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Well, a BIG box of Optifast shakes arrived in yesterday's post (from my eBay purchase). I also bought a box each of the choc bars, choc mousse and chicken soup.:hungry: Not really motivated to drink or eat this stuff... ...but since I spent all that money on it, and want to drop some kilos right now before surgery, I'd better start. It tastes ok, but I'm not looking forward to hunger pains and feeling depived... ...at least its only a few weeks, and the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. My work pants and jeans are both falling apart, and as I haven't any other decent clothes I fit into right now that are warm enough or suitable to wear out of the house:cry , a couple of weeks of meal replacement will do me good. I have several pairs of NEW pants hanging in the wardrobe - and all they need is just a very few kilos lost before I can wear them:) . So that's motivation to get started. So, from now until the final 2 weeks pre-op, it will be breakfast and lunch of Optifast, and a normal dinner with the family. Some days I have lunch functions, so will not Optifast at these events:hungry: . The last 2 weeks pre-op will be the full Optifast shebang.:speechles Exercise will be a minimum 30 min walk (work days), a 1 hour session of something else on the other days (walk, ride, gym or swim), or a full weekend "chores day" (gardening, laundry, cleaning etc). I must log back into fitday.com and get that log going. I got the rest of my pre-op appointments and instructions from ESV today. Appointments as follows: Sat 26/8/06, 11:15am - weight loss counsellor, Kew Thurs 31/8/06, 5:30pm - dietician group session, Mulgrave Wed 27/9/06, 8:00am - pre-admission nurse, Mulgrave Fri 29/9/06, 9:30am - specialist surgeon pre-op review, Mulgrave Thurs 5/10/06 - surgery, Mulgrave Mon 16/10/06, 3:30pm- post-op nurse review, Mulgrave Mon 23/10/06, 5:00pm - dietician group session, Mulgrave

Unified Group Services? The insurance card also has an HFN 10 logo on it. I am waiting to hear back from them, but also looking for someone else who has used them.

I am down to the last 20 myself . . . and I am still consistently losing. It is getting harder however and I find I have to "tweak" things regularly. I will stay on a particular "plan" for a week and if I see that my weight is moving in the right direction, I stay the course. When I start to stall out or don't see movement, I make changes to exercise, calorie intake, Protein intake, food choices, etc to change things up and hopefully make them move again. It seems like keeping my body "guessing" seems to be the best way to peel off the pounds at this point. I also do not keep my calorie intake the same every day to avoid a rut. I have very low calorie days (800-950) mixed with higher calorie days (but never above 1250 calories). I usually do two low, then one high but it is not always the same. At six months out, I have found that I stall at any calorie level if it is always the same. I also can stall if I eat the same foods every day (which is in my nature to do). This works for me, but of course our bodies are all different. I suffered through many plateaus in the beginning, and once I learned how to break them, I turned plateau busting into part of my regular routine . . . and it is working beautifully for now . . . who knows if it will still work the last 5-10 pounds to goal . . . or if it will work when I bypass my original goal and go for the smoking hot goal of 125???

hello folks! my husband and i will be traveling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia soon to meet the baby girl we are adopting. my doctor and i are considering unfilling my band for the trip for a couple of reasons...1.) the high possibility of getting sick and throwing up, which could cause a slip. 2.) medical professionals there have no idea what to do with the band, so if i were to having problems, i'd be out of luck with getting help. has anyone else done this while traveling? does the hunger come of fast? i have 6 cc in a 10 cc band and have lost just over 80 lbs. i'm scared of gaining weight, but near as scared as what could happen in Ethiopia with my band if i got sick. any advice is greatly appreciated!

