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TOTALLY! Not only about your stress eating but also with your child. Mine went AWOL from the marine corps and was missing for nearly 2 years (he was 22 then) . We rec'd no call from him in 2 years. . . the military kept calling us threatening that we were harboring a fugitive . . they were so stupid, finally i threatened back with lawyers as we didn't know where he was. They backed off. . . finally they caught up to him and he was arrested and spent 1 year in jail in Camp Pendelton CA. after that he paid restitution and was handed over to me. He rec'd a bad conduct discharge and i drove to CA to pick him up. For those 2 years I was a total emotional wreck. . . every time the phone rang I thought it was the Mp's or civilian police calling to let me know they found his body. . . it was horrible. After he came home, he lived with me for about 1 year and then disaapeared again in the night. I ballooned up to over 350lbs. . . another year or so passed and no calls, not from the police or him. . then we started to recieve orders for his arrest from the civilian police. . he was wanted for a variety of reasons, domestic violence, dwi, speeding, etc. . .he was in and out of jail. . . that was then. . . . Now I had the sleeve 2 years ago. . I've lost 150 lbs and am very proud of that. . . work is now my stress point and i noticed that when i was stressed out, like you, my stomach burns something horrible. . . i make very sure i keep really busy because i was depending on junk and alcohol a lot. . . lots of black licorice pieces and pretzels. . . i gained about 10 lbs. . . i had to stop so i did and lost that plus a couple more. . . i am a emotional eater and alcohol drinker. . . i had to stop both for a while. . . it was getting bad. . . So yes, i can totally relate with you and what you are going through. . . by the way, my son (is 30 now) has straighten out his life (for the past 1 1/2 years). he works, but has a record He has a nice wife and they are expecting their first kid. . . it is very very tough when your kid gets into trouble and has legal things against them. . . but know this. . .you have done your job, you have shown him the right way and guided him to know right from wrong. . . he needs to walk his path of life and stumble and fall, then get back up, shake it off, and continue. . . they all learn from their mistakes and hopefully this scared him enough so that he'll walk the straight and narrow now. . . good luck and know that you are not alone in this. . . alot of us have gone through problems and we are here to help you, even if it's just to listen and talk. . .

@ Hi Jake, We are all here to help each other. The thing I had to learn is that everyone is different. The speed of recovery from surgery and what we can eat and when. And right after surgery is very different from where I am today at 8 weeks post-op and I'm guessing it will change again and again. The band seemed different. I was eating most things pretty soon as long as I chewed like crazy. Like the band surgery, I had no real hunger for weeks. Someone told me, the sleeve (and all WLS) allows us to hit the pause button while we figure out how to make serious life style changes. Eventually that honeymoon is over, just like the band. I say this for me, cuz this is my last chance to get it together. With the sleeve I was on mushies longer than most cuz I kept vomiting. When I could eat mushies I did measure out a small amount but it turned out to be too much. Realized too late. Also if I went too fast I'd vomit and believe me it didn't feel like I was eating fast. So to answer your question, no I didn't seem to have any clues that I had eaten too much or fast. ((but some sleevers do) I kept having a band mentality, thinking I would know immediately. So I had to learn, to eat a very small amount slowly, just a few tiny spoonfuls and then wait. It was a while before i could eat 4 oz and even now I can't eat 4 oz of chicken at one sitting. I have to be careful about introducing new foods. There are some in my January group that are eating salads and all foods. The only vegetable I can eat is steamed broccoli and steamed squash. Still no raw fruit. I also can't eat Protein and vegetables at one sitting. I have to eat the protein, then wait 30-40 minutes and eat cooked vegetables. I expect at some point that will change when the swelling from surgery is gone. Also I have been told that it can take 2, even 3 months for the sleeve to heal completely. The band healing is much faster. Today I feel real hunger. With the band I could get satiated when hungry with a small amount but it always hurt so bad. The sleeve at 8 weeks does not hurt at all. If I feel real hunger I eat 2 oz of chicken (I weighed it initially but now I know what 2oz is) and slowly eat it. Within 10 minutes I am no longer hungry for hours. At first I could only eat 1/2 cooked egg taking 30 minutes to eat the egg and then I wouldn't be hungry for hours. Now I can eat one egg. My Doc and NUT told me that eventually I will be able to eat more and then to plan on 3 meals with Snacks. But for now, they told me to eat when I have real hunger. Keep track of protein etc. And get the fluids in. Doc said I probably had more swelling than some (the vomiting didn't help) which is why my tiny little tummy couldn't hold more than a few tablespoons. Having said all this, the sleeve is much easier than the band and it doesn't hurt. What they don't tell you with the band is that after surgery, when all is healed, the band has far more complications than bypass, sleeve and RYN. Because a foreign object is in your body can erode, slip, break, etc. The sleeve once it is healed has very few complication risks. Now no one told me that when I got the band. I am SO glad my band is gone. No more tightness and pain in my stomach, no more port moving around tugging at me. Do you feel that freedom from the band too? Probably TMI, but there you have it. Best to you!

