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CHI Franciscan Weight Loss Center has no Pre-op liquid diet. Week 1-clear liquids, Week 2-add protein drinks and vitamins, Week 3-pureed food, Week 4-soft food (chewed-up really well, of course), Week 5-I guess, we'll see! I ate Campbell's chicken noodle soup noodles on my 8th day post-op, and it was fine for me.

Hiya dizzylizzy, having little slows and stalls is completely normal... I didn't lose anything from 2 1/2 weeks ti 5 weeks... at the very early stages you must concentrate on getting well and let your body heal... make sure your liquids are in, relax and go with the flow. I know what you mean weighing daily, I do most days... can't help myself!! Oh, one good idea; I started to take measurements... that way when the scale wasn't moving I could still see progress through the lower measurements!!! That kept me on track! Good luck and well done on your weight loss so far... it does get easier =]

I also complare myself to others and I am a slow loser, as of today 74 total, 65 pounds since my surgery in Nov and I have 50 pounds to go. But I know I'll still make it to goal and want to enjoy every pound that comes off. You don't have that much to loss so 27 pounds is really very good. Coops- I'm glad your feeling more positive with your weight loss again. Did you change anything to help you start losing again? Janine

I said.... and I quote.... "Thank you Everyone for your prayers and thoughts yesterday. I had surgery yesterday, it was something I had only shared with a select few, more because of the nature of the process. I started the process in January and had my surgery yesterday. I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. It is a bariatric surgery that is intended for weight loss. I am usually quite open with what is going on in my life but because of the sensitivity of this type of surgery I chose to keep it quiet until post op. So first thing: I started this process in January. It took me 6 months and 27 days to get my surgery. I had to go through extensive medical and mental testing including blood work, sleep studies, EKG, and much much more. It is a surgery I have debated for years. As much as I did this for me, I did this for Caleb and as a future nurse, my future patients. Why this surgery? I had gone in wanting the gastric bypass (the most common weight loss surgery) my surgeon recommended the sleeve. The brief story of a Vertical sleeve gastrectomy is... They remove 75-85% of my stomach completely. It has left me with a banana shaped stomach that will allow me to consume from a few ounces to start to 1/2C later on down the road. Some may feel this is the easy way out, but the surgery is easily manipulated. I have to choose everyday to wake up and follow the rules (no drinking and eating together, Protein first, veggies second and avoid slider foods which are foods that easily make it through the sleeve such as ice cream, chips and Cookies etc...) the average weight loss is 60-75% of your excess weight. An example is someone who is 100# overweight would expect to loose 60-75#. It is not uncommon to see 100% of excess weight, the sleeve essentially does the job for the first 6 months worth of loss.... I will have to remain proactive for the remainder. I made a FB page so I can keep my FB page focused on me and not annoy people daily about this. https://www.facebook.com/SleevingIt I would love for you to go like the page, but more importantly, thank you for being a part of a special event in my life." I was totally high on narcotics at the time ha ha. I think I did pretty good though reading it now lol.

Hi. You are not alone. I was banded in 2007. I lost 60 wonderful pounds. I was still obese, but it made a big difference for me and I was happy with the weight loss and new found freedom. I think I had the same fill experience as you....fill-unfill-fill-can't swallow my own spit-unfill-eat every and any thing-fill-can't eat anything except slider foods-weight gain. It has been a constant struggle. Once I learned how to eat around my band, it was all downhill. My surgeon advised me to revise to sleeve last year (so you might want to start there if you still trust your surgeon and have his/her support), but I resisted. I didn't want another surgery and I didn't want to acknowledge that the band and I didn't work well together. We (the band and I) failed. It's been hard for me to accept. Finally, September 2012 I started really considering a revision. I went to another "initial" seminar (with the same surgeon) and heard everything all over again. After 5 years, I need a refresher. Long story short (is it too late for a short story? lol), I am approved. I had to get medical clearance again which was no problem at all. My doctor wrote it up better than I could have myself. I did not do psych again, but I did the NUT visit. I was approved so quickly (2-3 days) that it was further reassurance that I needed to move forward with the revision. Approval is easier for those who have been compliant with getting fills, says my surgeon. I got approved, but I put everything on hold, because I was not mentally ready to do it, but I am now. I'm calling my surgeon's office next week to ask them to schedule me. I hope to be in the April Sleever Achievers club. Bottom line, start at the beginning. Pick up the phone and call your surgeon and tell them what your thinking then go from there. Also, call your insurance co. Please update. I will too. Good luck.