The creator of this forum Alex Brecher posted this a few months ago for those who want a more informed, balanced and complete study of the different WLS. DO THE MATH 164 Studies, 161,756 Patients Over Nearly 10 Years: What Does This Add Up To? BARIATRIC AND METABOLIC SURGERY IS EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE THAN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED AND GETTING SAFER! A new meta-analysis of studies carried out between 2003 and 2012 shows higher remission rates of diabetes and high blood pressure and a lower mortality rate than previously reported. The study, published online in JAMA Surgery, is an update to a meta-analysis of studies conducted between 1990 and 2003 and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, Buchwald et. al.) back in October 2004. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reviewed outcomes from nearly 162,000 patients in 164 studies (37 randomized clinical trials and 127 observational studies), over almost 10 years. They discovered 92 percent of patients in randomized clinical trials experienced diabetes remission after surgery, slightly higher than the 86 percent remission rate found in observational studies, but significantly higher than the 76.8 percent remission rate found in the 2004 JAMA study. Remission rates for hypertension were about 75 percent in both the randomized clinical trials and observational studies, while the remission rate in 2004 was 61.7 percent. Body Mass Index (BMI) loss five years after surgery ranged from 12 to 17 in the new study. Before surgery, patients had an average BMI of 45.62. "With the 2004 study, we now have 22 years worth of data from over 180,000 patients and 300 studies," said study co-author J. Esteban Varela, MD, MPH, MBA, Fellow of the ASMBS. "The data continues to prove bariatric surgery is not only safe and effective in providing significant and sustainable weight loss, but is the most effective treatment today for diabetes, hypertension and an array of other diseases and conditions in people with obesity." In the new study, 30-day mortality rate was 0.08 percent, down from the 0.3 percent reported in 2004. Complication rates ranged from 10 to 17 percent and the reoperation rate was about 7 percent. Complication and reoperation rates were not reported in the previous meta-analysis. By procedure, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy resulted in the greatest weight loss, but had a higher rate of complications and mortality than adjustable gastric banding. Gastric banding had the highest reoperation rate (12% in randomized trials), while gastric bypass had the lowest at 3 percent, followed by sleeve gastrectomy, which had a reoperation rate of 9 percent. The new meta-analysis included sleeve gastrectomy, which was not available in the 1990s. Of note, sleeve gastrectomy had comparable weight loss to that of gastric bypass at 5 years. "This is but the latest study to validate the high degree of safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery," said Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, President of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery at UC Irvine School of Medicine. "Today we are performing operations that are as safe or safer than gallbladder and hernia repair surgery." According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 78 million adults were obese in 2011–2012.1 The ASMBS estimates about 24 million people have severe or morbid obesity. Individuals with a BMI greater than 30 have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death compared to healthy weight individuals as well as an increased risk of developing more than 40 obesity-related diseases and conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.2,3

I know, crazy right? When I went jean buying, the sale was on skinny jeans... I looked at those things and said "no way" but it was the largest size they had on the sale rack...and they were BIG! YIKES!!! What?!?! It's funny how our brain can't wrap itself around our bodies...I don't know when/if that will happen for me... that being said, now that I can stand for periods of a time (I have RA so I was almost bed ridden before the surgery it was so bad)... I search at Goodwill...AMAZING finds for about $4 each!!! and PLEASE let it be the color of the week so it's half off!!! LOL... I got 3 dresses that I needed for a cruise we were on and found them there all for under $10!!! They are lovely...but I don't wear dresses as a rule, so there was NO WAY, I was going to spend a lot...but I got a lot from there...go exploring and see what treasure you find! Good luck! Enjoy!

Hi everyone, I'm Gena and I'm still kinda new to this forum, even though I registered a while ago. I found this forum when I first started to check everything out about being banded about a year ago. But I decided to try 1 more diet before I did anything more. So I went on the Atkins Diet in April of 2007 and stay on it till the end of Feb. of 2008. I lost around 40 to 50 lbs till October, then from November to Feburary I wasn't losing anything. I kept telling myself that I was in a slump and I'll start losing again, but nothing. So on Feb. 23rd I stopped the diet and I have made an appt. with Dr. Clark in Ellis Hospital to go to the orientation for the lapband( before I gain the weight back). I need this, about 14yrs ago I had to have a hip replacement due to a car accident and it was only suppose to last 10 years, then I was to need of a new one. I am overdue and I have gained alot of weight through the years. I can't wait till I go to the appt. April 10th but I'm really nervous that I might not be able to have this surgery, I've been told that the Ins. Co. won't pay for the lapband but they will pay for the bypass and I will not have the bypass. I really can't afford to take a loan for it. I just found out last week that there is a woman from work that is being band on April 7th. She doesn't know if the Ins. will cover it. So I was wondering if I could get any info, if anyone has any? If I get my Hip surgeon involved does anyone think it will help with the Ins.?