@@Kari1985 Yes! I'm so thankful she found me...haha! I posted in my local support group, and she reached out to me in a private message. It may sound odd, but while I'm having surgery, I always ask either the anesthesiologist, scrub nurse, or tech to touch my face as I'm being put under. Lol. It's just really comforting to me. When I had my children (3 c-sections,) my ex husband was in the room, and I wasn't put under and I was comforted by him holding my hand and the doctor talking to me. I am terrified of embarrassing myself. In 2007, I had sinus surgery and they didn't give me any anti-anxiety meds before they gave me anesthesia. I went from an 8 on the anxiety scale to a 10+ within 30 seconds. I sat up on the OR table, and told them "My legs feel so heavy, I must be having an allergic reaction!" They told me it was the medicine, but I didn't believe it or course. The next thing I remember is just waking up from surgery. I was so embarrassed when I remembered what I had said and did. I hate, Hate, HATE anxiety !! I hope our surgeries go well, and our anxiety is as minimal as possible. How's your pre-op diet going? You can message me anytime! Sent from my SM-N910P using the BariatricPal App

Yes you need to lose more - or at least to most doctors - you need to be at or VERY close to goal weight. If you had surgeries sooner than that, you are at risk of having more loose skin and having to redo the procedures. I saw my plastic surgeon right at 1 year post-op and wanted to know if he thought I should lose more. (I am 5'10" and was at 180 at that visit.) He said he thought I looked fine but if I wanted to lose more, that I must do it before surgery (and even then he felt like 5 or 10 pounds more ONLY).

I drink a lot of hot tea, and usually have a cup, or sometimes even 2 or 3 cups early in the morning. Normal for me is eating my first "meal" sometime between 10:30 and 2:00. Anything earlier hurts, because I'm very tight early. Fortunately, though I am not hungry early on, and the tea does the trick. Lots of people use the Protein shakes, but I can't consume anything cold. My fill doc has a band, and she told me that for her it is usual to wait until maybe 1:00 in the afternoon before she is able to eat. So, morning tightness is perfectly normal for some, and for others "normal" seems to be a little different. You'll do great!!! I've just hit the 40 pound mark! Losing slowly but consistently, and I'm very thankful! (I was banded on November 12, 2007 - 40 pounds lost in 26 weeks) Kristine The Woodlands, TX

1. Surf to Graphical Tickers and Trackers: Weight Loss, Trying To Conceive, Pregnancy.... 2. Click on Weightloss. 3. Choose a ruler. You can view available rulers by clicking through the page numbers. Once you have selected a ruler, click Next. 4. Choose a slider. You can view available sliders by clicking through the page numbers. Once you have selected a slider, click Next. 5. Enter a password/pin combination and select either public or private data. 6. If you want the ticker to display your current weight and count down to your goal weight, select Weight. 7. If you want the ticker to show only the amount of weight you want to lose and how much you've lost so far, select Weight Change. 8. Choose the unit of measure. 9. Enter your starting, current, and goal weights. 10. Enter your measurements if you want to track them. 11. Enter your height in the BMI section, and then click Next. 12. You are now at the final page. Select the size and background you want the ticker to be. 13. Scroll down on that page, click on the text that is inside the bbCode box and copy it all. 14. Surf back here to lapbandtalk.com. 15. Open your user control panel (User CP). 16. Click 'Edit Signature'. 17. Paste the code from the bbCode box that you copied in step 13 into the signature box.

