had a really hard time trying to find my sweet spot. I would think I was there but then it would be end up being too tight or too loose. Over the course of 2 years I had to go in for a couple of emergency unfills, had several barium swallows, and had an endoscopy. My doctor was horrible and acted like everything was my fault. He would always say that everything looked ok from the tests and tell me I was eating too much or whatever. So many times I would feel like I was becoming bulimic because my band would be so tight that I keep very little down, but if i went in for a slight unfill, I would be able to eat pretty much what I wanted. It was a vicious cycle that would last for about 3-6 months before I would have to get unfilled. After my last unfill, I pretty much just gave up on my band and have been miserable for the past 6 months. I switched my insurance and just recently found out that they will pay for the sleeve. I went to get a consultation on a revision with a different doctor and the doctor told me that we could try the sleeve and later revise to bypass if im not losing like i want to because i expressed to him my concerns about the bypass. But he recommended the bypass for me because of the amount of weight I have to lose and the problems that i have had with the band. I'm now at a crossroad because I want to lose this weight that I have struggled with my whole life but the reason I went with the band was because I didn't want the drastic change of the bypass. But now I have the option of getting the sleeve, which seems like the way to go but I'm also considering the bypass now. I just am really unsure because I'm young and I still want to be able to have kids soon without any problems. I'm just so confused because I still have at least 150 pounds to lose and I don't think I can make it through another disappointment like the band. Any advice would be appreciated because I plan on having my revision soon and my time is running out... Thanks for listening.... Monica

Hi Beth! I am still pre-op, so really can't answer any of your questions, but wanted to say Hi and welcome you to LBT! What I can say is this: All of us here have some sort of issue with food, otherwise, we wouldn't even be considering WLS. If you aren't ready to deal with those issues, no weight loss program will be successful. The band is only a tool to help with weight loss. The work is still up to you. Yes, the thought of failing yet again is scary. As I move along through my own pre-op process, I am dealing with that fear too. But I know how terribly bad I want to be healthy, and as someone on these boards has said, "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels". Knowing how true that statement is is my ultimate goal. Good luck to you and be sure to keep us posted on your progress!

Thank you everyone! I had to be on one day liquid diet, I recommend Kellogg protein water, they have packets for travel! They taste good too, 5grams of protein in each serving. The liquid diet today not to bad, a lil hungry i just stayed full of as many liquids as possible (all low cal) My stomach gurgle gurgle! lol Yea i hope that I stay pretty full off of the liquids for 2 weeks, not that i honestly ever had a huge appatite, well my body sucks and likes to hold on to anything that isnt under 1000 cals! lol.. I am excited and nervous, but I am sure I will do great and finally after all my life will actaully lose all my weight and be a thin girl, instead of the big girl! :smile: To the person that is getting urs done tomorrow.. I wish u the best too!! :thumbup: I will be on Thursday and let everyone know how I did! thanks! :woot: :smile:

Drink Water, often! I was admitted initially for dehydration. I was drinking enough, even though I knew I was getting what I was supposed to. Then we figured out it was my blood pressure medication Lisinipril. The water was absorbed differently. It doesn't happen to every one. Anyhow it turns out my kidneys were affected and there was no blood flow getting to my kidneys, my kidneys became to get really sluggish. They Bolis (two IV bags) me twice in a half an hour. After the first my output was only 30cc, and the second 17cc. They then put an emergency consult in for a nephrologist, and were considering putting me on an emergency dialysis. Thank the high heavens, after begging to walk, I was able to get things moving again. I drink more water now then I have to, and do not take the lisinipril any more. So three hospital visits in a month. Sucks! Not to mention all the fluids they gave me, made me gain some weight back. I was ticked off. The fluids are starting to flow away and am starting to lose again, but this has been outrageous. All because of a little pill. I still have to take blood pressure meds because my blood pressure is not under control still. I don't take as much as I did, which is good. I hopefully don't have to take them in the future, they just want to continue them until they think it is controlled. MY PSA for the day! LOL Drink your fluids! If something feels wrong, go to the hospital or call your surgeon. Thank you!

shandy im so sorry that you are having a ruff time with this, but i must say you should be so proud of yourself for having the courage to come on here and share your experience with us. I really admire you for recognizing your problem and being proactive in fixing it. So many of us myself included have a tendency to hide the truth from our own selves but you put it out there for everyone to see and i can see why you are and will continue to be a sucess with the band. Bravo. Also for those who feel ashamed of gaining weight back , or eating more, or not exercising enuff etc etc .... We really need to be more forgiving of ourselves, becuz we are only human we are bound to slip and make mistakes, the only thing anyone should be ashamed of is not picking ourselves back up and trying again no matter how many time we fall down. One thing that has really really helped me is telling myself that no food is off limits everything is about PORTION CONTROL and EXERCISING DAILY. Again shandy and ev1 else thank you for putting yourself out there for us newbies its greatly appreciated. shireen:D