My surgery is May 19 and I'm super excited! Congratulations on your surgery date!

@@briefs199 It would definitely be great to see you at our support group in NYC the date is 10/25. Your making a big change in your life and that is something that is positive change for you, and if you work at it together for your spouse as well. It's not always easy when one person makes a change even if the change is personal and beneficial for health etc. It can open a gap in the relationship, leaving area's of grey where the other person had definition before. For example, perhaps he knows your favorite food, and now that will change. Perhaps he enjoys going out for beers with you and now that will change. He is thinking about what this surgery is going to mean for him and his relationship with you and who you are and who you are going to be...and how he is going to cope with that...but you are who you are and your husband might need some reassurance that a new "body" a thinner more healthy you is not going to change who you are, or how you feel about him. The key to all of this is communication!! You must sit down and talk with your husband. If a psych exam is part of your surgery, make an appointment to sit with your spouse and bring these topics up and give him the space to be able to ask the Dr.'s all the questions he might have even if you think he doesn't care I'm sure he's just afraid to voice his concerns and his fears about your choice. Most of all remember that this was YOUR choice. You can not force him to change his eating habits or his behavior to suit you. You must make the changes required of you for yourself, and adapt those changes in your life style to fit into your partnership. These are all do able and if you don't force your choices and changes on him or anyone you have a relationship with for that matter, you will find that they are more accepting and will be better able to embrace your new way of being rather then being resistant to it. The key to everything though is communication. You must speak out and let them know what you need and don't need and what is a trigger for you, if you clearly state your needs that does not mean that at the next party there won't be chips and dip but it does mean that when you don't stick your hand in the bowl your hostess is not offended that you are not eating her food, but understands that you have dietary restrictions. When you go out to eat with your husband you might not order the steak at his favorite steak place but you will sit and enjoy the Soup or the salad or what ever it is that is on your dietary menu even if it means your on a liquid diet and you drink your shake while he dines you will have a friend there who is on your side and ready to be your cheer leader because they will realize you are not trying to change them, you are only trying to make changes to give yourself a better life.

I'm just about 3 days post-op and home for the first night from the hospital. I'm on full liquids and was doing ok with warm liquids in the hospital and room temp now. I was given cream of wheat in hospital and after a couple bites stopped eating it because it wasn't appealing to me. Now that I'm home I don't understand what these pains in my stomach are. I had a protein shake over the course of about 6 hours (slept 3 of it) which was a total of 11oz. Other than that I've only had sips of water (about 6oz total) and a cup of broth. I have what feels sort of like heartburn or hunger or a pit in my stomach right in the top center. Am I full? Is this heartburn? Is this pain? I've had a Nissen about 10 years ago and the doc left it in place during my surgery so nothing really comes up but I vaguely remember this feeling as heartburn? Or is this the new feeling of fullness? It's uncomfortable and I don't how what to do. I feel so unprepared even though I've been reading and taking classes for this new journey for over a year!