Pink, I think you need to balance difficulties of what you MIGHT experience with the lap band against what you MIGHT experience in your life if you DON'T get one, or some other form of WLS. Yes there have been lap band failures....I am one of them. But, if you have TRULY exhausted all other avenues of weight loss, then the lap band may be your answer. It isn't for everyone, but as you can see on this site, there have been some wonderful success stories. You might be the next one! You said that you will be going to a meeting, and then setting up an appointment after that....I would encourage you to go to MULTIPLE meetings, with Multiple Surgeons. Don't take the first one that offers you the surgery. And make sure that you check the surgeon that you select CAREFULLY to make sure that he/she has been doing this a LONG time and has done HUNDREDS of these surgeries. There are many reason why the Lap band fails for some people. Sometimes it's the incompetence/inexperience of the Doctor, sometimes it's the inability/reluctance of the Patient to follow the prescribed pre and post-op protocols, and sometimes the thing just doesn't work, for whatever reason. It may be that another type of surgery is what you need, but you won't know that until you have explored all the options. You didn't become obese overnight....it took you a lifetime. So, don't make a snap decision on having surgery. Take your time, choose the RIGHT type of surgery, the RIGHT surgeon, and be prepared to follow the instructions given by your provider. Regardless of which direction you end up choosing, it's clear that you HAVE made a decision to change and improve your life. I congratulate you on that....that is a big first step. Keep us all posted on your decisions and your progress! HH

I was banded about 5 weeks ago, i got banded in my home town but i go to uni at the other end of the country, because i moved away about 2 weeks after surgery iv had to go home for fills because there arent any doctors that do WLS in the city where i go to uni, its totally manageable, im going overseas at the end of the year so about 12 months postop and the Dr said that at that point you should be fine and not needing any fills and if there is an emergency and you need an emergency unfil any doctor can do it as theres lots of instructional videos available, If your worried before you go they can take some fluid out so its not tight it might push you from the green zone to the yellow zone though which is fine for life just not for weight loss. Good luck for surgery

I was banded 3 weeks ago today. Just started soft solid foods. I have felt hungry for the first time in the past few days, which I haven't felt since surgery. Here are the things I think help me, cause I have some moments when I thought I was gonna totally cave and have something that would be best for me not to have right now! Drink a ton. When I start feeling hungry I just tell myself I am probably thirsty and I drink something I really like.. for me Fuji apple pear SoBe Water is my favorite. Then I get busy doing something that occupies my mind and I have been meaning to do anyway. Today, I reorganized my pots and pan shelf. A few days ago, I organized all my sewing material. I forgot all about being hungry.Then when my tummy was really hungry and I could no longer ignore it, I had a small meal and made myself really think about the moment when the starving feeling went away and I was no longer hungry. These are new things for me.. I am used to just eating till what was on my plate was gone. Also another thing that helps me is going to Fitday.com and logging everything I have eaten. I actually feel really good about my choices the past few days and I am still losing every so slowly! I am having the hardest time being patient because after my surgery, my weight loss has been small compared to some. I keep having to remind myself minute by minute sometimes that my body is healing and I am losing, even if it is not has much as I feel like it should. I can't complain too much yet because I have not exercised as much as would be best for me. Between having the flu and feeling extra sore, maybe from the hernia repair, I haven't felt up to much more than walking a bit, but I have a plan and I started today.. If you use fitday, it helps you see all your achievements and it makes you feel good. I know I can stick to a diet long enough to get to my fill, I have done it before...but I am looking forward to having a little more help. I have gone through my closet too.. I wondered if I was losing inches maybe since the scale wasn't saying what I wanted it to say. I found 4 pairs of summer pants and a few shirts that I couldn't wear last year that I can now add back into my wardrobe. I also got rid of a few things that were getting baggy in were just not flattering...that was great encouragement for me. You know what else helps me? This just popped into my head and it makes me kinda tear up a little.. but seeing my husband watch me and encourage me. When I left food on my plate last night he gave me a big smile, because I NEVER leave food on my plate.. I have that clear your plate syndrome..haha. I am a stay at home mom, and his sacrifices to me so I could have this surgery have meant the world to me. He loves me the way I am, but he supports me.. So yeah, that helps me stick to it also. I want him to be proud of me. I want to be proud of me. I keep reminding myself that even though the basic idea of weight loss, less in, more movement is the same for me.. I also have some issues that make it more of a challenge for me. I will not let it be my excuse, but I have to remember I am on my own journey and as long as I keep moving forward , I am doing ok. Wow.. I didn't realize I had soooo much to say.. Imagine that.. me talking too much..hummm Good luck.. you can get through this!! Hungry is not dangerous.. just think when you are hungry, it means you have not recently eaten something you should not have..haha!!