Hi!! I am looking for someone to be support buddies with on this life changing journey. My doctor recommended it to me! So if anyone is interested I would love to share ideas worries stress success And hard points!! I am having surgery January 14 Height 5’8” Highest weight 326 Current weight 277 Goal weight 155

Hi...my name is Becky and I have been banded since 10/7/2010. Looking for some support along this journey.

From what I've read, a small amount of regain after a few years is pretty normal. If you feel that the amount gained is outside of "normal" (I would say 5-10 lbs), then the first thing you need to do is write down everything you eat in a day. If you're not someone who wants to carry around a notebook all day, go ahead and find a note app on your phone and try tracking that way. Another question I would ask is: are you grazing all day, or are you having separate meals with one or two snacks during the day?

Hey, don't worry. Just relax! I am having mine tomorrow and I am currently having a REALLY heavy flow. So yeah, it sucks in that way. But seriously, doctors are trianed to deal with that kind of stuff. Although I have never heard of the "in between the legs" thing. Personally, I don't care if I am naked and spread eagle as long as their doing their job. (And I am really modest too.) Since I haven't had it, I can't say if it's working for me or not yet. All I know is that in the pre-op diet so far, the first week was the most difficult. I was craving everything. Now that it's the end of the two week pre-op, I have lost over 10 pounds (without exercising sadly) and I am not craving things hardly at all. I know two very good friends who have had it, and they still can have their favorite foods, just in moderation. You just have to be VERY careful about what you eat for awhile you know? As we all know, the lap band is a TOOL not a solution. So if people are planning to have milkshakes and whatnot all the time, it's just not going to work. We have to change the way we see food, which believe it or not, isn't impossible. For the people who are't losing weight, it's probably because they aren't sticking to lean protien and veggies and good foods, and are trying to "eat what they want". You CAN eat what you want, it just depends on how bad you want to lose the weight. It's simple science. If you aren't following a good diet, you won't lose weight. Just because the band is in place it doesn't mean you SHOULD eat whatever you want. It means you physically CAN in moderation. Good luck!

I have lost 100 pounds in less than 10 months and I have only slimmed/pb'd twice...and that is because I ate too fast and didn't chew enough. I would rather do this than go through the dumping syndrome that some of the bypass patients have. Also, all of my nutritional levels are right where they should be because this is a restrictive procedure and not a malabsorptive procedure. I chose this surgery because there were less risks involved.

@@Brandon Long Let's get real for a minute. Yes it's probably too early for you to be asking about having burgers and pizza the way you used to eat them but as my Dr. always says "this is gut surgery, not brain surgery!" We all have food addictions or we wouldn't have gone to the extreme of having WLS. My philosophy on this is I will follow what I've been told to be successful by my Bariatric team of experts. This means NO Pasta, rice, bread, tortillas, sugary sweets, etc. EVER again! I must respect my new pouch or I will gain the weight back. Too many people have. Look out there, they're having new WLS saying their old surgery didn't work ... bull! It works but we have to do what we're told!!! Now that being said, my goal is to look for healthier ways if making my old favorites that fit within my strict Mayo Bariatric guidelines for life. I had quiche when I was able to start soft foods. It is one of my staples and goes down so much easier than any eggs I could ever make. Not to mention it tastes delicious. One serving is only 121 calories and has 12 grams of Protein. You can also make tasty pudding with sugar-free fat-free Jello pudding (dry in the box) and 2 cups of Premier Protein Drink. Makes four 1/2 cup servings for 85 calories and 10 grams of protein. Now that I'm 5 months post-op I'm finally having one of my all time favorite foods, pizza! Since I'll never eat bread again, there is a way to enjoy this and my single serving size is only 246 calories and 31 grams of protein. If I'm going to be successful, I'm going to eat what tastes good ... and there are lots of tasty recipes out there to help us all. When you get further along on your journey (definitely NOT yet), try this pizza recipe. Trust me, you'll love it. If you want to see a pic of it, check out my post "Pizza, Glorious Pizza"! Congrats and continued success Ingredients One pound ground (raw) chicken breast ¼ cup grated Parmesan ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne) Tools Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combing method) Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust) Parchment paper Wax paper Rolling pin Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray Instructions Place pizza stone in oven, if you’re going to use one (my preference), and preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Chicken mixture makes 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts (approx. 6"x4"). Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan or pre-heated pizza stone and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness). My individual (very thin) crusts baked on pizza stone in just 12 minutes!Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and healthy toppings. Place back in oven and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! Crust: Nutrition Facts Servings 6.0 Amount Per Serving: Calories 114 Total Fat 3 g Carbohydrate 1 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 0 g Protein 19 g As Prepared : 2 Tbs Prego pizza sauce 2 Tbs Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds 1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion 1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper ½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef Nutrition Facts Servings 1.0 Calories 246 Total Fat 10 g Carbohydrate 6 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 3 g Protein 31 g