First off, I am very blessed and I am almost at 60 lost, which I would never have done without the sleeve. Secondly, no need to bash me after this, as I know, that I'm not doing all that I can do to lose weight. I am not asking to be told what to do or not to do.......Just reaching out for some ideas when others have been in this spot as I am sure I am not the only one. With that being said, how do you combat old habits? I can eat anything, I have no issues, and I'm starting to slowly work my way into my cracker habit, my not drinking Water etc. For those who really seem to have a handle on this. Do you have anything that you do that seems to help you through those old habit times? Right now, instead of munching I'm walking around the building at work. I'm hoping that helps distract my mind. I can't seem to quite get the system down. This was a life changing surgery, and an expensive one. I can't imagine how I'll feel if I cannot grasp a hold on this and make it work. My heart is in the race, my mind isn't. It's like I'm on a road, and I know how to get to where I need to go. I know which path to take, and yet I choose the wrong one... Do any of you see a counselor on a regular basis to help with getting your head in the game?

Since I've lost this initial weight--about 27 lb. --I've been having a lot of muscle soreness in my back. I do exercise, including light strength training. I have a 2 year old mattress that was fine pre surgery. But I've been pretty uncomfortable and it's actually getting worse. At first I thought it was my desk chair at work, but it's Saturday and it's still a problem. So I was wondering if anyone else has gone through this, or if it might be my body and muscles having to readjust to this change? I always visualize my weight loss in terms of 5lb bags of potatoes. And I have dropped 5+ of them. Any thoughts? PS I had one massage post surgery and have groupons for two more.

I am stressing a little because I went on vacation for a week and ate everything that I used to eat prior to being sleeved in 1/11 and the bad part was I didn't get sick, it was good and now I have to truly start all over! These are the habits that kept me fat all my life! I didn't stuff myself but I did eat more than three times a day and I gained 2 lbs. Anybody been there and how hard was it to get refocused?

I notice I'm also weaker. I do jiu jitsu, which really is supposed to be about technique more than strength or size and skill wise I've done it for years, but depending on my weight I am either pretty decent or pretty bad. When I was my heaviest I was really slow, so I wasn't any good. When I was around 155-160, I was fast, I was big (ish) and I was strong. Now that I'm 129 I get my butt handed to me every single round because I am far and away the smallest person in class and when someone can just sit on you and you can't lift them off, it tends to make it a little less fun. In terms of moving stuff, I think I've just gotten more creative. I had to lift a huge table a few weeks ago, so while I couldn't just hoist it up like before, I still did get it moved, I just used fulcroms and my brain insteead. When I really need to lift something I can, I just don't have the strength to lift as much for as long or as repetitively as I did when I was about 20-30 pounds bigger.

Hello everyone! I already posted this in Introductions, I think, but I don't want to give up I am in a contest to win a free lap band surgery. I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Sydrome) and as many of you ladies may know, it is extremly hard to lose weight with that. My syndrome also prevents me from having children at this time, I break out alot and I grow hair in strange places lol. Not only that my weight has affected me in my career path as well. I am a musical theatre person and singing and acting are my life. But I am restricted in the roles that I auditon for as well as the roles that I recieve. I desperatly want to change that. I applied for a contest to get a free lap band and much to my surprise I became a finalist. But, now I need help I would appreciate if you all could take the time to vote for me! You can do this by going to http://www.obesitynomorefl.com/contest.php and click my name, Erica S to read more about me! I also made a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en_1AFtrPqc&list=HL1365473846&feature=mh_lolz so that you all can learn more about me and hear from me personally! I made an event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/342059355893736/347717905327881/?comment_id=347922315307440&notif_t=event_mall_reply so that you can invite your family and friends to vote for me too. It will only take you 5 seconds to add at least 5 more years to my life <3 Thank you all SO very much! <3

Some gain I mths hospital and others dont. How much Fluid are you getting? As long as you are sipping and Making progress you are fine. Keep in mind though that your body is healing and weight can go up, down, and hold steady during this journey. Dont panic and follow your plan.

FarmerE, I told everyone and thankfully I didn't have any problems. Only one time when my sister saw me when I lost all my weight she opened her mouth to her friends to tell them how much I lost when they saw me and then they asked me how I did it. I told them I had the surgery and then my sister got mad at me. She thought her friends would think that I took the easy way out and I don't care if that is what they did think either way. I don't know them and they don't know me. I live in Texas and they live in New Jersey. I will probably never see them again and they thought it was great that I lost 111 lbs. You can't care what other people think in this life................ You have to take care of yourself because no one else will.......... Josephine