I was in the same boat as you with my boyfriend, he can eat what ever when ever and still losses weight. When I planned my meal plan for the week, we planned one for him and that seemed to help. I think what helped also is I had a list of things I wanted to get done before surgery, so if I couldn't handle the smell (meaning I wanted to eat what he was having) I would go to my list and work on my to do list.

I understand that everyone has different reasons for needing weight loss surgery. We also all have very different problems and triggers. In my case, I am a very A Type personality who lives in a world of black and white. This surgery (and some therapy) is helping me find the grey areas. I am not saying it is easy. I struggle with lack of "perfection" in the things I do every day. However, I think I am doing this in the most healthy way possible. Some of the people that I have seen and spoken to scare me. I asked my NUT yesterday how our bodies respond any different than that of an anorexic. I have asked her this question 3 times and she doesn't like it because she cannot answer it. Yes, we do not have the same mental issues to deal with, but our bodies have been anatomically altered, not physiologically. Due to this, I find that it concerns me when people who can only get in 700-800 calories a day workout so hard that they are running in the negative. Again, I ask my NUT how this can be healthy. Our bodies need both nutrients and calories to function properly. While I understand that our bodies will force us to function at a deficit, how do you sit there and tell people that it is okay to have a daily net that is negative? Calories are how we get energy. I don't mean empty chocolatey calories, I am talking about making healthy choices. I do not understand how people can look me in the face and tell me that it won't have any effects. If someone was eating exactly how we are forced to without the surgery, people would tell them about hair loss, amenorrhea, lower cognitive functioning etc. Yet, people can look me straight in the face and tell me it is ok for me because I am anatomically different now. Can someone please explain this to me? No one else has been able to, and I just am trying to wrap my head around this. Don't get me wrong. I understand the definite need for exercise. Unfortunately, so many people take on this surgery and don't realize they are treating it as though it is yet another one of their DIET attempts to lose weight. I hear about perfection, perfection. I won't ever touch a candy bar, ice cream, cookie, white carb etc. etc again. I completely understand that everyone has a trigger that they may need to avoid permanently, for me it is soda (which I can never have again), but I am talking about every single thing that may not be perfect for your health, but you enjoy. Also, I have seen a lot of people that seem to start off telling themselves "I will work out for an hour a day 6 days a week for the rest of my life" and take no consideration for life happening around them. Not only does this sound like a recipe for disaster, but to me, it just sounds like another diet. I chose this surgery because it is not a diet. As previously mentioned, I struggle for moderation not an all or nothing attitude. I may not have lost 50 lbs in my first month, but I feel as though I am making permanent changes that will serve me (and eventually get me to weight) in the long run. If I did great all week and I want a cookie, I might eat half a cookie (truth be told, I used to be a cookie monster but I don't really like them anymore, but you get the point). If I decide to take my son out for frozen yogurt one Friday, I don't feel guilty as I have made a huge lifestyle change. The choice of frozen yogurt over Baskin Robins is a huge step and I don't feel jilted. I won't sit and eat 16 oz anymore. I might have 4 and I feel satisfied. I have made a lot of friends that have also had this surgery. It really worries me that they treat it like another diet, they never give themselves a break and begin to disturbingly obsess about every single calorie they ingest (again, not saying you don't need to pay attention, but if you accidentally go 10 calories over, so what??). I feel that little changes add up quickly. Walking your child to and from school instead of driving, using your bike to make a run to the corner store, playing outside with the kids, swimming a couple laps while you are out sunbathing on the beach. I feel like I am running a lifelong marathon, not running a sprint to goal weight. It can be frustrating sometimes, watching those around me that had the surgery about the same time lose weight faster. However, I have no extra skin to contend with and I am certain that I am losing a lot of body fat, not just body weight. My struggle is to keep telling myself this. My struggle is to find a lifelong change that isn't necessarily as quick as I may like, but teaches me the moderation that in 32 years I never learned.