I am 10 days clear liquids, 10 days full liquids, then 10 days purée, and so on. My day 1 wasn't the day of surgery though. It was the day I was released from the hospital, so really I did 2 days of iv only prior to clear liquids.

Awesome to hear! My first three weeks I was exhausted and fatigued. Now at 10 weeks I feel like myself again and so happy I love my sleeve!

Lots of folks here have lost 90 - 100% of their excess weight. IMHO, it doesn't matter how much of it you lose pre-op or post-op. I know you think you're being clear, but I think there's a big misunderstanding. You seem to think there's a finite limit to how much weight you can lose (and no more) that's defined as a percentage of your current weight. Also, there's not deadline or expiration date on your ability to lose weight. How much weight you can lose is a function of a lot of things you said you understand and that you can control and (perhaps) a few things you can't control. Consider that I'm 5'5" tall, lost 19 pounds pre-op (11 pounds on my own 2-month diet and 8 pounds on my surgeon's 2-week diet). My surgery day weight was 216 pounds. I reached my goal (150 pounds) at 8.5 months post-op. In the 9+ months since then I've slowly lost another 15 pounds and now weigh 135 pounds. My BMI is now 22.5. That means I've lost 90 - 100% of my excess weight. And as I said earlier, many people here have done the same. EDIT: P.S. The "frustration" you anticipate "toward the end" would be completely self-imposed. The interesting thing is that this trip you're about to start actually never ends. It just goes on and on and on ....

I'm 9/19 too! I've been walking and have had 1 gym visit on the spin bike (not a class, that would be too much). I was very tired after. I know that I can't introduce weights until week 6, but I was wondering about yoga and stretching-type exercises. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I too am very nervous about having this surgery done. On some days I'm convinced that because I have a thyroid problem, not even this will work. But then I go through my mental list of all the things I look forward to after the surgery and it helps!! I look forward to: 1. getting in a canoe or kayak with my husband to go fishing 2. fitting in a movie theater seat without the armrest up 3. getting the seat belt on an airplane to fit and buckle safely 4. reaching to clean myself appropriately 5. walking upstairs to our guestroom without being completely winded 6. not having to lean over to drink out of a glass with a stem because my boobs are in the way 7. not covering my double chin with my hand when my picture is taken 8. dance the night away like I used to 9. not snoring worse than my husband 10. not being paranoid about what people are thinking if I catch them staring 11. my bras lasting longer instead of the wires popping out because of the added weight 12. buying pretty underwear instead of basic white or black 13. wearing short sleeved shirts again 14. not bruising my arms walking through a narrow doorway to quickly 15. not having the steering wheel touch my stomach 16. being "on top" for a change 17. enjoying walking the mall again and going shopping 18. painting my own toenails 19. getting down on the floor to play with my dog 20. Crossing my legs. 21. Wearing my hair how I want. When I think of all these things, my fear just disappears. I plan to have surgery in September and look forward to a new life. What do you look forward to?