Last night I had a vegetarian schnitzel for dinner. It was quite dry compared to what I usually eat which is more casserole consistency. I am 10 weeks sleeved. After I ate it I checked MFP and was only at 50grams Protein. I decided to push through and eat a second schnitzel (around a third of the size of what a meat schnitzel would be). I had only slept three hours the night before (kids) and after being at work all day I was buggered. I was feeling very uncomfortable, but didn't vomit, which was probably because the food was quite dry. So I went to bed feeling not very well. An hour and a half later I woke up and couldn't breathe. I was trying to take a breath but everything was closed up. I was making this horrible wheezing noise and by chest/throat was burning. It only lasted for about 30 seconds until I could breath again, but it was terrifying! I sat upright for 30 minutes until the burning subsided and then slept on 5 pillows so I was slightly upright. I have never had acid reflux before so I am so glad some of you had posted about it before or I would have thought I was dying. Lesson learned, I will never eat just before bedtime ever again!!!

i got banded on 01/27/11,, i have lost 77lbs with no fills, i also got stuck but no vomiting a few times because of not chewing enough!!!!!

I know many people have had their lives saved by the RNY, so I don't mean to talk it down at all. I just couldn't do it... and here is my partial list: - I was a revision from the band, and the complications revising to the rny were much riskier - I had a pouch when i was banded and it SUCKED. I have no idea if the pouch for the RNY behaves the same way, but I suspect it does. I don't want to vomit up food for unpredictable reasons. I spent 10 years in that hell and decided I just couldn't do it. - Mentally, I could get used to the idea that my stomach was too big and just needed to be reduced but i could never get comfortable with the RNY procedure - gave me the heebie geebies. Irrational, yes, but it was a key factor. -20 years ago the woman who was our daycare provider had the RNY. In those days they were done open, so recovery was a big huge deal. I know it isn't the same now, but i can't quite shake the memories of how ill she was and how long it took her to recover (she looked awesome though, lost all of her excess weight!) - I was convinced by the studies available that my chances of success are nearly as good with the sleeve compared to the RNY, but my risks were considerably lower. That just made sense to me. One piece of advice is to consider a surgeon who has a thriving "sleeve" practice. I did that and feel that their after care and all that was spot on for a sleever.

I too went through the process fairly quick. I have BCBS PPO. Went to the seminar in September, submitted info to insurance and had my pick of dates in October (selected 10/29 because of committments).

My seminar and first doc visit was on 9/29. My preadmission workup and nutrition counseling was on 10/15. I had my psych eval somewhere in between the two. My surgery was 11/3. I'm told this is unusually fast though. .

I went to my seminar on 7/1, first Dr appt on 7/21, three months of supervised diet, and was approved through my insurance on 10/1. Had my surgery on 10/19. Every surgeons office is different, and I hope your processing goes well! Best wishes!

Twice, I was out walking this past summer,,I made it about 1/4 mile and it took me about 10 minutes to do that. I ended up in ICU both times due to respiratory distress because of a rare autoimmune disease I have..it sent me into a Myasthenia Gravis crisis. My muscles in my chest wall just couldn't do the work..not to mention the extra weight those muscles had to try and lift. Today,,I walked at 2 mph on my treadmill for a mile!!!!!..no distress, no pain,,just energy and enthusiasm. I just thank God that this is finally happening for me. Steroids put most of the weight on and by golly I'm going to fight to get this weight off and get well!!!

I still eat this quite frequently and add a scoop of unjury Unflavored Protein powder for extra protein. It's cheap, easy and good. The sesame oil really does make it taste just that much better. Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Ingredients:4 cups chicken broth or stock 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 -2 green onions, minced 1/4 teaspoon white pepper Salt to taste A few drops of sesame oil (optional) Preparation:In a wok or saucepan, bring the 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add the white pepper and salt, and the sesame oil if using. Cook for about another minute. Very slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute. To make thin streams or ribbons, gently stir the eggs in a clockwise direction until they form. Garnish with green onion and serve.

I started my LB journey because of the pain my body was going through, just trying to keep up with basic daily activities. Since being banded I have done very little exercising, due to said pain. The years of carrying around 100+ extra pounds has left me with bone on bone knee joints. Yes, taking off 100 lbs has help, but the damage was done. My weight also was beginning to stall b/c of my slow metabolism, I needed to start exercising. 10 days ago, I had a Lt total knee replacement ( Rt is scheduled for Sept 11) and I am so excited by just what I can now do with my physical therapist. 4hrs after surgery they expected me to just stand up and then sit in a chair. I was able to walk down to nurses station and back ( I had farthest room from ns). Yesterday PT had me doing stair climbing, say what???? lol 10 days later I'm ready to get rid of my cane. Hoping for the same results on the right knee (xray said that was my worse knee) I am so excited about my new future! Thanks to the LBS for getting me there! Weight goal here I come, one step at a time.