Try tracking what your eating . make sure your eating what you should be , make sure your not eating TOO many calories, make sure your getting ENOUGH calories. Not getting ENOUGH calories can cause you to stall your weight loss too. Are you exercising ? Go over the "rules" again make sure your following them . Are you taking small bites , are you taking 30 mintues to eat, are you NOT drinking when you eat , are you waiting at least 30 mintues to drink after you eat ect ? When was the last time you had a fill ? Are you sure your not too tight if your Pbing a lot . If your PBing constantly you need to give your stomach a break and allow it to heal . Call your doctor go over things with him/her or the nutritionist in the office that's what they are there for . PS DONT DO THE KRISPY CREME Thing , you will get STUCK and SICK and possibly Damage your band ! HTH Mindy

AVERAGE weight loss for a band patient is 40-60% of excess weight (depends on age). This includes the people who never followed through with the aftercare or who the band did not work for/they did not work with it. Some surgeries are better for different types of people- sleeve and gastric are kind of a one-stop shop, where you go for surgery and immediately feel the effect of surgery. Lapband is progressive restriction and requires constant maintenance. I like that the band is removable if problems arise and that I still keep my stomach/intestines. The band is usually slower weight loss, but the five year outlook shows that the band is comparable with other WLS in terms of weight lost. If the band doesn't work, then I can consider more drastic options. The only real concern for me about other WLS would be that after a couple years, the stomach may relax and stretch, causing weight gain due to eating more. There is nothing else to be done if this happens except consider banding. I guess this means you need to eat right mentally from the start, even though for the first couple years you could eat crap and lose weight anyways due to the malabsorptive nature of the procedure. You must decide what kind of aftercare you want and what types of pros/cons you are willing to accept. Best of luck.

My experience with Yoga in general is that it's not for weight loss. At least, in all the years ive been practicing it, I've still been heavy. Flexible & calm/centered, yes...but heavy I've been doing yoga since I was a child & my grandmother taught me. videos of yoga in general are just plain old strange IMHO. thanks for the suggestions... I personally find Rodney Yee hard to follow, especially his vinyasana flow. (especially as a fat girl lol) I also agree about the pseudo celebrities who all think they should be yogis now bc it's trendy...annoying. I didn't even know who DDP was when I got the program. I did it at the insistence of a friend. He's definitely got his own style, but omg it WORKS. if I knew how to post pix from the app, I'd show my day 1 v day 31 comparison pix. I got out of the habit of doing it, unfortunately. Gotta restart so I can be strong for surgery. Seems from what I read, being fit before surg makes recovery easier. 347*294/284/135 (*347HW/294SSW) | (twitter) @Mwrarr | mwrarr.wordpress.com

Thanks no I haven't had any skin removal surgeries. I'm 5'9 & 1/2 so luckily I'm pretty tall. I live on a farm so I do lots of physical work plus I work out at home too. Thankfully my skin has retracted well, I guess good elasticity is genetic or something, not sure but I'm just happy to that really my biggest problem areas are my tummy which is easy to hide. I would love to get a tummy tuck one day but with our farm is hard to take that much time to recover because I've heard it's much worse than the weight-loss surgery. Aimee

Don't get discouraged during the pre-op. The head hunger is difficult for most of us, but the pre-op is a fantastic kickstart to the post-op weight loss. Feel free to rant on here if you're hating the pre-op and we'll help get ya through it! Best of luck and keep us updated!

I haven't noticed this when taking a Bcomplex however I did feel that way while on a generic of an antidepressant called Remeron. It felt like I could eat the same amount in volume as I used to, but in reality I was unable to put away the same amount so I found myself grazing. Weight loss was nearly at a stall but came down a few lbs.

My daughter is a hair stylist, I had my hair dyed 2 weeks post-op and like MichiganChic kept my regular schedule of every 4 weeks. I am 3 1/2 months post op. Just this last appointment (1 week ago) my daughter commented that my hair seemed a little thinner than usual. I typically have very thick hair. We decided to cut it short & sassy. I love it!

I never stopped coloring my hair. If you can find a salon that uses Redken Chromatics hair color, I recommend that. It's ammonia free permanent color that leaves your hair healhier than before you colored it.

Hey everyone I was sleeved 6 January 2015 here are some pictures of my progress im having a problem with constipation bad I've taken all the recommended stuff for it does anyone else have this problem i think its slowing down my weight loss surgery date weight 221 weight as of today 179 march 21 2015

For my six month weight loss trial it had to have my weight documented, as well as what exercises I have been doing and discussion about what I will to different to work on my weight loss the next month. I had gained weight one month after a taking a stretch of steroids for an injury, so there had to be additional discussion on why I gained weight and what I will do to not only lose the weight I put on but additional weight as well. The weight loss physician wrote the letter of medical necessity for my insurance company.