I'm on day 2 of the shrinking Kendra diet. We will survive. My surgery is set for July 11. I have 10 days well actually 9!!!!

I was on broth and water for 10 days before advancing to full liquids. I'm still alive. I also had to do a two week liquid pre op diet. So basically liquids for a month. There is no way I'm not following my surgeon 's instructions. Really? It's only food. I'm now a little over two months out and still at the soft stage. I refuse to deliberately do anything to jeopardize my new stomach. So my love, get ahold of some resolve and treat your new tiny, healing tummy as a new baby who is only allowed to have breast milk or formula. That bread and cheese will be right there when tiny tummy will be able to handle a tiny taste. Best.

I'm only three days post op and I'm not really sure how much I should be walking. Since I've been home, I've been walking around the kitchen and living room for about 10 minutes every hour and a half to two hours (unless I'm asleep). Is that enough? Thanks!

I would not fill. As long as you are losing slow but steady you do not need a fill. You need a fill when and if your weight loss completely stops and I would give that platue a good two months (yes that long) you need a fill if you are starving and not losing weight. The sooner you start getting fills the less you have to work with. I see people who are two months post op with 9 cc's in a 10 cc band so what do you do after you are full. I went a whole year without one fill and lost 70lbs had one fill on dec 30 and another on March 6. My doctor told me as long as I am not hungry and losing I dont need a fill. I only have 3 cc's in my band and still have a lot to work with. The longer you wait to get a fill my dr said the more successful you will be because you have more to work with. I wouldnt be in a hurry and they cant make you get a fill if you dont want one. I say no fill.

I was sleeved May 20th, and quit smoking if February. I ended up gaining another 20lbs while quitting. Once my pre op diet started I focused on losing weight and not gaining more. I did cheat on pre op but not in an excessive way, I would eat a piece of cheese when I thought I would go crazy and I steered clear of carbs and pop. I lost 6 lbs during the 10 day pre op and was still able to have the surgery. Keep in mind I was self pay and my guess is that they aren't as strict. I did ask the doctor how my liver was and he said everything looked fine during the surgery.

10 days Clear liquids (broth, tea, Water, etc) 10 days full liquids (above, plus Soups mostly) 10 days (I think) soft foods (above plus: mashed potatoes [bad idea], thicker soups, puree'd items and smoothies) After the last ten days I worked my way up to "normal" foods, though it took time to make it to some things. I am also a vegetarian, so you will have more options than I did (i.e. tuna during soft stage, etc). Go check out the Mexico Surgery forum. The first topic is Dr. Aceves info. It should contain a lot of the diet information he advises. Each doctor is different, but, after doing a lot of reading in the primary literature (stuff actual doctors write in peer reviewed journals), I would not recommend following a diet suggested by a doctor which has you eating any soft (or even full/normal foods) earlier than 14 days for soft and 20 for others. Basically, you start clear and work your way up from there. If you have trouble with a particular stage or type of food, go back a step for a day or two and start again with something after that with something else. For example, I tried scrambled eggs early in the soft food section. That didn't sit well. I did not throw up, but I definitely did not have a happy tummy. So, the rest of that day I just had fluids to give my system time to recover. Next day, I had some instant oatmeal and that went down fine. If I had tried the oatmeal later that day, it probably would not have settled well. I hope that helps. Keep em coming.

I'm on solid foods. I have excellent restriction right now. It takes me 20-30 minutes, and I push more towards 30 mins. I also limit the food on my plate to 1/2 cup'ish, depending on what it is. It takes me about 10 mins to eat an egg in the morning. The reason is that it takes about 20 mins for your stomach (and your Lapband pouch) to tell your brain that it is full. The couple of times that I wasn't paying attention and didn't chew as much as I should have caused me a great deal of pain. Once you reach restriction, you will know the reason why it takes more time to eat. Too fast can be very painful. My advice, go slow and know your limits. Good luck! Cherlita banded 11.27.07 Wgt loss: 44 lbs