Are you still taking your proteins... I had my surgery last Monday (10/19/09) and I was told by my dietitian that after the surgery, I will need at least 50 to 60 grams of protein a day, otherwise I will have problems with my gallbladder, weak muscles and experiencing hair loss. I am using Ysopure with skim milk plus. I sip on it throughout the day... It tastes pretty good.

Know that your body will find its new point. You won’t keep losing forever and will likely regain 5-10 lbs from the bottom. That’s a typical pattern. I’m your height and I bottomed out and regained about 7. I maintain comfortably at about 135 with lots of muscle. You’re not too thin you just aren’t used to being normal weight. But yes if you do want to stop add some nutrient dense high calorie food. Dairy, nuts, avocado.... that kind of thing.

Hi there Zoeiyla. I too have a 10 cc band and have or had 7.1 cc. I had those 7.1 ccs since July 2012. I wasn't tight, had my restriction but some time late last year and early this year, I began to have late night coughing, spitting up Water from both my mouth and nose. Those are not normal. I could also feel that I was tighter than before. I don't know what or how it happened but I was really tight. I had a feeling that my stoma was dilated and sure enough, I finally went to the doctor last month and I was totally tight and dilated(in the red zone.) My PA took out 2 ccs so I am at 5.1. I immediately felt better. However, that restriction I once had is now gone. I am eating a little more than usual. I am trying with everything to not eat too much or eat too much of the wrong foods, but because I am more open, I have to admit I have eaten some burger and fries and other foods I hadn't been eating because I was too tight and just didn't really want to eat those things. Now that eating junk is out of my system, I'm back eating as I should and will be going back next week to get a fill. Lord knows I need it. So to answer your question, while being tight does help you to lose, it's not the right way to live because it will cause other problems down the line. You want to be in a comfortable state where you can eat and digest your food properly, sleep well without complications. You have to constantly tell yourself to slow down and chew, chew, chew. After 4 1/2 years of being banded, I still have to tell myself this everyday because I sometimes do forget. That's why I was dilated because I was taking too big of bites of food sometimes and was eating too quickly (work only had a 30 minute lunch). But those conditions have changed and I am taking my time again to eat my food. Sure I'm back to cold food before I'm done but it's a lifestyle that well, I'm used to now and will continue to be as long as my band will allow. Hope this helps. Best wishes to you.

So my patient coordinator emails me and says they received everything but they need a letter of clearance from my hematologist. They never told me to see a hematologist! I asked them if it was safe for me to have the sleeve because I have hemoglobin sc which is a type of sickle cell anemia and all they said was yes, the surgeon said its fine. Being the worry bug that I am, I decided to go see a hematologist anyway well because I needed to know more about what I have and to make sure I was good to go. So she emails me on Monday asking for a letter but my first appointment with the hematologist wasn't until Thursday. Yesterday. I'm thinking to myself...it's a good thing I took it on myself to see this guy because if I waited til they told me to see one, I would have to wait 7-10 days get a referral then another 1-2 weeks to make an appointment. Low and behold, the letter that my hemo sent on thursday wasn't sufficient and my insurance company needed a more detailed letter by today! Friday or my case would be closed! The hematologist's office was closed today.... And so is my freaking case. Unbelievable!

Hello everyone. I had my VSG on 10/24/13, which makes me a little over three weeks post. My problem is whenever I try to eat or drink, I can have really bad gas pains on my left side. It gets so severe that I can't breathe and sometimes I cry because of it. Anyone has suggestions on what to do to help?

Thanks for sharing. You look anazing. I was sleeved 10/8. You are an inspiration!