My program gave me this formula, to help ME determine what my loss needs to be in the different phases to get me where I want to be. In the first 3 months, you lose x amount of weight. In the following 3 months, you'll generally lose 1/2 of whatever number x is, which is then number y. And then in the following months, you can lose 1/2 of y, for as long as you chose to eat/exercise in a way that puts you in weight loss mode, for number z. I want to lose about 110 lbs. My goal is 50 lbs in the first 3 months, so x = 50. I'll lose half of x in the 2nd 3 months, so y is 25. Then in the subsequent months, I can continue to lose 1/2 of y monthly, so z is 12. x + y + (as many months of z as I chose) will get me to my desired loss...50 +25 + (12 x3) = 111. I could be at my goal in 9 months if I work hard and stick to my plan. I've lost 45 lbs in 9 weeks, so I'm on track for that first goal. It really helped me to have interim goals and to have some sort of expectation of weight loss. Of course, this could all go out the window if I don't continue to lose as I have, but I have no reason to think that I'll be anything but successful as long as I continue doing what I've been doing. Good luck!

First off, I'm so sorry for your losses. I work in cancer research and I know the trials that families go through, especially if it is a long, drawn-out process. I lost my mom in 2015 from a heart attack, and in a strange way I'm thankful she passed quickly and that's something I don't think I'd say unless I worked in the field I do... I have had depression from a very young age, and I had to explain to the psychologist how my last major depressive episode was 2015 after my mom died (complicated relationship), and I was also planning my wedding, which was also super stressful. She asked me if I thought my feelings about my mom were regular grief or true depression, and I think it's important to know where the grief ends and the depression takes over. My own med history says I was on prozac, zoloft, paxil, celexa, and wellbutrin for my depression, not all at the same time of course (age ~15 - 22ish). I have depression and bipolar and alcoholism on every branch of my family tree, so I was careful to explain the situations I was under while taking these meds, and how I handle it now. If you show your resilience and that your coping mechanisms are healthy ones, they should clear you. The fact you are seeking help and are on a stable dose of antidepressants shows you take initiative to properly help yourself, instead of self-medicating with food of alcohol, for example. Best of luck!

I definitely wouldn't handle it by eating cookies. That is going to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Try the SF popcycles or pudding and see if that will help curb your cravings. How about greek yogurt? This is where you are going to have to buckle down and really use your willpower. That's the things about WLS, a chocolate chip cookie still smells and tastes like a chocolate chip cookie. We have to find ways to resist the urge. Good luck

This is a big decision. It's great that you are asking these questions. I'm a long-term lap band patient. Here are 2 articles that may help you. They are part of my 5 year lap band journey. The first is about eating with friends and family -it's an article and video. The second deals with hunger and all my failed attempts at weight loss - I call it Hungry No More. My biggest question was would I be HUNGRY, which is something I struggled with all my life. I hope some of this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

I agree with a lot of people here, I remember someone had mentioned this to a stranger, and turns out that "stranger" who was morbidly obese HAD ALREADY HAD THE BYPASS, years ago and had regained weight so you never know what is going on with someone, and you never know what your future will hold with your lap band. Also every obese person DO NOT WANT WLS, some people are not candidates for medical reasons, some people can't afford it, don't have insurance, etc. Also, OBESE PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE FAT, no one has to tell them that, food can be a horrible addiction like drugs, and when people tell them to lose weight, sometimes the opposite can happen and they turn to food, from being hurt. Also there are MANY obese people that lose weight successfully without weight loss surgery and keep it off, and yes it can be done. I've known many that have successfully lost weight the good ole fashion way and have kept it off for many years, they changed their lifestyle joined weight watchers and exercise daily. So you can't get cocky just because you have a tool that is making it difficult for you to eat and judge others or look down on other obese people because they have not decided to do what you are doing. I agree with most here, never mention it UNLESS they ask, "hey how are you losing your weight? Then perhaps they will get inspired by your weight loss with your band, and then they can decide if the lap band is a viable option for them. Edited to Add: Also most people have a "breaking point" when they've had enough and want to do something drastic...perhaps these friends just not have reached that breaking point. A lot of people get weight loss surgery for the wrong reasons, for vanity, spouse leaves them, etc....perhaps their health is not at a critical point yet.